Tredworth Junior School

TREDWORTH JUNIOR SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 17 – 21 September 2001

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TREDWORTH JUNIOR 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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TREDWORTH JUNIOR 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. Tredworth Junior School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Tredworth Road Gloucester Gloucestershire Postcode: GL1 4QG

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The governing body

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Mr K Seabright

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 9 June 1997 Tredworth Junior School - 4

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities 16930 Mr J Plumb Registered inspector Geography Physical education Equal opportunities What sort of school is it? The school’s results and pupils’ achievements How well are pupils taught? How well is the school led and managed? What should the school do to improve further? 10329 Mr B Sampson Lay inspector How well does the school care for its pupils? How well does the school work in partnership with parents? 31334 Ms B Atcheson Team inspector Mathematics Art and design History 25074 Ms J Cox Team inspector English Music Special educational needs English as an additional language 21992 Ms J Newing Team inspector Science Religious education 11704 Mr P Williman Team inspector Design and technology Information and communication technology How good are the curricular and other opportunities offered to pupils?

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Evenlode Associates Ltd 6 Abbey Close Alcester Warwickshire B49 5QW

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Tredworth Junior School - 5

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 6

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

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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

This is a larger than average sized junior school providing full-time education for 299 pupils aged from 7 to 11. The pupils come mainly from the Barton ward, which has very considerable social and economic disadvantage. In Gloucester City it ranks highest in terms of ward deprivation for income levels, housing, education and child poverty. A well above average proportion of pupils, 32 per cent, are eligible for free school meals. Forty-eight per cent of pupils are included on the school’s register of special educational needs (SEN), a proportion well above the national average. There is a range of needs, including physical disabilities, emotional and behavioural difficulties and complex speech and language difficulties. The proportion of pupils with statements of special educational needs is well above the national average. An above average proportion of pupils, 16.4 per cent, come from ethnic minority backgrounds. The proportion of pupils with English as an additional language (EAL) is higher

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

than in most schools, but very few of these pupils are at an early stage of English language acquisition. There are a few children in public care and there is a designated teacher to support these children. Attainment on entry is well below the national average. The governors have set challenging targets to raise standards in English and mathematics for 11-year-olds.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

Tredworth Junior School is a good school. Good leadership from the headteacher creates a learning environment where the achievements of all pupils are celebrated. There is a focus on raising standards whilst never losing sight of the special educational needs of so many pupils who are often disadvantaged socially and economically. Pupils are extended by demanding teaching, which enables them to achieve good standards measured against their prior attainment. All pupils are fully included in every aspect of school life. The raising of pupils’ awareness of a pluralist society is excellent and all races are valued equally. The school provides good value for money.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What the school does well • Standards achieved in English, mathematics and science by Year 6 pupils measured against their starting point in these subjects when they entered the school • Good teaching leads to good learning and good achievement • Good attitudes to learning and good behaviour both in and out of lessons • Excellent provision for multi-cultural education and very good race relations • Good provision for pupils with special educational needs • Good provision for pupils with English as an additional language • The care and welfare of pupils • The headteacher provides good leadership and clear educational direction for the school

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What could be improved • Standards in literacy and numeracy could be improved to become closer to the national average by age 11 • More classroom assistants could be provided to support pupils with special educational needs, particularly in Year 3 • The canteen accommodation could be improved • Standards in swimming for Year 6 pupils could be improved • The quality of provision for and standards in geography could be improved The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan. Tredworth Junior School - 7

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

There have been good improvements since the last inspection in June 1997 and the capacity for further improvement is good. Good improvements have occurred in all three key issues since the last inspection. Assessment procedures and the use of assessment data to set challenging targets have improved. There is a better breadth in the curriculum and there has been a marked improvement in the quality of provision for information and communication technology (ICT). The quality of teaching and learning is better than it was at the time of the last inspection. Standards of achievement measured against pupils’ prior attainment are good in English, mathematics and science, but there remains room for further improvement in English and mathematics. Relationships with the community have improved and procedures for monitoring bullying are better than they were at the time of the last inspection. Provision for multi-cultural awareness judged excellent at the time of the

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

last inspection has been further enriched.

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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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STANDARDS

Performance in: All schools Similar schools Key

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STANDARDS

English D C E E Well above average Above average A B

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STANDARDS

Mathematics E D E* E* Average Below average C D Science D B E* E* Well below average E

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STANDARDS

*** Note: the inspection took place at the beginning of the school year before the national comparison tables for the 2001 tests were published. The tests results for 2001 show significant improvements on the year 2000 results but they cannot be put in the table above because comparative data has not yet been published.

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STANDARDS

National Curriculum test results for 2000 show that, by the end of Year 6, pupils attained well below average standards in English and very low standards in mathematics and science. The same picture emerges when compared with similar schools. This is seen in the context of the special educational needs of that Year 6 group. Test results for 2001 show a remarkable improvement and confirm standards seen. In the current Year 6, standards are well below average in English, below average in mathematics, but in line with the national average in science. However, achievement in English, mathematics and science measured against attainment on entry and seen in the context of the large number of pupils with SEN is judged to be good. Standards in information and communication technology, art and design, design and technology, history and music are broadly in line with those expected of 11-year-olds nationally. In geography, standards are below national expectations for 11-

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STANDARDS

year-olds. In physical education, standards are in line for 11-year-olds in all aspects of the subject, except for swimming where they are below. Standards in religious education meet the expectations of 11-year-olds following a programme of study based on the locally agreed syllabus. Pupils with SEN and also those with (EAL) achieve high standards measured against their prior attainment and those with statements of SEN make very good progress. Tredworth Junior School - 8

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Attitudes to the school Good. Most pupils show interest and have a positive attitude to school.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Behaviour in and out of school is good. They cross a very busy road sensibly to get to the school’s canteen for lunch.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Personal development and relationships Personal development is good. Relationships are good. Very harmonious race relations are a strength.

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

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

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

Quality of teaching n/a n/a 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 AND LEARNING

The quality of teaching is good across the school. Fifty per cent of teaching was judged to be good, 18 per cent very good and 4 per cent excellent. Only 2 per cent of teaching was judged unsatisfactory. This is a better standard of teaching than was found in the previous inspection. Relationships between teachers and pupils are a very significant strength of the teaching. The management of pupil behaviour is very good and teachers have high expectations. As a consequence pupils have a positive attitude to learning and make satisfactory and often good progress. The teaching of literacy, numeracy and science is good. Pupils are motivated by interesting teaching based on good subject knowledge and so achieve good standards measured against their prior attainment. The quality of teaching for pupils with SEN and also for those with EAL is good. Classroom assistants and learning support workers make a very significant contribution to the good

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

teaching. Good teaching and learning was seen in all subjects.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

The quality and range of the curriculum The quality of the curriculum is satisfactory and meets requirements. However, insufficient time is given to the teaching of geography and pupils who cannot swim 25 metres in Year 6 cannot currently make up this deficiency. The provision for personal, social and health education is good. Extra-curricular provision is good. There are good links with the community.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils with special educational needs The provision for pupils with special educational needs is good. Provision for those pupils with statements of special educational needs is very good.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils with English as an additional language Provision for pupils with English, as an additional language is very good. Tredworth Junior School - 9 Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral and social development is good. Provision for pupils’ cultural development, including multi-cultural development, is excellent.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

How well the school cares for its pupils The procedures for child protection and pupils’ welfare are very good. Assessment procedures for English, mathematics and science are good, but there is room for improvement in the assessment procedures for other subjects.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Links with parents are good. However, the governors’ annual report for parents could be a little more parent / carer friendly.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff The headteacher, teacher in charge of pastoral care, curriculum co- ordinator and assessment co-ordinator lead and manage the school well. The management of SEN and EAL are strengths. The school improvement plan is good. Management of inclusion is good.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Governors meet their statutory responsibilities fully. They are actively involved in whole-school development planning and they are supportive of the headteacher. The designated governor for SEN is a pillar of strength.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The school’s evaluation of its performance The headteacher and governing body have a clear picture of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. Procedures for self-review and evaluation are a strength.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The strategic use of resources Financial planning is good. Resources are appropriately targeted. The application of best value principles is satisfactory.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

There are enough teaching staff. There are not enough classroom assistants for pupils with SEN. Accommodation is satisfactory except for poor canteen facilities. Difficulties in accessing more regular use of a swimming pool has a negative impact on standards in swimming. Except for some old non-fiction books and a lack of globes and computer software programs in geography, resources are satisfactory.

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

• They like the fact that their children enjoy going to school • The trips and additional physical education clubs • The good links with feeder infant schools • The poor canteen (building and not the food) • The fact that the school does not have a playing field • Planning to prevent repetition of work for their children in mixed age classes

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

Inspectors’ judgements support parents’/carers’ positive views. Inspectors agree with parents about the poor condition of the canteen and share their concerns about planning for mixed age classes. Tredworth Junior School - 10

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

1. Attainment on entry for the vast majority of pupils is well below the national average. The inspection took place at the beginning of the school year and the National Curriculum Assessment Test (NCAT) results for the current Year 3 when they were in Year 2 in 2001 indicate that standards in reading, writing and mathematics are very low. Standards of work seen also indicate that the current Year 3 pupils have very low standards in reading, writing and in the use of number. In addition many of the Year 3 pupils have poorly developed social and personal skills. They find it difficult to manage their own behaviour and have problems in taking turns and sharing. The school takes in a very large proportion of pupils in Year 3 who have special educational needs and many of whom also are very immature for their age.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

2. The NCAT results in the year 2000 for 11-year-olds indicated that standards were well below the national average in English and were very low in comparison with the national average in mathematics and science. Compared with similar schools the same pattern emerged (comparisons with similar schools are based on the number of pupils eligible for free school meals). These results are to be seen in the context of the very high proportion of pupils with special educational needs in the 1999 – 2000 Year 6 group and the instability a proportion of these pupils experienced due to some staffing difficulties as they moved through Key Stage 2. The school did not have the NCAT results for the 1999 – 2000 Year 6 group when they entered the juniors in Year 3 as the infant school did not pass on the test results in that year. Consequently the inspection could not examine the degree or lack of degree of value added for that

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

particular year as the team did not have access to the average points score on entry for that group and therefore could not carry out any prior attainment analysis.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

3. The NCAT results in the year 2001 for 11-year-olds indicate a very significant improvement in English, mathematics and science. The proportion of pupils who attained Level 4+ in English rose from 57 per cent to 65 per cent, in mathematics from 35 per cent to 55 per cent and in science there was a staggering rise from 54 per cent to 83 per cent. These are very significant improvements but, because of the timing of the inspection, the team could not compare these results against national averages, as they were not yet published. An interesting analysis suggested that the school did very well by the 2000 – 2001 Year 6 group. Removing the Stage 3+ on the SEN register for that group and re-calculating and re-positioning the average points score in the like for like benchmark table used in the previous year indicated that the school did better by average pupils than similar schools.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

4. Standards of work seen in the current Year 6 indicate that, although standards fall below the national average in English and mathematics, these pupils achieve good standards in both subjects when measured against their prior attainment. Standards in Year 6 in science are broadly in line with the national average and this reflects good planning and teaching in this subject to ensure that pupils access learning through practical and relevant activities.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

5. It is inappropriate to compare standards in English, mathematics and science at the end of Key Stage 2 with the previous Ofsted report as: (a) the number of pupils with SEN has increased and (b) the special educational needs of the pupils are more Tredworth Junior School - 11 complex than at the time of the last inspection. Trends over time must be treated with caution because the SEN profile of a Year 6 group varies quite radically from one year to the next. However, the trend in the school’s average National Curriculum points for all core subjects is broadly in line with the national average. Girls do better than boys but this must be treated with caution as often boys outnumber girls. Pupils with EAL attain the highest tests results.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

6. In English, attainment is below the national average for Year 6 pupils in speaking and listening, reading and writing, but achievement measured against their starting point is good. Many pupils in Year 6 produce a wide range of written work, which includes fiction, poetry, book reviews and instruction writing. This represents good achievement from attainment on entry in Year 3, where teachers have to work hard to encourage some pupils to write at all.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

7. Attainment in mathematics for Year 6 pupils is below the national average. However, from a very low starting point on entry, pupils make good progress and achieve good standards measured against their prior attainment, but because their starting point is so low they do not attain the national average standard by age 11. There is a significant proportion of pupils in Year 6 who really struggle in mathematics. One pupil had to use rows of nine dots to work out 284 divided by 9 and a high proportion find it difficult to draw and measure lines accurately using a ruler. This is to be seen in the context of 38 per cent of pupils in the current Year 6 being on the SEN register.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

8. Standards in science for the current Year 6 are in line with the national average. Standards have risen in science in the past year because of good planning and teaching in the subject and enabling pupils to learn through hands on practical activities.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

9. Although it varies from subject to subject, pupils make good progress throughout Key Stage 2 from a very low starting point and so achieve well to attain average standards in so many subjects. Standards in information and communication technology (ICT) are broadly in line with national expectations. This is an improvement since the last inspection. In religious education standards are in line with those expected of 11- year-olds following a programme of study based on the locally agreed syllabus. Standards in art and design, design and technology, history and music are broadly in line with those expected nationally for 11-year-olds. In geography, standards are below those expected nationally for 11-year-olds. In physical education, standards are in line in all aspects of the subject, except for swimming by age 11.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

10. Pupils with SEN make good progress in reading, spelling and numeracy work due to the good classroom assistant support that they receive and so achieve good standards measured against their starting point. Unfortunately there is not always enough support and on the occasions where support is lacking it has a negative impact on learning. Those pupils with statements of special educational needs make very good progress in relation to their speech, physical and behavioural needs. Few pupils are at an early stage of acquisition of English as an additional language, but they make very good progress particularly in reading and writing. The school has not yet identified gifted and talented pupils. During the inspection it was noted that in some year groups boys outnumber girls very considerably and they do not always achieve such high standards as the girls.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

Tredworth Junior School - 12 11. Pupils’ attitudes to school are good. This judgement is in line with that at the last inspection.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

12. Most pupils show interest and have a positive attitude to their work. Younger pupils are keen to answer questions; older pupils engage well in class discussions, for example Year 5 pupils discuss the importance and relevance of rules and laws within the home, school and community. Presentation is good throughout the school indicating that pupils take a pride in their work and respond well to the high expectations of their teachers.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

13. Behaviour in lessons is good. Some instances of inappropriate behaviour were seen, but teachers dealt with these very well. Pupils recognise that when sanctions are used they are fair and deserved. Behaviour around the school, in the playground and in the canteen is good. Pupils cross the busy main road to the canteen in a very controlled way, paying good attention to road safety. The school functions as a very orderly community; pupils are polite and courteous – they frequently hold doors open for others to pass through.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

14. On entry to the school in Year 3, a significant proportion of pupils find it difficult to take turns without squabbling and a smaller number persistently ask to make frequent visits to the toilet during lessons. However, by Year 6 the vast majority of pupils take responsibility for their own learning and behaviour and this is a credit to the hard work and dedication of the staff. Because of this the inspection team judged personal development to be good overall. Relationships within the school community are good and many teachers are establishing trusting and productive relationships with their pupils, even though it is only the third week of the autumn term. Pupils themselves are courteous to each other, staff and visitors. Older pupils develop good relationships with younger pupils, for example in shared reading activities. Very harmonious race relations are a strength of the school. Pupils are often seen working

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

in mixed groups and they show sensitivity to disabilities, for example a child in a wheelchair is included in all areas of the curriculum and in the playground.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

15. There have been four permanent exclusions in the past year; all the pupils had previously been excluded from other schools. Two of these pupils have been placed in schools outside mainstream and the other two have moved on to secondary education. The exclusion figure for this particular year is a one off high and results from a few pupils with very challenging behaviour who were interfering with the learning of other pupils. Evidence supports that the school did all that it possibly could have done to support these pupils.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

16. Attendance at Tredworth School is satisfactory. It is roughly in line with the national average for this type of school and has improved since the previous inspection. The majority of absences at the school are due almost entirely to extended holidays being taken during term time. Most pupils come to school and into classes on time and the majority of lessons commence promptly. This satisfactory attendance contributes well to the academic success of most of the school’s pupils.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

17. The quality of teaching is good across the school. Twenty-two per cent of lessons were satisfactory, 50 per cent were good, 18 per cent were very good and 4 per cent were excellent. Only 2 per cent of lessons were unsatisfactory. This is a better Tredworth Junior School - 13 standard of teaching than what was found in the previous inspection. There was 22 per cent of at least good teaching compared with 9 per cent at the time of the last inspection. There are strengths in the teaching of all year groups. Pupils are well motivated to learn by the good teaching and achieve high standards measured against their prior attainment. However, in a significant proportion of lessons gains in learning are satisfactory when the teaching is good and this reflects the very high proportion of pupils with special educational needs. The starting point in reading, writing and the use of number is very low for a large number of pupils. The high

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

expectations and management of behaviour are particular strengths in the teaching.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

18. Teachers’ knowledge is good in most subjects. This is particularly so in English, mathematics, science, art and design, music and religious education. In physical education some teachers are confident about the requirements of the subject whilst others do not share that confidence. Where subject knowledge is good, standards have risen since the last inspection. On the occasions where teachers are not secure, for example in a geography lesson, the pupils are not sure what is expected of them and this has a negative effect on their learning. Where teaching is robust, delivered with enthusiasm and based on good subject knowledge pupils enjoy their learning, for example in history. Teachers have considerable knowledge of the needs of pupils with special educational needs and also of the needs of pupils at an early stage of English language acquisition. However, in the one unsatisfactory lesson seen, the

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

teacher did not match activities to meet the wide range of special educational needs in the group and so the pupils became restless.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

19. Relationships between teachers and pupils are a very significant strength of the teaching, and the management of pupils' behaviour is almost consistently very good across all classes. Very good use is made of praise and encouragement to motivate pupils in their learning and also to celebrate success. In a physical education (PE) lesson, a partially non-ambulant pupil was encouraged sensitively to participate in his lesson and so was fully included. Because teachers value and praise pupils they gain positive attitudes to learning and show interest in their lessons. For example in a Year 3 history lesson, pupils were confident to answer questions about the work of an archaeologist because they were not afraid of making mistakes and they were confident to try answering again when they gave wrong answers to their questions. Because of the supportive culture in this school pupils learn effectively from their

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

mistakes. Teachers also skilfully develop pupils’ answers and this successfully develops their language across a range of subjects. Short-term planning is good and teachers share the planned learning outcomes with their pupils so they are clear about what they are expected to achieve by the end of the lesson. This results in most pupils making at least satisfactory progress in their learning. Teachers make satisfactory use of homework and this makes a satisfactory contribution to their gains in learning.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

20. Teaching is good in Year 3, but the two teachers in Year 3 have to cope with pupils with a wide range of special educational needs including some with very challenging behaviour. In addition to having reading and writing difficulties a significant proportion of these pupils have poorly developed social skills on entry. Class sizes are large. One teacher in Year 3 is a newly qualified teacher. Although the teaching in Year 3 is good and often very good, it is best when there is a classroom assistant present to lend support to the teacher by working with a group of pupils, for example when working with a group of pupils in the numeracy session who found it difficult to add 2 + 3 and who could not recognise the number 6. The quality of teaching throughout the rest of Key Stage 2 is good and often very good. The pace of teaching is good Tredworth Junior School - 14 and in most lessons pupils are challenged by the high expectations of the teaching.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

Pupils listen very attentively and thrive on the range of interesting activities provided. For example in art and design, pupils greatly enjoyed producing sunflowers from a variety of materials and they had fun in making a large dragon for a festival in Gloucester. Learning is almost always at least satisfactory and often good. In literacy and also in history, older pupils put forward their own views for discussion and enter into lively debate, but their use of vocabulary is often below that expected of pupils of their age. Pupils’ levels of interest, concentration and understanding are good because of the effectiveness of teaching methods.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

21. The quality of teaching of literacy, numeracy and science is good throughout the school and because of this standards have risen in English, mathematics and science this year. The teaching of ICT is better than at the time of the last inspection. Teachers are beginning to use the newly acquired school network to good effect.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

22. The quality of teaching for pupils with special educational needs is good. The special educational needs co-ordinator is effective and her supportive approach ensures that pupils with SEN are very productive and make good progress in acquiring new skills. Teachers, classroom assistants and learning support workers operate as an effective team to ensure that pupils with SEN are fully included in class discussions and lesson activities. In a Year 5 ICT lesson pupils with emotional and behavioural difficulties achieved well as a result of the teacher’s sensitive class organisation. Her skilful handling of the situation ensured that pupils with difficulties were not working in the same group when sharing and handling logiblocs.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

23. The quality of teaching for pupils with EAL is good. These pupils are included in mainstream classes. The relatively small numbers of pupils who are at early stage of English acquisition receive excellent support from the EAL teacher. These pupils are given enhanced opportunities for speaking and listening. Clear targets in language and learning are identified for these pupils. The selection of visual aids to support the teaching of these pupils is culturally relevant and of an excellent quality.

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PUPILS?

24. The quality and range of learning opportunities is satisfactory overall with some significant strengths. It contains all subjects of the National Curriculum and religious education. Although this is a similar judgement to that of the last inspection, the school has implemented developments, through the evaluation of curricular provision and the effective implementation of changes in line with national initiatives and guidance. Not enough time is allocated for the teaching of geography. Apart from this the curriculum is balanced overall. The school has made good use of national and local funding to improve the provision for information and communication technology, which is now satisfactory. This is an improvement since the last inspection. The school makes inadequate provision for swimming, but this state is the result of changes to the available local facilities and is beyond the school’s immediate control.

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PUPILS?

25. The National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies have been introduced successfully and are having an impact by raising pupils’ standards in English and mathematics. The strategies are appropriately used in support of other subject learning. For example, pupils have a good opportunity to develop confidence in speaking and Tredworth Junior School - 15 listening in a Black history project in the local community and the answers provided by interviewees are recorded with a computer-generated pie graph.

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PUPILS?

26. All pupils are given equality of access to the curriculum irrespective of their age, ethnicity, social circumstance or prior attainment. Provision for pupils with special educational needs is good and leads to good progress for these pupils. They are given a high level of access to appropriate curricular opportunities through the good support they receive from their teachers and classroom support assistants. The provision for pupils with English as an additional language is very good and is reflected in their progress and attainment. Very careful attention is paid to the individual and his or her needs. Significant use is made of a pupil’s own individual cultural background in the planning of provision to make intelligible links for pupils in language understanding. The dedicated teaching area and the rich displays are strengths of this provision.

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PUPILS?

27. Provision for personal, social and health education (PSHE) is good. Although the school has no written policy for citizenship as yet, the PSHE programme effectively embodies the underlying mission of the school to promote in the pupils well-rounded personalities with soundly based values and capability to maintain personal and communal welfare and safety. As an example of this commitment, the theme of the values underlying friendship was well prepared and explored in depth in all Year 4 classes. Subsequently pupils were engaged in a team building activity, circle activities, singing, recounts of personal experience and exemplification of current pupil friendships. The governors have agreed a policy that sex education should be taught through the National Curriculum. The services of the school nurse are appropriately used to support pupils’ knowledge and understanding in this aspect. There is no written policy for drug education, but there is appropriate provision for

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PUPILS?

pupils to understand the impact of the use and misuse of drugs through PSHE and the science curriculum.

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PUPILS?

28. The school has addressed but not yet fully resolved the issue of rotational planning to provide a secure progression to the curriculum for pupils in classes of mixed-age groups. This matter is to be considered at the annual curriculum review. The provision for multi-cultural education is very good. Well-prepared displays give both an environmental and an integral dimension to pupils’ experience and this expands the good provision in religious education and PSHE.

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PUPILS?

29. The length of time of the school week is currently below that recommended in national guidance. The school’s rightful priority to improve standards in English, mathematics and science places a pressure of time limitation and therefore some constraint on the provision for the foundation subjects.

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PUPILS?

30. The school provides a good range of extra-curricular opportunities. Pupils are very enthusiastic about the clubs offered to them. These are well planned across the school year to ensure they can be offered on a regular basis and to provide suitable opportunity for the maximum number of pupils to participate. In addition to sport such as football, clubs are offered for board games, art, dancing, French and language skills. The computer club is particularly beneficial to assist the inclusion of the higher proportion of pupils who do not have access to personal computers at home. Links with the local Afro-Asian Association strengthen the multi-cultural commitment of the school and give pupils access to further after-school activity. The visits to provide first hand experience to pupils are of special value to them. Pupils enjoyed a demonstration of Indian artefacts and customs. The school residential visit provides

p.15

PUPILS?

Tredworth Junior School - 16 pupils with a good balance of experience of fieldwork and leisure activity. All of these activities make a significant contribution to pupils’ learning.

p.16

PUPILS?

31. The school has good links with its community. These links compare well with the favourable standards reported upon at the previous inspection and contribute significantly towards the success of pupils’ learning. Tredworth School is part of the local Education Business Partnership Scheme and it benefits well, both in sound advice and direct help from this partnership. Many local shops and small firms also contribute significantly towards school fairs at both Christmas and summer and at Harvest Festivals. The pupils regularly contribute towards charities such as Barnardos, NSPCC and Red Nose Day. Currently, one boy, whose father is a fireman, is arranging a collection for the bereaved families of American firemen. A large group of pupils sing regularly at a local Afro/Caribbean residential home. The pupils are always made very welcome and their performances are greatly enjoyed. The local vicar from St Paul’s Church comes into school regularly and takes Harvest,

p.16

PUPILS?

Easter and Christmas services. During the inspection a representative of a local Christian Group came into assembly and enacted a modern parable. The pupils were enthralled. Local police make frequent visits to the school and advise the children on drug and alcohol abuse, road and rail dangers and fireworks at Guy Fawkes night. Although the school was previously used by the community, due to internal damage, this is no longer the case.

p.16

PUPILS?

32. The school’s links with other local schools, colleges and groups is satisfactory and helps towards the education of its pupils. Before the pupils join from the local infant’s school specific teachers, from both establishments, liaise and discuss any particular problems. Year 6 pupils make up a schoolbook of Tredworth, which they present and read to the newly joined infants. Because pupils moving onto secondary education can involve as many as ten schools and also a lot of paper work, the school has currently involved its local business partnership in trying to rationalise procedures and make it easier for pupils and staff. The co-operation with the Cheltenham and Gloucester College is good. A variety of student teachers do part of their training at Tredworth School whilst secondary pupils, on work experience, are also made very welcome.

p.16

PUPILS?

33. Provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral and social development is good. Provision for pupils’ cultural development, including their multi-cultural development, is excellent. The high standard of provision evident at the time of the last inspection has been maintained.

p.16

PUPILS?

34. Provision for spiritual development is good. Religious education has a high profile in the school and as a result of consistently good teaching pupils develop a good insight into Christianity, Judaism and Islam. High quality displays covering these religions have a strong spiritual influence. Assemblies feature strongly in pupils’ spiritual, moral and cultural development. Parents and faith leaders are invited into school to take and share in assemblies. Good opportunities for spiritual development are present in a number of subjects across the curriculum.

p.16

PUPILS?

35. Provision for moral development is good giving a good moral ethos to the school. Members of staff are good role-models in the way they care for individuals and are seen to work hard and to be fair. The difference between right and wrong is made clear and any inappropriate behaviour is explained in a quiet, sensitive manner. All staff consistently implement the school’s policies for behaviour and equal Tredworth Junior School - 17 opportunities. Pupils are expected to respect the views of others and to listen to each other, and most do, in this very inclusive school.

p.16

PUPILS?

36. Provision for social development is good. Pupils are given good opportunities to work in pairs and in small groups and to share their work with the whole class. The importance of being part of a team is stressed. The teacher who is funded by the Ethnic Minority Achievement Grant gives Muslim pupils the opportunity to meet as a group once a week during the lunch hour. Racial harmony is clearly evident in this inclusive school. School trips and the residential visit for Year 4 pupils are particularly effective in developing social skills.

p.17

PUPILS?

37. The school’s provision for cultural, especially multi-cultural, development is excellent and a strength of the school. There are good links with the sheltered housing for the elderly Afro-Caribbeans in the community, which help to raise the self-esteem of the pupils. Special assemblies which pupils help to prepare, celebrate all the festivals of the religions represented in the school. Sometimes pupils from this school lead an assembly in another part of the city contributing to the cultural development of pupils in both schools. Visitors from all cultures represented in the school are invited in to share their knowledge and their experiences. Multi-cultural provision is greatly enhanced by the teacher who is funded by the Ethnic Minority Achievement Grant. Her contribution goes well beyond the call of duty. When ethnic minority pupils go on extended holiday, for example during religious festival times to Pakistan, she

p.17

PUPILS?

prepares workbooks for them and gives them a disposable camera. On their return she makes high quality books with them about the country they have visited. The school makes good provision for Muslim pupils during Ramadan by providing a special room for them to wash and pray.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

38. The school has very good procedures for both child protection and ensuring the wellbeing of all of its pupils. These are definite strengths of the school and have improved upon the already existing high standards witnessed at the previous inspection. Such caring procedures contribute very significantly towards the moral, social and academic success of the pupils.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

39. The school’s named and well-experienced child protection person is shortly updating his training. He has ensured that all staff are well briefed on their relevant responsibilities and all new staff receive training as part of their initial induction to the school. All staff also hold pertinent weekly meetings and an incident book is very well maintained. There is very good liaison with the local authority and police teams. The school utilises the local authority written policy guidelines. All relevant paperwork is well locked away in the headteacher’s office. Although the designated teacher for children in public care has been appointed he is currently waiting for his formal training from the local education authority (LEA) and from social services.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

40. The headteacher is the named health and safety person and he has ensured that a very clear and informative policy has recently been written. The school’s risk assessment is also very detailed, up to date and very precise. All portable electrical, physical educational and fire-fighting equipment is in date, tested and very regular fire and emergency exercises are held and recorded. Escape routes from the school are well marked and accessible. Any chemicals used within the school are securely locked away by the school’s very able, caretaker Tredworth Junior School - 18 41. All accidents are clearly recorded and reported to parents, or higher authority, where necessary. Pupils with specific medical needs are well identified and known to all staff. The school has sufficient trained first aid personnel and first aid boxes are well maintained. Good use is made of outside professional help such as the school nurse

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

and doctor. The headteacher regularly talks to the pupils about stranger danger. The school holds regular Health Weeks. Personal development of pupils is good and pupils know that they can talk to teachers about their problems at any time and they will be listened to. The school also uses circle time well for any relevant problems.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

42. The school has very good procedures for monitoring and improving attendance and has two part-time staff to deal with any problems. These procedures are also a strength of the school. Registers are well maintained. The school secretary regularly maintains individual analyses of offending absentees. The school has very clear absence, lateness and holiday request forms which it sends to parents and most parents are made very well aware of their relevant responsibilities. The school has a very efficient lateness routine and very good use is made of the educational welfare officer.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

43. The procedures that the school uses for monitoring and promoting good behaviour are good and contribute directly to the overall favourable behaviour witnessed during the inspection. The school’s written policy is detailed and clear. It contains realistic and inventive rewards and sanctions. The former includes class merits, school merits and cubes put into a jar for a whole school reward. Recently the school has introduced a child of the week certificate for each class, for which they are entered into a prize draw at the end of the academic year. The prizes can be quite substantial and are well sought after by the pupils. Where individual behavioural problems occur help is closely sought from the local behavioural support unit. Individual education plans contain clear behavioural targets that are well adhered to by the all staff and results in improved behaviour by pupils with very challenging behavioural needs.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

44. The school has very good procedures for monitoring and eliminating oppressive behaviour and dealing with any forms of racism or sexism. These procedures have improved since the previous inspection and were very noticeable, during this inspection, as a clear strength of the school. All staff are very experienced at recognising an incident and diffusing a situation before it escalates. Where incidents do occur all pupils are given the confidence to report them to staff. Those culprits are immediately interviewed by the headteacher and, where necessary, parents also become quickly involved.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

45. There are good links with external agencies such as the behaviour support team and with speech and language therapists to ensure high quality support for pupils with SEN.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

46. At the time of the previous inspection, the school's assessment procedures were at a preliminary stage and not being fully implemented. Good progress has been made in this area. The school has worked very hard to address the key issue regarding assessment identified in the last report. The school now has good procedures for assessing pupils' attainment and progress. These include regular tests in English, mathematics and science, the optional National Curriculum tests in all year groups and portfolios of pupils' work clearly showing what pupils know, can do and understand. Tredworth Junior School - 19 47. In most other subjects teachers record pupils' attainment and achievement at the end of a 'unit of work’. This effectively indicates which pupils have understood what has been taught, for example about 'Life in Tudor times', and which pupils need additional teaching.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

48. The assessment of pupils on entry to the school in Year 3 provides an accurate picture. This assessment is used to identify pupils with special educational needs and those who may require additional support learning English as an additional language. This ensures those teachers plan work specifically to meet their learning needs.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

49. Good procedures are in place for assessing pupils with special educational needs and work is planned from their assessments to meet their requirements. The assessment is rigorous and addresses personal development as well as literacy and numeracy. There are very effective and consistent procedures for placing pupils on the register of special educational needs.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

50. The analysis of national tests is very thorough and is used well to set good individual and group targets for pupils in English and mathematics. Good use is made of information from national tests and annual assessments. For instance, assessment is used to place pupils in ability sets for mathematics in order to raise attainment. This is already having an impact on mathematics standards as the considerably improved 2001 test results indicate.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

51. The majority of parents have good views of the school as at the time of the last inspection. From the parents’ meeting, actually talking to parents during the inspection and from comments on the returned questionnaires, a high percentage of parents state that their children like school, the school is well led and managed, their children are making good progress, are expected to work hard and achieve their best, and the school is helping their children to become mature and responsible. Parents also believe that the teaching and behaviour are good. A very high percentage of parents agreed that the school worked closely with parents, that they were kept well informed of how their children are getting on and also that they would not be worried about approaching the school with a question or a problem. A significant minority of parents did state that their children were not receiving enough homework and that the

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

school did not provide an interesting range of activities out of school. The inspection could not corroborate these last two views.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

52. The information that is provided for parents about pupils’ progress is good. All parents receive an up-dated prospectus, an annual pupil report and a copy of the governors’ annual report. All documents comply with current statutory requirements. The pupils’ reports are clear and inform parents well of what their children can do and what they should be striving for. However, some parents feel that the governors’ report could be made more user friendly and the inspection team considers that they have a fair point. Parents also receive a regular newsletter, a copy of the home/school agreement and a copy of the homework policy. There are three parent meetings a year and the school maintains an open door policy towards its parents. Tredworth Junior School - 20 53. There are good arrangements to involve parents/carers of pupils with statements of SEN in their annual reviews. Parents are also involved in the development of

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

54. The contribution of parents to children’s learning is satisfactory. A regular group of parents come in and help with reading. Others are very keen to arrange fetes and concerts or help with trips out of school. The school’s active parents/teachers association works hard to raise much-needed funds for which the school is grateful. The headteacher has estimated that at least one third of all parents consistently help their children with homework. This involves listening to reading, hearing spelling and generally helping with both topics and projects. The impact of parental involvement on the work of the school is satisfactory. Overall, the effectiveness of the school’s links with parents is good. Such links can be said to have improved upon the already satisfactory ones existing at the previous inspection. Tredworth Junior School - 21

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

55. The quality of leadership and management is good. The high standard of leadership evident at the time of the last inspection has been maintained. The headteacher provides a clear educational direction for the school. His vision focuses on raising standards in literacy and numeracy, whilst never losing sight of developing the whole child in a school with a very high proportion of pupils with special educational needs and where many also come from the most disadvantaged part of Gloucester City. There are three new members of staff in post from the beginning of term (September 2001), yet there is a sense that the whole staff is already moving in the same direction. There is a commitment to creating an all-inclusive school, which celebrates the achievements of all pupils.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

56. There have been a number of improvements in the leadership and management since the last inspection. Systems for monitoring the quality of teaching and learning in the core subjects (English, mathematics and science) have improved. Better use is made of assessment data to inform planning to raise standards. However, the monitoring of teaching and learning in the foundation subjects is not yet sufficiently rigorous.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

57. The headteacher, teacher in charge of pastoral care, curriculum co-ordinator and assessment co-ordinator work as an effective senior management team. Each member of the team is crystal clear about his/her lead responsibilities and in partnership they have created a caring school ethos which focuses on the highest achievement for all pupils. The management of special educational needs and also the management of English as an additional language are key strengths. However, there are not enough classroom assistants in post to support the management of pupils with ever increasing complex special educational needs. Management of inclusion is good, especially the provision for pupils from ethnic minority backgrounds. The senior management team, due to its own rigorous self-evaluation procedures, is very aware of what the areas for improvement are, and has plans to address them through the draft school improvement plan.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

58. The headteacher is consultative and his open style of management is valued by all staff and also by parents. The school’s aims and values are very good and the school successfully promotes very good race relations in a deprived community. There is also a desire to support families who experience poverty through a commitment to equality of opportunity for all.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

59. The draft school improvement plan is good. It is an effective tool with which to manage change. It prioritises raising standards, improving and enriching the curriculum and enhancing the quality of the accommodation. This plan provides a clear focus for the whole staff who know what is in it and what they have to do to make the plan work. All priorities on the plan are carefully costed.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

60. The governing body is effective and very supportive of the headteacher. The designated governor for SEN is a pillar of strength to the SENCO and also the headteacher. The governing body is actively involved in whole school development planning and it meets its statutory responsibilities very well. The governors’ knowledge and understanding of what goes on in their school is good and they act as a critical friend to the headteacher by asking him very challenging questions. However, they are at the same time very supportive of a good headteacher and this is much deserved. Tredworth Junior School - 22 61. The number, qualifications and experience of the staff satisfactorily match the demands of the curriculum. There is a total commitment amongst the staff to raise standards in a school where attainment on entry is low and there is a high proportion of pupils with complex special educational needs. However, the quality of learning is

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

reduced where there are insufficient teaching assistants to support the learning of pupils who have such a very low attainment on entry. The staff provide very good role-models for the pupils. They are caring, polite and have high expectations of the standards of behaviour. Newly qualified teachers are mentored well and given appropriate opportunities for professional development. Staff who are new to the school are greatly supported by their colleagues. The organisation of performance management is good. All teachers have appropriate targets linked to their own professional development and the school’s commitment to raise standards. Teachers with management responsibilities have clearly defined roles and specific objectives. Three of the curriculum co-ordinators are new to the role this term and have not had enough time to have any significant impact upon teaching and learning in their areas of responsibility.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

62. Although Tredworth School was built in 1887 it still offers satisfactory accommodation for a full National Curriculum and religious education to be taught adequately. The main building is well maintained and is shortly to receive a complete renovation of all of its brickwork. The classrooms and other surrounding interior rooms and areas are quite spacious and have a good quality of display on the walls and in various alcoves. The specialised rooms for pupils with special educational needs and for those for whom English is an additional language are excellent. The school also has very useful and convenient music and medical rooms. The two school halls allow for physical education to take place for all pupils, but their small size limits the range of gymnastic activities particularly for higher attaining pupils in Year 6. A good, safe playground, which has recently been re-covered and marked up, is utilised well by the

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

school. However, on the downside, the school does not have its own green-site playing field nor yet, currently extensive access to a swimming pool. The current games field necessitates a considerable bus journey whilst that of the latter prevents all pupils from learning to swim. In addition, the pupils have to lunch in a very old, inhospitable, second world-war building, which necessitates them all crossing over a very busy main road. These three latter points constitute an unsatisfactory situation for the school.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

63. Overall, because the school has recently spent a lot of money on its resources, these are now good. Resources for religious education are very good. In geography there are insufficient globes and not enough software to use with computers to support the teaching of the subject. Resources are used well by the staff, contribute directly to the success of the pupils’ learning and have improved in both quantity and quality since the previous inspection. Although the school has a very pleasant library, currently some of the non-fiction books are very old. Computers are up to date and well used.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

64. Financial planning is good as at the time of the last inspection. Governors are fully involved in setting the school’s budget and their decisions are based on a good and thorough knowledge of the needs of the school. The school improvement plan indicates that clear financial planning, for example the substantial increase in spending on computers last year, supports educational priorities. The school has recently accumulated a large under spend and the governors and headteacher have identified the areas where this will be spent to benefit the present pupils. The bursar has considerable expertise and experience and the school is in a pilot scheme to pay Tredworth Junior School - 23 bills on line. Funding is administered well for the purposes for which it is intended, including funds to provide adequate staff and resources to support the learning of pupils with special educational needs and those with English as an additional

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

language. The school evaluates its cost effectiveness satisfactorily, for example the appropriate number of tenders was sought for resurfacing the playground. Pupils make good progress in most subjects from a very low starting point. By the time they leave the school most pupils have developed good social skills; they are well-rounded individuals who are well prepared for secondary school. Although standards in English and mathematics are below the national average the school gives good value for money.

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

65. The governors, headteacher and members of the senior management team should give attention to the following points to improve further the quality of education provided and to raise standards for all pupils:

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• As identified by the school itself, raise standards further in English and mathematics by implementing the relevant parts of the school improvement plan (paragraph nos: 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 17, 50, 55, 64, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 73, 76, 81, 82, 83, 85).

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• Increase the number of classroom assistants and provide quality training for them so that they can work with pupils with special educational needs, particularly in Year 3 where attainment is very low on entry and class sizes are large (paragraph nos: 20, 61).

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• Continue to work in partnership with the local education authority (LEA) to improve the quality of the canteen facilities (paragraph no: 62).

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

In addition to the key issues above, the following less important issues should be considered as the basis for an action plan:

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• Improve the quality of provision for and raise standards in geography by: − providing more curriculum time for the subject; − improving planning to ensure better progression across the year groups; − increasing resources, particularly globes and computer software programs for geography; − providing in-service training for teachers; and − improving the co-ordination of the subject to include monitoring the quality of teaching and learning and to share good practice where it exists in the school. (paragraph nos: 9, 18, 24, 63, 107, 108, 109, 110, 112)

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• Raise standards in swimming in Year 6 by enabling those pupils in that year who cannot swim 25 metres to gain access to swimming tuition during their final year in school (paragraph nos: 62, 130, 135). Tredworth Junior School - 24

p.23

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 37

p.24

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

p.24

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Percentage 4 18 54 22 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

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 299

p.24

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 91 FTE means full-time equivalent.

p.24

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 19

p.24

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 146

p.24

Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

p.24

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 16

p.24

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

p.24

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 15

p.24

Information about the school’s pupils

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

p.24

Attendance

National comparative data 5.20 National comparative data 0.5 Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Tredworth Junior School - 25

p.24

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

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 2000 37 34 71

p.25

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

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

p.25

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

Boys 20 15 21 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 20 11 18

p.25

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

Percentage of pupils School 56 (62) 37 (51) 55 (70) at NC level 4 or above National 75 (70) 72 (69) 85 (78)

p.25

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

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.25

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

Boys 21 23 27 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 18 18 20

p.25

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

Percentage of pupils School 56 (54) 59 (49) 67 (56) at NC level 4 or above National 70 (68) 72 (69) 79 (75) Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Tredworth Junior School - 26

p.25

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage 10 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0

p.26

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – African heritage 0 Black – African heritage 0 0

p.26

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Any other minority ethnic group 22 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

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 13 Financial year 2000/2001

p.26

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 23

p.26

Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: Y3 – Y6 Total income 585,421

p.26

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 4 Total expenditure 508657

p.26

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 101 Expenditure per pupil 1696

p.26

Teachers and classes Financial information

Qualified teachers and support staff: nursery Balance brought forward from previous year 45421

p.26

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) N/a Balance carried forward to next year 122185

p.26

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher N/a

p.26

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff N/a

p.26

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week N/a

p.26

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per FTE adult N/a FTE means full-time equivalent.

p.26

Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 5

p.26

Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 5

p.26

Recruitment of teachers

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 0

p.26

Recruitment of teachers

Number of vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of a term or more (FTE) 2

p.26

Recruitment of teachers

Number of unfilled vacancies or vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of less than one term (FTE) 0 FTE means full-time equivalent. Tredworth Junior School - 27

p.26

Results of the survey of parents and carers

Percentage of responses in each category

p.27

Results of the survey of parents and carers

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

p.27

Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child is making good progress in school. 65 34 0 0 1

p.27

Results of the survey of parents and carers

Behaviour in the school is good. 38 59 0 1 2

p.27

Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 15 49 32 5 0

p.27

Results of the survey of parents and carers

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 52 41 4 1 1

p.27

Results of the survey of parents and carers

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 68 29 2 0 0

p.27

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 72 26 2 0 0

p.27

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school works closely with parents. 49 43 5 2 1

p.27

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is well led and managed. 60 38 0 1 1

p.27

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 59 39 1 0 1

p.27

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 34 50 14 1 1

p.27

Results of the survey of parents and carers

Not all columns add up to 100 because some parents/carers return questionnaires with some questions that are left unanswered.

p.27

Other issues raised by parents

At the parents’ meeting all parents/carers present considered that the headteacher was very approachable. They said: ’He is always in the playground to speak with parents, come rain or shine!’ Parents considered that the children in the school are very polite and shared evidence of them opening doors for visitors and being very courteous. Parents of children in mixed-age classes expressed some concern about their children repeating the same work. The inspection team agrees with the positive views expressed by parents about the headteacher and the children in the school. Inspection findings also confirm that parents/carers are right to have some concerns about repeated work in mixed- age classes and the school must address this issue through its curriculum planning. Tredworth Junior School - 28

p.27

ENGLISH

66. English test results in 2000 indicate that standards are well below the national average and well below those achieved by similar schools. Pupils performed much better in the 2001 tests than in the previous year, and this rate of improvement is in line with that of other 11-year-olds. The attainment of the majority of the current Year 6 in English is below average.

p.28

ENGLISH

67. Several factors have to be taken into consideration when evaluating these results. There are 146 pupils with special educational needs in the school, which includes nine pupils who have statements. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress from the time of entry in Year 3, but do not attain the expected levels when they are aged 11. This obviously has an impact on the overall standards achieved by Year 6 pupils in national tests. In addition, pupils enter the Year 3 classes with poor language skills in comparison to pupils of a similar age. They have difficulties with speaking, listening and understanding instructions.

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ENGLISH

68. The previous inspection report judged standards in speaking, listening, reading and writing to be average. Since the last inspection standards have fluctuated. There have been several different English co-ordinators, which is not helpful for staff or pupils. Currently, planning and assessment have been improved considerably since the previous inspection, and there is a shared commitment by all staff to improve standards. Efforts to improve standards include booster classes for Year 6 pupils, more effective procedures for assessing pupils' attainment in writing, a new spelling scheme and additional resources to teach guided reading. These incentives have had an impact on improving pupils' attainment in the 2001 national tests.

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ENGLISH

69. When pupils enter the school in Year 3, many lack confidence in speaking and their listening skills are poor. Many are reluctant and hesitant communicators and not all speak at any length or in full sentences. Some pupils have unclear speech, lack concentration and have difficulty in understanding instructions.

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ENGLISH

70. Attainment in speaking and listening at the end of Year 6 is below national expectations for most pupils. However, all pupils, including those with special educational needs, achieve well in relation to their prior attainment. Most pupils pay close attention to what the teacher is saying, but only the higher attaining pupils reply to questions with relevant comment and detail. Teachers and support staff work hard to compensate for pupils' lack of expressive vocabulary and modify questions well to match pupils' level of understanding.

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ENGLISH

71. Pupils' learning is accelerated in the majority of classes where the teachers listen carefully to pupils and encourage communication. For instance in a Year 3 literacy lesson, the teacher worked very hard to develop and extend pupils' communication skills. She ensured that all pupils understood specific vocabulary and explained unfamiliar and unknown phrases such as ‘facial appearance’. Although some pupils had difficulty in selecting the correct vocabulary to use, they persevered and received positive support and encouragement from the teacher and other pupils.

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ENGLISH

72. In a Year 5/6 literacy lesson, the teacher carefully ensured that the pupils knew and understood the relevant vocabulary to use when writing a witness account of a local Tredworth Junior School - 29 robbery. She was very aware that many of the pupils with special educational needs and those with English as an additional language have difficulty in understanding nuances.

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ENGLISH

73. Pupils’ attainment in reading is below the national average at the end of Year 6. A small minority of pupils in all years read fluently, but few pupils read with expression. A significant number of pupils who have poor reading skills do not know what to do when they encounter an unknown word. This lack of reading skills has an adverse impact on all other subjects. For example, in mathematics, pupils' progress is impeded by their inability to read questions, although they may be able to perform the required computation.

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ENGLISH

74. Reading records are kept in some classes during guided reading sessions in the literacy hour and these are very useful in detailing pupils' strengths and weaknesses in reading. These clearly indicate what needs to be done to improve reading skills further. Although, individual reading records are kept in all classes, they vary considerably in their usefulness as the majority of teachers list the books read and do not clearly indicate strengths and weaknesses in pupils' reading skills.

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ENGLISH

75. Some pupils in all year groups can read quite complex texts aloud, but have difficulty in understanding some of the words and making sense of the text, which impedes learning. This was also identified as an area for improvement in the previous inspection report. Year 3 pupils have insufficient opportunities to read individually to an adult. Some pupils, but by no means all, practise their reading at home every day and some older pupils read for sheer enjoyment. This makes a significant contribution to their achievement. Many pupils know how to select an information book from the library and higher attaining pupils can skim and scan texts for information. The library is quite small and suitable only for group work. It has been recently decorated and refurbished by the classroom assistants so it is now attractive and appealing. Some of the books in the library and in class libraries are old and are in the process of being replaced by the co-

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ENGLISH

76. Pupils’ attainment in writing is below the national average at the end of Year 6. Pupils produce a wide range of work, which includes fiction, poetry, book reviews, information and instruction writing. This represents good achievement from attainment on entry in Year 3, where teachers have to work very hard to encourage some pupils to write at all. All pupils have correctly formed handwriting and the majority take a pride in presenting their work neatly in all subjects. During the inspection, most pupils settled very quickly to their writing tasks during the literacy hour and produced a reasonable amount of work in a short space of time. Pupils are encouraged to read through and redraft their work. Pupils' spelling is improving with the introduction of a spelling scheme and with a concentrated focus on teaching letter sounds by all staff. Nevertheless, work sampling indicates that many pupils have great difficulty in combining neat writing, correct

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ENGLISH

spelling and punctuation when producing a piece of writing. Every term, pupils complete a piece of writing for assessment purposes. This work is marked, and individual targets are set to improve pupils' work. This is beginning to raise attainment for many pupils.

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ENGLISH

77. Specific work is planned for pupils with special educational needs during the literacy hour and pupils receive good support from the special needs team. Twenty Year 4 pupils are also withdrawn for concentrated help by the special educational needs co- ordinator. The work they receive is matched well to the learning targets identified in their individual education plans, which contributes to their good achievement. Pupils Tredworth Junior School - 30 with English as an additional language achieve very well. This is because of the highly effective support provided for them.

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ENGLISH

78. There are many opportunities provided for pupils to use their developing literacy skills in other subjects. For instance, in a Year 5/6 science lesson, pupils take care with their handwriting and presentation when recording their work on dissolving. However, many lower attaining pupils and those with special educational needs find writing very difficult. Some teachers are skilled at devising varied and easier ways of recording. Year 4 pupils used the computer very effectively to record their work on making pizzas in design and technology. Information and communication technology is used well to record pupils' English work.

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ENGLISH

79. The quality of teaching is good, overall, and includes some lessons where it is very good. This represents good improvement since the last inspection when some unsatisfactory teaching was seen. In the very good lessons, the teachers show confidence and a very good knowledge and understanding of English. Pupils are valued and teachers skilfully convince pupils that they can succeed. Work is planned to be challenging and builds on pupils' knowledge, which raises attainment. Pupils realise that, with effort they can achieve and work hard to reach their teachers' high expectations. Teachers’ interest in the subject successfully inspires pupils with their own love of literature. Year 3/4 pupils demonstrated good knowledge of the book 'Danny the Champion of the World' by Roald Dahl because the teacher had skilfully conveyed her enthusiasm for the story to them. Teachers set good examples to the pupils with their clear diction and neat well-formed handwriting. Where teaching is

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ENGLISH

satisfactory, but not quite so successful, it is because activities are too difficult and lessons are too long. As a result, pupils lose interest in their work and their behaviour deteriorates.

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ENGLISH

80. The school has effectively introduced the National Literacy Strategy and the literacy hour has been successfully established in all classes. During the last six years there has been eight different co-ordinators. This has been difficult for both staff and pupils as provision for English has lacked a clear steer. The present English co-ordinator is very experienced and makes a significant personal contribution to the subject with her enthusiasm and hard work. She is under no illusions as to the large number of imperfections in the current English provision. She has the necessary knowledge and determination to lead the many improvements. In fact she demonstrated that she has the capacity to raise attainment by teaching the Year 6 booster classes for literacy. This resulted in the considerable improvements in the 2001 national tests.

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MATHEMATICS

81. In the national tests in the year 2000, pupils in Year 6 attained standards which were very low compared with the national average and also when compared with similar schools. The 2001 test results for Year 6 show a very significant improvement. Inspection evidence suggests that standards in the current Year 6 continue to be below the national average. There has been an improvement since the last inspection in the gains that pupils make in their learning. This is a result of the good teaching seen on inspection. Pupils enter the school with a very low base of attainment. High proportions of pupils have more complex special educational needs than at the time of the last inspection. This is a significant factor in the standards attained. From a very low starting point on entry, pupils make good progress and achieve good standards measured against their prior attainment. However, their starting point is so

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MATHEMATICS

low that they do not attain the national average standard by age 11. Tredworth Junior School - 31 82. By the age of 11, pupils are able to use written methods to explain division in number problems. One pupil, however, had to use rows of nine dots to work out 284 divided by 9. Pupils know the properties of a triangle and can make efficient use of data collection and pie charts. Lower ability pupils find difficulty in drawing and measuring lines accurately using a ruler. Thirty-eight per cent of the pupils in Year 6 are on the special needs register. Teachers’ planning takes into account the specific individual education plan for each pupil and the pupils’ learning is carefully monitored. The school makes good use of the analysis of data to track pupils and ensure that they make sufficient progress.

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MATHEMATICS

83. In a Year 5 lesson, pupils were able to use previous learning to see the link between the seven times table and counting in units of 0.7. In the same lesson, although it was only the second week of term, three-quarters of the class were able to multiply without using the grid method that they had had to use the previous week. In lessons where the teaching was good, but there was insufficient classroom support to match the needs of the very low attaining pupils, gains in learning were only satisfactory. In a Year 3 lesson, which had no classroom assistant, pupils worked hard with their addition to 20 but their work was not accurate. Over half the class were not competent at writing addition sums to ten.

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MATHEMATICS

84. Pupils with special educational needs are well supported in numeracy lessons. Work is well planned with clear learning objectives that are intended to meet the pupils’ needs. Learning support assistants work closely with class teachers to ensure that suitable gains in learning are made. Pupils with English as an additional language participate well in lessons with support and make good progress with mathematical understanding.

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MATHEMATICS

85. A significant number of the new entrants in Year 3 have difficulty in matching words to corresponding numbers (1-10). When asked to add three numbers, 6,3 and 1, two pupils gave the answer five. They did not know that five was less than six. With careful management and sensitive encouragement from classroom assistants pupils were able to reach the learning objective of the lesson. In the top set, pupils can add on in twos and threes to 20, but five of these pupils do not understand what is required. Over half the pupils in the middle set are not competent in writing three- figure addition to ten. Although these pupils worked very hard, there was no classroom assistant to support their learning and as a result their pace of work was slow and their results were not accurate. In a Year 4 class, pupils with low standards of attainment lacked the concentration to give the correct answer to 13 - 9. When

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MATHEMATICS

challenged they were able to see their mistakes. There was no classroom assistant in this lesson to support the pupils’ learning. Where pupils in Year 5 are working to Level 2, well below the standard expected for this age group, classroom assistants ensure that the lower ability pupils follow the lesson by clarifying work on their individual whiteboards.

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MATHEMATICS

86. Teaching is always at least satisfactory. Over half the lessons seen were good with some very good teaching. As a direct consequence, the gains in pupils’ learning in those lessons were good and sometimes very good. Teachers manage pupils very well. Their classrooms are well organised and displays provide pupils with the appropriate vocabulary, number lines and hundred squares to support their learning. Two classrooms have interactive displays with challenges for the pupils. Good routines and systems are in place and, as a result, behaviour is good. This enables pupils to concentrate well in lessons. They are able to answer sensibly and listen to Tredworth Junior School - 32 others. In the better lessons, pace is brisk and activities are well organised and matched to pupils’ needs. For example, a rapid start to a lesson, with pupils counting in tens to 160, ensured that pupils were ready to focus on the learning objectives.

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MATHEMATICS

Teachers’ use of good questioning helps pupils’ learning to become more secure. Teachers demonstrate good subject knowledge, which is evident in their planning and, as a result, pupils are very clear about the learning objectives and can evaluate whether they have achieved them. Teachers know when to make sensitive interventions to move pupils’ learning forward. Teachers encourage the use of estimation, which enables pupils to become more secure in checking their answers. Overall, satisfactory and good teaching results in pupils making good gains in their learning. However, good teaching sometimes only results in satisfactory learning in lessons because of the high number of special needs pupils. Some pupils are at such a low starting point they only make very steady gains in their learning.

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MATHEMATICS

87. Teachers are familiar and secure with the National Numeracy Strategy. This is reflected in the quality of their planning and in the good match of the work to the needs of the pupils. Pupils use mathematics well to help their learning in other subjects. For example, in geography some pupils in Year 4 show an ability to use co- ordinates and a few higher attaining pupils in Year 3 represent their findings on graphs. In science, pupils use graphs to accurately record the use of senses. Pupils make good use of numeracy in information and communication technology in order to program a ‘Roamer’.

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MATHEMATICS

88. Teachers make regular assessments of pupils’ progress. The school makes careful analysis of non-statutory test materials. This information is used to track pupils’ progress accurately. They have analysed progress with regard to gender, ethnicity and special needs and this is a strength.

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MATHEMATICS

89. Pupils’ attitudes to learning are good. They are very well behaved because of the expectations of the teachers and the pace of the lessons. They respond well to challenge because the work is well matched to their needs. They listen attentively and have the confidence to explain their thinking to the rest of the class. For example, pupils in one Year 5 class became the ‘teacher’ and gave clear explanations of how to use the grid method of multiplication. Pupils have respect for each other whether their answers are correct or not. Work in books is carefully presented and pupils show a pride in their work.

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MATHEMATICS

90. The co-ordinator is new to the school and at the time of the inspection had only been in post for eight days. However, she is well qualified and keen to take an active and decisive role in improving standards in the subject.

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SCIENCE

91. Standards in science are in line with the national average confirming the results of the national tests in 2001. These tests show a significant improvement over those in 2000 when standards were very low compared with the national average and with similar schools. Standards were judged to be in line with the national average at the last inspection

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SCIENCE

92. Standards have risen in the past year because of the recent initiatives that have been introduced. Regular monitoring of teaching and learning, giving teachers constructive feedback of what they are doing well and points for development, has improved the quality of teaching. Regular scrutiny of pupils’ work resulting in agreed targets for Tredworth Junior School - 33 each class has led to more focused teaching. Investigative science has been given a higher priority in the science curriculum and this has had a significant impact on pupils’ learning.

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SCIENCE

93. Investigative science is now firmly established and clearly evident in each lesson seen. Pupils set up, carry out and record experiments confidently. As part of the topic on senses, Year 3 pupils observed, smelt and tasted four different flavours of crisps, matched them to the packets and recorded their findings. Year 4 pupils completed an electrical circuit and drew clearly labelled diagrams to record how they had made it. They could draw conclusions and say why a lamp would not light by looking at circuit diagrams. Year 5/6 pupils explore fair testing when mixing various substances with water. They understand that only one variable can be changed at a time. Year 6 pupils are learning about dissolving, and during the lesson seen, they learnt that filtering can separate solids which are insoluble.

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SCIENCE

94. Pupils’ writing in science is of a higher standard than that seen in literacy lessons. This is because teachers consistently use scientific vocabulary and introduce the words into spelling lists for pupils to learn. Teachers support pupils’ writing in science very effectively; key words are attractively displayed around the school and relevant words needed for the lesson are written on the board so that pupils are able to achieve success when writing up their experiments.

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SCIENCE

95. The quality of teaching is good overall. It is sometimes very good and occasionally excellent. Teachers’ knowledge and understanding has improved. Clear objectives, which are shared with the pupils, are set for all lessons and this leads to very focused teaching and good learning. Good questioning and good marking extend pupils’ knowledge and understanding. Pupils enjoy their lessons and the improvements in the provision for investigative science is clearly impacting on their learning and understanding, thus raising standards.

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SCIENCE

96. The co-ordinator has had a significant monitoring role and has worked effectively with colleagues to improve investigative science teaching. Assessment has been introduced at the end of each unit of work. Although the school has adopted the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority’s (QCA) scheme of work this term, the previous scheme gave very clear guidance to teachers, and when the evaluation of the present scheme is made at the end of the year, the co-ordinator plans to ensure that this guidance is retained. Analysis of national tests at the end of each year informs planning well.

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ART AND DESIGN

97. From a low starting point gains in learning are good for most pupils because of the good teaching. The attainment of pupils’ aged 11 is in line with standards expected for their age, which is the same as reported at the time of the last inspection. Pupils in Year 6 make good use of their sketchbooks and this is evidenced in the quality of their drawings. Their work demonstrates the use of a variety of methods and approaches to communicate ideas. Year 6 have produced designs for wallpaper in the style of William Morris, but discussion with pupils in Year 6 revealed that their learning about the work of other artists was not secure. There are examples of very closely observed drawings made by Year 6 pupils in the garden.

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ART AND DESIGN

98. As a result of very good classroom organisation, clear planning and the teachers’ good subject knowledge, pupils in Year 3 made measurable gains in learning about Tredworth Junior School - 34 primary and secondary colours. They were not only able to mix colour successfully but they were able to discuss their work enthusiastically with adults and with each other. One pupil wanted to mix three colours together; he predicted that it would make black and was intrigued to find that he had made brown. Another pupil mixed blue and red on two separate occasions but in different proportions. He was unsure why the results were different, as he had mixed the same colours each time. Pupils, who had earlier in the week found working collaboratively difficult, under the guidance of the teacher, helped each other to put on their overalls and follow the routines outlined by teacher. Pupils use a variety of materials, including the skilful weaving of

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ART AND DESIGN

various textiles in a limited colour range to give the impression of the deep sea. In Year 4, higher ability pupils are able to emulate the typical patterns of Ancient Greek borders with accuracy and repetition. Most average and below average pupils developed regular patterns.

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ART AND DESIGN

99. Pupils’ attitudes to the subject are very good. They are interested and involved in their work. Teachers use quality resources to inspire pupils and use their own expertise in classroom management to guide and extend the learning of the pupils. Pupils work carefully and past work is mounted and hung in the corridor demonstrating the amount of respect that there is for the work of the pupils.

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ART AND DESIGN

100. The quality of teaching is good and so pupils make good gains in their learning in lessons. Planning emphasises the progression of skills and this is an improvement on the position of art at the time of the last inspection. Scrutiny of pupils’ work showed that a variety of three-dimensional work is done throughout the school. Sunflowers are made from a variety of materials and a large dragon was made for the ‘Gloucester Inter Faith Action’. Masks made in Year 4 show links with history. Pupils have made blocks of colour, inspired by the work of Mark Rothiko, and used information and communication technology to produce pictures in the style of Jan Miro. Year 4 pupils have produced pictures in the style of Monet showing a very sensitive use of pastels to depict shades and tones. There are examples of accurate perspective by Year 5 pupils. This shows that there is a breadth of study in the subject, but the small amounts of time that the curriculum allows is not sufficient to

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ART AND DESIGN

ensure that learning is further developed.

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ART AND DESIGN

101. The co-ordinator is new to the school and to the role this term, but is well supported by others who have undertaken the role in the past. Assessment in the subject is underdeveloped as is the use of pupil portfolios. Pupils are not sufficiently involved in evaluating their own work and so do not make suggestions as to how they could improve their work. They are also not sufficiently involved in evaluating the work of other artists.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

102. Pupils enter the school with limited skills, but by the age of 11 their achievement is good and standards are broadly in line with national expectations. While this judgement is similar to that of the previous inspection, developments in the curriculum and in subject links with ICT has meant that pupils are managing a wider range of learning and opportunity appropriately.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

103. Younger pupils in Year 3 are successful in carrying out carefully focused practical tasks, which give experience of simple techniques. For example, they make pictures which simulate the impact of waves on a Viking ship through movement around an axis. They develop confidence in assembling elements, which they have cut or Tredworth Junior School - 35 decorated, and make good use of computer-generated images for their boats. At this stage, however, their individual designing skills are limited by the nature of the task. Year 4 pupils broaden their knowledge and finishing skills appropriately through the use of electrical circuits to light features of an ‘Iron Man’ character from their literature studies. Again the task is prescriptive but pupils demonstrate in their writing careful forethought to staging their construction process and the beginnings of evaluation. Year 5 pupils demonstrate a good quality of reflective thinking and make appropriate

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

judgements as they consider the target consumers for varieties of biscuits, which are packaged and marketed in differing ways. They record their tasting analysis using appropriate language choices to convey the different flavours. Year 5 and 6 pupils use electric motors and simple gear mechanisms effectively to power vehicles. They demonstrate efficient application of triangular reinforcement to give rigidity to their constructions. Higher attaining pupils power a model made from a kit efficiently, using solar panels.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

104. Pupils enjoy the subject and talk about what they have made enthusiastically. In the one lesson which could be observed and which had a profile of pupils with abilities and special needs similar to other classes, pupils discussed and collaborated well together. They were helpful to each other and showed care with the resources they used. They were confident to talk about their work. Two pupils spoke of continuing their constructions at home and one pupil proudly brought in a crane which he had made from scrap materials at home.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

105. Only one lesson could be observed. The quality of teaching was good. Careful scrutiny of planning, display, photographic records and video footage, together with discussion and exemplification by pupils, leads to a secure judgement that teaching is always at least satisfactory and often good. Teachers try hard to ensure that pupils are successful through the making of products which are clearly defined and the outcomes of which are often predetermined. This sometimes provides insufficient opportunity for older pupils in particular to trial, to modify and to evaluate as they bring together techniques to achieve a purpose through generating an individual design.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

106. Although the curriculum is satisfactory overall there is sometimes insufficient time available for pupils to complete their work. The school is addressing this through the recent introduction of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority’s guidance. The co- ordinator has sound subject knowledge, recognises the needs of the subject and provides positive leadership. The sufficiency and quality of resources is good, but the range is not always used to best advantage to encourage pupils to make choices in their planning and making.

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GEOGRAPHY

107. Standards of attainment are below those expected of pupils by the age of 11. The position of geography is not as good as that reported at the time of the last inspection. This reflects very low attainment on entry, weaknesses in planning, a lack of resources to develop enquiry skills (particularly, insufficient ICT resources in geography) and the fact that, due to the focus on literacy and numeracy, geography has not been a high priority. Co-ordination of the subject has suffered due to the ill health of the co-ordinator.

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GEOGRAPHY

108. By the age of 11, pupils are not able to name the main features of a river. Their ability to use globes and atlases is weak. Although they have studied Jamaica and their own Tredworth Junior School - 36 local area of Tredworth, their knowledge and understanding of similarities and differences between the two places is very weak. They have not used computers to analyse geographical data or to research information about different places.

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GEOGRAPHY

109. In the two lessons seen in Year 4, gains in learning in one lesson were very good but in the other lesson they were unsatisfactory. Progress over time is unsatisfactory across the school due to weak medium-term planning and the fact that pupils are not given sufficient opportunities to learn about geography. Progress over time is better in Years 3 and 4 than in Years 5 and 6, reflecting the shift in focus on literacy and numeracy in the upper years of the juniors. Some teachers are far more confident in teaching geography than others. In Year 3, pupils make good gains in map skills. Also in one Year 4 class, pupils make very good gains in using co-ordinates and in recognising the symbols on a map. However, in Years 5 and 6, progress is unsatisfactory over time so that by the age of 11 pupils do not achieve sufficiently high standards.

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GEOGRAPHY

110. Due to all year groups except Year 4 following a history topic during the inspection, only two lessons could be seen. The quality of teaching in one Year 4 group was excellent but in the other it was unsatisfactory, highlighting the inconsistency in the teaching of the subject. Scrutiny of planning, pupils’ work and resources available to teach geography, together with discussion with pupils, indicate that teaching throughout the school is unsatisfactory and so gains in learning by the end of Key Stage 2 are also unsatisfactory. Where teaching is excellent in Year 4, the pace of teaching and learning is very rapid, the teacher’s subject knowledge and enthusiasm are excellent and activities are well matched to the needs of the pupils. Effective questioning extends pupils’ thinking, for example in arriving at the correct symbol for a public house on a map. Where teaching is unsatisfactory in the same year group,

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GEOGRAPHY

activities are not matched well to the needs of the pupils and so they become restless because they do not understand what it is that they are expected to do. Pupils with SEN become distressed, albeit the pieces are ‘picked up’ by an effective classroom assistant, but nonetheless this had a negative impact on their learning.

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GEOGRAPHY

111. Attitudes to learning and behaviour are very good when the teaching is stimulating and interesting. However, when teaching is not geared to the needs of the pupils, they become unsettled. In one Year 4 lesson, pupils enjoyed learning about grid references. They experienced fun in their learning through interesting practical activities and made good gains in mapping skills and in their understanding of the importance of all maps having a key. In this lesson pupils with English as an additional language and also pupils with SEN were fully included and they made good gains measured against their prior attainment. Good opportunities were taken to develop the English language for pupils with EAL.

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GEOGRAPHY

112. A number of the weaknesses in the management of the subject stem from the previous co-ordinator’s long-term absence due to sickness. Currently the new co- ordinator has to address weaknesses in planning, resourcing and assessment. The quality of teaching and learning is not monitored and so the good practice that does exist is not shared. The headteacher is aware of the weaknesses and is keen to lift the status of the subject.

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HISTORY

113. By the age of 11, pupils attain standards that are in line with those expected nationally. Standards are the same as they were at the time of the last inspection. Tredworth Junior School - 37 However, although attainment in history was in line with national expectations at the last inspection, standards were less secure when pupils have to give their own explanations. Pupils are now confident in giving their own explanations and they use the correct vocabulary. At the last inspection, research skills were satisfactory and the ability to interpret sources undeveloped. Teachers are now skilled at planning work which develops these skills and enables pupils to access the curriculum despite the low base at which they enter the school and the high proportion of pupils with special educational needs. The gains that pupils make in their learning are good because of the good teaching.

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HISTORY

114. Pupils by the age of 11 are able to write exhaustive lists comparing life in World War Two and life today. The poor literacy skills, however, mean that many of the words are misspelled.

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HISTORY

115. By the age of 7, pupils develop their knowledge and understanding of the lives of people in the past by using historical enquiry and interpretation to good effect. For example, in a Year 3 lesson pupils made good gains in confidence. The lesson had a strong emphasis on the use of speaking and listening skills as pupils tried to reason what items were in the bag they had been given and who might have been using them. The pupils were working from a very low base and a high proportion had special educational needs. In another Year 3 lesson, however, where there was no classroom support pupils found it difficult to work collaboratively or independently from the teacher and their learning suffered.

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HISTORY

116. Pupils made good gains in historical skills in a Year 3/4 class where they ’discovered’ pieces of an ‘ancient Greek vase in a box full of newspaper. They knew the term archaeologist and worked as archaeologists to piece together the vase. Those with the necessary literacy skills used research skills to take the work further and find the story behind the vase. This work was successful as the teacher had a clear grasp of the subject. This was shown by the perceptive questions, which challenged the pupils and sustained their interest levels.

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HISTORY

117. In Year 5, pupils show an ability to use historical enquiry to ask questions about the main features of Ancient Egyptian society. The teacher used a good range of historical words and this resulted in pupils being able to explain their work using the correct terms. All the pupils were eager to tell the teacher what they had learned so far, even though this was only the second week of term. Fourteen pupils knew where Egypt was, could name its famous buildings and could explain what a pyramid was. Pupils used the learning gained from the previous lesson well. Pupils with special educational needs were well supported to play a full part in the lesson. Although information technology was not used in the lesson, reference was made to its use and pupils were able to talk about the use of CD ROMs and videos in their quest for knowledge about the Ancient Egyptians.

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HISTORY

118. The quality of teaching is good throughout the school. The good teaching motivates pupils who are able to apply the knowledge and understanding learned in previous lessons in new activities. The good teaching results in pupils being interested in history. Pupils’ learning is supported by good use of resources and displays in classrooms. Due to good teaching pupils make good gains in their learning of historical facts and also make good gains in developing important enquiry skills.

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HISTORY

119. There has been a succession of different co-ordinators in this subject and the present co-ordinator had been in post only eight days at the time of the inspection. Now that Tredworth Junior School - 38 planning is linked to the QCA document teachers find the structure helpful and this is beginning to pay dividends. The co-ordinator plans to use this as a tool for assessment, which is as yet underdeveloped in this subject.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

120. Pupils make satisfactory progress in their learning and achieve standards at age 11 which are broadly in line with the national expectations. This judgement represents an improvement on the levels of attainment reported in the previous inspection. The improvement is more significant in the light of the increased challenge, which more sophisticated hardware and software, together with the opportunities of the World Wide Web, have placed on pupils since the previous judgements. This improvement is related to the increased opportunities of the school’s resources through government grants and the beginnings of the impact of training for teachers based on the New Opportunity Funding. While there is some positive leadership and good practice following from these developments the full potential is not as yet fully realised.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

121. Pupils entering the school have a broadly sound knowledge of the functions of the computer keyboard and can use this knowledge with assistance in word processing. Most pupils in Year 3 could identify the keys and their operation to their teacher. This skill develops well through the school so that by age 11 most pupils are confident to create, store and retrieve, for example poems with borders and images created from graphic packages. Recording through ICT is a common practice for pupils despite the fact that there are only one or two computers available in the classroom. Year 4 pupils enjoyed word processing a description of Black Jack, the pirate, in a literacy lesson. Pupils in Years 5 and 6 apply their word processing skills effectively to projects across the curriculum such as the creation of Healthy Diet guidance pamphlets in support of studies in science, design and technology and PSHE. Year 6

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

pupils design and edit colourful newsletters and bulletins with relevant interest to their classmates. Pupils have a sound knowledge of the range and function of ICT applications in every day use. Most pupils develop an understanding of the power of ICT to control. Year 3 pupils give directions to a Roamer device while older pupils through trial and error are successful in using the same tool to draw prescribed shapes. Building on the simple knowledge of the control function of a light switch, pupils in Year 5 can sequence a series of sound and light functions using Logibloc apparatus. For example, two girls could talk about and demonstrate with the apparatus the sequence required in controlling light and sound at a pelican crossing. Higher attaining pupils in Year 6 use solar energy to power a construction kit big wheel. The school’s Black history project, which is recorded as part of a web site, has

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

established a beginning to pupils’ appreciation of the power of ICT to share and exchange information. Pupils generally are only beginning to acquire skill and confidence in the use of e-mail and the Internet, and these skills as yet are not fully developed. The quality of pupils’ knowledge and skills is dependent upon the experience and confidence of their teacher and the opportunities they have at home. There are, therefore, some inconsistencies in the levels of pupils’ knowledge and understanding, and this lowers the overall level of attainment.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

122. Pupils have a positive attitude to the subject. They are keen to learn and readily talk about their work. They settle well and work independently when working with computers individually or in small groups. They share their equipment well and handle it with care. Tredworth Junior School - 39 123. Only two formal lessons of direct teaching of ICT could be observed during the inspection. Lesson observations, scrutiny of pupils’ work, discussion with pupils, reviews of planning and talking with teachers secures a judgement that teaching is satisfactory overall. However, there is clear evidence of some good and very good teaching of ICT taking place, together with effective use of ICT to support other subject teaching. A teacher used an interactive whiteboard very effectively to consolidate a science lesson which had pupils mesmerised. Teachers are beginning to use the newly acquired school network to good effect. The good use of national

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

funding to secure training and hardware has significantly improved most teachers’ confidence and competence, although such training is still at an early stage. Teachers work hard to enthuse their pupils and manage classes and classroom resources well. They ensure, through easily visible records, that all pupils are included in an activity and have equal access to computers. This is particularly important in a school which does not have a computer suite facility and pupils must access the computer sequentially. Assessment procedures are not highly developed, but pupils are able to keep an overview of their progress through ongoing portfolios of examples of work.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

124. The knowledge, enthusiasm and skills of the co-ordinator are strengths of the provision for the subject. She has a clear view of the direction the subject should take and is able to demonstrate good practice by example. The range, sufficiency and quality of resources are good and the school is beginning to get good value from its investment.

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MUSIC

125. By the age of 11 standards for all pupils, including those with SEN, are in line with national expectations. All pupils in the school enjoy their music making activities. They build effectively on what they already know and many develop a sensitivity to the range of moods that music is able to create. The good quality of provision has been maintained since the last inspection.

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MUSIC

126. Music plays an important part in the life of the school. Pupils follow a broad curriculum that allows them to cover the full range of the National Curriculum programme of study. Pupils are given frequent opportunities to listen to a variety of good quality music, for example prior to acts of collective worship. This reinforces their knowledge of various composers. There is a strong emphasis on performing, especially singing and all pupils sing enthusiastically and tunefully.

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MUSIC

127. Pupils have a growing sense of audience and an awareness of fellow performers. For instance, in Year 4, they learn to compose and use symbols and signs to record their ideas and read these when they are performing. There are limited opportunities for pupils to listen and appraise taped recordings of their performances in order that they may improve their work further.

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MUSIC

128. Pupils' attitudes to their work in music are good. They are responsible, handle musical instruments with care and most show good levels of concentration, for instance when using percussion instruments in a Year 3 rendition of ‘Red Train’. Behaviour in music lessons is good. Pupils in Year 6 set a good example to younger pupils by their tuneful and enthusiastic singing in assemblies.

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MUSIC

129. The quality of teaching and learning is good. In the best lessons, the teachers' enthusiasm is infectious and pupils respond well to the practical nature of the subject. Tredworth Junior School - 40 Lessons have a brisk, lively pace and are well planned. There is effective direct teaching geared to improving the quality of pupils' performance.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

130. Standards of attainment are in line with national expectations in all aspects of physical education, except for swimming. Only 20 per cent of the current Year 6 pupils can swim the required distance of 25 metres. Due to the ongoing reconstruction of the leisure centre in Tredworth, the school has had difficulty in gaining access to a swimming pool. Good relationships with a local secondary school has enabled limited access to a swimming pool, but the school has been constrained in its use of this facility and has rightly prioritised swimming for Year 5 pupils (who have not experienced swimming as part of their PE programme since entering the school). However, those who do not reach the required standard by the end of Year 5 do not have the opportunity to make up their shortfall during Year 6.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

131. In gymnastics, pupils attain levels of creativity and accuracy in body movements that are in line with those expected of pupils aged 11 nationally. Their skills in games are satisfactory, the vast majority being able to send and retrieve a ball accurately whilst on the move in a game of football. Standards in dance are in line with national expectations, with a small but significant number of pupils exceeding expectations due to the opportunity that they have to practise their dance skills/movements at a local Afro-Caribbean club in the community. Those pupils who attend this club, dance to music with good levels of poise and expression. Athletics and adventurous activities were not observed during the inspection, but other evidence indicates that they are included in a full and balanced programme and that standards attained by the age of 11 are in line with national expectations.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

132. The majority of pupils make satisfactory gains in their learning of physical education skills as they move from Year 3 to Year 6. In some classes short-term gains in learning are better than in others, as the confidence level of teachers to teach physical education is variable. However, as pupils move through Key Stage 2 they steadily gain in confidence and control in their movements across a range of skills and become increasingly able to evaluate and improve their performance. Pupils with physical disabilities and also pupils with dyspraxia are fully included in PE lessons and this is a strength. However, those pupils who come to school without their PE kit are not given opportunities to be involved in their PE lessons and this is a weakness. There is considerable sensitivity to the needs of ethnic minority pupils during games lessons, particularly Muslim girls.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

133. Pupils enjoy PE and get a lot of fun out of the range of activities provided for them. However, higher attainers in Year 6 are sometimes frustrated in their development of gymnastic skills as the small size of the hall, coupled with large class sizes, inhibits the range of gymnastic apparatus available to them.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

134. The quality of teaching is at least satisfactory. It ranges from satisfactory to good. The satisfactory and good teaching results in satisfactory and good gains in learning and development of PE skills. Good teaching is based on good subject knowledge, confidence in the requirements of the subject, enthusiasm in teaching and good pace. Some teachers, although satisfactory in their teaching, lack confidence when it comes to teaching PE and they have not had opportunity to access in-service training in recent years. The co-ordinator models lessons for newly qualified teachers and also for teachers new to the school but some long standing members of staff have not Tredworth Junior School - 41 been updated in their teaching of PE for a very long time. Management of behaviour is very good. Some pupils with challenging behaviour related to their special educational need excel in PE. There is a strong focus on health and safety. In a

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

games lesson observed, pupils were carefully checked on the bus transporting them to the off-site games field to ensure that they were belted in. On arrival at the field those with earrings were given plaster to cover their ears and warm up/cool down sessions took place. All pupils understood the importance of warming up and cooling down.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

135. The co-ordination of the subject is satisfactory. Management and planning ensure a satisfactory coverage of PE activities. Teaching links PE to the importance of a healthy body and lifestyle. Resources are good and pupils’ personal development is good. But the problem of regular access to a swimming pool and the travel off-site to a games field have a negative impact on learning. The subject is managed well to make a significant contribution to the multi-cultural development of pupils. There is no formal assessment and recording and this is a weakness as teachers do not have information on pupils’ prior attainment to inform planning to raise standards further. Tredworth Junior School - 42

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

136. Standards in religious education for pupils aged 11 are in line with those expected in the locally agreed syllabus. The school has maintained the standards seen at the last inspection. Older pupils know the key beliefs of Christianity, Judaism and Islam, and can discuss the similarities of the teachings of these religions. They know about the leaders, festivals, places of worship and the symbolism used by these religions. Many pupils have a clear idea of what belonging to a religion involves.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

137. During the inspection Year 4 pupils showed a good understanding of the parable of the Prodigal Son and discussed occasions when they had been forgiven or had forgiven someone else. Year 5 pupils discussed the importance of rules and laws within the home, school and community. Analysis of pupils’ work shows there are good links between religious education and art, and in a school where so many pupils struggle with literacy, this is an effective way to consolidate learning.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

138. Religious education makes a very positive contribution to pupils’ spiritual development. The high quality of displays around the school covering different faiths encourages tolerance and respect for each other.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

139. The quality of teaching is good. Lessons are planned carefully to meet the learning needs of all pupils. Teachers use a variety of interesting methods to enthuse pupils. Visits are made to the mosque, synagogue and the local church. On the church visit the vicar conducts a mock baptism and a wedding teaches pupils effectively about the ceremonies that take place there. Teachers use a good range of resources including artefacts, videos, books and pictures to capture and sustain pupils’ interest. Teachers use pupils from other faiths effectively to share their own experiences, for example, fasting during Ramadan, prayer and washing. Discussion with pupils indicates that many pupils have a better understanding of the concepts covered than their written work would suggest. Learning is good because of the good teaching. Pupils enjoy listening to well-told stories. They ask and answer questions and participate well in discussions.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

140. The co-ordinator works hard, and is well supported by the teacher funded by the Ethnic Minority Achievement Grant, to keep the profile of religious education high in the school. The good relationships between teachers and pupils mean that pupils feel secure to discuss puzzling aspects of life.

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