Birkenshaw Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

BIRKENSHAW CE FIRST AND NURSERY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 26-29 November 2001

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BIRKENSHAW CE FIRST AND NURSERY 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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BIRKENSHAW CE FIRST AND NURSERY 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. Birkenshaw CE (C) First and Nursery School – Page 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Station Lane Birkenshaw Bradford West Yorkshire

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

E-mail address: Birkenshaw-1 st @geo2.poptel.org.uk

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Mr E S Brady

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 21 April 1997 Birkenshaw CE (C) First and Nursery School – Page 4

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Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

18645 C D Loizou Registered inspector Mathematics Art and design History Equal opportunities How high are standards? How well are pupils taught? How well is the school led and managed?

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Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

19807 K Osborne Lay inspector Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development How well does the school care for its pupils? How well does the school work in partnership with parents? 23453 C Cressey Team inspector English Music Foundation Stage English as an additional language 30000 J Tresadern Team inspector Science Design and technology Geography Special educational needs 29426 D Grimwood Team inspector Information and communication technology Physical education Religious education How good are the curricular and other opportunities offered to pupils?

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Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

PBM Inspection Services Limited PO Box 524 Cheadle Staffordshire ST10 4RN

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Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

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

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Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE. Birkenshaw CE (C) First and Nursery School – Page 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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AREAS OF THE CURRICULUM, SUBJECTS AND COURSES 24

Birkenshaw CE (C) First and Nursery School – Page 6

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

This is a large Church of England (Controlled) First School in the village of Birkenshaw in Kirklees. The school is popular and some families who send their children to the school have long associations with the school and the village. The school is larger than most schools of this type, with 301 pupils on roll between the ages of four and nine years. There are also 60 part-time children (30 full-time equivalent) in the nursery. The school occupies a large site, which includes three separate buildings. The nursery children are taught in a very well equipped building situated between two other buildings, each of which used to be separate First Schools before the school amalgamated into one school before its last inspection in 1997.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

The percentage of pupils eligible for free school meals is less than 6 per cent, which is well below the national average. Twenty- three per cent of pupils are on the school’s special educational needs register, which is about average. Just over one per cent of the pupils have a statement of special educational needs, which is low compared to most schools. Two per cent of the pupils are learning English as an additional language, which is low compared to most schools and very few are in the early stages of English language acquisition; their first languages are Punjabi, Gujerati, and Chinese. The school admits up to 66 four-year-olds into its Reception year. There is an increasing demand for places from out of district families. Most of the children in the Reception year were taught in the school’s nursery but the demand for places means that some families are not able to secure a place in the Reception year. Initial assessments of the children when they first start in the Reception year show that their

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

attainment is above that expected for children of this age.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

The school provides a good standard of education and has some very good features. The pupils achieve well and the teaching is good. The teaching and provision for children in the nursery are excellent. Standards are well above average in English, mathematics, and science by the time the pupils finish Year 4. Although standards in mathematics are above average by the end of Year 2, they could be higher. The school is well led and managed by the headteacher, senior staff and governors. The teaching is particularly effective in improving the pupils’ personal development. The school provides good value for money.

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What the school does well

• Standards are high in English, mathematics, and science by the end of Year 4. • The provision made for children, and the teaching in the nursery, are excellent. • The teaching throughout the school is having a positive effect on the standards achieved by the pupils and on their personal development. • The school is well led and managed at all levels. • The pupils achieve well and demonstrate very good attitudes to learning, are very well behaved, polite and attentive. • The teachers and support staff monitor how well the pupils are doing and use good assessment procedures to track the pupils’ progress.

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What could be improved

• Standards in mathematics by the end of Year 2. • The level of support in the Reception year to extend children’s thinking and to provide more challenge, especially in integrated activities, free choice times, and role-play. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school was last inspected in April 1997 and has made good progress since then. The headteacher, staff, and governors have addressed the issues raised, particularly in improving how well the curriculum is monitored and planned. The school development plan is a much more effective working document. It sets out appropriate priorities for school improvement. These are linked to success criteria so that the headteacher and governors can measure how well teaching and standards are improving. Standards are high by the end of Year 4 but national tests show that they could be higher by the end of Year 2 in mathematics. More could be done to increase the proportion of pupils aged 7 who have the potential to exceed the standards expected for their age in mathematics. The headteacher and staff have managed to improve the curriculum and teachers’ planning because regular assessments are made of the pupils’ progress and this is informing planning much more sharply than

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

at the time of the last inspection. There is effective monitoring undertaken by the headteacher, senior staff and governors, and this is providing a clear sense of direction for the staff and pupils. Parents agree that this is a good school and this is reflected in the increasing demand for places each year. Birkenshaw CE (C) First and Nursery School – Page 7

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STANDARDS

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

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Key

Reading A A B A well above average above average A B Writing A A B A average below average C D Mathematics C B C C well below average E

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Key

(The similar school comparisons are based on schools with similar percentages of pupils who are eligible for a free school meal.)

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Key

The children in the nursery make excellent progress because of the very high expectations and the outstanding teaching. The children start school in the Reception year with a wide range of attainment and standards are above those expected for their age. They make good progress because the Foundation Stage curriculum is well planned and taught. By the end of the Reception year most of the children exceed the expected levels for their age in all of the areas of learning. The Reception pupils make good progress but during some activities, especially during independent activities and role-play, they could be provided with more challenging tasks.

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Key

In the national test results at the age of seven in 2001, standards were above average in reading and writing, and average in mathematics. Compared with similar schools, standards were well above average in reading, writing and average in mathematics. Teachers’ assessments in science show above average standards. Inspection evidence shows that mathematics standards could be higher. Currently, standards in mathematics and science are above average and English standards are well above average. Too many pupils aged seven are not using mental arithmetic skills effectively and this is affecting the standards achieved in the national tests. Inspection evidence shows that in speaking, listening, reading, and writing, standards are high, the pupils can communicate their ideas very well. In other subjects, including religious education, the pupils achieve standards above those expected by the end of Year 2.

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Key

By the end of Year 4, standards in English, mathematics and science are well above those expected. Inspection findings match the school’s own end of year assessments of the pupils last year and results confirm that the pupils achieve well in relation to their level of attainment on entry to Year 3. Standards in mathematics have improved considerably because the teaching of mental arithmetic and the structure of numeracy lessons are very demanding for the pupils. The pupils identified with moderate learning difficulties and those with special educational needs throughout the school make good progress and most of them achieve the standards expected for their age. Standards in information and communication technology are above those expected by the age of seven and nine although better use of information and communication technology could be planned into science lessons. In other subjects, standards are above those expected at the time that the pupils leave the school.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school The pupils’ attitudes to learning, to school and to each other are very good. They co-operate very well and support other pupils during lessons and at other times. Behaviour, in and out of classrooms The pupils’ behaviour is very good. They are polite and courteous and this is helping the pupils to learn in a calm and orderly learning environment. There have been no exclusions from the school. Personal development and relationships This is very good. The pupils show maturity, enjoy taking responsibility and show initiative. Older pupils support and work with younger ones. Attendance Attendance levels are very good. There is very little unauthorised absence. Birkenshaw CE (C) First and Nursery School – Page 8

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Teaching of pupils in: Nursery and Reception Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 4

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

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Teaching of pupils in: Nursery and Reception Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 4

The teaching is good and ranges between satisfactory and excellent. This is a good improvement since the previous inspection. More could be done to improve the effectiveness of the teaching of numeracy from the Reception year through to the end of Year 2. The teaching in the nursery is outstanding because it sets very high expectations. The staff monitor and support the children regularly. Standards in English, mathematics, and science are high by the end of Year 4 because the teaching enables the pupils to learn through practical and relevant experiences. Literacy lessons are taught very well, resulting in the pupils learning to read, write and communicate very well. In reading and writing, the pupils make rapid progress and their language development has improved considerably. The pupils learning English as an additional language make good progress because they are fully integrated in all lessons and those in the early stages of English language acquisition are often provided with

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Teaching of pupils in: Nursery and Reception Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 4

focused adult support. The pupils who have special educational needs are well taught, enabling them to make good progress. In the nursery and the Reception classes, the teaching is effective in developing early reading, writing, and numeracy skills. In the rest of the school, teachers plan their lessons well, building on the work already done. In some lessons in the Reception year, activities could be more challenging when the pupils work independently or in the groups.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum The curriculum is good. In the nursery, the curriculum is excellent. Extra-curricular provision is unsatisfactory. Provision for pupils with special educational needs The pupils receive good support. The pupils with learning difficulties are identified early and this helps to plan programmes of work for these pupils. Provision for pupils with English as an additional language Good provision is made for these pupils and they make good progress. The school often deploys additional support assistants in lessons who support and encourage the pupils to participate in class discussions. Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Provision is very good and is supported through appropriate daily acts of collective worship. The curriculum is practical and there is a very good range of educational visits, which make a significant contribution to the pupils’ social and cultural development.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils There is a good level of care provided and effective assessments are used to inform teachers’ planning. These help to set targets and inform teachers’ planning.

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Aspect Comment

Parents believe this to be a good school and they are pleased with standards. Extra-curricular activities have reduced in number since the last inspection and overall the provision for these is unsatisfactory. The school provides a good range of educational visits, which include adventurous and team-building activities. Members of the local community are regularly invited to contribute to the curriculum and this enhances the activities and tasks set for the pupils.

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff The headteacher and senior staff provide good leadership. There are effective routines and policies. The headteacher monitors lessons, teachers’ planning, and pupils’ work regularly and makes good evaluations of how well the pupils are doing and the impact of the teaching on their learning. How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities The governing body provides good support. They work closely with the school and its staff and understand their roles. The school’s evaluation of its performance This is good because there are clear priorities in the school development plan. The governors and senior staff monitor and evaluate the work of the school well. The strategic use of resources This is satisfactory with clear spending priorities. The governors have a good understanding of how to measure cost effectiveness when committing school funds to resources.

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Aspect Comment

The large site is expensive to run and this is having an impact on the amount of additional teaching support the school can afford. The headteacher balances her time well to make herself accessible to all parts of the school. Secretarial support is Birkenshaw CE (C) First and Nursery School – Page 9 deployed so that the parents have good access to both main buildings. There have been improvements to the school building and surrounding play areas. However, the school field is under-used, largely as a result of drainage problems and is not suitable for outdoor physical education.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• Their children make good progress. • The teaching is good. • The behaviour of the pupils. • The school expects children to work hard. • They feel comfortable approaching the school. • The school is well led and managed. • The school is helping their child become mature and responsible. • The range of activities provided outside lessons.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

Parents are very pleased with the way the headteacher manages the school. They find that the staff are approachable and make them feel welcome. Inspectors support the positive views expressed by parents and agree that the provision for extra-curricular activities could be better. Some additional activities, for example, instrumental tuition, take place at lunchtimes and a good number of pupils participate in these. Birkenshaw CE (C) First and Nursery School – Page 10

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

1. On entry to the nursery, the children’s attainment is above that expected at this age. The children make very good progress in all areas of learning because of the excellent provision and the teaching. Most of the children join the school’s Reception year but a significant proportion do not because of the increasing demand for places in the main school from out of district families. The children’s attainment on entry to the Reception year is above the standards expected in speaking, reading, knowledge of letter sounds, and mathematical development. In other areas of learning, attainment is above average. They make good progress in all areas of learning and show very good attitudes to school, which is helping them to settle quickly into the main school in their Reception year. The children make good progress in both classes and, by the time they reach the end of the Reception year, their attainment is above the standards expected at this

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

age in all areas of learning. In their physical development, the pupils make very good progress. The school has maintained standards and its good provision in the Foundation Stage since the previous inspection but more could be done to challenge children that are more able in the Reception year, especially during free-choice and independent activities such as role-play.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

2. The standards achieved by the majority of seven-year-olds in the 2001 National Curriculum tests were above the national average in reading, writing, and science, and average in mathematics. Compared with similar schools, the pupils achieved well above average standards. In reading and writing, standards were well above average but showed a slight dip in mathematics on the previous year. Mathematics standards were too low given that the pupils performed well in reading, writing, and science. Too few pupils achieved the higher Level 3 in the mathematics tests, which had the effect of depressing overall test results. This has been a consistent pattern over the last three years even when mathematics standards are above those expected by the end of Year 2. Mathematical development is hampered by the lack of attention given to basic numeracy, particularly mental arithmetic skills that will help the pupils to recall common and simple number

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

facts quickly. Science standards are above average but more could be done to use information and communication skills in science lessons.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

3. Inspection findings differ slightly from last year’s test results as standards in reading and writing are well above those expected by the end of Year 2. This would bring them back up to the levels achieved in previous years in the national tests for seven-year-olds. This also confirms that the proportion of pupils on the special educational needs register in 2001 did have an impact on reading and writing results as there are fewer on the register in the current Year 2. Currently, mathematics and science standards are above those expected. However, the consistent pattern in mathematics test results shows gaps in numeracy skills that affect their overall attainment. Inspection evidence confirms that numeracy skills could be better used in Years 1 and 2 and that the teaching does not always focus on improving basic mental recall sufficiently for the pupils to use these skills confidently in their problem solving.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

4. Optional tests for nine-year-olds indicate standards in English, mathematics and science that are well above those expected by the end of Year 4. Inspection findings confirm that currently standards by the end of Year 4 are well above those expected in all three subjects. Early indications are, using the school’s accurate targets, that standards are rising as more focused and targeted work is provided to ensure that a significant proportion of higher attaining pupils achieve higher than expected levels for their age. In both Year 3 and 4 the pupils make good progress, building well on the standards they achieved by the age of seven. Evidence from this inspection shows that the pupils are making good progress in mathematics and this is especially relevant as the pupils are using numeracy skills more confidently to solve real life problems. Reading and writing standards are high because the pupils read widely and use a good range of

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

vocabulary in their writing. Science standards are well above those expected because the pupils have been challenged sufficiently in their science investigations but more could be done to utilise information and communication technology in science.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

5. Standards in information and communication technology are above those expected nationally by the age of seven and nine. The pupils make good progress in information and communication technology because opportunities are provided for the pupils to use new technology across a range of subjects but this is sometimes lacking in science. There has been good improvement since the last inspection because new resources have kept up with the demands of new technology, for example, better resources and the use of, digital cameras, tape recorders, and robotic devices, enable pupils to make good progress. Indications are that standards will improve further and are likely to continue to be above those expected.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

6. Standards are rising in line with the national trend although in Years 1 and 2, national tests show that in mathematics they have risen more slowly than in reading, writing and science. The increase in the proportion of pupils with special Birkenshaw CE (C) First and Nursery School – Page 11 educational needs and the impact of the increasing number of families choosing the school from outside the immediate area has affected standards in some years. A close analysis of the pupils’ attainment on entry to the Reception year shows some variation between their attainment in mathematics compared with language and literacy. In mathematics, their attainment on entry to the school is lower than in communication skills. This may account for the difference in attainment by the end of Year 2 in national tests but inspection findings show that other factors related to the acquisition of basic numeracy skills have a bearing on test results.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

7. The pupils throughout the school make good progress overall. In Years 1 and 2, they make very good progress in reading and writing as well as speaking and listening. In other areas, the pupils make good progress in most subjects and very good progress in history and music. Standards in all other subjects, including religious education are above those expected by the end of Year 2 and Year 4. They make good progress in all other subjects. History and music are strong features of the school’s provision and these have established a good reputation in the school as a result. A significant proportion of pupils play musical instruments and there is a strong emphasis on learning about musical traditions including those from western and non-European cultures.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

8. The majority of the pupils on the special educational needs register experience some difficulties with literacy and numeracy. Children are placed on the first stage of the register as soon as any concern is noted. Each year seven or eight pupils are removed from the special needs register, signifying good progress and improvement by the pupils. The remaining pupils all have moderate learning difficulties which include speech, visual impairment or are experiencing behavioural difficulties. A small number of pupils with statements are in Years 1 and 2 and a similar number are in Years 3 and 4. All the pupils are attaining appropriately and making good progress. A very small number of pupils are learning English as an additional language. They are taught broadly the same curriculum as the other pupils and are making good progress. The school’s classroom support staff support individuals and groups of pupils well in lessons. Gifted and

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

talented pupils are identified early and are well supported.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

9. Attitudes to the school are very good. The pupils say that they think this is an excellent school. They arrive promptly and as soon as they enter their classrooms they settle to quiet reading or mathematics problems. Although there are few clubs or other out-of-school activities, pupils take part very enthusiastically in the range of activities provided in lessons.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

10. Behaviour is very good. In almost all lessons children work very hard and want to contribute to discussions and answer teachers’ questions. They concentrate on the tasks given to them without unnecessary chatter or disturbance. In a Year 3 history lesson, for example, they think very carefully about how children felt in wartime when they were evacuated to the countryside. Year 2 pupils came up with a good range of ideas for explaining how to deal with a plague of wasps, following the teacher's reading of 'The Giant Jam Sandwich'. No behaviour that was unsatisfactory was seen and there have been no exclusions. No bullying, sexism or racism has been recorded, nor was any observed during the inspection.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

11. Personal development and relationships are very good. Children watch out for each other and are concerned when others are hurt, for example, older pupils watch out for younger children when playing outside at break-times. The pupils know how to take turns when answering the teacher. In the nursery, the children listened carefully while each in turn sorted pictures into the correct sequence to make the story of Goldilocks. In the rest of the school, the pupils show initiative and an excellent sense of responsibility. Year 4 pupils undertake a range of duties similar to those found in Year 6 in many primary schools, for example tidying the library, operating the compact disc player for assemblies and supporting younger pupils at break-times and other times during the day. In both playgrounds the school has provided Friendship Stops, where children who want someone to talk to or play with are befriended by Year 2 and Year 4 boys or girls. Pupils' out of

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

school leisure activities are valued and rewarded by the school with certificates or stars, in newsletters and in achievement assemblies. Relationships with all adults in the school are very good and children want to show their teachers how well they learn and what they know.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

12. Attendance is very good; it is consistently well above the national average. It has improved since the last inspection by one percentage point from an already very high level. There are very few unauthorised absences. Fewer families now take their children out of school for long holidays during term time although there has been an increase in long weekends, which means that some pupils miss key lessons in literacy and numeracy.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

13. The teaching is good overall with a significant proportion that is very good. Good lessons were seen in all classes and appointments to the teaching staff since the last inspection have improved and strengthened the teaching further. There are good policies related to teaching and learning and together with the support provided by the headteacher and senior Birkenshaw CE (C) First and Nursery School – Page 12 staff, standards are improving, expectations are good and the work being planned for the pupils is well matched to their capabilities. In all of the lessons seen, the teaching was at least satisfactory and the large majority was found to be good or better. Forty per cent of the lessons seen were of good quality and 37 per cent of lessons observed, including the nursery, were judged to be of high quality. Twenty-three per cent of the lessons seen were satisfactory and the most significant difference between these lessons and the rest of the teaching seen was the expectations set by teachers which

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

were not always as high as they ought to be. The teaching throughout the school is having a positive impact on pupils’ learning and their achievement. The teaching has improved well since the last inspection, resulting in effective planning and targeting of the pupils to raise attainment further. The pupils with special educational needs make good progress because teachers’ planning fully includes work which is well matched to the pupils’ needs and abilities in all classes.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

14. The teaching in the Foundation Stage is good overall. It is excellent in the nursery and is mainly good with some satisfactory teaching in the Reception year. In the nursery, the children learn to settle quickly to routines and make very good progress in their personal and social development because adults respond well to the children, providing them with an excellent range of activities. There is a high degree of planning and continuous assessment, which is helping all the adults to respond extremely effectively to the individual needs of the children. Both the teacher and nursery nurses are highly skilled at getting the best out of the children. The children respond so well that they cannot wait to tell their parents all the wonderful things they have learned after each session. The adults work very hard to provide resources and plan activities for all the children so that every child is provided a rich and balanced programme of activities, tasks and

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

15. In the Reception year the pupils are taught effectively and the teaching is good overall. The teaching is well planned and Reception children quickly learn to sound out words and recognise familiar words in stories. They can count, match numbers, and order them with ease. Speaking skills are being developed well as the children participate in well-planned class discussions. The teaching in both Reception classes is most effective when the children have direct contact with the teacher or classroom assistant. However, there are times when tasks are less challenging and at these times there may be no additional classroom support or the children are left to choose activities for themselves. This in itself is not an area of concern and in many cases the children work happily and are engaged in what they are doing. Some of the tasks provided do not always stretch or improve the pupils’ knowledge sufficiently. This is particularly true of independent activities and

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

the children are not making enough progress at these times.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

16. The teaching in Years 1 and 2 is good overall with some very good features. Seventy-six per cent of the lessons seen were good or better, including a quarter that were very good. The rest of the teaching seen was satisfactory. The teachers plan work carefully so that the pupils in both year groups have work that is matched to their capabilities. The pupils respond well to the teaching. They listen carefully to instructions and, during class discussions, they offer thoughtful answers and responses. They persevere with tasks, for example, when estimating how much time is needed to complete a range of tasks as part of their mathematics topic about time spans. The teaching is having a positive impact on the pupils’ attitudes to learning and their behaviour. There are clear rules and classroom routines, which provide a secure learning environment for the pupils. Introductions to lessons make it clear what is expected. Learning objectives are always shared with the

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

pupils, for example, in a Year 1 English lesson the pupils sing out the letters of the alphabet and the teacher explains very clearly what they are going to do with letter sounds and words later in the lesson. However, in most numeracy lessons the teachers miss good opportunities to extend the pupils’ use of mental arithmetic by teaching simple number bonds or patterns. In one lesson, the pupils could count in twos and threes and recognised that fives and tens make a pattern but this was not reinforced with more challenging addition facts before moving on to the main topic about telling the time. The teaching in Years 1 and 2 is clearly planned and well thought out by the teachers to provide practical and relevant tasks, such as a very good history lesson where the pupils discussed and wrote about their memories of close relatives and favourite pets.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

17. In Years 3 and 4, the teaching is good overall and ranges from satisfactory to excellent. Seventy-nine per cent of the lessons observed were good or better, including one in three lessons that were very good. The teachers prepare challenging and interesting tasks that motivate and sustain the pupils’ concentration, enabling them to work hard and persevere with tasks. In all of the lessons seen, there was a good structure so that time was provided for the pupils to ask questions and explain their methods, as for example, in a very good English lesson where the pupils compared two reports presented in different ways. The pupils enjoyed comparing a report about their teacher’s house and a more formal annual report from a fictional medical practice. They were able to explain why one report presented the information better and was easier to read. In a very good mathematics lesson, Year 4 pupils were being challenged to think of different methods for

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

calculating addition using numbers up to 1000. The grouping of pupils by prior attainment is particularly effective in both Years 3 and 4 because it allows the teachers to plan work that is closely matched to the capabilities of the pupils in each group. Very good use is made of information and communication technology. For example, in an English lesson, the pupils’ knowledge of word processing improved very well as they organised and re-arranged text on computers and edited their work using the spell check function. The teacher allowed time for the pupils to explore the text and to write their own passages using adjectives and adverbs to add colour and description to their work. Birkenshaw CE (C) First and Nursery School – Page 13 18. The teachers throughout the school use good assessment procedures to monitor the pupils’ progress in all subjects. Work is usually marked up to date and it is clear to the pupils what they have to do to improve further. Teachers keep

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

good records having tested what the pupils know and this information is used to prepare coherent annual reports to parents about their children’s progress. The pupils are very involved in the setting of individual learning targets. Regular assessments, including optional national tests in Years 3 and 4, help to inform and adapt teachers’ planning because it is clear what has been learnt and what needs to come next.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

19. The school has done well since the last inspection in developing and improving the teaching. A significant proportion of teaching, more than one in three lessons seen, was of high quality. All of the lessons observed in the nursery were excellent and approximately one in four lessons in other parts of the school were of high quality. History and music teaching is usually of high quality and this is having an immediate effect on the standards achieved. The key features, which set this standard of teaching apart from the rest, are the pace, challenge, and enthusiasm for the subjects being taught. In these lessons, resources are very well used to support and enhance the pupils’ experiences. For example, in a very good music lesson, Year 2 pupils quickly gained in confidence using tuned and untuned instruments to produce long and short sounds. The teaching made best possible use of the instruments and the lessons clearly built on work

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

previously done so that the pupils were clear about what was expected of them. In other good and very good lessons seen, the pupils investigated how characters in stories are presented and described. Their learning was enhanced by a thorough investigation of different stories and texts by scanning the words to determine which words and phrases expressed how the characters felt at the time. This led to some very good discussion about the use of description in writing stories.

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20. The teaching in the nursery was always excellent. This is a key strength. The children are provided with opportunities to express themselves when painting, writing, drawing, typing on a computer or producing pictures using graphics. The breathtaking pace of the lessons excites and stimulates the children with marked improvement in their work and responses. The teacher and nursery nurses skilfully utilise all the space available and the very good quality resources to provide an effective and extremely well organised learning environment. Interactions between adults and children are excellent. The planning is extremely effective as each adult knows when each child is due to experience every activity and regular assessments of how well the children are doing informs the planning further.

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21. The pupils with special educational needs are provided with good and effective support. Their progress is monitored very closely by class teachers and managed by the special educational needs co-ordinator. Much of the work provided focuses on spoken language, reading and comprehension activities, as well as improving writing and numeracy skills. This is helping to improve the pupils’ understanding, for example, in mathematics as they handle word problems. A key strength of the provision for and teaching of pupils with special educational needs is the way the pupils learn to cooperate with others and to work independently. This helps them to persevere with tasks and enables them to make good progress in all subjects. All the staff use praise and encouragement effectively to promote positive behaviour and personal, social and emotional development. The pupils are given very clear instructions about what it is they are expected to do and this is

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

having a positive effect on the few pupils identified as exhibiting emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

22. Support for the small number of pupils learning English is an additional language is consistently of good quality and the pupils achieve well in relation to their prior attainment. Effective support ensures that the pupils have understood the tasks and attention is given to ensuring that they have access to the specific vocabulary needed. Classroom assistants work very well with these pupils and at the same time include them in groups as well as support them individually so that they are not isolated or made to seem different from other pupils.

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

23. The school fully meets the requirements of the National Curriculum and the locally agreed syllabus for religious education and offers a broad and balanced curriculum. The school aims to educate the whole pupil and although an appropriate amount of time is devoted to literacy and numeracy, the creative arts, the study of the environment, and physical education, rightly play an important part in the school’s curriculum. To meet the new curricular requirements, the school has used nationally recognised schemes of work as a basis for its work in each of the foundation subjects but has adapted and modified these so that they have particular relevance to the pupils at the school. This process has effectively met one of the key issues from the previous inspection namely, to continue the production of schemes of work to provide effective continuity and progression throughout the school, particularly between key stages. Teaches plan thoroughly and clearly

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

across year groups, taking into account the needs of pupils and the importance of equal access to the whole curriculum of all pupils. The curriculum for children in the Foundation Stage offers a wide range of learning opportunities and is planned effectively based on national guidance. The provision for children in the nursery is excellent. In the Reception year, provision is good with very good features but there are times when there is a lack of additional support when the children Birkenshaw CE (C) First and Nursery School – Page 14 are involved in free-choice and role play activities. The provision for pupils with special educational needs is good. The school has a good policy, which fully meets the Code of Practice. The school identifies the needs of pupils at an early stage. Individual education plans contain clear and achievable targets for progress.

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

24. The headteacher has been active in addressing another of the key issues from the previous inspection, the monitoring and evaluation of curriculum developments. She has done this by carefully checking that curriculum activities match the programmes of study for each subject. Co-ordinators for each subject have collected portfolios of work produced by the pupils. The headteacher has also monitored the curriculum content of lessons by direct classroom observations of teaching. Since the previous inspection, the school has effectively and thoroughly implemented the national strategies for literacy and numeracy. The National Literacy Strategy, in particular, is having a positive effect on standards that is well above the national average.

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25. Provision for personal, social, and health education is good. The school has its own scheme of work to ensure that pupils’ knowledge and learning are systematically developed. This scheme is being modified to incorporate nationally recognised material. The programme is supported by separate events and a ‘healthy eating week’ organised by the catering service and lectures on road safety given by the police. There is a strong emphasis on personal hygiene throughout the school. Issues such as drug misuse are handled sensitively and thoroughly. The school’s policy is not to offer formal lessons in sex education although matters may be addressed informally.

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26. Provision for extra-curricular activity is limited and is significantly poorer than it was at the time of the previous inspection when it was described as excellent. Only a third of parents are satisfied that the school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. The school acknowledges that provision has deteriorated and that this is an area for development. Tuition in recorder and guitar playing is offered at lunchtimes. Outside agencies give some sports coaching but this is infrequent. The school offers few extra opportunities for pupils to develop particular skills to a high level; nor does it provide many opportunities for pupils who might not have access to extra-curricular clubs and activities.

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27. The school makes very good use of the community to further the learning of its pupils. It has considerable links with its local church and these extend beyond using it as a learning resource and a place of worship. The vicar works with the teachers to plan themes for assemblies. Members of the church community help to enrich the learning of pupils. For example, they speak to pupils in Year 3 about their experiences of life during World War 2. Members of the Women’s Institute support Year 4 pupils’ work in design and technology by showing them how to knit and work with textiles. The school makes good use of local museums and places of interest to support learning in history and geography, such as when Year 3 pupils learned about life in Victorian times when they visited the Colne Valley Museum. This learning is further supported by talks from a local historian who is often invited to talk to the pupils and staff. Pupils in the Reception

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year, Year 1 and Year 3 use an outdoor education centre to support fieldwork and for adventurous activities. Year 4 pupils have a three-day residential visit to the centre when they compare and contrast the locality to their own. Local businesses have provided sponsorship for a number of ventures including the development of a wildlife area in the school grounds. The local supermarket is used by Reception pupils for investigations into shopping habits and by Year 4 pupils to support their work in mathematics. Coaching provided by local professional football and rugby clubs helps to enrich the programme for physical education. Pupils’ musical interest is stimulated by visits from groups as disparate as African drummers and Opera North.

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28. Links with partner institutions are constructive. The school is part of a local pyramid of schools. This loose organisation provides useful opportunities for staff to liaise and have additional training in curriculum matters. Teachers have used the computer suite at the local secondary school for training in information and communication technology. Pupils help their learning by e-mailing a ‘friend’ at another school in the group. Children from local playgroups join the nursery for events such as their nativity play, which is held at a local church. The pupils in Year 4 visit the middle school to which they transfer for a day in their final term. Pupils and teachers from the middle school visit and Year 4 pupils receive letters from individual pupils at the middle school. These arrangements all help to make the transfer of pupils as seamless as possible. Students from local secondary schools do their work experience at the school. Students training to be nursery nurses and

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teachers, at local colleges, have extended training periods at the school. This is beneficial because extra adults mean increased individual help for pupils.

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

29. The school places a high priority on ensuring that, through the curriculum and the teaching, all of its pupils are valued equally and included in all of the learning activities provided at the school. This can be seen in the way the school meets the needs of different groups of pupils, including those with special educational needs and those who are bilingual learners. The school makes good provision for pupils who have special educational needs. The pupils who need them have well-constructed individual education plans. Although provision for the children in the Reception classes is good, there are times, especially when there is no additional support in lessons, when the children lack opportunities to interact or verbalise their ideas with an adult during role-play, sand and water play and other practical activities. Birkenshaw CE (C) First and Nursery School – Page 15 30. The overall provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is very good. Provision for pupils’

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spiritual development is good. Separate assemblies are held every day for pupils in Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 on their own sites. Assemblies have a theme that is developed spiritually, through prayer and Bible stories and through developing a sense of wonder. In one assembly for Key Stage 1, the theme was ‘Our Wonderful World’ and the pupils were held enthralled by a box shown to them by the headteacher. This was introduced as her ‘precious box’ and the pupils were encouraged to suggest what she kept in this box that was so special. This produced a palpable sense of wonder and anticipation. The plant bulb she finally produced was used very well to link their knowledge of plant growth to the theme of the assembly. She did this by encouraging them to consider how the bulb would change, the flower it would become, and how that would enhance their lives through its beauty. The same assembly was further developed spiritually with a

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prayer, which gave the pupils time for reflection, and by music that was described by the children as ‘peaceful’.

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

31. Provision for the pupils’ moral development is very good. An effective behaviour policy is in place. All classes have a set of class rules. For younger pupils, the teacher produces these rules but older pupils play a part in devising the rules for their classes. Behaviour is good and teachers clearly teach right from wrong. An example of this was seen in a Year 3 lesson when enthusiasm amongst the pupils led to talking that could have disrupted their attention but it was quickly noted by the teacher and curbed sensitively. The school has a policy of rewarding good behaviour and attitudes which is seen clearly in the reward assemblies held each week where pupils in Key Stage 1 receive an ‘apple’ and pupils in Key Stage 2, a certificate for particularly good behaviour and attitudes as well as good work.

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

32. Provision for the pupils’ social development is very good. The pupils frequently co-operate in their work and are encouraged to be supportive of one another. In a Year 3 science lesson the pupils cooperated very well when setting up their experiments, helping one another to obtain the correct amounts of the substances required, waiting calmly to take turns with equipment needed and pouring liquids with care. Teachers consciously provide opportunities to develop the children’s social skills. For example, in a Key Stage 1 assembly a volunteer was called for to undertake a task in front of all present. Nearly all the pupils made an eager response to be chosen and showed no signs of shyness. Social responsibility is developed through a variety of duties performed by the pupils. Year 4 pupils help Reception pupils each day with their coats and get them ready for registration and they make books to share with the younger children. Year 2 and Year 4

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pupils also take charge of ‘Friendship Stops’ in their respective playgrounds to offer places of refuge and comfort to any pupils feeling lonely or upset. Equipment for games outdoors has been ordered to enhance this provision. The school organises social activities, for example, the pupils take part in events at the local church and at the ‘Drop-in Centre’. The pupils receive social guidance visits from the police and fire service. The pupils have been involved in the development of a wildlife area with the help of some private funding. Each term collections are held for different charities. Organisations supported include an orphanage in Romania, Barnardo’s, and a hospice.

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

33. Provision for the pupils’ cultural development is good overall. The school provides for cultural development in the context of its local culture. Pupils have contact with local sports teams such as Bradford Bulls, Bradford City and Huddersfield Town. Links with local businesses have been established. The school has purchased a maypole and this is the focus for the provision of country dancing. Pupils make visits to museums such as the Colne Valley Folk Museum and the Toy Museum in Leeds. They also visit Oakwell Hall Country Park and House and the Evacuation Classroom in Dewsbury. Music appreciation is enhanced by visits from groups from the high school who give recitals and by visits from the Kirklees Music Service. In ‘Book Week’ the children have visits from authors who talk about their work. Learning in relation to cultural diversity in Britain and the wider world is developed predominantly in subject lessons such as religious

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

education and geography where the pupils learn about religions and other places. Some classes have also learned about Diwali and the Chinese New Year and an Indian dance group has visited the school. The school has appropriate policies, which specifically promote racial harmony. These include an effective equal opportunities policy and a racial harassment policy with very good guidance on how to deal with these important aspects to develop and promote good citizenship.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

34. Child protection procedures are very good. The headteacher is the named person and all members of staff, including the office and mid-day staff, received training about two years ago. Further training is to be held early in 2002. Health and welfare procedures are very good. The governing body and a teacher carry out regular inspections, and there is a clear system for reporting problems or possible health and safety risks to the headteacher as they arise. First aid procedures are effective, with good routines established to inform parents if pupils need to be taken home due to accidents or illness. Minor bumps are recorded and letters sent home at the end of the day. School meals include healthy eating options and younger pupils all have a drink of milk mid-morning.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

35. Procedures for monitoring and improving attendance are very effective and have resulted in an improvement from an already high position. Telephone messages or written explanations for routine absences are checked. Holiday absences are only approved if parents write and ask permission, explaining why absence in term time cannot be avoided. Birkenshaw CE (C) First and Nursery School – Page 16 36. Procedures for monitoring and promoting good behaviour are good and are grounded in high expectations, which are evident from the time the children start in the nursery, good teaching and interesting lessons. There are a few pupils with recognised emotional and behavioural difficulties who are supported by a system of behaviour logs and targets. Appropriate training has been provided for staff in how to cater for these pupils. Oppressive behaviour is not tolerated, and the school stresses friendship and responsibility. The pupils report that there is no name calling or bullying. The small

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

numbers of pupils from ethnic or cultural minorities were fully integrated into lessons and playtimes.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

37. Procedures for monitoring and supporting the pupils' personal development are good. Teachers monitor pupils' personal and educational development and all concerns are reported promptly to the headteacher. External support services and agencies are involved appropriately.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

38. The school has maintained the good quality assessment procedures noted at the time of the previous inspection. Assessment procedures are good. Pupils undertake the statutory assessments at the end of Year 2 and nationally recognised assessments at the end of Years 3 and 4. The results of these tests are analysed to find areas of weakness in the pupils’ learning. Answers are analysed for individual pupils and for groups of pupils so, for example, the progress of boys and girls may be compared. Results are used well to inform teachers’ planning. Pupils’ progress is tracked from their entry into the reception class. Projections are made of individual attainment levels in reading, writing, spelling, mathematics and science. These are reviewed annually. The pupils have individual targets in literacy but sometimes these are too vague to help them improve and reach higher levels. The school has introduced good assessment arrangements

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

for the foundation subjects and this represents an improvement since the last inspection. These arrangements are detailed and allow teachers to readily see if individual pupils are performing at, below or above the levels expected for their age. These arrangements have not been in place long enough to have had a real impact on standards in the non-core subjects but a good start has been made to monitor the progress that pupils make in all subjects of the National Curriculum.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

39. The progress of pupils with special educational needs is closely monitored and recorded. The class assistants and the class teachers note progress on a daily basis. Class assistants also liaise with outside agencies such as the speech and language unit. Termly reviews of the pupils’ progress take place between the class teacher and the special educational needs coordinator or more frequently if this is deemed to be necessary. For example, the special educational needs coordinator enters notes in a diary on the conduct of pupils with behavioural and emotional difficulties. Work is continually adapted according to the performance of pupils. The pupils undertake assessments regularly during the year in reading, writing and mathematics. The records kept enable the progress of individual pupils to be tracked. Pupils with a statement of special educational needs are well provided for and their programmes match the requirements of their

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

individual statements. Individual education plans are written by the class teacher and the special educational needs coordinator and are of good quality.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

40. Parents say this is a good school. Replies to the pre-inspection questionnaire indicate that most parents feel that the teaching is good, that the school expects hard work and high achievement, that pupils are helped to become mature and responsible so that children make good progress and that behaviour is good. Inspectors agree with all these views. Some parents regret that the range of after school clubs and activities, which the school used to run, are no longer provided. Some would like more information about topics and subjects in the curriculum before they are studied rather than afterwards. Inspection findings agree that these are legitimate concerns, which the school should consider.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

41. The school has effective links with parents. There are three parents' meetings a year to discuss progress. The contacts made before children start in the nursery are very good, and include meetings to discuss the Foundation Stage curriculum, home visits to get to know the parents and the children and a range of useful printed information. Contact is made with parents after school when they collect their children and in cases of accidents or emergencies.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

42. Parents make a significant impact on the work of the school. There is an active Parent Teacher Association, which raises considerable sums each year to supplement the school's budget through a range of social events. Parents give valuable help in the classroom, for example with sewing and food technology. Part of the school grounds has been planted as a wild flower meadow by parents and children and there are plans to embellish the landscaping of the school campus.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

43. The quality of information provided for parents is good. Annual reports on pupils are detailed and relate to each pupil individually. Hand-written personal comments about the pupils' personal development and targets for the future are included. The half-termly newsletters are attractive and contain information about community and church news, as well as about pupils’ leisure successes. News about topics that have been studied could very easily be made more useful by Birkenshaw CE (C) First and Nursery School – Page 17 telling parents beforehand what is in teachers' termly plans. Parents make a good contribution to homework right from entry to the nursery.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

44. The partnership with parents is good. Parents are very happy with arrangements for the support of pupils with special educational needs. They know who to contact and are welcome to discuss the progress of their children formally and informally as they wish. Parents are invited to review meetings and are encouraged to support their children at home.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

45. The headteacher provides good and effective leadership. She works closely with the deputy headteacher and senior staff and together they are an effective team. They focus and steer the work of the staff and governors to improve the effectiveness of teaching and learning through monitoring lessons and scrutinising pupils’ work and teachers’ planning. Raising standards further in mathematics by the end of Year 2 has been the main focus for development recently and there has been considerable input from outside advisers to help and support this important priority. Standards have improved and there are good procedures in place, which the headteacher uses to keep track of pupils’ achievements in national tests. The headteacher manages her time well given the difficulties presented after the school amalgamated from two neighbouring first schools into one large school using three buildings across a large site. She makes herself available to

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

parents and staff and ensures that she spends time in each part of the school to maintain contact with the pupils. Parents agree that her management, and that of other senior staff, is good.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

46. There is a determination to focus on school improvement as a continuous process. This is being greatly influenced by the personal dedication of the headteacher and staff to help all the pupils succeed. Amongst the many improvements since the last inspection, a major contributory factor is the school’s determination to maintain high standards. As a result, the teaching has improved well, especially in raising achievement in reading and writing. The staff and governors are greatly influenced by the headteacher’s effective leadership and enthusiasm to succeed and improve the school further. The management of the school is good with effective procedures in place that enable the senior staff to monitor teaching and learning. Consequently, the school has accurate and realistic targets for improvement with every pupil being monitored closely. Teachers are more certain about what they are going to teach and what they are aiming for. Assessments are

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

accurate and lead to a good analysis of data, which informs the way that the school groups the pupils and plans its teaching. Resources have improved but the demands of running a large site affects the school’s spending so that most resources are satisfactory with some good resources in literacy and mathematics.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

47. The governors are knowledgeable and experienced and very committed to the needs of the school and its pupils. There are some formal monitoring procedures in place and governors are kept well informed by the headteacher and senior staff. Named governors meet appropriate staff, for example, the special educational needs co-ordinator and the special educational needs governor and link governors attached to literacy and numeracy. This gives them a clear insight into the work being done and the progress that the pupils are making. The governors provide good support and work closely with the headteacher. They are experienced and know the pupils and staff very well. There are well established and effective routines in place which fully comply with statutory requirements so that all governors fully understand their responsibilities. There are good arrangements in place to train new governors and to involve them in committees. It is clear

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

from the headteacher’s reports and governors’ minutes of meetings, including committee meetings, that the school is well managed at all levels.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

48. Subject co-ordinators draw up action plans and have good plans in place to monitor and support staff in their respective subjects and areas of responsibility. Resources are well managed and the co-ordinators scrutinise teachers’ planning to ensure that there is appropriate work being done. Co-ordinators who have recently been appointed are well supported by the headteacher and deputy headteacher, who help them prepare an effective curriculum and professional development programme for the staff. The deployment of learning support staff has been successful in helping them to provide skilled intervention programmes that involve teaching reading, writing and numeracy as well as inclusive support in other subjects for groups of pupils and individuals. This has had a positive effect on the pupils identified with special educational needs. There is a limited number of support staff as the school is unable to afford sufficient for each class to

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

have full-time support. During the inspection this had a particular impact on the provision for Reception age children who at times need additional support during integrated activity times.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

49. The school is adequately staffed with a team of dedicated teachers and teaching assistants. Teachers are all suitably qualified and trained in the appropriate phase. The school’s system of appraising the quality of teaching is linked closely with teacher’s training and professional development. This is paying dividends as the quality of teaching is good and has improved well since the last inspection. All the staff have been trained to teach the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies and this is one of the reasons why standards are high by the end of Year 4. Administrative staff are efficient and play a significant part in the friendly and welcoming atmosphere at the school. The caretaker and cleaning staff work Birkenshaw CE (C) First and Nursery School – Page 18 with energy and enthusiasm and the standards of cleanliness about the school are high. The catering staff provide nourishing meals of good quality and make a good contribution to pupils’ personal, social and health education.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

50. The school’s finances are well managed. The headteacher and governors make the best possible use of the limited funds available to the school. The large site does not qualify as a split site school as there is no road between the two main buildings. The necessary deployment and appointment of two secretaries and the stretched resources involved in maintaining the school buildings have a significant bearing on the amount of funds available to the school to be spent on learning resources and staffing. There are efficient and effective procedures in place to track spending and determine priorities for resources in the school’s management plan. The governors are efficient in their spending and there is good attention paid to the principles of best value when committing the school’s funds to specific items of expenditure.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

51. Accommodation is satisfactory. Since the last inspection the number of pupils in the school has increased by 60, or over two classes, and a further 28 will start in the Reception year in January 2002. This will reduce significantly the space available for pupils in this part of the Foundation Stage. In the longer term, the split nature of the site will mean that Year 2 classes will be split between the buildings, making it more difficult to coordinate the curriculum. The provision of two offices, staffrooms, halls and kitchens has cost implications, which reduces the amount available for other expenditure, for example, resources, books and materials. This creates additional problems in respect of managing and monitoring the work of the school as the headteacher has to balance her time between the two sites in order to maintain contact with all the pupils and staff. There is no information and communication technology suite, and little space in the Key Stage 2 building

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

for art and design and technology activities except in the classrooms. The very generous grounds, which the school has developed into a range of environmental areas, cannot be used for much of the year because of the marshy ground. The nursery building and surrounding play space are spacious and have attractive play areas. The whole site retains a semi- rural feel, with gardens, trees and stone walls, in the middle of an urban village. Birkenshaw CE (C) First and Nursery School – Page 19

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

52. In order to build on the good education provided by the school, the governing body, headteacher and staff should:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

q improve numeracy standards by the end of Year 2 by: • teaching effective mental arithmetic techniques from an early age to help the pupils recognise number patterns and recall addition and subtraction facts quickly from memory; • placing more emphasis on mental arithmetic during the introduction of numeracy lessons; • providing more opportunities for the pupils to investigate numbers up to 1000 and solve practical problems that reinforce the pupils’ understanding of numbers and number operations; (Paragraphs: 2-3; 6; 16; 78; 80; 84; 86-88)

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

q provide more challenge for all the children in the Reception year when they are engaged in free-choice activities by: • providing regular adult support at these times so the children can explain their ideas and share their thoughts with others; • providing activities and tasks that are more challenging when individuals and groups of children are not being directly supervised by an adult; • providing more opportunities for the children to work independently so they can choose resources and materials for themselves to extend their thinking further. (Paragraphs: 1; 15; 23; 29; 54-55; 58; 61; 63-64; 67)

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

Other less serious areas for development which should be considered by the school: q seek further enrichment of the school’s curriculum through improved extra-curricular provision so that the pupils have more opportunities to participate in activities outside the school day. (Paragraph: 26) Birkenshaw CE (C) First and Nursery School – Page 20

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 23

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

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

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery YR – Y4

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 30 301

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 0 18

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Information about the school’s pupils

Special educational needs Nursery YR – Y4

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 0 4

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 1 68

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Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 6

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 6

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 14

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Attendance

National comparative data 5.6 National comparative data 0.5

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Attendance

Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Birkenshaw CE (C) First and Nursery School – Page 21

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

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2001 27 29 56

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

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

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

Boys 26 25 27 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 29 28 28

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

Percentage of pupils School 98 (95) 95 (99) 98 (95) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (83) 86 (84) 91 (90)

p.21

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

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.21

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

Boys 26 26 27 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 28 28 28

p.21

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

Percentage of pupils School 96 (95) 96 (96) 98 (99) at NC level 2 or above National 85 (84) 89 (88) 89 (88)

p.21

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

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Birkenshaw CE (C) First and Nursery School – Page 22

p.21

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage 0 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – African heritage 0 Black – African heritage 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Any other minority ethnic group 2 Other minority ethnic groups 0 0

p.22

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

p.22

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 12.4 Financial year 2000/2001

p.22

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 24

p.22

Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y4 Total income 654,344

p.22

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 10.5 Total expenditure 631,121

p.22

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 207 Expenditure per pupil (based on 367 pupils) 1,720

p.22

Teachers and classes Financial information

Qualified teachers and support staff: nursery Balance brought forward from previous year -11,777

p.22

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 1 Balance carried forward to next year 12,102

p.22

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 30

p.22

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 1.5

p.22

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 29

p.22

Recruitment of teachers

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

p.22

Recruitment of teachers

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

p.22

Recruitment of teachers

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 0

p.22

Recruitment of teachers

Number of vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of a term or more (FTE) 1

p.22

Recruitment of teachers

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

p.22

Recruitment of teachers

FTE means full-time equivalent. Birkenshaw CE (C) First and Nursery School – Page 23

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Percentage of responses in each category

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

p.23

Percentage of responses in each category

My child is making good progress in school. 51 44 3 0 2

p.23

Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 46 49 1 0 4

p.23

Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 35 53 10 1 1

p.23

Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 42 48 8 1 1

p.23

Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 64 30 4 1 1

p.23

Percentage of responses in each category

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 66 32 1 0 1

p.23

Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 36 49 9 3 3

p.23

Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 46 45 3 3 3

p.23

Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 47 51 1 0 1

p.23

Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 12 20 26 9 33

p.23

Other issues raised by parents

Parents are pleased with the way the school supports their children and the progress they make but some would like to be informed about the topics to be covered each term so they can support them at home. Birkenshaw CE (C) First and Nursery School – Page 24

p.23

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

53. The school’s provision for children in the Foundation Stage is in the nursery and two Reception classes. The curriculum is based on the appropriate areas of learning and overall provides the children with a good range of learning opportunities. In the nursery, provision is outstanding and is particularly effective in providing a wide range of challenging and focused experiences to promote the early learning goals in personal, social and emotional development, communication, language and literacy, mathematics, knowledge and understanding of the world, physical development and creative development. Provision in the two reception classes ranges between satisfactory to very good and is good overall.

p.24

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

54. The attainment of most children when they first start nursery and the Reception year is slightly lower than at the time of the last inspection and is now just above that expected of children of this age. This is confirmed by the school’s initial assessments. The teaching in the nursery is excellent and this has a very positive effect on children’s learning. As a result, by the time they move into the reception classes they have made significant gains in their learning and their attainment is above that expected of children starting the reception year. Overall the Reception classes build well on the excellent start made in the nursery and a significant number of children will exceed most of the expected early learning goals by the time they begin Year 1.

p.24

Personal, social and emotional development

55. The children’s personal, social and emotional development is given a high priority in the nursery and reception classes. This ensures that the children make good progress and are on target to reach the early learning goals before the end of the reception year. Relationships are positive and children very obviously enjoy coming to school and happily leave their parents and carers, immediately becoming involved in the range of activities available to them. They are eager to learn new skills and put effort and concentration into their tasks. Emphasis is placed on helping children to develop an understanding of appropriate behaviour and what is right and wrong and children respond well to the rules and routines of nursery and school life. The children are learning to share and work together in a variety of situations, such as role-play and outdoor play. Older children in the reception year work independently for sustained periods of time, even when

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Personal, social and emotional development

activities are not as challenging as they might be. All the children respond positively to challenging tasks, such as writing their own sentences or improving their number formation. In the nursery there are well-planned opportunities for the children to develop a sensitivity and awareness of their own uniqueness and the wonder of the world around them. Lessons in the reception classes build effectively on this as children consider their own place in the family and the importance of friendship and being kind to each other. There has been good improvement since the last inspection in this area of learning.

p.24

Communication, language and literacy

56. The teaching of communication, language and literacy is excellent in the nursery and ranges from satisfactory to very good in the reception classes. As a result, the majority of children will achieve the early learning goals by the beginning of Year 1 with most achieving them well before the end of their reception year.

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Communication, language and literacy

57. In both the nursery and reception classes communication, language and literacy are given a very high priority and children are provided with a wide range of effective experiences and activities to develop and extend their language skills. In the nursery, emphasis is placed on listening carefully to the adults in order to extend their skills, knowledge and understanding. The children listen very attentively and follow the teacher’s instructions as she explains how to ‘read’ a simple map. By the time the children move into the reception classes they are attentive listeners. They enjoy listening to well-told stories and rhymes and join in familiar ones with enthusiasm. In the nursery class considerable emphasis is placed on children sharing conversations with adults and challenging questions and comments are used very effectively to promote their thinking. Excellent adult interaction encourages the children to make choices. For example, when making

p.24

Communication, language and literacy

models, questions such as, “Do you think that is a good idea, what else could you use?” develop children’s thinking skills. The importance of using language to develop ideas in structured play situations, such as the home corner, café and clinic, encourage the children to use imaginative vocabulary as they create their own dramatic situations. They are learning to use language effectively to express feelings or persuade each other to take on a particular role, such as which family member will make the morning coffee or who will sit in which comfy chair.

p.24

Communication, language and literacy

58. In some reception lessons there are missed opportunities to interact with children in these situations in order to extend their vocabulary and clarify their thinking. When activities are interesting children are becoming confident speakers who Birkenshaw CE (C) First and Nursery School – Page 25 enjoy sharing conversations with adults and friends. In one reception lesson ‘a talk and tell’ activity encouraged even the most reluctant of children to stand up in front of the class to talk about ‘their own special bear’. Clearly labelled displays, alphabet and sound friezes and individual name cards in both the nursery and reception classes help to develop early reading and writing skills. By the time the children enter the reception classes most can recognise their names and make very good attempts to write their own names. The children are encouraged to make marks on paper as they work in the role-play ‘office’ or make ‘appointments at the clinic’. In some lessons children explore sounds, letters and early writing

p.24

Communication, language and literacy

when using an interesting writing table. They draw detailed pictures and are beginning to write simple sentences and make books about family events and topics using familiar letters, sounds and words. Emphasis is placed on the learning of sounds and the sound of the week with the effective use of a commercial scheme to develop the children’s understanding of sounds. Learning is reinforced as children excitedly bring objects from home beginning with a particular sound. More formal structured activities in the reception class develop children’s early reading and writing skills well. However, in some of these, the formal activities are not always used effectively in other areas of learning, such as the imaginative play situations. Many higher attaining children are learning to recognise rhyming words and can successfully build their own three letter words.

p.25

Communication, language and literacy

59. In the nursery a very comfortable book corner and a library area promote a love of books and children are learning to handle books with care. Children are often seen choosing a book to ‘read’ to themselves or to share with an adult. In the reception classes children are becoming very confident readers of simple texts. They understand about authors and illustrators and higher attaining children are beginning to use their knowledge of sounds to read unfamiliar words. All the children take games or books home on a regular basis to share with family members. This has a very positive effect on their progress in learning to read. There has been good progress in this area of learning since the last inspection.

p.25

Mathematical development

60. The teaching of mathematics is excellent in the nursery and varies from satisfactory to very good in the reception classes. The majority of children will achieve the early learning goals by the beginning of Year 1 and most will achieve them well before the end of their reception year. The nursery and reception classes provide a wide range of activities to promote mathematical understanding. In the nursery children learn to use mathematical ideas and skills in real situations, such as when sorting zoo animals into pairs and using the telephone and calculators when working in the ‘office’. In the reception classes, the staff use number rhymes well to reinforce the children’s understanding, such as ‘five little speckled frogs’ and ‘ten green bottles’. These effectively develop children’s ideas of early addition and subtraction. Problem solving is developed as the children work out directions and positions when making models.

p.25

Mathematical development

61. In all classes the children have good opportunities to compare, match, sort, order, sequence and count using a range of games, routines and experiences. Through well-planned topic work they explore number, pattern, shape and measurement. In the nursery, an ‘elderly 36-year-old bear’ developed children’s understanding of number beyond ten. Children in the reception classes are becoming competent with numbers up to 50 and beyond. Children respond positively to challenging tasks involving ‘big’ numbers and higher attaining children take great pride in being able to count backwards and forwards to 30 using a 100 square to help them. Children consider size, shape and position when playing with two and three-dimensional shapes, small toys or emptying and filling containers in the sand play area. However, in some reception class lessons a lack of planned adult intervention and support in some activities children choose for themselves results in

p.25

Mathematical development

missed opportunities to extend knowledge and understanding in mathematics even further. Activities to reinforce children’s understanding of number are limited when children choose activities which are often lacking in sufficient challenge, particularly for higher attaining children and progress is not as good as it should be.

p.25

Knowledge and understanding of the world

62. In this area of learning, the teaching is excellent in the nursery and varies from satisfactory to very good in the reception classes. As a result, the majority of children will achieve the early learning goals by the beginning of Year 1 with a significant number achieving them well before the end of their reception year. The natural curiosity of young children is enhanced as staff encourage them to talk about their discoveries and experiences. In the nursery, early scientific skills and knowledge are developed as children excitedly explore whether a range of objects are magnetic or not. Their recording skills are developed well as they use Venn diagrams showing the properties of the materials they have explored to help them sort materials into magnetic and non-magnetic groups. Through ‘hospital play’ children learn about their own bodies. They take each other’s ‘x rays’ and make interesting black and white ‘skeleton’ pictures.

p.25

Knowledge and understanding of the world

63. In the Reception classes, the children’s observational skills are developed further as they carefully examine the differences in materials and record their findings in an appropriate way. The celebration of festivals such as Christmas and Divali help the children to develop an understanding of their own culture and those of other faith systems. They learn about the passage of time through celebrating birthdays, talking about the days of the week and the changing seasons and weather. The recent past is brought alive for both nursery and reception children as they examine toys their parents and teachers Birkenshaw CE (C) First and Nursery School – Page 26 used to play with. There are very good examples of children having well planned opportunities to develop their skills of designing and making in nursery and Reception lessons. In one lesson, Reception children created their own puppet designs and higher attaining children confidently explained and evaluated how good they were. Materials are well

p.25

Knowledge and understanding of the world

organised and adult interaction encourages the children to choose from a wide range of materials. The children work independently to cut, fold and join a range of materials. In some reception lessons activities are less frequent and children have fewer opportunities to work independently and make their own choices about the suitability of materials. The computer and roamer (a robotic device) are popular choices and many children are competent in using the computer mouse and different programs to support their learning in mathematics and language and literacy.

p.26

Knowledge and understanding of the world

64. Construction toys are used well in most lessons to encourage children to design and make their own models and to discover how things work and how to improve on their work. Some activities in reception lessons do not always extend this learning sufficiently well and activities sometimes lack challenge and purpose. There has been good improvement since the last inspection.

p.26

Physical development

65. Effective teaching ensures the majority of children will meet the early learning goals well before they move into Year 1 . The teaching is excellent in the nursery and very good in the reception classes . Children’s natural exuberance and energy is catered for very well. A very well planned and imaginative outdoor play area provides children with daily opportunities to develop their physical skills. Confidence and skill are exhibited as children balance, climb and swing on the very good equipment available. There is a wide range of wheeled toys, which children manoeuvre well, avoiding other children and planned obstacles. They incorporate these into their dramatic play situations. A topic on their bodies helps nursery children develop an understanding of the importance of exercise to ensure good health. Structured physical education lessons for Reception children promote their further development. In these lessons children are developing very good

p.26

Physical development

spatial awareness, control and imagination as they respond well to their teacher. Most children display a suppleness and agility as they become more aware of their own bodies. Very good teacher intervention encourages the children to improve their skills of throwing and catching and as a result they make very good gains in their skills in a short time. Emphasis is placed on developing children’s independence and skill when handling tools and malleable materials and they are becoming competent as they handle a variety of tools and materials safely and with care. There has been very good improvement in this area of learning since the last inspection.

p.26

Creative development

66. The teaching is excellent in the nursery and ranges between satisfactory to very good in the reception classes. The majority of children will achieve the early learning goals by the beginning of Year 1 with a significant number achieving them well before the end of their reception year.

p.26

Creative development

67. Overall, the children enjoy a good range of experiences in art, music, story and imaginative play. The nursery provides children with an excellent range of opportunities to use their imagination. Exciting dressing up clothes encourage children to take on a range of different roles. One minute the children are ‘home makers’, doctors, nurses and office workers, the next they have donned a velvet cloak and become a wicked fairy tale character. In some reception class lessons opportunities for imaginative play are less well developed and there are missed opportunities to enhance the children’s imagination and extend their language and creativity in this area of learning. Structured music lessons for older children and a good range of musical instruments, songs and rhymes throughout the Foundation Stage, help to develop the children’s understanding of sound, rhythm and pattern. In both the nursery and reception year there are many activities

p.26

Creative development

available for children to develop their senses through investigating texture, shape and colour. The staff provide materials with interesting textures from which children can choose to create their own designs, pictures, models and collages. Their understanding of colour is developed well as nursery children mix their own shades of paint to create high quality pictures of teddy bears and older reception children paint their own family portraits containing interesting detail. Malleable materials such as ‘gloop’, play dough, sand and water are available for children to explore on a daily basis. In some lessons for older children there are fewer opportunities and a lack of adult support to enable children to choose their own materials and develop further their independent creative skills. There has been good improvement since the last inspection.

p.26

ENGLISH

68. Attainment at the age of seven and nine is well above the national average. This is a better picture than the latest national test results, which showed standards at the end of Key Stage 1 to be above the national average and those of pupils in similar schools. The trend since the last inspection has been one of sustained high standards overall and pupils of all attainment levels, including those with special educational needs and those for whom English is an additional language, Birkenshaw CE (C) First and Nursery School – Page 27 make good progress and achieve well in relation to their prior attainment. There are no significant differences between the attainment of boys and girls.

p.26

ENGLISH

69. Literacy is given a very high priority throughout the school and a number of strategies have been implemented to improve the standard of writing since the previous inspection. The school has enthusiastically implemented the National Literacy Strategy. Small group teaching for lower attaining pupils ensures they receive the level of support they need to make the progress they are capable of. As a result, a high percentage of pupils achieve the expected standard for their age in the national tests and a higher proportion than average exceeds these standards. Emphasis is placed on writing for a wide range of purposes. Pupils use their skills well in other areas of the curriculum, for example, when recording their experiments on electricity in a science lesson or researching the life of a mill worker in Victorian times as part of a history topic.

p.27

ENGLISH

70. Standards in speaking and listening are well above national expectations. In lessons pupils have planned opportunities to express their ideas and opinions. Pupils are eager to engage adults and each other in mature conversations, listening with interest to each other’s contributions. Speaking and listening skills make a positive contribution to the good behaviour and orderly running of the school as pupils listen well to adults following instructions carefully to improve their work and behaviour. By the end of Year 2, the pupils are confident speakers, eager to answer questions and to talk and evaluate their work. They initiate and enjoy conversations and express themselves clearly when relating family events, answering questions or explaining their tasks. Throughout the school the emphasis is on encouraging pupils to think about their work and to express themselves well using interesting and grammatically accurate language.

p.27

ENGLISH

71. Standards in reading are high. The pupils are confident and enthusiastic readers. The youngest read simple books with accuracy and understanding. They are aware of authors and illustrators and are able to identify the main characters and events in their favourite books. An understanding of sounds, word families and spellings give pupils confidence in reading unfamiliar words and this has a very positive effect on the progress they make in becoming fluent and confident readers. Higher attaining pupils in Year 2 use a variety of strategies to help them recognise words, such as letter patterns and sounds, the context of the writing and pictures. They read aloud with confidence, considerable expression and understanding. Dictionary skills are taught well to extend the pupils’ confidence in becoming independent readers and confident users of the library. The pupils are encouraged to read with expression and teachers are always on hand to

p.27

ENGLISH

check that they understand difficult words and phrases. Books are taken home regularly and family members hear their children read and provide good support. This has a very positive effect on pupils’ standards and progress. By the age of nine most are enthusiastic readers of a wide range of texts. Their reading is fluent and accurate and good expression conveys themes and moods such as humour or sadness. Older pupils express a preference for particular authors and they choose books because of interests such as humour or adventure. Above average and average attaining pupils understand plot, setting and characterisation. They show a mature understanding of different writers’ styles and accounts and are able to make deductions and inferences from their reading. Higher attaining pupils were able to offer a detailed opinion on Harry Potter books in a persuasive attempt to convince reluctant adults of their worth. Through well planned lessons the

p.27

ENGLISH

pupils have opportunities to read to their teachers and classroom support assistants regularly. They are developing good independent research skills as they use dictionaries, thesauri, encyclopaedias, CD-ROM and non-fiction books to seek out the information they need. Books are usually well matched to the pupils’ attainment and interest levels and are carefully chosen to interest boys and girls. Occasionally, the books are not sufficiently challenging and stories read in lessons do not always match children’s reading ability or interest levels.

p.27

ENGLISH

72. Standards in writing are well above those expected by the end of Year 2 and Year 4. By the end of Year 2 the majority of pupils are spelling common words correctly and making good attempts to spell more complex words. They write for a variety of purposes, such as writing instructions, recording a science experiment or writing an account of the life of Florence Nightingale. Year 2 pupils produced high quality work on how to make a jam sandwich, a finger puppet or a jigsaw. Higher attaining pupils use appropriate layout and vocabulary; observe the rules of punctuation, using full stops and capital letters; and use connectives and adjectives to add interest and clarity to their work. Writing is usually neat, well formed and well presented and most pupils are developing a good handwriting style. However, there are inconsistencies in the development of a joined writing style that limits some pupils’ progress and presentation of recorded

p.27

ENGLISH

73. In Years 3 and 4, the pupils progressively develop their ability to write for different purposes using a wide range of styles. Interesting diagrams and posters support their work in other subjects such as science, geography and history. Their work shows an awareness of the need for different presentational skills, vocabulary and style and a very good use of well- chosen vocabulary to enliven stories and accounts to capture the interest of the reader. They write their own accounts of some of the significant events of World War 2 and keep a diary as part of a science investigation on healthy eating. Writing is well organised and by the age of nine most pupils show a very good awareness of spelling rules, grammar and punctuation. Above average pupils invariably use correct punctuation, complex grammatical structures and rich Birkenshaw CE (C) First and Nursery School – Page 28 appropriate vocabulary to enliven their writing. By the end of Year 4 most pupils have developed a neat, flowing and

p.27

ENGLISH

legible style of handwriting. Information and communication technology is used well to support pupils’ literacy skills.

p.28

ENGLISH

74. The pupils show very positive attitudes to learning and enjoy constructive relationships with their teachers. This makes a positive contribution to pupils’ rate of progress and the standards of attainment achieved. Although the pupils are aware of the individual targets set to improve their handwriting, presentation skills and knowledge and understanding, many of the targets are too general to help them improve further. Opportunities to work collaboratively and to develop personal skills are well used. The pupils enjoy English lessons and respond very well to the structure of the literacy hour. Provision for pupils with special educational needs is good. The pupils receive effective support from classroom assistants and teachers and a significant number achieve the standards expected for their age in national tests.

p.28

ENGLISH

75. Teaching is never less than satisfactory with the majority of lessons seen being good and almost half being very good. All teachers confidently implement the National Literacy Strategy. Teaching is very carefully structured and well planned to meet the needs of pupils of all attainment levels. Teachers share the learning objectives with the pupils to ensure they are very clear about what it is they are expected to learn. Throughout the lesson they use praise, comments and questions very effectively to check understanding and extend thinking. Handwriting, spelling, punctuation and grammar are given a particularly high priority and the pupils’ knowledge and understanding of basic skills are apparent in their extended writing and when writing in other subjects. In a very good lesson on instructional writing the teacher’s imaginative use of resources, lively questions, clear explanations, well-chosen examples and the sensitive use of humour quickly developed

p.28

ENGLISH

the pupils’ understanding. Individual targets are effective in reminding the pupils of the strategies they need to improve their work, such as good handwriting, correct spelling and punctuation. However, not all the staff consistently remind pupils of these targets and many are not specific enough and, as result, there are some missed opportunities to extend learning further. Plenary sessions are very effective in checking understanding and extending the pupils’ thinking. Teachers have high expectations of behaviour and attainment resulting in very good discipline and high standards.

p.28

ENGLISH

76. There is a range of appropriate, imaginative and high quality resources to support the teaching of literacy. This has a very positive effect on the quality of the provision, making the teaching and learning of English challenging and interesting.

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ENGLISH

77. Assessment and record keeping continue to be useful in helping to maintain standards at the high level. National and school test results, as well as teachers’ assessments are carefully scrutinised to improve standards, track pupils’ progress and to set targets for the school and individual pupils. Detailed records on pupils’ progress from the time they enter the school provide very useful information on the progress they make and how well they achieve in relation to their prior attainment. There are, however, inconsistencies in the marking of pupils’ work. Teachers do not always remind pupils of their targets or provide them with helpful suggestions on how they can improve further. The co-ordinator is enthusiastic and knowledgeable about the subject. Formal monitoring of the teaching and planning takes place and staff are given feedback on how to improve the quality of their teaching. This has a very positive effect on the high quality of English

p.28

ENGLISH

teaching and learning taking place in the school.

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MATHEMATICS

78. Standards in mathematics are improving and are above those expected at the age of seven and well above expectations by the age of nine. The teaching of mathematics is good although more could be done in Key Stage 1 to improve standards. The National Numeracy Strategy has been implemented well and this is having a significant impact on standards. Results of the 2001 national tests for seven-year-olds showed that standards were in line with the national average and average compared with similar schools. Standards should be higher because a significant proportion of the pupils who had the potential to exceed the levels expected for their age did not do so. The main reason for this is that the pupils do not use basic numeracy and computation skills well. Inspection evidence also confirms that numeracy standards could be higher although standards in other aspects of mathematics, for example, shape, space and measures, are above those expected by

p.28

MATHEMATICS

79. There are no national tests for nine-year-olds so that national comparative data is not available. However, last year’s results of optional National Curriculum tests showed that standards by the end of Year 4 were high. Inspection evidence confirms that, by the end of Year 4, standards are well above those expected. The large majority of the pupils attain the levels expected for their age and a large proportion exceed these levels. Overall the school is well on course to achieve its challenging targets. This indicates that throughout Year 3 and 4, the pupils make good progress, building well on the standards they achieved at the end of Year 2.

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MATHEMATICS

80. The pupils in Years 1 and 2 are developing their understanding about numbers well and know how to calculate and count accurately backwards and forwards using a number line. They can add on and take objects away from a group. Most pupils in Year 1 can record numbers and arrange them in order and are beginning to apply addition and subtraction facts Birkenshaw CE (C) First and Nursery School – Page 29 well. However, in both Years 1 and 2, the pupils hesitate when calculating mentally and some use inefficient methods to arrive at an answer. For example, in one lesson all the Year 2 pupils could work out how many apples were left on a tree when some fell off by taking away from the higher number or adding on from the lower number. But with more complex number work the pupils hesitate when calculating using groups of numbers, such as counting in twos, threes or fives. One pupil was confident counting in twos from zero to ten as he worked out how many cubes he had but hesitated after ten

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MATHEMATICS

and began counting in ones. In another lesson, Year 1 pupils had a good grasp of days and months when looking at the calendar but hesitated when asked how many days there were between two points in a week. One pupil used her fingers to work it out, another pointed to the days on the wall but counted the same day twice. Most Key Stage 1 pupils will achieve the expected standards for their age and a significant proportion have the potential to exceed this standard. Numeracy skills are developing well but the pupils demonstrate a general lack of confidence when calculating number problems mentally. By the time the pupils are seven, they can recognise two and three-dimensional shapes and their properties and are aware of symmetrical shapes. They are learning to tell the time well, and to make comparisons, for example about the amount of time it might take to write out their names a number of times.

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MATHEMATICS

81. By Year 4, the pupils are making good progress in all aspects of mathematics. In both Years 3 and 4, the pupils are learning to apply their knowledge of mathematics and numbers to solve simple word problems and to use the correct number operations. They are learning about shapes and their properties and appropriate units of measure, for instance litres and kilograms. They are learning how to handle data on graphs and charts. Their progress is a result of the good teaching they receive in Key Stage 2. The pupils are developing an enthusiasm for mathematics due to the high degree of motivation they gain from their teachers and higher attaining pupils in particular are developing their work effectively. In Year 4, the pupils are learning to understand number operations and to apply their mathematical knowledge. They are developing their ideas about fractions and how to manipulate numbers, such as ‘half of eight is four’. Year 3 pupils begin to practise

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MATHEMATICS

number facts and have developed a good understanding of number operations, fractions, multiplication and division. They can easily identify two-dimensional shapes and by the end of Year 4, their knowledge of shapes and measures is very secure. The pupils have also gained a thorough knowledge of mathematical language, and about complex descriptions of three-dimensional shapes such as prisms, cuboids and pyramids.

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MATHEMATICS

82. The pupils throughout the school have positive attitudes to mathematics, and behaviour in lessons is very good. They are very attentive and respond well to their teachers. Pupils with special educational needs are supported well and make good progress with most of them reaching the standards expected for their age. All pupils are expected to participate in the activities provided, including those who are learning English as an additional language. Learning assistants are deployed to provide effective support for individuals and groups of pupils.

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MATHEMATICS

83. Pupils are learning to use mathematics in other subjects. For example, in science in Years 1 and 2, they use charts and block graphs to illustrate different types of healthy food. Computers are used well in Years 3 and 4 to present information, for example, using data handling programs to present information pictorially. Information and communication technology is used appropriately in the school to support mathematics. The pupils have produced a good range of graphs and printed matrices using computers to analyse data and present this in a way that helps them to draw conclusions. From analysing the pupils’ work, it is clear that presentation of work is good and the pupils set out their work neatly.

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MATHEMATICS

84. Teaching and learning are good overall throughout the school with a significant proportion of very good teaching seen in Year 4. All of the teaching seen in Years 1 and 2 was good. However, the introduction to numeracy lessons does not always focus sharply on teaching basic numeracy and mental arithmetic skills. This has the effect of missing good opportunities to reinforce the necessary techniques that will help the pupils to improve their mental recall of numbers, especially in relation to addition and subtraction facts. For example, in the mental and oral parts of most lessons, the teaching does not always point out mistakes made or show the pupils how best to calculate number problems quickly. When Year 2 pupils practised converting real life problems into addition and subtraction facts, insufficient time was spent on reinforcing number bonds to 20, 50 and 100. The pupils enjoy using small white boards or hand-held number fans to

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MATHEMATICS

show their answers but these can sometimes distract the pupils from working out more complex number facts. As they wait for one child to work out a sum, other pupils could be challenged with further number related problems. The topic covered during the inspection, time and calendars, was well taught with plenty of practical activities that sustained and interested the pupils. Plenary sessions are used well to reinforce the main objectives of the lesson.

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MATHEMATICS

85. In Years 3 and 4, the focus on numeracy skills is much more challenging, resulting in improved use of mental and oral techniques. In one very good lesson, Year 4 pupils could use a step by step approach to work out subtraction facts up to 1000. They used individual white boards and the pace of the lesson was such that every pupil was being challenged at the appropriate level. The teaching was clearly focused on showing the pupils how each part of a three-digit number can be broken down and at the same time the pupils were shown two methods to help them calculate, for example, 275 - 85. Some pupils started from 85 and the teacher encouraged them to think of how to work out the sum quickly and mentally. The pupils responded in different ways, some more efficiently than others so that one pupil realised that 100 is a good staging post to work from and then added on 175 to arrive at the answer quickly. It is clear that in previous lessons the pupils had

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MATHEMATICS

Birkenshaw CE (C) First and Nursery School – Page 30 been well taught to use efficient methods to solve complex number problems mentally. In another similarly challenging lesson, Year 4 pupils demonstrated a very good understanding of numbers beyond 1000 and applied similar number rules to work out subtraction facts quickly.

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MATHEMATICS

86. The school has implemented the National Numeracy Strategy successfully and lessons are well structured in three parts with an introduction, different activities depending on the pupil’s abilities and discussion time. Mental arithmetic is used appropriately to check for pupils’ understanding but this could be more effective in Years 1 and 2. A strength of most lessons is the good use of an introduction and discussion times. Lessons are most effective when there is more challenge to the number related oral activities. In all the lessons seen teachers prepared work which was well matched to the pupils’ attainment and they make at least good progress as a result. Lessons were never less than good and this is a good improvement since the last inspection, reflecting the positive impact that the National Numeracy Strategy is having on teaching and learning.

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MATHEMATICS

87. Overall, teachers have secure subject knowledge, and teach basis skills appropriately but more could be done now to improve arithmetic skills from an early age to the end of Year 2. Planning is effective and teacher’s expectations are at an appropriate level. The staff use teaching methods effectively and manage the pupils well, especially in promoting positive behaviour. They make good use of time, resources and use support staff well. Assessment of pupils' progress is used very well to inform future teaching and homework is given regularly. Teachers’ marking helps the pupils to correct their work and points out where they are going wrong. Marking is appropriately phrased and helps teachers to analyse the work that pupils do as an aid to the assessment of their progress.

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MATHEMATICS

88. Resources are good in terms of quantity and accessibility. They have been well chosen to support numeracy lessons using the recommended teaching methods of the National Numeracy Strategy. For example, pupils use individual white boards to record and show their work and the overhead projector is used effectively in lessons such as in Year 3 when the teacher was able to point out common errors that pupils make when calculating number problems. There is good leadership with clear educational direction and good use of support from the local authority to identify targets and strategies with an action plan that has been incorporated into the school development plan. Monitoring systems have been established and are being implemented effectively. The headteacher regularly observes teaching to identify strengths and weaknesses as a basis for further development. The school, through its monitoring, has identified

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MATHEMATICS

weaknesses in the numeracy skills of pupils in Years 1 and 2 and this has formed the basis for school improvement over the next few years. The curriculum is appropriately structured to ensure progression and this is resulting in improving standards.

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SCIENCE

89. By Year 4 standards are well above average. The key factors responsible for this are good teaching and support for class teachers’ planning brought about by the use of national guidelines. However, information and communication technology is not being fully used to support and enhance pupils’ learning and the marking of pupils’ work shows little evidence of guidance and suggestions for improvement. Standards in Year 2 are above average. The support received by children on the special educational needs register enables them to make satisfactory progress in both infant and junior classes.

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SCIENCE

90. By the end of Year 2, the results of teacher assessments in 2001 showed that standards were above the national average for pupils reaching the expected level for their age and close to the national average for pupils reaching above the expected level. When compared with similar schools the results were above average for pupils reaching the expected level for their age and average for those reaching the higher level. These results indicate a dip in standards since the previous year and reflect changes to the standards upon entry to the school over the last few years.

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SCIENCE

91. The pupils in Year 2 have a good knowledge and understanding of scientific enquiry, life processes and living things, materials and their properties and physical processes. They can carry out a simple enquiry predicting which circuits shown in diagrams will light a bulb, test their ideas by connecting up live circuits, record the results on a table and state their conclusions. They can identify common materials and describe how they change when heated and cooled. They identify and classify healthy and unhealthy foods and conduct a survey of their favourite foods and use tally charts to record preferences.

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SCIENCE

92. The pupils in Year 4 have a very good knowledge and understanding of scientific enquiry, life processes and living things, materials and their properties, and physical processes. This knowledge has been accumulated over the first two years of Key Stage 2. They can carry out investigations into air resistance using prediction, fair testing procedures, recording the results and writing their conclusions about the effects of different variables on the speed with which a parachute will fall. In doing this they learn terms such as friction and air resistance. They have a sound knowledge of forces and understand that gravity is a force pulling objects downwards. They can use a force meter to investigate the Birkenshaw CE (C) First and Nursery School – Page 31 effects of friction as a force preventing movement. In earlier work on the human body they drew diagrams to demonstrate the components of a healthy diet and explored the effects of various soft drinks on teeth. They can identify a range of

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SCIENCE

common materials and explain how their properties relate to certain uses.

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SCIENCE

93. The pupils show positive attitudes to their work. Their attitudes are particularly good towards practical tasks and to the use of everyday items or objects used as resources. In a good Year 4 lesson the pupils were eager to run holding objects to demonstrate the resistance of air. In a Year 3 lesson the pupils showed very good levels of responsibility and cooperation as they handled equipment and poured liquids. In this lesson there was also a sense of anticipation created by the keenness of some pupils to see the results of an experiment set up the previous week while others were equally keen to get their practical work under way.

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SCIENCE

94. The teaching is good overall. In order to raise standards, the headteacher and her staff have started to monitor and revise the strategies for implementing the National Curriculum programme of study. Where teaching is most effective, lessons are based upon investigation and the establishment of good working practices. In a good lesson, Year 3 pupils used practical resources very well in a calm and orderly learning environment to investigate air resistance. At the same time, while working responsibly the pupils were focused and eager to see their results. Effective teaching is also produced by creating experiences for pupils that are memorable and have an impact on their learning. The creation of a cave with bats and rats in it gave just such an experience to Year 1 pupils investigating light using torches. Well directed, purposeful, open ended questions posed by the teacher also provide a good base for effective science learning. In a lesson on air

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SCIENCE

resistance, the pupils were guided well onto good lines of enquiry in which the questions grew out of earlier learning. Where the teaching is less effective, although satisfactory, the activities used to demonstrate and evoke ideas are not sufficiently clear. Also, while work is frequently planned for different abilities, teaching is less effective when the tasks set do not sufficiently challenge the groups at which they are aimed.

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SCIENCE

95. The subject is well led by the coordinator and management of the subject is good. There has been good improvement since the last inspection. The long-term plans provide a clear direction to the work of each year group. The medium-term plans clearly identify what is to be taught for each study unit and give a clear timetable for the teachers to follow. Very good arrangements for assessment and for tracking pupils’ progress have just been set up. Targets will be set for pupils each year. The coordinator monitors the planning well. Resources are good although the use of information and communication technology in science is not as well developed.

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ART AND DESIGN

96. It was not possible to observe art and design lessons during the period of the inspection. Judgements are based on the scrutiny of pupils’ displayed work and recorded work in folders and sketchbooks. The pupils make good progress in their art and design skills and achieve standards above those expected for their age. There has been good improvement since the last inspection.

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ART AND DESIGN

97. The pupils in Year 1 and 2 have produced very good pictures and collages presented in the style of Giuseppi Arcimbaldo who was a renowned artist who used natural materials to produce three-dimensional effects. The very good Year 1 display of “Pot Pourri Faces” illustrates how well the pupils have done in developing appropriate techniques using leaves, berries, seeds, dried fruits and other materials. The pupils happily talked about their self-portraits expressing enjoyment and delight in the finished products. Year 2 pupils have built on the same theme very effectively, producing “Fruit Collages” with a good use of textiles and materials. The good range of materials and media provides the pupils with an added interest to their art and design lessons, and helps to retain the pupils’ interest throughout, with good learning taking place.

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ART AND DESIGN

98. Pupils in Years 3 and 4 display good drawing skills as they engage in still-life observational drawing. The pupils are provided with good opportunities to draw, sketch and sculpt using a range of materials. Year 4 pupils have produced a very good textile collage as part of a “Save the Children” campaign and won a prestigious award for their efforts. Good use of information and communication technology enhances the work the pupils do. For example, Year 3 pupils have used a computer program to produce symmetrical patterns. There is a good display of animal habitats in Year 4 that used good collage techniques and natural materials. Both examples demonstrate that art and design is well linked to other subjects and areas, for example, science and environmental studies. The school also took part in a spectacular whole school activity to mark the millennium celebrations. Every pupil contributed towards the production of the millennium garden by

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ART AND DESIGN

painting a stone or pebble to produce a stone pathway with a colourful array of stones. Previous work in Years 3 and 4 has involved clay work, sculpting using a range of malleable materials. There are good examples in the pupils’ sketchbooks of observational drawings, again linked to other topics and subjects. Birkenshaw CE (C) First and Nursery School – Page 32 99. Teachers’ planning documents, the scrutiny of work, and discussions with pupils, shows that the pupils are given good opportunities to consider and experiment with a range of media, and produce a good range of art and design work. Some of work explores ceramics, three dimensional work and textiles with good attention to detail and the use of natural materials. The pupils are given good opportunities to study the works of great artists.

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ART AND DESIGN

100. From the work displayed it is clear that art and design skills are well taught and managed. The subject is taught in blocks of time so that the week of inspection involved more design and technology than art and design. This is an effective way to plan the curriculum as it enables teachers to cover each topic more thoroughly. Good use is made of time and resources. There is a good policy for the subject, with the school using a well structured scheme of work that enables the pupils to make good progress as they move up the school. Resources for the subject are good and accessible to staff and pupils. The subject is well led with the subject co-ordinator building up a portfolio of pupils’ work which will provide a focus for the staff and pupils so that standards can be measured and compared.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

101. Standards are above those expected by the end of Year 2 and Year 4. Standards are better than those found at the time of the last inspection. The improvement at the junior stage is the result of the combination of support given to teachers by the use of national guidelines and good teaching. The teaching effectively develops the learning of both boys and girls. Pupils with special educational needs are well supported and make good progress.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

102. Four lessons were observed during the inspection and additional evidence was collected from the scrutiny of pupils’ work and teachers’ planning, discussions with the coordinator and with pupils as well as the observation of displays around the school.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

103. The pupils make good progress during Key Stage 1 and good progress up to the end of Year 4. By the end of Year 2, the pupils can use a variety of basic tools and a range of materials such as card, fabric, string and glue. They can make simple models and products such as moving toys and puppets. The pupils undertake investigations into construction techniques, for example, ways of joining paper. They also investigate products before they proceed to the design and make steps, for example in Year 2 the pupils study the way three-dimensional structures can be built, then proceed to design their structures and to build them using wood and card fillets for strength. The pupils learn to use a variety of tools and materials effectively and with care. In a Year 1 lesson, the pupils used scissors very well to make a bear by cutting neatly around a template.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

104. By the end of Year 4 the pupils have a good knowledge of the design, make and test process and apply this when investigating a range of familiar products. They know that before undertaking a design it is important to generate ideas by examining existing products. In Year 3, the pupils study examples of different types of packaging to learn about their construction, decoration and lettering before proceeding to their own designs. In other work in Year 3 they learn to evaluate products such as breads using a range of criteria including taste and texture. They understand the need for healthy food and hygiene in making sandwiches. They also understand how mechanisms can be used to make things move in different ways, for example, through making moving monsters employing cams, wheels, axles and simple pneumatics.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

105. The pupils’ attitudes towards the subject are good. During discussions, they talked enthusiastically about their experiences and described not only how they made things but also how they enjoyed being involved in design and in testing. In a Year 4 lesson, where they were making storybooks with moving parts, the pupils showed independence and application, working conscientiously without requiring close supervision.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

106. The quality of teaching is mainly good and is never less than satisfactory. Teaching strengths are the clear involvement of the pupils in the design, make and test process through discussion at the beginning of the lesson. Teachers share lesson objectives with the pupils and lessons build on the work done in previous lessons. This was seen in a Year 3 lesson when the teacher encouraged the pupils to describe what they had done so far towards making sandwich snacks. This clearly helped the pupils to see the context of the lesson to come and created an eagerness to proceed to the evaluation of breads that could be used. In the same lesson the impact of good organisation and resources was seen when the pupils were given a variety of breads to work with that were set out attractively and given to the pupils in a well ordered task. As a result the pupils were clear about the nature of the task, keen to proceed and well supported in knowing how to record

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

their evaluations. Teaching is less effective, although satisfactory, when the work provided for the pupils is not sufficiently matched to the range of abilities in the class so that lower attaining pupils are not sufficiently supported and higher attaining pupils are not challenged. Birkenshaw CE (C) First and Nursery School – Page 33 107. The subject is well coordinated. A good policy is in place. A good scheme of work has been developed that is based upon national guidelines but which has been modified to meet the particular requirements of the school. A system of assessment has been introduced that will permit the tracking of individual pupils. The quality and range of resources are good but storage facilities are unsatisfactory. The subject knowledge of teachers has been well supported by the use of staff development sessions. The coordinator offers good support and guidance to colleagues in relation to planning and

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

resources. In both Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2, the records that pupils keep of their work in workbooks or folders are inconsistent. The use of information and communication technology is underdeveloped in design and technology.

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GEOGRAPHY

108. Standards are above those expected by the end of Year 2 and Year 4. This is higher than the standards found at the time of the last inspection and there has been good progress since then. National guidelines are now in use and are supporting the teaching of the subject but the use of geographical enquiry based upon fieldwork and the exploration of secondary sources is not well developed in all of the work. The teaching effectively develops the learning of boys and girls equally, but higher attaining pupils are not always presented with sufficient challenge. The support received by pupils on the special needs register enables them to make satisfactory progress.

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GEOGRAPHY

109. During the inspection four lessons were seen and additional evidence was available from the scrutiny of pupils’ work, discussion with pupils, scrutiny of teachers’ planning, discussion with teachers and displays. The pupils make good progress throughout the school. By the end of Year 2 the pupils can make a simple plan of their journey to school and follow a route on a plan of the school grounds. They can identify human and natural environmental features and locate them on an island map. They can undertake a simple survey of the local area noting safety features in the street. They describe features to be found in places that contrast with their home area such as a seaside resort and Paris. They can also construct a simple graph of the types of transport used on one of these visits and they know that places near the equator are hot.

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GEOGRAPHY

110. By the end of Year 4, the pupils have a good understanding of geographical enquiry, of their home area, of selected contrasting places in the world, and of features of the human and natural environment. They can locate hot, temperate and cold climate areas on a world map and they can match descriptions of these climates to the correct places. They can describe the climate conditions found in selected countries and express likes and dislikes about these climates. They can draw a land use map for a route followed in the local area and they can locate features on an island map using letter and number coordinates. Through their studies of the developing world the children can describe aspects of life in a village in India. They know that people can either damage or improve the environment by their decisions and actions and in studying ‘waste’ they learn how they can help to protect and conserve the environment.

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GEOGRAPHY

111. The pupils’ attitudes to the subject are very good. They are attentive and ready to answer questions. In a Year 1 lesson about a visit to Paris the children listened carefully to the French music played in the lesson introduction and called it ‘relaxing’. They were focused and involved in the problem of luggage that had been lost and they were also eager to see pictures and souvenirs from the visit. They were cooperative and ready to contribute to the lesson with ideas. In a Year 4 lesson, the pupils were motivated and creative in proposing ways in which the variety of waste they had collected and studied the previous week could be dealt with and recycled.

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GEOGRAPHY

112. The quality of teaching is good. It is most effective when the pupils are given experiences through which they can relate easily to the places or themes they are studying. This was seen in a Year 1 lesson about Paris which was developed by the story of a visit made by one of the children’s teachers, accompanied by their class bear (a soft toy). In a Year 4 lesson on waste, it was the exploration of real waste in the previous lesson that provided the initial link with reality and this was continued by involving the children in their ideas on how the waste problem could be dealt with. Both lessons used good resources that added reality to the studies and were used to help the pupils make their own observations and decisions. Where the teaching is less effective, although satisfactory, the pupils are not given enquiry-based tasks that challenge them to think and interact in order to solve problems. The teaching also loses its impact when the work provided is not

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GEOGRAPHY

matched to the different abilities in the class and when responses are taken only from pupils offering answers with the result that some pupils become passive and do not participate to class discussions.

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GEOGRAPHY

113. The coordinator has overseen the introduction of a policy and national guidelines that provide good medium term plans. A system for assessment has been set up that will enable the progress of individual pupils to be tracked. Resources are satisfactory with a good set of computer programs. Staff development has been provided for assessment and information and communication technology. Very good use is made of educational visits to support the subject.

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HISTORY

Birkenshaw CE (C) First and Nursery School – Page 34 114. Good progress has been made since the last inspection and standards are above those expected by the end of Year 2 and Year 4. Very good use is made of the local community, artefacts and local resources to support teaching and learning. The pupils in Year 2 were observed during a very good lesson writing and drawing about special memories. The teacher very sensitively talked to the pupils about her own memories of people she knew or was related to who had passed away. This evoked very thoughtful discussion resulting in the pupils writing about their own memories of “Grandpa” or a friend, relation or favourite pet. This led to some very thought provoking and sensitive writing. One pupil wrote, “The sun reminds me of Rex (a pet dog) because (like the sun) he made me feel happy when he came out.” Another pupil wrote, “My grandpa liked playing golf.” The pupil draws a picture of a book and then explained that “Grandpa also liked to read

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HISTORY

to me.” Lessons such as this help young pupils to develop a good sense of chronology as they refer to familiar time spans in their own history with well thought out ideas about how these have affected their own lives. A very touching recollection came out of one discussion as a boy recalled that polo mints remind him of his Granddad because the smell was so familiar.

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HISTORY

115. The pupils in Years 3 and 4, spoke enthusiastically about their studies of World War Two. The highlight, which was observed during the inspection, was the “special visitors” who are local members of the community that were specially invited to talk to both Year 3 classes about the war and their own experiences. The teachers and pupils prepared questions and used special artefacts to furnish the room such as gas masks and ration tokens. Recorded music of wartime songs played in the background as every group became engrossed in the discussions that followed. The visitors and the pupils clearly enjoyed the occasion with many pupils asking their own spontaneous questions as their curiosity grew. For example, one boy asked a supplementary question about the bomb shelters as he became interested in how it felt to be hemmed into a shelter during a bombing raid. He was surprised to hear one elderly visitor recall that sometimes these were

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HISTORY

treated as a joke and a bit of an adventure. Another girl asked, “What did the gas masks smell like?” and was surprised to hear that one local resident actually liked the smell yet another found the experience nauseating. The pupils throughout Year 3 and 4 have recorded the social and economic conditions in Britain in the 1930’s during the years leading up to war and have gained a good understanding of the events leading up to and following the war. Some imaginative accounts of evacuees’ experiences recorded in pupils’ notebooks provide evidence of good cross-curricular skills using extended writing as a basis for their investigations.

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HISTORY

116. The history curriculum is well planned and taught. Teachers provide very good lessons, which build on relevant practical tasks where the pupils discuss and handle artefacts and write about past events accurately. In this respect history comes alive and this interests and motivates the pupils. In Year 4, there are good recorded accounts of the history of the local area together with good links with geography as the pupils are involved in investigations about the demography and changes in the past that have had an impact on the lives of those living in and around the locality.

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HISTORY

117. History is well managed and very well taught. The coordinator for history has a clear idea of how to support the teaching so that the pupils have practical and relevant experiences to reinforce and enrich their learning. Assessments are made to inform future planning and this lays a good foundation to teachers’ planning and helps to measure how well the pupils are doing. Resources are well used and good use is made of the local authority loan service. There are very effective and positive links with the local community, including a local historian who is often invited to visit the school and share his thoughts with the pupils about the history of the local area.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

118. Standards in information and communication technology have improved since the previous inspection and pupils now reach levels that are above those expected by the end of Year 2 and Year 4. The pupils do particularly well in the control aspect of the subject. They achieve well and make good progress. The pupils with special educational needs are helped by programs specifically designed to support them and they respond well to these making good progress. The pupils who speak English as an additional language also make good progress and achieve similar standards to other pupils. The pupils in Year 3 make particularly good progress because they receive very good teaching based on considerable subject knowledge by the teacher.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

119. The improvements in standards are directly attributable to the effective leadership of the subject. The coordinator has influenced standards by very good teaching and by improving staff confidence and knowledge through training and individual help and advice. The introduction of a good scheme of work, based on nationally recognised material adapted to suit the school, means that the pupils’ skills can be systematically developed. This also incorporates good assessment arrangements allowing for the accurate recording of pupils’ progress. These assessment procedures have not been in place long enough to have had a full impact on standards. The school hopes to use the information collected from regular assessments of the pupils to identify areas for further improvement in order to continue to raise standards. The coordinator maintains a comprehensive portfolio of graded work by pupils, which is a useful guide for teachers. The

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

Birkenshaw CE (C) First and Nursery School – Page 35 provision for information and communication technology has been improved with the introduction of new hardware and software. Pupils now have access to the internet and e-mailing facilities. A technician is employed for a period each week and this has improved staff confidence in the use of hardware and ensures that machines are functioning correctly so that pupils’ learning time is maximised.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

120. By the end of Year 4, the pupils are able to discuss how computers affect their lives although these ideas tend to be limited to their immediate environment. They are able to talk about the relative merits of the postal system and electronic mailing. They are able to communicate by e-mail and can program a series of events by using a computer to solve a series of control and monitoring problems in virtual situations. They draft work, rather than merely produce well presented copies, using their word processing skills well. They confidently use features like the spellchecker and are able to cut and paste text. They can combine text and pictures well, demonstrating good desk-top publishing skills. They use the internet to support their research in other areas of the curriculum, for example, Year 3 pupils support their work in art and design by conducting research into the design of stained glass windows. They are able to enter information to a database and then

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

121. By the end of Year 2, most pupils are able to speak knowledgeably about the Internet and its uses. They are able to produce extended pieces of writing using their word processing skills. They can confidently change the font, size and colour of text. They can save, retrieve and print their work and are able to give a series of instructions to a programmable toy. They use computer programs to support their work in other areas. For example, Year 2 pupils support their work in mathematics by learning to tell the time. Younger pupils word process lists and simple sentences and are able to make pictures.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

122. The quality of teaching is consistently good and in some cases it is very good. The very good teaching occurs mostly in Years 3 and 4, where teaching expertise is greatest. Very good teaching is characterised by very good class management and subject knowledge. This ensures that the pupils concentrate for extended periods and that they are fully supported. Computers are fully used for a range of purposes. The pupils are set challenging tasks which helps them, including those of higher ability, to make good progress.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

123. Teachers give clear step by step instructions and repeat the demonstrations several times to ensure pupils understand and consolidate their learning. They insist on correct terminology. They keep good records to ensure that pupils have equal access to computers. They prepare for lessons well, for example, in a Year 4 class, the teacher had loaded a prepared text for pupils to amend. The pupils’ attitudes to information and communication technology are good and this helps their learning. They concentrate well, often in quite cramped conditions and work together well. Higher attaining pupils offer assistance to others and consolidate their own learning.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

124. Parental help has a beneficial effect on standards in information and communication technology. Individual parents work in classrooms, offering help to small groups of pupils. The parent teacher association raises considerable sums of money for the purchase of hardware and software and there are good plans in place to extend these further.

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MUSIC

125. The standards achieved by pupils aged seven and nine are above those expected nationally. This is an improvement from the last inspection when standards for seven-year-olds were in line with those expected. The school’s success in raising standards has been mainly due to the implementation of an effective scheme of work and a good programme of staff training. These strategies have raised staff confidence and increased their subject knowledge resulting in improved teaching and learning.

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MUSIC

126. Music makes a positive contribution to pupils’ spiritual and personal development and adds to the quality of assemblies and worship. The playing of an appropriate piece of music creates a very reverent atmosphere for reflection and worship. Pupils have good opportunities to respond to the music and express how it makes them feel. In assemblies and subsequent lessons the pupils offer words, such as ‘relaxed’ and ‘peaceful’, indicating the calming effect the music has on them. Songs and hymns are challenging and pupils sing with enthusiasm, appropriate expression and clarity and are able to sustain a steady pulse.

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MUSIC

127. In Year 1, pupils develop a good sense of rhythm and pitch. They are able to keep a good beat, recognise a repeating pattern and sing with expression paying attention to the dynamics of the song. By the end of Year 2, pupils show a good understanding of musical ideas as they play tuned and untuned percussion instruments. Pupils show a good understanding of simple notation and musical terminology as they explore whether they can create long and short notes with a range of instruments. All Year 2 pupils learn to play the recorder and are able to follow a simple score accurately. Birkenshaw CE (C) First and Nursery School – Page 36 This makes a very positive contribution to pupils’ standards in music providing them with very good experiences to develop their skills in performing and appraising and acquiring musical knowledge.

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MUSIC

128. In Years 3 and 4, the high quality of teaching helps the pupils to build progressively upon their earlier skills. Pupils use an understanding of notation, melody and simple scales to improve their musical skills. The pupils make good progress in playing instruments, following more complex notation and developing considerable skills in composition as they create their own tunes and lyrics. For example, the pupils collaborated well to create a variety of tunes using the pentatonic scale. High quality teaching ensures that the pupils have very good opportunities to reflect on their work and to evaluate their own and others’ compositions in order to make improvements.

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MUSIC

129. In the lessons seen the teaching overall was good with one lesson being excellent. Very good provision is made for those pupils with special educational needs ensuring they take full part in music lessons and achieve standards similar to their peers. Most teachers are now very confident in teaching music and they use the scheme well to build systematically on the pupils’ knowledge, understanding and skills. Music lessons are well structured and tasks are challenging. The pupils are given very clear strategies to improve their skills. In lessons they are encouraged to think of themselves as musicians, to use technical terminology and to follow the conductor. The pupils become fully immersed in lessons and this has a very good impact on the standards they achieve by the age of seven and nine. Where lessons are excellent, specialist teaching is imaginative and very enthusiastic. Expectations are very high and there is an atmosphere that anything is possible.

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MUSIC

Lessons are fast moving and pupils are continually challenged to achieve higher standards and experiment with sound.

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MUSIC

130. Specialist skills, visits and visitors are used well to develop a full range of activities to promote effective learning of music. A small number of pupils benefit from the specialist teaching of the guitar, keyboard and piano. Through well-planned cross-curricular links the pupils learn about music from other cultures such as Africa and India. Visits from Opera North, performances from their own teachers and a local secondary school music group, extend the pupils’ musical skills and provide them with opportunities to experience a wide range of musical styles. The recorder group are involved in school and community performances. These activities make a positive contribution to the quality of teaching and learning and provide pupils with good opportunities to extend their creative skills.

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MUSIC

131. Music is effectively co-ordinated and makes an important contribution to the aims of the school. The music schemes, planned activities and assessments in place effectively ensure that there is progress and continuity across the school, providing pupils with good opportunities to extend their musical knowledge, skills and understanding.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

132. The high standards in physical education, noted at the time of the previous inspection, have been maintained and pupils at the school reach levels higher than those expected for their age by the end of year 2 and Year 4. The pupils achieve well and make good progress. Those with special educational needs and those who speak English as an additional language are fully included in all activities and make similar rates of progress to others.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

133. The vast majority of pupils throughout the school are physically fit and are able to sustain a good level of activity for extended periods. By the time they are nine they co-operate together very well in quite complicated team games and show a good awareness of tactics. They have a good understanding of the effects of exercise on the body. Higher attaining pupils know that the heart is a muscle, which is made stronger by exercise, and that it beats faster so that more oxygen may be taken around the body in the bloodstream. They understand the value of stretching muscles before exercise and many pupils are able to devise their own stretching and warming up routines. They swim well; many pupils can already achieve standards expected of eleven year olds by the end of Year 4 and a number can considerably exceed these standards, showing a good range of strokes as well as personal survival skills and elementary life saving skills. Evidence

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

of these high standards is provided by the school’s success at local swimming galas.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

134. By the time they are seven, the pupils know that they breathe faster after exercise. They know that their heart rates and pulse rates increase and they are aware of the link between the two. They are able to take their own pulse rates. Higher attaining pupils know about the double beat of the heart. They show good skills using a range of small apparatus. The pupils can pass a quoit accurately, and use passing and catching skills well in small scale games. They co-operate well when inventing their own ball games and devise improvements and extensions to these games. The pupils in Year 1 can organise themselves to get out apparatus quickly and efficiently. They show a good understanding of health and safety issues. They move well, showing a variety of ways of making well controlled movements on the floor and apparatus.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

135. The quality of dance, although satisfactory, is generally not as high as other areas because the staff lack confidence and rely on recorded material. The children respond well to this and enjoy the sessions, and individual pupils show good quality movement, but they are given insufficient opportunities to evaluate and extend or improve their movements. There Birkenshaw CE (C) First and Nursery School – Page 37 have been some changes since the previous inspection initiated by the co-ordinator for physical education. A new scheme of work which is a combination of nationally recognised and commercial schemes, modified to suit the needs of the school, has been introduced and this supports the systematic development of pupils’ skills throughout the school. This has also led to very thorough assessment procedures being put in place. These have not yet been implemented for long enough to have had much impact on standards but will allow teachers to be able to pass on accurate information

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

about individual pupils’ abilities. The teachers and support staff have taken part in training associated with national initiatives in sports teaching and this has led to an increase in staff confidence as well as improvements to equipment. This has helped to enrich the provision for physical education at the school.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

136. Recent building work has left the school field in an unsuitable condition. This is an unsatisfactory situation and means that the field cannot be used for games or sporting activities and that the school is unable to hold events such as sports days. Outside agencies such as professional rugby and football clubs enrich the provision for physical education but the range of extra-curricular sporting activities has fallen since the previous inspection. This limits the opportunities for pupils to be involved in a range of sporting activities and for higher attaining pupils to develop their skills. There are few school teams and this means that pupils have limited chances to develop their skills in competitive situations. Despite this the school offers a wide curriculum which includes outdoor and adventurous activities such as orienteering. Extra-curricular provision is unsatisfactory overall.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

137. The quality of teaching is good overall. Teachers generally show good class management skills and this leads to pupils behaving well, sustaining concentration and effort over extended periods and co-operating well in group activities. Year 3 pupils, playing a relatively complicated game involving a combination of rounders and tunnel ball, show very good team work, a good grasp of tactics and controlled enthusiasm. The pupils in Year 1 respond immediately to a teacher’s signal given using a tambourine. Teachers are keenly aware of health and safety issues and younger pupils know how to proceed without causing danger to themselves or others. Lessons are conducted at a good pace, warm up sessions leave pupils breathing hard. This means that time is well used and pupils are productive in lessons. Classroom support assistants provide effective support in lessons when they are deployed to work alongside class teachers and provide

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

support for individuals and groups of pupils. Teachers use demonstrations by pupils to illustrate teaching points. There are some good examples of pupils being able to evaluate and improve their performance, for example, Year 3 pupils in a games lesson were given the opportunity to experiment to find which arrangement of bodies makes for the best ‘tunnel’ down which to pass a ball.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

138. The pupils’ attitudes throughout the school are very good. They are enthusiastic but attentive and sustain concentration and physical effort for good periods. They co-operate well and encourage each other. These good attitudes are beneficial to learning and are particularly helpful for the confidence of pupils with special educational needs. Physical education plays an important part in the life of the school and standards are above those expected but there is capacity for improvement in provision and performance, including that for extra-curricular provision.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

139. The school has maintained the standards in religious education found at the time of the previous inspection and pupils continue to reach levels higher than those expected in the local education authority’s syllabus by the end of Year 2 and Year 4. These above average standards are the result of consistently good teaching. Pupils achieve well and make good progress. The pupils with special educational needs make good progress in relation to their previous learning. The pupils who speak English as an additional language also make good progress. Teachers go to some trouble to integrate them into lessons and in so doing extend the learning of all pupils. For example, a Year 1 class studied some elements of Hinduism, although this was not part of the set curriculum; it was chosen to represent the religion of some pupils in the school. It also enabled pupils of Hindu faith to provide several artefacts and some insight into their beliefs.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

140. The school has very good links with the local church and uses this as a resource as well as a place of worship. The vicar and members of the church have a considerable input into the provision for religious education at the school. The content of acts of collective worship is planned to support learning in religious education.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

141. There have been several changes since the previous inspection. The enthusiastic and well informed co-ordinator has introduced a new scheme of work. The scheme is specific to the school but is based on the principles behind a nationally recognised scheme and supports the tenets of the locally agreed syllabus. The scheme helps to ensure the full coverage of the syllabus and that the pupils’ skills and learning are systematically developed. The assessment arrangements associated with the scheme of work are very thorough and allow teachers to judge the progress and learning of individual pupils and to pass on accurate information about levels of learning. There has been staff training, particularly in the study of Judaism, which has increased staff knowledge and confidence. This increased confidence has been supported by improved resources, which help to stimulate pupils’ interest and give the subject more relevance.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

Birkenshaw CE (C) First and Nursery School – Page 38 142. In Year 4, the pupils know a good number of Old Testament stories. They know the difference between the Old Testament and the New Testament. They can relate features of the life of Jesus. They know about festivals and events in the Christian calendar and are aware of the religious significance of periods such as Lent. They are able to compare Christian festivals to those associated with other faiths. For example, the pupils know that both Christmas and Divali include festivals of light and that light has religious significance. They use expressions such as, ‘Jesus is the light of the World’. They compare the Biblical account of Creation with other versions, for example, from Norse mythology. They research into lives of people who spread the faith.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

143. By the end of Year 2 the pupils have a good knowledge of the Christian faith. They know about the Ten Commandments. They have a good knowledge of Judaism and know about festivals such as Hanukah and higher attaining pupils understand the significance of artefacts associated with the festival. Pupils in Year 1 have a good understanding of Hinduism, using terms like mendhi patterns and divas.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

144. The quality of teaching is consistently good. Teachers use the new scheme of work to plan work for pupils of different abilities, thus helping to ensure that all pupils, including those with special educational needs, make good progress. Because they have good class management skills, teachers are able to adopt a stimulating approach to the subject, encouraging discussion between pupils, developing pupils’ speaking and listening skills, as well as encouraging them to think about religious matters. They further this process with good questioning, encouraging the pupils to extend and develop their thinking. “Why did I tell you this story?” asks a teacher of Year 3 pupils. They use a varied approach to stimulate interest, for example, Year 1 pupils studying Hinduism watch a video, see examples of symbolic dress and sample food associated with Hindu festivals. Year 3 pupils listen to an outside speaker, following the bardic tradition, telling the

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

Christmas Story from different viewpoints; Year 2 pupils make a Harvest Cake as part of their Harvest Festival Celebrations. Teachers take particular care with the presentation of children’s work. One example is the book of children’s ‘Thank You’ prayers. There is no consensus on the way pupils record their written work, few classes have notebooks devoted to work in religious education, with the result that pupils do not maintain a record of written assignments in the subject.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

145. The good attitudes of pupils to religious education, noted at the time of the previous inspection, have been maintained and these help their learning. The pupils are enthusiastic and attend well, listening carefully for extended periods. Some pupils in Year 4 conducting research into people who spread messages complete homework assignments without being asked. There are few examples of information and communication technology being used to help learning in religious education and this remains an area for development.

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