Glade Hill Primary & Nursery School

GLADE HILL PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 12 th – 15 th November 2001

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GLADE HILL PRIMARY SCHOOL

Inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 Glade Hill Primary School - ii

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Type of school: Infant and Junior School with Nursery

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Chippenham Road Bestwood Park 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: Mrs J Bucknall

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

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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INFORMATION ABOUT THE 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. Glade Hill Primary School - iii

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities 7167 Mrs Sonja Öyen Registered inspector Foundation Stage The characteristics and effectiveness of the school The school’s results and pupils’ achievements Teaching and learning Leadership and management Key issues for action 11084 Mrs Jane Hughes Lay inspector Pupils’ welfare, health and safety Partnership with parents and carers 8226 Mr Stephen Birtwistle Team inspector Information and communication technology Geography History Equal opportunities Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

22575 Mr Martin Golds Team inspector Mathematics Music Physical education Special educational needs 4192 Mr David Hartley Team inspector Science Art and design Design and technology Quality and range of opportunities for learning

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

12394 Mrs Carole May Team inspector English Religious education

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Primary Associates Limited West Lancashire Technology Management Centre Moss Lane View Skelmersdale WN8 9TN

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway Glade Hill Primary School - iv London WC2B 6SE Glade Hill Primary School - v

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 1

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? 5

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Glade Hill Primary and Nursery School is in Bestwood Park, a few miles to the north of Nottingham. The number of children has dropped to 266 since the last inspection in 1997, but the school is still larger than most. Although all the infant pupils are in single age classes, four of the six junior classes have mixed year groups. Class size varies from 24 to 31. In the spring and summer terms more children will join the eight currently in the reception class. Nearly all of the children have attended the nursery on a part-time basis. While most children live close by, 40 per cent travel from outside the school’s catchment area. The children come from a range of backgrounds and their attainment on entry varies but is generally below that expected for their age. Twenty one per cent are eligible for free school meals, slightly higher than the national average. Of the nine per cent of pupils from ethnic minority groups, most

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

are of black-Caribbean heritage. One child has English as an additional language but does not need help in learning to speak English. There are 85 children (29 per cent, higher than the national average) identified as having special educational needs. One child has a statement of special educational need and eight others receive support from external agencies for autism, multi-sensory impairment, learning and behavioural difficulties. The school is part of several initiatives including City Reading Intervention Strategy and ‘Raising cultural awareness’.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

The school is effective in valuing all pupils and taking care of their well-being. The headteacher takes a strong lead in promoting pupils’ good behaviour and in celebrating their achievements. This creates a supportive, learning atmosphere that starts well in the nursery. Standards are rising as the teachers have raised expectations and much teaching is good. However, too many pupils fail to remember what they are taught and work slowly. Many subject leaders have done much in a short time to analyse where improvements need to be made. Given pupils’ low attainment on entry to the nursery, the school provides satisfactory value for money overall and good value in the nursery.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What the school does well • The nursery children get off to a really good start because of good teaching and interesting activities. • Standards are good in physical education; many pupils do well for their age. • It prepares pupils well for the national tests, especially in Year 6. The successful work to raise standards in mathematics provides a good model for other subjects. • The very strong leadership of the headteacher unites those who work in the school – all are very committed to helping the pupils achieve their best. • The children like school and most are interested in learning. The class of Year 6 pupils sets a good example. The pupils are keen to learn and are doing well because of very good teaching.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What could be improved • Standards in English across the school. • The pupils’ level of attention, degree of concentration and work rate. • The accuracy and use of assessment to identify the next steps in the pupils’ learning. • The analysis of the impact of what the school is doing on the quality of education and the standards pupils attain. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school has made satisfactory progress since the 1997 inspection. After a relatively slow start, the pace of improvement has increased and the school’s results rose markedly in the 2001 national tests for Glade Hill Primary School - 2 eleven-year-olds. Focussed teaching, especially in mathematics, higher expectations of what the children can achieve, booster classes and revision periods have helped to raise standards. Although the infant children are doing better in mathematics compared with 1997, their reading, writing and science attainment is low. There are signs of improvement now that subject coordinators have analysed where the problems lie. Changes in how the school and curriculum are managed have bridged the problem of two separate buildings and given a clearer focus to the work of the school. The teachers have a better knowledge of how well the children are doing but there are still gaps in how they use this knowledge to

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

ensure the right level of learning challenge. Schemes of work have helped to strengthen the teachers’ subject knowledge. Aspects of the key issues from 1997 remain.

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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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STANDARDS

Performance in: all schools similar schools Key

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STANDARDS

English E* E* E D well above average above average A B Mathematics E E C B average below average C D Science E E D C well below average in lowest 5 per cent of schools E E*

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STANDARDS

For the first time, the school has matched the national average in mathematics and done better than most similar schools. A second achievement is the dramatic increase in the percentage of pupils who did better than expected for their age. This lifted the overall standard in mathematics, science and, to a lesser degree, in English. The boys did particularly well. Inspection evidence shows that English standards are low in most year groups. As in science, too many pupils do not reach the level expected for their age. The present Year 6 pupils are making good progress because they are keen to learn and are benefiting from good teaching. Most are close to, but below the level expected for their age. The school’s targets are realistic for Level 4 attainment in English and mathematics in the 2002 national tests.

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STANDARDS

Inspection evidence indicates that standards in reading, writing, mathematics and science are rising in the infant classes. This contrasts with the below average standards attained in the 2001 tests. The mathematics results and the teachers’ assessments in science placed Glade Hill in the lowest five per cent of schools. While national results have risen, the school’s results have seesawed over the last three years. The gap between Glade Hill and similar schools has remained wide as too many pupils have been at least a year’s progress behind. Inspection evidence, however, shows that purposeful teaching is accelerating the pupils’ learning and many are doing as well as expected for their age. The nursery children and those in the reception year make good progress, especially in personal and social skills, reading, writing and number. When they join Year 1, most are close to but slightly below the standard expected for their age, and a small number are doing better.

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STANDARDS

Standards in physical education are good. In art and design, design and technology, history, ICT and religious education, most pupils are doing as well as others of their age in other schools. As very few lessons were seen in geography and music, it is not possible to judge standards.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Glade Hill Primary School - 3 Aspect Comment

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Attitudes to the school Good; most pupils, but more especially those in the nursery, reception and Year 6 class, are willing to learn. The pupils like school and enjoy practical activities.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Satisfactory; most behave well at all times. A few pupils in several year groups do not readily do as they are asked and they influence others and disrupt their learning.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Personal development and relationships Good; the children generally get on well together in the classroom and playground. A small number find it hard to accept responsibility for their actions and many rely heavily on adults to guide their work.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

During the inspection, several pupils behaved poorly and affected the attitude of others. Their reticence to do as their teachers asked, and in some cases, defiance, slowed the work rate of all.

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

Teaching of pupils in: Nursery and Reception Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

Quality of teaching Good Good Satisfactory

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

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

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

Teaching has improved since the last inspection and was at least satisfactory in all lessons apart from two for junior pupils. The teaching is more often good and very good for the nursery, reception and infant classes but is strongest for the class of Year 6 pupils who are learning well and making good progress across the curriculum. The nursery and reception staff work very well as a team. High expectations of what the children can achieve together with structured teaching in reading, writing and number, are boosting the children’s learning. Standards are rising for pupils in Years 1 and 2 because of focussed good teaching in English and mathematics.

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

The overall quality of teaching of English is satisfactory for pupils in Years 3, 4 and 5. Although the literacy hours often start with a clear purpose, the quality and pace of the group work is not as effective. Too many pupils are slow to complete their work and many, especially those with special educational needs, find it hard to work without an adult’s help. Not enough is done to help all the pupils realise what they have learnt and what they need to remember. This contrasts with well-organised mathematics lessons where the teaching is often good. The pupils enjoy the games and practical tasks and try hard to use correct mathematical terms when they explain their answers.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

The quality and range of the curriculum Satisfactory for infant and junior pupils; extra curricular activities enrich the provision. The good curriculum for the nursery and reception year children is particularly effective in developing their personal skills.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Satisfactory; pupils benefit from much good quality adult support and take part in the full curriculum. The work for them does not always take their needs and individual targets into full account. Glade Hill Primary School - 4 Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Good overall because of the good provision for moral and social development; that for spiritual and cultural development is not as effective. The nursery and reception classes set a good model in promoting the children’s awareness of different heritages and customs.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

How well the school cares for its pupils There is a marked strength in pastoral care but gaps in how the teachers track the pupils’ progress and meet each pupil’s needs.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Glade Hill has good support from parents and the community it serves. Parents attend events, raise funds and come to adult classes based in school. They bring their children to ‘Tiny Tots’, run by a parent who is a registered childminder. The nursery teacher leads the planning of the activities.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

The school is particularly effective in creating a supportive, family atmosphere where each pupil is valued. All the staff show a high level of care and concern and want the pupils to achieve their best.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff Good; the headteacher’s calm, determined and very good leadership has united the school and set a clear direction for change; the quality of subject and school management is not as strong especially in the skills of deciding where improvement is needed and how it may be done.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Satisfactory; the governors are supportive and work well as a team to ensure that the school meets its legal requirements.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The school’s evaluation of its performance Satisfactory; the governors, senior managers and subject leaders are looking at the quality of teaching and learning and setting targets. There is a comprehensive plan of action for the year but gaps in the systems to analyse the effectiveness of what the school does.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The strategic use of resources Satisfactory; the school uses its budget, grants and additional funds to maintain a high level of staffing including a non-class based deputy headteacher. Support staff are very effective in what they do but they, time and space are not always used to best advantage.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The school benefits from having a large site and two buildings. The accommodation is generous although classrooms vary in size. The level of staffing is good, with 7 support assistants as well as 12 teachers. The governors consult others and compare Glade Hill’s results with other schools in the area, but they are not as effective in deciding whether the school is giving best value for what it does. The headteacher’s very good leadership keeps morale high and fosters strong commitment from all.

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

• The progress their children make in the nursery; • The school expects their children to work hard and helps them to become mature and responsible; • They feel comfortable approaching the school with queries and concerns; the staff are friendly and welcoming; No issues were raised by a significant percentage of parents. Some highlighted: • Behaviour is not always good; • The amount of homework was too little; • They would like to know more about how their children are getting on. Glade Hill Primary School - 5 • Their children like school; • The teaching is good and their children make good progress; • The school is well led and managed.

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

The inspection team agrees largely but not wholly with the parents. The parents’ positive views reflect the strengths in the school. The school tries hard to keep parents up-to-date on what is happening and how well their children are doing. Similarly, it has systems to promote good behaviour but during the inspection, some children misbehaved. Homework is given regularly. Glade Hill Primary School - 6

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

1. Standards are below average in English and average in mathematics and science at Key Stages 1 and 2. Inspection evidence indicates that current standards in all three subjects are higher at Key Stage 1 than achieved in the 2001 national tests. This is because the there is much good, purposeful teaching and also the profile of the Year 2 pupils is stronger than that of the year before. Standards in English, mathematics and science have improved since the last inspection in 1997, but English remains a concern as standards have not improved enough especially at Key Stage 1.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

2. In the 2001 national tests for seven year olds, the school’s overall results in reading and writing were well below the average for all schools and for similar schools. The mathematics results and teacher assessment of science placed Glade Hill in the bottom five per cent of all schools, and well below the average of like schools.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

3. The Key Stage 2 results were better. After three years of results that were well below average in mathematics and science, the school matched the national average for Level 4 and Level 5 attainment in mathematics, came very close in Level 4 science attainment and exceeded it in Level 5 attainment. Overall science standards remain below the national average because of the high percentage of pupils whose work is more typical of pupils at least two years younger. In English, better results took the school out of the bottom five per cent of schools nationally. Overall standards remain very low because too many pupils fail to reach Level 3, the level expected of nine year olds.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

4. The school has a higher percentage than average of pupils identified as having special educational needs and the profile in most year groups shows a significant tail of low attainment. The pupils with specific needs make satisfactory progress in meeting their targets but their attainment is often much lower than that of the others. Many of these pupils receive considerable support from adults during lessons but find it hard to organise their own learning and to cope with instructions and problems. In the end of Key Stage 1 and 2 tests, the percentage of pupils who were at least two years progress behind, was higher than the national average. This deflates the school’s overall results.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

5. When the school’s end of Key Stage 2 results are compared with similar schools, Glade Hill did better overall in mathematics, did as well as most in science but was below average in English. When comparing Level 5 attainment, the school was well above the average of like schools in mathematics and science. This significant achievement for the school reflects the substantial investment of time and teaching in revision and booster classes.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

6. The Key Stage 2 results reflect a complex picture of achievement for the school but also some areas for improvement.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

7. The school has done well to ensure that the rise in standards since 1997 has been steeper than the national upward trend. In 1998, only 30 per cent of Year 6 pupils reached Level 4, the level expected for their age, in English, mathematics and science. This was roughly half the national percentage. By 2001, this had more than doubled and was close to national percentages. Glade Hill Primary School - 7 8. Progress in English accelerated in 2001 because the boys did exceptionally well and almost matched boys’ attainment nationally. This brought the school’s percentage of Level 4 attainment in English close to the national average. The school exceeded its target.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

9. As seen nationally in 2001, the boys and girls did better in reading than in writing. The school’s results in writing were below but close to the national average. The school has rightly identified writing as a continuing priority in all year groups. Standards vary but are low overall as too many pupils do not attain the level expected for their age. A key factor is the inaccuracy in spelling and use of punctuation. The pupils do not consistently apply what they have been taught. Their skills in reading critically and writing engaging narratives also develop slowly. These weaknesses lower the quality of the pupils’ work in other subjects such as history.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

10. In 2001, the school exceeded its target for mathematics. The Year 6 boys responded very well to the booster and revision classes and their good attainment raised standards. This also accounted for the improved science results. Inspection evidence indicates however, that in all year groups, there are too many pupils who find it hard to apply and use number not only in mathematics lessons but also in work in other subjects, including science. The pupils’ skills in handling and interpreting data are often weak.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

11. The current Year 6 pupils are making good progress because of much good, systematic teaching in what they need to remember and be able to do. While some read fluently and maturely, others read in a stilted fashion and have difficulty in collating and comparing information. This reflects their skills in oral language especially in their ability to explain and justify cogently. Too many pupils, even the higher attaining ones take a long time to finish work, and the quality of their work is lowered by errors in spelling and punctuation. This also lowers the quality of their written work in other subjects. The pupils know about features of different types of writing but are less skilled in using them appropriately. Their skills in narrative writing are not as good as those in writing information.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

12. A similar picture emerges in mathematics where boys and girls are equally adept. They know how to calculate and handle number; they manage mental sums and number problems using well-rehearsed routines but often struggle when they are asked to apply them or to estimate and give approximations. In science, a major problem is the pupils’ lack of awareness and use of scientific terms. They blithely follow the teachers’ lead in a scientific test and remember what they are told, but are less skilled in carrying out their own investigations. This reflects weaknesses in prior provision.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

13. Teacher assessment last year of Year 6 pupils’ attainment was inaccurate. It grossly under estimated their attainment. Inspection evidence confirms current assessments that indicate the pupils’ attainment is stronger in mathematics than English. The school’s Level 4 targets for 2002 are challenging but the progress of pupils in the Year 6 class suggests that they are achievable.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

14. Even though standards vary, most pupils make good progress over time from below average at the age of three to the level expected for their age at eleven. When pupils’ Key Stage 2 test results are compared with their Key Stage 1 results, the rate of progress in English has been very low, and low in mathematics and science. Too much was left to Year 6 to pull up the results rather than ensure higher standards in each year group. The school is planning strategies to deal with this by setting Glade Hill Primary School - 8 challenging targets for each year group while retaining the programme of booster and revision classes for Year 6 to sustain the good standards achieved this year.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

15. When the children start in the nursery, their attainment varies but is generally below average especially in getting on with others. All the children make good progress because of good teaching and a wide range of stimulating experiences that foster the children’s interest in learning as well as their knowledge and skills in the other five areas of learning. Short daily sessions of literacy and numeracy in the nursery and full literacy hours and mathematic lessons in the reception year prompt the children’s progress in speaking, listening, reading, writing and number. When they move into Year 1, most children are close to attaining the early learning goals and some have exceeded them especially in personal, social and emotional development, reading and number. In the last few years, the rate of progress has not been fast enough to ensure that sufficient pupils reached Level 2 to narrow the gap between the school

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

16. Compared with previous years, higher targets have been set for the current Year 2 pupils in English and mathematics. The pupils are being well taught as the English coordinator has identified where standards are weakest and is working with the Key Stage 1 staff to ‘plug the gaps’. The pupils read with expression and know how to work out words from the letter sounds. They are writing independently but while they know about punctuation, many fail to use it consistently in their writing. Many are also slow writers who form letters incorrectly.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

17. Given the pupils’ current attainment, the school is on course to reach 80 per cent Level 2 attainment for the first time in reading and writing in the 2002 tests. The teachers are confident that similar results are also likely in mathematics and science. Inspection evidence shows that Year 2 pupils competently handle number and many add and subtract sums to 20 correctly both in their head and on paper. They know about different shapes and ways of measuring. They remember scientific facts from topics they have studied and know how to carry out simple investigations.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

18. In 2001, teacher assessment of the Year 2 pupils’ attainment was fairly accurate especially in English. Such results will continue the upward trend of 2001 after a dip in 2000, and bring the school closer to the national average in Level 2 attainment. The teachers are very aware of the need to lift the attainment of the more able pupils if the school’s overall results are to rise markedly.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

19. In 2001, the school took part in the Key Stage 1 Achievement Project designed to improve standards in the basic skills of literacy and numeracy. The ‘Bright Sparks’ group received additional support to challenge them in numeracy, reading and writing and lower attaining pupils were also given additional support. Although standards rose compared with 2000, they only brought the school back in line with its 1999 results in reading and writing and Level 3 attainment was no higher than in 2000. This remains an area where the school does not do well enough. The most improvement was in mathematics where the girls’ good attainment lifted the overall standard. The high focus last year on literacy and numeracy partly accounts for the continued very low standard in science.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

20. One of the key factors in the rise in standards, especially at Key Stage 2, is the link between the pupils’ learning and the quality of teaching. Many of the pupils find it hard to retain information and to make connections between what they know and new information. This was evident in many lessons when the teachers needed to repeat and review information several times before most pupils showed they had grasped it. Glade Hill Primary School - 9 Although the pupils often remember immediately what they have been told, they forget it quickly. Higher attaining pupils are quicker to see how what they know links with new information and the school has identified a pupil who finds learning easy in mathematics. However, advanced knowledge and attainment was not evident in work and lessons seen. The most effective teaching helped all the pupils to recall key information through questions and prompts. When the pupils were actively engaged,

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

such as in investigating reversible and irreversible changes, they found it hard to explain what they were seeing as they could not always recall the relevant terms. It often needed the teacher to suggest and frame their answers.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

21. A success for the school is the good standards in physical education, including swimming. In all year groups, the pupils show natural agility and skill in moving around and in handling and passing balls. The school teams do well in competitions and matches.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

22. In art and design, design and technology, history, ICT and religious education, standards are satisfactory as was judged in the last inspection. The pupils make satisfactory progress in acquiring knowledge and developing skills because of the teachers’ use of national schemes of work and practical demonstrations. This is best seen in ICT where the pupils are making good progress in many lessons as they learn quickly and are not afraid to try things out. The lack of training for the teachers in ICT is not affecting the pupils’ progress unduly. Higher attaining pupils however, are not always challenged enough and there is very little high attainment or high achievement.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

23. It was not possible to judge standards in geography and music because very few lessons were seen.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

24. Pupils generally have good, positive attitudes to school, and nearly all the parents who returned the questionnaire agreed that their children like school. This liking for school and the good relationships between pupils and between pupils and staff ensures an atmosphere of mutual care and respect. Not all pupils, however, show a similarly good attitude towards learning and completion of work. Pupils’ behaviour is satisfactory. During the inspection, while most pupils behaved well in school, a small minority found it hard to follow agreed ways of working. Their immature behaviour, reticence and slowness to respond to instructions, and occasional shows of defiance, disrupted the pace of learning for all.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

25. In most lessons pupils are attentive and enthusiastic; they are interested in practical tasks and excited by doing something different such as going out in the sun to look at their shadows. Most pupils are eager to contribute ideas and to offer answers to questions. This is particularly true when they are motivated by new challenges and when the teaching has pace and vigour.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

26. The nursery and reception children settle very quickly because of the established routines and the ready praise from the adults when they do something well. Parents comment on how their children enjoy school and make good progress in becoming independent and mature. They take care of their own personal needs only seeking help when they cannot manage items such as buttons and zips when getting dressed. They choose what they want to do as well as work with adults on specific tasks; they often show a good level of concentration and willingness to persevere until the task is complete. Two nursery children spent 20 minutes making a Father Glade Hill Primary School - 10 Christmas decoration and took much time and care to stick on wool and draw on belts and buttons.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

27. In a small number of lessons at Key Stages 1 and 2, pupils chatted idly and called out despite being asked and told by their teachers not to. Their lack of self-discipline contrasted sharply with the tolerance and patience of other pupils who had to wait too long for all to be quiet and ready to learn. This partly explains why the work rate varies so much. In some lessons, pupils get very little done as they fiddle and fuss and need to be reminded of what they are to do. In other lessons, pupils are quick to settle to their work and get on quietly and conscientiously. This is most apparent in the nursery and in the class of Year 6 pupils. Here the pupils set a very good example to others in applying themselves and being as self-reliant as possible. They know exactly what their teachers expect of them and how things are to be done. Their often very good attitudes are a prime factor in why these pupils are making such good progress.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

28. By and large pupils follow the agreed rules when in their own classrooms and when closely supervised by adults. Their behaviour occasionally falls short of the expected standard at times such as going to the cloakroom or making their way into the playground. Too many pupils find it hard to contain their boisterousness or to walk sensibly, and cannot be relied upon to behave themselves properly. A few do not realise the impact of their behaviour on others or consider others’ rights. During the last school year, there were seven fixed term exclusions related to incidents of unacceptable behaviour. It is important to note that this term there have not been any similar incidents and during the inspection, pupils’ behaviour in the playground was predominantly very good. Pupils’ recreation was vigorous but good-natured. No incidents of harassment or bullying were observed. Pupils were courteous and talked

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

sensibly and willingly to adults, expressing clear interest in what they were doing and in what was happening in school. Similarly in the dining hall, pupils calmly and happily chatted to friends and visitors.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

29. Pupils willingly undertake a range of responsibilities, and carry out their duties sensibly and efficiently, whether it be delivering registers and organising daily milk, helping in the daily routines of the classroom, or picking up litter at lunchtime. Some show a good level of initiative, spontaneously helping others and organising what they need to do. Reception children take pride in being ‘Tigers on task’ and working with the nursery children on specific jobs.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

30. All the pupils respond well in sessions when the focus is on issues important to their own personal and social development. For example, Year 6 pupils talked about their feelings when paying and receiving compliments. Similarly, Year 5 pupils were very mature and perceptive when discussing how they might feel if they had no friends, and how they might act to help a classmate who was in need of a circle of friends. At such times, pupils often show a mature level of care and consideration for others.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

31. Levels of attendance are just below the national average but are satisfactory overall. The rate of unauthorised absence has decreased significantly over the past few years. Pupils are generally punctual and lessons begin promptly.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

32. The overall quality of teaching is satisfactory. There are signs that it is improving although there is inconsistency across the school and within Key Stage 2. The teaching is stronger in the Foundation Stage and at Key Stage 1 than at Key Stage 2, although the strongest teaching is for the class of Year 6 pupils. Here the high Glade Hill Primary School - 11 incidence of very good and good teaching is boosting the pupils’ positive attitude to learning in all subjects and raising their attainment. This is not typical of Key Stage 2 as a whole.

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33. In all lessons seen, bar two, the teaching was at least satisfactory. It was good in 43 per cent and very good in a further 15 per cent. The very good teaching of a specialist teacher from the LEA is included in these figures. The overall percentage of very good teaching has increased since the 1997 inspection but the differences remain between the key stages. Although the teaching was good in more than half of lessons, inconsistencies in planning, marking and in teaching the key subjects, most especially English, indicate that the overall quality is satisfactory.

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34. As in 1997, the quality of teaching is good in the Foundation Stage and at Key Stage 1. The pupils learn well because the teaching is good in three lessons out of four, and it is sometimes very good. The consistency in teaching is having a positive impact across the curriculum but most especially in English and mathematics.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

35. There have been several changes in staffing at Key Stage 2 since the 1997 inspection but, just as reported then, the teaching varies from unsatisfactory to very good. In several lessons seen, including lessons in English, science and religious education, the strengths only just outweighed the weaknesses. When the strong teaching for the class of Year 6 pupils is removed from the Key Stage 2 profile, the quality of teaching flattens with good teaching dropping from just over 50 to 35 per cent. This is even more marked in relation to the very good teaching as the figure falls from 15 to 6 per cent. There is good teaching in all classes, and occasional very good teaching, but it is not consistently in the key subjects of English, mathematics, science and ICT. This is hampering the school’s efforts to raise standards in the core subjects in all year groups.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

36. The school is building on ideas gained from recent professional development in how to promote learning and take different learning styles into account. In many lessons, the teachers made effective use of ideas from the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies and also incorporated ‘brain breaks’ and rewards such as ‘Give yourself a pat on the back’ to keep the pupils focussed on the task.

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37. Several key strengths underlie the teaching throughout the school and have a positive impact on the pupils’ learning.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

38. Individual expertise and good subject knowledge boosts the quality of teaching in some lessons. This is most evident in English, mathematics, science, art and design, design and technology, ICT and physical education. In a very good lesson on perspective in art and design, pupils in Years 5 and 6 produced work of high quality because of the well structured and encouraging teaching. The coordinator confidently and clearly explained and demonstrated techniques to show the vanishing point in pictures. She welcomed the pupils’ comments and used them to help the pupils see how other artists had achieved perspective. This gave the pupils sufficient confidence to apply similar techniques in their sketches and then to appraise their own learning.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

39. The staff care about the pupils and are conscientious in their preparation of lessons. In the most effective lessons, the learning objectives are clear, realistic and achievable in the time. The teachers share the purpose of the lesson with the pupils and return to it at the end to review learning and remind pupils of key points. Glade Hill Primary School - 12 40. They take time to establish routines and to organise materials. This is well exemplified in the nursery where every inch has been thoughtfully used to create a stimulating, organised learning environment. The children quickly learn the pattern of the sessions and where things are kept. Consequently, they become increasingly independent and confident in helping to tidy away and deciding what they wish to do.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

41. The staff share their expertise and support each other in planning and giving lessons. In ICT this has compensated for the delay in the nationally funded professional development programme to raise the teachers’ knowledge and skills. The ICT coordinator’s knowledge, enthusiasm and drive are giving other teachers the confidence to teach the agreed scheme of work. Year 2 pupils learnt how to insert words on screen and how to save and to print their work, when the ICT coordinator worked alongside their class teacher and assisted pupils in dealing with computer malfunctions and the pupils’ misunderstandings.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

42. The good quality of the support and teaching of the classroom assistants has a significant and positive impact on the achievement of the pupils, especially the lower attaining Key Stage 1 and 2 pupils in English and mathematics. The assistants are very committed to their work and the rooms used for group work have eye-catching displays. The assistants show a high level of interest in the pupils; they encourage them and remind them of what they need to do. For example, in a physical education lesson, the assistant’s comments to Year 3 and 4 pupils improved the quality of their shapes, balances and patterns of movement on gymnastics apparatus. Her support ensured that the pupils remained focussed on the task and played a full part in the lesson. The timely intervention of an assistant nipped behaviour and attitude problems in the bud, as she set clear expectations for Year 5 pupils’ behaviour and work rate.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

43. Support assistants also work unobtrusively and effectively alongside pupils with special educational needs to help them work towards the targets in their individual education plans. The assistants ensure that the pupils have what they need and understand what they have to do. Their support often compensates for the task being too challenging for the pupils to do on their own. Other pupils sitting near by also benefit as they hear the step-by-step explanations and comments.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

44. The teachers, nursery nurses and classroom assistants work very successfully as a team. Joint planning by the nursery and reception year staff ensures that all know what the children are to learn and how themes are being developed in the different areas of the classroom. The adults know how each child is doing as they regularly share and record information about things the children have done. Similarly, at Key Stages 1 and 2, as the support staff share their observations with the teachers, all have good knowledge of the pupils and their progress.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

45. The teachers display the pupils’ work attractively. All place high importance on fostering the pupils’ self esteem and pride in their own success. They have drawn on effective ideas from other schools to develop their own ladders of success, star charts and achievement boards. Many show considerable ingenuity in tailoring the system to the pupils’ interests and this helps to sustain the pupils’ positive response.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

46. The teachers generally manage the pupils skilfully. Those teachers new to the profession are benefiting from advice from colleagues in how to handle pupils who show challenging behaviour through setting clear expectations of behaviour and ensuring that pupils know when they have met the required standard. A key strength of the teaching in the Foundation Stage is the consistency in the use of praise to sustain the children’s interest. The adults are firm in their handling of the children Glade Hill Primary School - 13 when necessary but are also effusive in acknowledging good behaviour. A good example was when the reception teacher exaggerated words in her singing to ensure that all the children joined in with the actions, and then rewarded them with smiles and nods of the head.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

47. In all key stages, the staff make good use of activity to sustain the children’s concentration and involvement. The nursery staff pre-empt problems, such as when the children are waiting to go out, by getting them to chat, count or sing. An effective ploy that really engaged the Year 1 boys was the request to clap for a full stop and shout when a capital letter was used. This sharpened the pupils’ awareness and when the teacher made an error in reviewing the use of full stops, two pupils were quick to correct her. The team competition for Year 2 pupils to name shapes pulled out of a bag kept all the pupils on their toes and also showed how many had remembered the names of irregular as well as regular shapes. Similarly, being asked to act out stage directions perked up Year 5 pupils who had slow to tidy away.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

48. Good, challenging questioning by teachers in many lessons helped the pupils to make connections in their learning and to use new information given in the lesson. For example, the nursery teacher’s question ‘What did you notice about the faces?’ not only invited the children to think about the three-dimensional shapes they had seen but also reminded them of new vocabulary introduced earlier. Year 6 pupils became increasingly confident in using ‘connectives’ and ‘complex sentences’ in discussing their work as they took their lead from the teacher, who pressed them into thinking about whether their writing was achieving the desired effect.

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49. Other aspects of teaching are not as consistent, and a few echo areas for improvement identified in the last inspection. They weaken the overall quality of teaching.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

50. Although all the teachers follow the recommended format of the daily literacy hour and mathematics lesson, the use of time and pace of pupils’ learning vary. Not all the mental mathematics sessions are brisk enough to sharpen the pupils’ intuitive use of numbers. Plenary sessions are sometimes too brief to emphasise what the pupils need to remember or how what they have learnt fits in with what is coming in the next lesson. Many lessons are too long to sustain the pupils’ attention. The pupils’ work rate is slow in many lessons as there is little impetus to get things done. Many pupils seem to rely on adults to chivvy and help them organise their work. This is also accentuated when the teachers offer additional time to complete work that should have been finished sooner. In literacy hours, where the teachers ensure that the task is suited to the time available, the pace of learning is better as the pupils gain a feeling

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of success in finishing. There were several examples in pupils’ books of unfinished writing or of first drafts that were not used again.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

51. The teachers’ planning for the literacy hour is not always detailed enough to show exactly what the pupils are to learn in each part of the session, nor how the teaching will be structured to ensure the learning. The learning objectives are often too ambitious for the lesson and are not necessarily couched in terms that the pupils readily understand. In an unsatisfactory English lesson, the actual work done did not reflect the learning objective. In English and other subjects, too often the focus is on the content of what is to be taught rather than what the pupils will learn. In science, this reduces the pupils’ opportunities to suggest how an investigation may be set up and what they expect to find. The teaching of skills is less effective than the teaching of knowledge in many subjects. For example, the pupils have under developed skills in carrying our research using a variety of sources, but most especially books. This

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Glade Hill Primary School - 14 partly accounts for the pupils’ lower standards in the use and application of reading, writing and numeracy skills. In ICT the picture is improving as the teachers use themes in other subjects as a context for ICT work.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

52. As reported in the last inspection, not enough thought is given – not only in literacy hours but in other subjects, especially when there is reading and writing involved - to ensuring that the group task matches the pupils’ level of attainment and, for those pupils with special educational needs, takes into account the recommended strategies to promote learning. Similarly, not all teachers use their own evaluations of lessons to inform their planning for the next ones. Such aspects weaken the action taken to meet the school’s priority of ensuring inclusive education.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

53. At Key Stage 2, there are some gaps in the teachers’ knowledge of the structure of the English language, of National Curriculum level descriptors and of how to develop the pupils’ reading and writing skills. As a result, on the occasions when all pupils do the same task such as writing a story, it is not clear what pupils of differing attainment are expected to do. While there are some good examples of marking that is helpful to the pupils in indicating what they have done well and where they need to improve, this is not consistent. Marking was also identified as an area for improvement in the last inspection.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

54. Not all the classrooms provide good learning support for pupils in literacy and numeracy. Opportunities are missed to display key vocabulary, language and number rules and key points from other lessons for the pupils’ easy reference. Where this is done, as for Year 6 pupils, there is a more explicit sense of learning purpose.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

55. Although the teachers usually supervise the pupils well in class, the lack of close supervision of pupils when they go to the cloakroom or out to the playground results in the spread of boisterous and unacceptable behaviour. In several lessons, the teachers had to work very hard to maintain discipline and to interest the pupils as they came into class unprepared to learn and some took advantage to disrupt the learning of others. In one science lesson, the pupils’ learning was minimal as the teacher had to use too much time to discipline those who chatted, called out and defied the teachers’ requests.

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56. The overall quality and range of the curriculum is satisfactory. There is strength in the way the school is developing ‘an inclusive curriculum’ that takes the needs of every child into account, but some areas for improvement in how the curriculum is structured and taught. The curriculum for children in the Foundation Stage is good as it not only provides a sound footing for the National Curriculum at Key Stages 1 and 2, but also fosters very well the children’s personal development.

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

57. As the need to raise standards was a key issue in the 1997 inspection, the school has allocated most curriculum time to, and concentrated its efforts on improving curriculum quality in English, mathematics and science. The use of the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies is bearing most fruit at Key Stage 2 in raising standards. Similarly, curriculum initiatives such as the structured revision of Year 6 science work, booster classes in English and mathematics for Year 6 pupils, and the project to raise the achievement of Year 2 pupils, have contributed to the improvement in the school’s test results. Theses aspects are balanced by work in other subjects. Glade Hill Primary School - 15 58. The Foundation Stage curriculum is rich, stimulating and planned thoroughly to show what the children will learn and how this tallies with the stepping stones that mark the phases of progress in national guidance. The staff have kept up-to-date with changes

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in national guidance and have a very good understanding of the principles of early education. As reported in the last inspection, they place a high and very effective emphasis on personal, social and emotional development. This sets a positive tone for learning that underlies the whole provision especially for those children with special educational needs. The curriculum structure takes account not only how young children learn through play and experience, but also the need to provide for children who are in the nursery for differing length of time, such as those with late summer month birthdays who join Year 1 straight from the nursery as there is no summer half term intake into the reception year.

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59. The nursery and reception class staff ensure that all the children get the most both from new and familiar activities that they choose and also from sessions with an adult, when they learn new skills or are challenged to build on what they know. The 12-week rotation of adult led activities is very well planned and well recorded to ensure that all the staff know the purpose of each session and how the children’s learning is to be promoted. A key strength of the curriculum is the repetition of activities for the part-time morning and afternoon children, and the opportunities for the reception year children to participate at their own level in the nursery programme. The curriculum shows progression in content and approach. For example, in the nursery, the children are introduced to short sessions of reading, writing and number that develop into literacy hours and mathematics lessons in the reception class. The

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teachers use common themes successfully to link activities and experiences that promote the children’s progress in the six areas of learning. Parents were very appreciative of the train-barge-bus journey made by the children as an integral part of their work on ‘Transport’. This led to a wide range of follow-up work including painting, model making and discussion of landscape features that the children had seen.

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60. The curriculum for pupils at Key Stages 1 and 2 meets statutory requirements to include the teaching of all National Curriculum subjects as well as religious education. It is broad and relevant to meet the needs and interests of the pupils. The shortfall in the teaching time at Key Stage 2 reported in the previous report has been rectified. The teaching time for pupils at Key Stage 1 is longer than the national minimum and the school uses the extra time to promote pupils’ personal and social education. Times when pupils have their milk or ‘circle time’ (when all pupils have a chance to offer their views) are used to encourage pupils to develop their speaking and listening skills and to consider others’ opinions and values.

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61. The curriculum reflects the content of the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies and other nationally produced subject schemes of work. This ensures that aspects of subjects are taught in a logical sequence. It also means that all teachers are aware of what is to be taught each term and how this may be done. In music and religious education, this has dealt successfully with gaps identified in the last inspection. In some cases, such as history and English, good links have been identified so that learning in one subject supports another. A weakness, however, is the lack of information in the schemes of work to show how pupils’ subject skills will be developed and how the teachers will keep track of progress. This is of particular importance in ICT where, because of their different experiences in and out of school, the pupils show differing levels of knowledge and skill. Glade Hill Primary School - 16

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62. Curriculum planning is satisfactory in showing what will be taught over a unit of work or half term. In some cases, visits out or visiting speakers are arranged to enrich the curriculum. For example, theatre visits and Book Weeks complement work in English. As reported in the last inspection, the school places good emphasis on physical education both in school time and as extra-curricular activities. Swimming lessons begin in Year 2 and the school makes good use of the skills and expertise of staff and coaches to provide additional sports such as tennis for pupils in Years 3 and 4. The school football team takes part in, and recently won, events such as the Carnival 6-a- side competition. The school’s links with local business have provided sponsorship for football shirts and story sacks for the nursery.

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63. Since the last inspection, the school has developed its links with the local community and these are now good. The school has close links with homes for the elderly and provides accommodation for a ‘Tiny Tots’ group. Pupils take part in local events, such as the Carnival, and the choir sings at the Christmas concert in the Nottingham Royal Concert Hall. There are plans to strengthen existing links with the local High School through work in design and technology and ICT for Year 6 pupils.

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64. The school has increased the range of extra-curricular activities since the last inspection. These activities, led and supported by teachers and classroom assistants, extend the curriculum especially in English, music and physical education at lunchtime and after school. Key Stage 1 pupils can participate in drama activities and older pupils have the opportunity to join a Creative Kids club, to learn Spanish and to play the recorder.

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65. The provision for pupils with special educational needs is satisfactory. The guidance of an adult ensures the pupils cope with the work they are asked to do, especially in English, mathematics and science. However, curriculum plans do not always refer explicitly to individual learning needs, nor show how starting points may differ for higher and lower attaining pupils.

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66. The provision for pupils’ personal development is good and sustains the strength identified in the last inspection. A good feature of the provision, especially for those pupils identified as having emotional and behavioural difficulties, is the inclusion of regular sessions to develop pupils’ awareness of personal and social education, including health, sex education and citizenship. These lessons are often supplemented by short sessions at the start of afternoon school to remind pupils about particular aspects of behaviour and how they affect others. Glade Hill School makes effective use of links with a Life Education Centre to provide a programme to help pupils make informed choices about life issues. For example, a seventeen weeks drugs awareness programme (DARE) is being led by a Nottingham police officer. Parents attend a pre-course meeting and are invited to attend the graduation ceremony when pupils have completed the course successfully. This echoes the

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school’s care in valuing and celebrating the pupils’ achievements. The ‘Superstar’ system is respected and liked by pupils. Awards are recorded in prominent positions in the hall and around the school and weekly honours assemblies reinforce the value the staff place on effort and achievement.

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67. As reported in the last inspection, the provision for pupils’ social and moral development is good and that for spiritual and cultural development is satisfactory.

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68. The ‘Superstar’ system is effective in encouraging pupils to develop an awareness of their own and others’ talents and skills. The pupils are keen to have their efforts recognised in class and by others. The school encourages the pupils to use their Glade Hill Primary School - 17 singing and acting talents in concerts and productions such as ‘Oliver’. In school assemblies, there are some opportunities for prayer and reflection. For example, speakers from a local church encouraged the pupils to think about the need to care for the world in which they live. In lessons, however, there are fewer chances for pupils to share their reflections or to develop a sense of wonder about the environment.

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69. Assemblies often provide the means to link spiritual, moral and social aspects. In a special assembly to celebrate the 25 years’ service to the school of a lunch-time supervisor, the theme of friendship was well promoted in the choice of introductory music, ‘You’ve got a friend’, and in the testimony of two pupils relatively new to the school who commented on how others had helped them to feel at home. The presentation of a bouquet and certificate of service to the supervisor highlighted the way the school encourages the pupils to value the support of, and have respect for the lunchtime staff.

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70. All the teaching and support staff work hard to develop the pupils’ sense of community values. Pupils are encouraged to develop good inter-personal skills by working in small groups or participating in large group discussions. The school supports a number of charities, such as Macedon (housing for homeless people), and the day after the inspection ended, organised events specifically to raise money for Children in Need. The school has a clear code of rewards and sanctions that help pupils to develop an awareness of right and wrong and to take increasing responsibility for their own behaviour. Teachers provide regular opportunities for pupils to discuss school and class rules, and school council meetings provide elected class representatives an opportunity to raise wider concerns. Nearly all the parents and carers who returned the questionnaire as well as those who attended the meeting with inspectors, agreed

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that the school helps their children become mature and responsible. The system of class monitors provides pupils with chances to undertake a range of duties, including the distribution or return of registers, and the distribution of books and equipment.

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71. The school effectively fosters the pupils’ awareness of local history and heritage but is less effective in developing an awareness of life in a multi-cultural society. The school has few books in the library to promote this aspect of the curriculum. In some classes, pupils are encouraged to indicate their presence at registration through a variety of languages. Work in art and history gives pupils an awareness of different artists, craftspeople and civilisations, and key facts about British history help to raise the pupils’ awareness of their own heritage. A Caribbean Week gave all pupils a flavour of music and dance as well as food and lifestyle. For children in the Foundation Stage, the provision is stronger. During the inspection, the nursery and reception children celebrated the Hindu festival of Diwali and learnt about different customs, foods and dress with the help of a sari-wearing NVQ student. The staff

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ensured that the children made and tasted curry and saw how Rangoli patterns are created. Parents were very impressed by the nursery’s Goose Fair.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

72. Standards of pastoral care are high and have strengthened since the last inspection. This very good aspect of the school’s provision is greatly valued by parents. Ninety seven per cent of those who returned the questionnaire agreed that the school helps their children to become mature and responsible. The inspection team endorses the parents’ high praise for the school’s supportive environment. All in the school encourage the children and celebrate their achievements. As a result, the pupils grow in confidence. Glade Hill Primary School - 18 73. The headteacher is a particularly strong role model for staff, parents and pupils alike. Parents comment how his calm, authoritative approach inspires pupils to strive for his praise and how the children’s delight is evident when they receive weekly awards from him or are given a place in the Honours Book.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

74. The school has very effective systems to ensure the pupils’ health, safety and well- being. All the staff, but most particularly the conscientious lunchtime supervisors, are very well briefed about the pupils and also their role in carrying out the school’s pastoral policies. Accidents are carefully recorded and the adults show unwavering care and concern for the pupils. The kitchen staff are very much part of the school team; they chat to the pupils as they choose their lunches and ensure that specific dietary requirements are met. The site manager makes a strong contribution to making sure that the school is kept in good working order and that pupils and staff are made aware of danger spots.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

75. Procedures for child protection are very good and staff are clear about how to deal with situations. The headteacher, as the designated adult with responsibility for child protection, provides very effective support for all pupils and families who experience difficulties. He is very conscientious in his duty of care and all the appropriate documentation is in place. Occasionally, outside agencies ask for information at very short notice and the headteacher shows the same level of meticulous care and reflective analysis for each case.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

76. Very effective liaison with support agencies enables the school to deal with particular concerns and individual needs. For instance, with the support of a teacher from the LEA, the school has introduced a ‘Circle of Friends’ to help pupils support others in lessons, at play and out of school. This helps pupils to understand better the problems faced by others, physically and emotionally, and why they might behave the way they do. Teachers often give time at the start of sessions to talk through problems with their classes. This is a useful strategy to develop the school’s provision for preventing bullying and harassment. During the week of the inspection, there were no instances of bullying or racism seen although there were incidents when pupils showed poor behaviour and loss of self-control.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

77. All the adults work extremely hard to implement the school’s very detailed behaviour policy. The rewards and sanctions are effective when consistently implemented, particularly in lessons. The teachers have used much ingenuity in the formats of the different star charts and ladders of achievement in classrooms. The headteacher takes the lead in ‘catching the child being good’ and in dealing with those who misbehave. He supports the staff in withdrawing pupils from their class to ensure that the others may learn. He is also quick to intervene when pupils move around school, so that trouble is stopped before it escalates. Not all staff are equally vigilant in monitoring and supervising pupils when they move from place to place, such as from the classroom to the cloakroom or from playground to classroom. It was usually at such times during the inspection, that pupils took advantage and behaved poorly. The

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school is aware that more boys than girls are given detention, but has not looked critically at the reasons and circumstances which may identify key factors.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

78. The school has good, effective procedures to monitor and improve attendance. Class teachers accurately complete attendance registers at the start of each session. Concerns about a pupil’s absence are quickly passed on to the education welfare service. Such procedures have helped the school to reduce significantly unauthorised absence since the last inspection. Parents are generally good at informing the school Glade Hill Primary School - 19 of any reasons for absence as they know the procedures and the school has told them why it is so important for their children to attend regularly.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

79. The school’s procedures for monitoring pupils’ personal development are sound. The school deals with this very well at an informal level but does not record key information systematically. This means that chances are lost to monitor, evaluate and analyse the school’s effectiveness in this key area against criteria such as the progress and attainment of boys and girls, those who have been in school since nursery, or those with particular needs. Two exceptions are the details kept on pupils with special educational needs and the youngest children. In the nursery and reception class, detailed observations, achievement displays and written records form part of the systematic monitoring of each child’s progress in personal, social and emotional development.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

80. Procedures to assess pupils’ academic progress are satisfactory. Developments since the last inspection have improved the quality in some, but not all areas. A key development is the tracking of each pupil’s achievement from starting school, and the use of this information to set targets for their attainment at the end of each year. Subject leaders are beginning to analyse pupils’ test results to identify where there are common weaknesses and where changes need to be made to the curriculum and teaching arrangements. In English, for example, the analysis has helped to pinpoint Year 2 pupils who would benefit from a short intensive programme to raise their awareness of punctuation. Such analyses are informing the content of subject action plans, particularly in English and mathematics.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

81. The school meets statutory requirements in assessing the pupils’ attainment on entry to school and at the end of Key Stages 1 and 2. It is also using nationally recommended tests at the end of Years 3, 4 and 5. This allows the school to look at trends and year groups but much of this is still in at an early stage, particularly in relation to determining the value added by teaching, curriculum and school initiatives. Not all the teachers and subject coordinators are equally familiar with the descriptors of the National Curriculum levels and this weakens the effectiveness of the assessment and evaluation process.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

82. The quality of assessment in the Foundation Stage is good. The staff have a good awareness of each child and all take responsibility for keeping progress records updated and for compiling reports to parents. The checklists for each child are a useful summary of progress in most aspects of the six areas of learning. There are some omissions, such as the development of skills and knowledge in ICT. The many photographs and examples of the children’s work on display and in the children’s folders give a good flavour of what the children can do. A good model for how this is being extended is the folder of work for a reception year child, which has comments on what the child was asked to do and how the outcome shows the child’s attainment in relation to the early learning goals.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

83. At Key Stages 1 and 2, the teachers keep their own records on pupils’ work. This gives them a fair overview of progress in English, mathematics and science, but in too many cases, the records tend only to note the completion of a task or a score achieved in a test. While some teachers record what pupils have done as part of their daily and weekly evaluations, there is too little emphasis on the systematic recording and assessment of the pupils’ skills, knowledge and understanding. As a consequence, the teachers have little to tell them where there are common or individual strengths and weaknesses. This is a concern when all teachers have targets for pupils’ attainment. Glade Hill Primary School - 20 84. Although subject policies refer to assessment, pupils’ progress is not yet being monitored in all subjects. In many subjects, such as ICT, this reflects the lack of detailed guidance on the progression of skills. In English, mathematics and science,

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

there is little to indicate how well the pupils are acquiring subject skills. For example, the reading records list the books and pages read but do not consistently give information on reading strategies or reading errors to allow trends to be identified. This limits the teachers’ ability to decide what pupils need to learn and how best to teach it. The development of subject portfolios of assessed work are a useful support for teachers in deciding how well their pupils are doing in relation to National Curriculum levels of attainment. In assessing the attainment of pupils in Years 2 and 6, teacher assessment was reliable at Key Stage 1, but unreliable at Key Stage 2. Teachers’ assessments greatly under estimated the pupils’ attainment in English, mathematics and science. There are continuing inaccuracies. For instance, when marking the pupils’ responses to questions in science tests, the teachers are not

p.25

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

picking out that most pupils ‘describe’ rather than ‘explain’.

p.25

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

85. The support is good for pupils with special educational needs and for those with statements of special educational need. The monitoring of their progress is satisfactory but has some key areas for development. The special needs coordinator is conscientious in identifying how best to support the pupils on the register of special educational need. The programme of support in class and in small groups withdrawn from the classroom is effective in helping the pupils to feel secure and confident in tackling their work.

p.25

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

86. The teachers and support assistants monitor the pupils’ response, attitude and behaviour very well but are not as effective in monitoring academic progress. This is largely because the pupils’ individual education plans are too general in their targets, and do not give enough guidance on how they are to be achieved. Few identify small, realistic steps with specific strategies to enhance achievement and systematic progress within a short time.

p.25

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

87. Parents are positive in their views of the school. Despite the relatively low percentage of parents who returned the questionnaire or attended the pre-inspection meeting, the vast majority of their responses were very supportive of the school’s work. The few concerns about behaviour, homework and information on progress, were not representative of the vast majority. Parents are appreciative of the welcoming atmosphere created by the headteacher, staff and governors and they feel able to approach the school with any worries. They believe that their children are making good progress in school, especially in the nursery, because of good teaching. They also agree that the school has high expectations for their children.

p.25

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

88. The school has a good, well-established yet forward-looking partnership with parents and carers that makes a positive contribution to pupils’ learning. The detailed home- school liaison action plan shows how the school plans to extend this relationship in the next few years. The governors and headteacher show the importance they attach to this area of work by sharing responsibility for it between three members of staff. Much is done to meet the needs expressed by families. A good example is the holding of adult courses in school-time and the allocation of a spare room to parents to hold ‘Tiny Tots’, a playgroup run by a parent who is also a registered child-minder, with guidance from the nursery teacher. Such ventures are mutually beneficial. The Glade Hill Primary School - 21 parents have decorated the ‘Tiny Tots’ room and a recent distribution of leaflets has brought in new members.

p.25

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

89. The headteacher, staff and governors maintain effective, clear links with parents and carers about every aspect of the school. The nursery staff quickly develop relaxed, positive relationships with parents. Their pleasure at welcoming new children, the interest that the staff show in families, and the way they share the children’s achievements with parents all set a very positive tone. Parents really value such good levels of communication.

p.26

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

90. The school prospectus and governors’ annual reports are well organised and presented to provide a colourful insight into the life of the school. Newsletters and notice boards provide another rich vein of information for parents and allow them to tap into local community events as well as those in school. A good example of this is the photographic display in the main entrance area that gives parents a range of ideas on how taking part in courses as part of life long learning can provide a model for their own children.

p.26

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

91. When pupils start school, the staff make sure they obtain all available information so that their initial assessments of the pupils are as well informed as possible. In addition, parents are also invited to provide evidence of their children’s achievements outside school. For example, the display of flower heads on the nursery notice board provides a striking pictorial record of what children are achieving at home. Parents stick a coloured dot onto an individual petal dedicated to one aspect of their child’s development and watch their child’s flower ‘bloom’ as they make progress.

p.26

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

92. The quality of the end of year written reports to parents is generally good, particularly the detailed, evaluative comments in English, mathematics, science and ICT. Comments on other curriculum areas are usually very brief and give bland details of the work the pupils have done. History, art and design and physical education are grouped in one section, rather than reported separately. A valuable extension of the report is the opportunity for parents to comment on their children’s targets and how they can help them to achieve them. Many responses show that parents give careful thought to how they can help their children. For some parents, this means they would welcome hearing even more frequently about their children’s progress. The school welcomes parents coming to see their children’s work and to talk to teachers but not all parents make full use of this.

p.26

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

93. Parents are very appreciative of what the school provides and many are keen to be involved as much as possible. More than 30 parents regularly offer help either in the nursery or in school, at swimming sessions and on educational visits. Most parents attend concerts and events when their children are involved. The informal yet very successful school ‘supporters’ group’ is efficiently organised by administrative staff and governors. Members organise a variety of social events that are well attended and boost school funds. Some parents actively seek sponsorship for additional school resources in the local community.

p.26

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

94. The regularly completed reading diaries show that parents are generally conscientious in listening to their children read at home. A good number also attend curriculum workshops to heighten their understanding of what children learn in school. Parents were consulted extensively about the wording of the home school agreement and are supportive of it, especially in making sure children complete homework and arrive at school ready to learn. Glade Hill Primary School - 22

p.26

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

95. The quality of leadership and management is good. The very good leadership of the headteacher is offset by areas for improvement in the quality of school and curriculum management. Nevertheless, the good overall quality has been sustained since the last inspection and there is much potential for it to be even stronger.

p.27

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

96. The school has made satisfactory improvement since the last inspection. The rate of improvement was slow in the first years but inspection evidence shows that the pace has accelerated with the recent realignment of subject responsibilities and a much clearer common understanding of the school’s priorities. The headteacher is very successful in fostering a strong team spirit and in encouraging individuals. This has been a prime factor in bringing the whole school together. Effective organisational changes, such as having the main staffroom in the infants’ building, have fostered this good morale and helped to pave the way for all subject coordinators to take responsibility for their subject throughout the school. In several cases, such as ICT, this is already happening as the coordinators have a good knowledge of what needs to be done to raise standards within and across the key stages. In others, such as

p.27

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

science, the coordinator has yet to gather information about all the key stages and gain an overview of strengths and weaknesses.

p.27

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

97. The headteacher’s care and concern for others is not only evident in his support for his staff, but also in his dealings with parents and pupils. Parents much appreciate his friendliness, knowledge of the families and willingness to deal with problems. Ninety- five per cent of parents who returned the questionnaire agreed that the school was well led and managed. Parents justifiably commented on the headteacher being at the heart of the school and setting a good model for staff and pupils alike. He has a clear vision for the school and works hard to support the staff in carrying through action plans.

p.27

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

98. The strong positive ethos reported in the last inspection is as evident in this. The school is meeting its prime aim of ‘ providing a caring, secure learning environment where achievement and enjoyment are important to us all.’ As part of this, the school is placing a high focus on inclusive education. Several strategies are already in place to take better account of how pupils learn. A good example is the use of ‘brain breaks’. One aspect that has not been considered is the length of lessons and the arrangement of the timetable to reflect the children’s liking for activity. Too many lessons seen were overlong and the pace slowed as work expanded to fill the time available.

p.27

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

99. The headteacher looks for the best in all and works with people to help them achieve it. He has acted on the key issue to develop the role of the subject coordinator by also increasing the size of the senior management team and delegating considerable responsibility to them to steer and monitor school improvement. In its second year, the team is still in the early phases of effectiveness in some areas, such as the rigorous analysis of test information and critical evaluation of the value added by the work of the school. The headteacher knows his staff very well and is drawing on their skills and expertise to manage school affairs on a day-to-day basis. He is making effective use of the performance management process to monitor the quality of teaching and learning and to work with staff to ensure they appreciate their part in raising school standards and in meeting the targets set for English and mathematics

p.27

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

in 2002. As a result the school is clearer about its own strengths and weaknesses, where it needs to improve and which areas of professional development will be most helpful. Glade Hill Primary School - 23 100. The one-year school improvement plan arises from the three-year development plan. It covers a wide range of school issues and has relevant priorities that reflect many of the areas for improvement identified in this report. In some cases however, there is no clear, measurable target in relation to standards and references to organisational aspects are not always matched by success criteria that refer to improved quality or standards. While all the subjects have separate plans, it is not clear how they contribute to common priorities such as raising standards in writing. Similarly, the lack of costing in some plans makes it difficult for the governing body to monitor spending of different grants and to evaluate whether there has been best value for

p.27

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

101. The governing body is very supportive of the school and has a good awareness of how well the school is doing from its close liaison with the headteacher, staff and parents. As many governors are newly elected this offers the school a period of stability to develop not only the work of the committees and working parties but also the useful monitoring procedures started, such as classroom visits, attendance at professional development sessions and links with subject coordinators. These are providing governors with valuable information about the school and how it works.

p.28

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

102. The quality of financial management and control is satisfactory, as reported in the last inspection. The school receives significant grants over and above its budget, including monies for pupils with special educational needs. A strength of the management of special educational needs is the careful allocation of support. The coordinator manages her team effectively to ensure that pupils with specific needs are supported in class, especially in literacy and numeracy sessions, and also in small groups away from the classroom. This has not always taken into full account the need to provide even more constant support for those classes where there is a significant number of pupils with emotional and behavioural needs who during the inspection prevented others from learning.

p.28

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

103. The governors are aware of the implications for the school budget of a fall in the numbers on the school roll and are actively seeking additional funds. They regularly check spending and assess value for money for goods and services. A good example is their decision to look for another provider of ICT services after a period of unreliable support. The strategy for the ICT coordinator to work alongside colleagues in some lessons is effective in strengthening the teachers’ expertise and confidence in teaching ICT. In addition, the release of the coordinator for a review day, and a weekly informal drop-in session allow consultations on how to plan and organise teaching. The school has delayed its uptake of funding from the New Opportunities Fund for intensive ICT professional development as it wishes all staff to be trained on site. This is not holding back progress too much as the coordinator is working hard with the

p.28

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

support of knowledgeable teaching and non-teaching staff to help others.

p.28

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

104. Governors have decided to use carryover monies from last year this year, as well as a significant amount of money from Standards Fund, to fund a good number of teaching support staff and also to cover the costs of a temporary teacher. This allows the deputy headteacher to be non-class based. The decision to invest in support staff is giving good value for money as they provide good quality support to the pupils and teachers in all three key stages.

p.28

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

105. The effectiveness of the decision about the deputy headteacher’s role is less evident. The arrangement provides quality time for meetings and the mentoring of two newly qualified teachers at Key Stage 2 as well as valued continuity of practice and Glade Hill Primary School - 24 personnel when the deputy headteacher takes classes throughout the school. However, there is little to show that the increased time for the deputy headteacher to monitor and analyse aspects of the work of the school is having a beneficial effect. Chances have been missed to strengthen procedures and to use available data even more critically to identify trends and implications, such as the comparison and analysis of detention records against standards and progress information. The school compares itself with others in the local area but has not been as rigorous in looking at national comparative data to set its own targets.

p.28

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

106. The administration and site management staff make a significant contribution to the smooth running of the school and to the warm welcome that all visitors receive. New ICT facilities have been used successfully to produce the school prospectus. The governing body is conscious of the need to market the school as the number on roll is falling. By consulting parents through questionnaires and focus groups, the governing body has gained a good overview of parents’ wishes for the school.

p.29

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

107. The quality of leadership and management of the Foundation Stage is good. The nursery teacher is highly committed and takes a very active lead in ensuring that her team are kept up-to-date on national guidance as well as informed about school matters. She has also made very effective use of links with a Beacon nursery school to review learning factors and strengthen the quality of provision in Glade Hill Nursery through personal support strategies. As all the teaching and non-teaching staff play a full part in deciding how things should be done, communication is good and all have a secure understanding of how the nursery and reception class interrelate. Two areas for improvement identified in this report, namely the quality of outdoor provision and records of achievement, are already planned as key areas for development this year.

p.29

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

108. The accommodation is spacious and in a sound state of repair. The school has two buildings each with a hall which allows two classes to have physical education simultaneously, and also spare rooms that are used for group work, ICT, music and storage. One room has been given to the community for ‘Tiny Tots’. Classrooms vary in size but most are more than adequate for the number of pupils. The headteacher has worked hard to ensure all members of the school community use both buildings and during the inspection, staff and classes were seen going from one to the other. In some cases, such as physical education lessons, too much time was lost in the transfer for the strategy to be truly effective.

p.29

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

109. Resources are generally sufficient in quantity and quality for teaching the curriculum, but there are some deficiencies in religious education (a continuing issue from the last inspection) and in ICT, especially in control technology. The school has only a small collection of books. Pupils have access to books in their classrooms but the biggest gap is in non-fiction and the school has to draw on the Local Authorities School Library Service. While the school and classrooms are bright and attractive with displays that celebrate the pupils’ learning, the book areas are less appealing.

p.29

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

110. The school gives satisfactory value for money overall. The nursery gives good value for money because of the good quality of education and achievement of the children. The school receives average funding and substantial grants. The pupils’ attainment is below average on entry and in 2001 was also below the national average in English and science at Key Stage 2. However, there are signs that standards are rising towards and above the average for similar schools at both key stages. The good provision for the younger pupils results in good learning but there are areas for improvement at Key Stage 2 to ensure that all pupils do as well as they should. The Glade Hill Primary School - 25 school has a positive ethos and strengths in leadership outweigh less effective management aspects.

p.29

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

111. To build upon the improvement to date and continue the programme to raise standards, the governing body, headteacher and staff should:

p.30

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

a) raise standards in English by ensuring that pupils are taught systematically and explicitly the strategies, skills and knowledge they need to improve their attainment in speaking, listening, reading and writing; (paragraphs 7, 8, 11, 15, 29, 31, 34, 120-3, 129)

p.30

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

b) improve the learning attitude and work rate of the pupils by sharing existing good practice in school and ensuring that the teaching, curriculum, timetable and class organisation reflect the pupils’ learning needs; (paragraphs 16, 20, 23, 34, 77, 81, 135, 144,168)

p.30

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

c) develop the teachers’ knowledge of National Curriculum level descriptors in all subjects but most especially in English, mathematics, science and ICT, so that they can assess each pupils’ attainment accurately and also identify what each pupil needs to learn to improve; (paragraphs 9, 34, 60, 61, 63, 130)

p.30

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

d) ensure that the school development plan includes clear targets to guide the evaluation of school improvement; (paragraph 79)

p.30

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

e) clarify the responsibilities and accountabilities of the deputy headteacher, senior managers and subject coordinators so that all know what they are to do to ensure school improvement and know how to do it. (paragraphs 75, 78, 84) Glade Hill Primary School - 26 In drawing up the action plan, governors may also wish to consider the following minor areas for improvement:

p.30

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• The limited resources in the library and school to support teaching and learning in art and design, geography, history, ICT and religious education; (paragraphs 88, 125, 151, 160, 164, 169)

p.31

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• The frequent lack of explicit content in individual education plans to identify:

p.31

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

a) appropriate, specific ways to help the pupils attain their targets; b) realistic periods of time between reviews to engender success; (paragraph 64)

p.31

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• the lack of emphasis at Key Stages 1 and 2 in developing the pupils’ awareness of life in a multicultural society. (paragraphs 50, 125) Glade Hill Primary School - 27

p.31

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 28

p.32

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactor y Poor Very Poor

p.32

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

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

p.32

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery YR-Y6

p.32

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 29 266

p.32

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 0 62

p.32

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 6 85

p.32

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 0 1

p.32

Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

p.32

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 1

p.32

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

p.32

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 19

p.32

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 19

p.32

Attendance

School data 5.8 School data 0.4 Glade Hill Primary School - 28 National comparative data 5.6 National comparative data 0.5

p.32

Attendance

Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Glade Hill Primary School - 29

p.33

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

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2001 16 30 46

p.34

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

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

p.34

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

Boys 8 8 12 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 24 26 27

p.34

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

Percentage of pupils School 70 (51) 74 (60) 85 (68) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (83) 86 (84) 91 (90)

p.34

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

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.34

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

Boys 7 12 9 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 24 24 21

p.34

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

Percentage of pupils School 67 (51) 78 (70) 65 (51) at NC level 2 or above National 85 (84) 89 (88) 89 (88)

p.34

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

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

p.34

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

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 2001 24 27 51

p.34

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

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

p.34

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

Boys 19 19 20 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 17 19 22

p.34

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

Percentage of pupils School 71 (49) 75 (69) 82 (77) at NC level 4 or above National 75 (75) 71 (72) 87 (85)

p.34

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

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.34

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

Boys 14 16 16 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 14 13 16

p.34

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

Percentage of pupils School 55 (43) 57 (51) 63 (54) at NC level 4 or above National 72 (70) 74 (72) 82 (79)

p.34

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

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Glade Hill Primary School - 30

p.34

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage 9 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0

p.35

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – African heritage 0 Black – African heritage 0 0

p.35

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Any other minority ethnic group 1 Other minority ethnic groups 0 0

p.35

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

p.35

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 11 Financial year 2000/1

p.35

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 266

p.35

Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total income 608023

p.35

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 7 Total expenditure 584282

p.35

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 184 Expenditure per pupil 2051

p.35

Teachers and classes Financial information

Qualified teachers and support staff: nursery Balance brought forward from previous year 25508

p.35

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 1 Balance carried forward to next year 49249

p.35

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 29

p.35

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 2

p.35

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 55

p.35

Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 2

p.35

Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 4

p.35

Recruitment of teachers

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 0

p.35

Recruitment of teachers

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

p.35

Recruitment of teachers

Number of unfilled vacancies or vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of less than one term (FTE) 0 Glade Hill Primary School - 31 FTE means full-time equivalent. Glade Hill Primary School - 32

p.35

Results of the survey of parents and carers

Percentage of responses in each category

p.37

Results of the survey of parents and carers

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

p.37

Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child is making good progress in school. 50 50 0 0 0

p.37

Results of the survey of parents and carers

Behaviour in the school is good. 39 47 8 3 3

p.37

Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 29 58 5 5 3

p.37

Results of the survey of parents and carers

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 37 53 8 0 3

p.37

Results of the survey of parents and carers

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 74 21 3 0 3

p.37

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 74 24 0 0 3

p.37

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school works closely with parents. 45 45 0 5 3

p.37

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is well led and managed. 50 45 0 5 0

p.37

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 50 47 0 3 0

p.37

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 42 37 5 0 16 Glade Hill Primary School - 33

p.37

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

112. The good quality of provision reported in the last inspection has been sustained. The good teaching and the wide range of well-planned activities ensure the children achieve well. Nursery records show that the children’s attainment is generally below that expected for their age when they start the nursery. Many are immature and find it hard to get on with others. All make good progress and when they move into Year 1, most children are reading, writing and dealing with numbers independently. In all six areas of learning, most children are close to the level expected for their age in that they achieve some but not all of the early learning goals. The higher attaining children do better. This is confirmed by the assessments of their attainment on entry to Year 1.

p.38

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

113. The nursery is staffed by a teacher and two nursery nurses. At the time of the inspection, 38 children attended in the morning and 23 in the afternoon. They varied in age from three years four months to four years ten months. Five children had just joined the reception class bringing the number there to eight. All these children took part in the nursery morning and were then taught as a separate class for the rest of the day. The close partnership and teamwork between the nursery and reception class is very effective in ensuring that the children experience a wide range of adult directed and self-chosen activities across the six areas of learning. They also benefit from close teacher attention in the afternoons when they are introduced to new skills.

p.38

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

114. Both teachers place highest emphasis on personal, social and emotional development, communication, language and literature, and mathematical development. The children’s different ages and stages of development are recognised in the way they are grouped for short sessions in literacy and numeracy. The activities are carefully planned to challenge the children and extend their learning. As a result, the children make good progress.

p.38

Personal, social and emotional development

115. By the end of the foundation stage, most of the children have achieved the early learning goals in this area of learning. They make marked, good progress in developing self-confidence and self-esteem because of strengths in the provision and good teaching. Children new to the nursery and reception classes benefit from seeing what the others do and all rise to the staff’s high expectations that they will take care of their own needs and show interest in what is going on. Parents confirm that the children settle very quickly as they soon gain confidence from knowing the routines and pattern of the sessions, including those times when they meet as smaller groups with either the teacher or a nursery nurse. They thrive on and respond well to the warm and encouraging style of the nursery and reception class staff who support them at key times but also allow them the chance to sort things out for themselves.

p.38

Personal, social and emotional development

They know that ‘At Glade Hill Nursery we have decided to do our very best’.

p.38

Personal, social and emotional development

116. The children are curious to know what is going to happen and they come happily into nursery and school. The adults chat to the children as equals and this encourages the children to express their own views, needs and feelings. They are keen to show what they have done and to gain the adults’ approval. They respond well to adult prompts such as ‘So what are we going to do now that it’s finished?’ to tidy things away or to put items in allocated places. They learn that they have to share and wait their turn. Glade Hill Primary School - 34 This is much assisted by the good skills of the teacher and nursery nurses in keeping the children’s attention. In many of the group sessions, the children sit still and concentrate for long periods. Similarly, many persevere for a long time when working with an adult or at something they have chosen. Two children were highly engrossed for more than 20 minutes in making a Father Christmas and adding their own ideas.

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Personal, social and emotional development

117. The children make good progress in learning to consider others as the staff explain and show the children what happens when the rules are not followed. They tackle issues such as bullying through emphasising what it is not to be a bully and praising the children for good deeds. The group sessions successfully foster a strong sense of community. This is also emphasised by the attractive displays of the children’s work and the ready way the adults share the children’s achievements with their parents. This is done equally well for the morning and afternoon children and a real strength is the way the staff make each child feel special through ‘Our star chart’ and photographs of the children at work.

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Personal, social and emotional development

118. The reception children get a sense of pride through the sessions of ‘Tigers on task’. They learn to organise themselves and to take charge in deciding how their task should be done. In one session, they worked together to tell the nursery children ‘The toys’ party’ and to explain what had happened when they had copied what Kipper had done to make the cake.

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Communication, language and literature

119. The quality of teaching and provision is good in both the nursery and reception class. The adults structure the content of their teaching to develop the children’s knowledge of books, letters and writing and the level of challenge increases in the separate programmes for the younger and older children. As the adults have a good understanding of how each chid is doing, they raise the challenge for individuals when needed. The informed teaching and provision of such elements as ‘Letter of the week’, word walls and writing area, all contribute to the children’s good progress in all aspects of this area of learning. By the end of the reception year, most are reading and writing independently, but a few still have some way to go to achieve all the early learning goals.

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Communication, language and literature

120. The adults’ easy conversation and running commentary on what they doing, encourages the children to talk, think about and comment on their own activities. Many make good strides in their use and understanding of language and also their effectiveness in communicating with others. Comments from the nursery nurse such as ‘How did we do that?’ when the children were watching how to join tow pieces of card, and ‘Is it upper case or lower case?’ when looking at the letters on name cards, prompt the children to reflect on what they know and express themselves clearly. They learn to recognise and to write their name and letters of the alphabet. The teacher made very effective use of a drama session to reinforce the ‘ssss’ of the snake.

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Communication, language and literature

121. Through daily class and group sessions, the children learn to listen and to join in rhymes, songs and familiar stories. In one effective session, the youngest children made marked progress in understanding the events in a story because the nursery nurse dramatised it well and exaggerated words in her telling such as ‘stre…tch….ed’. She picked up on the children’s experiences to develop their ideas about why the balloon might be ‘indestructible’. Similarly, the teacher’s encouragement helped the reception children to retell the tale of ‘Goldilocks and the Glade Hill Primary School - 35 three bears’ through action and song. Her quick praise as part of the flow ensured that the children who find it hard to behave well were fully involved.

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Communication, language and literature

122. Work in literacy hours is helping the reception children to learn the key words listed in the National Literacy Strategy guidance and to gain confidence in using the sounds of letters to work out new words. They know many of the characters in the reading scheme and are reading the first books. While some of the children are quick to learn how to write their name, a significant few are slower and form letters incorrectly. During the inspection, not many children chose to listen to taped stories or to write in ‘The Nursery Office’, but evidence shows they have a go at writing and a few older children show a developing awareness of full stops and capital letters.

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Mathematical development

123. Specific targets, such as ‘big and little numbers’, the display of ‘Number of the week’, daily sessions for the older and younger nursery children and mathematics lessons in the reception class are all helping to accelerate the children’s progress in number and other aspects of mathematical development. By the end of the reception year, most have met the early learning goals because of the good quality of teaching and provision. A significant number exceed the goals.

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Mathematical development

124. The younger nursery children are learning to count to ten through rhymes, action games and practical work in other areas of the nursery. For example, the adults encourage them to count the number of people at an activity and then to work out how many others can join. The teacher uses well routines such as registration to reinforce counting for a purpose with the older nursery children, and to help them recognise the numbers they need to make up the date. While some children are confident in counting to and beyond 10, and sequence numbers accurately, others are still hesitant when on their own. In a good session led by the teacher, five nursery children learnt quickly how to play a number game and to decide the winner by seeing who had the most objects in their Christmas stockings. Good teaching also ensured that all children in the group used their knowledge of spheres, cubes, cylinders and cones

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Mathematical development

to predict whether they would roll or not. The repeated structure of question, prediction, testing and ‘Why do you think that?’ helped the higher attaining children to offer increasingly confident explanations such as ‘it can’t roll as it is not a ball.’

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Mathematical development

125. The reception year children enjoy ‘number aerobics’ when they count to different numbers and most manage accurately to 20. They are learning how to record their number findings in simple sums but not all form numbers correctly. A good example of practical activities to develop the children’s understanding was the slicing of a child’s birthday cake to demonstrate ‘more’, ‘less’ and ‘the same’.

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Mathematical development

126. Although the lessons provide different activities, there is less in the classroom and day-to-day routines to encourage the children to solve practical problems. A good example of an adult encouraging the children to thin mathematically was when the nursery nurse encouraged a group of children to find ways to fit the large wooden blocks neatly into the space in the trolley. Although unplanned, this was valuable as the children had shown a good working understanding of symmetry, shape and space when they created tall towers with cross bars and cylindrical pillars. Opportunities are missed to develop such thinking indoors and outdoors. Glade Hill Primary School - 36

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

127. On entry to the nursery, many of the children have limited general knowledge but they are interested in new things. Good teaching and a well-structured programme of themes and practical experiences ensure the children’s good progress in making sense of the world. By the end of the reception year, most of the children have achieved the standard expected for their age.

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

128. The nursery teachers is very successful in encouraging parents to help in school, for example in leading baking sessions and acting as group leaders on trips to places of interest. Several parents talked of pointing out local features as part of the bus-barge- train ride and helping their children to find out more at home. Work displayed show that the theme of ‘Transport’ was used very effectively to develop the children’s knowledge and skills in several areas. The children learnt about different forms of travel and recorded their findings in drawings, paintings, dictated accounts and models. Photographs reminded the children of what they had seen and helped the reception year children to sequence the order of events. The children flew their own kites and constructed their own boats, aeroplanes and helicopters using a range of tools and materials, including wood and clay.

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

129. The adults take care to teach the children new skills and to provide opportunities for them to apply them. In a good example, when the children made a Father Christmas with movable arms, they were shown how to use split pins. This added to their existing awareness of how to join materials with glue, clips and staples. Similarly, two children moved on in their understanding of maps and routes when the teacher shared examples with them. Opportunities are missed however, to develop the use and compilation of maps and plans as part of general provision, especially outdoors.

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

130. In the nursery and reception class, the children learn how to operate the tape recorder and computer mouse. They become increasingly confident in clicking on icons when using programs related to current themes such as the story of the three bears. The reception children know how to drag and drop words into pictures about reading book characters.

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

131. A strong feature of the provision is the celebrating of different cultural festivals. During the inspection, the children learnt about Diwali and aspects of Hindu life through looking at books, seeing an adult in a sari, hearing the story of Rama and Sita, painting Rangoli patterns and tasting curry.

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Physical development

132. The Foundation Stage coordinator is aware that the provision for this area of learning is not as strong as the others. The children make good progress in most aspects because of the range of experiences over time that develop their gross and fine motor skills. Although the indoor physical education lessons are purposeful, and the teaching is good, the daily outdoor sessions are less effectively supervised and organised. The children often merely let off steam and enjoy using the equipment. Nevertheless, they show good progress in controlling their movements. The older children know that their heart beats faster after doing their warm-up. Even at this early stage in the year, many reception children are doing as well as children in Year 1 in jumping, hopping and moving confidently on different pieces of gymnastics apparatus. As others get out the apparatus, some combinations pose too high a challenge for the

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Physical development

children. In the lesson seen, a few girls and boys were very tentative in being off the ground especially when jumping down from boxes and benches. Several boys, Glade Hill Primary School - 37 however, were extremely adventurous and more than confident in climbing, balancing and moving through equipment.

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Physical development

133. The younger children benefit from watching the adults when moving around to music. In one session, many tried to hop, skip and jump but could not manage although most showed the expected attainment for their age in being able to stand still and try to balance on one leg. When using the outdoor equipment, the younger children tend to push with their feet while the older ones have mastered the pedals and several, more often boys, show daredevil tactics in pedalling and going as fast as they can around the track. One passenger had to cling on very tightly as the tricycle hurtled about. Such activity tends to interfere with other children such as those who try to throw the ball into the basketball net. Not enough thought has been given as yet to how to organise the outdoor area to provide a rich range of activities that build on and extend the indoor provision.

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Physical development

134. The children show developing skill in putting on their coats. Most manage press-studs and quick fastening straps on their own. Many have reasonable hand-eye coordination in handling safely scissors, pencils, brushes and other tools. Two older boys showed good steady hands when balancing a wooden block on top of others to make a bridge.

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Creative development

135. The quality of the provision and teaching is good. The adults decide on new experiences for the children but also ensure that they have times to select their own. The adults are quite skilled in encouraging the children to talk about what they have done and how successful they have been. From this the children know what terms such as ‘line’ and ‘brush stroke’ refer to. The teachers also introduce the children to the work and style of well known artists such as Linda Fay Powell. The reception class teacher has used Van Gogh’s paintings very effectively to prompt their responses in music.

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Creative development

136. Over time the children improve their skills in drawing, crayoning, painting and using materials in different ways. A portfolio of work from last year shows that the children learnt different techniques in printing, making patterns, and using different materials to echo natural qualities such as corrugated paper to represent roof tiles.

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Creative development

137. The nursery children are shown how to mix colours and this skill develops gradually develops alongside discussion of colour selection so that when the reception children completed self-portraits, they represented skin tone well. Their observational drawings of leaves also show awareness of some detail, shape and proportion. The children gain some experience in combining materials and seeing how their work can be combined with others to form a large display.

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Creative development

138. The children enjoy singing and learn a range of songs and rhymes. The nursery staff make good use of times such as waiting for all to be ready to go out, to sing favourite songs. The children used the percussion instruments to accompany music played for the Diwali celebration and others swayed to the beat. When the teacher pointed out how the music changed in tempo she helped the children to improve their dancing as they snaked around the nursery.

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Creative development

139. One area that is less well developed is role-play linked to current themes or as an opportunity to rehearse and apply skills being taught. The reception class ‘Ticket Office’ was little used during the inspection and seems to have lost its impetus as the theme has changed. Glade Hill Primary School - 38

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ENGLISH

140. Standards in English have improved at both key stages since the last inspection but are still below average in both reading and writing. The school’s results in the 2001 national tests were well below the national average at both key stages. The teachers’ assessment of the Year 2 pupils’ attainment in speaking and listening was also well below the national average. Inspection evidence shows that the current attainment of pupils in Years 2 and 6 is higher than last year’s results indicate. Some of the higher attaining pupils are already attaining the level expected for their age in speaking and listening, reading and to a lesser degree in writing. The others are making good progress, because of much good teaching, and are below but close to the level expected. Standards are rising at Key Stage 1 and being sustained in Year 6.

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ENGLISH

141. Two reasons why standards are not improving consistently throughout the school are the variation in the quality of teaching and the pupils’ limited language skills.

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ENGLISH

142. Despite the good provision in the Foundation Stage to develop the children’s oral language, their skills in speaking and listening are still below average on entry to Key Stage 1. Many pupils speak ungrammatically and a significant minority have speech difficulties. They make satisfactory progress in each year group but this is not enough to ensure that at 11, pupils’ speech draws on a wide vocabulary and range of styles. Although most speak fluently and some are quite articulate, many find it hard to justify their thinking and to explain clearly.

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ENGLISH

143. The pupils’ narrow language skills lessen their understanding of what they read and the quality of their writing not only in English but also in other subjects. Lower attaining pupils often need help to read information and many miss the nuances of subject specific vocabulary although they read the words accurately. The school is using themes in other subjects as meaningful contexts to create writing purposes. Good examples are the Year 6 pupils’ reports on the religious beliefs of the Ancient Greeks as part of work in history. Most pupils structure their writing well, such as in notes, letters and instructions, because they learn how to include the relevant characteristics. They are less adept in using language imaginatively and expressively so the quality of stories is less effective and often below that expected for pupils’ ages. Also, pupils find it hard to write evaluations. In science, for example, few pupils

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ENGLISH

give well-reasoned explanations of what they see or know and often resort to description.

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ENGLISH

144. The school meets the requirements of the National Curriculum for speaking and listening and some good opportunities are provided to develop the pupils’ skills through drama. For example, pupils in Years 5 and 6 acted out the roles of soap opera characters and made good progress in trying to match their words with the right tone of voice and facial expression. By posing questions, the teacher also helped them to offer constructive criticism about each other’s performance and to understand the language of innuendo. However, a scrutiny of planning shows that at both key stages, there are limited opportunities for pupils to engage in and develop role-play, structured discussions and debate.

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ENGLISH

145. Teachers follow the guidance of the National Literacy Strategy and this is having a positive effect on pupils’ learning in reading and writing. Most pupils achieve well over time from a low start in nursery. Pupils with special educational needs make at least satisfactory progress as they often receive adult support in thinking through what they have to do, especially in writing. Glade Hill Primary School - 39 146. At both key stages, the pupils enjoy reading and concentrate hard in shared reading sessions as part of the literacy hour. They make satisfactory progress in reading although the achievement of some could be higher. Not all are reading books that challenge them to extend their reading skills or to widen their choice in reading. Year 6 pupils’ comments indicate that they read a narrow range of texts with J K Rowling, Roald Dahl and Dick King-Smith being favourite authors. Few choose non-fiction.

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ENGLISH

This partly reflects the narrow reading experience they have had in previous years but also the limited range of books available. Not enough has been done in the past few years to ensure that the school has a good range of literature to interest the pupils, especially the boys, and to widen the range of literature and information about different cultures, heritages and traditions. The recent book sale, purchase of a new reading scheme and the discard of old, unappealing books are a good start to enhancing the profile of reading in the school.

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ENGLISH

147. Focussed good teaching at Key Stage 1 is accelerating the pupils’ learning in reading and writing. Higher attaining Year 1 pupils already identify correctly common words. All Year 1 pupils are learning the purpose of full stops and capital letters and are beginning to read with expression. Year 2 pupils know the difference between fiction and non-fiction and are aware that there are many different forms of writing that serve a variety of purposes. They use clues from pictures as well as their knowledge of letter sounds to help them read unfamiliar words. Although most pupils read common words correctly, they find it harder to spell them. This is not helped by the fact that, when writing, many form their letters incorrectly. Pupils have little experience of using the computer to draft and publish their work.

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ENGLISH

148. At Key Stage 2, the pupils are learning about different writing styles and formats through reading a wide range of books including plays. When reading aloud, however, many read in a stilted fashion. Although the pupils know how to find information in books using the contents and index pages, their library skills are not as effective as they have little experience of looking for information in the school library or in CD- ROMS and on the Internet. Most write in a joined hand and their written work is fairly neat. However, inaccurate spelling and unfinished pieces characterised work in books even for the higher attaining pupils. Pupils’ skills in drafting, revising and editing their work are low both on paper and on the computer but are improving as pupils have more time in the ICT suite.

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ENGLISH

149. The teaching at Key Stage 1 is good overall but ranges from satisfactory to very good. The teachers usually share the purpose of the lesson with the class and match the tasks well needs of different pupils so that they need minimal help from the adults. Year 1 pupils worked industriously to find, read and spell common words because the teacher and the classroom assistant maintained a brisk pace and sense of purpose. An effective feature is the way that at the start and end of lessons, the teachers check the pupils’ understanding through questioning. The teacher’s use of ‘Are you sure about that?’ and ‘Come and show us’ challenged Year 2 pupils to discuss what they knew about punctuation. In responding, the pupils showed they were not sure how to use commas in writing although they could recognise and respond to them in reading. Classroom assistants are deployed well to support pupils in their group tasks and

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ENGLISH

150. At Key Stage 2, the teaching is satisfactory overall but ranges from unsatisfactory to good. In the one unsatisfactory lesson seen the learning objectives referred to reading but the focus was on writing. As a result, the pupils were not clear what the teacher expected and very few completed the task correctly. In the good lessons, the Glade Hill Primary School - 40 teachers have high expectations of the pupils’ work and behaviour. They use the structure of the literacy hour effectively to review previous learning and to introduce new aspects. The teachers assess the pupils’ progress and identify any areas that need further reinforcement. A good example was the teacher’s realisation that the higher attaining Year 3 and 4 pupils were struggling to identify the different voices in extracts from ‘The Twits’, and so promised to help them the next day. This followed a very good class session when the teacher instructed and explained very clearly how

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ENGLISH

to use clues in the text. The pupils’ tenuous grasp of concepts and strategies partly explains why progress over time is slower than might be expected.

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ENGLISH

151. At both key stages, the quality of the teachers’ assessment of pupils’ progress is satisfactory but varies. The school marking policy is not being implemented consistently. The comments made by teachers on pupils’ work do not always provide constructive advice about how to improve. Records of pupils’ progress are not consistent. There are no records of speaking and listening despite this being an area of recognised weakness in the pupils’ attainment. The teachers record little information about each pupil’s reading and writing skills and strategies so opportunities are missed to identify more easily the areas to improve. The comparison of pupils’ writing is a valuable step in developing the teachers’ knowledge of national standards and where their pupils are in relation to the rest of the school. It also provides information to set targets for improvement for individual pupils and end of key stages. However, not enough has been done to show exactly what teachers

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ENGLISH

and pupils in each year group needs to do to ensure that standards rise throughout the school.

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ENGLISH

152. The quality of subject leadership and management is satisfactory and there is evidence to indicate that it is improving. Although she has been in post for just eight weeks, the coordinator has used an analysis of standards to pinpoint where changes need to be made in the curriculum, teaching and learning. Good examples of how these are being put into practice are the focused teaching and the thoughtful deployment of teachers and support assistants to support higher and lower attaining pupils at Key Stage 1. For example, a small group of Year 2 pupils are being taught specifically about punctuation to improve their awareness when reading and writing.

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MATHEMATICS

153. Standards are average. The school has made good improvement since the last inspection and standards have risen markedly at both key stages. This is because the mathematics curriculum has been reviewed and the school has enthusiastically embraced the National Numeracy Strategy which has lifted teachers’ expectations and in turn, the pupils’ achievement. Good subject leadership has also been influential in accelerating the pace of change and bringing consistency in aspects of teaching and learning.

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MATHEMATICS

154. Inspection evidence shows that most of the current Year 2 pupils are already working at Level 2, the level expected for their age. In the 2001 national tests, standards were well below the national average as more than half the pupils did not achieve Level 2B as expected for their age. At Key Stage 2, standards were average for Level 4 attainment and above average for Level 5 attainment. This good attainment was due to booster classes that enabled the higher attaining pupils to do well and raised the attainment of others. Glade Hill Primary School - 41 155. The quality of teaching is good overall with some very good teaching at Key Stage 1. Key strengths in the teaching are:

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MATHEMATICS

- the teachers’ knowledge of mathematics and how to teach it is generally good so that lessons are well planned and purposefully taught; - the teachers share the purpose of the lesson with the pupils and usually return to it at the end of the lesson to check on pupils’ learning; - they use a good range of mathematical vocabulary to discuss lesson content. As a consequence, the pupils explain their work using correct terminology; - the mental and oral mathematics sessions at the start of lessons are delivered with enthusiasm and encourage the pupils to use their number knowledge; - the teachers use a wide range of equipment to help pupils practice their recall of number facts and good ideas to develop concepts of shape and space; - the main teaching activities involve pupils practising their skills; - the teachers manage pupils and resources efficiently and effectively so that lessons run smoothly.

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MATHEMATICS

156. Some less consistent aspects are slowing the overall pace of improvement:

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MATHEMATICS

- not all teachers engender a sense of success in achieving the targets for the day or the week. Year 2 pupils knew they had met their targets as the teacher praised their achievement and emphasised how their answers matched the content of the targets openly displayed; - gaps in the teachers’ knowledge of number, such as the relationship between repeated addition and multiplication, occasionally result in pupils’ acceptable responses being refused. - the teachers are not using their marking well enough to identify the areas that they need to reinforce or rehearse with the class or groups of pupils: - limited use is made of ICT to support and enhance pupils’ learning especially in handling and interpreting data. A good example of its effective inclusion was when Year 6 pupils used calculators to speed up their workings out as they investigated the interior angles of polygons: - often too much time is lost supporting individuals with common problems when it

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MATHEMATICS

would be better to stop the whole class or to call a group together to explain what all should do. This often slows the work rate as pupils wait for support.

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MATHEMATICS

157. In the good and very good lessons seen, the pupils learnt quickly because the mathematics was placed into a context that was meaningful either by the use of a game, or by encouraging pupils to solve real life problems. Teachers were also prepared to take the work beyond the planned activities and to challenge the pupils’ thinking. The high emphasis on number results at Key Stage 1 is helping most Year 1 and 2 pupils to achieve a sound knowledge of place value to 100. In a lesson seen, higher attaining Year 2 pupils showed impressive speed of recall of number facts in adding and subtracting mentally ten from any two-digit number. Year 2 pupils recognise and find simple fractions, understand the operation of addition and are beginning to realise that addition can be done in any order.

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MATHEMATICS

158. At Key Stage 2, pupils develop their number awareness and the teachers make good use of equipment to liven the pace and challenge. Year 4 pupils were keen to answer when their teacher used a number stick to ‘roam around’ the four times table. By the age of eleven, pupils work out calculations in their head quickly. They are confident in Glade Hill Primary School - 42 doubling and halving numbers and use a range of strategies to solve number problems. They recognise and use place value up to 1,000,000 and nearly all show a good understanding of percentages and fractions. Their knowledge of shape and space is good but their ability to estimate and approximate is less secure.

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MATHEMATICS

159. There are no marked differences overall in the performance of girls and boys. Pupils with special educational needs are supported well and make satisfactory progress. They are skilfully included in the mental and oral sessions by the teachers’ use of questions, which are carefully directed towards different attainment groups.

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MATHEMATICS

160. The subject is managed well. The coordinator is new to the post and is building on the thorough work of the previous coordinator. She has monitored pupils’ work and teachers’ planning but has not yet been able to monitor teaching. Although the school follows the National Numeracy Strategy framework for teaching, none of the Key Stage 1 teachers have undergone relevant training. Assessment is being used to set targets for the pupils’ attainment but the agreed target of 55 per cent of Year 6 pupils to achieve Level 4 in the 2002 tests is not sufficiently challenging. The school uses tests to track pupils’ progress from year to year and this is proving effective in helping to group pupils and to raise expectations of what they can achieve.

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SCIENCE

161. Standards continue to improve. Inspection evidence indicates that current Year 2 pupils are generally attaining the level expected for their age. This contrasts with the school’s low performance in the 2001 science teacher assessments which were well below the national average. At Key Stage 2, standards are average. Inspection evidence indicates that most Year 6 pupils are working at the expected level with the higher attaining pupils reaching Level 5 in some aspects. The high percentage of Level 5 attainment in the 2001 tests is best explained by the use of revision and the way the pupils were prepared for the tests. The school intends to repeat these procedures to sustain standards. There is little difference between the current attainment of Year 6 boys and girls. Pupils with special educational needs achieve well because of the good level of adult support.

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SCIENCE

162. The overall satisfactory quality of teaching masks a variable picture. At both key stages there is good, and occasionally very good teaching which accelerates the pupils’ learning of scientific knowledge and skills. Occasional unsatisfactory teaching at Key Stage 2 is limiting the pupils’ learning. Teachers’ subject knowledge is generally sound, but there is evidence of some uncertainty. For example, teachers too often accept pupils’ observations as explanations. Not enough focus is placed on ensuring that pupils know relevant scientific terms and what they refer to. Year 5 pupils found it hard to talk scientifically about what was happening as chocolate was heated. Similarly, while due emphasis is placed on pupils coming to understand the need for fair testing, the teaching does not systematically help pupils recognise key aspects such as changeable variables and ways to measure and judge. Pupils gain

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SCIENCE

little experience of using ICT in their investigations although a display of work showed that older pupils had visited a BBC website to find information.

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SCIENCE

163. The pupils show interest in and enjoyment of science. Key Stage 1 pupils learn to use scientific equipment, to carry out simple investigations, to predict outcomes and to record their findings in reports, tables and diagrams. Year 1 pupils drew themselves and then labelled parts of their body. Several Year 2 pupils achieved well in learning to use a hand lens to look closely at different fruits and vegetables. One pupil’s comment that things got bigger as he moved the magnifier away intrigued other pupils Glade Hill Primary School - 43 who all became more adept with practice. Good use of a visit to Bestwood Lodge helped pupils to learn about categories of living things through pond dipping and observing a wide range of natural materials.

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SCIENCE

164. At Key Stage 2, pupils’ achievement is satisfactory. Over time they extend their learning especially about physical processes, materials and their properties. They carry out their own tests but more often watch as the teacher leads the investigations. Year 4 pupils cheered when their predictions about materials were confirmed. The teacher’s repeated use of the terms transparent and translucent ensured that most pupils knew what they referred to. Many pupils find it hard to remember relevant terms. One teacher had to question, prompt and cue the pupils to draw out what they knew about the concepts of chemical change as well as reversible and irreversible change. Year 6 pupils know how to investigate the effect of adding additional loads to a suspended elastic band. They record their results in tables before drawing line graphs and interpreting their findings. Seven pupils were confident in their use of

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SCIENCE

relevant terms to discuss how a candle burns and the ways in which the materials change. Their awareness of the process of scientific investigations is less well developed and is largely due to their lack of experience in previous years.

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SCIENCE

165. Pupils’ learning is good when they are involved in practical activities, when opportunities are provided for them to discuss their observations with the teacher and each other, and when they are helped to review their learning. Occasionally the pupils become a little restless especially when the pace of the lesson slows and when all are expected to do the same thing. The format of some lessons leaves little scope for the higher attaining pupils to record their findings in their own way or for all pupils to realise the skills they have been using.

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SCIENCE

166. The curriculum, based on nationally produced units of work, meets statutory requirements. A two-year cycle of content has been compiled to ensure that pupils who are in classes with more than one age group do not cover the same topics two years running.

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SCIENCE

167. While the use of assessment has improved since the last inspection, the school’s assessment procedures are not giving a well-rounded view of pupils’ attainment. The analysis of pupils’ performance in the national tests highlights gaps in pupils’ knowledge and subject skills but does not identify clearly how the findings will be used to make changes in teaching and learning. For example, many pupils find it hard to interpret information in tables or graphs but there are no links with mathematics or ICT to ensure that this area is strengthened.

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SCIENCE

168. Science is being used well, however, to link with some other subjects. For example, meaningful links are forged with physical education when pupils explore ways in science of keeping healthy through having a suitable diet and also learn of the need for, and the effect of, warm up and cool down exercises.

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SCIENCE

169. Subject leadership and management are satisfactory. The policy has recently been updated and a limited amount of monitoring of teaching and learning has been carried out at Key Stage 2. This has helped to give the deputy headteacher, who has recently taken over the role as coordinator, an overview but he has yet to gain a sound grasp of standards throughout the school. An omission in the action plan is how the school will ensure that pupils gain opportunities to use equipment to sense and log physical data, such as sound and light levels or changes in temperature. The recently revamped resource area provides adequate space for the storage of equipment and a useful chance to organise resources for ease of access. Glade Hill Primary School - 44

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ART AND DESIGN

170. Standards are satisfactory and have been sustained since the last inspection. As only one lesson was seen, it is not possible to judge the quality of teaching. Evidence from the lesson, and from art displayed around school and in portfolios, shows that most pupils attain the level expected for their age and make satisfactory progress.

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ART AND DESIGN

171. While there is evidence of some good skill development in the younger children’s work, such as their paintings of irises in the style of Linda Faye Powell, this is less evident higher up the school where art experiences often complement work in other subjects. For example, as part of work in religious education, pupils have produced their own papyrus versions of the Dead Sea scrolls and in history, pupils have used stitching and plaiting techniques to recreate the Minotaur’s maze. One aspect where developing skills are apparent is in sketching. Pupils often include detail and older pupils show an increasing awareness of perspective and proportion. The use of national guidance to structure the art scheme of work is beginning to ensure a stronger emphasis on the systematic development of skills. The coordinator has arranged training for the teachers to develop their skills and expertise in teaching and

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ART AND DESIGN

172. Pupils enjoy art and design and willingly discuss what they have done. Over time, they try out a variety of tools, techniques and media such as clay, paints and material. They acquire knowledge of colour, texture, pattern, line and tone, shape and form and learn how to combine them in different ways. For example, pupils at Key Stage 2 explore the use of tie dye techniques, weave with paper, draw cartoon sketches, produce two-dimensional and three-dimensional collage work, produce still life sketches and detailed ‘wax and scrape’ pictures. Carefully completed pictures, based on half of a photograph or print, show how well pupils learn to mimic others and to work in the style of recognised artists, such as Fernand Léger. However, the school has only a limited collection of good quality prints, posters and books to develop this aspect and little use is made of ICT software and the Internet.

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ART AND DESIGN

173. The teachers take time to display the pupils’ work with care and to ensure that artwork from the different classes is shown across the school. An example of this is the display outside the Year 6 classroom of the good quality wax and watercolour paintings by Year 2 pupils completed on a visit to Patchings Farm Art Centre. Year 5 and 6 pupils have the chance to develop their ideas in an after school ‘Creative Kids Club’, organised by one of the teaching assistants. Pupils have recently made picture frames using materials such as spaghetti and spray paint. Good links with literacy were made through the use of instructions.

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ART AND DESIGN

174. Subject leadership is satisfactory. The coordinator has a clear love of art, is enthusiastic and provides a good model of teaching art. She is aware that additional guidance is needed to strengthen the teaching in the key skills and a training day has already been arranged. The art portfolios are a good record of pupils’ work but as the pieces are not annotated they do not help the teachers to understand the level attained and the progress made.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

175. As in the last inspection, standards are in line with those expected for pupils’ ages. One weaker aspect is design planning. Too many children draw rather than produce a Glade Hill Primary School - 45 labelled design. Those produced by older pupils lack aspects such as measurements and information about the materials to be used and the ways in which they will be assembled. 176. Several recent developments in the curriculum have enhanced the overall provision but have not yet had an impact on standards. Problems for the pupils to resolve are often linked to work in current themes; for example, Key Stage 1 pupils were asked to design a fruit salad as an extension of their work in science on healthy eating. Also, as part of the liaison with the secondary school, Year 6 pupils will work with specialist teachers on a project in the summer term. 177. Satisfactory teaching overall is ensuring that pupils learn about the design-make-

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

evaluate process, how to handle tools safely and how to use, fix and finish different materials. At Key Stage 1, this has been organised so that pupils have opportunities to develop their design skills and practise their making skills before coming together for a day’s design and technology activity. This is very effective in giving the coordinator an insight into the pupils’ achievement and also opportunities for her to share good practice and demonstrate techniques with teaching staff, parents and governors who also take part. 178. Pupils enjoy the practical nature of design and technology. Year 1 pupils worked hard to find out how to use kitchen tools including a grater, lemon squeezer and peeler. Their interest and discussion with the teacher and helper meant they quickly learnt to use the right name for the tool and realised what it did. When they designed and made a vehicle that travels at least one metre when pushed, pupils in Years 1 and 2

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

produced a basic design and identified the key items they would need. Higher attaining pupils also identified the order to construct their vehicles. 179. At Key Stage 2, pupils are making up lost ground in previous years in acquiring skills such as sewing and knowledge of different materials and techniques. The teachers are using national guidance to structure their lessons and pupils are gaining experience in all phases of the design process. They learn to look carefully at existing products, such as pre-packed sandwiches, to see how things have been done. The teacher’s use of the story ‘The magic carpet slipper’ caught the interest of Year 5 and 6 pupils, who then went on to evaluate a range of shoes to find out about the materials used, the way they were combined, their safety features and whether they were suitable for their intended use. Careful questioning by the teacher helped the pupils to express their ideas about the characteristics of the different materials and the overall

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

quality of the product. 180. In two of the lessons seen, good teaching ensured the pupils made good progress in appreciating how a technologist works. They were encouraged to use correct terminology and to pay due attention to health and safety aspects. Pupils with special educational needs achieved well as benefited from seeing what the others did and were also supported by adults. 181. Subject leadership is satisfactory. The coordinator has good subject knowledge but her influence is currently limited to Key Stage 1. While development plans include much needed guidance on skills’ progression they do not identify the need to establish on-going assessment procedures. This aspect has not improved since the last inspection. Books and resources are limited. The coordinator is getting together what is needed before the start of each new unit of work but little use is being made of ICT.

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GEOGRAPHY

Glade Hill Primary School - 46 182. As only one geography lesson was seen at Key Stage 2, and little work was available from other year groups, it is not possible to judge standards of attainment or the quality of teaching.

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GEOGRAPHY

183. A scrutiny of planning and discussion with the subject coordinator shows that an appropriate amount of time is given to geography, which in most classes alternates on a half-termly basis with the teaching of history. Since the last inspection, the school has adopted national guidance to structure the curriculum and has increased the number and range of resources although these remain only adequate. This inhibits the quality of the provision to develop the pupils’ research and investigation skills. The school continues to make good use of the local environment through simple fieldwork and studies such as that by Key Stage 1 pupils to investigate safety and traffic problems around school.

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GEOGRAPHY

184. Year 5 and 6 pupils showed their liking for practical work when they used atlases, maps and textbooks to prepare a fact file on mountain environments. They helped each other to find features on the maps although they were more reluctant to record their findings.

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GEOGRAPHY

185. The quality of subject leadership and management is satisfactory. The coordinator has a good awareness of the gaps in provision and what needs to be done, especially to develop ways to assess pupils’ progress. She has also rightly identified a need for updated maps, video materials to help pupils learn more meaningfully about other locations, and ICT resources. As part of the school’s work to develop pupils’ personal and social education and their understanding of the principles of citizenship, there are plans for professional development sessions to consider how the teachers can best exploit obvious links with work in geography.

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HISTORY

186. As reported in the last inspection, standards are satisfactory at Key Stages 1 and 2. It is not possible to judge the teaching at Key Stage 1 as a visitor taught the lesson seen. At Key Stage 2, the teaching is satisfactory. Since the last inspection, the school has adopted national guidance to structure its scheme of work. This has given breadth and balance and highlighted the need to reinforce the pupils’ understanding of chronology through the use of timelines. As a result, all pupils are making satisfactory progress and most are attaining the level expected for their age.

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HISTORY

187. The policy for history outlines the importance of developing pupils’ skills as historians in thinking about the past, using and interpreting evidence from the past and making visits to understand the value of surviving evidence. This is largely evident in pupils’ work. The school is beginning to make good use of the Internet to carry out research, such as that on Ancient Greece, and also to use history themes very effectively to develop pupils’ speaking and listening skills as well as their literacy skills. For example, some Year 6 pupils compiled and read out reports on Ancient Greek deities and others began storyboards to form the basis for play scripts.

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HISTORY

188. The pupils acquire knowledge about different periods in history and learn to evaluate evidence from different sources. Year 1 and 2 pupils examined a range of toys from different decades, compared them to their own and gave reasons why they thought some were older than others. The visiting teacher helped them look for clues to decide whether the toy was hand or factory made. Glade Hill Primary School - 47 189. At Key Stage 2, pupils’ achievement is sometimes hindered by their reluctance to read things critically and to write down what they know. All, including those with special educational needs, do well and show true enthusiasm when the work is oral or visual. Year 4 pupils, having watched a television programme about Queen Boudicca, raised and answered questions and made notes about the rebellion led by her. Later in the week they began to structure their findings later as newspaper reports using computer software to set it out in columns. Year 5 pupils enjoyed

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HISTORY

making masks to represent different moods as used by actors in Greek theatre. Their understanding was enhanced when the teacher posed searching questions that encouraged the pupils to compare Greek and modern theatre.

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HISTORY

190. The quality of subject coordination is satisfactory. The coordinator has recently taken over the role and has had little opportunity to monitor and evaluate the quality of teaching. She is carrying out the agreed action plan and has identified other areas for development such as the compilation of a portfolio of pupils’ work to help teachers’ assessment of pupils’ work and raise their expectations. Resources are adequate but limited, especially in CD-ROMs and artefacts to support work at Key Stage 1.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

191. Standards are satisfactory. The school has kept pace with national trends and improved the quality of ICT provision to ensure that pupils have regular opportunities to develop their skills, to practise and reinforce them, and to apply skills in ways that support work in other subjects. Grants and other funds have been used to set up a computer suite which is a major improvement in resources, and each class has a weekly lesson in the suite. This is ensuring the systematic and progressive development of pupils’ knowledge and skills in line with national guidance. The overall quality of teaching is satisfactory and many teachers are benefiting from the advice and guidance of the coordinator and other staff with ICT expertise. The pupils often make good progress when they are clear about what they have to do.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

192. The coordinator, in consultation with the headteacher, senior managers and colleagues, is conducting a rigorous evaluation of the effectiveness of the scheme of work and the use of the suite. She has clear, exciting short and long-term aspirations for ICT and what the school can provide. Her very good leadership, vision, dedication and hard work are a strength and key factor both in the improvements to date and in the continuing good morale despite computer malfunctions and some teachers’ low ICT expertise.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

193. Further improvements are necessary to ensure that the school meets completely National Curriculum requirements. The coordinator’s action plan includes the acquisition of resources for control technology, including programmable devices, sensing and modelling. The present inadequacies result in inevitable gaps in pupils’ learning although pupils gain some experience of control through programmes and other equipment. As there are no free standing computers at Key Stage 1 and 2, pupils do not have the freedom to use computers as part of ongoing work, such as drafting on screen or researching the Internet. Similarly, minimal use is made of other ICT equipment such as cameras and tape recorders. Although the teachers monitor pupils’ progress in lessons, there is no systematic method agreed to assess their progress over time. This makes it difficult for the teachers to judge confidently whether each pupil is learning as much as they should. As some pupils have access

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

to computers at home, and are skilled in some aspects, this is a particular concern. Glade Hill Primary School - 48 194. Key Stage 1 pupils learn to log on and to find the right program. While some Year 2 pupils remembered what they had been told, others needed reminders and help. This slowed the learning for all but the teacher and support assistant worked well together to keep all engaged. Their clear instructions helped the pupils to insert words from a word bank into sentences about toys. This linked with their work in history and interested them. The pupils checked their work and make any minor amendments before saving it. By the end of the lesson, all had managed and were very pleased with themselves.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

195. At Key Stage 2, pupils learn to use the tool bar functions to present work in different ways. Year 3 pupils learnt how to format and amend banners and headlines and how to fit text into columns in order to present their work on Romans. Year 4 pupils made good progress in learning how to select, insert and change the size and position of pictures to illustrate their writing about the Romans. They watched attentively as their teacher showed them what to do and then were willing to have a go but several gave up quickly. When given help they gained in confidence and independence. By the time pupils reach Year 6 they know how to combine images, sound and text from a range of sources, including the Internet, to produce interesting multimedia presentations.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

196. Key strengths in the teaching lie in clear learning intentions in lessons and activities that are focused on helping the pupils meet them. The teachers check the pupils’ understanding and provide guidance as needed. Pupils with special educational needs often receive additional support from adults and pupils alike. The teaching assistants are skilled, competent and effective in using their own ICT skills to help the pupils. They support the pupils through explanations and instructions and this ensures the pupils learn through trying for themselves.

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MUSIC

197. As only one lesson was seen, it is not possible to judge overall standards or the quality of teaching and learning. In the lesson seen, and in observations of the school choir and recorder group, standards of performing music were in line with that expected for pupils’ ages.

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MUSIC

198. The pupils sing with more enthusiasm than technique. In assemblies and the hymn practice, they tended to shout and showed little attention to phrasing and correct breathing. In the choir practice, however, Key Stage 2 pupils sang ‘The Highwayman’ with good expression. They behaved very well, listened carefully and sustained their concentration. They understood the importance of good posture, showed good awareness of the beat of the music and followed the teacher’s example in altering the tempo and volume.

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MUSIC

199. Interviews with Year 6 pupils indicate the music curriculum is satisfactory although a weak aspect is the pupils’ limited experience in composing music and in using ICT equipment, such as keyboards or computer software. The pupils enthusiastically recalled the music from the ‘Caribbean Week’ when they played steel pans and had an opportunity to listen to live music. They described playing percussion instruments in lessons and listening to music by Beethoven and Strauss. They also looked forward to the opportunity to rehearse and present performances with the Christmas choir. In discussing these things, pupils referred pitch, duration, tempo and musical moods. They were also willing performers in singing songs learnt as part of their work on Ancient Greece. Glade Hill Primary School - 49 200. Subject leadership and management are satisfactory. Since the last inspection, the school has implemented a policy and scheme of work. Weekly sessions with a

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MUSIC

peripatetic teacher provide opportunities for the pupils to sing to the piano.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

201. Standards are good and have improved since the last inspection. This is because the subject is well led and the pupils experience good teaching. Pupils take part in a balance of activities, more especially at Key Stage 2, and use their skills and awareness of team games in competitive sport. The school teams do well. Pupils’ learning is enhanced by regular opportunities to use equipment on the playground and grassed areas, such as footballs and skipping ropes. Pupils also benefit from a range of out-of-school activities that include football, netball, tennis, rounders and a sports club. This is also an improvement since the last inspection.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

202. Swimming standards are good. The school is unusual in providing swimming lessons for Year 2 pupils as well as those in Year 3 and in Year 4 for those who take longer to learn to swim the required 25 metres. Many of the younger pupils are already swimming and some pupils become accomplished long distance swimmers.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

203. Only lessons in gymnastics, indoor and outdoor games were seen. Achievement over time is at least satisfactory. In the games lessons, Key Stage 2 pupils developed their skills in handling and controlling balls. Year 5 pupils threw and caught a basketball with confidence. They also showed good skills in finding and using space during team sessions and when working in pairs. The teacher’s good subject knowledge and explanations ensured the pupils learnt how to direct a pass by throwing a ball to a receiver’s right or left side at chest or head height. In other lessons, Year 2 pupils showed quickness and agility in bowling hoops and linking actions such as a roll, jump and balance. Year 3 and 4 pupils held their weight on different body parts with considerable poise and performed a range of jumps with a good degree of precision and control.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

204. The recent adoption of a scheme of work, which informs teachers of the skills and techniques to be taught, is having a beneficial effect on the quality of the teaching and pupils’ achievement. This is best illustrated by a very good lesson for Year 6 pupils. The pupils quickly picked up on the teacher’s skilful demonstration and instructions to dribble using a hockey stick, to change direction and stop. The good structure of the lesson ensured pupils faced increasing challenges in striking, passing, receiving and dribbling balls and all pupils were involved and learning.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

205. Most pupils enjoy physical education and are eager to participate. They do not always listen attentively and in two lessons, pupils had to be reminded several times how to behave. Routines, such as getting undressed, are not as slick as they need to be to ensure best use of time. The use of the two school halls for different types of activity means that learning time is also lost moving from one building to another. Both school halls are spacious and the lower hall is well equipped although the apparatus is better suited to Key Stage 2 pupils. Glade Hill Primary School - 50

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

206. Standards are satisfactory as reported in the last inspection. At the end of Key Stages 1 and 2, pupils’ attainment matches the standards set out in the Nottingham agreed syllabus. The school adds the study of world faiths to these local requirements. The pupils are encouraged to reflect on what it means to have a faith and to learn from religions as well as about them. The teaching is satisfactory and the pupils’ achievement is satisfactory at both key stages. The pupils develop a sound knowledge and understanding of both Christianity and other major world religions.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

207. Key Stage 1 pupils learn about special celebrations. Year 1 pupils develop an understanding of the religious significance of weddings and baptisms through discussion of their own experiences, discussing video films and visiting a church. These practical experiences help pupils to set religious rituals and concepts in a familiar context.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

208. At Key Stage 2, pupils learn about the similarities and differences between religions, their special books, key religious figures and festivals. Year 3 pupils, learning about Joseph and Mary’s journey to Bethlehem, recalled events learnt in previous lessons and empathised with Mary by describing how they would feel if they had to go on an unexpected journey. Most children suggested feeling ‘surprised’, ‘anxious’ and ‘excited’. Year 4 pupils know how the Sikh religion emerged from Hinduism and good teaching ensured pupils acquired an understanding of the story about Guru Har Gobind. Pupils in Years 5 and 6 can identify characters from the Old Testament from clues given by the teacher. They know about the Old and New Testaments and stories from both. They understand that the Bible was written over a very long period of time.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

209. The teachers follow the agreed scheme of work and have adequate subject knowledge. When the teachers are confident in their knowledge, they pose challenging questions to help the pupils understand. This partly accounted for the good learning of the Year 3 pupils about the motives of the characters in the Sikh story.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

210. The quality of leadership and management is satisfactory. The coordinator has made some improvements since the last inspection. Revisions to the curriculum have given the coherence and progression in knowledge, skills and content that were previously judged to be lacking. A new policy has been written but practice does not match it fully especially in meeting the needs of all pupils. The assessment methods described are in their infancy. Professional development for the staff has not yet taken place, and although a start has been made on purchasing new teaching resources, these are still insufficient. During the inspection, the time officially allocated to religious education was curtailed by 20 minutes in one lesson and by the withdrawal of half the class to attend choir practice halfway through another.

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