Cantrell Primary and Nursery School

CANTRELL PRIMARY & NURSERY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 5 th November 2001 – 8 th November 2001

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CANTRELL PRIMARY & NURSERY SCHOOL

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

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CANTRELL PRIMARY & NURSERY 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. Cantrell Primary & Nursery

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Cantrell Road Bulwell Nottingham

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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: Philip Jackson

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 17/03/1997 Cantrell Primary & Nursery

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responsibilities

13158 J’Anne Robertson Registered inspector History What sort of school is it? The school’s results and pupil’s achievements How well is the school led and managed? What should the school do to improve further? 9736 John Brasier Lay inspector How well does the school care for its pupils? How well does the school work in partnership with parents? 24658 Fiona Musters Team inspector Under Fives Music Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development 10780 David Orsborne Team inspector Science Information and communication technology How well are pupils taught?

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responsibilities

19237 Bill Russell Team inspector English Special Educational Needs 17852 Lawrence Moscrop Team inspector Geography Physical Education Religious Education Equal Opportunities 30782 Sue Crawford- Condie Team inspector Maths Art Design & technology How good are the curricular and other opportunities offered to pupils Cantrell Primary & Nursery The inspection contractor was:

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responsibilities

Norfolk Education Advisory Service Norwich Professional Development Centre Woodside Road Norwich NR7 9QL

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responsibilities

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

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responsibilities

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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responsibilities

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Cantrell Primary & Nursery

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 7

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

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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS? 12

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Cantrell primary and nursery school is a community school for pupils aged three to eleven, situated in the urban area of Bulwell, a suburb north east of Nottingham City. With 406 children on roll it is larger than most other primary schools. Together, with other schools in Bulwell, it is in an Educational Action Zone as the area has been identified as having high levels of social and economic deprivation. The school serves a diverse catchment area of mixed housing with local authority, housing association, private rented and owner occupied housing. Nearly 43 per cent of the main school children are on the school’s register for special educational needs. This is well above the national average. There are three children with statements for special educational needs. Nearly all children are from English backgrounds with a small number from ethnic minority backgrounds. There are high levels of

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

mobility as a larger than average number of children join the school part way through the primary phase due to the school’s popularity and over-subscription. Twenty-five per cent of children are entitled to free school meals, which is above the national average. Most children in the school have attended the nursery. Attainment on entry to the nursery is below that expected. Attainment on entry to the school is at a higher level than other schools in the city.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

Cantrell primary and nursery is a good school with the capacity to become an excellent one. The school’s motto, “Harmony through working together”, is reflected in its good learning ethos. High standards are promoted and all are encouraged to succeed where possible. Children make good progress in the nursery. On the basis of national test results, the school has made steady improvements in standards between 1997 and 2000. The school has continued to succeed ensuring higher-attaining children do well in writing and mathematics. The improvements in writing were such that in 2001 the school was granted Beacon status. Teaching is good overall with some points of excellence. The headteacher, deputy head and senior management team provide effective leadership. Governors play a full part in the life of the school. The school consistently seeks ways to improve. It has become a thinking school where staff consider where next? How do we get there? Are we going in the right direction?

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

The school provides good value for money.

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What the school does well

• The more able achieve well in writing. • Mathematics and science have improved since the last inspection. • There are very good standards in art throughout and in music in Years 3 to 6. • Behaviour is very good, relationships are excellent and children have good attitudes to learning. • Teaching is good overall with some points of excellence. • Provision for children with special educational needs is good. • Provision for extra-curricular activities are excellent. • The school is an inclusive community – children and staff practice the school’s equal rights statement in their daily lives. • A high quality of care pervades every aspect of the school. • The school’s links with parents and parental involvement with the school are very good. • The head teacher, deputy head and senior management team provides effective leadership. • Governors play a full part in the life of the school. Cantrell Primary & Nursery

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What could be improved

• The match of work to the differing learning needs of all the children in each target group, especially in mathematics. • Children’s reading skills so that they can use a number of different approaches to new words and have opportunities to discuss interpretations of their reading. • The quality of marking so that all children know how well they are doing and why, and what they need to do next. • Provision for the foundation stage, especially summer born children. • Use of baseline and nursery assessments. • Curriculum balance to provide relevant opportunities for flexibility. 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 March, 1997. Raising standards of attainment was an issue. Progress in this has been satisfactory overall and good in writing and mathematics in both Key Stages. Teaching has continued to improve and the proportion of very good and or better lessons has increased considerably. The school has implemented the full information and communication technology curriculum. There has been a very marked improvement in the teaching of physical education. Progress for special educational needs children has improved; where it was ‘sound’ it is now good. Spiritual development and religious education has improved. Overall, quality of education provided is better than at the last inspection.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

Teaching time for Years 3 to 6 is now sufficient for the curriculum. However, the inspection has revealed that time blocks require reviewing as sometimes the over long slots for some subjects lead to others being squeezed.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

Attendance has improved though lateness is a problem that is being vigorously tackled by seeking parental cooperation, The concern regarding provision for children who come into Year 1 classes in September without any reception experience still remains.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The role of the curriculum coordinator has improved in all subjects, although the foundation stage still requires improvement to support policy procedures and provision.

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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 C E D C well above average above average A B

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Key

mathematics D D D C average below average C D science B D D C well below average E

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Key

Attainment on entry to the nursery is below that expected by age. In the lessons seen, Cantrell Primary & Nursery children make good progress. When children are assessed at age five many meet the expected early learning goals for the end of the foundation stage.

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Key

On the basis of national test results, the school has made steady improvements in standards between 1997 and 2000, for reading, writing and mathematics in Years 1 and 2. In Years 3 to 6 results have shown similar improvements in mathematics although results in English and science have fluctuated. The school has continued to be successful at ensuring able children to do well in writing and mathematics. It should be noted that almost a third of children who took the Key Stage 2 tests in 2001 had special educational needs.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Since the last inspection children have maintained their good attitudes to learning. Children take great pride in their school. Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Behaviour in lessons is very good and children move around the school demonstrating care and courtesy. There have been no cases of exclusion. Personal development and relationships Personal development is very good. Opportunities are given for children to take responsibility, which they do with enthusiasm. Opportunities for children to show initiative are less overt but are well represented through the work of the school council. Relationships are excellent and a strength of the school.

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Aspect Comment

Attendance Attendance is satisfactory. At 93 per cent, this represents a slight improvement since the last inspection. Children from families at risk inflate the absence figures because they remain on the school roll for long periods after they cease attending.

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Aspect Comment

The school positively promotes inclusion and the few incidents of bullying or racism are dealt with promptly and handled very well. Children respect other people’s differences and reflect on their actions and attitudes towards others. Cantrell Primary & Nursery

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Nursery * Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

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

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Nursery * Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

* At the time of the inspection there were no reception classes due to the school’s admission policy of children entering the main school the term after their fifth birthday.

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Nursery * Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

Overall, the quality of teaching is good. This is a significant improvement since the last inspection when teaching in four per cent of lessons was unsatisfactory. The proportion of very good and excellent teaching has increased, from nine per cent to 27 per cent this time.

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Nursery * Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

The quality of teaching in the nursery is good and has a positive impact on learning. In Years 1 and 2 it was good in 33 per cent of lessons and very good in 17 per cent. In Years 3 to 6 it is good overall, with 45 per cent good, 20 per cent very good and 10 per cent excellent. The good teaching has led to improving results in national tests, good behaviour in classes and all children, including those with special educational needs, those from different racial backgrounds and those with different learning styles, acquiring new knowledge and learning effectively.

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Nursery * Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

The teaching of English is very good in all years although phonic knowledge is overemphasised at the expense of its application for some younger children. The teaching of mathematics is good in all years, although there is some repetition in the planning for the target groups in mathematics.

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Nursery * Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

All teachers have a detailed knowledge and understanding of the National Literacy Strategy that they use consistently to plan good lessons that extend children’s knowledge and understanding. The quality of teaching in numeracy is good overall, strengthened by some examples of very good teaching in all years and excellent teaching in Years 3 to 6.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum The curriculum for five to eleven year-olds is broad and balanced. Autumn and spring born children have experience of a reception class in the main school. Summer born children do not receive access to the full Foundation stage curriculum due to the admission policy of children entering the school in the term after their fifth birthday. Provision for pupils with special educational needs Provision for children with special educational needs is good throughout. Cantrell Primary & Nursery Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Provision for personal, social and health education in the school is very good and is a strength of the school. The school’s provision for spiritual, moral and cultural development is good.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils Staff know their children very well. In consequence, a high quality of care pervades every aspect of the school. This is consistent with the findings of the last inspection. The school is a secure environment with all the expected safety measures in place. Child protection procedures are very good, as are procedures for improving behaviour. Procedures for promoting attendance are satisfactory.

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Aspect Comment

Parents are highly appreciative of the education provided. The school’s links with parents is very good and the impact of parents’ involvement is very effective.

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Aspect

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff The headteachers leadership is of a high quality. She provides very good educational direction to the school. Her management is very good. She maintains a good balance between initiatives and their consolidation in raising standards. The senior management team, in particular the deputy head, effectively support the head teacher How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities The governors carry out their statutory duties fully and effectively. They are full partners in the life of the school and monitor aspects both informally and formally. They are keen promoters of standards and the child as a whole person. The school’s evaluation of its performance Governors practice best value by reviewing initiatives, school priorities and spending decisions with a view to improving learning. Admissions are part of the governors’ remit. As admissions are currently organised, summer born children enter

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Aspect

Year 1 without the benefit of being in a reception class and an entire foundation stage curriculum. The strategic use of resources The specific grants, which the school receives for special educational needs, membership of the Education Action Zone and Beacon status, are used effectively.

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Aspect

Monitoring of teaching and learning is rigorous and multifaceted, including formal observations, peer observations, moderation of children’s work and effective use of performance management targets. Teachers continually seek ways to improve their teaching. They make good use of the opportunities for sharing practice within the school, the Education Action Zone partnership and the links resulting from the school’s Beacon Status.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• children like coming to school; • children make good progress; • the good behaviour in the school; • the good teaching in the school; • they feel comfortable when approaching the school with questions or a problem; • the school expects the children to work hard and achieve their best; • the school is well managed; • the school is helping their children to mature and develop responsibility. • a very few parents felt they were not always kept well informed; • some felt that the school could provide a more interesting range of activities outside of lessons.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

Inspectors’ judgements support the positive views. End of year progress reports are well prepared and include improvement targets, especially for the older children. These are less precise for the youngest. The range of activities outside of school is extensive and far exceeds that provided by similar schools. It is the view of the inspection team that this provision constitutes a significant strength of the school.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

1. Attainment on entry to the nursery is below that expected by age. In the lessons seen, children make good progress. When children are assessed at age five many meet the expected early learning goals for the end of the foundation stage.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

2. On the basis of national test results, the school made steady improvements in standards between 1997 and 2000, for reading, writing and mathematics in Years 1 and 2. In Years 3 to 6 results have shown similar improvements in mathematics although results in English and science have fluctuated.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

3. In the 2001 National Key Stage 1 tests (Year 2) in English, results compared to all schools, show a fall in the proportion of pupils attaining level 2 or more for reading. In writing, the school achieved average results but has continued to ensure higher attaining children do well. Results were below average in reading and well above average in writing when compared to similar schools. The improvements in writing for higher attaining children were such that in 2001 the school was granted Beacon status.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

4. In mathematics, attainment has risen significantly since the last inspection. Attainment at age seven remained below average in the 2001 National Key Stage 1 tests (Year 2), but are now much closer to national averages than in previous years and are average when compared to similar schools.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

5. In the 2001 National Key Stage 2 tests (Year 6), results in English showed a reduction in the number of children attaining level 4 or more, though the majority was close to the national average, compared to all schools. Results were average when compared to similar schools. 6. In mathematics, attainment has risen significantly since the last inspection. Over the Cantrell Primary & Nursery past four years results have risen more quickly than nationally and within the local education authority. Although attainment at age eleven remains below average, results are now much closer to national averages and are average when compared to similar schools.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

7. In science, most children reach the expected standards by the end of Years 2 and 6. This is the same as the last inspection when standards were also judged to be, “in line with national norms,” although test results in Year 6 at that time were noted to be below average.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

8. Results in the 2001, National Key Stage 2 tests (year 6) have risen sharply since the last inspection. In 1997, only 45 per cent of Year 6 children achieved the expected standard (when the national figure was 62 per cent) but, by 2001, this had risen to 83 per cent (when the national figure was 87 per cent).

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

9. It should be noted that almost a third of children who took the Key Stage 2 tests in 2001 had special educational needs.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

10. Current inspection evidence shows that, in Years 1 and 2, reading has improved since the last inspection although many children are still below national averages at age seven. Standards in reading are still not high enough. Many children are unsure how to read unknown words, especially if they are unable to do so by sounding them out. They do not use clues from pictures or from what they have already read to help them and this slows the fluency of their reading. In Years 3 to 6 reading standards are as expected for age and ability for most. However, the confidence, expression and understanding shown by higher-attaining readers exceed expectations.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

11. In Years 1 and 2, writing has improved significantly since the last inspection with a large number of higher-attaining children achieving well above average standards. They use their expanding vocabulary and increasing knowledge of grammar very well to express their ideas clearly. In Years 3 to 6, writing is often at levels higher than expected and used by children as a powerful vehicle for communicating their thoughts and ideas. Many children spell accurately and write legibly and clearly. Children in all years make good use of their information, communication and technology skills to successfully word process pieces of written work.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

12. Children in all years demonstrate sound listening skills. They listen attentively to their teachers and respond enthusiastically to questions posed by the teacher, and in class discussions.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

13. Children with special education needs make good progress with their reading and writing as a result of well focused individual education plans and good levels of support from their teachers and experienced teaching assistants.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

14. Standards in the work seen in mathematics during the inspection are satisfactory throughout the school, but have the capacity to be much higher. Children with special educational needs receive good support and make very good progress towards the targets set out in their individual education plans. In Years 1 and 2, higher and average-attaining children, in a target group, successfully order numbers to 100, using place value, and are familiar with patterns on a 100 square. They understand that moving down/up columns is the same as adding/subtracting ten and that moving forwards/backwards along rows is the same as adding/subtracting one. 15. By the end of Years 3 to 6 higher-attaining Year 5 and 6 children in their target group have a very secure knowledge of multiplication and can recall tables and facts Cantrell Primary & Nursery accurately both in sequence and at random. They construct complex three-

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

dimensional shapes accurately from drawings and some calculate and draw to scale well.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

16. Most children reach the expected standards in science by the end of Years 2 and 6. This is the same as the last inspection when standards were also judged to be, “in line with national norms,” although test results in Year 6 at that time were noted to be below average.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

17. Results in Year 6 national tests have risen sharply since the last inspection. In 1997, only 45 per cent of Year 6 children achieved the expected standard (when the national figure was 62 per cent) but, by 2001, this had risen to 83 per cent (when the national figure was 87 per cent).

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

18. In Years 1 and 2, children have good understanding of light, their own growth, use of senses, electricity and simple forces. In Years 3 to 6 children consolidate previous knowledge, understanding and skills, for example, in Years 3 and 4, extending their knowledge about electric circuits. They understand the properties of common materials and explain their suitability for particular purposes. They know that materials exist as solids, liquids and gases and relate this to everyday experiences such as cooking.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

19. Standards in most other subjects are in line with those expected for the children’s ages but standards in art are very good in all years and exceed the nationally expected standards for music in Years 3 to 6. Standards in information and communication technology are slightly lower than expected at the end of Year 6 in those aspects introduced more recently, such as control technology, data logging and the use of the Internet. Local education authority information indicates that a significant number of lower-attaining children make good progress between the ends of Years 2 and 6, achieving the level expected for their age by eleven.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

20. There are no marked differences in the performance of boys and girls throughout all subjects. Support for children with special educational needs is consistently good and, as a result, they learn well and make good progress. Children of black African and black Caribbean backgrounds do well, the reverse of national trends.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

21. The school, in collaboration with the local education authority, sets realistic and challenging targets for the attainment at the end of Years 2 and 6. The school has exceeded these for the past three years.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

22. Since the last inspection children have maintained their good attitudes to learning. Their behaviour has improved still further. There have been no cases of exclusion.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

23. Children take great pride in their school. Their enjoyment in attending is demonstrated by their very good behaviour and their willingness to talk about their work. Children move around the school demonstrating care and courtesy to staff and each other. The school’s policy and practice for rewarding good behaviour are very effective. Staff are consistent, both within their own class and between classes, and this leads to children having a clear understanding of the expectations throughout the school. Children know and use the school rules, often reminding one another independently of teacher prompts. They treat property with respect and take a pride in keeping their classrooms clean and well ordered. Cantrell Primary & Nursery 24. Personal development is very good. Opportunities are given for children to take responsibility, which they do with enthusiasm. They hold doors open, take messages to the office and contribute to the smooth running of classes. Opportunities for

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

children to show initiative are less overt but are well represented through the work of the school council. The class representatives are responsible for delivering the feedback to their class. Some decisions made by children include a healthy food tuck- shop and a range of lunchtime toys. Children are able through the council to raise issues of concern. They are also encouraged to express their concerns through the “worry box”. Staff act on these concerns. In addition children make decisions about the charities for which they will raise money. At Christmas older children demonstrate their maturity by giving concerts and talking with residents in local homes for the elderly. Further opportunities are provided to take responsibility during the normal routines in the life of the school.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

25. Relationships are excellent and a strength of the school. Children play and work together in harmony. They frequently share ideas and support one another in their learning, for instance, discussing in pairs within literacy sessions, working together on the computer and sharing equipment in all lessons. Children with special educational needs demonstrate very good attitudes to school. They are keen to talk about their work and are proud of their achievements. Children frequently show concern for each other helping out when friends trip over in the playground or when someone needs assistance in dressing after physical education lessons.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

26. Adults are sensitive to the needs of children, respectful in their conversations and quick to give children praise for what they do well. They show a genuine pleasure in the achievements of their children. Children listen carefully to their teachers and are keen to answer questions and to do well. They concentrate well and persevere when they meet difficulties.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

27. The school positively promotes inclusion and the few incidents of bullying or racism are dealt with promptly and handled very well. Children respect other people’s differences and reflect on their actions and attitudes towards others. Throughout the school they have considered and written on a range of social and moral issues such as challenging disability, respecting those who look different, saying no to racism and ways to stop bullying. In the best lessons children are asked to consider their own learning in relation to the objectives of the lesson.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

28. Attendance is satisfactory. At 93 per cent, this represents a slight improvement since the last inspection. Children from families at risk are rightly retained on the school’s register after they have left, until staff and the education welfare officer know where they are. This inflates the absence rate but provides valuable tracking of particular children in order to protect them.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

29. Overall, the quality of teaching is good. Teaching was good or very good in 66 per cent of the lessons seen and excellent in six per cent. The proportion of good, very good and excellent teaching is higher in Years 3 to 6 or in the Nursery (75 per cent) than in Years 1 and 2. All the teaching graded ‘excellent’ was seen in Years 3 to 6. The quality of teaching has significantly improved since the last inspection, when teaching in four per cent of lessons was unsatisfactory. The proportion of very good and excellent teaching has also increased, from nine per cent to 27 per cent. Cantrell Primary & Nursery 30. The best teaching has common features. Teachers’ use their good subject knowledge to plan their lessons carefully and structure them so that they meet the needs of all the children, including those with special educational needs. Teachers’ explanations are very clear to children and as a result children understand what they

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

are doing and what they are learning. Teachers’ choice of methods is suited to the children and to the subject. For example, in a Year 4 science lesson, the teacher organised the children in a circle. The children ‘became’ the electric circuit, passing the electricity around the circuit by squeezing hands. As a result, they were able to make the distinction between complete and broken circuits and understand why a broken circuit does not light a bulb or sound a buzzer. Teachers and teaching assistants have high expectations. The combination of the good subject knowledge, use of activities that promote understanding and high expectations result in the best lessons having a lively pace that challenges and motivates children. As a result, children want to learn.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

31. Teachers’ deployment of the experienced, well-qualified and skilled support staff is particularly effective in promoting children’s learning. Support staff often work with average and higher attaining children whilst the teacher takes groups of special educational needs and lower-attaining children. For example, this was effective in a Year 1 history lesson in promoting understanding of changes at the seaside over time. The special educational needs lower-attaining children worked with their teacher, generating lists of key vocabulary related to the theme so developing their literacy. The support teacher, at the same time, worked with the higher-attaining children who framed questions to ask a future visitor on the same subject. In consequence, all children made good progress.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

32. Lessons, which were satisfactory but less successful, could have been improved if teachers had taken more account of the range of ability in the class. As a result, the lessons were not so well matched to the children’s needs. Sometimes teachers in their enthusiasm for their subject worked at too fast a pace for children to absorb the information provided. At other times teachers provided too much information at once. For example, a teacher had selected an appropriate video to convey information but then made teaching points whilst it was running. This led to the children becoming confused between the two sources of information. In lessons that were not so well matched to children’s needs time was wasted as children adjusted to the work given which was either too easy or too difficult.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

33. Overall, the teaching of English is good with some examples of very good teaching in all years and excellent teaching in Years 3 to 6. From Year 2 children are organised into literacy target groups, each of which contains children of broadly comparable ability. The target groups facilitate the teaching of basic skills, especially for writing. When teaching other subjects, teachers reinforce the writing skills learned in the literacy target groups. Teachers do not consistently reinforce the basic skills for reading because of the emphasis that is put on writing. As a result younger children do not always apply their knowledge of phonics to their reading and older children do not sufficiently discuss their reading books in order to develop the skills of inference and deduction. The teaching of mathematics is good overall with some examples of very good teaching in all years and excellent teaching in Years 3 to 6. In the target

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

groups for numeracy, children follow a commercial scheme very closely and little flexibility. As a result, children do much the same work irrespective of their ability. In consequence, some children mark time, completing exercises easily when teachers could move them on to the next point in their learning. 34. Overall, the quality of learning is good. The inclusive nature of the school in this respect is a significant strength: children with special educational needs, from Cantrell Primary & Nursery different racial backgrounds and with different learning styles acquire new knowledge and learn effectively.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

35. Teachers plan opportunities for children to review and reflect on what they have learned and to make connections between work in different subjects. Some of the very good examples seen are to be found in Section D of this report, for example, in Year 5 English, in Year 4 maths, in Year 5 and Year 2 science and in Year 6 information and communication technology (ICT). Teachers are less successful in their marking of work to help children know what they need to do to improve, and subsequently inform teachers’ planning. Teachers have a consistent approach to the use of homework. Teachers use homework effectively to support and extend the learning that takes place in class.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

36. Teachers have high expectations for children to behave well and work hard. Most respond well to this, working cooperatively, in harmony and sustaining high levels of concentration. Relationships between the adults and the children in the school are very good and this enable teachers to teach and children to learn.

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

37. The curriculum for five to eleven year-olds is broad and balanced. Autumn and spring born children have experience of a reception class in the main school. Summer born children do not receive access to the full foundation stage curriculum due to the admission policy of children entering the school in the term after their fifth birthday. This means they do not receive any reception class experience but enter directly into Year 1, National Curriculum. Consequently, this group of children does not have equality of access to the foundation stage curriculum in contradiction to the school’s policy statement covering this aspect.

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

38. The curriculum, for five to eleven year-olds, provides a good range of opportunities for learning. However, lesson times are sometimes unbalanced, with over-long blocks of time spent on some subjects, for example science, leaving others such as physical education under pressure. The curriculum meets the statutory requirements of the National Curriculum and the locally agreed syllabus for religious education.

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

39. The curriculum provided for children with special education needs is good throughout. Children are fully involved in all activities, enjoy their work and are keen to show their classmates and teachers what they have done. They demonstrate very positive attitudes to learning and the school. The school fully meets the requirements of the special educational needs Code of Practice. The detailed policy clearly outlines the action the school takes in identification, assessment and provision for children with special educational needs. These procedures are well understood by all teachers, teaching assistants, governors and parents.

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

40. To raise standards further the school has established ‘target groups’ for literacy and numeracy, so children from Year 2 onwards are taught at their level of ability. This works to an extent but finer assessment of ability range in these groups is required for a significant impact to be made on progress.

p.17

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

41. The literacy and numeracy strategies are being implemented successfully. In the literacy strategy, writing is particularly well embedded and the school has achieved Cantrell Primary & Nursery Beacon status for its approaches and outcomes in writing. Reading, especially the skills of inference and deduction with the older children and the application of phonics for younger children, is under-developed. Links between reading and writing are not yet well established. The numeracy strategy is also well introduced throughout the school. However, it requires further differentiation for the range of abilities.

p.17

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

42. Extra-curricular activities are excellent. The good range of activities includes sports such as karate, cricket, hockey and football and activities such as environmental club, computers, and music and art/design technology. Activities take place at lunchtimes and after school, allowing access to all children. All members of staff are involved. The school choir and orchestra take part in local music festivals.

p.18

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

43. The school motto, “Harmony through working together”, underpins children’s personal development. The school has produced a succinct and very comprehensive equal rights statement, which children and staff practise in their daily lives at school. Children recognise the things they do well and are not afraid to say where they have made mistakes. Children are secure in the fact that teachers and peers value their ideas. This encourages children to develop, over time, insight into the values and beliefs of others. Teachers provide good opportunities for children to gain self- confidence, such as times when children can say or write what they feel and why. For example, older children writing about the September 11 th attacks in America penetratingly questioned the beliefs and values of the terrorists.

p.18

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

44. Provision for spiritual development is good. Daily acts of worship focus on positive achievements. Children are encouraged to reflect on their own feelings as well as those of other people. Spiritual development permeates the curriculum. For example, Year 2 children shared a moment of peace and reflection with their teacher when they looked at, and sensitively handled, natural sculptures. In religious education children learn about and consider the beliefs of others and the presence of a divine being. Teachers use a good range of artefacts, including video sequences to enrich this important aspect of the curriculum. The provision of these resources is an improvement since the last inspection.

p.18

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

45. Provision for moral development is good. The school fosters an approach which encourages and reinforces politeness, respect and honesty in adults and children alike. Everyone’s views and opinions are valued and children listen carefully to their peers when they express feelings and attitudes. The school’s positive approach to behaviour is evident throughout all aspects of school life and children’s response is very good. Opportunities are provided in and out of classes for children to talk about right and wrong and to promote thoughtfulness and kindness. For example, a ’come along and talk’ session is offered one lunchtime each week for any children and staff who want to share their feelings. In Years 3 to 6 children consider moral issues such as stealing, drug addiction and care for the environment. They have used their considered views effectively as a basis for persuasive writing.

p.18

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

46. Provision for social development is also good. Children cooperate well in classes and have fun playing together in the playground. The school council comprises of representatives from every class, with a pupil as chairperson, two members of staff and a governor. The council meets weekly and has a considerable impact on decisions. Current items under discussion are the quality of peace and quiet in the ‘Quiet Room’ and finding a safe place for children to play marbles at lunchtime. Relationships are good between all members of the school community. This extends to lunchtime when children are well supervised. Children raise money for charities on a regular basis, for instance the Indian earthquake appeal. Cantrell Primary & Nursery 47. Children have many good opportunities to gain understanding and awareness of their own community through visits to local places of interest. In religious education and

p.18

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

subjects such as art and music, opportunities are found to learn about festivals and celebrations in other cultures such as the Chinese New Year and Divali, as well as in their own, such as Remembrance Day. The curriculum is planned to enable children to be aware of the cultural diversity and richness of our society.

p.19

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

48. Provision for personal, social and health education in the school is a strength of the school. Sex education is taught well through personal, social and health education. There is an appropriate drugs awareness programme and procedures for the management of drug related incidents are clearly laid out, with effective partnerships with external agencies giving further support to the school. For example, the personal, social, health education subject leader liases with the charity ‘Education for Life’. An ‘Education for Life’ bus visits the school for a week, providing another dimension for parents and children at all levels of learning, from nursery to Year 6, to learn about such issues as HIV awareness and healthy living. The subject leader’s work for the ‘Healthy Schools’ project has been recognised by the national organisers.

p.19

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

49. Children understand what makes a balanced lifestyle. For example, a ‘healthy lunch day’ was organised by the school council and many teachers and children purchased the food. Children are learning to play an active role as citizens through talking about fair play and the consequences of anti-social behaviour and about responsibilities at home and at school.

p.19

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

50. The school is an integral part of the community and this has a beneficial effect on children's learning and their personal development. The contribution of the community to children’s learning is good. A particular link is with Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club. The school refers to this link as “The Trent Bridge Classroom” and from here a very good range of cross-curricular work emerges, such as the history of clothes worn for cricket, the geography from overseas tours and design technology through the changes in designs of bats and safety gear. The school reciprocates by sharing the life of the school with members of the community, for example, at Christmas when the choir visits several residential homes to sing and share the spirit of this season with the elderly residents. There are positive links with Teacher Training Centres, which means the school has extra staff through the Graduate Teacher

p.19

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

Programme and the Nottingham Trent University funded pre-Post Graduate Certificate of Education students. Links with other local schools provide children with a wide range of expertise and teachers with dialogue between colleagues. This enhances their professional development.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

51. Staff know their children very well. In consequence, a high quality of care pervades every aspect of the school. This is consistent with the findings of the last inspection.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

52. The school is a secure environment with all expected safety measures in place and regular safety inspections undertaken. Child protection procedures are very good. The nominated person has been well trained and ensures that all staff, including midday supervisors, are fully informed. She is familiar with local procedures and makes good links with the relevant agencies in the neighbourhood. Staff carefully monitor children showing signs of neglect and those known to be at risk. There are good welfare procedures and many first-aiders. Cantrell Primary & Nursery 53. Topics covered in the personal, health and social education programmes help children to look after themselves and play a significant role in the school’s procedures to counter bullying and racism.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

54. The procedures for promoting attendance are satisfactory. Parents are regularly reminded about the importance of good attendance in letters and newsletters. The education welfare officer provides excellent support. Rewards are given for good and improved attendance. Telephone calls home are made after the third day of absence. The school has previously made these on the first day but found this was counter productive in its impact on relationships with parents.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

55. The procedures for improving behaviour are very good. The behaviour policy is uniformly applied. The headteachers personal leadership is an important factor. Consistency, mutual respect, high expectations and good examples by teachers are regarded as crucial in the effective achievement of good behaviour. Parental support is sought where problems arise. The few incidents of bullying or of a racist nature are recorded promptly and the headteacher takes immediate action by talking with parents and the children concerned.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

56. Baseline assessment takes place on entry to the nursery and at age five but the school does not make full use of this information to inform teaching and build on progress. Procedures for assessing attainment and progress in the main school are generally good. Children are assessed at the end of Years 3, 4 and 5 in addition to the statutory tests. These assessments are comprehensive and are subject to detailed analysis. Teachers compare their judgements on National Curriculum levels to maintain consistency of judgement. Assessment data is analysed by ethnicity and gender. Staff act on the findings to ensure black African and black Caribbean children achieve well and there are no significant differences in the achievement of boys and girls. At present, the progress of individual children is tracked satisfactorily in most years based on the improvements demonstrated in national curriculum levels or other

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

assessments. Tracking is used to identify children who are on the verge of achieving a higher grade. The children concerned are taught in target groups of similar attainment. As yet, there is insufficient identification of the range of ability within these groups and this leads to children continuing with work they can already do well rather than moving on to the next point in their learning. Assessment in these lessons is not yet sufficiently refined.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

57. Individual targets are set throughout the school, with children increasingly involved in setting their own targets as they move through the school. Targets are limited to two at a time and are reviewed after six to eight weeks. They usually concern English, mathematics or personal development. Forecasts of individual performance in standardised tests in Years 2 and 6 are shared with children and parents. Children with individual education plans progress well, with reviews of their targets every term.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

58. The procedures for monitoring and supporting children’s personal development are informal, based on teachers’ knowledge of their charges. This is very good because of the quality of their understanding. Detailed summaries of personal development are written for each of the three progress evenings for parents.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

59. Links with parents are very good. Parents’ involvement in the work of the school benefits children’s learning. For example, parents regular support for reading through Cantrell Primary & Nursery dialogue with teachers and the comments they make in record books means parents are aware of where their children need support and are able to provide it. Parents are involved in setting targets for improvement and understand how they can help their children. Parents are actively involved in the annual reviews for children with statements of special educational need, and are usually involved in the termly reviews of individual education plans.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

60. Parents are highly appreciative of the education that the school provides. They feel staff expect their children to work hard. Most consider that teaching and behaviour are good. Some feel that the school could provide a more interesting range of activities outside lessons. Inspectors’ judgements support the positive views of parents. Inspectors disagree about the range of activities, as these are extensive and far exceed that provided by similar schools.

p.21

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

61. The quality of information provided for parents has many good features. These include a well-written prospectus, lively newsletters and an informative annual report from governors. Annual reports for parents are mostly good with the exception of the nursery. In the nursery reports do not cover all the six areas of learning. There are regular meetings at which parents can discuss their children’s progress. A home visit is made to all new nursery children and their parents. Parents of new entrants during the school year are interviewed and welcomed by the headteacher. Curriculum evenings are arranged when new initiatives are being introduced. A special induction meeting is arranged where children enter reception classes, attended by the headteacher, class teacher, a governor and the school nurse.

p.21

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

62. Parental involvement in the life of school is very good. The Friends of Cantrell has a lively programme of events and makes a valuable contribution to the school. Parents come into school to help with reading and other tasks and support school trips and other school events. Parents are welcome at assemblies and give practical help in the school, for instance in developing the school library.

p.21

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

63. The school is very keen to involve parents when difficulties arise but also makes sure that parents know about achievements. The school is very welcoming to parents and actively promotes its open door policy seeking parents’ views annually through a questionnaire. The school believes that children thrive in a learning environment, and encourages parents to take courses at the school during the day enabling them to set good adult models for learning. These are organised by the school and staffed by a tutor from a local college. Subjects taught include first aid, computer studies and arts and crafts. The school entrance is often thronged with adults.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

64. The headteachers leadership is of high quality. She provides very good educational direction to the school. The quality of her management is very good. In particular, she maintains a good balance between initiatives and their consolidation by promoting review, debate and further actions that support the raising of standards. The senior management team, in particular the deputy head, effectively support the head teacher.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

65. High standards are promoted and this is evident in the fact that all are encouraged to succeed where possible. Hence children with special educational needs achieve level 4 in some subjects and higher-attaining children achieve level 6 or high level 5 scores. The school is now actively seeking the advancement of average-attaining children through its target groups. Cantrell Primary & Nursery 66. The school consistently seeks ways to improve and has become a thinking school. Staff consider each priority in terms of ‘where next?’ and ‘how do we get there?’ and review whether or not they are going in the right direction. There are explicit aims and values, which are consistently reflected in the practice seen. The school’s motto, ‘Harmony through working together’, is fully expressed in the learning ethos that exists for adults and children alike. Not only does the head and senior management team lead the school well. Staff are enabled to contribute genuinely to leadership by

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

involvement in open professional dialogue. Communication is thorough and effective.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

67. Monitoring of teaching and learning is rigorous and multifaceted, including formal observations carried out by the senior management team and subject leaders, peer observations, moderation of children’s work and effective use of performance management targets. Teachers continually seek ways to improve their teaching. They make good use of the opportunities for sharing practice within the school, the Education Action Zone partnership and the links resulting from the school’s Beacon Status. Recently, senior management has identified a weakness in teachers’ use of end of year assessment to start children at the right point in their learning at the beginning of the following year. Teachers are beginning to respond to this.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

68. Teachers are open to new ideas to improve learning. For example, it is known that people learn in different ways with a varied emphasis on a particular sense. As a result, teachers have recently introduced ‘Brain Gym’, an approach to learning through planning activities that uses different senses – sight, hearing and touch. This is already increasing children’s motivation and having a positive effect on progress.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

69. The staff’s shared commitment to improvement of standards is demonstrated in their understanding and effective use of statistical analysis in setting appropriate targets for the end of Years 2 and 6. Teachers understand fully that this style of analysis can be an effective tool for improving teaching and learning. However, they need to analyse why children can or cannot answer questions in tests and ensure their teaching enables children to gain the knowledge needed to pass. Currently, staff do not make use of the information, which the local authority provides on children’s attainment in the nursery and on entry to school compared with other Nottingham City schools. Teachers, therefore, have an unclear view of progress made in the nursery and the attainment of children at age five. In consequence reports to parents for these youngest children do not give a complete and broad picture of their achievements and

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

70. The governors carry out their statutory duties fully and effectively. They are full partners in the life of the school and monitor aspects both informally and formally. They are aware of the strengths and weaknesses of the school and are keen promoters of standards and of the child as a whole person. Governors are beginning to ask relevant and challenging questions about performance and improvement. They are well briefed by the head, senior management team and subject leaders. Although governors may not always understand the jargon of best value they practise it by reviewing initiatives, school priorities and spending decisions with a view to improving learning. The school has reviewed its curriculum since the last inspection. Admissions are part of the governors’ remit. As admissions are currently organised, summer born children enter Year 1 without the benefit of being in a reception class

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

and an entire Foundation stage curriculum.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

71. The specific grants, which the school receives for special educational needs, membership of the Education Action Zone and Beacon status, are used effectively. Cantrell Primary & Nursery The high quality of the school’s work on the Healthy Schools project is recognised by the national organisers. The school has used its National Grid for Learning money to improve ICT facilities through the provision of a new computer suite. This has been further supported with the Education Action Zone providing laptop computers for all teachers and extensive training.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

72. The balance of staff experience and expertise is good, and this supports the provision of a broad and balanced curriculum. Staff are well deployed and used effectively to support class and group teaching activities and to promote fresh approaches to learning and thus improvement in standards. Newly qualified teachers are well supported to try, review, improve and consolidate their practice. They thrive in the school. Other successful training opportunities include teaching assistants achieving National Vocational Qualification status and a Graduate Training programme. The head and senior management team has successfully promoted the commitment of staff to children and their needs and the development of support for one another as evident in the strong team spirit.

p.23

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

73. Accommodation is well maintained and used effectively to meet current needs. The recent development of the front entrance and office has significantly improved working conditions for administration and management. The attractive entrance immediately sets the tone of a welcoming and purposeful school.

p.23

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

74. Considerable effort is made to make everyone feel a valued member of the school community. The success of this manifests itself in the positive attitudes and good behaviour of the children and the team spirit of the adults.

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

75. To bring about further improvement in the achievement of all pupils of the school, the senior management team, teachers and governors should:

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

Match work better to the differing learning needs of all the children in each target group by: • identifying more clearly the range of ability within each target group (especially in mathematics); • identifying where further teaching and support is needed in lessons and where children do not need to continue with work they can already do well but can move on to the next point in their learning; • analysing why children can or cannot answer questions in tests and ensuring teaching enables children to gain the knowledge needed to pass; • using end of year assessment to start children at the right point in their learning at the beginning of the following year.

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

Extend children’s reading skills so that they: • can use a number of different approaches to identify unknown words; • include the use of grammar, meaning and phonics; • discuss possible interpretations of what they have read and apply this knowledge to solve problems and help them carry out tasks.

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

Refine marking practices so that: Cantrell Primary & Nursery • all children’s achievements are recognised; • shortcomings are constructively addressed; • pupils are given specific guidance on what they need to do to improve; • they become more able to reflect on the progress they have made and why they have made it.

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

Improve current provision of the Foundation stage for all children by: • ensuring summer born children enter Year 1 having benefited from being in a reception class ; • making more effective use of ‘on entry’ and baseline data; • establishing an agreed policy for teaching and learning; • including all six areas of learning in the assessment and reporting procedures.

p.24

OTHER ISSUES WHICH SHOULD BE CONSIDERED BY THE SCHOOL

76. Improve curriculum balance further by: • reviewing the time table in order to prevent some over long time on some subjects and other subjects becoming squeezed.

p.24

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of lessons observed 85 Cantrell Primary & Nursery Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 32

p.24

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

p.25

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Percentage 6 20 40 34 0 0 0 The table gives the number and percentage of lessons observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about teaching

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery Y1 – Y6 Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 40 446 Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 96 FTE means full-time equivalent.

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Special educational needs Nursery Y1 – Y6 Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 0 3 Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 22 164

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

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

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 45

p.25

Authorised absence Unauthorised absence

% % School data 6.53 School data 0.31 Cantrell Primary & Nursery National comparative data 5.6 National comparative data 0.5 Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year.

p.25

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

Year Boys Girls Total Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2001 30 31 61

p.26

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

Boys 22 21 25 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 22 25 27

p.26

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

Percentage of pupils School 72 (81) 75 (83) 85 (98) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (83) 86 (84) 91 (90)

p.26

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

Boys 25 25 26 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 24 28 27

p.26

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

Percentage of pupils School 80 (83) 87 (87) 87 (81) at NC level 2 or above National 85 (84) 89 (88) 89 (88)

p.26

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

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

p.26

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

Year Boys Girls Total Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 2001 47 36 83 Cantrell Primary & Nursery

p.26

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

Boys 26 32 38 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 28 24 31

p.27

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

Percentage of pupils School 65 (70) 67 (65) 83 (83) at NC level 4 or above National 75 (75) 71 (72) 87 (85)

p.27

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

Boys 30 34 39 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 29 25 30

p.27

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

Percentage of pupils School 72 (74) 72 (76) 84 (85) at NC level 4 or above National 72 (70) 74 (72) 82 (79) Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year.

p.27

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

No of pupils Fixed period Perma- nent Black – Caribbean heritage 5 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0

p.27

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – African heritage 6 Black – African heritage 0 0

p.27

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – other 1 Black – other 0 0 Indian 0 Indian 0 0 Pakistani 0 Pakistani 0 0 Bangladeshi 0 Bangladeshi 0 0 Chinese 0 Chinese 0 0 White 394 White 0 0 Any other minority ethnic group 0 Other minority ethnic groups This table refers to pupils of compulsory school age only. This table gives the number of exclusions of pupils of compulsory school age, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded.

p.27

Y6

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 22 Financial year 2000

p.28

Y6

Number of pupils per qualified teacher Average class size 29 £ Education support staff: Y1 – Y6 Total income 926362 Total number of education support staff 8 Total expenditure 863395

p.28

Y6

Total aggregate hours worked per week 215 Expenditure per pupil 1994

p.28

nursery

Balance brought forward from previous year Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 1 Balance carried forward to next year Number of pupils per qualified teacher Total number of education support staff Total aggregate hours worked per week 97.5

p.28

nursery

Number of pupils per FTE adult FTE means full-time equivalent.

p.28

Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 6 Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 9 Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 1 Number of vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of a term or more (FTE) Number of unfilled vacancies or vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of less than one term (FTE) FTE means full-time equivalent. Cantrell Primary & Nursery

p.28

Percentage of responses in each category

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

p.29

Percentage of responses in each category

My child is making good progress in school. 57 37 3 0 1

p.29

Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 52 44 2 0 1

p.29

Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 47 40 6 0 5

p.29

Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 39 52 7 0 0

p.29

Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 57 33 3 2 2

p.29

Percentage of responses in each category

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 77 21 0 0 1

p.29

Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 41 46 9 1 1

p.29

Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 55 34 2 2 2

p.29

Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 52 41 2 0 2

p.29

Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 32 43 17 0 6

p.29

Summary of parents’ and carers’ responses

• That their children like coming to school • That their children make good progress. • The good behaviour in the school. • The good teaching in the school • That they feel comfortable when approaching the school with questions or a problem • That the school expects the children to work hard and achieve their best. • That the school is well managed. Cantrell Primary & Nursery • That the school is helping their children to mature and develop responsibility • A very few parents felt they were not always kept well informed. • Some felt that the school could provide a more interesting range of activities outside of lessons.

p.29

Summary of parents’ and carers’ responses

77. Inspectors’ judgements support the positive views. End of year progress reports are well prepared and include improvement targets especially for the older children. These are less precise for the very youngest. The range of activities outside of school is extensive and far exceeds that provided by similar schools. It is the view of the inspection team that this provision constitutes a strength of the school.

p.30

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

78. The school has a nursery with 80 part-time places. Children start at age three. Under the school and local education authority’s admissions policies children transfer from the nursery to the school in the term after they are five. As a consequence, autumn and spring born children enter a reception class but the summer born children transfer into a Year 1 class and do not spend any time in a reception class. This situation was the same at the last inspection when it was noted those children ‘lose valuable experience’ because of this arrangement. At the time of this inspection, there was no reception class. Therefore, it is not possible to comment on provision at the end of the foundation stage. However, where the summer born children, are in a small group taught alongside older Year 1 children provision is unsatisfactory. In these cases, the children do not receive a sufficiently well planned curriculum to match the

p.30

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

missing one term of early years’ experiences.

p.30

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

79. A year ago the nursery was reorganised. The accommodation is clean and bright. The toys and equipment are well chosen and organised, so that children may easily find and return them to their correct place. The team of staff work very well together and provide the children with a range of stimulating, planned activities. The daily routines and systems, which have been recently established, help the children to feel emotionally secure and ensure the smooth running of the nursery. Since the last inspection, provision has improved and is now good.

p.30

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

80. Overall teaching is good, and sometimes, very good. In the best teaching, staff have high expectations of the children and use methods which enable them to be fully involved. Generally, children are engaged in activities directed by adults. Within some of these activities there are too few opportunities for children to make decisions and choices. For the youngest children, in particular, the overall balance does not give enough opportunities for them to experiment and explore and develop their own interests and practise new skills. Curriculum planning is detailed, appropriately based on the six areas of learning in the foundation stage. It takes into account different abilities and age groups within the nursery. Children with special educational needs are identified quickly and parents are kept well informed about their progress.

p.30

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

81. Each member of staff takes responsibility for assessing day to day progress of a small group of children. This is achieved informally and little is written or recorded. Formal assessments are made at three points in the foundation stage, using the Nottingham City nursery and baseline assessment scheme. This requires assessments to be made on four of the six areas of learning. There is no systematic assessment or recording of creative development, knowledge and understanding of Cantrell Primary & Nursery the world, or children’s progress in relation to the stepping stones and early learning goals. Currently, the foundation stage policy is a compilation of photocopied national guidance. This lacks specific guidance on the school’s approaches to teaching, learning and assessment and record keeping for children in the foundation stage.

p.30

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

82. Attainment on entry to the nursery is below that expected by age. In the lessons seen, children make good progress in the nursery. Where they are assessed at age five many meet the expected early learning goals for the end of the foundation stage. However, the school currently does not make use of the information, which the local authority provides on the school’s results when compared with all other Nottingham City schools for children’s attainment in the nursery and on entry to school. As a result it is not always possible to make clear distinctions between where children have reached by the end of nursery education, the end of foundation stage and the commencement of the National Curriculum stage.

p.31

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

83. Annual reports to parents are brief and do not give a complete picture of children’s achievements and progress.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

84. The partnership with parents is good. Home visits and a booklet completed by parent and child enable the staff to get to know each child before they start in the nursery. The nursery brochure is welcoming and gives clear information on what children will experience and learn. Open days, when parents work alongside their children, are popular and help parents to understand the six areas of learning and the work of the nursery. Parents also receive regular newsletters. Children frequently borrow books and older children, who attend separate language and literacy sessions, often take work home to complete with their parents. Children take examples of their work home at the end of each term.

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Personal, social and emotional development

85. Staff give a high priority to personal and social development and, as a result, most children become confident speakers and listeners, enjoy the learning opportunities offered and meet the desired outcomes of the early learning goals for personal development.

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Personal, social and emotional development

86. Relationships in the nursery are very good. Children and parents are made welcome at the start of sessions and this enables children to settle quickly. Because of this children readily talk about events in their lives, which are significant and show their feelings. Children play together well, even in large groups, sharing equipment amicably and often talking with each other about what they are doing. Staff work well to establish trusting and respectful relationships with children. They have clear routines for helping and guiding children with behavioural difficulties and they show genuine delight in the children’s successes.

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Personal, social and emotional development

87. Children are sensitive to the needs of others, take turns and share fairly and know the rules and routines of the nursery. They show good levels of independence when registering at the beginning of a session and when dressing and undressing for physical education. Through the activities provided they begin to develop an awareness of how differing cultures celebrate seasonal and religious festivals of light. Cantrell Primary & Nursery

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Communication, Language and Literacy

88. The majority of children are well on the way to meeting the early learning goals by the end of the foundation stage and a few will exceed them.

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Communication, Language and Literacy

89. Teachers have a good understanding of teaching phonics and early literacy skills and provide children with a range of opportunities to enjoy listening to songs, rhymes and stories. As a result children use language well in a range of activities, for example, exploring and experimenting with sounds, as when describing the noise of fireworks. Teachers use children’s answers to questions increase their vocabulary. Children are attentive listeners and participants but do not themselves ask many questions.

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Communication, Language and Literacy

90. Children have a good attitude to reading and books, which they look at regularly in snack time. They enjoy sharing them with each other and talk about the pictures. They know that print carries meaning and they can sequence the main events in a story. Younger children can recite the alphabet confidently and recognise some letter sounds such as M for Monday and N for November. Older children, who attend short daily literacy sessions in the school, ably link sounds to letters and are beginning to see how simple words such as mat and map are made. They recognise when M is at the beginning or the end of a word. Some children read the common words from a reception class word list and a few can read simple books.

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Communication, Language and Literacy

91. The youngest children are at an early stage of writing. Older children are able to use some letter-like shapes and copy their name. They know that their names begin with capital letters and that there are spaces between words. They hold a pencil effectively and form letters correctly. There are fewer opportunities for children to write within play activities and experience writing for a variety of purposes.

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Mathematical development

92. Most children are well on their way to achieving the early learning goals by the end of the foundation stage. Some children know the correct sequence of numbers up to ten and can reorder a random sequence accurately. Children make good progress with counting and recognising and naming numbers up to ten. A few children know that five and five make ten. They are learning about shape and can make spirals using a guide. They can use words such as bigger and middle. Staff are effective in teaching mathematical understanding through games, rhymes and activities which hold their interest.

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Knowledge and Understanding of the World

93. Many children are well on their way to meeting most aspects of the early learning goals. Children use programmable toys and computers with enjoyment and confidence playing simple number games or reinforcing their letter and word recognition. There were few opportunities observed, however, where staff encouraged children to select their own resources or ask questions about why things happen and how things work. They know some of the features of autumn which signal a change in the seasons. They enjoy collecting and contribute leaves and twigs for a class exploration. Cantrell Primary & Nursery

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Physical development

94. Many children are well on their way to exceeding the goals for learning due to the teachers’ high expectations, well-structured lessons and opportunities for outdoor play. Children have a very good awareness of space around themselves and others. They control and coordinate their movements well when running or rolling a ball. They show good awareness of safety procedures when taking physical activity in the hall. They know some of the effects of physical exercise on their bodies. They demonstrate good control of finger movements when writing and using and making playdough.

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Creative development

95. Most children are well on their way to reaching expected outcomes for the foundation stage. Children explore a range of art materials and show good levels of interest and involvement. They talk with knowledge about colour and shape and the resultant effect of dropping paint onto wet paper. They relate and reflect their everyday activities through their artwork and in their role-play. They are enthusiastic singers and like to participate in action rhymes. Whilst playing in the shop or café children can briefly take on the role of a customer or assistant but need some support to sustain the part. When the teacher joins in the children’s play, the children’s interest, imagination and use of language improves.

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ENGLISH

96. On the basis of national test results, standards have shown a steady rise in between 1997 and 2000, for reading and writing in Year 2. In Year 6 results standards have shown some fluctuation in English.

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ENGLISH

97. In the 2001 National Key Stage 1 tests, results compared to all schools, show a fall in the proportion of pupils attaining level 2 or more for reading. In writing the school achieved average results but has continued to ensure higher attaining children do well. Results were below average in reading and well above average in writing when compared to similar schools.

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ENGLISH

98. In the 2001 National Key Stage 2 tests, results in English showed a reduction in the number of children attaining level 4 or more, though the majority was close to the national average, compared to all schools. Results were average when compared to similar schools.

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ENGLISH

99. The improvements in writing for the higher attaining were such that in 2001 the school was granted Beacon status.

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ENGLISH

100. It should be noted that almost a third of children who took the Key Stage 2 tests in 2001 had special educational needs.

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ENGLISH

101. Current inspection evidence shows that in Years 1 and 2, reading has improved since the last inspection although many children are still below national averages at age seven. Standards in reading are still not high enough. Many children are unsure how to read unknown words, especially if they are unable to do so by sounding them out. They do not use clues from pictures or from what they have already read to help them and this slows the fluency of their reading. In Years 3 to 6 reading standards are as expected for age and ability for most. However, the confidence, expression and understanding shown by higher-attaining readers exceed expectations. Cantrell Primary & Nursery 102. In Years 1 and 2, writing has improved significantly since the last inspection with a large number of higher-attaining children achieving well above average standards. They use their expanding vocabulary and increasing knowledge of grammar very well

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ENGLISH

to express their ideas clearly. In Years 3 to 6, writing is often at levels higher than expected and used by children as a powerful vehicle for communicating their thoughts and ideas. Many children spell accurately and write legibly and clearly.

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ENGLISH

103. Children with special education needs make good progress with their reading and writing as a result of well focused individual education plans and good levels of support from their teachers and experienced teaching assistants.

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ENGLISH

104. Children in Years 1 and 2 make satisfactory progress with their reading but by the time they are aged seven attainment in reading is still below that expected for their age. Some children can read stories fluently and with expression and recognise many common words. They use their knowledge of initial letter sounds to identify unknown words. Some benefit from the school’s Individual Reading Programme, led by an experienced teacher trained in Reading Recovery. This enables them to acquire a detailed knowledge of letter names and sounds that they use to help them with their reading. However, when children come across unknown words that can not be identified by sounding them out, they are often unsure how to use other clues to assist them. This slows the fluency of their reading and does not encourage them to consider, or reflect on, what they have read.

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ENGLISH

105. Children in Years 1 and 2 know how to find out information using contents and index pages and describe the differences between fiction and non-fiction books. Children are generally enthusiastic about their reading and talk with affection about their favourite books they have at home. They read from a reasonable selection of books although some Year 2, lower-attaining, children read simple texts from the school’s core reading scheme that have a low interest level.

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ENGLISH

106. Children in Years 3 to 6 make good progress with their reading. Higher-attaining children are confident readers. They discuss the books they have read and identify their favourite authors. They read expressively and talk knowledgeably about the characters in the story and what might happen next. Average and lower-attaining children are keen to read but reluctant to offer their views or opinions on the text or talk about their favourite books. Some children do not use inference and deduction skills in relation to what they have read to gain understanding and meaning. For example, one pupil in a literacy session read fluently the detailed instructions to carry out a task but then put them on one side. It was not until he was questioned a number of times that he realised he could find out what he had to do from the written instructions.

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ENGLISH

107. All children are able to locate information in non-fiction books using index and contents pages. They have little difficulty in locating specific books in the school’s well-equipped non-fiction library, using the simplified Dewey classification system.

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ENGLISH

108. Writing across the school is often very good. In Years 2 to 6 the grouping of children, in target groups for literacy allied with very good teaching, has proved to be a successful strategy for raising standards in writing throughout the school. The teaching of ‘Extra English’ in additional time, by each class teacher, is also successful.

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ENGLISH

109. In Years 1 and 2 most children make satisfactory progress in writing whilst higher- Cantrell Primary & Nursery attaining children demonstrate good progress. Children apply their developing knowledge of grammar and vocabulary to enrich their writing and clearly express their thoughts and ideas. Average-attaining children use phonic knowledge to spell simple monosyllabic words accurately and some children use capitals letters and full stops routinely in writing. Children are keen to write and talk about what they have done. Some reflect on what they have written and refine it. They settle quickly to the wide variety of literacy tasks and work purposefully, even when they are not directly supervised.

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ENGLISH

110. Higher-attaining children write poems, captions for displays on autumn, reports of events and stories confidently, tailoring what they have written to match particular audiences. For example, one child gleefully exclaimed that the reason he was not using cursive handwriting when re-writing his favourite story was because it was intended for the school nursery.

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ENGLISH

111. In Years 3 to 6, most children make good progress in their writing. Children have a good understanding of the range of writing styles and a clear sense of what they want to communicate through their writing. They construct imaginative play scripts from well-known stories using their rich vocabulary to build characters and detailed settings. In report writing, for example, when studying Boudicca’s revolt in history, children effectively note and sequence key events.

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ENGLISH

112. Higher-attaining children use punctuation effectively to emphasise meaning. Many children spell key words correctly and understand how to use dictionaries and thesauruses when re-drafting work in order to confirm spelling or identify the meaning of unknown words. Children are provided with many opportunities to apply their imagination and refine their literacy skills in extended pieces of writing. One pupil, using personification when amending a popular poem, wrote, “I will put into my box the wind howling and screaming through the trees”. Many children are eager to write and share what they have done with adults and other children. In one session one lower-attaining pupil glowed with pride when her friends and teacher praised her writing.

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ENGLISH

113. Children in all years make good use of their information, communication and technology skills to successfully word process pieces of written work, generate pictures related to their stories and produce covers for books and folders. They can use computers to successfully cut and paste and edit work.

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ENGLISH

114. Children in all years demonstrate sound listening skills. They listen attentively to their teachers and respond enthusiastically to questions posed by the teacher, and in class discussions. They are keen to share the knowledge they have acquired. For example in Year 1, one pupil proudly declared to the rest of the class that “the author uses Italics to emphasise that part of the text!” Older children talk confidently about their work outlining their understanding and knowledge and expressing their thoughts clearly.

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ENGLISH

115. In Years 1 and 2 teaching ranges from satisfactory to very good. In Years 3 to 6 nearly half of lessons observed were very good or excellent. All teachers have a detailed knowledge and understanding of the National Literacy Strategy which they consistently use to plan their lessons well and extend children’s knowledge and understanding. In those lessons where very good or excellent teaching was observed there was a sense of purpose and excitement. The clear explanations from teachers combined with tasks, closely matched to the differing needs of the children, resulted in all children making good progress in these lessons. Cantrell Primary & Nursery 116. All teachers have high expectations of what children will do and learn. The importance teachers attach to the skills of reading and writing and the enthusiasm they have for the subject is transmitted to children with the result that they work hard to improve

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ENGLISH

their skills. They are very keen to answer teachers’ questions and demonstrate their knowledge of literacy terms and phrases in their answers, for instance using similes, alliteration and mnemonics. In the best teaching seen, teachers’ effectively combine their excellent subject knowledge with purposeful questioning and very high expectations of what children can achieve. In these lessons, children of all abilities make very good progress. Experienced and expert teaching assistants support individuals and groups well and make a significant contribution to children’s learning.

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ENGLISH

117. In a few lessons teachers’ plans are not sufficiently focused, or alternatively, over ambitious and then children are not clear what they have to do. On other occasions the pace of the lesson slows as the teacher talks too much at the beginning. Then children become restless and the time remaining for the rest of the lesson is shortened.

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ENGLISH

118. The subject leader, well supported by her colleagues, provides strong leadership for the subject and has very clear ideas about how the subject can be developed. She also has responsibility for managing the school’s Beacon status for writing. She is able to utilise this role to raise standards in English even further by developing teachers’ expertise and promoting very high expectations of what all children can achieve. The subject leader, with the literacy team, scrutinises a range of assessment data and frequently monitors teaching and learning throughout the school. They use the information to consider the progress children are making and identify what they need to do to improve further. This is a significant improvement since the last inspection when the role of the subject coordinator was an area for development.

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ENGLISH

119. English resources are extensive, of good quality and well used.

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MATHEMATICS

120. Attainment has risen significantly since the last inspection. For eleven year-olds, results in national tests over the past four years have risen more quickly than nationally and within the local education authority. Attainment at ages seven and eleven remain below average, but are now much closer to national averages. Teachers are successful at ensuring higher-attaining children do well in maths and standards for these children are above average. The attainment of boys and girls at the end of all years is broadly similar.

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MATHEMATICS

121. Standards in the work seen in mathematics during the inspection are satisfactory throughout the school, but have the capacity to be much higher. Children with special educational needs receive good support and make very good progress towards the targets set out in their individual education plans.

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MATHEMATICS

122. In Years 1 and 2, higher and average-attaining children, in a target group, successfully order numbers to 100, using place value, and are familiar with patterns on a 100 square. They understand that moving down/up columns is the same as adding/subtracting ten and that moving forwards/backwards along rows is the same as adding/subtracting one. They respond quickly and accurately to oral questions such as 10 x 5 and two even numbers to make six. They understand and use phrases such as “zero the hero is our place holder” and “ …change the place, Cantrell Primary & Nursery change the value…” to successfully resolve problems. Children with special educational needs are well supported and make good progress. They recognise odd and even numbers and name and talk about the properties of regular 2D shapes such as square, oblong, triangle, circle and hexagon.

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MATHEMATICS

123. The school’s organisation of target groups based on ability from Year 2 onwards, is a positive step towards achieving higher standards. For example, children of less than average attainment, in a target group, are able to double single digits and halve even numbers. This is accurately recorded by drawing spots on ladybirds. Some are beginning to halve multiples of ten mentally.

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MATHEMATICS

124. By the end of Years 3 to 6, higher-attaining Year 5 and 6 children in their target group have a very secure knowledge of multiplication and can recall tables and facts accurately both in sequence and at random. They construct complex three- dimensional shapes accurately from drawings and some calculate and draw to scale well.

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MATHEMATICS

125. In a target group for average-attaining Years 5 and 6 learners, children are working on place value rules; they see and explain clearly the effects of multiplying or dividing by 10, 100, 1000 on numbers to two decimal places.

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MATHEMATICS

126. Children from Years 5 and 6, who are in a very small lower ability target group, have an increasing recall of number facts, such as two, five and ten multiplication tables and odd and even numbers, as well as the meanings of mathematical words such as difference and subtract. Here, many children are just beginning to understand the connection between adding and subtracting numbers. They are familiar with a range of strategies which they use to support them in their numeracy, for example, counting using fingers, using 100 square, adding ten and subtracting one to add nine.

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MATHEMATICS

127. Children use their mathematical skills well in other subjects, but opportunities to do this are not always planned. Good, spontaneous examples of children applying what they have learned in mathematics were seen. For example, Year 2 children in art described the shapes of some sculptures using words they knew from mathematics. In Year 1 geography children used skills of counting and recording numbers of those who travel to school by foot, car or bus to make a picto-graph. In Year 5 children used measuring and estimating skills when planning the construction of shelters in design technology.

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MATHEMATICS

128. In the lessons where the activities are fine-tuned to children’s prior attainment and their progress is used to plan the next step of their learning within the lesson, children’s rate of learning is good or very good. Progress is less good where the same work is given to all within the group and assessments are not used specifically enough to move forward children’s learning. This leads to much unnecessary repetition of skills in which the children are already confident and limits challenge. The identification and organisation of the target groups is a good starting point on which the school is building towards higher standards. However, there is the need to recognise that each group still has within it children across a range of attainment. The National Numeracy Strategy recommends three ability sets within a class or group and that each of these is catered for by activities pitched at an appropriate level. This

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MATHEMATICS

model, together with better use of assessment from lessons to inform the teaching and tasks on the next weekly plan, could have a positive impact on children’s progress, and in turn, standards in mathematics.

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MATHEMATICS

129. The quality of teaching is good overall, strengthened by some examples of very good Cantrell Primary & Nursery teaching in all years and of excellent teaching in Years 3 to 6. In the best teaching, teachers are secure in their own knowledge of mathematics, and plan their lessons precisely; the pace of teaching is matched to the level of difficulty of the activity and children are not asked to repeatedly practice skills they have mastered. These good teachers use a variety styles effectively to illustrate their lessons, so that all children see, hear and model/make (using practical materials such as cubes, dominoes, ribbons etc.) the mathematics. For example, Year 5 and 6 children, learning about fractions and equivalent decimal fractions, cut paper into tenths and used blu-tak to rebuild the tenths into whole ones.

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MATHEMATICS

130. In the best examples of learning teachers used open questions that were skilfully aimed at children of differing attainment levels. Children understand what they are doing and know what to do next. Where teaching is less effective activities are not sharply focused or assessed and children of all levels of attainment have the same work. Planning in these groups tends to follow the commercial scheme textbooks very closely with little flexibility.

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MATHEMATICS

131. Children of all ages have very positive attitudes to learning mathematics. They show a high level of enjoyment and interest in mathematics, take pleasure in their successes and show a pride in the presentation of their work. They are keen to join in question and answer sessions with their teachers and with each other, offering their thoughts confidently, without fear of being wrong. In the majority of lessons observed children worked conscientiously and were able to explain their tasks in detail. In a very few lessons, practical tasks were inappropriate and some children lost concentration. In all the lessons observed, children were very well behaved, working effectively both by themselves and cooperatively with others as directed.

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MATHEMATICS

132. Excellent relationships between all teachers and their children, combined with humour and praise, encourage all learners to be involved and engaged through the lessons with keen interest and obvious pleasure. Teachers at this school know their children very well and are all dedicated to improving standards.

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MATHEMATICS

133. Since the last inspection, the National Numeracy Strategy has been introduced and has been fully implemented in the school. The subject leader is extremely competent and effective. She has produced a detailed action plan for mathematics, which has had a positive effect on standards in the three years of her leadership. A policy for mathematics is in place. There is very good formal monitoring and evaluation of mathematical practice within the school and this is well used in terms of professional development for teachers. Data from standardised tests, supplied by the local education authority, is available to evaluate progress through the school and the school has gathered ‘in-house’ data. The next step is to address the questions, “What does it tell us and what are we going to do about it?” and she is well equipped to do this with her knowledge and experience.

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MATHEMATICS

134. In order to raise standards further, the subject leader is fully aware of the need to work with her numeracy team members to refine the ability groupings within the target groups in order to raise standards and ensure that work is planned accordingly; look critically at the way in which the National Numeracy Strategy key objectives are being used in each target group and whether children are required to repeat them at the same level in the next target group; and evaluate the use teachers make of assessment in their future planning.

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MATHEMATICS

135. The subject leader has set a priority on the Action Plan to raise the profile of mathematics in school to match that of literacy. This should have a positive effect on Cantrell Primary & Nursery learning and standards in mathematics, as will the future priority to look at the quality and relevance of homework set for the children.

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MATHEMATICS

136. The school is adequately resourced in mathematics. Resources are well used to support learning and to enliven children’s learning experiences. A good example of this is the efficient use of individual whiteboards through the school. Teachers can see at a glance which children are correct and accurate, with teachers giving praise or correcting misunderstandings. The school is without some of the current National Numeracy Strategy materials; these will prove useful in terms of planning, assessment and review.

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SCIENCE

137. Most children reach the expected standards in science by the end of Years 2 and 6. This is the same as the last inspection when standards were also judged to be, “in line with national norms,” although test results in Year 6 at that time were noted to be below average.

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SCIENCE

138. Results in Year 6 national tests have risen sharply since the last inspection. In 1997, only 45 per cent of Year 6 children achieved the expected standard (when the national figure was 62 per cent) but, by 2001, this had risen to 83 per cent (when the national figure was 87 per cent).

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SCIENCE

139. Teacher assessment at the end of Year 2 indicates that, in 2001, 87 per cent of children reached the expected standard (compared with 89 per cent nationally). Teachers also judged that 41 per cent of Year 2 children (rather more boys than girls) reached level 3 in 2001. This is much higher than the proportion found in similar schools nationally. The work seen during the inspection indicates this is an accurate picture of attainment. There are no marked differences in the performance of boys and girls. Support for children with special educational needs is good and, as a result, they learn well and make good progress.

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SCIENCE

140. The school teaches all aspects of the science National Curriculum and there are detailed long and medium-term plans, based on the Qualification and Curriculum Authority Scheme of Work. Currently, the sequence and content of work units is being reviewed and adapted to meet more fully the needs of the children as standards rise and to improve the match with other aspects of the school’s curriculum plan.

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SCIENCE

141. Teaching is good overall. Teachers use their good subject knowledge to plan interesting and well-structured lessons. They are effective at teaching basic scientific knowledge and skills and at helping children to use scientific vocabulary correctly. Children use resources carefully and responsibly and are taught to pay appropriate attention to safety, for example, when filtering a mixture in Year 6 or investigating electric circuits in Year 2. Teachers’ plans are thorough and set out clear objectives for each lesson. Sometimes these learning outcomes are too ‘big’ for teachers and children to know in detail what has been learned in the lesson. In consequence, the use of assessment to help children understand how well they are doing and to modify teachers’ planning is not as good as it should be. The subject leader is aware of this and has begun to consider how the use of assessment might be improved.

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SCIENCE

142. The pace of most lessons is brisk. They are well structured and there is a clear focus to each part. Little time is wasted. Some lessons, especially for the younger children, are very long and tax teachers and children. Most lessons are rounded off well to emphasise the main learning points, clear up misconceptions and set the Cantrell Primary & Nursery scene for the next lesson. The best lessons have strong links to other work, for example, music (Year 5 work on life cycles), mathematics (Year 1 work on forces) and an earlier science unit on ‘the water cycle’ (Year 5 work on life cycles). The use of ICT to support teaching and learning in science is good (Year 2 work on electricity and Year 2 work on designing a data collection sheet, for example) and there is an appropriate range of well-organised resources.

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SCIENCE

143. In Years 1 and 2, children’s understanding of light sources including torches, candles and lamps, is good. They use these to explain where light comes from and how it ‘gets into our eyes’ so that we can see. They know that the absence of light results in darkness and that the sun is the earth’s most important source of light. They begin to understand conduction of electricity and that metallic objects can act as conductors. Most can successfully make a simple electric circuit to light a bulb. Their explanations of what electricity can do are clear, in terms of producing heat, light, sound or movement. Their understanding of the dangers of electricity is good. They are aware of some of the effects of forces and explain these in straightforward terms of ‘pushes and pulls’. They make clear explanations of the changes that occur within their own growth from babies and understand the importance and use of their senses.

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SCIENCE

144. In Years 3 to 6 children consolidate previous knowledge, understanding and skills, for example, in Years 3 and 4 extending their knowledge about electric circuits. They understand the properties of common materials and explain their suitability for particular purposes. They know that materials exist as solids, liquids and gases and relate this to everyday experiences such as cooking.

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SCIENCE

145. In Years 5 and 6 they have extended understanding of the properties of light as seen in their explanations of reflections and shadows and the resultant associated scientific phenomena. They are knowledgeable about life cycles and identify correctly the conditions needed to ensure healthy life and growth in plants and animals. They use this knowledge further to consider food chains and interdependence. They are developing an understanding of the importance of habitat and environment in supporting healthy growth. They demonstrate a clear understanding of evaporation and condensation and how these apply in the water cycle. In their experiments on filtration they successfully separate mixtures.

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SCIENCE

146. Children enjoy their investigations. They are well motivated and have a positive attitude. They settle promptly, concentrate well and work hard together in a friendly and harmonious way. Where the work involves practical activity, they share and use equipment carefully and responsibly. Good examples were seen where children were provided with appropriate tools to help them apply their scientific knowledge and understanding to the development of their own investigations (Year 5 work on germination, Year 6 work on filtration and Years 2 and 4 work on circuits, for example.) This is not yet consistent throughout the school, for example, another group of Year 5 children struggled to set up an investigation because they were not provided with good models or appropriate tools to help them. The school is trying to develop this aspect of the curriculum.

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SCIENCE

147. The subject leader provides strong leadership and good support for staff. Teachers’ plans are reviewed and there are procedures in place for monitoring lessons. This means that the school is beginning to understand clearly the relative strengths and weaknesses in the teaching of science in different classes and year groups. From this monitoring the subject leader is aware of where development is required, as for example, in the use of assessment. The subject leader analyses the data each year to look for patterns and trends that the school needs to consider for improvement and Cantrell Primary & Nursery acts on these.

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ART AND DESIGN

148. Standards in art are very good in all years: art and design is a strength of the school in that a complete range is taught well. Year 1 children use paints and pastels effectively to make portraits of each other and understand that colours can be mixed to make other shades. During the introduction of a lesson on working with clay, Year 2 children handled small natural sculptures, such as a shell, gourds and a bird’s nest, with real pleasure and wonder. This led to children successfully designing and making their own clay sculptures. The older children in Years 3 to 6 use their knowledge of movement to show realistic movement in the human body in their ‘sport’ drawings.

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ART AND DESIGN

149. Throughout the school children make very good progress in developing their artistic skills. They use a wide range of media and processes including torn paper collage, glass painting, 3D work, textiles and embroidery and clay, as well as using computer programmes to create images and patterns, for instance, linked to work in religious education about Islam. By the time they are eleven children are using art confidently to communicate what they see, think and feel.

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ART AND DESIGN

150. Insufficient lessons were seen to make a secure judgement about teaching and learning. Teachers take enormous care in displaying children’s work throughout the school. This is to great effect in contributing to a stimulating climate for learning. Discussions with children show that they have very positive attitudes to making art. They take pride in their work and readily talk about how they created it. One child’s drawing won a prize from a children’s television programme and she donated some of the materials she won to the school’s weekly art club. Portfolios and photographs of completed work show that children have many opportunities to learn about art from eastern and other western cultures. Full use is made of local artists and their work; the ‘artist on show’ during the inspection is a former pupil of Cantrell School, providing a ‘real-life’ link for the children. Children learn about the nature of sculpture by looking

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ART AND DESIGN

at and talking about photographs of work by Anthony Gormley and Barbara Hepworth, as well as sculptures they see in the streets of the City of Nottingham. Pictures of sculptures from other countries and cultures are on display in the school.

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ART AND DESIGN

151. The school has adopted the scheme of work devised by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority. The teaching of art alternates each half-term with the teaching of design technology. Through the guidance of the experienced subject leader, staff understand the need to take care in planning so that all children benefit from each art lesson. The subject leader monitors teachers’ plans, observes lessons in each year group over time and keeps staff informed of exciting developments in the art world. She maintains the budget and ensures that resources are in place for units of work throughout the school. Developments in the subject are identified in a detailed action plan, for example, writing a booklet to run alongside the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority scheme with information for teachers. The subject leader not only has a wealth of experience and ideas, but also a passion for the subject, which inspires.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

152. By the age of seven and eleven standards are as expected for the children’s age and ability. Children, including those with special educational needs and the higher attaining, make satisfactory progress in all years. All aspects of the subject are covered providing children with opportunities to design, make and evaluate through a wide range of activities. Cantrell Primary & Nursery 153. In Years 1 and 2 children know how to make simple levers and are familiar with the idea of moving parts. They successfully draw and label designs to make ‘Joseph’s Dreamcoat’. Children explain with understanding how to use simple tools safely, for instance a Year 1 child commented “…. you must always be careful about scissors near your head…….”

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

154. In Years 3 to 6 children develop structures from folded or rolled paper to test strength and stability. Their self-evaluations of the shortcomings of their structures enable them to suggest and try ways to improve. Children are confident in talking about their ideas and offer sensible replies to teachers’ skilfully probing questions. For example, when talking about stability and chairs needing four legs, one child said, “…. some chairs have three legs and are still stable…”. There followed a well-reasoned discussion about the importance of the position of legs on a stool or chair to ensure stability. By Year 6, children have a secure grasp of how structures can be designed and made in a variety of forms to fulfil the same purpose. They use this understanding well, as seen in their constructions of model shelters. They understand design processes and know that testing and evaluating often lead to some modification of

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

155. Teaching and learning are consistently good. Teachers have secure subject knowledge and understanding. Their very good questioning techniques successfully stimulate children’s thinking and learning. Teachers are adept at helping children focus on the task, maintaining pace through offering suggestions and consistently reminding children what they are learning. However, opportunities for children to show practical initiative were missed. Teachers make very good use of stimuli as starting points for designs, as demonstrated by the umbrella and tent put up in a classroom as an introduction to a unit on ‘Shelters’. Teachers organise classroom space well for this practical subject.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

156. In all years children work well together and cooperate effectively on shared tasks and activities. They are very positive and enthusiastic towards the subject. They listen well to teacher’s instructions and to the views of others when working in pairs or small groups. Behaviour is very good.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

157. Since the last inspection a new curriculum has been introduced, based on the scheme of work devised by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority. The subject leader is very competent and has made a strong and positive impact on the development of the subject in the school. The subject leader observes lessons and monitors teachers’ plans, alongside levels of work through the school. Staff expertise has improved under her leadership; she has organised school-based training for staff and workshops for parents. A link with the City Technology College results in secondary teachers to coming to the school to work with staff and children, so giving a different dimension to the design technology curriculum and broadening children’s experience. A detailed action plan is in place, with a priority to reorganise units of work in Years 5 and 6. Quality resources are bought and are well organised by the subject

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GEOGRAPHY

158. Only three lessons were seen due to time tabling arrangements and the organisation of the cycle of geography topics. Judgements are largely based on a scrutiny of children’s work, teachers’ planning, classroom displays and discussions with children. Cantrell Primary & Nursery 159. By the age of seven and eleven, children reach standards expected for their age and ability, as at the last inspection.

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GEOGRAPHY

160. In Years 1and 2, children explore their own local environment through successful use of maps and plans, often self-drawn. They have good knowledge of different homes and the main features of a house and a garden environment. They have a good understanding of how these can be represented in a plan leading to an early comprehension of keys and symbols. They talk knowledgeably about their transport to school and successfully create a pictogram to represent the results of questions asked of others in the class.

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GEOGRAPHY

161. Children are beginning to make appropriate comparisons between Bulwell and other environments. For example, they share their memories about places they have visited on holiday and use these to successfully identify different characteristics of towns, countryside and seaside and consider how these localities differ in terms of what people make, sell or grow. Children’s weather charts are informative. Children use these well to identify the dangers and effects of fog, flood, high wind and ice.

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GEOGRAPHY

162. In Years 3 to 6 the children’s knowledge and skills are refined further and they begin to examine their own environment more closely and criticise well the effects of human habitation. They have used a study of their own school environment to consider and debate successfully such aspects as quiet areas, noisy areas and litter. They are able to make perceptive suggestions for the improvement of this environment.

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GEOGRAPHY

163. Children use maps confidently, are familiar with map symbols and can find locations using a four-figure grid reference. They have a good understanding of the water cycle and they begin to recognise the importance of a regular water supply for human habitation. They have learnt about the major world mountain ranges, the features of rivers and river valleys and they have made a study of the Local River Leen.

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GEOGRAPHY

164. Teaching in the three lessons seen was satisfactory. Teachers are effective at choosing relevant resources to support learning and to give children a clear understanding of geographical topics, locally and in the wider environment. For example, in one lesson, the teacher made effective use of a video on the Trent treatment plant to explore how filtration of household waste takes place. This was followed by practical tests on filtration that supported the children’s understanding well.

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GEOGRAPHY

165. Children respond well to lessons and their interest in the subject is evident in their topic folders and displays, which are good. Visits to field centres in Derbyshire and Anglesey have been particularly valuable in promoting knowledge to enable first hand comparisons with their local environment. The visit to Derbyshire was particularly helpful in understanding conservation issues.

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GEOGRAPHY

166. Resources are satisfactory and are well used. Substantial displays around the school illustrate the work done by children during their field trips and, in many classrooms, globes and world maps are evident.

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HISTORY

167. It was only possible to observe three lessons during the inspection. Evidence was Cantrell Primary & Nursery supplemented by scrutiny of children’s work and discussion with the two teachers currently responsible for subject coordination.

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HISTORY

168. Attainment in history by the end of Years 2 and 6 is commensurate with the ages and abilities of the children concerned. This is the same as at the last inspection.

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HISTORY

169. Children in Years 1 and 2 successfully develop a sense of time and chronology within first hand experience through such topics as the ‘seaside’. Higher attaining children competently formulate questions based on their own experience in order to interview visitors who remember their past. Others make lists of key features of the seaside and discuss possible differences between a visit in the past and a visit today. With well -deployed adult support children’s discussion successfully developed a sense of chronology through noted changes at the seaside.

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HISTORY

170. Support staff often work with average and higher attaining children whilst the teacher takes groups of special educational needs and lower-attaining children. For example, this was effective in a Year 1 history lesson in promoting understanding of changes at the seaside over time. The special educational lower-attaining children worked with their teacher, generating lists of key vocabulary related to the theme so developing their literacy. The support teacher, at the same time, worked with the higher-attaining children who framed questions to ask a future visitor on the same subject. In consequence, all children made good progress.

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HISTORY

171. In Years 3 to 6 children become familiar with the life styles and customs of people of a variety of historical periods a range including Anglo Saxons, Romans, Tudors and Victorians. They are well versed in the reasons why the British Isles was invaded by ancient peoples and familiar with the customs of those who subsequently settled.

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HISTORY

172. Children use secondary evidence to research Boudicea’s revolt against the Romans. They recount historical events in the correct order using illustrative report writing and first and third person perspectives. They are adept at considering the main historical characters and the causes for their action. Some begin to reflect successfully on comparisons that can be made between different conflicts in the course of history. A few can see that conflict may bring about change that impacts on future lives.

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HISTORY

173. In the lessons seen the teaching is satisfactory throughout, with some good features. Teachers’ subject knowledge is secure and this enables them to gain the children’s interest leading to high levels of motivation. Work for individual lessons is well planned and matched to the varied ability of the children in each class. This enables all of the children to become involved, with Years 1 and 2 children successfully contributing to discussions and considering how to explore the past. In Years 3 to 6 it leads to children offering opinions, setting their ideas down readily and becoming confident in editing their work for accuracy. They are keen to answer questions.

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HISTORY

174. Planning over time is not always sufficiently differentiated within the two year cycle used by the school. This leads to children revisiting some themes and does not enable the full range of historical contexts to be explored, although basic skills are well taught progressively over time. In the lessons seen teaching is usually challenging, with teachers using their knowledge of their children to ask targeted questions to move on children’s thinking at a pace appropriate to the children concerned. Occasionally, in Years 3 to 6, the pace set can be too rapid because of the teachers’ enthusiasm, to support children’s understanding through periods of reflection.

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HISTORY

175. Teachers manage children well during lessons and this supports a very positive Cantrell Primary & Nursery learning environment for the subject. Most children progress well in lessons and the school’s teaching assistants are deployed effectively to support average or below average learners. In some Year 1 and 2 lessons the use of the class teachers to work with children with special educational needs is particularly effective in enabling their learning and ensuring their inclusion.

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HISTORY

176. The school has a policy in place and has adopted the nationally recommended scheme of work, which is helping to make the curriculum appropriately balanced.

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HISTORY

177. Links with other areas of the curriculum are being developed, especially English. There are good examples of these being effective with children, in Years 1 and 2 using lists and, in Years 3 to 6 report writing.

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HISTORY

178. The coordination of the subject has been through a succession of changes in the past two years which has not yet enabled documents such as the policy and scheme of work to be fully reviewed beyond the recent drafts in place. The school is aware of this and the deputy head is providing support and training for the future coordinator in order to ensure that these aspects are covered.

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HISTORY

179. There are relevant resources available to meet the tasks described in the scheme of work and those used in lessons seen were used effectively by the teachers to support the children’s learning and through imagination and discussion to bring past events alive.

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HISTORY

180. The delivery of the curriculum is monitored by the deputy head. The school has clear ideas about how the subject should be developed with the training of a new coordinator, review of policy and scheme of work and the gathering of examples of children’s work for an annotated portfolio. Overall, the coordination of history is satisfactory.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

181. At the end of Year 2 standards are as expected for the age and ability of the children concerned. This is the same as at the last inspection. At the end of Year 6 standards are slightly lower than expected. During the previous inspection standards were judged to be good but the report notes that the school was implementing only part of the National Curriculum for ICT. Since 1997, the school improved its provision and now covers the whole ICT curriculum. Standards are good in the longer-established aspects of the subject, such as word processing and desktop publishing but this is counter-balanced by lower standards in those aspects introduced more recently, for example, control technology, data-logging and the use of the Internet. Further work is still needed to bring these to the expected standard.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

182. The school fully covers the requirements of the National Curriculum. By the end of Years 1 and 2 children can successfully programme the Roamer to follow a simple route, use a word-processor to write captions, labels and simple sentences, use a painting program to illustrate their work and use appropriate software to make pictograms and block graphs. Most can use a mouse precisely to control cursors, access menus and save retrieve and print their work.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

183. By the end of Year 6 most children have successfully developed their basic ICT skills. They create, edit and format text effectively. They are knowledgeable about how to cut, copy and paste text and images, which they then resize and rotate. They use simple databases well, for example, using a spreadsheet to investigate a set of test Cantrell Primary & Nursery scores. Children successfully create a range of documents such as letters, posters, and certificates using a desktop publishing program. Whilst the work in these more established areas is good this is counter-balanced by lower-attainment in recently introduced: control technology, data logging, multimedia presentation, sophisticated databases and the Internet.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

184. All children, including those with special education needs, make satisfactory progress. Confidence and expertise is developing rapidly. Many children use computers confidently and purposefully in other subjects, for example English, mathematics and science. The computer club that meets after school provides an opportunity for the members, mostly from Year 6, to consolidate, extend and apply their ICT skills. The work produced by this group is of a high standard.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

185. Overall, teaching is satisfactory with some good teaching seen in all years. Teachers structure lessons carefully and plan activities that develop children’s knowledge and skills systematically. The step-by-step approach is successful for most children, including those with special educational needs, but it sometimes fails to challenge the higher-attaining who already have well-developed skills.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

186. Learning outcomes are clear, but teachers do not make enough use of assessment to record children’s progress or to modify future planning. Children behave and work well together, with more confident children ably supporting those who are less so. They use the equipment carefully and responsibly. They have positive attitudes to the use of ICT which support their learning.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

187. The subject leader promotes ICT effectively. The subject action plan has clear intentions but would benefit from specified dates and milestones for improvement and success criteria based on children’s desired progress. This could, possibly, be developed in conjunction with the Education Action Zone, as its own ‘milestones’ for ICT development become clearer. Information and communication technology rightly remains as a development priority for the school this year.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

188. Information and communication technology resources have improved since the last inspection as a result of the school’s partnership with the Education Action Zone. A new computer suite with network cabling provides children with access to the Internet. All teachers have lap top computers that they use for a range of professional purposes and to supplement the older computers in most classrooms. An interactive whiteboard is a recent addition to the school’s resources. Once fully in use it should enable further development in the use of ICT throughout the school. Extensive training has taken place both in-house and externally with the Education Action Zone. Most teachers now have the knowledge and understanding needed to teach ICT effectively.

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MUSIC

189. Children in Years 1 and 2 attain the standards expected for their age; children in Years 3 to 6 exceed expected standards.

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MUSIC

190. Younger children know a good range of songs and tunes. They sing tunefully without an accompaniment and are able to maintain a good rhythm. They demonstrate a sound knowledge of pitch when applied to their singing and in the use of hand movements but are less secure when they are asked to distinguish between high and low notes on chime bars. 191. Children in Years 3 to 6 classes successfully learn to compose words and tunes. Cantrell Primary & Nursery They work well together negotiating and sharing tasks. They sing tunefully and expressively and pay good attention to posture. They discuss the historical and cultural contexts for music clearly expressing their feelings and emotions. They recognise that they do not always have to understand the words in a song to enjoy music from other cultures. Children listen attentively and accurately identify a range of types of music and instruments. They successfully appraise their own work and

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MUSIC

identify ways in which they can improve their compositions. 192. The school orchestra and choir further enhance the provision for the older children and give children many opportunities to play and sing in the community. In assembly the orchestra plays confidently when classes arrive and leave and during songs of worship. Players enjoy their music making and have a good sense of achievement. Singing is tuneful and most children join in with obvious pleasure.

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MUSIC

193. Class teachers and the subject coordinator who is a music specialist teach music. The quality of teaching and the standard of music making in the coordinator’s class are of a very good quality, and significantly higher than in other classes. There is a structured approach to the teaching of music to ensure that children experience a wide range of music making opportunities. Although teachers have some good resources for the teaching of music they sometimes lack confidence and skills to help children improve their performance. There is a need for more detailed guidance in the structure of lessons for younger children.

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MUSIC

194. Since the last inspection resources for Years 1 and 2 have increased and they are regularly used. Standards through the school have been maintained. Music continues to be strength of the school in Years 3 to 6 and makes a powerful contribution to the quality of life within the school community and beyond.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

195. Standards in physical education are as expected for age and ability at the end of Years 2 and 6, the same as at the time of the last inspection. During the present inspection, all aspects of physical education were not seen due to the season of the year and timetable arrangements. Teachers’ planning indicates that the full range of physical education activities is taught at appropriate times of the year.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

196. In Years 1 and 2 children throw underarm with reasonable accuracy to a partner and catch successfully. The strength and direction of their throws are well controlled. In Years 3 to 6, children successfully develop dance phrases based on a theme and link these phrases to form a sequence of movements. For example, in one lesson children devised movements based on a machine. In time with a regular beat, they worked in small groups, effectively controlling their movements, varying their actions and co-ordinating their movements with those of other children. By Year 4 children begin to understand the need for rules in games. They go on to play structured games of hockey, practising their attacking and defending skills. In Year 6 they demonstrate good skills in dribbling, closely watching the ball both in practice sessions round cones and in the game itself. In the one swimming lesson seen, Year

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

5 children were successfully developing their techniques showing confidence in the water and able to swim without the aid of armbands.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

197. Teaching was either good or very good. Teachers make effective links with other subjects. For example, in Year 5, poems about “Rain”, written in a literacy lesson were first put to music and then a dance sequence was created. In Year 5 and Year 6 photographs taken of children during physical education lessons are displayed in classrooms. Teachers make excellent reference to these when they are describing Cantrell Primary & Nursery good practice to the children, for example, in gymnastics.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

198. Teachers always start lessons with a warm-up activity and they emphasise the importance of this in preparing the muscles for exercise. Teachers effectively draw children’s attention to safety through reminding them of the importance of listening and the use of correct footware. Teachers make effective use of the school’s extensive grounds. Teachers plan lessons well and demonstrate good awareness of the skills to be taught.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

199. Children clearly enjoy the opportunities provided for them. They respond with enthusiasm and are keen to demonstrate their skills. They behave well during lessons and listen carefully to their teachers’ instructions.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

200. In the previous inspection report it was noted that the noise level in the hall often made it difficult for children to hear their teachers’ instructions. There has been a very marked improvement in this respect. All teachers now emphasise the need to keep noise to a minimum. Children responded well to this in all lessons seen in the hall.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

201. Opportunities for outdoor adventurous activities are provided during residential visits to Derbyshire and North Wales and children take part in competitive games and a swimming gala with other local schools. There is an extensive range of extra- curricular activities including karate, cricket, hockey and football. Two school sports events are organised, one in which all children are involved and another more competitive. The school is justifiably proud of its sporting achievements and the traditions of the local community.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

202. Resources for physical education are good and meet the requirements of the curriculum offered.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

203. Since the last inspection, the school has adopted a revised version of the locally agreed syllabus for religious education. This has had a positive impact upon the confidence demonstrated by teachers in their lessons and, consequently, on the learning opportunities provided for the pupils. The curriculum for religious education is broad and balanced, and is based on the agreed syllabus.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

204. By the ages of seven and eleven children reach standards that meet those specified in the syllabus. Overall, children understand their own faiths and are tolerant of the customs and beliefs of others.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

205. In Years 1 and 2 children are knowledgeable about the main features of Christianity and how Christians seek to put their faith into practice. For example, they know how Jesus taught through parables, and they successfully reflect on the meaning of these. They know about celebrations and the festivals of the Christian year. They are beginning to understand what it means to belong to a church community and main world religions.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

206. In Years 3 to 6 they continue to compare Christianity with the beliefs and customs of other world faith communities such as Buddhists, Jews, Muslims and Hindus. By Year 4, children are beginning to successfully understand the significance of religious symbols and customs. For example, they are familiar with the festival of Divali and enjoy making their own artefacts to act out the customs of another faith culture. They Cantrell Primary & Nursery are aware of how Hindus worship at home and at their temple. Children in Year 6 have a very thorough grasp of the stories and traditions of Islam and are aware of its symbols and customs. They are also familiar with a wider range of Christian festivals such as Shrove Tuesday, Ash Wednesday and Lent and they are able to interpret the messages and meanings in Christian stories.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

207. Overall teaching is good. The best lessons are characterised by teachers’ subject enthusiasm and depth of knowledge. Teachers encourage children to reflect on their own feelings and those of others. Teachers successfully encourage children to consider how others might feel in certain situations and they share their thoughts and ideas on a range of subjects, for example, bullying, racism and disability. As a result children think about the meaning of such occasions as Remembrance Day and they discuss current national or world issues. Teachers organise visits to places of worship within the community and welcome visitors into the school to talk about their beliefs and customs. These opportunities promote learning.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

208. Children find the subject fascinating. They listen intently to their teachers and watch short pieces of video with considerable concentration. They are keen to ask questions about things which they do not fully understand and they show a marked respect for religious artefacts such as the Bible and the Qur’an. They enjoy their lessons and this is demonstrated in the progress which they make in their learning. In a Year 4 class, for example, the children were able to identify that Hindus “ring a bell at the temple to let the Gods know they are there” and that “they take their shoes off in the Mandir”. In Year 5 the children demonstrate their learning about Sikhism by talking confidently about Guru Nanak and the meaning of the words Guru and Sikh.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

209. The subject is well led by an enthusiastic coordinator who has a good understanding of the curriculum. The school has a good range of resources including pictures, books and videos that are easily accessible to staff and to children. These are well used throughout the school to support the teaching and learning.

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