West Hoathly CofE Primary School

WEST HOATHLY CE PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 17 th to 20 th June 2002

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WEST HOATHLY CE 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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WEST HOATHLY CE 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. West Hoathly CE Primary School, West Sussex, June 2002 - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: North Lane West Hoathly West Sussex

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: The Reverend Alan Carr

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 17 th June 1997 West Hoathly CE Primary School, West Sussex, June 2002 - 4

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities 30600 Mr Brian Espiner Registered inspector Mathematics Information and communication technology Geography History 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? 8991 Mrs Pamela Goldsack Lay inspector Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development How well does the school care for its pupils? - Care How well does the school work in partnership with parents? 23048 Ms Diane Wilkinson Team inspector English Art Design and technology Music Special educational needs English as an additional language How well does the school care for its pupils? - Assessment

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

6169 Dr Melvyn Bradshaw Team inspector Science Physical education Religious education Foundation stage Equal opportunities How good are the curricular and other opportunities offered to pupils?

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Dr Melvyn J Bradshaw LSU Associates 185 Wilton Road Upper Shirley Southampton Hants SO15 5HY

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway West Hoathly CE Primary School, West Sussex, June 2002 - 5 London WC2B 6SE West Hoathly CE Primary School, West Sussex, June 2002 - 6

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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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AREAS OF THE CURRICULUM, SUBJECTS AND COURSES 29

West Hoathly CE Primary School, West Sussex, June 2002 - 7

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

West Hoathly Primary is a Church of England Voluntary Controlled school, between Crawley and East Grinstead in West Sussex. There are 109 pupils on roll, none of whom are from ethnic minorities or have English as an additional language. Seven pupils (6 per cent) are entitled to free school meals, a below- average proportion. Twenty-six pupils (24 per cent) are on the school’s register of special educational needs (SEN), an average proportion. No pupil has a statement of SEN. Children enter the school with attainment that is below average for West Sussex. There has recently been a large turnover in teaching staff.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

The school gives its pupils a sound education. Standards, teaching, and leadership and management are all satisfactory. Standards in English are above average. Pupils with SEN make good progress. Pupils attitudes to school and to learning are good. The cost per pupil is well above average, not unusual for a small school. The school provides satisfactory value for money.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What the school does well • Standards in English are above average by the time pupils leave the school. • The provision for, and progress of, children at the Foundation Stage is good. • The provision for, and progress of, pupils with SEN is good throughout the school. • Pupils work hard and try to do their best. They have good attitudes to school, and are interested and enthusiastic, resulting in attendance that is well above average. • The provision for pupils’ social and cultural development is good. • The provision of activities outside lessons is very good, and these support and extend learning very well. • The local community contributes very well to the life of the school and hence to pupils’ learning. • Parents support their children’s learning well, and their impact on the work of the school is good. • The governors’ finance committee, helped greatly by the bursar, is astute and prudent.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What could be improved • Standards in mathematics and science, although average nationally, should be higher, and the science curriculum should be improved. • More-able pupils are not challenged enough and do not make as much progress as they could. • There is a need for more consistent assessment procedures in non-core (foundation) subjects. • In all subjects, assessment is not used well enough to guide the next steps in learning. • Planning for pupils’ individual learning requirements needs to be improved in most classes, although planning for those with SEN is good. Teachers’ expectations of some pupils’ behaviour and potential needs to be higher in most classes, and there should be greater emphasis on pupils’ independent learning. • The provision for pupils’ spiritual development (particularly reflection and reverence) is unsatisfactory. • The role of subject co-ordinators must be enhanced to include effective monitoring of learning in

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

their subjects. • Some of the curriculum for design and technology (DT) is not taught, and standards are below the national expectation. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan. As a result of the School’s Self- review, some issues have already been identified in the current School Improvement Plan.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

There were five major recommendations from the last inspection. Four of these have been tackled at least satisfactorily. These were to introduce schemes of work, carry out appraisal, develop a fully costed school development plan and improve communication with parents. The other, that the role of subject co- ordinators should be enhanced, has been partially addressed, but progress here has been adversely West Hoathly CE Primary School, West Sussex, June 2002 - 8 affected by staff turnover, and the role of co-ordinators needs developing further. Standards have improved since the last inspection. Teaching, and leadership and management, are still satisfactory. Improvement has been satisfactory overall.

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STANDARDS

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

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STANDARDS

Performance in: all schools similar schools Key

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STANDARDS

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

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STANDARDS

Because the numbers taking the tests are small, there can be large fluctuations in results from one year to the next, depending on the performance of only one or two pupils, so test results in any one year are statistically unreliable. However, it is clear that, over time, pupils are doing better in English than in mathematics or science. Inspection evidence supports this, although standards in writing, which are average, reflect the national picture in not being as good as they are in reading or speaking and listening, where they are above average. Standards in Year 6 now are average in mathematics and science. In all other subjects, except design and technology (DT), standards are in line with expectations. In DT, standards are below expectations, largely because there is too much reliance on construction kits, and teachers do not separate DT from art sufficiently well. Results for Year 2 pupils

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STANDARDS

change dramatically from year to year, ranging from well above average nationally to below average, again reflecting the low numbers taking the national tests. However, over time, the pattern is one of being slightly above average nationally in English and below average in mathematics. Compared with similar schools, standards over the last few years have been generally below average. Over time, standards are rising in line with the national trend. The school has annual targets for number of Year 6 pupils reaching the expected Level 4 of the National Curriculum in English and mathematics. These are realistic and challenging. For some time, boys have done better than girls in Year 6 tests, but no difference was found in the attainment of boys and girls in this year’s Year 6. It is apparent that more- able pupils do not achieve as well as they should, in all subjects.

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STANDARDS

Attitudes to the school Attitudes are good. Pupils enjoy coming to school.

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STANDARDS

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Behaviour is satisfactory overall. However, in all Key Stage 2 classes there is a small number of boys whose unacceptable behaviour disrupts learning. In assemblies there is quite a lot of inattention, which is not always dealt with effectively.

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STANDARDS

Personal development and relationships These are satisfactory. In some classes, particularly at Key Stage 2, personal development is hindered by too few opportunities in lessons for pupils to take charge of their own learning.

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STANDARDS

Attendance Attendance is well above average, and punctuality is good. West Hoathly CE Primary School, West Sussex, June 2002 - 9

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

Teaching of pupils in: Reception Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6 Quality of teaching Good Satisfactory Satisfactory Inspectors make judgements about teaching in the range: excellent; very good; good; satisfactory; unsatisfactory; poor; very poor. ‘Satisfactory’ means that the teaching is adequate and strengths outweigh weaknesses.

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

Most pupils work hard and are interested in learning. At the Foundation Stage, teaching and learning are good in all areas. At Key Stages 1 and 2, teaching and learning are satisfactory in English and mathematics, and the basic skills of literacy and numeracy are also taught satisfactorily, although there is little planned extension or consolidation of these skills in other subjects. Pupils with SEN are taught well throughout the school. More-able pupils are often not sufficiently challenged, and teachers do not plan well enough for their needs or expect enough of them.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

The quality and range of the curriculum This is satisfactory, and statutory requirements are met, although too little of the stated curriculum for DT is actually taught. The provision of extra-curricular activities is very good for a small school, and this enriches and extends learning opportunities very well.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils with special educational needs This is good. Pupils with SEN are well-supported by learning support assistants (LSAs). Those with behavioural difficulties are treated with understanding and compassion, although these difficulties sometimes impinge negatively on the behaviour and learning of others.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development The provision for pupils’ spiritual development is unsatisfactory, with little planned into the curriculum or assemblies. Provision for pupils’ moral development is satisfactory, and they can distinguish right from wrong, honesty from lies. The provision for social and cultural development is good, although more could be done to equip pupils for life in our multicultural society.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

How well the school cares for its pupils Procedures for monitoring and supporting pupils’ personal progress are satisfactory, but for academic progress they are unsatisfactory. The good assessment in core subjects is not used well enough to guide the planning of learning for individual pupils or groups of pupils. In other subjects, there are no consistent assessment procedures.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Parents are actively involved with the work of the school and contribute well to their children’s learning. Annual reports to parents are satisfactory, but do not focus enough on how well pupils are doing or what they need to do to achieve more highly.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

Leadership and manage- ment by the headteacher and other key staff The headteacher is committed, hard working and competent, but she does too much. Partly because of the large staff turnover, not enough is delegated to other members of staff. The deputy headteacher has been given too little management responsibility.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

How well the governors Governors have a very good understanding of the school’s strengths, and West Hoathly CE Primary School, West Sussex, June 2002 - 10 fulfil their responsibilities what needs to be improved. They fulfil their responsibilities satisfactorily.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The school’s evaluation of its performance The school is good in evaluating its performance in core subjects, but must take more effective action to improve it.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The strategic use of resources The governors’ finance committee is very effective, and governors ensure that the school always applies the principles of best value (competition, comparison, challenge and consultation).

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The school is well supplied with suitably qualified and experienced staff. Accommodation is satisfactory, although the hall is too small for physical education (PE) for older pupils, and the two temporary classrooms are old and worn-out. Resources are satisfactory overall.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved • Parents feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. • The school expects children to work hard and do their best. • The school is well led and managed. • Children make good progress. • Children like school. • The school helps children become mature and responsible. • The range of activities outside lessons. • The amount of work children get to do at home. • Information about how children are getting on. • Behaviour at the school. • Working closely with parents.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The inspection team agrees overall with comments in those areas that please parents most, and in three of the areas they would like to see improved. Homework is not used as constructively and consistently as it could be. Reports to parents should contain more precise information about the level children are working at and individual targets. Most children behave well, but there is a minority of boys in classes 3, 4 and 5 who disrupt learning, so behaviour overall is only satisfactory. The school does work closely with parents. The range of activities outside lessons includes visitors and trips. The three new teachers were not required to run clubs in their first year, but it is school policy that after their first year at the school, all teachers give a required number of hours to this. For a small school, the provision of activities outside lessons is very good. West Hoathly CE Primary School, West Sussex, June 2002 - 11

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

1 In the national tests for Year 6 pupils in 2001, standards were well above the national average in English, and average in mathematics and science. Compared with similar schools, standards were well above average in English and well below average in mathematics and science. The proportion reaching the higher level was well above average in English, average in science and below average in mathematics. For some years, boys have done better than girls, often being a year ahead by the time they leave. No such difference was measurable during the inspection. In the national tests for Year 2 pupils in 2001, standards in reading and writing were in line with the national average, and in mathematics they were below average. Compared with similar schools, standards in reading and writing were below average, and in mathematics they were well below.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

2 Care must be taken in interpreting these results because the number of pupils taking them is so small. So, for example, nine out of the ten Year 2 pupils reached the expected Level 2 in mathematics, which statistically came out as below average. Had one more pupil attained that level, the results would have been well above average. The low number of pupils also means that there are large differences from year to year. However, it can be said that English results at Key Stage 2 have been consistently better than those in mathematics and science for several years. Results in general are improving in line with the national trend, and have improved since the last inspection. In consultation with the local education authority (LEA), the school sets realistic and challenging targets for the number of Year 6 pupils reaching the expected Level 4 of the National Curriculum in English and mathematics. These

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

3 Standards in English are now average at Key Stage 1 and above average at Key Stage 2. In Year 2, speaking and listening skills are satisfactory overall, with speaking better than listening. In the Year 2/3 class, Year 3 pupils, particularly boys, are allowed to dominate conversation too much, and this affects the progress of Year 2 pupils adversely. Most pupils in Year 2 reach the expected level in reading, although too few pupils are reaching the higher level. There is a lack of challenge for the more able in writing. However, most pupils spell common words correctly, use full stops and capital letters, and write a story in sequence. Handwriting is above average. In Year 6, standards in speaking and listening are above average. Pupils are confident speakers who express opinions and argue well, although in Years 4, 5 and 6, boys still tend to dominate discussions. Reading is taught well at Key Stage 2 with an emphasis on

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

comprehension. Consequently, Year 6 pupils read fluently, with a good knowledge and understanding of plot and character. The great majority are reaching the expected Level 4 in writing. They produce stories, dialogue, reports and play scripts. Standards in the basic skills of literacy are satisfactory, but in other subjects pupils are made to copy too much from the board, and this helps neither progress in writing nor the fostering of independent learning. Too few pupils are reaching the higher Level 5 of the National Curriculum in writing.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

4 Standards in mathematics are average at the end of both key stages. Almost all pupils in Year 2 use addition and subtraction facts accurately to 20. They recognise West Hoathly CE Primary School, West Sussex, June 2002 - 12 and name common two- and three-dimensional shapes and understand acute and obtuse angles. The more-able Year 2 pupils are not challenged highly enough, although some work is too difficult. In general, pupils are expected to do too much of the same work throughout the school, but particularly in Years 4, 5 and 6. Year 6 pupils understand area and perimeter, and can work out areas of compound shapes, including those containing right-angled triangles, such as a trapezium. They can order fractions, and are beginning to understand the connection with percentages and decimals. They understand the median and mode, and have started to work with probability as a fraction less than 1. Most pupils can add fractions but do not reduce

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

them. More-able pupils find highest common factors using Venn diagrams, and draw and measure angles using a protractor. Pupils are required to solve quite a lot of word problems, but do not do enough investigational work. Standards in the basic skills of numeracy are satisfactory, but it is not supported sufficiently well in the rest of the curriculum; for example, in science or DT.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

5 There are no national tests for Year 2 pupils in science, but teacher assessment in 2001 indicated that standards in scientific enquiry and life and living processes were very high, and standards in materials and their properties and physical processes were very low. This shows that too much time was spent on the biological aspects of science at the expense of the physical and chemical aspects. This is still the case, and there is too much concentration overall on life and living processes throughout the school. At Key Stage 1, pupils learn about different habitats, and understand the life-cycle of the frog and butterfly. They are starting to appreciate a healthy diet, helped by the school’s provision of meals, which is excellent. By the end of Year 6, pupils know and understand the working of the human skeleton and various joints and organs. They know the arrangement of planets in the solar system, and are

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

starting to understand reversible and irreversible chemical changes.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

6 In most other subjects, standards are in line with expectations. The exception is DT, where standards are below expectations because teachers do not give enough time to the subject. Pupils get very few opportunities to make things using materials other than construction kits, and teachers confuse DT with art. In art, observational drawing is good; for example, of bowls of fruit. Models of moving figures are also good. Pupils make prints in the style of William Morris and draw in the style of L.S.Lowry. In information and communication technology (ICT), they use word processing with confidence, and are beginning to understand spreadsheets. They send e-mails from Year 3 onwards, and use the internet to find information. In music, pupils sing in tune, and identify and use different rhythms. In physical education (PE), pupils reach expected standards in running, jumping and throwing. They make rapid progress in

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

swimming, and almost all pupils can swim the required 25 metres unaided, in several styles.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

7 In geography, history and religious education (RE), pupils in Years 4, 5 and 6 are required to do too much copying from the board, and all pupils do virtually the same work. Although this results in knowledge and understanding that are in line with expectations in Year 6, enquiry skills are underdeveloped and literacy is not sufficiently supported. In RE, standards are above expectations at the end of Key Stage 1. In Year 6, pupils have a satisfactory knowledge and understanding of Hinduism and Islam, although there is limited comparison with Christianity. In geography, pupils’ knowledge and understanding of rainforests are satisfactory, although some misunderstanding is not corrected; for example “You can help save the rainforest by using less paper”. Pupils compare life in England to life in Kenya and an Indian village. Year 6 pupils talked enthusiastically about visits to The Seven Sisters and to the Imperial War Museum, and were looking forward to a visit to

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

West Hoathly CE Primary School, West Sussex, June 2002 - 13 Hampton Court to support work in history on the Tudors. They understand the passage of time and know about various periods of history and famous events and people.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

8 At the Foundation Stage, children make good progress from an average base. Teaching is effective in promoting the development of skills across all areas of learning, but in particular in aspects of literacy, knowledge and understanding of the world and personal development. When they enter the Reception class, children’s attainment is similar to the national average, but below the average for West Sussex. ‘Baseline’ assessments, completed shortly after children start school, show attainment to be below the West Sussex average in all aspects of English, mathematical and personal and social development. Children achieve the Early Learning Goals, the expected standards for their age, by the time they move into Year 1.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

9 Pupils enter the school with standards generally below those in the rest of the county, but broadly average nationally. They leave the school with standards broadly in line with national or local expectations, except in DT, where they are below expectations, and English, where they are generally above. Consequently, pupils make satisfactory progress during their time at the school, although this varies, with good progress at the Foundation Stage and for the present Year 1, and satisfactory progress overall in the other three classes. Pupils with SEN are well supported and the majority make good progress. As a result most achieve well with some reaching the expected standards for Year 6 pupils.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

10 Overall, pupils have good attitudes toward learning and this has been maintained since the last inspection. Pupils like school and are at their best when the lessons are interesting and provide enough challenging work. During such activities pupils are attentive, engage in discussions and work productively. For example, pupils in the middle of Key Stage 2 listened carefully during a well-taught science lesson then made predictions and moved on to record their observations. Pupils’ level of interest and involvement in school activities is similarly good. They are keen participants in competitive sports and take part in the wide range of extra-curricular clubs and extra activities available to them.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

11 Although behaviour across the school is sound, it is not as good as it was at the last inspection. The school is an orderly community and pupils are aware of the importance of good behaviour and enjoy receiving merit awards. However, there is a small number of boys in different classes at Key Stage 2 who continually misbehave and interrupt teaching and learning for other members of their class. Too much time is taken to correct these boys and this has a negative effect on their progress and the progress of their classmates. Pupils across the school have become accustomed to chattering in lessons and in assemblies even when adults and other pupils are speaking. Most worrying is the tendency of some Year 3 boys to dominate lessons with inattention and lack of participation and this limits the progress made by the more co-operative Year 2 pupils in the class. Behaviour is better among children at the

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1. There were many examples during the inspection where these children listened carefully, co-operated with each other and willingly followed directions. Bullying within the school is rare and any isolated incidents are taken very seriously by the school and addressed immediately in accordance with the anti-bullying policy. As at the last inspection, no pupils have been excluded for misbehaviour over the past year. West Hoathly CE Primary School, West Sussex, June 2002 - 14 12 Relationships within the school have diminished somewhat since the last inspection and are now only satisfactory. Boys and girls play well together and engage in games fairly during breaks, physical education lessons and at lunchtime. Pupils care for each other and join in activities together happily. In a particularly well-managed PE lesson at Key Stage 1 children came forward willingly to volunteer to be a partner with one

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

boy who was saddened by being briefly left out on his own. However, at Key Stage 2 the ongoing misbehaviour and talking means that pupils do not always listen well enough to each other. To their credit, girls have become accustomed to this and are good at ignoring boys’ silliness and concentrating on their work. Relationships between some Key Stage 2 class teachers and their pupils are sometimes strained when lessons are regularly interrupted to correct misbehaviour.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

13 The quality of the personal development of pupils is sound but is not as well developed as reported at the last inspection. Pupils make a good start towards becoming more responsible at Key Stage 1. Among all pupils, social skills are developed appropriately and they show respect for the school and get involved in community activities. They are well aware of moral issues and raise money for different charities throughout the year. Year 6 pupils are confident, mature individuals who show respect for learning and happily converse about school life and wider issues. They ably act as ‘guardians’ during play sessions and mediate between younger pupils if there is a disagreement. In a geography lesson they expressed concern about global warming and knowledge of the risks to the rain forests. However, spiritual development is limited as related issues such as insight, creative impulse and emotions are rarely discussed. Chattering and misbehaviour in

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

assemblies are tolerated and, as a result, reflection and reverence are very limited. Lessons tend to be teacher-directed with pupils following instructions. There are few opportunities to carry out independent research. Pupils are not given enough opportunities to take charge of their own learning and figure things out for themselves. As a result, attainment at Key Stage 2 is limited; for example, in science, RE, history and geography.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

14 Pupils’ attendance is very good and has improved since the last inspection. The current rate of attendance is 96.2 per cent and this is higher than the national average. There is virtually no unauthorised absence and pupils arrive promptly each morning.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

15 Teaching and learning are satisfactory overall and good in Reception and Year 1. Of the 34 lessons seen, one was poor, two were unsatisfactory, 17 satisfactory, 12 good and two very good. This position is similar to that found at the last inspection. One of these very good lessons was taken by professional swimming staff, and the other was in Reception. Two aspects of learning are good across the whole school. The first is the learning of pupils with SEN. The second is that pupils work hard, whether their effort is physical, intellectual or creative. Teaching is satisfactory overall in all subjects except DT, where some teachers confuse the subject with art and few plan activities that help pupils make sufficient progress in developing their skills and knowledge.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

16 At the Foundation Stage, the use of homework and pupils’ knowledge of their own learning are satisfactory. All other areas of teaching and learning are good. The teacher plans well from a basis of a good knowledge of children’s needs and the requirements of the curriculum. As a result, children acquire skills, knowledge and West Hoathly CE Primary School, West Sussex, June 2002 - 15 understanding well. They are given a good start in learning to be independent. Pupils higher up the school, particularly at Key Stage 2, who had different experiences in Reception, are far less independent and are not encouraged enough to be so. They often copy work from the board or download and print unedited pieces of information from the internet, some of which are grammatically incorrect or use punctuation wrongly.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

17 Some teachers’ planning is often not effective. Planning is satisfactory overall in English, art, music and PE. At Key Stage 1, planning is satisfactory in science and good in RE. In other subjects, particularly at Key Stage 2, there is not enough planning for individual differences and needs, except for pupils with SEN. As a result, pupils do not learn as well as they could, particularly the more able. In mathematics, teachers do not plan enough investigational work. Although the teaching and learning of the basic skills of literacy are satisfactory overall, too little is planned into other subjects; for example, RE, geography and history. Teachers generally do not expect enough of pupils’ potential for learning, except when pupils have SEN.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

18 Although the management of pupils is satisfactory overall, and good in music, in six of the observed lessons the poor behaviour of some boys interfered with the learning process. In some cases this was because there should have been another adult present, and the teachers did as well as they could in the circumstances. In some cases the teacher’s strategies for management were just not effective enough. Although the situation never got out of hand, too much time was spent in dealing with the behaviour problem, and consequently learning was too slow. One of the reasons that a few lessons were less than satisfactory was the unsatisfactory behaviour of pupils.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

19 The use of homework is satisfactory. At the Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1, pupils have mainly reading as homework, with occasional spelling or learning multiplication facts. At Key Stage 2, not all teachers always give homework consistently in line with the school’s policy. Marking is conscientious and encouraging, but some consists of just a tick and a “well done” comment. Some teachers mark well, stating what exactly has been done well, and making suggestions for improvement and short-term targets. However, this is not universal, and there is no consistent, school-wide approach.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

20 The teaching of pupils with SEN is good. Staff have a good understanding of the needs of pupils on the register of the Code of Practice, so these are addressed well. Sometimes in class lessons, these pupils are set tasks matched to their ability. At other times they do the same work as other pupils and are effectively supported by classroom assistants or extra resources. The experienced assistants give especially good support. Once a week, a number of pupils are taught individually by the SEN teacher. At these times, pupils make good progress in their learning because of the good quality support. 21 The aspects of teaching in good lessons were exemplified well in a Key Stage 1 mathematics lesson. The teacher had a good knowledge and understanding of number and of the National Numeracy Strategy. She placed the correct emphasis on the basic skills of number. Planning showed good progression through the week and

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

from week to week. The learning support assistant was used well with a group of lower attainers. Group work was planned for three different levels of ability. Pupils worked hard and tried their best, enjoying the number games the teacher had planned to keep up their interest and enthusiasm. The learning of place value and counting on in tens was good. West Hoathly CE Primary School, West Sussex, June 2002 - 16

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PUPILS?

22 The previous report suggested that pupils were offered a broad curriculum, which met National Curriculum requirements. There was, however, a lack of balance, particularly in the coverage of information and communication technology (ICT), geography and religious education (RE). The school offered a very good range of extra-curricular activities. In relation to pupils’ personal development, the school made good provision, although cultural development was limited. There has been a satisfactory improvement, with a better balance being provided because of improved provision in ICT, geography and RE. Cultural opportunities have improved, but spiritual development is not as strong as reported previously.

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PUPILS?

23 The school provides a satisfactory curriculum for its pupils. Much of the work is planned satisfactorily using a ‘Topic’ approach. This identifies general areas to be taught to ensure the relevant National Curriculum requirements are usually covered. Owing to the widely varying number of pupils in each year group, the management of the curriculum is very difficult. There is no consistent organisation of the year groups in each class from year to year. The National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies have been introduced. However, not every teacher consistently uses the recommended format for numeracy. The development and use of pupils’ literacy and numeracy skills, within other subjects, are not planned in sufficient detail. The curriculum is largely based on national guidance, but there is a lack of specific detail in many subjects.

p.16

PUPILS?

24 There is a good curriculum in place for children in Reception, which covers all areas of learning. The range of activities enables children to make good progress in most areas. Some weaknesses exist in the provision for physical development because of limited resources. The organisation of activities takes full account of the Foundation Stage guidance. The range of activities to promote the development of language skills, and to develop independence, is very carefully planned.

p.16

PUPILS?

25 The curriculum for pupils in the remainder of the school provides a satisfactory range of activities and it prepares them adequately for secondary school. Statutory requirements are met, but detailed policies and curricular planning are not sufficient in some subjects, such as science and DT. Adequate time is spent on each subject, but it is not always used to best effect. Opportunities to develop the use of literacy and numeracy in other subjects are not developed sufficiently. However, some effective links are made between different subjects, such as between history, science and art and design. Satisfactory development of pupils’ knowledge and skills is planned in most subjects. However, the school recognises that in some subjects, especially science and design and technology, skills and knowledge are not always developed systematically. Too often, pupils in Years 3 to 6 study very similar work in science,

p.16

PUPILS?

and this is, on occasions, too demanding for the younger pupils. In design and technology, teachers choose from within a basic framework and, as a result, the full range of pupils’ skills is not developed adequately. ICT has improved and it is used increasingly to support learning in other subjects, as well as to develop pupils’ ICT skills. In religious education, pupils, from Years 3 to 6 in particular, learn about a range of different faiths. This year, pupils from in Year 2 onwards attend swimming lessons.

p.16

PUPILS?

26 The school develops pupils’ personal, social and health education (PSHE) well. The PSHE programme is carefully planned and forms a clear unit of work for every pupil in alternate years. ‘Circle time’, when pupils discuss aspects of personal development, is being developed across the school. Sex and health education, and drugs West Hoathly CE Primary School, West Sussex, June 2002 - 17 awareness are also covered within science lessons. The school plans many opportunities for young children in Reception to develop independence and confidence. There are too few opportunities for pupils in Years 4 to 6 to develop independence in their learning.

p.16

PUPILS?

27 The provision for pupils with special educational needs is good and pupils are included well in all the school’s activities. Early identification and sound monitoring procedures ensure that pupils receive good support. The school acknowledges that a number of pupils have minor difficulties which would not result in them being placed on the special educational needs register is many schools. However, it feels that the extra help and support given does benefit these pupils and inspection evidence supports this . Pupils’ individual education plans clearly identify their needs and plan appropriate activities to address them. An effective range of strategies, including additional literacy support, is helping pupils to make good progress in improving their skills, particularly in literacy. Good liaison between class teachers, learning support assistants and the special educational needs co-ordinator ensures that there is a

p.17

PUPILS?

common approach. The school plans to implement the requirements for the new Code of Practice fully by the beginning of the next academic year.

p.17

PUPILS?

28 All pupils have full access to the curriculum but not enough thought has been given to ensuring that they have the opportunity to achieve their maximum potential, especially in Years 2 to 6. There are occasions, for instance in religious education, when all pupils copy exactly the same text into their books. This does not promote independence or extend pupils’ understanding sufficiently. Although inclusion in all the activities is carefully planned, the school has identified the need to extend the challenge and range of work for more able pupils.

p.17

PUPILS?

29 The school has very good links with the community. In particular, pupils are very involved in village and parish events when they join residents in the area. These activities promote an increasing awareness of responsibility and citizenship. Pupils dance at events such as street fairs and at Gravetye Manor. They visit the parish church regularly and serve lunches to local senior citizens. Using a grant from the British Airports Authority, staff and pupils at the school, working with the village reclamation group, improved the school’s pond and wildlife area. Pupils planted bulbs on ground close to the church. They prepared exhibits for a ‘Scarecrow Competition’ organised by an adjacent village. In co-operation with local residents and the Bluebell Railway, pupils were involved in the campaign to reduce speeds of vehicles travelling through the village. Pupils work with an artist who lives in the village and, on

p.17

PUPILS?

occasions, their work is exhibited in her gallery. For the size of the school, it provides a very good range of extra-curricular activities outside of school time. These are mainly for pupils in Years 3 to 6. Each member of staff offers at least one club for a period of about 15 weeks each year. Clubs organised recently have included football, netball, cricket, rounders, athletics, choir, gardening, cookery, clay-work, drama, French and skating. A wide range of visits, including a residential trip to the Isle of Wight for pupils in Years 5 and 6, is used very well to improve the curriculum for all children in the school. Day trips include Hampton Court, the Wealden Open Air Museum and the Bluebell Railway. Good links exist with partner institutions. Within the pyramid of local schools, the organisation of the curriculum is discussed. Good links, with the main secondary school to which children transfer, help to make the process

p.17

PUPILS?

smooth. The residential visit is undertaken with another local school, and this helps older pupils establish links with other children who may transfer to the same school. The Reception teacher and learning support assistant have established good links with local pre-school playgroups and nurseries. West Hoathly CE Primary School, West Sussex, June 2002 - 18 30 Provision for pupils’ personal development is satisfactory, and has improved in cultural development. Planning to promote the wide range of aspects of personal development within each subject is not adequate. The school’s organisation for spiritual development is not as strong as reported previously and is now unsatisfactory. There are occasional examples, such as when pupils observed the disappearance of salt crystals as they dissolved in water. In assembly, there are limited moments of reflection and contemplation. The copying of the same text in

p.17

PUPILS?

religious education does not encourage pupils to consider the meaning of different faiths to the believers involved. Pupils are not encouraged to reflect sufficiently on what they have achieved during a lesson. Reception children, on the other hand, reflected on God’s promise to Noah after the flood, and then wrote their own promises. As pupils grow older, there is a lack of confidence to introduce moments of reflection and wonder for fear of how some boys will react.

p.18

PUPILS?

31 The provision for moral development is satisfactory, and that for social development good. Many activities, including the PSHE programme, support both of these areas of personal development. Each class has developed its own rules and there is a clear behaviour code laid down in the school. However, these are not consistently applied, especially from Year 2 to Year 6. As a result, pupils are not taught to appreciate the impact of their actions on others. There are examples of the use of awards and stars charts to promote good moral behaviour, but these are not used consistently or, in the eyes of some pupils, fairly. Pupils are taught the difference between right and wrong, and in a physical education lesson pupils were encouraged to keep their own scores and not to cheat. This was effective. Pupils collect for a range of charities, and begin to appreciate that there are those in this country, and overseas, who need support

p.18

PUPILS?

and help. In Reception, there is good emphasis on developing social skills, especially sharing and co-operation. Independence is strongly promoted in Reception, with children having many opportunities to choose activities during the school day. The Reception teacher has taught children simple signing techniques, which is helping them to understand some of the problems of being deaf. Signing is often used when the register is taken. During discussions, pupils are encouraged to listen to others, but this is not always successful. The programme of visits plays an important role in developing social skills. Collective moral and social responsibility for care of the Earth is developed through studies of ‘The Greenhouse Effect’ and destruction of the rain forests. Older pupils act as helpers and have a caring role. They are known as ‘guardians’.

p.18

PUPILS?

32 Provision for pupils’ cultural development is good and a suitable policy to promote racial harmony has been developed. However, opportunities to raise pupils’ awareness of the multicultural nature of British society are not developed sufficiently within the range of cultural topics covered. In art and design, pupils are introduced to the work of a range of artists, including Lowry. Religious education introduces pupils to a range of cultures associated with different faiths in addition to Christianity, such as Judaism, Islam and Hinduism. Local culture is celebrated, such as Maypole dancing and the ‘Scarecrow’ competition. A study of African dance and drumming extended pupils’ awareness of aspects of African culture. Pupils also listen to Indian music. Using the Internet, the school made links with a school in Ghana on Commonwealth day. Pupils also ate meals prepared to reflect different European

p.18

PUPILS?

cultures, as well as India when eating curry. Pupils studied the Chinese New Year and, as part of this work, they ate traditional Chinese food. Pupils enter assembly to different music, but they do not listen well and the characteristics of the different pieces are not explored in detail. Pupils in Reception and the Year 1 class have recently visited a school in Crawley with a large proportion of pupils from a range of ethnic minority backgrounds. West Hoathly CE Primary School, West Sussex, June 2002 - 19

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

33 This is a caring school where pupils are well known and cared for as individuals. Just as at the last inspection, the procedures for providing child protection and ensuring pupils’ well-being are satisfactory and meet government requirements. The headteacher is the named teacher with responsibility for child protection. Staff members are aware of procedures in this area and the school policy follows guidance from the local authority. Pupils who have specific ailments or allergies such as asthma are suitably cared for. Nearly all adults on the staff are trained to administer first aid. Although there is no medical room, pupils who become ill at school or need bumps or bruises seeing to are cared for sympathetically in the office area. The governing body plays a leading role in ensuring health and safety through its premises committee, and risk assessments of the building and grounds are carried out

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

annually. Pupils enjoy nourishing hot dinners by a catering team dedicated to providing a pleasant and homely atmosphere at lunchtime.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

34 The school’s methods for promoting attendance are good. Registers are called at the beginning of each session and carefully monitored to check on any worrying absences. There is a good working relationship between the school and the local education welfare officer. Regular correspondence with parents reminds them about the importance of prompt, regular attendance.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

35 The procedures for monitoring and promoting good behaviour are satisfactory. The school’s policy for behaviour is positive in its approach to discipline and appropriately matched to the needs of the pupils. Class teachers are aware of pupils who are trying to do their best and these pupils are rewarded and celebrated. Some pupils have difficulty complying with the rules and are given specific targets for improvement and teachers employ different strategies to address their unacceptable behaviour. Whilst this is an appropriate tactic the delivery is often too time consuming and interrupts teaching and learning for the whole class. The teachers’ expectations of good behaviour are not high enough at Key Stage 2 and a culture of chattering and inattention has been allowed to become the norm. Expectations are higher for pupils at Key Stage 1 and results in a better atmosphere for learning in these classes. The

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

headteacher’s consistent efforts ensure that any individual incidents of bullying or disruptive behaviour are addressed immediately. 36 Each class teacher keeps their own records on their pupils’ personal development and these are appropriate and contribute to the end-of-year reports to parents satisfactorily.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

37 The procedures for assessing pupils’ academic achievements have improved since the last inspection, but they are still unsatisfactory. This is because, although formal assessment procedures are in place in English, mathematics, science and information and communication technology, there are none in other subjects. As a result of this weakness, not enough information is available to help teachers plan for the next stages in learning both for year groups and individual pupils. This has a negative effect on the quality of guidance given to pupils to help them improve and make further progress.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

38 All procedures for national assessment at the end of Years 2 and Year 6 are carried out fully. The results from these are effectively collated and compared with national and local results. In this aspect, the local education authority provides helpful information for the school to compare its performance against other schools in the area. The school is now using some of this information effectively to plan for West Hoathly CE Primary School, West Sussex, June 2002 - 20 improvement. For example, it has identified the need to improve handwriting and has put in place good procedures, which are already having a beneficial effect. There is also effective assessment of pupils in other year groups in English, mathematics and science at the end of each year, using nationally agreed tests. This gives a clear picture of the standards pupils are reaching. In addition, the information is used effectively to judge whether pupils have made sufficient progress over the previous

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

year and also used effectively to identify weaknesses in particular areas for the whole year, groups and individual pupils. The school then responds appropriately in addressing areas of weakness. This helps to ensure that most pupils make satisfactory progress as they move through the school.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

39 There are satisfactory systems for assessing the standards pupils’ achieve in English, mathematics, science and information and communication technology throughout the year. The information is used appropriately to identify the rate of progress made and where most pupils need extra support although it is not used well enough to help promote the achievement of the more-able pupils. In English and mathematics pupils are given appropriate targets to help them improve. These are regularly assessed and reviewed, helping pupils to build on and extend their skills and knowledge. However, in other subjects there are no formal assessment procedures and consequently the overall impact of this aspect of the school’s work is unsatisfactory.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

40 Weaknesses in assessment also affect the quality of monitoring and evaluation of the school’s work. This is because, in the foundation subjects, there is not enough information about how well pupils are performing to help make accurate judgements about the school’s provision.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

41 The assessment of pupils with special educational needs is good overall, especially for those pupils who are at Stage 3 on the current Code of Practice register. Recently the assessment of other special educational needs pupils, although satisfactory, has not been as good. This is mainly because the co-ordinator is now part time and is not in school enough to contribute as well to the assessment and review of these pupils’ progress.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

42 Parents have satisfactory views of the school and this has been maintained since the last inspection. Parents who made their opinions known during the inspection were mainly supportive and are interested in the success of their children and the school. The effectiveness of the school’s link with parents also remains sound. The school now takes more interest in the views of parents and sought their opinions regarding the school development plan. Parents now feel comfortable about approaching members of staff with concerns and this reflects improvement since the last inspection.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

43 The impact of parents’ involvement on the work of the school continues to be good. A small but committed number of parents and grandparents volunteer to help in lessons on a regular basis. These individuals help with reading, cookery, library and swimming, and also accompany pupils on class trips. Their efforts are well directed and they provide good support to pupils. The demands of family life mean that more help is forthcoming from parents of the younger pupils. The parents’ dedication and good contribution to learning are reflected in the success of the School Association, an active social and fundraising support group. Their recent Golden Jubilee festivities West Hoathly CE Primary School, West Sussex, June 2002 - 21 raised a significant amount of money that has been earmarked to improve the buildings. Previous gifts to the school include staging in the hall, library books and outdoor storage huts.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

44 The quality of information provided for parents has improved and is now satisfactory. Newsletters are now issued regularly and contain good quality information about upcoming events and the life of the school. There are regular meetings between parents and teachers to discuss pupils’ progress. However, parents remain justifiably concerned about communication with the school. Pupils’ end-of-year reports to parents meet legal requirements and many contain good quality information about what pupils know and can do in English, science and mathematics. The reporting of remaining subjects is often too brief and not specific enough to be helpful. Targets for improvement are not made clear in all reports. The views of parents and pupils are not included in the reports. The topic maps on display near Key Stage 2 classrooms lack sufficient detail to be helpful and do not provide any guidance for parents who

p.21

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

want to help their children at home. In contrast, the parents’ display board at Key Stage 1 is both attractive and informative. The induction programme for children who join the school in Reception and their parents is good and includes a home visit by the teacher and learning support assistant. This practice helps to establish firm links between parents and the school very well. The home-school partnership agreement is issued to new parents when their child enters the school but is not reviewed with current parents. As a result, it is not as effective as it could be in formalising the commitment between parents and the school and does not readily remind parents about the school’s arrangements for discipline and anti-bullying. The governors’ annual report to parents does not include the required information about the admission and care of disabled pupils.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

45 Leadership and management are satisfactory. The headteacher is competent, dedicated and hard-working, and greatly appreciated by parents and governors. However, she does not delegate enough to the deputy headteacher and subject co- ordinators, so they are underused within the management structure. Some subject co-ordination is unsatisfactory. Subject co-ordinators do not all observe lessons in their subjects, and so cannot monitor learning. The situation has been adversely affected by the recent high turnover of staff. Three of the five classes are taught by staff who are new to the school, so co-ordination has been interrupted.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

46 Since her appointment, the headteacher has had to deal not only with several government initiatives, but also to tackle the recommendations of the last inspection, as she was appointed very soon after. Four of the five issues identified then have been tackled successfully. As recommended, the school has introduced schemes of work for all subjects, and a school development plan that is comprehensive and updated annually. Staff appraisal is in place. Parents say that communication with them is better than it was. The fifth recommendation, to improve subject co- ordination, is also being tackled, but this still needs further development, as the headteacher is well aware. The National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies have been introduced satisfactorily, although not all teachers always follow them, and literacy and numeracy are not supported well enough in other subjects.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

47 The government’s initiative on an annual round of performance management has been introduced smoothly and is now integrated into school life with yearly staff appraisal. This is linked to observation of teaching and to staff development, which is based on the school development plan and to perceived individual needs of teachers. West Hoathly CE Primary School, West Sussex, June 2002 - 22 48 The headteacher has instituted good systems to track pupils’ performance through the school in English and mathematics, which enables the school to focus on individual needs and predict future results. It also gives a measure of the progress of each pupil as they move through the school. Analysis of statutory and optional tests shows strengths and weaknesses of various groups and years. However, this information is not being used effectively enough in classes. For example, in mathematics lessons at Key Stage 2 pupils without SEN are often expected to do the

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

same work, regardless of their prior attainment and the information given by the tracking, or the recommendations of the National Numeracy Strategy to divide the class into groups of different mathematical ability and give them work according to that.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

49 The school has a high number of teachers, which gives a low pupil:teacher ratio of 17:1 and small classes with an average of 22 pupils. This makes the annual cost per pupil well above average, but that is an inevitable consequence of any LEA’s support of small village schools. Teachers and learning support assistants are well qualified and match the demands of the curriculum well. New teachers are inducted well into the school and made to feel a part of the team. Newly qualified teachers have a mentor and use the LEA’s much-appreciated induction scheme. The school would be a good provider of places for initial teacher training students, but its location and limited accessibility result in no colleges ever requesting places.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

50 The governing body fulfils its responsibilities, including shaping the direction of the school, satisfactorily, although there are minor omissions from documents for parents. The committee structure and meetings timetable are sound. Governors are committed and work hard, and there is a good mix of experienced and newer members. They have a good understanding of the school’s strengths and where it needs to improve, and take their responsibilities seriously. The uptake of governor training is variable. Governors share with almost all school staff a genuine commitment to improve, and the school has the capacity to succeed. The school’s aims and values are reflected soundly in its work.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

51 The governors’ finance committee is astute and prudent. They work closely with the highly competent bursar, who also ensures that the day-to-day running of the school office is smooth and unobtrusive. Educational priorities are supported very well through financial planning. There is a larger than usual surplus in the budget at present, but this is earmarked for necessary improvement to school buildings. Everything in the good school development plan is discussed and costed. All large items of expenditure are put out to tender, adhering well to the principles of best value. The lowest tender is not always accepted, as the school is always looking for best value, which is not necessarily the cheapest. The latest audit had only two very small recommendations, which were acted on immediately. All specific grants are used for their designated purposes. The school uses ICT well for administrative and analytical

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

purposes, and the school’s software ties in well with the LEA’s, though not yet with the government’s.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

52 The provision for special educational needs is managed satisfactorily by the part-time co-ordinator. She provides sound support to colleagues although her ability to monitor the provision is limited because of the lack of non-teaching time. LSAs have good expertise, especially when they have been in the school for over a year. They make an effective contribution to pupils’ progress. There is a suitable number of areas both in the classrooms and around the school for pupils to work in small groups, or individually, with the special needs teacher or learning support assistants. There is a West Hoathly CE Primary School, West Sussex, June 2002 - 23 good range of appropriate resources that are used well to help these pupils make good progress.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

53 Accommodation is adequate overall, although the temporary building housing classes 3 and 4 is long past its best, and pupils have to brave the elements to get to the nearest toilet. These classrooms need replacing, as was pointed out in the last inspection report. Although upkeep is good, and the roof does not continually leak at present, there are areas of rot. The hall is too small to cope sufficiently with gymnastics or dance for Year 6 pupils, and this was also commented on in the last inspection report. The school makes the best of it, using the local recreation ground and cricket field, but, when winter sets in, opportunities in PE are curtailed, so accommodation for PE is unsatisfactory. Classrooms are of adequate size because classes are small. In the Victorian part of the school, inspectors had to duck to avoid head injury. The library is spacious and attractive.

p.23

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

54 Resources are satisfactory in most subjects, and adequate overall. In English, the reading scheme is old and is in the process of being replaced. The school has researched deeply into this before making a decision, again applying the principles of best value well. In DT, resources are not adequate, particularly at Key Stage 2, and more atlases and maps are needed in geography. Resources in art are good. The school has a kiln, which is used regularly to good effect. At the Foundation Stage, there are not enough large wheeled vehicles. West Hoathly CE Primary School, West Sussex, June 2002 - 24

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

55 In order to improve further, the school should

p.24

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(1) Improve overall standards in all subjects by:

p.24

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• Introducing consistent and effective systems of assessment in all subjects that identify the standards at which pupils are working and show the progress they are making; • Using these systems to guide planning for individual needs, and not just for pupils with SEN; • Planning writing for different purposes more consistently into other subjects; • Ensuring that teachers’ expectations of behaviour and potential are high enough so that unsatisfactory behaviour does not have a negative impact on learning; • Ensuring that teachers’ knowledge and understanding of what constitutes a particular level of the National Curriculum are sound in all parts of all subjects; • Ensuring that pupils are given enough opportunities to help them develop independence in learning; • Having high enough expectations of the more-able, and consistently giving them suitably challenging work. (Paragraphs 3, 7, 11, 12, 16, 17, 18, 26, 28, 37, 67, 69, 72, 74, 85, 100,

p.24

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(2) Improve standards in mathematics by:

p.24

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• Ensuring that teachers plan effectively for the needs of all groups of pupils with different ability and prior attainment, as suggested in the National Numeracy Strategy; • Providing more opportunities for suitable mathematical investigation for all pupils, but particularly for the more-able; • Ensuring that numeracy is planned to support other subjects and be supported by them. (Paragraphs 2, 4, 23, 25, 46, 48, 78, 80)

p.24

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• Developing a curriculum that develops pupils’ skills and knowledge systematically as they move through the school; • Planning in greater detail to ensure work is matched more closely to the age and attainment of pupils in each class; • Providing more opportunities for older pupils to design investigations to answer questions they have raised, and, hence, extend opportunities for independent work; • Extending the use of numeracy skills in science, including opportunities to interpret data that is new to pupils; • Developing assessment procedures further to match the planned curriculum, and use this information and that from National Curriculum tests to refine curricular planning. (Paragraphs 1, 5, 25, 81, 84, 86, 87) (4) Improve provision for the spiritual development of pupils by: West Hoathly CE Primary School, West Sussex, June 2002 - 25 • Planning opportunities for pupils to have opportunities for reflection and to

p.24

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

experience awe and wonder in lessons and throughout the school day; • Improving the contribution that religious education makes by encouraging pupils to reflect on beliefs, and the relationship between faiths and beliefs; • Providing more opportunities for pupils to exercise independence in their learning and hence promote excitement and interest. (Paragraphs 13, 22, 30, 119)

p.25

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(5) Improve leadership and management by:

p.25

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• Delegating more responsibility to the deputy headteacher and subject co- ordinators; • Ensuring that staff shoulder these broader responsibilities effectively; • Providing professional development to help staff identify the quality of teaching and learning taking place in lessons, and to take effective action to bring about improvement in both provision and standards; • Ensuring that governors meet all statutory requirements in their documents for parents. (Paragraphs 44, 45, 80, 99, 104)

p.25

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(6) Give sufficient time to the teaching and learning of DT, ensuring that teachers’ subject knowledge is satisfactory and that the scheme of work covers all the necessary aspects of the National Curriculum in sufficient depth. (Paragraphs 6, 15, 25, 94, 95, 96, 98)

p.25

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

Minor areas for consideration within the governors’ action plan include:

p.25

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• Ensure that all teachers consistently apply the school homework policy so that homework supports and extends learning more effectively. (Paragraphs 19, 78)

p.25

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• Ensure that all teachers’ marking of work identifies what pupils have achieved and gives suggestions for improvement wherever relevant. (Paragraph 24)

p.25

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• Improve pupils’ reports so that they concentrate more on individual targets and give information about the levels at which pupils are working. (Paragraph 44) West Hoathly CE Primary School, West Sussex, June 2002 - 26

p.25

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 70

p.26

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactor y Poor Very Poor

p.26

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

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

p.26

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 109

p.26

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 7

p.26

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 0

p.26

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 26

p.26

Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

p.26

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 0

p.26

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

p.26

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 5

p.26

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 3

p.26

Attendance

% % West Hoathly CE Primary School, West Sussex, June 2002 - 27 School data 96.2 School data 0.1

p.26

Attendance

National comparative data 93.9 National comparative data 0.5

p.27

Attendance

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

p.27

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

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2001 5 5 10

p.27

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

Data is not included here as the number of pupils is too small to have any statistical significance.

p.27

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

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 2001 10 6 16

p.27

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

Data is not included here as the number of pupils is too small to have any statistical significance.

p.27

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage 0 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0

p.27

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – African heritage 0 Black – African heritage 0 0

p.27

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Any other minority ethnic group 0 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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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 6.5 Financial year 2001/02

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 16.8

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total income 367222

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 4 Total expenditure 350638

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 86 Expenditure per pupil 3247 West Hoathly CE Primary School, West Sussex, June 2002 - 28 Balance brought forward from previous year 24326

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance carried forward to next year 40910

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 5.0

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 6.0

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Recruitment of teachers

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 0

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Recruitment of teachers

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

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Recruitment of teachers

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

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Recruitment of teachers

FTE means full-time equivalent. West Hoathly CE Primary School, West Sussex, June 2002 - 29

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

Percentage of responses in each category

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

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

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child is making good progress in school. 39 53 8 0 0

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

Behaviour in the school is good. 31 44 15 6 5

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 27 39 24 8 2

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 29 42 27 0 2

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 61 32 3 2 2

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 40 53 2 0 5

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school works closely with parents. 39 39 19 2 2

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is well led and managed. 60 32 6 0 2

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 37 52 2 3 6

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 8 48 32 3 8 West Hoathly CE Primary School, West Sussex, June 2002 - 30

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

56 The previous report indicated that the provision for children in Reception was an area of strength in the school, and this continues to be the case. This is because of good teaching and a well-organised curriculum, which promotes children’s independence. The requirements of the Foundation Stage have been introduced well. This results in children making good progress from an average base. Teaching is effective in promoting the development of skills across all areas of learning, but in particular in aspects of literacy, knowledge of the world and personal development. Currently there are 14 full-time children in the Reception class. All children enter school during September of the school year in which they are five. The oldest start full-time, others becoming full-time either in January or April.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

57 When they enter the Reception class, children’s attainment is similar to the national average, but below the average for West Sussex. ‘Baseline’ assessments, completed shortly after children start school, show attainment to be below the West Sussex average in all aspects of English, mathematical and personal and social development. Most children have extensive pre-school education before starting in Reception.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

58 Children learn in a stimulating environment, receive good teaching and have effective support from the classroom assistant. A good curriculum is in place, which covers all the required areas of learning for children under six. All children have good access to the curriculum and benefit from a wide range of activities. Particular strengths of the teaching are the very good attention given to developing children’s independence and the wide range of planned activities related to English. These experiences help children make good progress and to achieve, or exceed, the Early Learning Goals by the time they enter Year 1. Assessment arrangements are very good with extensive information gathered across all areas of learning. ‘Baseline’ data are updated during the Reception year to check on children’s progress and to refine teaching further. These assessments demonstrate that children make good progress. The teacher

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

identifies children with additional needs, and effective support enables them to make good progress, and to grow in confidence.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

59 Very good admission arrangements are in place. During September, the teacher and learning support staff conduct home visits before children start school. During this time initial assessments of children are completed. Children, and their parents, visit the Reception class during the summer term before they start school. Strong links are also established with children’s pre-school groups. Parents are then encouraged to bring their children into the Reception classroom and to help to settle them in. Children settle easily into the class, and rapidly become confident and independent. The adults in Reception work together effectively to establish a positive, caring ethos. Accommodation available is satisfactory and is used well to promote all aspects of learning within the Foundation Stage. A suitable outside area is available, but the range and number of large toys are inadequate.

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Personal, social and emotional development

West Hoathly CE Primary School, West Sussex, June 2002 - 31 60 Personal, social and emotional development is given a high priority from the moment children start school. Children make good progress and almost all will meet or exceed the Early Learning Goals by the time they start Year 1. The good progress is due to very well organised teaching throughout the whole school day. When children first enter Reception, they are expected to take responsibility for their own possessions. They follow routines very well, share resources, and usually work and play with others without any problems. Two boys co-operated very well when building a model railway. Only occasionally are there disagreements over the use of resources. Children have the confidence to answer questions and share their thoughts during whole-class activities. The teacher helps this process by the careful use of questions. Adults in the class encourage the children to be independent and make choices about their

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Personal, social and emotional development

activities. During direct teaching activities, the teacher is effective at inviting children to contribute their own ideas. Children are encouraged to work independently and co- operate, such as in the various planned role-play activities. When sitting on the carpet, children are encouraged to listen carefully, to both the teacher and other children. Very good teaching is helping to ensure progress in this area from the moment children start school. Children also attend assemblies and listen carefully to stories told. In addition, they show outrage when older pupils do not behave well in assembly. Children reflect on God’s promise to Noah after the flood, and write their own promises, such as to put away their shoes when asked. The teacher has taught children simple signing techniques, which is helping them to understand some of the problems of being deaf. Signing is often used when the register is taken.

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Communication, language and literacy

61 On entry to the Reception class, children’s communication, language and literacy skills are similar to those expected for children of a similar age. Teaching is very good in this area and children are supported very well. Children make very good progress and, by the end of the Foundation Stage, most will exceed the Early Learning Goals, especially in reading and writing. Good progress is also made in speaking, although there is still a tendency to call out while other children are talking. Good opportunities are taken by the teacher and classroom assistant to increase the range and use of children’s vocabulary when they are completing the tasks planned. The assistant talks to children while they are involved in activities, such as when they were completing a card to send to the mother of one of the children to welcome the newly-born sister to the family. When they start in Reception, children's knowledge and understanding of

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Communication, language and literacy

stories, and their use of print, are average. Through the effective use of story time and individual sessions with books, children make good progress. They handle books carefully, know that the pages are turned from right to left, and understand the difference between words and pictures. All children know that print carries meaning and most of them read simple sentences with confidence, talk about what they have read and build up words from the initial sounds. Knowledge of sounds is taught especially well. All children write their own name and form their letters correctly. Most children write simple, understandable sentences, with spellings that are recognisable, capital letters and full stops. Assessment is well organised, and the teacher uses the information effectively to organise activities. The arrangements for teaching literacy are very good. Whole-class teaching introduces children to important areas such as

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Communication, language and literacy

stories, words, letters, sounds and simple punctuation, and these are then emphasised in some of the small group activities.

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Mathematical development

62 When children enter Reception, their attainment is about average compared with that of children of a similar age. Provision for the development of mathematical skills, West Hoathly CE Primary School, West Sussex, June 2002 - 32 including number and associated language, is satisfactory. Children make satisfactory progress and almost all achieve the Early Learning Goals by the time they enter Year 1. Teaching is satisfactory overall, although better than this in activities led by the teacher, whether with small groups or for the whole class. Simple counting and comparing numbers help children develop an understanding of numbers to ten and, for higher attaining children, beyond this. Children learn to use simple tally systems. In a good session, children were taught about repeating patterns using coloured discs or ‘stepping stones’. By the use of good questions, the teacher helped children to recognise errors and to extend the range of patterns produced. The independent

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Mathematical development

activity was not so clearly organised so that some of the children undertaking the task did not extend their understanding of patterns sufficiently. On the other hand, one boy was so interested that he produced repeating patterns of letters following a spelling exercise. Children are taught well to use mathematical language associated with length correctly. When compared with the area of literacy, mathematical development does not always have as high a prominence in displays and planned activities.

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

63 Provision and teaching for children to develop knowledge and understanding of the world around them is good, with an especially good start to science evident. Children enter Reception with attainment that is about average compared with that of children of a similar age. They make good progress and, by the time they reach the end of Reception, most should attain or exceed the standards expected. Good teaching enables children to develop listening skills when recording sounds they heard around the school. Children are taught to observe closely, and this has resulted in the drawing of good maps showing playground features. They observe bees closely and draw them with six legs. Children are taught the different parts of the body, and label parts of the skeleton. The visit to the ‘Priest’s House’, a building of historical significance in the village, helped children appreciate some changes that have occurred in buildings locally. The visit also promoted scientific knowledge when the

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

different flowers were examined closely. Children are taught about some of the events in the Old Testament of the Bible, such as Noah’s flood. Owing to a computer problem, little use of ICT was seen during the inspection. However, pictures of snails demonstrated good mouse control skills.

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Physical development

64 Teaching of aspects related to physical development is good and children achieve the Early Learning Goals by the time they reach the end of Reception. Attainment is good in relation to control of small objects, such as pencils, paintbrushes, crayons and the computer mouse. Other physical skills are less well developed. Although there is a good outdoor area available, few wheeled vehicles or large toys are available; for instance there are no small bicycles. During the inspection, owing to some inclement weather, it was not possible to observe children using the outside area. In a physical education lesson, very good teaching led to a significant improvement in the skills of throwing and catching a quoit. By the end of the session, there had been a particularly good improvement in the accuracy of throwing. Children responded quickly to the teacher’s instructions and concentrated and behaved very well during the lesson.

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Physical development

Dexterity is developed through handling objects, such as construction apparatus, including the model railway. Opportunities are planned carefully for children to use paintbrushes, pencils and crayons for making marks, writing or drawing pictures.

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Creative development

West Hoathly CE Primary School, West Sussex, June 2002 - 33 65 Good displays of artwork demonstrate that children progress well in this area. Good teaching encourages children to use a variety of media, including paint, pencils, crayons and materials. Following a visit to the ‘Priest’s House’, children carefully coloured a worksheet which included flowers found in its garden. Children’s creative skills develop effectively, and they control pencils, paint and crayons well when colouring in shapes and pictures they have drawn. Children show a good awareness of the use of colour when completing pictures of family and friends. They carefully observe daffodils and produce good quality pictures, which show an eye for colour and shape. By making use of different materials, children create detailed pictures of a meal on a plate, such as sausage and chips. During the period of the inspection, no musical activities were observed. During assembly, children enjoy joining in the

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Creative development

chorus of hymns they recognise. Good opportunities are provided for role-play. Recent opportunities have included the garden centre shop and theatre box office.

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ENGLISH

66 The small number of pupils in each year group makes the interpretation of assessment data unreliable. Over the past four years, the Year 2 results in reading and writing have been close to the national average and to the standards seen at the time of the last inspection. For Year 6 pupils, results have improved since the school was last inspected and, since 1998, have been consistently well above the national average. However, although results are high in the reading element of the tests, they are not so good in writing, largely because fewer pupils reached the higher Level 5 in this aspect.

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ENGLISH

67 For pupils currently in Year 2, standards are better than last year and are average in all aspects of the subject. For pupils in Year 6, standards in reading, and in speaking and listening, are above average. Although standards in writing remain average, a slightly higher number of pupils now reach Level 5 and this is an improvement. Overall standards are above average. Across the school, the majority of pupils make sound progress and their achievement is satisfactory. However, because of the good support, pupils with special educational needs make good progress and achieve well. Although the higher attaining pupils are now making better progress, it is still not as good as it could be and they do not achieve as well as they should. This is because teachers do not have high enough expectations of what they can achieve. Although some extension work that challenges these pupils appropriately is set, this is usually

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ENGLISH

done after they have completed the same activities as other pupils in the class.

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ENGLISH

68 By the end of Year 2, standards in speaking and listening are average, although the achievement of pupils in the Reception and Year 1 classes shows that standards could be higher. Standards are better in speaking, where very nearly all pupils confidently talk about things that interest them and respond appropriately to their teachers’ questioning. The quality of listening is adversely affected by the fact that Year 2 pupils are in a mixed age class with Year 3. There are a number of pupils in Year 3, mainly boys, who try to monopolise class discussion times. On some occasions, the class teachers deal with this well and ensure that Year 2 pupils are able to listen carefully and make relevant responses. However, too often this small group of Year 3 pupils is allowed to dominate whole-class activities. At these times, many Year 2 pupils lose interest and so do not accurately answer their teacher. This

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ENGLISH

has led to some inaccurate assessment of pupils’ listening skills. This weakness would not have arisen if Year 2 pupils had been given the opportunity to take part in speaking and listening activities that are not dominated by pupils in Year 3. Pupils make better progress in this aspect as they move on through the school, although boys are often allowed to dominate in discussion activities and are more confident at West Hoathly CE Primary School, West Sussex, June 2002 - 34 speaking out than the girls. However, when given the opportunity, most pupils talk confidently and interestingly over a range of topics. They can express their opinions about different issues and follow through an argument showing they have listened to others’ points of view. By the time they leave the school, most pupils reach above average standards in this aspect and achieve satisfactorily.

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ENGLISH

69 By the end of Year 2, most pupils reach at least the expected standards in reading, with a few above this. However, not enough pupils reach the higher levels and this is because the more-able pupils are not given sufficiently challenging work. Good activities are in place to develop most pupils’ comprehension skills, partly through using a published scheme. However, while this gives good support to pupils of average and lower ability, it does restrict the development of complex skills for the more-able pupils. Most Year 2 pupils read fluently and accurately and with a good understanding of what they are reading. Both the average and more-able pupils also read expressively. The more-able pupils read a range of texts at an above average standard. Most pupils know how to locate books in a library and the more able have a good knowledge of how to use dictionaries and non-fiction books to locate information. Good progress is made in the development of reading skills as pupils

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ENGLISH

move on through the school because they are taught well. By the end of Year 6, standards are above average and achievement is good. All pupils except those with special educational needs reach at least average standards, with a high proportion above this. This is because pupils’ comprehension skills are developed well and pupils are effectively encouraged to develop positive attitudes towards reading. During the inspection, both boys and girls talked enthusiastically about books, expressing clear preferences and showing a good knowledge of different genres. Very nearly all Year 6 pupils read fluently and expressively with a secure understanding about the plot and characters. The good provision encourages the more able pupils to achieve well, reading novels such as ‘The Hobbit’ with good understanding. All pupils can find information from a variety of texts and from the internet.

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ENGLISH

70 Accurate analysis of results in the yearly tests has helped the school to recognise where there are weaknesses in aspects of writing. Some good strategies have been put in place to help raise standards. These are having a positive impact on improving handwriting, which is now above average in Years 1 and 2. The school has also improved the overall standards in writing this year, but there is still a need for further improvement. One factor that limits the school’s ability to improve further is that, although the co-ordinator monitors teachers’ planning and pupils’ work, she does not observe the teaching and learning taking place in the classroom. This has meant that she has not been able to identify where teaching is weaker and put in place strategies to help improve this. The major weakness is there is a lack of challenge for the more able pupils in some writing tasks, especially when pupils use their skills in other

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ENGLISH

subjects. In addition, some activities set for all pupils in the Year 2 class are far too easy. On other occasions, pupils are given too much help and too much time to complete a piece of work. Therefore they do not achieve as well as they should.

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ENGLISH

71 Overall standards at the end of Year 2 are satisfactory. Most pupils spell common words correctly, use sentence punctuation accurately and write a story in sequence. The support given to the below-average pupils and those with special educational needs is good. These pupils achieve well and a high proportion reach expected standards. The work set for pupils of average ability is appropriate in the majority of lessons, but they are given far too long to complete a piece of written work. As well as limiting the range of writing they do, it means that they are not used to having to finish a piece of written work within one lesson. This has limited the standards they achieve in the National Curriculum assessments at the end of Year 2. More-able pupils often West Hoathly CE Primary School, West Sussex, June 2002 - 35 write imaginatively, but the limited range of their work means they do not achieve as

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ENGLISH

72 As they move on through the school, pupils’ skills are extended effectively in literacy lessons. By the time they leave the school, the majority reach the expected standard, showing they can write in different forms such as letters and instructions, can use interesting and effective words and satisfactorily sustain and develop ideas. Their spelling, handwriting and use of punctuation are at an average level. The range of work at the expected standard seen includes story writing where characters are effectively developed through the use of dialogue, play scripts, persuasive writing, and reports in the form of a diary. However, pupils do not make better than satisfactory progress in developing their writing skills as they are given far too few opportunities to use them. Not enough thought has been given to helping pupils to write for a range of purposes and audiences in other subjects. The fact that teachers do not set

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ENGLISH

challenging-enough written tasks in some subjects also compounds this weakness. For example, much of the written work in religious education is composed of pupils copying what the teacher has written on the board. In addition, the length of pieces of written work expected in some subjects such as geography and history is short. Some good use is made of information and communication technology and this does give support to pupils’ progress. For example, pupils word-processed a story they wrote about a rainforest. Pupils also send email messages through the Internet. The lack of high-enough expectations of what the more able pupils can achieve in Years 3 to 6 has limited their achievement and, currently, not enough reach above average standards.

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ENGLISH

73 The quality of teaching ranges from poor to good, being satisfactory overall. Teachers have a secure knowledge of how to teach new skills and knowledge. However, the activities they plan are not always sufficiently challenging, especially for more able pupils. This is because there is not enough matching of work to the different ability groups. The below average pupils and those with special educational needs receive good support, especially from the classroom assistants, and this helps them to make good progress and achieve well. On too many occasions, more-able pupils are given the same work as other pupils, with an extra piece of work to complete when they finish the first activities. The original activity is often far too easy and these pupils become bored, sometimes disrupting the work of others. Most teachers explain and demonstrate things clearly. However, on occasions, they allow pupils to talk when

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ENGLISH

they are explaining a task and this has a negative impact on learning. Some teachers organise and manage pupils well, as was seen in the Year 1 class. However, there was a weakness in this aspect in a number of the lessons seen. Some teachers allow pupils to interrupt or call out and, even when the teacher stopped to correct this behaviour, pupils rarely responded for more than a short time. On these occasions the pace of learning slows and some pupils find it difficult to concentrate. This was a contributory factor in the poor lesson seen. The other major weakness in teaching is that some teachers give pupils far too much guidance in helping them to complete their work. This restricts pupils’ achievement, especially in writing. Most pupils make a satisfactory effort to work hard, especially in the Year 1 class where teaching is interesting and challenging. In spite of the weaknesses, the good attitudes that pupils

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ENGLISH

have to school helps them to make sound progress in their learning although the progress they make is not as good as it could be.

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ENGLISH

74 The attitudes and behaviour of pupils in English lessons ranges from good to unsatisfactory, being very closely linked to the quality of teaching. When teaching is good, pupils are interested and behave well. When the pace of the lesson is slow and when teachers’ control strategies are insecure the behaviour of a minority of pupils is West Hoathly CE Primary School, West Sussex, June 2002 - 36 unsatisfactory. They call out, chat about other things when they should be working or annoy other pupils. This has an adverse effect on the learning of all pupils in the class. There are a number of good opportunities provided for pupils to work in pairs or groups and this supports their social development well.

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ENGLISH

75 The curriculum is satisfactory overall, with good attention being given to the development of reading, resulting in a high proportion of pupils reaching above average standards by the end of Year 6. A good local education authority programme ensures that pupils’ speaking and listening skills are developed. The procedures for assessing pupils’ progress are satisfactory and the setting of targets for both individual and groups of pupils is helping to promote progress. These procedures are helping the subject co-ordinator to monitor the provision and standards satisfactorily. However, the school’s ability to bring about greater improvement is limited by the fact that she does not observe teaching and learning. The accommodation, including a well-sited library, gives sound support to learning. There are a satisfactory number of classroom assistants who make an effective contribution to pupils’ learning,

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ENGLISH

particularly those who have special educational needs. Resources including dictionaries, fiction and non-fiction books are adequate and help promote learning.

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MATHEMATICS

76 Standards in mathematics are in line with the national average at the end of both key stages, as they were at the time of the last inspection. The more able are not attaining highly enough, with too few Year 6 pupils reaching the higher Level 5 of the National Curriculum. At the end of Key Stage 1, almost all pupils can add numbers up to ten and subtract from numbers up to twenty. They can order numbers up to 100, and more-able pupils work confidently with hundreds, tens and units and round numbers to the nearest ten. Almost all pupils can name and describe common two- dimensional and three-dimensional shapes. All pupils use mathematical language with confidence. At the end of Key Stage 2, almost all pupils are starting to understand percentage and to connect it to fractions and decimals. They have met and worked with negative numbers as temperatures. Most pupils understand the median and mode, and are beginning to understand probability as a fraction less than

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MATHEMATICS

one. More able pupils use Venn diagrams to find highest common factors, and draw and measure angles using a protractor. There is a good concentration on problem solving but little investigation. One investigation, on different ways of colouring in an Easter egg, was given to Year 2 and Year 3 pupils. Whilst suitable for Year 3, it was too difficult for Year 2.

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MATHEMATICS

77 Teaching is satisfactory, although this judgement is made on pupils’ standards and progress over time rather than on observation. Five lessons were seen. One was good, two were satisfactory and two were unsatisfactory. Two areas of learning are good throughout the school. One is the progress made by pupils with SEN, and the other is the effort made by pupils. This is not to say that effort is consistently good for all pupils. There is a small number of boys who misbehave, and teachers have to spend too much time getting them to work. This resulted in one of the unsatisfactory lessons, as too little was learned. The other lesson was unsatisfactory because pupils were not challenged enough. The tasks were too easy and there was little concentration on individual needs.

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MATHEMATICS

78 In general, there is not enough planning by teachers for individual needs in mathematics, especially at Key Stage 2. Pupils often do the same work. One result of this is that expectations of what pupils with SEN are capable of are suitably high, and they are given enough help to ensure success. Another outcome is that the more able West Hoathly CE Primary School, West Sussex, June 2002 - 37 are not challenged enough, nor do they have enough opportunities for independent work in mathematical investigation. These are the main reasons that too few are reaching Level 5. Teachers are not expecting enough of them, or challenging them sufficiently. Although most lessons follow the National Numeracy Strategy, the recommendation that part of the lesson be group work at several different levels is often not followed. The use of homework is satisfactory, but not all teachers always follow the school policy.

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MATHEMATICS

79 The good lesson was on place value at Key Stage 1. While pupils were changing from PE, the teacher did not waste a minute, and those who finished changing early put together the class hundred-square . After some mental arithmetic connected with the ten- and two-times tables, the teacher used this square to count on in tens. Pupils predicted the answer and then confirmed their prediction by counting together. They were then given work, at three different levels of difficulty depending on their prior attainment, to enhance their understanding of the place value of tens and units. The LSA supported the lower attainers well. The teacher then gathered the class together and reinforced the learning objectives by playing a dice game that allowed different moves around the hundred-square, including the addition of ten from any point. Throughout the lesson, expectations of behaviour, effort and potential were high. The

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MATHEMATICS

teacher’s good voice-use and confident, lively style kept all the pupils interested and working hard. During the group work, the pupils were occasionally too noisy, but discussion was all work-related and the noise was a result of their enthusiasm. The pace was brisk, resources were prepared and used well, and pupils enjoyed learning. The National Numeracy Strategy was used well, with planning showing clear progression. After the lesson, the teacher and the LSA exchanged thoughts on what pupils had achieved.

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MATHEMATICS

80 The curriculum has the necessary emphasis on number work. However, numeracy is not sufficiently supported in other subjects, particularly science, geography and DT, although ICT is used satisfactorily to support mathematical development. Assessment procedures are good, but the data gathered is not used effectively to plan for individual needs, especially those of the more able. The hard-working and dedicated co-ordinator looks at teachers’ plans and helps with these where necessary. She analyses test results for strengths and weaknesses. From this she is aware that able pupils are not making as much progress as they should, and plans to rectify the situation. However, she does not observe lessons, and the key to higher standards lies there.

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SCIENCE

81 The low number of pupils in each year group makes the detailed analysis of assessment data unreliable. From 1998 to 2001, at the end of Year 6, attainment recorded in National Curriculum tests has risen at a rate similar to the national improvement. In 2001, pupils’ results were close to the national average. This represented satisfactory progress from their results when in Year 2, but well below the results of schools with few pupils claiming free school meals. Over the last two years, in the teacher assessments at the end of Year 2, virtually all pupils have achieved the expected Level 2, but few higher than this. Inspection evidence indicates that attainment is about average in both Years 2 and 6, but not all pupils, especially the more-able, make sufficient progress.

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SCIENCE

82 The previous inspection found that attainment was above average by Year 2, and mostly satisfactory by Year 6. Pupils’ work was best in the biological area of science. Teaching was satisfactory, but assessment was a weakness. Teaching did not meet West Hoathly CE Primary School, West Sussex, June 2002 - 38 the needs of all pupils effectively. The school has made satisfactory progress, attainment has improved and teaching remains satisfactory. Assessment is now satisfactory. Weaknesses remain in the organisation of the curriculum and in ensuring the needs of all pupils are met.

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SCIENCE

83 By the end of Year 2, most pupils continue to achieve the expected standard, but few higher than this. In Year 2, pupils describe the characteristics of a range of habitats, and the organisms found in them. They know and record the stages in the life cycles of a butterfly or frog. Pupils understand that a healthy diet is important and appreciate the links between medicines and drugs. In Year 1, pupils are developing good investigative skills, for instance when sorting different papers or testing them for waterproofing properties. They understand that electricity can be dangerous and that a circuit has to be present for electricity to flow. Little use is made of pupils’ numeracy skills and an excessive use of worksheets restricts opportunities to use literacy skills effectively in Year 2. Teaching is satisfactory, and ensures sound progress in pupils’ development of knowledge and skills, but more thought could be given to extending

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SCIENCE

84 During Years 3 to 6, pupils make steady progress in developing their knowledge and skills. With a better curriculum, more detailed planning and greater independence in pupils’ work, progress could be improved, especially for more able pupils. By the time they leave the school, pupils know the features of living things, and describe the human skeleton and role of different types of joints. They know about the heart, and appreciate that individuals have to make life style decisions related to drugs, alcohol, eating and exercise. Pupils understand that materials can be changed, such as water to a solid or a gas. Most pupils in Years 4 to 6 know how the planets found in the solar system are arranged. Pupils with special educational needs make satisfactory progress throughout the school, but more able pupils do not achieve enough by Year 6.

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SCIENCE

85 Pupils are enthusiastic in science lessons, and particularly enjoy practical sessions, even when these are teacher-directed or undertaken by the teacher. Attitudes are good, and most pupils behave well. They are keen to answer questions or to make suggestions, such as when pupils in Year 1 suggested how they could use facial features to divide the class into different groups.

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SCIENCE

86 The quality of teaching is satisfactory, but tends to have more strengths in the class for Year 1 pupils. Management of these pupils is good, and the marking of pupils’ work in Years 1 to 3 helps them understand how they can improve. Planning is not usually detailed enough, and the lack of sufficient guidance through a clear scheme of work limits the quality of teaching. An excessive number of worksheets limits pupils’ individual responses and too few opportunities are planned to develop their independence. The depth of work remains stronger in the biological area of the subject, indicating a possible lack of confidence in other areas. The development of pupils’ scientific skills is not organised to ensure a logical progression. Teachers make limited use of pupils’ literacy and numeracy skills to aid learning. Pupils are not always encouraged to use graph paper on the few occasions that they have collected

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SCIENCE

data. When they have done, there is a tendency to use inappropriate axes on the graphs. For pupils in Years 3 to 6, insufficient attention is given to ensuring the level of work is varied to meet the needs of the different pupils in each class. Too much of the work is identical for all pupils in a class, and at times learning is limited because the same text is copied. West Hoathly CE Primary School, West Sussex, June 2002 - 39 87 The curriculum for science is unsatisfactory. It is not planned in enough detail. Units from national guidance are often used, but these are not modified to meet the needs of different pupils. This resulted in pupils in Years 2 and 3 studying inappropriate, advanced science related to the Earth and solar system. Although there is better balance compared with the curriculum observed during previous inspection, biological topics are studied in more depth. Older pupils have few chances to interpret results

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SCIENCE

and other data, whether in tables or graphs, which they have put together to answer questions that they have raised. This limits the opportunities for pupils to experience the excitement of finding out for themselves, and hence science makes little contribution to pupils’ spiritual development. On occasions, pupils are encouraged to work together, and to share ideas and resources, but these opportunities are not extensive enough. Assessment has developed since the previous inspection and is satisfactory. Pupils’ answers in the National Curriculum tests are analysed to identify areas of general weakness. This led, for example, to providing more opportunities for pupils to read scales on scientific instruments. The headteacher is currently acting as co-ordinator, but the school acknowledges that the development of the subject over the past five years has suffered because of a lack of consistency in co-ordination.

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ART AND DESIGN

88 During the inspection, only two lessons were observed, for pupils in the older year groups. Evidence is also taken from pupils’ work, including that on display, and discussions with pupils. By the end of Years 2 and 6, overall standards are in line with national expectations and pupils, including those with special educational needs, achieve appropriately. As at the time of the last inspection, the Year 6 work seen in observational drawing and watercolours was above expectations, as was their work in drawing or modelling moving figures.

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ART AND DESIGN

89 Year 2 pupils are developing skills in working with a range of media. They have made good observational drawings, including those of plants and historical artefacts as part of their topic work. Some collage work is good, including that of a countryside picture using felt, crepe, straws and string. In textile work, pupils have sewn abstract pictures, showing the expected skills for their age. Other work, at a standard in line with national expectations, includes pastel pictures of fireworks and paper weaving. Although pupils’ self portraits are around the standard expected, other drawings of figures are immature and are below expectations.

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ART AND DESIGN

90 As they move through the school, pupils build on and develop their skills and knowledge satisfactorily, although good teaching of this aspect means that they make good progress in their observational drawings. Some of the drawing of bowls of fruit painted in watercolours and those of glass containers were of a high standard. The foil and clay models of moving figures were also of a standard above expectations. Most other work, covering the full range of media, is at the standard expected. This includes patterns in the style of William Morris, sketches of the local church and drawings in the style of Lowry.

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ART AND DESIGN

91 Pupils enjoy their work in art and this helps them to work carefully, often remaining on task for lengthy periods. As a result, their detailed work, especially in sketching and observational drawing, is often of a good quality.

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ART AND DESIGN

92 Teaching is satisfactory overall although the skills of using pencil in different drawing techniques are taught well, resulting of good progress in this aspect. Teachers give good advice on how to improve drawing by focusing on accuracy in form and West Hoathly CE Primary School, West Sussex, June 2002 - 40 proportion. This was evident in a Year 5/6 lesson observed, resulting in pupils accurately drawing portraits in the style of Hans Holbein.

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ART AND DESIGN

93 The curriculum effectively follows national guidance, ensuring that pupils experience the full range of the National Curriculum Programmes of Study. However, some activities are limited by a lack of resources, although the overall provision is satisfactory. Pupils are helped to gain an understanding of the cultural dimension of art, often when it is linked to topics in history. For example, in the Year 2/3 class, pupils had made a mosaic in the style of an Aztec mask and pupils were designing and making replicas of medieval tiles in the Year 4/5 class. The work of some famous artists such as Lowry and William Morris is studied and used as a stimulus for pupils’ own work. Pupils have also made puppets in a traditional Indian style and designed Rangoli patterns. Good opportunities are provided for pupils to do some work with a professional artist who lives close to the school. All these activities give good support

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ART AND DESIGN

to pupils’ cultural development. There are no formal assessment procedures and this limits teachers’ ability to plan more effectively for building on and extending pupils’ skills and knowledge. The new co-ordinator has good expertise and a clear understanding of how to develop the subject. He has already identified where some improvement is needed. However, the fact that he does not have the opportunity to observe the teaching and learning taking place limits his ability to monitor the provision and plan for future development. Resources, covering the full range of media and including a kiln, are good and positively contribute towards the standards seen.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

94 Only two lessons were observed during the inspection, both for the younger pupils. Other evidence is taken from samples of work, projects on display and discussions with staff and pupils. Weaknesses in the curriculum have resulted in pupils not being taught all the skills and topics from the full range of the National Curriculum Programmes of Study for design and technology. In addition, some teachers are not fully aware of the differences between the work required for design and technology, as opposed to that for art and design. As a result, overall standards are below the national expectation both in Year 2 and in Year 6, and pupils, including those with SEN do not achieve appropriately for their ability. The school has not maintained the good standards seen in the last inspection.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

95 The work done by pupils in Year 1 does meet the requirements of the National Curriculum and in some aspects these pupils are reaching standards above those expected for their age. For example, in a lesson observed during the inspection, pupils had designed a model playground after visiting one on the local recreation ground where they had identified how the different rides worked. They then made effective working models from a combination of construction and scrap material. One pupil excitedly demonstrated how her roundabout worked, and a group of boys explained how they had designed their playground around a theme of the Titanic, with slides attached to the “funnels”. The pupils then confidently evaluated their own work before making good suggestions on how to make the structures more rigid. In the other lesson seen, pupils were using cereal boxes to make Tudor houses they had designed as part of a history project and these were of the expected standard.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

Photographic evidence shows Year 2 pupils have also made push-and-pull puppets of the standard expected. However, much of the other work in Year 2 does not allow pupils to develop their skills satisfactorily. This is partly because some of the activities planned for design and technology are part of the art curriculum, rather than that of technology. In addition, there is too much reliance on pupils using commercial West Hoathly CE Primary School, West Sussex, June 2002 - 41 construction equipment to make their models. An example of this is that although pupils designed effective weather measuring instruments, the fact that they used construction equipment limited their ability to make the moving parts themselves. This is despite the fact that pupils in Year 1 were able to make moving swings and roundabouts as part of their model playgrounds. Some of the work for design and technology planned for the Year 2 pupils, such as the mosaic masks which they

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

designed and made in the Aztec tradition and the design for bead weaving come under the requirements for the art and design curriculum rather than that for design and technology. Therefore, pupils have not developed sufficient skills or knowledge, for example in choosing the most appropriate materials for their models, for using a range of tools and in making different components.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

96 Similar weaknesses in Years 3 to 6 result in pupils not achieving the standards expected by the time they leave the school. Although Year 6 pupils had completed a good food technology project where the standards were above expectations, pupils reported that the only other project undertaken this year was designing and making a Roman fort as part of their history topic. This showed that too little progress had been made in their skills development since the end of Year 2. Very little work is undertaken with other materials such as wood, and pupils’ skills in using tools such as saws have not been addressed. In addition, pupils have not undertaken sufficient activities to ensure that their skills in producing labelled designs with a consideration for fitness of purpose or working with accuracy, especially in building a range of effective structures and moving parts, reach the expected levels. There was no evidence that

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

ICT is used to assist work in this subject.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

97 Although the one good lesson in Year 1 was observed, teaching is unsatisfactory. This is because some teachers do not have secure subject knowledge and few plan activities that help pupils to make enough progress in developing their skills and knowledge. In spite of this, pupils enjoy their work in the subject and, in the lessons observed, learning was at least satisfactory, and good in the Year 1 class.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

98 Apart from a lack of secure understanding of the different requirements for the subjects of design and technology and that of art and design, another main reason for standards being below the national expectation is that the curriculum is unsatisfactory. Although the school states that it follows a national scheme of work and the curriculum map identifies the topics to be covered, the latter is far too general and does not give teachers enough guidance. For example, the statement that “when a unit in the scheme of work is suggested, teachers are free to select ideas as time and pupils’ experience allows” does not ensure that all the expected skills and knowledge will be covered. In addition, extra activities suggested, such as sampler sewing, are related to the textile element of the art and design curriculum, and not that for design and technology. These weaknesses are compounded by the fact that there

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

is no subject policy, nor any assessment procedures to help pupils build on and develop the skills and knowledge they have already acquired. There is a good range of different materials to help support progress in the subject, although some are too biased towards construction kits.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

99 Currently the subject is not a priority for development in the school. Lack of good subject knowledge, monitoring and evaluation of the provision and standards has resulted in management in the subject being unsatisfactory and prevented the deterioration in standards from being identified. The current co-ordinator is new to the role and has correctly identified that there is much work to be done, although she has not yet put in place effective plans to address the weaknesses. West Hoathly CE Primary School, West Sussex, June 2002 - 42

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GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY

100 In terms of factual knowledge and understanding, standards in geography and history are in line with expectations at the end of both key stages. However, enquiry skills are underdeveloped at the end of Key Stage 2, and the more able are not reaching the higher levels of the National Curriculum. Standards in general have improved in geography and been maintained in history since the last inspection. By the end of Key Stage 1, pupils, including those with SEN, make creditable maps of the classroom. They identify landmarks on a map of West Hoathly and answer questions about them, nicely connecting geography and history. They have compared life in the village to life in Crawley. Pupils understand the water cycle, and where water comes from and goes to. They are beginning to understand about the contribution to history of famous people such as Grace Darling, Florence Nightingale, Louis Braille and Guy Fawkes,

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GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY

and to understand the passage of time through time-lines. Their study of events such as the Great Fire of London helps to develop their understanding of aspects of the past beyond living memory.

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GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY

101 By the end of Key Stage 2, pupils have a sound factual knowledge and understanding of aspects of British history and that of the wider world. Year 6 pupils talked enthusiastically and quite knowledgeably about studying life in the 1930s, and about ancient Greece and Egypt, the Roman and Viking invasions, and the Aztec civilisation. They understand about tropical rainforests and the need to conserve them, although there is some misunderstanding about how this could be achieved, with suggestions in written work that we should use only recycled paper, uncorrected by the teacher. Some good work from last year showed that work on ancient Egypt was well connected to geography, covering temperature and rainfall as well as the Nile flooding cycle. Key Stage 2 pupils compare life in an Indian village and in Kenya with life in Britain. They look in some depth at Tudor England, revisiting it as they move through

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GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY

the key stage. Year 6 pupils have a sound knowledge of the monarchs and of the period in general. They can give reasons for, and the results of, some of the main events and changes in history. They use some primary sources in both history and geography, and communicate their knowledge using appropriate vocabulary. However, most of their knowledge and understanding is from secondary sources, largely provided by the teacher, and too much is copied from the board. Some is downloaded and printed, unedited, from the internet, complete with uncorrected errors in English.

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GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY

102 Teaching and learning are satisfactory at both key stages. Five lessons were observed, two of which were good. One of these was in Year 1, and the other in the Year 4/5 class. In general, however, at Key Stage 2 there is almost no planning for individual differences except by the degree of support, and all pupils do the same work. Pupils with SEN benefit from this, as expectations of their progress are high, and they are given good support. But expectations of what can be achieved by the average pupil or the more able are too low. Far too much of the work is copied from the board. A lot of the other work is cloze procedure, where they are required only to fill in the missing word in a sentence. There are too many instances of undemanding colouring in. Literacy development is unsatisfactory in both subjects, as pupils are rarely expected to write for different purposes, and they are not sufficiently challenged.

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GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY

Numeracy skills are not promoted well enough in geography. This affects more-able pupils more than others, and contributes to the low proportion reaching the higher Level 5 in writing and mathematics.

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GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY

103 Both history and geography are supported well by trips to places such as Cuckmere Haven and the Seven Sisters, The Imperial War Museum, and The Bluebell Railway, West Hoathly CE Primary School, West Sussex, June 2002 - 43 as well as by using the geography and history of the village itself. Pupils remembered these trips with enthusiasm and were justifiably proud of West Hoathly and the surrounding area, and Year 6 pupils were looking forward to a visit to Hampton Court in the week following the inspection. Such visits not only support and extend the curriculum well by giving pupils access to primary sources, but also give them interesting experiences that increase their motivation to learn.

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GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY

104 There is no consistent method of assessment in either subject. Nor are there portfolios of work showing what should be expected of pupils of different ages and levels. Co-ordinators do not monitor lessons, and the management of the subjects is unsatisfactory.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

105 Standards are in line with national expectations in ICT throughout the school, and pupils, including those with SEN, make sound progress in all areas. This represents an improvement since the last inspection, when standards were below expectations at the end of Key Stage 2. Little was seen taking place during the three days of the inspection, but what was observed was of a satisfactory quality, as was pupils’ work on display. By the end of Key Stage 1, pupils are beginning to use word processing with some confidence. They can control a floor robot to make simple moves forwards or backwards, and turn left or right through a right angle. They use a painting program to create pictures, increasing their skills in mouse control, and a data-handling program to draw bar charts and pictograms of class preferences. They use the same program to draw pie charts, although they are too young to understand these properly.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

At Key Stage 2, pupils consolidate and extend the knowledge, understanding and skills gained earlier. For example, in Year 4 they move from using a floor robot to controlling a screen representation of it, and turn the robot through different angles. They also broaden their knowledge and skills; for example, by using a program to record external temperature. At the beginning of Key Stage 2, pupils start to use e- mail to communicate, and the internet and CD-ROMs to find information. By Year 6, they are confident in using word processing and are extending this to desktop publishing by incorporating things other than words. For example, Year 4 and 5 pupils produce a certificate of merit with their own name on it, showing that they can incorporate borders and different fonts, styles, sizes and colours. If they can compose and print this successfully, they get to keep the certificate. This exercise is highly motivational, and also serves well as a method of assessment. Year 6 pupils

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

have started to use spreadsheets to explore generalisations in mathematics that will eventually lead to algebra. They have experience of using a digital camera and downloading the pictures to a computer to edit and print them.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

106 Not enough teaching was seen to make a judgement on teaching and learning from observations alone. However, from an analysis of pupils’ work and teachers’ planning, and from talking to pupils and staff, it can be concluded that teaching and learning are at least satisfactory in all areas of the subject, and good in classes 1 and 2. Pupils enjoy using computers, and they spoke enthusiastically about work they had done and explained things they were doing, showing confidence and competence.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

107 The school uses the nationally recommended scheme of work, which they have sensibly rearranged to fit into school topics. Staff have been trained in ICT skills using money from the New Opportunities Fund of the National Lottery, and confidence gained from this has resulted in wider use in other subjects. This is beginning to have a positive effect, particularly in mathematics. The school plans to extend its work on control technology at Key Stage 2, although standards here are already satisfactory, West Hoathly CE Primary School, West Sussex, June 2002 - 44 and the requirements of the National Curriculum are met, as they are in all areas of ICT. Assessment is satisfactory. The school uses the LEA ‘I can’ assessment procedures, and augments these in some classes with individual records for each child. Resources are satisfactory and used well. For example, the school has kept some of its old computers in order to use the good software, such as ‘Wellington

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

Square’ for pupils with SEN. One old computer is dedicated to monitoring physical changes in the environment. As well as computers in every classroom, there is a small computer room used every week by pupils at Key Stage 2. The school is fortunate in having a very experienced and highly competent LSA who also acts as a technician, ensuring that everything runs smoothly. The headteacher is the subject co-ordinator, and she is knowledgeable and enthusiastic, so leadership is sound, despite her not having much time to devote to it. There are sensible plans to delegate subject management to one of the new members of staff.

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MUSIC

108 The school has maintained the standards seen at the time of the last inspection. By the end of both Years 2 and 6, the majority of pupils, including those with special educational needs, reach standards in line with national expectation and achieve appropriately.

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MUSIC

109 Only one lesson for younger pupils was observed, in the Year 2/3 class. Year 2 pupils can copy a simple rhythm clapped by the class teacher. They have a sound sense of rhythm and recognise how this differs from pulse. Most pupils sing in tune. As they move up through the school, pupils make satisfactory progress in extending their skills and knowledge. Pupils can identify different rhythmic patterns and can alter this whilst accurately maintaining the pulse. In the Year 4/5 class pupils sing well in tune and can maintain their part in a two-part round. Year 6 pupils recognise how music is organised, for example into bars, and that this helps to maintain the pulse and allow changes in rhythm. Most can accurately copy a pattern in different meters. They can accurately clap a rhythm in 6 different parts whilst the teacher maintains the pulse. Most pupils sing in tune, although they do not do so very enthusiastically in

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MUSIC

assemblies. The school offers instrumental tuition, for example in the flute and recorder. These pupils are competent musicians, playing accurately from standard notation. Most pupils have sound attitudes to the subject although some, nearly all boys, are self-conscious when asked to perform. Some boys do not behave as well as they should and, although the teacher deals well with any incidents, at these times the pace of learning is interrupted.

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MUSIC

110 Teaching is never less than satisfactory and is sound overall, with some being good. Lessons are always well organised and managed with new learning being taught clearly. Resources, such as percussion instruments, are used appropriately to support learning. Some optional homework is given to pupils. For example, during the inspection, one of the younger pupils sang a song from a playground game, which her mother had played at school. This was the result of research that pupils were undertaking.

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MUSIC

111 The curriculum is planned to cover all the areas of the National Curriculum Programmes of Study satisfactorily. It gives good support to pupils’ social and cultural development. Pupils are given many opportunities to take part in musical performances such as that given at Easter, titled “The Burning Bush”. This helps pupils to develop confidence and to co-operate well with others. Good attention is given to introducing pupils to a range of music from different cultures and eras. This year the oldest pupils have been learning about modern pop music and contrasting it West Hoathly CE Primary School, West Sussex, June 2002 - 45 with that from the Caribbean. Pupils have also listened to music from the Indian sub- continent and have had the opportunity to take part in an African drumming workshop. Pupils are also given the opportunity to join the school choir or recorder clubs, which are offered as extra-curricular activities.

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MUSIC

112 The subject co-ordinator teaches music throughout the school and this helps to ensure that the requirements of the National Curriculum are met and that pupils build on and extend their skills as they move through the school. However, there are no formal assessment procedures and this is a weakness. Resources, including percussion and some tuned instruments, are satisfactory. The school does have some computer programs to help pupils’ musical composition although currently there is a lack of expertise in how to use these.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

113 The previous inspection indicated that pupils’ attainment was about average and that they made satisfactory progress. Teaching was satisfactory or better. The school has maintained this position. Teaching seen was never less than satisfactory, and the specialist teaching of swimming was very good.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

114 Year 1 pupils display a satisfactory range of movement when using a taped musical recording based on play. Learning is good because of the teacher’s clear instructions and high expectations of good behaviour. Pupils move with satisfactory control; they walk, jump, skate, fly a kite and throw an imaginary ball to reflect the music well. In Years 2, 3, 5 and 6, pupils make satisfactory progress in improving their skills in athletics. Satisfactory teaching helped pupils develop average attainment in jumping, throwing and running. For younger pupils, not enough firmness was shown in dealing with pupils’ inappropriate behaviour and the pace slowed so that some pupils became bored. For the older pupils, progress was aided by the teacher’s good control, subject knowledge and attention to the effects of exercise on the human body. Sound teaching helped pupils in Years 4 and 5 improve their accuracy in throwing a beanbag

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

at a target. The use of a scoring system encouraged pupils to concentrate, but not enough attention was given to helping pupils improve their style or to discuss the relative merits of over-arm and under-arm throws. In a very good lesson in Years 5 and 6, pupils made rapid progress in their swimming skills. The oldest pupils developed good stamina and improved their style in the front crawl, backstroke and breaststroke. All had achieved the expected standard. Year 5 pupils also progressed very well in developing their range of swimming skills and confidence in water, but not all were yet confident in swimming 25 metres unaided.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

115 Most pupils enjoy physical education, concentrate well and display positive attitudes. Their behaviour is almost always good. If the work is not demanding enough, attention wanders, behaviour deteriorates and pupils become bored. The pace of the swimming lesson led to very good attitudes and behaviour. The quality of teaching is satisfactory overall, but ranged from satisfactory to, in swimming, very good. In satisfactory lessons, greater attention could be given to how to improve particular skills. Learning is generally satisfactory.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

116 All areas of the National Curriculum, including outdoor and adventurous pursuits, are taught, thus ensuring pupils have the opportunity to develop skills across all relevant areas of physical education within the normal school day, on activities within the local area and on residential trips. A very good range of extra-curricular opportunities is available. This provision includes competitive sport. These help to develop pupils’ skills well. Assessment of the swimming element of physical education is in place, West Hoathly CE Primary School, West Sussex, June 2002 - 46 but little formal assessment occurs in other areas. The subject makes a sound contribution to pupils’ personal development, such as working as part of a team. Moral development was aided in Years 4 and 5 when the teacher emphasised that pupils were being trusted to keep their own score. Not enough attention is always given to encouraging boys and girls to partner each other in the different elements of physical

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

education. The co-ordinator provides sound leadership and has good expertise to help other staff improve. She has identified the possibility of developing pupils’ orienteering skills using the school’s grounds. Resources are adequate and the school makes good use of its grounds and the local recreation ground. The hall is too small for current classes of pupils in Years 2 to 6 to exercise and use an extensive range of apparatus safely.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

117 The previous inspection indicated that the standard of pupils’ work was in line with that expected, although there was little recorded work. Teaching was satisfactory, and sometimes good. Little provision was made for pupils to learn about a range of faiths other than Christianity. Progress has been satisfactory, and pupils are now introduced to a range of faiths. Teaching is good for pupils in Years 1 to 3, and mostly satisfactory elsewhere.

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118 By the end of Year 2, pupils’ knowledge and understanding are good, and above expectations. Good progress reflects well-organised teaching. Recorded work indicates an understanding better than might be expected. Pupils describe some of the key events about the life of Jesus, including good detail about the events associated with Christmas and Easter. They also describe events from the Old Testament of the Bible, such as the story of Moses and the Burning Bush. In Year 1, pupils retell the story of ‘The Good Samaritan’ in some detail. Literacy skills are sometimes promoted well by pupils recording what they have learnt in their own words, such as when one referred to ‘Shepherds snoozing on the hillside.’ Older pupils record a range of features of Islam and Hinduism. They note the ‘Five Pillars’ of Islam, but there is limited comparison with Christianity. They understand the importance of Makkah to Muslims, in particular the need to go on a pilgrimage to

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

Makkah during a Muslim’s life. Pupils in Year 6 note that a common feature of many different faiths is in the belief in one or more gods. Much of the work for pupils in Years 4 to 6 is copied from a text supplied by the teacher and is the same for all pupils in the class. These exercises make little contribution to pupils’ independence, understanding of different religions or to the development of their literacy skills, apart from handwriting. The quality of teaching is therefore satisfactory overall. The quality of pupils’ work demonstrates interest, concentration and perseverance in Years 1 to 3. Even in Years 4 to 6, where much of the work is copied, pupils persevere and complete the tasks. On occasions, pupils show a lack of respect for other pupils, and do not behave appropriately.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

119 The curricular coverage is satisfactory, but not planned in sufficient detail, including how to extend the work of more able pupils. It covers a wide range of faiths, but these are not used effectively to allow pupils to reflect on the meaning of faith to different believers, or to consider the similarities and differences between different religions. As a result, the contribution of religious education to spiritual development is limited. Parables, such as ‘The Good Samaritan’, do provide pupils with an understanding of some of the moral concepts of religions. The introduction of a range of faiths raises pupils’ awareness of different cultures, but this does not lead to considering these in West Hoathly CE Primary School, West Sussex, June 2002 - 47 the context of British society in sufficient detail. In addition to her other duties, the subject is satisfactorily managed by the headteacher. Assessment relies on individual

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teachers’ perceptions. Visits to the local church are used to develop religious knowledge, but some of the older pupils see these visits as contributions to history rather than religious education.

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