Other · Ofsted report
Gargrave Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School
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121599
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Strengths
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- Teaching is very good in the reception class (Foundation Stage) where lessons are planned extremely well using the teachers’ excellent knowledge of the needs of very young children. p.9
- Adults develop very good relationships with all the children and as a result, the atmosphere is positive and most children respond very well by being polite, kind and helpful to others. p.32
- Many pupils make good progress in their literacy and numeracy lessons mainly because the work set is very well planned and helps to build on their basic skills in a systematic and progressive way. p.11
- Many rich and interesting activities are well planned by the teacher and assessments are used effectively to track the progress of individual children. p.31
- They are clearly keen to come, are enthusiastic about what they are doing and they are happy to talk to visitors about their school and everyday work. p.13
Concerns
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- A current weakness is the school’s relative lack of target setting following close analysis of pupils’ performance, including in the core subjects. p.21
- Some of these weaknesses are still very evident in Year 6, as are some pupils lack knowledge and recall of very recent calculator work on mathematical problems. p.37
- The leadership offered by the science co-ordinator is satisfactory although there are areas of weakness such as the lack of monitoring of standards and the systematic development of teaching in the subject. p.41
- A relative weakness is the lack of formal assessment in the subject. p.47
- Although only a limited range of work was available to be seen across the school, standards by the end of both Years 2 and 6 were judged to be broadly average although weaknesses still occur in relation to the need to increase still further the range p.40
Next steps
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- Standards in mathematics are below average by the end of Year 6. p.7
- The role of the subject co-ordinators is not well defined and is not effective enough in helping to raise standards. p.7
- The skills and knowledge needed by pupils in some subjects are not always provided for in a coherent and progressive way. p.7
- The results of assessments made by teachers of the pupils’ everyday attainments are not used effectively to decide the next stage of teaching and learning. p.7
- The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan. p.7
- The school was last inspected in May 1997 when several areas for improvement were identified. p.7
- The school has made satisfactory progress since that time. p.7
- Pupils’ attainment has remained at broadly similar levels although standards have risen in some subjects, including English by the end of Year 6 and information and communication technology across the school. p.7
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- 47
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- 22,964
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- Flesch 46, typical 45
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Full report text
GARGRAVE CE (VC) PRIMARY SCHOOL
Dates of inspection: 4 - 6 February 2002
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GARGRAVE CE (VC) 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.
p.1
GARGRAVE CE (VC) 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. Gargrave CE (VC) Primary School - 3
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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
School address: Neville Road Gargrave Skipton North Yorkshire
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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
Appropriate authority: The governing body
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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
Name of chair of governors: Mr David Handley
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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
Date of previous inspection: 19 May 1997 Gargrave CE (VC) Primary School - 4
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Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities
21060 George Brown Registered inspector English as an additional language Special educational needs Music Physical education Science What sort of school is it? How high are standards? a) The school's results and achievements How well are pupils taught? How well is the school led and managed? What should the school do to improve further? 19741 Trevor Smith Lay inspector How well does the school care for its pupils? How well does the school work in partnership with parents? 19709 Jean Fisher Team inspector Equal opportunities Foundation Stage Art Design and technology Mathematics How good are the curricular and other opportunities offered to pupils?
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Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities
8316 Jozefa O'Hare Team inspector English Geography History Information and communication technology How high are standards? b) Pupils' attitudes, values and personal development Gargrave CE (VC) Primary School - 5 The inspection contractor was:
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Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities
Demeter House Station Road Cambridge CB1 2RS
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Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities
Any concerns or complaints about the inspection or the report should be raised with the inspection contractor. Complaints that are not satisfactorily resolved by the contractor should be raised with OFSTED by writing to:
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Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities
The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division
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Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities
Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Gargrave CE (VC) Primary School - 6
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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 7
Information about the school How good the school is What the school does well What could be improved How the school has improved since its last inspection Standards Pupils’ attitudes and values Teaching and learning Other aspects of the school How well the school is led and managed Parents’ and carers’ views of the school
p.6
HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS? 11
The school’s results and pupils’ achievements Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development
p.6
INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
Gargrave Church of England Primary is a below average size primary school situated in the attractive village of Gargrave some four miles from the market town of Skipton in North Yorkshire. It draws pupils from a wide variety of backgrounds and housing types, from both the village and the surrounding area. There are currently 126 pupils on roll who are taught in mainly mixed age classes, except for reception children who are taught as a discrete group. The full ability range is evident but children are broadly average on entry to the reception class. Most children also enter school having some experience of playgroup or nursery provision. There are no pupils on roll with English as an additional language and approximately seven per cent of pupils are entitled to free school meals, a below average figure. A slightly below average number of pupils are on the school’s special educational needs register, but three
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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
pupils have statements of educational needs. The school aims to educate the whole child within a Christian ethos and to engender a feeling of working together for the common good.
p.7
HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS
This is a popular school that has more strengths than weaknesses. It is a caring community that builds carefully on the needs and strengths of its pupils. Staff are hard working and conscientious and teaching is good overall, particularly in the reception and infant classes where most pupils make good progress. Standards are broadly at the level expected for the age of the pupils although they are above average in English for the school as a whole, but below average in mathematics in the junior years. The overall quality of leadership and management is satisfactory and the school gives sound value for money.
p.7
What the school does well
• Standards in English are well above average by the end of Year 2 and above average by the end of Year 6. • Teaching and learning are particularly good up to the end of Year 2 and most pupils in the infant years achieve well. • Children in the reception class are particularly well provided for and make good progress. • Pupils respond well to their learning and behave well. Working relationships are good. • The provision made for pupils with special educational needs is effective for learning. • The personal development of pupils is given high priority and the provision made for their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is consistently good.
p.7
What could be improved
• Standards in mathematics are below average by the end of Year 6. • The role of the subject co-ordinators is not well defined and is not effective enough in helping to raise standards. • The skills and knowledge needed by pupils in some subjects are not always provided for in a coherent and progressive way. • The results of assessments made by teachers of the pupils’ everyday attainments are not used effectively to decide the next stage of teaching and learning. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.
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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION
The school was last inspected in May 1997 when several areas for improvement were identified. The school has made satisfactory progress since that time. Pupils’ attainment has remained at broadly similar levels although standards have risen in some subjects, including English by the end of Year 6 and information and communication technology across the school. By contrast, standards in mathematics in the junior years have tended to fluctuate between average and below. The role of several subject co-ordinators remains underdeveloped particularly in relation to raising pupils’ standards still further. The school now meets fully its statutory requirements in relation to child protection and has also improved considerably the range and quality of information given to parents and carers. The school has adopted satisfactorily the many national initiatives asked of it in recent years. Gargrave CE (VC) Primary School - 8
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STANDARDS
The table shows the standards achieved by pupils at the end of Year 6 based on average point scores in National Curriculum tests.
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Key
English D A B B Well above average above average A B mathematics D C E E Average Below average C D science E C D D Well below average E
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Key
Children enter the school with broadly average standards although the full range of abilities are usually present in any one year group. Many achieve well or very well in the reception class and are on line to reach the early learning goals anticipated for their age in all areas of learning. In the National Curriculum tests for 2001, Year 6 pupils scored above average in English, below average in science and well below average in mathematics. In relation to similar schools, pupils’ results followed an identical pattern. Over the period 1997 to 2001, the performance of Year 6 pupils in English exceeded the national average, while in mathematics and science it fell below the national average for their age-group. The performance of girls and boys in these tests is broadly similar over time although boys tend to out-perform girls in aspects of written English. Year groups in this school can be small and the performance of just a few
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Key
pupils can affect the average school results considerably. Comparisons with national data have therefore to be treated with some caution. The results of the recent inspection show that at this time of year in Year 6, standards in English are above average; standards in science are broadly average, while those in mathematics are below average overall. Standards in all other subjects are satisfactory. No judgement could be made about standards in music among infant or junior pupils. By the end of Year 2, pupils reach well above average standards in English and broadly average standards in the rest of the curriculum. Most infant pupils achieve well set against their previous learning but junior pupils do less well, particularly in mathematics, where standards could be higher. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress throughout the school. The targets set by the school for its pupils at the end
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Key
of Year 6 are now appropriate and reflect the drive to improve standards in the areas specified.
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Aspect Comment
Attitudes to the school Good. Pupils are enthusiastic about their learning, work hard and generally do their best.
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Aspect Comment
Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Good. Pupils show good awareness of the standards expected of them and behave reliably in and out of the classrooms. No oppressive behaviour was observed.
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Aspect Comment
Personal development and relationships Relationships are good across the school and pupils understand they are part of a Christian community in which they should support others. Pupils show good levels of respect. In a few classes, more could be asked of pupils’ initiative in their own learning.
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Aspect Comment
Attendance Satisfactory. The school day starts promptly and efficiently. Gargrave CE (VC) Primary School - 9
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Teaching of pupils in: Reception Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6
Quality of teaching Very good Good 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 of pupils in: Reception Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6
The quality of teaching and learning is good overall up to the end of Year 2 ensuring that most younger pupils achieve well. Two-thirds of all teaching seen was good or better and no unsatisfactory teaching was observed. Teaching is very good in the reception class (Foundation Stage) where lessons are planned extremely well using the teachers’ excellent knowledge of the needs of very young children. There is particularly effective emphasis on the teaching of basic skills across all areas of children’s learning. The good quality of teaching and learning continues in the infant classes where the management of the pupils and the teachers’ high expectations lead to good and sustained pupil progress. In junior classes as a whole, teaching is satisfactory although some good practice occurs in Years 3, 5 and 6. Sometimes, the methods and forms of organisation followed by junior teachers fosters satisfactory rather than good levels of pupil progress. A weakness in teaching across the
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Teaching of pupils in: Reception Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6
school, apart from in reception, is that the results of everyday assessment of pupil’s work are not used effectively to help target their future learning needs. While the teaching of English is good, particularly in infant classes, the teaching of mathematics is good among infant pupils but only satisfactory in the junior classes as a whole. No subject is taught unsatisfactorily although it was not possible to make a secure judgement about teaching and learning in music. The teaching of science is satisfactory overall, although insufficient emphasis is placed on pupils’ investigative work across the school. The teaching and learning of information and communication technology and physical education are good overall and are also good in history and geography among infant pupils. Pupils with special educational needs are supported well and taught effectively. Teaching meets the needs of all pupils to at least a satisfactory
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Aspect Comment
The quality and range of the curriculum Good in the Foundation Stage (reception class) and satisfactory elsewhere. A statutory curriculum is in place that provides a balanced programme of learning opportunities including some exciting work out of doors and a sound range of extra curricular activities. Away from the core subjects, some of the planned curriculum is too fragmented for pupils to learn progressively and consistently well.
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Aspect Comment
Provision for pupils with special educational needs Good. Pupils, needs are identified at an early stage and they are well supported although some of their individual targets could be more specific as to what exactly pupils will learn next.
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Aspect Comment
Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development There is strong emphasis on the pupils’ personal development as a whole and the provision for their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is consistently good.
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Aspect Comment
How well the school cares for its pupils An overall good feature of school life. The educational support offered to pupils is effective including the monitoring and recording of their work. The use made by teachers of their ongoing assessments could be strengthened, as could the formal procedures for monitoring attendance.
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Aspect Comment
The school has improved the effectiveness of its links with parents and this is now having a good influence on the self-esteem and standards reached by many pupils. Gargrave CE (VC) Primary School - 10
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Aspect Comment
Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff Satisfactory. While the headteacher and senior staff ensure good educational direction, the subject co-ordinators remain rather marginalised in terms of improving pupils’ standards and monitoring the quality of teaching and learning in their specific areas.
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Aspect Comment
How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Satisfactory. Governors fulfil their statutory requirements and provide informed and active support. They could be more involved in matters of strategic planning and in the monitoring of the school’s past and present performance.
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Aspect Comment
The school’s evaluation of its performance Satisfactory overall although some aspects of school life need more rigorous and consistent evaluation if the school is to improve at a faster rate.
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Aspect Comment
The strategic use of resources Learning resources are satisfactory as are the level and quality of teaching and support staff and the available accommodation. The school makes good use of its annual budget and other specific grants, targeting these well to its declared priorities. School administration is generally good and there is a growing awareness of the need to ensure best value is achieved in the most efficient of ways.
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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved
• This is a happy village school where pupils do well and are pleased to come. • Teaching is good and teachers work hard with the children. • Children make good progress and mature well. • The school is well led and encourages high levels of behaviour and good values. • Standards are broadly what parents expect for the age of their children. • The curriculum provision for pupils in mixed age classes. • Teachers’ expectations of higher attaining pupils. • The school could work even closer with parents. • More opportunities for finding out how children are getting on. • A larger range of activities outside of normal lessons.
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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved
The inspection agrees with many of the positive points made here by parents and recognises that some indeed are strengths of the school. The curriculum meets statutory requirements in its coverage but the foundation subjects could be better planned to help provide greater emphasis on pupils’ skills, ensuring that these, as well as their increasing knowledge, are planned for more effectively. The emphasis on talented and more gifted pupils could be usefully increased even though a school policy in this area already exists. The school is working effectively among an increasing number of parents and provides adequate opportunities to be consulted about the progress their children make. The school is small and the range of out-of-hours activities is broadly average for schools of this type and size. Gargrave CE (VC) Primary School - 11
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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
1. Although children show a wide range of attainment levels on entry to the reception class (Foundation Stage), a majority enter school with broadly average standards, particularly in language and communication, knowledge and understanding of the world and in aspects of their personal and social development. Most proceed to achieve well, due mainly to the very good teaching and other strong provision. By the time they reach the end of their reception year, most children are likely to achieve the standards anticipated for their age in all areas of learning. Children show particular strengths in music and personal development.
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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
2. The school’s provision for young children has been extended and improved since the previous inspection, particularly the planning of the curriculum, the quality of teaching and the overall level of adult intervention and support. The effective teaching of basic skills in all areas of learning ensures children learn rapidly and achieve well. The teacher provides a rich vein of stimulating experiences that encourage their communication and other personal skills. These skills are developed well throughout the year by careful planning that ensures the children’s experience of language and number and their knowledge and understanding are all enriched. By the time they transfer to Year 1, children’s skills, knowledge and understanding are broadly average and most meet the early learning goals anticipated for their age.
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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
3. The results of the 2001 National Curriculum tests for pupils at the end of Year 2 indicate that pupils at the school scored well above the national average in reading and writing and above average in mathematics. Pupils also scored well above average in reading and writing and above average in mathematics in comparison to similar schools. Based on teacher assessments in science, pupils’ attainment was above the national average. Pupils did particularly well in all these subjects in relation to the significant numbers reaching the higher as well as the average level for their age. Over the past four years, standards in these subjects, particularly reading, have fluctuated considerably but have generally remained in line with the national average in reading and been slightly above the national average in writing and mathematics. The numbers of Year 2 pupils on roll can be small and there is inevitably considerable year to year variation in their
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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
standards. Although comparisons to national averages are helpful they should be treated with some caution. The inspection findings confirm that standards in the current Year 2 are well above average in reading and writing and broadly average in mathematics and science.
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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
4. The adoption and practice of the Literacy and Numeracy Strategies have helped pupils to consolidate and extend many of their basic skills, particularly by the end of Year 2. Many pupils make good progress in their literacy and numeracy lessons mainly because the work set is very well planned and helps to build on their basic skills in a systematic and progressive way. In the infant classes, pupils of all ages use their listening and speaking skills well and talk with confidence and clarity for their age about their work and what they are doing. By the end of Year 2, most pupils read a good range of mainly fiction books and understand many basic conventions such as the names and parts of a book and know enough about characterisation and basic plots. Standards in writing are well above average. Stories and other accounts are generally of good length and contain sound levels of imagination, grammar and sentence structure. Several pupils
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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
can produce different styles of writing depending on its purpose and audience. The current Year 2 classes contain a wide range of attainment levels but a relatively large proportion of pupils reflect well above average attainment in English as a whole.
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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
5. By the end of Year 2, pupils display a satisfactory grasp of basic number and show average ability to work mentally, for example in the rapid recall of basic number bonds together with their number tables. Most know the basics of place value and number patterns and have a sound understanding of the properties of basic shapes. There is insufficient emphasis on investigations in science but pupils’ knowledge of topics such as good health and teeth is broadly at the level expected for their age. By the end of Year 2, standards in all other subjects are in line with that Gargrave CE (VC) Primary School - 12 expected for the age of the pupils, although it was not possible to make a secure judgement on standards in music. Standards in information and communication technology have improved and are currently at the level anticipated for most seven year-olds.
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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
6. The results of the 2001 National Curriculum tests for pupils at the end of Year 6, indicate that the pupils’ standards in English were above the national average for their age. Standards in mathematics were well below average while those in science were also below the national average. When compared to pupils from similar schools, standards remained above average in English, below average in science and well below average in mathematics. These similar school comparisons give an indication of the school’s strengths in English but also its relative weakness in mathematics, a fact borne out by the inspection. Since 1997, standards in all these core subjects have continued to fluctuate a great deal, particularly in mathematics. Over this period, only the performance of pupils in English has exceeded the national average for their age group. Boys generally do better than girls in English. However, as at Year 2, the actual number of Year
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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
6 pupils taking the tests in any one year can be relatively small and any interpretation of the results has to be made with the same degree of caution. In 2001, the drop in standards in mathematics was due in part to the much lower percentage of pupils who achieved the basic level expected for their age. By way of comparison, in English, the percentage of pupils achieving the higher level was significantly above that found nationally. The results of the recent inspection indicate that standards in English are above the national average whilst standards in mathematics though improving, remain below average overall. Standards in science are at the level anticipated for the age of the pupils. Junior pupils achieve satisfactorily relative to their previous learning.
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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
7. By the end of Year 6, pupils have made good progress with their speaking and listening skills and reach the standards expected for their age. Most are relatively confident when sharing their views, describing what has happened to them or discussing the outcomes of their class work. Pupils’ standards in reading are also above average overall. Most are able to draw inferences from their reading texts and discuss favourite authors and characters. Some are less familiar with non- fiction texts and lack the more advanced skills of being able to read in depth and for information. Standards in writing among the current Year 6 are above the national average and significant numbers of pupils are able to write at length, in different styles and for a range of purposes. Standards in handwriting are very variable and expectations by teachers and pupils could be raised in this respect.
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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
8. In mathematics, pupils in the junior years have undoubtedly benefited from increasing emphasis on mental skills and working orally at greater speed. However, by the end of Year 6, many still lack a range of strategies to work out number problems in different ways and some show considerable confusion as to which mathematical operation to apply in order to reach the correct answer. Pupils’ work in data handling is also below average overall as are their confidence and accuracy when using mathematical language. Pupils show a satisfactory understanding of a range of topics including angles, shape, time, perimeter and area. Most pupils show a good understanding of the relationships between vulgar fractions, decimals and percentages. Information and communication technology is used only sparingly to extend learning and to increase understanding in mathematics.
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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
9. Standards in science are broadly average although the pupils’ understanding and use of investigative work are rather limited. Some renewed emphasis has been placed on pupils recording their own findings, for example the measure of their heart beats, and this is largely successful. The challenge given to higher attaining pupils in science is not always at the right level to extend and deepen their knowledge and understanding. Standards in information technology have improved and are currently at the level expected for the age of the pupils. While most are able to complete basic word processing exercises and can retrieve and use data, other pupils lack the experience of working on the Internet and have limited experience in the control and modelling aspects of the subject. By the end of Year 6, standards in all other subjects are broadly at the level anticipated for the age of the pupils. It was not possible to make a secure
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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
judgement on standards in music and the above average standards recorded in physical education reflect pupils’ work in gymnastics, the only aspect of the subject available for scrutiny during the inspection period. Gargrave CE (VC) Primary School - 13 10. The school sets realistic annual targets for its Year 6 pupils based on known levels of attainment for each individual pupil. These targets are sufficiently challenging to help raise standards as a whole in the longer term. For example, the targets in English and mathematics relating to the current Year 5 indicate the return to higher attainment when these pupils reach the end of Year 6. This is because they are basically a higher attaining group of pupils and have fewer special educational needs.
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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
11. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress set against their previous learning and develop skills and understanding in line with their individual educational plans where these are in place. Parents expressed some concerns about the standards reached by higher attaining pupils. The inspection did not share these concerns overall, although such pupils would undoubtedly benefit further from more focused provision which would ensure that the work set in mathematics and science in particular, was more challenging and that work in general demanded more initiative from them. .
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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development
12. Pupils’ attitudes to their work and their behaviour in class and around the school are all good, as are their personal development and relationships with each other and the adults in the school. In addition, there is a caring and positive Christian ethos that contributes to the pupils’ good behaviour and attitudes. Standards, detailed in the previous inspection report, have been maintained.
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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development
13. Many parents say that their children like school and this is confirmed by pupils’ positive attitudes to school life. They are clearly keen to come, are enthusiastic about what they are doing and they are happy to talk to visitors about their school and everyday work. In lessons, pupils’ attitudes reflect the quality of teaching and learning. Where pupils’ imaginations and attentions are caught, they are keen to take part in the lessons, share ideas with each other and to listen to what others are saying. They work with enthusiasm and clearly show that they are enjoying their successes. For example, in the mixed Year 2/3 class, during a literacy lesson, the teacher encouraged the pupils to talk about the new vocabulary in the text and to explain meanings. The pupils were immediately interested and discussed the possible meanings of words such as ‘tubular’ and expressed their enjoyment of phrases such as ‘ears flying’, which particularly
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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development
appealed to them. During the inspection, no unsatisfactory behaviour or attitudes were observed in lessons or around the school. There have been no exclusions in the recent past.
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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development
14. Pupils with special educational needs relate well to each other and to other pupils in the class. Teachers often favour the system of partnering the less able with more able pupils, and this is largely successful. In the computer suite, for example, all pupils worked amicably with each other, helping jointly to interpret the teacher’s instructions and learning together in a positive way.
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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development
15. Parents who attended the pre-inspection meeting, remarked how pupils’ behaviour had improved under the new headteacher’s administration. For example, most praised the effective nature of school discipline and the prompt way that any signs of bullying are dealt with consistently by the staff. The very good school policy on combating bullying is being effectively implemented. Parents are justly proud of the way that a Christian ethos underpins the work of the entire school.
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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development
16. Pupils’ personal development is good and leads to many positive relationships. Pupils are courteous to each other and to adults in and around the school. They work well together, in pairs and in groups, as required. Pupils’ confidence and self-esteem are very well fostered by the school. For example, during an assembly arranged in front of the whole school and parents, pupils in each class stood up confidently to present their work. In addition, the pupils are awarded merit certificates for good work and for making a good effort in different aspects of the school life. These opportunities help them to take pride in what they do and in their school and impact well on their learning.
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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development
17. Pupils are respectful of the school environment and property and they move carefully around the Gargrave CE (VC) Primary School - 14 premises. They are trustworthy and understand the difference between right and wrong. The pupils also show that they respect the views and ideas of others, as observed in a topical discussion about mobile phones, in the mixed Year 5/6 class. The good relationships that exist throughout the school are also contributory to the absence of any hurtful, racial or sexist comments. Pupils show respect for other faiths, such as Islam, which many are studying at present. All adults in the school help promote positive attitudes to learning and are themselves good role models for the pupils.
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Attendance
18. Attendance is satisfactory. This has been the picture for several years although, recently, the pattern of some pupils’ attendance has been affected by the foot and mouth epidemic, preventing some pupils on outlying farms from coming to school. Unauthorised absence remains low. Punctuality is good. Almost all pupils arrive regularly on time and sessions start promptly and efficiently.
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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?
19. The quality of teaching and learning is good and is an overall strength of the school although some weaknesses persist, particularly in relation to the use made of the everyday assessment of pupils’ work. Some two-thirds of all lessons seen during the inspection were good or better, with almost one lesson in six judged to be very good or excellent. No unsatisfactory teaching occurred. There are significant teaching strengths in the Foundation Stage (reception class) where the overall influence of teaching is very good. Teaching and learning in infant classes is good, encouraging pupils to make mainly good progress in their everyday work, particularly in English and mathematics. The quality of teaching and learning among junior pupils is more variable but is satisfactory overall, although strengths occur where teachers’ subject knowledge is good and applied well. This represents some improvement in the quality of teaching described
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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?
during the previous inspection when some unsatisfactory teaching occurred and where in some lessons, pupils were unproductively occupied and supported.
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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?
20. Children in the Foundation Stage make a good start. This is because of the challenging activities provided for them, the knowledge of the teacher and support staff, and the quality of planning which underpins all of the best work. Good use is also made of exciting resources to interest and motivate young children. Children respond well to the clearly established routines and work enthusiastically across all areas of learning. The teacher also skilfully combines many aspects of children’s learning into one lesson. For example, in a physical development lesson, children enjoyed meaningful exercise whilst learning to count the number of bounces made with a ball. In a history lesson, children learned about the past by handling interesting artefacts and their oral language was developed in an exciting way. There is particularly good emphasis on the teaching of basic skills in reception and the management of young children is consistently very good,
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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?
making the learning well focused, with very little time lost during the school day. Support staff work closely with teachers and contribute well to children’s learning. Throughout the Foundation Stage, teachers and assistants provide a language-rich environment in order to promote key words and other early literacy skills as well as aspects of numeracy and a greater knowledge and understanding of the world.
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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?
21. Much of the teaching in Years 1 and 2 is good. Teachers do well when working with such a wide range of attainment levels in these mixed age classes. Some Year 2 pupils are taught alongside those from Year 3 and this is particularly demanding. Nevertheless, many pupils make good progress and achieve well over time. Where teaching is particularly effective, the teacher has high expectations as to what her pupils can achieve and the various activities set are at the right level for pupils to consolidate their learning and to build on what they already know. Varied teaching methods are used, ranging from the familiar and well proven approach of both the Literacy and Numeracy Strategies to more informal methods such as used in a project study of teeth or when improving standards in gymnastics. This is combined with the effective use of resources, which undoubtedly stimulates and motivates the pupils. In most lessons in Years 1 and 2, the skills of
p.14
HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?
Gargrave CE (VC) Primary School - 15 classroom assistants are used effectively to give very good levels of support where it is most needed, often among lower attaining pupils. As among other year groups, the use made of assessment is not decisive enough and teachers do not make sufficient reference to pupils’ targets as a key way to move them on.
p.15
HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?
22. In the junior classes, the quality of teaching is very good in only brief interludes and, although satisfactory overall, sometimes lacks the necessary focus and challenge to ensure pupils build rapidly and convincingly on their previous learning. Their overall achievement is therefore satisfactory rather than good. This is particularly true in numeracy where learning is sometimes quite pedestrian and unchallenging. The work undertaken in English is more secure and extends the concepts and experiences of pupils more effectively. Where teaching and learning is very focussed, this results generally in hard work and co-operative behaviour from the pupils. This was typified in a Year 5/6 science lesson where pupils carried out an investigation into healthy exercise within a relaxed but purposeful atmosphere. However, some of the work undertaken with junior pupils was noted to be very teacher directed and although learning is satisfactory in these
p.15
HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?
circumstances, some pupils are not particularly stimulated and their activities reflect the efforts of the teacher rather than their own. The quality of teaching and learning in Years Three to Six sometimes reflects the very good subject knowledge of the teachers including a growing confidence in the use of information and communication technology.
p.15
HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?
23. The use made of teacher assessment is unsatisfactory across several infant and junior classes. Some of this is poorly conceived at the planning stage and although some useful results are achieved and recorded, there is little evidence of these being used to decide exactly the point pupils have reached in their learning and what needs to be taught next. In most lessons, the aims of the session are not explained to the pupils and they therefore do not totally follow what it is they are expected to learn. In these instances, there is too little reflection by the teacher on what pupils actually do learn and what needs to be consolidated before moving on. The results of assessment are not used rigorously enough to set targets for individual or groups of pupils. Whilst some good examples of teachers’ marking exist in the school, an agreed whole-school approach is lacking, with some marking not making it abundantly clear to pupils what exactly
p.15
HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?
they have to do to improve the quality or accuracy of their work. There are also examples of inappropriate praise given to pupils when the standards presented do not deserve it.
p.15
HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?
24. Basic literacy skills are taught well throughout the school and numeracy skills adequately except in a few lessons where the pace of learning drops. However, insufficient links are made with these subjects across the rest of the curriculum. The school has not yet made a formal assessment of the strengths and weaknesses in the teaching and learning of literacy and numeracy and this is overdue.
p.15
HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?
25. The quality of teaching and learning in other subjects is never less than satisfactory and frequently good, particularly among Years 1 and 2. The teaching of information communication technology has improved considerably and was good in the lessons seen despite the rather low profile of the subject in the recent past. More use could be made of the subject in general learning. The quality of teaching and learning is good in gymnastics across the school. Teaching in geography and history is good among infant pupils but in this age group it was not possible to make secure judgements about teaching standards in art and design, design technology and music. The quality of teaching and learning among junior pupils is satisfactory overall although there are no significant teaching strengths in any subjects apart from English and aspects of physical education. The quality of music teaching is unknown due to insufficient evidence being
p.15
HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?
26. The teaching of pupils with special educational needs is good. There are individual targets for pupils with difficulties and teachers make every effort to ensure that these are included in all activities. However, some of these targets are too general and do not pick up on the specifics of some pupils’ needs. The procedures for identifying and addressing pupils’ needs are followed according to the old Code of Practice although the school is rightly adjusting its procedures to fit the new statutory requirements. Lessons are organised so that all pupils have an opportunity to contribute orally whatever their level of ability. The teaching of the more gifted and able pupils is Gargrave CE (VC) Primary School - 16 satisfactory although, despite a written policy, there is an absence of a whole-school approach to the needs of such pupils. Homework is used constructively in several areas of the school but the
p.15
HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?
provision among pupils in Years 5 and 6 does not follow a consistent pattern. Gargrave CE (VC) Primary School - 17
p.16
TO PUPILS?
27. The school provides a broad, balanced and relevant curriculum that meets the needs of its pupils. It meets the statutory requirements of the National Curriculum and provides pupils with an appropriate basis for learning prior to their transfer to secondary education. The quality and range of learning opportunities are satisfactory as is the attention paid to inclusion and equality of opportunities across the school. However, there are insufficient opportunities for pupils in the junior years to use and apply their mathematical skills in solving practical problems. In some classes, the teachers’ intervention to further challenge and extend the thinking of higher attaining pupils’ is also rather limited. Staff, however, have worked hard to resolve the weaknesses identified in the previous inspection and several improvements have occurred. Schemes of work based on mainly national guidance are currently in place reflecting a rolling programme of topics
p.17
TO PUPILS?
to help accommodate the needs of the mixed age classes, but more needs to be done in this area to ensure learning is progressive and not fragmented or unduly repetitive.
p.17
TO PUPILS?
28. The curriculum for the Foundation Stage (reception class) is good and is well planned for and delivered. It is planned effectively in all the areas of learning for young children and provides a wide range of exciting opportunities for them to learn at first hand. There is particularly good emphasis on the learning of basic skills and on the individual needs of the children.
p.17
TO PUPILS?
29. As part of the ongoing work on the curriculum in the infant and junior years, several curriculum policies have been reviewed and some are planned to be rewritten, such as those for art and design and history and geography. Whilst the planned programmes of study support in the main the phased development of what pupils should know, understand and be able to do, weaknesses still exist in the coverage of several subjects other than English, mathematics and science. The learning in the foundation subjects is often fragmented and, under the current arrangements, the skills of pupils are not always developed in a consistent manner.
p.17
TO PUPILS?
30. A useful plan is currently being developed that shows when each aspect of the different subjects within the curriculum will be taught to the pupils. This new framework for planning is to be implemented throughout the school. Currently, however, in subjects, such as history, geography and design technology, learning has a tendency to be uneven due to some skills not being taught on a regular basis and with sometimes lengthy time lapses in between. This produces all too readily a rather fragmented approach to learning in some subjects. There is also some inconsistency in the use of pupils’ art and design skills caused in part by an absence of design technology sketchbooks throughout the school. However, in some subjects, planning builds steadily from term to term and year-to-year and is well matched to the age range in each class.
p.17
TO PUPILS?
31. The National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies are well established and have been implemented satisfactorily overall throughout the school. The overall provision for teaching literacy is now very good, but some aspects of the provision for numeracy, as described earlier, need to be strengthened. The provision for pupils aged eight to eleven has improved since the previous inspection. Teachers now feel more secure in their knowledge of the National Numeracy Strategy because of the good input from the mathematics co-ordinator and also the ongoing support from the Local Education Authority link adviser.
p.17
TO PUPILS?
32. Although the school has some curriculum time set aside for personal, social and health education including aspects of sex education and drug awareness, this has not yet been formalised across the school and is currently based on too loose an arrangement. However pupils are given satisfactory opportunities to explore a variety of issues on how to develop their maturity and deal with difficult situations that might arise in their lives.
p.17
TO PUPILS?
33. A strength of provision is the general use of outdoor education including periods of residential education. A series of outdoor visits and a regular stream of visitors greatly enhance the learning opportunities offered to the pupils. The library, police and fire services have all made a significant contribution to pupils’ learning. The local church and its visiting clergy also play an important part in the life of the school. In music, for example, some pupils are given the opportunity to learn the Gargrave CE (VC) Primary School - 18 guitar, brass and woodwind instruments. The contribution made by the community to pupils’ learning is very good and the school has set up several important initiatives which are helping pupils to extend their learning beyond the four walls of the school. The general curriculum is supported satisfactorily by a range of extracurricular activities including opportunities to sing and
p.17
TO PUPILS?
dance and to participate in local sporting tournaments, including rugby and rounders.
p.18
TO PUPILS?
34. The school’s practice for all pupils to be socially included in all that the school provides, is good. The school continues to be committed to equality of access and opportunity in all aspects of its life and practice. The work and activities given to gifted and more able pupils needs to be made more explicit to all staff in order to sharpen the impact of overall provision. The opportunities provided for pupils with special educational needs are good. Children needing special levels of support are usually identified at an early age and are then well supported at classroom level using the help given by the teacher, the special educational needs co-ordinator and the additional help offered by support staff. Those with statements of special educational needs are particularly well supported. However, the targets outlined on some individual educational plans are not specific enough to ensure pupils move forward in small progressive steps. There are no pupils for whom
p.18
TO PUPILS?
English is an additional language although the school has measures in place to support such pupils should they come on roll.
p.18
TO PUPILS?
35. The schools’ provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good overall. In the reception class, provision for this development is outstanding. Since the previous inspection, which judged the provision for pupils’ spiritual and moral development to be satisfactory, the school has made several good improvements. As yet, the school has no policy to guide teachers how these important aspects of life could be developed through the opportunities provided in the wider curriculum.
p.18
TO PUPILS?
36. Provision for spiritual development is good. Carefully planned assembly themes provide ample opportunities for pupils to reflect on their own actions and on global issues such as fairness and justice in the world. During the inspection, for example, a visitor from Christian Aid effectively engaged the pupils in a thought provoking presentation about the people involved in growing, picking, shipping, importing and selling bananas. The co-ordinator for collective worship plans very carefully for visits and visitors to enhance the provision for the pupils. There are however, too few opportunities in subjects such as music, art and science for pupils to reflect on their spiritual awareness and the values fostered by their own emerging beliefs.
p.18
TO PUPILS?
37. Provision for moral development is good. The school’s rules and the Christian ethos form the basis of the behaviour policy. Attractively displayed posters around the school promote values of acceptance, fairness, honesty and respect. In addition, there are stories in literacy, which relate to moral issues and a growing understanding of right and wrong. In a lesson considering Aesop’s Fables, the pupils understood that fables do not teach us to be a good person, but can teach us to avoid mistakes. This provision is enhanced further by opportunities to reflect on issues in the news, such as fox-hunting or circus acts. During games and general play, the school emphasises fair play and that games are for everyone’s enjoyment.
p.18
TO PUPILS?
38. The provision for pupils’ social development is good and this leads to positive relationships within the school. In lessons, pupils are given opportunities to work in pairs and in groups; for example to discuss historical artefacts or to consider jobs and transport on Struay island, as observed in the a geography lesson with a mixed Year 1/2 class. On sports day, the pupils are mixed deliberately to provide good opportunities for caring for each other. The residential visit for Year 6 to places such as East Barnby or Humphrey Head in Cumbria, challenge the pupils to the limit through activities such as abseiling, sailing, orienteering and night walks. In addition, pupils have to learn to be self-sufficient, organising their own food and generally looking after themselves and others. There are opportunities for the pupils to raise funds for UNICEF and Dr. Barnardo’s Homes, through giving Christmas gifts to Santa Claus rather than receiving them. These activities
p.18
TO PUPILS?
are planned by the teachers and not by the pupils. This limits pupils’ opportunities for them to develop initiative, particularly as they go through the school. The excellent start that the children make in the reception class in this respect, is not utilised fully as pupils mature and move through the school. However, the school is presently developing its personal and social education Gargrave CE (VC) Primary School - 19 programme which will include responsible citizenship.
p.18
TO PUPILS?
39. Provision for cultural education is good. Pupils are effectively introduced to a range of cultural experiences through opportunities such as the African theme week and discussions of national and international news. The pupils are also provided with opportunities to celebrate their own culture. They visit theatres to see Macbeth, for example, and to savour and enjoy the beauty of the English language. The school takes cognisance of the fact that it is a church school and has built strong links with Anglican traditions and through activities such Harvest Festival, Education Sunday and Christmas performances. There are other opportunities for pupils to learn about their own rich heritage through history topics such as Victorian England, where, through role play and dressing up in the clothes of that time, the pupils learn what life was like during that period. The major faiths of the world are given appropriate attention in religious education and in assemblies.
p.19
TO PUPILS?
As a result, the pupils are well prepared for life in a multicultural society.
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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?
40. The school continues to looks after its pupils well and has now fully addressed all concerns raised in the previous inspection. Health and safety procedures, including the recording of accidents, administration of medicines and fire evacuation arrangements, operate smoothly and all necessary repairs have been carried out. The toilets for older pupils are now fitted with suitable locks. Good child protection measures are also now in place with the head teacher having the designated responsibility for liasing with outside agencies.
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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?
41. Procedures for recording and reporting pupils’ attendance have improved slightly since the last inspection but remain unsatisfactory overall. The Department of Education and Skills annual return is now completed in accordance with requirements and absence rates are published in the governors’ annual report to parents. However, not all attendance registers are marked in accordance with statutory requirements. In some classes teachers mark pupils’ afternoon attendance whilst they are calling the morning roll and, in one class, the register is always marked in pencil instead of ink, as is required. Registers are also kept in classrooms on a more or less permanent basis and this is not good practice. Nevertheless, teachers do monitor absence satisfactorily and any unexplained instances are usually followed up within 2 days. The school does not, however, have any specific arrangements for promoting better attendance such
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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?
as an attendance cup or individual certificates which could give even better incentive.
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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?
42. Measures to monitor and support pupils’ personal development are good. Teachers know their pupils well, have good relationships with them and successfully promote high standards of behaviour. The measures to help counteract and discourage bullying or oppressive behaviour are good. Praise and rewards are used well to encourage effort, and significant achievements for both good work and behaviour are celebrated once a fortnight at a special assembly to which parents are invited.
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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?
43. Procedures for monitoring pupils’ academic performance and personal development are satisfactory overall. There are consistent and effective procedures for monitoring and recording pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics in particular. In addition to the compulsory tests at the end of Year 2 and Year 6, pupils take additional tests in Years 3, 4 and 5 in English and mathematics. The results that pupils achieve in the national tests are beginning to be analysed much more rigorously, including basic comparisons between what they have achieved set against the broad standards attained by the same pupils lower down the school. This is helping to give the teachers a clearer picture of how well pupils have progressed and how to plan their future work. The procedures for assessing pupils’ attainment and progress in other subjects are unsatisfactory. In these subjects, there are no consistent arrangements for ensuring
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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?
that pupils’ work matches the requirements of the National Curriculum and progress towards the expected level of attainment by the time pupils leave school, is therefore difficult to ascertain.
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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?
44. The way in which teachers use the information they gather on pupils’ attainment to guide their planning is unsatisfactory. For example, much work is done to ensure that activities and tasks in Gargrave CE (VC) Primary School - 20 lessons match individual pupils’ previous skills and understanding in areas such as number work and mental mathematics, but in many other subjects, such as design technology and geography, teachers are unsure how well individual pupils are doing and what needs to be done next. Target setting for groups of pupils is therefore rarely explicit enough.
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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?
45. Pupils’ academic progress is supported and monitored satisfactorily. Teachers, through the pupils’ school life, compile an individual record of achievement. This gives a good all-round picture of general progress and achievement. The assessment of children in the Foundation Stage is thorough and leads to later effective teaching and learning. Strategies for the assessment of the needs of pupils who have learning difficulties are good. The school carries out a systematic screening of pupils when they enter the school. There are also good strategies for further assessment if difficulties are identified at a later date. Pupils with learning difficulties are then placed on a special needs register at a stage appropriate to their immediate needs. Targets are regularly and systematically reviewed although some remain too general in nature to form the basis of more rapid improvement.
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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?
46. Parents are supportive of the school and their views remain mainly positive. Nevertheless, some concerns were raised through the returned questionnaires and the parents’ meeting. These centred on the need for closer links between home and school, the information parents receive about their children’s progress and the shortage of extra-curricular activities, particularly for younger children. The inspection findings only partly support these views and a fuller response to these concerns is given in the summary of this report.
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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?
47. The annual reports to parents about their children are generally informative although they do not include targets to help pupils improve. There are sufficient parents’ evenings during the year for parents to talk formally with teachers and parents are also very welcome at other times should the need arise. The school also encourages parents to become involved in their children’s learning in a variety of ways. Curriculum workshops are organised regularly (a very good one on mathematics was held at the end of the inspection period) and a good number of parents, together with grandparents and members of the local community, regularly work in class. Members of the local Women’s Institute teach pupils to knit. Such helpers are loyal, well briefed and their activities are integrated well into lessons, their visits make valuable contributions to pupils’ learning.
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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?
48. The Parent Teachers Association remains very active and continues to provide generous support for the school. Recently, for example, it has donated an interactive whiteboard and projector for the new computer suite. Home-school reading diaries operate throughout the school and homework is set in all classes. However, parents are justified in their concerns that this is not as consistent as it could be, particularly in Years 5 and 6. The headteacher has recognised this and is looking to ways of providing homework more regularly. With regard to extra-curricular activities, whilst the school does provide a few during the year, these tend to be restricted to the junior pupils and are not always run during the winter months. The Triangle Club, a before and after school provision for the children of working parents, currently has first call to the hall, which further reduces the possibilities for out-of-hours activities.
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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?
49. Regular on-going correspondence and news sheets keep parents fully informed about life generally in school but advance information about the planned activities in the curriculum is rather patchy at present. It is, however, to be provided on a more regular basis in the very near future. The published prospectus meets requirements but the governors’ annual report lacks details of the progress made in addressing the key issues raised in the previous inspection report. Parents of pupils with special educational needs are properly involved with and kept fully informed about the provision relating to their children.
p.20
HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?
Gargrave CE (VC) Primary School - 21 50. The leadership and management of the school are satisfactory. The headteacher has a good vision as to the future of the school set against the stage it has currently reached. In this way, he and others are providing clear educational direction for the improvement of the school. The priorities that are expressed in the school development plan are indicative of a school that has undergone several changes in recent times and now needs a time of stability so that the new headteacher can implement fully and evaluate those changes already set in motion. Despite a relatively full teaching commitment, the headteacher has set appropriate time scales for any refinements that have been deemed necessary. He has, for example, been instrumental in emphasising a good sense of teamwork and staff development although some of the work remains at an early stage, particularly in relation to the responsibilities of the subject co-ordinators.
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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?
51. The role and influence of the subject co-ordinators have improved only marginally since the previous inspection. With the exception of a few established co-ordinators such as those for English and the Foundation Stage, the majority of co-ordinators have created as yet little impact on standards in their areas of responsibility. Many have held their current posts for only a short time following the school’s most recent re-organisation of curriculum responsibilities. Although their enthusiasm and commitment are clearly visible, many have not as yet been able to make clear and informed statements as to the priorities for growth in their subject areas. This is made even more difficult by the extent of their work loads which often involves the leadership of several subjects simultaneously. In this context, the monitoring of pupils’ standards and the quality of teaching and learning in all but a few subjects, has been difficult to follow through. The
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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?
headteacher is endeavouring to counteract this by introducing a phased programme for staff release that will provide additional opportunities for staff training and the more accurate evaluation of the point of development each subject has reached.
p.21
HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?
52. The role of the governing body is satisfactory in terms of its effectiveness and fulfilling its overall responsibilities. As with other parts of school management, governors are seeking to strengthen their monitoring role and to increase their influence in shaping the future educational direction of the school. They now have a good understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses and are beginning to raise their own profile as to those areas for development that will best raise standards and improve the quality of education. To this end, governors are very committed and share their time, interests and expertise liberally. Most are involved in school visits and show a sound grasp of much of the curriculum. As they become even more informed, the intention is for governors to become more involved in strategic planning, mainly by contributing more widely to the annual school development plan. The committee structure now in place is good and allows
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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?
governors to carry out their business in an efficient manner. Governors are particularly influential in matters of finance, buildings and other site matters. The governing body meets its statutory requirements and helps the school meet its declared aims and objectives.
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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?
53. There is good co-ordination provided for pupils with special educational needs. The co-ordinator is experienced and has an effective overview of policies and systems including the development of the new code of practice into school. She ensures that pupils are identified at an early stage and that the current register is reviewed regularly. Parents are involved at the correct times. There is however, the need for more staff to be trained in the writing of individual educational plans and to make pupils’ targets a little more focused to ensure their progress is continuous. The management of the school is also looking at the needs of different groups of pupils to ensure it is fully ‘inclusive’ in its philosophy and practice. In this connection, the needs of the most able and talented have yet to be fully addressed. The school has moved forward satisfactorily in terms of the many initiatives it has been faced with including the implementation of the Literacy and
p.21
HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?
Numeracy Strategies, additions to the curriculum and the introduction of staff appraisal through performance management. Areas for further development have been identified correctly including a re-appraisal of how best to deliver the foundation subjects in mixed age classes and the integration of personal, health and social education into the wide curriculum.
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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?
54. The monitoring and evaluation of the school’s overall performance and taking effective action are satisfactory. Policies and procedures for monitoring the quality of teaching and learning have been rather fragmented and not totally effective. The school is now seeking to be more self- Gargrave CE (VC) Primary School - 22 evaluative and to look more critically at its past results including those aspects of school life that need to be improved or strengthened. For example, a current priority on the school development plan is to improve the quality of teaching and learning in mathematics and this is appropriate. A current weakness is the school’s relative lack of target setting following close analysis of pupils’ performance, including in the core subjects. This needs to be done more rigorously involving all teaching staff and co-ordinators. Gargrave CE (VC) Primary School - 23 55. The annual school development plan presents a general survey of the needs of the school in a
p.21
HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?
wide range of areas. The priorities expressed are appropriate to the growth of the school and management has made good progress in terms of the areas currently under review. In some areas, the school is not being precise enough about what it is trying to achieve in terms of the detailed actions it intends to take in order to reach its declared goals.
p.23
HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?
56. The finances of the school are well administered and monitored by the headteacher, school secretary, staff and governors. The most recent school audit showed that financial systems and procedures were secure. The school makes good use of its annual budget and financial grants are correctly targeted and accounted for. Good links are made between the annual budget and any priorities expressed in the school development plan. The school presents itself as an efficient unit and maintains an annual credit balance. The day-to-day running of the office is good and is well organised by an experienced secretary who has to maintain the administration on an effective footing whilst the headteacher is fulfilling his 0.6 teaching commitment as the teacher of Year 5/6. The school is aware of the need to gain best value in its purchase and use of educational resources and applies such principles well.
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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?
57. Current staffing levels are satisfactory in meeting the needs of the pupils as well as the statutory requirements of the National Curriculum. Support staff provide experienced and well informed help to pupils and teachers in a wide range of everyday situations. This has a marked impact on the progress of the pupils. The level and quality of educational resources are satisfactory overall. Those used in the Foundation Stage are good as are those in English and mathematics. Resources in design and technology are unsatisfactory. The school also lacks a central library although it does have a good quantity of reading material which is housed in corridors and classroom areas. Some of the reading books for the older and higher attaining pupils require updating and replenishing.
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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?
58. The available accommodation remains satisfactory to deliver the planned curriculum and meet the needs of the pupils. It is clean and well maintained. Classrooms are of sufficient size for the number of pupils in them and are suitably furnished. The new computer suite is well equipped with facilities and has been greatly enhanced by an interactive whiteboard and projector donated through the generous efforts of parents. Displays of work in classrooms and in the public areas are generally of high quality and contain significant amounts of pupil’s own work which is clearly valued. The very extensive grounds are laid out attractively, maintained to a high standard and contain a large well fenced wildlife area.
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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?
59. In order to continue the improvement in pupils’ standards and the quality of education provided by the school, the governors, headteacher and staff should:
p.23
WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?
(1) Raise standards in mathematics at the end of Year 6 by • Continuing to monitor and evaluate pupils’ current standards, particularly in relation to identifying areas of difficulty they experience • Extending the emphasis given in teaching and learning to the processes and strategies needed to solve everyday problems • Ensuring there is wide and appropriate coverage of the whole mathematics curriculum with good attention paid to data handling • Extending the planned use of numeracy across the curriculum so that pupils can practise their skills in a wide variety of contexts • Ensure that information communication technology is used more effectively to support pupils’ learning in mathematics (paragraphs 6, 8, 22, 24, 27, 54 and 87-96)
p.23
WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?
(2) Improve the impact that subject co-ordinators have on pupils’ standards and on the
p.23
quality of teaching and learning in their subject areas by
• Ensuring that all co-ordinators have a clear understanding of their roles particularly in Gargrave CE (VC) Primary School - 24 relation to the monitoring of pupils’ standards and the promotion of clear, manageable targets for subject growth and development Gargrave CE (VC) Primary School - 25 • Increasing the range of planned opportunities for co-ordinators to assess the strengths and weaknesses in their subject areas and to make positive contributions about subject growth to the school’s annual development plan • Continuing to build up their own subject knowledge in their appointed areas through selected in-service training (paragraphs 50, 51, 110, 115 and 126)
p.23
quality of teaching and learning in their subject areas by
(3) Improve the provision made for foundation subjects by • Ensuring that the full statutory curriculum in each subject is delivered to a high standard and that planned provision reflects the needs of different attaining pupils • Ensuring that there is appropriate emphasis on the acquisition and practice of pupils’ skills as well as the development of their knowledge and understanding • Ensuring that pupils experience all subjects on a regular basis so that their basic learning is built up in a progressive and consistent way (paragraphs 27, 29, 30, 53, 118, 125 and 132)
p.25
quality of teaching and learning in their subject areas by
(4) Improve the use made of teacher assessment by • Making it clear when planning lessons what assessments are to be carried out by the teacher and what form the results will take • Ensuring that the results of assessment give a clear picture as to what pupils have actually learned and what needs to be focused on next to ensure learning is consolidated and then extended • Using the results of assessment to establish rigorous group and individual targets for the pupils’ future learning • Developing further the current whole-school approach to the marking of pupils’ work. Ensure that the guidance given to pupils makes it clear as to the standards expected by the teacher and what the pupils should do next to improve (paragraphs 19, 21, 23, 43, 44, 84, 95, 102 and 118)
p.25
quality of teaching and learning in their subject areas by
As well as the above, the school add to its post-inspection action plan, the following lesser areas of weakness • Ensure that the completion of attendance registers fully complies with statutory requirements. (paragraph 41) • Review the school’s existing policy on the teaching and learning of talented and gifted pupils, ensuring that the agreed provision meets their needs. (paragraphs 26, 34 and 53) • Ensure the homework given to older pupils in particular follows a more consistent pattern. (paragraphs 26 and 83) Gargrave CE (VC) Primary School - 26
p.25
Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection
Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 12
p.26
Summary of teaching observed during the inspection
Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactor y Poor Very Poor
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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 three percentage point[s].
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Information about the school’s pupils
Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 126
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Information about the school’s pupils
Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 8
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Information about the school’s pupils
Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 3
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Information about the school’s pupils
Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 13
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Information about the school’s pupils
English as an additional language No of pupils
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Information about the school’s pupils
Number of pupils with English as an additional language 0
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Information about the school’s pupils
Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils
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Information about the school’s pupils
Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 5
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Information about the school’s pupils
Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 5
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Attendance
School data 6.7 School data 0.1 Gargrave CE (VC) Primary School - 27 National comparative data 5.6 National comparative data 0.5
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Attendance
Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Gargrave CE (VC) Primary School - 28
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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 9 5 14
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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)
National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics
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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)
Boys Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls
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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)
Percentage of pupils School 86 (89) 93 (78) 86 (94) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (83) 86 (84) 91 (90)
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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)
Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science
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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)
Boys Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls
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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)
Percentage of pupils School 86 (61) 86 (94) 100 (89) at NC level 2 or above National 85 (84) 89 (88) 89 (88)
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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)
Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year.
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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)
Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 2001 13 10 23
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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)
National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science
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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)
Boys 6 4 10 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls
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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)
Percentage of pupils School 70 (77) 48 (68) 87 (77) at NC level 4 or above National 75 (75) 71 (72) 87 (85)
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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)
Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science
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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)
Boys 3 3 10 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls
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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)
Percentage of pupils School 57 (73) 50 (82) 87 (82) at NC level 4 or above National 72 (70) 74 (72) 82 (79)
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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)
Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Gargrave CE (VC) Primary School - 29
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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year
Black – Caribbean heritage 0 Black – Caribbean heritage
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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year
Black – African heritage 0 Black – African heritage
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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year
Any other minority ethnic group 0 Other minority ethnic groups
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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) 5.4 Financial year 2000-01
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Teachers and classes Financial information
Number of pupils per qualified teacher 23.3
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Teachers and classes Financial information
Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total income 269,880
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Teachers and classes Financial information
Total number of education support staff 4.0 Total expenditure 272,226
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Teachers and classes Financial information
Total aggregate hours worked per week 67 Expenditure per pupil 2,161
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Teachers and classes Financial information
FTE means full-time equivalent. Balance brought forward from previous year 17,467
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Teachers and classes Financial information
Balance carried forward to next year 15,121
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Recruitment of teachers
Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 2.0
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Recruitment of teachers
Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 1.0
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Recruitment of teachers
Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 1
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Recruitment of teachers
Number of vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of a term or more (FTE) 1
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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. Gargrave CE (VC) Primary School - 30
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Percentage of responses in each category
Strongly agree Tend to agree Tend to disagree Strongly disagree Don’t know
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Percentage of responses in each category
My child is making good progress in school. 39 51 8 0 1
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Percentage of responses in each category
Behaviour in the school is good. 22 65 8 1 4
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Percentage of responses in each category
My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 19 73 5 3 0
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Percentage of responses in each category
I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 15 46 36 3 0
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Percentage of responses in each category
I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 46 36 15 0 3
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Percentage of responses in each category
The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 39 42 12 5 1
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Percentage of responses in each category
The school works closely with parents. 19 45 24 7 5
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Percentage of responses in each category
The school is well led and managed. 35 45 7 0 14
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Percentage of responses in each category
The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 38 53 5 0 4
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Percentage of responses in each category
The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 9 36 36 1 16 Gargrave CE (VC) Primary School - 31
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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE
60. The overall provision for children in the reception class (Foundation Stage) is very good and has improved since the previous inspection. It is now a strength of the school. This is because children make a particularly good start to their early years education. Very good teaching has a positive impact on children’s learning, particularly the focus on how to extend learning, and the skill of using all relevant areas of the curriculum to the best advantage during lessons. Children progress smoothly from the Foundation Stage to the early stages of the National Curriculum provided for children in Year 1 onwards. The teaching of certain elements such as music is now excellent and work with computers is also very good. All children, both boys and girls, are challenged to do their best and overall many make very good gains in their learning.
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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE
61. Children enjoy their time in the reception class, are very enthusiastic and listen carefully and speak confidently to their teachers. Their attitudes to learning and their behaviour are very good because they are managed very effectively, supported well in their learning by a classroom assistant and do not have time to become bored. Many rich and interesting activities are well planned by the teacher and assessments are used effectively to track the progress of individual children. The criteria to determine the next stage of children’s learning are fully in place and ‘Profile Maps’ are used to record this information. The school is conscious that large outdoor equipment is needed for energetic outdoor play and is to look further at this requirement. Homework activities such as reading and topic work are shared with parents and used effectively to consolidate and extend children’s learning in class.
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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE
62. Children join the reception class in the September of the year in which they become five. During the inspection there were 23 children attending full time in the reception class, plus one child attending part-time. All children, including those who have special educational needs, have good access to the same curriculum activities and most make very good gains in their learning from their starting point when they entered school. All are fully included in all aspects of school life. There are appropriate induction procedures before children enter school such as pre-school liaison visits, booklets and informative parents’ evenings. When children enter the reception class most have a range of skills broadly typical for their age. Most children are on course to achieve at least the levels expected for their age in all aspects of the Foundation Stage curriculum by the time they leave the reception class. They are likely to exceed the expected levels in their personal and
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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE
social education and the musical aspect of creative development.
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Personal, social and emotional development
63. Most children are on course to achieve well above the level expected for their age by the time they leave the reception class, which represents a good improvement since the previous inspection. All adults place considerable emphasis on the development of social skills. Children settle quickly, feel secure in the very supportive environment of the class and know that that they truly belong to Gargrave School. This is achieved through very good teaching from adults who themselves are very good role models and who treat each other and the children with courtesy and respect. Activities during lessons are organised so those children are encouraged to become independent, make choices and take decisions. For example, there are rich opportunities for children to select, explore and investigate an area of activity such as painting or modelling and examine natural and man made objects and talk about their experiences. Children have full access to all
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Personal, social and emotional development
opportunities whether working individually, in groups, or with the whole class, and work well together. There are well-selected opportunities for children to become more independent and to exercise choice, because this is built into the planning, which takes full account of the needs of young children. In this environment they quickly build up confidence and become self-reliant. Effective routines to achieve this are quickly established. Children learn to self-register when they enter the classrooms and when they choose library books, and put on and take off aprons after ‘messy’ activities. The majority look after themselves responsibly, reflect upon their actions and Gargrave CE (VC) Primary School - 32 behave very well. Many demonstrate a remarkable maturity for their age. The weekly ‘Owl Award’ for keeping the classroom tidy, judged by the school site supervisor, further encourages responsibility. This is because of the effective teaching which offers opportunities and
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Personal, social and emotional development
explanations for all children to work within the rules of the class. Adults develop very good relationships with all the children and as a result, the atmosphere is positive and most children respond very well by being polite, kind and helpful to others. Children are given many opportunities to reflect on their feelings, the passage of time, the celebration of birthdays, the beauty and power of music and become aware of moral and social codes of behaviour in a supportive environment.
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Communication, language and literacy
64. Most children get off to an appropriate, early start in acquiring communication, language and literacy skills. Standards have improved since the previous inspection as the skills taught lead effortlessly into the very early stages of the National Curriculum. Computers and listening centres are part of every day teaching and learning. As a result, children achieve well in lessons and most make good gains in their learning. Speaking and listening skills are taught effectively through songs, jingles, games, stories, question and answer sessions and the use of the relevant vocabulary throughout all activities. In these lessons, most children interact very well with each other and the appropriate level of teacher talk and the opportunity to speak themselves, enhance their learning. Most children chat together as they dress up in the ‘supermarket’; using routine vocabulary such as, ‘You can’t come in. We’re closed for cleaning!’ They show a developing
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Communication, language and literacy
knowledge of sentence structure as they reply in sentences to the teacher’s daily questioning at registration time, ‘How are you feeling today?’ The children listen well very well to adults and are given opportunities to listen to recorded stories on their own and follow the pictures and text in their own books. Children listen closely to stories. They make effective progress in developing their communication skills and most should achieve the expected level by the end of their reception year.
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Communication, language and literacy
65. Adults instil a love of books, the appropriate use of a book and the fact that print carries meaning. Reading activities such as ‘shared reading’ and recognition of letter sounds, such as ‘b’ and ‘d’ are used well to promote children’s understanding. All children are given many opportunities to appreciate the main characters and events in books such as ‘The Three Little Pigs’ and ‘New Trainers’. The teacher is a very good role model, reading stories and poems expressively. His focussed, good questioning makes most children aware of the pictures and story content. As a result, children listen carefully when their own ‘stories’ based on the recent visit to a local supermarket are read and respond well to questions about the items bought. The teacher extends these skills, by stressing the need to follow the text in the right order, word by word, making sure that the print is read from left to right and from top to bottom. Children learn the sounds and
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Communication, language and literacy
names of letters and associate the letters successfully with the initial sounds of common words and identify on the computer items which start with ‘b’, ’d’, and ‘p’. As a result, many are able to identify individual letters in words and some children are able to sound them out, successfully. The teaching of phonics is very good, as shown in their unaided writing and reading of words such as ‘orin’, (orange’). Each child has a homework book which successfully bridges reading and spelling. Parents make a very effective contribution to their children’s progress in reading and spelling.
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Communication, language and literacy
66. Children are given many early opportunities to develop their writing skills and handwriting skills are introduced methodically by ‘over writing’, and ‘under writing’ letters and recording pictorially. Most children are beginning to write their own names correctly and write short sentences ranging from isolated words to short simple sentences. There are many opportunities to ‘have a go’ independently and ready access to pencils, crayons and paper prompts the children to write, unaided, labels, captions and their experiences at the supermarket, with confidence. Handwriting is developing well. Overall, as a result of good teaching by experienced adults, levels of attainment in speaking, reading and writing are similar to those expected for children of this age. Resources are good, are very accessible to the children and, as a result of purposeful teaching, are used very well. Gargrave CE (VC) Primary School - 33
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Mathematical development
67. By the end of the reception year, the majority of children are likely to have achieved the skills and knowledge expected for their age. Children achieve well in lessons and most make good gains in this area of learning. Skilful teaching ensures that children are given many opportunities to develop mathematical skills and knowledge through the effective use of practical activities, number rhymes, games and songs. They sing a range of songs, nursery rhymes and jingles, such as ‘Issy Whissy’, which reinforce their understanding of number. Staff use jigsaws, construction bricks, bead threading and puzzles to encourage recognition of similar shapes and familiar colours. Children use number jigsaws, role-play in the ‘shop’ and counting exercises on the computer to improve their number recognition. Some can count up to 12 and are beginning to recognise numbers to 5, mostly successfully. Many children are beginning to count forward or
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Mathematical development
backwards, using a number line and ‘jumping dinosaurs’. Vocabulary such as ‘more or less’, 'fewer’, ‘heavier’ and ‘ lighter’ are well established and used in mathematical activities. Teachers use a variety of resources such as ‘wipe cards’, die games and play dough to enhance the teaching and reinforce the learning. A ‘Treasure Chest’ was used successfully, to introduce and reinforce children’s knowledge of collecting, recognising and sorting coins to 5p and excited children eagerly scoured the classroom to find the treasure and carefully sorted their finds into 1p, 2p and 5p containers. The children co-operate well, treat resources with respect and their enthusiasm and sustained concentration reflects the quality of provision and teaching. Photographs and planning show that children have opportunities to use circles, squares, rectangles and triangles and sort and match objects into large, medium and small sizes. They
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Mathematical development
also use the mathematical vocabulary of number, time, shape, pattern and measurement appropriately. Adult intervention to support children’s mathematical experiences and its frequent and regular integration into all lessons, enrich the mathematical provision. Resources are good, are very accessible to the children and are used well.
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Knowledge and understanding of the world
68. As a result of the good teaching, most children should achieve the levels expected for their age at the end of the reception year. The teacher provides many rich opportunities for learning. These include outdoor activities and selected visits to ensure that children build on their existing knowledge and learn more about themselves and the world through relevant topics. Children have good opportunities to experience work in science, design and information communication technology, history, and geography. They also explore, investigate, design and make, as well as acquiring information and communication and technology skills. As a result, they make good gains in their knowledge and understanding of the world. Historical knowledge is developed well; for example children enjoyed handling old objects, such as collar studs, a solid iron, carpet beater and wash board and guessing their purpose. They gain a sense of the passing of time through the
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Knowledge and understanding of the world
regular use of significant times of the day, days of the week, daily routines and catchy jingles such as ‘The days went by, the weeks went by, the months went by and Natalie kept on growing’. All children have access to and are eager to use the computer. They are beginning to learn how to control the mouse and the cursor. Photographs and planning show that visits to Eshton Grange and Airedale hospital are used well to foster children’s knowledge and understanding of the world. Visits to the local church, the celebration of the Chinese New Year and the Indian festival of Divali enhance children’s cultural development. The teacher has a very good command of information and communication technology and, as a result, provision in this area is very good and children’s knowledge has improved, They are beginning to know how to operate simple equipment such as listening centres and computers, complete simple programmes and perform basic functions as
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Knowledge and understanding of the world
seen in their geographical work on ‘Town Planning’.
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Physical development
69. Children make good gains in developing physical skills as a result of good teaching and the opportunity to experience a range of appropriate resources. Children learn to develop control and co-ordination, to express their feelings and emotions and to work co-operatively in groups. They learn to take turns and share resources well, using the indoor and outdoor space safely and imaginatively. Children are acquiring well-developed skills in movement and have a developing Gargrave CE (VC) Primary School - 34 sense of space and bodily awareness. They use tools and equipment with increasing dexterity. Indoor resources have improved since the previous inspection but at the present time there is specific lack of outdoor apparatus for climbing, sliding and balancing and large equipment for imaginative, energetic, outdoor play. The school is conscious of this and has plans to develop this aspect of physical development. Children are made aware of the health and safety aspects in their
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Physical development
physical education lessons but should be given the opportunity to dress more appropriately for physical exercise indoors. Children make very good use of a variety of tools for drawing, colouring and cutting and show increasing dexterity as they work with pencils, crayons, paintbrushes and scissors. They roll, squeeze, push and kneed malleable materials and their manipulative skills are developing appropriately. For example, they make vehicles from coloured plasticine and pressings of coins used in their work. Standards in writing, colouring, cutting out, painting and sticking are improved by the attention given to this aspect of children’s physical development. As a result most children are able to use pencils, paint brushes and scissors to a satisfactory level and achieve standards expected for their age.
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Creative development
70. Skilful teaching ensures that all children are given a rich variety of opportunities to develop their creative skills. As a result of the good teaching, children, make good gains in their learning and achieve skills that are typical of their age group by the time they leave the reception class. In music they exceed the level expected for their age. Children express their feelings through exploring media and materials, music, dance, story making and imaginative play. They experience colour, texture, shape, form and space in two-and three-dimensional art and enjoy regular opportunities to explore colour through painting, printing, collage and crayoning. They work hard, concentrate well and use the resources effectively. The teacher ensures that activities help to develop the main themes and topics of the lesson. The children create attractive ‘magic marbling’ effects using a variety of paint colours and design and make different houses and
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Creative development
buildings. Singing is used very effectively and regularly in the classroom and children are quick to recognise familiar songs, nursery rhymes and jingles. In one lesson they sang enthusiastically and with gusto catchy jingles such as ‘We’ve all got calculators in our heads’, as the teacher played the guitar. Children use a range of constructional equipment to design and build models. They use large and small construction equipment to create imaginative structures in connection with other work, such as building different types of buildings and vehicles. There are good opportunities for imaginative play and good adult intervention to extend the children’s learning. The quantity and quality of resources stimulate children’s imagination and language extension and decision-making skills are all integrated successfully. Children use their developing computer skills well to create, for example, artwork connected with their geography.
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ENGLISH
71. The results of the 2001 national tests showed that by the end of Year 2, standards in reading and writing were well above average. By the end of Year 6, standards in English were also above the national average. The previous inspection judged standards to be above average by the end of Year 2 but broadly average by the end of Year 6. These results indicate that the school has made good improvement in English since that time. The recent inspection confirms above average standards by the end of both Years 2 and 6 and that most pupils make good progress in English over time.
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ENGLISH
72. Inspection evidence shows that pupils begin Year 1 with broadly average attainment. Pupils make rapid progress so that, by the end of Year 2, they achieve standards in English which are well above the average. This very good progress is however, not wholly sustained in the middle years. Nevertheless, by the end of Year 6, pupils achieve above average standards in all elements of the subject. There are no significant variations in the achievement of boys and girls. Many pupils identified as having special educational needs make very good progress in English. Parents who attended the pre-inspection meeting praised the efforts that the school puts into special educational needs, particularly in language. Gargrave CE (VC) Primary School - 35 73. In the current Year 2, standards in speaking and listening are above average. Pupils listen well to their teachers and to each other. For example, when retelling the story of Cinderella, the pupils in
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ENGLISH
the mixed Year 1/2 class, propose sequences, suggesting sentences such as ‘At twelve o’clock, the magic fades away’. In Class 3, Year 2 pupils give good explanations about the purpose of the contents page, for example by pointing out that ‘If you need to find the story of King Frog, you would be able to find the page it is on’.
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ENGLISH
74. In Year 6 standards in speaking and listening are above average. Pupils give observations and opinions confidently on a range of subjects. They prepare talks on a variety of topics, which they present in a balanced argument. For example, the pupils discuss whether cars should be banned from the centre of Skipton or whether mobile phones should be banned from schools. During the inspection, Year 6 pupils were observed giving good explanations of words such as ‘vulnerable’ as ‘more at risk,’ and by giving good examples, they show that they understand terms such as ‘competitive atmosphere’. However, in the middle years, through some over-direction by the teacher, the sheer enjoyment and the basic nature of the text in ‘The Iron Man’ were somewhat marginalised at the expense of an exercise on pronouns. The opportunity was lost in this lesson for the pupils to explore the language and richness of the text.
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ENGLISH
75. Pupils make very good progress in their reading, so that by the end of Year 2, they achieve standards which are well above average. The pupils thoroughly enjoy books and read for pleasure and with obvious understanding. They recall stories they have read and begin to define the main parts in a variety of texts, as observed in the literacy lessons. The pupils use reference books such as atlases and dictionaries well. One pupil questioned, clearly chose books by author preference. For example, she explained that she chose Dick King Smith because she enjoyed his books and has read most of them by now. Through the carefully modified work to meet their specific needs, pupils with special educational needs also make very good progress and thoroughly enjoy reading books.
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ENGLISH
76. The rapid progress which most pupils make up to the end of Year 3, is not entirely sustained in Years 4 and 5. Consequently, while standards are above average in Year 6, they are not wholly commensurate with the very high standards achieved earlier in Year 2. Parents who attended the pre-inspection meeting expressed disappointment at the limited choice of books in the school. In addition, they feel that the scheme which the school uses is rather predictable and unimaginative. Inspection evidence indicates that there is an adequate number of books for the infant years but similar resources for the junior classes are rather limited, both in quantity and quality. The fiction section outside Years 5 and 6 is well used but in need of replenishment. The non-fiction area outside the headteacher’s office holds some good quality reference books which the pupils are encouraged to use. However, the school should be increasingly aware of the need to increase its
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ENGLISH
non-fiction range to hold greater appeal, for boys in particular. The non-fiction area provides valuable experience for pupils to borrow books on a library system, for which they hold a ticket. The school also accesses the public library in Gargrave and many pupils enrich their repertoire of reading by regularly borrowing books from there.
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ENGLISH
77. Standards in writing are well above average by the end of Year 2. Pupils work in a range of forms, including stories, diaries, poems, letters, instructions and factual accounts. Pupils engage their imaginations and produce some sensitive writing to interest the reader. For example, one pupil writes: ‘If I had wings, I would taste the raindrops in the sky’. Pupils’ standards in spelling and punctuation are well above average for this age group and most write in well-structured and often, well extended sentences. Their handwriting is in joined script with evenly formed letters and often in ink. However, the quality of presentation does not always match the high standards achieved in other aspects of writing. Moreover, there are a few pupils who carelessly insert capital letters, for example, in the middle or ends of words. The teacher does not always bring these mistakes to pupils’ attention when marking their work.
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ENGLISH
78. The very good progress begun in Years 1 and 2 is not sustained as the pupils move through the school. Consequently, while standards remain above average, these are not commensurate with those achieved in Year 2. Nevertheless, by Year 6, the pupils write in a range of styles, for different purposes and some good work was seen in imaginative writing. For example, the pupils Gargrave CE (VC) Primary School - 36 write some effective beginnings to their stories, such as ‘It was a silent Saturday afternoon’ , or ‘ The wind hit my face like a thousand knives, as Katie and I bounced from rock to rock’. Many pupils are beginning to arrange their writing into paragraphs and to form well extended sentences. Handwriting is generally fluent. In Year 6 and generally in Year 3, the pupils use pens, but in the middle years pens are not used regularly. Parents attending the pre-inspection meeting remarked
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ENGLISH
quite correctly that they would like to see pens used more extensively and consistently across the school.
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ENGLISH
79. Standards in spelling and grammar are above average by the end of year 6. Pupils use a wide range of punctuation marks, including the apostrophe for possession and for missing letters. They enjoy writing and learn to appreciate poetry and books, by a variety of writers including Tennyson, Tolkien, J.K. Rowling, Roald Dahl and F.H Burnett. English makes a good contribution to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and development. For example, pupils learn to appreciate what is best in English literature. One pupil writes ‘I like the words that Walter de la Mare used in The Listeners’. They write book reviews that help to evaluate what they enjoy and to recommend books to others in the class.
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ENGLISH
80. Throughout the school, standards of literacy support learning effectively in other subjects. For example, Year 3 pupils understand how to write in the format of a newspaper article and write catchy headlines, such as ‘Water includes death’, when writing about recent storms around British coasts. There are examples where the pupils extract information from different sources. In a discussion, a group of Year 6 pupils, show responsible understanding that they must put information read into their own words. However, the use of information and communication technology is not sufficiently developed to support learning in English.
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ENGLISH
81. The quality of teaching and learning is very good in the infant year groups and generally good among junior pupils although this is less so in Years 4 and 5. Where teaching is particularly effective, pupils are inspired to learn. This was observed in the mixed Year 2 and 3 class where the pupils were completely absorbed in their writing, exploring the power of the language. During the shared writing, pupils’ imaginations were effectively engaged and they were visibly excited by trying out different expressions. For example, one pupil offered a different setting for the fable: ‘The grass was lush and green on the forest bed’. When drafting own fables, another pupil begins with a sentence, showing that she is aware of the reader : ‘It was a warm, sunny day and the sky was empty and blue.’
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ENGLISH
82. Teachers have very good knowledge of the English curriculum and how best to teach it. Consequently, the Literacy Strategy has been effectively implemented, particularly in the infant years. In lessons, teachers generally emphasise key points which build on what pupils already know and ask questions well to assess how much pupils have understood. Teachers’ planning has good features such as clear learning objectives and the effective preparation of tasks well suited to the age grouping and the wide range of abilities in the class. However, teachers do not always share the aims of a particular lesson with their pupils. As a result, pupils are not fully involved in their own learning nor are they aware how well they are progressing. Where teaching is particularly effective, the pupils are given challenging tasks to meet their individual needs. The teachers generally group pupils well, balance practical and written tasks sensibly and give good
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ENGLISH
attention to individual needs. Support staff are used well to give assistance to individual and to groups of pupils. The time allocated to literacy has been extended beyond the recommended hour. This is not always used appropriately as it has a tendency to stretch out the lesson and affects the pace of learning.
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ENGLISH
83. Teachers give homework regularly. However, in Years 5 and 6, this is not sufficiently consistent and rigorous to provide a good basis for independent and sustained study in secondary school. Parents are justly concerned about the situation and have recently brought the matter to the headteacher’s attention.
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ENGLISH
84. While the teachers know their pupils well and give prompt feedback in lessons, procedures for day to day assessments are not well developed. Teachers give tests regularly but these do not provide sufficient detail or analysis to guide lesson planning and step by step learning for pupils. Gargrave CE (VC) Primary School - 37 At present, teachers have their own systems of recording their pupils’ work. Individual pupil’s targets, based on accurate systems of assessments, are not presently set in English. Consequently, pupils are not involved in what they have learned or indeed, what they should learn next.
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ENGLISH
85. Teachers mark pupils’ work on a regular basis. There are some good examples of marking which is meaningful, where good effort is recognised and with some pointers what the pupil needs to do next to improve. In Year 6, the teacher writes: ‘ Give some thought to your words and get some excitement into your descriptions’, or ‘Try thinking in paragraphs.’ However, there are other examples where the teacher merely accepts work as soundly presented and yet which has doodles and scribbles on covers and some pages.
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ENGLISH
86. There is a co-ordinator for the subject who has only very recently undertaken the role. So far, she has been unable to monitor teaching and learning throughout the school, in order to ensure consistency and rigour in pupils’ standards. Resources for the subject are generally good although there are gaps in the book provision referred to earlier.
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MATHEMATICS
87. The previous inspection judged that standards were average for pupils aged five to seven and below average for pupils aged eight to eleven. Teaching and learning were good in Years 1 and 2 and satisfactory overall in Years 3 to 6. The present headteacher quickly identified that optimum use had not been made of the National Numeracy Strategy nor had it been implemented effectively throughout the school. With support from the local education authority, shortcomings in teachers’ knowledge and understanding have been addressed to the point where teaching and learning are satisfactory overall and good in the infant years. Standards have also improved but still remain low overall for the oldest pupils. In 2001, the results of national tests for pupils at the end of Year 2 were above the national average, but for pupils at the end of Year 6, they were well below those achieved nationally. In the current Year 6, higher attaining pupils in mathematics
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MATHEMATICS
represent a very small percentage of the class. The inspection confirms that pupils’ standards are broadly average by the end of Year 2 and are below average by the end of Year 6. There are no significant differences between the standards of girls and boys.
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MATHEMATICS
88. The amount of work offered for work scrutiny for pupils aged five to seven was limited and consisted mainly of extracted work sheets because of the appropriate amount of time spent on teaching mental mathematics and developing oral practice. However, in the lessons and books seen and from talking to pupils, the attainment of the current Year 1 and Year 2 pupils is judged to be broadly in line with age related expectations. The attainment of the current Year 6 pupils has improved but remains below that expected at the age of eleven. Pupils are clearly benefiting from improved teaching and better implementation of the National Numeracy Strategy, such as in mental mathematics where pupils show an increasing ability to recall facts quickly and accurately. Pupils use quick recall of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division facts very well. For example, pupils in Years 1 and 2 count backwards and forwards in ones and twos to 30
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MATHEMATICS
and use the rules governing the number sequences correctly; for example, they know the pattern of 15,13 and 11 is part of a series of odd numbers counting backwards from 30. Year 3 pupils progress to counting forwards to 99 and backwards to zero in threes. Year 4 and 5 pupils recall accurately number facts when multiplying by 6. Year 6 pupils double, half, treble and quadruple numbers from one to ninety-nine and progress to calculating multiples from 10 to 1000. Quick recall is encouraged by the effective application of mathematical games such as number bingo and ‘Treasure Island’, which pupils play with obvious enjoyment.
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MATHEMATICS
89. There are still some aspects of pupils’ performance where improvement is required. For example, while many pupils’ books are tidy and well presented, in others, untidy layouts lead to inaccurate counting and in a few instances unfinished work is accepted as ‘best.’ Data handling and problem solving are taught in discrete blocks and opportunities are not always maximised to integrate these into other areas. Pupils are taught a range of strategies to help work out problems, but some fail to identify the necessary key words to identify which strategy to use. Some of these weaknesses are still very evident in Year 6, as are some pupils lack knowledge and recall of very recent calculator work on mathematical problems. In the junior years, work on shape, space and Gargrave CE (VC) Primary School - 38 measure is less well developed than in number.
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MATHEMATICS
90. Planning shows that by the age of seven, pupils have a broad experience of all aspects of the subject. For example, pupils in Years 1 and 2 have opportunities to add and subtract numbers to 100, tell the time to the half hour and measure in centimetres. They are given opportunities to solve problems involving money, solve simple algebraic questions and define the qualities of two and three-dimensional shapes. By the end of Year 6, pupils have opportunities to convert fractions to decimals, simplify fractions, work out percentages of a whole and understand how negative numbers work. In data handling they learn about mean, medium and mode and use and interpret a range of different types of diagrams. They are given opportunities to apply problem solving skills to ‘real life’ situations.
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MATHEMATICS
91. The quality of teaching and learning is good in Years 1 and 2 and satisfactory in the junior years. The school has rightly given priority to establishing exactly what pupils’ know, understand and can do and has undertaken very detailed analysis of all available data. It has adopted a more rigorous approach to analysing pupils’ individual assessments and intends, as part of teaching and learning, to set individual targets more closely related to pupils’ prior attainment, particularly among higher attaining pupils. These targets, when finalised, are to be shared with pupils and then for work to be done in counselling these pupils regularly to ensure they know what and how they can improve. The teaching of lower attaining pupils show that the same areas of study are undertaken but that their work is suitably modified and in most cases there is extra help available. There is a sense of commitment and determination to do things well and the potential for the
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MATHEMATICS
improvement of standards appears to be good.
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MATHEMATICS
92. Standards are rising during lessons because the curriculum has improved and teaching and learning are generally good. The Numeracy Strategy has been introduced with some success and the sharper focus on knowledge, skills and understanding is benefiting progress and standards. Particularly in Years 1 and 2, pupils learn mathematical skills in a logical progression and cover all areas of the curriculum regularly and consistently by the end of the school year. The three-part lesson structure is well established, although at times the length of the introductory activity can be too long and pupils lose concentration. Lessons have clear aims and most teachers share these with the pupils at the onset of the lesson. This helps them understand the nature and rate of their own learning a little better. Teachers’ planning indicates what pupils of differing abilities should achieve and which resources will be used. In a few lessons the same concept is taught to
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MATHEMATICS
all pupils. Vocabulary is used to reinforce learning; for example, most Year 6 pupils know the meaning of quintuple, quadruple and treble and use these in their work on number and algebra. Others are confident in the use of acute and obtuse in their work on angles and bearings.
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MATHEMATICS
93. There are several strengths of teaching, including the management of pupils, the teaching of basic skills and particularly mental mathematics sessions, when pupils listen carefully to their teachers and are keen to answer questions. A good contribution is also made by the classroom assistants. The introduction of a ‘Booster Class’ supports learning well and helps pupils to move ahead in their learning. Pupils with special educational needs are given perceptive support and assistance and make good progress towards the targets in their Individual Educational Plans. Classroom assistants are well briefed on the main learning objectives of lessons to ensure that help remains well focussed.
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MATHEMATICS
94. There are now good procedures in place for assessing pupils’ attainment and progress and to track the progress of groups of pupils and the progress of each year group. However, although pupils’ work is assessed at regular intervals, teachers do not make it totally clear in their planning how they use the results of such assessments to decide what exactly pupils must learn next.
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MATHEMATICS
95. Teachers mark pupils’ work regularly, but some examples are not specific enough to promote maximum improvement. The best marking gives clear guidance and is written in a positive and encouraging style and helps pupils to progress in their learning. This helps pupils to focus on what they are to learn and as a result, pupils have very positive attitudes and most concentrate well. They are well behaved and co-operate well when working in pairs or in small groups. Teachers set homework regularly and use it well to consolidate work begun in lessons. Gargrave CE (VC) Primary School - 39 96. The subject is well led and managed by two enthusiastic co-ordinators. Mathematics is rightly a continuing priority for the school. The co-ordinator who has overview of the mathematical curriculum as a whole, now analyses information from national and school-based tests to search for strengths and weaknesses in the quality of teaching and in the quality of pupils’ work. This is
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MATHEMATICS
beginning to have a beneficial effect on raising standards and more realistic and challenging targets for 2002 to 20003 have been set to help raise standards for each year group. The school is conscious of the need to extend this practice to include the setting of individual pupils’ targets and also to increase the level of monitoring teaching and learning. Learning resources are well cared for, well stored and used efficiently to assist pupils’ learning. The use of information and communication technology has improved significantly since the previous inspection but could still be used more widely to extend the mathematical experiences of the pupils. Gargrave CE (VC) Primary School - 40
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SCIENCE
97. Since 1998 standards in science have fluctuated considerably, particularly in the junior age group. Whilst some of this has undoubtedly been due to the different levels of ability present in any one year group, weaknesses in the organisation of teaching and learning have also played a significant part in standards remaining mainly below the national average at the stage of transfer to the high school. The emphasis on pupils’ knowledge rather than on the development of investigative work has been a ‘lost’ factor in the development of pupils’ attainment and progress in the subject. The current co-ordinator realises the need for some shift in emphasis in this respect and has already increased, to good effect, the amount of experimental work undertaken by many pupils.
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SCIENCE
98. The results of 2001 teacher assessment at the end of Year 2 indicated that pupils scored well in relation to the expected level in science for their age. Pupils did less well in relation to the higher level where they are frequently asked to think scientifically and evaluate their findings. The results of the 2001 tests for pupils at the end of Year 6 indicated that standards were below the national average in relation to primary schools generally as well in relation to similar schools. A well below average number of pupils achieved the higher level for their age. Pupils have tended to score below average results in the subject since 1997. The results of inspection indicate the extent of the improvements now taking place. Although only a limited range of work was available to be seen across the school, standards by the end of both Years 2 and 6 were judged to be broadly average although weaknesses still occur in relation to the need to increase still further the range
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SCIENCE
and quality of investigational work undertaken by the pupils. The subject has remained at broadly the same level reported during the previous inspection. There is no significant difference between the standards achieved by girls and boys and there are no issues relating to equal access.
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SCIENCE
99. Pupils in several age groups have undertaken useful and accurate studies relating to nutrition and good health. There is currently some overlap in the work being taught and the school is now aware of the need to ensure topic coverage is appropriate to the age of the pupils, particularly if a subject is being revisited. Pupils in Year 2 made some good progress when learning about teeth and enjoyed a useful visit from a dentist, eventually showing the extent of their new found knowledge to parents and pupils in the hall. Year 2 pupils also examine sources of light and how light can be harnessed for man’s purposes. In Year 1 pupils also make short studies of sound and know that sound is caused by vibration. They also know about how sound travels and reaches the human ear.
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SCIENCE
100. By the end of Year 6, pupils show satisfactory levels of knowledge and understanding relating to studies in good health, the school environment and space. Much of their work is book- and knowledge-related and there is only limited experience of physical science such as experimenting with water, magnets and forces, although some of this work is to be attempted later in the year. During one lesson, pupils showed satisfactory understanding of the impact of vigorous exercise on their hearts and were able to work successfully in groups taking their pulses in an approved way. As with much of their work, the recording of the results, whilst satisfactory overall, was either very directed by the teacher or lacked a sense of good arrangement and organisation if completed by the pupils themselves. Pupils lack sufficient experience of setting up their own experiments and using previous knowledge to evaluate the results. Although improving, there is
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SCIENCE
also a need for pupils to be clear as to why they believe something occurred and to record this using good levels of scientific language.
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SCIENCE
101. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory across the school. Teachers show satisfactory levels of subject knowledge although several need more confidence when translating pupils’ knowledge into genuine investigations. Their expectations also need to be raised in terms of the pupils finding out more for themselves, including how to set up a fair test and to record their results with increasing accuracy. Although adequate overall, there is still the need for some staff to shift the teaching emphasis away from merely imparting knowledge to the pupils, to involving them more in practical experiences and prolonged discussions as to why things occur as they do. There has been renewed emphasis on the teaching and learning of basic scientific skills in the upper junior classes, but the co-ordinator has rightly assessed the need for this to begin more Gargrave CE (VC) Primary School - 41
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SCIENCE
systematically lower down the school. The general management of pupils during lessons is both safe and productive. In the infant classes, pupils’ learning is strengthened by the presence of careful planning that targets the learning of individual groups of pupils such as those with special educational needs, and this leads to better progress particularly when extra adults offer additional help.
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SCIENCE
102. Pupils’ attainment in science is assessed at regular intervals by means of either end of topic tests or more formal assessment throughout the junior years. However, staff show insufficient use of the results of these assessments in their subsequent planning. Progress in science is normally heightened when assessment is used to determine the exact point pupils are at in their learning and the use of this form of assessment in particular is not yet strong enough in the school.
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SCIENCE
103. The curriculum provided by the school meets the statutory requirements in science although the balance achieved between the various elements in the subject do require some attention. The leadership offered by the science co-ordinator is satisfactory although there are areas of weakness such as the lack of monitoring of standards and the systematic development of teaching in the subject. The resources used by staff to support their lessons are satisfactory although an increase in materials for experimental science would be advisable as this element becomes more the norm. There was little evidence of information and communication technology being used on a regular basis in science and this is clearly something for the school to address as soon as possible.
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ART AND DESIGN
104. Standards in art and design are broadly in line with that expected for the age of the pupils by the end of Years 2 and 6. Good provision for art and design has generally been sustained so that satisfactory improvement has been maintained since the previous inspection. The available evidence indicates that pupils make at least satisfactory gains in their learning, including those with special educational needs. All pupils are fully included in all aspects of work in art and design. Judgements are based upon the lessons seen, planning, photographs and displays around the school.
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ART AND DESIGN
105. The activities seen help develop the skills of art and design systematically through the use of a refined scheme of work. This reflects the school’s adoption of national guidelines and offers step- by-step development of pupils’ knowledge, skills and understanding. By the time they leave the school, pupils have experienced a satisfactory range of techniques in two and three dimensional work and this is beginning to show in their attention to detail and in work that is increasingly sophisticated. Pupils express their own ideas and interpretations with increasing confidence as they comment on their own work and that of others.
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ART AND DESIGN
106. Only two lessons were seen during the inspection so no secure judgement can be made on the overall quality of teaching in the school. Years 1 and 2 are given many opportunities to explore colour pattern, texture, line and tone, and to combine and organise these for different purposes. They experience a range of media and apply colour in pastels, chalk, paint and crayon. Observational drawing and sketching form the foundation of all pupils’ two-dimensional work. Skilful use of pencils as a medium in observational drawing continues throughout the school. Year 5 and 6 pupils sketch still life drawings of what they see, remember and imagine, such as pairs of trainers, masks and chairs. They have opportunities to study the work of famous artists such as Georgia O’Keeffe and using green and blue pastels, create a picture depicting the feelings evoked from the music ‘Romance from Gadfly’. Computer generated artwork, used to produce different
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ART AND DESIGN
types of houses demonstrates pupils’ skills in selecting a range of colours and controlling their application. Pupils develop their modelling skills well as they learn new techniques and use a variety of materials to fashion tiles and pots and decorate them with vibrant colours. A friend of the school then fires the clay objects, producing a professional object, which is highly appreciated by the pupils. Gargrave CE (VC) Primary School - 42 107. By Year 6, pupils express their own ideas and interpretations with increasing confidence and sophistication. Techniques in drawing, printmaking, collage, sculpture and textiles develop well. Little work on famous artists was seen during the inspection, but planning shows that pupils have opportunities to examine the work and techniques of different artists and recreate pictures in their style. There are effective cross-curricular links with other subjects such as history and geography.
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ART AND DESIGN
Pupils in Years 4 and 5 make Egyptian death masks and necklaces, linking their work successfully to their historical studies of Ancient Egypt. They develop their three dimensional work in art as a group activity, for example, when pupils make models of an Egyptian mummy and obelisk.
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ART AND DESIGN
108. From available evidence, teachers show good levels of planning and ensure pupils experience a wide range of activities in order to develop their skills. Support is offered at an individual level. For example, a pupils’ work on the use of perspective and shading techniques was under developed but he was given effective support and encouragement by the teacher. As a result he completed his work satisfactorily. In another lesson, pupils were enthusiastic and eager to start their work completing a pattern using horizontal and vertical strips of coloured paper, but became restless when resources were not readily at hand at the beginning of the session.
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ART AND DESIGN
109. Visits, such as those to the Sculpture Park in York and Manchester Museum, enhance pupils’ cultural understanding. Opportunities are also given for pupils to experience and appreciate work done in silk making and clay pottery with the help of the local artists.
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ART AND DESIGN
110. The co-ordination of the subject is unsatisfactory. There is a corporate responsibility for the subject undertaken by all the teachers and this leads to the needs of the subject lacking focus. The school is conscious that this is unsatisfactory and has plans to delegate greater responsibility to one person. However, as a consequence, no rigorous monitoring of teaching and learning has taken place in art to improve standards. Procedures are not in place to assess pupils’ skills and more could be undertaken with samples of work to help teachers judge the standard of art work in the school. This makes it more difficult for teachers to base lessons on the skills that individual pupils need to develop. There is an effective scheme of work, which gives detailed guidance and support on the knowledge, skills and techniques that pupils need to know. However, the ‘block timetabling’ for art does not allow pupils to have frequent and regular
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ART AND DESIGN
opportunities to build up their art and design skills. Sketchbooks are not used regularly or consistently to provide valuable contributions to the development of ideas, knowledge and understanding. Resources are adequate overall and are used satisfactorily to extend the experiences of the pupils although computer software could be used more extensively in the subject.
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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY
111. Standards in design and technology are in line with those expected nationally by the end of Year 6. There was insufficient evidence to make a secure judgement on standards and overall provision in the subject in the infant years. Sound provision for design and technology overall has been sustained since the previous inspection. This judgement is based upon the one lesson seen, planning, photographs and displays around the school. The evidence indicates that older pupils in particular make satisfactory gains in their learning, including those with special educational needs. No judgement can be made on the overall quality of teaching and learning. All pupils are fully included in all aspects of work in design and technology.
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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY
112. In the infant classes, pupils use models, pictures and words to describe their designs. They develop skills and techniques in handling paper, card, malleable materials and learn to cut, shape, join and combine materials to make models such as houses and hand puppets. They cut out components accurately, with the aid of templates, and join them with split pins, staples, glue and thread. Pupils develop ways to introduce movement, such as simple levers and use large sized construction apparatus to make moving vehicles such as cars with axles and wheels fixed to a simple chassis. Displays illustrate how pupils in Years 1 and 2 gain a basic understanding of structures through creating static models of houses and buildings from reclaimed materials. Gargrave CE (VC) Primary School - 43 They identify the strengths and weaknesses of their designs and are beginning to evaluate the finished products by seeing how well they fit the original design. There is less evidence, however,
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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY
of pupils using computer-generated designs.
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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY
113. Pupils in the junior years build on knowledge and skills acquired. They have a working knowledge of the designing and making process. Those in Years 4 and 5 learn basic food preparation techniques, the importance of hygiene in food preparation and the safe use of tools when making sandwiches. They decide what materials they need and critically assess their work, to see how they can improve their designs, according to appearance, aroma, texture and taste. Pupils in Years 5 and 6 learn about fabric construction, decorating techniques and appliqué and use advanced joining techniques such as running stitch and backstitch when making slippers, hats and purses. Planning shows that pupils in Year 6 have opportunities to design and make controllable toys, using switches and motors. There is however, no consistent use of sketchbooks throughout the school in which pupils sketch their designs and record evaluations of
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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY
114. Talking to Year 6 pupils showed that they are aware of the design planning element in design technology and recall what they have done, but are less aware of the evaluation process and knowledge and understanding of materials and components.
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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY
115. Leadership of the subject is unsatisfactory as there is no co-ordinator with direct responsibility for the subject. Consequently, monitoring of planning, teaching and learning in order to improve practice does not take place. There is an effective scheme of work which gives detailed guidance and support on the knowledge, skills and techniques that pupils need to know, but the ‘block timetable does not allow pupils to have frequent and regular opportunities to build up their design and technology skills. The scheme of work is linked successfully to the topics which teachers currently use. There is no formal assessment of pupils’ skills and no assessed sample of pupils’ assessed work to help teachers judge the standard of pupils’ work. This makes it difficult for teachers to know which skills individual pupils need to develop. Design and technology contributes to pupils’ social development, not only in school lessons, but also in community
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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY
events. For example, the school took part in the village Art Festival and exhibited a life-sized model of Guy Fawkes made by the pupils. Overall, resources are unsatisfactory to meet the needs of the new scheme of work, particularly in the range of tools needed for older pupils, but these are to be supplemented with relevant equipment as new units of work are taught.
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GEOGRAPHY
116. Standards in geography are in line with national expectations by the end of Years 2 and 6. The school has maintained its standards since the previous inspection. There are no significant differences between the relative standards of girls and boys. Pupils, including those with special educational needs, make mainly satisfactory progress although sampled work indicated better progress in the infant years.
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GEOGRAPHY
117. Pupils in Years 1 and 2 know that Britain consists of four countries and they name these correctly. Through their careful studies, pupils learn that jobs and transport are influenced by the locality in which people live. Through careful planning of lessons, the teacher builds on pupils’ previous learning by linking work based on the Island of Struay, to Gargrave, by introducing photographs of places around the village. The pupils understand that there are different ways of transport on an island, such as ferries, which carry goods from the island to the mainland. Pupils recognise some of the landmarks in the village and propose jobs involved in working at a petrol station or at the local public house. The teacher of Years 2 and 3 helps pupils build on their previous knowledge by extending this learning to places that are further afield. Pupils investigate newspaper cuttings of topical news such as the recent storms around Britain. Pupils
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GEOGRAPHY
are familiar with atlases and know how to find places by looking at the index to locate places such as Brighton or Cornwall. The teacher makes good use of pupils’ well-developed literacy skills to record findings in the format of a newspaper article. Gargrave CE (VC) Primary School - 44 118. As pupils move through the school, the relatively good start, which they make in lower year groups, is not continued. While the overall quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory in the junior years, it lacks the rigour required to ensure that pupils build on what they know, understand and can do. For example, pupils look at topical news and then match it to a locality in an atlas, but they are unable to use grid references to locate places quickly. While using the news is a useful strategy for interesting pupils in what is happening in the wider world, the overall result is that pupils do not build on their geographical skills in a progressive and systematic manner to
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GEOGRAPHY
ensure secure knowledge and understanding in the subject. Assessments of pupils’ attainment are not well planned for and consequently pupils learn less well than they should because teachers do not build on carefully what their pupils already know. 119. The school makes good use of the local environment and educational visits to extend pupils’ work in geography. The younger pupils learn about homes around Gargrave and sort these out into sets, making good use of their numeracy skills. Older pupils visit Brecon Hall and in Year 6, the pupils participate in a residential course where they are involved in practical geography. However, while these opportunities effectively enrich the curriculum, these do not provide a secure framework for progressive learning in the subject.
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GEOGRAPHY
120. The subject is one of several led by the staff as a whole and whilst this has some advantages, it means geography is not led with the rigour and awareness required to help improve standards. Resources are satisfactory although the school has not yet explored the potential of computer software as a basis for extending geographical skills.
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HISTORY
121. By the end of Years 2 and 6, standards in history are generally in line with national expectations and similar to those found in the previous inspection. There is no noticeable difference between the standards achieved by boys and girls.
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HISTORY
122. Pupils, including those with special educational needs, make satisfactory progress over time, although progress in the infant years is heightened by the good quality of teaching and learning observed during the inspection. The quality of teaching and learning is good overall in the infant and early junior years and satisfactory from Year 4 onwards.
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HISTORY
123. In a lesson observed in the mixed Year 1 and 2 class, the teacher showed a very good range of artefacts for pupils to investigate from first hand, and encouraged them to offer modern day substitutes. Through this exploration, the pupils learned and understood that changes take place and associated these changes with the passing of time. The teachers and the classroom assistant worked with different groups ensuring that each explore different artefacts before the lesson ended. They asked challenging questions to make pupils think and to consider practicalities, for example, when using the bed heater , ‘ If it’s water, what would happen to it?’ The pupils suggested that hot coals were probably used instead.
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HISTORY
124. In the mixed Year 2 and 3 class, the pupils, including those with special educational needs, also considered similar artefacts, thereby ensuring that Year 2 pupils in both classes, have the same curriculum in history. Pupils from both year groups remembered from a previous lesson how a variety of artefacts were used in the past. They explain what we use now, for example, toasters and electric blankets. The teacher helped the pupils to consider changes that have taken place in the village, by asking questions such as, ‘ How do we know that these pictures are from Gargrave?’ The pupils recognised some of the landmarks such as the station. The teacher ensured that pupils were working on tasks suited to their needs by modifying these accordingly for those pupils who have special educational needs and more challenging work for the more able pupils. During the discussion sessions, both teachers grouped pupils in mixed ability and age
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HISTORY
groups intentionally. Through this arrangement, pupils of all abilities learned from one another, sharing ideas and opinions.
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HISTORY
125. As pupils move through the junior classes, there is not the same rigour applied to teaching and learning in history as there is lower down the school. The subject has been rightly identified in Gargrave CE (VC) Primary School - 45 need of urgent review. The school uses the guidelines produced by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, on a two year cycle basis. However, systematic building of skills, knowledge and understanding of history are not ensured because planning for pupils’ next steps in learning does not take place. As a result, while the overall standards are satisfactory, they are not as good as those achieved by the pupils in younger classes. Teachers in the junior years do not build sufficiently on what the pupils already know, understand and can do in history.
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HISTORY
126. The school uses educational visits well to extend pupils’ understanding of the subject. Visits include places such as Bolling Hall, where the pupils learned at first hand how children in the past lived and played. Pupils also visit Manchester Museum for Egyptian studies and good use is made of the locality where the pupils learn about the changes that have taken place in Gargrave. Local organisations are used well to support learning in history, for example, about the canal. The school accesses the public library to extend resources for further research. However, while there are some positive developments in history, the subject is in need of further assessment to ensure progressive learning in all year groups. The subject does not have an overall co-ordinator and opportunities to flag up strengths and weaknesses, together with priorities for development, are missed set against the wider pressures of the National Curriculum as a whole.
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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY
127. Standards in information and communication technology (ICT) are in line with national expectations by the end of Years 2 and 6. The previous inspection judged standards to be satisfactory at Key Stage 1 with insufficient evidence to judge standards in Key Stage 2. The subject featured in the key issues for action and improvement for the school. Since then, the school has made good progress in teaching and learning in the subject, particularly in recent months, through improved teachers’ skills and through better provision of resources. In addition, the subject is well managed by the co-ordinator who keeps an overview of developments and assists teachers through effective professional development. As a result, since October, standards have risen in several aspects of the subject.
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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY
128. It was possible to see only one formal lesson during the inspection so it is difficult to make a secure judgement on the quality of teaching. However, other judgements can be made from lesson planning, an analysis of pupils’ work in all years and discussions with pupils and teachers. Pupils make satisfactory progress over time, even though during an observed lesson, the pupils made good progress in the designated area. Pupils with special educational needs also make at least satisfactory progress in the subject through the careful support they receive in lessons. For example, during the inspection, a parent helper with expertise in ICT, very effectively assisted Year 2 and 3 pupils with creating a spreadsheet and entering new information onto a database. The pupils were able to save their information in a table format. Both the teacher and the voluntary helper only assisted the pupils if they were unable to continue with their work. They
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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY
discussed problems so that the pupils were able to work out for themselves how to overcome these step by step. Good demonstrations by the parent and the teacher effectively extended the pupils’ skills still further.
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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY
129. The analysis of pupils’ work on display indicates that the pupils understand the relevance of what they are doing in relation to the building of skills needed in other subjects. Years 1 and 2 use a tape recorder to collect information about homes and know how to access CD-ROMS to find and retrieve information. They are able to use different icons on the computer confidently and competently. Pupils in Year 4 and 5 produce bar charts and learn how orders can be made on the computer. Through their visit to a supermarket in Settle, pupils learn how information is passed onto other stores via computers. In Year 6, the pupils use the Publisher program to write about Gargrave, in different styles and layouts. Pupils can explore data, extract text from different sources and incorporate pictures in their document. Pupils use computer devices such as digital cameras on their visit to the supermarket, for example. In a project in years 2 and 3, pupils show
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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY
how they are able to manipulate sounds. They record, save and manipulate sound to make it faster, slower and reverse it. They are delighted with the effect produced in such an exploration. Gargrave CE (VC) Primary School - 46 130. The subject contributes well to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Pupils learn to work with one another and are beginning to appreciate the power of ICT. For example, they know how to email people near home and further afield, such as the chair of governors presently on holiday in Australia. In this way, the pupils learn to appreciate real world application of ICT. Pupils are taught to be critical thinkers and readers of print matter. Teachers have made very clear to the pupils about the dangers of material that can be transmitted on the Internet and how to deal with this should the rare occasion arise.
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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY
131. While ICT is developing well throughout the school, computers are not used sufficiently to support teaching and learning across all subjects. For example, during the inspection, there were very few occasions when the computers were being used, even informally, during lessons. As a result, opportunities are missed to consolidate learning in the subjects as well as in ICT. The subject is well led and adequately resourced, although resources are improving all the time. The co-ordinator plans to extend the use of computers across all areas in the very near future. There is also a detailed plan of action for further improvements. These include linking ICT opportunities more appropriately to the whole school curriculum, including music, by incorporating ICT opportunities into the schemes of work. The co-ordinator has also started to collect samples of work and is developing the system so that it gives a clear picture of pupils’ progress and
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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY
attainment. The procedures for assessment, which the co-ordinator has developed, provide a structured approach, which also help the teachers to plan their lessons for the subject and to help the pupils to build on their existing skills. In addition, these are beginning to help the co-ordinator to plan the curriculum more accurately.
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MUSIC
132. The timetable offered by the school during this three day inspection meant that, apart from a short session observing recorders, no other music was available for scrutiny. It was therefore not possible to make secure judgement on pupils’ standards, the usual quality of teaching and learning in the subject and the improvements in music, if any, since the previous inspection. The long-term planning indicates satisfactory coverage in the subject with all elements of the music curriculum taught during the year. In some classes there is a tendency to teach music in blocks of time rather than over weekly intervals and this rather fragmented approach is likely to impinge on the way pupils develop their basic skills. The school has no experienced co-ordinator and this needs to be rectified as soon as possible to ensure the subject is taught regularly and which elements, for example, need the greatest concentration of time, effort and resources. The general
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MUSIC
provision for music is enriched by visiting peripatetic musicians who teach selected pupils instruments such as guitar, woodwind, keyboard and brass. A few pupils are also voice trained by a specialist. The short observed session on recorders involving pupils in Year 3 was well conducted and the pupils responded with great enthusiasm, later performing a simple tune to parents in assembly.
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PHYSICAL EDUCATION
133. This was a subject judged to be a strength during the previous inspection. Although only very limited aspects of the subject were available for scrutiny, the current inspection found that many of the strengths, particularly in the quality of teaching and learning, had been retained. Standards in gymnastics are broadly at the level expected for the age of the pupils, with no significant difference between the attainment of girls and boys. Planning ensures equal opportunity on offer to all pupils.
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PHYSICAL EDUCATION
134. The manner in which physical education is organised and because of the winter months, it was possible to see only gymnastics being taught throughout the school. By the end of Years 2 and 6 standards in this element meet age related expectations. Although pupils were attempting very similar kinds of work there was sound progression in terms of what they actually achieved as they became older. In Years 1 and 2 pupils reached sound standards in relation to finding and using space, running, turning and balancing. In Year 3 pupils develop sound skills in sequencing their Gargrave CE (VC) Primary School - 47 jumps, rolls and balances and some showed above average ability to improvise these depending on the apparatus before them. In Years 4 and 5 pupils attained average standards for their age when exploring and interpreting time, shape and direction while working at different levels. The manner of linking some of these aspects was well completed by about half the class. In Year 6,
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PHYSICAL EDUCATION
pupils show sound ability to modify their actions and sequences when working with a partner exploring different points of balance with travelling in between.
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PHYSICAL EDUCATION
135. The quality of teaching and learning was good in all but one lesson, although over time, pupils make satisfactory progress and reach average standards. Teachers show confidence in their knowledge of what the various age groups require in gymnastics and translate this into lessons of good pace and challenge. Good attention is paid to direct instruction on technique and this heightens learning and progress. Teachers also encourage pupils to self-evaluate their actions and to improve through careful observation of others. In this respect, teachers use pupil demonstration well and give helpful encouragement to any who struggle to reach their potential. The positive enthusiasm of the pupils is an important contributory factor to their own learning. Pupils dress well for lessons and make a sustained, conscious effort to improve their work. They are attentive to the teacher and behave reliably. When the teacher stresses matters of personal
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PHYSICAL EDUCATION
safety, they take care of themselves and of others. The management of the pupils and the high expectations as to their response and overall standards, are good strengths of the teaching and learning programme. A relative weakness is the lack of formal assessment in the subject.
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PHYSICAL EDUCATION
136. The subject meets statutory requirements and currently has an enthusiastic co-ordinator who is assessing those areas which need greater attention, such as educational dance. Swimming is taught lower down the school to ensure that by the end of Year 6, most pupils can swim the prescribed 25 metres. The subject is also well supported by a small range of out-of-hours clubs and some residential periods that support and promote adventurous activities. The subject is adequately resourced and the outdoor accommodation is very good with lots of potential.
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