Other · Ofsted report

Biddick Hall Infants' School

Inspected — · published 13 Sept 2002 · URN 108682

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Full report text

BIDDICK HALL INFANT SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 27 th - 30 th May 2002

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BIDDICK HALL INFANT SCHOOL

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

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BIDDICK HALL INFANT SCHOOL

Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the School Inspections Act 1996, the school must provide a copy of this report and/or its summary free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. Biddick Hall Infant School - 1

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Galsworthy Road South Shields Tyne and Wear

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The governing body

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: July 1997 Biddick Hall Infant School - 2

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

2456 Mrs J Bell Registered inspector Mathematics What sort of school is it? Information and communication technology The school’s results and pupils’ achievements. History How well are pupils taught? Physical education How well is the school led and managed? Areas of learning for children in the foundation stage What should the school do to improve further?

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Equal opportunities 11368 Mrs K Lee Lay inspector Pupils’ attitudes, behaviour and personal development. How well does the school care for its pupils? How well does the school work in partnership with parents? 22545 Mrs V Hobson Team inspector English Art and design Geography 24031 Mrs I Idle Team inspector Science How good are the curricular and other opportunities offered to pupils? Religious education 30346 Mrs P Lowrie Team inspector Design and technology

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Music Special educational needs Biddick Hall Infant School - 3 The inspection contractor was:

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Eclipse (Education) Limited 14 Enterprise House Kingsway Team Valley Gateshead NE11 0SR.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE. Biddick Hall Infant School - 4

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 5

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

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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS? 10

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

The school is a larger than average sized infant school situated in the Biddick Hall Estate in South Shields, South Tyneside. It admits pupils aged three to seven. The area suffers some disadvantage and there is high unemployment. The school has 299 pupils on roll; this includes 78 children who attend the nursery part-time. There are 116 boys and 105 girls in main school. The number of pupils eligible for free school meals (122) is very high and well above the national average. All pupils are from white, English speaking families. The children enter the nursery with a broad range of attainment, but many are mainly well below the level expected for their age, particularly in their language and social skills. The school has 65 pupils on the register of special educational needs; this is broadly average. Of the pupils on the register of special educational needs, 40 are at an early stage and 22 need the involvement of outside agencies. Two pupils have a statutory assessment and one has

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

a statement of specific need; this matches the national average. There was a long period of uncertainty in the school following the sudden departure of the previous head teacher. Many staff, including the head teacher and deputy head teacher have been appointed within the last two years.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

The school provides an effective environment for learning that enables all pupils, whatever their ability or background to make a good start to their education. Although standards in English and mathematics are well below national averages the pupils achieve well when compared with schools with a similar intake of pupils. The head teacher provides effective leadership and the deputy head teacher, senior staff and governors provide good support in managing the school. All staff work well as a team and are committed to providing a high level of care and support that ensures that pupils’ personal development is good. Teaching is often good and occasionally very good. This ensures that pupils develop good attitudes to school and learn effectively. The school provides satisfactory value for money.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What the school does well • The head teacher provides a good lead in developing the school and the deputy head teacher, senior staff and governors provide good support to managing the school. • There is a substantial amount of good, and sometimes very good teaching and teachers provide a good range of activities and experiences that promote pupils’ eagerness to learn. • Relationships in the school are very good and so pupils develop good attitudes to school and behave well. • There is very good programme to promote pupils’ personal and social development, and to encourage citizenship and a healthy lifestyle. • All staff provide a high level of care and support to pupils. All pupils are valued as individuals and grow in self-esteem and confidence as they move through the school. • The provision for pupils with special educational needs is good.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What could be improved • The standards in English, mathematics and science. • The assessment of pupils’ progress and the way this information is used on a day-to-day basis to build on what pupils’ already know and match work more closely to their ability. Biddick Hall Infant School - 6 • The balance of time to subjects, particularly mathematics and religious education. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school has made sound improvement since the last inspection in 1997. It is not easy to recognise the school described in the last report. After the last head teacher left suddenly, there was a period of uncertainty that had an effect on the school’s performance in the 2001 tests. A substantial number of staff, including the head teacher and deputy head teacher have been appointed in the last two years. Many of the new teachers are relatively inexperienced but have responded well to their roles and responsibilities. The school appointed a new co-ordinator for assessment and a lot of work has been done on improving the procedures for checking on pupils’ progress and setting targets for their improvement. However, the current assessment and recording procedures are time consuming and produce a great deal of information that is not easy to manage. The provision for information and communication technology (ICT) has improved and there are more opportunities for pupils to develop

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

their skills. The co-ordinator for ICT provides a good lead for staff and they have taken part in training and now teach ICT with greater confidence. The subject co-ordinators now have a clearly defined role and are managing effectively the developments in their subjects. Although many have only recently taken on these responsibilities they contribute well to school improvement and there is a useful cycle for monitoring each subject and identifying areas for improvement. Many governors are new but they are now linked to subjects and areas such as special educational needs. This initiative is improving their understanding of the work of the school. Teaching and learning are better and this is reflected in steadily improving standards. The school’s accommodation has improved substantially with the creation of attractive library areas decorated by parents, a new entrance to the school and the

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

resurfacing of the playground. Staffing issues have been resolved and the school is entering a period of stability. The enthusiasm and commitment of head teacher, staff and governors means the school has the potential to continue its planned improvement.

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STANDARDS

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

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STANDARDS

Performance in: all schools similar schools Key

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STANDARDS

reading D E E B well above average above average A B writing D C D B average below average C D mathematics B E E B well below average E

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STANDARDS

The school admits children with a broad range of ability but many have language, mathematical and social skills that are well below those expected for their age when they enter nursery. Children make at least satisfactory and sometimes good progress throughout the foundation stage, and progress is often rapid in their personal and social development. However, by the time they start Year 1, the children’s attainment is still below and often well below that expected in the language, literacy, and mathematical areas of learning. All pupils make satisfactory and sometimes good progress, whatever Biddick Hall Infant School - 7 their ability or background. Those with special educational needs are well supported and their progress is at least satisfactory given their low starting point.

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STANDARDS

The results of the 2001 tests for seven year olds show that the pupils’ performance in reading was well below the national levels and writing was below average. In mathematics the standards were well below the national average. However, the school did well when compared with similar schools and standards were above average in all three subjects. The teachers’ assessments of pupils’ attainment in science were below the levels attained nationally but above similar schools. Too few pupils achieve the higher levels in these tests. The results for 2002 show a slight improvement in reading and writing but are similar to 2001 in mathematics. However, there is no national data yet available with which to compare.

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STANDARDS

In current work, standards of reading and writing are often well below those expected of seven year olds. In handwriting lessons they form letters well and write neatly but these skills are not sufficiently well transferred to other writing tasks. Standards in writing could be higher if pupils had more opportunities to develop writing skills in other subjects. In speaking, standards are below average and many pupils have a very limited range of vocabulary. Listening skills are sound. Standards in mathematics are often well below those expected at the age of seven. This is mainly due to the insufficient time allocated to numeracy lessons to enable pupils to consolidate learning and practise their skills. Standards in current work in science are in line with those expected by the age of seven. More pupils could attain the higher levels if there was greater challenge for the average and more able

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STANDARDS

pupils. The standards in ICT are at the level expected by the age of seven. Work in religious education does not meet the requirements of the syllabus taught in the local authority’s schools. This is because there is too little time available for the syllabus to be taught in sufficient depth.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Attitudes to the school Good. The pupils enjoy school and are keen to take advantage of what it offers them. They try hard and usually concentrate well on their work.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Good. The pupils know what is expected of them and behave well, both in lessons and in the play areas.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Personal development and relationships Relationships are very good and so pupils’ personal development is good.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Attendance Satisfactory. Attendance has been poor in the past but is satisfactory for the current year.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Most pupils attend school regularly and on time but there is a minority who are late or are often absent. The school works hard to improve attendance because of the detrimental effect on the progress of these pupils and its efforts are beginning to show an improvement with a reduction in the number of authorised absences.

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

Teaching of pupils in: Nursery and reception Years 1 – 2 Biddick Hall Infant School - 8 Quality of teaching Satisfactory Good

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

Teaching is mainly good and sometimes very good. There was some good teaching in all classes. There was a very small amount of unsatisfactory teaching where lessons lacked depth and challenge. The teaching of children in the nursery and reception classes (the foundation stage) is mainly satisfactory and sometimes good, particularly for their personal and social development. These children make at least satisfactory progress and have a good start to their learning. Staff in the foundation stage have a good understanding of the needs of young children and provide a stimulating range of activities to encourage their learning. The teaching is mainly good and sometimes very good in Years 1 and 2. The teaching of English is sound. The basic skills of literacy are taught well in English lessons. Teachers have good strategies for teaching reading and their enthusiasm for books is passed to the pupils. The teaching of writing is satisfactory, but there are insufficient opportunities to

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

teach literacy skills throughout the curriculum that would enable pupils to develop and practise their writing in other subjects. The teaching of mathematics is broadly satisfactory. However, the limited time given to numeracy lessons means that teachers cannot ensure that skills are practised or consolidated well enough. However, pupils have some opportunities to use numeracy skills to present their findings in science using graphs and tables and to use their measuring skills in design and technology. Teachers and support staff work well with pupils who have special educational needs to ensure that they learn as well as they can.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

The quality and range of the curriculum Satisfactory overall. The curriculum covers all subjects. However, the high proportion of time given to English means that some subjects such as mathematics and religious education do not have sufficient time to consolidate pupils’ learning. The requirements of the agreed syllabus are not fully met in religious education.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Good. The pupils’ needs are quickly identified and met well through the good work done by teachers and the effective teaching by support staff.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Good. The pupils have very good opportunities to express how they feel and learn to get on well together. The staff teach right from wrong and so moral development is good. The pupils’ awareness of their own culture is well promoted but provision for multicultural awareness is more limited.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

How well the school cares for its pupils Very good. Staff know the pupils very well and give a high priority to their well being.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

The provision for pupils’ personal, social, health and citizenship education is very good. The school provides a good range of activities beyond the school day and enriches the curriculum through well- planned visits out of school. Procedures for monitoring personal development are good. Those used to monitor academic progress are sound but assessment procedures do not yet enable staff to make best use of the information gained from regular checks on pupils’ progress in order to plan the next work. The school has established good partnerships with parents and this has a positive impact on pupils’ learning. Biddick Hall Infant School - 9

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

Leadership and management by the head teacher and other key staff Good. The head teacher provides a strong lead in the school’s efforts to raise standards and she sets a very good example in the high level of care to pupils. A very able deputy, who plays a full part in bringing about school improvement, supports her. All of the staff work well as a team.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Satisfactory. The governors work hard to support the school’s planning for improvement. They are gaining a clear view of the school’s strengths and weaknesses through links to subjects but this could be further developed.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The school’s evaluation of its performance Satisfactory. The school is developing sound procedures to look closely at its performance. It identifies strengths and weaknesses and plans carefully to overcome any shortcomings.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The strategic use of resources Good. Careful financial planning supports the priorities for improvement and the school seeks the best value in its expenditure.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The subject co-ordinators for English and mathematics visit other classrooms to monitor teaching and learning but there are few opportunities for the co-ordinators of other subjects to gain an overview of how their subjects are developing throughout the school. There are sufficient, well-qualified teachers and a good number of support staff, who work well to promote pupils’ learning. The school accommodation is adequate for the current number of pupils. The building has been substantially improved and is kept spotlessly clean due to the hard work and commitment of the caretaker and cleaning staff. Resources are generally satisfactory for all subjects except design and technology.

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved • Their children enjoy school. • The school encourages children to work hard, to do their best and to become mature and responsible. • The teaching is good and the children make good progress. • The school is well led and managed. • Behaviour is good. • The information on how well their children make progress. • The range of activities outside lessons.

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

The inspection findings support all of the parents’ positive views but not their concern over the information about their children’s progress or the concerns about activities beyond lessons, which are good for pupils of this age range. Biddick Hall Infant School - 10

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

1 When they enter the nursery, the children’s attainment covers a broad range but is mainly well below the standards expected for this age group in language, mathematical and social skills. Teaching is at least satisfactory and sometimes good or very good in the nursery and reception classes so children make sound, and sometimes good, progress throughout their time in the foundation stage. The staff give a high priority to providing a safe, secure and stimulating environment that supports the children’s personal and social development. This ensures that children make rapid progress in their personal and social development. Standards are beginning to improve throughout the foundation stage and the current intake has the potential to do well by the time they reach the end of the reception year. However, by the time they start Year 1, children’s attainment is still often below and, for many, well below expectations for their age in their language and mathematical development. Many children have

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

a limited range of experiences outside school and although the school provides a good range of activities and visits, their knowledge and understanding of the world about them is below that expected at the end of the reception year. Many children do well in their creative work and their physical skills are good; they are on course to exceed the learning goals identified for their age in these areas of learning by the time they reach the end of the reception year.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

2 The results of the 2001 tests for seven year olds show that the pupils’ performance in reading and mathematics was well below the national average and in writing was below average. However, the school does well when compared to schools with a similar intake of pupils and attains standards above these schools in all three subjects. Although teachers’ assessments of pupils’ attainment in science were below average, attainment was above that in similar schools. The performance of boys and girls was similar. The school has focused successfully on improving boys’ performance in reading and writing through improved resources and initiatives to improve attitudes. The results for 2002 appear better in reading and writing and similar in mathematics, but there is no national data yet available with which to compare.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

3 The last inspection described standards as broadly in line with those attained nationally but it is difficult to recognise the school from the last report. There have been changes in the headship, and a substantial number of staff, including the head teacher and deputy head teacher have been appointed in the last two years. The school’s performance suffered due to the sudden departure of the head teacher and the subsequent upheaval following staff changes just before the tests resulted in a drop in the school’s expected performance.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

4 Pupils make at least satisfactory progress over time, whatever their ability or background. Current standards in reading and writing are often well below those expected of seven year olds. Standards in speaking are very low on entry and many children start school with very limited vocabulary. This improves due to the good work of staff who reinforce speaking and listening skills in all activities. However, many pupils find it hard to convey their ideas and show what they know because they do not have a sufficiently broad range of vocabulary. Listening skills are sound; pupils are interested in what others have to say and listen carefully to their teachers and each other. In reading, many pupils have difficulty in making predictions about what might happen or how the characters in the stories might feel and react in different situations. Although pupils write for a range of purposes and extra time is given to practising basics skills, pupils have too few planned opportunities

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

to develop and practise their writing in other subjects. Their limited vocabulary does not enable them to write interesting and extended pieces of work. In handwriting lessons, pupils form letters carefully Biddick Hall Infant School - 11 and write neatly but few transfer these skills to other written work. The school allocates a substantial amount of extra time to English skills such as handwriting and spelling but the skills learned are not used well enough in other work to have the desired effect in raising standards. The extra time given to English limits the time available for other subjects such as mathematics and religious education, and this impacts on attainment.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

5 Standards in mathematics are often well below those expected at the age of seven. This is mainly because there is too little time given to numeracy lessons and pupils have insufficient time to practise skills and consolidate learning. There is rarely enough time at the end of lessons for teachers to allow pupils to talk about ways they have tackled problems and to reinforce what has been learned. By the age of seven pupils are beginning to have knowledge of two, five and ten times tables. They can use a number line to complete simple addition and subtraction calculations. They work on whiteboards and are gaining confidence in talking about ways in which to solve problems. However, many lack skills in setting out their written work and often make mistakes because they have placed figures in the wrong columns. Most pupils know the names of simple two and three-dimensional shapes and can identify

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

some of their properties. Few have an accurate understanding of reading the time other than to the hour and sometimes the half-hour. More able pupils are able to develop their use and understanding of mathematical terms. Pupils are learning to create and use block graphs; they use these with reasonable accuracy to show their findings in science.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

6 Standards in science have improved due to good teaching and are now in line with those expected by the age of seven. A few pupils achieve above this level but the number could be higher if there was greater challenge for the average and more able pupils. The pace of some lessons is slow and pupils are not always clear about what they need to do to improve. Pupils aged seven have a secure understanding of forces. Higher achievers clearly explain why and how to conduct a fair test and know that only one variant can be changed at any one time. Pupils describe accurately what friction is and predict confidently what they think might happen when testing different cars on a ramp. They understand a simple electric circuit and know what makes a bulb light. Pupils know which foods are good for health and which are not. However, there are too few opportunities for pupils to record their investigations in their own words.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

7 The standards in ICT have improved and are at the level expected by the age of seven. Pupils have sound basic keyboard skills and know the function of different keys, such as ‘shift’ and ‘spacebar’. The sound teaching means that pupils are learning to work with new PCs and software. They work well and can open a program, find a file, type in text and print their work. They successfully use the mouse to control cursors and to locate icons that enable them to drag and position objects correctly.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

8 Standards in religious education do not meet the levels required in the syllabus taught in the local authority’s schools. This is because there is too little time available for work to be taught in depth. By the end of Year 2, pupils have a sound understanding of the stories of the Creation of the World and recall well the miracles performed by Jesus and the stories that He told His followers. They know about His death on the cross and also of the resurrection. Pupils gain an understanding of how stories such as ‘The Good Samaritan’ relate to their own lives. They make sound progress in their study of Judaism. However, they do not have enough opportunities to consolidate their work and many topics are not covered well enough.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

9 Standards in other subjects are mainly at the level expected by the age of seven. Pupils’ weak literacy skills mean that written work is often thin. Although their limited vocabulary means they find it difficult to talk about what they know, it is evident that many pupils have a greater knowledge and understanding than written work shows. Biddick Hall Infant School - 12 10 The progress made by pupils with special educational needs is at least satisfactory in both the foundation stage and in Years 1 and 2. They are able to achieve similar rates of progress to other pupils because of the good quality of support they receive. The support staff are deployed well and provide effective support to pupils with special educational needs in both individual and group tasks. Biddick Hall Infant School - 13

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

11 Pupils show good attitudes to their work and their life in school, which help them to make steady progress in their learning. These good attitudes have continued since the time of the previous inspection. Pupils are very enthusiastic about school. Older pupils say that they enjoy school because they ‘learn new things every day’. Parents agree that their children like school and are eager to come. Attendance is now broadly satisfactory. Most pupils attend school regularly and on time but there are a minority who are late or are often absent. The school works hard to improve attendance because of the detrimental effect on the progress of these pupils and its efforts are beginning to show an improvement with a reduction in the number of authorised absences.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

12 Pupils of all ages try hard to listen carefully and concentrate well in lessons. For example, in a physical education lesson, pupils in a Year 2 class showed imagination when creating a dance based on the poem ‘Puddles’. They pretended to jump into puddles and splash their feet, striving to remember and improve their sequence of movements. The best attitudes match the best teaching. Very occasionally, if the teaching is weaker, some pupils become restless but more often pupils’ attitudes are still good.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

13 The behaviour of pupils is good, both in and around the school. Pupils behave well in class, in assemblies and in the playground. This good behaviour is a result of the good management by class teachers and the consistent approach of all adults to the school’s positive behaviour policy. Pupils and parents are confident that any isolated incidences of bullying are dealt with quickly and appropriately. There have been no exclusions.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

14 Pupils are very friendly and have very good relationships with adults and with each other. They are very appreciative of the success of others and often celebrate achievement with spontaneous applause. Pupils can work well together in groups. For instance, in a geography lesson, pupils collaborated well with one pupil in each group acting as reader and scribe so that their partners could play a full part in finding out information on the village of Tocquara in Mexico. Younger pupils are able to take responsibility for their own activities and tidy away at the end of lessons. Older pupils know their duties as monitors and ‘Playtime Friends’ well and wear their tabards and yellow caps proudly.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

15 The quality of teaching is mainly good and sometimes very good. There was some good teaching in all classes. Teaching has improved since the previous inspection; there is a greater proportion of good and very good teaching and less unsatisfactory teaching. In the few unsatisfactory lessons, work lacked depth and challenge and planning mainly listed tasks and gave no indication of what pupils would learn. Many teachers are relatively inexperienced but have settled well to their roles and make a significant impact on the pupils’ learning. They work well together to share ideas and expertise and to identify and build on what works well.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

16 Teaching is at least satisfactory in the foundation stage, with some that is good and occasionally very good. Staff in the foundation stage have a good understanding of the needs of young children and provide a stimulating range of activities to encourage their learning. All staff are very effective in successfully promoting children’s personal and social development. They use a consistent approach, establish good routines and have clear expectations of behaviour. The nursery nurses and other well trained support staff work well with teachers to promote the children’s achievement across all the areas of learning. They take a full role in teaching and work well with the children who need extra help. Biddick Hall Infant School - 14 17 Children in the foundation stage make at least satisfactory progress and have a good start to their learning. The teachers in the nursery and reception classes are beginning to plan closely together

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

to implement national curriculum guidance in order to provide a consistent approach to teaching and learning throughout the two-year programme for children in the foundation stage. Historically, the nursery worked independently and the school is beginning to strengthen the shared approaches to teaching and learning between the nursery and reception classes in order to ensure continuity for children as they move through the foundation stage.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

18 Teaching is mainly good and sometimes very good in the Year 1 and 2 classes. Teachers build on the good work done in the foundation stage and this enables the pupils to continue to make good gains in their learning. The teachers know how to teach effectively the basic skills in literacy and numeracy and in many lessons they plan interesting work so that the pupils remain eager to learn. Staff have good approaches to the teaching of reading and pupils develop a sound range of strategies to help them tackle new words. Teachers read to the pupils in a lively and expressive manner to provide examples to encourage pupils to try to use expression when they read. The teaching of writing is satisfactory, and there has been some sound progress in developing opportunities for pupils to extend their vocabulary and write for different purposes. However, although literacy skills are taught and practised well enough through the medium of literacy lessons, they are not consistently well taught and

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

reinforced in all other subjects. The teaching in mathematics is broadly satisfactory. Teachers’ subject knowledge has improved through their work in planning for and implementing the National Numeracy Strategy. The good pace at the start of lessons, when the pupils calculate mentally and try to solve problems, keeps them on their toes and maintains their interest very well. However, the time allocated for numeracy lessons is too short and teachers do not have enough time to consolidate pupils’ learning; there is insufficient time left at the end of lessons for teachers to explore what pupils have learned and understood. Teachers do not consistently reinforce the correct setting out of written work and this impacts on pupils’ accuracy. Teaching in religious education is satisfactory and it is the amount and content of what is taught that is impacting on pupils’ learning and resulting in low

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

19 In many lessons, teachers use a good range of teaching methods. They capture pupils’ attention at the beginning of lessons, and as a result, pupils listen well and eagerly take part. For example at the beginning of a Year 1 science lesson the teacher’s well-organised and resourced session involved all the pupils in a lively discussion about what makes things move. The teacher ensured that pupils knew what was expected of them and they responded well to opportunities to investigate how the movement of water powers a water wheel and to use push and pull forces to find how best to move small cars. There was a good balance between the direct teaching and opportunities for pupils to investigate for themselves.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

20 Teachers develop very good relationships with pupils, which helps them to manage pupils’ behaviour very effectively. In the most effective lessons the pace is good and so pupils concentrate well. For example, in a Year 2 games lesson the teacher introduced a range of activities of increasing challenge that enabled pupils to practise their throwing and catching until they could direct a ball accurately into a basket. His introduction of a ‘parachute’ promoted great excitement. He kept pupils attentive as they tried to move a ball around the parachute by working as a team to manipulate it and prevent the ball from dropping off.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

21 Teachers’ knowledge and understanding of the subjects they teach is satisfactory. A useful programme of in-service training has ensured that they are confident in planning and teaching all subjects. For example, a lot of work has been done to improve teachers’ knowledge in ICT and this has enabled a substantial rise in standards. Biddick Hall Infant School - 15 22 The quality of teaching and learning for pupils with special educational needs is mainly good in both the foundation stage and in Years 1 and 2. Staff work hard to develop pupils’ confidence and self-esteem and for example, encourage them to persevere well with their reading and to complete the set tasks. They ensure that targets in the pupils’ individual learning plans are regularly checked and updated. The support staff are deployed well and work effectively with these pupils both in class and when they withdraw them for extra help, either individually, or in small groups.

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PUPILS?

23 The curriculum is broadly satisfactory and meets statutory requirements, although the requirements of the agreed syllabus are not fully met due to the limited time allocated to religious education. The curriculum for children in the foundation stage is based on national guidance and ensures that they receive a good start to their education.

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PUPILS?

24 The curriculum in Years 1 and 2 is broad and relevant. However, at present the school is not achieving a balanced curriculum. This is due to too much time being given to the teaching of English although this is not raising the standards pupils achieve. Too little time is identified for the teaching of mathematics and religious education and, as a result, standards in these subjects are not as high as they could be. All subjects of the National Curriculum and religious education are taught. The provision for pupils’ personal, social, health and citizenship education is very good and is a strength of the school. These aspects of the curriculum are reinforced in weekly lessons, in assemblies and in pupils’ religious education lessons. The school has received the National Healthy Schools Award. It was the first school in the local authority to take part in the ‘Pride’ project, which tackled the difficult

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area of drugs with young children. During the four-week project, pupils took home a homework pack and studied this with their parents. Parents also attended a weekly training meeting to support the work with their child. Certificates were presented to both parents and pupils at a celebration assembly.

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PUPILS?

25 The planning for the curriculum is based largely on national guidelines and the locally agreed syllabus for religious education. Policies and schemes of work for all subjects are in place. All staff have useful long and medium term plans for each subject and these show clearly what is to be taught and help to ensure that skills are developed in a progressive manner.

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PUPILS?

26 The provision for extra-curricular activities is good and many Year 2 pupils take part in a range of activities. Parents feel that these support their children’s personal and social development. Activities take place in six-week blocks and include fitness, French, music, mathematical games, art and gardening. A breakfast club for Year 2 pupils has been trialled for six weeks and the school feels that this has had a very positive impact on learning. Plans are in place to offer this to more pupils during the next academic year.

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27 All pupils are included in all aspects of school life. The provision for pupils with special educational needs is good. The pupils’ individual learning plans are well matched to what they need to learn and are reviewed and updated regularly. Classroom support assistants and specialist teachers support pupils with special educational needs very well. This enables them to make sound contributions in whole class sessions and supports the development of their self-esteem.

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PUPILS?

28 The curriculum is extended and enriched by visits and visitors. Pupils visit the local Catholic Church when learning about ‘special places’. The nurse, firemen and police visit school to talk about their work. Pupils’ literacy skills are enhanced by the visit of a storyteller. Representatives from Biddick Hall Infant School - 16 Sunderland Football club visit the school to help pupils develop their game skills. The school has a good link with a local company and this has resulted in a group of Mexican visitors coming into school to talk about their music and special events in their lives. Year 2 pupils shared what they had learned in geography about the life and language of people in Mexico with the visitors. Parents and governors work with pupils in school and ‘The Friends’ of the school raise money to pay for transport to take pupils on educational visits. Pupils visit old people in the local community to sing at Christmas and take

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gifts to them from their Harvest celebrations. Biddick Hall Infant School - 17 29 The school makes good provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. This aids their learning in many areas of school life and is an improvement since the last inspection.

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30 The school makes satisfactory provision for pupils’ spiritual development through stories told in assemblies that deal with aspects of behaviour and personal feelings. For example, pupils have time to reflect on their own feelings of belonging to a family, or their school, after listening to the story of ‘The Prodigal Son’. Pupils show a reverent attitude in assembly. Religious education makes a sound contribution to pupils’ spiritual development through pupils’ studies of the life of Jesus and other faiths. Pupils have opportunities to listen to music and reflect on the feelings it inspires. The school makes good use of the school grounds and environment to enable pupils to respond to the wonders of the natural world about them.

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PUPILS?

31 The school’s provision for pupils’ moral and social development is good. Systems are in place to encourage good work and behaviour, such as reward stickers and pupils are proud to wear badges showing that they have achieved good work in lessons. Class rules are displayed in each class and are used well to remind pupils of their expected behaviour. Relationships between teachers and pupils are very good and teachers act as good role models. The ‘Playground Friends’ scheme works well to support those pupils who have no one to play with at break times. Personal, social, health and citizenship education lessons contribute considerably to the development of moral and social skills. Pupils work together well in pairs and small groups, they are able to resolve their differences easily and negotiate. They listen well to others and value their ideas. Opportunities for pupils to talk about their feelings encourages more hesitant pupils to gain confidence to share their ideas in a class group

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and this raises their self-esteem. Pupils are given plenty of opportunities to share their feelings of what makes them feel happy and suggest good wishes when wearing the ‘Wizard Wonderful’ hat. For example, ‘I wish that all my friends are happy’. Pupils consider the needs of others and are most willing to help others with their work.

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PUPILS?

32 The school’s provision for pupils to learn about their own culture is good but opportunities for learning about other cultures and traditions could be further developed. Staff invite visitors into the school to enable them to share their interests and expertise. Fore example, the nurse, firemen and police visit school to talk about their work. Pupils’ literacy skills are enhanced by the visit of a storyteller. The school has also hade visitors from Mexico, who talked about their music and special events in their lives. Pupils are involved in visits linked to topics studied in history and geography and visit the theatre and local museums. There are some well-established links with the local churches but there are few links with other faith groups. In religious education and geography there are some opportunities for pupils to be more aware of other cultures. However, more could be done to promote

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pupils’ understanding of Britain’s multi-cultural society.

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33 The school makes appropriate use of its community links to extend pupils’ education and personal development. It is involved in regular fund raising for charity. Pupils visit local senior citizens and the choir performs for them at Harvest time and Christmas. Visitors such as members of the police and fire brigade come into school regularly to share their experience with pupils. The school takes part in local initiatives to promote the health and welfare of pupils.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

34 This is a very caring school, which is meeting its aim to create a happy environment and its motto on the school badge of ‘Happy School Days’. There are very good procedures for ensuring pupils’ welfare, health and safety which show an improvement since the previous inspection. The daily organisation of the school takes account of the very clear health and safety arrangements. There is very good supervision of pupils at lunchtime and playtime and the caretaker keeps thorough records Biddick Hall Infant School - 18 of risk assessments and fire precautions. Child protection procedures are appropriate and effective. The head teacher makes sure all staff have the relevant information. The very good programme of personal, social, health and citizenship education (PSHCE) promotes pupils’ personal development, encouraging healthy living and pupils’ awareness of safety issues.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

35 There is good provision for pupils’ personal support and guidance. All staff have very good relationships with pupils who respond well to the praise and rewards given regularly to celebrate their efforts and promote their self-esteem and confidence. Year 2 pupils commented that one of the best things about school is that ‘the teachers are kind and friendly’. The monitoring of pupils’ personal development is based on the staff’s good knowledge of their pupils, which is shown in the perceptive comments in the annual reports to parents on their children’s progress. The good behaviour in school is a result of the very good procedures for monitoring and promoting good behaviour and for combating bullying. All staff have high expectations that pupils will behave well and encourage pupils to follow the clear rules, which they know well. Parents are content that the school deals appropriately with any

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

incidences of bullying. Pupils are convinced that these are rare but know to tell an adult or ‘ignore it or walk away’ if they have a problem.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

36 The school tries very hard to promote good attendance and to improve the overall level by careful monitoring and a very good range of initiatives designed to make parents aware of the importance of the regular attendance of their children. Through the use of a computerised system, the school quickly notices patterns of absence and takes appropriate action. The weekly ‘Attendance Cup’ is awarded to the best class and displayed prominently in the hall. The school sends letters home each term to compliment those parents whose children have had very good attendance and also to remind those parents whose children have been absent regularly that they are missing aspects of the curriculum and may fall behind in their work. The school’s efforts are beginning to have an effect as attendance levels for the current year show a small improvement.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

37 The procedures for assessing pupils’ attainment and progress are thorough and provide the staff with detailed information about pupils’ achievement across the subjects. The school has made good improvement in this aspect of its work since the previous inspection. However, the recording of pupils’ attainment is difficult to manage, as there are so many individual records. For example, in order to identify the important areas in which Year 2 pupils need to improve their written work it is necessary to read their individual files. The information provided by these records cannot be used quickly and effectively to guide lesson planning from day to day. Teachers know their pupils well and therefore the match of work is generally satisfactory. However, teachers evaluate their lessons inconsistently and do not always include notes about pupils’ achievement with particular skills or knowledge. They may miss trends in their class’ understanding of a topic, which makes it difficult to

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

make appropriate changes to a scheme of work for a particular subject. The school checks the attainment of boys and girls to see if there are any differences and has made changes to resources to encourage boys to read. It has yet to analyse the test questions thoroughly to identify overall trends in pupils’ understanding and make appropriate changes to a scheme of work for a particular subject. Teachers’ marking is often supportive and but in many classes provides pupils with very little information about how they can improve in particular subjects or what they have done well.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

38 The assessment and monitoring of the progress of pupils with special educational needs is very good. The deputy head teacher co-ordinates this area and ensures that pupils’ individual plans for learning are informative and specific. Record keeping is detailed and records are carefully maintained. Good links with external agencies ensure there is substantial additional support available. The school employs extra support staff; they work very well with these pupils to promote their learning and raise their confidence and self-esteem. Biddick Hall Infant School - 19

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

39 The school promotes a good partnership with parents, who are supportive of all aspects of its work. They feel that their children are happy and so want to learn. They appreciate the welcome they receive and feel comfortable in approaching the school if they have a problem. Parents are consulted and kept well informed of pupils’ progress through parent consultations and informal discussions.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

40 The inspection team agrees with parents that the school shows a clear commitment to involving them in the life and work of the school and so help to raise standards. This is shown in the good appointment of a teacher to be responsible for parental liaison and the many opportunities that the school provides to encourage parents to be involved in their children’s learning. For example, the school arranges regular workshops, which offer guidance on literacy and numeracy so that parents get to know how they can best help their children at home. The many parents who attend the workshops and also listen regularly to their children read at home help to promote pupils’ progress. The school also provides a good range of homework packs, which are used well by pupils and parents. Parents also make a good impact in school by helping in classrooms, which they are encouraged to do. They have been very involved in the redecoration of the library into a bright and stimulating resource. This

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

all helps to raise standards and to promote the links between home and school.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

41 Parents are also pleased with the information provided by the school. The inspectors agree that this is very good and has improved since the previous inspection. Parents are kept well informed of school matters and events through the friendly newsletters and the notice boards throughout the school. For instance, in the nursery, the parents’ notice board tells parents of the songs and rhymes for the month so they can repeat them at home. The annual reports on pupils’ progress paint a clear picture for parents on how well their children are doing in each subject and also on their personal development, including their rate of attendance and comments such as ‘well done’ or ‘could do better!’

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