Lady Elizabeth Hastings' CofE VA Primary School, Thorp Arch

SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 15 th − 16 th October 2001

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SCHOOL

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

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SCHOOL

Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the School Inspections Act 1996, the school must provide a copy of this report and/or its summary free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. Lady Elizabeth Hastings C of E School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Dowkell Lane Thorp Arch Wetherby 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: Rev H Lawrance

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 23 rd June 1997 Lady Elizabeth Hastings C of E School - 4

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Team members

25431 Lesley P A Clark Registered inspector 8922 Brenda McIntosh Lay inspector 22173 John Evans Team inspector

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Team members

Independent School Inspection Services (ISIS)

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Team members

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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Team members

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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Team members

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Lady Elizabeth Hastings C of E School - 5

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 6 - 10

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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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS 19 - 22

Lady Elizabeth Hastings C of E School - 6

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Lady Elizabeth Hastings Church of England Primary School is smaller than average with 150 pupils on roll aged four to eleven. The school is situated on the edge of the village of Thorp Arch to the north-east of Leeds and serves the local semi-rural area and neighbouring villages. The percentage of adults with higher education qualifications is much higher than average. Less than one per cent of pupils are eligible for free school meals, which is very low when compared nationally. Ten per cent of pupils have special educational needs; this is below average. The proportion of pupils who have statements of special educational needs is about average. Approximately ten per cent of pupils enter or leave the school other than at the usual time of transfers. No pupils come from ethnic minorities and there are no pupils learning English as an additional language. The majority of pupils have had pre-school education. Attainment on entry to the school is above

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

average and their language, communication, personal and social skills are particularly well developed on entry to school. Twenty-five per cent of the teaching is currently undertaken by part-time or temporary staff, pending the appointment of a deputy headteacher.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

This is an effective school in which pupils, including those with special educational needs, achieve well. Standards are high in English, mathematics and science at ages seven and eleven. Good provision is made for gifted and talented pupils, particularly in mathematics. Teaching is of good quality and the school is very well led and managed. The school has integrated temporary and supply teachers very well into its ways of working so that pupils continue to achieve well despite the changes. The school gives good value for money.

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What the school does well

• Pupils achieve high standards in English, mathematics and science. • The curriculum is tailored well to enrich pupils’ lives and give them a cultural education of good quality. • The school is very well led and managed and as a result has improved in many aspects of its work.

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What could be improved

• The attitudes to schooling of a minority of the pupils. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

Since the school was last inspected in June 1997 it has made very good improvement. Standards are higher than they were and a far greater proportion of pupils exceed the standards expected for their age. The quality of teaching and of pupils’ learning is now good overall. This is an improvement since the last inspection when teaching was largely satisfactory. Although there is still a small amount of unsatisfactory teaching, pupils’ past work and achievements suggest that over time teaching is of a higher standard. The quality of leadership and management has improved and new initiatives have strengthened the quality of education given to the pupils, particularly the teaching and learning. Through very well thought out strategies, the quality of teaching of children under the age of six has improved considerably and the disruption caused by changes in teaching staff has been Lady Elizabeth Hastings C of E School - 7

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

minimised. The school has fully addressed the key issues noted in the last inspection report. Standards have risen in information and communication technology (ICT) and design and technology. The level of book provision throughout the school is considerably better and the library is an attractive and well-stocked resource for learning. As a result, standards in reading are well above average. Teaching time for junior pupils has been increased and now meets national recommendations. This has had a positive impact on learning for older pupils. The roles of the subject and special educational needs co- ordinators have been fully developed and contribute very well to the overall management of the school. The systems for assessing and recording the standards pupils achieve and the progress they make are very good indeed and have a very good impact on overall standards throughout the school. This is one of the main reasons why a large proportion of

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

pupils achieve higher standards than those expected of their age.

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STANDARDS

The table shows the standards achieved by pupils at the end of Year 6 based on average point scores in National Curriculum tests.

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STANDARDS

Performance in: all schools similar schools Key

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STANDARDS

English A A A B well above average above average A B Mathematics A* A A* A* average below average C D Science A* A* A* A well below average E

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STANDARDS

This table shows that in the 2000 national tests for eleven year olds, the school’s performance was in the highest five per cent nationally in mathematics and science and well above the national average in English. Compared to schools with a similar intake, the pupils’ performance was in the top five per cent for mathematics and well above average in science. Standards compared to similar schools were above average in English. Although the results for 2001 are not fully available, they indicate well above average attainment in English, mathematics and science, with achievement in mathematics and science being particular strengths.

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STANDARDS

As the number of pupils in each year group is relatively small the proportion of pupils with special educational needs affects whether the school’s results are in the highest five per cent or not. Over time it is clear that standards are consistently well above average

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STANDARDS

Inspection judgements agree that overall the standards pupils achieve are well above average in English, mathematics and science. Seven year old pupils attain above average standards in English and mathematics with the vast majority attaining at least the standards expected of their age and a large proportion of pupils attaining more highly. The trend in the school’s results is broadly in line with the national trend: pupils’ performance consistently exceeds the average for their age group in all three subjects at ages seven and eleven. Over the past four years, pupils’ achievements are marginally better in mathematics and science than in English overall. The school sets itself challenging targets which it meets. Lady Elizabeth Hastings C of E School - 8 By the end of the reception year, most children achieve above expected standards in all areas of their learning, with a small proportion attaining more highly. Standards in speaking

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STANDARDS

and reading are very high throughout the school; standards in writing and pupils’ skills in listening are slightly lower. Gifted and talented pupils do particularly well in mathematics. Most pupils with special educational needs attain nationally expected standards.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Satisfactory; most pupils have good attitudes to learning and are responsive and attentive in lessons. However, in most classes there are unsatisfactory attitudes among a small group of pupils, particularly, but not exclusively, boys, which interrupts the learning of others.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Satisfactory; many pupils’ behaviour is very good and individually pupils are courteous, friendly and conversational. Some pupils, however, have not learned the routines of daily schooling sufficiently well and this hinders their own progress and the progress of others in some lessons. The leadership is well aware of this through close monitoring and observation of lessons and is taking steps to improve the situation.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Satisfactory; relationships between many pupils and between pupils and teachers are warm and friendly. However, a significant minority of pupils have limited self-discipline and understanding of their responsibilities towards others.

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Aspect Comment

Attendance Very good; attendance is well above the national average. Pupils want to come to school and their regular attendance contributes to the high standards they achieve.

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

Quality of teaching Good 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 of pupils in: Reception Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

The quality of teaching and of pupils’ learning is good overall. Much of the teaching is good and some of the teaching, particularly of literacy and numeracy, is very good. Most of the teaching is at least satisfactory though there are unsatisfactory elements in a small proportion of lessons and a small amount of unsatisfactory teaching. The quality of pupils’ past work and their achievements, however, indicate that over time teaching is of a higher standard. The quality of teaching of children under the age of six is consistently good and teaching of this age group sets high standards.

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

The teaching throughout the school is strengthened by well-organised planning which guides the lessons so there is a sense of purpose. The very good policy for teaching and learning has enabled temporary staff to come in and teach effectively straight away. New Lady Elizabeth Hastings C of E School - 9 learning is introduced well so that pupils are very clear about what they are going to do. Teachers use the time well, allowing opportunities for pupils to work in groups or on their own. They use the closing sessions effectively to check what pupils have understood, often involving pupils very fruitfully in demonstrating or explaining what they have learnt. Teachers have a good knowledge of literacy and numeracy and in the best lessons use this knowledge to challenge higher attaining pupils in particular. In some satisfactory lessons there is a lack of variety in the content and pupils are not given tasks which will really

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

extend their skills in writing, in carrying out an investigation in science or in solving problems in mathematics.

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

The effectiveness of some lessons is undermined by the unsatisfactory attitudes and listening skills of a small number of pupils; teachers do not have a wide enough range of strategies to cope with this. The interruptions hinder pupils’ progress and fragments the teaching and learning process. The marking of pupils’ work is good throughout the school and teachers take the time to write detailed comments to help pupils to improve their work. Homework is used satisfactorily to reinforce what pupils learn in school.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum Good; a very rich curriculum with many interesting activities both within school and linked to community events. There is a good range of educational visits out of school and of visitors to school, which further enrich the curricular provision, particularly for geography, history and art. The school meets statutory requirements for religious education.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Good; good provision for pupils with special educational needs helps them to achieve success.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural, development Satisfactory. While assemblies and lunchtime prayers offer scope for reflection, opportunities are missed within lessons to develop this aspect. Provision is good for pupils’ social and cultural development. In terms of personal development, the range and quality of tasks do not always offer pupils sufficient opportunities to work independently or to think for themselves. The recently introduced programme of personal and social education and the school council are helping to redress this. Provision for moral development is satisfactory.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils Satisfactory; procedures for monitoring pupils’ academic progresses are very good indeed. Procedures to support pupils’ personal development are less well established. There are satisfactory procedures for child protection and for ensuring pupils’ welfare. Lady Elizabeth Hastings C of E School - 10

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff Very good; the school is very well led and managed by the headteacher and staff with management responsibilities. The school’s systematic approach ensures that their roles are clearly defined and that staff receive very good training to carry out their additional responsibilities effectively. Many improvements have occurred as a result.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Good; the supportive governing body carries out its responsibilities diligently, and through well-organised committees oversees the work in school as well as developments to the building and grounds.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance Good; the monitoring of teaching and learning is good. The headteacher and co-ordinators have a clear understanding of strengths and weaknesses in teaching and learning.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources Good; the financial planning is effective and the school uses its resources, including ICT, very well. Financial control and day-to-day organisation of the school are very efficient. Educational decisions are very firmly linked to good value in terms of high standards.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• The school works closely with parents and they feel comfortable to come into school to ask questions or to discuss any problems. • The school is very well led and managed. • The school has high expectations of their children and helps them to become mature and responsible. • Their children like school. • The teaching is good. • Some parents feel their children receive too much homework and others that they receive too little.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

Parents clearly think this is a good school and the inspection team agrees with their positive views. The amount of homework is satisfactory. The school is currently discussing this with parents. Lady Elizabeth Hastings C of E School - 11

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

Pupils achieve high standards in English, mathematics and science .

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

1. The school’s results in national tests for seven and eleven year olds over the past four years show that pupils achieve consistently high standards in English, mathematics and science. The results in mathematics and science are usually in the top five per cent in the country and are very high in comparison with the national average. Pupils’ performance in English at ages seven and eleven indicate consistently well above average standards. The school’s performance compares very favourably with schools with a similar intake, particularly in mathematics. Inspection judgements are that pupils attain well above average standards: almost all pupils attain at least the expected standards for their age and a large proportion of pupils exceed these. These judgements are confirmed by the 2001 results, though these are not fully available at present. Standards in speaking and reading are very high; standards in writing and pupils’ skills in listening are slightly lower.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

Gifted and talented pupils do particularly well in mathematics. Most pupils with special educational needs attain nationally expected standards. The proportion of pupils with special educational needs in each year group affects whether the school’s results are in the highest five per cent or not. This is because the year groups are relatively small and so a small number of pupils can make a large difference statistically.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

2. There are several reasons for these high standards. Most pupils enter school with above average skills in language, communication and personal and social development. This gives them a head start as they can concentrate for long periods of time and within a few weeks of beginning school work happily and co-operatively with others, learning a great deal in a comparatively short time. The teachers work closely together. They know the individual pupils well and with small classes, particularly for younger pupils, can give a great deal of attention to pupils’ needs, adapting what they teach to what pupils need to learn. The very good systems to keep abreast of pupils’ progress and chart their attainment also assist this process. Pupils are involved in setting their own targets for work. These are displayed under photographs of themselves in each classroom and are progressively more comprehensive and challenging as pupils become older. For example, in Year 2,

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

pupils write, “I want to read more books” or “I wish I could count to 1000” and in Year 5 pupils typically set themselves the task “to learn all my tables”.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

3. The quality of teaching is good overall and much has been done to ensure the consistency in the teaching of all classes. Even in the small proportion of lessons where there are unsatisfactory elements, the strengths are such so as to enable the majority of pupils to learn well. This is due to the very good leadership and management’s policies. Lessons are well planned throughout the school. Pupils clearly understand what they are expected to learn and within most lessons have time to work with others in groups or on their own, consolidating what they have been taught. Teachers use the closing sessions well to ensure that pupils have understood, and often involve pupils in explaining what they have learnt. Although in some lessons there is a lack of variety in content and pupils do not have enough opportunities to really work independently, to write at length, for instance, or to carry out investigative work in science on their own, pupils nonetheless achieve well and

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

absorb what they have been taught. Teachers use the National Strategies for Lady Elizabeth Hastings C of E School - 12 Literacy and Numeracy well to ensure that pupils have sound understanding of these skills. There is good provision for pupils with special educational needs and their individual education plans are well focused with precise targets. The very good systems for assessment ensure that pupils who are gifted and talented are readily identified and they receive opportunities to extend their learning, most notably in mathematics. The marking of pupils’ work is meticulous and the detailed comments indicate where pupils can improve their work.

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English

4. Standards in speaking and communication are well above average. Pupils are highly articulate. When they first enter school as four year olds most children talk readily and fluently, conversing with each other and with the adults easily. They have a wide vocabulary. Young children offer many different words to describe objects they are holding such as, ‘noisy’, ‘crackly’, ‘prickly’, ‘plastic’, ‘spiky’, ‘smooth’, ‘bumpy’. Their speech is quite sophisticated, mostly in sentences, and they volunteer opinions with some assurance. When playing in the ‘home corner’, for example, reception children put on special play voices and chatter away: “Here’s the knife to cut your sandwiches… Now we need to wash up… What are you doing here?”. By the age of seven pupils respond eagerly to questions, volunteering observations. Their vocabulary is very good and in Year 2, for example, they fire suggestions at the teacher for different adjectives, choosing quite inventive ones to

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English

describe the crocodile, such as, “snappy, massive and sharp-toothed”. Teachers enjoy verbal play on words and seven year olds enjoyed a lively debate about words to rhyme with ‘see’, exploring the possibilities of ‘oui’, ‘tee hee’ and ‘company’. This dexterity with spoken language enables pupils to appreciate poetic language. Nine year olds were very articulate about the pictures a poem conjured for them, explaining that the line ‘it was time to fly’, indicated “the wild geese knew to fly on because they felt a chill in the air.”

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English

5. Standards in listening are less strong. Most pupils listen very well and pay close attention to what is said to them. A significant minority of pupils in most classes, however, are adept at listening whilst pursuing their own interests. They listen very carefully when it is something new or something that captures their imagination but they are not very generous at listening to other pupils who may be slightly slower at expressing their views or more quietly spoken. Frequently, teachers have to interrupt the flow of the lesson to wait for the pupils to be more attentive. When this is the case, learning becomes fragmented and pupils do not listen well enough to consolidate their understanding.

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English

6. In reading, standards are well above average. In the past four years the school has revised and developed its supply of books substantially. The library is both attractive and well stocked so that it is an inviting resource for learning. When children join the school in the reception class they quickly pick up the basic skills of reading, learning letter names and sounds and telling stories as they turn the pages of their books. The reception teacher has high expectations of children’s capacity to learn. Seven year olds are encouraged to read regularly and clearly understand the distinction between fiction and non-fiction, pointing out that the latter is “true and has facts”. Teachers are good at encouraging pupils to predict what will happen and also stimulating them to want to read in order to find out what happens. Pupils are given opportunities to read to others as in the Year 3/4 class when pupils

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English

selected and read poems they liked. One pair of nine year olds shared reading a poem about two sisters who argued extremely well, explaining they liked the poem Lady Elizabeth Hastings C of E School - 13 because “it’s our style of fighting”. By the time pupils are eleven, they read very fluently and can skim-read to extract information from texts. They enjoy reading a wide range of books and have quite advanced skills in using dictionaries and other reference materials.

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English

7. Pupils achieve above average standards in writing. Young children enjoy writing, concentrating for long stretches of time. Support for lower attaining infant pupils is good and the writing tasks set for seven year olds typically reinforce how to write logical, consecutive sentences, correctly punctuated. Sometimes the tasks set for higher attaining pupils of this age are not sufficiently challenging. They get a good chance to practise their thinking about plot and characters and to predict the sequence of events but they complete very little writing because the teacher has not helped them to bring the parts together as a whole, as in a story, for example. By the time pupils are eleven, their writing has significant strengths but a few minor weaknesses, which prevent them from attaining the very highest standards. Strengths lie in the opportunities pupils have to write for a good range of purposes

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English

and in a wide range of genres. Much of the finished work is well presented and reflects careful drafting and correcting processes. Computers are used systematically for pupils to word-process and draft their work. Other subjects such as history and geography are used well to provide starting points for writing reports, accounts and poems. Higher attaining pupils write colourful descriptions, and show empathy and add interesting detail to diary entries, for example, based on Dr Crippen. Pupils use a very wide vocabulary and this reflects their good general knowledge and wider experiences in and out of school. Teachers’ knowledge of teaching writing is sound, but the range of teaching methods some use is rather narrow. This inhibits the development of different aspects of writing, such as elaborating settings and characterisation or extending the use of connectives to make more complex sentences. Not enough is done to identify and analyse the

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English

weaknesses in writing and resolve them. For example, common homophonic errors such as ‘new’ and ‘knew’ and ‘should of and ‘should have’ remain unchecked. Pupils’ writing is often at its liveliest when writing for ‘The Lady Hastings Gazette’ when they indicate, very successfully, the style of informative newspapers.

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Mathematics

8. Pupils achieve well in mathematics. They benefit greatly from their work in the reception year when they are taught by the co-ordinator for mathematics. Many activities have a mathematical slant and so from the beginning children are steeped in mathematical language as they proudly roll out play dough in a range of different sizes or learn to see at a glance numbers up to six on a giant dice or patterned ladybirds. By the time children are six they can accurately identify common two- dimensional shapes, including a pentagon and hexagon, explaining that they “counted the sides and the corners in my head”. The National Strategy for Numeracy has given additional structure to the school’s already very well structured system for teaching mathematics, and throughout the school pupils achieve well.

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Mathematics

9. From this good base, pupils in Year 1 use mathematical language to explain the properties of shapes, and the work is very well planned to lead higher attaining pupils on to work with symmetrical shapes. Much of the teaching in mathematics is good and some very good teaching clearly challenges pupils who enjoy the speed of mental mathematics sessions, for example. By the age of seven, pupils articulate different strategies for working out missing numbers in a sequence, though some pupils miss out on valuable consolidation of learning by not sitting still and giving Lady Elizabeth Hastings C of E School - 14 their full attention to pupils’ presentations. The school has identified a number of gifted and talented pupils, mostly in the junior classes, and they are well prepared for entry to the higher levels in the national tests. By the age of eleven, most pupils spot patterns in numbers very quickly. For example, they are adept at doubling and

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Mathematics

halving numbers rapidly to calculate correct answers. They use the language of mathematics fluently, using terms such as mean, mode, median and range. In satisfactory lessons teachers sometimes miss opportunities to give higher attaining pupils challenging tasks, which require them to use and apply their mathematical skills, preferring to concentrate on consolidating through repetition and practice. In a very good lesson, the teacher set challenging work, giving pupils data to interpret and to present in a graph, with additional challenges for talented pupils to plot, for example, the goals scored in last year’s premier football league from a database of relevant information. Imaginative activities such as writing advertisements to persuade people to buy cars and houses gives a real practical purpose for using large numbers as well as developing pupils’ literacy skills.

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Mathematics

10. Pupils achieve consistently well over time, largely because the subject is very well led and managed by a real enthusiast for mathematics. Pupils’ past work and their achievements indicate teaching over time is of a high standard. The resources for learning are very good and mostly used well to encourage pupils to think for themselves and to work out practical tasks. The school involves parents closely through evening workshops where parents are invited to sample lessons alongside their children. The co-ordinator monitors the quality of teaching and learning very carefully and pays special attention to the progressive development of skills and appropriate use of mathematical vocabulary at each stage of the pupils’ learning.

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Science

11. Pupils achieve well in science, and clearly by the age of eleven reach well above average standards. Children enter school with an above average knowledge and understanding of the world. Because their language skills are so well developed they are very receptive to new information and quickly acquire the vocabulary with which to express their early scientific knowledge. By the time pupils have been in Year 1 for a few weeks, they are capable of making observations and recording their ideas about whether a car travels further down a smooth or a rough slope. They choose their own means of measuring and in answer to their teacher’s question, “Did you make sure your experiment was fair?”, one group of mixed ability pupils replied, “We didn’t push it, we just let it go to see which would go furthest”. Eight and nine year old pupils have a very good understanding of forces and their vocabulary expresses their predictions scientifically, using words like ‘container’ and

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Science

‘stress’ quite naturally. Sometimes, because they are so articulate, this leads to intolerance and restlessness on the pupils’ part as the teacher methodically checks that all pupils, including those with special educational needs, have grasped the essential principles before pupils carry out their own investigations. By the time pupils are eleven, they discuss animatedly how to conduct an experiment by identifying factors which might affect the size of a shadow. Sometimes teachers demonstrate too much themselves before allowing pupils to carry out an investigation. This detracts from the interest and excitement of first-hand experience as it pre-empts pupils’ findings. Pupils’ written work shows they cover a wide range of scientific topics with great thoroughness so they build up detailed knowledge over time. The marking is meticulous and pupils record results in a number of ways, which underpin their studies in mathematics and ICT.

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Science

Lady Elizabeth Hastings C of E School - 15

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The curriculum is tailored well to enrich pupils’ lives and give them a good cultural

12. The rich curriculum is broadly based and enhanced by educational visits, visitors to school and strong links with the local community. It offers a wide variety of activities to broaden pupils’ experience of other faiths and cultures while reflecting their own cultural heritage.

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The curriculum is tailored well to enrich pupils’ lives and give them a good cultural

13. The school strives to broaden pupils’ understanding of a variety of cultural traditions within a multi-cultural society. Visitors come into school to give pupils insight into traditional art and music from other places such as Africa. ‘Guardians’, fashioned out of cement, were made by older pupils under the guidance of a visiting artist and they stand at strategic points in the building and grounds. Assemblies are used well to give pupils explicit teaching about racism, providing pupils with an insight into the history of segregation and why people gave up their lives to fight for equality. The school gives strong support to the arts and drama, and performance has a high profile in the ethos of the school. A good range of educational visits is organised for each year group, each with a planned focus to enrich an aspect of the curriculum, such as science or religious education.

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The curriculum is tailored well to enrich pupils’ lives and give them a good cultural

14. In the last four years, the school has strengthened its links with the local community. Events such as the Victorian weekend or 1940s’ day, which involved the pupils, parents, governors and local residents in street theatre and dramatic presentations, have helped to make the school the centre of village life. As a result, governors and other local residents play a large part in the life of the school. Such events provide dramatic experiences for pupils about times past. This is reflected in their uncannily accurate accounts based on their experiences through drama of what it was like on the day “when the siren wailed”. Year 6 pupils ask local people and industries to sponsor their end of year newspaper, which often contains photographs and articles relating to these community events.

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The curriculum is tailored well to enrich pupils’ lives and give them a good cultural

15. Parents have become much more involved in the school and give up their time to organise a wide variety of school clubs to support many subjects. Because the school has a trust fund, set up at its foundation, there is financial support available for ensuring that all pupils are able to participate in these activities. This is wisely spent to develop pupils’ skills to their full potential. Parents with particular expertise also come into school to develop curricular areas. A parent is currently engaged on working with small groups of pupils to produce a large-scale canvas based on their charcoal drawings made on their residential visit to Ingleborough. This instruction enhances pupils’ awareness of three-dimensional space, colour and texture and shows them how to bring paintings to life. The quality of their artwork is well above average in response to this and other specialist teaching in school. Another

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The curriculum is tailored well to enrich pupils’ lives and give them a good cultural

successful venture which enhances the school’s curriculum involves parents working with children in the wild life garden on aspects of environmental science.

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The school is very well led and managed and as a result has improved in many

16. The school is very well led and managed and many aspects have improved considerably since the last inspection when the school was going through an unsettled period. At that time, the school was led by an acting headteacher and her inclusive style of management was beginning to have a positive impact on the school. The present leadership has built very successfully on this to form a tightly Lady Elizabeth Hastings C of E School - 16 focused management structure based on regular meetings, teamwork and sharing responsibilities. The headteacher provides very strong leadership where everyone’s contributions are highly valued.

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The school is very well led and managed and as a result has improved in many

17. Many effective initiatives have been introduced to the school, which have resulted in higher standards. One of the leadership’s main priorities was to raise standards further by giving co-ordinators real responsibility for their subjects and including them in the monitoring and evaluation process. This initiative was successful; standards are higher than they were and a far higher proportion of pupils exceed the standards expected for their age. The co-ordinator for special educational needs assumed responsibility just before the last inspection. A key priority was to give training and support to the co-ordinator who for the first two years worked with special educational needs exclusively, setting up systems and identifying needs. As a result, there is good provision for pupils with special educational needs; they are identified early and their individual education plans are reflected in teachers’

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The school is very well led and managed and as a result has improved in many

planning. Most of these pupils attain standards expected of their age by the time they leave the school. A small number of gifted and talented pupils are also identified and they achieve very highly, largely in mathematics.

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The school is very well led and managed and as a result has improved in many

18. The leadership has taken steps to strengthen the quality of teaching, raising largely satisfactory teaching to teaching of a good quality throughout the school. This has been achieved through training, through systematic planning, and through vigilant monitoring of lessons against set criteria to ensure that teachers plan in a similar style and introduce new learning in each lesson. As a result, the use of time is much more sharply focused and pupils undertake more independent tasks than before. There is better provision for higher attaining pupils. The very good policy for teaching and learning has enabled temporary and supply staff to teach effectively and has minimised disruption to pupils’ learning through unavoidable changes in staffing. The headteacher sets and expects high standards and always has high academic achievement as a high priority. The decision to radically rethink the provision for children in the Foundation Stage has greatly improved the quality

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The school is very well led and managed and as a result has improved in many

of their learning and gives children a good start to their education. The investment in training and resources is clearly good value educationally and is one factor why standards are high for older pupils.

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The school is very well led and managed and as a result has improved in many

19. Many new systems have been introduced into the school to help it to function more successfully. The methods for assessing, recording and tracking the standards pupils achieve and the progress they make are very good indeed and have a very good impact on overall standards throughout the school. The information provided through assessment is a useful management tool and has sharpened teachers’ awareness of what pupils have learnt and what they need to know. From this, pupils now set their own targets and subject co-ordinators have a much clearer idea of what to expect of different groups of pupils. The governing body is effective. In part this is because roles and responsibilities are clearly defined. Governors are well informed through monitoring visits and links with assigned subject leaders. The governing body is therefore in a good position to critically appraise the school and to offer objective advice. Links with the community have strengthened and pupils

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The school is very well led and managed and as a result has improved in many

receive an enriched curriculum where the arts are valued. Many improvements have been made to the school building, to extend the accommodation and to make it a more congenial place in which to learn as well as to provide additional specialised space for learning as in the recently developed library and the planned ICT suite. Lady Elizabeth Hastings C of E School - 17 20. There have been many priorities for development and many adjustments to the ways in which the school has traditionally worked. The success of these is reflected in a very well run school where there is great consistency in teaching and learning. Much has been achieved in a short time both within and outside school and in the way the community perceives the school. The school improvement plan is inclined to list as many tasks as it did four years ago, all of them set against criteria for success. The school is now in a position to sharpen the focus of its priorities and

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

The attitudes to schooling of a minority of the pupils.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

21. Most pupils have good attitudes to learning. They are responsive in lessons and listen attentively. They behave well and get on well with each other and with their teachers. They are keen to converse with adults and are very courteous and friendly. They answer questions politely and are keen to learn and to do well.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

22. The attitudes, however, of a small group of pupils in most classes, are unsatisfactory. These groups are often, though not exclusively, boys. A significant minority of pupils have limited self-discipline and are fairly intolerant of other pupil’s needs. In most classes, a small group of pupils is not interested in listening to each other’s ideas. They are often inconsiderate of other pupils’ right to learn. This slows the progress of the lesson because pupils do not learn enough from each other. They fidget and mutter to each other. They answer direct questions but fail to give their full attention, seeing lessons as a time to further their social activities. Because most pupils are above average in terms of attainment this does not impede their progress particularly but it does make it very hard for lessons to proceed at a fast pace without constant checks from the teacher. This can fragment the teaching

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

23. Teachers employ a number of strategies to check behaviour. These are consistent but not completely effective. Teachers need a wider range of strategies to improve pupils’ attitudes to listening to and learning from each other. On occasions pupils can be blatantly unco-operative and take little notice of the teacher who is prepared to talk when they are talking. Such incidents rarely disrupt a large part of any lesson but it is a persistent unsatisfactory undercurrent, which should be improved. These attitudes were also noted outside lessons. When pupils get changed for after-school sports clubs run by parents, for example, their awareness of the needs of others and their responsibilities towards them is potentially unsafe.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

24. The school has in place a good home and school agreement but has not targeted pupils’ attitudes to schooling as a major priority either in this or in the school improvement plan. Lady Elizabeth Hastings C of E School - 18

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

25. In order to improve the school further, the headteacher, staff and governors should:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• Improve the attitudes to schooling of a minority of pupils. [Paragraphs: 5, 9, 22, 23] Lady Elizabeth Hastings C of E School - 19

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 11

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Percentage 0 15 40 35 10 0 0 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 five percentage points.

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery YR – Y6

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 150

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 1 FTE means full-time equivalent.

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Information about the school’s pupils

Special educational needs Nursery YR– Y6

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 3

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 17

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Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 0

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 8

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 7

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Attendance

National comparative data 5.2 National comparative data 0.5 Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Lady Elizabeth Hastings C of E School - 20

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

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2000 22

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

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

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

Boys Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls

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

Percentage of pupils School 100 (100) 95 (100) 100 (100) at NC level 2 or above National 83 (82) 84 (83) 90 (87)

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

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

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

Boys Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls

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

Percentage of pupils School 100 (100) 95 (100) 100 (100) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (82) 88 (86) 88 (87)

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

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Test data referring to boys and girls has not been given because the total number of boys or girls is fewer than ten.

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

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 2000 22

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

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

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

Boys Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls

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

Percentage of pupils School 88 (100) 100 (100) 88 (100) at NC level 4 or above National 75 (70) 72 (69) 85 (78)

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

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

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

Boys Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls

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

Percentage of pupils School 92 (92) 96 (96) 100 (100) at NC level 4 or above National 70 (68) 72 (69) 79 (75) Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Test data referring to boys and girls has not been given because the total number of boys or girls is fewer than ten. Lady Elizabeth Hastings C of E School - 21

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage 0 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – African heritage 0 Black – African heritage 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Any other minority ethnic group 0 Other minority ethnic groups 0 0 This table refers to pupils of compulsory school age only. This table gives the number of exclusions of pupils of compulsory school age, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded.

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 7 Financial year 2000

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 21.4

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff Total income 329,858

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 4 Total expenditure 319.00

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 55 Expenditure per pupil 2184

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Qualified teachers and support staff: nursery Balance brought forward from previous year 22,070

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 0 Balance carried forward to next year 32,840

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 0

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 0

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per FTE adult 0 FTE means full-time equivalent.

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 0

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 0

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Recruitment of teachers

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 0

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Recruitment of teachers

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

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of unfilled vacancies or vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of less than one term (FTE) 0 FTE means full-time equivalent. Lady Elizabeth Hastings C of E School - 22

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

Percentage of responses in each category

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

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

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child is making good progress in school. 48 43 4 1 1

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

Behaviour in the school is good. 49 46 1 0 1

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 18 42 10 13 6

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 30 55 10 0 1

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 78 18 3 0 1

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 66 28 0 0 1

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school works closely with parents. 51 45 3 0 1

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is well led and managed. 69 28 0 0 1

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 67 27 3 0 1

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 42 45 9 0 1

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