Lowtown Primary School

LOWTOWN PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 9 th – 12 th July 2001

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LOWTOWN PRIMARY SCHOOL

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

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LOWTOWN PRIMARY SCHOOL

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The Governing Body.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: April 1997 Pudsey, Lowtown Primary School - 4

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

20086 Mr D Speakman Registered inspector Mathematics Information and communication technology Design and technology. What sort of school is it? The school’s results and pupils’ achievements How well are pupils taught? How well is the school led and managed? What should the school do to improve further? 31718 Mrs D Shields Lay inspector How well does the school care for its pupils? How well does the school work in partnership with parents? 10611 Mr M James Team inspector Science Music Physical education Special educational needs. How good are curricular and other opportunities offered to pupils?

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

20003 Mrs S Metcalfe Team inspector English History Religious education Equal opportunities Provision for pupils with English as an additional language. Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

22398 Mrs L Wright Team inspector Art Geography Foundation Stage.

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Evenlode Associates Ltd., 6, Abbey Close, Alcester, Warwickshire. B49 5QW

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Team members Subject responsibilities 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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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Pudsey, Lowtown Primary School - 5

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 6

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

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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS? 10

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Pudsey Lowtown Primary School is about the same size as other primary schools with 212 pupils on roll, including 30 under the age of six. There are equal numbers of boys and girls. The school is situated in Pudsey, a town on the edge of Leeds. Most pupils live near to the school in an area of mixed housing. The vast majority of pupils are of white origin. There is a very small number of pupils from other backgrounds other than white UK origin. These pupils come from Black Caribbean, Indian or other white origins. No pupils have English as an additional language. The percentage of pupils entitled to free school meals at 14 per cent is about the same as the national average. There are 35 pupils on the school’s register of special educational needs, six of these with statements. The total is above the average for a school of this size. The proportion of pupils with a statement of special needs is above average. Pupils’ attainment on entry to

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

school is about the level expected for children of this age. Since the previous inspection there has been some changes in the teaching staff, including the headteacher and deputy head teacher.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

This is a very effective school. It provides a good quality education and enables pupils to achieve well, and attain good standards by the time they leave the school. Pupils make very good progress in the Reception Year and good progress throughout the rest of the school. The quality of teaching is good and is very good for children in the Reception Class. Pupils are taught to develop good attitudes to their learning and relationships between pupils and between pupils and adults are good. Leadership and management of the school are excellent. The many significant strengths of the school far outweigh the small number of areas that could be improved. When the above factors are set against the above average cost of educating each pupil, the school provides good value for money.

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What the school does well

• The achievement of pupils in the Foundation Stage is very good and good for pupils throughout the rest of the school. Their overall attainment is above average. • The quality of teaching is good and is very good for younger children. • Leadership and management are excellent. • Provision for pupils with special educational needs is excellent and these pupils make excellent progress. • The school provides a rich and broad curriculum. • The school takes very good care of its pupils. Assessment procedures are very good and all pupils are provided with appropriate work. • The relationship that the school has with parents and the information it provides for them is excellent.

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What could be improved

• The use of information and communication technology in other subjects. • Provision for pupils’ multi-cultural development. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school has shown a good level of improvement since it was last inspected in April 1997. Standards in the Foundation Stage and in mathematics throughout the school have improved, as have standards in science, information and communication technology and religious education at Key Stage 1. Overall good standards have been maintained against a climate of change and altered priorities. The quality of teaching has improved, as there is now a higher proportion of good and better teaching. The provision for pupils with special educational needs is now excellent, and their subsequent progress has improved. Leadership and management of the school are now excellent. The Governing Body has fully addressed the key issues raised at the time of the previous inspection, although the impact of actions to improve the quality of handwriting is not yet sufficient. Good progress has been made in meeting these key issues.

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STANDARDS

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

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Performance in: all schools similar schools Key

1998 1999 2000 2000 English C C C D well above average above average A B mathematics C A A A average below average C D science C B A A well below average E

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Performance in: all schools similar schools Key

In the National Curriculum assessment tests for seven-year-olds, in the year 2000, attainment in reading, writing and mathematics was well above average when compared to all schools. It was also well above average for similar schools in writing and mathematics but it was very high (in the top 5 per cent of similar schools) in reading. By the end of Year 6 attainment in mathematics and science is well above average when compared to similar schools and nationally. Attainment in English is average against all schools, but below when compared to similar schools. The inspection findings for this year’s seven-year-old pupils indicate that attainment in English and mathematics is above that expected for pupils at this age and in science it is well above. It is also above expected levels in art and design, design and technology, history, information and communication technology, music and religious education. Attainment is in line with

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Performance in: all schools similar schools Key

expectations in geography and physical education. The overall level of achievement for Infants is good and pupils are achieving well in relation to their prior attainment. By the time pupils are eleven their attainment in English is satisfactory overall with good standards in reading and listening, and satisfactory standards in writing and speaking. Attainment in mathematics is well above the expectations for their age and in science is above expectations. Attainment in art and design, design and technology, history, information and communication technology and music remains above expectations and pupils make good progress in these subjects. The levels of attainment in geography, physical education and religious education are in line with expectations, with pupils making satisfactory progress. Their achievement is good overall and they achieve standards that are above those expected for pupils at this age. These results indicate rising standards

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Pupils’ attitudes toward school and their work are good. They enjoy school. In many lessons they show high levels of interest and enjoyment in their tasks. Behaviour, in and out of classrooms This is good. The majority of pupils behave appropriately in lessons, in assemblies and round the school. Pupils organise themselves with a minimum of fuss and bother. However a minority of pupils sometimes misbehave. Personal development and relationships Pupils’ personal development is good. Pupils develop a growing responsibility and reliability in their manner of working, their communication skills and their ability to take personal and group responsibility. Relationships between pupils and between pupils and adults are good. They co-operate well with teachers and apply themselves to their work. Attendance Attendance is good; it is above the national average.

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Aspect Comment

The school has maintained the good attitudes, personal development and relationships seen at the time of the previous inspection. In many lessons they show high levels of interest and enjoyment in their work, particularly in investigative work or when their class has visitors. Most are very keen to answer questions and offer their opinions in discussion times. When given the opportunity to participate actively in their learning, pupils respond with maturity and care. When pupils are given responsibilities they perform them to the best of their ability. Some misbehaviour was seen especially when teachers’ management of pupils Pudsey, Lowtown Primary School - 8 was not fully effective. Attendance is above the national average and there is very little unauthorised absence. The overwhelming majority of pupils arrive promptly at the start of the school day.

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

Lessons seen overall Very 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: aged up to 5 years aged 5-7 years aged 7-11 years

Teaching is good and promotes the good quality learning. The vast majority of lessons seen (85 per cent) were of a good or better quality. Of the 47 lessons seen, the quality of teaching in 40 was good or better, in 17 it was very good or better, and the teaching in eight lessons was excellent. No unsatisfactory teaching was observed during the inspection. Teaching effectively enables all pupils to achieve well and develop good attitudes. Basic skills of literacy and numeracy are taught very well across a wide range of subjects. Teachers’ very good use of assessment is used well to ensure excellent planning, which ensures that the needs of all pupils are met effectively. Teachers have high expectations of their pupils and ensure that all groups of pupils achieve highly. On a few occasions, teachers’ management of pupils’ behaviour is not fully effective.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum The quality and range of opportunities for learning provided by the school are very good for children at the Foundation Stage and good for pupils at Key Stages 1 and 2. Provision for pupils with special educational needs The provision for pupils with special educational needs is excellent. Very clear procedures are in place to support the identification and assessment of pupils. Individual education plans are carefully and thoughtfully prepared. The targets clearly identify the main priorities and teaching and assessment procedures are carefully arranged. Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development This is good. It is good for their spiritual, moral and social development. Provision for their cultural development is satisfactory.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils The school cares very well for its pupils. The school’s arrangements for the welfare, health and safety of all its pupils are very good. Day to day personal support and guidance for pupils is very good. Very good assessment procedures are used very effectively to ensure all pupils are provided with work of an appropriate level.

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Aspect Comment

The curriculum for children in the Reception class is very well planned to cover all areas of learning effectively in an interesting and often exciting way. The school organises a very good range of visits and visitors, which adds richness to the curriculum. The school makes very good provision for the equality of pupils’ access to the whole curriculum, with the staff making sure that all pupils are involved, as far as possible, in a full range of activities. A satisfactory range of extra-curricular activities is provided for Junior pupils. These include sporting, musical and craft activities, which are ably supported by teachers and, on occasions, by parents. Whilst pupils are given suitable opportunities to learn about local and world cultures, preparing pupils to live in a multicultural society is less well structured and systematically developed. Parents’ and carers views of the school are positive, they like the school and what it provides

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Aspect Comment

for their children. Pudsey, Lowtown Primary School - 9

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff This is excellent. The headteacher works very effectively with her senior managers, and together they have established an extremely clear vision regarding the development of the school. This is clearly communicated to, and shared by, all members of staff. The work of subject co-ordinators is well developed. How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Governors have high levels of involvement in the school. They are conscientious, well organised and fulfil their statutory responsibilities very well.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance Excellent. The headteacher, key staff and governors work very well together to identify the school’s strengths and areas for development. The headteacher and senior managers rigorously monitor teaching, learning and standards. The strategic use of resources The financial management of the school is excellent. The school takes great care to ensure that spending is targeted well and linked to priorities in the school improvement plan. Close monitoring of spending decisions reflects the careful consideration given to the impact of financial commitments on standards.

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Aspect Comment

The headteacher is a very strong leader who shows excellent leadership qualities. A highly competent deputy head teacher works closely with her and provides very effective and highly valued support. Other members of the management team provide further high quality support. Subject co-ordinators manage their subjects effectively, and they also work well to ensure that high standards are achieved. The governors have a very good understanding of the school’s strengths and concerns and work very effectively to support the headteacher and her staff in their work. Very good attention is given to ensuring that the best value for spending is achieved. Governors fulfil their statutory responsibilities very well.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• The children are making good progress. • The quality of teaching. • Feeling comfortable about approaching school with questions or problems. • The school’s expectation that pupils work hard. • Homework. • Extra-curricular activities.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

The inspection team agrees with the things that please parents most. The school does provide a satisfactory range of extra-curricular activities, but these are only available to pupils from Year 3 onwards. During the inspection it was found that homework was appropriate and that it was used well to support and sometimes extend the work done in school. Pudsey, Lowtown Primary School - 10

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

1. In the National Curriculum tests at Key Stage 1 in 2000, pupils’ attainment in reading, writing and mathematics was well above average when compared to schools nationally. When compared to similar schools, standards in writing and mathematics remained well above average and were very high in reading. Two pupils even reached Level 4, the expectation for eleven-year-olds. Results over the last few years show that attainment in reading has improved at a pace better than the national trend and in mathematics and writing it has kept pace with standards remaining above average. In the National Curriculum tests at Key Stage 2 in 2000, pupils’ attainment in English was average, and in mathematics and science was well above when compared with the national average. When compared to similar schools, standards remained well above average for mathematics and science, but fell to below average in English due to lower standards in writing.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

Following careful analysis of results, the school recognised this and took steps to improve standards. These results also show good levels of improvement against national trends over recent years in mathematics and science, but not in English.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

2. Pupils enter the Foundation Stage with standards of attainment that are generally in line with those expected for pupils of this age. The Local Education Authority baseline shows that most pupils are average on entry and that few pupils show above or below average attainment when they start school. They make very good progress, and children achieve standards that are well above expectations when compared to the Early Learning Goals for children in the Foundation Stage by the time they transfer to Year 1.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

3. The inspection findings for this year’s pupils in Year 2 indicate the attainment in English and mathematics is above that expected for pupils at this age and in science it is well above. It is also above expected levels in art and design, design and technology, history, information and communication technology, music and religious education. Attainment is in line with expectations in geography and physical education. The overall level of achievement at Key Stage 1 is good and pupils are achieving the standards that are good in relation to their prior attainment. By the time pupils are eleven their attainment in English is satisfactory, in mathematics is well above the expectations for their age and in science is above expectations. Attainment in art and design, design and technology, history, information and communication technology and music remains above expectations and pupils make good progress in these subjects. The levels of attainment in

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

geography, physical education and religious education in line with expectations, with pupils making satisfactory progress. The current difference in levels of attainment between Years 2 and 6 reflects the high proportion of pupils with special educational needs in Year 6 at the time of the inspection, and the variation that this characteristic would bring. Pupils’ achievement is good overall and they generally achieve standards that are above those expected for pupils at this age. These results indicate rising standards overall.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

4. Pupils with special educational needs make excellent progress, both in relation to the targets set for them, and in their progress overall. They are provided with outstanding levels of support from their teachers and the learning support assistants. Their targets are regularly and most carefully evaluated and reviewed, and new targets are appropriately set to aid progress.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

5. Throughout the school, pupils attain good standards in listening and satisfactory standards in speaking. They have the capability to communicate fluently and precisely. Pupils widen their spoken vocabulary and use a good range of words when talking about their work in all subjects. Older pupils can adapt their speech to suit formal and informal occasions. By the time they are in Year 6, most pupils listen to quite complex instructions, are confident orally and have a generally broad vocabulary. Pudsey, Lowtown Primary School - 11 6. Overall standards in reading are good. Younger pupils recognise a good number of words by sight and use their knowledge of sounds and the illustrations in books to help them read accurately. By the time they reach the end of Year 6, nearly all pupils read accurately, fluently and with good expression from a wide range of books. They have good levels of understanding and retell stories

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

well, predict events and identify and describe the characters. Older pupils are familiar with and are able to scan a page to find information. They use glossaries, contents and index pages effectively to help them find particular information in non-fiction books. Project work in history and geography shows that they are able to research and collate information from a wide range of reference material.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

7. Attainment in writing is satisfactory overall. Younger pupils achieve good standards and make good progress, writing for a range of purposes including narrative, poetry and factual accounts. They make character studies from their reading and describe people and places from their history or factual reading. Pupils write advertisements using persuasive language, retell well-known stories and write their own stories in the same style. By Year 6, pupils compare formal and informal letter openings competently. Handwriting however, is not always well formed, clearly shaped, even in size or well orientated and fluent. Pupils practise handwriting skills but often fail to transfer these skills to other written work. Presentation of work in English and in other subjects such as history and geography is erratic.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

8. By the end of Year 2, pupils have a good knowledge and understanding of all aspects of mathematics. Their numeracy skills are well advanced and most pupils work competently with number. Pupils generally develop a good knowledge of properties of shapes in both two and three dimensions and they have a clear understanding of angle by this stage. Pupils tell the time, not only to the hour, but also half past and quarter to or past the hour. They transfer the skills to reading dials to interpreting scales properly to other activities such as weighing objects.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

9. Pupils continue to make good progress at Key Stage 2 and attain standards that are well above expectations, by the time that they are eleven. Pupils’ knowledge and understanding of number is very good. They can calculate, using all four operations with numbers to two decimal places and they apply these skills successfully when solving problems. All pupils have made a good start in mastering the basic skills in algebra. They have a good understanding of symbolic notation and use it competently to build number expressions. Pupils have a thorough understanding of shape and angle. They can draw and measure angles to the nearest degree and have a very good knowledge of the properties of different triangles and quadrilaterals. Pupils are able to find the areas of irregular shapes using set formulae and procedures. They handle data well and process a sample to produce frequency diagrams and accurately calculate the different forms of averages.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

Whilst working across the mathematics and numeracy curriculum, pupils show that they have very good skills in using and applying their knowledge and understanding to solve problems and work out strategies to answer questions.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

10. In science, Key Stage 1 pupils successfully undertake investigations on many aspects of their work, for example, when tackling tasks on electricity. They have a good knowledge and understanding of fair testing, and they readily record their findings, both in writing and in pictures. Pupils have a good knowledge of life and living things reflected by their ability to successfully name the main external features of both the human body and a flowering plant. Pupils have a good knowledge of the properties of a wide range of common materials, such as metal, plastic and wood. They use this successfully to describe the various uses based on materials’ properties. They understand that pushes and pulls are examples of forces and know how these affect certain objects.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

11. By the end of Key Stage 2, pupils further develop their knowledge and understanding of life and living processes, materials and their properties and physical processes. They are confident in undertaking a wide range of experiments and investigations. Pupils in all year groups successfully tackle practical activities. They select their own apparatus, make predictions and record observations and measurements well. They successfully draw conclusions from their findings. Pudsey, Lowtown Primary School - 12 12. Attainment in information and communication technology is above that expected for pupils at this age. This is because pupils have a wide range of experiences in the computer suite and make good progress across the whole breadth of the curriculum. However, the use of information and communication technology to support learning in other subjects is not developed well enough and is one of the school’s identified areas for improvement.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

13. In religious education, young pupils make a good start to building a worthwhile understanding of a suitable range of religions. By the end of Year 2, pupils show a good understanding of the work covered in Judaism and Christianity. By the end of Year 6 pupils have a sound understanding of special celebrations in Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Judaism and the importance of symbols and symbolic actions in religious celebrations and acts of worship. They make useful comparisons between features of the different religions studied and this helps pupils to develop an understanding of how religion influences the lives of other people.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

14. The school has maintained the good attitudes, behaviour, personal development and relationships seen at the time of the previous inspection. Pupils enjoy school and this is reflected in the majority having positive attitudes towards their work. They co-operate well with teachers and apply themselves to their allocated tasks. In many lessons they show high levels of interest and enjoyment in their work, particularly in investigative work or when their class has visitors.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

15. Attendance is good and it is above the national average. There is very little unauthorised absence. Standards since the last inspection have been maintained. Pupil’s punctuality is good and this ensures a prompt and smooth start is made to the school day.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

16. Pupils enjoy coming to school, are keen to learn and make the most of their time in lessons. In nearly three quarters of the lessons seen during the inspection the attitudes of pupils was judged to be good, with that in a minority of lessons being very good. Pupils know class routines well and settle down to work quickly and sensibly. Most are very keen to answer questions and offer their opinions in discussion times. During a Year 2 religious education lesson for example, pupils were thrilled to examine the family baptism robe of one of the teachers, holding it carefully and respectfully. They had good recall of baptism services they had attended and were very interested when told by a support assistant that her son’s baptism robe was made from her wedding dress and the cake for the party that followed had been the top tier of her wedding cake. The delight and enthusiasm of the same class when sharing their ‘postcards home’ from an imaginary visit to the

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

seaside in their literacy work was a joy to see.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

17. When given the opportunity to participate actively in their learning, pupils respond with maturity and care. When two museum staff came in to support Year 3 pupils examining artefacts to learn more about ancient Greece, not only did pupils handle artefacts with care but took seriously the food tasting that followed, expressing their likes or dislikes of olives, figs, pita bread and feta cheese. Year 2 pupils listened carefully to one of the school governors who brought in photographs of seaside visits from her childhood. Pupils had planned the questions carefully and talked with interest and respect to the older person, listening to her replies thoughtfully and with due consideration.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

18. Pupils are proud of their jobs round the school. When given responsibilities, they perform them to the best of their ability. Pupils raise funds by selling crisps for break, they take registers round the school, hold doors open and assist in assembly. Pupils mix well. Older pupils read with younger ones, taking seriously the recording of the books and response of their younger partner and taking it in turns to read to and listen to their companion. Through activities in lessons such as history, geography, science, design technology and literacy, pupils develop independent learning skills well.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

19. The school is a harmonious and friendly community. Good relationships exist between pupils and between pupils and teachers. No evidence of oppressive behaviour including bullying, sexism and racism was seen during the inspection. Pupils help each other find resources, listen carefully to Pudsey, Lowtown Primary School - 13 teachers and each other and are friendly and polite without being too familiar. They are proud to show visitors around school and draw their visitor’s attention to their favourite areas, resources and displays. Pupils are happy to celebrate others success. This was demonstrated clearly during the headteacher’s ‘feelings’ assembly when a teacher discussed his feelings when the girls football team won a cup, the appearance of which lead to all pupils spontaneously clapping the team’s success.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

20. Pupils with special educational needs pay close attention to adults, and they persevere very well with their tasks. They are well behaved, and get on well with other pupils.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

21. The behaviour of pupils is good. Parents see the school as a sharing and caring community and agree that pupils show respect for each other and their teachers and care for those less fortunate than themselves, but a significant minority express concern about behaviour in and around the school. Parents note that there are some pupils who disrupt lessons and slow the learning of their classmates. Some misbehaviour was seen especially when teaching was not fully effective in addressing instances of inappropriate behaviour. However, the majority of pupils, behave appropriately in lessons and round the school. Pupils sit sensibly, follow instructions carefully and enjoy the activities teachers prepare for them. Pupils get ready for playtime and lunch quickly and quietly, tidying away after themselves with a minimum of fuss and bother. In assemblies they sit quietly and listen carefully, entering and leaving with the minimum of disturbance. In the year

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

prior to the inspection, there were no exclusions.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

22. Pupils have a good understanding of the impact of their actions on others and give good respect for others’ feelings, values and beliefs, especially in religious education work when pupils talk of their attendance at church and Sunday school. Circle Time and activities in personal, social and health education work provide opportunities for pupils to develop ideas about, and to discuss feelings. Assemblies include a suitable time for reflection and quiet prayer, which gives pupils the opportunity to contribute ‘leaves’ to the ‘feelings’ tree.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

23. Teaching is good and promotes good quality learning. The vast majority of lessons (85 per cent) seen were good or better. Of the 47 lessons seen, the quality of teaching in 40 was good or better, in 17 it was very good or better, and the teaching in eight lessons was excellent. All teaching observed during the inspection was at least satisfactory. Teaching effectively enables all pupils to achieve well and develop good attitudes. As the proportions of good, very good and excellent teaching have increased, this represents an improvement on teaching at the time of the previous inspection. Teaching is very good for children in the Foundation Stage and good for pupils between the ages of six and eleven. The quality of teaching in information and communication technology throughout the school and in mathematics for pupils at Key Stage 2 is very good. It is satisfactory in physical education and geography. Teaching is good in all other subjects.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

24. Teachers’ have a good knowledge and understanding of the subjects that they teach and of their pupils’ learning needs. Teachers appreciate the learning needs of all pupils, in particular those in reception and those with special educational needs. The effectiveness of teachers’ lesson planning is excellent. Through the very good use of assessment and the very good quality marking, activities are highly appropriate and effectively enable pupils to achieve the intended learning outcomes of lessons. All pupils, including those at different levels of attainment are given work at an appropriate level, ensuring that their learning is securely based upon what they have already learned, and therefore effective. The good targeting of work extends to oral sessions. Teachers questions are relevant, phrased in specific ways and are directed to different pupils thus giving all pupils confidence. Lower attaining pupils, and those with special educational needs, are well

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

supported by their class teachers and the effective work of the support assistants.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

25. Basic skills are taught very well across a wide range of subjects. The development of literacy and numeracy skills plays an important part in the school and all adults promote this effectively. The Pudsey, Lowtown Primary School - 14 school identified a weakness in standards in writing and has endeavoured to raise standards in this aspect through better teaching. Interesting activities stimulate pupils, establish their attention at the beginning of lessons and encourage their participation. Teachers’ enthusiasm and evident enjoyment in teaching their classes motivates pupils to sustain concentration and ensures that they work hard to make good progress in acquiring good levels of skills, knowledge and understanding across a wide range of subjects. This makes a significant impact on the high standards in some subjects. In a very good Key Stage 2 history lesson, the pupils’ interest was immediately captured

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

through being able to sample Greek foods and to examine a wide range of artefacts to enable the pupils to develop a secure understanding of how people used to live in Ancient Greece. Pupils’ interest was effectively sustained throughout the lesson through the teacher’s and other adults’ own enthusiasm.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

26. Teachers’ expectations of their pupils are high. They are fully aware of the levels that their pupils are at and plan appropriately demanding activities. They mostly expect high standards of behaviour in lessons, but very occasionally less so in some classes. A lack of self-control from some pupils in talking when they should be listening, and too much noise during individual and group work sessions, affects the concentration that pupils are able to sustain and hence the quality of learning. Expectations of behaviour are generally made clear and pupils are aware of how they should behave in class to enable lessons to progress appropriately. In the vast majority of lessons seen, teachers support positive behaviour and attitudes to good effect and achieve good standards of behaviour in their classes.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

27. Teachers use a good balance of teacher-led and pupil activity to ensure that pupils’ gains in knowledge and understanding are good. In better lessons a good range of interesting teaching strategies is used, such as use of resources, discussion, evaluation in design and technology and hands-on experience in information and communication technology. Focused questions are used well in a wide range of lessons, are effective in ensuring that all pupils are fully involved and that they feel confident to answer questions directed to them. Clever use of pauses and the timing of questions not only allows pupils time to think about their responses, but also ensures that lessons move at a brisk pace and sustain pupils’ interest and concentration well. This was seen in a Year 6 mathematics lesson, when the pace of the introduction and main development was rapid and kept the pupils’ attention throughout. Consequently, pupils respond well, are very enthusiastic to

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

28. Support staff are effective in their work in class and they make a positive contribution to the learning of the pupils in their care. They are fully involved in the planning of the lesson and are well aware of their specific responsibilities. They know the pupils well and have good relationships with them, providing sympathetic but firm guidance. They are equally effective when supporting teachers in their work, working confidently and competently along side them, or with groups of pupils independently.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

29. The teaching provided for pupils with special educational needs is exemplary. The teachers and learning support assistants have a very clear understanding of the needs of the pupils; they work closely together and arrange a most suitable range of activities and work for them. Very positive relationships are established, and help and support are constantly provided.

p.14

PUPILS?

30. The quality and range of opportunities for learning provided by the school are very good for children at the Foundation Stage and good for pupils at Key Stages 1 and 2. All statutory requirements are met.

p.14

PUPILS?

31. The curriculum for children in the Foundation Stage, in the Reception class, is very good. It is very well planned to cover all areas of learning effectively in very interesting and often exciting ways. Activities are structured, within themes, to meet the needs of young children of all abilities. Pudsey, Lowtown Primary School - 15 The rich variety of stimulating experiences in formal and play contexts enables each child to make very good progress, both intellectually, physically, socially and emotionally. The teacher has very successfully adapted new curriculum guidelines to her very strong philosophy of early years’ education, which effectively underpins everything she does.

p.14

PUPILS?

32. The curriculum at Key Stages 1 and 2 is broad, balanced and relevant. Good provision is made for all subjects. The planned provision for the singing aspect of music and for using and applying mathematics, is particularly extensive and stimulating and contributes significantly to the high standards being achieved in these aspects. Although overall standards in information and communication technology are higher than those expected, limited use is currently made to support learning in other subjects.

p.15

PUPILS?

33. Appropriate and relevant policies and schemes of work are in place for all subjects, and they contain detailed and extensive information to provide for a very full coverage of all subjects. The plans ensure a steady and progressive development of each subject through the school.

p.15

PUPILS?

34. The school has adopted the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies successfully. Numeracy has been effectively implemented, with an appropriate use of mental activities in lessons and a ready use of mathematics in other subjects of the curriculum. The success of this implementation has helped to maintain the high standards being achieved. In Literacy, many opportunities are provided for pupils to develop their reading and writing skills across a wide range of subjects. This has helped the school maintain the high standard of work in English at Key Stage 1, and is helping to improve standards at Key Stage 2.

p.15

PUPILS?

35. The school makes very good provision for the equality of pupils’ access to the whole curriculum, with the staff making sure that all pupils are involved, as far as possible, in a full range of activities. Good provision is also made for pupils’ personal, social and health education, with aspects of sex and drugs education being fully covered within lessons. Other aspects of healthy living, such as the contents of a healthy diet, are carefully considered in science.

p.15

PUPILS?

36. The provision for pupils with special educational needs is excellent. Very clear procedures are in place, and they follow the Code of Practice closely on the identification and assessment of pupils. Individual education plans are detailed and are provided for pupils who are at Stage 2 and beyond on the school’s special needs register. These are carefully and thoughtfully prepared, the targets clearly identify the main priorities, and teaching and assessment procedures are carefully arranged. These plans are reviewed each term. Pupils with statements of special educational needs are provided with excellent support in line with the requirements of their statements, which are reviewed annually.

p.15

PUPILS?

37. The school provides a satisfactory range of extra-curricular activities, for Key Stage 2 pupils. These include football, netball, rounders, athletics, recorders, guitar, sewing and horticulture, and are ably supported by teachers and, on occasions, by parents. The school welcomes many visitors, including the police, fire officers, nursing staff, artists and local clergy, as well as drama and music groups.

p.15

PUPILS?

38. The school has very good links with the community. These enrich the curriculum and make a very positive contribution to pupils’ learning and to their personal development. The immediate and wider locality is used very well for a wide range of educational visits, such as a visit by Year 3 pupils to Skelton Grange. Pupils talked enthusiastically about their day and had clearly enjoyed the experience. The visit effectively consolidated pupils’ learning that had taken place during their science topic looking at how plants grow. Other visits include the Yorkshire Museum of History and older pupils take part in residential visits, for example, to Ingleborough Hall. These activities make a significant contribution to pupils’ personal and social development, as well as to their learning in various subjects. The school organises a very good range of visitors including the Quantum Science Theatre and representatives from appropriate agencies to support the PRIDE

p.15

PUPILS?

(Parents Role In Drug Education) project in Year 1. The school regularly takes part in local events Pudsey, Lowtown Primary School - 16 such as the Pudsey Carnival, local senior citizens and children from nearby nurseries and playgroups are invited to performances of school productions such as Annie and the Wizard of Oz.

p.15

PUPILS?

39. There are very good links with partner institutions such as regular sporting events, which take place with other local primary schools. The very good liaison with the secondary schools in the area ensures the smooth transition of Year 6 pupils to the next stage of their education. In addition students from these schools regularly undertake work experience placements at the school. Trainee teachers and students from further education gain valuable experience from work placements at the school during their time at college. There are very good links with external agencies that support a number of pupils.

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PUPILS?

40. The school makes good provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral and social development and satisfactory provision for pupils’ cultural development.

p.16

PUPILS?

41. Provision for pupils’ spiritual development is good. Acts of collective worship meet statutory requirements and provide pupils with opportunities for prayer, along with elements of personal and shared reflection. Assemblies give pupils good knowledge and insight into people’s different beliefs and values and these are further developed in religious education and personal, social and health education work. In the last year assembly themes have included friendship, behaviour, courageous people, working together, communication and choices in life. This encourages pupils to reflect on important aspects of life and human achievement. Religious beliefs and how they affect people’s lives have been investigated through Diwali, Hanukkah, Christmas and Lent. Through this, pupils are provided with a good insight into how other people think and why they act as they do. In lessons teachers foster the development of spiritual awareness well. For example

p.16

PUPILS?

during a religious education lesson on baptism, pupils in Year 2 responded well when talking about the symbols of the water washing sins away and the candle standing for Jesus as the light of the world. Pupils understood that the service, although ending in a family party, confirms the family’s commitment to bring the baby up as a member of the wider Christian family. Further opportunities for spiritual development occur through a study of different faiths and beliefs in religious education, poetry in literacy, a study of the wonders of science and an appreciation of art and artists, music and musicians.

p.16

PUPILS?

42. Provision for pupils’ moral development is good. The school has appropriate procedures for monitoring and promoting good behaviour, which demonstrate care for all, supported well by the reward system and policy of praise. During personal, social and health education sessions and circle times pupils have the opportunity to consider the impact of their actions upon others. Pupils are taught the principles of right and wrong and these are embedded in the schools practice. Teachers reinforce moral principles and use praise effectively to support these ideals. Teachers lead by example as positive role models, treating all within the school with respect. The care with which teachers mark and display pupils’ work show their pride in what pupil’s achieve. Pupils know their class and school rules and are proud of their school.

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PUPILS?

43. The provision for pupil’s social development is good. Pupils have a range of social skills upon entry to the school. The school provides many good opportunities and occasions for pupils to work together collaboratively and to learn to co-operate. Older pupils write stories to share with younger ones as well as having the opportunity to read regularly together. In lessons, pupils share resources and work together well on group activities. Although the school does not have a school council, pupil’s opinions are sought on such issues as the layout and use of the playground. The school raises funds, having fun at the same time, for charities such as ‘Red Nose Day’. Opportunities for social contact outside the classroom such as extra-curricular activities and visits, including living together on a residential visit, further encourage and support pupils’ social development. The school benefits greatly from the support it receives from parents and the wider

p.16

PUPILS?

community and this has a significant impact upon pupils’ social development. Pupils are encouraged to show thought and consideration for the needs of others and this is reflected in the range of charitable activities. Pupils participate in community events and festivals, for example entering a float in the local carnival. Pupils see their parents and members of the community Pudsey, Lowtown Primary School - 17 supporting the school practically in listening to children’s reading, assisting teachers in class activities and raising money to provide additional resources.

p.16

PUPILS?

44. A number of pupils participate enthusiastically in the range of extra-curricular activities offered. The front entrance displays the photographs and cups of pupils representing the school in such as the girls under-10 World Cup football competition. Pupils from the recorder club play carefully and tunefully in assemblies, while others enjoy the opportunity to sew or garden, learn the guitar or play rounders.

p.17

PUPILS?

45. Arrangements for pupils’ cultural development are satisfactory overall. Whilst pupils are given suitable opportunities to learn about local and world cultures, preparing pupils to live in a multicultural society is less well structured and systematically developed. Pupils learn about aspects of culture in art through working in the style of famous artists such as Van Gogh and Monet. They use the colours, textures and shapes well within their own work. The school has used the national literacy strategy to introduce pupils to a range of literature. They read poetry, the work of different authors and look at the work of illustrators from Britain and around the world. These texts are also used in collective worship to support work on relationships where for instance the African story ‘Mufaro’s beautiful daughters’ led to a discussion about the merits of kindness as opposed to meanness and rivalry. The ‘Katie Morag’ stories were linked with geography studies

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PUPILS?

and used to good effect to introduce younger pupils to the differences between living in an urban community and small island village life. Pupils make informative visits to museums, the Church, a Mosque, environmental areas and local shops to raise aspects of their cultural awareness.

p.17

PUPILS?

46. Visitors to the school include artists, theatre groups and museum staff to support work in art, religious education and history and to raise further pupils’ cultural awareness. Members of the local community visit to tell of their childhood visits to the seaside. During Nelson Mandela’s visit to Leeds in April to open a special garden, pupils’ awareness of the visit and the man’s ideology and work was raised through two assemblies, which were devoted to his life and his role as a civil rights activist set against a background of apartheid. During poetry week, earlier in the year, Caribbean rap music supported an assembly on poetry raps with pupils performing their own compositions to the ‘audience’s’ click rhythms. History theme days such as those that focus on Ancient Greece, Egypt and Victorian schooldays enhance pupils’ learning well. Pupils are also learning about life in a contrasting location, St Lucia, with its geography, location, climate and

p.17

PUPILS?

produce. Pupils learn about the cultural traditions that are based on other religions. These studies provide pupils with a useful knowledge into the beliefs and festivals such as Passover and Diwali, while their studies about Christianity introduce pupils to the festivals celebrating Christmas and Easter.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

47. The school takes very good care of all its pupils. The school’s arrangements for the welfare, health and safety of all its pupils are very good. Since the previous inspection standards in all of these areas have been maintained. Day to day personal support and guidance for pupils is very good. The administration, classroom and lunchtime staff all make a significant contribution to this aspect of the schools work. Because of this very good provision pupils grow in self-confidence and are not afraid to ask for help, should they need it. Parents appreciate the fact that their children are cared for well.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

48. Arrangements for child protection are very good. Teachers are very aware of the procedures to follow if they have any concerns about the children in their care. Any issues raised are dealt with carefully and sensitively. Procedures for health and safety are very good. The school places high priority on ensuring pupils are safe and secure. The Governing Body is fully involved in monitoring health and safety in the school by ensuring that regular risk assessments and safety inspections are carried out and actions identified are monitored. Any concerns brought to the attention of the school are dealt with, where possible, quickly and effectively by the conscientious Pudsey, Lowtown Primary School - 18 caretaker. There are very good arrangements to inform parents about illness or accidents at school. Pupils’ personal and medical information is regularly updated and this ensures that parents

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

can be contacted in the case of an emergency. Minor accidents are recorded including any follow up action that needs to be taken. There is a good number of lunchtime supervisors who create a friendly and relaxed atmosphere both in the dining hall and outside. Adults are vigilant and this ensures that pupils are taken good care of during the lunchtime break.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

49. The induction procedures for children starting the school are very good. Parents are fully involved in the process. Well structured arrangements enable children to settle to school life quickly and to make very good progress in their personal and social development. Very good liaison with the secondary schools in the area ensures the smooth transition of Year 6 pupils to their next stage of education. Although pupils say they are happy with these transfer arrangements they like school and will be sad to leave.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

50. The arrangements to monitor and promote regular attendance are good. Registers are completed efficiently, but in some instances, absence for family holiday which is in excess of ten days, is incorrectly recorded as authorised. Because teachers know their pupils well and are quick to note anyone who is absent. Suitable steps are taken to contact parents should no reason for a pupil’s absence be provided. The EWO (Education Welfare Officer) is involved where appropriate. The school rewards high rates of attendance and regularly reminds parents of the need for their children to attend school regularly and on time. However, there has been a recent increase in the number of families who take holiday during term time. The school has recognised the need to raise parents’ awareness that this interrupts the continuity of their children’s education.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

51. There is a wide range of rewards, which helps to promote good behaviour and encourage effort and achievement. Pupils’ success outside of school is also celebrated. The learning mentor, although only recently appointed works well with a group of identified pupils helping to improve their behaviour and attitude to work. It is too early to assess the full impact of this strategy, but there is evidence to suggest that this provision is having a positive impact on some of the pupils. Any incidents of inappropriate behaviour or attitude are closely monitored by the headteacher, parents are informed at an early stage if there are concerns, and the school tries hard to ensure that individual pupils are supported until such time as improvement is sustained. As part of the Personal, Health, Social and Citizenship Education programme, religious education lessons and assemblies pupils’ gain a good awareness of issues such as bullying, respect for others feelings,

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

beliefs and racial issues. Incidents of bullying are rare and racial harmony exists throughout the school. Pupils and parents are confident that any incidents brought to the school’s attention are dealt with promptly. Procedures to monitor and promote good behaviour and to eliminate all forms of oppressive behaviour are good.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

52. Procedures for monitoring and supporting pupils’ personal development are good, although certain aspects are informal. Teachers ensure pupils are given responsibilities from their earliest years in school and pupils are keen to carry out the duties offered. Extra-curricular activities, opportunities to take part in class assemblies and for pair and group work, all contribute to raising pupils’ self confidence and self esteem. Although there is much established good practice pupils are not consistently encouraged to show initiative in lessons, most opportunities are as a result of teacher direction. There is no school council so that pupils’ views can regularly be sought. Much informal communication takes place between teachers, but written records to monitor personal development are not maintained.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

53. Pupils with special educational needs are regularly assessed, and a wide variety of information is recorded to help identify pupils’ current attainment. The information gained is also used very effectively to provide suitable future work for the pupils. The learning support assistants, working with pupils with statements, keep most detailed records that help ensure that the tasks provided for them are particularly relevant to their present needs.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

54. Assessments made when the children start school in the Reception class, and the excellent tracking systems of the progress that individual pupils are making, enable staff to plan a learning Pudsey, Lowtown Primary School - 19 programme that suits the needs of all children very well. This helps to ensure that all the children in this class make very good progress in all aspects of their development, as well as giving the teacher a very good measure of her effectiveness.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

55. The school has very good systems for regularly gathering information on the pupils’ knowledge and understanding of what they have been taught. These systems are particularly detailed for English and mathematics, enabling the school to closely evaluate the progress each child makes and to set targets for attainment at the end of each academic year. An increasingly rigorous and analytical approach has enabled the school to aim more accurately at achieving high standards in the end of key stage national tests. Good teaching, based on clearly identified objectives for learning for all groups of pupils, is helping towards achieving these targets. The purpose of each lesson, in all subjects, is clearly shared with the pupils at the start, referred to at opportune times throughout and, in many lessons, reviewed at the end so that teachers and pupils have some measure of their understanding and learning. Teachers make useful assessments of areas of

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

learning that may be causing difficulty, or where pupils are doing particularly well, enabling them to provide the next steps in learning that each group requires. This ensures that annual reports to parents are of excellent quality, clearly outlining for each pupil areas of strength, those which need working on and, for English, mathematics and science, setting targets for the next year’s work. Pupils of all ages write about their progress and their comments show increasing maturity and insight as they get older.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

56. The Key Issue from the previous inspection, to use assessment information consistently to improve curriculum planning to meet the needs of all pupils, has been energetically and fully addressed. Opportunities for formally involving the pupils regularly in assessing their own progress are limited, although many are capable of doing this, and an opportunity is being missed to help the pupils learn even more effectively. The co-ordinator has a very clear idea of how the systems can be developed still further to give even greater insight into the pupils’ learning and the progress that they make. She has a carefully timed programme to bring about these developments, indicating her commitment to this aspect of the school’s work.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

57. The schools partnership with parents and carers is a significant strength of the school. Parents and carers make a very good contribution to school life and to pupils’ learning. Key factors that contribute to this excellent partnership are the school’s emphasis and commitment to working in partnership with parents and carers and the high level of consultation with them. The positive impact of this approach is seen in the very good support parents give to the work their children do at home and in the support they give to the school. Parents also raise significant amounts of money to purchase resources for teaching and learning.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

58. The quality and range of information provided for parents and carers are excellent. The prospectus is very informative and very well presented. The governors annual report to parents is similarly very well presented and contains all the information it should. This year’s reports about pupils’ progress have been modified slightly and are of an excellent quality. They are supplemented effectively by many opportunities, both formal and informal, for parents and carers to consult staff about how their children are doing. Additionally, there is a very good flow of information about school life which includes high quality school and class newsletters and information about the work pupils are going to be studying. Well positioned notice boards, both inside and outside school, information events and presentations and the availability of governors at key school events, all ensure that every opportunity is taken to ensure that parents and carers have ready access to

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

59. Parents’ and carers views are positive. They like the school and what it provides for their children, and find staff approachable and say they are made to feel welcome. Parents and carers are actively encouraged to become involved in school life and with their children’s learning. Several give freely of their time, helping regularly in lessons and with other activities, such as accompanying pupils on Pudsey, Lowtown Primary School - 20 educational visits. The school values their help. Parents and carers are made aware of their children’s targets for improvement. When homework is set parents and carers provide very good support for the work their children do at home. As a result their help and support makes a positive contribution to the standards pupils achieve. Parents’ and carers’ support for the school is also seen in their attendance at school events, concerts, and parents’ evenings. The school regularly

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

evaluates the effectiveness of its relationships with parents and carers, and tries to incorporate their views and suggestions into its plans for improvement.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

60. Parents of pupils with special educational needs are kept well informed of the reviews of their children’s individual education plans, so that they are fully aware of the provision being made for them. Parents of pupils with statements are invited to the annual review meeting. Pudsey, Lowtown Primary School - 21

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

61. The headteacher was appointed to the post two years ago. The quality of her leadership is excellent, and represents an improvement on the judgements made at the time of the previous inspection, when the quality of leadership and management was judged to be very good. The deputy headteacher, who has also taken up this post since the last inspection, supports her very well. Together they provide a strong and effective lead for a hard working and dedicated team who are committed to achieving high standards. Parents agree that the school is well led and managed.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

62. There is an extremely clear vision for the future of the school and all staff and the Governing Body share this. There is a commitment to improve the school further and to endeavour to provide excellence in all the school does. The staff feel it is important to maintain a very strong ethos, which will support improving standards, build on the school’s many strengths and deal with any concerns. The school aims focus on all adults concerned, staff, Governing Body and parents, working together to enable pupils to achieve their best across a range of academic skills and knowledge, to enable pupils to become good learners, and for pupils to develop personally. The reflection of the school’s aims in its work is excellent.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

63. The monitoring of the school’s work is thorough and rigorous. The specific staff, from both the teaching staff and the Governing Body carefully monitors all aspects of what the school does. There is a comprehensive policy, which informs all of those responsible of the expectations of this process. The school is committed to self-evaluation as a tool for improvement. The monitoring and evaluation system has four strands; planning, teaching and learning, work sampling and the analysis of pupils’ performance data. The headteacher very effectively monitors the performance of the school and of the teachers. She uses reliable criteria when making judgements on the quality of teaching and learning in lessons observed. Headteacher’s lesson observations are discussed and targets are set in identified areas for development. These are then re-evaluated at a later stage. The headteacher’s observation that there has been an improvement in the quality of teaching, is

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

supported by inspection evidence, which indicates higher proportions of good, very good and excellent teaching.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

64. Curriculum co-ordination is effective and positively contributes to the good quality curriculum and high standards. Curriculum co-ordinators for English, mathematics and science monitor provision and standards across the school by scrutinising teachers’ of planning and samples of pupils’ work. Curriculum co-ordinators of other subjects are currently checking the implementation of new curriculum guidance and the integration of recommended schemes of work. Those co-ordinators, whose subjects are priority, are highly effective in their work. Those, whose subjects are not a current priority of school development, effectively maintain quality and are well prepared for the time when their subject becomes a priority for development. Assessment data is used very effectively to identify what pupils do well and where improvement is needed. This data is then used reliably to inform the school improvement plan.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

65. There is a very good school improvement plan and the priorities are highly appropriate and relevant to the school moving forward. The headteacher’s priorities are to establish a positive ethos and learning environment, in which pupils can learn effectively through good teaching, develop self-esteem, and establish good work habits. The effectiveness of the school improvement plan and its impact on standards is carefully monitored and assessed at appropriate intervals by staff and governors.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

66. An appropriate annual cycle of development planning supports well the process for school improvement. Curriculum, general and professional development audits take place early in the year. Individual interviews with staff take place to explore achievement and priorities. The Governing Body is asked for their priorities for development. The school improvement plan is drafted with the results of these procedures in mind. The draft school improvement plan is shared with staff and Governing Body and any adjustments are made. Personnel are allocated to each area and the plan finalised and displayed. This is very much a working document. A mid-year Pudsey, Lowtown Primary School - 22 review takes to check on progress and the headteacher makes termly reports on progress to Governing Body. 67. Governors make a very good contribution to the leadership and management of the school, and their contribution to establishing the successful future of the school is highly significant. They visit

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

the school regularly to make themselves aware of what is happening. Those responsible for numeracy, literacy, information and communication technology and special educational needs are involved in monitoring. They meet with the link teachers, share in the plans for improvement and have a very good awareness of the strengths and weaknesses of their subjects and how improvement will take place. The governor for English has made an excellent analysis of pupils’ achievement and now takes an important role in the monitoring and evaluation process in this area. All governors speak with knowledge and understanding about their role, responsibilities, and what they see in school. In this way governors have a very good understanding of the school’s strengths and areas of concern.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

68. The management structures within the Governing Body are well established and highly effective. In addition to governors’ meetings, there are other committees that meet and report back to the full Governing Body. Governors’ committees include those for finance, curriculum, pay and review, buildings and performance management. There are also working groups to cover celebrations, information and communication technology and the governors’ handbook. The Chair of Governors meets with the headteacher frequently, on an informal basis. There is also much formal and informal contact between other governors and the school. Most governors are linked to a curriculum area and liase with curriculum co-ordinators. They are linked to a class and when possible share in the class’s activities. Governors are considered to be an essential part of the school management by the school. Statutory requirements are fully met.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

69. Management of the provision for pupils with special educational needs is outstanding. Pupils are identified through a variety of procedures and placed on the special needs register. Pupils at Stage 2 and beyond are provided with detailed individual education plans, which set very suitable targets for improvement. These plans are reviewed each term, with new targets being set appropriately. The special needs co-ordinator keeps very extensive records, many of them computerised, and the progress made by the pupils is carefully checked. The records kept, together with the provision of highly suitable work, help to ensure that pupils make exceptional progress. The governors appointed to monitor the school’s provision for pupils with special educational needs, regularly check on the work being done by pupils, and offer support to both adults and pupils. One governor works in the school, and helps to provide the support personally.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

70. Financial management of the school is excellent, and the Governing Body monitors this efficiently. This management is very well supported by a detailed school improvement plan, which fully addresses appropriate areas for school improvement. All funds, including specific grants, are carefully matched to the priorities that have been established in the plan. There are very clearly defined routines, which enable the headteacher and governors to monitor the deployment of resources. Best value principles are used extremely well when measuring improvements in the quality of teaching and standards achieved, and when purchasing resources.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

71. Day-to-day financial management and administration are exemplary. The school’s administrative assistant supports the school very well through highly efficient routine administrative procedures. Very good use is made of information technology systems to support this and maintain financial control and accountability. This administration effectively supports the smooth running of the school.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

72. Taking into account the use of available resources, the quality of teaching and learning, the progress achieved by pupils, the improvement since the last inspection and the income that is received, the school gives good value for money.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

73. The match of teachers and support staff to the demands of the curriculum is very good. The expertise of individual teachers is used well to support other teachers and to develop their confidence in extending their own expertise. The school’s approach to performance management is Pudsey, Lowtown Primary School - 23 good. This enables clear priorities for professional development to be established which balance personal and school needs effectively, and this contributes significantly to the high overall standards that the school achieves. The school has very good systems for welcoming all new staff, informing them of working procedures and setting out clearly the expectations that each can have of the other. This enables the work of the school to proceed smoothly as routines are maintained. Formal support is at hand from identified colleagues and all staff support newcomers very well as the need occurs. The potential for training new teachers is very good, and the school has very good

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

relationships and communication with a local training institution. The high quality of relationships within the school makes induction of new staff effective.

p.23

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

74. The provision of accommodation is satisfactory and is sufficient to teach the National Curriculum effectively. The school makes very good use of all available space and the internal environment is enhanced by attractive displays of pupils’ work. The school is open plan, classrooms are generally of an adequate size, but there are some occasions when the noise from one area impinges on adjacent areas. This was an issue raised at the time of the last inspection. The teaching area for the foundation stage is barely adequate. Although very good use is made of all available space, including the outdoor area, teaching space is cramped. Outside the playground is a suitable size and there are extensive grounds. The conservation area is used well to support the curriculum. The accommodation, both inside and out, is clean and very well maintained by the conscientious caretaker and his staff.

p.23

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

75. The quality of resources for teaching and learning is good. There are good resources to support teaching and learning in English, mathematics, science, information communication technology (in the suite), geography, history, art, religious education and physical education. The resources for design and technology are very good. In all other subjects, resources are satisfactory, except those for providing for information communication technology within classrooms, which is unsatisfactory. The storage of these resources is good; they are all readily accessible. Wherever they are stored, teachers keep all resources in a neat and organised fashion. Pudsey, Lowtown Primary School - 24

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

76. To improve the quality of education and promote further development, the Governing Body, headteacher and the staff should address the following issues:

p.24

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(1) Improve the use of information and communication technology in other lessons and outside of the computer suite by: - Completing the staff training programme so that teachers’ skills, knowledge and understanding support their teaching and planned use of information and communication technology in the classroom and in other subjects - Improve the computer resources in the classrooms. (Paragraph references - 32, 94, 108, 113, 117, 121, 128, 136, 137, 141, 144)

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

The school is aware of these issues and there are plans to address the areas of concern.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(2) Improve the provision for pupils’ multicultural awareness by: - Improving the structure and systematic development of pupils’ multi-cultural awareness, - Clearly defining where there are opportunities, within the National Curriculum, religious education and in the personal, social, health and citizenship education programme. - Implement revised plans and monitor their effectiveness. (Paragraph references - 40, 41, 45, 130, 136, 155, 157)

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

The school should also consider the following minor issues when preparing the action plan:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

- Take steps to improve the satisfactory quality of teaching in geography and physical education so that it matches the good and very good quality in all other subjects. (Paragraph references – 23, 96, 106, 112, 116, 124, 129, 134, 142, 148, 152, 158) Pudsey, Lowtown Primary School - 25

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of lessons observed 47 Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 27

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor 17 19 49 15 0 0 0 The table gives the percentage of teaching observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about lessons.

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery YR – Y6 Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) N/a 212 Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals N/a 25 FTE means full-time equivalent.

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Information about the school’s pupils

Special educational needs Nursery YR – Y6 Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs N/a 6 Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register N/a 35

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Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils Number of pupils with English as an additional language 0

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 9 Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 9

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Authorised absence Unauthorised absence

% % School data 4.32 School data 0.24 National comparative data 5.6 National comparative data 0.5 Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Pudsey, Lowtown Primary School - 26

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Year Boys Girls Total Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2000 13 15 28

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National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

Numbers of pupils at NC Boys 13 13 13 level 2 and above Girls 15 15 15 Total 28 28 28 Percentage of pupils School 100 (100) 100 (97) 100 (97) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (82) 84 (83) 90 (87)

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Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

Numbers of pupils at NC Boys 13 13 13 level 2 and above Girls 15 15 15 Total 28 28 28 Percentage of pupils School 100 (97) 100 (97) 100 (97) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (82) 88 (86) 88 (87) Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year.

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Year Boys Girls Total Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 2000 13 15 28

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National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

Numbers of pupils at NC Boys 12 11 13 level 4 and above Girls 12 13 13 Total 24 24 26 Percentage of pupils School 86 (77) 86 (90) 93 (94) at NC level 4 or above National 75 (70) 72 (69) 85 (78)

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Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

Numbers of pupils at NC Boys 10 11 11 level 4 and above Girls 12 10 11 Total 22 21 22 Percentage of pupils School 78 (77) 75 (84) 79 (84) at NC level 4 or above National 70 (68) 72 (69) 79 (75) Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Pudsey, Lowtown Primary School - 27

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage 1 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0 Black – African heritage 0 Black – African heritage 0 0 Black – other 0 Black – other 0 0 Indian 2 Indian 0 0 Pakistani 0 Pakistani 0 0 Bangladeshi 0 Bangladeshi 0 0 Chinese 0 Chinese 0 0 White 0 White 0 0 Any other minority ethnic group 2 Other minority ethnic groups 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

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Qualified teachers and classes: YR – Y6

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 8 Financial year 00/01 Number of pupils per qualified teacher 26.5 Average class size 30 £ Total income 427,240

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Qualified teachers and classes: YR – Y6

Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total expenditure 427,320 Total number of education support staff 7 Expenditure per pupil 2,025 Total aggregate hours worked per week 27 Balance brought forward from previous year 3,710

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Qualified teachers and classes: YR – Y6

Balance carried forward to next year 3,630

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Qualified teachers and support staff: nursery

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) N/a Number of pupils per qualified teacher N/a

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Qualified teachers and support staff: nursery

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

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Qualified teachers and support staff: nursery

Number of pupils per FTE adult N/a FTE means full-time equivalent. Pudsey, Lowtown Primary School - 28 Pudsey, Lowtown Primary School - 29

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Percentage of responses in each category

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

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child is making good progress in school. 56 37 6 0 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 38 48 10 6 4

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 35 46 24 1 4

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Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 41 43 10 5 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 60 34 6 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 57 39 4 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 39 37 13 2 9

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 47 40 6 2 5

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 52 35 8 0 5

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 34 33 29 6 8 Pudsey, Lowtown Primary School - 30

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

77. Children start school at the beginning of the school year in which they become five. At the time of this inspection there were thirty children in the Foundation Stage, in the Reception class, most of whom had pre-school education in nursery schools. A carefully planned and supportive programme which introduces the children, and their parents, to school life enables them to make a confident, happy start. Children come to school eagerly and join in activities willingly and happily, supported very well by the teacher and classroom assistant, who make a very knowledgeable, caring and committed team.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

78. On entry to the Reception Year, very few children show attainment above, or below, the average band. Within this their attainment in writing is generally lower than in other aspects. This year, initial assessments showed that attainment in reading was lower than in previous years. Standards at the time of the previous inspection were high, but now they are even higher. The children make very good progress across all areas of learning, even after a short time in school, largely due to the quality of teaching, which is very good, and often excellent. By the time they enter Year 1 most children have exceeded the expectations of the Early Learning Goals and are working on the learning programmes for the National Curriculum. The very well structured and planned curriculum and interesting activities ensure that the children quickly become enthusiastic about learning. The teacher has put in place excellent systems for assessing what each child understands

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

and can do. Her careful analysis of this enables her to identify children who have special educational needs very early, and to provide all children with what they need next in their learning.

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Personal, social and emotional development

79. The children’s personal, social and emotional development is provided for very well. Nearly all the children enter school with expected attitudes and approaches to learning. The teacher plans many interesting activities that will capture the children’s imagination so that they are well motivated to learn. Many of these activities are great fun, also, so that the children develop social responses in a wide range of settings. For example ‘Water Day’ ended with a planned water pistol fight! The teacher has high expectations that the children will concentrate over increasing periods of time, and they do so confident that with staff support, they will succeed. Although the children are expected to obey instructions quickly and accurately they are not always given the opportunity to display independence in all aspects of their learning, and to take responsibility for organising themselves.

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Personal, social and emotional development

80. The staff have built up very good relationships and mutual trust with the children. Role-play encourages a sense of belonging to a group. In such activities as making puppets, and then using them to make up a story, the children are learning to interact with each other, to co-operate and to take turns, and they do this well. They show care for others such as when they look after the ‘pets’ in the Pet Corner and have a show of their own pets for Red Nose Day. They help each other with their work if they are stuck. In whole school situations, such as assemblies, they are very confident and join in fully. By the end of their time in the Reception Class the very good provision has enabled them to make very good progress and exceed the expectations for their age.

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Communication, language and literacy

81. As a result of very effective, thorough and imaginative teaching, the children make very good progress in communication, language and literacy. All children are encouraged to speak, write and read in many contexts. Adults take great care to extend the children’s vocabulary and they use technical words such as ‘larvae’ correctly when talking about the life cycle of a ladybird. Very many activities, such as constructing a ‘wind farm’, are planned to develop the children’s use of language to negotiate, take turns in conversation and to organise and clarify their ideas. As a result the children use spoken language in their learning and in play situations, such as fantasy role-play. Reading is taught very well indeed and children learn how to read with expression. They have Pudsey, Lowtown Primary School - 31 plenty of practice reading to adults and Year 6 pupils, which helps them to become fluent.

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Communication, language and literacy

Discussions and re-reading of favourite stories, such as Red, Ripe Strawberry, engender an interest in books so that by the time they enter Year 1 many children are achieving well within the National Curriculum.

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Communication, language and literacy

82. The writing area is well resourced with mark-making equipment, paper and helpful notices to enable the children to make pictures, books, card and notices, and they do so independently with pleasure and concentration. Very good teaching results in them learning initial letters, and making good attempts at spelling simple words, such as ‘Meg’ and ‘Mog’ within the first term. Good adaptation of the National Literacy Strategy helps them to write their own sentences and make good attempts at spelling more complex words. By the end of the year they are using their knowledge of the rules of spelling, sentence construction and punctuation to write more complex sentences, such as ‘I found a pond snail, noowt, a tadpol and a diving beetl’.

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Mathematical development

83. The teaching provides a rich and interesting environment for the children’s mathematical development. Very good and sometimes excellent teaching ensures that the children make very good progress, so that by the time they enter Year 1 most are already working within the National Curriculum learning programme. Mathematical learning is often fun, so that the children quickly learn to order numbers, count reliably and use mathematical language correctly to make comparisons. For example they test water pistols to see how far water moves, and compare the distances. They use mathematical ideas to solve problems, such as making something that moves in the wind, or moving water across the courtyard by a series of channels and waterfalls. Working with large construction blocks gives them many opportunities to use solid and flat shapes and become familiar with positional language as well as exploring the properties of two and three-

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Mathematical development

dimensional shapes. By the time they leave the Reception Class many children have a good command of more complex mathematical language. Many can count in tens to one hundred, and in twos to twenty, confidently and accurately. They combine these skills to count out amounts such as 28p and 76p using ten and two pence coins, consolidating their learning effectively in setting up the ‘Pet Shop’. In these activities the teacher ensures that all children participate fully, and they respond with enthusiasm and give their full attention to what they are learning.

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

84. Energetic teaching and many stimulating experiences quickly capture the children’s curiosity so that they make very good progress in their knowledge and understanding of the world. By the time they enter Year 1 they have exceeded the expectations of the Early Learning Goals, and are working confidently within the National Curriculum for science. They use large building sets to make large scale, usable models, such as a pirate ship, and Santa’s sleigh. They plant seeds in the courtyard and follow a rota to ensure that they are cared for. They predict which objects will sink or float and test the correctness of their predictions. Through their stories, and sequencing pictures of themselves as babies and toddlers they build up a sense of the passage of time. They make up symbols for some geographical features, such as an iceberg and the church, for a snowman story. Using computers in the computer suite the children choose from a word bank to match pictures,

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

building accurately such sentences as ‘This is a blue bike’ Supportive teaching develops the children’s accurate and confident use of the mouse, and children are encouraged to correct the text themselves.

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Physical development

85. The children make very good progress in their physical development and they work hard to match the teacher’s high expectations of them. The outdoor play area is small and the large wheeled toys are too small for them by the end of the school year. During ‘Wheels Day’ to enhance the topic on Moving the children play on large wheeled toys they bring from home. The very good teaching in formal physical education lessons compensates very well for the deficiencies in classroom space. In the hall children move freely and have a very good awareness of space, and the relationship of Pudsey, Lowtown Primary School - 32 others to themselves, so that collisions do not occur. The children are confident in their movements and think hard about what they are doing. Clear learning and good use of demonstration from the teacher and children ensures that they learn quickly. They demonstrate very good understanding of

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Physical development

the concept of balance, and show complex and imaginative ways of balancing on large apparatus, linking these effectively into sequences of movement. This indicates the trust they have in their teacher, and the good relationships throughout. Many toys, games and a good range of construction kits help the children to develop hand and eye co-ordination well. By the time the children enter Year 1 they have exceeded the expectation of the Early Learning Goals.

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Creative development

86. To encourage their creative development the children are given many opportunities to paint, draw and make models of many aspects of their learning. For example they make clay ladybirds and snails from their observations. They show confident use of space and line in well observed self- portraits, which they make with pencil and computer. They are expected to mix colours themselves when painting and do so with great concentration, and evident enjoyment. The art corner allows the children to access paint, and other mark-making materials, independently so that their confidence and skill develop rapidly under the guidance of staff. They are encouraged and supported in their exploration of the possibilities of different materials.

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Creative development

87. Despite the cramped classroom space the teacher is committed to developing the children’s imagination and their powers of expressing and communicating ideas. Throughout the year she provides a changing series of role-play situations. These develop from situations within the children’s experience, such as the shoe shop and the pet shop, to more imaginative ones. Very good resources encourage and stimulate the children to create and act out dramas, which they then record, with the help of the teacher. This very good teaching enables all children to make very good progress as the intensity of their effort and concentration increases, and they become increasingly confident in trying out new activities and scenarios.

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ENGLISH

88. On entry to the school, pupils’ attainment in language, literacy and communication is broadly average. By the end of the Foundation Stage, standards are very good with most children achieving the early learning goals and beginning the work for Key Stage 1 before they enter Year 1. They learn quickly to read and write because they receive very good teaching in their Reception year. Standards seen are good for pupils aged 7 and satisfactory for those aged 11 and there is no difference in the attainment of boys and girls. Pupils with special educational needs make excellent progress, especially when given targeted support.

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ENGLISH

89. The national test results in 2000 for 11 year olds indicate a downward trend since 1997. The co- ordinators and literacy governor undertook an analysis of these results to identify the reasons for this trend and those elements requiring improvement. Writing was identified as needing specific attention, including the development of handwriting and presentation skills. The curriculum, lesson planning and English focus has been adapted appropriately to address identified weaknesses. Opportunities for writing for a range of purposes and for extended writing have been implemented. The national test results in 2001 show all but two pupils achieving the expected Level 4 and above and half achieving the higher level 5 in reading. Two thirds of pupils achieved Level 4 and above and nearly a fifth achieved the higher Level 5 in writing. This suggests that the actions resulting from the detailed analysis have impacted favourably. Inspection evidence indicates that standards

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ENGLISH

in reading have been maintained. Those of writing have slightly improved even though over a third of the pupils in the current Year 6 have special educational needs and their Key Stage 1 national test results were the lowest in the school’s history. Pupils are therefore achieving well and attaining standards that are high enough.

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ENGLISH

90. Throughout the school, pupils attain good standards in listening and satisfactory standards in speaking. They have the capability to fluently and precisely communicate their ideas and opinions Pudsey, Lowtown Primary School - 33 when they are encouraged to do so. Pupils with special educational needs are consistently challenged to listen carefully and contribute to discussions, to speak clearly and with precision. When teachers ask challenging questions in all subjects, pupils respond clearly and thoughtfully. They contribute to lessons confidently and show awareness of the needs of the listener. Through work in all subjects, pupils broaden their spoken vocabulary and use a satisfactory range of words when talking about their work. Older pupils can adapt their speech to suit formal and informal occasions. When answering questions in literacy most pupils take care to correct technical language and their spoken sentences that are generally grammatically accurate. When sharing

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ENGLISH

information within a group as seen in such as religious education in Key Stage 1 and history in Key Stage 2 more informal spoken language is used satisfactorily. Pupils at all ages talk to visitors with confidence, even though their vocabulary is sometimes limited. By the time they are in Year 6, most pupils are articulate in most situations. They listen to quite complex instructions and are confident orally and have a generally broad vocabulary.

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ENGLISH

91. Overall standards in reading are good. Younger pupils read accurately from the school reading scheme, advancing well through more difficult texts. They consolidate their skills well, by reading a range of books at similar levels of difficulty. They recognise a good number of words by sight and use their knowledge of sounds and the illustrations to help them read accurately. They learn to break longer words into syllables, identify little words within big words and use the structure of the sentence to determine the type of word needed to make sense. As they develop confidence, their skills of self-correction, reading-on and re-reading to clarify meaning are used well. By the time they reach the end of Year 6, nearly all pupils read accurately, fluently and with good expression from a wide range of books. Their understanding of what they read is good and they explain aspects of the plot and talk about the characters in their books with understanding. They retell

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ENGLISH

stories well, predict events and identify and describe the characters. Pupils of all ages talk with enthusiasm about the stories they read and the stories that are read to them. They are familiar with a good range of literature and authors who write in different styles, such as the ‘Harry Potter’ books, J K Rowling, Dick King-Smith, Lucy Daniel’s stories, poems by Roald Dahl and more traditional text such as ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’. Pupils are also familiar with a good range of non-fiction as part of their history, religious education, science and geography lessons for example. Older pupils are familiar with and are able to scan a page to find information. They use glossaries, contents and index pages effectively to help them find particular information in non- fiction books and use the Internet to locate information as well as CD-ROMs. Project work in history and geography shows that they are able to research and collate information from a wide

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ENGLISH

range of reference material. Year 6 pupils demonstrated this particularly in their work on the history of the local area. Pupils appreciate different styles of writing. Younger pupils identify patterns of rhyme; rhythm and sound in poetry and older pupils recognise the use and effect of figurative and persuasive language, especially in advertisements.

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ENGLISH

92. Inspection findings indicate that pupils’ attainment in writing is satisfactory and pupils make satisfactory progress overall. Younger pupils achieve good standards in writing for a range of purposes. In their seaside topic Year 2 pupils, discuss how to address a postcard and what kind of phrases they could use to create interesting and humorous comments. They then completed a blank postcard, correctly placing the address and compress their ideas into lively and picturesque phrases that gave the receiver of the card the flavour of the holiday. Year 3 pupils effectively explore different types of humour through tongue twisters and by exploring alliteration, and produce some interesting pieces of work in this style. Standards in imaginative writing are satisfactory. Pupils in Year 4 write interesting alternative endings to well-known stories such as ‘Goldilocks and the Three Bears’ whilst those in Year 5 write stories in episodes. Different writing styles are further

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ENGLISH

developed in Year 6 where pupils write in different forms of poetry such as the Japanese poetic form, the Haiku. Not only did pupils discover the format of 17 syllables in the form of three lines, but also began to carefully consider the language and interesting themes ready for writing their own poems. Samples of pupils work show that pupils write for a suitable range of purposes and in different ways. For instance pupils make interesting and appropriately detailed character studies from their reading. They describe accurately people and places from their history or factual reading. Pupils write advertisements, of a satisfactory standard, using persuasive language. By Pudsey, Lowtown Primary School - 34 Year 6, pupils usefully compare formal and informal letter styles and use accurately an appropriate range of complex words to join sentences.

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ENGLISH

93. Handwriting however, is not always well formed, clearly shaped, even in size or well orientated and fluent. Pupils practice handwriting skills from a commercially produced handwriting scheme, but often fail to transfer these skills to other written work. Presentation of work in English and in other subjects such as history and geography is erratic. Dragging or pushing of their pen across the page weakens the appearance of their work.

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ENGLISH

94. Grammar practise is used well to support pupils’ writing. Pupils understand the use of adjectives and adverbs and use this knowledge when building suspense into their story writing. During the course of their work, pupils effectively try out spellings for themselves, accurately identify common spelling patterns, recognise words-within-words and learn spelling rules. By the time they leave the school pupils know how to use paragraphs to organise their writing well, their spelling and punctuation is generally accurate and most pupils write in a fluent style. Throughout the school, pupils make purposeful use of information and communication technology to support a range of work in literacy when given the opportunity. For example, they use a word processing package to modify their writing while younger pupils practice spelling and sentence construction using a range of specifically selected programmes when appropriate.

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ENGLISH

95. Pupils’ attitude to work and their behaviour is good overall. Pupils with special educational needs, including those who have emotional and behavioural difficulties, when given specific and targeted support, show good attitudes to work. Pupils with special educational needs show improving levels of concentration and take pride in developing reading skills. The majority of pupils enjoy sharing texts and read with sustained interest. Younger pupils in particular usually respond to questions with enthusiasm. They generally have good relationships with each other and are respectful and polite towards adults. They work hard, and can sustain concentration for long periods. They know what to do when they meet a problem and when they have completed their work. Pupils take responsibility well for clearing up at the end of lessons.

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ENGLISH

96. Overall the quality of teaching is good with half of teaching seen being very good or excellent. Teachers subject knowledge is very good and has been further enhanced by their literacy training and training in the teaching of writing. Lesson planning is excellent. Teachers match work to an assessment of pupils’ progress, plan activities suitable for the range of pupils’ different abilities and plan extension activities to develop learning further. In the best lessons teaching is lively, challenging and well paced with effective use made of visual aids. Good use is made of structured, open-ended questioning to motivate and encourage pupils to think before they answer, to use extended and reasoned answers where appropriate and to provide grammatically correct answers. When teachers are focused more on the written elements of work they accept weaker sentences and one-word answers. The better teaching has a very good balance between teacher talk and child talk

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ENGLISH

and pupils know exactly what they have to learn. Support staff are used very effectively during lessons. Work is linked to individual educational plans for pupils with special educational needs and their progress is carefully monitored. The better planning has clear objectives with explicit targets for individual needs. Big books and enlarged texts are used appropriately and group work is matched to pupils’ differing levels of ability. The review time at the end of lessons is used effectively in helping pupils to consolidate and extend their learning, making a positive contribution to their achievements. Teachers’ expectations are high and they manage pupils well. Behaviour management is good overall. Teachers rarely raise their voices and use praise appropriately to motivate all pupils.

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ENGLISH

97. Assessment in English is very good. The school uses national test results to track the attainment of pupils, including those with special educational needs. End-of-year assessments are used to confirm teacher’s assessment and to identify where teacher’s planning for successive years needs to be modified. As writing has been a focus over the past year, at least three samples of each pupil’s work have been moderated and levelled against the National Curriculum with targets drawn up for the planning of future learning. Strengths and weaknesses identified from such sampling are used Pudsey, Lowtown Primary School - 35 to identify future staff training needs. The work of the Additional Literacy Support [ALS] and Early Writing Intervention projects are evaluated appropriately. Marking of pupils’ work, especially of pupils in Years 2 and 6 is consistent. It is constructive, indicates areas for

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ENGLISH

improvement and is used well in teacher’s day-to-day planning.

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ENGLISH

98. The leadership and management of English are good, the two co-ordinators making good contributions to the development of this subject. Both are highly committed and dedicated and have a clear vision for the development of English. They keep the curriculum under regular review to ensure that breadth and balance within the subject is maintained. They monitor the curriculum effectively using teacher’s weekly planning, monitor teaching in classes, track pupils across the curriculum and set targets for cohorts of pupils. After analysis and monitoring the co-ordinators have drawn up an action plan that is reflected in the school’s improvement plan to drive up standards further. Regular meetings are held to share information and discuss developmental issues. Good liaison between the school and secondary schools ensures a smooth transition at the end of Year 6.

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ENGLISH

99. Resources have been reviewed and enhanced by the addition of books to support literacy. The library area with its collection of non-fiction books provides a valuable resource for research and independent learning. It is well organised and provides a selection of books to support the wider curriculum such as history, geography and science. Although it is small there are tables and chairs for pupils to use when conducting their own researches or for extra language and literacy support. Classrooms have additional books for groups and independent work.

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MATHEMATICS

100. The standards in mathematics observed during the week of the inspection were above average compared with those expected from most seven-year-olds and well above for pupils aged eleven. This is an improvement from the previous inspection, when standards were in line at the end of Year 2 and above expectations at the end of Year 6. It is also consistent with the outcomes of the Year 2000 National Curriculum assessment tests, where standards were well above average by the time pupils are eleven. Standards have also risen at a pace that is consistent with the national trend of improvement. Unconfirmed results for this year indicate that the school has maintained standards, with 79 per cent of pupils attaining Level 4 or above and 31 per cent Level 5 and has achieved its target figure of 81 per cent to reach Level 4 or above. Standards in mathematics are high enough.

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MATHEMATICS

101. By the end of Year 2, pupils have a good knowledge and understanding of all aspects of mathematics. Their numeracy skills are well advanced and most pupils have a quick and accurate recall of more simple multiplication bonds. Pupils are beginning to relate these to division of numbers and this is skill that might be expected from older or more able pupils of this age. They also recognise place value in numbers up to 1000 and use this well in putting a set of numbers into order and to round numbers up to the nearest ten. They can also use addition and subtraction competently, and when solving problems, are beginning to calculate using multiplication. By the age of seven, most pupils identify accurately odd and even numbers. They are developing their ability to recognise the relationship between addition and subtraction for example, that 4+5=9 so 9- 4=5. Pupils generally develop a good knowledge of shapes in both two and three dimensions.

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MATHEMATICS

They clearly identify right angles and name a good range of shapes according to the number of sides and angles. They also classify accurately a good range of three-dimensional shapes. They have a good understanding of symmetry and use this to identify accurately lines of symmetry and to complete symmetrical shapes such as butterfly drawings. Pupils tell the time to the hour, at half past, and quarter to and past the hour. They transfer these skills to reading scales properly when weighing objects. Higher attaining pupils, about 40 per cent are working at levels above national expectations. Average attaining pupils (again about 40 per cent) are working at nationally expected to above expectations, whilst lower attaining pupils (about 20 per cent) are working at national expectations or just below. These proportions mean that attainment is above average. Pudsey, Lowtown Primary School - 36 102. Pupils continue to make good progress at Key Stage 2 and attain standards that are well above

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MATHEMATICS

expectations, by the time that they are eleven. Higher attaining pupils, about a third of the current Year 6 pupils are working at levels well above expectations. Another third, who are the school’s average attaining pupils are working at levels above national expectations. Lower attaining pupils are generally working at average levels for their age. This means that attainment is well above what would be expected for a class of this age. This picture is reflected in Year 5, where because there are fewer special educational needs pupils standards are already as high as those of pupils in Year 6.

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MATHEMATICS

103. By the end of the key stage, pupils’ knowledge and understanding of number is very good. Pupils can calculate, using all four operations with numbers to two decimal places and they apply these skills well when solving problems. Higher attaining pupils have built a very secure knowledge and understanding of fractions and decimals, and apply these to good effect when they work with scales and ratios. This work is usually attempted by much older pupils. All pupils have made a good start in mastering the basic skills in algebra and are able to understand symbolic notation well and use it to competently build number expressions. For example, when they are given the words, pupils accurately construct expressions in symbolic form. They accurately re-write such expressions as 7 less than 3 times a number as 3n - 7. Pupils have a thorough understanding of shape and angle. They can draw and measure angles to the nearest degree and have a very good

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MATHEMATICS

knowledge of the properties of different triangles and quadrilaterals. Pupils are able to find the areas of irregular shapes by splitting into quadrilaterals, working out the measurements from information given and then calculating the area of each part and then the whole shape. Pupils handle data well and process a sample to produce frequency diagrams and calculate the different forms of averages. Lower attaining pupils work with simple data samples, whilst average and higher attaining pupils work well with more complex samples.

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MATHEMATICS

104. Whilst working across the mathematics and numeracy curriculum, pupils show that they have very good skills in using and applying their knowledge and understanding to solve problems and work out strategies to answer questions.

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MATHEMATICS

105. Pupils work hard at mathematics throughout the school. They enjoy the challenges set by their teachers and find mathematics stimulating and enjoyable. They behave very well in lessons and pay full attention to their teachers at all times. Even when the pace of the lesson is rapid and new ideas are being introduced at a quick pace, their levels of concentration enable them to keep up with the teacher. This has a positive impact on the quality of learning. Pupils work well together and share ideas to good effect.

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MATHEMATICS

106. The quality of teaching is good at Key Stage 1, and very good at Key Stage 2. The quality of teaching seen during the week of the inspection was never less than good and was occasionally excellent at Key Stage 2. This is an improvement on judgements made at the time of the previous inspection, when teaching was good throughout the school. It was very good overall and enabled pupils to attain very high standards.

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MATHEMATICS

107. Opening activities are effective at focusing in on the main learning objectives of lessons and in directing pupils’ attention appropriately. Lesson planning is good. Teachers’ very good use of day-to-day assessment ensures that activities successfully meet the requirements of the full ability range in each class. These also show the high expectations that teachers have of their pupils. They move pupils on at a quick pace whilst ensuring that pupils are capable of taking the next step. This ensures that all pupils achieve well. A wide variety of methods, such as whole-class discussion, group work and individual tasks are used to suit the different activity at different parts in the lesson. Teachers have good subject knowledge and confidently and clearly explain procedures and how to solve questions. Teachers’ good subject knowledge of problem solving techniques, for example, is also used effectively to extend learning. Behaviour management

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MATHEMATICS

techniques are good. Teachers settle classes before talking to them and pupils are kept working at a very good pace. Pudsey, Lowtown Primary School - 37 108. Curriculum co-ordination is very good. The curriculum subject leader has a clear determination to maintain high standards. The co-ordinator has very good skills and provides good levels of support for other staff. Teachers’ planning and information on standards are effectively analysed and monitored. Assessment procedures provide very good information about the progress that pupils are making and this data is used very well to ensure that all achieve highly. There is little evidence to suggest that information and communication technology is used effectively to support pupils work in mathematics, apart from pupils making informed choices about the best type of graph to display data. There are good links with the High School to which most pupils transfer. Through

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MATHEMATICS

these links, Year 6 pupils study a bridging project at the end of the school year. This makes transfer to the High School smooth. A number of curricular initiatives have been introduced to support pupils at different levels of attainment. Some higher attaining pupils have been given the opportunity to further their knowledge and understanding out of school hours, and pupils who are predicted to just miss the nationally expected levels in their National Curriculum assessment tests are given extra support at Year 5. It is anticipated that this support will be extended to include younger pupils.

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SCIENCE

109. Standards at the end of Key Stage 1 are well above the national average, and at the end of Key Stage 2 they are above the average. Pupils overall are making good progress. In the Key Stage 2 national tests in 2000, the school’s results were well above average. Current inspection findings do not reflect a fall in standards, but rather show the normal variations that can occur with different groups of pupils. In particular, current standards reflect the significant number of pupils in Year 6 with special educational needs. At the time of the previous inspection, standards were reported to be above average throughout the school. A considerable improvement has been made at Key Stage 1 since that time.

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SCIENCE

110. Throughout Key Stage 1, pupils successfully undertake investigations and experiments on many aspects of their work, for example, on electricity, in Year 2 and when identifying waterproof materials at Year 1. Through this work pupils begin to understand the features of a fair test and confidently explain their understanding of fair testing. This is generally expected of older pupils. They readily and clearly record their findings, both in writing and in pictures. Their knowledge and understanding of science is very good. Pupils successfully name the main external features of both the human body and a flowering plant and accurately place them on diagrams. They have a good knowledge of what living things need to stay alive and identify the items needed to sustain life. They have a good understanding of healthy living and know what is required to form a healthy diet. Pupils recognise and name common materials, such as metal, plastic and wood, and their

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SCIENCE

very good knowledge is shown when they successfully describe their various uses, based on their understanding of these properties. Pupils have considered carefully the effects of heat on materials. Through this they are able to say that some of the changes caused are reversible and others are not. Pupils’ understanding of forces is good. They know about different forces, such as pushes and pulls, and that magnetism is a force. They knew about the effects of forces; that pulling stretches certain materials and magnetism attracts some materials and not others. They have a very good knowledge and understanding of simple electrical circuits. They explain clearly the purpose of a battery, wires and bulbs in making an electric circuit. They understand that a circuit will not work if it has a break in it. Their knowledge of light and sound sources is extensive and they use their knowledge to effectively compare different sounds and types of light, clearly

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SCIENCE

explaining the observed differences such as loudness and brightness.

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SCIENCE

111. Throughout Key Stage 2, pupils progress well in all aspects of science. They are confidently in undertaking a wide range of experiments, with pupils in all year groups successfully tackling practical activities, such as investigating materials in Year 3, air resistance in Year 4 and plants in Years 5 and 6. Pupils mostly select their own apparatus, make and test predictions and record observations and measurements effectively using a variety of presentations. They successfully draw conclusions from their findings. Their knowledge of living things is good. Pupils recognise that there is a great variety of living things, and they understand that different organisms are found Pudsey, Lowtown Primary School - 38 in different habitats, successfully giving reasons why animals live where they do. They accurately identify many of the internal organs of animals, knowing the functions of most of these, for

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SCIENCE

instance, explaining the role of the heart in blood circulation. They also have a good knowledge and understanding of plants. Many accurately describe the main functions of the various parts of a plant, and explain, for example, the importance of roots and leaves, and the process of photosynthesis. They understand food chains well and explain clearly what the different relationships within the chain mean. Pupils further develop their knowledge of the properties of a wide range of materials, and confidently describe the differences between solids, liquids and gases, quoting the different structures. They know how to separate mixtures of materials and liquids through processes such as filtration and evaporation. Pupils develop further their knowledge of electrical circuits and investigate different circuits such as parallel or series, together with the everyday applications of each type. They explain clearly the effect of the force of gravity on

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SCIENCE

weight and explain clearly that friction and air resistance are forces that slow moving objects.

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SCIENCE

112. The quality of teaching and learning are good, and sometimes very good. Lessons are well planned, with teachers throughout the school making especially good use of practical activities. The teachers are also particularly careful to use, and emphasise, the correct scientific terminology, and this enables pupils to develop a good understanding of scientific vocabulary. The teachers have good subject knowledge, and provide clear instructions and helpful demonstrations of the work that is to be undertaken. This sparks pupils’ interest in the subject and they show consistently good attitudes, making good gains in their knowledge and understanding of the subject. The well-directed support provided for pupils with special educational needs allows them to make very good progress. Teachers are enthusiastic, and through the provision of a range of practical activities in particular, the pupils are enthusiastic also. As a result, they work hard, concentrate

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SCIENCE

well and are keen to find answers to the problems set. The pupils’ behaviour is good. Just occasionally, a small number of older pupils were slow to settle to their tasks. The teachers, and learning support assistants, provide much help and well-directed support throughout, and this has a beneficial effect on pupils’ learning. They work well with other pupils in carrying out activities. They are very aware of safety procedures and most produce their work neatly and carefully. The teachers mark pupils’ work regularly, sometimes adding useful comments of support and this advice helps pupils to develop their work further.

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SCIENCE

113. The science co-ordinator provides good quality of leadership and management in this subject. The school has an appropriate scheme of work, covering the whole school, and, through careful and detailed planning, all aspects of work are very well covered. The co-ordinator sees teachers’ planning and studies samples of pupils’ work to check the work that is being done. Very good arrangements are made for assessing pupils’ work, and suitable records are kept, both of pupils’ current attainment, as well as the progress they have made. Equally good use is made of this information to provide work in lessons suited to the needs of individual pupils, and to provide extra support where necessary. The written work undertaken by pupils, especially that relating to reporting on practical activities, provides support to the school’s initiative in literacy. Counting and measuring activities, in various aspects of the subject, support the school’s work in numeracy.

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SCIENCE

Information and communication technology is also used, to some extent, to enhance the work in science, such as in the use of CD ROM’s, to undertake research work on the human body. The study of some of the wonders of science, especially in practical work, successfully enhances pupils’ spiritual development. The horticulture club is a useful additional learning opportunity for older pupils.

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ART AND DESIGN

114. All groups of pupils make good progress in art and design throughout the school, and achieve standards that are above those expected nationally. The co-ordinator has ensured that art and design has maintained a high profile throughout the school during a time of rapid curriculum change due to national and school initiatives, and high standards have been maintained since the previous inspection. Staff value the contribution that art and design makes to the all-round education of the pupils and gives enough time for pupils to develop their skills and techniques, and Pudsey, Lowtown Primary School - 39 to produce work of quality. The pupils’ progress in recording their artistic observations, experimenting with different media and applying their increasing knowledge of styles and techniques is good. The co-ordinator is developing effective ways of assessing and recording the pupils’ achievements in order to ensure this good progress continues.

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ART AND DESIGN

115. In the lessons observed, the teaching was good, developing the theme of ‘What is sculpture?’ through looking at the work of Andy Goldsworthy, and how to capture movement in painting, inspired by the work of Roden. The teachers gave the pupils time to experiment with the natural materials they had collected and with a good range of drawing and painting media. Pupils responded enthusiastically. Teachers spent time with each group of pupils asking gentle, but probing questions to encourage them to evaluate what they were doing, without over-directing pupils’ work. As a result almost all the pupils became increasingly intellectually involved in what they were doing and developed their pieces in a more creative way, reflecting very sensitively the mood of their own special places and styles. During the process most reflected on their work effectively, changing the form of their work so that the different parts.

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ART AND DESIGN

116. Teaching is good overall, and is reflected in the good progress the pupils make. A book of self- portraits from pupils throughout the school shows increasingly confident use of space, clear, bold lines, good attention to detail and an increasing knowledge and use of such techniques as perspective and shading. The teachers’ good understanding of different styles and genres is evident, for example in the Year 3 pupils’ interpretation of the style of Wassily Kandinsky to produce striking mixed-media work of their own. Sketchbooks throughout Key Stage 2 show that the pupils are taught techniques well, and are given the time and confidence to experiment with them before using them to create art work.

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ART AND DESIGN

117. Art and design makes a good contribution to the pupils’ spiritual growth through planned opportunities for them to reflect on the beauty of the natural and man-made world. This is shown in the very sensitive plant sketches made as a preliminary to producing high quality silk paintings, and in the way they are encouraged to look at texture, such as brick and wood, when painting landscapes. The curriculum makes a good contribution to the pupils’ understanding of the influence of white, western culture on art forms, through consideration, for example, of the work of David Hockney’s Yorkshire Dales paintings. Although other cultures and periods are used as a reference for study, such as Tudor portraits, this aspect is not given enough emphasis. Computer programmes have been used to support the pupils’ work in art, but this has yet to be developed in a planned and structured way as a normal part of the art curriculum. The co-ordinator is well placed

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ART AND DESIGN

to develop the subject further when it becomes a priority under the School Improvement Plan.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

118. Standards at the end of both key stages are above those expected for pupils at seven and eleven years. This has not changed since the previous inspection, when standards then were above average.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

119. Children in reception begin designing for a specific purpose and they set about making their own models based on their designs. Focusing on openings and hinges, pupils designed and made homes for their pets. They made sure that these were secure, but that there was still sufficient opening to access their pets (cuddly toys) and carry out any essential care procedures. These were of a good quality and were well decorated. They are introduced to a range of materials from an early age. They used construction bricks to make bridges for the Three Billy Goats Gruff, clay to mould hedgehogs and fabrics to design and make shopping bags that would hold three oranges. In the latter exercise they concentrated on fastenings. They also have early experiences in food technology when they made Gingerbread men and muffins. These activities give pupils a good start to design and technology work.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

120. Key Stage 1 pupils visited a local park and investigated playground structures, such as swings and slides. Using the knowledge and understanding gained from these observations they designed their Pudsey, Lowtown Primary School - 40 own swings using selected materials. Working in pairs, they designed and made their structures and then evaluated and discussed any changes that might improve their model. Pupils are given good opportunities to investigate materials. They look at how strong or rigid materials are and different ways in which they might be joined. They produced material people such as ‘Metal Mickey’, ‘Plastic Pete’ and ‘Woody Allen’. By the end of the key stage, pupils begin to pull together the skills, knowledge and understanding that they have gained through their different experiences in design and technology. Pupils designed and made wooden boats, using different methods to join the different pieces. Inspired by a visiting theatre group, pupils made puppets.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

They chose the type of puppet they wanted to make and the materials from which they would make it. In both of these exercises, the full design, make, evaluate and improve process is evident. Pupils are very familiar with the whole process from an early age. 121. When pupils move into Key Stage 2, they continue to develop the full design and technology process well. They begin to use levers and hinges to make moving card models. They are only shown the mechanism and are left to come up with their own designs in which they are going to use the mechanism. One pupil in Year 3 designed the Titanic breaking up after striking an iceberg and others showed clapping hands. They begin to introduce electric circuits into their models and produce good quality working models of a lighthouse for example. Based on their knowledge of different planets, pairs of pupils designed and made a space buggy, which would be suitable for

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

that planet. For example, one group put fur seats and a hot water bottle for a colder planet. Linked with their work on the Tudors in history, pupils designed a banquet for that period. They investigated food from the period and made models using clay, dough, chicken wire and papier- mâché. At this stage, pupils begin to use information technology and science to enhance and improve their models. They use a combination of electrical circuits and an information technology control program to make Santa’s eyes and nose light up. By Year 6 pupils had to design and make a Masai hut. They were only allowed to use natural materials and researched what types of material might be used. This was linked to their work in geography on Kenya. Pupils took apart picture frames to see how they are assembled. Using this information they made their own frames from wood to display their own photographs taken with a digital camera and printed through a

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

122. Pupils use a good method to illustrate their evaluations. They assess each model against four aspects, depending upon the type. These are represented on scaled axes and scored. A perfect piece of work would achieve a diamond shape when the four judgement points are joined.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

123. Pupils throughout the school are enthusiastic and enjoy the practical activities. They persist with the skills and try hard to succeed. Pupils work co-operatively when sharing tools or collaborating in a small group. They recognise and celebrate the success of others during opportunities to evaluate work. Behaviour is generally well controlled.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

124. In the small number of lessons observed teaching was good and matched the good progress that pupils make. There is a wide range of opportunities provided for pupils to plan and design, select appropriate materials and evaluate their results. There are also good links with other subjects, which makes the work meaningful and purposeful. Both teachers and assistants support the pupils effectively, by expecting them to work hard and intervening to help or deal with inappropriate behaviour.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

125. The curriculum is very broad and well balanced. Assessment procedures, particularly those for pupils to self-assess their own and others’ work, are good. This is an exception to the criticism that opportunities for formally involving the pupils regularly in assessing their own progress are limited. The co-ordinator leads the subject well. She has established a smooth operation in which teachers can operate efficiently and effectively. A very good range of resources is very conveniently stored and enables pupils to experience a wide range of both designing and making opportunities. Links with other establishments are useful and such opportunities as being invited to show their models at a display at Leeds University, add to pupils’ enthusiasm for the subject. Pudsey, Lowtown Primary School - 41

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GEOGRAPHY

126. Pupils make satisfactory progress throughout the school, and attain standards expected for their ages. This is similar to the findings of the previous inspection. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress because their needs are planned for well, and they are given good quality support which enables them to work alongside their peers successfully.

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GEOGRAPHY

127. In Year 1 the pupils have a satisfactory understanding of life on the island of Struay, identifying the human and physical features correctly. By the age of seven, satisfactory teaching enables the pupils to draw the route they take to school and identify this on an oblique black and white photograph of the local area. They correctly locate ‘treasure’ on a map of an imaginary island using simple co-ordinates. They identify things they like and don’t like about Pudsey Park. At Key Stage 1 the pupils enjoy plotting the travels of Barnaby Bear on a world and European map as pupils take him on their holidays, and interesting classroom displays and questions enable the pupils to develop a sound awareness of the different features of other places. A good feature of the teaching is the way in which literacy lessons are used to write longer, structured stories in different geographical settings, such as the ice and snow, which helps to develop a sense of place.

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GEOGRAPHY

128. At Key Stage 2 field work, both in the locality and in other areas is used effectively to give the pupils opportunities to use their geographical skills in gaining a better sense of what places are like. Geography is also linked sensibly to appropriate history topics so that the pupils have a more complete understanding of the lives and features of places and cultures. Year 4 pupils show clear understanding of their own local youth culture by researching what there is for children to do in Pudsey, before designing the redevelopment of a derelict site. The impact of this on local businesses was well considered. The visit to Scarborough enabled Year 6 pupils to consider how it differed from Pudsey, where it was similar, and what gave it its particular characteristics. Pupils researched for information on Scarborough on the Internet to inform this topic.

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GEOGRAPHY

129. Teaching is based on a newly adopted scheme of work, and teachers are still ‘feeling their way’ with this. Consequently they have yet to make links in the learning that would lead to higher attainment by looking more closely at patterns of features in the environment. The geography curriculum is better taught when environmental issues that are relevant to the pupils are considered, and they make good progress in understanding the nature of different environmental issues and analysing the effectiveness of different approaches to tackling them. Progress is limited in the pupils’ application of their geographical knowledge in a wider variety of contexts and scales, as fewer opportunities are offered in the teaching for this.

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GEOGRAPHY

130. The geography curriculum encourages good social development through looking at different societies. During a trip to the local shops the pupils were very well behaved, and they interviewed shopkeepers and shoppers with interest and courtesy. However it does not give enough opportunity for the pupils to understand the different cultures found within our own society.

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GEOGRAPHY

131. Assessment arrangements are good, and teachers use a wide range of methods to find out how effective their teaching has been in promoting increased knowledge and understanding. The co- ordinator is knowledgeable, enthusiastic and committed to developing the subject. As yet she relies on largely informal means as little time is allocated to her co-ordination role. She has introduced curriculum changes carefully and is well placed to bring about development when geography becomes a school priority.

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HISTORY

132. The previous inspection reported standards in history to be in line with expectations at Key Stage 1 and above at Key Stage 2. Although it was only possible to see one lesson in Key Stage 1, samples of pupils’ work, displays and discussions indicate that standards are now above national Pudsey, Lowtown Primary School - 42 expectations at both key stages. This reflects good improvement in history across the school as a whole.

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HISTORY

133. Due to good planning, younger pupils confidently asked questions of a member of the Governing Body about her visits to the seaside as a young child. Photographs and personal recollections supported pupils’ learning well and made history more meaningful. As the curriculum for older pupils is well structured and deliberately planned to start with the Egyptians and end with pupils considering recent local history in 2001, by the age of eleven, pupils have a good grasp of chronology. The suitable emphasis on both timelines and on change over time consolidates this knowledge and understanding further. Pupils in Year 6 understand how their part of Leeds has changed over time by studying the trades directory and reports in the local newspapers of the 1930’s and comparing this with the information gathered during a recent visit into the local area to look at shops. Because assessment is not overlooked, the needs of higher attaining pupils, in

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HISTORY

particular, are challenged while lower ability pupils are well supported by specifically structured tasks or targeted support. Good emphasis is placed on pupils’ learning from first hand experiences and this ensures that all pupils achieve well.

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HISTORY

134. The quality of teaching is good, with some very good teaching seen in Key Stage 2. Preparation is the key to good teaching. Teachers know exactly what they are going to teach and take care to match activities to the learning needs of individuals and groups of pupils. Lessons have a good pace and this sustains pupils’ concentration and interest. Pupils learn effectively about change over time through the match of resources and tasks. Throughout teachers ensure that pupils learn the skills of being a historian rather than just information about particular periods of history. Pupils are encouraged to use artefacts and books to develop researching skills, using literacy strategy work to develop the ability to skim text and scan books for relevant information

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HISTORY

135. Teachers encourage a sense of curiosity and adventure among pupils. History is brought to life through visits into the local area and visitors from the local community and museums. During the inspection Year 3 pupils’ learning about Ancient Greece was enriched through the opportunity to handle and explore the paintings of figures on vases to interpret evidence of Greek life. The teacher had also provided pitta bread, olives, grapes, figs and feta cheese for pupils to taste to make the investigations more meaningful. Good displays with historical content encourage pupils to ask questions and to make links between historical and geographical evidence. Pupils enjoy history and bring both curiosity and excitement to its study with the result that the quality of learning of most pupils is sharp and history is not dull.

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HISTORY

136. There are good links to literacy, geography, art and design and design and technology to give structure to history lessons. History contributes well to the development of literacy, which in turn helps pupils’ own ability to communicate historical ideas. As a result they are able to write imaginative pieces as for instance Year 2 pupils writing a postcard home from a seaside visit. Although pupils enjoy using CD-ROMs to research new historical topics and produce interesting word-processed accounts, the planned use of information and communication technology to support learning in history is limited. Although pupils make and develop time lines to support a knowledge and understanding of chronology, there are insufficient opportunities for pupils to develop numeracy skills through data handling, by regularly producing tables and charts for example. The subject contributes well to the school’s provision for pupils’ cultural development.

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HISTORY

Suitable opportunities are provided for pupils to reflect on how people of yesterday led different lives from people today through playing with Victorian toys such as hoops, tops, puppets and dolls and comparing these with today’s games machines, roller blades and battery toys.

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HISTORY

137. The relatively new subject co-ordinator has a good grasp of what is required and is well qualified to lead developments of the subject. History has been a developing area for the last year and will remain so until all the changes implemented have been evaluated. The history policy has been updated and the scheme of work updated in line with changes to Curriculum 2000. The school aims of ‘children developing an enquiring mind, the ability to question, discuss ideals and to apply themselves to tasks set, developing the skills, knowledge and understanding needed in order to become independent learners’ is supported very well by history. There is limited evidence of the Pudsey, Lowtown Primary School - 43 use of information and communication technology based research in history. Pupils have used a computer based encyclopaedia to carry out research on Elizabeth the First.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

138. Standards in information and communication technology are similar to those at the time of the previous inspection, when they were in line at the end of Key Stage 1 and above expectations at the end of Key Stage 2. Standards are now also above expectations at the end of Key Stage 1, which is an improvement. There has been significant development since the previous inspection, in both resources and curriculum development. The school has made a conscious decision to target development at the younger pupils so they will improve their skills, knowledge and understanding as they grow. This is successfully achieving this aim, but is also maintaining the good standards higher up in the school that were reported at the time of the previous inspection.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

139. Pupils start using computers from an early age. They learn to control the mouse accurately and young children successfully draw faces, with all the features in the right places. Year 1 pupils develop this skill effectively to place the three bears and items of kitchen furniture in a room. By the end of the key stage, pupils in Year 2 are able to use an information database to search for information to answer specific questions. Higher attaining pupils completed three searches, of increasing complexity and without much need for the teacher’s help. Other pupils completed their searches well. All were able to understand the meanings of different symbols on the screen and to use the mouse to click on the appropriate one. This is work that is expected of much older pupils and is above expectations.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

140. At Key Stage 2 pupils further develop their information technology skills well. By Year 5 they are able to use a good range of skills to complete such tasks as designing a layout of a classroom that will seat a certain number of pupils. To complete this task pupils group symbols, such as desks and chairs, so that using certain commands, whole arrangements can be moved and copied. By the end of the key stage, pupils put data onto spreadsheets, and produce a good range of graphs to illustrate this. They make informed choices about which type of graph is most appropriate for their purpose, after having investigated different types. Other pupils are able to retrieve their own photographs taken with a digital camera. Once they have done this they add their own special effects, such as making them wavy. Other pupils competently e-mail their ‘buddies’ in other parts of the school.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

141. There is a portfolio of pupils’ work, which shows that pupils can create pictures and use cut-and- paste techniques to make a repeated pattern for Christmas wrapping paper. Pupils can write a simple program to control a floor robot and make it move to a set pattern. They use word processing to write stories and then use a spell checker to make sure that their work is well presented. They search for information in databases and computer based encyclopaedias on topics such as the Elizabeth 1 to support work in history and on Scarborough to support geography. This work takes place mainly in the computer suite and is not sufficiently well developed in classrooms. They analyse information, manipulate sound and there are samples of e-mail letters to other children.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

142. Lessons are mainly taught by the co-ordinator during release time and take place in the computer suite. The quality of teaching was never less than very good and occasionally excellent. It is very good overall and matches the progress that the pupils make. Her subject knowledge is very good and she is able to answer questions clearly and give very good levels of support. Organisation is very good, even when there are three activities taking place simultaneously. All pupils are provided with good levels of support, either from the teacher or other adults supporting the lesson. Classes are managed well and good levels of concentration and productivity achieved.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

143. Pupils have a very positive attitude to learning in the computer suite, and are well behaved. They treat the equipment and each other with respect, especially when working together. When they Pudsey, Lowtown Primary School - 44 work together in this positive way their discussions are valuable sources of new ideas and make things clearer to each other.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

144. Co-ordination of information and communication technology is excellent. This is a current priority for development and there are very clear plans for current and long-term future development. The curriculum co-ordinator has very good subject knowledge, supports her colleagues well and provides high quality teaching. She has developed good assessment procedures, which are soon to be introduced. There is a suite of computers, which gives equivalent provision to that in many primary schools. However, classroom computers are not of a sufficiently high specification to support the good work taking place in the suite. The curriculum co-ordinator is aware of this weakness and hopes to be able to overcome it in the future.

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MUSIC

145. Standards, at the end of both key stages, are above those expected nationally. Standards in singing are well above those expected. Pupils make good progress. At the time of the school’s previous inspection, standards were reported to be above expectations. Significant improvements have been made in singing since that time.

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MUSIC

146. At Key Stage 1, pupils confidently sing a variety of songs, with very good control over rhythm and pitch. They put a great deal of expression into their singing when performing together, and give good consideration to the dynamics of songs. In following tunes, pupils confidently use hand signals to denote high and low notes. Pupils sing a number of songs from memory, and take care to sing the words clearly. Pupils explore and make sounds, using an appropriate range of untuned percussion instruments, and they are able to follow a simple score accurately. They also readily play instruments to support other pupils in their singing. Pupils successfully compose short musical sequences, which they rehearse and then play to other members of their class. Pupils are able to describe the sounds they make, carefully using the correct vocabulary.

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MUSIC

147. At Key Stage 2, pupils sing a range of songs, sometimes in two parts, showing very good control over both breathing and diction. When singing in two parts, pupils confidently maintain their own parts, showing a clear awareness of how the different parts fit together to achieve the overall effect and successfully finishing together. Pupils happily perform their work from memory. They sing confidently on their own or in small groups, and they make a valuable contribution to the whole performance. Pupils in Year 3 compose their own musical compositions, based on the feelings they experience when studying famous paintings and they use a variety of instruments to perform to each other. They are able to make good suggestions on ways in which their performance might be improved. Pupils readily listen to a range of recorded music, including items they have performed themselves, and where appropriate they confidently identify the instruments being

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MUSIC

played. Pupils have developed a good musical vocabulary, and confidently use this in developing and improving their work.

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MUSIC

148. The quality of teaching and learning are good. Lessons are well planned to include a suitable range of resources, which help pupils develop their musical skills. Teachers’ subject knowledge and expertise is good and this enables them to provide high quality instruction and demonstration such as singing or playing instruments for pupils. They are able to help and direct support well, enabling pupils, including those with special educational needs, to make good gains in their musical knowledge, understanding and skills. Teachers make particularly effective use of pupils, to demonstrate different aspects of work to other members of the class, thus improving pupils’ confidence in performing. Pupils join in the activities with great enthusiasm and commitment, reflecting the brisk pace at which teachers conduct lessons. Pupils’ attitudes are consistently good and sometimes very good. They enjoy their music, singing well, playing instruments confidently

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MUSIC

and working amicably with other pupils. They are happy to listen to music, and are confident in offering opinions about what they hear. Pupils are particularly appreciative of the work of other pupils, and they readily applaud their performances. Pudsey, Lowtown Primary School - 45 149. The school has an appropriate scheme of work, and through careful planning all areas of work are successfully covered. The co-ordinators also draw up an overall school plan to ensure this coverage. The co-ordinators, who are keen and enthusiastic, monitors teachers, but do not have any opportunity to observe teaching. Few arrangements are in place for undertaking assessment in the subject, and they are not yet being used effectively to judge either individual pupil’s present attainment, or the progress they have made. The school has already identified this as an area to be developed. A visiting specialist teacher, effectively supports music, especially singing. The school

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MUSIC

makes satisfactory provision for extra-curricular music activities for older pupils.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

150. Standards at the end of both key stages are in line with national expectations. Pupils’ progress is satisfactory. Standards are similar to those reported at the time of the school’s previous inspection.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

151. At Key Stage 1, pupils move confidently around the hall, running, skipping and hopping, and showing suitable awareness of space and other pupils. They successfully perform a range of gymnastic movements, including jumps, rolls, stretches and balances, and they readily develop these movements both on the floor and on an appropriate range of apparatus. Pupils in Year 2 confidently develop their games skills of throwing and catching a ball, and they show satisfactory accuracy when throwing and catching, and attempting to hit a target. Pupils understand the need to warm up for, and recover from, exercise. At Key Stage 2, pupils further develop their skills in throwing a ball, and they improve these skills by measuring the distance thrown and trying to improve. Pupils in Year 5 concentrate in particular on their starting skills to successfully develop their running abilities. Pupils confidently time their races, and, in comparing the times, they

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

attempt to increase their speed. Pupils understand the importance of being active, and they can explain some of the effects of exercise on their bodies. Pupils who attend swimming lessons become suitably confident in the water, and by the time they leave the school, almost all pupils are able to swim the expected twenty five metres unaided. Pupils in Years 5 and 6 develop their outdoor and adventure skills satisfactorily during annual residential visits.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

152. The overall quality of teaching and learning are satisfactory. Teachers plan well and they make suitable use of an appropriate range of resources which help pupils develop their skills. Clear instruction and demonstration is provided, and this allows all pupils, including those with special educational needs, to make satisfactory gains in their skills. Members of staff wear appropriate clothing for lessons, and they all join in with the pupils. They have sound subject knowledge, and make suitable demands of the pupils’ performance. Teachers often use pupils to demonstrate good performances, but the chance is not always taken to discuss the quality of the work seen, which helps pupils identify the areas where they might improve themselves. This shortcoming was also identified during the previous inspection. Where teaching is good, particularly clear advice is provided, and pupils are given opportunities to appraise their work, enabling them to improve their

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

performance. Teachers usually show good behaviour management skills, but occasionally a few pupils do not always listen to their teacher well enough, preferring instead to continue with their activities. Pupils usually join in appropriately, enjoying themselves and making a satisfactory, and sometimes good, physical effort. The pace of lessons is generally brisk, but at times it slows when pupils queue to use apparatus. Teachers provide help and support to pupils, in all aspects of their work, and in particular they emphasise the need for safety. In turn, pupils generally show good attitudes, behave well overall, work well alone and with a partner or group, and carry equipment carefully and safely.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

153. The school has a relevant scheme of work, and all aspects of work are suitably covered. An appropriate outline of the work that should be undertaken by each class every term has also been produced. Satisfactory procedures are used to assess various aspects of pupils’ work, including swimming, and to provide information to help develop their skills further. The co-ordinator is enthusiastic, and he supports his colleagues well when requested. At present, however, he has no opportunity to observe lessons taking place, which would help him identify strengths and areas for Pudsey, Lowtown Primary School - 46 development. Activities involving timing and measuring, especially in athletic activities, give support to the school’s initiative in numeracy. The school makes satisfactory arrangements for the provision of extra-curricular activities, for older pupils.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

154. Standards for pupils at the end of Key Stage 1 are good and reflect those found at the time of the previous inspection. Progress is good overall. Pupils’ attainment and progress by the end of Key Stage 2 is satisfactory and meets the requirements of the locally agreed syllabus. Standards are similar to those found at the time of the previous inspection.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

155. Young pupils make a good start to their religious education work. They learn the life stories of faith leaders such as Jesus, Moses and Mohammed. Rather than studying one faith in detail, pupils discuss themes such as Special Things, Special Books and Feelings. Pupils are learning about the life Jesus and his disciples, including some of the parables and their meanings that he told such as the “The Lost Sheep”. They also examine artefacts linked to worship in the faiths of Judaism and Christianity. Pupils know that there are common links in how a belief affects how people live - prayer, foods, fasting, charity and care for others. 156. By the end of Year 2, pupils show an understanding of the work covered in Judaism and Christianity through examining artefacts linked to worship. For example, they have some knowledge of the way of life and the beliefs of the Jewish people. They also know about the

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

importance of God to them and the name of their holy book, the Torah. Pupils talk about the stories they have heard, for example the plagues of Egypt and Passover. They know that such stories are also in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. Pupils know that a Church is a place where Christians go to pray and that Jews go to a Synagogue. Pupils have knowledge of the major festivals in Christianity such as Christmas and Easter and what happened on each occasion. This enabled pupils to learn what happens at a Christening/Baptism ceremony and why children and adults are baptised. During the inspection the local curate acted out the baptism ceremony using a doll and explained the meaning of that ceremony. Two of the school support staff showed photographs of their children’s baptisms as well as christening gowns, candles and cards.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

157. By the end of Year 6 pupils have a sound understanding of special celebrations in Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Judaism and the importance of symbols and symbolic actions in religious celebrations and acts of worship. The Diwali festival of light from the Hindu faith with pupils drawing Rangoli patterns, Christmas with the making of Christingle Candles and creation stories including the Bible story as well as Chinese and Assyrian myths are amongst those that have been studied. Fasting in Ramadan from the Muslim faith is linked to Christian Lent. Worship and faith symbols in the Grand Mosque are compared to those in the Parish Church. Pupils have also thought of the respect to be given to sacred faith books. They have knowledge of the 5 Pillars of Islam from the Qu’ran. The tenets of the Jewish faith including Passover, the Egyptian plagues and the 10 Commandments from the Torah and the Old Testament of the Bible. Pupils have

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

learned about the Christian Church by studying the life of Jesus and his disciples within the Christian Bible.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

158. The quality of teaching and learning is good overall with some excellent teaching seen at Key Stage 1. Teachers are well prepared. They know what they are going to teach from an assessment of pupil’s previous work and an evaluation of previous learning. Pupils are actively involved in their own learning. Teachers’ explanations and instructions are very clear and help pupils to understand what they are doing. Through very good questions teachers draw out pupils to share knowledge and build on it successfully. In the better lessons teachers are able to help pupils to make good links across religions to increase their understanding and knowledge of symbolic actions in religious celebrations or acts of worship. For instance, the teacher’s combining artefacts with questions generated a sense of the specialness of baptism. Pupils gave a gasp of wonderment when looking at Christening gowns and photographs. Teachers also provide a good range of resources

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

for pupils to look at and handle. Across both Key Stages 1 and 2, teachers have a secure knowledge of the subject, and they plan lessons well. They revise previous work at the beginning Pudsey, Lowtown Primary School - 47 of lessons and at the end tell pupils what will be coming in the next lesson, providing a progressive and continuous curriculum. Classroom assistants provide good support to enhance the quality of learning.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

159. Pupils respond well to lessons though among a small group of older pupils their inappropriate behaviour has an adverse effect upon the learning of the majority. Most pupils, especially young ones, are interested, listen carefully to the teachers and are willing to contribute to discussions. They work conscientiously at tasks, enjoying the challenge and sharing their learning.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

160. The religious education curriculum is broad and balanced with appropriate revisions well in hand and appropriate to support learning. The curriculum meets the statutory requirements of the agreed syllabus. The quality and range of resources are good and they are used well. The provision for enriching the subject through visits to different places of worship is strong. The co- ordinator has a good understanding of her role and manages the subject appropriately. She plans to refine the curriculum further using the criteria of a nationally published scheme of work. The arrangements for assessment are being developed in line with these changes. The co-ordinator plans further staff training to ensure expertise and confidence is developed further.

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