Field Place Infant School

FIELD PLACE FIRST SCHOOL

Reporting inspector: Dr Pauline Buzzing OBE

p.1

FIELD PLACE FIRST SCHOOL

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

p.1

FIELD PLACE FIRST SCHOOL

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

p.2

INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Nelson Road Worthing West Sussex Postcode: BN12 6EN

p.3

INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The Governing Body

p.3

INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Mr Jon Howcroft-Stemp

p.3

INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: July 1997 Field Place First School - 4

p.3

Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

15849 Pauline Buzzing Registered inspector Science; music The school’s results and pupils’ achievements; How well are pupils taught? How good are the curricular and other opportunities offered to pupils? How well is the school led and managed? What should the school do to improve further? 9756 Kenneth Parsons Lay Inspector Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development. How well does the school care for its pupils? How well does the school work in partnership with parents? 1951 Yvonne Crizzle Team Inspector English, including literacy; English as an additional language; art and design; design and technology. 21992 Jean Newing Team Inspector Pupils in the Foundation Stage; special educational needs; geography; history; physical education. 31029 Peter Thrussell Team Inspector Mathematics, including numeracy; information and communication technology; religious education; equality of opportunity. 7465 Richard Brent Team Inspector

p.4

Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

The unit for pupils with special educational needs

p.4

Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Serco QAA Ltd Herringston Barn Herringston Dorchester DT2 9PU

p.4

Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect 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:

p.4

Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

p.4

Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Field Place First School - 5

p.4

PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 6

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

p.5

HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS? 10

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

p.5

INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

The school is situated to the west of Worthing in West Sussex, and serves local children between the ages of 3 and 8. The pupils come from a range of home environments: many pupils are nurtured and well supported through all aspects of home life, but some come from complex home circumstances and find the daily routine of school a source of comfort and security. The 263 pupils on roll make the school larger than others of the same type. At 21 per cent, the proportion of pupils taking free school meals is above the national average. Some 14 pupils come from homes where English is not the first language, and this is below average, and three are at an early stage of acquiring the language. The school has 105 pupils identified as having a special educational need; 69 at the stage known as School Action, 18 on School Action Plus and 16 pupils have a Statement of Special Educational Need. The needs range from

p.6

INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

speech and communication difficulties to emotional and behaviour problems, and a significant number of other pupils have poorly developed communication skills. The percentage of pupils with special educational needs is 42 per cent, well above the national average. There is a particularly high percentage of pupils with learning difficulties in the current Year 3. Attainment on entry is well below average, and is lower than at the time of the previous inspection. A special language unit, (known as the Special Support Facility) with provision for 13 pupils with speech or communication difficulties, is attached to the school. There have been some difficulties in recruiting staff for the Special Support Facility.

p.6

HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

The school provides a good education for its pupils, and has made good improvement since it was last inspected in 1997. From a low level of attainment on entry to the nursery, pupils achieve well over time so that, in work seen, the proportion of pupils reaching Level 2 in science at the end of Year 2 is now average, and the proportion reaching Level 2 in mathematics is above average. Results in English have improved, but they are still below average and not high enough, and the school has put in place a range of strategies to address this. Teaching and learning are good overall and all pupils, including those with special educational needs, achieve well. The leadership and management of the school are good. The school provides good value for money.

p.6

What the school does well

• Standards in mathematics and in physical education are above average at the end of Year 2. • The teaching in the school is good so that the pupils learn well and their achievement is good. • The school takes good care of its pupils and makes good arrangements for their welfare. As a result, they feel secure and can concentrate on their learning. • Links with the community are excellent, and relationships with parents are good, so that a firm partnership is established between home and school, which benefits the children in their education. • There is good provision for the pupils’ spiritual and moral development, and very good provision for social development, so that relationships within the school community are very good. All adults work well together, and pupils and their teachers display mutual respect. • Leadership and management are good.

p.6

What could be improved

• Standards in English are below average. • The school’s strategy for teaching literacy, though satisfactory, is not good enough to raise standards to where they should be. • There are weaknesses in the management of the Special Support Facility, so that the achievement of these pupils is satisfactory, rather than good. • Despite the school’s good efforts, attendance is well below the national average. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

p.6

HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school’s improvement since the previous inspection, in 1997, has been good. The key issues in the previous report have been addressed well, and the school has involved itself in various initiatives to Field Place First School - 7 improve behaviour management, to increase the pupils’ speaking and listening, reading and writing activities.

p.6

HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school has raised standards in English, mathematics and science, and the improving scores in the national tests show this. In 2001, the very high proportion of pupils with special educational needs in that year group affected the results, which dipped in all three subjects, but early indications from the 2002 results are that significant improvement is evident, and the school has met all its challenging targets. The quality of teaching has improved so that there is almost no unsatisfactory teaching now. Standards at the end of Year 3 are all below average, but this is explained by the very high proportion of pupils with special educational needs in that year group. Cost effectiveness is good. This is as much improvement as could reasonably have been expected.

p.7

STANDARDS

The table shows the standards achieved by pupils in Year 2 on average point scores in National Curriculum tests.

p.7

Performance in:

1999 2000 2001 2001 Reading D D E E Writing D D E E Mathematics C C D C

p.7

Key

well above average A above average B average C below average D well below average E

p.7

Key

The school’s results show a steady increase from 1996 to 2000, but they dipped in 2001 because of the very high percentage of pupils with special educational needs in that year group. The results represent an improvement since the previous inspection, and they were rising faster than the national trend until the 2001 dip. Results in mathematics have held up well and, in comparison with similar schools, are average. At the higher, Level 3, results in writing and in science are average, compared to most schools, and the results in mathematics are above average. Results in reading are below the national average. This kind of analysis shows that standards are high enough for the higher attaining pupils, and for pupils with special educational needs, but average attaining pupils could reach higher standards in some subjects, especially in English. Achievement is good overall.

p.7

Key

In work seen, the majority of children at the end of the reception year, when they start the National Curriculum, are reaching the national early learning goals, and achievement is very good, but this is a new departure, as a result of improved provision in the nursery and reception this year. Standards at the end of Year 2 are average overall, except in mathematics and physical education, where they are above average, and in English, where they are below average. Standards at the end of Year 3 are below average in English, mathematics and science, and standards in other subjects are average, except for physical education, where they are above average. Given the attainment profile of this year group, this shows an improvement since the national test results of 2001. No judgement can be made on history, geography or religious education. Pupils achieve well overall, throughout the school, from the low

p.7

Key

attainment levels with which they enter the school. The national test results for 2002 had not been confirmed at the time of the inspection, but early indications are that they show considerable improvement over previous years.

p.7

Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Good. The pupils enjoy coming to school, and tackle the tasks their teachers give them with enthusiasm. Field Place First School - 8 Behaviour, in and out of classrooms The behaviour of the vast majority of pupils is good. A small minority of pupils display challenging behaviour, and teachers occasionally have to take time to handle this, which they do well. Personal development and relationships Good. The school’s nurture programme, and good arrangements for personal, social and health education result in good personal development. Relationships in the school community are very good. Attendance Attendance is well below the national average. Unauthorised absence is slightly better than that, but still above the national average.

p.7

Quality of teaching Foundation Stage Years 1 and 2 Years 3-6

Lessons seen overall Very 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.

p.8

Quality of teaching Foundation Stage Years 1 and 2 Years 3-6

Teaching in the school is good overall. The majority of lessons are well planned, and the pupils are well- known by their teachers and well-managed. Teachers have high expectations of their pupils, so that they sustain their interest and concentration, and put plenty of effort into their work. Teaching and learning in the nursery and reception classes are at least good, and overall are very good. The teaching of mathematics is good throughout the school, and the teaching of English is satisfactory. Skills of numeracy are taught well through the national strategy in mathematics and through other subjects, such as science, but literacy skills are not yet taught with sufficient impact to raise the standards of the pupils’ reading and writing from their low baseline to where it needs to be. Pupils with special educational needs and those few pupils with English as an additional language are taught well. The

p.8

Quality of teaching Foundation Stage Years 1 and 2 Years 3-6

pupils learn well, and work with confidence, determination and interest. Occasionally they are unaware of the weaknesses in their own learning, so that they do not know what to do to improve.

p.8

Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum Satisfactory overall in Years 1-3. The curriculum in the Foundation Stage is very good: the children experience a broad range of learning opportunities. Provision for pupils with special educational needs Good. Pupils are well supported, both in class, and when they are withdrawn for additional teaching. Provision for pupils with English as an additional language There is no specific support for these pupils, but teachers are consistent in their inclusive approach, so that they learn well.

p.8

Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Good overall. Provision for spiritual and moral development is good, and provision for cultural development is satisfactory, so that the pupils are satisfactorily prepared for life in a multicultural society. Provision for social development is very good. How well the school cares for its pupils Good. The school has very good arrangements for Child Protection and for the welfare, support and guidance of the pupils, and good procedures for assessing their work.

p.8

Aspect Comment

Links with parents are good overall with some very good features. The parents view the school as very good, and say that the school has worked hard to develop effective links with them. A good partnership between parents and the school, benefits the pupils. The school works with parents through family Field Place First School - 9 literacy and numeracy to enable them to develop an understanding of how children learn, so that they can increase their contribution to their children’s learning at home and at school.

p.8

Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff Good. The headteacher provides good leadership, ably supported by her deputy. Subject co-ordinators carry out their duties well. There has been some discontinuity in management of the Special Support Facility.

p.9

Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities The governors carry out their duties well. Statutory requirements are met. They do a very good job in helping to shape the school’s direction.

p.9

Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance The school evaluates its performance well, and takes effective action to meet its targets. The strategic use of resources Strategic resources are deployed well, and the principles of best value are applied well. Educational priorities are very well supported through the school’s financial planning.

p.9

Aspect Comment

Staffing levels are satisfactory, and class teachers receive effective support from well-deployed teaching assistants. The quality of the accommodation is good: staffing and resources are satisfactory overall and insufficient in ICT.

p.9

What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• Their children like coming to school, make good progress, behave well, and the school helps them become mature and responsible. • Parents feel well informed about their children’s progress, and think they get the right amount of work to do at home. • The teaching is good. The school expects the pupils to work hard and achieve their best. • Parents feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or problems. A minority of parents think that the school does not provide an interesting range of activities outside lessons.

p.9

What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

The inspection team agrees with parents’ positive views of the school. They think the school provides a good range of activities outside lessons for pupils of this age. Field Place First School - 10

p.9

HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS?

1. The very low standards of attainment with which the pupils enter the school, the high percentage of pupils with special educational needs, and the difficulties that a significant number of the pupils have with communication, language and literacy need to be borne in mind when considering the standards that the pupils attain during their time in the school. The school does have the full range of attainment within it, but most of the year groups have a higher than average proportion of lower attaining pupils.

p.10

HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS?

2. Average points scores in the national tests taken at the end of Year 2 in 2001, show that the pupils’ results are well below national averages, and below the averages for similar schools in reading, and in writing. This halted the upward trend that had been evident since 1996. Results in mathematics were slightly better than in English and science, and are below, rather than well below average.

p.10

HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS?

3. The reason for the below average results in 2001 is to be found in the composition of the year group of pupils who took the tests, and who are now in Year 3. This group has an unusually high proportion of pupils with special educational needs: some 18 per cent of these pupils have a Statement of Special Educational Needs. The pupils did well, relative to their prior attainment as measured by the baseline assessment, and the proportion attaining the higher, Level 3, held up well. The previous inspection report expressed concerns about the attainment of higher attaining pupils, and the school has successfully addressed this.

p.10

HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS?

4. There are fewer pupils with special educational needs in Year 2 and, in work seen, the inspection team judges that by the end of Year 2, the pupils are likely to reach standards that are average overall. Early indications are that the national test results for 2002 will show considerable improvement on the results for 2001: the Chair of Governors described them as being ‘beyond what we were told were ambitious targets’. The fact that the school insisted on setting these targets, and that they have exceeded them, speaks volumes about attitudes to improvement and the school’s determination to raise standards.

p.10

HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS?

5. There is some variation between subjects: standards are above average in mathematics and physical education; they are average in science, art and design, design and technology, ICT and music; and they are below average in English. No judgement can be made on standards in geography, history or religious education, because of the relatively small number of lessons that were observed.

p.10

HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS?

6. In work seen, standards in reading are better than last year’s national tests would indicate, but in all their learning, the standards the pupils reach are hampered by limited writing skills. This means that they can talk about what they know, and explain their findings, but when they come to record their work, they do less well. The school has made writing a focus this year, and standards are improving, but they are still below average.

p.10

HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS?

7. By the time they leave the school at the end of Year 3, standards are below average in English, mathematics and science. This reflects the learning difficulties of a high proportion of the current Year 3. In subjects that do not rely so heavily on reading and writing, their attainments are average. Thus in art and design, design and technology, ICT, and music, standards are close to average. Where the pupils are required to write or to read, their work is not as good as when they discuss issues, or when they engage in practical work. Standards in physical education are above average.

p.10

HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS?

8. The previous report described standards on entry to the school as below average. Shortly before that, another first school was opened in the area where more of the socially advantaged pupils live. This has now changed the nature of the intake to Field Place. The evidence from this inspection indicates that the pupils enter the school with attainments that are well below average, and they are particularly weak in communication, language and literacy. In the nursery Field Place First School - 11 and reception classes, they make very good progress because of the very good teaching they receive so that, by the time they enter Year 1 and begin work on the National Curriculum, the majority of pupils this year are likely to have attained the national early learning goals in most areas of their learning. In the past, despite the good provision they have received, this was not enough to raise the standard of their attainments to average, particularly since their major

p.10

HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS?

weaknesses are in communication, language and literacy, and this underpins so much of their learning.

p.11

HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS?

9. However, this pattern is changing. This year, for the first time, the majority of pupils in the reception classes know all their letter sounds, and are on course to achieve the early learning goals in most of the areas of their learning. This is due to a range of new strategies that have been put in place by a team of exceptionally good teachers, and due to the school’s overall tackling of language and literacy issues.

p.11

HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS?

10. Overall, the pupils achieve well during their time in the school. They currently make the greatest gains during their time in the nursery and reception classes, and good achievement continues through Years 1 and 2 as the pupils consolidate and extend their learning, and they continue to achieve well in Year 3.

p.11

HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS?

11. The pupils with special educational needs make good progress in most lessons, and their achievement over time is also good, when measured against their prior learning, even though some of the standards reached are below average. Their needs are assessed early, they are equipped with good, specific, individual education plans (IEPs) and they receive well-targeted support. There is no specific support for pupils with English as an additional language: three are at an early stage of learning the language, and they are achieving well because of the teachers’ inclusive approach. There are no significant differences between pupils with English as a first and an additional language, and there is no variation from their peers in their achievement for different subjects. All these pupils are effectively included in the drive to raise standards.

p.11

HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS?

12. In work seen, standards in mathematics are above average by the end of Year 2. The National Numeracy Strategy has helped raise standards, but the school has also carefully reviewed teachers’ planning, and the mathematics action plan is addressing further challenge to the higher attaining pupils, linking numeracy to real life situations and reviewing the impact of homework. All these factors are helping to raise standards even further, under the direction of good co-ordinators.

p.11

HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS?

13. Several subjects of the curriculum develop the pupils’ numeracy skills: graphs in science, time lines in history and careful measuring in physical education. In their literacy work, the pupils reach standards that are still below average, and the school’s strategy for literacy, though satisfactory in that it is raising standards from the well below average starting point, is not fully effective yet. It does not have sufficient impact to compensate for the low baseline and restricted language many of the pupils have. The school has been successful in raising standards in writing, although ICT is not yet playing a full part in raising standards in writing in all subjects of the curriculum. There will be new opportunities for changing this when the school has its planned for ICT suite in September 2002. The pupils’ reading levels have been slow to respond to improvement, but work seen and the indications of this year’s tests are that improvement is

p.11

HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS?

well established, and standards are rising.

p.11

Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

14. Pupils have good attitudes to school. They are happy coming to school in the morning, with even the youngest leaving their parents without a fuss. Once inside the gates they go straight to their classrooms ready and prepared to start work, allowing an efficient start to the school day. They have a good approach to their lessons and to learning.

p.11

Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

15. Children in the reception classes feel safe and secure in school. They behave well and have positive attitudes to their work. They know classroom routines and co-operate well in carrying them out. They take turns and share resources, and are able to tidy them away at the end of a Field Place First School - 12 session. They have pleasant relationships with each other and with adults: for example, one small group worked diligently with a parent helper, planting geraniums in a basket, very sensibly. They are prepared to get on with their work for quite long periods without direct adult intervention; for example, pretend cooking in one part of the room carried on whilst the teacher was heavily involved helping children mix paints elsewhere in the room.

p.11

Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

16. The vast majority of parents who expressed a view agreed that behaviour in the school is good. Inspectors agree with this view. The school does contain a number of pupils for whom good behaviour does not come naturally, and the good behaviour is a result of the work carried out by all staff to establish consistent expectations across the school. As a result of this approach, the vast majority of pupils conform well to the school’s standards. Their sensible behaviour in most lessons means that teachers do not have to spend much time maintaining order, with a clear benefit to the quality of learning taking place. It enables the teacher to answer individual’s questions and help pupils develop their understanding. Even in the less interesting lessons, pupils do their best, and most resist any temptation there may be to misbehave. The pupils’ behaviour around the school is generally good. The dining hall at lunchtime is a relatively quiet

p.12

Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

and orderly place. This represents significant improvement since the previous inspection report.

p.12

Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

17. Playground behaviour is quite robust at times, with play fighting not uncommon, but it is not usually malicious. Generally it is an unthreatening place, with pupils playing happily together. So far this year, there have been 19 fixed term exclusions involving six separate pupils. All have been for short “cooling off” periods and for justifiable reasons, such as violence to adults, and the fact that the school re-admits them after short periods is a tribute to its inclusive approach. A small number of parents are concerned at the incidence of bullying or deliberate hurting of others in the school. These incidents are not common and are often verbal, but they do tend to highlight the behaviour of the very small minority of pupils with known behavioural difficulties. They are exceptional to the normal run of school life. Pupils respect each other’s and the school’s property. They look after their environment well and there is no litter.

p.12

Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

18. Relationships in the school are very good. The teachers and other adults have created an environment where everybody is respected and accepted for who they are. Everybody is viewed as a member of this school family. The adults in the school work very well together as a team, they treat pupils with respect and this example is then reflected in the way pupils treat each other. Pupils from the Special Support Facility are accepted well by classmates in the mainstream lessons they attend. The quality of relationships owes a great deal to the formal nurture programme, implemented throughout the school and the emphasis placed on it by all management and staff. Teachers know the pupils individually, including their home circumstances, enabling them to respond to them appropriately. These relationships contribute to a productive mutual respect and partnership in learning. Teachers value the work of all pupils

p.12

Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

and the pupils are confident to ask for support and guidance when they need it, which has a positive effect on their attainment.

p.12

Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

19. In this inclusive school, most pupils with special educational needs display positive attitudes to learning. Those pupils with emotional behavioural problems exhibit inappropriate behaviour, but teachers and learning support assistants skilfully deal with this. Pupils with English as an additional language are well integrated.

p.12

Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

20. Pupils respect each other as individuals in a satisfactory manner. In circle times, for example, they listen to each other’s contributions and accept different approaches or views. In a “Gold Star” Assembly, they applauded the efforts of those receiving awards. Their understanding of the impact of their actions on others is good. They share resources well when working in pairs or in groups and co-operate well, respecting each other’s point of view. In a Year 1 and 2 mathematics lesson, pupils controlled a programmable device in groups of three, working together in a mature way.

p.12

Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

21. They value each other, irrespective of attainment levels, each pupil being accepted for their own ability to contribute. Inclusion is deep rooted in the fabric of the school, with all pupils valued. Low and high attaining pupils work constructively together and no pupil is excluded from pair or Field Place First School - 13 group work. Boys and girls usually work together unselfconsciously. The pupils’ initiative and personal responsibility are satisfactory. The school makes limited provision for Year 3, in particular, to develop a wider role around the school. In the playground, pupils tend not to organise games involving many participants – they play in pairs or small groups.

p.12

Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

22. The pupils’ relationships, attitudes and behaviour have improved since the last inspection of the school and make a positive contribution towards their attainment and progress.

p.13

Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

23. The pupils’ rates of attendance are well below the national average for a school of this type. This has a negative impact on the learning of the pupils whose attendance is irregular, since it is difficult for them to build systematically on what they have learned, and standards and achievement are negatively affected. A significant number of pupils are brought to school late by their parents, although virtually all arrive before the school closes its attendance registers and, hence, these pupils do not contribute to the absence figures. The school is meticulous in ensuring that pupils who move away are not removed from the register until they are enrolled at a new school. These ‘absences’ can last for significant lengths of time, and are often related to domestic difficulties. They are reflected in the statistics. Holidays in term time are not a major issue; most pupils’ absences are the result of parent-notified illnesses. The rates of attendance

p.13

Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

have hardly changed since the last inspection, when attendance was judged as good, even though it was below the national average.

p.13

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

24. Teaching in the school is good overall, and results in effective learning, so that the pupils’ good achievement whilst they are in the school raises their standards from well below average to average by the end of Year 2, and to below average by the end of Year 3: a year group in which the percentage of pupils with special educational needs is high. In the lessons observed, over nine out of every ten lessons are now satisfactory or better, but nearly six out of the ten are good or better, and this represents significant improvement since the time of the previous inspection. During the inspection, of the sixty-seven lessons observed, one in ten was very good. Teaching is judged as very good in the nursery and in reception, and good in all other year groups. It is good in mathematics, science, art and physical education. It is satisfactory in English, geography, history, ICT, music and religious education. No judgement is made on

p.13

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

teaching in design and technology. Two unsatisfactory lessons were observed, in Special Support Facility and in religious education, and this is a much lower proportion than during the previous inspection.

p.13

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

25. The teaching observed was consistently good in the nursery and reception classes, but the scrutiny of work shows that it is now better than this, overall, and the team’s judgement on the teaching of these younger children is very good. There is very good planning to meet the needs of individual children, which shows that the teachers have a very good understanding of how young children learn. The nursery classroom provides a rich environment, where teaching is geared to the children’s prior learning, and the reception classrooms are stimulating, with attractive displays to promote the children’s language in all the areas of their learning. Teachers plan carefully, creating challenging tasks that are well matched to the children’s attainment levels, so that the children learn well. Marking is particularly good in telling the children what they do well, and what to do to improve. As a result, the children start from standards that are

p.13

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

well below average, and achieve well, so that the majority, this year, are likely to achieve the early learning goals by the time they start the National Curriculum at the start of Year 1.

p.13

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

26. In Years 1, 2 and 3, teachers have good knowledge and understanding of what they teach, they plan well, in conjunction with other teachers who teach the same age group, and this ensures that the pupils have equal opportunities to learn and make progress. The teachers’ expectations of work and behaviour are good, and they manage the pupils well, because they know them as individuals. This applies equally to the pupils who sometimes display challenging behaviour. This is handled well by teachers. They use time well, employing timed targets to keep up the pace of lessons, and ensure that the pupils put plenty of effort into their work. Field Place First School - 14 27. In the good lessons, the teachers’ knowledge and understanding result in good learning. In a Year 2 mathematics lesson, the teacher used a picture to demonstrate quarter turns of a solid, and questioned the pupils all the time, so that they became very involved. The tasks that were

p.13

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

set were tailored to the different attainment levels of the pupils, and they then worked with programmable devices, carrying out the tasks well. A good science lesson resulted in similarly good learning. The teacher knew the subject well, and was very clear about exactly what she wanted from the pupils. She kept coming back to the basic information of what plants needed in order to grow, to make the pupils use the information they already had. Her questions were very focused, and pupils of all levels of attainment, including the lower attainers, became very involved and answered the questions confidently. They were pleased with their own success and learned well.

p.14

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

28. Good learning also results from clear planning, and there was evidence of this in the good lessons, too. A Year 1 mathematics lesson showed very clear planning, shared within the year group, and it was clear how the stages of learning would proceed for the different groups in the room. The inspector described the ‘wonderful working buzz’ that ensued and, during the plenary session, the pupils agreed that the teachers should give the learning objective ‘a big tick’ as they were sure they had achieved it. In a Year 2 English lesson, the planning showed carefully structured questions, focusing on key words for interviewing Willie Wonka. The session provided good opportunities for speaking and listening, as the pupils divided into pairs and took turns to play the role of interviewer and Willie Wonka.

p.14

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

29. Bearing in mind the pupils’ low starting points, the teachers’ high expectations are crucial in raising standards and promoting good achievement. A Year 3 physical education lesson was a good illustration of this, as the teacher demanded high quality movements as the pupils worked on a series of movements on the floor and on apparatus. In this very good lesson, the pupils worked in silence, and with great concentration, building well on their previous learning, and making additional progress because of the way they evaluated each other’s work and learned what was wanted. In the good lessons also, teachers create opportunities for the pupils to develop their speaking and listening skills. A very good Year 1 mathematics lesson, for example, contained many such opportunities, as the teacher questioned the pupils on adding numbers from one to ten. She expected clear explanations of how they arrived at their answers,

p.14

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

and used wrong answers positively to move the learning forward.

p.14

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

30. Throughout the school, teachers manage the pupils well. The very good quality of relationships bring about very good behaviour and attitudes in some lessons: for example, one Year 2 teacher’s great enthusiasm and good singing skills swept the pupils away. They were totally bound up in the lesson and learned well, redoubling their efforts, with the teacher’s encouragement. Several examples of potentially challenging behaviour were observed, but the teachers are skilled at nipping problems in the bud, and dealing with individuals in a way that is appropriate to them.

p.14

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

31. Higher attaining pupils are particularly well challenged in most lessons. A Year 1 mathematics lesson, for example, showed higher attaining pupils finding missing numbers in problems up to 50, using their speaking and listening skills well as they explained what they were doing, staying on task, working independently and helping each other as a matter of course. The Year 2 tracking information shows that the teaching in mathematics is being effective in ensuring that the higher attaining pupils make good progress, and this now involves about a third of the pupils.

p.14

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

32. Where teaching is satisfactory, rather than good, it is often because basic skills are not strongly reinforced, or because the lesson is not well enough adapted for all the pupils. In a Year 2 science lesson, for example, contrasting local habitats, their creatures and plants, the lesson did not stretch the higher attaining pupils. There was no scope for comparing within and between species, and there were no opportunities for classifying groups of creatures the pupils found, according to the numbers of legs, the presence or absence of wings and so on. Sometimes, opportunities to develop the pupils’ reading, speaking and listening skills are not taken in the satisfactory lessons. Field Place First School - 15 33. In a minority of lessons, and in the work seen, the teaching of basic skills is satisfactory, rather than good, and marking and assessment do not play their full part. Occasionally, the pupils are

p.14

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

allowed to ‘practise in‘ their mistakes, and teachers miss opportunities to help the pupils to see where spelling slips have been made: for example, in one set of Year 3 science books, a higher attaining pupil mis-spelt ‘sissors’ and this was marked correct by the teacher, and an average attaining pupil wrote that ‘too much fat will mack us overweigh’. Though teachers are quick to praise what is good, they do not always diagnose what is wrong, and they sometimes miss the chance to tell the pupils what they need to do to improve. As a result, the pupils’ knowledge of their own learning is satisfactory, rather than good, in Years 1 to 3, and good in the nursery and reception classes.

p.15

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

34. The teaching of literacy is satisfactory overall, but teachers do not always ensure that the pupils spell correctly the key words they need for some tasks: for example, when the Year 1 pupils were writing a letter to an alien to explain how to plant a seed, they regularly mis-spelt words like ‘planet’ and ‘world’ which they needed to use frequently. In a Year 3 art lesson, where the pupils were designing a sculpture, they did not develop the vocabulary that they needed in order to talk about the subject in technical terms. In the satisfactory lessons, teachers do not always take opportunities to ask pupils about the best ways to approach their work – ‘What would happen if…’ ‘How do you think we could…’ and so on, are evident in the good lessons, but absent in others. Assemblies each week feature a ‘word of the week’ to explore meanings, and to help the pupils to build their vocabularies.

p.15

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

35. Numeracy is well taught, and teachers take opportunities to help pupils to use their skills with number in several subjects, including science, and design and technology. ICT is satisfactorily used, but could be used more extensively. The school has plans in place to develop this as the computer suite becomes available in the autumn.

p.15

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

36. Pupils with special educational needs receive well-focused teaching relating to the targets on their individual education plans. Pupils are grouped according to ability in all classes and good use is made of teaching assistants to support these pupils’ learning. Sometimes, shorter whole class introductions would be appropriate, with greater input given in groups. Increased emphasis on developing oracy skills would be beneficial to many pupils, including those with special educational needs. Learning support assistants are well prepared and make good contributions to the lessons they are involved in. One assistant takes the springboard mathematics group three times a week, for example, supporting pupils in Year 3 who attained the lowest Level 2 scores in the national tests. Pupils with English as an additional language are fully integrated into the classes, although in a minority of lessons, teaching methods do not take sufficient

p.15

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

account of, or provide enough opportunities for, speaking and listening for the benefit of bilingual pupils.

p.15

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

37. The improved percentage of good teaching, the small percentage of unsatisfactory teaching and the elimination of poor teaching since the previous inspection mean that, in Years 1 to 3, the pupils learn well. They acquire good levels of knowledge and understanding overall, put plenty of effort into their work, and concentration skills develop as a result of the focused teaching they receive. In the reception classes, and in the nursery, the pupils’ learning skills are now very good.

p.15

HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS?

38. The quality and range of learning opportunities are satisfactory overall, and the appropriate statutory curriculum is in place throughout the school for the National Curriculum and for religious education. In the nursery and reception classes, the curriculum is very good, providing a rich diet with which the children start their education. All the areas of learning are covered very well. They learn through first hand experience in a structured curriculum, which makes good use of target setting to move the learning forward.

p.15

HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS?

39. Curriculum provision for pupils with special educational needs is good. The time they spend in withdrawal groups is carefully planned so that they receive their full curriculum entitlement. The Field Place First School - 16 new Code of Practice is fully implemented. Needs are identified early; there are 12 pupils at the new school action stage in the nursery and reception classes, three at the school action plus stage, and three pupils with a Statement of Special Educational Needs. As they move up the school, the pupils’ achievement is monitored against the targets in their individual education plans. Pupils with English as an additional language, and those from ethnic minority families, are well integrated and well supported.

p.15

HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS?

40. There are clear policies for all subjects, and a secure timetable for reviewing and developing them is in place. The school has satisfactorily implemented the National Literacy Strategy, but it is not yet effective enough to raise the low standards of literacy with which many pupils enter the school, particularly in reading and writing. This has been a focus for the school in its development, and there has been some progress, but not enough to raise the well below average literacy standards to average. The school has adjusted its curriculum accordingly, and the introduction of a new phonics programme is playing a significant part in this. Reception class teachers report that never before has the majority of pupils known all 45 sounds by the time they start the National Curriculum in Year 1.

p.16

HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS?

41. The National Numeracy Strategy has been successfully introduced as part of the school’s strategy for numeracy, and is having a good impact across the curriculum. The pupils’ good achievement in mathematics is being further developed.

p.16

HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS?

42. There is good provision for extra-curricular activities. A minority of parents expressed concern that this might not be so, but inspectors feel that the school does well to incorporate as many activities as it does. Some activities are offered to the older pupils – to Years 2 and 3, for example, such as the computer club, but this seems appropriate, and other activities, such as the gardening club, are open to all.

p.16

HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS?

43. Overall, there is satisfactory equality of access and opportunity for all pupils to learn and to achieve. Teachers of similar age groups plan together, and the needs of individual pupils are considered carefully. Higher attaining pupils and those with special educational needs were highlighted at the time of the previous inspection as needing additional support, and the results show that these groups are now well served. There is no significant difference between opportunities offered to boys and to girls, and pupils from all backgrounds are welcomed and supported during their time in the school.

p.16

HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS?

44. The school’s provision for personal, social and health education is very good, and covers all the required elements. A strong nurture programme begins in the nursery, and supports the pupils throughout their time in the school. Circle time is an important part of the week, and often follows on from issues raised in assembly. During the inspection, the word of the week was ‘gentle’ and teachers followed this up, encouraging pupils to practise gentle touches on toys, and on passing a gentle touch round the class. They discussed openly the kind of touching they liked, and what they did not like, listening attentively to each other and making sensible comments. The consistency with which all adults support the programme is a strength.

p.16

HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS?

45. The community makes an excellent contribution to the pupils’ learning, and links are very strong. Community members describe how the perception of the school has changed over the past five years, as the result of hard work on the part of the school in becoming involved in community affairs. There is now good involvement in a variety of community activities; for example, the Maybridge Community Forum, a group that works hard to improve the area. A current project is focusing on eliminating graffiti from buildings around the school, and none was seen during the inspection. Various community members come into the school to help in its daily work, and one local company is sending ten volunteers in for a day to help improve the grounds. The links between the school and its communities are seen as a model across the town.

p.16

HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS?

46. The school has very productive relationships with its partner institutions. There are good links with the middle school to which the pupils transfer at the end of Year 3. The headteachers work closely together. The pupils’ target setting and tracking form joint focal points, and the links Field Place First School - 17 between Year 3 and Year 4 are strongly developed, in order to make transfer a smooth process for the pupils. The co-ordinators for special educational needs for the two schools work closely together. The headteachers contribute to the Durrington Headteachers’ Family Group, and a parallel deputy headteachers’ group is currently being set up. Links with the playgroups that feed the school are strongly established in two of the relevant playgroups, but the school draws from a number of groups, and has identified this as an area for development.

p.16

HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS?

47. Provision for the pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural, development is good overall. Provision is very good for social development, good for moral and spiritual development and it is satisfactory for the pupils’ cultural development.

p.17

HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS?

48. Assemblies support Christian beliefs and the school meets the requirements for a daily act of collective worship. There are good opportunities for pupils to share and celebrate, and to develop understanding of the importance of being kind, gentle and helpful. The calm atmosphere and the sense of friendliness and warmth fosters a sense of developing spirituality well, as does the comfortable and secure feeling everyone has whether they are known to the school or visitors. There is a strong sense of being a part of the whole that makes the school a community a pleasant place in which to learn and work. The nurture programme reinforces spiritual values well, and the arts subjects contribute well to the pupils’ aesthetic development. However, there is no mapping of spiritual development to ensure that all subjects, including religious education, make the most valuable contribution that they could in all aspects of the pupils’ spiritual, social,

p.17

HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS?

49. Aspects of social development are fostered throughout the day and also during planned occasions, such as, the Gold Star Assembly. Pupils have opportunities to co-operate and collaborate in work across the curriculum. The good relationships that pupils generally have with their teachers and other adults with whom they work, and the improved relationships they have with each other, form an important base on which to learn. Extra curricular activities often offer further useful opportunities to work co-operatively. This was particularly strong in the gardening club, where pupils of all ages worked on the soil. The opportunity brought together a range of characteristics that define good teaching and learning, and included a sense of purpose, a chance to develop relationships meaningfully and with responsibility, and to enjoy each other’s company.

p.17

HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS?

50. The school successfully raises the pupils’ moral awareness. Clearly, pupils learn about and know the difference between right and wrong. At an early stage, they learn about making choices and about consequences. Rules are displayed throughout the school and are sometimes referred to during lessons to help some pupils make better sense of their behaviour. This is reasonably effective. There is a good attitude to helping in the school. Pupils take registers, occasionally carry messages and, at times, help in lessons when they tidy up and collect resources. However, opportunities to capitalise on the pupils’ willingness to be involved are relatively few, particularly for the oldest pupils.

p.17

HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS?

51. Some awareness of the pupils’ own culture emerges through subjects such as geography, and local educational visits. Pupils learn about the major world faiths through religious education, including Christianity, but the small amount of time devoted to religious education reduces the impact of this work. There are some opportunities for pupils to experience the cultures and traditions of others, and to experience the diversity and richness of other cultures, preparing them for the life in our multi-cultural society, but the school realises that this, though satisfactory, is an area for development.

p.17

HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS?

52. Standards have been maintained since the previous inspection. The school is in a good position to take the next steps to support pupils in their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

53. The school places particular emphasis on the pupils’ social and personal development. Part of a key issue in the last inspection report was to focus on the management of the pupils’ behaviour. Field Place First School - 18 Prompted by this, the school has been prepared to look more widely at its provision. This internal, critical approach has been linked with a readiness to take advice from external experts. The result has been a productive partnership with the West Sussex Local Education Authority’s Behaviour Support Team, the key outcome being the implementation of a number of new school- based initiatives which have had a significant impact on the support provided for pupils. Nearly all parents who expressed a view believe that the school is effective in helping their children to become mature and responsible individuals.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

54. The school’s procedures for child protection and for ensuring the pupils’ health and welfare are very good. The school provides a caring and supportive environment in which pupils can feel safe and valued. This support from all staff enables pupils to concentrate on their learning, thus helping them to progress to the best of their ability. All staff make considerable efforts to address the welfare of individual pupils when they need it. The contribution of teachers is noted and appreciated by both parents and pupils. Responsibility for child protection lies with the headteacher, who is experienced in this work, and has in the past received suitable training. She has close links with the local social services department. Adults in the school are aware of their child protection responsibilities. The governors of the school are particularly active in ensuring that health and safety procedures are in place and that they are followed. Routine

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

health and safety procedures and testing are in place. The West Sussex Local Education Authority has recently surveyed the buildings, and formal risk assessments are being carried out and recorded for school trips. No unsafe practice was seen in lessons during the inspection.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

55. All teachers are concerned with the pastoral care of their pupils. Throughout the school, teachers know their pupils well and successfully meet their individual needs, so that the pupils feel secure and learn well. Parents believe the school is effective in supporting children when they go through difficult times; for example, helping a girl who started school with a broken leg. The school has a real feeling and sense of care and support for pupils. Adults in the school are effective in supporting the pupils when they need it. The monitoring of the pupils’ personal development is good, although, as might be expected, it is largely informal. The comments on each child’s personal and social development within their annual reports are usually perceptive and show how well teachers do know them as individuals. Teachers log problems carefully, and the school seeks advice and support from external agencies when it needs it; for example, from

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

the Behaviour Support Team, the Educational Psychologist and the Educational Welfare Officer. The school is supporting a project to help vulnerable Year 3 pupils to approach transfer to middle school, and there is a Calm Start Club, which meets daily, prior to the start of the school day. An external counselling service works with some Year 3 pupils and their families.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

56. The school has good procedures to monitor attendance and to encourage pupils to come to school regularly, and the vast majority of pupils build steadily on their learning through regular attendance. Staff review attendance registers on a daily basis, enabling them to identify problems as they emerge. Parents usually support the school by providing reasons for absence and the school is pro-active in contacting them when this does not occur. The Educational Welfare Office is involved in cases as necessary. The unsatisfactory attendance rates in the school suggest that the school needs to review its current good practice to see if there are ways of improving still further.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

57. There are very good procedures to monitor and promote good behaviour, so that the climate for learning is now greatly improved, and this has contributed to rising standards. There is a strong belief in the liberal use of praise, valuing a child who has made good choices. This approach and provision are based on the Family Links Nurture Project. This was introduced with considerable help from the Behaviour Support Unit, with all staff receiving the training package. This programme encourages children to show empathy for others, to develop their self-confidence and to make good choices in their day-to-day life. It includes a formal programme delivered to pupils as part of the curriculum, run over 20 weeks in each year group. It embodies a philosophy of not relying on formal systems of sanctions. This expectation and ethos are strongly established right from the nursery; they permeate the school. The school’s behaviour policy

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

reflects this, with an emphasis on valuing pupils as individuals, consistency of expectations and Field Place First School - 19 showing that recognition from adults comes from good behaviour, not just from the disruptive. “Golden Rules” are in place to provide clear boundaries of acceptable behaviour.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

58. Parents recognise the high priority the school places on developing high self-esteem and very good attention to personal development – “it’s cool to get gold stars”. There are a few parents who think that some disruptive pupils “get away with it”. A potentially disruptive pupil, reporting to the headteacher three times a day, can get a desirable sticker on each occasion, whereas a better behaved child earns far fewer. The approach may not be obviously fair, but all pupils do benefit from the calmer school that results. There is a need to ensure that the approach does not forget the middle-of-the-road pupil and that the rewards need constant improvement and effort on the part of pupils to achieve them. The school itself is working towards a more class- based approach to rewards, so that all pupils do contribute to achieving, for example, golden time at the end of the week for all. The school does have to deal with some potentially very

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

disruptive pupils. Whilst no school can ensure that such pupils behave well all the time, the generally good behaviour does show the effectiveness of the approach.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

59. The behaviour policy, rewritten in 2001, refers to a further document to be written to formally cover bullying, and this is currently being produced. In practice, the school’s approach to eliminating oppressive behaviour is effective, based on establishing a climate for behaviour that emphasises the positive. Few incidents of bullying have been recorded, and the parents confirm that these are rare, and firmly dealt with.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

60. All the personnel involved in meeting the needs of pupils with English as an additional language, and those with special educational needs, work well together. They know the pupils well and relate effectively with them. This has a significant impact on the progress they make. The school supports parents and gives them opportunities to increase their skills by organising Family Literacy and Numeracy Groups.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

61. The school’s good support for the welfare and guidance of pupils has been maintained since the last inspection.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

62. The procedures for assessing the pupils’ attainment and progress are good. Consequently, in English and mathematics, the school has a good knowledge of how well pupils are doing academically. The school makes half-termly assessments against predetermined objectives. These regular assessments, alongside the results from national and other testing, build up a clear picture of the pupils’ attainment and progress and help in the planning of the next stages of learning and in setting individual targets. They also clearly identify where further support is required, provided through the groupings within lessons and the support given by learning support assistants both within classes and in withdrawal support groups.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

63. Results are also carefully analysed to identify areas that require further attention and future planning takes good account of this. Assessment procedures are well established in mathematics, where the pupils’ individual targets are assessed and the results are used to plan the curriculum. The procedures are now being trialled in science and ICT. They record the progress made against key learning objectives from the units being studied. Other subjects are likely to be following a similar format. These procedures are starting to inform future planning and to indicate where further support is needed in line with their development. This represents good improvement since the previous inspection.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

64. The vast majority of parents who responded to the pre-inspection questionnaire or attended the meeting with inspectors were very positive about all aspects of the school. In particular, parents believe that their children like school, that the teaching is good and that their children work hard and make good progress. They endorse the standards of behaviour achieved and think the school helps children to become mature and responsible. Overall, parents’ views of the school are very good and the school enjoys their confidence. Field Place First School - 20 65. The overall quality of information for parents is good. The prospectus and annual governors’ report to parents are both well-produced and generally meet legal requirements. Both provide a flavour of the school, celebrating with parents its very real achievements. There are regular newsletters home to keep parents informed of the life of the school. The annual reports to

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

parents on their child’s progress vary in quality depending on the teacher who has written them. Most are good documents, with useful information on curriculum coverage, what individual pupils can do, and targets for the future. The best give parents a clear picture of how their children are performing against national standards in English, maths and science. The comments on pupils’ personal development do reflect the individual well.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

66. The contribution of parents to the school and to their children’s learning is good. The school has made real efforts to support parents, as well as their children; for example, the current Family Literacy course, now running for the fourth-consecutive year, is helping some parents gain the skills and confidence to assist their child with learning. Parents of pupils with special educational needs are appropriately involved in decisions affecting their children, and the school is keen to involve parents when problems occur with their children. Many parents have signed the home school agreement, which is clear, direct and has a good tone. Parents are encouraged to come to the three meetings per year, arranged to discuss the pupils’ progress.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

67. The headteacher is at the school gate each morning, greeting parents and children as they arrive. This makes her accessible and enables parents to raise any issues there and then. Parents are welcome to go into the buildings to help their children in the cloakroom, together with younger children, helping to ensure that the next year group of pupils is comfortable with the surroundings a long time before they formally join the school. Many parents do support their children’s homework. There is the possibility of developing the reading diaries further as a means of two-way communication with home, following the good practice in this respect to be found in the Special Support Facility, and in the nursery and reception classes. There are some examples of parents assisting in class; for example, during the inspection week, a mother was helping reception pupils plant up geranium plants. Parents help on school trips. The school

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

PALS’ (Parents Association for Lending Support) organisation is active in running social and fundraising events. The parent governors make a good contribution to the work of the school’s governing body.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

68. Parents are consulted as soon as a concern is raised about a child and they are kept fully informed of the support being given. They are invited to discuss the child’s individual education plan and regularly updated about the child’s progress.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

69. The school has worked hard, and enjoys the contribution of all communities with which it is associated, and the productive partnership with parents has been maintained since the last inspection of the school.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

70. The leadership and management of the school are good. The headteacher, ably assisted by her deputy, provides clear educational direction, and the school is focused on raising standards. The school’s aims and values are reflected very effectively in its day to day work, so that the school is a caring community, which is focused on improving provision for each individual pupil and on promoting racial harmony and good attitudes.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

71. There is a real determination to raise standards and to improve the quality of provision for the pupils. The Chair of Governors described the school’s attitude as ‘passionate about improvement’ and the thoroughness with which the management has addressed the key issues of the previous inspection report is testimony to that. This is illustrated in the way in which issues of behaviour management have been and are being addressed. The school’s own internal strategies of a new rewards system, and the philosophy of ‘making good choices’ are well implemented, and all the pupils understand what this means. Adults understand it, too, and effectively implement the school’s policy. In addition, the school is aided by external agencies, such as the West Sussex Behaviour Support Team, the Educational Psychologists, and the Field Place First School - 21 Educational Welfare Officer, and is harnessing the support of families through the meetings on

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

bullying, family literacy and numeracy, and enlisting support from the community.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

72. Staff with management responsibilities contribute well to the school’s development, and play to their individual strengths. A good example is to be found in science, where one experienced teacher worked hard as co-ordinator to develop the subject and to raise standards, and has subsequently handed this over to a younger teacher, who is a science specialist, while the experienced teacher goes on to develop other subject areas, and the science benefits from a second input of expertise. Job descriptions are specific, and link to the school’s priorities for development: the deputy head’s role, for example, includes a focus on higher attaining pupils, which was a concern at the time of the previous inspection, and assessment as well as some subject responsibilities and a co-ordination role for Years 1 and 2.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

73. Special educational needs are managed well by the two teachers who share the special educational needs co-ordinator role (SENCOs). The SENCOs have a clear action plan, which has been addressed well this year. There is very good collaboration between the SENCOs, class teachers and learning support assistants to ensure that the children with special educational needs are receiving the support that has been planned for them. There is good liaison with a wide variety of outside agencies, Educational Psychologists, language therapist, and the occupational therapist.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

74. The discontinuity in the management of the Special Support Facility has resulted in a hiatus in its development, so that although it is maintaining a satisfactory level of provision, it is not currently moving forward as it needs to in order to develop the quality of the provision.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

75. The active governing body is highly committed, and effective in fulfilling its statutory responsibilities. Governors are very involved with the work of the school, and have a good understanding of its strengths and weaknesses. The Chair of Governors meets weekly with the headteacher, and the governors are clear about their long term goals for the school.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

76. The school has identified appropriate priorities for development, and the impact of these is seen in rising standards, particularly in mathematics. The action taken to meet the school’s targets is good overall, but the follow through down to meticulous, day to day detail in writing is not yet fully consistent throughout the school. This is particularly evident in the literacy area, which is a particular problem for the school, since the majority of pupils enter the school with low standards of literacy. The governors and staff with management responsibilities are determined to raise standards, and have already shown that the action taken has begun to raise standards, but there are some areas to develop in, for example, reading, writing and spelling. The governors have made visits to the school to ensure that the key issues from the previous report have been implemented and have focused on such initiatives as guided reading. Teaching is well

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

77. The school’s strategy for performance management is satisfactory. Targets have been linked to the school’s priorities for development, and to the professional development programme. The monitoring of teaching is good overall, and has resulted in considerable improvement in the quality of teaching since the previous inspection. However, despite the fact that the overall quality is now good, and there has been particularly good improvement in the management of behaviour in lessons, there are areas of detail in the monitoring of teaching that are not sufficiently covered to make this judgement very good, rather than good. Though the teaching of spelling and writing have improved, and are now very good in the nursery and reception, they are not yet as good as they need to be in order to raise standards further in reading and writing.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

78. Staff who are new to the school are supported well. The school had a high turnover of teachers in 2001, mainly to take up promoted posts and advisory work, and the five teachers who were new are well integrated into the staff team. It is difficult to identify who they are, such is the unity of commitment and the good team work. Field Place First School - 22 79. The school’s financial arrangements are good, with educational priorities being very well supported by financial planning, and specific grants being used well for their designated purposes. The school has done well to attract money to support a variety of developments, and it applies the principles of best value well, evaluating carefully the educational benefits of its spending. Currently a pilot project on developing speaking and listening is under way, and will be disseminated to the whole staff later in the year. The current carry-over of funds reflects the

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

need to deal with increased teaching costs, and less money in the school’s budget for the coming year. Management systems are effective, and there are no undue bureaucratic demands on the school. Field Place First School - 23

p.22

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

80. In order to take the school forward, and improve the provision for pupils, the headteacher, governors and all staff with management responsibilities at field place first school should:

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

1. ** Raise standards throughout the school in English by:

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• ensuring that lessons meet the needs of all the pupils all the time in all parts of lessons; • developing essential skills systematically, particularly in the teaching of spelling and writing; • building on the good models of improved practice in teaching in the nursery and reception in the teaching of language; • ensuring that monitoring of teaching and of written work is carried out regularly and rigorously to raise standards of accuracy; • providing more opportunities for speaking and reading in lessons; • making sure that marking plays its full part in diagnosing weaknesses, and telling the pupils what they need to do to improve.

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(Paragraphs 6, 7, 13, 32, 40, 67, 102, 104, 106, 108, 109, 110, 112)

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

2. ** Redevelop the school’s strategy for teaching literacy, so that it has adequate impact to further raise standards by:

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• ensuring that writing opportunities in all subject areas are provided more frequently, and matched to the pupils’ literacy skills so that they develop those skills; • providing specific support for handwriting and spelling across the curriculum; • using marking to reward pupils when they use specific skills; • ensuring that ICT plays its full part in developing literacy skills in all subjects.

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(Paragraphs 113, 126, 134, 138, 139, 143, 153, 159, 164, 166, 167)

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

3. Review and monitor carefully the management of the Special Support Facility, so that the progress the pupils make is good, rather than satisfactory.

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• reconsidering current strategies to improve attendance; • raising the profile of attendance among parents and pupils; • considering some kind of rewards system for improved attendance.

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

** Indicates that this is already in the school development plan. Field Place First School - 24

p.23

SPECIAL SUPPORT FACILITY

81. There are 13 pupils with speech and language difficulties who attend the Facility within the school. It is an integral part of the West Sussex Local Education Authority’s provision for special educational needs. Each has a Statement of Special Educational Needs and most pupils are conveyed to the school from outside of the immediate area. The intention is that the Facility will prepare pupils for successful re-integration into their mainstream classes.

p.24

SPECIAL SUPPORT FACILITY

82. Attainment at the end of Year 2 cannot be judged because the group is too small for valid comparisons to be made. However, school and local authority data indicates that attainment varies between individuals according to the extent of their individual needs but is overall below the national average. However, achievement overall is satisfactory, being marginally better in social communication than in language acquisition.

p.24

SPECIAL SUPPORT FACILITY

83. The previous inspection report identified major weaknesses in the teaching and management of the Facility; these formed the basis of a key issue for action by governors. Since then, the headteacher and governors have worked hard to effect progress, notwithstanding difficulties outside of the school’s control. Improvement has been satisfactory overall. Good progress has been made in improving standards of behaviour and in ensuring that funding is disbursed appropriately. Very good progress has been made in providing arrangements for pupils in the Facility to integrate both socially and in lessons with their mainstream peers. On the other hand, the school is experiencing staffing problems: the associated absence of speech and language expertise and specialist management have hampered the quality of learning, standards and achievement. Accommodation remains limited and restricts the organisation of

p.24

SPECIAL SUPPORT FACILITY

84. Teaching by Facility staff, including support staff and speech therapists, is satisfactory. The needs of pupils are identified well through baseline assessment and the statementing process. However, the individual education plans are often insufficiently detailed and the associated assessment and monitoring process lacks precision in terms of detailing progress and setting targets in relation to, for example, social communication and expressive language. Planning by teachers in mainstream classes and in the Facility is satisfactory and the needs of the Facility’s pupils, as reflected in their individual education plans, are generally met.

p.24

SPECIAL SUPPORT FACILITY

85. Where mainstream teachers work jointly with Facility staff, achievement is often good. A good example was seen when the Facility teacher prepared well for a Year 3 geography lesson by organising photographs and maps and then encouraging pupils to listen and speak, so that one could state accurately that, “That’s the A24 by-pass from the bridge.” There are weaknesses in the planning of literacy and numeracy lessons in the Facility as a result of a failure to modify mainstream planning to take account of the phonological, comprehension and linguistic needs of the pupils. As a result, the quality of learning and standards of achievement are sometimes unsatisfactory.

p.24

SPECIAL SUPPORT FACILITY

86. The previous report indicated that unsatisfactory progress in the pupils’ learning was linked closely to poor behaviour management. This has improved and behaviour is now satisfactory. The improvement has been based upon good relationships, the contribution of support assistants to planning and pupil management and better school systems for promoting good behaviour. In the case of the few pupils with particular frustrations or emotional needs, remaining weaknesses are linked to the absence of clearly detailed individual behaviour plans and the reluctance, on occasions, of staff to use sanctions when they are warranted. The school makes good attempts to enhance the spiritual, social and cultural development of pupils. This was evident in whole-school assemblies and in lessons where all Facility pupils played a full part. Additionally, the pupils’ achievement is helped by the close links developed by the school with

p.24

SPECIAL SUPPORT FACILITY

both parents and the community. Staff are able to communicate with parents daily through the Home Book and this is appreciated, as many live too far away to see teachers daily. There is also a special telephone service for parents. Good examples of the pupils’ art -work seen were the result of a visit to a governor’s garden. Field Place First School - 25 87. Pupils in the Facility have a satisfactory curriculum overall: it has a balance of strengths and weaknesses. Appropriate time is allocated to literacy and numeracy but the needs of specific pupils are sometimes overlooked in the lesson planning. Currently, there is a need to develop the quality of the ICT curriculum, in order to stimulate the development of a number of skills, including expressive language. However, a particular curricular strength that helps the quality of learning and achievement, is linked to the effective organisation of a range of opportunities for

p.24

SPECIAL SUPPORT FACILITY

the Facility pupils to integrate with their peers. As a result, those pupils whose language difficulties are partly, or mainly, socially based have many chances to integrate into subjects such as art, music, physical education and design technology. As these lessons are less dependent on speech, pupils are given opportunities both to succeed in the school environment and to enhance their social skills.

p.25

SPECIAL SUPPORT FACILITY

88. Pupils receive generous provision: 13 pupils enjoy adequate specialist teacher time, good non- teaching support and appropriate attention from two speech therapists. Adults know the pupils well and work hard both to plan for and to support them. Speech therapists play an effective part in identifying additional needs and in suggesting strategies to address them. Currently, procedures for monitoring academic and personal development are barely satisfactory and the school has assessment as an area for improvement. The pupils’ strengths and weaknesses are identified satisfactorily through screening arrangements and levels of attainment are recorded appropriately in speech and communication. Arrangements for monitoring personal development are satisfactory. However, there are no detailed formal assessment arrangements to record and monitor progress against the pupils’ IEPs in, for example, comprehension, the development of

p.25

SPECIAL SUPPORT FACILITY

social skills and the subjects of the foundation curriculum. Unsatisfactory use is made of assessment data to formulate detailed, individual targets covering a range of additional needs. As a result, lesson planning for those pupils being taught in groups of one, two or three is made more difficult. The school is aware of this weakness and is planning to develop further strategies so that progress can be measured more accurately and lessons planned more effectively. Marking of the pupils’ work is somewhat superficial and does not always promote an awareness of progress; however, in lessons seen there was sound informal assessment.

p.25

SPECIAL SUPPORT FACILITY

89. The last report noted that the management and leadership of the Facility had been severely affected by previous staff changes; this has again been the case recently, for reasons outside the school’s control. The present management and leadership of the Facility, therefore, remain unsatisfactory. However, the governors give active, informed and generous support and the headteacher has a sound strategic grasp of the developments necessary for further improvement. These include arrangements for the appointment of both a new Head of Facility and a new SENCO. She is also aware of the urgent need for the continuing professional development of the Facility’s present teaching and support staff, particularly in the areas of speech and language skills. Until these management matters have been taken further, a judgement cannot be made about the Facility’s capacity for future improvement. However, the commitment to future improvement is both clear and very good.

p.25

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

p.26

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 25

p.26

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

p.26

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactor y Poor Very Poor

p.26

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

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

p.26

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery YR – Y6

p.26

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 18 263

p.26

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 0 55

p.26

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Special educational needs Nursery YR – Y6

p.26

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 0 16

p.26

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 0 105

p.26

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

English as an additional language No of pupils

p.26

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 14

p.26

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

p.26

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 26

p.26

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 23

p.26

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

School data 7.4 School data 0.1 Field Place First School - 27 National comparative data 5.6 National comparative data 0.5

p.26

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year.

p.27

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

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

p.27

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2001 33 32 65

p.27

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

p.27

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Boys 18 20 25 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 25 24 28

p.27

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Percentage of pupils School 66(76) 68 (77) 82 (91) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (83) 86 (84) 91 (90)

p.27

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.27

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Boys 18 25 24 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 26 28 28

p.27

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Percentage of pupils School 68 (76) 82 (89) 80 (80) at NC level 2 or above National 85 (84) 89 (88) 89 (88)

p.27

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

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

p.27

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

p.27

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Black – Caribbean heritage 0 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0

p.27

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Black – African heritage 2 Black – African heritage 0 0

p.27

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

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

p.27

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

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. Field Place First School - 28 Teachers and classes Financial information

p.27

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 12 Financial year 2000 – 01

p.28

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 24

p.28

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total income 799,223

p.28

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Total number of education support staff 17 Total expenditure 773,171

p.28

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Total aggregate hours worked per week 368 Expenditure per pupil 2,621

p.28

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Qualified teachers and support staff: nursery Balance brought forward from previous year 1,986

p.28

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 1 Balance carried forward to next year 28,038

p.28

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 18

p.28

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Total number of education support staff 3

p.28

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Total aggregate hours worked per week 281

p.28

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 6.1

p.28

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 6.0

p.28

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 0

p.28

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of a term or more (FTE) 3

p.28

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of unfilled vacancies or vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of less than one term (FTE) 0

p.28

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

FTE means full-time equivalent. Field Place First School - 29

p.28

Percentage of responses in each category

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

p.29

Percentage of responses in each category

My child is making good progress in school. 58 33 4 2 3

p.29

Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 38 50 3 3 6

p.29

Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 29 55 6 4 5

p.29

Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 51 41 5 2 0

p.29

Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 67 20 4 0 9

p.29

Percentage of responses in each category

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 61 31 5 0 3

p.29

Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 50 41 5 3 1

p.29

Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 58 33 2 5 2

p.29

Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 58 33 1 2 6

p.29

Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 31 43 11 5 10

p.29

Other issues raised by parents

Parents have very positive views about the school, as indicated in the response above. A few parents raised concerns, and these were considered by the inspection team. Their findings are all contained within this report. Field Place First School - 30

p.29

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

90. The provision for the children in the nursery and in the three reception classes, which make up the Foundation Stage, is a strength of the school. The teaching is now very good overall, and gives children an excellent start to school. The strengths of the very good teaching are the teachers’ knowledge and understanding of the way young children learn, very detailed, high quality planning, and very good management of children. This combination of factors has been put in place this year for the first time, and rests on very good, focused target setting, linked to high expectations. Learning is made fun, and children work and play with enthusiasm and concentration. At the last inspection, the quality of education was judged to be good; it is now very good.

p.30

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

91. There is a very good ratio of adults to children in the nursery, where a teacher, a nursery nurse and a full-time learning support assistant provide a very good learning environment. Children attend part-time, 19 in the morning and 18 in the afternoon. Children start at three years old and transfer to the reception classes at the start of the year in which they are five. Despite the very good nursery provision, some parents send their children to local playgroups because they can go at an earlier stage, and the play groups offer longer sessions.

p.30

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

92. Children enter the nursery with skills that are well below average overall. They are well below average in personal, social and emotional development, communication language and literacy and knowledge and understanding of the world, and lower than average in mathematical, creative and physical development.

p.30

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

93. This situation is addressed very well in the nursery, where a rich, language-orientated learning environment is created. The rooms are stimulating and all the adults take every opportunity to interact with the children, encouraging them to use phrases, rather than monosyllabic words. The planning is very thorough and learning objectives are clearly identified for each activity in each area of learning, resulting in very focused teaching. The use of on-going assessment is very good: the adults make regular observations which are displayed so that all those responsible for these young children’s learning, including the parents, can see the progress that is being made. As a result of the very good provision, children make good progress in all areas of learning. However, despite the fact that the children are beginning to make simple statements, using eye contact and facial expression to communicate, when they enter the

p.30

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

reception classes, their standards in aspects related to language are still significantly below average.

p.30

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

94. There is very good liaison between the nursery and the reception classes and, as a result of the very good teaching, the children, including those with special educational needs, make very good progress in the nursery and reception classes. Most children will enter Year 1, this year, having reached the national early learning goals. About 40 per cent of pupils in the reception classes have special educational needs, and though they too make very good progress against their prior learning, they do not reach the expected standards by the time they start the National Curriculum in Year 1.

p.30

Personal, social and emotional development

95. Personal, social and emotional development is strongly promoted in all areas of learning in the nursery and reception classes. Adults are good role models and the children’s positive behaviour is continuously recognised and rewarded. Children respond enthusiastically to rewards: for example, during the inspection, the target was to sit still on the carpet and listen. Each time this was achieved a biscuit was put in the pot. The children knew that when there was sufficient for everyone, they would be shared. The school’s nurture programme is begun very effectively in the nursery and reception classes, and continued throughout the school. Even Field Place First School - 31 these young children know that all teachers and learning support assistants have the same high expectations. Teachers and learning support assistants have very good skills in managing behaviour so that the children want to co-operate and receive praise. Teachers use praise

p.30

Personal, social and emotional development

effectively to raise children’s self esteem. As a result of the consistently good and very good teaching, the children make very good progress in this area.

p.31

Communication, language and literacy

96. This area is given a very high priority in the reception classes so that children build on the good start they receive in the nursery. Teachers’ planning is of a very high quality and results in motivating activities that link the areas of learning. For example, the topic on Jack and Beanstalk covers, language, mathematics, knowledge and understanding of the world, and creative development. Activities are very well matched to the children’s prior learning. The introduction of a multi-sensory phonics programme has resulted in most children knowing more initial sounds than in previous years. The high frequency words have been made into simple sentences and colour coded, with the result that most children have a larger sight vocabulary than in previous years Homework, in the reception classes is a strength. Parents are provided with very good guidance and opportunities to support their child’s learning in writing (letter

p.31

Communication, language and literacy

formation), learning words and sounds and by regular reading practice and sharing books. The very good teaching in this area has resulted in the majority of children achieving the early learning goals in handwriting and reading this year, for the first time, showing good acquisition of phonics, a basic sight vocabulary and early reading skills This demonstrates very good achievement. A significant number of children have below average speaking skills.

p.31

Mathematical development

97. This area is very well taught. Planning across the year group is of a very high standard and each of the motivating activities provided is very well matched to the learning needs of the group. For example, making play dough numbers and sticking in the correct number of dried peas, one group worked on numbers 1-5, another 6-10, while higher attaining pupils worked on 11-20. After the whole class input, children are set interesting challenging activities to consolidate their learning; for example, addition of number bonds to ten, playing a dice game, and making dinner for the giant according to a menu. As a result they work with enthusiasm and concentration and achieve well. The consistently very good teaching in this area means that most children are now on course to achieve the early learning goals. Children with special educational needs achieve well, even though they do not reach the expected standard.

p.31

Knowledge and understanding of the world

98. Children start school with little awareness of the world around them and the nursery and reception classes address this need by providing good opportunities for children to explore and investigate, using all their senses. The children in the nursery and reception classes participated in the School Science Week. The children in the nursery went on a habitat walk where there was a strong emphasis on curiosity and observation. Children in the reception classes planted a variety of seeds in pots in the classroom and in the garden, tended them and watched them grow and recorded the growth. All the children grew cress, then made egg or cheese and cress sandwiches. ‘The best sandwiches ever!’ The children watched tadpoles grow and when a visitor brought in some frogs the opportunity was taken to develop questioning skills as well as add to their knowledge and understanding.

p.31

Knowledge and understanding of the world

99. Children in the nursery use various programs on the computer independently and are developing good mouse control. In the reception classes ICT is used to support the learning in most areas of learning. An imaginative situation about a lost teddy was set up to introduce the children to emailing. There is evidence of simple word processing, adding a picture and a border, simple graphs and sorting activities. The children use art packages to create Mothers’ Day cards and to draw self-portraits. They use the digital camera competently. Regular opportunities to cook provide good opportunities for learning in this area as well as contributing to mathematical and Field Place First School - 32 language development. Very good teaching enables most children to achieve the early learning goals by the end of the reception year.

p.31

Creative development

100. Children are provided with good opportunities to draw, paint, and make collages and models. Children in the reception classes mix paint effectively to get the required shade when painting blossom. Throughout their time in the nursery and in reception, children have frequent opportunities to play in stimulating role-play areas, coffee shop, garden centre. Adults participate in this play, acting as good role models, and extending language. In the nursery children have frequent opportunities to sing together and to investigate musical instruments. Children in the reception classes write their own score for music showing loud and soft sounds. They can clap the syllables of their name and accompany some choral speaking with percussion instruments maintaining a regular rhythm, for example, ‘Fee, Fi, Fo, Fum, I smell the blood of an Englishman’. As a result of well-planned activities in this area, and the children’s

p.32

Creative development

obvious enjoyment, most children are now on course to achieve the early learning goals by the end of the reception year, showing very good progress.

p.32

Physical development

101. The children have daily opportunities to ride wheeled toys; climb, jump and balance in the safe, secure outside play area. They also have focused activities, using the large wooden bricks, to make a castle for the giant. In addition, through well-planned weekly sessions in the hall, children are developing different movements, such as curling and stretching, and developing skills in rolling, bouncing and throwing and catching. They listen carefully to the teacher and stop at a signal. As a result of consistently good teaching, most children achieve well, and will achieve the early learning goals by the end of their time in the reception class.

p.32

ENGLISH

102. In work seen, standards in reading and writing have risen by the end of Year 2, so that they are now below average. In view of the pupils’ low attainment in communication, language and literacy when they enter the school, pupils clearly achieve well. Standards at the end of Year 3, by the time the pupils leave the school, are below average, as they were at the time of the previous inspection. However, this also represents an improvement, since it has been achieved with a year group in which the percentage of pupils with special educational needs is abnormally high. Early indications of the national test results for 2002, which had just been taken at the time of the inspection, confirm that results have improved since 2001, and the school has met its ambitious targets in reading and writing. This represents good improvement since the previous inspection.

p.32

ENGLISH

103. During the inspection, there was no significant difference in the standards attained by girls and boys throughout the school. Achievement is good for all pupils. Pupils who have special educational needs achieve well in relation to their prior attainment. Pupils who have English as an additional language also achieve well.

p.32

ENGLISH

104. Standards in speaking and listening are below average by the end of Years 2 and 3. The majority of pupils have a reasonable vocabulary, but there are few higher attaining pupils who use a wide range of words in their speaking. In a Year 2 English lesson, the pupils prepared questions to use when interviewing Willie Wonka in their work on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. They took the opportunity to practise saying their questions aloud, and listened carefully to each other, working well collaboratively to decide on good questions and good answers. Higher attaining pupils communicate clearly and confidently in lessons as they respond to teachers’ questions. However, although the majority of pupils generally listen satisfactorily, many remain silent. Pupils exchange their ideas sensibly when they work with partners, but are less likely to speak in whole class discussions: this was seen in a Year 3

p.32

ENGLISH

English lesson, where the pupils were suggesting alternative words for ‘said’. They had plenty of Field Place First School - 33 ideas when working in pairs, but only a minority contributed when the whole class was asked to make suggestions together.

p.32

ENGLISH

105. The pupils listen well to their teacher and to each other, but a minority loses concentration, if too much time is given to an activity, so that, in a few lessons, some pupils become restless, or talk freely about something other than work. There is a greater emphasis in many lessons on listening than on speaking, so that when pupils learn new words, they often do not practise using them to check that they really understand them properly. This means that by the end of Years 2 and 3, pupils do not use words to express more subtle ideas.

p.33

ENGLISH

106. Attainment in reading by the end of Years 2 and 3 is below average. Higher attaining pupils read fluently and confidently. Levels of accuracy are above average, and the pupils use good expression when pretending to be different characters, or when making the story exciting. Average and lower attaining pupils are more hesitant, and they make up the majority of the school’s population. However, pupils make good progress in reading overall, given their low starting point. They know that punctuation marks are in the text to tell the reader how to read.

p.33

ENGLISH

107. As they progress through the school, the pupils learn a satisfactory range of strategies to help them with words they do not know, but they do not always use them to help them move on in their reading or spelling work. One pupil, in a Year 1 religious education lesson, observed that ‘There’s a word inside that word’ (‘wish’ inside ‘Jewish’), but few instances of this kind were seen and, in general, the majority of pupils have difficulty tackling unfamiliar words. They learn terms, including fiction and non-fiction, author and title, reasonably well, and generally talk about their books or tell the story from the pictures satisfactorily. Some pupils talk animatedly about the characters. Some instances of using an appropriate wordlist and dictionary were seen. The majority of pupils use the classroom book collections satisfactorily, though opportunities for research are limited.

p.33

ENGLISH

108. Attainment in writing by the end of Year 2 and by the end of Year 3 is below average. The pupils write in a variety of forms, including letters diaries, stories, instructions and poems. Higher attaining pupils write interesting pieces, and their sentences develop ideas logically, and they use grammar satisfactorily. They develop fluency in writing and form their letters accurately, using some interesting words in their descriptive writing. One Year 3 pupil described a character as having ‘two plaits in her thick, mud-coloured hair’. Average and lower attaining pupils know that capital letters begin sentences and full stops end them, but too many pupils experience difficulty over simple punctuation. Though basic and essential skills, including letter formation, size and shape and the correct spelling, particularly of key words, are taught satisfactorily, they are not well taught in every lesson, so that pupils do not have maximum opportunities to identify

p.33

ENGLISH

errors and improve their work. Given the low baseline from which they start, this limits the standards that some pupils reach at the moment.

p.33

ENGLISH

109. Thirteen lessons were observed during the inspection, of which seven were satisfactory, four were good and one was very good. There was one unsatisfactory lesson, in the Special Support Facility. Teaching overall is broadly satisfactory. In the good lessons, the pace is brisk, explanations are clear, and sufficiently short to keep the pupils’ attention. The tasks are well organised and appropriate to meet the needs of all pupils. In a Year 1 lesson, pupils were eager to make a fantasy book. Another Year 1 lesson switched activities frequently from handwriting to reading a big book together, to focusing on phonemes, and finally to writing individual story boards in preparation for some extended writing.

p.33

ENGLISH

110. In the satisfactory lessons, the pace is sometimes not brisk enough: some of the guided reading sessions are too long, for example, to be entirely useful. Teachers’ planning is satisfactory but it does not always meet the needs of all pupils throughout an entire lesson. This means that, although no group is regularly left out, pupils do not always learn well enough within parts of lessons. Ongoing assessment is satisfactory, rather than good, so pupils are not always helped to understand what they have done well, and what needs to be improved. Higher attaining pupils generally read the comments and make appropriate and immediate adjustments to their work. Marking is appropriate for the higher attaining pupils but is less well targeted for Field Place First School - 34 the rest of the pupils, so that the marking of work is not playing its full part in helping to raise standards, and some pupils repeat their errors without appropriate guidance, for too long a

p.33

ENGLISH

111. In the unsatisfactory lesson, planning was a list of activities to be covered, and was not linked closely to the individual needs of the pupils in the small group of pupils with special educational needs from the Special Support Facility. The tasks were too difficult for them, there were no milestones by which progress could be checked, and activities were rushed, because the teacher had to spend time managing the pupils’ behaviour.

p.34

ENGLISH

112. The quality of learning is satisfactory through the school and the pupils’ attitudes to English are positive. Year 1 and 2 pupils are keen to participate: there were enthusiastic cries of ‘Yes!’ when one teacher told her class they would be making their own book, and Year 3 pupils had plenty to say, tackling the task of creating a character with enthusiasm. Higher attaining pupils know what they must do to improve, but other pupils have less knowledge of their own learning.

p.34

ENGLISH

113. There are some examples of teachers incorporating literacy into a range of subjects: pupils write instructions for making a milk shake, for example, label their diagrams in science and produce some extended writing for the display that followed the school’s science week. In music, they play games that involve dividing words into syllables, which helps them to break words into smaller units for spelling purposes. However, although the literacy strategy the school has put in place is satisfactory, this is not powerful enough to raise the pupils’ standards to where they should be, given their low starting point. Although there were examples of ICT linked to literacy, the pupils have scant recall of this work, and it is not playing a sufficiently large part in helping the pupils to develop their writing.

p.34

ENGLISH

114. The co-ordinator for English is currently on maternity leave, and the headteacher is temporarily overseeing the development of the subject. The co-ordinator was interviewed for the purposes of the inspection: she is knowledgeable, has good enthusiasm for the subject, and has overseen good improvement in English. However, although provision has been improved, there is a good contribution from the Family Literacy initiative, the school has made good use of the West Sussex Local Education Authority’s Literacy Consultant, and standards have been raised, they are not yet high enough. The school is aware of this, and has made writing a target for this year, and has used the analysis of test results well to accurately assess the pupils’ levels of attainment and make predictions on their performance, feeding this back into the planning, thus further improving provision.

p.34

MATHEMATICS

115. In work seen at the end of Year 2, pupils attain standards that are above average, and this is an improvement since the time of the previous inspection. At the end of Year 3, standards overall are below those expected nationally. Although a significant number of Year 3 pupils continue to attain above average standards, as shown in their 2001 national test results, nevertheless, the high proportion of lower attaining pupils, including many with special educational needs, still depresses the overall standards. Overall, the pupils achieve well in mathematics. Pupils in Years 1 and 2, and higher attaining pupils in Year 3, achieve well. Average and lower attaining pupils achieve satisfactorily, due largely to their weaker standards of speech and communication, which lowers their understanding of what is being taught. Pupils with English as an additional language, and those with special educational needs achieve well because of the

p.34

MATHEMATICS

116. There are several factors that give rise to these overall improved standards and levels of achievement and they include good teaching; good provision for pupils with special educational needs; the pupils' positive attitudes and good behaviour; strong leadership and teamwork; and careful assessment of the pupils’ progress and individual targets to aim for. Field Place First School - 35 117. Improvement since the previous inspection, when standards and teaching were satisfactory, has been good. Work continues to be well matched to the pupils’ attainment levels, and there is now good challenge for higher attaining pupils.

p.34

MATHEMATICS

118. Pupils in Year 2 build well on the good achievements made in Year 1. Higher attaining pupils in Year 1 work competently in numbers up to a hundred, carefully using a hundred square and number line for their calculations; they measure length and capacity using non-standard measures and collect information to display in bar charts. By the end of Year 2, pupils have a particularly good knowledge and understanding of number and money. They add and subtract numbers to fifty accurately, and know a few simple fractions. Higher attaining pupils continue to work to a hundred and beyond, understanding the value of each digit in a given number; they round numbers up and down. Pupils recognise basic two and three-dimensional shapes by the numbers of sides, corners and faces; they start to use standard measures. Higher attaining pupils show the lines of symmetry on shapes and know which measures are appropriate; for

p.35

MATHEMATICS

example, when measuring a corridor in metres, the sides of a book in centimetres and its thickness in millimetres.

p.35

MATHEMATICS

119. Pupils collect information and communicate their findings in tables and bar charts. Higher attaining pupils interpret their findings. Although planning carefully shows the mathematical vocabulary to be developed in lessons, pupils are inconsistent in using this and in discussing their work, in order to further understanding. This is linked to the quality of individual teaching. Pupils understand and practise taught strategies; for example, they put the larger number first in addition and know how to add and subtract nine and 11. Higher attaining pupils start to draw on these strategies when solving real life problems.

p.35

MATHEMATICS

120. Many pupils within Year 3 are working at below average levels in the different areas of mathematics. However, a significant number of higher attaining pupils work competently in numbers up to a thousand and use decimal notation. They understand the operations of multiplication and division, and know that one is the inverse of the other; they practise their times tables and look for patterns within them. They use standard measures well and work out the perimeter of simple shapes, and they become more confident in discussing their work and explaining their reasoning.

p.35

MATHEMATICS

121. The quality of teaching and learning is good. There was no unsatisfactory teaching during the inspection, and one lesson was judged to be very good. Teachers plan well together within year groups, sharing expertise and ensuring that work is carefully prepared to meet the learning needs of all pupils. An analysis of past work shows that teachers mark work carefully, relating comments to learning intentions and informing pupils how well they have done. This shows good ongoing assessment and provides starting points for future learning, ensuring that good progress can be made in lessons. In better lessons pupils are expected to give answers to targeted questions, explaining their reasoning and so furthering their understanding. The conclusions to these lessons also encourage pupils to talk about and evaluate their learning. This was evident in a Year 1 lesson where questions and discussion helped pupils to understand how to find

p.35

MATHEMATICS

missing numbers in number sentences. Pupils are generally well managed. This is linked to the very good relationships that are built up within classes. Teachers take every opportunity to praise and encourage pupils, thus building up their self-esteem and confidence in numeracy. This in turn brings about good behaviour and positive attitudes to learning.

p.35

MATHEMATICS

122. In most lessons, pupils concentrate well and maintain an interest in what they are doing. When working independently in groups, pupils support each other, often as a matter of course. Learning support assistants generally provide good support for lower attaining pupils, including those with special educational needs. In less effective lessons they are not used sufficiently during the whole class parts of lessons, and could have a greater role to play in introducing work to groups, discussing it with them and getting them to model answers before providing support for individual work. Homework is set consistently, providing opportunities for pupils to practise and develop the skills that have been taught. Field Place First School - 36 123. Good use is being made of ICT; for example, in the pupils' work on direction and turns, and in entering, displaying and comparing data. Satisfactory use is made of numeracy in other subject

p.35

MATHEMATICS

areas, such as in geography, where pupils begin to link co-ordinates to map work, and in science, where the results of investigations are measured, recorded and compared.

p.36

MATHEMATICS

124. The subject is well led and managed by a long-standing and a more recently appointed co- ordinator. The results of national and optional testing are carefully analysed for strengths and weaknesses, and inform future planning for the subject. Clear targets for improvement are shown on the subject's development plan, for example the need to provide further opportunities for pupils to apply their skills to real life problems. During the focus year for numeracy, work was sampled and lessons effectively observed in order to improve the quality of teaching and learning and to raise standards. Teachers were given challenging targets for improvement that were later reviewed. The pupils’ progress is well monitored half-termly against key objectives and individual targets set based on end-of-year assessments, to help ensure that good progress is maintained. Assessments also effectively inform ability groupings within classes, and where

p.36

MATHEMATICS

further support is needed, for example in group work in Year 3, where pupils who attained Level 2C in the national tests are given additional support by a learning support assistant three times a week. The school organises a good family numeracy group, which is effective in encouraging parents and carers to support their children's learning and their development of positive attitudes to mathematics.

p.36

SCIENCE

125. The results of the national teacher assessments for 2001 show that by the end of Year 2, standards in science were below average, using average points, and that a below average proportion of the pupils reached the national average. However, when the higher attaining pupils’ results are considered, these were above average in comparison with similar schools. This represents good achievement, since this particular year group of pupils entered the school with particularly low standards, and a very high percentage of pupils with special educational needs is incorporated within the year group. This same year group is still in the school and, despite having continued to achieve well, their standards are below average, mainly due to limitations in their literacy skills. They talk about science well: in their work on rocks, they show understanding of the need for a fair test, and the majority of pupils recognise sandstone, chalk,

p.36

SCIENCE

granite and brick when shown examples of these rocks. Higher attaining pupils are comfortably at the national average, and a scrutiny of whole sets of their science work showed that they produce very detailed work on writing about plants, showing good observational skills.

p.36

SCIENCE

126. However, weaknesses in literacy mean that whenever the pupils come to write about what they know, or have found out, average and lower attaining pupils are hampered, even when they are writing quite ordinary words.

p.36

SCIENCE

127. In work seen at the end of Year 2, the pupils reach average standards. Similar problems with literacy are still evident, but with a much smaller percentage of the pupils than in the older classes, since there are fewer pupils in the Year 2 group with special educational needs. Higher attaining pupils develop their literacy well, and pupils write their own introductions to their work on electricity, pointing out how useful it is, and indicating the dangers of not following the instructions on how to make a circuit. Standards in Year 3 are below average, mainly because of the pupils’ weak literacy skills, which hinder them when they come to record or explain their work.

p.36

SCIENCE

128. The pupils achieve well in science, mainly because the quality of teaching in science is good, with a strong emphasis on investigative work. This starts early with habitat walks in the nursery and reception classes, and continues throughout the school. Pupils in Year 1 were keen to show their bean plants, and to explain why the individual plants had grown more or less well, according to the conditions. Pupils in Year 2 contrasted local habitats and produced an impressive list of creatures, showing their skills in finding things out and collecting data. The good achievement continues into Year 3, where the pupils benefit from the good experience they Field Place First School - 37 have had lower down the school by working comfortably with predictions, and showing that they understand the need for a fair test.

p.36

SCIENCE

129. The quality of teaching and learning is good overall. Teachers’ planning is good, and lessons are well set up. The good relationships between adults in the room mean that time and resources are used well, and the pupils are managed particularly effectively. As a result, the pupils put plenty of effort into their work, concentrate on the tasks they are set, and develop real interest in what they are doing. There is some evidence of ICT being used to support learning in science, and the pupils produce graphs and charts to display their findings.

p.37

SCIENCE

130. The co-ordinator is a science specialist, and she maintains a clear view of the work across the school, so that leadership and management of the subject are good. There has been good improvement since the time of the previous inspection: the subject now has a policy, a good scheme of work, and has a much higher profile in the school; the recent science week generated excitement and a great deal of productive work in all year groups.

p.37

ART AND DESIGN

131. By the end of Years 2 and 3 pupils attain standards that are average, sustaining the judgement made at the time of the previous inspection. Pupils generally reach above average standards in observational drawing and in some work with paint. Throughout the school, pupils develop their awareness of art and quickly acquire some essential skills. However, these skills are not used well enough to support other subjects. This means that the above average work seen is specific to art lessons and it is in these lessons where pupils show a developing competence and confidence in their work. By the end of Years 2 and 3, many pupils show a level of competence in handling materials that exceeds what can be usually expected at this age. All pupils, including those who have special educational needs and those for whom English is an additional language, make equally good progress in art lessons. Inclusion is good. There is no significant

p.37

ART AND DESIGN

difference in the performance of girls and boys. No pupil has been identified as gifted and talented.

p.37

ART AND DESIGN

132. Pupils work with a good range of textiles, and use paint, pen and pencil well. They have learnt about Monet and have created pictures in the artist’s style. There is some three-dimensional work, for example, weaving which is of good quality but this care and quality is not seen in other work, for example, in the making of cubes from paper. Sketchbooks are used very well throughout the school and give a record of some interesting and carefully produced work. Techniques are taught systematically. However, figure drawing is weak. There is very little completed work as pupils move through the school. This suggests that teachers lack sufficient subject knowledge in some aspects of art in the National Curriculum.

p.37

ART AND DESIGN

133. The quality of teaching and learning is good overall. Teachers use their skills and keen interest in the work to help pupils achieve well. Good use is made of the immediate environment and this opportunity to learn from first hand experience has a positive impact on the pupils’ learning. Lessons are well-prepared. Clear explanations and demonstrations help pupils to know what to do. Teachers’ timely intervention supports all pupils well in helping them to overcome difficulties and produce their best efforts. Pupils are pleased to do this and willingly take advice, make adjustments and successfully produce work of good quality. Pupils are easily managed in lessons because they are interesting, challenging and purposeful. In Year 2, pupils learnt how to draw and prepare their work to make a press print. They were all totally absorbed in the work. In Year 3, pupils had a good opportunity to work co-operatively and collaboratively to produce

p.37

ART AND DESIGN

ideas for a sculpture. A significant minority found this work demanding but were helped to contribute usefully to the sharing of ideas by the teacher. It was the teacher’s skill that successfully kept pupils on track so that all were able to make good sense of the work.

p.37

ART AND DESIGN

134. Although ICT contributes satisfactorily in art, literacy does not. Pupils do not develop their speaking skills as well as they could because there is insufficient opportunity to talk about the work, assess their own work and that of others, and reading and writing skills are not fully developed. Field Place First School - 38 135. The subject leader is new to the role and is aware of the need to develop her own knowledge and understanding of the subject. A good start has been made in collecting samples and levelling the work.

p.37

DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

136. No design and technology lessons were taught during the week of the inspection. A judgement on standards is based largely on the analysis of the pupils’ work, attractive displays and well presented samples of work. By the end of Years 2 and 3, pupils attain standards in design and technology that are average, and this is the same as at the previous inspection.

p.38

DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

137. Taking account of the pupils’ limited experience of the work, the majority of pupils achieve well at first but this becomes satisfactory overall as pupils move on through the school, and achievement is judged as satisfactory overall. This is because although pupils learn about the design process systematically they could be expected to produce better quality work through improved skills in cutting, making and evaluation at an earlier stage. Pupils who have special educational needs and those for whom English is an additional language achieve in line with their age group. There is no significant difference between the performance of boys and girls and other groups. No gifted and talented pupils have been identified in this subject.

p.38

DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

138. Pupils in Year 1 learn how to make rooms and houses using cardboard boxes. Their work shows very early skills of cutting. Labelled designs of houses show very early skills in writing. Many pupils make marks and write one or two recognisable letters to explain their work. They begin to learn about design and the opportunities they experience are useful in helping them to tackle the work. In Year 2, pupils learn about making puppets and some produce good quality work in both the design stage and the finished product.

p.38

DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

139. There are links with other subjects including literacy but these are not always as useful as they could be. This is because when pupils label their work, the letters are not always well formed, positioned or spelt correctly. This does not support writing or presentation skills well enough. The use of ICT is under-developed.

p.38

DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

140. There is no judgement on teaching or learning, but it can be seen from school documentation and samples of work that teachers generally have a satisfactory knowledge of the subject and their planning offers pupils a satisfactory range of experiences overall. However, although pupils evaluate their work more consistently as they become older they generally do not modify their work sufficiently by taking full account of their evaluation. Teachers do not always help pupils to improve their performance in developing their literacy skills to better support this subject.

p.38

GEOGRAPHY

141. Very little geography was available for scrutiny during the inspection, and no judgement is made on the standards the pupils attain at the end of Year 2 or Year 3, although the work being undertaken by pupils in Year 2 and Year 3 this term is meeting the required standard. Comparisons cannot be made with the previous inspection.

p.38

GEOGRAPHY

142. Year 2 pupils show that they have an understanding of how to draw a plan. Pupils in Year 1 are beginning to use geographical vocabulary and can sequence photographs of places in the local area using far, near, nearest and furthest away. Year 3 pupils compare the land use of the local environment with the nearby village of Washington. They use maps and photographs to identify similarities and differences, and make some links with their numeracy work, when they consider co-ordinates.

p.38

GEOGRAPHY

143. The teaching and learning observed in the two Year 2 and one Year 3 classes were satisfactory overall. One lesson was good. In the good lesson, the pupils had opportunities to develop knowledge and skills by handling maps and photographs. Teachers across year groups plan together to ensure pupils in parallel classes have equal opportunities. Pupils with special Field Place First School - 39 educational needs are well supported so that they can participate fully in lessons and be successful learners. No evidence of ICT being used in geography was observed, and there were few indications in the planning of where ICT is used to support the subject.

p.38

GEOGRAPHY

144. Pupils have positive attitudes to geography, and all are included in the learning. Year 3 pupils are looking forward to visiting Washington so that they can see for themselves the differences between the two places.

p.39

GEOGRAPHY

145. Geography is managed satisfactorily, and the subject is to be a focus next term when the scheme of work will be reviewed, new resources purchased and assessment procedures improved.

p.39

HISTORY

146. No lessons were seen in history during the inspection, and therefore no judgements can be made on standards, achievement, teaching or learning. However, the scrutiny of the pupils’ work, of teachers’ planning, and discussions with the co-ordinator and with pupils indicate that a satisfactory range of topics is covered, and all statutory requirements are met. Recent improvements in the pupils’ literacy skills mean that the school is now well placed to consider various ways of recording the pupils’ historical knowledge and using history to develop speaking and listening skills.

p.39

HISTORY

147. Pupils in Year 1 consider their favourite toy and compare it with the toys of their parents and grandparents. They discuss the changes that have taken place. They look at artefacts to show how cleaning our house has changed over the last hundred years. Pupils in Year 2 know about famous people and events; for example, Guy Fawkes, Florence Nightingale and The Fire of London. Pupils in Year 3 have studied The Saxons and World War 2. They made attractive books for each topic, but because of the under-developed literacy skills of many pupils, only the higher attaining pupils can recall significant facts about these periods. They are not developing a sense of chronology. Year 3 pupils do not have a broad base of knowledge about Saxon times. However, they really enjoyed the topic and talk enthusiastically about the day they dressed up and ‘invaded’ the assembly. Visits and visitors enhance the learning of history and pupils in

p.39

HISTORY

148. From talking to the co-ordinator, and from looking at planning and the pupils’ work, the indications are that the teaching of history is satisfactory. It is taught using an investigative approach – pupils observe pictures, photographs, the Internet and CD ROMS and artefacts carefully. Planning shows that the needs of all pupils are addressed, including the higher attaining pupils, and those with special educational needs. Some imaginative ways of recording the pupils’ learning have been developed but when pupils are asked to use their literacy skills to record their learning, expectations are too low. Pupils need more support, for example, in using specific word cards, so that they do not continually reinforce incorrect spelling; for example, fadat (found out), qwen (qween). Their knowledge is superficial; no one mentioned the hospital at Scutari, or the Crimean War, but several pupils wrote ‘Florence Nightingale was a nice person.

p.39

HISTORY

149. The management of history is satisfactory. The co-ordinator is enthusiastic and knowledgeable about the subject. Since the last inspection the policy has been reviewed and the scheme of work incorporates national guidance. Resources have been improved.

p.39

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

150. At the end of Years 2 and 3 standards in ICT are broadly average. This shows good improvement since the last inspection when standards were below average. Teachers' knowledge has also improved and there is now a scheme of work. Pupils, including those with special educational needs, achieve satisfactorily throughout the school.

p.39

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

151. By the end of Year 2, pupils have become familiar with the keyboard and start to develop satisfactory mouse control. They start to enter text and to change the font, size and colour for Field Place First School - 40 effect; they use paint programs to create pictures; they save and retrieve their work. In data handling, pupils enter and compare their own information; for example, their birth months. They key in instructions to control a programmable electronic device, finding out that instructions can be programmed to be repeated; for example, to make it travel in a complete square. By the end of Year 3, pupils amend text and add images and patterns for effect. They create their own detailed data bank, for example, to record the different features of plants; they begin to use the Internet to find information, and email to correspond between classes and with people outside of school; for instance, when they wrote to thank a visiting archaeologist.

p.39

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

152. Teaching and learning are satisfactory. Introductory lessons are given to classes, with opportunities provided for pupils to practise and develop skills throughout the week. In a good lesson observed this was particularly effective, as resources had been collected together to enable more pupils to have 'hands on'. This enabled them to make good progress in programming an electronic device to follow and repeat instructions. The method used was also effective, getting pupils to realise that it was boring to keep on keying the same instruction rather than using the repeat button. Good relationships, linked to a strong use of praise and encouragement, bring about good behaviour and positive attitudes to learning.

p.40

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

153. There was limited evidence of ICT being used during the inspection to support learning in other subjects. However, from this and recorded and displayed work, it is developing. In mathematics good use is made of data handling programs to enter, display and compare information. It is also used in conjunction with the topic on movement and direction. In science pupils drag text to label diagrams, and download information from the Internet, for example, when finding out about Louis Pasteur.

p.40

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

154. There is now a scheme of work, based on national guidelines, which helps to ensure continuity and progression in learning and covers all the required elements of the subject. Some lessons have been observed with a view to improving the quality of teaching and learning and raising standards. Assessment sheets are completed for the different units followed by classes, and are starting to be used to track progress and to plan future learning. Resources for ICT are currently insufficient. Each classroom has its own computer, but this does not allow for the effective teaching of skills, providing pupils with immediate hands on facilities to practise them. The school has taken careful guidance in its planning for an ICT suite. Once this is up and running, the subject is set to 'take off'. Staff have received training to boost their confidence in both using and teaching ICT. There is a technician on site who effectively sorts out day-to-day

p.40

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

problems with equipment. A computer club enriches the provision for Year 2 pupils.

p.40

MUSIC

155. Standards in music were average at the end of Year 2 and Year 3 at the time of the previous inspection, and this remains true. Pupils in Year 2 know the names of percussion instruments and can use the correct terminology in suggesting a variety of ways in which they can be played. One higher attaining Year 2 pupil, holding a triangle, explained that ‘If you don’t hold it by the string, it can’t vibrate.’ Average attaining pupils sing with expression and obvious enjoyment. Their singing is tuneful and, by the end of the lesson, they also play accurately in time. Lower attaining pupils, surrounded by other who are clapping rhythms correctly, can keep up the pulse for a short time, but complex rhythms defeat them.

p.40

MUSIC

156. Year 3 pupils sing well, with good diction. They extend their literacy skills in singing ‘In an English Country Garden’, with a wide range of vocabulary. The majority learn the words by rote very quickly. They hold their parts well in a four part round. Higher attaining pupils conduct their peers and lead the singing effectively.

p.40

MUSIC

157. Achievement is good in music, fuelled by the good attitudes and behaviour of the pupils, who enjoy their practical work, and put plenty of effort into their singing and playing. This represents an improvement since the previous inspection, when the report described ‘a significant number of pupils in Year 3, who do not make enough progress.’ Field Place First School - 41 158. Teaching and learning are good overall. There are very good relationships, which make music lessons enjoyable sessions. The teachers are not afraid to lead the singing with their voices, and sing enthusiastically, so that the pupils gain in confidence and redouble their efforts to improve. They use a variety of techniques to encourage the pupils, dividing them into groups and playing ‘question and answer’ games. In one good Year 2 lesson, the brisk pace set by the teacher meant that the pupils were totally involved in the lesson, and many volunteers wanted to

p.40

MUSIC

conduct the others. Good accompaniment on the piano by a learning support assistant added to the encouraging climate for learning. In a good Year 1 / 2 lesson, the teacher adopted a very dynamic approach, and sang tunefully with a good sense of rhythm, which the pupils imitated.

p.41

MUSIC

159. The co-ordinator for music leads well, plays several instruments, is well established in monitoring the plans of individual teachers and has led in-service training sessions for the staff. The scheme of work and policy are scheduled for review this year. ICT is not used in music. The school is building a library of tapes, and ensures that music from a range of cultures is represented, and this makes a good contribution to the pupils’ spiritual and cultural development.

p.41

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

160. Standards in physical education are above average for pupils at the end of Year 2 and Year 3, and pupils achieve well. This is the same as at the last inspection.

p.41

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

161. Pupils in Year 1 are developing appropriate throwing and catching skills and building well on the good teaching they receive in this area in the reception classes. By the time they reach Year 2 they participate in a game of rounders, demonstrating satisfactory throwing and catching skills. They collaborate well and enjoy the competitive element of the game. Pupils in Year 2 and Year 3 demonstrate good gymnastic skills. Year 2 create a sequence of movements involving a tuck, a stretch and a balance and perform this with confidence and control on the floor and on the apparatus. This work is further developed in Year 3 – the sequence becomes smoother and pupils begin to evaluate each other’s work. They understand clearly the need for warming-up before they exert themselves, and cooling down at the end of exercising. All Year 3 pupils, including those with special educational needs, go swimming; most pupils can swim ten metres

p.41

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

and approximately twenty-five per cent could swim twenty-five metres, the national expectation for pupils by the end of Year 6, at the time of the inspection. They will have further swimming opportunities in the middle school.

p.41

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

162. Teaching is good overall, particularly in the gymnastics lessons, so that the pupils learn well, and show good achievement through the school. Teachers have good subject knowledge, high expectations of behaviour and skills development. They encourage pupils to improve their performances. Planning is good and shows that skills are developed systematically over a series of lessons.

p.41

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

163. Learning is good, as a result of so much good teaching. Pupils enjoy their physical activities and have a very positive attitude towards the subject. A good range of extra-curricular activities is provided which support and enhance skills development and provide suitable competitive experiences.

p.41

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

164. The management of physical education is good. In the past, the school’s staff has had good quality training, especially in gymnastics and dance. However, there have been many changes in staff recently, and this training now needs to be repeated to ensure that all teachers have the necessary expertise and confidence to maintain the good standards in physical education. Resources are good and used efficiently by all teachers. The co-ordinator has put together an excellent portfolio of evidence, using annotated photographs from the digital camera, which gives good guidance to teachers. ICT is used to produce the photographs, but not otherwise.

p.41

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

Field Place First School - 42 165. Although a few lessons were observed, there is not enough written evidence to make a judgement on the standards attained at the end of Years 2 and 3, on how well pupils achieve, or on the overall quality of teaching and learning. Planning for the subject shows that lessons are generally based on discussion, often with little recorded work expected. This is borne out by the limited amount and inconsistency of past written work available.

p.42

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

166. In the few lessons observed, teaching and learning overall were satisfactory. One lesson seen was unsatisfactory. Pupils are well managed. They concentrate well during the introductions to lessons and show positive attitudes to learning. The planned learning objectives are often too complex and worded in such a way as to make it difficult to share with pupils or to provide a clear focus for lessons. The comparatively short time allocated to lessons makes it very difficult to cover planned activities in sufficient depth. Teachers do use the pupils’ own experiences as starting points to develop ideas. For example, they look at their own party celebrations before considering religious festivals and how these are celebrated; they consider the school's Golden Rules when thinking about religious laws. Where written activities are planned they do not take sufficient account of the pupils’ individual literacy skills. For example, in a Year 3 lesson pupils

p.42

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

had a prepared text on the Jewish Bar Mitzvah to read and to extract information from. This was a challenging activity for Higher attaining pupils but too difficult for many others, even though they worked in mixed ability groups and could draw and label pictures rather than write.

p.42

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

167. ICT is not yet being used in religious education. There are insufficient opportunities in the subject, linked to the time available, to practise and develop literacy skills at levels appropriate to the pupils’ individual attainment. Good opportunities are provided, through discussion, to develop speaking and listening skills.

p.42

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

168. Since the last inspection a scheme of work has been developed that is closely linked to the West Sussex Locally Agreed Syllabus. The time allocated to the subject is, however, less than that recommended. Teachers' subject knowledge has increased. Books and artefact resources are now satisfactory, and cover all of the religions studied. Improvement is satisfactory. There has been no monitoring of the subject with a view to improving the quality of teaching and raising standards. Assessments are starting to be recorded against key learning objectives. Visits to local churches enrich the curriculum, although visits to other faith centres are not yet planned. There is very little displayed around the school to raise the profile of the subject or to celebrate the pupils’ achievements.

p.42