Purlwell Infant and Nursery School

PURLWELL NURSERY AND INFANT SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 8 th – 11 th July 2002

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PURLWELL NURSERY AND INFANT 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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PURLWELL NURSERY AND INFANT 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. Purlwell Nursery and Infant School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Purlwell Lane Batley West Yorkshire

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The governing body

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Mr Seraj Karolia

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: June 1997 Purlwell Nursery and Infant School - 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

23158 Margot D’Arcy Registered Inspector The Foundation Stage Art and design The school’s results and pupils’ achievements How well the school is led and managed 19342 Tom Heavey Lay inspector Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development How well the school cares for pupils The school’s partnership with parents 16492 Robert Lever Team inspector Science Design and technology Information and communication technology The quality of learning experiences

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

30144 Edgar Hastings Team inspector Equal opportunities Provision for pupils with English as an Additional Language Mathematics Music Physical education Religious education 21666 Andrew Margerison Team inspector English Geography History Special educational needs How well pupils are taught

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Wessex Education 2 Riverside Athelhampton Dorchester Dorset DT2 7LG

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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 Purlwell Nursery and Infant School - 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

This is a larger than average infant school catering for 351 boys and girls aged between three and seven. Almost all pupils are from minority ethnic groups, comprising mostly of Indian and Pakistani heritage. A very high proportion (98 per cent) speaks English as an additional language, with many (71 per cent) at an early stage of English language acquisition. The predominant community language is Gujarati, with smaller proportions speaking Punjabi and Urdu. Ninety-two children attend the nursery on a part-time basis; all other pupils attend full-time. Pupils are taught in mixed ability classes containing others of the same age, but in Year 2, pupils are set 1 for mathematics. The proportion of pupils with special educational needs, at 12 per cent is well below the national average; two pupils have statements of special need. The range of needs includes specific and moderate learning difficulties; emotional and

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

behavioural and speech and communication difficulties, hearing and multi-sensory impairments, and medical problems. Twenty-two per cent of pupils are entitled to free school meals, which is broadly average. The school is situated in close proximity to the local mosque; influence from the local Muslim community is significant. Overall, the area suffers from some social and economic disadvantage. A significant minority of pupils miss school for extended periods when visiting their home countries. Children’s attainment when they begin school is very low in relation to what is expected for their age; at this point many communicate almost entirely in their home languages.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

This is a very good school where standards are rising. Across the curriculum, all pupils achieve well. This is because the teaching and quality of learning experiences are good. Given their low standards on entry, especially in relation to limited skills in understanding and speaking English, pupils do particularly well to achieve the standards that they do. Very good leadership by the headteacher, supported by an effective management team, is providing a clear and successful focus for raising standards and improving provision. The school provides good value for money.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What the school does well • The headteacher leads and manages the school very well, with a clear focus on raising standards. • Standards in science, art and design and information and communication technology (ICT) are above average. • All pupils achieve very well in learning the basic skills of literacy, numeracy, speaking and listening because teaching of these aspects is particularly effective and constantly promoted. • Staff who support pupils with English as an additional language and those with special educational needs make a very good contribution to teaching and learning. • The school’s provision for special educational needs is very effective. • The school provides well for pupils’ personal development resulting in them enjoying school, working hard and behaving well.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What could be improved • Pupils’ spiritual development is not promoted well in assemblies or consistently planned for or promoted in lessons. • Governors have not had sufficient training to help them understand and carry out their role of helping the school improve standards. 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

Overall, the school has made good improvement since it was last inspected in June 1997. Standards in writing, mathematics, science, ICT and music are better than they were. Pupils’ attendance and the planning of learning experiences have also improved. Progress has been made to the way governors organise and carry out aspects of their work. However, despite receiving good information from the headteacher, governors remain insufficiently involved in evaluating curriculum developments and standards.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

1 Organised into teaching groups on the basis of their attainment Purlwell Nursery and Infant School - 7

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STANDARDS

The table shows the standards achieved by pupils at the end of Year 2 based on National Curriculum test results.

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STANDARDS

Performance in: all schools similar schools Key

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STANDARDS

Reading D D E A well above average above average A B Writing D D E C average below average C D Mathematics C B D B well below average E

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STANDARDS

The table shows that while Year 2 pupils do not attain particularly favourable test results compared to pupils the same age nationally, they achieve very well when compared to pupils in similar schools 2 . Inspection evidence supports this. From a low starting point on entry, progress by the end of Year 2 is very good, especially in literacy, numeracy, speaking and listening. Over time, there has been steady improvement in test results. The most recent (2002) results show a significant improvement on those achieved in 2001, especially in writing and mathematics, where many more pupils have achieved the higher levels. Inspection evidence shows that this improvement looks set to continue, with the school setting challenging, but realistic, targets. By the end of Year 2, pupils achieve broadly average standards in mathematics, design and technology (DT), geography, history, music and physical education (PE).

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STANDARDS

Standards in science, art and design and ICT are above average, with impressive work and skills evident in all of these subjects. While standards in listening are broadly average, those in speaking, reading and writing generally remain below because fewer pupils achieve the higher levels. Nevertheless, given pupils’ limited English skills on entry, the proportions achieving the expected levels in reading and writing represent significant achievement. Very few pupils take part in religious education (RE) lessons, but those who do achieve standards that are in line with the expectations of the locally agreed syllabus.

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STANDARDS

Children in the Foundation Stage 3 make good progress in all aspects of their work. Progress is particularly good in the areas of communication, language and literacy; mathematics; and personal, social and emotional development. By the end of the reception year, most children attain the expected standards in all six areas of learning 4 . However, for those whose first language is not English, skills in speaking English remain below what is expected at this age. Despite this, however, children’s progress in learning English is very good and effectively supports them in achieving the standards expected in other areas.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Aspect Comment Attitudes to the school Very good. Pupils enjoy school, want to achieve well and try hard. Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Good. The school is an orderly place. Pupils show good levels of self- discipline. They work and play well together. Personal development and relationships Good. Pupils are keen to accept responsibility. They enjoy working in different sized groups and help each other as they work. They like and respect the adults who work with them. Attendance Satisfactory. Has improved considerably this year to come into line with

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

2 Based on the proportion of pupils taking free school meals.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

3 Nursery and reception. 4 Personal, social and emotional development; communication, language and literacy; mathematical development; knowledge and understanding of the world; physical development; and creative development. Purlwell Nursery and Infant School - 8 the national average. Purlwell Nursery and Infant School - 9

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

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

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

Quality of teaching 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

Teaching and learning are good. Moreover, inspectors saw a significant proportion of lessons where teaching was very good and this occurred in all year groups. English and mathematics are taught very well, including the basic skills of literacy and numeracy, which are also promoted effectively in other subjects. Similarly, the teaching of speaking and listening skills is given a high priority in all subjects and is successful in promoting learning across the whole curriculum. The quality of teaching meets the needs of all pupils, with teachers matching work well to pupils’ different needs so that all are challenged and are able to achieve success. Language support staff make a particularly effective contribution to pupils’ learning, providing specialist help in all year groups and enabling pupils whose first language is not English to take a full part in lessons. Similarly, those staff deployed to help pupils with special

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

educational needs provide very good support for teaching and learning. Teachers’ good subject knowledge and high expectations of pupils helps them plan interesting and challenging work for them; relationships with pupils are also very good. These factors motivate pupils and make them keen to work hard to please teachers, which in turn supports learning. Where teaching is less effective, the pace of lessons is somewhat slow and there are occasional problems in managing pupils’ behaviour. Overall, however, teaching in all year groups is good and promotes effective learning in all subjects.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

The quality and range of the curriculum Good. There is a good emphasis on the basics, but not at the expense of providing stimulating and worthwhile learning experiences in other subjects. The school is unable to offer after-school activities because most pupils have to attend the mosque school at this time.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Very good. Pupils are given effective help from teachers and other staff. Their work is modified to ensure that they can achieve the carefully formulated targets in the individual work programmes constructed for them.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils with English as an additional language Very good. Experienced and competent teachers and support staff are deployed well to ensure that pupils in all year groups benefit from their skills.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Good overall, but there are missed opportunities to exploit the potential of lessons and assemblies to promote spiritual development. Pupils are given very good opportunities to think about how to treat others and to reflect upon and improve their behaviour. They are expected to work and play together amicably and are taught social skills in a variety of situations. The promotion of pupils’ cultural development is satisfactory overall.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

How well the school cares for its pupils Good. This is a warm and caring school where pupils are well looked after. Their personal development and learning are continuously promoted and checked upon to ensure that they are achieving as well as they can.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

The school has a very good partnership with parents. Purlwell Nursery and Infant School - 10

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

Leadership and manage- ment by the headteacher and other key staff Very good. The sense of purpose in all that the school does is directly linked to the lead given by the headteacher and the thriving team approach she has created. A hardworking and committed deputy and effective subject co-ordinators support the head very well and contribute to the school’s success.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Governors know many of the school’s pastoral strengths, provide very good liaison with the local community and good help with financial management. However, whilst they are sure that the school is successful, they have had very little training to prepare them for their role in supporting the school’s curriculum development or holding it to account for the standards it achieves; this aspect of governors’ work is unsatisfactory.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The school’s evaluation of its performance Very good. The headteacher and management team are aware of the school’s strengths and of areas where improvement is needed. They are not afraid to recognise and tackle weaknesses. The effective forms of self-evaluation that have been set up are useful in providing a very good sense of direction for improvement.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The strategic use of resources Good use is made of all resources, with support staff being used particularly well. ICT is used effectively to support teaching and learning and to help the school run more efficiently.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The school works hard to ensure it gets the best value from the spending and other decisions it makes. The number and experience of teaching and support staff is very good and the accommodation and quality and quantity of resources are good.

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

• Their children like school. • Behaviour is good. • The teaching is good and their children make good progress. • Most feel that they get good information from the school and that the staff are approachable. • The school expects their children to work hard. • More activities outside of lessons. • A minority of parents would like more information on how well their children are learning.

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

Inspectors agree with parents’ positive views. They accept the school’s explanation that it is very difficult to provide activities after school when the majority of pupils have to attend the mosque school at this time. Information about pupils’ progress in annual written reports is good overall and tells parents how they can help their children improve. However, some reports contain a lot of educational jargon and as such are not particularly clear to parents. This is also the case in some of the school’s newsletters to parents. Purlwell Nursery and Infant School - 11

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

1. Nursery and reception children achieve very well in all aspects of their work. On starting school, children’s skills are generally well below those expected for their age. This is especially so in relation to skills in speaking and understanding English. For instance, when children start in the nursery, most communicate almost entirely in their home languages of Gujerati, Punjabi or Urdu. However, high quality teaching, incorporating the very good language support staff, means that during their time in the Foundation Stage, children make very good progress in all aspects of this area of learning. Consequently, by the end of the reception year, most have a sound understanding of spoken English, although speaking skills are still generally below those normally seen of children this age. However, in response to the constant encouragement they receive from staff, children make very good efforts at conversing

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

in English. Their very good progress in communication, language and literacy is clearly evident as they talk about books, read aloud and in the pieces of writing they produce independently.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

2. The school’s continuing efforts to raise standards in writing, through a significant focus on developing speaking skills, are proving very effective. This year, for example, approximately a third of the children at the end of the reception year are producing writing of a standard above that which is normally expected for their age; overall, the reading standards of most children are broadly in line with what is expected. However, these standards are somewhat higher than has been the case in previous years. The drive to improve understanding of spoken and written English is also having a very positive impact on children’s achievement in other areas of learning. In the area of mathematical development, for instance, over a third of the current group of reception children are achieving standards that exceed those expected. As in communication, language and literacy, this level of achievement is also higher than usual. Standards in

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

the other four areas of learning are broadly in line with what is expected for children at the end of the reception year.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

3. The results of national tests taken by the school’s seven-year-olds in 2001 were well below the national average in reading and writing, and below in mathematics. In relation to similar schools, however, these results were well above average in reading, above in mathematics and average in writing. Moreover, inspection evidence and the most recent (2002) test results, as yet unpublished, show improvement in all three subjects, especially writing and mathematics where significantly more pupils have achieved the higher levels. This is a particularly noteworthy accomplishment given that over a fifth of the current Year 2 pupils have special educational needs and a significant minority have had their education interrupted by periods of extended leave. Whilst, overall, the standards being attained by the current group of Year 2 pupils remain below average in reading, writing and speaking, they have achieved very well in

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

relation to their low starting point. Achievement has also been very good in mathematics where, by the end of Year 2, standards are broadly average.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

4. Over time, test results show no significant difference in boys’ and girls’ achievement. However, the school’s analysis of test results has identified that, as a group, Punjabi boys do not achieve as well as others. In response, action has been planned and implemented to address this issue and the progress of this group is being carefully Purlwell Nursery and Infant School - 12 tracked to ensure that they achieve their potential; this remains one of the school’s priorities for improvement.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

5. Teacher assessments of pupils’ standards in science in 2001 were well below the national average. This year, however, standards in science have improved significantly. Inspection evidence shows that by the end of Year 2 standards are above average, with most pupils achieving at least the levels expected. By the end of Year 2, pupils achieve above average standards in art and design and ICT. Progress in these two subjects is particularly good because teachers have good subject knowledge, high expectations and ensure that pupils receive a broad range of motivating learning experiences. Standards in DT, geography, history, music and PE are at least in line with what is expected of pupils at the end of Year 2; all pupils make at least satisfactory progress in these subjects. Very few pupils take part in RE lessons, but those who do achieve standards that are in line with the expectations of the locally

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

6. Pupils with special educational needs make very good progress. Although, most start from a very low base and do not attain the expected levels by the end of Year 2, they achieve very well against the targets set for them in their individual education plans (IEP’s). Indeed, many make such impressive gains in learning basic skills of reading, writing and mathematics that the gap between them and their classmates narrows considerably as they get older. The very effective provision made for pupils with English as an additional language is pivotal in the impressive gains in learning and achievement made in all subjects as they get older. The skills of teachers and the language support team enable pupils to understand and participate well in all lessons.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

7. Overall, improvement since the last inspection has been good. Children at the end of the reception year are achieving better standards in the areas of communication, language and literacy and mathematical development. The standards of pupils at the end of Year 2 have also improved in English, mathematics, science, ICT, and music. In all other subjects, standards have been maintained at the level noted by the last inspection.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

8. Pupils’ very positive attitudes to school and work, together with their good behaviour, personal development and very warm relationships make an important contribution to their learning.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

9. Pupils enjoy school and are keen to learn. This can be seen in the confident way that nursery and reception children leave their parents and carers and their immediate interest in the activities offered at the start of the day. Year 1 and 2 pupils’ enthusiasm shines in their eyes as they make their way to the classroom. Pupils’ eagerness and enjoyment of school is reflected in the improved attendance figures for the current year. Their enthusiasm also makes them very attentive, as was noted in many lessons where pupils concentrate, without distraction, for lengthy periods.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

10. Pupils are polite to each other and show great respect to the adults who work at the school as well as to visitors. There are no signs of bullying or oppressive behaviour and there have been no exclusions. Good behaviour is significant in supporting good learning; for example, in an outdoor PE lesson, Year 1 pupils listened well to the teacher’s instructions and worked co-operatively in team activities without constant supervision. Purlwell Nursery and Infant School - 13 11. Pupils’ good behaviour is underpinned by the extremely good relationships throughout the school. This creates a happy and friendly atmosphere in which pupils feel secure and confident. Adults present exemplary role models through their commitment, teamwork and warmth to pupils. They know them so well that they are able to challenge and motivate them individually. Pupils respond well to this by acting responsibly and with increasing maturity. They show good levels of personal

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

development. As they get older pupils’ increasing readiness to accept responsibility matches their growth in confidence and self-awareness. The high quality of provision for pupils with English as an additional language results in them developing confidence and growing in self-esteem as they develop fluency in speaking English.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

12. Pupils respond well to the school’s awards system, showing delight when they receive a ‘well done’ sticker. They show that they care about one another’s feelings. For instance, in a team game they cheered their own team but also showed good sportsmanship at the other team’s success; when one pupil failed to catch a ball his teammate ran after it and returned it to him. In response to the numerous notices around the school, urging pupils, for example, to ‘make a new friend today’, or ‘make someone happy,’ one pupil showed how well he had taken the invitation to heart when he leaned across the lunch table and asked an inspector: ‘ Do I make you happy being here with you?’

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

13. The satisfactory attendance levels achieved by the school in the last full reporting year show an improved situation to that seen at the last inspection. Although, overall, attendance is below the national average, unauthorised absence is in line. Authorised absences are accounted for by the extended holidays taken in term time by predominantly Asian families. As a result of the school’s efforts however, the attendance to May this year shows even greater improvement and is now in line with other primary schools. Punctuality too shows a marked improvement, although the school acknowledges that there is still much work to be done. Most pupils’ satisfactory attendance provides a solid platform for their leaning and the raising of standards.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

14. Teaching is good overall, resulting in pupils making effective gains in knowledge, skills and understanding in all subjects. During the inspection, 52 lessons were seen. The quality of teaching in over three-quarters of these was good or very good and most of the remainder were taught satisfactorily. Only two lessons were unsatisfactory, but an analysis of pupils’ work over time shows that teaching is almost always consistently good. Because of this general consistency across the school, the two unsatisfactory lessons had little effect upon the pace of pupils’ learning. The strengths in teaching reflect those identified by the last inspection, with improvements having occurred to teachers’ planning. This now meets the needs of pupils of different attainment much better than previously because teachers make more effective use of assessment information.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

15. Teaching in the Foundation Stage is good overall. It is never less than satisfactory and a significant proportion is very good. Teachers have a secure understanding of how young children learn. They have high expectations and are successful in translating these into activities that are both interesting and relevant to children’s stages of development, which makes learning more meaningful. There is a good balance between tasks that are led by teachers and other staff, and those chosen by children. Purlwell Nursery and Infant School - 14 16. During Years 1 and 2, the progress pupils make is founded on the very effective way that teachers develop their basic skills of language, literacy and mathematics. This occurs within a framework of very good management of pupils’ behaviour and organisation of lessons. Consequently, pupils make rapid gains in speaking, listening, reading and number skills. This gives them a very secure base from which to build

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

and helps them develop very positive attitudes to work so that they tackle new ideas confidently. Brisk lessons maintain pupils’ concentration. Teachers are consistent in their expectations of behaviour and provide a very effective learning environment. However, in lessons that are less effective, it is these two aspects that are weak, resulting in a slower pace of learning because pupils’ concentration and behaviour dips. Generally, however, most staff deal positively and swiftly with any inappropriate behaviour. Teachers’ instructions and explanations are clear and explicit so that pupils understand exactly what they have to do and how they are expected to organise themselves. They concentrate on written tasks very well and demonstrate good levels of independence.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

17. Teachers’ good subject knowledge results in them planning activities and using methods that are well suited to the purpose of the lesson. Class discussions are generally consistently the strongest parts of lessons, with teachers promoting pupils’ speaking skills very effectively. Teachers’ use of questions is also highly effective. For example, they target questions to individual pupils or ask questions that can be answered in different ways so that all pupils are involved. Teachers skilfully use the discussions at the beginning of lessons to recap on previous work; check on what pupils have remembered; and to set the scene for new work. In a few lessons, group activities that were intended to build on the discussion were not sufficiently challenging for higher attainers. Similarly, there were some missed opportunities for these pupils to use writing; research; and ICT skills to support their learning.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

18. In the best lessons, the closing discussion at the end was also used well to assess what pupils had learnt. However, this part of the lesson is not always given as high a priority as the discussions at the start. Overall, however, the close attention teachers give to assessing what pupils know and understand allows them to plan work that matches their needs very well. Moreover it compensates somewhat for the variable quality of marking, which does not always show pupils, particularly older and higher attainers, what they have achieved and how they could improve.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

19. The effectiveness of teaching and learning for all pupils is significantly enhanced by the very good quality of help from support staff, including that from students attending local colleges. The support staff are an integral part of all lessons. They have very good relationships with pupils and support them well on an academic and personal level. Their work is significantly enhanced because class teachers have a very clear understanding of how to use them. In many cases, support staff are briefed before the lesson on what is to be taught and how they should contribute. They are also very perceptive in their own right, noticing when pupils need information or instructions repeating in English or in their own language. This is frequently evident in English lessons where support staff interject, without being asked by teachers, to translate specific points, thereby ensuring that all pupils understand and are included.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

20. Pupils with special educational needs are taught very well, both in class and when receiving small group support outside the classroom. These small group sessions, where the activities are securely based on helping pupils achieve the targets in their IEP’s, are brisk and lively and support their very good progress. Specialist programmes to support basic skills, such as the ‘Better Reading’ project also make a significant contribution to how well these pupils learn. In class, the broad range of Purlwell Nursery and Infant School - 15 different methods used by teachers, support staff and specialist teachers promotes very good learning.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

21. The needs of the very high proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language are met well by the collaborative efforts of both the teaching and the support staff. Bilingual support remains constantly available and are used effectively in lessons. For example, they support targeted groups such as those who join school after the usual admission times and groups of higher and lower attainers. The specialist language teachers work effectively in partnership with class teachers. They plan and provide good levels of support for all pupils according to their needs

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

22. Overall, the quality and range of learning experiences are good and promote the aims of the school well. All subjects of the National Curriculum are taught and RE is provided for a small number of pupils who are not withdrawn from this subject by their parents.

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

23. The curriculum meets all statutory requirements, maintaining its breadth and balance since the last inspection. Policies and planning for all subjects are good and have improved since the last inspection. Despite a strong emphasis on the basics of literacy and numeracy, all subjects receive an appropriate amount of time. Whilst the time allocated to RE is low it is sufficient to address the content of the locally agreed syllabus followed by the school. In all subjects, there are very good opportunities for promoting pupils’ speaking skills. The national strategies for literacy and numeracy have been successfully implemented and are having a good impact on raising standards. The schools’ language policy is, rightly, based on the bilingualism (or multilingualism) of the majority of pupils, with the approach to language learning acknowledging the importance of pupils’ first language.

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

24. Children in the Foundation Stage receive a broad education based on the recommended six areas of learning. Teachers plan and provide a wide range of stimulating activities resulting in good coverage of all six areas. The curriculum is planned effectively to ensure that it prepares children for the National Curriculum in Year 1.

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

25. Provision is good for pupils’ personal development. Health education and the use and misuse of medicines and drugs are taught as part of the personal, social and health education (PSHE) programme and science curriculum. Pupils are provided with accurate information, which promotes positive attitudes to a healthy lifestyle. The school has been awarded the Kirklees Healthy Schools Standard. It is not the school’s policy to provide formal sex education. Across the school, satisfactory homework activities and tasks are set that support and extend the learning experiences in class. The school is not able to offer clubs after school because at that time most pupils attend the mosque school.

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

26. The curriculum is enhanced through a good range of visits and visitors. These have included visits to the local library, shops and parks, as well as visits further afield, such as to Scarborough, the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, and the railway museum in York. Visitors have included a dance workshop and brass band. The community makes a satisfactory contribution to pupils' learning, although there are few faith links beyond the Muslim community, which hinders many pupils’ understanding of cultural beliefs and traditions that are different to their own. Purlwell Nursery and Infant School - 16 27. All pupils have the same opportunities to benefit from the range of learning experiences provided. Pupils are generally taught in groups based on their attainment so that work can be planned to meet their specific needs allowing them to make as much progress as possible. Good quality support in the form of additional staff and

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

carefully tailored resources and work programmes, is available to ensure that pupils who speak English as an additional language achieve success. The school is vigilant in monitoring the progress of particular groups of pupils and has ensured that a group of Punjabi speaking boys, identified as underachieving, receive additional help from bilingual support staff. Opportunities are provided for the white minority pupils to have separate acts of collective worship, and to carry out traditional festive customs, for example, at Christmas and Easter. This is because the Islamic tradition locally does not encourage any involvement by their children in these festivals.

p.16

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

28. The provision for special educational needs is very good. The Code of Practice is being implemented satisfactorily, although arrangements do not yet fully reflect all of the new requirements. The school is aware of this and is working towards bringing its procedures and practises into line from this September. Pupils’ IEP’s are of good quality and are written by class teachers with the support of the special needs co- ordinator (SENCO). Although some of the targets in these are occasionally too broad, overall they reflect teachers’ good understanding of pupils’ needs, and support learning effectively.

p.16

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

29. Provision for pupils’ personal, social and moral development is good and provides them with a strong set of values to follow in their daily lives. The attention given to pupils’ cultural development is satisfactory overall, but spiritual development is not promoted effectively enough.

p.16

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

30. There are too few planned opportunities for pupils to think deeply about their own and other’s experiences. Themes in assemblies are largely of a moral or secular nature because of the determination the school has been granted for collective worship due to the overwhelming proportion of pupils having a non-Christian background. Prayers are said in English and in pupils’ heritage language, but little time is allowed for a moment of quiet reflection. The impact of RE on this aspect of provision is minimal because so few pupils participate. However, some good examples were seen in art and design lessons where pupils marvelled at the patterns in ice and responded well to the atmosphere created by the music that played as they worked. Similarly, in ICT lessons, pupils expressed awe and wonder at what the computers were able to do. Circle Time and PSHE lessons provide a few opportunities, but overall, there is

p.16

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

insufficient planning to exploit the potential of lessons and assemblies to promote spiritual development.

p.16

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

31. Pupils’ moral and social development are promoted well. Pupils are taught to understand the impact of their actions on others and to distinguish between right and wrong. Assemblies make a good contribution, as do PSHE lessons. School rules, and the reasons for them, are explained to pupils and all staff constantly promote a high moral code. The behaviour policy is effectively reinforced at lunchtimes by trained supervisory staff. The Imam also reinforces moral values in the Friday worship sessions. Teachers reinforce social skills by providing pupils with regular opportunities to work collaboratively. Pupils are expected to listen carefully to others’ views and to take their turn in discussions. Notices around the school encourage them to talk to others and to smile pleasantly at each other. The school reinforces moral and social development in celebration assemblies by recognising pupils’ achievements in these

p.16

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

areas. Purlwell Nursery and Infant School - 17 32. Visits to places of interest and visitors to the school, provide good support for pupils’ cultural development. Similarly, annual gala days provide opportunities for pupils to participate in a range of different dances, including country and Maypole dancing. Pupils hear the music of classical and contemporary composers, often played at the start and end of assemblies. In art and design, they study the artwork from different cultures. Recent curriculum experiences that have contributed to pupils’ cultural awareness have included activities linked to the Commonwealth and the Queen’s Golden Jubilee. During registration, some teachers provide opportunities for pupils to answer in French, English or Punjabi. The impact of these good experiences is marred, however, by the missed opportunities to develop pupils’ knowledge and understanding of the multicultural nature of society, including educating them about a

p.16

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

range of major world faiths. Pressure from the local community poses challenges for the school in this aspect of its work.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

33. One of the continuing strengths of this school is the good quality of its arrangements to promote the health, safety, welfare and personal development of pupils. The resulting atmosphere of orderliness, security and wellbeing provides a solid base upon which to build pupils’ education.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

34. Procedures for child protection are good. The headteacher is the designated person and has received appropriate training. Her expertise has been passed on to teachers through in-school training. However, support and other supervisory staff have not received the same level of training and while they know the identity of the designated person, they are less familiar with the school’s procedures in this area.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

35. The school knows its pupils well. Good arrangements are in place for their care and personal security. The school’s good procedures for promoting pupils’ personal development and behaviour owe much to the caring and sensitive attitude of staff, which makes pupils feel valued, safe and raises their self esteem. A good example was when one child entered the classroom in some distress and was comforted by an attentive classroom assistant who quickly settled her so that she was smiling and chatting to other children within minutes. Pupils know that an orderly and calm atmosphere is expected. Staff are careful to note, and publicly praise, good behaviour and consistently use effective strategies to manage behaviour in lessons. The school develops pupils’ sensitivity to the needs of others, including those who are disadvantaged, by encouraging them to raise money for charitable causes. For instance, pupils have raised funds for the Children in Need, Comic Relief and the

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

36. There is a comprehensive range of health and safety procedures that comply fully with legal requirements. Fire drills are conducted termly and alarms tested weekly. There is a sufficient number of staff trained to administer first-aid. Pupils know what to do in the event of an accident and proper records are kept of any such incidents and of how they have been dealt with. Procedures for monitoring and improving attendance are good. Their effectiveness is seen in the improved attendance noted earlier. The use of prizes for good attendance motivates pupils but, more importantly, pupils want to attend because the activities and relationships with adults are so good. Registers are properly marked and the early follow-up procedures to check on unreported absences demonstrate an improved approach to monitoring attendance than was seen at the last inspection. Good links have been established with outside agencies to ensure that

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

pupils with special educational needs receive the support to which they are entitled. Purlwell Nursery and Infant School - 18 37. Effective assessment procedures have been maintained since the last inspection and are particularly good in English. Pupils are assessed weekly in English and mathematics, while in other subjects, assessments occur half-termly. Work is analysed by teachers termly, with agreements being reached about the quality of work needed to attain a particular level; this ensures consistency of approach by different teachers. In addition to the statutory assessments at the end of Year 2 and on entry to the reception class, the school uses a range of other assessments to help them ascertain what they know and can do and to track their progress. The information is used appropriately to identify, early, those pupils who are experiencing difficulties and to set targets for improvement. The school analyses performance data from the

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

national tests taken by Year 2 pupils to identify strengths and weaknesses in learning for pupils as a whole, and for different groups. Action is then planned and implemented to improve standards.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

38. Parents attending the pre-inspection meeting and those responding to the questionnaire expressed very positive views about the school. They agree that the school works closely with them.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

39. The quality and quantity of information provided for parents contribute well toward the effective partnership between home and school. Twice termly newsletters; termly parents’ evenings; curriculum evenings; the ‘reading friends’ initiative; and a parents’ forum, are all examples of the school’s efforts to inform and involve parents in their children’s learning. The school prospectus and governors’ annual report to parents complies with legal requirements. Written annual reports on pupils’ progress are generally helpful, informing parents of how well their children are doing. They point out areas for improvement and tell parents what they can do to help. However, some contain too much educational jargon, as do some of the school’s other written communications to parents. This means that the information is not always clear or accessible to a lay audience

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

40. Parents make a satisfactory contribution to their children’s learning by ensuring that most get to school on time, helping children with homework and doing their best to fulfil their part in the Home/School agreement. Although few parents are directly involved as volunteers in school, many support the school’s social events and educational outings. Good attendance at parents’ evenings and other parent training days show that most parents are keen to support their children’s education. The school ensures that parents of pupils with special educational needs are kept informed and involved in review meetings; in some cases, parents have an input in helping to formulate their child’s IEP.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

41. The school has established useful working links with parents, because they recognise the important role they play in their children’s education. The very early contact made with parents from the time they bring their children to the pre-nursery groups has supported the positive relationships that exist. Bilingual staff are always on hand to explain how children’s learning can be promoted at home. Parents are encouraged to become part of the school’s growing number of ‘reading friends’. Purlwell Nursery and Infant School - 19

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

42. The quality of leadership and management provided by the headteacher is very good and is one of the school’s strengths. The head’s dedication and commitment to providing pupils with the best possible chance to succeed is underpinned by a clear vision for future improvement, high expectations of pupils and staff, and a clear understanding of the distinctive nature of the culture and views of the community from which most pupils come. The latter has continued to present a variety of challenges, which the headteacher has met with understanding and diplomacy, but without compromising her central philosophy that pupils should receive a broad range of learning experiences that prepare them for life in a multicultural community. The continued effort by the headteacher and co-ordinator for RE in urging parents not to withdraw their children from lessons in this subject is a good example, as is the work

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

that has been done to raise the profile of the creative arts within the school. The headteacher’s effectiveness is evident in the way that she is liked and respected by pupils, staff, governors and parents.

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

43. The headteacher has a very clear insight into the school’s strengths and weaknesses and provides very effective direction for school improvement. She is supported very well by a hardworking and committed deputy. Together, their drive to improve standards and teaching, through a management style that is democratic but underpinned by very high expectations of everyone, is working well. The thorough analysis of pupils’ test and assessment results has provided the school with clear interpretations of how well it is doing in relation to other schools and of how particular groups of pupils are performing; this too has underpinned action to raise standards.

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

44. The school’s development plan remains a useful document to help the school manage change and support its drive for improvement. Each subject has a clear action plan and the targets for improvement and criteria for measuring the extent of this are helpful. The headteacher ensures that all staff and governors are appropriately involved in the decision-making process to formulate and evaluate the priorities identified in the plan.

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

45. Improvements in teaching and learning are being supported by the headteacher’s effective and regular monitoring of these aspects. In the past, the deputy and some subject co-ordinators have also been involved in observing teaching but this year, financial constraints have curtailed involvement of this nature. Nevertheless, co- ordinators have checked on how well pupils are learning by looking at examples of their work and by ensuring that there is consistency between individual teachers’ assessments of pupils. There are plans to reintroduce co-ordinators’ involvement in monitoring teaching and learning in the coming year. For instance, through them observing and/or working alongside colleagues in lessons and by extending the scope of work analysis to provide a better picture of teaching and learning over time to complement information provided by the analysis of performance data.

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

46. All staff have very clear roles and responsibilities and carry these out effectively. The senior management team is effective, meeting regularly with clear agendas, based primarily on raising standards and improving provision. Subject co-ordinators are competent and many provide good role models for teaching in their area of expertise. The SENCO manages this aspect of provision very well. Teachers and support staff have good opportunities to get advice and help in writing IEP’s and in providing appropriate support for pupils in class. Very close attention is given to ensuring that the time and skills of specialist teaching staff are used to greatest advantage so that the best possible value for money is gained. The management of the provision for pupils Purlwell Nursery and Infant School - 20 with English as an additional language is very good. The investment in experienced teaching and support staff to meet the specific needs of these pupils ensures that they

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

are able to take a full part in lessons and promotes progress very well. These staff are very effectively deployed so that pupils in all year groups benefit.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

47. Very good teamwork exists between the nursery teacher and the teacher who is currently responsible for the Foundation Stage. This has been aided by an astute management decision to place one of the school’s permanent staff temporarily in charge of the nursery until the appointment of a permanent nursery teacher in September. The effective team approach has supported good plans for improvement in this phase, including the identification of the need to provide training for all staff involved with nursery and reception children and good ideas about how to improve assessment systems to show the progress made by children during the Foundation Stage.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

48. Since the last inspection, the governing body has become much more informed about what is happening in the school and has created different committees to deal with various aspects of its work; these committees meet regularly, as does the full governing body. Particular strengths are governors’ effective support in liaising between the school and the local community and their support with financial planning. Some good work has also been done by the governor for literacy who has visited the school regularly and seen lessons. However, as at the time of the last inspection, most governors are not sufficiently involved or knowledgeable about their role and responsibility in the strategic management of the school. For example, while governors talk in an informed way about the school’s pastoral strengths and finance committee governors are very knowledgeable in this aspect, overall, governors are insufficiently

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

informed about standards and some feel that it is not their role to ‘interfere’ in this aspect of management. While governors do make suggestions which they feel will help the school improve, over the last few years their attendance at training to support understanding of their role and responsibilities in this aspect has been extremely limited. This has resulted in some confusion between the extent of governors’ involvement in day-to-day management issues, which are rightly the responsibility of the headteacher, and the longer-term strategic development of the school, particularly in relation to standards. While governors are right to place the trust that they do in the headteacher and management team, they are not involved enough in holding the school accountable, over time, for the standards achieved.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

49. The school's finances are very carefully monitored and controlled. Spending is closely linked to the priorities identified in the school’s development plan. Specific grant funding is appropriately allocated and money provided for special needs pupils and to support pupils with English as an additional language is used very effectively. The school does everything possible to ensure that it gets the best value from the spending and other decisions made. Day to day administration is very efficient and does much to support the smooth running of the school. Administrative staff provide a warm and welcoming first contact for visitors.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

50. The match of teachers and support staff to promote effective teaching and learning is very good, with bilingual support staff making a particularly effective contribution. The school provides very well for the induction of newly qualified teachers ensuring that they receive their full entitlement in terms of support and further training. Procedures to regularly appraise teachers’ performance have been implemented very well and are supporting the identification of good practice as well as showing where additional training is needed. Purlwell Nursery and Infant School - 21 51. The good quality of the accommodation enhances pupils’ learning experiences, providing space and stimulating areas to capture their interest and motivate them. The library is well resourced and regularly used. Similarly, very efficient use is made of the ICT suite, which is supporting pupils in achieving above average standards in this

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

subject. High quality displays in classrooms and corridors celebrate pupils’ work. They also provoke pupils’ curiosity in the work completed by others and thoughts about how they should behave towards each other. Everywhere is kept sparklingly clean. The school is well resourced, with strengths in many subjects. Resources are also good for children in the Foundation Stage and to support teaching and learning for pupils with special educational needs and those with English as an additional language.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

52. Overall, the effective leadership and management noted by the last inspection have improved even further. There is a collective determination to continue this improvement with effective strategies to achieve this aim. As such, the school’s capacity to improve is very good.

p.21

(1) Improve the provision for pupils’ spiritual development by:

• providing training to ensure that all staff understand how spiritual development can be planned for and promoted across the curriculum; • making better use of assemblies to promote this aspect.

p.21

critical friend to the school by:

• providing training for governors about their role, particularly in relation to understanding and supporting action to raise standards and curriculum developments.

p.21

critical friend to the school by:

In addition to the key issues above, governors should consider the following less important weaknesses for inclusion in their action plan:

p.21

critical friend to the school by:

• Eliminate educational jargon from reports and newsletters to make them clearer to parents (39). • Provide child protection training for those support and supervisory staff who have not received it (34). Purlwell Nursery and Infant School - 22

p.21

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 33

p.22

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactor y Poor Very Poor

p.22

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

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

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery YR – Y6

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 46 259

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals N/A 54

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Special educational needs Nursery YR – Y6

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 0 2

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 0 42

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 166

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 4

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 10

p.22

Attendance

% % Purlwell Nursery and Infant School - 23 School data 7.5 School data 0.5

p.22

Attendance

National comparative data 5.6 National comparative data 0.5

p.23

Attendance

Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Purlwell Nursery and Infant School - 24

p.23

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

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2001 44 28 72

p.24

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

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

p.24

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

Boys 34 32 40 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 24 23 27

p.24

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

Percentage of pupils School 81 (80) 76 (85) 93 (90) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (83) 86 (84) 91 (90)

p.24

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

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.24

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

Boys 34 32 37 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 23 20 23

p.24

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

Percentage of pupils School 79 (84) 72 (88) 83 (85) at NC level 2 or above National 85 (84) 89 (88) 89 (88)

p.24

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

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Purlwell Nursery and Infant School - 25

p.24

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage 0 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0

p.25

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – African heritage 0 Black – African heritage 0 0

p.25

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

p.25

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.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 12.3 Financial year 2001/02

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 23.1

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total income 754,512

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 10 Total expenditure 723,153

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 178 Expenditure per pupil 2,371

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Qualified teachers and support staff: nursery Balance brought forward from previous year 25,391

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 2.6 Balance carried forward to next year 56,750

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 17.1

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 3

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 140

p.25

Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 5.5

p.25

Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 5

p.25

Recruitment of teachers

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 0

p.25

Recruitment of teachers

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

p.25

Recruitment of teachers

Number of unfilled vacancies or vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of less than one term (FTE) 0 Purlwell Nursery and Infant School - 26 FTE means full-time equivalent. Purlwell Nursery and Infant School - 27

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

Percentage of responses in each category

p.27

Results of the survey of parents and carers

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

p.27

Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child is making good progress in school. 49 48 2 0 1

p.27

Results of the survey of parents and carers

Behaviour in the school is good. 43 45 4 1 7

p.27

Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 43 43 4 4 6

p.27

Results of the survey of parents and carers

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 53 35 10 2 0

p.27

Results of the survey of parents and carers

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 58 33 9 1 0

p.27

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 58 34 3 0 5

p.27

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school works closely with parents. 52 41 4 1 2

p.27

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is well led and managed. 56 32 3 0 9

p.27

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 46 43 5 1 5

p.27

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 33 39 14 2 12 Purlwell Nursery and Infant School - 28

p.27

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

54. At the time of the inspection, 92 children were attending the school’s nursery on a part- time basis; 88 children were in the school’s three reception classes and attending full- time. Children begin in the reception classes in either September or January.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

55. Progress in each of the six areas of learning is at least good and in personal, social and emotional development; communication, language and literacy; and mathematical development it is very good. By the end of the reception year, most children have achieved the expected early learning goals in all six areas and approximately a third exceed these in communication, language and literacy, and mathematical development (the exception is in skills in speaking English, which, understandably, remain below expectations due to children’s very early stage of English language acquisition on entry). This represents good improvement since the last inspection when standards at the end of the reception year were below expectations in all aspects of communication, language and literacy and mathematics, despite children making good progress. Other improvements include the better liaison between nursery and reception, resulting in joint planning between these year groups, to ensure that

p.28

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

children’s experiences build on what they have already learned.

p.28

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

56. The good and very good progress children make results from high quality teaching and thoughtfully planned learning experiences. Language support staff make a particularly effective impact on helping children understand and take part in lessons and activities. This not only boosts learning in communication, language and literacy, but in all other areas as well. In eight out of ten lessons, teaching and learning are good or better and in the remainder are generally satisfactory. Teachers’ planning is thorough and reflects their high expectations of children. They make effective use of regular assessments to support them in planning future lessons that show the challenge provided for higher attainers and the additional help for those who need this. The tasks provided are relevant to children’s experience and stage of development, with purposeful play forming a central part of each day’s activities. Classrooms and corridors are highly

p.28

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

stimulating, with displays that encourage children to touch objects and investigate. Children with special educational needs are supported very well and progress at the same rate as others. Effective relationships exist with parents, which help children settle into school and promote their positive attitudes to learning. Regular opportunities to speak with parents at the beginning of each day when parents work alongside their children before registration, and when they collect children at the end of sessions, ensures that there is a good exchange of information between home and school.

p.28

Personal, social and emotional development

57. Teaching and learning are very good. Teaching constantly reinforces good behaviour, listening skills, caring for others and respecting people and property. Teachers and other adults are good role models, treating the children and each other with courtesy and respect. They really listen to the children and speak clearly and gently to them, making them feel safe and promoting their self-esteem. Songs, stories and rhymes are an integral part of each day and are effective in reinforcing right and wrong behaviour. Staff are welcoming and caring, which helps children feel secure. At the beginning of each day, children come into school happily and are confident to leave their parents and carers. Purlwell Nursery and Infant School - 29 58. Effective organisation ensures that children learn the rules and routines of everyday life at school, such as answering the register, playing out, having their lunch with others

p.28

Personal, social and emotional development

and attending assemblies. They are taught to consider the needs of others, for example, through activities that require them to share and take turns. As they get older, children’s attention span and concentration increases. In many lessons, they listen with good interest to teachers and work for quite long periods independently. Staff promote children’s skills of independence well, providing regular opportunities for them to make choices about activities and the resources they will use. Children have learned to cope well with aspects of personal care, such as undressing for PE lessons and washing their hands after visiting the toilet. Teaching and learning experiences in this area are preparing children very well for the next stage of their education and for life beyond school.

p.29

Communication, language and literacy

59. Children’s skills develop well because teachers are very good at providing a wide range of learning opportunities. Each day, teachers and support staff constantly develop children’s speaking and listening skills in specific activities and in numerous incidental happenings. For example, when children are asked to talk about their work or the things they have done at home. During whole class or small group reading and writing activities, in both nursery and reception, teaching staff constantly draw children’s attention to print, spelling patterns and rhymes in words. This raises their awareness and curiosity and improves literacy skills.

p.29

Communication, language and literacy

60. The colourful and stimulating texts used to teach early reading skills, together with teachers’ and support staffs’ expressive reading, capture children’s attention and promote very good attitudes to books. When sharing books together as a class or in small groups, teachers are adept at modifying their questions to different children so that all are challenged and able to participate. In the nursery, for example, the teacher uses questioning very well to encourage children to comment on the illustrations on the front cover and to use these to predict what the story might be about. In this activity, the teamwork between the teacher and bilingual support staff was highly effective in sustaining children’s attention, helping them to understand and comment. Many children’s recognition of their own names is evident as they find their name card and hang it around a milk bottle ready for their snack. During the reception year,

p.29

Communication, language and literacy

children’s very good progress continues and by the end of the year most recognise many letter sounds and are successful in blending these together to read and write words. They correctly identify character names from their reading scheme and easily read a variety of common words such as ‘ and’ ‘ the’ and ‘ to’ . During the inspection, children were making good progress in learning about the function of contents, index and glossary pages and then using this new knowledge to find information about animals.

p.29

Communication, language and literacy

61. Nursery children are encouraged to experiment with writing. Their early attempts at ‘mark-making’ are valued by teaching staff, which gives children confidence. Children are taught to hold pencils correctly and develop control of these through activities such as tracing and following line-patterns. Some make good attempts at forming the letters to write their own names. By the end of reception, most children are keen writers, willing to ‘have a go’ at writing independently. Skills are promoted in specific activities and within the context of ‘play’ activities such as in the class travel agents. Staff ensure that children have interesting opportunities in which to write. For instance, based on the story ‘Dear Zoo’, they have written their own letters; examples include ‘plese can yoo sent me a funni frog’ , and ‘snd me a big hos’. Children’s good application of word-building skills was also evident when they worked in the ‘shared

p.29

Communication, language and literacy

Purlwell Nursery and Infant School - 30 play’ area between the reception classrooms, designing a sandwich. Here, some children independently wrote ‘ brd’ and ‘ btr’ (bread and butter). During the inspection, one teacher produced a variety of animal-shaped books, which really motivated the children to write. Many worked independently on this task for quite long periods, looking at simple non-fiction texts about animals to help them. Children’s finished books contained a mixture of copied words and their own efforts at writing words and phrases. By the end of the year, most children have gained good pencil control and produce well-formed letters.

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Mathematical development

62. Children make very good progress. In a range of specific and everyday contexts, teachers provide activities and tasks that promote basic number skills extremely well. Tasks are interesting, relevant and challenging. For instance, whilst working with the class, promoting counting in twos, a reception teacher made very good use of a 100- square to help children see the pattern. With this aid, children confidently counted forwards and backwards in twos, to and from 30. The teacher’s high expectations and the way she modified questions to challenge pupils of different attainment promoted very good progress in this lesson. Higher attainers were able to add three numbers mentally to 20; they used their fingers, but gave accurate answers, and a few were able to explain their strategies. For instance, one girl described how she had started counting on from the biggest number.

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Mathematical development

63. Numeracy activities, including number songs and rhymes, are part of all children’s daily experiences. For example, when nursery children were making fishing rods outdoors, a member of the support staff constantly promoted mathematical vocabulary, getting children to identify and compare long and short pieces of string. Other outdoor activities in the sand and water were also exploited well by staff to develop understanding of ideas about capacity, such as full and empty. Displays using nursery children’s work are used effectively to emphasise mathematical ideas, such as first, second and third.

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Mathematical development

64. Teachers make very good use of methods that capture children’s interest to develop numeracy skills. For instance, small group counting games in reception, such as adding the spots on ladybirds, develop mental agility alongside skills in personal and social development. Similarly, reception children are given carefully thought out tasks upon which to work in the class pet shop, such as purchasing animals and food for them. Children have a good knowledge of money. They identify many of the coins up to a pound and are developing a good understanding of the different values of coins. Higher attainers have a firm understanding of equivalent value; for example they explain that two 2p coins and one 1p coin have the same value as a 5p coin. Teachers modify the tasks they give to different groups of children to ensure all are challenged and make progress. In group work, additional adult support is deployed effectively to

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Mathematical development

improve learning. The very good level of support means that children get lots of opportunities to talk to adults about their work, which develops their understanding and mathematical vocabulary very well. To support practical activities, children are taught how to record their work in pictures and by making use of some mathematical symbols such as the signs for addition and equals. Interactive displays, such as the one about the five speckled frogs, with moveable numerals and symbols promote understanding and skills in this aspect.

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Mathematical development

65. Progress in other elements of mathematics is also very good. In practical work, children learn the names and some of the properties of two and three-dimensional shapes. Their understanding of size and measure continues to develop, for example, Purlwell Nursery and Infant School - 31 when they make animal homes in design and technology work. Children contribute to the construction of class tally charts and graphs, for example, about their favourite foods, toys and pets. Some very good use is made of ICT to support development in this area, with nursery children’s use of a programmable dog supporting their understanding of distance, shape and space. Similarly, reception children have used the numeral keys on a programmable floor robot to direct it to travel various distances along a number line.

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

66. Children’s early scientific skills develop well. A wide variety of stimulating, practical activities are provided to allow children to use their senses to investigate the world around them. For instance, nursery children handle, and are encouraged to describe, seaside shells of different sizes, shapes and textures; they use magnifiers to look carefully and comment on their colour and pattern. They plant grass seeds, observe its growth over time, and describe how the grass feels as they pass their hands over it. Nursery children are fascinated as they watch snails move and delight in the colour and movement of the bubbles that they make using bubble liquid and different shapes and sizes of ‘wands’. During design and make activities, they note the changes that occur to the ingredients they use to make biscuit doh and how this changes when it is cooked.

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

67. Reception children, explore different light sources, such as candles, torches and fairground lights. They plant and watch the growth of bean seeds, learning the names of the different parts of the plant, such as the roots, stem and leaves. Good links are made with design and technology when children make their own small gardens in trays, incorporating pebbles, plants, grasses and water features. Similarly, in the children’s models of animal homes, they are encouraged to think carefully about the most suitable material for bedding for each animal. As children smell, taste and describe the ingredients used to make a fruit salad, skills in science and DT are developed simultaneously. All children have lots of opportunities to learn skills in designing and making. For example, when making musical instruments, nursery children learn different ways to join materials, such as using glue, sticky-tape and

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

68. Early geographical skills are fostered well as children learn about people in the community who help them. Children are taken on walks around the school grounds and immediate locality and are encouraged to note different types of shops and landmarks. Teachers take photographs during walks and make these into large books to help the children compare the changes in weather and plants during the different seasons. Children develop a sense of history whilst talking about significant past experiences in their lives.

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

69. Skills in ICT are promoted very well. Computers in the nursery are often in use, being a popular choice by children. Specific activities are also structured to develop ICT skills, with children receiving one-to-one or paired support from an adult. Children develop confidence, showing familiarity with the various programs used and picking up the requirements of new programs quickly. Their control of the mouse is good and they are competent in using program facilities to make things happen on the computer screen. Reception children’s skills build on what they have learned in the nursery. They learn how to use the standard keyboard and produce independent pieces of writing, for example about how to make a fruit salad. Good quality learning of RE occurs for those reception children whose parents do not withdraw them from this Purlwell Nursery and Infant School - 32 subject. Although the children share classes with pupils up to Year 2, the work they

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

complete is at an appropriate level for their age.

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Physical development

70. Overall, children’s skills develop well. Nursery children’s large movements are effectively promoted in daily opportunities for outdoor learning. Here they peddle and manoeuvre wheeled toys such as tricycles and prams; they crawl through various structures, climb the slide steps and travel down in different ways. In a session in which a small group of children joined a reception class PE lesson as part of their induction, the children enjoyed participating. They showed a good level of skill in copying the movements of the reception children. Most were confident to join in immediately; two less confident children responded very well to the caring and encouraging support of an accompanying teacher and their pleasure in taking part was clearly evident in their smiling faces.

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Physical development

71. In PE lessons, reception children walk and run in different directions and at different speeds. They are developing increasing competence in hopping and skipping skills. Children show satisfactory creativity when travelling on different body parts, both on the floor and apparatus. When moving around the hall, they avoid each other effectively, showing their developing awareness of space and others. Children’s skills strongly indicate that teaching is at least satisfactory and, during an observation of part of a movement lesson during the inspection, the teaching was good. However, in another lesson, teaching and learning were not satisfactory. This was primarily because of the lack of adult support, exacerbated by the unusually long length of the hall as a working area. These two factors meant that, despite the teacher having secure subject knowledge, she was unable to supervise, appropriately, the range of

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Physical development

activities, as children worked on the large equipment. Similarly, effective intervention to extend children’s skills was limited because of the need for the teacher to supervise the safety of children on the large climbing frame at one end of the hall. The result was that the creative skills of many children were not promoted as well as they could have been and those children who lacked confidence did not make progress in this aspect.

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Physical development

72. Effective teaching has established good routines to involve reception children in the assembling and putting away of equipment, but again, the lack of adult support for teachers in lessons using large equipment means that this activity takes more time than necessary and some children become restless and giddy as they wait for the lesson to begin. During work sessions, however, children listen well to the teacher and follow instructions.

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Physical development

73. In both nursery and reception, children’s small manipulative skills develop well within a range of everyday and structured experiences. These include, tracing, pasting, colouring, writing, cutting, threading and squeezing the juice out of fruit. Work with malleable materials such as clay and doh and the use of various tools to make marks and patterns on this, also make a good contribution. Children enjoy these activities and work hard at them, with good results in terms of becoming more dextrous as they get older. Purlwell Nursery and Infant School - 33

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Creative development

74. Nursery and reception children are given plenty of opportunities to be creative in art, music and role-play activities, which result in good progress for all. Nursery children play in the ‘Undersea World’ created in one area of the classroom. They don flippers and armbands and pretend to swim. Children chat happily to each other (frequently in their home language) as they pretend to be undersea creatures; they clearly enjoy using the ‘hideout’ in their pretend play. Children’s creativity is also encouraged in outdoor play, where they climb onto the boat structure and pretend to fish. Reception children also have good opportunities to take on various roles as they play in the class pet shop and travel agents. Teachers take time to incorporate the use of these areas into lessons so that children’s play has a purpose within the context of the learning objectives identified. As children work in the shared area between the classrooms,

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Creative development

language support staff play alongside them in the home corner or café and promote their use of language very well.

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Creative development

75. Creative activities are constantly available in the nursery. Children are keen to take part in these and show enjoyment when drawing, painting, printing and creating pictures with collage materials or making shapes and structures with doh. They have experimented with mixing colours and their individual collage pictures show thought in the choice and positioning of various materials. Reception children showed much enjoyment in a lesson where they worked imaginatively to create ‘mixed up’ animal pictures. Stimulated by the teacher’s reading of ‘The Mixed Up Chameleon’ the children chose from a variety of pictures of animal heads and legs and used various animal-print papers to create the bodies. Every piece of work was individual and the children were delighted and amused at each other’s efforts. The activity provided a very good stimulus to promote children’s speech and this was capitalised upon very

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Creative development

76. Many examples of children’s artwork adorn classrooms and corridors. The clay animals made by reception children after a visit to a farm show developing skills in understanding shape and form, with detail being added in clay or by marking with tools. ICT is used well to support learning in this area; for example, using art software, reception children have produced highly individual black and white line drawings of the school and mosque. Children’s observational drawings of the bean plants they have grown show good attention to detail, as do their large, colourful, paintings of flowers. Children learn about famous artists and have produced their own ‘natural’ pictures using seeds, grasses, leaves and shells, stimulated by the work of Andy Gallsworthy. Children’s creative work is carefully mounted with accompanying captions, often in dual languages. Children are also encouraged to write their own captions for work; two

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Creative development

examples alongside pictures of snakes were ‘It is slipi and log’ ; and ‘ It has nic patns on his doby’ (body).

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Creative development

77. Nursery children have free access to a music area and frequently choose this activity to experiment with the sounds made by different instruments. They learn the names of some instruments and the correct ways to play them. In singing activities, children join in enthusiastically showing good progress in learning the words, tunes and accompanying actions. Reception children show a developing sense of rhythm as they tap their hands on their knees to accompany their singing of Old Macdonald’s Farm. They correctly name a variety of instruments such as maracas, castanets, triangles and bells, and play these excitedly, but with increasing control. They make suggestions about which instruments might represent the sounds of different farm animals and follow the teacher’s instructions very well as they listen carefully for the right moment to play their part. In this lesson, the teacher made good use of ICT to

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Creative development

Purlwell Nursery and Infant School - 34 record the children’s performance, both with and without instruments. This delighted the children and also provided a very good opportunity for them to evaluate their work. After listening to both renditions, the children expressed preferences for each, giving simple, but thoughtful reasons.

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ENGLISH

78. Pupils have regular opportunities to engage in speaking activities. Teachers use questions well to make sure all pupils are involved and have an opportunity to contribute. Teachers insist on pupils listening to each other and waiting their turn. Year 1 pupils generally listen well to teachers but for some, their lack of confidence in speaking English means that they have to be prompted to ask questions; teaching staff are aware of this and sensitively offer good support. As pupils get older they gain in confidence and some of the oldest pupils are particularly articulate and express opinions fluently. However, except for higher attainers, pupils rarely question the views of others and most tend to answer questions literally, with few references to why and how they have come to a particular conclusion. This level of attainment is a reflection of pupils’ stage of development in learning English.

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ENGLISH

79. Pupils in Years 1 and 2 make good progress in reading due to very effective teaching by class teachers, specialist literacy teachers and support staff. Pupils are taught a range of strategies to help them read unfamiliar words, including looking for clues in the illustrations and blending letter sounds. This results in most pupils being able to read basic texts at the expected level by the end of Year 2. However, while reading is often accurate, many pupils lack fluency and expression. Some of this is again due to pupils’ developing understanding of English, but some is due to lack of practice. It is accepted that for most pupils, time after school is dominated by attending the mosque school, but many are not getting sufficient practice to promote fluency and expression. Higher attainers, however, are competent readers and have a secure understanding of how to respond to punctuation when reading aloud. They are beginning to discuss

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ENGLISH

what they have read, referring to characters or events in the story to justify their opinions.

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ENGLISH

80. Pupils settle to quiet reading times well and have very positive attitudes to reading. They are beginning to be aware of different authors and how to use alphabetical skills to find information in books and on computer-based encyclopaedia. Pupils with special educational needs receive good quality help from support staff in lessons and in small group activities conducted outside the classroom by specialist teachers. The competence and expertise of bilingual teachers and support staff are significant factors in promoting the good progress made by pupils with English as an additional language in all aspects of the subject.

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ENGLISH

81. Pupils make good progress in writing. This reflects the emphasis teachers place on encouraging pupils to write in subjects other than English and their high expectations of presentation and handwriting. Teachers encourage pupils to develop a joined style of writing and while pupils do not use this consistently, they develop the skills, which sets them on the right track to achieve the higher level. Throughout the school, teachers put a great deal of effort into raising standards in spelling. As a result, most pupils in Year 2 spell simple words correctly and higher attainers correctly spell more complex words, showing their developing understanding of spelling patterns and rules.

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ENGLISH

82. Teachers make judicious use of worksheets, promoting pupils’ independent writing as often as possible. For example, even when pupils are given a recording sheet in Purlwell Nursery and Infant School - 35 science, they are expected to write sentences rather than simply record numbers or single-word answers. In English lessons a good range of activities is provided to promote writing, including stories, poems, news, instructions, wanted posters, accounts of events and work covered in other subjects. Book reviews encourage pupils to think about what they have read and to explain what they liked about the plot and the characters. Teachers remind pupils about the use of full stops and capital letters as a matter of course in lessons and this is successful. Higher attainers in Year 2 use speech marks and other more complex punctuation well in their writing.

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ENGLISH

83. The quality of teaching is good overall, as reported at the last inspection. Most teachers have high expectations of pupils and lessons are briskly paced so that much is covered in the time allowed. Management and organisation of lessons and activities are very good, with pupils expected to behave very well and to work hard. In most classes, teachers’ plans show that they are clear about what they want pupils to learn. Whole class discussions and shared reading and writing activities are taught very effectively. Frequently, there is effective use of texts that are linked to other subjects, such as science, which develops speaking, listening and literacy skills whilst reinforcing learning in these subjects. Less consistently effective, although not unsatisfactory, are the group activities where pupils often work independently. For example, in some lessons, the link between the whole class discussions and group

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ENGLISH

activities is not clear and the range of different activities provided does not take sufficient account of the range of attainment in classes. Pupils’ work provides evidence that they use ICT skills to support writing, although there was little evidence of classroom computers being used in this way during the inspection.

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ENGLISH

84. The subject co-ordinator gives very clear leadership and direction for improvement. Since the last inspection the co-ordinator’s role has improved, enabling a much better insight of what needs to be done to raise standards. Similarly, the school has improved systems for assessing pupils’ progress and using test data to identify any gaps in learning. Very good procedures for monitoring pupils’ progress in reading and writing are used consistently across the school and also help teachers to evaluate the effect of specific reading schemes or initiatives. Resources, including the library, are good and have improved since the last inspection.

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MATHEMATICS

85. Since the last inspection, improvement has been satisfactory overall. Although results dipped in 2001, the, as yet, unpublished test results for 2002 show a significant improvement that is supported by inspection evidence; standards are rising. In particular, the proportion of pupils achieving the higher levels has increased significantly. Overall, the current group of Year 2 pupils are achieving standards that are broadly in line with the national average.

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MATHEMATICS

86. Boys and girls progress at a similar rate and achieve similar standards. The high quality support provided for pupils with special educational needs and those with English as an additional language ensures that they too make very good progress. Most pupils demonstrate positive attitudes to numeracy and listen carefully to teachers’ instructions. They acquire skills at a good rate, apply themselves well and show good levels of concentration. Pupils are interested in their work and are able to work well independently as well as in pairs or groups when required.

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MATHEMATICS

87. By the end of Year 2, most pupils have a sound knowledge of hundreds, tens and units. A few higher attainers are able to use numbers to 1000 in calculations. Pupils’ numeracy skills are developing well and they show confidence in manipulating Purlwell Nursery and Infant School - 36 numbers mentally, including being able to double and halve, round up and down, and carry out simple problem solving activities using the four rules of number. They sort numbers into different categories such as ‘ odd’ and ‘ even’ , use instruments to measure objects accurately and know some of the properties of two and three- dimensional shapes.

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MATHEMATICS

88. Teaching is good overall and often very good. The best lessons are characterised by teachers’ high expectations, resulting in them providing good levels of challenge, both in their questioning and the activities they set for pupils of different attainment. Lessons are taught at a brisk pace and are well organised, with a good range of methods used to keep pupils interested. Similarly, in the most effective lessons, teachers ensure that many pupils are involved in answering questions and explaining their work. Specialist language teachers and support staff make a significant contribution in this aspect. Pupils are encouraged to complete number calculations in the way they find easiest. They are given lots of opportunities to explain their different strategies to the class, all of which are accepted by teachers, which increases pupils’ confidence; teachers then promote those methods that are the most efficient and these are quickly taken up by

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MATHEMATICS

89. The beginning part of lessons is used well to teach mental arithmetic skills. Teachers use interesting methods to make this a lively start to the lesson. Lessons are well planned across the year groups, with Year 2 pupils being organised into teaching sets based on their prior attainment. Teachers use the correct mathematical vocabulary and expect pupils to do the same. At the start of lessons, teachers tell pupils what they will be learning, which helps them to focus on the work. Pupils enjoy lessons and are good at working independently. Practical activities are thoughtfully planned to ensure that learning is meaningful, for example, while mental skills are promoted, pupils are also encouraged to use counting aids such as cubes to help them work out answers. Similarly, in learning about capacity, pupils are provided with effective ‘hands on’ experiences to ensure that they understand the need for standard units of

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MATHEMATICS

90. Although no unsatisfactory teaching was seen, pupils did not learn as much as they could have in some lessons because they were not encouraged to work things out for themselves. Pupils’ work shows that ICT is used satisfactorily to support learning but during the inspection, some good opportunities were missed. Assessment is used well to support learning. However, the marking of pupils’ work is of variable quality and informing pupils of what they need to do to improve is not yet regular or common practice. Similarly, there are no short-term targets to give pupils a deeper understanding of how well they are doing.

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MATHEMATICS

91. The school has made good progress since the last inspection and standards are rising. All planning is to a common format and is monitored by the co-ordinator. The profile of mathematics has also been raised through successful events such as a ‘Maths Week’ and a dance workshop focusing on number. Homework now includes regular use of mathematical games, and parents have been informed how to use these to improve their children’s skills. Purlwell Nursery and Infant School - 37

p.36

SCIENCE

92. Standards have improved since the last inspection and are now above average. Current standards also show significant improvement on last year's assessment results. In particular, improvement can be noticed in the increased proportion of pupils attaining the higher level. This is due to the emphasis that has been placed on developing skills in experimental and investigative science. All pupils, including those with special educational needs and those with English as an additional language, make good progress during Years 1 and 2.

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SCIENCE

93. Teaching and learning are consistently good, promoting effective progress in both year groups. Pupils enjoy science and work co-operatively on investigations. They try hard to concentrate and get through a good amount of work in the time available. Lessons are well planned, taught and resourced. Teachers and support staff manage pupils’ behaviour well. They extend their technical vocabulary by clearly explaining the meaning of words and, for some, offering translations.

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SCIENCE

94. In an effective Year 1 lesson, good teaching led to pupils identifying the properties of various types of paper as they investigated which would be the best to wrap a parcel. Pupils considered that the paper must be strong, fold easily and be attractive. In another lesson in this year group, the teacher set up an interesting investigation, which helped pupils to learn that all magnetic materials are metal, but that not all metals are magnetic. In Year 2 good teaching developed pupils' understanding of habitats. For example, in an investigation using woodlice, they predicted which habitat the woodlice would choose and planned their investigation in a clear and scientific way. Pupils show good understanding of how animals are suited to the environment in which they live and of how to set up a fair test. They record their findings in a range of ways, including line graphs. Teachers provide good support for those with special educational needs

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SCIENCE

and those at an early stage of learning English.

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SCIENCE

95. The co-ordinator has a clear vision for the subject and the school has analysed data and identified what needs to be improved. Good links with numeracy are evident and appropriate use is made of ICT to support learning. Resources are good, as is attention to health and safety matters. The planning of work has improved and is now firmly linked to national guidelines. Assessment procedures are good. The information is used effectively to organise pupils into teaching groups within each class and to target additional help and challenge where this is needed. The science curriculum is well balanced and all the required aspects are covered.

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ART AND DESIGN

96. It was only possible to see two lessons during the inspection, both in Year 1. Consequently, judgements are largely based on an analysis of pupils’ work, teachers’ plans and discussions with pupils and the subject co-ordinator. Pupils make very good progress and by the end of Year 2, standards are above average. Throughout the school, pupils experience a very comprehensive range of art and design activities that build progressively on earlier learning. As well as painting and drawing, pupils’ experience three-dimensional work in a variety of media such as clay, wood, mod-roc, and ice, together with a good range of textile work.

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ART AND DESIGN

97. By the end of Year 2, pupils have used very thick paint creatively to produce individual seascapes. These works, based on a study of Chinese art, are successful in conveying the movement of the waves because of the technique pupils have used in applying the paint. They have also used clay to produce beautiful replicas of bronze Purlwell Nursery and Infant School - 38 and silver coloured starfish. Each work is distinctive because of the individual markings made by pupils and their choice of beads and other decorations, which they have pressed into the clay. Pupils’ observational drawings of cross sections of fruit are highly detailed and well finished in a mixture of paint, crayon and oil pastels. Their skills in using techniques such as ‘smudging’ to blend colours together are evident in the landscapes they have produced in chalks and oil pastels, stimulated by the work of Turner. They also showed particular skill in folding, joining and looping paper to make

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ART AND DESIGN

‘paper sculptures’ of figures following their visit to the local sculpture park.

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ART AND DESIGN

98. The very good quality of displayed work in all parts of the school shows that teaching is of a high standard. Teachers prepare thoroughly for lessons, making sure that their own subject knowledge and skills are secure, which results in detailed explanations and demonstrations. Lessons are well resourced and organised, with plenty of opportunity for pupils to practise skills and techniques. Teachers expect a lot from pupils and are rewarded by the high quality work they produce and their enthusiasm for the subject.

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ART AND DESIGN

99. Both of the lessons seen were taught very well, with pupils making clear progress in each . In one, the teacher used an extremely effective method to help pupils understand ‘perspective’. Groups of eight pupils sat in pairs at four points on a table, with an object (an ornamental chair and mosque) to draw from observation in the centre. The teacher’s introduction had emphasised looking carefully at the object and drawing, in detail, only that which could be seen. Pupils worked very hard and applied this technique well; music played as they worked, which provided atmosphere and lent a spiritual experience to the task. By the end of the session, each pupil had completed a sketch of four different perspectives of their object. In the other lesson, pupils were engaged in a variety of activities having significant additional adult support from a number of staff. The class teacher focused on helping pupils create their own

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ART AND DESIGN

sculpture in ice. Techniques such as rubbing in different ways were explained and demonstrated well, with the resulting works showing individuality. The teacher promoted language and spiritual development very well, drawing pupils’ attention to the patterns in the ice and encouraging them to describe how it looked, felt, and changed during the sculpting process. Clay work in the same class resulted in good skill development. Pupils’ past experience with this media was clearly evident as they remembered it was necessary to keep their hands damp when moulding the clay. The support teacher provided good explanations and demonstrations of how to mould shapes that would fit together well. Pupils learned the term ‘slip’ for the substance used to ensure the clay could be joined effectively.

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ART AND DESIGN

100. Teachers value pupils’ work and display it attractively. Displays and the portfolio of work kept by the co-ordinator show that good use is also made of ICT to support learning. For instance, stimulated by David Hockney’s work, pupils used art software to create their own impressive ‘splash’ pictures.

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ART AND DESIGN

101. The co-ordinator leads the subject well. She provides support for colleagues and has monitored some teaching as well as making regular checks on the quality of work displayed around the school. The subject is well resourced, including resources that focus on artwork from various cultures. The portfolio produced by the co-ordinator shows evidence of pupils having completed artwork in the past based on the Aboriginal, African, Japanese, Mexican and Egyptian cultures. The school has made good progress since the last inspection, with the high standards noted at that time being maintained. Purlwell Nursery and Infant School - 39

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

102. It was only possible to see one lesson. Evidence from this, an analysis of pupils’ work, teachers’ plans and discussions, show that by the end of Year 2, standards are broadly average. This represents a similar picture to that found by the last inspection. All pupils make at least satisfactory progress in developing skills and understanding of the design and make process.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

103. From the limited evidence, teaching and learning are at least satisfactory. In the Year 2 lesson seen, teaching and learning were good. Pupils used annotated pictures in their designs and identified materials and parts needed to make the product. The teacher encouraged them to solve their own problems and think about techniques and options for fastening when constructing winding mechanisms linked to the theme of nursery rhymes. Previous work shows that by the end of Year 2, pupils understand that the making process begins with a plan. They use pictures to develop and communicate design ideas. For example, in making PE bags, pupils selected from a range of materials, tools and techniques and learned effective ways of joining materials. The resulting products were well made, for a clearly identified purpose, and the fact that they are still being used, two terms later, shows that the materials were well chosen.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

When making ‘Krispie’ cakes, pupils showed an understanding of dietary and religious restrictions and in making containers for popcorn they evaluated how their product could be improved. Pupils experienced using levers and slides when designing and making moving pictures. The work pupils undertake makes an effective contribution to their numeracy skills, for instance as they measure and mark materials accurately.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

104. The co-ordinator manages the subject efficiently. The school has used national guidelines to inform the planning of work, which ensures that skills are systematically built on as they get older. There are good assessment arrangements to record pupils' skills at the end of each unit.

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HUMANITIES (GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY)

105. By the end of Year 2, standards in geography and history are broadly average. Pupils make sound progress in developing knowledge, skills and understanding in both subjects. Each subject is taught as part of a topic-cycle, with national guidance material used to plan work. During the inspection, geography was being taught, but not history. Consequently, judgements for history are based on an analysis of pupils’ work. 106. By the end of Year 2 pupils have a secure understanding of time. They use words such as ‘today’ and ‘yesterday’, ‘old’ and ‘new’ correctly. They know that places change over time and that people’s lives change too. Pupils have a sound understanding of what life was like in Victorian times. For instance, by studying aspects of Victorian life, they have learned about schools and factories, how life was very different for the rich and poor and how peoples’ lives have changed through the

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HUMANITIES (GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY)

discovery of electricity and the invention of domestic appliances. They know about some important people from the past such as Archimedes and Isaac Newton.

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HUMANITIES (GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY)

107. In geography, pupils draw detailed maps as part of their work studying the fictitious island of Struay. The maps pupils draw are mainly pictorial, but show significant places, and some feature a key to help identify specific features or places. Pupils know the countries of the United Kingdom and higher attainers show that they are beginning to understand the geographical idea of a ‘birds-eye view’. Pupils understand that places change over time and that these changes can be natural, for instance due to erosion by wind or water, or because of human activity such as building. Through a topic involving a visit to Scarborough, pupils learn to compare their own locality with a Purlwell Nursery and Infant School - 40 tourist resort. They are beginning to understand that the range of shops and other facilities vary depending on the place and its main activities. For example, they say that Scarborough has a lot of gift shops, which are not a feature of Batley.

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HUMANITIES (GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY)

108. Teaching in both subjects is satisfactory overall. In the geography lessons seen the opening sessions were consistently good with the teachers using effective questioning techniques to ensure that all pupils could take part. However, group work is not matched as precisely to pupils’ prior attainment. While pupils are given tasks that require them to use their knowledge to record what they have understood, the activities are not always varied enough. This particularly affects higher attainers who have limited opportunities to write in their own words in different styles and from different viewpoints. However, both history and geography lessons do make an effective contribution to the development of basic literacy skills of grammar, punctuation and reading. ICT is used satisfactorily to support learning in both subjects. The positive impact of support staff in translating, boosts pupils; understanding during discussions

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HUMANITIES (GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY)

109. Although the humanities co-ordinator has only recently taken on the post, she has begun to make a positive contribution to both subjects’ development. She has rewritten the policy, reviewed planning and undertaken an audit of resources. The priorities for development in the subjects’ action plans are appropriate and the co- ordinator has gained a secure understanding of what pupils are taught by looking at teachers’ planning and pupils’ work. Because there have not been any opportunities for the co-ordinator to observe lessons her ability to directly affect the quality of teaching in this context is limited.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

110. Standards are above average by the end of Year 2 and have improved since the last inspection. The computer suite is used well and is having a positive impact on raising standards.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

111. Teaching and learning in all aspects of the subject are good. Teachers are much more confident users of computers than at the time of the last inspection. For example, in a Year 1 lesson, the teacher effectively used ICT to support learning in English by helping pupils to combine use of the standard keyboard and on screen ‘clicks’ to record their visit to Bretton Sculpture Park. Pupils used the software confidently and combined text and pictures very effectively. They also saved and printed their work, taking much pride in the finished pieces. In a good Year 2 lesson, the teaching assistant carried out a challenging activity, which had been prepared previously in class. She had good knowledge of the software and was able to explain to pupils, both in English and their home languages, exactly what they had to do. Pupils were keen and interested as they wrote a sentence about each mini-beast to

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

112. By the end of Year 2, pupils have been well taught to produce text and pictures and to handle and display simple data. Similarly, using a range of controllable toys, they plan and give commands to make things happen. They talk about their ICT experiences inside and outside school showing good understanding of its uses. Pupils confidently research information from CD-ROM encyclopaedia and the Internet to support work in other subjects. Following their visit to Scarborough, for example, they found out more about sea life and have recently found information about the Queen's Golden Jubilee. They have sent and received email and used word processing techniques and the digital camera to support and present work in a range of subjects. Each class teacher Purlwell Nursery and Infant School - 41 keeps a portfolio of assessed work, which helps to ensure assessment is consistent across classes.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

113. The co-ordinator provides very good leadership and shows clear understanding of future development needs. The ICT support assistant also has very good knowledge, teaches pupils skilfully and makes a significant contribution to their good progress. The subject enhances pupils’ personal and social development well, for example, as they work together co-operatively. Overall resources are good and the range of software is used well.

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MUSIC

114. Pupils enjoy music and singing and by the end of Year 2 achieve the standards expected for their age. The school has worked hard to ensure that all pupils receive a broad range of musical experiences and to implement an appropriate music curriculum. Many pupils come from backgrounds where musical knowledge and experience is minimal and not valued highly. However, due to the school’s significant efforts, pupils’ attitudes to music have improved considerably since the last inspection and most pupils thoroughly enjoy lessons.

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MUSIC

115. All pupils have the opportunity to sing in a variety of different sized groupings. By the end of Year 2, pupils have learned many songs by heart and sing these enthusiastically. They hold their parts well when singing songs with more than one part, keeping in tune and time with each other. Pupils use un-tuned percussion instruments to create compositions on a given theme, such as the seaside. Working in groups, they explore the musical ideas of timbre, tempo and dynamics and eventually produce simple, but effective, graphic scores depicting seaside elements such as waves, shells and donkeys. They are delighted to perform their compositions to the class and are learning to evaluate their own and others’ work to make improvements. Assemblies provide additional planned opportunities for pupils to listen to and appraise a wide range of classical and contemporary music.

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MUSIC

116. The quality of teaching is mostly satisfactory and sometimes good. Better lessons give pupils time to explore the sounds made by instruments and experiment with how they can be combined to communicate ideas and moods. In all lessons, teachers’ subject knowledge was at least satisfactory and they worked hard to make the activities interesting and fun. Where teaching is less successful, though not unsatisfactory, the activities were controlled rather too rigidly by the teacher so pupils were not able to develop their own ideas and consequently, learning occurred at a slower rate.

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MUSIC

117. The subject leader has worked hard to ensure that all pupils receive worthwhile musical experiences. The curriculum is well planned and there are good quality resources. Visits from a brass band and a dance workshop have raised pupils’ interest and enjoyment. Due to strong and effective management, music is now being developed well in the school despite the challenges and pressures posed by some elements of the local community who disapprove of this subject being taught Purlwell Nursery and Infant School - 42

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

118. By the end of Year 2, standards are at least average. While this is a similar picture to the last inspection, pupils’ learning experiences have improved as a result of better resources and planning.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

119. Pupils enjoy the well-organised games activities in the playground and develop striking and fielding skills. They show developing accuracy in striking the ball back to their partner. Pupils work well in pairs and groups, co-operatively taking turns in using equipment. Throwing and catching skills are developing well within a range of appropriate activities involving balls and beanbags, with hoops as targets. Boys do less well than girls in skipping, but in all other respects there is little difference in their attainment. Most Year 2 pupils link movements into a sequence quite successfully. They show a developing awareness of what they need to do to improve the quality of their work and through the opportunities provided for practise, are able to extend and develop movement sequences. Pupils perform for their classmates, but are not always given the opportunity to comment on the performance of others, which limits

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

120. Overall, teaching and learning are good. Lessons are well planned with the needs of all pupils in mind. Teachers use demonstrations well and vary their instructions to extend the activity in interesting ways. Most have high expectations of pupils’ participation and behaviour and conduct lessons at a good pace to ensure all are focused on the tasks. Pupils with special educational needs are assisted by support staff to ensure they take a full part in lessons. Teachers provide sound coaching as they move around the groups and carry out on-going assessments of pupils’ learning.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

121. The subject is well managed by a conscientious subject specialist. Her influence in planning the curriculum has been fundamental in ensuring that pupils achieve at the appropriate level. Her management role is currently limited to checking teachers’ planning, with no opportunities to examine teaching and learning more closely. Assessment is carried out regularly, with some effective use of photographic evidence to assist the process. The profile of the subject has been successfully raised since the last inspection, for example through visits from a dance workshop, gala days of dance and movement, ‘fun runs’ and pupils using PE resources at lunchtimes.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

122. Most pupils do not receive religious education because their parents, who are followers of Islam, have decided to withdraw them from lessons. However, based upon the once weekly lesson for mixed age pupils (from reception to Year 2), evidence from pupils’ books and discussions with those who do attend lessons, pupils are attaining the standards expected by the end of Year 2 and all are making satisfactory progress.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

123. By the end of Year 2, pupils have developed a sound understanding of Christianity and Islam. This includes knowledge of their respective places of worship, the symbolism used and stories from the holy books. Pupils know about the Christian church and its significant features such as the font, lectern, pulpit, and the stained glass windows that tell stories from the Bible. The story of Easter is well known to pupils who talk about Jesus’ resurrection at Easter and the symbolic nature of Easter eggs and hot cross buns. Pupils are able to retell some of the stories from the Bible. Concerning Islam, they know Mohammed was a prophet and know some of the stories about him. Pupils explain that the mosque is the Islamic place of worship where Muslims must remove Purlwell Nursery and Infant School - 43 their shoes and wash before praying on a prayer mat. They point out that the inside of the mosque is usually carpeted and has five clocks indicating the times of daily prayer.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

Pupils have produced books containing pictures of the inside and the outside of a church and mosque and have written prayers about special celebrations linked to particular times of the year.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

124. The one lesson seen was taught well, with the focus being on a selection of prayer artefacts from different faiths. Pupils were given opportunities to make comparisons by looking for similarities and differences. They were encouraged to talk about their experiences and share them with the rest of the class, recording their work in a variety of ways according to their age and level of attainment. The teacher has good subject knowledge. Lessons are organised and managed very well, particularly in terms of catering for the needs of three age groups.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

125. The co-ordinator has revised the curriculum in line with the locally agreed syllabus, and new resources have been acquired. Opportunities are provided within the learning programme for pupils to develop research skills and use drama. Particularly successful since the last inspection have been the co-ordinator’s efforts to encourage parents to allow their children to join in RE lessons. Although the proportion is still very small, the number attending has trebled since the last inspection and reflects the school’s continued effort to make RE a part of pupils’ learning experiences. The co- ordinator is conscientious in her leadership role and is doing a good job in challenging circumstances.

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