Oldfield Primary School

OLDFIELD PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 21 - 22 January 2002

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OLDFIELD PRIMARY SCHOOL

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

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OLDFIELD PRIMARY SCHOOL

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Type of school: Infant and junior school

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Chiltern Road Maidenhead Berkshire

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The Governing Body

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Mr Simon Tempest

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 7 July 1997 Oldfield Primary School - 4

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Team members

21138 Adrian Simm Registered inspector 9370 Rosalind Wingrove Lay inspector 24137 Gail Robertson Team inspector

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Team members

PkR Educational Consultants Ltd 6 Sherman Road Bromley Kent BR1 3JH

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Team members

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

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Team members

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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Team members

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Oldfield Primary School - 5

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 6

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Oldfield Primary School educates 223 boys and girls. This makes the school of average size compared to other schools educating the same age range. It is for pupils aged between five and eleven years. The school serves a residential area of Maidenhead made up of mostly private housing. The school is popular and over-subscribed. In many year groups, the numbers of pupils on role exceeds the school's recognised admission number and are above the government's class-size aspirations for Key Stage 1. The school has high staffing levels and operates frequent small-group teaching to compensate for this. It was granted Beacon school status in January 2001 and now shares its expertise with other schools in structures to support dyslexic children and improve children's writing in general. Just fewer than 3 per cent of pupils are known to be eligible for free school meals, which is below the national average. Boys

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

outnumber girls in most classes, although this fluctuates because of the number of pupils who leave or start at the school other than at the usual time expected for this. During the last school year this amounted to 22 pupils. Thirty per cent of pupils are on the school’s register of special educational needs. These pupils require additional support for specific or more general learning difficulties, speech or communication needs, sensory impairment or autistic tendencies. This is above the national average. Eleven of these pupils have a statement of Special Educational Need. Nineteen per cent of pupils come from homes other than of white British ethnic background. Thirty-one pupils have English as an additional language, which is high. Most pupils have attended pre-school provision. Overall the attainment of pupils on entry to the Reception class is higher than that expected nationally.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

The school is successful in meeting its aims of providing a high quality education for its pupils, in helping them to become increasingly independent and responsible and in preparing them for the future. Overall, pupils whose attainment is higher than that expected nationally on entry to the Reception class, achieve well by the time they enter Year 1. This is built on so that by the end of Year 2, pupils' attainment is very high. By the end of Year 6, boys and girls generally attain well above average, particularly in English and mathematics. Pupils’ attitudes, behaviour and personal development are very good. Pupils are being prepared very well for life in a diverse society. High standards that exceed those expected for pupils of the same age are the result of the very good leadership by the headteacher that encourages effective teaching overall. The school achieves this with funding that is average for schools

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

of this size and, as such, provides good value for money.

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What the school does well

• Ensures that pupils consistently attain very high standards in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 2 and that pupils generally build on this well by the end of Year 6. • Provides good quality teaching and learning overall that is particularly strong in Years 1 and 2. • Ensures that relationships between pupils and between pupils and staff are very good. This is part of the school’s strength in promoting very good attitudes, behaviour and personal development which lets teachers teach and pupils learn. Parents play their full part in this. • On entry to the school, recognises quickly the particular learning needs of individual pupils and provides for them very well, including higher attaining pupils and those with special educational needs or English as an additional language.

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What could be improved

• The use of assessment data in helping the staff to find out what does or does not work well in lessons and the effects this is having on the consistency of pupils’ achievement, particularly in Years 3 to 6. The subject managers' roles in ensuring consistency in achievement, teaching and learning in all subjects across the school are not fully developed. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan. Oldfield Primary School - 7

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

Since the last inspection in July 1997, much time was spent on all of those areas identified as needing improvement. This involved staff development that focused on the role of subject managers, improving assessment strategies and supporting the progress of higher attaining pupils. Whilst these developments were successful, staffing changes and the advancements in the use of assessment data means that the school now has the need to press on further with development of these particular key areas. In addition, the school developed an expertise, which has become recognised and is shared widely with other schools in structures to improve children's writing, particularly for pupils who have specific learning difficulties. Governors have increased effectively their involvement in the planning and monitoring of the overall provision. Emphasis has been placed on improved teaching and learning that has been successful. Part of this success has been due to the increase in the number of teaching

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

assistants employed, the quality of their training and their effectiveness in working with whole classes, small groups or individual pupils. Major changes have also been made to the accommodation, which has moved away from an open plan approach. This has coincided with improvements in standards and in the quality of teaching and learning. Overall, development since the last inspection has been very good.

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STANDARDS

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

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Key

English A A A C well above average above average A B mathematics A C A B average below average C D science A B B C well below average E

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Key

* This is based on the number of pupils eligible for free school meals

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Key

In the Reception class, pupils do well. This continues exceptionally well so that by the end of Year 2, pupils attain standards in reading, writing and mathematics that are consistently in the top 5 per cent nationally and in comparison with similar schools. The statutory targets set for improvement this year in English and mathematics for pupils in Year 6 were appropriately based upon an analysis of their previous work. The targets were met in mathematics and exceeded in English. Overall, the school’s results in recent years show slight fluctuations in standards achieved by Year 6 pupils in mathematics and science. These have been affected by the significant number of pupils who leave or start at the school, other than at the usual time expected for this and by some instability in staffing at Key Stage 2. Even so, improvement is broadly in line with the national trend for 11-year-olds. Results are generally

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Key

well above the national average in English and mathematics and above average in science for those pupils who achieve Level 4. In comparison with other schools both nationally and with a similar intake, higher attaining pupils who achieve Level 5 also do well. This was particularly evident in mathematics in 2001. Everyone works hard to develop very high standards throughout the school; this is shown by most Year 6 pupils attaining reading and spelling levels that are well ahead of their chronological age by the time they leave the school. Oldfield Primary School - 8

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Pupils’ attitudes to each other are very good. Enthusiasm for work is clear whether it is Year 2 pupils absorbing the wonders of how Braille writing was developed or Year 6 pupils investigating tourist exchange rates.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Pupils behave very well overall, including when they are on the playground. Younger and older pupils enjoy each other's company. Pupils cope admirably with some classrooms at Key Stage 2 that are very restricted for space.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Pupils' personal development is very good. Pupils readily accept responsibilities, for instance, Year 6 pupils co-ordinate computer and drama clubs for younger children.

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Aspect Comment

Attendance Pupils’ attendance and punctuality are good.

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Aspect Comment

Pupils, who at times have misunderstood something or are unsure of what to do, have no worries about asking for and accepting help. Pupils are keen to express their opinions and warm to discussions. They are tolerant of other people's points of view.

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

Quality of teaching Good Very good Good Inspectors make judgements about teaching in the range: excellent; very good; good; satisfactory; unsatisfactory; poor; very poor. ‘Satisfactory’ means that the teaching is adequate and strengths outweigh weaknesses.

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

All teaching and learning during the inspection was good or better. Although they were particularly strong in Years 1 and 2, where all teaching and learning was judged very good or excellent, there were examples of very good or excellent teaching and learning in all classes at Key Stage 2. Staff in the Reception class are doing well to maintain good quality teaching and learning during a period of uncertainty until a permanent full time teacher is appointed. Staff and pupils working in several small classrooms, particularly Years 3 and 4, overcome their difficulties well. This is helped by the effective support of teaching assistants, whose team work with teachers, added to the use of a range of additional teaching areas around the school, frequently reduce class sizes in practice, to acceptable levels. The quality of teaching and learning for all pupils, including those with special educational needs

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

and those who are higher attaining pupils, benefits from this well-managed small group work. Overall, teaching and learning in literacy and numeracy are very good with a high level of challenge and high expectations. Information and communication technology is beginning to be used well in a range of different lessons. Strengths in teaching and learning include staff and pupils being very clear about the specific objectives in lessons for learning and how those are going to be achieved. Teaching and learning were frequently made relevant to the pupils' everyday lives. Relationships and behaviour management are very good in all classes. As a result, pupils learn because they are keen, interested and they concentrated. Pupils are encouraged to take part and, if explanations are needed for clarification, this is often only needed once. Pupils are quick to learn. Oldfield Primary School - 9

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum The curriculum is very good and meets statutory requirements. It gives pupils a broad and worthwhile experience of all the subjects.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with special educational needs The school has clear procedures for special educational needs and makes very good provision for all pupils who are in need of extra help.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with English as an additional language This is very good. Much additional support is provided for pupils who speak little or no English when they arrive. Extra support is arranged and these pupils and parents generally attend the homework club.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development The school does exceptionally well at developing pupils’ relationships and support for each other. The school places considerable importance on providing opportunities for pupils that broaden significantly their understanding of the diverse society in which they are growing up.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils Arrangements for pupils’ welfare and support are good. Overall, staff know pupils well and are successful in providing a safe and caring learning environment.

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Aspect Comment

The school offers a very good range of visits out of school as part of learning opportunities and in-school activities, both before and after the school day. Most parents appreciate these activities, although not all parents are fully aware of the options available. The school has appropriate systems to safeguard pupils' access to the Internet.

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and manage- ment by the headteacher and other key staff Overall, this is good. The headteacher leads very effectively a high performing team of teachers and teaching assistants. The new deputy headteacher is already playing a full part in this. Because of a number of newly appointed staff, particularly at Key Stage 2, part of the deputy headteacher's role is to develop the effectiveness of staff more fully, in relation to their subject responsibilities and the raising of standards.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities The governors’ contribution to the school is good. However, information about the next election of parent governors and the success of the special educational needs policy was missing from their last governors’ annual report to parents. Governors are clear about the strengths of the school and where improvements can be made. They are involved fully in developing the school and monitoring its success.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance Overall, the school has a good approach to self-evaluation. It uses a range of techniques to monitor and analyse its effectiveness. The results of monitoring are used for school planning. The use of assessment data is helping the staff to find out what does or does not work well in lessons and the effects this is having on pupils’ achievement are still evolving and are not yet fully effective. Oldfield Primary School - 10

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources The school’s improvement plan is based well on an accurate self- evaluation and reflects the main areas for immediate development. It sets these out with costings for the year ahead. Beyond the current year, the school is clear about other major areas for development but these are not fully costed. To date, this approach has not impeded the school's development. However, the school's recent three-year budget plan did not benefit as fully as it should from strategic forward planning.

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Aspect Comment

The school looks at data in detail and compares its standards with other schools. It is looking to introduce a computerised system to help with this. Staff know how well pupils are progressing individually, including much detail about all pupils with special educational needs. The school consults with parents and organises meetings, for which parents choose the agenda. The school has the drive and commitment to develop further. Planning in the short term is in place to support this. The school is succeeding well in meeting the principles of 'best value'.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• How effective the school is in helping the children to become mature and responsible. • The school is well led and managed. • Children really like going to school. • The good quality of teaching • The high level of pupils' good behaviour. • The range of activities outside of lessons. • How homework is arranged.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

Inspectors agree with parents' positive views but found no evidence to support the small minority of parents who consider the range of activities outside of lessons needs improving. For a school of this size, the range of clubs, off-site activities and educational trips is very good and welcomed by the large majority. Also, the school has a homework policy that is generally adhered to by staff. Whilst expectations of time to be set aside for homework are slightly higher than generally found, parents are asked to indicate their acceptance of this policy by signing a home-school agreement. However, the school is aware that this has not happened for pupils starting at the school in the last eighteen months. Also, some parents are not fully aware of the full range of clubs that is on offer to the pupils. The school intends to rectify this. Oldfield Primary School - 11

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mathematics by the end of Year 2 and that pupils generally build on this well by the

1. On entry to the Reception class, the majority of pupils have attended pre-school provision; their attainment, whilst variable from child to child, is above national expectations as a year group. The classroom size is sufficient for the number of children, which means that the room is organised for them to experience a range of activities within any one lesson. Some of the pupils have only been in school a very short time. Even with the current staffing difficulties, without a permanent full-time teacher, pupils achieve well. For example, they readily exercise their fingers in singing 'finger rhymes' before starting different handwriting practices, using paint, chalk and sand. Pupils using chalk already make patterns that show good early technique that will lead to cursive writing. Other pupils show good hand-eye co-ordination and imagination in carefully balancing floor bricks, one upon the other in designing a house

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mathematics by the end of Year 2 and that pupils generally build on this well by the

and a garage. In the Reception year, pupils do well in their work and all show strong signs of reaching or exceeding the Early Learning Goals.

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mathematics by the end of Year 2 and that pupils generally build on this well by the

2. This is built on in Years 1 and 2, where pupils achieve exceptionally well so that by the end of Year 2, they attain standards in reading, writing and mathematics that are consistently in the top 5 per cent, both nationally and in comparison with similar schools. This has happened since 1999 in writing and since 2000 in reading and mathematics. In the last national tests in 2001, all pupils reached the expected Level 2 in reading, writing and mathematics, which shows that the standards achieved by the lowest attaining pupils are at least equal to national expectations. However, beyond this, pupils achieving the higher Levels of 2A and 3 in reading and mathematics were also in the top 5 per cent when compared to similar schools. Writing standards of higher attaining pupils were also well ahead of national expectations in 2001. This shows how well higher attaining pupils did in comparison with pupils in other schools.

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mathematics by the end of Year 2 and that pupils generally build on this well by the

For the first time, a small number of pupils achieved Level 4 in reading, which means that some Year 2 pupils have already achieved the expected levels for pupils at Year 6. The needs of all pupils are being met: boys and girls, lower and higher attaining pupils, pupils with special educational needs and those who have English as an additional language.

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mathematics by the end of Year 2 and that pupils generally build on this well by the

3. The statutory targets set for the school for improvement this year in English and mathematics for pupils in Year 6 were appropriately based upon an analysis of their previous work. The targets were met in mathematics and exceeded in English. Overall, the school’s results in recent years show slight fluctuations in standards achieved by Year 6 pupils in mathematics and science. These are affected by the significant number of pupils who leave or start at the school other than at the usual time expected. Even so, improvement is broadly in line with the national trend for 11-year- olds. Results are generally well above the national average in English and mathematics and above average in science for those pupils who achieve Level 4. In comparison with other schools both nationally and with a similar intake, higher attaining pupils who achieve Level 5 also do well. This was particularly evident in mathematics

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mathematics by the end of Year 2 and that pupils generally build on this well by the

in 2001, where they achieved very well in comparison with similar schools. Standards in English were similar and, in science, ahead of similar schools. Everyone works hard to develop very high standards throughout the school; this is shown by most Year 6 pupils attaining reading and spelling levels that are well ahead of their chronological Oldfield Primary School - 12 age by the time they leave the school.

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Provides good quality teaching and learning overall that are particularly strong in

4. All teaching and learning during the inspection was good or better. Although it was particularly strong in Years 1 and 2, where all teaching and learning was very good or excellent, there were examples of very good or excellent teaching and learning in all classes at Key Stage 2. Staff in the Reception class are doing well to maintain good quality teaching and learning during a period of uncertainty, until a permanent full time teacher is appointed.

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Provides good quality teaching and learning overall that are particularly strong in

5. Good quality teaching and learning in the Reception class are built upon class routines that are explained clearly and quickly become known by children, some of whom have been in school for a very short time. During each lesson, a range of well-organised activities, each with a particular focus, is planned and supported by staff who work well together, despite there being a number of different teachers involved each week until a permanent teacher is appointed. The teaching assistants maintain well the stability of adult contact for the children. In one lesson, the range of activities included pattern making in paint and sand and with chalks, shape-work with play-dough, hand-eye co- ordination with building bricks and water play and role play activities in the 'baby clinic'. The staff circulated around the groups supporting all activities with a good range of vocabulary extension for each area. The ease and speed with which the teacher

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Provides good quality teaching and learning overall that are particularly strong in

settled into each different activity to support learning immediately, through discussion and open-ended questioning, were good.

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Provides good quality teaching and learning overall that are particularly strong in

6. The range of very good and excellent teaching with pupils in Years 1 and 2 was based upon the calm and confident approach taken with the pupils. Teachers knew exactly what they wanted to achieve by the end of the lesson with the classes as a whole and with individual children. Resources were ready to hand and, on occasions, extra resources were in reserve just in case they were needed. This resulted in children who were 100 per cent with the teachers and made investigative and group-work very fruitful. Teachers checked constantly on pupils' understanding and this was built-back immediately into the teaching. Well-prepared and knowledgeable teaching assistants and support teachers very effectively supported pupils' learning. The adult-to-pupil ratio was very good, contributed significantly to pupils' learning and overcame the drawbacks of large class sizes. In one excellent English lesson with Year 1, pupils

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Provides good quality teaching and learning overall that are particularly strong in

worked busily in groups, writing about the 'three little pigs'. Some concentrated extremely well in using their word list and keyword cards to write simple sentences, appropriate to the pictures provided for them. Others listened very carefully to the taped story, which the teaching assistant then followed through with reference to the story in a 'Big Book' so that each pupil could readily see it and therefore, join in. Another group with additional learning needs worked hard on rhyming words, which were well planned by a teaching assistant. This was all pulled together at the end in an excellent plenary session, where all pupils explained what they had been working on and the teacher pulled out the main teaching points again for the various groups. In Year 2, pupils were enthralled by the story of Louis Braille, which was built up by the teacher in just the right way. A range of excellent resources was ready that allowed the

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Provides good quality teaching and learning overall that are particularly strong in

pupils to experience at first hand any issue that arose out of their opening discussion. The discussion came around to 'not being able to see school-books', whence Braille books were made available for them to read. A Braille machine was the next focus of attention, which raised the pupils' interest even more, before they arranged themselves around the television to learn more. They became engrossed in a fifteen-minute programme about Louis Braille and how he came to devise his system. This was a Oldfield Primary School - 13 history lesson that came alive for all pupils, regardless of attainment, because of the staff's knowledge of how to enliven learning. This was a very good example of building literacy opportunities into another subject.

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Provides good quality teaching and learning overall that are particularly strong in

7. With Years 3 to 6, teaching is designed to overcome some quite restricted teaching areas, particularly with the current Years 3 and 4. This is frequently achieved by the very good use of experienced teaching assistants and additional teaching staff, whose team work, added to the use of a range of additional teaching areas around the school, frequently reduces class sizes in practice, to workable levels. The quality of teaching and learning for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and those who are higher attaining pupils, benefits from this well-managed small group work. Particular strengths in teaching and learning include staff and pupils being very clear about the specific objectives in lessons for learning and how those are going to be achieved. In one excellent English lesson with Year 4, the teacher's enthusiasm, humour and knowledge ensured that pupils built up an impressive list of descriptions

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Provides good quality teaching and learning overall that are particularly strong in

about a cat, in their learning about metaphors. Frequently, learning is made relevant to the pupils everyday lives, such as working out tourist currency exchange rates, including the Euro, in an excellent mathematics lesson with Year 6. Relationships and behaviour management are very good in all classes. As a result, pupils learn because they are keen, interested and able to concentrate without distraction. Pupils are encouraged to take part and if explanations are needed for clarification, this is generally only needed once. Pupils are quick to learn. On occasions, small classroom sizes and large teaching groups affect the quality of learning in practical lessons such as music or art but, even here, teaching and learning are still good.

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Provides good quality teaching and learning overall that are particularly strong in

8. The school has a homework policy that is generally adhered to by staff. It builds on and extends work that has taken place in lessons. Whilst expectations of time to be set aside for this are slightly higher than usually found, parents are asked to indicate their acceptance of this policy by signing a home-school agreement. However, the school is aware that this has not happened for pupils starting at the school in the last eighteen months and intends to rectify this shortly.

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Provides good quality teaching and learning overall that are particularly strong in

Ensures relationships between pupils and between pupils and staff are very good.

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personal development which lets teachers teach and pupils learn. Parents play their

9. All parents responding to the questionnaire for the inspection felt that the school helped their children to become mature and responsible. Also, an extremely high majority considered that the school expected pupils to work hard and achieve their best, that behaviour was good and that the children like school. These views were confirmed by the inspection. Parents have opportunities to become involved directly in their children's education, such as in the homework club on Monday and Tuesday afternoons after school for pupils with additional learning difficulties. Here, children and parents work together with staff available to support the sessions. Parents are supported in how best to help their children with their homework. Also evening Parents' Education Meetings are held each term where parents choose the agenda for discussion. All of this helps parents to feel part of the school community, which

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personal development which lets teachers teach and pupils learn. Parents play their

10. Pupils’ attitudes to each other and to work are very good. In the classrooms, during physical education in the hall or at break times on the playground, pupils accept the opportunities offered them to work together with others. The buddy system, where older pupils look out for younger ones at break times is reported to work well. Pupils Oldfield Primary School - 14 have plentiful opportunities to offer and accept ideas and to receive supportive criticism of those ideas, whether it is in English or mathematics lessons, in performance in physical education or in the regular school assembly slot about ways to improve the school. Enthusiasm for work is clear whether it is with Year 2 pupils absorbing the wonders of how Braille writing was developed or Year 6 pupils investigating tourist exchange rates. Pupils cope admirably with some classrooms at Key Stage 2 that are very restrictive for space. Pupils have to work co-operatively and as a team to make

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personal development which lets teachers teach and pupils learn. Parents play their

the accommodation work in their favour and to overcome its drawbacks. Overall, pupil’s personal development is very good. They readily accept responsibilities, such as Year 6 pupils setting out the hall for assembly and co-ordinating computer and drama clubs for younger children.

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personal development which lets teachers teach and pupils learn. Parents play their

11. The school is conscious of its advantageous situation. It is aware of the need to ensure that pupils not only have good attitudes towards and an understanding of each other but also of a wider world. Issues for development from the last inspection were taken seriously about the lightness of provision for pupils' cultural development. At the time, there was no provision for school visits to libraries, museums or local places of interest. Music was judged not to be alive in the school and pupils were given little opportunity in music or in other ways to learn about and understand other people’s cultures. This has all changed and provision is now very good. For example, pupils have visited the Science Museum, National History Museum and the National Gallery as part of their work. More local visits include a nature reserve and local places of importance such as the fire station, the Town Hall and a variety of places of worship.

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personal development which lets teachers teach and pupils learn. Parents play their

A range of national costumes was worn by pupils for the Harvest Festival. Interest in and understanding of the wider world are provided also by visiting speakers who talk to pupils about a wide range of roles and cultures that are integral to the workings of society. Pupils gain a wide perspective of real life. The school's Beacon status has led it to becoming involved with a number of schools, including one in Islington. The schools are in contact and are considering the benefits of this link.

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pupils and provides for them very well, including higher attaining pupils and those

with special educational needs or English as an additional language.

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pupils and provides for them very well, including higher attaining pupils and those

12. The headteacher, through her own involvement in teaching, regularly examines children's work and progress. She observes teachers during lessons, monitors pupils' work and talks to them about it. This enables the headteacher to evaluate the school’s strengths and areas for development and to feed back ideas to staff and governors for improvement. All of this is based on first-hand information.

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pupils and provides for them very well, including higher attaining pupils and those

13. Pupils with special educational needs are identified at the earliest possible moment. This can be as early as their initial pre-school visit. They are then observed carefully during the first few weeks in school. The school has invested heavily in support for these pupils, both in high numbers of teaching assistants and in their training, particularly in the support of pupils with dyslexia. The number of pupils with statements of special educational need is well above the national average and additional staff for those children are financed extra to the school's budget. All of these staff are deployed very well and, as a result of their flexible approach to individual and small group work, the staffing levels overall mean that in practice, large year groups are frequently taught in smaller groups, which also benefits other pupils, including higher attaining pupils. In the group-activity parts of general lessons, not only do higher attaining pupils have work

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pupils and provides for them very well, including higher attaining pupils and those

set specifically for them; they are invariably given additional support.

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pupils and provides for them very well, including higher attaining pupils and those

14. The school works very flexibly with parents, so that, if individual pupils need something Oldfield Primary School - 15 very specific, such as working out of year-group because of additional time needed for learning or because the pupil's level of attainment warrants much more advanced work, then this happens. Also at times, additional statement-linked funding provides improved accommodation such as better classroom acoustics for pupils with hearing impairment and a sound-field system in the school hall. The school is conscious that small classrooms, large class sizes and the additional support provided need close monitoring, so that any negative impact is overcome. The school continuously seeks support for this and works well with other agencies such as in the support of pupils with English as an additional language, or those with speech and communication difficulties. Invariably, whilst specialist support staff work directly with pupils, they also advise and

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pupils and provides for them very well, including higher attaining pupils and those

help train staff to continue the support during the rest of the school week. The impact of this work is that, in national assessments, all pupils achieve the expected standards by the end of Year 2 and nearly all pupils by the end of Year 6. Whilst this indicates how well statemented children progress, higher attaining pupils also achieve extremely well by the end of Year 2 and generally satisfactorily or better at Year 6 in comparison with those in similar schools. Oldfield Primary School - 16

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consistency in achievement and teaching and learning across the school are not fully

15. Two of the key issues from the last inspection were to;

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consistency in achievement and teaching and learning across the school are not fully

• establish clearly roles and responsibilities of curriculum co-ordinators and define the ways in which they will monitor curriculum planning and standards of attainment and progress and

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consistency in achievement and teaching and learning across the school are not fully

• implement a whole school system of assessing pupils' attainment to help inform future planning. This should include the development of value-added systems of measuring progress.

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consistency in achievement and teaching and learning across the school are not fully

Much time was put into improving all of the main areas for development from the last inspection. This involved staff development that focussed on the role of subject managers and on improving assessment strategies. Whilst this was successful, staffing changes and the advancements in the use of assessment data mean that the school now has the need to press on further with development of these particular issues.

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consistency in achievement and teaching and learning across the school are not fully

16. The school carries out all statutory assessment requirements and reports the results to parents. Data from these assessments are analysed and targets set to raise pupils’ achievements. In addition to statutory assessment, a range of assessment procedures is in place for English, mathematics, science and information and communication technology. These results are recorded and appropriate use is made of them, when determining the support pupils need with their work and any particular groups in which they are to be included; for example, group work that provides extra support for pupils with lower or higher attainment, or booster class work that will help pupils gain a particular standard, which they might otherwise miss. The use of assessment information to plan individual targets for pupils and procedures to track and analyse the progress of individual pupils more precisely, whilst underway, are not

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consistency in achievement and teaching and learning across the school are not fully

fully in place. As a result, this information does not yet fully guide planning.

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consistency in achievement and teaching and learning across the school are not fully

17. Teachers use assessment information well on an informal, day-to-day basis to determine when work has not been completely appropriate for pupils and, wherever possible, they alter their planning accordingly. The use the school makes of this informal assessment is enhanced through regular meetings and discussions between teachers. Planning for the non-core subjects is based on guidance from the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority. The school recognises that its evaluation of pupils’ work in these subjects over a period of time is still very subjective and not yet fully agreed by staff across the school. As such, this type of evaluation does not yet sufficiently help in planning future teaching. Oldfield Primary School - 17 18 The new deputy headteacher is already playing a full part in further developing assessment procedures in the short time since he joined the school. Because of a number of new staff starting in the recent past, particularly at Key Stage 2, part of the

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consistency in achievement and teaching and learning across the school are not fully

deputy headteacher's role is to develop the effectiveness of these staff more fully, in relation to their subject responsibilities and the raising of standards. From the school's own evaluation for improvement, the importance for development of these issues has already been recognised in the school's improvement planning for the whole school. Whilst there is an action plan for the development of the use of assessment, this is not fully included in the school improvement plan beyond the current year.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

In order to improve further the high quality of education provided for the pupils, the governing body and headteacher should set out a realistic action plan and monitor progress in addressing the following issue, which both the school and the inspection report identified for improvement:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• Develop the use of assessment strategies and subject managers' roles to include:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

i) improving assessment and record keeping systems to show more clearly how pupils are progressing from year to year in all subjects, ii) reaching agreed judgements with staff on the accuracy of their assessments, iii) the monitoring and evaluation of pupils’ progress to see if it is as good as it could be, iv) the monitoring and evaluation of teaching and learning to see if it is as good as it could be and v) ensuring the consistency of standards across the school. Oldfield Primary School - 18

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

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

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactor y Poor Very poor

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

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

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 223

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 5

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 11

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 92

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Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 31

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 11

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 11

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Attendance

National comparative data 93.9 National comparative data 0.5 Oldfield Primary School - 19 Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Oldfield Primary School - 20

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

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2001 18 14 32

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

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

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

Boys 18 18 18 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 14 14 14

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

Percentage of pupils School 100(97) 100(100) 100(100) at NC level 2 or above National 84(83) 86(84) 91(90)

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

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

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

Boys 18 18 18 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 14 14 14

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

Percentage of pupils School 100(90) 100(90) 100(90) at NC level 2 or above National 85(84) 89(88) 89(88)

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

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

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

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 2001 19 13 32

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

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

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

Boys 17 17 19 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 11 10 11

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

Percentage of pupils School 88(90) 84(80) 94(93) at NC level 4 or above National 75(75) 71(72) 87(85)

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

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

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

Boys 17 17 18 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 10 10 11

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

Percentage of pupils School 84(80) 84(83) 91(80) at NC level 4 or above National 72(70) 74(72) 82(79)

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

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Oldfield Primary School - 21 Oldfield Primary School - 22

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage 0 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – African heritage 0 Black – African heritage 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Any other minority ethnic group 11 Other minority ethnic groups 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

This table refers to pupils of compulsory school age only. This table gives the number of exclusions of pupils of compulsory school age, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded.

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 7.3 Financial year 2000/2001

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 29.3

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y7 Total income 500873

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 15 Total expenditure 524326

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 254 Expenditure per pupil 2462 FTE means full-time equivalent. Balance brought forward from previous year 24031

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance carried forward to next year 578

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 3.5

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 2.5

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Recruitment of teachers

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 1

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Recruitment of teachers

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

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of unfilled vacancies or vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of less than one term (FTE) 1

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Recruitment of teachers

FTE means full-time equivalent. Oldfield Primary School - 23

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Percentage of responses in each category

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

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child is making good progress in school. 51 44 5 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 50 48 2 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 35 45 17 3 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 33 54 13 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 52 40 8 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 65 30 3 0 2

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 45 42 10 0 3

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 75 21 2 0 2

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 62 38 0 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 22 50 18 2 8

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Other issues raised by parents

• whilst the school is good at teaching pupils with additional learning difficulties, it is not as successful at developing higher attaining pupils;

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Other issues raised by parents

• class sizes of 34 pupils, which are larger than the school's admissions number and the high percentage of pupils with additional learning difficulties in some classes, are reducing the effectiveness of the teaching and learning.

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