St Andrew's CofE Primary School

ST ANDREW’S CE PRIMARY SCHOOL

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

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ST ANDREW’S CE PRIMARY SCHOOL

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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ST ANDREW’S CE PRIMARY 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 supp lied. St Andrew’s CE Primary School - 1

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Mardale Avenue Orford Warrington Cheshire

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The Governing Body

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 8 th July 1997 St Andrew’s CE Primary School - 2

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responsibilities

15215 Brian Holmes Registered inspector English Information and communication technology History Physical education What sort of school is it? What should the school do to improve further? School’s results and achievement. How well are pupils taught? How well is the school led and managed? 9002 Derek Ashton Lay inspector Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development. How well does the school work in partnership with parents? How well does the school care for its pupils? 20380 Neville Pinkney Team inspector Mathematics Science Geography Design and technology Equal opportunities How good are the curricular and other opportunities offered to pupils?

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responsibilities

17913 Brian Frost Team Inspector The Foundation Stage Special educational needs Art and design Music

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responsibilities

PPI Group Ltd 7 Hill Street Bristol BS1 5RW

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responsibilities

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

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responsibilities

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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responsibilities

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE St Andrew’s CE Primary School - 3 St Andrew’s CE Primary School - 4

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 4 - 7

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

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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS? 8 - 10

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

St Andrew’s CE Primary School, Warrington is an average-size primary school with 203 pupils between the ages of 4 and 11. Most of the pupils who come to the school live on the housing estate closest to the school and nearly all of them are white. They come to the school at the age of four, with a variety of pre-school experiences. The number of pupils entitled to free school meals is above the national average. The percentage of pupils identified as having special educational needs is above the national average. Four pupils have a statement of special educational need, and this proportion of pupils is in line with the national average. Pupils’ attainment level on entry to the school is well below what is normally expected for most pupils at the age of five.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

This is an effective school with a staff committed to providing a good, consistent standard and quality of education in a happy, caring environment. Pupils are taught well and achieve standards, which are broadly in line with the average, compared to what is achieved in other schools. Most pupils make good progress during their time at the school. It is a caring school, where the pupils are happy. The school sets pupils high standards for their behaviour and their work. Pupils show very good attitudes towards school, and achieve very good standards of behaviour. The school is very well led and managed by the headteacher and staff, supported by the governing body and, as a result, gives good value for money.

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What the school does well

• Pupils achieve well throughout the school, including those with special educational needs. • The quality of teaching is good throughout the school. This results in pupils making good progress in English, mathematics and science. • The pupils achieve very good standards of behaviour, show positive attitudes towards school, and form very good relationships in a happy, caring environment. • The quality of learning opportunities provided is good and there is very good provision for pupils with special educational needs. • The headteacher, supported well by the governing body and a conscientious staff, provides a very good standard of leadership. • Very good provision is made for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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What could be improved

• Standards of attainment in writing, particularly for pupils by the age of seven. • The role of subject co-ordinators in monitoring standards and progress in their subjects. • The role of the governing body in making informed decisions to help shape the direction of the school. • Procedures for assessing pupils’ progress in non-core subjects. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school was last inspected in July 1997 and has made very good progress since then. Improvement has been made in those areas which were criticised last time. A key factor in this improvement has been the very good leadership and management of the headteacher, supported by key staff and governors, which have improved significantly. There is a much clearer view and plan of the school’s strategic direction. The governors are more involved in the school, but need to be better informed before making decisions. Pupils’ standards of attainment in English, mathematics and science have improved steadily and there has been a marked rise in pupils’ standards of attainment in information and communication technology . The quality of teaching has improved significantly, with an increased proportion of very good teaching being observed . There has also been improvement in pupils’ behaviour, both in class and around school. The curriculum now meets statutory requirements, with significant

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

improvement in provision for design technology and information and communication technology. St Andrew’s CE Primary School - 6 Provision for pupils with special educational needs is now very good and there has also been a marked improvement in the provision for pupils’ extra-curricular activities. There has been satisfactory improvement in developing the role of the subject co-ordinator, but there is a need for subject co- ordinators to become more involved in monitoring standards and progress in their subject.

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STANDARDS

The table shows the standards achieved by 11 year olds based on average point scores in National Curriculum tests.

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Key

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

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Key

Trends over time show a steady improvement in the last three years in English, mathematics and science, with a significant improvement in the 2000 National tests. This was particularly the case in science, where results in 1999 had been very low in comparison with the national average. Inspection findings agree with this trend. Standards of attainment in English, mathematics and science are in line with what is expected by the age of eleven. The results of the 2000 national tests for seven year olds showed that results are below the average in reading and well below in writing and mathematics. When the school’s results are compared with similar schools they are above average in reading, in line in writing and below in mathematics. Inspection evidence shows that standards in reading and mathematics are in line with the average for most pupils by the age of seven, but below it in writing. Pupils achieve well and make good progress in the core subjects from their low levels of attainment on

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Key

entry to the school. In information and communication technology pupils’ attainment is in line with that expected nationally at seven and eleven. Across the school, pupils achieve appropriately in most subjects. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress towards their targets and the school is making good progress towards achieving its targets.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Most pupils show very positive attitudes and enjoy school. They are keen to learn and show interest in their tasks.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Behaviour, both in lessons and in and around the school is very good.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Relationships at all levels are very good and are a strength of the school. Pupils’ personal development is good and they show very good levels of responsibility.

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Aspect Comment

Attendance Attendance is just below the national average. The school successfully promotes and monitors pupils’ attendance and punctuality. St Andrew’s CE Primary School - 7

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

52 lessons seen 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: aged up to 5 years aged 5-7 years aged 7-11 years

The quality of teaching is good. Teachers successfully meet the needs of most of their pupils . Across the school, all teaching is satisfactory or better. Just over two-thirds of teaching is good or better, including one in six lessons, which is very good or excellent. No unsatisfactory lessons were seen . The quality of teaching for pupils with special educational needs is good. The quality of teaching of English and mathematics is good throughout the school. The skills of literacy and numeracy are both well taught. Teachers have a good knowledge of the subjects they teach and plan well. They have high expectations of pupils’ work and set them challenging tasks, making particularly good use of questions to stimulate pupils and develop their ideas. They manage pupils well and foster good relationships. Lessons are conducted at a good pace, so that pupils are interested and learn well.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum The curriculum is broad, balanced and meets statutory requirements. Planning ensures that all pupils are provided with work suitable for their age and ability. Provision for pupils with special educational needs and pupils with EAL Very good provision for pupils with special educational needs. Work is well planned to meet needs and helps pupils to achieve their targets.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Very good provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Adults provide very good role models. Pupils have a good sense of citizenship.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils The school provides a close-knit, secure and happy environment. Child protection procedures are very good. Assessment in core subjects is good and is beginning to be used to plan pupils’ future learning.

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff The headteacher provides high quality leadership and has a clear vision of the direction the school needs to follow. The senior management team is committed and effective. How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities The governing body is very supportive of the school's management. It makes an effective contribution to the leadership and management of the school, but needs to improve in its role as a ‘critical friend’ of the school. The school’s evaluation of its performance The school’s evaluation of its performance is good. Where areas have been identified the school considers and implements ways to improve them. The strategic use of resources The school uses the money it receives efficiently and deploys its resources well. St Andrew’s CE Primary School - 8 The quality of the school’s accommodation is good. The levels of appropriately qualified staff are good,

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Aspect Comment

and learning resources are satisfactory. The school applies the principles of best value well in purchasing equipment and resources.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• Their children like school and they would feel comfortable approaching the school. • The quality of teaching is good and children make good progress at the school. • The high standards of behaviour and expectations of work, which the school successfully promotes. • The school is well led and managed. • The school works closely with parents and keeps them well informed about their children’s progress. • The range of activities offered to pupils outside the planned curriculum.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

Inspectors’ judgements support parents’ positive views. Inspection findings show that the school is well led and provides its pupils with a good quality and standard of education, including teaching, expectations and high standards of behaviour. Inspectors judged the range of extra-curricular activities offered by the school to be good and a significant improvement on what was offered by the school at the time of the previous inspection. The school’s partnership with parents is very good. The quality of information provided is good and parents effectively support pupils’ learning both in school and at home. Parents’ views are strongly supportive of the school. St Andrew’s CE Primary School - 9

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The school’s results and achievements

1. In the 2000 national tests the proportion of pupils attaining the expected level 4 and above, by the age of eleven, was below the national average in English, mathematics and science. The proportion of pupils attaining the higher level (Level 5) was below the national average in English and mathematics and well below it in science. Trends over the past three years show a steady rise in standards, with a significant improvement in the average points score of pupils, in all three core subjects, in the 2000 National tests. This represents good progress. In English and mathematics, pupils’ performance was above the average when compared to schools with pupils from similar backgrounds and in line with those schools in science. Test results over time indicate that boys attain higher standards than girls, although inspection evidence shows no significant differences between the two. In 2000, the proportion of pupils reaching the expected level (Level 2) and above,

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The school’s results and achievements

by the age of seven, was close to the national average in reading and below it in writing and mathematics. The proportion of pupils achieving the higher level (Level 3) was well below the national average in reading and mathematics and below the national average in writing. The results in 2000 showed a significant improvement on the previous year in reading, writing and in mathematics. Trends over time, show a steady rise in standards in all three areas since 1998, with an increased rate of improvement in 2000. Inspection findings show that standards are improving throughout the school. In English, pupils’ attainment in reading and speaking and listening are in line with expected levels at seven and eleven. In writing, pupils’ attainment at seven is below the expected level. It improves in the junior classes and is broadly in line with the expected levels by the time pupils are eleven. Attainment in mathematics and science is in line with expected levels

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The school’s results and achievements

2. The children enter the reception class with attainment levels which are generally well below those expected for their age. However, the teaching at the foundation stage is consistently good, so that they make good progress towards the nationally agreed early learning goals in all areas of their learning. By the time they are ready for Year 1, the vast majority achieve standards that are close to those expected for their age in mathematics, their knowledge and understanding of the world, their creative and physical development and in their personal and social development. Although some achieve the learning goals in language and literacy, the proportion doing so is less than that found nationally.

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The school’s results and achievements

3. Standards of attainment in English are below the national average for pupils at the age of seven, and broadly in line with the average for pupils at the age of eleven. Pupils achieve well in English and make good progress throughout the school. By the age of seven, pupils answer questions carefully and contribute well in class. By the time they are eleven, their listening skills are reinforced, and they talk with confidence about a range of issues. In reading, pupils’ attainment is in line with the national average at both seven and eleven. By the age of seven , most pupils are fluent and accurate readers. They use expression well and self-correct their mistakes. By the age of eleven, pupils have a sound knowledge and understanding of books, reading with expression and meaning in a variety of situations. In writing, by the time they are seven , most pupils use basic words, but both spelling of these and letter formation are below the standards expected . Their use

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The school’s results and achievements

of vocabulary is limited. By the age of eleven, pupils develop their stories and write in a range of styles and for different purposes. They extend their ideas, using interesting language and characterisations.

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The school’s results and achievements

4. Pupils achieve well in mathematics. Their attainment is in line with levels expected at the age of both seven and eleven. All pupils achieve well and make good progress across the school. By the time they are seven, pupils have a sound understanding of number and reasonably good mental agility with figures. They say, write and order numbers up to one hundred. They recognise simple number patterns such as odd and even, count forwards and backwards in twos, fives and tens. They understand and use mathematical symbols and terms, such as addition, subtraction, equals St Andrew’s CE Primary School - 10 and digit, correctly. They know the names of some two-dimensional shapes, such as the circle, square, triangle and rectangle and begin to learn about weight, time and money. By the age of eleven, most pupils have sound and reasonably accurate computational skills and mental agility. They generally solve number problems accurately and confidently. They apply their number skills

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The school’s results and achievements

to practical problems involving money, weight, length and time. Most pupils have a sound understanding of fractions and are able to convert them to decimals, using a calculator, if necessary. They have a good appreciation of shapes and calculate perimeters and areas competently. They use co-ordinates accurately and use them to devise simple picture puzzles.

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The school’s results and achievements

5. In science, pupils’ attainment is in line with the national average by the time pupils are seven and eleven. Pupils achieve well and make good progress throughout the school. By the age of seven, pupils have a sound knowledge of the topics covered. They recognise the characteristics of living things and how different animals move in different ways. They recognise a force as a push or a pull and can identify the forces involved in a water wheel and a windmill. They can construct simple electrical circuits and identify magnetic and non-magnetic materials. Their investigative skills are developed to recognise a fair test. They test a range of materials to assess their suitability for use in making umbrellas. By the age of eleven, most pupils are more secure in their knowledge base. They understand how light travels and how shadows form. They recognise how the properties of materials determine their usage and how materials may undergo permanent or temporary change

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The school’s results and achievements

on heating. They know about micro-organisms and how some, such as yeast, can be useful, whereas others, such as bacteria and moulds, can be harmful. Skills in carrying out investigations develop satisfactorily and pupils display good skills in designing fair tests in all topic areas. They make sensible predictions about the results and some higher attaining pupils are able confidently to link their predictions to a related theory. .

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The school’s results and achievements

6. In information and communication technology, at both seven and eleven, pupils achieve satisfactorily and their attainment matches the expected levels. By the time they are seven, most pupils are confident in using a computer and understand the basic functions of the keyboard and the mouse. They use a range of software for different purposes and work well both independently and in small groups. By the age of eleven, pupils have a sound capability in most aspects of the subject. They have appropriate word processing skills, save and retrieve their own work and present their work well, taking the intended audience into account. Standards have risen significantly since the last inspection and the school is well placed to help the pupils improve still further.

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The school’s results and achievements

7. By the time they reach the ages of seven and eleven, the standard of pupils’ work is at the level expected in art and design, design and technology, history, geography, music and physical education. This shows that a steady rate of improvement has been maintained in all of these subjects since the previous inspection. Pupils achieve well and in lessons progress was always satisfactory or better. It was good or better in approximately two-thirds of lessons. Over time, pupils make good progress in the core subjects of English, mathematics, science and information and communication technology, and sound progress in history, geography, physical education, art and design, music and design and technology. No significant differences were observed in the progress made by boys and girls. The school has made good progress towards achieving the targets it has set itself, which are sufficiently challenging.

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The school’s results and achievements

8. Across the school, pupils’ literacy skills are developed effectively through other subjects. Pupils are given opportunities to develop writing through other subjects. During the inspection, examples were observed in geography and science. However, the quality of work that results from these learning opportunities is in need of improvement. Pupils also use their skills in information and communication technology to improve the presentation of their writing, both in literacy and other curriculum areas. Pupils’ numeracy skills are used effectively in subjects across the curriculum, for example, where pupils use their numeracy skills to record the results of their scientific investigations using line graphs and tables. In information and communication technology, pupils use their numeracy skills to good effect in developing spreadsheets on their sweet shop project.

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The school’s results and achievements

9. Throughout the school, the pupils with special educational needs make good progress towards the targets set for them in their individual education plans. Those who receive additional support make St Andrew’s CE Primary School - 11 particularly good progress. The good provision made for these pupils enables the school to meet effectively their needs in terms of gender, race, background and ability.

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The school’s results and achievements

10. A significant factor affecting the improvement of standards of attainment in school has been the leadership and management of the headteacher and key staff, which have provided a clear focus for raising standards of attainment. On his arrival at the school, the headteacher prioritised improvements in attendance, behaviour and in links with parents as key areas for beginning to raise standards of attainment. This led to the assertive discipline policy and homework schedule and agreement with parents. There have also been significant improvements in the quality of teaching through raised teacher expectations, improved levels of resources and a focus on professional development in literacy and numeracy. The improvements in provision for pupils with special educational needs have also had a significant impact on raising standards of attainment across the school, with much closer liaison between support staff and class teachers. Assessment

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The school’s results and achievements

procedures have been put firmly in place since the last inspection, particularly in the core subjects. These, too, have had a significant impact. In addition, the positive impact of the literacy and numeracy strategies is also contributing to the raising of standards of attainment across the school.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

11. Pupils have positive attitudes to their work; they are eager to learn and to be taught and enjoy working on their tasks. This finding relates to all areas of the school, including the Foundation Stage, where childrens’ attitudes to learning are very positive at all times. Very good standards have been maintained since the school was last inspected. The very good attitudes to learning reflect the good teaching and very good relationships throughout the school. Pupils respond extremely well to their teachers' positive, caring attitudes and demand for courtesy and respect for others. They are observant and discuss and reflect on their findings well, when, for example, in a history lesson, they were identifying artefacts from Anglo Saxon times. Pupils are involved in a wide range of activities and make the most of the opportunities provided. They work well together individually and in different groupings.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

12. Pupils with special educational needs show a willingness to learn; they respond and behave well in lessons. For many their targets for improvement relate to aspects of personal development, including behaviour. With very effective support from staff they increase their confidence, self- esteem and ability to contribute significantly to lessons. They mix well with other pupils and are fully integrated into the day-to-day life of the school.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

13. Behaviour and discipline are very good and have improved since the previous inspection. Pupils are polite, courteous and friendly to each other and to adults. They show patience, tolerance and maturity in many situations, for example in the dining room. No aggressive behaviour to other pupils was observed. There have been no exclusions in this school year. Pupils take good care of school property.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

14. The quality of relationships is very good and is a strength of the school. Relationships between pupils and between pupils and staff are of a high standard. This helps to create an environment for very effective learning. Pupils grow in maturity as they progress through the school, carrying out their responsibilities sensibly and thoughtfully. For example, older pupils supervise the sale of fruit and help with the downloading of digital camera images. These tasks are performed with enthusiasm. Pupils respond well to the system of awards and eagerly await the presentation of rewards for their achievements in academic, sporting and social areas, in the "Good News" assemblies. Pupils are encouraged to support charity fund-raising, which further enhances their personal development and community involvement.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

15. Whilst attendance is just below the national average, the school has significantly improved attendance since the last inspection. Good use is made of the services of the educational welfare officer. Unauthorised absence is slightly above average. Pupils enjoy coming to school and punctuality is good. St Andrew’s CE Primary School - 12

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

16. The quality of teaching is good. Teachers successfully meet the needs of their pupils . Across the school, all teaching is satisfactory or better, with just over two-thirds good or better, including one in six lessons, which is very good or excellent. These findings reflect the views of parents. Almost all parents who responded to the parents’ questionnaire think the quality of teaching in the school is good. The quality of teaching has improved significantly since the school was last inspected. No unsatisfactory lessons were observed during the inspection, compared to one-fifth of lessons in the previous inspection. One in six lessons observed was very good, which represents a significant improvement from last time when no teaching was judged to be better than good. The quality of teaching has improved, particularly in the infant and junior classes and is now much more consistent than it was at the time of the previous inspection. For children in the Foundation Stage,

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

all teaching observed was judged to be good. In the infant classes, standards of teaching have improved with almost two-thirds of lessons good or better, including some excellent teaching. In the junior classes, just over two-thirds of lessons were judged to be good or very good. A number of factors have contributed to the improvement in the overall quality of teaching. Teachers’ subject knowledge, their expectations of what pupils know, understand and can do, their planning of lessons and teaching of basic skills, have all improved significantly and become much more consistent across the year groups. Teachers’ use of a range of effective teaching and learning strategies, their management of pupils and assessment of their work in lessons have all improved since the previous inspection.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

17. The teaching of pupils with special educational needs is good throughout the school. Very effective co-operation between teachers and support staff is a strong feature which helps pupils in this category to make good progress. Good quality, individual education plans are used as the basis for planning, so that the pupils are helped to work systematically and progressively towards the realistic and manageable targets set for them, especially in literacy and numeracy.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

18. The quality of teaching for children in the Foundation Stage is consistently good. High quality support is provided by the industrious classroom assistant. Both adults create a good climate for learning so that the children are happy, safe and secure. The adults have a good understanding of how children under five learn. Routines are well established and the planning of the work takes appropriate account of the national early learning goals. Good quality interaction and questioning support effectively the children's learning. Assessment is particularly well used to plan children's work and to help them build progressively on their early learning experiences.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

19. For pupils in Years 1 and 2, the quality of teaching is good. In the lessons seen, teaching was always satisfactory or better and is good or better in approximately two-thirds of lessons. In three out of ten lessons, teaching is very good or excellent. The good quality of teaching provides pupils with opportunities to apply their intellectual and creative effort in their work and to achieve well. Teachers plan well and use clear lesson structures that include setting pupils high expectations of what is required of them. They sustain the pace of lessons and use challenging questions that extend pupils’ knowledge and understanding. They use a wide range of strategies to provide a stimulating range of activities such as paired talk and problem-solving activities. An example of excellent teaching was in a numeracy lesson when pupils were using language to describe numbers and counting back in tens . The lesson was extremely well planned with a clear focus at

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

each stage of the lesson and pupils fully involved in their learning. Work was well matched to the needs of all pupils and excellent use was made of voice control to manage pupils’ and focus their attention on their learning. The language activity involved pupils forming ‘human’ sums with cards to solve problems.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

20. Between Years 3 and 6, the quality of teaching is good. The teaching was satisfactory or better in all lessons, good in approximately two-thirds of lessons and very good in one out of ten lessons observed. In the best lessons, teachers sustain pupils’ interest with lively approaches which include focused demonstrations to illustrate teaching points when needed. Teachers have good subject knowledge, which they use well to stimulate pupils’ learning and increase their knowledge St Andrew’s CE Primary School - 13 and understanding. They challenge pupils to think and develop their questioning skills through problem-solving approaches, such as in mathematics. They use a wide range of methods to stimulate their pupils. These include writing for a range of different purposes, collaborative work in information and communication technology and mental activities in mathematics. An example of very good teaching occurred in an information and communication technology lesson. The lesson

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

was very well planned and organised with objectives linked to music and literacy as well to information and communication technology. A whole class demonstration using Smart Board technology made clear to pupils what was required of them and this technology was also used well to review pupils’ learning and progress at the end of the lesson. The organisation of the lesson gave pupils’ opportunities to work independently and take responsibility for their own learning. This resulted in very positive attitudes to learning throughout the whole lesson. Pupils were asked to find information from the Internet about Count Basie, download images and text and add the site to their ‘favourites’ section. Their response was extremely positive. Pupils’ progress was well monitored, using skilled questioning and secure subject knowledge.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

21. Teachers have a good knowledge and understanding of the subjects they teach. Particularly well- taught subjects are English, mathematics, science, information and communication technology, and all the areas of learning in the Foundation Stage. The introduction of the National Literacy Strategy has helped to improve the teaching of English through the use of a wide range of teaching strategies, which include whole class work, paired, individual and group work. Pupils are challenged to develop their ideas through clear questioning and a variety of activities. The teaching of basic literacy and numeracy skills is good throughout the school. Teachers have a good understanding of the National Numeracy Strategy and are implementing it confidently and effectively. Lessons follow closely the recommended structure with appropriate amounts of time allocated to the different sections of each lesson. Every lesson commences with a brisk mental or

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

oral mathematics session that, in the best lessons, fully involves all the pupils and gives them opportunities to explain and discuss the strategies they employed in finding the answer.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

22. Homework is used effectively to support the work in classrooms. It is effective in promoting the development of reading and mathematics and also in developing pupils’ ability to work and research independently. Most parents are happy with the amount of homework given.

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PUPILS?

23. The school provides a broad and balanced curriculum in the Foundation Stages and in the infant and junior classes, covering all subjects of the National Curriculum and religious education. Appropriate emphasis is placed on the teaching of English and mathematics to take account of the low literacy and numeracy skills of pupils on entry to the school. As a result, the allocation of time to foundation subjects is slightly lower than is recommended. The school is currently working to develop cross-curricular linkages to improve efficiency in these subject areas and ensure full implementation of the prescribed programmes of study. Since the last inspection, improvements have been implemented in curriculum planning to ensure that pupils are given more guidance and support in their use and application of mathematics and increased opportunities to develop investigative skills in science. The school has worked hard to ensure that statutory requirements

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PUPILS?

are met in design and technology and in information and communication technology.

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PUPILS?

24. The school has made significant improvements since the last inspection, in making provision for pupils with special educational needs. Highly effective arrangements are now in place. These comply fully with the Code of Practice. Procedures are well established for the early identification of pupils who need additional support. Individual education plans are completed for all pupils who need them. They contain clear targets that are realistic and measurable. The progress made by pupils against these targets is reviewed at regular intervals and parents are kept informed at all stages. They are provided with a copy of their children's individual education plan so that they can help their children to achieve their targets. The pupils with special educational needs receive good quality support by teachers and classroom assistants particularly, but not exclusively, in literacy and numeracy lessons. This enables the pupils to play a full part in lessons. A small number of

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PUPILS?

St Andrew’s CE Primary School - 14 pupils have statements of special educational need. The statements are clear and detailed. They describe a number of important recommendations, which are acted upon accordingly, so that pupils receive the correct level of provision.

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PUPILS?

25. A new programme for pupils’ personal, social and health education, including citizenship, is in the process of being implemented. A sound policy document is in place, a scheme of work is being produced based on a commercial course and resources are being acquired. The Governing Body offers a programme of sex and relationships education to pupils in year six. The programme does involve the school nurse

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PUPILS?

26. The curriculum is sufficiently enriched by a range of educational visits to local museums and other places of interest, for example, Delamere Forest, Catalyst Museum, and Wilderspool Rugby Ground. Pupils in Year 2 spend a residential weekend at Crosby Hall Educational Trust. Theatre groups regularly visit the school.

p.16

PUPILS?

27. The school provides a good range of extra-curricular activities for one of its size. There has been a significant improvement since the last inspection when no such activities were on offer to pupils. A range of sporting activities is offered. Weekly football and netball coaching is given and the school has strong links with Warrington Wolves Rugby Club. Cross-country running is also well represented in the school. All these sporting activities are offered to both boys and girls and the current school rugby team is a mixed team. The junior choir made its first public appearance at the Christingle service and also presented a Music Hall Extravaganza just before Easter. Gardening and computer clubs are also offered. Booster classes are provided for pupils in Years 2 and 6 to prepare for the national tests.

p.16

PUPILS?

28. The school has satisfactory links with the local community. There are strong links with the local church and the vicar is a regular visitor to the school, leading an assembly each week. A local artist worked with pupils to produce a number of sculptured figures, which form the basis of an eye- catching display, representing Jesus and the Feeding of the Five Thousand. The school has strong links with William Beamont High School and, for example, employs a computer technician through the link.

p.16

PUPILS?

29. The school makes very good provision for the pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. In all classes, the teachers place great store and value on the pupils' ideas, beliefs and cultural traditions. They provide a variety of relevant experiences, which contribute greatly to the pupils' spiritual development. These occur frequently through planned experiences in many areas of the curriculum and in school assemblies. For example, pupils in a Year 6 class studied a poem about observations from Westminster Bridge, composed in 1802. They decided the poet was appreciating the good things in life that are freely available to all and that he was thankful for simple things. After making observations on a cold day in the playground, the pupils reflected on the awe and wonder of their own surroundings. One pupil wrote:

p.16

PUPILS?

' The wet dew sparkling like diamonds. Leafless trees white with frost. The playground benches wear feathery white scarves' .

p.16

PUPILS?

30. In complying with the statutory requirement to hold a daily act of collective worship, class and school assemblies are reverent occasions, which provide the pupils with a host of relevant experiences. These promote very successfully the pupils' spiritual development. For example, during an assembly taken by the vicar, the concept of trust was explored. The pupils were helped to consider how Peter felt after denying Jesus and to reflect on their own beliefs and feelings when placed in difficult situations where they had to make decisions. A flickering candle provided a sense of spiritual calm before the pupils bowed their heads in prayer and reflection.

p.16

PUPILS?

31. The school's Code of Conduct upholds high standards of care, respect and positive relationships. All of the adults working in the school provide good role models. Within the well-conceived framework of the school's assertive discipline policy, the pupils are taught the difference between St Andrew’s CE Primary School - 15 right and wrong and to consider how their actions and behaviour might affect other pupils and adults in the community. The pupils have many opportunities to take responsibility. This helps them to contribute in a mature way towards the daily life of the school. The moral dimension of their development is also promoted through the work of visiting theatre groups such as 'Barnabas Live' and 'The Action Transport Theatre'. Recently, the pupils attended a performance which dealt with uniqueness and compassion.

p.16

PUPILS?

32. The school places much importance on the development of the pupils' social skills. They have many opportunities to develop responsibility, self-confidence and independence through the systems and structures, which the school has put in place. In lessons, group work makes a significant contribution to this dimension of the pupils' development. From an early stage, the pupils are helped to consider the thoughts and feelings of others and to co-operate productively when working together. A major factor, which contributes towards the pupils' development, is the emphasis which the school places on good relationships. Such provision is evident in classes, during extra-curricular activities, at lunchtimes and when visitors come to the school. 33. The school has made much progress since the last inspection in improving the provision for the pupils' cultural development. This is now very good and provides the pupils with a broader range of

p.17

PUPILS?

relevant experiences. For example, in each year group the school has introduced a multi-faith unit. The programme of work now includes Judaism, Hinduism and the study of some aspects of Islam. In addition, the pupils now have the opportunity to listen to a variety of music from our own and other cultures. During the inspection, the music of the week was 'L'Arlesienne Suite' by Bizet. The music provided an excellent atmosphere which reflected the school's purpose and ethos. The school has scope to continue to build on these experiences and more might be done to enable visitors to contribute to this aspect of the life of the school. The school provides its pupils with a varied programme of visits. For example, pupils have recently visited Dunham Massey and the Crosby Hall Educational Trust for a long weekend and others have visited various art galleries and museums in the area.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

34. The school takes very good care of its pupils. There has been a steady rate of improvement in this area since the school was previously inspected. Pupils are made to feel safe and secure within a calm, but disciplined, atmosphere. Staff know the children and their families well and show a good understanding of their emotional needs in school, home and within the community. The quality of learning is enhanced by this support. Child protection procedures are very good. All staff are aware of the arrangements and the school maintains good links with the support agencies. The school follows local child protection procedures and provides a safe and harmonious environment, which makes an effective contribution to the standards the pupils achieve. A comprehensive health and safety policy is in place and good procedures exist for carrying out risk assessments.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

35. Procedures for monitoring academic progress are good. The use of assessment information to guide curriculum planning is good. Planning is increasingly addressing the needs of the higher attainers. The school has very good procedures for promoting discipline and good behaviour. The assertive discipline policy provides comprehensive guidance on how to deal with unacceptable behaviour and is implemented consistently throughout the school. All staff follow a warning system to deter pupils from misbehaving.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

36. Pupils’ individual attendance is well monitored and parents are aware of the procedures to follow when their children are absent from school. It is as a result of the systematic monitoring and the support of parents and the education welfare officer that attendance has greatly improved.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

37. The classroom support assistants provide good support for pupils with special educational needs. This is undertaken in close co-operation with teachers. Parents of children with special educational needs feel well supported and are very satisfied with the progress of their children.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

38. Induction procedures for children aged under five and arrangements for other new pupils are very good. A designated play area for younger children requires up grading and provision made for St Andrew’s CE Primary School - 16 suitable outdoor equipment. In preparation for transfer to secondary education, pupils experience an induction day at the local secondary school.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

39. The school meets successfully all the requirements for pupils who have statements of special educational need. Effective links with other agencies enable the provision described in statements to be implemented appropriately. For example, the speech therapist pays regular visits to the school to plan and evaluate work programmes for designated pupils. Overall, assessment results are particularly well used to help plan effectively for the pupils' individual needs.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

40. The school’s procedures for assessing and monitoring pupils’ academic progress in the core subjects of English, mathematics and science are good. Baseline assessments are made shortly after pupils enter Reception and regular assessments are made in each year, using a variety of standardised tests. The information collected, together with the results of the national tests and teacher assessments at the end of Year 2 are used to predict target levels for pupils in each successive year and for their performance in the tests at the end of Year 6. These targets are reviewed regularly in the light of emerging data from assessments. The use of this data is still in its early stages of development and targets set for pupils are not yet fully shared with pupils or parents. The school makes good use of the data to review and develop curriculum planning and teachers use the data to plan for the needs of individual pupils. The assessment and recording of

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

pupils’ attainment in information and communication technology is based on a “can do” check list of skills. In the non-core subjects, assessment is largely informal and forms the basis of reporting to parents on pupils’ progress. Although teachers maintain records of assessments there are no set procedures or central records and the use of National Curriculum levels to assess and monitor pupils’ progress and attainment is not routine in the non-core subjects. Many subject areas are developing portfolios of pupils’ work to assist in the assigning of National Curriculum levels to pupils’ work. However, assessment procedures in non-core subjects are not yet sufficiently developed to be effective as a mechanism for monitoring and recording pupils’ progress in those subject areas.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

41. Parents are very supportive of the school and the links between the school and parents have a positive impact on the pupils’ learning. Relationships between the school and parents and carers are very good, including the relationships with parents of children in the Foundation Stage where parents are actively encouraged to come into school and support their children’s learning. Parents are welcomed and encouraged to visit and help in the life and work of the school. There is limited help in classrooms with reading from volunteers and grandparents and the Friends of St. Andrews support the school through fund raising and organising social events. Their involvement supports the pupils' learning and progress. Promoting links with parents and involving them more in their children’s learning are seen by the school as important strategies in developing the quality of educational provision at the school.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

42. The information provided by the school is comprehensive, easy to read and accessible to parents. Three parents' evenings a year provide very good opportunities for consultation and teachers often meet informally with the parents at the beginning and end of the day. Home school agreements are in place and reading records are used effectively to enable parents and teachers to monitor progress. The annual reports sent home to parents cover all the subjects of the curriculum. They are well written and helpful and contain suggestions about how parents might help their children to improve.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

43. The response to the questionnaire distributed before the inspection and the parents' meeting indicated that the parents think very highly of the school and they have positive views about their children’s progress and the quality of teaching. Parents are also pleased with the approachability of staff, the high expectations set and the way the school is led and managed. Inspection findings also support the parents' views of the school. The improvement since the last inspection is commendable. St Andrew’s CE Primary School - 17 44. The parents of pupils with special educational needs are involved appropriately at all stages. The co-ordinators establish good contact with the parents concerned. In addition, these parents are encouraged to visit the school regularly to discuss their children's progress.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

45. Family workshops in literacy and numeracy help parents to understand their children’s learning. These projects have been successful in raising the confidence and awareness of parents and improving the self-esteem and reading levels of the pupils involved. Parents are encouraged to help with homework and on educational visits, which further supports pupils' learning and personal development.

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

46. The leadership and management of the school are very good. The headteacher provides strong leadership and, with the support of the senior management team, gives a very clear direction for the development and improvement of the school. The improvement in the quality of education since the school was last inspected owes much to his leadership and the effective support of a hard working and committed team of staff and governors. Together, they have succeeded in creating a learning environment, which has raising standards of attainment at its heart. Behaviour and relationships are very good and pupils feel secure and valued. The school’s mission statement to “ affirm the unique worth of every member of the school community as a child of God and strive to provide an environment where individual talents are recognised and nurtured ” is shared by all and underpins the work of the school.

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

47. The school ethos embraces the development of the whole child, with raising standards as its core purpose. The school is aiming to build a caring community in which pupils and staff develop and improve. In realising this ethos, the current headteacher has initiated a wide-ranging set of strategies since he took up his post in September 1999. These strategies have included improving pupils’ attendance, pupils’ behaviour and relationships with parents as key elements in raising pupils’ self-esteem and increasing their levels of motivation and interest. He has also focused on improving the quality of teaching, through raising teachers’ expectations of pupils and improving resources and in-service training in core subjects. He has also begun to monitor the performance of the school very effectively, analysing strengths and weaknesses in pupils’ attainment, to develop short, medium and longer-term priorities. Teachers’ planning is monitored and the quality of

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

teaching in numeracy and literacy has also been monitored. These factors have contributed strongly to the considerable improvement in the quality of teaching and the standards pupils achieve.

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

48. However, curriculum co-ordinators have not been fully involved in monitoring the quality of teaching and standards of pupils’ work in their subjects. The school recognises this extension to the role of the co-ordinators as an area for future development. The headteacher delegates responsibility well to the senior management team who appreciate this partnership approach and readily accept and fulfil their roles. A suitable system of appraisal is in place and is linked very closely to staff development through the Performance Management process. Support is provided where necessary and relevant courses are made available to staff to develop their expertise. By monitoring and evaluating the school’s performance on a day-to-day basis, the headteacher has a clear view of the effectiveness of the school and the impact of new initiatives. Effective induction procedures for new staff are established.

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

49. The school development plan has proved a useful, practical document and an important element in the strategic development of the school. The plan is devised after a thorough analysis of the school’s needs, taking account of the local and national initiatives. Governors are becoming more involved in the process, but do not yet have an effective role in the creation of the school development plan. The plan is linked to the school’s budget and is specific and sufficiently detailed. Subject co-ordinators have also been involved in developing subject action plans for the overall school development plan. St Andrew’s CE Primary School - 18 50. The governing body fulfils its responsibilities effectively and all statutory requirements are met. It is very supportive of the school's management, but has yet to act fully as a ‘critical friend’ of the school. Governors are becoming more fully involved in the school development plan and setting the

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

priorities for the school based on its prior achievements. The chair of the governing body has a clear view of the strategic direction, but recognises that the role of the governing body in monitoring the work of the school is not yet sufficiently developed. The governors are effective in overseeing the finances of the school and are continuing to develop their strategic role. Most governors are aware of the major strengths and challenges facing the school. Each governor is linked to a subject area within school, but these links are not yet sufficiently developed in most cases. Although many governors individually come into the school, they are not yet sufficiently informed about the day-to- day work of the school in order to be able to think more critically about the decisions they need to make. Developing this role is an important element of successfully fulfilling their role as governors of the school.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

51. The school has an appropriate range of aims and policies, which are implemented very well. These provide suitable guidance on most aspects of school life and underpin the very good ethos of the school. These aims are published in the school brochure. Almost all of the parents who returned a questionnaire to the inspectors consider that the school’s values have a positive effect on their children. Recent results indicate that standards are rising and the school has a commitment to the highest possible achievement by each individual pupil.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

52. The management of special educational needs provision is very good and represents a significant improvement since the time of the last inspection. The co-ordination of this area is particularly effective. The co-ordinators have taken full advantage of professional development courses. These have made a marked contribution in helping them to develop provision to the present high level. All staff have clear and comprehensive guidelines which include appropriate criteria for the early identification of these pupils. Additional staffing appointments of teachers and classroom assistants provide the pupils with a much improved level of provision. Well organised documentation is a strong feature. A member of the governing body who is also a classroom assistant has become the designated governor for special educational needs and works closely with the two co-ordinators.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

53. The co-ordination of the Foundation Stage needs is good. The Foundation Stage curriculum has been fully implemented and one admission date for childrens’ entry into school has been introduced. All staff involved with the infant classes have been trained on the requirements for the Foundation Stage and its implications for pupils’ education as they move up through the school.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

54. The schools’ accommodation is good and is maintained to a high standard by the school maintenance officer and cleaners. The quality of displays around the school is a significant feature of the school’s environment. Much work has been done recently to improve the school’s environment, both internally and externally. Outside the school, seating has been provided for children and environmental gardens were constructed to improve the attractiveness of the area at the front of the school building. Inside, work has continued on maintaining the fabric of the building and on making effective use of the small bays and additional teaching areas around the school.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

55. Learning resources are satisfactory, overall. Resources for Information and communication technology are good, including both hardware and software. Resources for most curriculum areas have improved significantly in the last eighteen months and are now satisfactory. However, non- fiction books in English, construction kits in design and technology and play equipment and a listening centre for children in the Foundation Stage are all in need of improvement.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

56. The school uses its resources efficiently. It plans and manages the budget very well to meet its educational objectives. The quality of the financial planning linked to the school development plan is good. The three-year plan is a well-written, comprehensive document which supports the checking of progress towards the achievement of educational priorities. The school has, through its effective finance committee, reviewed cost effectiveness and made savings wherever possible. Budget expenditure is monitored each term. Best value principles are applied constantly. Specific grants for the Standards Fund and for information and communication technology are used well for St Andrew’s CE Primary School - 19 the designated purposes. Very good use is made of new technology in the financial management of the school. The school is well placed to take part in new initiatives for receiving pupil information

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

57. The school secretary administers the day-to-day spending and provides valuable expertise to ensure the smooth running of the school. A recent audit confirmed the sound financial control and management procedures. Spending is monitored carefully and governors receive regular reports through the finance committee.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

58. The school is successful in meeting its stated aims. The headteacher, governors and staff share a common purpose in providing the best education for the pupils and have this aim foremost in all considerations. They fulfil their statutory duties and apply best value principles well. This shared commitment ensures that the school is extremely well placed to continue the improvement in the quality of all that it does. Taking account of the level of pupils’ attainment on entry; their good progress as they grow older; the good quality of education provided, the very good standards of behaviour and relationships found, the very good leadership and management of the school and the very good rate of improvement since the previous inspection, the school now gives good value for money. St Andrew’s CE Primary School - 20

p.21

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

59. In order to continue the rate of improvement achieved over the last four years and raise standards of attainment further, the governors, headteacher and staff of the school should:

p.22

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(a) Continue to raise standards of writing for pupils by the age of seven by:

p.22

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• Developing clear and consistent handwriting; • Extending ideas through use of interesting and wide-ranging vocabulary; • Providing pupils with a wider range of opportunities to develop their writing in subject areas.

p.22

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(Discussed in paragraphs 4, 74, 90, 107)

p.22

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(b) Further developing role of subject co-ordinators in monitoring standards and progress in their subjects by:

p.22

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• Providing subject co-ordinators with opportunities to monitor the quality of teaching in their areas of subject responsibility; • Providing subject co-ordinators with opportunities to monitor standards of pupils’ work, and their rate of progress.

p.22

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(Discussed in paragraphs 77, 84, 103, 108, 114, 120, 129, 136)

p.22

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(c) Improve the role of the governing body in advising the school of what it does well and what it could do better by:

p.22

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• Becoming more fully involved in the production of the school development plan; • Becoming more fully involved in monitoring the work of the school; • Becoming more informed about the day-to-day work of the school, in order to make informed decisions.

p.22

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(d) Develop procedures for assessing pupils’ progress in non-core subjects, by:

p.22

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• Establishing what pupils should know, understand and can do in each subject area; • Establishing manageable procedures for recording pupils’ progress.

p.22

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(Discussed in paragraphs 103, 108, 114, 129, 136)

p.22

OTHER ISSUES WHICH SHOULD BE CONSIDERED BY THE SCHOOL

• The school should consider improving the level of resource provision for children in the Foundation Stage by developing a listening centre and providing a suitable play area with large outdoor equipment.

p.22

OTHER ISSUES WHICH SHOULD BE CONSIDERED BY THE SCHOOL

(Discussed in paragraphs 55, 69 and 103) St Andrew’s CE Primary School - 21

p.22

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 27

p.23

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

p.23

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

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

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery YR – Y6

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 0 203

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils eligible for free school meals 0 71

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Special educational needs Nursery YR – Y6

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 0 4

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 0 64

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 0

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

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

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 16

p.23

Attendance

National comparative data 5.2 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. St Andrew’s CE Primary School - 22

p.23

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

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

p.24

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

p.24

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Boys 15 15 15 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 12 11 12

p.24

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentage of pupils School 87 (58) 84 (61) 87 (76) at NC level 2 or above National 83 (82) 84 (83) 90 (87)

p.24

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.24

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Boys 16 17 17 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 11 12 14

p.24

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentage of pupils School 87 (61) 94 (100) 100 (100) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (82) 88 (86) 88 (87)

p.24

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

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

p.24

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Year Boys Girls Total Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year

p.24

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

p.24

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Boys 7 6 9 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 10 11 13

p.24

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentage of pupils School 63 (54) 65 (57) 85 (43) at NC level 4 or above National 75 (70) 72 (69) 85 (78)

p.24

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.24

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Boys 6 6 6 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 8 10 9

p.24

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentage of pupils School 54 (46) 62 (57) 60 (43) at NC level 4 or above National 70 (68) 72 (69) 79 (75) St Andrew’s CE Primary School - 23 Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. St Andrew’s CE Primary School - 24

p.24

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage 0 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0

p.26

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – African heritage 0 Black – African heritage 0 0

p.26

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

p.26

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.26

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 9.2 Financial year 1999-2000

p.26

Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: R – Y6 Total expenditure 386,592

p.26

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 3.0 Expenditure per pupil 1,896

p.26

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 0 Balance brought forward from previous year 12,339

p.26

Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance carried forward to next year 13,233 St Andrew’s CE Primary School - 25

p.26

Percentage of responses in each category

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

p.27

Percentage of responses in each category

My child is making good progress in school. 70 29 2 0 0

p.27

Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 51 38 2 3 6

p.27

Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 44 46 6 0 3

p.27

Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 60 33 5 2 0

p.27

Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 70 21 5 3 2

p.27

Percentage of responses in each category

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 70 29 0 0 2

p.27

Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 59 30 6 2 3

p.27

Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 65 29 5 0 2

p.27

Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 59 33 6 0 2

p.27

Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 62 25 11 0 2 St Andrew’s CE Primary School - 26

p.27

Under fives

60. The children enter the reception class with attainment levels which are generally well below those expected for their age. However, the teaching at the foundation stage is consistently good so that they make good progress towards the nationally agreed early learning goals in all areas of their learning. By the time they are ready for Year 1, the vast majority achieve standards that are close to those expected for their age in mathematics, their knowledge and understanding of the world, their creative and physical development and in their personal and social development. Although some achieve the learning goals in language and literacy, the proportion doing so is less than that found nationally.

p.28

Under fives

61. The teaching is well planned and provides the children with a good variety of relevant experiences in literacy. They respond with enjoyment and listen intently. For example, the story of the frogs in 'Never snap at a bubble' reflected their increasing ability to listen and recall the sequence of the story. However, in response to questioning, many used a limited vocabulary and were less than confident in replying.

p.28

Under fives

62. The welcoming reading area encourages the children to choose and browse through attractively displayed books. Many understand how a book is organised and that print and pictures convey meaning in an ordered way. Some of the children can recognise an increasing number of familiar words, although their ability to sound and blend letters in unfamiliar words is less well developed.

p.28

Under fives

63. Close to a third of the children in the reception class can write, using consistently appropriate upper and lower case letters. However, many of the children frequently mix these letters, even when trying to write their own names. Many have difficulty in holding their pencils correctly and in forming their letters accurately.

p.28

Under fives

64. The planning of work in mathematics enables the children to experience a range of appropriate activities. These include opportunities to compare, match, sort, order, sequence and count during games, activities and experiences which are well organised. Most are able to recognise numbers to ten and the higher attainers can count reliably to this total. Some of these children can combine sets of objects, finding the total with accuracy. The children make good progress considering size, shape and position when completing challenging jigsaws, emptying and filling containers and sorting objects into heavy and light, long and short.

p.28

Under fives

65. A variety of interesting experiences help the children to develop their knowledge and understanding of the world. They are helped to develop their sense of time and place through a topic on themselves as babies and their subsequent growth. They are able to explore differences in the lives and needs of certain animals. With help they could identify some of the features which enable some animals to live with humans, while others remain wild. In construction work, many of the children know how to select and join materials together. For example, in constructing an ark to accommodate pairs of animals, they were able to create just sufficient area for the largest animals to walk on together. When using computers, the children demonstrate increasing control, using the mouse and they know how to control the cursor to achieve their desired intentions. For example, almost all dress a teddy bear on the screen. They select or discard various items of

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Under fives

clothing and know how to change their original selections to make more appropriate choices. Some of the higher attainers knew how to change colours when using 'Dazzle' to create their unique designs. Although the teaching provides the children with many valid experiences, more might be done to stimulate the children's curiosity and to engage them in investigational work.

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Under fives

66. The children enjoy the many physical experiences provided. In the hall, they move with growing dexterity and show awareness of their own space and the space needed by others. The teaching St Andrew’s CE Primary School - 27 seeks to help them improve their bodily control and the children respond well. For example, in a lesson based on animal movements, the children demonstrate growing confidence and control, varying skilfully the height, direction and speed of their movements. In the classroom, many of the children know how to hold correctly mark-making equipment, but a significant minority have less developed skills in this area.

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Under fives

67. The children derive much pleasure from the range of creative activities provided for them. They sing simple songs from memory. For example, in 'Rise and shine' they sang brightly and reasonably tunefully keeping to a rhythm. They use successfully a range of percussion instruments, exploring the sounds they make and holding the instruments correctly. The children gain much satisfaction in painting. Some of the higher attainers know how to hold their brushes correctly and to load and wipe them so that they have just sufficient paint for their purposes. Their animal paintings are bold, bright and well proportioned, with the best demonstrating the children's developing skills in paint mixing. Varied and well-planned experiences enable the children to develop their imaginative play. For example, an animal hospital is organised in one corner. This is well resourced and enables the children to gain increasing confidence through role-play, responding positively and attempting to

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Under fives

communicate their ideas and feelings. They tend sick animals, using bandages and make 'notes' in their appointment book. This activity is effectively supported by staff through well-timed interaction and introduces the children to some relevant wider vocabulary.

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Under fives

68. The teaching makes good provision for the children's personal, social and emotional development. Staff place much emphasis on helping the children to develop a good understanding of acceptable behaviour and what is right and wrong. The reception class children enjoy coming to school and learn quickly how to respond to the rules and routines which support acceptable ways of behaving. They work sensibly together and share and take turns appropriately. Most demonstrate independence in dressing and undressing and they show an increasing ability to select and use activities and resources.

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Under fives

69. The quality of teaching is consistently good. The industrious classroom assistant provides high quality support. Both adults create a good climate for learning, so that the children are happy, safe and secure. The adults have a good understanding of how children under five learn. Routines are well established and the planning of the work takes appropriate account of the national early learning goals. Good quality interaction and questioning support effectively the children's learning. Assessment is particularly well used to plan children's work and to help them build progressively on their early learning experiences. Early identification procedures enable the children with special educational needs to be supported from an early stage, so that they make good progress. Although the planning of the work inside the reception class is good, too little attention is given to planning outside activities to provide additional stimulating experiences for the under-fives.

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Under fives

Provision for outdoor play is poor. Insufficient large apparatus and an unstimulating external environment restrict the development of the children's learning. The small flat, grassed area and hard surfaced play area give the pupils insufficient opportunities to extend their learning through play. These areas lack shade and unlike other play areas around the school are without seats or benches.

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ENGLISH

70. Inspection findings show that, by the end of Year 2, pupils are attaining standards which are in line with the average in speaking and listening and reading, but below the average in writing and, therefore, below average in the subject, overall. By the end of Year 6, pupils are attaining standards which are broadly in line with the national average in all three aspects of the subject and, therefore, in line with the national average, overall. Given pupils’ low levels of language and literacy on entry to the school, they make consistently good progress in English as they move though the school. At the time of the last inspection, pupils at the end of both key stages were judged to be achieving broadly in line with national averages. Inspection evidence indicates that there has been a steady improvement, by the time pupils are eleven. No discernible differences were found between the attainment of boys and girls during the inspection, although statistical data show that boys attain

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ENGLISH

higher standards than girls. Lower attaining pupils and those with special educational needs are St Andrew’s CE Primary School - 28 very well supported by teachers, classroom assistants and the special educational needs co- ordinator and they also make good progress in relation to the targets they are set. 71. In the 2000 national tests for eleven year olds, the percentage of pupils attaining the expected level and the higher levels was below the national average. When these results are compared to schools with similar pupils, the pupils’ performance at the expected level was above the average. In the 2000 tests for seven year olds, the percentage of pupils attaining the expected level and the higher level in reading was below the national average. In writing, the percentage attaining the expected level was well below the national average. When the results in reading are compared to similar schools, the number of pupils attaining the expected level was above the national average. In

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ENGLISH

writing the proportion of pupils attaining the expected level was in line with the average when compared to similar schools. Over the last three years, standards of attainment in English have risen steadily, although they are below the national averages. In the 2000 National tasks and tests there was a significant improvement in pupils’ average points score in both reading and writing for pupils by the age of seven and in English for pupils by the age of eleven.

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ENGLISH

72. In speaking and listening, pupils’ attainment is in line with national expectations for pupils at both seven and eleven. By the age of seven, pupils answer questions sensibly and contribute well in class. For example, pupils in a Year 2 class listen carefully to ‘ A Dark, Dark Tale’ and discuss with the teacher issues like ‘How does the author make the story scary?’ In paired talk, they are given opportunities to talk to each other about times when they were scared. They recount their experiences confidently. In Year 6, pupils listen with good levels of concentration, following the main points of discussion and identifying the main points of persuasive language in the text. Higher attaining pupils are particularly fluent and have developed a strong and mature vocabulary. Average and lower attaining pupils speak clearly in conversation.

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ENGLISH

73. Attainment in reading is in line with the average for pupils at both seven and eleven and all pupils make good progress. Year 1 pupils approach their reading confidently. They read simple texts accurately and express opinions about major events in their books. By the age of seven, most pupils are fluent and accurate readers. They retell the story accurately and correct their own mistakes, using phonic and whole word strategies. Higher attaining pupils make simple inferences beyond the text and express preferences about books and authors. Pupils continue to make good progress between Years 3 and 6. The range and challenge of texts increases appropriately, so that, by the end of the key stage, pupils’ have a sound knowledge and understanding of books. They read with expression and meaning in a variety of situations. Higher attaining pupils show clear understanding of the main themes in texts and of the importance of characters and settings.

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ENGLISH

Reference skills are effectively developed. Pupils are familiar with glossaries and the contents and index pages in books, although the non-fiction resources in the school library are in urgent need of improvement.

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ENGLISH

74. Pupils’ attainment in writing is less well developed than their reading. By the age of seven it is below the national average and broadly in line with it by the time pupils are eleven. Pupils make good progress in their learning. Pupils in Year 1 write sentences independently. They show some knowledge of full stops, capital letters and question marks, but their handwriting is not always clear or their letter correctly formed. Year 2 pupils are beginning to extend their ideas, but too few use a growing range of interesting vocabulary. Most use basic words, but both spelling of these and letter formation are below the standards expected. The school has identified writing as an area in need of improvement on the school development plan. Pupils in Year 4 apply punctuation generally correctly, including speech marks and question marks. Their organisation of writing shows clear signs of improvement with beginnings, middles and ends in ‘ Gordon’s Adventure ’. The importance

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ENGLISH

of setting is understood and stories contain more detail. In Year 6, pupils understand that writers write for different purposes, for example, to persuade others of a point of view. They undertake a good range of different types of writing and extend their ideas, using interesting language and characterisations. Higher attaining pupils use complex sentences to extend meaning and for effect, for example, in a story ‘ Aliens from Planet Igasis . ’

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ENGLISH

75. The development of the National Literacy Strategy throughout the school is good. Pupils work hard during the literacy hour to improve their vocabulary and knowledge of grammar. Writing skills are used effectively in other subjects, such as history, geography and science. However, the quality of St Andrew’s CE Primary School - 29 work that results from these learning opportunities is in need of improvement. Pupils’ spelling and use of vocabulary to extend their ideas are below the standards expected. There are strong links between literacy and information and communication technology. Pupils in all classes use computer facilities to improve the presentation of their work and to develop their research and information skills through the use of the Internet.

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ENGLISH

76. The quality of teaching is good, overall. It is satisfactory or better in all lessons. In Years 1 and 2 and in Years 3 to 6, it is good or better in nine out of ten of lessons and very good in one-fifth of lessons. The high quality of teaching makes an important contribution to pupils’ learning. Pupils’ have positive attitudes to learning and behave extremely well in most English lessons. They are always ready to begin lessons on time and are very enthusiastic. When writing, pupils generally concentrate well and sustain their attention until the end of the lesson. Pupils’ enthusiasm and good behaviour are significant factors in promoting the good progress in many lessons. Teachers have a deep knowledge and understanding of English. They have embraced the structure of the literacy strategy very well. In their planning, learning aims are clear and are usually shared with pupils at the beginning of every lesson. As a result, pupils are aware of what is expected of them.

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ENGLISH

They enjoy the challenge of new language and work hard to apply their learning to written tasks. They easily recall what they have learned previously. Lessons are well paced with very good use made of all available time. Pupils are managed particularly well, and teachers make very good use of questioning to stimulate pupils’ ideas and thinking. This is true both of whole class sessions at the start of lessons and plenary sessions at the end of lessons, during which all teachers use questioning skills effectively to consolidate and assess pupils’ learning. There is a very pleasant, caring attitude in all classes. Work is marked frequently, comments are helpful as well as encouraging and assessment procedures in English are good. Class teachers analyse pupils’ performance in order to set targets for improvement

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ENGLISH

77. The subject is managed very well. The co-ordinator has worked hard to implement the literacy strategy and now has a much clearer role. There are well chosen resources in all aspects of literacy and the newly refurbished library is a useful resource. However, non-fiction resources are in need of further development. Improvement since the last inspection has been good. The school has a clear focus on providing appropriate resources and using assessment procedures to identify areas for improvement. Until now, the subject co-ordinator has had too few opportunities to monitor the quality of teaching and learning and pupils’ standards of attainment in the subject. Therefore, this aspect of the subject is one which is in need of development.

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MATHEMATICS

78. Results for the 2000 National Curriculum tests for pupils aged eleven were below the national average. The results were above average in comparison with similar schools and a marked improvement over the 1999 results. The results in the 2000 National Curriculum tests for pupils aged seven were well below the national average and below average in comparison with similar schools. The results were better than those in 1999. Since the last inspection, the results have broadly followed the national upward trend, but the improvement in the 2000 results was at a greater rate than nationally. Over the last three years, the results have steadily improved at a greater rate than the national trend.

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MATHEMATICS

79. Attainment by pupils at the age of seven is broadly in line with the expected level and better than indicated by the 2000 test results. This reflects the rate of improvement in recent years and is also due to the needs of higher attaining pupils being increasingly met, enabling them to improve their levels of attainment. Pupils have a sound understanding of number and reasonably good mental agility with figures. They say, write and order numbers up to one hundred. They recognise simple number patterns such as odd and even, count forwards and backwards in twos, fives and tens. They understand and use mathematical symbols and terms such as addition, subtraction, equals and digit correctly. They know the names of some two-dimensional shapes such as the circle, square, triangle and rectangle and begin to learn about weight, time and money. Numeracy skills by pupils on entry to the school are well below the expected level and all pupils make very good

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MATHEMATICS

progress in Years 1 and 2. Their confidence in using numbers increases markedly and they St Andrew’s CE Primary School - 30 develop sound understanding of mathematical terms, which they use well in talking about their work. For example, Year 2 pupils explained clearly their thinking when rounding numbers to the nearest ten. Year 1 pupils used circles, triangles, squares and rectangles to good effect in making attractive and imaginative pictures. Pupils in Year 2 extended their knowledge of shapes by identifying basic symmetry properties of some simple two-dimensional shapes. 80. Attainment by pupils near the end of Year 6 is broadly in line with the expected level and better than indicated by the 2000 test results. This confirms that the marked upward trend in attainment over recent years is being sustained. The vast majority of pupils have sound and reasonably accurate computational skills and mental agility. They generally solve number problems

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MATHEMATICS

accurately and confidently. They apply their number skills to practical skills involving money, weight, length and time. Most pupils have a sound understanding of fractions and are able to convert them to decimals, using a calculator if necessary. They have a good appreciation of shapes and calculate perimeters and areas competently. They use co-ordinates accurately and use them to devise simple picture puzzles. Pupils undertake practical problems confidently and receive good support and guidance from teachers in presenting their work. For example, pupils in Year 6 worked well, using plans to calculate the cost of carpets to fully furnish a very large house with many rooms. Data handling skills are generally good and pupils use their computing skills to good effect in presenting data in tables and attractive graphical forms. For example, all the data, costings, etc. for the practical carpet exercise were computer-processed and formed the basis of a

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MATHEMATICS

very attractive and informative display. Pupils make good progress between Years 3 to 6. They gain considerably in confidence in their numerical skills and in tackling mathematical problems.

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MATHEMATICS

81. Lower attaining pupils and those with special educational needs make good progress throughout the school. Their needs are well catered for through the provision of suitably modified tasks in all lessons. They receive very good support and encouragement from teachers and support staff to reach standards in line with their educational potential.

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MATHEMATICS

82. The quality of teaching is, overall, good and, occasionally, very good or excellent. Teachers have good subject knowledge, which they use to good effect in their teaching. They plan lessons very well to meet the needs of all pupils with modified tasks to appropriately challenge pupils of all abilities. Appropriate lesson objectives are clearly identified, but not always effectively shared with pupils. Teachers use the opening mental sessions to good effect, ensuring a brisk opening to lessons and assessing pupils’ mental agility with numbers and mathematical strategies. The lesson development generally maintains the opening pace, introduces new work and sets clear guidelines for the set tasks. Pupils are actively involved in the development of new material or ideas, but, occasionally, there is insufficient involvement of pupils of all abilities and this results in some inattention or lack of clarity regarding the set tasks. Pupils enjoy their mathematics lessons.

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MATHEMATICS

They respond particularly well to the mental sessions, where there is brisk pace and an element of competition. They behave well, are attentive listeners and settle quickly on the set tasks, maintaining good concentration. During group activities, they co-operate well, exchanging ideas with all contributing to the work in hand. They support each other very well. Pupils take pride in the presentation of their work, which is generally neat and clearly set out.

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MATHEMATICS

83. Teachers use questions well to assess knowledge and understanding. For example, pupils in Year 4 participated well in a session revising strategies for adding a string of numbers and then developing strategies for subtracting nine, nineteen and twenty-nine from numbers. Teachers plan imaginative tasks for pupils. For example, Year 1 pupils gained sound appreciation of time through the production of a leaflet showing a sequence of events on a train journey such as seeing cows in a field and the first sight of the sea before arriving at the station. Teachers use time well in setting clear targets for set work and making good use of the final plenary session to review progress in the lesson. Pupils’ work is regularly and accurately marked. Supportive comments are made.

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MATHEMATICS

84. The curriculum is well planned, based on the National Numeracy Strategy, and fully meets the requirements of the National Curriculum programmes of study. Pupils are regularly assessed in each year and full details of these assessments, together with baseline and national test results, are used well to track pupils’ progress and to set targets for the school. The use of assessment data for target setting is still in its early development and, as yet, is not fully shared with pupils or parents. Leadership of the subject is good and all teachers have had recent in-service training in St Andrew’s CE Primary School - 31 the area of mathematics. Since the last inspection, standards have steadily improved, particularly in Key Stage 2, and much has been done to challenge more effectively the higher attainers and to improve support and guidance for pupils’ investigations in mathematics. The role of the co-ordinator

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MATHEMATICS

has not yet been fully developed to provide for the full monitoring of the subject needed to raise standards further.

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SCIENCE

85. In the national tests for eleven year-olds in 2000, the proportion of pupils reaching the expected level was just below the national average, but the proportion reaching higher than the expected level was well below the national average. The results were above average in comparison with similar schools and a considerable improvement on the 1999 results. In the teacher assessments at the end of Year 2 in 2000, the proportion of pupils reaching the nationally expected level was very high in comparison with the national average and the proportion reaching higher than the expected level was also above the national average. The results were similar to those in 1999. Since the last inspection, the results have shown a steady and sustained improvement.

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SCIENCE

86. Attainment by pupils near the end of Year 2 is broadly in line with the national average, but not quite as good as indicated by the 2000 teacher assessments. The proportion of pupils reaching the expected level remains high, but the proportion exceeding the higher than expected level is lower, reflecting the ability spread in the current cohort. Pupils have sound knowledge of the topics covered. They recognise the characteristics of living things and how different animals move in different ways. They know about the life cycles of the butterfly and the frog. They recognise a force as a push or a pull and can identify the forces involved in a water-wheel and a windmill. They construct simple electrical circuits and identify magnetic and non-magnetic materials. Pupils’ level of attainment in science on entry to the school is well below the expected level and they achieve very well in Years 1 and 2. They develop their natural curiosity and begin to make systematic

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SCIENCE

observations of materials and their surroundings. Good use is made of the school grounds to observe the growth of plants and trees and to recognise the variety of small animals that live there. Their investigative skills are developed to recognise a fair test. They test a range of materials to assess their suitability for use in making umbrellas. They set up experiments to find the best conditions for seeds to germinate and investigate how the slope of a ramp affects the distance travelled by a toy car on leaving the ramp.

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SCIENCE

87. Attainment by pupils near the end of Year 6 is broadly in line with the national average and slightly better than indicated by the 2000 test results, confirming that the rising trend over recent years is being maintained. Pupils are more secure in their knowledge base. They understand how light travels and how shadows form. They recognise how the properties of materials determine their usage and how materials may undergo permanent or temporary change on heating. They know about micro-organisms and how some, such as yeast, can be useful, whereas others, such as bacteria and moulds, can be harmful. Pupils talk freely about their work and are generally accurate in their use of terminology, but their written work is much less developed, reflecting generally below average literacy skills. Spelling is generally weak, even of key words and sentence structure is rather immature. Pupils make satisfactory progress through Years 3 to 6. They generally become

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SCIENCE

more questioning in their attitude to their work and readily follow up lessons with their own search for information. For example, pupils in Year 3 followed up a lesson on shadows by seeking out information from books and the Internet to explain how lunar and solar eclipses are formed. Skills in carrying out investigations develop satisfactorily and pupils display good skills in designing fair tests in all topic areas. They make sensible predictions about the results and some higher attaining pupils confidently link their predictions to a related theory. For example, a pupil in Year 5 linked the rate of evaporation of water to surface area in predicting that a rolled up wet garment would dry out much slower than one laid out flat.

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SCIENCE

88. Lower attaining pupils and those with special educational needs make good progress throughout the school. They are fully involved in all the activities in science classes and receive very good support and encouragement from both teachers and support staff in all lessons. Where St Andrew’s CE Primary School - 32 appropriate, they receive suitably modified tasks and they work hard to achieve standards in line with their potential.

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SCIENCE

89. Overall, the quality of teaching is good and occasionally very good. Teachers’ subject knowledge is generally good and this is reflected in confident leadership in lessons and the good use of questions to assess pupils’ understanding across the whole ability range. Lessons are well planned with clear learning objectives and a variety of activities appropriate to the topic. Teachers generally have high expectations of pupils and lessons proceed at a good pace. For example, Year 6 pupils maintained good concentration and responded well to a series of rapidly posed questions to revise their knowledge of materials and their properties. The teacher used a good range of materials to challenge pupils’ understanding and probed their answers to encourage them to develop their thinking. Practical investigations are well used in each area of work and these effectively extend pupils’ planning skills. However, pupils do not develop their skills in

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SCIENCE

measurement consistently in investigations. Many final judgements are qualitative in nature, such as “it is harder” or “it goes further”, and opportunities for developing data handling skills in science are lost. Pupils respond very positively to their science lessons. They listen attentively to teachers and are very keen to answer questions, offer suggestions and discuss ideas. They work very well together in their groups on the set tasks and freely exchange ideas and share in the activities. They maintain good concentration and a satisfactory work rate. Their behaviour is generally good and they respect all equipment and materials used. Their written work is well presented, but free writing is rather limited in quantity and the quality is below the level expected of pupils of their age.

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SCIENCE

90. The curriculum is well planned, with a good balance of topics each year and the scheme of work demonstrates very sound progression through the school. Pupils’ knowledge and understanding are regularly assessed and the data obtained are effectively used to monitor their progress and to set targets for the subject, but not yet used to set targets for individual pupils. Leadership of the subject is good. Much has been achieved since the last inspection to develop the area of investigative work in science within the scheme of work, which is based on the proposals of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority. There is a good action plan with clear and realistic objectives aimed at the further raising of standards. However, the subject co-ordinator does not yet have sufficient opportunities to monitor standards or the quality of teaching and learning in the subject, and this is an area in need of development.

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ART AND DESIGN

91. The standards achieved by pupils aged seven and eleven are in line with those expected nationally. Some of the work is of a high standard. The pupils at all levels of attainment, including those with special educational needs, generally make good progress in relation to their prior attainment. This reflects a similar position to that found at the time of the last inspection.

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ART AND DESIGN

92. The teaching provides the pupils with a variety of experiences so that they make good progress in exploring and developing their ideas and in extending their knowledge of art and design. From an early stage, the pupils learn to mix and apply paint effectively and to use a range of different media. For example, pupils in Year 1 are taught weaving techniques which enable them to produce good quality work which demonstrates their use of well chosen colour combinations and textures.

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ART AND DESIGN

93. The planning of work is generally good, so that the pupils develop imaginatively in two and three dimensions. For example, in Year 5, well-taught techniques enabled the pupils to produce a range of carefully constructed and attractively decorated containers for various purposes. Some of their clay coil pots are of good quality and the well-planned container designs reflect the pupils' developing aesthetic taste and awareness.

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ART AND DESIGN

94. Throughout the school, the broad content of the curriculum helps the pupils to develop their knowledge of the work and styles of artists from our own and other cultures. For example, Year 3 pupils created their own Rangoli designs as part of their work on Diwali. In a Year 6 class, they are beginning to compare and contrast the works of Monet, Van Gogh, Lowry and Constable as part of their studies on urban and rural landscapes. The pupils demonstrate their increasing range St Andrew’s CE Primary School - 33 of appropriate vocabulary using words such as pattern, tone, line, shape and form to describe the different feelings which the various prints evoke.

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ART AND DESIGN

95. The school makes good use of specialists in the locality to help the pupils develop their skills in art and design. For example, older pupils benefited greatly from the expertise of a local artist who helped them create a set of dramatic sculptures. The pupils were helped to use wire and modroc to good effect when making some of the main characters in the story of 'The feeding of the five thousand '. The resultant display in the school hall has much impact. It also reflects the improved level of resources available since the last inspection. Good links with the local secondary school also enable the pupils to develop their art and design skills. Recently, Year 6 worked at the school to produce some extremely effective clay turtles, lizards and crocodiles. The models had been fired in the kiln and finished with great attention to detail, reflecting the pupils' progress in communicating imaginatively, using a range of challenging media.

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ART AND DESIGN

96. The pupils enjoy art lessons and respond keenly to the teaching, which is generally of good quality. However, while the content of the work meets the requirements of the National Curriculum in most respects, the planning gives too little attention to developing the pupils' skills in drawing from observation.

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ART AND DESIGN

97. Since the last inspection report, a co-ordinator has been appointed, resources have improved and the work is planned more effectively, so that the pupils build progressively on their knowledge, skills and understanding in art and design. In addition, a clearer rational for using art notebooks has resulted in a more focused use for developing the pupils' drawing and design skills. Assessment procedures are being developed, where art books go with the pupil as they move classes and a portfolio of work by year group is being developed. However, the subject co-ordinator does not yet have any opportunities to monitor standards or the quality of teaching and learning in the subject and this is an area in need of development.

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ART AND DESIGN

98. Overall, the subject makes a significant contribution to the aims of the school and to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

99. Owing to timetable arrangements it was possible to observe only two lessons in design and technology, one in each key stage. Judgements on standards are made on the basis of these observations, analysis of pupils’ work, displays and discussions with pupils. Attainment by pupils at age seven years and eleven years is broadly in line with the expected standards. Most pupils, including those with special educational needs, make sound progress as they move through the school. Standards have improved markedly since the last inspection.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

100. Pupils near the end of Year 2 have satisfactory design and construction skills and have experience of working with paper, card and various fabrics. They enjoy producing designs for their artefacts and they have a sound range of basic skills. They mark out and cut materials quite accurately and can stitch and glue components competently. Pupils display creativity in designing finger and glove puppets and in decorating the finished product. They use their artistic talents in simple weaving, using a range of materials such as strips of coloured paper, fabrics and wool to create patterns. They learn the principles of hygiene in food technology through the making of a fruit salad to cater for the tastes of the class members, whose fruit preferences had been previously analysed in order to select the range of ingredients. Pupils of all abilities make good progress in Years 1 and 2.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

101. Pupils near the end of Year 6 are more sophisticated and analytical in their work. Design skills are developed to a greater extent than construction skills as the range of tools and model kits, although developing, are still rather limited and pupils have not fully gained experience in working with them. Pupils in Year 5 examine the construction of packaging and then design and make their own container for a secret wish. In the area of food technology, Year 5 pupils bake bread and learn much about different types of bread and the milling of flour. They produce colourful, St Andrew’s CE Primary School - 34 informative and very professional booklets on the topic, using their computing skills to full advantage. Artistic design and creativity are well shown in a display of hats made by Year 6 pupils for a variety of characters from children’s stories such as Goldilocks, Humpty Dumpty, Tom Thumb

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

and Rapunzel. A wide variety of materials is used and the decoration uses both paint and embroidery to good effect. Pupils use construction kits to develop understanding of how wheeled vehicles operate and are constructed. The range of model kits is insufficient and pupils’ appreciation of the more sophisticated aspects of technology, such as the use of gears and steering mechanisms, is not well developed. Pupils in Year 4 use electrical components in designing and making a torch from everyday materials.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

102. In the two lessons observed, the teaching was at least satisfactory. Teachers generally have satisfactory knowledge of the subject and identify clear skill objectives for the tasks. They organise materials and activities well and give good supervision and support to pupils during the practical sessions. Time is well planned. For example, full use was made of a split lesson with Year 5 pupils. In the first session, the design brief was fully discussed and the three group activities were clearly set out. The second session was devoted to the activities and all groups achieved a good degree of success in their work on wheeled vehicles, one group using construction kits, another designing vehicles and the third constructing models from cardboard and wood. Pupils enjoy their technology lessons. They listen well to instructions and demonstrate clear commitment to the challenges set for them. They are keen to discuss their design ideas and older

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

pupils recognise the need to reassess and modify work as they proceed. They are quite critical in their analysis of the finished product.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

103. Since the last inspection, the teaching of technology has improved considerably and standards of attainment by pupils have also improved. The new co-ordinator is a subject specialist and has done much to develop the subject. There is a clear subject policy and a very good scheme of work that has a good balance of work in each year and clear progression in the development of skills. The range of materials, tools and model kits has been greatly increased and, with the exception of the more sophisticated model kits, there is an adequate range of resources to fully meet the teaching needs. The co-ordinator gives good support to teachers in developing their lesson planning. Procedures for assessing pupils’ progress are largely informal, but are not yet sufficiently well developed. A portfolio of pupils’ work is being developed to assist all teachers in their assessment of standards. Procedures for the full monitoring of the subject throughout the

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

school are not developed and remain an area of weakness, at present.

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GEOGRAPHY

104. Four geography lessons were observed during the inspection, but only one of these was in the infant classes. Judgements are made on the basis of these observations, scrutiny of pupils’ work and displays and discussions with pupils. Attainment by pupils at the ages of seven and eleven is broadly in line with expectations for their ages. Standards are similar to those observed at the time of the previous inspection.

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GEOGRAPHY

105. In the first two years, pupils develop a sound awareness of the local area and its diversity. They begin to make simple maps of the school and its surroundings. They recognise that different buildings serve different functions, such as the church, shops, post office and homes. For example, pupils in Year 2 drew pictorial representations of the school buildings and grounds, streets of houses, and the church. They placed these accurately on an outline of the local roads to produce an aerial representation of the area. They contrast their surroundings with a very different community through a study of the island of Struay and the story of Katie Morag who lives on the island. Pupils draw good pictures to represent their work, but written work is very limited and not of a satisfactory quality, reflecting pupils’ below average writing skills. Pupils achieve well in this key stage in developing basic geographical skills, which are in line with the expected

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GEOGRAPHY

106. By the end of Year 6, pupils have a broad and satisfactory knowledge and understanding of many aspects of geography. Their map skills are good, particularly in the use of large-scale maps of the St Andrew’s CE Primary School - 35 area. For example, pupils in Year 3 readily and accurately locate their own homes on a local map and plot their route to and from school, relating their journey to local shops and buildings. They use the globe, atlases and other maps efficiently to locate major features such as oceans, continents, rivers and mountain ranges. They understand the water cycle in nature and how river systems develop and change the landscape through erosion. Pupils have sound skills in accessing, presenting and interpreting data such as climate data from different countries and localities and surveys of domestic water usage. Pupils in Year 6 obtain information from Internet sites on a variety of mountain environments and river systems. Pupils of all abilities make

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GEOGRAPHY

satisfactory progress through Years 3 to 6. They develop an awareness of the diversity of different environments both within their own country and others. Through their studies, they become sensitive to different communities, such as India and Southern Spain. They recognise how developments such as local pedestrianisation projects and tourist developments have both positive and negative benefits.

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GEOGRAPHY

107. The quality of teaching, overall, is good. Teachers plan lessons well with clear learning objectives and make good use of time and a variety of resources to create a good learning environment for all pupils. They use their good subject knowledge well in their confident delivery and good use of questions to stimulate pupils’ thinking and challenge them to express ideas clearly. For example, pupils in Year 6 responded well to a series of questions reviewing their knowledge of Southern Spain and developed a range of balanced views on the development of tourism in the area in recent years. Pupils of all abilities enjoy their geography lessons. They enjoy using atlases and maps to locate places and they are enthusiastic about learning of other countries and communities. They are good listeners and keen participants in discussions. They work well together on group activities and share the work well, exchanging ideas and supporting each other well. Lower

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GEOGRAPHY

attaining pupils and those with special educational needs benefit particularly from such activities. They receive good support from their peers and teachers to produce work in line with their potential. Pupils’ writing, however, generally lacks the clarity and accuracy of their speaking and the spelling of many key words is regularly incorrect.

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GEOGRAPHY

108. The curriculum is well planned and the scheme of work, based on the proposals of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, gives a good balance of work in each year and good progression through the school. Some aspects of geography are effectively covered through the use of non-fiction books in literacy sessions, for example natural disasters such as volcanic eruptions and floods. Leadership of the subject is good and the co-ordinator has achieved much since the last inspection in developing the teaching scheme and improving the range and quality of the resources. New atlases have recently been acquired to replace ageing stock and the range of good photographs and posters has been considerably increased. Assessment of pupils’ work is largely informal, but no central records of assessments are kept to monitor pupils’ progress through the school. A portfolio of pupils’ work is being collected to assist in the development

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GEOGRAPHY

procedures. At present, there are no arrangements for the systematic monitoring of the teaching of the subject throughout the school.

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HISTORY

109. Owing to timetable arrangements, it was possible to observe only one lesson in history in the infant classes. Judgements on standards at the age of seven are made on the basis of this observation, analysis of pupils’ work, displays and discussions with pupils. Attainment by pupils aged seven and eleven is broadly in line with the expected standards. Most pupils, including those with special educational needs, make sound progress as they move through the school. Standards are similar to those observed at the time of the last inspection.

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HISTORY

110. Pupils in the infant classes show an awareness of the differences between the past and the present. For example, they know that horses were a common form of transport in the past. By the age of seven, most pupils have developed a clear understanding of the differences between the past and the present. In their studies of the Great Fire of London and Florence Nightingale, they show knowledge of the main events and people. They know that Florence Nightingale was a nurse who went to Scutari to cure sick soldiers. They can explain how the Great Fire of London started and St Andrew’s CE Primary School - 36 what measures were taken to stop it. They devise their own questions to ask about holidays in the past.

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HISTORY

111. In the junior classes, pupils continue to develop their historical knowledge and understanding, and sense of chronological awareness through their historical studies. They investigate Anglo-Saxon objects, using historical questions, and explore features of housing in the 1920s and 1930s, using historical objects. By the time pupils are in Year 6, they identify characteristics of life in the Victorian era through a study of living and working conditions. They have an appropriate understanding of historical change, for example the development of gas compared to electricity in the modern era. They also demonstrate a sound understanding the differences between the lives of the rich and the poor in Victorian society.

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HISTORY

112. The quality of teaching in history is satisfactory. Teachers have a secure subject knowledge and understanding of the subject. They use a variety of artefacts and other materials to bring the subject alive for the pupils. They use questions extremely well to stimulate pupils’ ideas and to retain their interest in the subject matter. Pupils respond well to this stimulation and have good attitudes towards the subject. They enjoy being challenged to think and are interested in how people lived in past times. They are keen to explore new ideas and exchange these with each other. They behave well and co-operate well with partners in paired and small group activities. Increasing use is being made of information and communication technology to further enhance pupils’ research skills, particularly through the Internet. Year 6 pupils download information from Internet sites in the research into Victorian schools.

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HISTORY

113. The curriculum co-ordinator is enthusiastic and has been successful in implementing the scheme of work. The curriculum for history is well planned in order to motivate pupils’ interest in people and events of the past. It is based on the proposals of the Qualification and Curriculum Authority, and is well-organised and structured to provide pupils with continuity and progression in their learning. The co-ordinator receives copies of teachers’ plans for their topics and has plans to develop a portfolio of pupils’ work as examples of the school’s practice in the subject. However, there are too few opportunities to monitor teaching and learning or to monitor pupils’ standards of attainment in the subject, as yet. Procedures for assessing pupils’ progress are not yet sufficiently developed either and are in need of development. Resources are satisfactory and have improved to enable the effective delivery of the scheme of work.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

114. The school has made very good progress since the last inspection in improving provision for information and communication technology in relation to the areas identified as being in need of development at that time. The curriculum for information and communication technology now meets statutory requirements and levels of hardware and software have improved and are good, with the development of the specialist information and communication technology room. Each class in the school has between one and two hours timetabled access to this facility each week. Teachers’ subject knowledge has improved and a scheme of work provides a secure outline of continuity and progression of pupils’ learning. These initiatives have had a positive impact on pupils’ standards of attainment, which are now in line with the expected levels for pupils at the ages of both seven and eleven.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

115. It was possible to observe only one lesson In Years 1 and 2 during the inspection, but it is clear from the lesson observed, analysis of pupils’ work and talking to teachers and pupils that, by the age of seven, the attainment of most pupils matches the attainment levels expected for their age. They know how to save and print their work and use word processing facilities appropriately to change the colour, size and style of text. They use drawing programs to produce their own pictures and use the tools within the programs to add colours, shapes and effects to their work.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

116. By the age of eleven, the attainment of most pupils matches the level expected for their age. Pupils with special educational needs make satisfactory progress in the subject. Pupils in Years 4 and 5 re-open saved pieces of work and retrieve information from the Internet for a variety of topics. They St Andrew’s CE Primary School - 37 produce posters for display around the school, in which they change the size and style of fonts and insert images in to their work. They create charts in Excel from data they have collected in mathematics. By Year 6, most pupils retrieve stored information in relation to topics on Islam and Victorian Schools. They produce their own web pages as a part of a class web site. They know how to add web sites to their ‘favourites’ section and use search engines with confidence to find specific information. They download images from the Internet into a document and add their own

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

text. They develop their own spreadsheets and use simple formulae to calculate the cost of sweets, producing a bar chart to show specific quantities needed.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

117. The quality of teaching observed during the inspection was good throughout the school. In the most effective lessons, teaching makes very good use of Smart Board technology to undertake whole class demonstrations to pupils of what they need to do. For example, it is used to show Year 6 pupils how to select and add Internet sites and pages to the favourites section. Planning ensures that lessons build on pupils’ prior learning experiences through the systematic use of the scheme of work. Good use is made of available resources, including specialist technical help from the technician employed through the partner high school. Teachers manage pupils particularly well in the specialist room and organise relevant activities for pupils who are not working at the computers. The monitoring of learning is good and teachers use their knowledge of the programs and applications to support pupils’ progress. Pupils respond extremely well to their teachers and have

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

positive attitudes towards information and communication technology. They focus well on the tasks they are set, concentrating well and sustaining their interest and enthusiasm. They take responsibility for their own learning and show good levels of confidence and independence in using the programs. Teachers have secure subject knowledge and give clear instructions and demonstrations. They organise lessons well and make good use of plenary sessions to review pupils’ learning and set further targets for improvement.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

118. The leadership of the subject is very good. The subject co-ordinator has a clear vision of how information and communication technology can contribute to pupils’ learning. Staff development has taken place through the New Opportunities Fund scheme and this, along with other in-service provision, has resulted in increased staff confidence. Since the previous inspection, both hardware and software resources have improved significantly and are now good. The specialist room has eighteen networked, Internet linked computers and there are additional computers in classrooms, although these machines are not yet linked to the network. The school also has other equipment, which is put to good use in supporting pupils’ teaching and learning, for example, the Internet Smart Board and the digital camera. The school now needs to take a more strategic view of resource development in information and communication technology in order to improve resources

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

and pupils’ access to computer facilities even further. A whole school scheme of work ensures that statutory requirements are met and that there is continuity and progression of pupils’ learning.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

119. Good progress has been made in developing assessment procedures in information and communication technology to monitor pupils’ progress in the subject. Pupils have a self- assessment journal, which they complete regularly and which provides evidence of what they have done and how they think they can improve. A record of pupils’ progress has also been produced, focusing on pupils’ progress in key skills across each year group. The subject co-ordinator now needs to become more involved in monitoring the quality of teaching and learning, and pupils’ standards of attainment in the subject.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

120. Teachers plan opportunities for pupils to use information and communication technology in a range of subject areas. Particularly good use is made to support pupil’s learning in literacy, but information and communication technology also features strongly in mathematics and, during the inspection, was seen to support pupils’ learning in most subject areas.

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MUSIC

121. By the age of eleven, the great majority of the pupils reach the standards expected nationally. Almost all, including those with special educational needs, make good progress in relation to their prior attainment. The school’s timetabling arrangements meant that it was not possible to observe St Andrew’s CE Primary School - 38 any music lessons in classes of the younger pupils. The standards pupils attain reflect a similar position to that found at the time of the last inspection.

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MUSIC

122. The pupils are introduced to an appropriate programme of work. This enables them to create musical patterns, explore and organise sounds and ideas and to listen to and express their feelings about music. The pupils sing tunefully with confidence and good diction. By Year 6, they recall an increasing repertoire of appropriate songs and hymns. They sing with increasing attention to correct posture and breathing. This helps them to give shape to a song by breathing at the end of a phrase.

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MUSIC

123. Throughout the school, the pupils are taught effectively to hold and play a range of percussion instruments. For example, Year 4 pupils recognise how sounds can be organised and used expressively. They understand how to produce and read a graphic score, holding their instruments correctly while playing with increasing dexterity and control.

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MUSIC

124. The older pupils benefit greatly from their previous learning and many demonstrate increasing skills, playing tuned percussion instruments, including the glockenspiel and xylophone. They have a good understanding of pitch and can play accurately a number of simple tunes.

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MUSIC

125. By Year 6, effective teaching enables the pupils to develop a deeper knowledge and understanding of music from our own and other cultures. They demonstrate an increasing musical vocabulary. For example, in a Year 6 class, they accurately used words including staccato, syncopation, harmony and legato when responding to their teacher's probing questions.

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MUSIC

126. The school has an enthusiastic choir who clearly enjoy the experiences this provides for them. They sing on many different occasions and recently made an effective contribution to a school performance entitled ' A musical extravaganza' .

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MUSIC

127. The quality of teaching is generally good and the planning takes account of the interrelated skills of performing, composing and appraising. This enables the pupils to readily acquire new skills and understanding so that their progress is generally good.

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MUSIC

128. Since the last inspection, the school now has a music co-ordinator although resources have not improved significantly. In consequence, it is difficult for older pupils to develop their composition skills in the absence of good quality recording equipment or to save incomplete compositions. However, the school has maintained the standards found at the time of the last inspection, although appropriate assessment procedures have yet to be implemented.

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MUSIC

129. The content of the work meets the requirements of the National Curriculum and the subject makes an important contribution to the aims of the school and to the pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. All pupils have access to the full range of activities provided and they derive much pleasure from the tasks they experience.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

130. No lessons in physical education were seen in the infant classes during the inspection or in the Year 6 class. Therefore, it was not possible to make a judgement about the attainment of pupils by the age of seven. Evidence from lessons in classes between Years 3 and 5 indicate that pupils in those classes, including those with special educational needs, make sound progress and are working towards the levels expected by the time they are eleven. Scrutiny of documentation and discussions with staff and pupils indicate that pupils have a balanced programme of physical education in the infant classes. The school has made satisfactory progress in maintaining and improving pupils’ standards of attainment since the previous inspection.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

131. Between Years 3 and 5 pupils develop their movement and basic games skills. They know the purpose of the ‘warm-up’ and ‘cool-down’ parts of lessons, recognising the effects of exercise on their own bodies. They demonstrate effective co-ordination skills and incorporate their own ideas to St Andrew’s CE Primary School - 39 produce different types of jump. In tennis, most pupils throw a ball with satisfactory accuracy, and catch it. They strike a ball with a racquet with varying degrees of accuracy and show some thought in how they hold the racquet. They evaluate their progress and are aware of how they might improve their performance.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

132. Although it was not possible to observe swimming lessons, records indicate that by the age of eleven most pupils reach the National Curriculum target of swimming 25 metres. .

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

133. Pupils in all classes made satisfactory progress in the lessons observed during the inspection. It is clear from the lessons observed that, over time, most pupils make satisfactory progress in physical education as they grow older. Their attitude in lessons is always at least satisfactory and sometimes very good. They enjoy the opportunity to engage in physical activity and almost all pupils behave well, even when they have to sit still, listening to the teacher or waiting their turn to demonstrate. They all follow safety rules well. Pupils co-operate with one another in pairs and small groups and use their initiative and imagination creatively.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

134. The quality of teaching is sound throughout the school. Teachers have a secure knowledge and understanding of the requirements of the subject and all safety issues. In lessons, teachers have sound expectations of pupils’ behaviour and performance. In the lessons seen, teachers demanded constant effort from all the pupils in order to extend their movements beyond a satisfactory level. Teachers monitor performance carefully and use pupil demonstration and review to show pupils how to improve their work. They build these assessment strategies into lessons and use them to check progress and inform the planning of future work.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

135. The co-ordinator has good skills and staff share her enthusiasm. Training is provided in football, netball and rugby. She has worked hard to develop a range of extra-curricular activities, which are based around physical education and sport. Resources are satisfactory both in quality and quantity. A scheme of work has been developed for physical education, based on the proposals of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority. At present, the co-ordinator has little opportunity to monitor the quality of work produced from the scheme and there are no formal procedures for assessing pupils’ progress over time. These are both seen as important areas of development in the co-rdinator’s role as subject leader.

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