Spring Bank Primary School

SPRING BANK PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 8th - 11th October 2001

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SPRING BANK PRIMARY 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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SPRING BANK 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. Spring Bank Primary School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Spring Road Headingley Leeds West Yorkshire

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The governing body

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Mrs C McEwan

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: April/May 1997 Spring Bank Primary School - 4

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

9352 Mr M J Weaver Registered inspector The characteristics and effectiveness of the school The school’s results and pupils’ achievements. Teaching and learning Quality and range of learning opportunities Assessment Leadership and management 13706 Mrs G Marsland Lay inspector Pupils’ welfare, health and safety Partnership with parents and the community Accommodation Learning resources 20326 Mr P Clark Team inspector Equal opportunities Pupils with special educational needs Science Design and technology Information and communication technology Music 11402 Dr T Gorman Team inspector English English as an additional language Geography History Religious education Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

7069 Mr J Wilkinson Team inspector Aspects of education for children in the Foundation Stage Mathematics Art and design Physical education Financial management of the school

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

The inspection contractor was: Evenlode Associates Ltd 6 Abbey Close Alcester Warwickshire B49 5QW

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

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

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

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

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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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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 situated near the centre of Headingley, some two miles north of the City of Leeds. There are 193 pupils on roll: 104 boys and 89 girls aged between four and 11 years, drawn from several districts around Headingley. Children’s attainment on entry to reception is broadly average. Twenty-one per cent of pupils are eligible for free school meals, which is slightly above average. The proportion of pupils with special educational needs is well below average and no pupils have a statement of special educational need, which is well below average. Twenty-four per cent of pupils come from homes where English is spoken as an additional language but, although twenty-five pupils are supported through minorities grant-funding, none require specific language support.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

Spring Bank Primary School provides a satisfactory level of education for its pupils overall. The school is effective, however, in sustaining high standards in English, mathematics and science at the end of Year 6, and has received the School Achievement Award for substantially improving results. Pupils could do better, however, in art and design and music where standards are unsatisfactory. Teaching is good overall and consistently very good or better good in Years 5 and 6. All pupils, including those where English is not their first language, make good progress during their time in school in English, mathematics and science. Pupils with special educational needs also make good progress in their learning. The curriculum is not balanced and does not provide sufficient depth and coverage for all subjects. The school development plan has improved since the last inspection but needs further development to be an effective mechanism for the

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

school’s strategic development. More attention is required to meeting the needs of pupils having talents in the creative arts. Despite this the school has a strong commitment to social inclusion and serves its community well. The school gives satisfactory value for money overall.

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What the school does well

• High standards are sustained in English, mathematics and science at the end of Year 6. • Teaching is good overall, with very good and some excellent teaching in Years 5 and 6. • Provision for children in the Foundation Stage is good and ensures they have an effective start to their education. • Good provision is made for pupils with special educational needs, who make good progress in their learning. • Provision for extracurricular clubs is good, particularly in sports. • Links with parents and the care the school shows to its pupils are good. • Relationships between pupils and with adults are good; pupils’ behaviour is good. • Provision for pupils’ social and moral development is good.

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What could be improved

• Standards could be raised in all non-core subjects, particularly in art and design and music. • Too little time is spent on teaching in many subjects. • The work of co-ordinators in monitoring the curriculum, teaching and learning needs to be developed. • Pupils’ spiritual development is unsatisfactory. • The school development plan covers too short a time span and is not a strategic document. • The governing body does not monitor the effectiveness of the school’s expenditure. • The school does not make the best use of its computer resources. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

Since the school was last inspected in April/May 1997, high standards have been sustained in English, mathematics and science by the end of Year 6. The school has made satisfactory progress overall since the last inspection, although there are a number of actions still to be achieved before the school provides a good quality of education in all subjects. The school development plan is still not an effective mechanism for managing the school. The main areas of improvement have been in: addressing statutory requirements for child protection, improving provision for pupils with special educational needs and higher-attaining pupils, Spring Bank Primary School - 8 and improving partnership with parents. The major area still requiring improvement since the last inspection is strategic planning for whole-school development over a longer period, including curriculum and financial planning.

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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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Performance in: all schools similar schools Key

1998 1999 2000 2000 Very High A* English A* B A A* Well above average Above average A B mathematics A C A A* Average Below average C D science B C A A* Well below average E

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Performance in: all schools similar schools Key

The standards achieved by 11-year-olds in the 2000 national tests were well above the national average in English, mathematics and science. When compared to similar schools they were in the top five per cent of schools attaining high standards. Results for 2001 indicate that these high standards have been sustained in all three subjects. The upward trend over the last four years is being maintained.

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Performance in: all schools similar schools Key

In the 2000 national tests and assessments at the end of Year 2, standards in reading are in line with the national average but below in writing and mathematics; from teacher assessment, science is very well above. Attainment at the higher Level 3 shows reading, writing and mathematics to be below the average but science to be well above. The 2001 test results, however, indicate that the downward trend at Year 2 since the last inspection has now been arrested, with standards in English and mathematics above when compared to the national average. Inspection findings support the most recent indications on pupils’ attainment. Evidence from inspection also shows that children make very good progress in their personal, social and emotional development, and good progress in communication, language and literacy, mathematical development and knowledge and understanding of the world. Their creative and physical

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Performance in: all schools similar schools Key

Inspection confirms that pupils’ attainment in English, mathematics and science by the end of Year 6 is a particular strength of the school. Standards are generally in line with national expectation in most non-core subjects, but are unsatisfactory in art and design and music. The school has set realistic learning targets in literacy and numeracy for pupils by the end of Year 6, which are being achieved.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Good. Pupils enjoy coming to school.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Good throughout the school. Pupils are aware of what is required of them and behave well.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Relationships are good. Pupils show respect for one another and adults and their personal development is satisfactory, though opportunities for pupils to take responsibility for aspects of their own learning are too few.

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Aspect Comment

Attendance Average Spring Bank Primary School - 9

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

Quality of teaching Good Satisfactory 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

Taking into account the lessons observed, analysis of pupils’ work and discussions with pupils, teaching is good overall. Strengths identified at the last inspection have been sustained. Teaching was satisfactory or better in almost all lessons seen, of which almost two thirds were good or better. Over a quarter of lessons was judged to be very good or better. Teaching is consistently good in Reception where the teacher fully understands the early learning goals and plans exciting work that promotes children’s learning well. Teaching is satisfactory overall in Years 1 and 2; however, insufficient progress is made in Year 1 because the good learning in Reception is not built upon sufficiently, due to lack of pace in teaching and too narrow a range of teaching methods. Learning is good in Years 3 and 4; it is very good in Years 5 and 6, where high quality teaching stimulates pupils to achieve well and to respond positively to the challenges set.

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

Teaching in English, mathematics and science is good, and is supported effectively by good subject knowledge and good quality planning. Teaching is unsatisfactory in art and design and music, because teachers lack sufficient subject expertise and the work set is insufficiently challenging. Consequently the needs of talented pupils are not met sufficiently and further expertise is required to support them. The school meets the needs of pupils with special educational needs well and this enables them to make good progress.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum Good in English, mathematics and science, but an insufficient range of learning experiences is provided in most of the other subjects. Children in the Foundation Stage receive a curriculum which develops their learning effectively in four important areas of learning; their learning is satisfactory in both creative and physical development. A good range of extracurricular activities support pupils’ learning effectively, particularly in sport. Provision for collective worship does not ensure that statutory requirements are met.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Good. The support pupils receive enables them to make good progress in their learning.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils having English as an additional language Good. Effective procedures are in place, although no pupils in school require specific language support.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Satisfactory overall. Provision for pupils’ social and moral development is good; pupils’ cultural development is satisfactory but there are insufficient planned opportunities for developing pupils’ spiritual awareness.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils This is a caring school in which the well-being of pupils is a priority. Procedures for assessing pupils’ learning are good in English and mathematics, but satisfactory overall. Spring Bank Primary School - 10

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff Satisfactory. The headteacher and senior managers provide a clear educational direction for high standards in English, mathematics and science to be attained at the end of Year 6. The role of co-ordinators in monitoring the planned curriculum, teaching and learning is unsatisfactory in most subjects other than English, mathematics and science.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Satisfactorily. Governors are fully committed to the school and give good support. They are not sufficiently involved in monitoring and evaluating the work of the school or in ensuring value for money in all areas. They ensure that most legal requirements are met.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance Satisfactory. The headteacher, staff and governors have a clear understanding of the school’s strengths but they are insufficiently aware of its weaknesses. The monitoring of teaching and learning in English and mathematics is good; it is satisfactory in science, but is too weak in other subjects to raise standards. The school development plan continues to span too short a period and is not a strategic document.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources Satisfactory overall. The school makes appropriate use of staff and most of its resources, but makes insufficient use of computers to develop pupils’ computer skills. Additional funds for special educational needs are spent effectively. The accommodation continues to have a negative impact on physical education and music. The principles of best value, in using performance information to review how well the school is doing, are applied satisfactorily.

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Aspect Comment

The school is adequately staffed. Induction of new teachers is good and performance management has been fully implemented. The accommodation continues to be in a state of decline, but building of the new school is well under way. The library is satisfactorily used by older pupils for selecting books of their own choice. The quality of resources is satisfactory overall and these are readily accessible to staff and pupils.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• The teaching is good. • They are kept well informed about their children’s learning. • Their children make good progress in learning. • Teachers expect their children to work hard. • Their children like the school. • Homework made more consistent. • Improved behaviour. • Provision for children’s learning in creative areas such as music and art and design.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

Parents hold positive views of the school which are endorsed by the inspection team. Inconsistencies in homework have been addressed by the school and pupils’ behaviour is judged to be good. Several parents expressed their concern over the lack of appropriate provision for children’s creative development, which is supported by inspectors’ findings. Spring Bank Primary School - 11

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

1. Children enter the Foundation Stage in the Reception class with standards of attainment that are broadly in line with the national expectation. Through the good teaching they receive, they attain well and by the time they are seven years old they are likely to have exceeded the early learning goals in personal, social and emotional development, communication, language and literacy, mathematical development, and knowledge and understanding of the world. Attainment is only in line with national expectation in their physical and creative development as a result of insufficient resources for their physical development and insufficient development of musical awareness. Good teaching skills enable children to develop very good personal and social skills, effectively develop their self-awareness and self-discipline, build a strong foundation in reading and develop good mathematical skills. They develop good awareness of the world around them and the passing of

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

time. A strength in children’s learning is the interest they show in their learning, and the concentration they apply to ‘getting it right’. Children of all abilities are well supported by the effective teamwork of the teacher and classroom assistant and all children make good progress overall, which is likely to result in many commencing Year 1 work before the end of the Foundation Stage.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

2. The results attained by pupils at the end of Year 2 in the 2000 national tests and assessments were below average in reading, writing and mathematics. The trend in pupils’ performance indicates that pupils’ attainment had continued to fall since 1997. When compared with similar schools, pupils achieved standards in line with the average in reading and mathematics but below in writing. Unpublished results from the 2001 national tests and assessments, however, indicate that the falling standards have been arrested and standards are now in line in writing and mathematics, but above in reading because of the high number of pupils attaining the higher Level 3. Inspection findings support these improvements and indicate that the downward trend has halted. In science, 2000 and 2001 teacher assessment indicates that pupils’ attainment is in line with national expectation.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

3. The results attained by Year 6 pupils in the national tests of 2000 were well above average in English, mathematics and science. The proportion of pupils attaining the higher Level 5 was also well above the national average. Trends in improvement demonstrate the school’s success in sustaining high standards since the last inspection. The same very high standards are also evident when comparing Spring Bank Primary with similar schools. Early indications using the provisional 2001 test results indicate that a high proportion of pupils attain well above average in these subjects, although only a small number of pupils achieved at the higher Level 5 in English and mathematics. Attainment in science continues to be above average overall, with a high proportion of pupils attaining the higher Level 5. Inspection findings reflect these early results and there is no significant difference in the attainment of boys and girls.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

4. Pupils make satisfactory progress in learning by the end of Year 2, but it is good in the junior classes, where good quality teaching, particularly in Years 5 and 6, builds substantially on pupils’ earlier learning. Good teaching techniques and good subject expertise in English and mathematics are evident overall, and the deployment of the school’s science subject specialist ensures that pupils attain well at the end of Years 2 and 6. Pupils’ learning in the infants is satisfactory overall. Teaching in Year 1, whilst satisfactory overall, has too few teaching strategies to build well upon the learning of children in Reception. In this they are held back and do not make sufficient progress in light of their prior attainment. In general the teachers are effective in asking probing, open-ended questions, and good teaching in Year 2 enables pupils to catch up and attain standards in line with the average, though standards in writing continue to show weaknesses. The rate of

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

improvement in English by the end of Year 6 is impressive and demonstrates the rapid progress that pupils of all abilities make as a direct result of good planning and high quality teaching. In mathematics, pupils in both infant classes make satisfactory progress in their use of number, and Spring Bank Primary School - 12 higher-attaining pupils use standard measures well. The teachers are well versed in enabling pupils to acquire good basic skills in mathematics. By the time they reach Year 6, pupils have made great strides in their building on these skill levels and achieve high standards, linked to good teacher subject expertise and well-planned work. Similarly in science, effective use of subject expertise ensures that work planned for juniors enables rapid development of their knowledge and skills by the end of Year 6, which builds well on the high quality of teaching in Year 5. Pupils for whom

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

English is not their first language make good progress. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress overall, though many have difficulty with the recognition of symbols.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

5. The standards that the pupils achieve in basic skills is good overall and very good in Reception. Pupils have good reading skills and all children heard to read, both formally and informally, express their enjoyment of reading, with older pupils readily identifying an interest in poems. They are generally effective in identifying nuances in text and explore text to gain understanding beyond the literal. Writing skills, although good, are the weakest aspect in English. Older, higher- attaining pupils develop effective writing skills well. Pupils’ spellings and use of punctuation are generally accurate, although pupils’ presentation of work could be improved. In mathematics, pupils have good recall of number and an appropriate understanding of shape, space and measure. Problem-solving skills are good largely because of the interest that teachers bring to the subject and pupils’ own investigative enthusiasm. The teaching of literacy is good across the curriculum and

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

in numeracy it is satisfactory. Literacy is pursued effectively by all teachers. They manage the literacy hour well and generally ensure that all pupils make effective use of literacy across all subjects. Numeracy is taught well and pupils use data handling soundly to support their work in science. In literacy and numeracy, teachers are proficient in targeting work to different ability groups and have appropriately high expectations, particularly in the core subjects.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

6. By the end of Years 2 and 6, and despite the small amount of evidence across the non-core subjects, standards are average in geography, history, information and communication technology, design and technology and physical education. Standards in art and design and music are too low and are the result of insufficient teacher expertise and too little time given to developing pupils’ knowledge and skills to attain the expected standards. The school has adapted national guidelines in art and design, but is aware that planning does not enable pupils to reach the standards previously attained. Management of the music curriculum is poor, with many opportunities to develop pupils’ awareness and appreciation of music being missed. The school does not have a clear policy or scheme of work and, since the loss of the previous music co-ordinator, standards have fallen. During the inspection, no music was played in assemblies to set the desired

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

atmosphere and too few opportunities were given for pupils to listen to or appraise different types of music. Too little time is given to formal teaching and little musical practice is pursued other than the small number that receive specialist tuition.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

7. In geography and history standards are satisfactory. By Year 2, pupils have developed an appropriate knowledge and awareness in geography for evaluating differences in contrasting locations. In history, they have good understanding of chronology and express their views of how some practices and expectations have changed over time. By the time they reach Years 5 and 6 pupils have a well-developed awareness of change and make effective use of source material in researching.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

8. Too few design and technology lessons are provided to ensure the systematic development of pupils’ skills, due to the lack of balance in the curriculum. Discussion with pupils indicated that a satisfactory level of knowledge and skills is developed to enable pupils to achieve the national expectation, with pupils showing an awareness of design for purpose and evaluation for improvement.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

9. Standards in information and communication technology are generally in line with the national average at seven and 11 years of age. Reception children gain appropriate understanding and skill by the end of the Foundation Stage, but pupils’ learning slows from Year 1 to Year 4. Despite the accelerated progress in Years 5 and 6, standards overall are no more than average. There is narrow understanding, knowledge and skill when using computers, where pupils use word processing Spring Bank Primary School - 13 regularly, but too little focus is given to other strands of the curriculum. Very little use of computers was evident during the inspection. When computers were observed in use in Reception and Years 5 and 6, pupils used their word processing and basic research skills satisfactorily, whilst good planning in Year 5 enabled pupils to learn about the use of computers for recording temperature graphs and subsequent temperature changes over time. Despite the small amount of

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

evidence available, discussion with pupils showed that their knowledge and use of computers supports their work in some subjects. Standards could be higher, however, and whilst teachers have received computer training in school, they have yet to access the National Opportunities Funded specialist external training. Whilst the teaching and learning observed in the one lesson during the inspection was satisfactory, it is evident that pupils are not sufficiently developing their skills systematically over time. Lack of access to the Internet further reduces their ability to access or use source material and inhibits their development of technological skills in the wider sphere of communication.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

10. Pupils in Years 2 and 6 make at least satisfactory learning in physical education. Good achievement has been made by pupils in winning a local gymnastic competitions in 1998/9 and 2000. Pupils are developing at least satisfactory team skills through the effective use of external expertise in physical education lessons. Standards in religious education at the end of Years 2 and 6 are in line with the expectations of the locally agreed syllabus. They study a range of religions and have an awareness of differences in religious beliefs and practices, though pupils at Year 6 are unaware of some of the faiths to be covered by the local agreed syllabus.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

11. Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development are good. Pupils enjoy coming to school. From entry to school children develop good working habits and quickly settle down to work. All pupils take part enthusiastically in lessons, showing interest in their work; most have a positive attitude to learning and sustain their concentration well. They collaborate well in groups as required and generally work conscientiously on their own or in pairs. Pupils with special educational needs are fully integrated, being well accepted by other pupils. Pupils show a growing confidence when their contributions to lessons are sought and valued and when teachers celebrate their success.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

12. Pupils show interest and enthusiasm in extracurricular activities and on school visits such as to the Royal Armouries Museum in connection with studies on Henry VIII. Pupils enjoy the physical education lessons where good provision is made in developing team skills by visiting football and rugby clubs. Children in Reception develop positive habits in their learning and enjoy basic role- play in the adjacent corridor, developing good social relationships with one another and with adults. The increased emphasis now given to the Personal, Social, Health and Citizenship Education (PSHCE) programme and the role of the recently established learning mentor also contribute to the measures taken to encourage all pupils to behave well and to be helpful to each other.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

13. Pupils’ behaviour is good throughout the school. A number of measures have been introduced recently by the school, such as the ‘Investors in Pupils’ initiative, directed at ensuring that pupils who require help or pastoral advice receive this without delay. In addition, pupils are given other opportunities to discuss issues relating to behaviour and making appropriate choices. They are generally clear about the way in which they choose to behave affects others. Only minor occurrences of inappropriate behaviour were observed during the inspection but they were dealt with appropriately. The school provides an environment that is free from bullying or oppressive behaviour such as name-calling and where staff and all pupils work together well. No racism was evident during the inspection and pupils relate harmoniously with all ethnic groups. There have been no exclusions during the last year.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

14. Because of the good relationships that pupils have with their teachers and peers, they learn to express their feelings confidently and to develop self-confidence and self-esteem, qualities that are appreciated by their parents. They are respectful and polite to teachers and visitors. As pupils get older they are given increased responsibility for helping others and they carry out such tasks with Spring Bank Primary School - 14 maturity. Pupils’ personal development is satisfactory and their confidence in their own ability grows appropriately as they progress through school. Pupils in Year 6, for example, play a major role in the smooth operation of the library. Of the few opportunities given to them, pupils are well able to plan and organise their work. The setting up of the School Council has provided some additional opportunities for pupils to contribute to the running of the school.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

15. The level of attendance is satisfactory and is in line with the national average; attendance at the time of the last inspection, however, was good. Effective procedures have been introduced for reducing the previously high level of unauthorised absence; this has been achieved successfully. Parents are fully aware of the procedures to be followed in the event of absence or lateness and children and are keen to follow them.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

16. Taking into account the lessons observed during the inspection, pupils’ work and discussions with pupils, the quality of teaching is good overall, with many good strengths evident. These findings indicate an improvement over the quality of teaching at the last inspection. In lessons observed, teaching was satisfactory or better in almost all lessons, almost two thirds were good or better and over one quarter were very good or better. Teaching was good in Reception, satisfactory in the infants and good overall in the juniors. In the significant number of lessons of high quality, the teaching was stimulating, challenging and imaginative, enabling pupils of all abilities to raise their learning significantly. Unsatisfactory teaching was observed in only one lesson in the infants, although several lessons were observed in Year 1 where the lack of pace in teaching and keeping pupils sitting on the floor for the whole lesson prevented most of the pupils from making

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

satisfactory progress in their learning. On occasions the teaching did not continue to build sufficiently upon the good start made in Reception. Teaching in Year 2 provided stimulation, interest and challenge and pupils’ learning improved substantially.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

17. Teachers’ subject knowledge and understanding are good overall and very good in Years 5 and 6. It is mainly good in the teaching of English, mathematics and science, enabling most pupils to make good progress in their learning and to attain high standards when they are 11 years old. In many other lessons such as history, teachers’ skills led to good planning and the preparation of interesting lessons, such as when pupils were captivated by aspects of the life of Henry VIII. In these and other subjects, the teaching of basic skills is good and builds well upon pupils’ prior learning by strengthening their use of English. The teaching of literacy is good and in numeracy it is satisfactory, though computers are used insufficiently to develop pupils’ numeracy and research skills across the curriculum.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

18. The focus of teaching is on English, mathematics and science with much of the teaching time devoted to these subjects, including additional sessions for developing pupils’ writing skills. The majority of teachers also use other subjects such as history effectively as a vehicle for extending pupils’ writing and creative language skills. Good use of science expertise in Years 5 and 6 ensures that all pupils make good progress in their learning and achievement by the age of 11.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

19. Learning intentions for lessons are usually stated clearly and teachers inform pupils of what they are to learn. Teachers’ expectations at the beginning and upper end of the juniors is good and the effectiveness of their teaching enables all children to make good progress. On many occasions, pupils’ learning was extended by the high quality techniques used by teachers that resulted in pupils effectively achieving the intended aims. On these occasions, pupils of all abilities made at least good progress in their learning irrespective of their ability.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

20. Teachers’ management of pupils is at least satisfactory and is often good. Teachers build good relationships with the children and this is a strength of the school. Many good teaching strategies help pupils to enjoy their work and this encourages them to be attentive and to work well in pairs and in groups as required. On occasions, however, the planned curriculum time and sequence of some lessons creates high demand of pupils to sustain their concentration, resulting in slower Spring Bank Primary School - 15 learning. The use of the plenary review session is satisfactory overall with most pupils’ learning being reinforced, with pupils of different ability sharing their findings appropriately. The last inspection found that class timetables were insufficiently rigorous with most lessons lasting too long. This is still the case in some lessons and does not ensure that all planned subjects receive

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

sufficient time. Support staff make a satisfactory contribution to pupils’ learning, particularly in Reception, and in managing the behaviour of a minority of pupils. Classroom assistants support lower-attaining pupils and those with special educational needs well, enabling pupils to make progress appropriate to their abilities.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

21. The use of ongoing assessment is satisfactory overall. It is good in English, mathematics and science, but is irregular in many other subjects and varies between teachers, as there is insufficient guidance for all subjects of the curriculum in the assessment policy.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

22. Teachers regularly mark pupils work in books: some useful comments which encourage pupils to further consider their work, and some well-chosen questions which guide improvement, are given. The provision of homework was considered previously by parents as being inconsistent. The setting of homework has been more consistent since the start of term and supports pupils’ learning satisfactorily.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

23. The quality of teaching and learning for pupils with special educational needs is good. This is an improvement when compared with the previous inspection report. In English, mathematics and science lessons most teachers meet the requirements of these pupils well. Nevertheless in other lessons, pupils unnecessarily complete the same work as other pupils such as in design and technology when less demanding, more appropriate tasks would promote better learning and understanding. Work in these lessons is planned without direct reference to targets set in individual education plans and this affects progress.

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PUPILS?

24. The quality and range of learning opportunities for the pupils are generally satisfactory; they are broad and meet the requirements of the National Curriculum and religious education, with particular strengths in English, mathematics and science. The curriculum for children in the Foundation Stage is good. This broadly confirms the findings at the last inspection. Although satisfactory overall, the curriculum does not provide sufficient depth in subjects other than English, mathematics and science, and too few opportunities are provided for the development of pupils’ artistic, musical and creative talents.

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PUPILS?

25. Since the last inspection, the school has adopted national guidelines in most subjects and has adapted them satisfactorily to the school’s needs. This has not proved fully successful in art and design or music, however, resulting in some good former practice being replaced by more general planning that does not move pupils’ learning forward. Teachers lack expertise in these subjects and this leads to ineffective implementation of the national scheme. The majority of subject policies have not been updated since Curriculum 2000 was implemented. Although the curriculum is planned effectively to ensure that all subjects receive sufficient emphasis, this is not happening in practice as the curriculum is not monitored, resulting in an unbalanced curriculum that pays insufficient attention to the practical subjects of art and design, design and technology, information and communication technology and music. This is unsatisfactory and the balance has deteriorated

p.15

PUPILS?

26. Provision for pupils with special educational needs has improved since the last inspection and is now good in the core subjects, enabling pupils to make good progress toward their targets in their individual education plans. The school has recently introduced the local education authority policy for ensuring higher-attaining pupils receive work appropriate to their needs. The initiative focuses on pupils’ academic progress in Years 5 and 6. The school has also recently begun to review the Spring Bank Primary School - 16 provision for higher-attaining pupils in all other year groups, though limitations of suitable provision are evident in creative subjects.

p.15

PUPILS?

27. The school does not meet the requirements for providing a daily Act of Collective Worship. In none of the three assemblies observed was reference made to God or to a deity; opportunity was not given to pupils, collectively or individually, to listen to or to say a prayer or to sing a hymn; religious or spiritual implications of issues raised were not explored. Discussions with Year 6 pupils indicated that this was the normal pattern for assemblies. 28. The school’s strategy for teaching literacy is good overall. The English curriculum is rich in opportunities for pupils to develop their speaking and listening skills. The school’s strategy for teaching numeracy is satisfactory and has an impact particularly on pupils’ skills in mental mathematics. Good examples of mathematics being used in other subjects were seen in science lesson when pupils were measuring water temperature with electronic sensors and compiling

p.16

PUPILS?

tabulations. The introduction of the plenary session has proven beneficial in English, mathematics and science and in some other subjects. These improvements have enabled high standards to be maintained in English, mathematics and science.

p.16

PUPILS?

29. The curriculum is enriched by a good range of extracurricular opportunities for pupils to develop their abilities, particularly through sport. All pupils have equal access to the planned curriculum. There is a sound PSHCE programme of work being developed that has the potential to provide rich experiences for all pupils. The planning is supported by national guidelines that ensure satisfactory provision for drugs’ awareness and the danger of drugs’ misuse. Girls in Year 6 receive appropriate sex education, but boys do not. This is unsatisfactory.

p.16

PUPILS?

30. The community makes a satisfactory contribution to pupils’ learning. The health professionals, police and other services make regular visits and contribute to the school’s PSHCE programme. The school has good links with local cricket, football and rugby clubs, which support the curriculum well, and has been involved in the Chapeltown Festival and the Leeds indoor athletics competition. An International Day has been held that effectively promoted the richness of cultural diversity in the area. The school sponsors the development of a young boy living in Kenya and enables pupils to have a greater understanding of poverty in the wider world. Visitors to the school have included adults from the partially sighted centre and ministers from local churches who have taken assemblies.

p.16

PUPILS?

31. Satisfactory links with secondary schools are effective and ensure that pupils’ transference to the next stage of their education is smooth. The Reception class teacher visits the local nursery schools prior to children being inducted into school. Secondary school staff visit the school prior to admission and invite Year 6 pupils to a ‘taster day’ when they attend sample lessons.

p.16

PUPILS?

32. The school’s provision for pupils’ personal development is satisfactory overall. Good provision is made for the pupils’ moral and social development and provision for their cultural development is satisfactory, but provision for pupils’ spiritual development is unsatisfactory.

p.16

PUPILS?

33. The school also makes good provision for the pupils’ social development. From the start they are encouraged to work hard. The staff provide very good role models of helpfulness, kindness and respect for the opinions of others. As pupils get older they are given some increased responsibility for helping others. When given the opportunity to do so, pupils are well able to plan and organise their work. Currently, the scope for pupils to show initiative and to exercise personal responsibility for their own learning is unsatisfactory, and opportunities for higher-attaining pupils to plan sustained work involving, for example, the collation of information from a wide range of reference sources are limited.

p.16

PUPILS?

34. The school makes good provision for the pupils’ moral development. In assemblies, in class discussions and in PHSCE lessons, appropriate emphasis is given to the ethical implications of the issues dealt with, with particular reference to the need to make the right choices, for example about the issue of freeing Israelite slaves in the Bible. Pupils are given opportunities to reflect briefly on such matters. The pupils’ moral education is also fostered through the school’s active promotion Spring Bank Primary School - 17 of values such as helpfulness to others and the need to listen carefully to what they have to say. They are given opportunities to learn about and contribute to a number of charitable causes. Classroom codes of conduct are given strong emphasis and they are helpful in encouraging pupils to begin to understand the principles underlying rules of behaviour.

p.16

PUPILS?

35. The school does not plan systematically to develop the pupils’ spiritual awareness through the curriculum, through the programme of assemblies or through such initiatives as the involvement of visitors and school visits. While the religious education curriculum serves to help pupils to develop their understanding of the values and beliefs of others, this aspect of the curriculum is relatively underdeveloped. Pupils are not given sufficient opportunities to consider fundamental questions such are ‘who are we?’ and ‘why are we here?’

p.17

PUPILS?

36. Provision for the pupils’ cultural development is satisfactory overall. The values fostered by the school include an appreciation of different cultures, but the rich diversity of cultures in British society is not noticeably celebrated and pupils’ awareness of European culture is weak in music and art. Initiatives such as the International Day held at the end of the previous term reflect concern by parents and the school to foster multi-cultural values, as does the choice of some of the famous persons talked about in class assemblies. The teaching of religious education and geography also makes a sound contribution to pupils’ awareness of British and other cultures. Involvement in the ‘Plan’ charity, which provides contact with a child in Kenya, has both cultural and moral benefits, as pupils are given the opportunities to consider the plight of children in circumstances less favourable than their own.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

37. This is a caring school in which the well-being of the pupils is a priority. The staff know the pupils well and promote the pupils’ self-esteem. In response, the pupils know that they are valued and respond accordingly. Good routines have been implemented for the end of breaktimes when pupils are collected from the playground by teachers. This enables teachers to provide a calming influence and results in an orderly start to lessons.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

38. Procedures for child protection and for ensuring pupils’ welfare are good. The school follows the procedures in the governing body’s health and safety policy. Fire precautions, electrical checks and whole-school risk assessments are carried out regularly. Health and safety issues from the last inspection have been addressed successfully. Staff and ancillary assistants supervise pupils carefully at breaks and lunchtimes. The learning mentor also provides effective support by organising traditional games such as skipping to occupy the pupils at lunchtime. There are good arrangements for dealing with accidents and two members of staff, including the headteacher, have been trained in first aid procedures. Procedures for child protection are good and have improved since the last inspection. The deputy headteacher is the named person responsible for child protection issues and has received appropriate training. Staff are aware of procedures, and

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

39. Procedures for monitoring and improving attendance are good and have improved since the last inspection. The secretary carefully monitors attendance each day with the help of class teachers. The school takes a firm line on attendance matters and requires parents to write an absence letter when a pupil is away. If the school is not informed of a reason for absence the secretary immediately contacts the parents by telephone. The secretary rigorously monitors punctuality and medical appointments and all absences are recorded. Unauthorised absence has fallen substantially since the last inspection due to the change to computerised registration, improved monitoring and parental support. Satisfactory links are held with the educational welfare officer who assists the school with attendance matters as required. The school promotes pupils’ consistent attendance by awarding certificates to those with an attendance rate of over 95 per cent.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

40. Procedures for monitoring and promoting good behaviour and eliminating oppressive behaviour are good. The behaviour policy is generally effective although more consistent application of the Spring Bank Primary School - 18 policy is to be pursued throughout the school. Since the last inspection an effective anti-bullying policy has been implemented, which sets out clear guidelines for staff. The school also benefits from the procedures clearly explained in the racial harassment policy. The behaviour policy is understood by the pupils and used consistently by most staff to manage behaviour. An appropriate scheme of sanctions is in place. Pupils are rewarded for good behaviour, work and improvement with ‘achievement’ assemblies, praise and badges. No bullying was seen during the inspection and when challenging behaviour did occur most staff dealt with it swiftly and effectively. Serious incidents of challenging behaviour are recorded in the incident book and referred to the

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

headteacher, who informs parents and takes action as necessary.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

41. The procedures for assessing pupils’ learning and attainment are satisfactory overall and show an improvement since the last inspection, particularly in English, mathematics and science. In English and mathematics, assessments are undertaken regularly and good records are kept. The school is piloting its own computerised format that is proving valuable for tracking and targeting pupils’ learning. Procedures for monitoring pupils’ progress are good in English and mathematics. Teachers discuss with pupils how they might improve their work. Targets are reviewed in the spring term, using the information gained. As a result of these procedures, teacher assessment is accurate and improves the quality of planning. The monitoring and assessment of pupils’ learning in science is satisfactory, but attention is needed to identify areas for further development. In all other subjects, and as there is no specific guidance in the school policy to inform teachers, teachers

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

keep assessment records that embody their own approach to recording and reporting. This is unsatisfactory. Assessment of children’s attainment in Reception is good, with baseline assessment conducted at an early stage after entry to school and again at the end of the year. This is effective in identifying the progress children make.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

42. Procedures for monitoring and supporting the pupils’ personal development are good. The procedures are founded on the good relationships between staff and pupils. The pupils feel secure in the school. The PSHCE programme and ‘circle time’ discussion make a valuable contribution to the pupils’ personal development. The newly appointed learning mentor is also available to talk with pupils should any problems arise. Pupils set their own class targets in co-operation with their teacher. A good example of this was seen in the Year 1 class where the pupils had decided to ‘listen when someone talks’. Pupils do not set their own individual targets for improvement in behaviour or work but they receive appropriate advice from their teachers. The newly established homework diaries include pointers for improvement in English and mathematics. The school maintains effective links with outside agencies, such as the health professionals, which help to

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

support the academic and personal development of the pupils. The success that the school achieves in the support and guidance of pupils has a good effect on behaviour, attitudes and learning.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

43. Individual education plans for pupils with special educational needs clearly identify additional learning to be undertaken. Support for pupils and the success achieved in their progress toward their learning targets are clearly identified and keep parents fully informed. There are suitable procedures for identifying pupils with special educational needs and for moving them on and off the special needs register. However the school is aware of the need to involve pupils in reviewing their own progress against agreed targets.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

44. Parents value the school. This is an improvement from the last inspection and confirms that the school has worked hard to improve links with parents. Although there was only a small response to the parents’ questionnaire, parents report that communication between home and school is now good and that they are pleased with the pupils’ new homework diaries. Some concerns were raised about the behaviour of pupils. However, the inspection team judged behaviour to be good. Most staff manage the occasional incidents of challenging behaviour swiftly and effectively. Some parents expressed the view that homework was inconsistent and dependent on individual class teachers. The inspection team agrees that implementation of the recent homework diaries to clarify teachers’ expectations should enable greater consistency to be achieved throughout the school. The Spring Bank Primary School - 19 pupils’ progress reports were also thought to lack clarity with no indication of how pupils could

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

improve their work. The school has now addressed this issue and progress reports are clearly written and contain ‘next steps’ targets for improvement. Some parents expressed the opinion that the range of after-school activities could be extended. The inspection found that the range of activities available is good, providing well for pupils’ learning particularly in sport, where accommodation issues inhibit work normally expected in physical education. The cleanliness of the toilets and school buildings was also an area of concern. The school, however, was cleaned regularly throughout the inspection.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

45. The links held with parents are effective. Parents appreciate the level of information they receive and feel adequately involved in the life of the school. A regular newsletter keeps them informed of events and achievements, and each class teacher provides information of the work their children are to study during each term. Teachers are readily accessible to parents enabling good communication to be sustained. A suitable home/school agreement has been distributed and the majority of parents have signed and returned it. Good support is given by parents to school productions and parents’ meetings, and the Reception class assembly during the inspection was well attended. A translation service is available for homes where English is not the first language, but as yet the school has received no requests.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

46. The quality of information for parents has improved and is now good. The school has held curriculum meetings to help parents understand the aims of the literacy and numeracy strategies and the provision made for pupils with special educational needs. The school prospectus is informative and contains all the required information. However, the governors' annual report lacks information on the progress on the school’s Action Plan from the last inspection, school security, and information regarding disabled pupils and the special educational needs policy. Parents have the opportunity to consult staff formally in the autumn and summer terms to discuss their child's progress. Pupils’ progress reports are good; they include all the required information and report on each subject and PSHCE. All legal requirements in pupils’ reports are met. The school is pro- active in communicating a range of information with the local community, particularly regarding

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

the new building to ensure good relationships are maintained in the neighborhood.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

47. Parental involvement has a positive impact on the life of the school. The Parent Teacher Association provides good support, organising social and fund-raising events. Balloon races, bun sales and fairs have been organised and over £1,700 has been raised each year. Money raised by the association is used to benefit the pupils through the purchase of additional books and computer equipment. Ten parents often assist in school as volunteer helpers in classrooms and on educational visits. They listen to the pupils read and assist with extracurricular activities. This is an improvement since the last inspection when parents were not welcomed into the school.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

48. Information given to parents whose children have special educational needs is good. Parents are invited to attend reviews of their child’s education plan and most attend. Individual education plans are shared with parents and they sign their agreement to the actions planned and receive a copy that clearly identifies their commitment to support their child. Parents are informed by letter or at parents’ meetings where their child has been identified as needing additional educational support. Parents are generally pleased with the provision for children with special educational needs.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

49. The contribution that parents make to their children’s learning at school and at home is good. At home, some parents help their children with homework tasks and many listen to their children read. Parents now view their children’s homework diaries as a valuable channel for two-way communication between home and school.

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

50. The leadership of the school by the headteacher and senior members of staff is satisfactory and gives a clear educational direction for the school, though focusing heavily on English, mathematics Spring Bank Primary School - 20 and science. As a direct result, the school is effective in sustaining high standards in these subjects at the end of Year 6. The school has a positive ethos in which pupils are generally well behaved, polite and have good relationships with one another and with adults. In these and other pastoral issues, the work of the school reflects its broad aims.

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

51. Satisfactory improvement has taken place overall against the key issues since the last inspection with varying levels of success, but further work is required in curriculum planning, school development planning and financial planning to ensure that the school provides a good quality of education in all subjects. The school development plan was required to become an effective mechanism for managing the school. Despite the improvements made, progress in this has been unsatisfactory. The plan is not strategic in that it spans too short a period and does not provide for longer-term maintenance or development of subjects, policies or procedures. Significantly it does not incorporate the plans for use of the new school building, currently at an early stage of construction. The priorities were identified during the inspection process but further improvements are required to include personnel responsible, timescales and related staff training. A number of

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

procedures formerly criticised have been successfully implemented and have proved effective, such as improving pupils’ attendance and the provision for pupils with special educational needs.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

52. The financial efficiency of the school, whilst satisfactory on a one-year basis, does not address the long-term financial planning identified as a key issue at the last inspection. The curriculum whilst broad and meeting legal requirements has weaknesses in balancing all subjects being taught. Despite the changes made to curriculum planning since the last inspection, long-term development of the curriculum planning is planned for only one year at a time and is not monitored, with the exception of English and mathematics where it is good. The planning and monitoring of science throughout the school is satisfactory. The partnership with parents has improved and parents are fully supportive of the school and consider themselves to be well informed. The provision for higher attainers, pupils with English as an additional language and pupils with special educational needs has improved and most pupils’ needs are met well. A minority of talented pupils, however,

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

do not have their individual needs met through the school, particularly in music and art and design

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

53. The headteacher, senior teachers and governors have a clear view of the school’s strengths but have not sufficiently analysed areas for development, particularly in non-core subjects. The school is satisfactorily staffed by appropriately qualified teachers and classroom assistants. The deputy headteacher fulfils the role of special educational needs co-ordinator and is deployed in a part-time teaching commitment, with responsibility for developing the support for higher-attaining pupils. A senior manager fulfils the role of science specialist and has a part-time teaching commitment, shared with the deputy. Subject responsibility has been delegated to co-ordinators and a programme of non-contact time is planned for them to monitor the work in their subject. Most co- ordinators, however, have yet to receive this release time and most subjects remain unmonitored. Co-ordinators assess pupils’ work in English and mathematics and science with concentrated effort

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

being given to literacy, but other subjects are neither monitored nor levelled against the National Curriculum. In this respect, the work of subject co-ordinators is unsatisfactory. Co-ordinators do not take full responsibility for their subject, as they insufficiently aware of how effectively the planning is used, how well pupils are achieving according to their individual abilities, and they do not ensure the sharing of good practice. The school has implemented performance management satisfactorily and most staff have job descriptions with clear responsibility for their teaching and co-ordination responsibilities. Job descriptions are not provided, however, for the headteacher or deputy. This needs to be addressed. Staff work together well and have a shared commitment and capacity to succeed.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

54. The governing body is properly constituted and generally fulfils its statutory responsibilities, with the exception of ensuring that job descriptions are provided for the headteacher and deputy headteacher, meeting the statutory requirements for collective worship and providing some information to parents. Governors are very supportive of the school and are keen to see it improve further still. They have spent a considerable amount of time in planning for the new school but have not been sufficiently involved in the ongoing monitoring and evaluation of the school’s progress in all subjects: governors are conscientious in their role of monitoring literacy, numeracy Spring Bank Primary School - 21 and special educational needs, although the governor responsible for the overview of literacy has yet to receive training. Whilst governors are kept informed of planning and progress in English, mathematics and science, they are less well acquainted with work in other subjects and co-

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

ordinators do not present their plans to governors. They are at a very early stage of becoming a critical friend to the school and have yet to become effective in monitoring the value for money provided by the school. The governing body has a shortage of three governors and few are able to visit the school on a regular basis.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

55. The special educational needs co-ordinator provides good leadership and ensures that all teachers and adult learning assistants are fully aware of individual pupils’ needs. Similar arrangements are in place for supporting pupils where English is not their first language although none of these pupils in school required language support. Arrangements are well managed in terms of directly supporting, assessing and reviewing pupils’ progress. The governing body is fully involved with issues regarding the funding for pupils with special educational needs. Nevertheless, a more active involvement in financial aspects related to the purchase of additional resources is needed. The governors annual report to parents regarding provision for special educational needs pupils is extremely brief, failing to contain all the necessary information relating to numbers of pupils, finance and the success of the newly introduced special educational needs policy. Staff

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

development, previously criticised in the last report, has been implemented well, providing for the professional and personal development of teachers.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

56. The school’s income and expenditure are well above the national average for each pupil. This position has arisen because the school is in receipt of additional funding in the form of specific grants, which are being used to fund perceived educational priorities. Overall the school manages its financial resources responsibly and the most recent audit indicates no financial irregularities. Appropriate procedures have been established for the purchase of resources. The governing body finance sub-committee meets regularly and is involved with the overall management of the school budget. However at present there is no agreed procedure by which they can monitor the impact of their spending and there is no long-term plan for expenditure beyond the one-year period. The school applies best value principles well in comparing and contrasting pupils’ attainment by the end of Year 6 both nationally and with other Leeds schools, but does not challenge itself effectively

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

about the provision for all subjects. Teachers value the work of the school secretary that enables them to carryout their duties effectively. She has responsibly assumed control of computerised systems for maintaining accounts, financial transactions and school records. As a result, the procedures are unobtrusive and support day-to-day administration of the school effectively.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

57. The accommodation remains unsatisfactory as was identified at the last inspection. Pupils in Years 1, 3 and 5 are accommodated in a large house, which continues in a state of disrepair. Pupils in Years 2, 4 and 6 are housed in mobile classrooms on the playground adjacent to the main building, which further reduces the available space that children have in which to play. The hall is unsuitable for all aspects of physical education because of the low ceiling and there is no adequate outdoor area to accommodate sporting activities. This has an adverse impact on standards. All health and safety issues raised at the last inspection have been addressed, but the accommodation severely inhibits organisation and teaching opportunities. However, the school is now subject to ongoing building works, which will soon establish a new modern school building.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

58. The school’s resources are satisfactory overall and have improved since the last inspection. The school has the benefit of a good computer suite to support learning in all subjects and to support pupils’ individual research. Neither computers in the computer room nor those in classes, however, were in use for most of the inspection week and the pupils do not often have the opportunity to use them to further extend their learning. Resources for music are unsatisfactory. Resources for design and technology are not used effectively and little use is made of external facilities or visitors to support the curriculum. There are insufficient reference books in the classrooms to support subjects such as geography, history and religious education.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

59. Taking into account the high standards which are being sustained in English, mathematics and science at the end of Year 6, the arrest of the former declining in standards at the end of Year 2, the Spring Bank Primary School - 22 weak monitoring of the curriculum, the attainment of pupils on entry to school, which is average, and the high expenditure per pupil, the school gives satisfactory value for money. Spring Bank Primary School - 23

p.21

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

In order to raise standards further the headteacher, staff and governors should take the following actions:

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

Continue to raise standards in all non-core subjects particularly in art and design and music by: • raising teacher expectations by sharing good practice among staff ; • ensuring appropriately challenging work is set for pupils of all abilities, particularly the higher attainers; • establishing assessment of pupils’ learning in all subjects effectively, to track pupils’ knowledge and understanding and to modify curriculum aims in light of the findings; • ensuring that all teachers give developmental pointers for further improvement; • ensuring that lesson planning builds effectively on the work attained in Reception; • ensuring the systematic provision for all pupils, particularly the gifted and talented in the creative arts of music and art and design; • ensuring the effective use of computers in the computer room, classrooms and across the curriculum to develop pupils’ learning in new technology and to further their independent

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

research. (paragraphs numbers 4, 6, 9, 10, 16-19, 33, 69, 86, 93-100, 109, 111, 113, 115, 118)

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

Provide a balanced curriculum by: • ensuring that all subjects receive sufficient time in line with national recommendations to enable all pupils to progressively develop the full range of skills identified in national guidelines; • empowering subject co-ordinators to fulfil their subject responsibility in monitoring teaching, delivery of subject planning and pupils’ learning, and ensuring that sufficient resources are provided. (paragraph numbers 6, 8, 20, 24-43, 58, 97, 98, 104, 109, 119, 124, 130)

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

Improve the quality of whole-school planning by: • improving the school development plan over a period of three years to include planning and maintenance of all policies, schemes of work and the new school building; • making rigorous long-term financial plans that will address whole school planning; • monitoring the effectiveness of the school’s resources on pupils’ learning to ensure value for money. (paragraph numbers 4, 21, 51- 59, 109,119)

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

Ensure pupils’ spiritual development by: • ensuring that teachers’ planning identifies opportunities to develop spirituality in all subjects; • providing well-planned collective worship that gives appropriate opportunities for pupils to sing, pray and reflect upon spiritual values. (paragraph numbers 3, 32, 35, 51, 53)

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

Ensure that the governing body becomes a critical friend to the school by: • Monitoring the long-term strategic planning for the work of the school including curriculum and financial planning to ensure that value for money is given. • fulfilling all statutory requirements; (paragraph numbers 5, 27, 29, 46, 54-56,119)

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

In addition, the school should provide planned opportunities for pupils to take responsibility for their own learning. Spring Bank Primary School - 24

p.23

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of lessons observed 49 Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 50

p.24

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor Number 2 11 18 17 1 0 0 Percentage 4 22 37 35 2 0 0 The table gives the number and percentage of lessons observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about teaching. Care should be taken when interpreting these percentages as each lesson represents more than one percentage point.

p.24

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils on the school’s roll YR – Y6 Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 193 Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 42 FTE means full-time equivalent.

p.24

Information about the school’s pupils

Special educational needs YR – Y6 Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 0 Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 8

p.24

Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils Number of pupils with English as an additional language 47

p.24

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 12 Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 14

p.24

Authorised absence Unauthorised absence

% % School data 94.3 School data 0.9 National comparative data 94.4 National comparative data 0.5 Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Spring Bank Primary School - 25

p.24

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

Year Boys Girls Total Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2000 17 11 28

p.25

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

Numbers of pupils at NC Boys 14 14 17 level 2 and above Girls 8 7 9 Total 22 21 26 Percentage of pupils School 79 (86) 75 (86) 93 (93) at NC level 2 or above National 83 (82) 84 (83) 90 (87)

p.25

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

Numbers of pupils at NC Boys 15 17 17 level 2 and above Girls 8 9 11 Total 23 26 28 Percentage of pupils School 82 (89) 93 (93) 100 (89) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (82) 88 (96) 88 (87) Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year.

p.25

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

Year Boys Girls Total Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 2000 16 13 29

p.25

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

Numbers of pupils at NC Boys 13 12 15 level 4 and above Girls 13 13 13 Total 26 25 28 Percentage of pupils School 90 (79) 86 (82) 97 (82) at NC level 4 or above National 75 (70) 72 (69) 85 (78)

p.25

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

Numbers of pupils at NC Boys 12 13 13 level 4 and above Girls 12 13 12 Total 24 26 25 Percentage of pupils School 83 (89) 90 (86) 86 (86) at NC level 4 or above National 70 (68) 72 (69) 79 (75) Percentages in second brackets refer to the previous reporting year (1999) Spring Bank Primary School - 26

p.25

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage 12 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0 Black – African heritage 1 Black – African heritage 0 0 Black – other 13 Black – other 0 0 Indian 7 Indian 0 0 Pakistani 35 Pakistani 0 0 Bangladeshi 0 Bangladeshi 0 0 Chinese 0 Chinese 0 0 White 92 White 0 0 Any other minority ethnic group 1 Other minority ethnic groups 0 0 This table refers to pupils of compulsory school age only. This table gives the number of exclusions of pupils of compulsory school age, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded.

p.26

Qualified teachers and classes: YR – Y6

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 10.5 Financial year 1999/2000

p.26

Qualified teachers and classes: YR – Y6

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 22.7:1 Average class size 27.6 £ Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total income 459,912 Total number of education support staff 5 Total expenditure 450,710 Total aggregate hours worked per week 86 Expenditure per pupil 2,221 Qualified teachers and support staff: nursery Balance brought forward from previous year 21,880

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Qualified teachers and classes: YR – Y6

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) N/a Balance carried forward to next year 31,082 Number of pupils per qualified teacher N/a Total number of education support staff N/a Total aggregate hours worked per week N/a Number of pupils per FTE adult N/a FTE means full-time equivalent.

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 1 Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 2

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Recruitment of teachers

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 0 Number of vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of a term or more (FTE) 0 Spring Bank Primary School - 27 Number of unfilled vacancies or vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of less than one term (FTE) FTE means full-time equivalent. Spring Bank Primary School - 28

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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. 54 42 4 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 46 42 12 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 33 46 13 8 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 42 44 4 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. 59 33 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. 63 33 4 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 46 46 8 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 46 46 4 4 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 63 29 4 4 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 42 29 8 8 13 Spring Bank Primary School - 29

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

60. All children in the Foundation Stage are admitted during the first week of term and at the time of the inspection there were twenty-seven children in the Reception class who had been in school for five weeks. On entry, they have a wide ability range which is broadly in line is with that expected for their age. Children make good progress overall and a large majority are well set to exceed most of the early learning goals by the end of the Foundation Stage.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

61. Provision in the Foundation Stage is consistently good. No direct comparison is possible however, as the last inspection report did not report separately on the development of children under 5 years of age. The classroom is light and spacious and suitably equipped to enable children to attain the early learning goals. Good provision is made for sand and water activities in the adjacent wide corridor, which also provides space for role-play and a ‘play den’, altered to suit a range of learning intentions. During the period of inspection, the ‘play den’ had been imaginatively developed into a ‘light den’ to promote scientific enquiry. The accommodation, however, does not have a secure outdoor play area, and the lack of large construction toys, climbing equipment and wheeled vehicles restricts children’s physical development.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

62. The curriculum for the Foundation Stage has been introduced successfully. Lesson planning is good. Suitable work is provided to meet the wide range of ability and appropriate use is made of assessment so that more-able children are challenged and the less able receive support. The classroom assistant is effectively deployed and makes an important contribution to the learning environment. All children are suitably challenged and enabled to make good progress in their learning.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

Personal, social and emotional development.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

63. Provision for the personal and social development of the children is a strong feature of the Reception class. Children make good progress in their personal and social skills and, by the time they are five, attainment is good with most children likely to exceed the early learning goals. After five weeks children have already settled well into planned routines. They co-operate well in rehearsing for an assembly to be presented to their parents, demonstrating a keenness to ‘get it right’ and listen attentively to instructions. In different group activities most children can listen attentively to a story as well as share equipment in any follow-up activity. In a games lesson, children follow instructions correctly to practise throwing and receiving a ball and develop their social skills through demonstrating consideration to others when balls interfere with other children’s concentration. The class teacher and support staff provide good role models, and

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

effective relationships are fostered through praise and sensitive encouragement. Most children appear comfortable in meeting visitors and are sufficiently confident to engage them in conversation, discuss their work, with the more able demonstrating confidence to read to adults. The quality of teaching in lessons seen was good, with clear instructions, effectively planned activities and high expectation for children’s behaviour and consideration for others.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

64. Children make good progress in language and literacy overall, with a significant minority likely to achieve the early learning goals before the end of the school year. Inspection findings supports the baseline assessment information in that the majority of children enter school with broadly average reading skills in speaking and recognition of some letters of the alphabet. They benefit well from lessons related to the literacy strategy, taking opportunity to develop their skills through well- planned activities. Learning is developed well through the teacher’s use of clear, interesting explanations and generally skilful, well-constructed questioning. In one activity based on the story of ‘The fish who could wish’, children were encouraged to express their own wishes and copy appropriate sentences. They accomplished this task satisfactorily overall, using expression well Spring Bank Primary School - 30

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

and generally with confidence. In other activities, they strengthen their knowledge of the syllables of their own names and use percussion instruments to help recognise different notes in sounding their name. A good start has been made in reading, with many more-able children recognising a range of words both in and out of context and using pictures to correct their reading errors. Most children are able to recognise individual letters of the alphabet by shape though less-able children are have difficulty in recognising a number of words; they are able, however, to talk about the story using pictures and can identify the main characters. They are able to trace over words closely, using both upper and lowercase letters and the higher attainers are beginning to write simple sentences.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

65. Children have made a good start in learning to write and are making good progress overall. More- able children have good pencil grasp and use their motor skills well in beginning to writes simple sentences, receiving well focused support from the teacher and classroom support assistant. The teacher has secure subject knowledge and generally high expectations of the children. Skilful questioning is used effectively to reinforce children’s knowledge and understanding, and regular opportunity is given to develop and enrich their vocabulary and speaking skills.

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Mathematical development

66. Children make very good progress in mathematics, with a significant minority attaining above average expectations. By the end of the Foundation Stage, most children are likely to achieve the early learning goals with a significant minority exceeding them. On entry to school many children can recognise colours and identify different shapes. Effective and enthusiastic teaching introduces children to a range of activities, which constantly reinforces their understanding of basic number. In taking the register, children are asked to count forwards and backwards to 20. The higher attainers can subtract the number of absentees from the class total, for example 27 minus 3, correctly. The majority of children can recognise number cards up to ten and match the correct number of cubes appropriately. They are provided with a sufficient range of materials and activities to extend their understanding of number, particularly practical problems. Using straws

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Mathematical development

children are beginning to use mathematical language, such as ‘shorter than’ or ‘longer than’. Effective questioning gives appropriate challenge to all abilities and good classroom activities promote the good development of the children’s skill and their grasp of mathematical concepts well. All children are well supported by the teacher and classroom assistant who make learning fun and enable all children to achieve well.

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

67. Children make good progress in developing an understanding of the world around them because of the well-planned topics that link different areas of learning. By the end of the Foundation Stage, many children are likely to exceed the early learning goals. Children are encouraged to ask questions based on their own experience of colour mixing. Using filter paper they study the effects of colour changes and are able to record their findings pictorially. In the ‘light den’, experimenting with reflection, children recognise the differences between shiny and non-shiny materials. Children are developing good basic skills in using a mouse when following computer programs to support their learning in colour recognition. They develop their understanding of the passing of time well; they are clearly aware of the changing seasons and know that they need warmer clothes in winter and that they could die if they became too cold. They know that people grow older and can make

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

appropriate comments on the changes. The teacher’s enthusiasm in discussing safety across a range of situations fully held children’s concentration; when discussing safety in her garden and pond, she effectively enabled children to comment that the water is dirty and contains germs. They use their design and technology skills well to cut and join materials as evidenced by their making ‘painting aprons’. Effective questioning by the teacher develops children’s use of literacy and numeracy well, such as in recording the results of their experiments in colour and explaining their answers.

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Physical development

Spring Bank Primary School - 31 68. Children’s physical development is satisfactory and they make sound progress. By the end of the Foundation Stage, the majority of pupils are likely to achieve the early learning goals, their physical development being broadly in line with expectations. The lack of large climbing apparatus within a secure play area restricts the development of higher standards, but the teacher uses benches, beams and small balls satisfactorily. They develop their ball skill satisfactorily; they are able to demonstrate appropriate catching technique and develop their target throwing of a ball to a partner. Several increase the distance well showing precision in their targeting and make good progress in their sending and receiving. The majority, however, take opportunity to ensure their accuracy without extending the distance between them sufficiently. They follow instructions well

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Physical development

and show good spatial awareness in moving around the hall at various speeds, making certain not to come into contact with other children. They clearly enjoy their lessons and co-operate well with partners. Children are developing their manipulative skills using paintbrushes when experimenting with colour mixing, as well as being introduced to simple weaving techniques. Children have good opportunities for enjoying unstructured play in the water and sand trays in the large corridor, used effectively as an extension to the classroom, where they demonstrate good behaviour and good social interaction with classmates and adults passing by. Teaching is good overall, but opportunities to develop children’s wider physical development are restricted by the lack of appropriate large construction and outdoor apparatus. Good safety precautions are discussed well, enabling children to develop a greater awareness of hazards in gardens and in the street and ways

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Physical development

in which they can improve their personal safety and the importance of learning to swim.

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Creative development

69. Children’s learning is satisfactory overall and is in line with national expectations. The majority are likely to achieve the early learning goals by the end of the Foundation Stage. Suitable opportunities are provided for the children to recognise the difference between high and low sounds when they relate percussion instruments to sounding their name. They develop satisfactory painting skills when using colour in a variety of ways and consider presenting different patterns in weaving. They use a range of materials including paints, crayons, felt-tip pens and malleable materials to draw pictures and construct basic shapes, and learn to make decisions and choices when selecting materials. They explore colour, shading, shape and pattern satisfactorily. Most respond well to singing basic choruses and are beginning to mime actions appropriately, such as in their presentation of the work of ‘Bob the Builder’. Children have opportunity for unstructured role-

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Creative development

play and create small cameos in pairs. They make satisfactory observational drawings which include pictures of themselves, their friends or an adult they know well. Children’s musical awareness in not developed sufficiently and school assemblies do not address this as music is not used on these occasions. The management of pupils is good overall and the teacher and classroom assistant provide good role models in their relationship with children and in the interest they show them.

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ENGLISH

70. On the basis of lesson observations, the scrutiny of pupils’ written work, hearing individual pupils read and discussions with pupils, the attainment of pupils at seven and 11 years of age is above national expectations in reading, writing, listening and speaking. There is no significant difference in the attainment of boys and girls.

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ENGLISH

71. From an early age pupils are encouraged to listen to each other and to their teachers and to take turns in speaking. In Years 1 and 2 such activities are encouraged not only through the literacy hour but also through other aspects of the curriculum, such as ‘circle time’ where pupils are given an opportunity to express their own views and feelings. In these classes, pupils are exposed to a good range of interesting stories and they are given many opportunities to talk about what they have heard. In general, teachers are skilled at asking questions which encourage pupils to give their own interpretation of what they have read. Across the school, the very good relationships that teachers and pupils have encourage the free exchange of views. Class assemblies also provide scope for pupils to express themselves to a wider audience more formally. Spring Bank Primary School - 32 72. By the end of Year 6 the majority of pupils speak with clarity and confidence. Again, this mode of

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ENGLISH

delivery is encouraged not just in the context of the literacy hour or in other English lessons but also in other areas of the curriculum. In Year 5 pupils took part, for example, in a scripted interchange involving a suitably attired Henry VIII and two of his wives and the rest of the class. In Year 6, in the context of a literacy lesson which focused on the way different characters express their different points of view, the class had the opportunity to bring their thoughts and opinions to the attention of an ‘agony aunt’ aptly named Prunella (one of the pupils in a bright orange wig!) who gave such advice as she thought was necessary to Romeo and Juliet and other characters in the play. Needless to say the pupils enjoyed this highly imaginative approach and this had a positive effect on their participation in the lesson and on the quality of the dialogue that ensued.

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ENGLISH

73. In the early years pupils are given a very good grounding in basic literacy skills. Pupils recognise a number of good words by sight and use their knowledge of sounds and the illustrations to assist them in understanding text. They learn to segment words into syllables, identify little words within big words and use the structure of the sentence to determine the type of word needed to make sense. These are satisfactorily developed in Years 1 and 2. Procedures for teaching reading and for hearing pupils read are effectively implemented. The involvement of parents in hearing their children read makes a very positive contribution to the pupils’ progress. Records of pupils’ attainment and progress in reading are generally well maintained and this also has a positive impact on achievement. Pupils are grouped into attainment groups for literacy from the start and this helps to ensure that they obtain teaching that is suitable to their needs. The additional support

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ENGLISH

given to pupils in Year 2 for literacy is beneficial to those involved. Pupils who were heard to read in Year 2 read with appropriate accuracy and demonstrated effective word-attack skills in dealing with unfamiliar words. Higher-attaining pupils had progressed beyond the reading scheme and were able to read books of their own choice with good expression and evident enjoyment.

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ENGLISH

74. From Year 3, pupils enjoy reading and generally make good progress. Access to the library, which enables pupils to change their books regularly, is of positive value to them, giving opportunity to select from a wide range of books from which they satisfactorily build upon their depth of understanding and interest in reading. Most Year 3 pupils read accurately, with higher-attaining pupils reading with expression and generally fluently. They understand the use and pattern of rhyme and older pupils recognise the use of figurative and persuasive language, a good example of this being seen in Year 5. Most pupils from Years 3 and 6 take books home frequently, older pupils making their own choice of book from fiction, non-fiction and poetry. Pupils in Years 5 and Year 6 are able to extract information from reference materials effectively. They read from fiction and non-fiction books fluently, many displaying a good knowledge of punctuation and the need for

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ENGLISH

appropriate pausing and emphasis. They know the structure of books and older pupils are able to scan a page to find information. Higher-attaining pupils readily use glossaries and index pages effectively to help them find particular information. Project work in history shows they are able to collate information from books and Encarta. Pupils of average and higher attainment are also able to interpret poetry with understanding and can explain nuances in the text when they are questioned about the underlying meanings of poems that they have read.

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ENGLISH

75. Pupils make satisfactory progress in writing at the end of Year 2 and Year 6. Writing, however, is the weakest aspect of pupils’ skills in their mastery of English, but substantial improvement is achieved in upper junior classes and, by the end of Year 6, standards are good. Many pupils in Year 2 are able to express themselves in a sequence of sentences, often using appropriate sentence punctuation. As pupils move through junior classes, they build upon their earlier writing skills and in Year 6 their writing becomes more varied and interesting. Pupils in Year 6 develop their use of punctuation and improve spelling to enhance the fluency and clarity of their work. Work is marked systematically, teachers providing comments for pupils to improve the content and presentation of their finished writing. They spell simple monosyllabic words correctly or in a phonetically plausible way. The school uses the results of regular assessments to identify pupils who have

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ENGLISH

particular difficulties with spelling and appropriate steps are being taken to assist them, in Year 3 for example. Although there was relatively little writing available for scrutiny at this time of the year, some good writing was evident in work on display. For example, in displays of autumn Spring Bank Primary School - 33 poems in Years 5 and metaphor poems in Year 6, vocabulary choices were adventurous and sentences were grammatically complex. The majority of pupils in Year 6 use sentence punctuation correctly and write with a clearly intelligible style of handwriting. 76. The proportion of pupils speaking English as an additional language (31.8 per cent) is substantial, is above average and is increasing. However, there is as yet no evidence to show that their standards of attainment are significantly different from those of their peers and these pupils also make good progress overall. Three pupils from Europe who have required support in the last year

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ENGLISH

have made good progress in language acquisition, primarily because of good classroom teaching which takes account of their needs.

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ENGLISH

77. Pupils’ attitudes to work and their behaviour are good overall. Teachers quickly establish interest and purpose when, for example, considering poetry in Year 2 and Greek gods in Year 6. Pupils listen actively and are keen to contribute to discussions. They settle to work quickly individually, in pairs and in groups. By Year 6 the majority of pupils share ideas and work co-operatively together, respecting the ideas and suggestions of other classmates. The good teaching is a strong encouragement for pupils to try hard and pupils take pleasure in the stimulating activities offered. During the inspection, Year 6 pupils were seen as librarians, carrying out their duties efficiently.

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ENGLISH

78. The literacy strategy is effectively applied across the curriculum by all teachers. For the most part, teachers manage the literacy hour with skill, ensuring that pupils are aware of what is to be learned during the time, with many satisfactorily recapping on children’s learning at the end of the lesson. Overall the teaching is good, with a high proportion being very good or better. Teachers’ skills and knowledge have been enhanced well by literacy training. In the better lessons, teaching moves at a good pace with lively, stimulating and appropriately challenging work being set. On many occasions, teachers used a wide range of good open-ended questions to encourage and provide opportunity for pupils to consider their answer before speaking. Older, higher-attaining pupils use extended and reasoned answers in response to questions, providing well-constructed, grammatically correct answers. Good visual aids were evident in Years 5 and 6, which helped to further stimulate

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ENGLISH

pupils’ interest. However, in one lesson in which several pupils made unsatisfactory progress, pupils demonstrated their lack of understanding of the task, and their progress and their behaviour were insufficiently supervised by the teacher or classroom assistant. In the more successful literacy lessons, teachers ensured that pupils understood their tasks and worked with concentration. Classroom support staff provide good support to pupils with special educational needs that enables them to make good progress; their work is monitored carefully and enables teachers to plan following lessons.

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ENGLISH

79. The literacy co-ordinator is well qualified to give an effective lead in this area of the curriculum. She has made a very effective contribution to the training of staff and has implemented effective procedures for monitoring teaching and attainment. Good use is made of assessment evidence for each year group to modify the curriculum if necessary. Account is also taken of pupils’ attainments in listening and speaking. Recent initiatives linked to the literacy strategy, such as the introduction of additional phonics for use with younger pupils and the 'Grammar for Writing' materials have been conveyed to staff effectively. The initiatives taken to help raise standards of writing in Key Stage 2 have been well motivated. Finally, the co-ordinator’s role in the establishment of the new library has made a good contribution to the raising and maintenance of standards of reading.

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MATHEMATICS

80. In the national tests in the year 2000 pupils in Year 2 achieved standards below the national average. In comparison with other schools nationally there has been an indication over time of a decline in standards. The unpublished results from the 2001 national tests and inspection findings indicate that standards have improved and that pupils are making good progress overall. In the national tests in the year 2000 pupils in Year 6 achieved results well above the national standard. This is an improvement since the previous inspection. Spring Bank Primary School - 34 81. By the age of seven, the majority of pupils understand place value and can solve simple addition and subtraction problems and a significant number of higher attainers use subtraction as the inverse of addition well. Younger pupils in Year 1 recognise figures to 20, counting backwards and forwards and apply their knowledge of estimation satisfactorily. In shape and space, most

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MATHEMATICS

pupils use non-standard units satisfactorily to measure lines. Higher-attaining pupils use standard measures competently to test their estimations. Lower-attaining pupils require assistance in completing simple counting and computational tasks. Most Year 2 pupils recognise and sort a range of three-dimensional shapes according to their features. Using nets they confidently discuss the difference in constructing a three and a four-sided pyramid. Pupils use mathematical language to describe the shapes accurately. They are beginning to employ geometric language with increasing precision and can relate the objects appropriately to everyday instances. Lower- attaining pupils require support in matching simple names to shape and identifying their differences. Pupils with special educational needs are making good progress, though many experience difficulties with the recognition of symbols. Overall by the age of 7 most pupils are

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MATHEMATICS

beginning to have a secure grasp of basic number bonds and are developing strategies to help them tackle mathematical problems.

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MATHEMATICS

82. In number, by age 11, most pupils confidently build on work in addition, subtraction and division forms and can divide to two decimal places accurately, providing a strong basis to apply to other mathematical problems. Younger pupils in Year 3 develop their understanding further in shape and space using estimation, prediction and measurement and record their results independently. In Year 4 the majority of pupils understand the use of co-ordinates and grid lines to establish position, whilst higher-attaining pupils use compass positions accurately and demonstrate good understanding of location and distance. Lower-attaining pupils require assistance in using the different axes in the correct order. In Year 5 most pupils use suitable vocabulary in supporting their work on fractions and in describing their work and conversion of proper and improper fractions. Higher-attaining pupils independently investigate time tasks and express their findings

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MATHEMATICS

as fractions in their lowest terms. Lower- attaining pupils make satisfactory progress in recognising and matching simple pairs of fractions. In their work on probability in Year 6 the majority of pupils demonstrate clear understanding of the processes involved in the calculation of possible outcomes of particular events. Most are competent in completing their own frequency chart and they can express their results as a pie chart. A particular strength of their mathematical attainment is their use of appropriate vocabulary in confidently discussing their findings. Overall, pupils are demonstrating an understanding of basic numeracy skills and extending their knowledge of mathematical concepts beyond national expectations. Pupils with special educational needs and pupils with English as an additional language are also making good progress; there is no significant difference in the attainment of boys and girls.

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MATHEMATICS

83. Pupils clearly enjoy the work and mental activities. They settle to their written and practical tests with interest and enthusiasm and work well with their peers when required to do so, taking care to complete their tasks. Pupils are well behaved overall and, on occasions where work is stimulating such as in Year 2, their behaviour is very good. This enables them to concentrate well and make considerable progress. Teachers make good use of plenary sessions overall to check pupils’ understanding. Most pupils generally treat resources with appropriate respect and take responsibility for the handling of books and equipment. The numeracy strategy, through its consistent approach to teaching, generates an enthusiasm for mathematics in infants and juniors.

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MATHEMATICS

84. The quality of teaching and learning overall throughout the school is good with some examples of very good teaching. In most lessons observed teachers have developed positive relationships with their pupils. Better lessons proceed with pace and rigour and deadlines are set for the completion of activities. Good use is made of the plenary session to encourage pupils to discuss their work competently. The response of pupils to lessons is good overall. Pupils with special educational needs receive good support, and the classroom assistants are well deployed overall. In a small minority of lessons the pace is slower and there is an inappropriate match of work to meet the needs of all pupils. Spring Bank Primary School - 35 85. The quality of leadership and management is good. The curriculum is broad and balanced and numeracy has been implemented well. The whole-school scheme of work supports staff well and

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MATHEMATICS

the overall planning provides for continuity and progression. Teaching and learning are monitored throughout the school and data is analysed effectively in order to address areas for further development. Teachers know their pupils well and use day-to-day assessment effectively. Formal assessment procedures have been established, including performance data based on set targets, and inform teachers’ planning effectively. Although most resources for the subject are used well, in the week of the inspection there was little evidence of computers being used to support the curriculum.

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SCIENCE

86. The high standards achieved by pupils in science have been sustained over time. In 2000, the national tests indicated that standards were well above average compared with schools nationally and in the top five per cent when compared with similar schools. A high proportion achieved the higher Level 5. Pupils’ attainment has continued to be above the national trend over the last four years. Teacher assessments of Year 2 pupils in 2000 indicate very high standards that are well above the national average. This is due to the high quality specialist teaching, improved planning to develop science skills progressively and the use of regular checks on pupils’ progress, clearly indicating what needs to be taught next. The school is committed to maintaining its high standards and has improved provision for successfully challenging higher-attaining pupils and improving the levels of learning for all. This is an improvement since the last inspection. Nevertheless the

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SCIENCE

planned use of information and communication technology to support the recording of data is unsatisfactory.

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SCIENCE

87. Inspection evidence confirms that pupils make good progress throughout the school in all attainment targets as a result of effectively planned lessons and good subject knowledge leading to very good progress in Years 5 and 6. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress and achieve appropriate levels. During the inspection no discernible difference in the progress of girls and boys was observed. Inspection findings indicate levels of attainment above average at the end of Year 2 and well above average at the end of Year 6.

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SCIENCE

88. Pupils’ literacy skills make a good contribution to science. Year 6 pupils have very confident spoken language, for example talking about the effects of force on falling objects having the same mass but different surface area. They have a good understanding of how to turn ideas into a form that can be investigated and the need for a fair test when comparing results, and are able to confidently draw hypotheses. Well-prepared tasks are very successfully aimed at developing pupils’ understanding, knowledge and skills across all areas in the science curriculum. This is suitably enhanced by the high quality, challenging questions that successfully develop pupils’ scientific vocabulary and deeper understanding of specific scientific ideas.

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SCIENCE

89. Scrutiny of pupils’ work indicates detailed science investigations in all classes. Year 2 pupils explore the qualities of various materials and are aware that certain materials reflect light. This is successfully built upon in Year 3, deepening their understanding of translucency and transparency. Very effective progress is made in Year 5 where pupils’ investigations are linked well to heating and cooling and the use of computers to retrieve information in relation to changes in temperature. Very good adult support enables pupils to make accurate temperature readings in their investigations on heat retention in materials. Pupils have a clear understanding of condensation, evaporation and the role of insulating materials to conserve energy; they successfully include the school caretaker to illustrate the materials useful to retain heat, making appropriate links to clothing and hot water cylinders. Thoughtful use is made of the accommodation to support

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SCIENCE

experiments involving the dropping of parachutes from a given height. Year 6 pupils enjoy their science investigations and talk enthusiastically about the need for a fair test. Nevertheless, some problems occurred during their timing tasks, as many pupils were unable to use the stopwatch effectively at a specific moment. Spring Bank Primary School - 36 90. Pupils have very positive attitudes and displayed very good behaviour on many occasions. When given the opportunity to take responsibility for planning and collecting resources for their work they do so seriously, as observed during a Year 4 lesson involving an investigation into the force exerted by wind on differently sized pieces of card. Overall behaviour is good. Most pupils take pride in their work and the quality of presentation throughout the school is good. However, many tasks use a similar format when recording results and this limits pupils’ opportunities to develop

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SCIENCE

their own ideas and methods of recording science experiments. Spring Bank Primary School - 37 91. Overall, the quality of teaching in science is good; it is very good in Year 5 and Year 6 and this is having a very positive effect on pupils’ motivation and their current rates of progress. A very good relationship between pupils and teachers enables most pupils to offer suggestions and explanations in whole-class sessions. The subject co-ordinator has a very good knowledge and understanding of the subject and uses this very effectively to ask challenging questions of the pupils. The teaching of basic skills for investigative science and experimental work is very good throughout the school. Nevertheless, the subject co-ordinator is aware that greater links need to be forged with other subjects, for example mathematics, music, art and design, and design and technology, to enhance scientific knowledge still further. Teachers manage pupils very well and this creates a secure

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SCIENCE

learning environment where pupils are ready and eager to learn. Well-planned opportunities exist for pupils to develop their literacy skills through extended writing about what they have learnt.

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SCIENCE

92. Procedures for assessment are satisfactory. The subject co-ordinator is aware of the need to develop still further the use of national tests to identify areas of development in relation to specific questions. Marking gives praise to individuals and the very best examples inform them how to improve their work. There are sound and effective checks on pupils’ progress that inform day-to- day planning. Records are well kept and this works effectively to ensure that future learning builds on previously learnt skills. Teachers’ planning is good overall because learning targets and the range of pupils’ abilities are taken into account. However, some planning is not specific enough in identifying what is to be learned.

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SCIENCE

93. The science curriculum is broad and well balanced. The subject is very well managed by an enthusiastic co-ordinator, ensuring that pupils are fully supported to make good progress and that they enjoy the sessions. The co-ordinator monitors teachers’ planning and examines pupils’ books. Although he provides good quality feedback he does not observe teaching in other classes or share his subject expertise in working alongside colleagues. Resources are of good quality and used effectively to capture and hold pupils’ interest and motivation.

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ART AND DESIGN

94. Standards of attainment are below national expectations in the infants and the juniors, and pupils are making unsatisfactory progress. Standards have deteriorated since the last inspection. Although pupils are given the opportunity to experience a wide range of materials and media, there is little evidence of systematic planning to develop the skills required to use the media appropriately. Pupils are not taught to refine their techniques sufficiently to achieve the expected standards for their age. In a lesson which required the use of pencil shading, for instance, many pupils only scribbled inside the outline of a figure. However there were some examples of good work based on the painting ‘The Scream’ which indicated the potential of the pupils.

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ART AND DESIGN

95. Insufficient work was available, either during the inspection or from pupils’ previous work, to determine their attainment or the progress they make over time. Pupils in Year 3 explore the uses of both pencil and paint in creating different shade effects to illustrate their pictures, linked to their historical topic based on the Second World War. They have the opportunity to work equally in pencil and a variety of paints with a range of appropriate objects on which to base their sketches. In Year 5, pupils use different media to produce still-life drawings of various objects ranging from shellfish to fresh flowers. Pupils in Year 6 extend their knowledge and understanding of the methods and approaches used by cartoonists to create the effect of ‘movement’ in a comic frame. In all the lessons observed there were individual examples of good work produced by the higher- attaining pupils. However the overall standard of the majority of pupils was of a relatively low

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ART AND DESIGN

level. Pupils’ knowledge and understanding of brushwork and basic colour mixing, for example, is not well developed. In another example of art and design based on the Olympiad theme, all the figures were copied from drawings, cut out and attached to the main cloth.

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ART AND DESIGN

96. Whilst the quality of lessons observed and pupils’ learning were satisfactory overall, there is insufficient teacher expertise and too few planned opportunities to develop pupils’ development in art and design. Lessons observed were suitably planned with a wide range of resources available. Spring Bank Primary School - 38 Clear objectives were set out and lessons were appropriately paced enabling most of the pupils sufficient time to complete the activity. Pupils’ response to lessons was good and pupils were always very involved in their work. Most pupils sustain interest throughout the lesson and take a pride in their achievements. Their behaviour was generally good and they worked well, sharing resources, and sensibly assisting with distributing materials.

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ART AND DESIGN

97. A clear policy document and a scheme of work adapted from national guidelines provides sound guidance for teachers but does not include colour mixing nor draw upon planned opportunities to visit art galleries to study or appreciate the work of a range of artists. Insufficient time is planned to develop pupils’ skills in a structured way. The planned curriculum meets statutory requirements but, as teaching is not monitored, the co-ordinator is unaware that the curriculum is not fulfilled, nor whether pupils of all abilities are making the progress of which they are capable. Little evidence of this guidance to promote the systematic development of skills and techniques to promote pupils’ learning was evident. The school has recognised the need to review the overall situation including broadening pupils’ opportunities and inviting local artists into school to stimulate pupils’ interest. One positive developing feature, however, is the use of a digital camera

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ART AND DESIGN

in Year 2 to photograph patterns and shapes around the school prior to making a range of prints suitable for a montage.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

98. Standards are generally in line with expectations by the end of Year 6 and have maintained the same level of achievement as found at the last inspection. Discussions with pupils in Year 6 and examination of a very limited amount of their work indicate that standards are broadly in line with age-related levels. Due to timetable planning to accommodate literacy and numeracy, the regular time allocated to teaching design and technology has been squeezed. Adaptation of the national guidelines supports a more systematic approach to planning that is now satisfactory. Resources found to be previously inadequate are barely satisfactory. There are no systems in place to track individual progress; a weakness identified in the previous inspection.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

99. Only one lesson was observed during the inspection when teaching was judged to be unsatisfactory. Insufficient opportunities were planned for pupils to participate, resulting in their spending most of the lesson listening to the teacher. Year 6 pupils confidently discussed the manufacture of a moving pop-up card and also their manufacture of biscuits when previously in the Year 5 class. Pupils discussed the shape, flavour and texture of biscuits and their individual designs, fully aware of the need to make them attractive to sell in the tuck shop. Pupils confidently discussed design evaluation, and the use of the word ‘prototype’ featured significantly before manufacture of the real item. In Year 5 the teacher successfully encouraged the pupils to effectively evaluate their own work and to look for ways to improve it. Pupils in Year 6 related their design and manufacture of a small range of musical instruments, using a variety of materials including wood

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

and plastic. The subsequent manufacture of a small replica guitar was acclaimed by the pupils, as it was seen to be fit for the purpose intended. Pupils enjoy their work and talk with great enthusiasm about what they have made. They respect the views of others. This is reflected in the good relationships within the school. The subject makes a good contribution to pupils’ personal and social development and economic awareness, for example in the selling of biscuits to cover the cost of ingredients. The subject co-ordinator has not monitored teaching or curriculum coverage in all year groups, but he has been active in placing the design and technology curriculum on a firm footing and supporting colleagues.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

100. The range of learning opportunities that link with and reinforce learning in other areas of the curriculum in a practical way is not used to pupils’ best advantage. There is insufficient planned use of measuring tools to increase accuracy with construction. Similarly, not enough use is made of information and communication technology to assist pupils of all abilities in their designs and the school has yet to introduce a planned approach for the use of control technology to create moving parts linked to a computer. Spring Bank Primary School - 39

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GEOGRAPHY

101. Only one lesson was observed in geography. However, after an examination of the limited range of pupils’ work that was available, a scrutiny of teachers’ planning and discussions with staff and pupils, it was concluded that attainment in the subject is generally in line with expectations in infant and junior classes for pupils of all abilities.

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GEOGRAPHY

102. The school has adopted the revised geography national guidelines, making appropriate modifications to more closely meet the school’s needs. Pupils in Year 1 are currently learning how to record their address in the context of the wider city and are able to begin to describe their route to school. The use of numeracy is appropriate, introducing pupils to early awareness of tally recording from which to build a bar chart. Pupils in Year 2 develop earlier learning satisfactorily and have considered where they live in relation to England. A very good display depicting the travels of Barnaby Bear, to which pupils have contributed, helps to inform all pupils about the world context in which geographical issues are to be considered.

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GEOGRAPHY

103. The scrutiny of pupils’ work indicated that, in the last year, Year 3 pupils had learned about weather patterns, supported well by a display of photographs. Effective links had been made between geography and science. Pupils in Year 4 had the opportunity to discuss different environmental problems, particularly in the school locality and had developed rudimentary fieldwork skills in the process. In Year 5, pupils had contrasted the locality of Headingly with the main human and physical features of Scarborough well and had used ordinance survey maps to find out what Scarborough is like. On a visit to Scarborough, they had collected, recorded and analysed data to show how the features of the locality influence the nature of human activities. Good links were evident between literacy and geography in the form of a ‘wave’ poem written by one of the pupils. Year 6 pupils have designed and carried out a survey of the high street in Spring

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GEOGRAPHY

Road, recording and studying people’s views, particularly about the issue of traffic increase on the road. The teacher’s plans made adequate provision for pupils to present their views about the best traffic plan for the area. Pupils had responded well to the generally imaginative approach to teaching that had been adopted in geography, and this accounts for the satisfactory level of attainment that was in evidence.

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GEOGRAPHY

104. The co-ordinator is a specialist in the subject and has demonstrated a high level of knowledge and subject leadership in proposing appropriate adaptations to the national guidelines to suit the needs of the pupils. She has assembled and catalogued adequate resources for the teaching of the subject, starting from what was obviously a very low resource base. She has ensured that good resources are available for teaching about the local area, including maps and other documents in the local library. However, book resources in the subject area are still largely inadequate and the planned curriculum time is not met.

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HISTORY

105. Standards of attainment in history are in line with expectations by the time pupils are seven and 11. Pupils of all abilities make at least satisfactory progress. In Years 1 and 2, pupils are taught to develop a sense of chronology by looking at old toys and discussing how they differ from more modern toys. They learn about several famous people in the past, which is reinforced satisfactorily in class assemblies. Pupils in Year 2 build on this through looking at and discussing old photographs and other objects depicting holidays at the seaside. They are able to identify some similarities and differences between holidays in the past and modern experiences. For example, a number of pupils accurately noticed that people did not wear bikinis in the past. The pupils are able to talk simply about changes in their own lives and in the lives of their families and are competent in using terms indicating the passage of time, even though their sense of chronology at

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HISTORY

this early stage in the school year is not very well developed.

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HISTORY

106. Year 2 pupils very much enjoyed an imaginative and enthusiastic presentation by the teacher of a Punch and Judy Show. The teacher made a relatively successful attempt to illustrate historical Spring Bank Primary School - 40 changes in views about how babies should be treated, by reference to the violent behaviour of Punch. She had assembled a good set of illustrations and other resources to help the pupils’ learning. Year 3 pupils made very good use of resources, some of which related to the teacher’s family history and others which were borrowed from a local museum. In this the pupils gained appropriate understanding of aspects of life during the Second World War. Good cross-curricular links were made, particularly between the teaching of literacy and history, for example in letters supposedly written by evacuees.

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HISTORY

107. Pupils in Year 4 understand some aspects of life in Victorian times through their role-play activities involving pupils in Victorian dress. Excellent use of scripted resources is evident in Year 5, where pupils were able to assume the role of Henry VIII and a number of his wives. Good use had also been made of local museum resources and posters to effectively ‘bring alive’ information relevant to a study of the Tudors. Very good questioning enabled pupils to reflect well on what they had learnt, leading to sound awareness of aspects of life in the Tudor period. Follow-up activities, which were adapted to the different attainments of the pupils, effectively provoked higher-attaining pupils to reflect and discuss the wider implications of the king’s actions. These pupils showed in their responses that they had learned that some events had been interpreted in different ways and they were able to suggest possible reasons for this.

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HISTORY

108. The standard of teaching observed in the history lessons was generally good and sometimes very good. However, the imaginative work of the teachers and the efforts they expend in assembling relevant resources is hampered by the relative lack of suitable reference books and the absence of secondary sources of information, including those available on the Internet. Two pupils in a Year 6 lesson made effective use of Encarta in a lesson to identify and subsequently share information about Greek gods. Again, good cross-curricular links with literacy were apparent enabling pupils to express and share what they had learnt.

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HISTORY

109. The history co-ordinator has not yet monitored teaching, teachers’ planning or pupils’ attainment. She is not able therefore, to ensure that the planned curriculum time is met. Systems are not in place to ensure that pupils’ knowledge and understanding of the subject are systematically developed. The school has adopted the national guidelines for the teaching of history, but the outdated policy for the subject does not reflect this.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

110. Standards are judged to be just in line with national expectations across several strands of the information and technology curriculum. These findings reflect the attainment observed during the last inspection. Progress in pupils’ learning slows in the infants, and standards by the end of Year 2 are unsatisfactory. Pupils’ learning accelerates well, however, in Years 5 and 6. Pupils with special educational needs make satisfactory progress.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

111. It is estimated that 50 per cent of pupils have access to a computer at home with a substantial number of pupils in Year 6 being aware of and using the Internet and e-mail facilities. In the Reception class, despite the wide attainment on entry, most children develop appropriate use of mouse and keyboard skills with appropriate confidence and skill. By Year 2 the larger proportion of pupils have developed their control skills to communicate, retrieve and display stored information. Nevertheless there is insufficient evidence of the systematic use of computers and floor robots to support pupils’ learning in subjects such as mathematics. At Year 6, pupils use a multimedia package confidently, selecting backgrounds, text and sounds including their own ‘voice over’. In discussion with pupils in Year 5, indication is given that pupils make use of a wide range of information and communication technology that underpins a satisfactory range of skills in other

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

subjects. For example, pupils’ word-processed poetry supports creative artwork about autumn, they use source material for researching history relating to Henry VIII and use mathematical data satisfactorily. Well-planned activities in Year 5 indicate that pupils are on course to achieve above age-related levels. There is insufficient use, however, of a sufficient range of technological media or the use of the Internet. Spring Bank Primary School - 41 112. Pupils’ behaviour observed in the computer room was good. When using information and communication technology equipment, pupils gain in self-esteem from their success, for example in the lunchtime club that operates for pupils in Year 5. Pupils show respect for equipment and most pupils share without argument. Pupils listen well to each other and seek and value others’ responses. They enjoy working in pairs and in small groups regardless of gender and there is no

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

113. The quality of teaching is satisfactory but is widely variable for pupils in Year 1, Year 3 and Year 4. The high quality display in Year 5 reflects very good teaching of skills that very clearly supports pupils’ learning effectively. Subject co-ordination is satisfactory and, being a high priority in school planning, has clear potential to improve. Pupils’ regular access to equipment is inconsistent and insufficient use is made of the computer room to systematically teach and develop pupils’ skills. During the inspection week only one class was observed using the computer room, but the equipment is not yet linked to the Internet. The monitoring of standards of pupils, frequency of access and the progress made by individual pupils is inconsistent. Despite the in- school training staff have received, good practice is not shared sufficiently to enable all staff to confidently take pupils’ learning further. In some classes, for example Reception, Year 2, Year 5

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

and Year 6, pupils are taught a clearer structure for creating stories with other text, using word processing during literacy lessons, editing their work in Year 6 for spelling and punctuation and creating a computer generated artwork poster employing a range of interesting fonts. During the inspection, computers in classrooms were either standing idle or were switched on for considerable periods without pupils using them. This is ineffective and does not provide for pupils’ systematic development of skills or confidence. There is a strong commitment by all members of staff to improve personal skill levels in order to provide better teaching for all pupils across the school.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

114. The number of computer stations is good, approximately one computer for every six pupils. The school is not ensuring good value for money in the insufficient use of these high-cost resources. The quality of computers and associated software is good overall and has increased substantially the potential for pupils and staff to access them more frequently to improve confidence skills. There is sufficient audio and visual equipment. The school recognises that the development of pupils’ skills in the use of information and communication technology across the curriculum is an area for urgent attention.

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MUSIC

115. Standards achieved in Year 2 and Year 6 are unsatisfactory. This is a fall in standards compared to the last inspection.

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MUSIC

116. Only two music lessons were planned for the inspection period: a Year 1 lesson involved pupils’ listening to an assortment of music from a range of cultures and a variety of instruments. In Year 2 pupils sing generally satisfactorily in class. It is clear from this session that pupils enjoy singing. In discussion with a group of pupils from Year 6 they related that their last time of singing together was at last year’s carol concert.

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MUSIC

117. At present the management of the subject is poor. There is no delegated subject co-ordinator and planning is insufficient. Nevertheless many opportunities are missed to develop pupils’ musical knowledge and understanding. During the inspection week no music accompanied pupils’ entering and leaving assembly, thus failing to gain an atmosphere in readiness for corporate worship or introduce pupils to a range of music.

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MUSIC

118. Pupils throughout the school have too few opportunities to listen to and appraise music. They know very little about music in general terms, or about famous composers, their lives and their compositions. Few reference books are available to help pupils learn about music from non- western cultures. In Year 1, no pictorial illustration of musical instruments found in Japan or Africa were available to enhance pupils’ learning alongside the piece of music being played. Too Spring Bank Primary School - 42 little time is given to the formal teaching of the subject other than for a small number of pupils who receive specialist individual tuition from a peripatetic musician. Most teachers lack the skill and confidence to deliver the subject. The use of information and communication technology to support skills in composing in junior classes is poor.

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MUSIC

119. Overall teaching is unsatisfactory, as pupils of all abilities are not making the progress appropriate to their abilities. There is no clear policy and the school is aware of the need to develop a whole- school scheme based on national guidelines. Resources are barely satisfactory. Systems for monitoring and assessing either pupils’ work or the implementation of the curriculum to inform teachers’ planning are not present. Older pupils take part in a limited number of productions with the secondary school but these are not built upon and are not effective in developing pupils’ talents, particularly for more-able and talented pupils.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

120. By the end of Years 2 and 6, standards in physical education are generally in line with expectations and in some areas exceed them. Pupils of all ages and abilities, including those with special educational needs, are making satisfactory progress. The school has been awarded Active Mark Gold award for its commitment to sport and pupils benefit from the good provision of extracurricular activities.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

121. During the inspection, evidence was gained from the three lessons observed, discussion with the staff, an examination of photographic evidence and an overview of the teachers’ planning. Year 3 pupils practise floor skills in gymnastics competently and develop a sequence of movements on the floor, though some lack basic co-ordination. Most are beginning to refine their individual ways of travelling and adapt them to work on smaller apparatus such as benches and mats. Year 4 pupils develop different dance routines and are beginning to evaluate their performances. In many cases they reveal a lack of refined movement with a particular weakness in jumping and landing in a controlled manner. Pupils in Year 6 in gymnastics are improving their sense of control in creating and adapting sequences of actions both on the floor and on large apparatus. Overall most pupils are able to develop an appropriate series of movements and to develop their spatial awareness

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

effectively. In all lessons pupils are familiar with the need for appropriate warm-up and cool-down sessions. The large majority of pupils exceed the minimum expectation for pupils to swim 25 metres unaided.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

122. In lessons observed the quality of teaching and learning in most cases was good overall. Most lessons are suitably planned and include all the resources required appropriate to the activity, in which pupils make satisfactory progress. The full curriculum, however, is inhibited due to the low ceiling in the hall. Teachers use the hall well otherwise to ensure that pupils make satisfactory progress within the limited accommodation. Lessons include demonstrations by staff and selected pupils to illustrate specific skills. A good feature was the opportunity given for pupils to conduct self-evaluation in order to improve on their own past performance. However, at times, there was too much time spent on these explanations, whilst the majority of pupils sat passively, resulting in little participation by pupils.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

123. Most pupils respond well and clearly enjoy the subject. They listen attentively to instructions and co-operate well in team situations. When asked, pupils readily distribute apparatus as required in a sensible and orderly manner. In one lesson, groups of infant pupils were inattentive and at times disrupted the pace of the lesson; in particular there was no planned activity for those pupils who were not participating in the lesson, who became restless and disruptive.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

124. The curriculum is broad and balanced and meets statutory requirements with suitable guidelines for both infants and juniors with the exception of the systematic use of large equipment. The long- term planning covers all the areas of activity appropriately with sufficient provision for outdoor and adventure activities. The curriculum co-ordinator is a subject specialist and has helped Spring Bank Primary School - 43 develop the wide range of extracurricular activities in the school that are proving valuable for developing team and ball-passing skills. Spring Bank Primary School - 44

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

125. The scheme of work for religious education generally follows the broad outlines suggested by the Leeds Agreed Syllabus. Pupils’ attainment in Years 2 and 6 is in line with expectations, although there are aspects of the locally agreed syllabus with which the older pupils are not familiar.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

126. From the scrutiny of pupils’ work, by the end of Year 2 pupils have learned about how Christians and members of some other faith communities celebrate festivals such as Christmas and Diwali. They have also learnt about the Christian and Jewish account of Creation, whilst Year 1 pupils have grown in their understanding of the ways different communities celebrate events at the birth of a baby.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

127. By the end of Year 6 pupils further develop their knowledge of other faith communities, with particular reference to Christianity, Islam and Sikhism and most are able to begin to define issues or facts which they personally believe in. However, the scrutiny of pupils’ written work and discussion with pupils indicated that there are differences between classes in the extent to which the locally agreed syllabus has been implemented. For example, current Year 6 pupils have little or no knowledge of the Sikh religion, and those interviewed did know the names of the sacred book or places of worship associated with it.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

128. The quality of teaching observed in religious education was at least satisfactory and sometimes very good. In a lesson observed in Year 5, for example, pupils demonstrated a good knowledge of the structure of the Bible and illustrated their knowledge in drafts of cartoons and play scripts focusing on aspects of the life of Moses. The well-planned work, to which they responded with enthusiasm, was challenging, requiring close study of text and personal and independent interpretation of what was read, providing the opportunity to work collaboratively. The teacher had assembled a helpful range of resources for pupils to refer to. Pupils were challenged to respond at a level appropriate to their attainment and they very much enjoyed the learning process. The lesson provided very good opportunities for reinforcing their literacy skills. A Year 6 lesson gave pupils the opportunity to discuss ideas about how our world was created; the discussion was

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

facilitated effectively by appropriately probing questioning by the teacher and by the encouragement given to the pupils to engage in sensible and courteous dialogue. Again, an effective link was made with the teaching of English. In Year 3, the teacher made good use a pupil’s own experience of aspects of Islam to help inform others and to make the topic interesting to them.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

129. The co-ordinator for religious education has not monitored teachers’ planning or teaching and learning and is not sufficiently aware of pupils’ progress across the school. There are therefore no effective procedures for ensuring that the pupils’ knowledge and understanding of this subject is developed progressively. The school policy for the subject is out of date. The co-ordinator and the headteacher recognise the need for greater co-ordination between the relatively new PHSCE syllabus and the syllabus for religious education. There is also a need to ensure that the topics studied are linked to the locally agreed syllabus rather than driven by the video resources available to the pupils.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

130. Resources for the teaching of religious education are only just adequate. The range of reference materials available to pupils either in book source or in other forms is very limited and the many opportunities available to visit places of worship outside the school are not pursued. Year 6 pupils had visited St. Michael’s Church in a previous year, but none had visited a mosque or a gurdwara during their time at school.

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