St Anne's Church of England Primary School, Grantham

SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 30 th April to 3 rd May 2001

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SCHOOL

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

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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. Grantham St. Anne’s - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Harrowby Road Grantham Lincolnshire

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The Governing Body

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Mr. Chris Fido

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 23/06/1997 Grantham St. Anne’s - 4

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

17454 Brian Aldridge Registered inspector Science Information and communication technology (ICT) Physical education Religious education Special educational needs What should the school do to improve further The school’s results and achievements How well are pupils taught How well is the school led and managed

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

13526 Richard Barnard Lay inspector Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development How well does the school care for its pupils The partnership with parents 20350 Vivien Davies Team inspector English Geography History Equal opportunities English as an additional language How good are curricular and other opportunities offered to pupils

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

20911 Judith Dawson Team inspector Foundation stage Mathematics Art Design and technology French Music

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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 London WC2B 6SE Grantham St. Anne’s - 5

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 6

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

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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS 10

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

The school is of average size for a primary school and is situated in Grantham; it draws pupils from a range of social backgrounds, most of which are average. The number on roll has risen since the last inspection and is now 227 pupils (99 girls and 128 boys), taught in eight classes. At the time of the inspection 33 children were in the reception year, mostly taught in the reception class with a small number of older reception children in a mixed Reception/Year 1 class. Children’s attainment on entry to the school is slightly below average, notably in the key skills of literacy and numeracy. Approximately four per cent of the pupils are of minority ethnic community heritage. Three pupils are receiving support for English as an additional language. Ninety-seven pupils are on the school’s register for special educational needs including five who have statements. Both of these proportions are above the national

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

average. About two per cent of the pupils are eligible for free school meals, a proportion well below the national average; however, not all parents able to do so claim eligibility for meals for their children. Approximately a third of the pupils moved school during the last school year. Of the nine teachers, seven have been employed in this school for less than two years; now settled, there has been some instability, particularly among senior staff.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

This is a good school with the potential to be very good. Pupils achieve well and standards are rising. Pupils have very good attitudes and their personal development is very good. Teaching is good with some excellent practice. The school has developed a rich curriculum. The very strong recent improvements have been led and managed very well by the headteacher. The school provides good value for money.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What the school does well • Pupils usually make good and often very good progress in class and, as a result, standards are rising. • The quality of teaching is good with five teachers producing consistently very good lessons. • The headteacher leads the school very well and is well supported by the key stage coordinators. • Pupils have very positive attitudes to school and they are very well cared for. • The curriculum is very practical and interesting, and assessment procedures work well. • Relationships with parents are very good.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What could be improved • Teaching is not as good in the classes for the mixed Reception/Year 1 class and Year 5 as it is elsewhere. • Pupils do not write at length often enough.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

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

Since the school was last inspected in June 1997 there have been substantial improvements in all the key aspects of its work as a consequence of which the proportion of pupils achieving the nationally expected levels in English, mathematics and science has doubled and pupils’ attitudes and behaviour are now very good. The procedures for monitoring teaching and learning are very good and effective feedback has resulted in considerable improvement in the quality of teaching and learning. The key issues identified at the last inspection have been effectively addressed: there are now schemes of work for all subjects; achievement in history, music, design and technology and physical education is satisfactory; the curriculum for the foundation stage is now satisfactory and the outdoor facilities are used; and the management structure of the school is now stable and very cohesive, with clearly defined

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

roles. The relationship with parents is now a significant strength and has improved from unsatisfactory Grantham St. Anne’s - 7 levels. There is now a very effective system to link teachers’ development to their training needs. The school has maintained a very good rate of progress since the past inspection.

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STANDARDS

The table shows the standards achieved by eleven-year-olds 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 D C C well above average above average A B Mathematics D E B B average below average C D Science D E D D well below average E

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STANDARDS

Standards at eleven in all three subjects have improved faster than the national trend since the last inspection. The proportion gaining the national average has doubled and the school has exceeded its targets in English and mathematics. The table shows that in the 2000 National Curriculum tests for eleven-year-olds standards were average in English, above average in mathematics and below average in science. Comparisons with similar schools have been recalculated to take account of the low take up of free school meals. Comparisons do not take into account the above average proportion of pupils with special educational needs and the above average number of pupils who change school each year. In last year’s tests for seven-year-olds standards were well above average in reading, average in writing and very high (in the top five per cent) in mathematics. Similar school comparisons show performance to be

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STANDARDS

well above average in reading and average in writing. The school’s results in mathematics are in the top five per cent of similar schools. Last year’s Year 2 was an above average year group and pupils entered the school attaining levels higher than those usually seen in the school.

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STANDARDS

Inspectors found that both seven and eleven-year-olds achieve average standards in English and science and above average standards in mathematics. Pupils learn well, and at times very well, in lessons and pupils are now making better progress. Standards will rise as the impact of better teaching by recently appointed members of staff begins to have a cumulative effect. In other subjects standards are at the expected level except in history at both seven and eleven and religious education at eleven in which standards are higher than expected. Pupils in Years 3, 4 and 5 achieve very well in French. When they join the school children are working at levels just below those of most children, notably in literacy and numeracy. They make sound progress and will just fail to reach the overall standard expected in language, literacy and communication and mathematical development. In knowledge and understanding

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STANDARDS

of the world, physical development and social, personal and emotional development most are well placed to meet the learning outcomes. In creative development children will exceed the expected levels and have particular strengths in music and singing. Pupils with special educational needs and those who are learning English as an additional language make good progress overall.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Attitudes to the school Very good. Pupils are keen and like coming to school.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Very good. Grantham St. Anne’s - 8 Personal development and relationships Relationships are very good and personal development is good.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Pupils enjoy working hard and they like the exciting lessons their teachers prepare for them. They support each other well and play together without fuss. Attendance and punctuality have improved since the last inspection.

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

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

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

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

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

Overall, the quality of teaching is good. In 50 per cent of the lessons teaching was very good or better with five teachers, two in the infants and three in the juniors, consistently teaching interesting, imaginative and inspiring lessons. In a further 30 per cent of the lessons teaching was good and another 15 per cent it was satisfactory. The two unsatisfactory lessons (four per cent) were seen in the reception class and in Year 5. Teaching is equally good in the infants and juniors and learning in both these stages is good. The analysis of pupils’ work shows teaching and learning in the mixed Reception/Year 1 class to be less successful. This is due to a lack of firm subject knowledge and in some of the lessons seen the school’s discipline policy was not applied firmly and fairly. This results in pupils showing satisfactory attitudes, whereas in other classes pupils’ attitudes to their learning are very

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

good. The teaching of literacy skills is satisfactory and numeracy skills are taught well. Pupils need more opportunities to write longer pieces of work. Planned activities are usually challenging and teachers use an imaginative range of methods. Teachers often plan practical activities that offer real challenges and pose difficult choices that require pupils to think hard. The quality of teaching has improved significantly since the last inspection.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

The quality and range of the curriculum The curriculum is satisfactory overall and is rich and broad but there are too few opportunities for pupils to write long pieces of work.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Good overall, with the provision in the junior classes being a notable strength.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils with English as an additional language Good as well developed teamwork between teachers and support assistants helps maintain a good rate of progress.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Very good for pupils’ spiritual and moral development and good for their social and cultural development.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

How well the school cares for its pupils The school provides very good care for its pupils. Grantham St. Anne’s - 9 The school has a very good partnership with parents who are complimentary about the improvements in the school. Equal opportunities and the provision for pupils’ personal, social and health education are good. The school’s systems for checking on and improving attendance, good behaviour and eliminating bullying are very good. Procedures for assessing pupils’ progress have improved since the last inspection and are now good. Child protection procedures are very good. Grantham St. Anne’s - 10 HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff The leadership of the headteacher is very good and he is well supported by the key stage coordinators.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Satisfactorily.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

The school’s evaluation of its performance Very good. The headteacher and key staff have a very good understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. They use this information very effectively.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

There are sufficient staff to meet the requirements of the school’s curriculum. Accommodation is satisfactory and learning resources are good; the computer suite is very good and current improvements to the foundation stage and other parts of the building have been very well planned. The management structures of the school and leadership generally have improved considerably since the last inspection. The school applies the principles of best value well.

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved • Children like school. • Children are expected to work hard and they make good progress. • The standards of behaviour. • The quality of teaching. • Teachers and assistants are approachable. • The leadership and management. • Extra-curricular activities. • The consistency of homework. • Reports about progress. • The working partnership with parents.

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

Parents are very supportive of the school. The inspection confirms parents’ positive views. Inspectors found that homework is used well in both the infants and the juniors. The quality and type of information parents receive about their children’s progress and other issues are very good and well above the levels and quality normally seen in primary schools. Activities before and after school are satisfactory and inspectors take the view that the school has rightly been concentrating on improving the academic curriculum of the school. Grantham St. Anne’s - 11

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

1. At the time of the last inspection attainment in the national tests for eleven-year-olds was well below the results of other schools. Since then standards in English, mathematics and science have improved and the proportion of eleven-year-olds gaining the nationally expected level 4 has doubled in English, mathematics and science. The school has exceeded its targets in English and mathematics. In the following comparisons, the grades comparing the school’s performance with similar schools have been adjusted to take account of the proportion of pupils whose parents are eligible for but do not claim free school meals. Evaluations of the school’s performance in national tests should also take into account the higher than average proportion of pupils with special educational needs and the above average proportion of pupils who move school during each year.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

2. Compared to all schools and to similar schools results in the 2000 National Curriculum tests for eleven-year-olds were average in English, above average in mathematics and below average in science. The proportion of pupils achieving the higher levels in each of the three subjects reflects the overall result. The school’s results have improved faster than the national trend over the past four years.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

3. In the 2000 national tests for seven-year-olds the school’s performance was well above average for reading, average for writing and very high (in the top five per cent) in mathematics compared to all schools and to schools with a similar intake. Statutory teacher assessments in science showed pupils to be achieving standards below the national average. The proportion of pupils gaining the higher levels was above average in reading, average in writing and very high in mathematics. This was an above average year group and pupils entered the school attaining levels higher than those usually seen in the school. Other year groups, including the current Year 2, are in line with the school’s usual intake.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

4. These results show that the improvements in teaching are beginning to have a marked effect on the results in the national tests, more marked at seven than eleven because of the shorter length of the key stage. Pupils’ learning in lessons is good overall and this is building through the school as pupils move from the infant to the junior phase. Throughout the infants and juniors pupils now benefit from better teaching, rich learning experiences and improved curriculum and assessment systems. Inspection evidence shows that standards at seven and eleven in all subjects are average with the exception of mathematics and history in which standards are above average. Pupils in Years 3, 4 and 5 achieve very well in French. Standards in religious education are in line with those set out in the locally agreed syllabus at seven and exceed them at eleven. Largely due to improvements in the quality of teaching, pupils achieve at a faster rate and standards

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

rise. Pupils talk about how much they enjoy lessons and how they think their teachers plan interesting and engaging work. Since the last inspection attitudes have improved and this again has a very positive effect on their rate of learning in lessons.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

5. Children enter the reception year with attainment lower than that in most schools. Many have skills that are just below average in literacy and numeracy and limited familiarity with working and playing with other children. They make sound progress in the reception class. In communication, language and literacy and mathematical development they attain standards just below those expected. Many children will exceed the early learning goals for creative development and have particular strengths in music and singing. In Grantham St. Anne’s - 12 their knowledge and understanding of the world, physical development and personal, social and emotional development children will attain levels in line with the early learning goals by the end of the reception year. Speaking, listening and reading are developed satisfactorily in the foundation stage but children do not have enough opportunities to write except in literacy lessons. Children make satisfactory progress in their

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

mathematical development but they need more opportunities to select and choose their own methods when working.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

6. In their speaking and listening skills pupils make good progress in the infant and junior classes. Discussions, debates, ‘hot-seating’ (during which pupils are questioned by their class mates) and drama and role-play activities all improve pupils’ skills. By the time pupils are seven the standards of reading are above average as most pupils achieve average reading skills and a high number of seven-year-olds achieve the higher standards of the National Curriculum. Pupils show a good understanding of the books and excerpts they read. Eleven-year-olds carry on this enjoyment of reading and debate how authors use various techniques to write their stories. Standards in writing are average for seven-year-olds and are below average for eleven-year-olds. Most pupils spell well and use grammar correctly. However, in both the infant and junior classes pupils do not regularly write longer pieces of work or keep pieces of their writing to

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

maintain a record of how they have improved. This means that they do not apply the skills they have learned often enough and do not develop a neat, flowing handwriting style.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

7. Seven-year-olds calculate accurately mentally and solve addition and subtraction problems. Their understanding of mathematical vocabulary is very good. Pupils use standard measures of length, mass and time. They use fractions to describe part of numbers and shapes. Eleven-year-olds calculate using percentages and fractions in real-life situations. They solve problems, with many pupils using very high value numbers. Practical, problem solving opportunities are a strength of the subject. In their science work pupils understand how to test materials and forces and because the work is very practical pupils develop the skills of observation, describing and explaining well. In the junior classes pupils record their findings using whiteboards during experiments and tests and at times do not transfer their work to paper. This means they often have no record of their work. The standards of science have risen as the school has moved

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

attention from English and mathematics to science and planned a continuous and practical curriculum.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

8. Overall, the progress of pupils with special educational needs towards meeting the targets in their individual education plans is good and, for example, in reading many pupils will achieve the levels expected of average attaining pupils. The effective working relationship between teachers and learning support assistants ensures close work on pupils’ individual education plans. These good rates of progress help pupils to feel pleased about their work and this in turn helps them to work harder on the next set of tasks. The same applies to pupils who are learning English as an additional language. For both groups of pupils, teachers and learning support assistants use a very good variety of methods including tuition before school, computer clubs after school and at times excellent individual coaching. There are no differences between the rates of progress of boys and girls. Higher attaining pupils are challenged and make progress at

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

the same rates as other pupils. The school has not identified any pupils who are gifted or talented.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

9. The standards achieved by seven and eleven-year-olds in art and design, design and technology, geography, information and communication technology, music and physical education are at the levels expected nationally. In history pupils achieve well because Grantham St. Anne’s - 13 teachers plan highly imaginative lessons. In religious education pupils reach the expected levels set out in the locally agreed syllabus by seven but by eleven have exceeded them, largely due to good teaching.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

10. In the infant and junior classes pupils achieve well and this is an improvement since the last inspection. They are keen to learn and respond well to challenge. When pupils become excited about their learning their teachers manage lessons well to ensure that none of them stop working hard. Pupils make satisfactory progress in the class for mixed reception and Year 1 pupils and in Year 5. In both classes, teachers’ subject knowledge is not as strong as in other classes and managing pupils’ behaviour is weak, as teachers do not apply the school’s behaviour policy with consistency. There is evidence from the scrutiny of work, from an examination of teachers’ planning and from conversations with pupils that standards are improving as the quality of teaching rises. Pupils are willing and effective learners in lessons which they find exciting and challenging.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

11. Pupils’ attitudes and behaviour are very good, and with their good personal development and levels of attendance, have a positive effect on their learning. Standards have improved since the previous inspection. Pupils like coming to school; they enjoy their lessons and involve themselves keenly in activities. Immature and silly behaviour by a minority of pupils, mainly boys, limits learning in a few lessons. As pupils progress through the school their attitude to learning improves as they respond very well to lively teaching and the generally consistent implementation of the school’s behaviour policy.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

12. In the Reception/Year 1 and Year 5 classes pupils’ attitudes are satisfactory due to the inconsistent application of the school’s behaviour policy. The very good level of support and monitoring provided has limited the impact of this on their learning. Pupils’ very positive attitudes to learning were demonstrated exceptionally well in a Year 3 art and design lesson where every one was totally absorbed in watching the teacher demonstrate how to produce a Viking pattern; they all spontaneously burst into applause as the teacher finished her example. This resulted in all pupils producing very good work in the lesson, learning about how the Vikings developed the characteristic patterns of their art.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

13. Pupils’ behaviour in lessons, assemblies, around the school and in the playground is very good. There have been no exclusions, either temporary or permanent, over the last three years; a figure well below the national average. This is a clear indication of the success of the school’s behaviour policy. Pupils know the school rules and routines very well and have a developing awareness of how to behave appropriately and how their behaviour impacts on others. They are very polite, friendly and cheerful. No significant bullying occurs and relationships between all pupils are very good. Pupils play and work together well. They co-operate very well in groups and pairs. This was particularly evident in a Year 4 information and communication technology lesson where very good work in pairs ensured that all pupils, including those with special educational needs, produced a high standard of work. Relationships between pupils and all adults in the

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

14. Pupils’ personal development is good. They willingly undertake a range of duties such as returning registers to the office, acting as table managers at lunchtimes, and operating equipment during assemblies. Older pupils provide help and assistance very well in playing with the younger ones in their playground. Pupils’ very good responses in Grantham St. Anne’s - 14 assemblies and circle time indicates their developing respect for the feelings, values and beliefs of others.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

15. Attendance levels are good and are above the national average. The number of unauthorised absences is well below the national average. Since the last inspection there has been a steady improvement in attendance and a significant drop in the number of pupils who are late.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT

16. Overall, the quality of teaching is good. In 50 per cent of the lessons teaching was very good or better with five teachers, two in the infants and three in the juniors, consistently teaching interesting, imaginative and inspiring lessons. In a further 30 per cent of the lessons teaching was good and in 15 per cent it was satisfactory. The two unsatisfactory lessons (four per cent) were seen in the reception class and in Year 5. Overall, teaching and learning are equally good in the infants and the juniors. The analysis of pupils’ work shows that teaching and learning in the mixed Reception/Year 1 class are less successful than in other classes. In several lessons taught in that class there was some evidence of lack of firm subject knowledge and the school’s discipline policy was not always applied firmly and fairly. This resulted in pupils showing satisfactory attitudes whereas in other classes, pupils’ attitudes to their learning and

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT

17. Teaching has improved since the last inspection when one in seven lessons was unsatisfactory and one in three was good or better. Eight of the teachers are new to the school since the last inspection and five are in their first two years of teaching. This improvement is a substantial achievement and is due mainly to the headteacher and governors appointing a talented though inexperienced staff and then monitoring and advising the teachers very effectively. Teachers talk about how supportive the headteacher is and in turn pupils talk about how much they like their teachers and how they always have interesting and ‘cool’ things to do.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT

18. In the very successful lessons, teachers think hard about what they want their classes to learn and create situations that are often both practical and imaginative. In one lesson Albert the monkey stole a game, so that Year 3 pupils had to discuss solutions in circle time. Year 6 pupils prepared their arguments and discussions based on an article on anti-vivisection. The pace and challenge pupils experienced in a Year 2 mathematics lesson were excellent. Pupils in Years 1 and 2 eagerly learned about how to make sculptures. Children’s singing in the reception class was well above average; they are taught a huge collection of songs in a range of styles. In an excellent series of sessions managed by a learning support assistant, a pupil with marked special educational needs constructed an animated version of a reading book, adding sound effects and using a digital camera and computers to complete the project. The living room of a World War

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT

Two family was constructed in the school hall and pupils ‘experienced’ an air raid, with blacked out windows, a warden shouting the all clear and sirens wailing in the background.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT

19. In these and many other lessons learning usually had a basis in reality that encourages effective learning. For example, in the lesson on World War Two pupils learned what it was like to shelter from bombs but they also found out that three of the children in their school were killed in World War Two and many were injured. They also know that Hitler’s strategy was to ‘build up his armed forces and at the same time get rid of his opponents.’ The quality of the learning is very high and results in pupils remembering their lessons and what they have learned. It is significant that lessons of this quality Grantham St. Anne’s - 15 account for half of all the lessons seen; this consistency is making a considerable contribution to the school’s drive to raise standards.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT

20. A considerable improvement since the last inspection is that teachers now plan their lessons very carefully. They make sure that pupils know what they have to learn and painstakingly link other subjects effectively. In a significant number of lessons during the last inspection teachers planned too many unrelated activities. Now lessons have a sharp, clear focus and targets are always written down for pupils. These targets are also used at the end of lessons to check on what pupils have learned. This good practice is often carried though to the pupils, who are asked to judge the quality of their own work. Where this falls down is that teachers plan too many activities in which pupils write on whiteboards. This means that pupils cannot keep a record of their work and teachers cannot gauge pupils’ written progress.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT

21. Teachers manage pupils very well overall. Often a word or even a raised eyebrow is all that is needed to quieten pupils and encourage them to listen to their teachers or each other. When pupils are quiet and paying attention their teachers thank pupils and comment on the good quality of their listening skills. Equally when pupils are questioned about their work or if they have been asked to provide explanations, teachers praise good responses. The feedback teachers give pupils during lessons is very good and helps pupils take pride in their work and keeps up the pace of learning. Marking in books is satisfactory overall with some books marked well with teachers providing plenty of comments about how pupils can improve their work and what to do next. In other cases, where writing on paper is part of the lesson, not enough feedback is given. This means that pupils do not get a clear picture of whether their work has improved or deteriorated.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT

22. Teachers generally have good subject knowledge and at times this produces opportunities for pupils to undergo profound experiences of real importance. When studying Islam, the teacher brought out an Arabian bowl to hold the dates, which traditionally end the fast of Ramadan. The eight-year-old pupils gasped in delight and one exclaimed, ‘It’s beautiful!’ Pupils often cheer when told of their tasks. A sense of real excitement was generated in the first of a series of lessons when pupils were told that they had e-mail messages waiting for them. Excitement turned to fun when one of the messages was from their learning support assistant and was a joke. One of the other messages was from a Canadian teacher whose mother had died. This had an immediate effect on pupils and they all expressed their sorrow.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT

23. Expectations, pace and the use of technical language are high. Pupils’ tasks are almost always based on what they already know. Teachers expect pupils to move on as quickly as they can and in mathematics in Year 6, for example, pupils in the middle group now work at the level that brighter pupils managed in September. At times work in the foundation stage is not matched carefully enough to children’s needs and children are set work that is too easy. Pupils with special educational needs and pupils who are learning to speak English as an additional language are given good support throughout the school. This help takes different forms; groups before school, individual support and guidance and extra practice in using English in after school computer clubs. All of these activities are sensitively planned and managed and lead to good learning in the infants and very good learning in the juniors. This is due to the very high quality of learning

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT

support in the juniors. Very good subject knowledge, lots of extremely hard work and a great deal of care are the essential elements of this support.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT

24. The imaginative use of resources, the efficient use of time in lessons and the good relationships between teachers and learning support assistants all add to the success of lessons. Teachers in the foundation stage do not plan with learning support assistants Grantham St. Anne’s - 16 and this limits how effective assistants can be in lessons. Homework is used well. Setting challenges for pupils to solve or collecting information by interviewing grandparents and other family members, often results in good quality written or oral presentations.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT

25. The teaching of literacy skills is satisfactory. Reading is taught well as pupils are given many opportunities to improve their reading skills. Much support is given by learning support assistants during programmes in which pupils read individually, in addition to literacy lessons. Pupils’ writing is not taught as well because pupils do not get enough opportunities to write at length in English or in other subjects. The teaching of numeracy skills is good as teachers base their lessons on the numeracy framework and pupils receive plenty opportunity to practise their skills, for instance in science and geography. The high quality of teaching is a significant strength of the school and explains why achievement is improving. Achievement is rising throughout the school, except in the foundation stage where it has been maintained at a satisfactory rate. The teachers behave as a team, work extremely hard and think hard about their work so that they can

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT

improve what they are doing. They are a talented group, ably led by the headteacher who is a very capable teacher.

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS

26. The school provides all of its pupils with a broad and balanced curriculum that meets the requirements of the National Curriculum and the locally agreed syllabus for religious education. In addition it offers a good range other interesting and worthwhile experiences including French in Years 3, 4 and 5. This is a significant improvement since the last inspection. The school now has up-to-date schemes of work based on national models for all areas of the curriculum. The curriculum for personal, social and health education is relevant, well designed and aspects of this provision are present in many lessons. This is a considerable improvement since the last inspection when elements of the curriculum were found to be unsatisfactory.

p.16

PUPILS OR STUDENTS

27. Over the past two years the school has successfully introduced the national strategies for teaching literacy and numeracy. The teachers plan these lessons well and set out clearly what they expect the pupils to learn. As a result the pupils' confidence and competence in these fundamental skills is increasing steadily throughout the school, though pupils still do not have enough opportunities to write at length.

p.16

PUPILS OR STUDENTS

28. The curriculum for the youngest pupils in the foundation stage is satisfactory. The youngest pupils are taught in two classes: one Reception and one mixed Reception/Year 1. Relationships with nurseries and playgroups are being developed slowly. Links are not easy to develop. The school is currently focussing on inviting other pre-school groups to visit the school.

p.16

PUPILS OR STUDENTS

29. There has been significant improvement in the provision for pupils with special educational needs (SEN). The school now identifies these pupils early in their school lives. All aspects of SEN provision are managed very efficiently by the SEN co-ordinator. As a result the school succeeds in ensuring that all the pupils on the SEN register are fully involved in the life of the school and make good progress towards the targets on their individual education plans. The school's arrangements for preparing pupils for the next stage of education are good. Grantham St. Anne’s - 17 30. The provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is very good and has improved significantly since the last inspection. The provision for pupils’ spiritual development is very good. Assemblies provide good opportunities for pupils to reflect on their beliefs and their place in the world. The themes, prayers and songs

p.16

PUPILS OR STUDENTS

provide a very good focus for the pupils’ spiritual development. Opportunities for pupils to experience and reflect on the world around them are built into teachers’ planning; for example, in a history/drama lesson there was a focus on individual feelings and responses before pupils talked movingly about their responses to the sounds of war. Opportunities in drama, art, music, religious education and in many other curriculum areas are provided for pupils to consider important aspects of their spiritual development.

p.17

PUPILS OR STUDENTS

31. The provision for the pupils’ moral development is very good and for social development is good. Moral and social development is nurtured through the positive example and high expectations of the school staff. The school’s aims are set out clearly within the prospectus and guide the work of everyone. Class rules are clear and there is a very good set of procedures to make sure that pupils are aware of their rights and responsibilities. Teachers talk of pupils becoming good citizens and sharing in the work of society generally. Adults provide very good role models for the pupils. The pupils are frequently encouraged to consider the impact of their actions on the lives of others and assume increasing responsibilities, as they grow older. Pupils are encouraged to be kind to each other. At lunch times older and younger pupils play well together and enjoy playing co-operative games. They are given many opportunities to work with each other

p.17

PUPILS OR STUDENTS

and collaborate in joint projects. Aspects of social awareness and development are highlighted in most lessons.

p.17

PUPILS OR STUDENTS

32. Pupils’ cultural development is planned very effectively. The curriculum is of sufficient depth to enable pupils to gain a great deal from this aspect of their education. Several Traveller pupils and a small number of pupils who are learning English as a second language attend the school and aspects of their culture are supported well through a growing collection of artefacts and curriculum links. The provision for the support of the small number of pupils for whom English is an additional language is good. The school has a good policy for inclusion. The school's very strong links with the local church enhance much of the curriculum and often provide a rich context for the day-to-day work of the school, particularly in history, geography and religious education. Various local organisations, including a supermarket, have sponsored the school’s highly successful story sacks scheme. Pupils are given a secure grasp of their own Christian culture, key

p.17

PUPILS OR STUDENTS

festivals and other secular events. There is a small but growing range of extra-curricular activities including visits linked to the curriculum. With most of the staff new to the school the emphasis has rightly been focussed on using teachers’ time to secure and develop the curriculum. The impact of visits on pupils’ cultural development is significant.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS

33. The school provides very good care for its pupils. Standards have improved since the last inspection. Staff know their pupils extremely well and this helps them to ensure that they all feel valued and cared for. The personal development of pupils is given a high priority and support given is very good.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS

34. Health and safety procedures are very effective. Child protection procedures are very secure and staff awareness, under the close monitoring of the headteacher as the designated person, is excellent. The school is clean, tidy and secure. First aid arrangements and the care of sick pupils are good. The high standard of care provided Grantham St. Anne’s - 18 helps pupils learn in a secure and caring environment.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS

35. A very good behaviour policy, which is generally implemented consistently by all staff, encourages and develops pupils’ very good behaviour and attitudes to work. Praise and rewards are used very effectively. Staff work hard to maintain a happy school with high standards of behaviour. The headteacher’s presence in the playground at lunchtimes very effectively reinforces the high priority given to discipline. The absence of exclusions demonstrates the school’s positive attitude towards all of its pupils. Very effective procedures monitor and discourage bullying in any form.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS

36. The recent introduction of a new system has resulted in very effective procedures to monitor attendance. Together with the high priority given to the promotion of prompt, regular attendance, this has resulted in an increase in the overall levels of attendance this year and a significant reduction in the level of lateness since the previous inspection.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS

37. At the time of the last inspection the schools’ procedures for assessing pupils’ attainment were satisfactory overall but with some significant weaknesses. Teachers did not use the assessments to plan what needs to be taught next. Since then the acting deputy headteacher has implemented significant improvements to assessment procedures and the use to which the results are put. The school now has good systems for measuring the pupils’ performance against the national expectations for each year group, with the mixed reception and Year 1 class using the same assessments as other classes. These older reception children pupils are working within the first level of the National Curriculum. The assessments are analysed to track pupils’ progress in English and mathematics. Optional national tests are used to ensure that the assessments are standardised. In addition, internal tests are used regularly in these subjects and

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS

throughout the curriculum. The results of these tests are used to set termly targets for reading, writing, spelling and aspects of numeracy for individual pupils, shared with parents. These targets have recently been introduced. The system is robust and there is great potential for further development. Analysis of the pupils’ performance has identified where there are weaknesses in the curriculum, for example, in writing. This has a direct impact on the school’s plans for improvement. Teachers highlight pupils’ achievements on their curriculum plans using colour coding to indicate the level of success. This is a simple but effective system, passed on to the next teacher as a valuable resource to inform planning.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS

38. Special needs staff liaise well with outside agencies to ensure that the pupils’ needs are fully met. The school has very good and effective procedures to identify and meet the needs of its pupils with special educational needs, following the guidance of the Code of Practice. The school monitors the progress pupils make on a daily basis as teachers and learning support assistants give individual and small group support to pupils. There are regular, well conducted reviews during which the school can feedback to parents how well their children are doing and offer further good advice about how to maintain the brisk rates of progress.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS

39. The assessment procedures for monitoring children’s personal, social and physical development in the reception class are good. The reception class teacher writes regular notes based on her observations and uses them to plan appropriate support and activities. Joint planning and recording with learning support assistants and nursery nurses in the class would make these records even more useful. Assessments of children’s achievements in the other areas of learning are satisfactory. There is a record, based on three grades, measuring each child against the Early Learning Goals for the end of the reception year. These should be refined to show where the children Grantham St. Anne’s - 19 are in relation to the steps in learning that lead to the Early Learning Goals. This will enable her to plan the work even more closely meet each child’s needs.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS

40. The school has worked hard to develop a very good partnership with parents in order to have a positive effect on pupils’ attitudes and achievements. Most parents who attended the pre-inspection meeting, completed the parents’ questionnaire or talked to inspectors thought that the school provides a good education for their children who make good progress and like coming to school. This is a significant improvement on the previous inspection when aspects of the school’s partnership with parents were considered to be unsatisfactory.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS

41. About a quarter of parents expressed concerns about the level of homework provided and the information they receive about their children’s progress. About one-third expressed concerns about the range of extra-curricular activities provided. Inspectors support parent’s positive views of the school. Inspection findings show that homework is set an appropriate level and used well; information to parents about their children’s progress is very good; and extra-curricular activities are provided at a satisfactory level, especially given the level of experience of the teaching staff and the priority given to other areas of school improvement.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS

42. Annual reports to parents are very informative about pupils’ attainment and progress. Especially good features are the targets for development and self-evaluation statements by pupils. The reports are very well supported by regular consultation sessions when the discussion of targets is given a high priority. The school brochure, newsletters, the regular appointment systems and the availability of staff and governors provide parents with very good access to the school. Staff members make very good efforts to involve parents in the life of the school and their children’s education. The section in the brochure “what can I do to help my child?” is a very good example of this support.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS

43. The family literacy initiative has been successful; for example, in producing story sacks which are available to all parents. Parents’ help in the classroom is good especially in relation to reading. Many support their children at home in relation to homework and regular reading. They ensure their children come to school regularly and on time with positive attitudes towards their learning.

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED

44. Parents at the pre-inspection meeting, staff and governors report that the headteacher has improved the atmosphere and that since the last inspection the school has become much more sharply focussed on raising standards of learning and attainment. They also talk about how well the school is led and how far the headteacher has improved pupils’ behaviour. The inspection team agree with these opinions and find that the headteacher provides very good leadership and, with good support from the key stage coordinators, is moving the school forward at a keen pace. The atmosphere reflects the clearly expressed aims of the school.

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED

45. The staffing difficulties experienced by the school immediately after the last inspection, meant that much of the early work on the school’s inspection action plan was carried out by the headteacher. Considerable thought and effort went into putting the plan into action, which has been effective and has led to very good improvement. The school’s work has improved in all aspects. Grantham St. Anne’s - 20 46. Since the last inspection: − the proportion of pupils achieving the national average has doubled; − pupils’ attitudes and behaviour are now very good; − the large majority of the present staff have been appointed and teaching is now good. There are many examples of very good and some excellent lessons; − the provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is now very good; − assessment procedures and the care of pupils generally have improved; The key issues of the last inspection have been dealt with very effectively:

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED

− there are now schemes of work for all subjects and attainment in history, music, design and technology and physical education is at least satisfactory; − the curriculum for the foundation stage is now satisfactory and the outdoor facilities are used; − the management structure of the school is stable and very cohesive, and roles have been defined; − the procedures for monitoring teaching and learning are very good; − the relationship with parents is now a significant strength and has improved from unsatisfactory levels to very good provision now, and − there is now a very effective system to link teachers’ development to training.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED

47. A key feature of the school’s improvement is the able and energetic team the school has acquired since the last inspection. The headteacher and governors have appointed a very talented though largely inexperienced set of staff members over the past two years. In an understated and quiet way the headteacher has built a very effective and extremely hard working team that is committed to constantly looking for ways to improve the school. The governors handle their work in a satisfactory way. Individually they visit the school and report back to the governing body about what they have seen. Some individual governors hold the school to account and understand the thrust of the headteacher’s very informative reports.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED

48. Curriculum coordinators and governors play a full part in the formulation of the school’s development plan. This has a good format and clear short-term priorities guide the work over a school year. Long term goals, such as the installation of a high quality computer suite and setting up good quality facilities for the foundation stage, are planned so that money is set aside when it is available.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED

49. The special educational needs coordinator manages the provision very competently and governors oversee the provision for special educational needs carefully. The Code of Practice is fully implemented and the funds available to meet pupils’ needs are effectively distributed to provide resources and staff.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED

50. Financial planning is effective and resources are used well to support educational priorities and developments. For example, prudent budget management has enabled the school to set up very good computer facilities. Good awareness of future pupil numbers, financial commitments and the impact of staff appointments ensure that governors have a firm grasp of the school’s financial position. Budget monitoring is secure. A key factor in this secure financial position is the competence and awareness of the headteacher and finance committee backed up by very good school-based systems and excellent administration.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED

51. The school administrator provides excellent support, ensuring the smooth day-to-day running of the school. Her contribution means the headteacher and teaching staff spend the minimum amount of time on administrative issues. Information and communication technology (ICT) is used very effectively in the school. The systems to monitor Grantham St. Anne’s - 21 attendance have been particularly effective in improving information available and reducing the administrative burden on class teachers. Very good use is made of specific funds, especially in relation to special educational needs.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED

52. Accommodation is satisfactory. Classrooms are adequate if a little small. The facilities for ICT, music and special educational needs are good. The space for the library is inadequate although the school’s total supply of books is good. The current outdoor space for the youngest pupils is adequate but plans are in hand to enhance this provision within the next few weeks. The quality of resources for learning is good overall. Especially good are resources available for reading, art, history, religious education and ICT. They are used well to enhance pupils’ achievements in these areas.

p.21

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER

53. In the context of its many developing strengths, the headteacher, governors and staff should:

p.21

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER

(1) Improve the teaching where lessons and aspects of lessons are occasionally unsatisfactory by: *

p.21

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER

− applying the school’s behaviour policy consistently in the mixed Reception/Year 1 and Year 5 classes; − consistently setting tasks which match pupils, needs; − developing the teachers’ knowledge of the curriculum and about how young children learn; − ensuring that learning support assistants are used appropriately in all lessons; (Paragraphs 10, 12, 16, 23, 24, 39, 77, 93, 123)

p.21

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER

(2) Improve the standards of writing by extending the opportunities for pupils to write at length. * (Paragraphs 3, 6, 25, 37, 71-2, 75, 77, 79.)

p.21

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER

Other issues governors should consider for inclusion in their action plan:

p.21

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER

Keep more of pupils’ written work in a permanent form so that teachers and pupils can diagnose errors and chart improvement. (Paragraphs 7, 20-1, 77, 87, 90-1)

p.21

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER

* Issues already identified by the school and included in the school development plan. Grantham St. Anne’s - 22

p.21

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 18

p.22

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

p.22

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

The table gives the percentage of teaching observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about lessons.

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery YR-Y7

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 227

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 4

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 0

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 97

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 5

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 31

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 40

p.22

Attendance

National comparative data 5.2 National comparative data 0.5

p.22

Attendance

Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Grantham St. Anne’s - 23

p.22

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2000 15 12 27

p.23

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

p.23

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Boys 14 14 14 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 11 11 11

p.23

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentage of pupils School 93 (81) 93 (72) 93 (91) at NC level 2 or above National 83 (82) 84 (83) 90 (87)

p.23

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.23

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Boys 14 14 13 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 11 11 11

p.23

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentage of pupils School 93 (88) 93 (91) 89 (84) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (82) 88 (86) 88 (87)

p.23

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

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

p.23

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 2000 17 15 32

p.23

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

p.23

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Boys 12 12 13 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 12 13 13

p.23

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentage of pupils School 78 (57) 81 (57) 84 (63) at NC level 4 or above National 75 (70) 72 (69) 85 (78)

p.23

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.23

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Boys 12 12 13 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 12 13 13

p.23

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentage of pupils School 75 (50) 78 (43) 81 (57) at NC level 4 or above National 70 (68) 72 (69) 79 (75)

p.23

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Grantham St. Anne’s - 24

p.23

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0

p.24

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – African heritage Black – African heritage 0 0

p.24

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Any other minority ethnic group 3 Other minority ethnic groups 0 0

p.24

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.24

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 9 Financial year 1999-2000

p.24

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 25.2

p.24

Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR-Y7 Total expenditure 406,721

p.24

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 8 Expenditure per pupil 1849

p.24

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 172 Balance brought forward from previous year 25,580

p.24

Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance carried forward to next year 30,793 Grantham St. Anne’s - 25

p.24

Results of the survey of parents and carers

Percentage of responses in each category

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

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

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child is making good progress in school. 44 47 5 1 3

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

Behaviour in the school is good. 34 55 6 1 4

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 27 48 20 5 1

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 35 40 18 5 2

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 61 29 6 4 1

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 48 45 2 1 4

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school works closely with parents. 33 46 13 5 3

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is well led and managed. 35 46 10 2 6

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 36 56 3 2 2

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 18 30 25 10 18 Grantham St. Anne’s - 26

p.25

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

54. There has been an improvement in the provision for children in the reception year since the last inspection. The school is using the nationally approved curriculum for children under six years of age and the activities are planned to help children to reach or exceed the Early Learning Goals. There is now a policy for the Foundation Stage. More use is made of the enclosed outside area and there are plans to extend this provision and the overall space available for the reception class. The six oldest reception children, who are now five years old, are taught in a class with the youngest pupils in Year 1 and are working appropriately within the first levels of the National Curriculum. These older reception children are also working from the Year 1 programme for literacy and numeracy. The children’s attainment on entry to the school varies from year to year, but is generally slightly below average, notably in English and mathematics. There are

p.26

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

limited opportunities for children to attend a nursery or play group before they start school.

p.26

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

55. The teaching in both classes is satisfactory overall with some excellent music teaching. As a result, children make sound progress in communication, language and literacy and mathematical development, maintaining levels that are just below those expected in these subjects. Most aspects of the children’s progress in personal, social and emotional development are good in the reception class but just satisfactory in the mixed Reception/Year 1 class where the teacher does not consistently apply the school’s behaviour policy. The reception class teacher keeps detailed records of the children’s personal, social and emotional and physical development, identifying individual needs so that the children achieve the Early Learning Goals for these aspects. The younger children exceed the Early Learning Goals of their creative development. The children have a sound knowledge and understanding of the world although there are too few

p.26

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

opportunities for the children to design and select their own materials to make things.

p.26

Personal, Social and Emotional Development

56. Many children start school with limited experience of working and playing in a large group of children of the same age. The reception teacher establishes very good relationships with the children, gently leading them towards socially acceptable relationships with their peers so that the majority will reach the Early Learning Goals for personal, social and emotional development by the time they enter Year 1. Children are taught to be polite to each other and adults, to say sorry when appropriate and to make requests with “please” and “thank you”. They learn to share, wait their turn and to listen to each other when prompted. They always listen attentively during stories and when being given instructions. Two children with special educational needs have special behavioural problems and have a non-teaching adult to support them.

p.26

Personal, Social and Emotional Development

57. The teaching of personal and social development is satisfactory in the reception class. The adults in this class provide good role models for the children, always treating each other and the children with courtesy and respect. The children feel secure and learn to empathise with each other and characters in a story. In a literacy lesson, for example, confident children assumed the characters of the Three Little Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf, with the help of masks. Their voices demonstrated that the wolf was a real villain but some of the audience showed some sympathy over his well-deserved fate. Adult modelling is less effective in the mixed Reception and Year 1 class where the teacher does not have such good strategies for seeking good behaviour and promoting Grantham St. Anne’s - 27 responsibility for one’s own actions. In both classes, there are limited opportunities for the children to organise their own resources or select their own activities. Although there

p.26

Personal, Social and Emotional Development

are limitations of space at present the children could be given more responsibility for selecting and organising their own equipment rather than having it selected by adults.

p.27

Communication, language and literacy

58. Overall, children in the reception class attain slightly below the levels expected for their age by the time they are ready to join Year 1 of the National Curriculum. Older pupils in the mixed age class are already working within the first level of the National Curriculum. Teaching in this aspect of children’s development is satisfactory. They join in with chants like “I’ll huff and I’ll puff and I’ll blow you house down.” with gusto. Many make spontaneous predictions of the outcomes and comments about the behaviour of the characters. The nursery nurse and the reception teacher are adept at asking questions that require the children to use extended phrases and sentences, promoting technical language when appropriate. In numeracy lessons, for example, children understand the term “digit” and in literacy they find “phonemes” and “rhymes”. All adults are active listeners and are good role models for the children, valuing their contributions. However,

p.27

Communication, language and literacy

not all adults in the reception class consistently develop children’s speech. Some children do not pronounce words correctly and find it difficult to communicate. Their speech is rarely corrected and the learning support assistant does not encourage the children with special educational needs to extend their skills by modelling correct diction or engaging them in conversation. The reception teacher uses drama and role-play very effectively, not only to extend speech but also to develop confidence and empathy with others. The majority of the children in the foundation stage achieve the early learning goals for speaking and listening by the time they finish the reception year.

p.27

Communication, language and literacy

59. Most children in the reception class recognise the sounds that letters make. They read some familiar words including their own names. Higher-attaining children are beginning to decode two-letter sounds like “ch”. All children handle books with care and recognise text on the page. The majority of children are aware of rhyme and some can find words with the same endings. In a literacy lesson, for example, higher-attaining children found several three or four letter words that end with “in”. All the children know many songs and rhymes and are aware of the elements of stories. Retelling the story of the “Three Little Pigs” for example, the children added “and they all lived happily ever after.” The teachers are enabling their children to develop a love of stories. However, during the inspection there were few opportunities for the children to read independently and to enjoy books of their own choice. The teaching of reading is very structured and children

p.27

Communication, language and literacy

make sound progress. There are too few opportunities for the children, especially the higher-attaining children, to extend their skills. The teacher keeps records of their progress but does not use these to extend those who achieve the set work easily.

p.27

Communication, language and literacy

60. Some children in the reception class are beginning to write simple words independently but most either copy the teacher’s writing or trace over it. There are few examples of the children making attempts at forming their own words based on their knowledge of letter sounds. Too much of the writing is set or directed by the teacher. Children do not make their own books independently. The children are taught how to form letters and there are writing materials always available around the room. There are, however, few opportunities for the children to use them beyond the set literacy lessons. Few children are likely to achieve the early learning goals for writing by the time they start Year 1.

p.27

Mathematical development

Grantham St. Anne’s - 28 61. Overall, the children in the reception class attain slightly below the levels expected for their age by the time they are ready to join Year 1 of the National Curriculum. Teaching in the reception class is satisfactory. Almost all children in the reception class say the numbers to 10 in the correct order and recognise the numerals 1-9. About half the children in this class reliably count up to 10 objects and some count beyond this. In one lesson observed during the inspection, the children were asked to guess how many objects there were in a tray. Although not all were accurate, everyone matched their estimate with the correct numeral. Lower-attaining children and those with special educational needs recognise the numerals but do not yet count accurately beyond 4. These children receive good support from the teacher and support assistant. The children who count accurately are not given sufficient challenge to enable them to make

p.28

Mathematical development

the progress they are capable of. In one lesson the teaching was unsatisfactory because these children were given work that was too easy for them, matching numerals to 9 with 9 objects, a task they had all achieved with confidence. Most children find numbers that are more or less than a number from 1-10.

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Mathematical development

62. Most children use mathematical names for flat shapes. They copy and complete patterns with beads on a lace and accurately order objects by length or height. Most are accurate when labelling “empty” or “full” and “light” and “heavy”. Almost all the children name colours accurately. The teacher ensures that she teaches each aspect of the curriculum thoroughly. She now needs to match the activities more closely to the needs of all the children, giving them scope to extend their learning by applying their skills and selecting their own methods and equipment. This will enable the children to make the progress they need to achieve the Early Learning Goals for mathematical development. Children in the mixed Reception and Year 1 class are working within the first level of the National Curriculum and the majority achieve the Early Learning Goals.

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Mathematical development

Knowledge and Understanding of the World.

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Mathematical development

63. Children enter school with a limited basic general knowledge. The children’s work and discussions with individuals show that their knowledge and understanding of the world is in line with the Early Learning Goals. Through their topic about their families they learn about people of different ages and simple family trees. They are beginning to acknowledge significant events in their lives. Children learn about places around them and have visited St. Anne’s Church, the museum and the supermarket where they watched bread being made. Children know what firemen and policemen do and have learnt about different types of transport. During their topic about “opposites” children experimented with touch and, with help, used a camera. They talk about the changes they see around them as winter turns to spring. Children use the computer confidently and independently. The children’s learning is enriched by local visits. They have

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Mathematical development

opportunities to cut, join and stick objects and to build things. Teaching is satisfactory in this area of development; however, the work is very directed and all their work is the same. There are too few opportunities for children to learn independently or to follow their own interests and enquiries. Children of all abilities have exactly the same worksheets with the children with special educational needs receiving lots of support.

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Physical Development

64. The reception class teacher keeps detailed notes about each child’s skills in manipulating small objects and is quick to spot where extra support is needed. There are similar comments about their performance in their physical education lessons. Teaching is satisfactory and as a result the majority of children achieve the Early Learning Goals for physical development. Grantham St. Anne’s - 29 65. In a good physical education lesson, the teacher made good use of a child to demonstrate a good manoeuvre. She had very clear objectives for the lesson, which were achieved. Health and safety issues were reinforced and she made good use of praise to encourage further effort. Children walk smoothly while balancing a beanbag on their heads, balanced on one leg and other parts of the body and used space well. All hop, skip and jump with skills appropriate for their age.

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Physical Development

66. Children use the wheeled toys and climbing apparatus in the outdoor area. They have a tunnel to crawl through. Space is very restricted but this is in the process of being improved.

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Physical Development

67. The reception class teacher and support staff teach the children how to cut out carefully and to use glue and tape to join things. Activities such as threading, jigsaws and sorting help to develop fine movements. Children are taught to hold pencils correctly and almost all can follow a line accurately. In music lessons they turn round and sway rhythmically showing awareness of their neighbours and exercising great care.

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Creative Development

68. Aspects of the children’s creative development are very good and overall creative development is above the Early Learning Goals. Because of the teaching in the reception class, the reception teacher’s expertise, enthusiasm and relationships with children, the quality of the music the children produce is well above that normally expected for children of their age. Children sing accurately, maintaining pitch, pace and rhythm. They have a large repertoire of songs and nursery rhymes, some with challenging rhythms and words. They respond to the mood of both the words and the accompaniment, varying volume and pace, sometimes “whisper-singing” in gentle moments. The teacher makes each child feel special by moving towards them with her guitar, singing with them. The teacher’s planning indicates that the children have similar skills when playing percussion instruments that they name accurately. Children delight

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Creative Development

in their achievements and enjoy every moment. However, during one lesson a child with special educational needs asked to be withdrawn from the lesson, thereby missing a part of his learning that would have enhanced his emotional development.

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Creative Development

69. The term’s topic, based on fairy-tales, is providing another rich source for the pupils’ creative development. They enjoy the range of traditional stories, often translating them into drama and role-play. They work together to create, for example, the drama of “The Three Little Pigs”, but rarely without adult support. Children generally use paint as a class lesson, contributing to class displays. They cut paper to size and make collages. Their skills are appropriate for their age, but opportunities for selection and experimentation are too limited. Overall, the majority of children attain above the Early Learning Goals.

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ENGLISH

70. Standards of attainment are improving in both the infants and the juniors, more rapidly in reading than in writing. Higher standards are the result of an improved quality of teaching and very good leadership from the co-ordinator. Teachers are now focussed on raising attainment. The proportion of pupils achieving the national average has almost doubled since the last inspection.

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ENGLISH

71. At the age of seven the standards pupils achieve in the National Curriculum tests in English are above the national average. In the 2000 tests, results for reading and writing showed a very considerable improvement over 1999. In reading the proportion of pupils Grantham St. Anne’s - 30 reaching the expected national level was well above average and in writing it was average. The proportion reaching higher levels in reading was also very high and in writing it was below average. Comparisons with similar schools using free meals figures have been recalculated because hot school meals are not offered and so take-up is limited. Similar school comparisons show performance to be well above average in reading and average in writing. The proportion of pupils gaining the higher levels was in the top five per cent of similar schools in reading and was below average in writing. Boys and girls achieve similar results. This was an above average year group and

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ENGLISH

pupils entered the school attaining levels higher than those usually seen in the school. The attainment on entry of other year groups, including the current seven-year-olds’, is in line with the school’s usual intake. Trends over time followed the national picture until 1999 when they dipped temporarily in writing. Pupils with special education needs are achieving well.

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ENGLISH

72. The results of tests for eleven-year-olds in 2000 show pupils’ attainment to be similar to the national average and to the average of similar schools. The proportion of pupils achieving the higher level was in line with the national average. Girls and boys achieve similar results. The proportion of pupils gaining the expected results in English is rising rapidly. Inspectors found attainment in speaking and listening to be above average, to be average in reading and below average in writing. Pupils with special education needs are achieving well.

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ENGLISH

73. In speaking and listening, the pupils make good progress throughout the school and standards of attainment are high. Class discussion is a common feature of lessons in a range of subjects. This opportunity to use technical language considerably enhances speaking skills. In an English lesson pupils used a leaflet about vivisection to examine the language and structure of debate. They used this newly acquired insight effectively in a series of mini debates. The teacher wisely utilised an outside area so that pupils were not disturbing others. In a history lesson pupils took part in a powerful role-play which brought the Second World War to life. Aspects of learning including personal and social education are well developed through role-play and drama. In a Year 2 lesson pupils used simple props including hats and dolls to empathise with a variety of characters and situations

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ENGLISH

74. Standards of reading are above average by the time pupils are seven years of age. Most pupils achieve average reading skills and a high number of pupils achieve higher levels. Pupils enjoy reading. They have a very good range of books to choose from. Texts used in lessons reflect the tastes of teachers who love and enjoy literature. Pupils show a good level of understanding of the stories they read. In a mixed Year 1 and 2 class young pupils were able to compare two different versions of Billy Goat Gruff and say which version they preferred. They have good technical skills. Many of these are consolidated during a programme of individual reading with learning support assistants. The older reception children, working from the first level of the National Curriculum, are told the “title”, the “author” and the “illustrator” of the story they are listening to. Pupils become increasingly confident in recognising features of spelling, which contributes to the

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ENGLISH

accuracy of their reading. They use contextual and picture clues to read less familiar words. They listen well when their teachers read, and offer interesting observations when questioned about texts they share as a whole class or during group reading sessions. Pupils in Year 4 reading an extract from Bill’s New Frock by Anne Fines paid close attention to the text and relished this author’s writing. They are able to use the text as the basis for arguing a point of view as well as a jumping off point for debate on gender stereotypes. By the age of eleven pupils’ reading skills reach average standards. Higher attaining readers understand and enjoy a wide variety of texts. They are very articulate when discussing the plot of a story and can identify features in text that Grantham St. Anne’s - 31 exemplify effective prose. Throughout the juniors pupils use an increasing range of sources to extract information to support work in science, history and geography.

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ENGLISH

75. The attainment of seven and eleven-year-olds in writing does not match their reading. The proportion of pupils achieving the nationally expected level is in line with the national average at seven and below the national average at eleven. Pupils have good mastery of the technical aspects of the language. They spell well. They know how to punctuate accurately and have a good knowledge of grammar. They use writing frames and story planners to prepare writing well. However, pupils do not write regularly enough at reasonable length to ensure their mastery of different independent styles of writing. They do not use and apply their skills often enough to build a body of work that can be used to diagnose persistent errors or judge improvement. Many pupils have not yet developed a neat, consistent cursive handwriting style.

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ENGLISH

76. The pupils at all levels use information and communication technology (ICT) to support the development of their literacy skills. They have e-mail connections with other schools including Canada. A lesson in English based on a complaint's letter from the fictional 'Albert the Monkey' was extended when pupils received individual e-mails from him. They use spelling programs and a word processor to record their writing. The class collections of books are used satisfactorily to extend their reading and to support work in a range of subjects. The central library is very small and not of adequate size to develop book based research skills. However, pupils are developing these skills well using ICT.

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ENGLISH

77. The teaching seen in lessons was very good or excellent except in the Reception/Year 1 class and Year 5 where it was satisfactory. However, a scrutiny of pupils’ books showed that teachers do not give pupils enough opportunities to write at length or to keep a record of their own writing. Preparation for lessons is meticulous throughout the school. Learning objectives are, except in the lower part of the school, precise. Group work activities are well matched to offer suitable challenge to pupils of different ability. In a Year 2 class the quality of the tasks set for the lower ability group including a pupil with a statement was very high. The pupils used objects in a feely bag and worked with a very effective learning support assistant to generate questions. The outcome of their task was the key feature of the plenary and effectively consolidated the work of the other groups. It also contributed to the esteem of the group. Lessons are very imaginative and

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ENGLISH

pupils are highly motivated as a result. Throughout the school, the literacy lessons are well managed. In particular, teachers are able to build high levels of excitement and yet still gently insist that the basic rules related to raising hands and courtesy towards others are adhered to. Resources are very well used and contribute to pupils' high engagement in the lesson. Assessments are well made and linked effectively to target setting.

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ENGLISH

78. When teaching was less successful activities were not as carefully chosen. In one lesson pupils were unable to benefit fully from a powerful text because they did not have any visual reference for any part of it and furthermore they were denied the opportunity to reflect fully on the traumatic death of a parent which was powerfully described. On another occasion a lack of pace during the introduction, too much repetition and a set of unchallenging group activities dampened pupils interest in using indexes. In some lessons there is too much temporary recording on individual whiteboards so teachers cannot properly evaluate the impact of their teaching on pupils' written English.

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ENGLISH

79. The co-ordinator for English, the headteacher and staff have shown a very high degree of commitment to developing English. A considerable amount of creative effort has been successfully applied to stimulating the pupils’ enjoyment of reading. The task is now to raise writing to the same high standard while maintaining the liveliness characteristic of many of the lessons seen. Grantham St. Anne’s - 32

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MATHEMATICS

80. Pupils attain standards that are above the national average at the end of the infants and the juniors. In the national tests in 2000, pupils’ attainment was very high at the end of the infants, with almost all achieving the average level 2 and over two-thirds attaining the higher level 3. This was an above average year group and pupils entered the school attaining levels higher than those usually seen in the school. The attainment on entry of other year groups, including the current Year 2, is in line with the school’s usual intake. At the end of the juniors attainment was above average with a third of the pupils achieving the higher levels. Comparisons with similar schools using free meals figures have been recalculated because hot school meals are not offered and so take-up is limited. Using these recalculated proportions the school’s performance was very high for pupils gaining the expected levels and those gaining the higher levels at the age of

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MATHEMATICS

seven. Eleven-year-olds achieved above the average of similar schools at the expected and the higher levels. These results mark a considerable improvement since the time of the last inspection, especially at the end of the juniors when less than a third of the pupils achieved Level 4. The present Year 2 and Year 6 pupils achieve standards that are above average in all aspects of mathematics with at least half of Year 6 achieving the higher levels. This is due to the very good mathematics teaching in almost all year groups from the mixed Year 1/2 class upwards and excellent teaching at the end of the infants. Results for seven-year-olds were higher last year than they are likely to be this year due to an exceptionally gifted Year 2 in 2000. These differences can be observed in that group of pupils as they work in the first year of the junior stage.

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MATHEMATICS

81. There is no significant difference in the attainment of boys and girls. Pupils with special educational needs make very good progress because the teachers ensure that the work they set challenges pupils of all abilities. The adults who support pupils with special educational needs are very effective and they are given clear guidance from the teachers.

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MATHEMATICS

82. Pupils join the infants with a mathematical understanding that is generally slightly below average for their age. By the time they are seven, the majority of pupils use mental calculation to solve addition and subtraction problems within 20 and beyond and understand that these can be checked by using the reverse operation. They recognise place value in three digit numbers and identify patterns in a series of numbers, for example, multiplication tables. Their understanding and use of mathematical vocabulary is very good. For example, in a numeracy lesson pupils used the words “function” “inverse operation” “subtract” and “double” accurately and with ease. They all, even the lower-attaining pupils, have secure strategies for finding the quickest and easiest methods to calculate mentally. The majority apply these skills very effectively to solve problems. In this lesson, for example, higher-attaining pupils created addition or

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MATHEMATICS

subtraction statements using two digit numbers and wrote down the inverse operation. They all knew that if the wrong number was placed first in a subtraction problem it would lead to a negative answer. The teacher’s high expectations, the pace of the lesson and excellent planning for all abilities and the adult support resulted in excellent gains in learning. The pupils’ had excellent attitudes throughout, many challenging themselves by selecting difficult calculations to solve. The majority of pupils in Year 2 use standard measurements of length, mass and time, use halves and quarters of shape and hours and solve money problems. The younger pupils in the Year1/2 class, for example, created “bargain” posters for special offers at the greengrocers for the class to solve. Pupils use a 10X10 number square to jump 10s and 20s and other amounts. Grantham St. Anne’s - 33 83. Pupils in Year 6 calculate fractions and percentages of numbers, solving, for example 40

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MATHEMATICS

per cent of 90. The higher attaining pupils [about half the class] have investigated the best method for solving problems with Value Added Tax, a useful real life exercise. Pupils solve problems involving the equivalent fractions and many work with very high numbers. Pupils use formulae to solve, for example, the area of rectangles and the perimeters of compound shapes. They use the language of averages appropriately and find the mean, mode and median of data, linking this to their work in information and communication technology (ICT). In one lesson pupils solved written problems involving one, two or three processes, selecting their own methods and identifying the process they would need to use. The practical work in mathematics is a strength throughout the infants and the juniors.

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MATHEMATICS

84. Pupils make at least good progress in their mathematics lessons in the two oldest classes in the infants and all the junior classes. There are several factors that contribute to this. The numeracy strategy has been implemented very successfully and the subject management is good. Pupils’ attainment is regularly analysed and the results are used to set targets for each pupil and to inform teachers’ planning. Pupils have very good attitudes to their work. But the most significant factor is the teaching, which has improved considerably since the last inspection. Talented teachers have joined the school during the last two years but the impact of the good progress made during lessons has not had time to make a significant difference on pupils’ attainment by the end of the juniors.

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MATHEMATICS

85. In the seven classes with infant and junior pupils, the teaching was satisfactory in the youngest class, good in Year 5, very good in four other classes and excellent in the class with the oldest Year 2 pupils. This very good teaching features high expectations, very good pace and effective planning to challenge pupils of all abilities. The work is relevant and interesting and the pupils cannot fail to enjoy it! This means that they work hard. Pupils are told what they are going to learn and there is time at the end of the lessons for them to evaluate how successful they have been. Pupils have homework relating to their class work, often involving research essential for the next lesson. Year 4, for example, collected evidence on how home life affects the environment for their topic, their ICT work and their mathematics lessons.

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MATHEMATICS

86. Pupils with special educational needs are supported very well in the very good lessons, joining in with the main activities at their own levels. In the mental arithmetic sessions at the beginning of each lesson, the teachers direct questions to individuals or groups of pupils that challenge them whatever their abilities. The teachers use questions very effectively to test understanding as well as to challenge pupils. Teachers are sensitive to the needs of their pupils and often adapt their lessons as a result. Relationships are very good and teachers use praise and humour to motivate their pupils. Where the teaching was less effective the pace of the mental arithmetic lesson was less challenging or the organisation of the pupils and class routines took too much time. In another lesson, pupils with special educational needs made good progress working with the special needs support assistant in the computer suite, but they missed part of an

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MATHEMATICS

87. Pupils negotiate targets for learning with their teachers that are shared with parents. Teachers refer to these and adjust them appropriately. While day-to-day assessment in lessons is very effective through observation and challenging questions, comments about the way pupils could improve are rarely written in their books. This makes it difficult for pupils to measure their achievements over time as they learn new skills. At the end of each year, pupils’ achievements are measured against the curriculum for the year. These assessments are used to plan the work the pupils with cover the following Grantham St. Anne’s - 34 year. The subject is managed well by the coordinator. There have been significant improvements in the curriculum, the teaching and pupils’ attainment in mathematics and the potential for further improvement is good.

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SCIENCE

88. The statutory teacher assessments in 2000 showed that the proportions of seven-year- olds attaining the expected level 2 and the higher level 3 were below the national average. The comparisons with similar schools, recalculated to take account of the low proportion of pupils who take up the free packed lunch, show that the proportion of pupils gaining the expected levels was below average and above average for pupils gaining the higher levels.

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SCIENCE

89. The standards attained by eleven-year-olds in the national tests in 2000 were below the national average and below the average of similar schools. The proportion attaining the higher levels was also below average. There were no differences between boys and girls in these tests and assessments. Since the last inspection the proportion of pupils achieving the national average has more than doubled and results in the subject are rising, and are likely to rise, faster than national figures. Although attainment in the national tests and assessments at seven and eleven is still below average, the progress that pupils make in lessons and their recent progress over time evident from the scrutiny of work indicates that test standards will soon rise. The curriculum is very practically based and learning in the lessons observed was good.

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SCIENCE

90. Inspectors found that in Year 2 and Year 6 attainment is average although the recording of science is easier to judge in the infants than in the junior classes where pupils use whiteboards. Seven-year-olds understand the differences between types of animals and can name the important parts of a plant, including the roots, stem, leaves and seeds. They understand what each part does. They know about the parts of the human body. Pupils test different materials and the practical testing and experimenting they do is a strength of science teaching. They test how pushing and pulling changes the shape of objects and how materials change when heated. Pupils build ramps to test whether a steeper ramp makes their cars travel faster. They understand how to keep their tests fair. Their abilities to observe, describe and explain are good, for instance when they looked for insects and other minibeasts.

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SCIENCE

91. Eleven-year-olds understand the human life cycle and that materials that were once living decay. They test and describe materials and classify them by their properties. They are skilled at using classification keys to help them subdivide classes of animals and materials. Pupils know about the functions and position of the major human organs such as the heart, lungs and brain and how blood circulates. Pupils develop their understanding of plants from their work in Years 1 and 2 to include photosynthesis and their work on minibeasts moves on to a study of micro organisms. Pupils construct circuits and record their findings, using standard international symbols, predicting and testing which circuits work and which will not. They know that electrical current flows in one direction. Pupils record their findings, methods and equipment well but they use whiteboards too often and their results are ‘cleared away’ with their equipment. This

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SCIENCE

means that teachers cannot judge progress in recording over time and pupils cannot see how their own work is improving.

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SCIENCE

92. Teaching is good overall and has improved since the last inspection. Teaching is particularly good in infant classes where pupils are given lots of practical experiences and each lesson has elements of experiments and testing. This means that pupils can develop their skills of predicting, observation and recording. Pupils make good progress Grantham St. Anne’s - 35 in their learning, including those with special educational needs, as teachers and learning support assistants work together well. Good planning is a key feature of the good science teaching seen during the inspection. In the class for Years 1 and 2, the lesson was very well prepared and resources were used well to show a variety of plants. In Years 4 and 5 resources were again used well to show that humans and some animals have bony skeletons. Pupils with special educational needs and those using English as an additional language were particularly well supported in this lesson as the

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SCIENCE

teacher gave them very good quality feedback about their answers. In a Year 6 lesson very good preparation resulted in overhead projector slides being used to show how circuits and symbols should be used. By the end of the lesson pupils were drawing their own slides to test their classmates’ knowledge of constructing circuits. Once more a pupil who is using English as an additional language was shown great respect as she was asked for translations of English words. Pupils repeated the words and revelled in the sounds. This lesson ended with a homework challenge for pupils to draw the circuit diagram of fairy lights and to predict whether they would work if powered by a 1.5-volt battery.

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SCIENCE

93. The common strengths of these lessons are the good levels of teachers’ subject knowledge, the precise questions pupils are posed and the good management of behaviour. One lesson was taught unsatisfactorily. In Year 5 pupils learned about the phases of the moon but a lack of preparation resulted in low levels of teacher’s subject knowledge and laptop computers not accessing the Internet for pupils to carry out their research. However, generally the good teaching results in good rates of learning and high levels of interest in the themes under investigation.

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SCIENCE

94. The management of the subject is a joint effort between the key stage coordinators. Both have a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses in the subject but the school’s plan to appoint a coordinator to manage the subject across the school is sound. Teachers take their lesson plans from good quality whole school plans. Assessment procedures are good and the frequent use of standardised tests identifies gaps in the curriculum.

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ART AND DESIGN and DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

95. Pupils’ attainment in both subjects is in line with national expectations at the end of both the infants and the juniors. These judgements match those at the time of the last inspection. However, very little teaching of either subject was observed during the last inspection. The teaching was no more than sound for both subjects and there were no schemes of work. The school has now adopted the nationally recommended schemes of work for each subject. The lessons are now planned very effectively with clear objectives based on what the pupils should learn rather than an outcome to support other subjects. In the lessons observed during this inspection the teaching was good in half and very good in the rest, a significant improvement on the last inspection.

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ART AND DESIGN and DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

96. Pupils in the infants mix colours with subtlety, creating, for example sun paintings from the clearest yellow to the deepest crimson. They create three-dimensional models and masks and sculptures using natural materials. They study the work of, for example, Andy Goldsworthy, sketch some of his sculptures and discuss his techniques and materials. In this lesson, the teacher’s expertise and obvious love of her subject inspired her pupils. They were awed by his work and moved by the implications of its short existence. There was some lively discussion in one group as pupils wondered how he managed not to disturb the snow as he stood up to take a photograph of his body-print! This lesson made a valuable contribution to the pupils’ spiritual and cultural development. Infants have designed jointed animals, lighthouses with batteries, bees Grantham St. Anne’s - 36 that buzz and street lamps. There are examples of weaving and shopping bags

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ART AND DESIGN and DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

97. In Year 3 pupils are studying Viking art. In the first lesson the teacher used high quality photographs of a variety of artefacts generating lively debate and some interesting hypotheses. Pupils used their knowledge of the life and culture of Vikings they are studying to suggest reasons for the circles and waves in the art. Again, based on their previous knowledge, they identified the materials used and suggested why the objects were produced. In a very good lesson later in the week, the pupils designed shield in pairs, studying the designs carefully. The teacher had very high expectations of the pupils' abilities and gave effective feedback during the lesson. As a result, pupils’ learning was very good and their attainment was above average.

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ART AND DESIGN and DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

98. Throughout the juniors there are examples of pupils’ designs, either as photographs or in displays. Top hats, with rims attached in a variety of ways, were props for the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party. Pupils studied containers and produced a collection of eggcups. Designer purses and chairs show how pupil’s design, draft, evaluate and modify their work. In Year 4 pupils explored ways of making pop-up cards and designed their own. They used the computer to design the illustration. Throughout this lesson pupils were aware of environmental issues and recycled where possible. The pupils’ work was valued by everyone in the class. In particular, a pupil with special educational needs achieved good results. Everyone in the class appreciated his efforts and he glowed with success. In Year 5 pupils planned and designed musical instruments. The teacher gave effective support and encouraged the pupils to extend their designs, although she

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ART AND DESIGN and DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

gave rather too much information at the beginning of the lesson, suggesting materials and methods that the pupils could have thought of for themselves. In Year 6 the teacher discussed Brueghel’s “Hunters in the Snow” as an inspiration for the pupils to combine landscapes to create a fantasy landscape. The pupils used a variety of media to achieve this. Pupils worked hard and the teacher gave good input during the lesson, using pupils’ work as models.

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ART AND DESIGN and DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

99. There are several teachers with very good subject knowledge for both art and design, and design and technology. The co-ordinator, although inexperienced, has a very clear vision for the future of the subjects in school. The resources for each subject are appropriate and often augmented by the teachers’ own materials. Sixty pupils worked together in the hall for the Christmas craft club. A splendid quilt, made by Year 6, hangs in the hall. Pupils make appropriate progress throughout the school. The school now needs to develop systems for the teachers and pupils to measure progress over time, perhaps by the regular use of sketchbooks and draft books. These would ensure that pupils build on their previous leaning and develop their skills systematically based on their own achievements. The improvement in provision for both subjects has made a significant impact on the pupils’ cultural development.

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GEOGRAPHY

100. At the time of the last inspection, pupils were judged to reach standards in line with those expected nationally seven and to achieve below average standards eleven. Now, all pupils reach standards that are broadly in line with national expectations. This is an improvement since the last inspection.

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GEOGRAPHY

101. No lessons were seen in the infants. An analysis of work demonstrates that pupils cover a sufficient range of topics and acquire the expected range of knowledge, skills and understanding. Pupils are able to follow the progress of Barney the Bear as he set sail for Norway using maps and ordered photograph. They have good knowledge of the local Grantham St. Anne’s - 37 area. Pupils draw local maps and visit the church and supermarket as part of cross- curricular topics. Pupils have studied the life of Katie Morag on the Scottish Isle of Struay and focussed on features of the island including mapping and details of human and physical geography including housing. As a contrast pupils studied Tocuaro in Mexico. This work shows that they were able to consider differences in weather, food, clothes, animals and flowers. They are beginning to appreciate the similarities between different places.

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GEOGRAPHY

102. In a good Year 6 lesson the teacher promoted a discussion about a series of coastal photographs. Pupils gained an appropriate understanding of erosion and deposition. The work on erosion was developed as they discussed the effect of wave action on stack rocks and the formation of waves caves and blowholes. This work linked into an earlier topic based on the progress of a river from source to mouth. They appreciate that arguments to protect and maintain the environment are not straightforward. Pupils use maps and atlases appropriately. They have knowledge of the principal mountain ranges. There was a limited range of other work recorded in their books.

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GEOGRAPHY

103. There is no geography co-ordinator at present. The two key stage leaders manage the subject effectively. These teachers have adopted a clear policy and a curriculum map and scheme of work based on the latest national advice. Policies and schemes of work have improved since the last inspection.

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HISTORY

104. Standards in history have improved considerably since the last inspection. At seven and eleven they are now above the level expected. Previously they were at the expected level at seven and below expectations at eleven. The lessons seen exhibited very strong teaching which stimulated pupils' thinking.

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HISTORY

105. Infants’ work is enhanced by the artefacts that teachers collect and use to stimulate their thinking. They hypothesise sensibly about the function of articles used in early twentieth century kitchens. They understand that ranges and open fires were in use and that forks were used for toasting and irons were often heated. They know that electricity was used but not universally. Infants work out functions of hand driven whisks and are intrigued by jelly moulds. They are able to use books to do their own research on the artefacts supplied. In another class pupils successfully ordered a set of seaside photographs into now, modern and past categories. Knowledge and understanding are above average.

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HISTORY

106. Due to the very good teaching based on very secure subject knowledge, standards are maintained at above average in the junior classes. In an excellent lesson the teacher recreated a living room in Grantham during the blitz. The lesson took place in the hall and pupils were able to discuss their response to taped sounds including the sirens and the ‘all clear’. They used Second World War artefacts and worked out the best position for an Anderson shelter. Pupils used maps to work out why some cities were bombed. Pupils knew about the principal leaders and recognised Winston Churchill, Chamberlain and Hitler. They knew about Hitler's treatment of the Jews and of Travelling people. Attainment in this lesson was very high. In Year 6 pupils identify sources of historical evidence. They distinguish between primary and secondary sources. They know that some sources of evidence, such as photographs are potentially unreliable. Year 6 pupils

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HISTORY

have a sound awareness of life in ancient Greece and use appropriate vocabulary when writing on this topic. Most recognise and use the term BC correctly and, because marking is positive, they make good progress in their understanding of the different ways life in Greece has been depicted. Most pupils understand the use of a ‘time line’ and can place important events in sequence. Grantham St. Anne’s - 38 107. Teaching was strong in all classes seen and pupils enjoyed their lessons, worked hard and were able to understand complex ideas. The work in books and on display demonstrated a consistent high quality. Teachers made excellent use of primary and secondary evidence to stimulate pupils’ imaginations and to enable them to empathise with events of the past. Pupils’ written accounts, including some powerful poems following a visit to Walsingham, demonstrate the effectiveness of the methods teachers

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HISTORY

use. In Year 6 clear explanations using examples from pupils’ own experience enabled them to appreciate the unreliability of photographs as evidence. In all classes teachers made good provision for supporting pupils with special educational needs.

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HISTORY

108. The subject is very effectively co-ordinated by the Key Stage leaders. The school co- ordinator has recently been nted and is not yet focussing on her management role. There is a clear policy, with a curriculum map and a scheme of work based on the latest national advice. Assessments are made using a simple system based on planning. Teachers evaluate the success of lessons, take pupils’ work into account and use the information gained when planning future work. This is an improvement since the last inspection.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

109. Pupils attain the nationally expected levels at seven and eleven. A very good computer suite was installed at the beginning of this school year. This has provided enough high quality computers to teach a class and has superseded the low quality and slow computers that the school had at the time of the last inspection. Learning in the lessons observed was at least good and more often very good. This is increasing pupils’ knowledge and understanding of how ICT is used in the wider world. The generally high levels of teachers’ subject knowledge and the interesting lessons that they plan maintain pupils’ progress.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

110. Seven-year-olds know how to use the keyboard and mouse competently. They have a sound knowledge of the capabilities of word processing and illustration programs. They draw faces and other illustrations using brush and spray gun. Their work is displayed using a digital camera. Pupils understand how to control small robots by entering instructions in a logical sequence. Their teacher took them outside at the beginning of the lesson and asked for a volunteer. Blindfolded, other pupils gave instructions, which were linked to their robots. This work was exciting but, as in other lessons, the teacher managed behaviour very well. Pupils learned about right angles and all pupils could control the robots.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

111. Eleven-year-olds draft their work onto the screen and correct it without needing to print. Pupils produce different graphs to display the information they have collected and understand how to change the format to maximise the information they wish to pass on. All pupils are frequent users of the Internet to research into their historical and geographical topics. From Year 3 pupils use the Internet and read and send e-mail notes to their teachers and support assistants. In an excellent lesson in this year pupils carried out a range of tasks before using an e-mail program. These tasks reinforced the procedures they were to use and the teacher created fun and excitement by telling them she thought they had messages waiting. When the first message was found to be from Albert, the class’s monkey, complaining that he was the only one in the school without an e-mail address and that he would be speaking to the headteacher about this problem,

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

pupils’ interest and excitement increased. Carefully managing behaviour to direct the excitement into productive learning, the teacher checked each pupil’s learning by asking them about the procedures they had used to log on to the Internet. In Year 4 pupils Grantham St. Anne’s - 39 learned how to use a spreadsheet to record information that they had collected using tally marks. Teachers are skilled in planning activities, which require pupils to use their knowledge in other subjects and to use their ICT skills across the curriculum. Pupils think it is natural for them to use their mathematical knowledge to interpret the graphs they constructed.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

112. Teaching is good and this is an improvement since the last inspection when little direct teaching was observed. Apart from the skills mentioned above of planning interesting lessons, good behaviour management and good subject knowledge, teachers use resources well and set a cracking pace to ensure that as much can be fitted into their lessons as possible. This ensures that pupils pay very good levels of attention and the clear explanations teachers give helps pupils to develop good understanding. The very good and lively delivery in Year 6 brought about a self-disciplined and mature response from pupils which in turn helped them to work hard and succeed in their tasks. In this lesson, as in others, the teacher insisted that pupils demonstrated equal opportunities in their group work, sharing and helping each other with very good grace. Pupils explained their methods and gave reasoned explanations for choosing particular graphs. A strong

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

feature of the work in ICT is the support given to pupils with special educational needs. Due in large part to the knowledge and expertise of learning support assistants, pupils are introduced to computers and ICT equipment to help them learn. A pupil who has individual support produced an excellent animated version of his reading book with sound and visual effects. Pupils are supported in after-school computer clubs and this helps them with their writing, spelling and reading.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

113. The subject is well led by a knowledgeable coordinator. The subject is well integrated into the whole curriculum and assessment procedures are developing well. Each classroom and working area has at least one modern and efficient computer and the computer suite has been developed very well in what used to be the school kitchen. All of the factors are in place to meet the objectives of the subject development plan.

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FRENCH

114. The school teaches French to pupils in Years 3, 4 and 5 and intends to extend this to Year 6. Pupils have been learning the subject since September for 30 minutes a week and have already made very good progress. The Year 3 teacher, a linguist, teaches her class and Year 5 while the Year 4 teacher teaches French herself. There are very clear aims and objectives for the teaching of the subject.

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FRENCH

115. Although no lessons were observed, discussion with pupils in Year 3 shows that they have a good vocabulary and know words related to food, transport and their families. Pupils answer simple questions with good pronunciation and the correct tense. They are extremely proud of their prowess and take great delight in showing off their skills to their siblings and parents at home. Pupils in Year 5 learn the same vocabulary but these pupils also read and write the relevant text. Both higher and lower-attaining pupils count in French to 39 accurately. They are beginning to use their knowledge of the language to decode unfamiliar phrases and to attempt a reply. In reply to; “Do you like white coffee?” they decoded “café au lait” because they knew the words for coffee and milk. Both groups of pupils have a sound knowledge of France, especially of food and football!

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FRENCH

116. The pupils enjoy their lessons thoroughly and respond well to their teachers’ high expectations. Much of each lesson is conducted in French. Pupils feel it is important to be able to speak another language and the older pupils look forward to having a head start on their peers when they start their new schools. The subject makes a valuable contribution to the pupils’ cultural development. Grantham St. Anne’s - 40

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MUSIC

117. There was very little music seen during the last inspection. Pupils’ standards were judged to be below average for both the infants and the juniors although the singing was good. The teaching was sound, but their subject knowledge was limited. There was no scheme of work.

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MUSIC

118. The school now uses the optional scheme of work produced by the government alongside the BBC music tapes and lesson notes that are based on the same scheme. This is a very sensible arrangement as there is no co-ordinator for the subject at present. Lessons are planned to enable pupils to cover the range of the National Curriculum and to develop their skills. In the three lessons observed during the inspection the teaching was satisfactory, good and very good. Standards are now in line with other pupils of the same age at the end of the infants. There were no music lessons for Year 6 timetabled for the four days of the inspection. Evidence from the teacher’s planning and discussion with pupils as well as pupils’ performance in other lessons indicates that standards are now in line with national expectations.

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MUSIC

119. Pupils in Year 2 clap phrases accurately and some achieve very precise rhythms. They have a good sense of phrasing and pulse, keeping a steady beat as they take it in turns to say and clap rhythms round a circle. Pupils select appropriate written symbols for thunder, lightning and rain and select instruments to illustrate each element with reasonable discretion. The teacher had very good relationships with her pupils throughout the lesson and they responded with complete attention and obvious enjoyment. Very good care was shown to a pupil with a statement of special educational needs. The teacher knew of her fear of thunder so she reassured the pupil’s assistant that the thunder was not real and she need not be afraid. This reassured the pupil without drawing attention to her fear. Later, the same pupil successfully conducted the class in a performance that was recorded. Chopin’s “Prelude to a Rainy Day” gave the

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MUSIC

pupils the opportunity to dream at the end of the lesson. This was a good lesson although opportunities to extend pupils learning by drawing their attention to aspects of their performance that could be improved were not taken up.

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MUSIC

120. This was not so in a very good lesson in the juniors where the teacher used the BBC tape “Sea Thunder” to explore aspects of performance. This was chosen to link with the Viking topic. The teacher used rhythmic patterns to establish how well her pupils understood musical terms. Having discovered a weakness in the understanding of “tempo” she reinforced this through the rest of the lesson. By the end no pupils had any doubt about its meaning. The teacher was extremely well prepared. She knew the contents of the tape and stopped it when she wanted to teach. The song was challenging for Year 3 pupils but they learnt it very well. The pupils made very good gains in learning throughout the lesson. Older pupils listened to and evaluated Holst’s “Planet Suite” and the teacher made good links with the pupils’ science topic. She made good use of musical vocabulary and has good subject knowledge. Pupils achieved the

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MUSIC

objectives of the lesson but the teacher does not yet have secure strategies for managing pupils’ behaviour and the pupils’ learning and their response were no more than satisfactory.

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MUSIC

121. The curriculum ensures that pupils have an appropriate balance of the elements of the National Curriculum. Some pupils have the opportunity to learn the violin or the piano and the governing body gives financial support to some pupils. The violin teaching is good and pupils make good progress. Their playing, even after a short time with the instrument, is tuneful and accurate. There is a recorder group and an occasional choir. Grantham St. Anne’s - 41 There are school performances and local music workshops. The subject makes a good contribution to pupils’ cultural and spiritual development. The good singing in assemblies demonstrates a sensitivity to the words that shows the pupils understand and reflect upon the meaning of the hymns.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

122. Standards attained by eleven-year-olds are at the level expected nationally and have improved since the last inspection when they were found to be below expectations. It was not possible to judge the attainment of seven-year-olds. At that time attainment in swimming was below average and now attainment in swimming is above average and teaching in the subject is excellent. The teaching seen in most cases was enthusiastic and thorough and coaching skills were used well to improve pupils’ skills.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

123. The lesson seen in the Reception/Year 1 pupils was just satisfactory and had weaknesses, mainly in the area of behaviour management. In this class pupils found it difficult to listen to their teacher because the school’s behaviour policy was not applied consistently and firmly. The teacher gave useful instructions about how to control a ball and how to use a bat and ropes laid on the hall floor helped pupils to concentrate on batting the ball in straight lines. At times this control was not evident and balls flew around the hall with pupils chasing to retrieve them. The teacher had to work very hard to calm pupils so that they would listen to her again.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

124. The teaching in swimming is excellent, with both the headteacher and a learning support assistant accomplished swimming coaches. In an excellent local swimming pool, pupils showed very good awareness of health and safety procedures and following the very good lesson plan pupils were worked hard according to their swimming ability. From building confidence of those few pupils who are just beginning to swim, to developing the technique of strokes, the pace of the lesson was ‘cracking’. Pupils were encouraged to work very hard, and the work in pairs was particularly impressive as it encouraged confidence and as they worked together pupils helped each other to improved their performances. In this lesson pupils’ attitudes were excellent. Eighteen of the 28 of these Year 3 pupils could swim 25 metres confidently and by the time they leave school as eleven-year-olds all pupils can swim this distance.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

125. Pupils in Year 5 and 6 have very good attitudes to physical education. In a lesson to develop their techniques of the hop, step and jump they showed good recall of the four coaching tips given to them by their teacher taught the week before. Pupils concentrated well as the good quality coaching continued and their teacher stopped individuals to give good advice and pointers to help them. The teacher showed good subject knowledge as she talked about pupils balancing effectively and swinging arms to help project themselves forward. In skill practice the teacher used interesting and imaginative vocabulary to encourage pupils; ‘Let me see proud bounding’ as pupils improved their stepping.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

126. Teaching is good overall. Planning is usually very good and shows clearly the development of the lesson within the series and is taken from the medium term plans that the teachers have prepared. A significant feature of the lessons in Years 5 and 6 is the evaluation and feedback that goes on at the end of games lessons. This helps pupils develop a sense of where their work fits into the programme and how they help each other to improve. The school’s resources are used well to support learning and pupils show an enthusiasm and commitment to sport in general. Grantham St. Anne’s - 42 127. The curriculum for physical education is good and contains the elements of the National Curriculum, which gives a structure and ensures progression. The school has developed good quality medium term plans. This is an improvement since the last inspection and now, in contrast to the judgments made then, the timetable has fixed

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

allocations to physical education and the subject is well coordinated. The inspection team found that after-school sports activities are satisfactory given that the school has rightly concentrated on the core subjects of English and mathematics.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

128. The attainment of seven-year-olds is in line with the expectations of the local education authority’s agreed syllabus and by the time they are eleven their attainment is above these expectations. This is an improvement since the last inspection when attainment was in line with expectations. Schemes of work have improved and teachers plan interesting lessons which effectively pass on the knowledge required but also encourage pupils to see each others’ viewpoints and respect a variety of traditions. A key feature of all the lessons seen was the very good use of high quality resources.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

129. Seven-year-olds know that the Torah is the holy Jewish book and that it teaches people how to live their lives. They listened with absolute concentration as their teacher read how God wanted people to live. Reading from the Torah the teacher held pupils spellbound and in their thinking teams showed very good teamwork to develop five ‘laws’ to help around the school. Encouraged by their teacher to think positively, pupils worked very hard to turn around their first attempts from negative to supportive guidelines. Following up the lesson their teachers praised the high levels of co-operation, respect and listening skills that pupils had shown. Cleverly the teacher had shown pupils how, in their work, they can behave as the Torah says.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

130. Very good teaching was also seen in Year 3 as pupils learned about how Muslims break the fast of Ramadan. Pupils remembered the Five Pillars of Islam from their previous lesson and know what the Pillars teach Muslims. They showed great empathy as their teacher read them excerpts from a Muslim child’s diary, kept during Ramadan. They gasped with surprise, as they heard how the child did not eat or drink from sunrise to sunset. Excerpts were then read from the Qur’an, which has been taken from its high place of respect and a boy with washed hands had unwrapped the holy book and placed it on its stand. Showing pupils how Muslims ended their fast with dates or water, the teacher produced a highly decorated tagine containing the fruit. Pupils gasped in amazement at the tagine and one pupil said; ‘It’s beautiful’. Sensitively and with very good control the teacher prepared the dates and pupils tried the fruit. The lesson ended

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

with the teaching making very good links between the celebrations experienced by pupils and Eid. This lesson made a significant contribution to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

131. In Years 4 and 6 the parable of the Good Samaritan was used to very good effect in two lessons, which explored the concepts of neighbour, citizen, love, caring and that these stories could teach us something beyond their face value. In these lessons teachers used a variety of methods to very good effect including role-play, brainstorming and writing comic strips. In both lessons the teachers were unwilling to accept work which did not get to the heart of the issues and pushed pupils to probe the idea behind an enemy providing help. Pupils responded in a very mature manner and in both lessons there was very good learning. In Year 4 the idea of neighbour was moved from someone who lives near us to include everyone. In Year 6 at a more sophisticated level pupils discussed the notion of love and care and the teacher, pointing out that although not everyone has a strong belief, society needs advice such as this. The teacher sensitively

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

Grantham St. Anne’s - 43 brought in personal issues that pupils might be facing and all in all both lessons were very productive.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

132. Teaching is at least good and in most lessons seen was very good. Very good methods, resources and behaviour management were seen in all lessons. The local community is used well; for example, the work in Year 2 on the local church gave rise to some very good and interesting work. Pupils like the subject and think that their teachers plan interesting work, which makes them think hard. Pupils listen well, they show high levels of interest and take note of what their teachers are saying, using good memory skills. Teachers show very good subject knowledge, showing that they are comfortable teaching about any of the major religions contained in the locally agreed syllabus. Because of these factors pupils make good progress.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

133. The coordinator is new to the post but has overseen the subject well. The school is well resourced and teachers use these artefacts carefully and with sensitivity. The policy for the subject is clear and religious education makes a very valuable contribution to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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