Nonsuch Primary School

NONSUCH PRIMARY SCHOOL

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

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NONSUCH PRIMARY SCHOOL

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Type of school: Infant and junior with nursery class

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Chadacre Road Stoneleigh Epsom Surrey KT17 2HQ

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The governing body

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 3 – 6 March 1997 Nonsuch Primary School - 4

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responsibilities

2905 David Shepherd Registered inspector Science Geography Religious Education Under Fives Standards Leadership and Management

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responsibilities

9334 Jenny Mynett Pupils’ Attitudes, Behaviour and Personal Development Pupils’ Care; Partnership with Parents 18116 Christopher Taylor Team inspector Mathematics Information Technology Design and Technology Art Music Special Educational Needs Curriculum

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responsibilities

15372 Patricia Walker Team inspector English History Physical Education English as an additional Language Teaching

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responsibilities

32056 Helena McVeigh Team inspector Nonsuch Primary School - 5 The inspection contractor was:

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responsibilities

Cambridge Education Associates Ltd. Demeter House Station Road Cambridge CB1 2RS

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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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responsibilities

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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responsibilities

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Nonsuch Primary School - 6

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 7

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? 12

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Nonsuch Primary School is situated in Surrey, but the school site is leased and maintained by the London Borough of Sutton. There are 210 full-time pupils aged 5-11 years in the main school taught in seven classes, and 46 part-time pupils aged 3–4 years in the nursery class. Through lack of space, the school is unable to guarantee a place to all pupils who attend the nursery. The school is broadly the national average size for primary schools. The school roll has reduced in a planned way as an extra class of pupils has now left the school. The percentage of pupils who speak English as an additional language is high nationally, but all speak English well. Many pupils who speak English as an additional language are from Europe. The percentage of pupils who have special educational needs is above the national average. This is due in part to the school’s policy of early intervention for these pupils. The percentage of pupils with Statements of Special Educational Needs is average.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Attainment on entry to the nursery and school is above the local education authority average in language, numeracy, social and independent skills. The socio-economic background of the pupils is relatively advantaged in national terms, and the number of pupils eligible for free school meals is low.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

The school is very effective in raising standards through its good teaching and high quality leadership and management. Standards have improved steadily over the past five years. In recognition of this, the school has been awarded a School Achievement Award by the DfEE. Rising standards have been achieved through focused teaching that has been very well planned in systematic ways from the nursery upwards. This has been supported by rigorous monitoring and evaluation of the teaching, including teachers’ planning and pupils’ work, by the headteacher and subject co-ordinators. The school is providing good value for money.

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What the school does well

• Ensures an excellent start to children’s education in the nursery and reception classes; • Raises pupils’ attainment, especially in English, mathematics and science; • Produces high standards of teaching; • Makes very good use of all assessment data to help pupils improve; • Creates excellent relationships and very high standards of behaviour; • Provides effective leadership and management by the headteacher, deputy headteacher and co- ordinators; • Is outstanding in promoting pupils’ cultural development.

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What could be improved

• Higher-attaining pupils could be challenged more, especially in geography, history and religious education; • Not enough opportunities to teach numeracy in subjects such as design and technology, geography and ICT are taken; • Not enough time is allocated to the teaching of geography and history in particular; • The development plan does not include a strategic view of the school, staff time is not costed and too many priorities are included. Each of these areas for improvement is minor within the context of the school. However, they 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 March 1997. Since that time, it has improved in a number of important respects. Four out of the five key issues identified at the time of the last inspection have been corrected and are now strengths of the school. The teaching is now consistently at least good throughout the school and very good in the foundation stage. It is monitored systematically by the headteacher and subject co-ordinators. Pupils’ work is assessed regularly and the teachers make Nonsuch Primary School - 8 good use of this information as well as the outcomes of the end of year tests to help them plan future work. The partnership with parents is very productive and parents play an active part in school life. The school has significantly improved its development planning and corrected the weaknesses identified in the last report. Further refinements to development planning are now necessary if the

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

plan is to be used more effectively. The school has also improved in aspects of the fifth key issue. Curriculum planning, both medium and short term, is now a strength of the school. However, the school does not yet provide well enough for high-attaining pupils in some subjects.

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STANDARDS

The table shows the standards achieved by 11 year olds based on average point scores in National Curriculum tests. The data included in this table is compared to similar schools based on prior attainment at Key Stage 1.

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Key

English A B B C well above average above average A B Mathematics A A C C average below average C D Science B A A A well below average E

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Key

Over the past three years, using average point scores, eleven year-old pupils are achieving higher than their peers nationally in English, mathematics and science. In the 2000 national tests, the overall results in mathematics were lower last year due to a high number of pupils with special educational needs in that year group. In spite of this, standards in science were well above average. Standards reached by higher-attaining pupils were well above average in science, above average in mathematics and below average in English. Over the past three years, standards achieved by seven year-old pupils in national tests in reading, writing and mathematics are well above national averages. When compared with similar schools using the data from the 2000 national tests, standards at the school were well above average in writing and above average in reading and mathematics. Based on teacher assessment, standards in science were similar to those in other

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Key

schools nationally. Over the past three years, seven year-old pupils are over-achieving higher levels than their peers nationally in reading, writing and mathematics. Over the past three years, children have entered and left the nursery with above average levels of attainment in literacy, numeracy, social behaviour and independent learning than their peers elsewhere in the Borough of Sutton. The school set challenging targets for improvement in English and mathematics for eleven year-old pupils for 2000. These were broadly met.

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Key

There are a number of strengths in the work seen. These include pupils’ abilities in speaking, listening, reading and in their imaginative use of language. They are proficient in number and have a good understanding of shape and space. They attain good standards in studying about life and living things in science and in their work in art, design and technology, ICT and music. Pupils’ achievements are not as good in problem-solving, investigative work and using data in mathematics; and in carrying out investigations, experimental work and in their understanding of materials in science.

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Key

Overall, pupils make good progress and achieve well in most subjects. These include English, mathematics and science. However, pupils do not make enough progress in geography, history and religious education. Pupils with special educational needs and those for whom English is an additional language make good progress. This is not the case for higher-attaining pupils. Their work indicates that the progress they make is too slow in geography, history and religious education in particular. Nonsuch Primary School - 9

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Very positive. Pupils enjoy school. They are highly motivated, and work with great interest and are enthusiastic in their lessons and in other activities.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Very good. Pupils behave well in their lessons and concentrate on their work. Their behaviour around school is also very good. They are extremely well-mannered and helpful, and make an important contribution to maintaining the pleasant and purposeful working atmosphere.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Very good. Pupils have many opportunities to develop in maturity and confidence. Relationships are excellent. Pupils of all ages work and play well together. There is a good rapport between adults and pupils as they treat one another with respect.

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Aspect Comment

Attendance Very good. Attendance is significantly higher than the national average and few pupils are late for school.

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Aspect Comment

Each of these aspects is a strength of the school.

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Teaching of pupils: Aged up to 5 years aged 5-7 years aged 7-11 years

Lessons seen overall Very good Good - Very Good Good – Very 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: Aged up to 5 years aged 5-7 years aged 7-11 years

The quality of teaching is a strength of the school. The teaching was at least satisfactory in 97 per cent of lessons, and, in 43 per cent, it was either very good or excellent. Teaching was unsatisfactory in 3 per cent of lessons [one lesson]. The teaching of literacy and numeracy was at least satisfactory in all lessons, with the vast majority being either good or very good. Particular strengths of the teaching include very good planning, teachers’ high expectations of pupils’ attainment, high quality probing questioning and a good pace to the learning. Weaknesses in the teaching of the one unsatisfactory lesson (RE) were characterised by a lack of teacher expertise in a topic and inappropriate behaviour management strategies that led to pupils not making enough progress. Teachers miss a number of opportunities to teach literacy and numeracy in other subjects. The needs of higher-attaining pupils are not met well enough in some subjects and they do not learn

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Teaching of pupils: Aged up to 5 years aged 5-7 years aged 7-11 years

or make the progress of which they are capable. On the other hand, with the exception of geography, history and religious education, most pupils enjoy the variety in the learning and make good progress in all subjects of the curriculum. In these three particular subjects, most pupils could make more progress if the learning were made more challenging and appropriate to their abilities. Nonsuch Primary School - 10

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum The curriculum is broad and complies with statutory requirements. Schemes of work follow national and local guidance. The time allocated to geography and history is too short, and not enough opportunities are provided to extend pupils’ literacy and numeracy skills

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Very good. Pupils are identified early and appropriate support allocated to them.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with English as an additional language Very good.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Very good in all respects. Provision for pupils’ cultural development is outstanding. The multi-cultural and multi-ethnic nature of the school’s catchment area is celebrated effectively. Art is also promoted effectively.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils Very good. The school provides high levels of personal and educational support and guidance for pupils.

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Aspect Comment

The school provides a broad curriculum that offers many opportunities to use the local environment and community as resources for learning. The school does not provide enough opportunities to study geography, history and religious education in sufficient depth. The school works in partnership with parents very well. The parents’ organisation, Friends of Nonsuch, is very effective and committed to the school.

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff Very good and purposeful. The school has a clear direction and is focused to achieve its targets. There is a strong commitment to high achievement.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Very well. The governing body is hard working and committed to school improvement. It is very supportive of the school.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance Excellent. The framework for monitoring and evaluating its performance by the headteacher and co-ordinators is helping to drive up standards.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources Good. The budget is planned well and funds are used for the purposes allocated.

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Aspect Comment

The headteacher and key staff work enthusiastically with commitment and they are successful in providing a good education for the pupils. The development plan needs further refinement in order to make it more effective in implementing the school’s aims. Too many initiatives are included, they are not costed in terms of staff time and not enough strategic thinking is included in the plan. There are sufficient staff, appropriately qualified, in order to implement the National Curriculum and to ensure the smooth and efficient running of the office. Learning resources are adequate to implement the schemes of work. The accommodation is very attractive and provides a stimulating learning environment. The school applies the principles of best value well. Nonsuch Primary School - 11

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• The teaching is good; • It is a small friendly school with good access to teachers; • They are comfortable about approaching the school with suggestions or concerns; • Their children like school; • The school expects their children to work hard and achieve their best; • Behaviour is good. • The provision of a greater range of activities outside school; • Regular homework in all classes; • Better communication – more notice concerning changes or events.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

The inspection team agrees with parents’ positive views of the school. The inspection team agrees with the parents’ views about the inconsistency of homework throughout Key Stage 2. The school already offers a good range of extra-curricular activities to pupils. The school’s communication systems are good. Nonsuch Primary School - 12

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

1. The school’s results in the national tests and assessments in English, mathematics and science for pupils aged seven and eleven have improved steadily over the past five years. This has been recognised by the DfEE. A School Achievement Award has been given to the school by the DfEE as a national recognition for improving standards at the school.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

2. Children enter the nursery with above average levels of attainment. Data from the local education authority’s base-line procedures indicates that children entering the nursery reach much higher standards in literacy, numeracy, social behaviour and independent learning than their peers elsewhere in the Borough of Sutton. This has been the case for the past three years although standards have been falling slightly during the past two years. Children make good progress in all areas of learning during the nursery and reception classes. They do particularly well in their personal, social and emotional development and in communication, language and literacy. The school is unable to admit all the nursery children into the main school due to lack of space, but the majority of pupils being admitted into the reception class have attended the nursery.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

3. At the end of Key Stage 1, in 2000, seven year-old pupils attained standards in reading, writing and mathematics that were well above national averages using the average points scores. Average point scores include the performance of all pupils in the year group and not just those that attain the nationally expected levels of attainment, I.E. those that attain Level 2 and above. When compared with similar schools using the free school meals indicator, standards in 2000 in writing were well above average, and in reading and mathematics, were above average. Over the past three years, using average point scores, seven year-old pupils at the school are over two terms ahead of their peers nationally in reading, writing and mathematics. Over this same period, girls are half a term ahead of the boys in reading, but the reverse is true in writing. In mathematics, boys are ahead of girls by over one term. Standards in

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

science are based on teacher assessments and they were close to the national average in 2000. In 2000, standards reached by higher-attaining pupils were well above the national average in reading, and above in writing and mathematics. Overall, this represents a positive picture with results rising steadily.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

4. At the end of Key Stage 2, in 2000, eleven year-old pupils attained standards in science that were well above the national average using average point scores, above average in English and average in mathematics. When based on prior attainment at Key Stage 1, standards in science were well above average, and in English and mathematics, they were in line with national averages. This year group of pupils took their Key Stage 1 national tests in 1996 when standards at the school were much lower than they are now. Their results at Key Stage 2 indicate that they have made satisfactory progress in English and mathematics and very good progress in science. Over the past three years, using average point scores, eleven year-old pupils are over one term ahead of their peers nationally in English, mathematics and science. Boys attain about half a term ahead of the girls in English, one term ahead in science and over

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

a year ahead in mathematics. This is a significant trend in English and is contrary to the national picture. In 2000, standards reached by higher-attaining pupils based on prior attainment were well above average in science, above average in mathematics and below average in English. Standards in most subjects are above average when compared with all schools nationally and when compared with similar schools based on prior attainment at Key Stage 1. Again, this represents a positive picture of rising standards overall.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

5. The school set itself challenging targets for the performance of eleven-year-old pupils in English and mathematics in 2000. These were broadly met. The school sets targets for all Nonsuch Primary School - 13 pupils in English and mathematics on an on-going basis. These are discussed with pupils and shared with parents. Targets are also set for pupils with special educational needs. These on- going targets are met regularly and new targets set. This is good practice.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

6. Inspection evidence confirms that standards throughout the school are above average in English. Particular strengths in English are in pupils’ abilities in speaking and listening, reading and in their imaginative use of language when writing. Pupils do not have enough opportunities to develop their skills in extended writing in subjects such as geography, history, religious education and science. Their standards of writing in these subjects are below their capabilities. In mathematics, inspection findings confirm the national data for seven year-old pupils, but suggest that attainment in Key Stage 2 is above average. Pupils are particularly proficient in their use of number and understand concepts about shape and space well. However, they are not so good at problem-solving and investigative work, and they do not get enough practice at handling data. Pupils do not have enough opportunities to improve their

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

numeracy skills in subjects such as design and technology, ICT, geography and science. Judgements from the inspection suggest that standards in science for seven year-olds are slightly higher than in the national assessments. For pupils aged eleven, these judgements indicate that standards in science in Key Stage 2 are not as high as those achieved in the national tests in 2000. Throughout the school, standards are highest in studying about life and living things and weakest in scientific investigations and experimental work. In Key Stage 1, standards are also lower than they should be in studying materials.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

7. Standards in art and design at the end of both key stages are well above average. Pupils work effectively in both two and three dimensions. They have considerable experience of the work of such famous artists as Van Gogh and William Morris. In design and technology, ICT and music, standards attained by seven and eleven year-olds are above average. They produce simple working models, sometimes using sophisticated mechanisms, such as cams and followers. The older pupils are using computers with confidence and can find out information from programs and the Internet and are creating designs for web pages. They respond well to music, can create structured compositions and understand musical elements such as timbre, pitch, volume and speed. Standards at Key Stages 1 and 2 are average in physical education and religious education. Pupils think about their actions when moving in gymnastic and games

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

lessons. They are learning lessons from religion as well as learning about religious practices and beliefs. No judgements were made about standards in geography and history due to a lack of evidence in these subjects.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

8. Overall, pupils generally achieve well bearing in mind their abilities and prior attainment. Most pupils are making good progress in English, mathematics and science. Good progress is also being made by the majority of pupils in art and design, design and technology, ICT and music. Pupils with special educational needs, including those with statements, and those for whom English is an additional language, make good progress throughout the school in all subjects. A significant number of pupils are removed from the special educational needs register once they no longer need additional support. Sound progress is being made in physical education. Lack of robust evidence indicates that pupils, including higher-attaining pupils, are not making enough progress in geography, history and religious education. Work set for pupils in these subjects is largely undemanding.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

9. Pupils have very positive attitudes to school and to their learning. These high standards have been maintained since the last inspection. Pupils are happy and enjoy school. They are highly motivated, enthusiastic, listen attentively, and are eager to contribute and participate both in lessons and other activities around school. Parents are particularly pleased by the way the school encourages pupils to work hard and achieve their best, and helps their children to become mature and responsible. Parents comment that the more able are encouraged to help and share with others. 10. Children under five in the nursery and reception classes show a very confident and mature approach both to work and in their relationships with one another. They have good levels of concentration and perseverance, and move freely and independently between activities. They are beginning to develop good social skills and explore new learning opportunities as they

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

Nonsuch Primary School - 14 engage in their tasks and activities. They work and play very well together, happily sharing their toys and equipment.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

11. Standards of behaviour around school are very good. Parents comment very favourably on pupils’ behaviour. They feel that the school encourages pupils to be disciplined and to behave well, and think that the positive behaviour strategies used by the school helps promote a good moral code. The inspection team confirms that parents are right to hold this view. The school has an orderly atmosphere and pupils are well aware of the school’s rules and ways of going on. However, some pupils can occasionally become restless in lessons where the pace of learning is slow and they lose interest. Pupils respond positively to the reward system, which they find motivates them to do well. They eagerly collect team points and look forward to seeing who has gained the most each week. Pupils are very friendly, happy to talk about what they are doing and very willing to show their work to visitors. They feel that school is a happy

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

and secure place with few incidents of bullying. There is an absence of oppressive behaviour, and a high degree of racial harmony exists between pupils. There have been no pupils excluded from the school during the past year.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

12. Relationships are excellent, both between staff and pupils, and amongst the pupils themselves. Parents specifically mentioned the high level of integration between the different year groups and between the younger pupils and the nursery. They said, ‘This helps to ease the transfer of the youngest children into the main school and provides responsibility for the older pupils’. The school works hard to promote tolerance and kindness and to ensure that pupils do not feel excluded. Pupils with special educational needs and those with English as an additional language are particularly well-integrated into school activities. Pupils work well together in groups. This harmonious atmosphere promotes a good working environment and has a positive impact on learning. For instance, in a science lesson in Year 6, pupils were observed working well together trying to identify the appropriate habitat for various invertebrates.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

13. Although currently under review, the personal, social and health education programme identifies many opportunities for pupils to talk about important issues. This promotes a good moral code, enabling pupils to share their views and feelings, values and beliefs. The care and encouragement shown by pupils for those with special educational needs and those with English as an additional language are excellent. The friendly, caring ethos of the school promotes value and respect for each other, and is reinforced by the good role models of the staff.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

14. Opportunities to develop pupils’ personal development are good. Strategies have been developed to offer pupils more choice and the chance to take responsibility for their own learning. In the nursery and reception classes, pupils are given a choice of activities as part of the foundation stage. This helps them to explore a variety of different resources and materials as well as helping to develop their initiative. From Year 3, pupils are encouraged to work on their own and are given homework diaries. Pupils walk to swimming and to the station when going on school outings. Year 6 join with other pupils for their school journeys. This helps them form new friendships, and is good preparation for the transfer to high school. Pupils willingly undertake roles of responsibility around the school. They take turns to act as class monitors or look after the toy boxes. Whilst in Year 6, pupils have wider ranging

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

responsibilities. These include helping with the music and overhead projector in assemblies; assisting staff by delivering the post; helping with filing; getting involved in charity events and recycling projects and undertaking duties in the office.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

15. Attendance levels in the school are very good and have improved since the last inspection. The attendance figure for the last academic year was well above the national average with few unauthorised absences. Pupils are generally prompt into school and lessons start on time. Attendance and punctuality are monitored effectively by the school.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

16. The quality of teaching is a strength of the school. This represents a considerable improvement from the last inspection. Overall, during the inspection the teaching was at least satisfactory in 97 per cent of lessons, with 84 per cent of teaching being at least good and 43 per cent at least very good. Only one lesson, 3 per cent of the teaching, was judged Nonsuch Primary School - 15 unsatisfactory. This is an unusually strong profile of high levels of teaching. All the teaching in the Foundation Stage was at least good, with 70 per cent being at least very good and 30 per cent outstanding. All the teaching in Key Stage 1 was at least satisfactory, 93 per cent was at least good and 57 per cent was at least very good. In Key Stage 2, 95 per cent of the teaching was at least satisfactory, 76 per cent was at least good and 24 per cent was at least very good. The teaching in all areas of the curriculum and subjects in the Foundation Stage, Years 1, 2, 3,

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

5 and 6 is particularly strong. Sometimes it is outstanding. The good quality of teaching throughout the school promotes and supports pupils’ learning and has a very positive impact on raising standards.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

17. In the Foundation Stage and in Key Stage 1, a particular strength of the teaching is the detailed planning of lessons with clear learning objectives. These are frequently shared with pupils so that they are aware of what they will be learning during the lesson. In these year groups, teachers hold high expectations of pupils and the level of challenge is frequently high. For example, in one science lesson, pupils were inspired to make good progress by the high expectations of their teacher. Teachers plan a wide range of activities to maintain pupils’ interest and to make difficult concepts more easily understood. For example, a teacher explaining the use of direct speech to very young pupils encouraged them to use “speech bubbles” and puppets to act out the conversations that the pupils had written. Teachers make good use of discussion and questioning to prompt pupils to think hard, reflect on their ideas

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

and to extend their knowledge and understanding. Particularly good use is made in a variety of subjects, for example, religious education, physical education and English, of the concluding discussion at the end of lessons to review and remind pupils what has been learnt and to re- emphasise the main points of the lesson. Good use is made of a range of resources to support learning; for example, the use of pupils’ “mini” whiteboards in English means that teachers can check the progress of all pupils and immediately offer additional support to those who need it. Lessons are generally taught at a good pace. Teachers plan to fit in a great deal into each lesson. However, during longer lessons, there were some examples of pupils being expected to sit quietly and listen for longer than is appropriate to expect of them.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

18. Detailed planning of lessons continues to be a major feature of the good teaching in Key Stage 2. In one art lesson in Year 3, the planning was outstanding. Teachers organise and manage their lessons well; for example, by giving clear instructions and organising group activities efficiently. Teachers hold high expectations of their pupils and set a high degree of challenge. For example, in mathematics challenging problems are set and one English lesson required higher-attaining pupils to use a high degree of initiative to complete their tasks. Teachers make good use of questioning and discussion to challenge pupils’ ideas and to prompt them to think more deeply about their knowledge and understanding. In this way, pupils enhance their learning through listening to the ideas of others. Generally, teachers have good subject expertise, but, when subject knowledge is less secure, learning objectives and explanations

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

are less clear. This leads to the setting of tasks which are in themselves appropriate but do not have a full impact on pupils’ learning. For example, during a religious education lesson the impact of the learning was lessened because the teacher was unable to explain the significance of the religious practices adequately. Lack of teacher expertise, combined with ineffective strategies for behaviour management, led to pupils not making enough progress in this lesson. This is unsatisfactory. Although there were some examples of time not being used to its best advantage, teachers nearly always manage to fit as much as possible into their lessons. One good example of this was in a physical education lesson where the teacher used the changing-time at the beginning and end of the lesson as an opportunity to discuss plans, give explanations and review progress with the class.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

19. The teaching of literacy skills is good. In English lessons, the teachers in Key Stage 1 have good knowledge of the methods of teaching letter sounds and the way in which these are built to form words. They use a good range of methods to engage pupils’ interest and to enable them to understand and develop this key area of learning. Teachers have high expectations that very young pupils will think deeply about what they have read and discuss their opinions about such elements of their reading as plot and character. Teachers place clear emphasis on developing and using a wide vocabulary and on writing convincingly and accurately. In Key Stage 2, teachers place clear emphasis on the skills needed to write for a variety of purposes and audiences and on offering opportunities for creative and personal writing. They provide an Nonsuch Primary School - 16 interesting range of resources to promote progress in this area. For example, pupils writing

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

formal letters of persuasion were given a wide variety of letters printed in the local newspaper to analyse for purpose, style and vocabulary. Good provision was made to meet the needs of pupils across the wide range of attainment. Some very good teaching of literacy skills was seen in art lessons. Some other subjects of the curriculum offer good opportunities for pupils to develop their literacy skills, for instance, history, geography, religious education and science. In history, pupils in both key stages have written empathetic accounts of historical events from the point of view of people living at the time. Older pupils have written very amusing and original poems to enable them to remember key scientific facts and have produced effective descriptive writing on the way in which animals are adapted to their habitats. However, overall, too few opportunities are taken to promote pupils’ writing skills in

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

20. The teaching of numeracy in mathematics lessons is generally good. Teachers have sufficient subject expertise and teaching skills to teach numeracy effectively. Pupils generally make good progress in learning their numeracy skills. On some occasions, teachers teach numeracy skills in other subjects. For instance, a geography lesson in Year 4 involved interpreting data from bar charts and pie charts on a computer. Numeracy skills are also used when making models in design and technology. However, overall, teachers do not provide enough opportunities to teach numeracy skills in other subjects across the curriculum, such as design and technology, geography, ICT and science.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

21. The teaching of pupils with special educational needs is good, particularly in literacy and numeracy, and these pupils make good progress. They receive good support from learning support assistants. For example, one Year 6 pupil with special educational needs was able to write, unassisted, a stunningly original and striking poem in the style of a Japanese haiku, after appropriate support from a learning support assistant. The teachers know these pupils well, prepare work appropriate to their needs and integrate them fully into classroom activities. Teachers are involved in setting Individual Educational Plans and ensure that these are linked to work in class. Teachers are aware of the different learning needs of boys and girls and the different learning styles they require. In particular, in English, there are many tasks and styles of working that appeal to the interests of boys. For instance, writing frames are used

p.16

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

extensively across the curriculum. These help all pupils, but boys in particular, to plan a structure for their work. These are obviously successful as the attainment of boys is slightly higher than that of girls at the end of both key stages. This is a reversal of the national trend. There are a number of pupils for whom English is an additional language, but none of these is at an early stage in the acquisition of English and they have not been identified as being in need of additional support. However, the school needs to bear in mind that those who do not speak English at home might need additional support in their use of language and in writing as they progress through the junior classes. Teachers make provision to meet the differing learning needs of pupils across the attainment range in English and mathematics. In these lessons, the expectations and level of challenge for higher-attaining pupils is good. However,

p.16

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

this is not consistently the case in other subjects where teachers do not set different tasks to meet the full range of pupils’ needs. In subjects other than English and mathematics, there is too often a lack of challenge for higher-attaining pupils. This is unsatisfactory.

p.16

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

22. Overall, the quality of pupils’ learning is good throughout the school. Pupils in Key Stage 1 make good progress in the acquisition of new knowledge and understanding in some quite demanding areas. For example, pupils in Year 2 made very good progress in learning how to bounce a ball with control and accuracy, in response to the clear and specific advice and demonstration given by their teacher. Younger pupils make good progress in the acquisition of social skills and co-operative behaviour as a result of teachers’ high expectations in this area. Examples of this are seen in snack times in the nursery. Pupils work hard, show perseverance and are prepared to “have a go” when they find something difficult. However, when an activity continues for too long they begin to lose concentration and their learning is less effective. Pupils make good progress in thinking their ideas through and in explaining them in response

p.16

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

to teachers’ probing questions and use of discussion.

p.16

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

23. Pupils continue to make good progress in the acquisition of new knowledge and skills in Key Stage 2. For example, in an information technology lesson, pupils were able to learn Nonsuch Primary School - 17 effectively through their own exploration of the topic. Pupils put real effort into their work. They think for themselves in response to focused questioning and opportunities to work collaboratively. In an art lesson in Year 3, pupils concentrated eagerly and put in considerable creative effort. In one physical education lesson, pupils made satisfactory progress in striking a ball correctly. However, their progress was limited by the fact that the teacher made insufficient use of practical demonstrations of the skills required. When tasks are undemanding or the pace of the lesson is too slow, pupils’ learning is reduced.

p.16

TO PUPILS?

24. The curriculum is broad and complies with statutory requirements. A wide range of activities is provided for pupils, including educational and residential visits to places of interest. The school offers a range of extra-curricular activities including football, choir, netball, drama and dance. The school provides very effectively for pupils’ personal development. The teaching includes areas such as bullying, child protection, drugs education and sex education. This provision is taught through assemblies, times when pupils all sit round quietly and discuss their work or other points with their teacher and the programme of personal, social and health education. The effective provision for pupils’ personal development is a strength of the school. Since the last inspection, provision in this area has improved from being sound to being very good. Homework is set across the school and ranges from the younger children taking home

p.17

TO PUPILS?

reading books, to work extending the core subjects in Key Stage 2. The amount and range of homework is generally consistent as appropriate in all classes, with the exception of Year 5. Pupils do not receive as much homework in this class as in other classes.

p.17

TO PUPILS?

25. There are policies in place for all subjects, although a few are due to be updated in the near future. The school has wisely adopted the national guidance for schemes of work produced by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority [QCA]. These are being reviewed appropriately after a year of implementation. This is an improvement from the last inspection. The Foundation Stage has successfully implemented the national guidance, Early Learning Goals. This is also an improvement from provision at the last inspection. The school is implementing the local education authority’s agreed syllabus for religious education as required by statute. In doing this, teachers are using national guidance from the QCA to help with curriculum planning in religious education. This is a sensible approach.

p.17

TO PUPILS?

26. The national literacy and numeracy strategies have been introduced successfully in Key Stages 1 and 2, and the arrangements for teaching literacy and numeracy skills are proving successful. These are now having a positive impact on pupils’ learning in these areas and standards are rising. Literacy and numeracy skills are developed in other subjects from time to time, but more opportunities to do so should be provided as a priority. The school has recently re-organised its computers into one teaching room, which is helping to improve standards in this area. Computers are now being used more to support work in other subjects.

p.17

TO PUPILS?

27. The quality of teachers’ planning derived from the schemes of work and supporting guidance is very good, and, often, excellent. Progression in pupils’ learning and continuity of learning experience is secure following the schemes of work. Work in literacy and numeracy is planned to fit in well with pupils’ abilities. Planning for pupils with special educational needs and those with English as an additional language is appropriate. However, work is generally not planned sufficiently for higher-attaining pupils in subjects other than literacy and numeracy. Overall, curriculum planning has improved since the last inspection.

p.17

TO PUPILS?

28. The allocation of time is inappropriate in some subjects. According to the schemes of work, the time allocated to several subjects, including geography, history, music and science is well below the national average. Despite this, standards attained in the topics taught in these subjects are in line with nationally expected levels. In science, they are above those levels. In spite of this, the time allocated to these subjects is too short and leads to an overall imbalance in curriculum provision. On the other hand, too much time is allocated to the teaching of reading and to assemblies. In addition, some lessons in literacy and numeracy are too long. Nonsuch Primary School - 18 29. All pupils have equal opportunity and access to the full range of the curriculum. Pupils with special educational needs receive a broad curriculum. They receive help from learning support assistants, particularly in literacy and numeracy lessons. They also receive support in

p.17

TO PUPILS?

other subjects when available. Appropriate provision is provided for pupils with English as an additional language.

p.18

TO PUPILS?

30. Links with the local community are good. The school has a large number of visitors who come in to speak to the children on a wide range of issues. There have been links with industry, including gifts of money to aid specific projects, and there have been good links with organisations such as the fire and police services.

p.18

TO PUPILS?

31. The school provides well for the spiritual development of its pupils. School assemblies promote tolerance and consideration for those who think and believe differently from each other. They provide moments of wonder stimulated by high quality input from teachers and pupils. Teachers leading the assemblies actively promote participation by the pupils and these events are particularly enjoyable. Opportunities for spiritual development are provided; for example, in science for pupils to wonder at the habitats of invertebrates and the effects of water on plants and in religious education for pupils to interpret the meanings of parables.

p.18

TO PUPILS?

32. The school’s provision for pupils’ moral development is very good. Few examples of bad behaviour were seen during the inspection, and teachers provided excellent role models for their pupils. Good behaviour is rewarded with praise, team points and other incentives. Instances of bad behaviour were discussed in assemblies and in circle-time, and one class had a box where pupils could post notes about anxieties they had regarding bullying. Action is taken to defuse potentially problematic situations before they happen; for example, by providing boxes of toys and games equipment for use at lunchtimes. The achievement of good behaviour is celebrated in assemblies.

p.18

TO PUPILS?

33. The school cultivates pupils’ social development very well. Pupils are given opportunities to care for one another, are happy to take responsibility, and work and play together. Pupils play well together in the playground. During the inspection, lunchtime assistants looked after the children well and dealt with them in a positive manner. Good quality resources were provided by the school to assist with social development - a playhouse, climbing-frames, a model boat, an attractive mural, and other social toys.

p.18

TO PUPILS?

34. Excellent provision is made for pupils’ cultural development. The multi-cultural and multi- ethnic nature of the school’s catchment area is celebrated effectively. This is demonstrated in the variety of display materials around the school, including quality copies of works by artists such as Van Gogh, Delauney and Turner, as well as artefacts and photographs of other countries such as Japan, Africa and China. Music is also used effectively to promote cultural development. In assemblies, music for listening is used, with some historical and cultural information linked to work in class. At the time of the inspection, the music of Aaron Copeland, which was being studied by Year 5 was being used. Music of different genres is also used as a teaching tool; for example, in Year 6, pupils listened to a popular song and wrote their own words to the tune. In Year 4, several contrasting pieces from films and television were played

p.18

TO PUPILS?

as a stimulus to composition. The pupils also make frequent visits to places of cultural interest, including the Museum of Childhood, and the grounds of Nonsuch Palace. Year 6 pupils have the benefit of a residential visit with another school to an adventure centre in Shropshire, where they are able to enjoy a wide range of activities in a contrasting cultural context. Visitors from other religions and cultures come into the school to talk to the pupils about their way of life. Religious diversity is celebrated in the high quality displays across the school, including displays on Hinduism, in addition to Christianity. Festivals, such as Diwali, are celebrated in addition to those of the Christian calendar. Visits are also made to places of worship such as Southwark Cathedral.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

35. The school provides a very caring and supportive environment for pupils. Its provision for pupils’ health, welfare and guidance makes a significant contribution to their personal and Nonsuch Primary School - 19 academic development. Parents speak very highly of the school. They feel that the way the headteacher and class teachers know all pupils by name is a mark of a caring and supportive environment and helps promote good relationships. Teachers monitor pupils’ personal development effectively and act quickly when they see a need. Pupils are involved in identifying and reviewing their own targets, which are shared with parents during parental consultations. However, this is mainly at an academic level. Personal targets are set for some pupils based on behavioural issues. The identification of personal targets generally is an under-developed area but is being considered within the revised personal, social and health

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

36. There are good systems in place to support the academic and personal development needs of pupils with special educational needs and pupils with English as an additional language, and both groups make good progress. The school also caters for the academic and personal needs of higher-achieving pupils in literacy and numeracy. However, they are not always suitably challenged in all other subjects to enable them to develop their skills further. The admissions and transfer procedures are well-planned and handled sensitively.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

37. Procedures for monitoring and promoting discipline and good behaviour, and eliminating any oppressive behaviour, are excellent. This is reflected in the good behaviour and orderly atmosphere in the school. The comprehensive behaviour policy provides clear guidelines and procedures for promoting good behaviour, and dealing with any disruptive pupils or incidents of bullying. It clearly highlights the school’s expectations and identifies the responsibilities of pupils, staff and parents in this respect. There is a good balance of rewards and sanctions, with staff offering a consistently positive approach to behaviour management. On the few occasions where bullying occurs, the issues are dealt with sensitively. Pupils know to whom they should go, and are confident that the situation will be dealt with effectively. They are well aware of the “no blame approach” and “no put down” box and feel this works.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

38. Procedures for monitoring and improving attendance are excellent. Their success is reflected in the high levels of attendance in the school. Parents are regularly informed of their responsibilities regarding the need to ensure that their children attend school regularly and promptly. They call in promptly to inform the school when their children are away ill. Appropriate links have been established with the education welfare officer.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

39. The school has good systems in place for child protection and ensuring pupils’ health, safety and welfare. The school has appropriate procedures and guidelines for child protection. The headteacher has designated responsibilities for this area. Information regarding child protection is currently not included in the staff handbook. The school is aware that there has been no recent child protection training held and that new members of staff need to be updated on changes to the legislation and necessary procedures. There are plans to run in-service training to include this next term. Well-established systems are in place to take care of pupils who may fall ill during the day, and there are effective procedures to meet the medical needs of pupils. Five members of staff are qualified to provide first aid. The school has appropriate links with the relevant outside agencies and is part of the Sutton Healthy Schools initiative.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

40. There is a comprehensive health and safety policy, and appropriate procedures in place to address the issues of safety and security of pupils in the school. The staff representative, who is also a school governor, undertakes regular health and safety checks and risk assessments. The governing body is kept suitably informed and takes its responsibilities in this respect seriously.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

41. Assessment of pupils’ academic progress across the school is generally very good and is a strength of the school. The school has a policy for marking and assessment. This is due for review. Teachers undertake both formative and summative assessment of pupils. Appropriate targets are set for pupils, and they are given feedback about their progress in meeting these. Base-line assessments of social and academic development are undertaken in the nursery. Statutory national curriculum tests are given in Years 2 and 6, plus optional tests in Years 3, 4 and 5, in addition to other screening tests, such as for reading. These assessments provide information that teachers use to aid planning and to improve the progress of pupils. In best practice, teachers assess pupils’ performance in all subjects on a weekly basis and track Nonsuch Primary School - 20 whether or not they need further support or extension activities. This is excellent practice and

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

helps to raise pupils’ attainment. To ensure consistency across the school, pupils’ work is monitored by curriculum co-ordinators. At present, the school is reviewing its approach to marking, as it considers that this needs further development.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

42. The school uses effective assessment procedures to ensure compliance with the Code of Practice when identifying pupils with special educational needs. Any children with potential needs are identified early in their time at the school. Individual Education Plans for these pupils have appropriate targets and these are reviewed regularly. The school involves parents as fully as possible in these reviews and maintains close links with outside agencies. This is very good practice. Pupils with Statements of Special Educational Needs receive appropriate provision as specified in their statement.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

43. The school has significantly improved its practices in caring for the personal and educational support of pupils since the last inspection.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

44. The school’s partnership with parents is very good and has improved since the last inspection.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

45. The quality of information provided for parents is very comprehensive. Information regarding the school and its activities is detailed in the literature for new parents, the school brochure and the attractively presented governors’ annual report. Regular contact is maintained through the termly newsletter and the regular updating letters to parents. Teachers hold informal meetings at the start of each year to introduce themselves to parents and share with them what will be covered during the year. Curriculum information, including details of projects and topics, is circulated to parents each term.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

46. Parents feel that there are very good links with the school. They feel that the school is very accessible, and parents appreciate the fact that the headteacher and staff are there in the playground at the start and end of the day. It encourages them to get their children to school on time, and enables them to raise with teachers any important issues or concerns. Parents welcome the open-door policy and the way the school encourages suggestions. The school takes any concerns they have seriously, dealing with them promptly. The school changed the date of circulating the pupil’s annual reports following suggestions from parents. The reports are very detailed, identifying pupils’ strengths and weaknesses plus targets for improvement in English and mathematics. However, they are less informative in other subjects because comments about pupils’ next areas for development are not included. Parents reported that

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

they are kept well-informed about the progress their children are making. The only concerns they expressed relate to the inconsistent setting of homework and the range of extra-curricular activities offered outside school. All teachers set homework in accordance with the school’s policy. However, many, but not all, teachers set homework in excess of the policy. The school offers an acceptable range and quantity of extra-curricular activities.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

47. Consultation evenings are held each term providing opportunities for parents to review their child’s progress and achievements. Parents value the three-way meetings held in the Spring, at which pupil targets are shared with parents. Parents are consulted regularly regarding issues such as the home/school agreement, and the school development plan. Workshops held to introduce parents to issues such as the numeracy and literacy strategies, or the school’s approach to sex education, are well attended. Parents of pupils with special educational needs are kept well-informed as to the progress of their children and are involved appropriately in the review processes.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

48. The significant contribution parents make to their children’s learning is having a positive impact on their progress. The school warmly encourages parents to become involved in their children’s learning by helping out in the school. A number of committed parents are regularly helping out with various activities around the school, such as changing library books and listening to reading, working with groups in science, art and design and technology or helping out accompanying pupils to swimming. Parents receive details regarding the homework policy Nonsuch Primary School - 21 and how they can help their children at home. Many parents are listening regularly to their children read each evening and this is contributing to the high standards of reading in the school.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

49. The Friends of Nonsuch parents’ organisation is run very effectively by a committed group of parents. A large number of fund-raising and social events is held successfully each year. These are well-attended, and generate significant additional funds to help purchase resources for the school. Over £5,000 was raised last year. This has helped provide such items as computers for the ICT suite, carpets for the school and the ‘Baby Alice’ classification system for the library.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

50. The leadership and management of the school has improved since the last inspection. The strengths of leadership and management noted at the last inspection have been maintained and some of the weaknesses rectified. For instance, there is now a strong commitment to high achievement. This has been very successful in most subjects. Most policies have been reviewed recently, and new schemes of work in all subjects have been adopted. Monitoring and evaluation of standards and teaching by the headteacher and co-ordinators are now strengths of the school. Provision for pupils with special educational needs is now good. Improvements have been made to development planning, but more still needs to be done in order to make the process more manageable.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

51. The headteacher and key staff lead and manage the school very efficiently and effectively. There is a very clear direction for the school’s work. The school has explicit aims and values, including a commitment to good relationships and equality of opportunity, which are embedded in all its work. Performance management, including the appraisal of teachers, is providing an effective focus for raising standards. The policy and procedures for monitoring and evaluation of standards and teaching in all subjects are working very well. The headteacher and co- ordinators analyse teachers’ plans and pupils’ work on a rolling programme. They receive training from the local education authority and observe teachers in classrooms and report their findings to the teachers individually and to the staff as a whole. On an annual basis, the headteacher and local education authority report the outcomes of the monitoring and

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

evaluation to governors in a Joint Annual Review and make recommendations for future actions in order to correct any weaknesses identified. Future actions appear in the next year’s development plan. This is excellent practice and is proving very effective in raising standards in all subjects.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

52. The school’s development plan is a useful tool for improvement. Its construction includes taking advice from all staff, governors, many parents and the local education authority. This is good practice. The plan contains many priorities appropriate in raising standards. Details of extra costs under each initiative and sound plans for monitoring the effectiveness of implementation are also included. However, the plan includes too many initiatives. Some of these are “maintenance” rather than “improvement” items. Priorities are not costed in terms of staff time. The school has not calculated the amount of extra time to which staff are committed as a result of the plan. This is a weakness. The plan does not include an overview of the total resources required or a map that indicates when initiatives are to be implemented. This might mean that staff could be overloaded at any particular time without the knowledge of

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

the school. The plan does not take a strategic view of the school’s development. It is confined to initiatives and action plans over a two-year period and does not reflect any longer-term strategic thinking.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

53. The governing body is hard-working and committed to school improvement. Governors have established an appropriate strategic direction for the work of the school in formulating and reviewing the school’s aims. Some refinements are now needed in the school’s planning to implement this strategic direction. Governors are very involved in the life and work of the school. They fulfil their role as “critical friends” to the school effectively. Some visit the school regularly to discuss issues with key staff and observe lessons. This is proving very supportive and is valued by staff. The process of the Joint Annual Review would be strengthened if it Nonsuch Primary School - 22 received input from governors from their monitoring. Governors know about the strengths and weaknesses of the school from the outcomes of the Joint Annual Review and from reports to them given by curriculum co-ordinators. Governors fulfil their statutory duties, including those

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

for pupils with special educational needs.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

54. There is a sound policy for pupils with special educational needs, and its implementation is overseen effectively by the governor responsible for this aspect. This governor also organises regular meetings with parents of pupils with special educational needs to keep them informed about the school’ provision in this area. This is very good practice. All teachers undertake a clear responsibility for these pupils and they receive good support from the governing body, headteacher, co-ordinator, learning support teachers and learning support assistants.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

55. The school makes good use of the resources made available to it. The budget is planned sensibly and spending is prudent. The school operates the principles of best value well. Grants for pupils with special educational needs and teacher training are used well. The funding allocated to teaching and learning support staff is appropriate and in line with other schools nationally. There are adequate learning resources to implement the schemes of work effectively. There are sufficient staff, appropriately qualified, in order to implement the National Curriculum and ensure the smooth and efficient running of the school. Learning support staff are effective in their roles. The school office is staffed generously and runs very effectively. Parents appreciate the friendliness of the office staff. The school is maintained in a clean and tidy manner by the caretaker and cleaners. During the inspection, school meals

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

staff and midday supervisors helped to make the lunch break a pleasurable experience for the pupils.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

56. The internal and external accommodation are very attractive and stimulating learning environments. Staff work hard and are successful in enriching the curriculum by displaying pupils’ work and the work of others in powerful ways. The school grounds are used extensively as a valuable resource for learning across the curriculum, for instance, in English, science and physical education. The internal accommodation is adequate, but some of the classrooms are rather small and there is a lack of storage space for resources. The nursery provides a very attractive and spacious environment for children and is well equipped. Resources for learning are adequate to teach the curriculum. The school is soon to begin to review the new schemes of work. Once this process has been completed, further resources might be needed. For instance, additional equipment might be required for science and further artefacts, videos and

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

57. Overall, taking into account the standards achieved, the quality of teaching, the leadership and management of the school, improvement since the last inspection, contextual factors and unit costs, the school provides good value for money. This is an improvement since the last inspection.

p.22

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

58. No major issues have been identified in this report. However, in order to continue raising standards, the headteacher, staff and governors, as appropriate, should address the following minor issues:

p.22

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• Provide more challenge and raise the achievement of higher-attaining pupils, especially in geography, history and religious education; [ paragraphs 8, 21, 27, 36, 82, 109, 112, 136 ] • Establish more securely the teaching of numeracy in subjects such as design and technology, geography, ICT and science; [ paragraphs 6, 20, 26, 87 ] • Review the balance of the curriculum and allocate more time to the teaching of geography and history in particular; [ paragraphs 28, 112, 117 ] • Strengthen the effectiveness of the development plan by including a more strategic view of the school, costing out staff time and reducing the number of priorities. [ paragraph 52 ] Nonsuch Primary School - 23

p.22

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 33

p.23

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

p.23

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

13 30 41 13 3 0 0 The table gives the percentage of teaching observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about lessons.

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery YR – Y6

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 23 210

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 0 7 FTE means full-time equivalent.

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Special educational needs Nursery YR – Y6

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 0 2

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 2 53

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 19

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

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

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 5

p.23

Attendance

National comparative data 4.3 National comparative data 0.3 Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Nonsuch Primary School - 24

p.23

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2000 12 19 31

p.24

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

p.24

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Boys 10 10 12 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 19 19 19

p.24

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentage of pupils School 94 (100) 94 (100) 100 (100) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (82) 85 (83) 90 (87)

p.24

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.24

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Boys 10 12 9 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 19 18 19

p.24

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentage of pupils School 94 (97) 97 (100) 90 (94) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (82) 88 (86) 88 (87)

p.24

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

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

p.24

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 2000 14 17 31

p.24

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

p.24

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Boys 14 13 14 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 15 10 16

p.24

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentage of pupils School 94 (84) 74 (82) 97 (92) at NC level 4 or above National 75 (70) 72 (69) 85 (78)

p.24

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.24

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Boys 14 13 14 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 15 16 15

p.24

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentage of pupils School 94 (84) 91 (84) 94 (90) at NC level 4 or above National 70 (68) 72 (69) 79 (75) Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Nonsuch Primary School - 25

p.24

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage 1 Black – Caribbean heritage

p.25

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – African heritage 1 Black – African heritage

p.25

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Any other minority ethnic group 3 Other minority ethnic groups 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.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 10.3 Financial year 1999/2000

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 20.4

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: Y1 – Y6 Total expenditure 507,145

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 7 Expenditure per pupil 2,306

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 109 Balance brought forward from previous year 22,796

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance carried forward to next year 17,360

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Qualified teachers and support staff: nursery

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 1

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 23

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 2

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 33

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per FTE adult 11.5 FTE means full-time equivalent. Nonsuch Primary School - 26

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Percentage of responses in each category

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

p.26

Percentage of responses in each category

My child is making good progress in school. 55 36 7 2 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 51 44 0 1 4

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 38 46 10 2 4

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Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 52 39 7 1 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 65 27 3 3 3

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 56 37 2 1 4

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 44 45 10 1 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 42 51 4 2 2

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 50 47 2 0 2

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 21 44 18 4 12 Nonsuch Primary School - 27

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Other issues raised by parents

Amongst the strengths of the school parents noted: • this is a small, caring and friendly school with a positive ethos; • parents are generally happy about standards; • the provision for pupils with SEN is good; • target-setting is much appreciated; • pupil behaviour is generally good; • school visits are linked to the curriculum; • there are strong football and netball teams; • cheerful, helpful and dedicated office staff; • there is good teacher presence in the playground; • the school responds well to parents’ suggestions.

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Other issues raised by parents

Amongst the weakness, parents noted: • a lack of challenge for high-attaining pupils, especially in English, mathematics, science and ICT; • the absence of an end-of-year report to parents; • there is not enough variety in after-school clubs, e.g., French; • there should be better communication – more notice about changes or events; • not enough consistency in amounts of homework set in the juniors. Nonsuch Primary School - 28

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

59. There have been considerable improvements in the standards achieved and provision for children in the Foundation Stage since the previous inspection. Most children in the nursery and reception classes are exceeding the standards expected of pupils of similar ages, the early learning goals , in all areas of learning. This is an improvement since the last inspection. This is because the teaching is often outstanding and this is having a positive impact on the children’s learning. All aspects of the teaching are strong, but, the clarity and detail of the planning in relation to the early learning goals and the quality and use of assessments of children’s performance are excellent.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

60. Over the past three years, most children begin nursery with higher standards in literacy, mathematics, social behaviour and independent learning than elsewhere in Sutton. By the time they are ready to start Year 1, the majority of children achieve well and exceed the early learning goals in all areas of learning. This is because of the high quality of teaching they receive in all areas.

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Personal, social and emotional development

61. Nearly all children enter the nursery class with above-average skills in personal, social and emotional development. By the time they leave the reception class, they are exceeding the early learning goals in this area. This shows good achievement and reflects skilful teaching in both the nursery and reception classes, where children are constantly encouraged to feel confident about what they can achieve.

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Personal, social and emotional development

62. In both year groups, children play and work together well. They share equipment properly, for instance, mathematical shapes in Year R, and play together considerately, as in the café in the nursery class.

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Personal, social and emotional development

63. The adults provide good role models for the children, always treating one another with calm, courtesy and respect. This leads to positive relationships and helps the children to understand other’s points of view. For instance, the nursery teacher took her turn in the snack time along with all the other children. The adults also promote children’s personal development by ensuring that all equipment and materials that the children need are easily accessible for them. This helps them to become more independent.

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Communication, language and literacy

64. In both the nursery and reception classes, the children enjoy listening to stories and sharing books with others. All adults talk to the children with interest and are active listeners. They show that they value the children’s efforts at communicating.

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Communication, language and literacy

65. By the time they leave the reception class, nearly all children are exceeding the early learning goals . They are particularly good at explaining what they are doing. For instance, in the reception class, they were able to explain some of the features of mathematical shapes to their teacher with considerable clarity.

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Communication, language and literacy

66. Elements of the National Literacy Strategy are used effectively in the reception class. Children are developing a good understanding of phonics through effective word and sentence level work using a range of well-known stories. Most pupils “have a go” at writing for themselves and some are writing interesting stories at length. Some of these stories are very impressive for children at such a young age. Nonsuch Primary School - 29 67. In both year groups, staff encourage children to think for themselves as readers and writers whatever their stage of development. For example, in the nursery class, all pupils are expected to order from a menu and the “waiter” is expected to write down orders.

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Mathematical development

68. All children in the reception class can count to ten, and many beyond that. They can add three single-digit numbers together and recognise the hour on clocks. Many children understand larger and smaller , odd and even numbers and can double single-digit numbers. They use the correct mathematical language when describing three-dimensional shapes. This is well above the early learning goals.

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Mathematical development

69. In the nursery and reception classes, children are treated as mathematicians. They count as they sing the song Speckled Frog. In the nursery, they count how many snails they have and how many sausages they plan to order from the café. In reception, they sort out shapes using two criteria and make play-dough models of shapes.

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

70. Children enter the nursery class with a good basic general knowledge. The teaching is particularly strong in this aspect, and children soon increase their knowledge and understand much more about their world, especially that of living creatures and plants.

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

71. In the nursery class, children were learning about snails. They discussed, handled and drew their shape and talked about how snails eat. They watch with eagerness the growth of tadpoles, the habits of worms, and how a range of plants and vegetables grow in the garden outside the classroom. All this captivated the children and stimulated them to discuss what has happened and predict what might happen next. Many children use the computer independently with confidence and can handle the mouse skilfully.

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Physical development

72. The imaginative development of the outdoor area for the nursery is a major factor in helping the children to make good progress in developing their physical skills. They can ride tricycles on a marked-out road, skip and practise balancing when walking. In outdoor play, pupils plays well together and move around without bumping into one another. In class, they use their fingers and hands to mark out shapes, paint, colour and write with pencils.

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Physical development

73. In the reception class, children work hard in physical education lessons. They get changed sensibly and quickly and put in considerable effort to their work. They show a good sense of balance and can co-ordinate well making shapes of animals using their arms, legs and bodies.

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Creative development

74. The teaching in this area is very strong, and this leads to high standards being achieved, well in excess of the early learning goals . Children enter the nursery with good basic skills in this area and they make good progress throughout the nursery and reception classes. In the nursery and reception classes, children use paint to print petals on pictures of sunflowers and they are encouraged to think about their drawings. They sing in tune enthusiastically and nursery children perform complex actions to songs, such as Incy Wincy Spider. Nonsuch Primary School - 30

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ENGLISH

75. The attainment of pupils is at least above national averages throughout the school. This represents good improvement since the previous inspection, when attainment was judged to be in line with national averages at the end of both key stages. Most pupils, including those with special educational needs and those for whom English is an additional language, make good progress in English.

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ENGLISH

76. Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1, in the national tests in 2000 was well above the national average. It was above that found in similar schools in reading and well above the national average in similar schools in writing. The percentage of pupils attaining the higher level was also above the national average in both reading and writing, although a considerably higher percentage of pupils attained the higher level in reading than in writing. Over the past five years there has been an upward trend in the average points scored by pupils in these tests in both reading and writing. In reading, the attainment of girls is higher than that of boys by the equivalent of approximately half a term, while in writing the attainment of boys is higher by a similar margin. Inspection evidence confirms that attainment is also above what is found nationally.

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ENGLISH

77. Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2, in national tests in 2000 was above the national average and in line with what is found in similar schools based on the pupils’ results at the end of Key Stage 1. The percentage of pupils attaining the higher grade is slightly below what is seen nationally. Over the past five years there has been steady improvement in the average points scored by pupils in these tests. The attainment of boys is higher than that of girls by a margin of approximately half a term, which is a reversal of the national picture, where girls’ attainment is higher than that of boys. Attainment based on a full range of evidence seen during the inspection is also above what is seen nationally.

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ENGLISH

78. By the end of Key Stage 1, attainment in speaking and listening is above average. Pupils speak clearly and confidently. Most are eager to join in class reading and discussions. Pupils, including the very young ones, make good use of opportunities for discussion to compare their ideas with others. Many pupils discuss their ideas spontaneously with other members of the class; for example, when they are reading they will make observations or point out interesting parts to other people and in this way they hold discussions in a very mature way. By the end of Key Stage 2, attainment in speaking and listening remains above average. Pupils continue to speak clearly and confidently, and in a manner entirely appropriate to the occasion. For example, a group of Year 5 pupils presented some poetry to a school assembly, including an audience of visitors, with great self-assurance and aplomb, showing mature appreciation of the

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ENGLISH

humorous nature of the verse. Pupils hold discussions effectively. They make use of discussions as a valuable learning tool in order to compare, exchange and clarify their ideas. Pupils listen courteously to one another and value the opinions of others. They use the full range of their vocabulary when speaking in order to express their ideas clearly and concisely.

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ENGLISH

79. Attainment in reading is above average throughout the school. At the end of Key Stage 1, pupils display a great love of reading. They enjoy reading. Nearly all read accurately and most read fluently and with developing expression. They understand clearly that some books are for leisure and relaxation while others are used as a source of information and, when they are reading to find information, they use good library skills to locate what they need. Pupils take an interest in the various characters in the books they read and can discuss their distinguishing features. By the end of Key Stage 2, nearly all pupils read accurately and most read with expression, making use of punctuation and direct speech to add pace and fluency to their reading. They are able to analyse how a writer achieves an effect. For example, pupils in Year 6 looked at the ways in which a writer achieved an atmosphere of fear and mystery.

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ENGLISH

They were able to identify the words and phrases that were especially effective in achieving this.

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ENGLISH

80. Attainment in writing is good in both key stages. By the end of Key Stage 1, most pupils write in complete sentences that are correctly punctuated. Nearly all pupils can write a sequence of two or three short sentences that develop an idea clearly. Higher-attaining pupils produce fairly extended pieces of writing. Most pupils have a wide vocabulary for their age and they Nonsuch Primary School - 31 put considerable thought into writing vivid and amusing descriptions. All pupils use joined writing from an early age and the neatness of handwriting and the presentation of work are strengths of the school. By the end of Key Stage 2, the vast majority of pupils write in complete, correctly punctuated sentences and nearly all produce extended writing which explores and looks at several different angles of the same topic. Pupils continue to develop a wide vocabulary and show interest in extending this by looking words up themselves in a

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ENGLISH

dictionary or thesaurus. In their creative writing, pupils across the attainment range use their vocabulary adventurously and use figurative language and imagery successfully in order to create an effect. For example, a pupil with special educational needs described an opening bud by comparing it with a “sweet wrapper gradually unfurling”. Higher-attaining pupils use language with striking effect and sensitivity. For example, one pupil wrote a poem describing the weather as a “pearl sphere of trickling rain”.

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ENGLISH

81. The standards of pupils’ writing in other subjects is not as good as it is in literacy lessons. For instance, in geography, history, religious education and science, some of their writing is copied and the standard of work of higher-attaining pupils is similar to that of other pupils. This is unsatisfactory. Overall, not enough opportunities are taken in these subjects to promote pupils’ writing skills further.

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ENGLISH

82. The attitude and behaviour of pupils throughout the school in English lessons is at least good. In Key Stage 1, it is very good. Pupils show great interest and enthusiasm for their work. They listen carefully to their teachers and to one another and make good use of the many opportunities they are given to work collaboratively. They are eager to answer questions, make observations and participate in discussions. When necessary they work very quietly with high levels of concentration. This is a similar picture to that noted during the previous inspection.

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ENGLISH

83. There has been considerable improvement in the quality of teaching since the previous inspection. All teaching seen was at least satisfactory. All lessons but one were at least good. In Key Stage 1, all teaching was very good, while, in Key Stage 2, half the lessons were at least very good and two were excellent. A notable strength of the teaching is the planning for lessons. All lessons have clear objectives showing what pupils are to learn. These objectives are shared with the pupils, who always have a clear idea of what is expected of them. Teachers set challenging tasks for pupils. Pupils respond well to the challenges set by trying hard and maintaining good levels of concentration. In a small number of instances the level of challenge was too great for some pupils and their response was less positive. Teachers use a wide range of activities to ensure that difficult concepts are made accessible to pupils. Many

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ENGLISH

of these concepts are very interesting and “child friendly” and pupils respond to the range of activities with great gusto and make good progress in challenging areas. For example, pupils learning how a final “e” can change the sound of a vowel took part in a circle activity. Each pupil played the role of one of the letters of the alphabet and, by swapping places, changed the sounds of words. This encouraged pupils to make good progress in the concept they were studying and also in spelling. Teachers make very good use of questioning to check the progress pupils are making and to identify where additional support is needed. When the questioning is particularly challenging, pupils make very good progress by thinking deeply and reflecting on their own ideas. Marking of pupils’ work is regular, supportive and generally helpful, but it rarely sets specific targets for pupils’ improvement.

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ENGLISH

84. The subject is led and managed very well. There is a firm commitment to raising standards further. There have been several measures put in place to ensure that boys achieve their full potential. This is good practice. The school is now focusing on the achievement of girls to ensure they are achieving their potential. Procedures for the assessment of pupils’ attainment and progress are good. Pupils’ termly targets are based on the assessment of their progress. National tests results have been analysed and the results used in future planning. This is good practice. Teachers maintain very full records for each pupil. This represents considerable improvement since the previous inspection, when assessment was judged to be “underdeveloped”. However, there are no procedures in place for pupils to take part in the assessment of their own work or to identify for themselves areas where improvement is

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ENGLISH

needed. The co-ordinator has regular opportunities to monitor and support teaching and learning in English and teachers are given formal feedback as a result of this. This is good Nonsuch Primary School - 32 practice and represents improvement since the previous inspection. The subject is well- resourced and the investment in such resources as, for example, the “mini” whiteboards is showing good results in terms of the progress made by pupils.

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MATHEMATICS

85. Attainment in mathematics is above average in both key stages. According to the 2000 national tests, standards at the end of Key Stage 1 were well above average and, at Key Stage 2, they were slightly above average. Attainment in mathematics has improved since the last inspection when it was found to be in line with the national average. According to the Key Stage 2 national tests, boys achieve significantly better by the time they reach eleven. Inspection evidence indicates that, in Year 6 in 2000, these differences may be attributed in part to a higher proportion of girls having special educational needs, particularly with number. This explains why results in mathematics were lower in 2000 than they were in English and mathematics. By the end of Key Stage 1, pupils are able to undertake simple multiplication and division sums. They can work with numbers up to 1000 and have a good knowledge of

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MATHEMATICS

time. They can calculate in their heads well. In Year 2, they can add 11 or 21 to a number and explain the strategies they are using. By the end of Key Stage 2, pupils are confident with number. They can recall number facts effectively. The majority of them can undertake long multiplication. They can calculate percentages, such as 90 per cent of 500, and they can draw and measure angles accurately. They can solve problems well. In one class, they were working out coded versions of the ‘times table. However, there are relatively few opportunities for them to undertake investigations or to structure their own work. Likewise, although all years are taught some data handling, this is not always at a sufficiently advanced level. Pupils with special educational needs and with English as an additional language make similar progress to the rest of the pupils and are well supported by learning support assistants when

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MATHEMATICS

86. Pupils come into the school with above-average skills in mathematics. Overall, they make satisfactory progress in all classes. During the inspection, the quality of learning in Key Stage 1 was good in all lessons. For instance, in Year 1, a game similar to bingo was being played to get the children to work out 10 more or 10 less. In Year 2, pupils were learning the place value of units, tens and hundreds in a variety of ways. By the end of the lesson, pupils were confident in their learning of place value. In Key Stage 2, learning was at least satisfactory in all classes. In the majority of cases, it was good or very good. For example, in Year 3, they were learning strategies for adding numbers above 100, which even the lower-attaining children could manage. In Year 5, they were learning to do long multiplication. The children of average attainment or above could manage this with little difficulty, but the lower-attaining

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MATHEMATICS

pupils were having difficulty in understanding what a multiplication sign meant. The teacher found it difficult to cope with such a wide spread of attainment without further support. In Year 6, pupils were devising strategies to decipher codes. They found this an enjoyable, challenging activity.

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MATHEMATICS

87. The teaching of mathematics was at least satisfactory in all lessons seen, with the majority being good or very good. Teachers have good subject knowledge and have integrated the National Numeracy Strategy effectively into their teaching. They have a good knowledge of their pupils and plan work to match their different abilities. Teachers have good relationships with their pupils and generally use appropriate strategies in their teaching. The quality of planning is very good. Teachers assess pupils’ work well and use their assessments to inform future planning. This is good practice. Where learning support assistants or other helpers are used, they are briefed well to support the groups with whom they are working. In the best lessons, pupils were challenged well and they were used to good effect to explain and demonstrate their mathematical strategies to the rest of the class. The pace of lessons was

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MATHEMATICS

exciting. Computers are used to support the teaching of mathematics. Some opportunities are provided for pupils to undertake investigations. Overall, pupils are not provided with enough opportunities to solve problems in mathematics and structure their own investigations. During some lessons during the inspection, time was not used well. On these occasions, pupils lost interest and their time was wasted. Nonsuch Primary School - 33 88. Numeracy skills are taught well in numeracy lessons. On some occasions, teachers teach numeracy skills in other subjects. For instance, in a Year 4 geography lesson, pupils interpreted data from bar charts and pie charts. However, not enough opportunities are taken to teach numeracy skills in other subjects, for example, in design and technology, geography, ICT and science.

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MATHEMATICS

89. Pupils’ attitudes to mathematics are generally good across the school. They enjoy lessons and sustain concentration well. Good behaviour is maintained even when pupils may have lost interest because the lesson has gone on for too long. Pupils take pride in the quality of their work. The standard of presentation of work is generally good. Pupils generally behave well in lessons.

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MATHEMATICS

90. The subject is led and managed very effectively. The co-ordinator has sufficient expertise in the subject and fulfils her responsibilities well. She ensures that standards are maintained by monitoring pupils’ work, teachers’ planning and observing the teaching across the school. She audits resources on a regular basis and ensures that there is sufficient for the needs of all classes. Pupils with special educational needs are supported well in class. Appropriate work is specially prepared for them where necessary.

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SCIENCE

91. In 2000, teachers in Key Stage 1 assessed standards of seven year-old pupils as close to the national average. When these standards are compared with schools in similar contexts, they fall well below average. Two pupils with special educational needs were in this group of pupils. This lowered the results achieved by the cohort. Standards attained by high-attaining pupils are also below average. On the other hand, inspection evidence suggests that many pupils currently in Key Stage 1 are attaining standards that are higher than this. Taken as a whole, standards are slightly higher then they were from four years ago. Standards are highest in life and living processes and weakest in experimental and investigative science and materials and their properties.

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SCIENCE

92. In 2000, at the end of Key Stage 2, the attainment of eleven year-old pupils was well above the national average. When these standards are compared with schools in similar contexts and based on prior attainment at the end of Key Stage 1, they remain well above average. High- attaining pupils also achieved standards well above the national average. The performance of boys and girls was similar last year, but, taken as a whole over the past three years, boys are on average approximately one term ahead of the girls. This is a significant difference. The trend in science is one of a sharp rise in standards over the past five years. Inspection evidence suggests that standards in Key Stage 2 are not as high as they were last year, but, nevertheless, they remain above average. Standards are not as high in experimental and investigative science as they are in other aspects of the subject. Overall, improvements in

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SCIENCE

science are due to the school identifying and correcting very effectively some of its weaknesses in teaching.

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SCIENCE

93. In Year 1, pupils attain above-average standards in their work on life and living processes . In their work on plants, the teacher stimulated pupils about the importance of water for growth by showing the class a variety of plants, some of which had been watered. Probing questions challenged pupils’ thinking until they recognised that plants need water to survive and grow. By the end of Year 2, the scrutiny of work indicates that pupils use scientific vocabulary as they explain their findings and they understand about switches and simple circuits. This work is slightly above average. Overall, most pupils make satisfactory progress in science in this key stage. However, high-attaining pupils could achieve more.

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SCIENCE

94. Pupils in Key Stage 2 are taught the full range of the science curriculum and carry out a number of investigations. For instance, in Year 6, pupils were asking scientific questions and drawing conclusions about features necessary to encourage invertebrates in the school grounds. Their attainment in this investigation was generally above average. Some pupils in Year 4 attained above-average standards in their work on air resistance. Following a small- scale investigation, they recognised that the bigger the surface area, the greater the Nonsuch Primary School - 34 resistance. Good levels of teacher expertise, the use of group discussions and highly motivated pupils helped pupils learn effectively in these lessons. An analysis of pupils’ work indicates that higher-attaining pupils have not been challenged enough throughout this key stage, and that they have carried out largely similar tasks as their peers. This is unsatisfactory,

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SCIENCE

as they are capable of achieving more than they do. Taken as a whole, most pupils make good progress in the subject.

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SCIENCE

95. The quality of teaching is good, overall, with a number of strengths that account for pupils’ good progress. Teaching is based upon good subject knowledge that enables teachers to ask probing questions and to respond effectively to pupils’ questions. This occurred in all lessons during the inspection and encouraged pupils to ask further questions using scientific vocabulary. Pupils knew they would receive responses to their questions that would increase their understanding of the topic. Teachers use a wide range of resources, some of which they bring from home. This occurred in a Year 1 lesson on plants where the teacher brought a selection of plants, such as cress and herbs, to make teaching points. Year 6 made good use of the school grounds when exploring suitable habitats for invertebrates. Pupils’ work is assessed and this information is used for planning. Teachers assess pupils’ work on a weekly

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SCIENCE

basis and note what steps they need to take to ensure understanding by all pupils. The results of national tests are analysed and adaptations are made to the school’s curriculum in order to correct the weaknesses. This has been a major factor in standards rising so markedly in the Key Stage 2 national tests during the past five years. Lessons are prepared well and pupils are managed effectively. This means no time for learning is wasted. This is an improvement since the last inspection.

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SCIENCE

96. One weakness in the teaching is that there is not enough provision for higher-attaining pupils. These pupils are capable of attaining higher standards if more challenging work was set for them, appropriate to their prior learning.

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SCIENCE

97. The leadership and management of science is very good. The co-ordinator has revised the school’s policy for science and carried out scans of pupils’ work. She analyses teachers’ plans to ensure that the scheme of work is being taught in full and takes part, along with the headteacher, in observations of teaching. She advises staff about science and they appreciate this. All this helps to promote higher standards. Resources for science are adequate to implement the teaching programme. They are catalogued and stored well for ease of use.

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ART AND DESIGN

98. Standards of pupils’ work in art and design across the school are above average. By the end of Key Stage 1, pupils have worked in both two and three dimensions. They have worked in a range of medium, including clay, paint and pencil, and have created works based on the local environment. They show an awareness of famous artists such as Van Gogh. By the end of Key Stage 2, pupils have had experience of a much greater range of artists from William Morris to Andy Warhol. They have experimented with a wider range of medium, including chalk, charcoal and pastels. The quality of their work is very good and is displayed to good effect by their teachers both in classrooms and around the school. Standards have improved considerably since the last inspection, when they were in line with national expectations at both key stages. Art is now a strength of the school.

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ART AND DESIGN

99. Only two art lessons were seen during the inspection. In Key Stage 1, the teaching seen was very good. The teacher knew the pupils well, had very good relationships with them and had planned work which challenged them to think about line, shape, texture and colour. The pupils were asked to make collages using a range of materials based on pictures they had already drawn from the local environment. In Key Stage 2, the teaching about the features of a chair in the lesson seen was excellent. The design tasks were well-suited to the needs and interests of the pupils. The teacher asked challenging questions to encourage the pupils to think about particular aspects of a chair. Planning and assessment in art and design are generally very good in all classes. This results in high quality work being produced by pupils. Nonsuch Primary School - 35 100. The quality of learning in art and design across the school is very good. All pupils are

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ART AND DESIGN

introduced to the work of famous artists. This is then set within a cultural context. Pupils learn to express themselves in a good range of medium in both two and three dimensions. They use sketchbooks to develop and refine ideas for subsequent work. They learn to think of pictures in different materials and medium, and use their artistic skills to record work they are doing.

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ART AND DESIGN

101. In the lessons observed, pupils’ attitudes to art and design were very good. Pupils concentrated hard throughout lessons and their behaviour was very good. They took obvious pleasure in the work they were asked to do. They co-operated well, worked effectively in groups, showed initiative when required and behaved responsibly.

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ART AND DESIGN

102. Art and design is managed well by the co-ordinator who has an enthusiasm for and expertise in the subject. There is a sound subject policy and a good scheme of work in place. Resources are adequate for the needs of the school. The school has a number of pictures by famous artists that are used both for decoration and as a stimulus for learning. The local environment is used effectively as a learning resource and visits to cultural centres, such as museums, are used to stimulate the pupils’ artwork. Art is used effectively, both on its own, and as a subject to express ideas in other subjects, including English, mathematics, science, geography and history.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

103. Standards in design and technology are above national expectations across the school. By the end of Key Stage 1, pupils have made models using a range of materials, including construction kits, card and wood. They have made simple working vehicles and puppets, including lever mechanisms. By the end of Key Stage 2, they have used sophisticated mechanisms, such as cams and followers, to make working toys. They have worked in a range of materials, including wood and textiles. Food technology is used to good effect with the design and making of foods, such as sandwiches. Pupils design, make and evaluate their work to good effect. Progress in the subject across the school has been very good since the last inspection, when standards were found to be below national expectations.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

104. In Key Stage 1, no lessons were seen in design and technology. No judgement has been made about teaching in this key stage. Teachers’ plans and procedures for assessment for the subject are very good. One lesson was seen in Key Stage 2. The teaching in this lesson was very good. The teacher knew her children well, had planned challenging activities for them and was managing the lesson effectively. The lesson was a continuation of work in designing working toys already started in previous lessons. Pupils were cutting strips of wood and dowel accurately to length, and assembling them in a box with wooden wheels to make a system of cams and followers. The toy would then be able to move up, down and round in circles when a handle was turned. This worthwhile activity proved challenging to the pupils.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

105. Based upon a range of inspection evidence, the quality of learning in design and technology is very good. This is evident from the lesson seen and from evidence based on work in books and on display. Pupils in both key stages plan what they are going to make, using labelled diagrams and lists of materials. Then they construct and decorate their models, and, in Key Stage 2, they evaluate them with suggestions for improvements. Pupils learn to work with a range of materials, including paper, card, clay, wood, textile and food.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

106. In the lesson observed, pupils thoroughly enjoyed their work. They behaved very well and were very interested in the lesson. They use a range of tools, including saws and drills, appropriately and pay due attention to safety.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

107. The subject is managed well by an enthusiastic co-ordinator who has only been in post for two terms. She has received training from the local education authority, as have other teachers in the school. There is a sound policy and a good scheme of work, including procedures for assessment. Resources are adequate. In some classrooms, space is limited, making it difficult for a whole class to work on constructing models at once. Nonsuch Primary School - 36

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GEOGRAPHY

108. The last time the school was inspected, standards of attainment in both key stages were in line with national expectations. Pupils made satisfactory progress in the subject. Lack of evidence means that the inspection team is unable to indicate whether or not standards have improved during the past four years. Only one lesson in geography was observed during the inspection and little work from pupils was available for analysis.

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GEOGRAPHY

109. The work scan indicated that in Year 2, pupils had been taught about Stoneleigh and a contrasting location, Struay. Pupils were taught about the physical and human similarities and differences between the two locations. Evidence available suggested that pupils at all levels of ability had been asked to carry out the same work and that the work produced was not very demanding. This means that many pupils, especially the higher-attaining pupils, are not making the progress of which they are capable. Contrasting locations were studied by Year 6 pupils, Worcester Park and Sedbergh. This topic was completed in some depth. However, pupils of all abilities were asked to undertake the same work. Their learning could have been extended further, especially to challenge higher-attaining pupils more. Good support was given to the work of the lower-attaining pupils in this topic.

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GEOGRAPHY

110. Pupils make considerable use of the school grounds for mapwork and other work in geography. Visits are arranged to places of interest, such as churches in Stoneleigh, the Ecology Centre, Nonsuch Park, the seaside and Shropshire. Visiting speakers come in to talk to the pupils, for instance, about astronomy. The school holds a geography week that includes many artefacts from around the world. A festival of cooking from around the world is also held in school. These are very useful initiatives and support the geography curriculum. The school is implementing the nationally recommended scheme of work for geography. This is due for revision this term to see how effective it has been during the past year.

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GEOGRAPHY

111. The co-ordinator has recently monitored and evaluated standards of attainment and teaching. The outcomes of this evaluation were that teachers were using too many worksheets, there was a shortage of resources and that more time was needed to teach the nationally recommended units of work. Progression in learning was judged to be good. Some useful observations were made following the monitoring. These, along with the points made in this report, should help to move the school forward with geography.

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GEOGRAPHY

112. From inspection evidence, the main issues to do with geography are: • with the exceptions of Years 4 and 5, not enough curriculum time is allocated to the subject. The school is at the low end of time allocated nationally. This leads to an imbalance in provision in geography and in the wider curriculum; • many tasks are not challenging enough, especially for higher-attaining pupils. The same tasks are too often set for the whole class and work is not matched to pupils’ abilities well enough; • too few opportunities are taken to improve pupils’ writing skills in geography; and • the school policy is out-of-date and no longer reflects current provision.

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HISTORY

113. Only one history lesson was observed during the course of the inspection. Although evidence, such as pupils’ work already completed and documentation related to the teaching of history, was carefully examined, it has not been possible to make general judgements about attainment at the end of either Key Stages 1 or 2. However, since the standards of work are similar for most pupils, it is clear that higher-attaining pupils are not making as much progress as they should.

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HISTORY

114. In Key Stage 1, pupils learn facts about historical events and famous people. In Year 2, pupils writing about The Great Fire of London from the point of view of someone living at the time were able to give details of the location, what occurred and the date it happened. When Nonsuch Primary School - 37 writing about Florence Nightingale, pupils used details from her background and early life as well as those concerning her work during the Crimean War. Using a portrait of Florence Nightingale, pupils were able to make observations about her personality and details such as the clothes of the time. After pupils made a visit to a toy museum, younger pupils wrote about the exhibits. They described their appearance and purpose, showing emergent understanding of the fact that these toys were older than those with which they are familiar. They also made “sepia” drawings of toys they had seen in the museum. In a lesson on toys, pupils showed

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HISTORY

understanding of the difference between old and new and were beginning to classify them in date order.

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HISTORY

115. In Key Stage 2, pupils wrote about Henry VIII’s break from Rome from the point of view of the king himself. Although they used factual information correctly and showed understanding of its chronology, their writing showed little empathetic understanding of the king’s motivation. Pupils in Year 6 studied World War II and have used a range of source material and evidence to build their knowledge and understanding of the period. For example, they interviewed a local resident who lived in the area at the time. They also read wartime diaries, some of them written by children. Pupils show good understanding of the response of children to being evacuated and most make satisfactory use of detail when writing about living conditions during the war.

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HISTORY

116. In the work seen, pupils show a positive attitude to their work. They present their work neatly and illustrate it effectively. Some examples of word-processed booklets about World War II have been produced. However, as a whole, the evidence available indicates that all pupils do not make enough progress in history.

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HISTORY

117. The leadership and management of history is satisfactory. The scheme of work in use is nationally recommended. The school plans to modify this to meet its needs more precisely. This is sound thinking. At present, not enough time is allocated to history to cover effectively all that the national scheme of work specifies. History is studied in “blocks” of time during the school year, with some fairly lengthy gaps between them, so that the steady build-up of historical skills, as distinct from historical knowledge, is compromised. This is a weakness as it prevents pupils from making the progress of which they are capable. Pupils have not been able to produce enough written work in history during the year. This represents a missed opportunity to develop pupils’ literacy skills across the curriculum. The assessment of pupils’ knowledge and understanding is satisfactory and pupils’ attainment and progress is recorded at

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HISTORY

the end of each unit of work. The co-ordinator has a regular opportunity, on a rota with other subjects, to monitor and support the quality of teaching and learning in the classroom and to scrutinise the work produced by pupils. This represents an improvement since the previous inspection, when it was reported that the co-ordinator had only limited time for this. Feedback is given to individual teachers as a result of these activities. Good use is made of the resource of the local and wider environment and there is a rich programme of visits to places of historical interest. Effective use is made of the historical artefacts and other resources that are available, although there is not enough for use in studying ancient civilisations. . Nonsuch Primary School - 38

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

118. Standards are above average by the end of both key stages. By the end of Key Stage 1, seven year-old pupils can word process appropriately for their age, typing and correcting short passages with confidence. They can draw pictures, find out information from a simple encyclopaedia and construct graphs from information typed into a database. This supports their work in art, history, geography and mathematics. By the end of Key Stage 2, most eleven year-old pupils can word process effectively, choosing the style of appearance of their text by selecting fonts, alignment, and other features. They can create effective posters using text and pictures. They can manipulate text effects using Word Art. They can use simple features of a spreadsheet, create and search a database, find information from the Internet and create a design for a web page. There were examples of programming by controlling a model in Key

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

Stage 1. Standards of attainment have improved in both key stages since the last inspection.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

119. Teaching was at least good in all the lessons seen, with one very good lesson being seen in Key Stage 1. Teachers know their children well and have good relationships with them. Their planning is very good, and the work is well-matched to the needs of the pupils. Teachers are generally confident in using a range of applications on the computers. They use appropriate strategies, demonstrating work to the whole class, and then letting the children work on the computers in pairs. However, the lack of a display projector or large screen made it difficult for children at the back of the class to see well. When children are working on computers, teachers monitor and support them well, and learning support assistants are used effectively to support pupils with special educational needs.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

120. In both key stages, pupils learn effectively using computers. The re-organisation of the computers into a suite is benefiting the pupils. It has provided pupils with more opportunities for access to computers. This is evident in the skills they are developing. They can type effectively, save, load and print their work. In Year 1, pupils were observed learning to use a program called Clicker, which enabled them to place mathematical shapes on the screen, and write sentences about them. In Year 2, they learned how to search for information on fossils from a CD-Rom. In Year 5, they learned how to create a simple program to draw mathematical shapes, and in Year 6, they learned how to present writing for a specific audience. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and English an additional language, make good progress.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

121. Pupils have very good attitudes to and are confident in using computers. Their behaviour is very good in lessons. They maintain their concentration, listen to their teachers well and then apply themselves conscientiously to tasks. They obviously enjoy using computers and get great benefit from it.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

122. The subject is well co-ordinated by an enthusiastic and knowledgeable co-ordinator. There is a sound subject policy and good scheme of work. At present, not enough time is allocated for all ICT management tasks to be undertaken, such as essential computer housekeeping tasks. Some computers are ageing and not always reliable. Plans are in hand to replace them when resources allow, and to move the older machines back into classrooms. This is sound thinking. Now the computers are arranged in a suite, access to resources is satisfactory and all pupils are allocated two lessons a week with computers. There is growing evidence to show that ICT is being used to support the whole curriculum. Some aspects of the scheme of work were not evident, such as measurement with computers, and simulations. Pupils in Key Stage 1 did have opportunities to program floor robots and a screen turtle. The teachers are currently

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

receiving training to develop their ICT skills further and it is anticipated that this will improve their ability to implement fully the scheme of work. Nonsuch Primary School - 39

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MUSIC

123. Standards in music are above national expectations at the end of both key stages. From assemblies, video and tape evidence, the majority of pupils can sing in tune by the end of Key Stage 1. They respond well to music and can use it as a stimulus for creating dances. They can create structured compositions in groups focusing on a theme which has musical elements, such as pulse, pitch and changes in volume. By the end of Key Stage 2, most pupils know about musical elements such as timbre, pitch, volume and speed. They can clap rhythms in different parts, and can sing in harmony. They are not afraid to sing solo to the rest of the class, with words they have made up to a pop song. Some older pupils play the violin and pupils in Year 5 are taught to play the ocarina. Standards have improved since the last inspection when they were in line with national expectations.

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MUSIC

124. No music lessons were seen in Key Stage 1, so no judgement about teaching can be made. The teaching of music is good in Key Stage 2. Teachers have very good relationships with their pupils, plan appropriate activities and manage the activities well. Teachers’ subject knowledge is satisfactory, but they lack the musical skills to challenge the higher-attaining pupils. Although teachers are keen to have a go at teaching music, they admit they have a lack of skills and confidence to develop further their classroom practice.

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MUSIC

125. Pupils’ attitudes to music are very good throughout the school. Pupils enjoy listening to and making music when they have the opportunity to do so. In Key Stage 2, they behave well in lessons, sustain interest and put effort into creating musical compositions. They work effectively in pairs or groups to make compositions. They take care with instruments and help with their distribution and collection.

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MUSIC

126. Pupils’ learning of music is good. Pupils have a knowledge of musical concepts and terms. They know a good range of songs and can sing in tune. They talk confidently about what they like or do not like from a range of different styles of music. They can identify the mood of musical compositions. They learn how to make words fit in with a tune and can express their ideas on paper in forms of notation.

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MUSIC

127. The music co-ordinator is enthusiastic and confident and manages the subject well. There is a sound subject policy and appropriate scheme of work, supported by a range of resources. However, some of the musical instruments are old and of poor quality. In two lessons, there were insufficient instruments available to give out to the pupils. This slowed down the progress they were making. At present, there are opportunities for children to learn the violin and ocarina and to perform in an extra-curricular choir. There are opportunities for pupils to play in ensemble and for children to play their instruments to audiences, such as in assembly. Because of a high workload in co-ordinating other subjects, there are few opportunities for extra-curricular musical activities other than the choir. Good use is made of music in the school for listening and for cultural development, with a range of musical styles being played in

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

128. Attainment, by the end of Key Stages 1 and 2 is in line with national expectations. This is similar to the standards reported at the previous inspection. By the end of Key Stage 1, seven year-old pupils understand that exercise is important in order to maintain good health and they know about some of the changes that take place in their bodies during physical activity. Most pupils understand and follow instructions in order to improve their skills and can recognise when improvement has taken place. For example, pupils practising the controlled bouncing of balls understood the skills involved “firm wrist and spread fingers”, used them sensibly and were able to spot when they had made progress. Pupils are able to interpret music in the dances they plan. They move to the rhythm, make effective use of the space available and use dance to interpret character. All pupils use agility, balance and considerable energy in

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

devising means other than legs in which to propel themselves, using, for example, arms and upper bodies to make sliding and twisting movements across the floor. Nonsuch Primary School - 40 129. By the end of Key Stage 2, most pupils understand the importance of thinking about and planning their tactics in ball games. For instance, they can hit a ball in their selected direction with good force, but some find this difficult except with a bat with a large surface area. Most understand in theory that this must be done with a flowing movement and a “follow through”, but some find it more difficult to carry out in practice. All pupils understand, follow and show respect for the rules of team games. When given the opportunity, they are able to evaluate their own performance and that of others and to make suggestions for improvement. All are able to participate in a “warm-up” and brief aerobic work-out, showing good recall of the

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

routines being used. When working on gymnastic apparatus pupils can, with encouragement, move with confidence and creativity. They show confidence and a good sense of choreographic skill when planning and performing a dance routine. Year 5 pupils who performed group dances to Elgar’s “Nimrod” responded sensitively to the music and worked together well to produce flowing movements. Although it was not possible to observe a swimming lesson during the course of the inspection, teachers’ records indicate that all pupils will be able to swim the nationally recommended 25 metres by the end of Key Stage 2.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

130. The attitudes and behaviour of pupils in their physical education lessons are usually very good in Key Stage 1. In Key Stage 2, pupils’ attitudes are at least satisfactory. Pupils of all ages behave very sensibly, getting changed quickly with no fuss. They listen to and carry out instructions very carefully. Pupils are keen to participate, with no sign of self-consciousness or embarrassment. They are thoughtful of the feelings of others and appreciate the opportunity to discuss their progress. During a week of very hot weather, all pupils behaved sensibly, showing awareness of sun safety guidelines and waiting patiently and politely for their turn to have a drink.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

131. All teaching seen was at least satisfactory in both key stages. Overall, the teaching has improved since the last inspection. In Key Stage 1, half the teaching was very good. In the best lessons, planning is clear and in one lesson this included planning for the support of pupils who were identified as having made insufficient progress during the previous lesson. This is excellent practice. The progress made by the pupils in these lessons was good. Teachers usually make effective use of warm-up routines to remind pupils of the beneficial effects of exercise on their health. The level of support given to individual pupils, especially those needing additional help, is good and promotes progress. In one lesson, the teacher made particularly good use of the time available to use changing-time to explain to the pupils the plans for the lesson and to review progress at the end. While teachers usually explain tasks

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

clearly, this was not always the case. Occasionally, pupils were uncertain about what was required of them. This had a negative impact on the progress made by these pupils.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

132. The leadership and management of the subject is satisfactory. A good scheme of work produced nationally is currently in use. This is supplemented by a useful scheme designed to support the teaching and provision of equipment in physical education. The attainment and progress of pupils is assessed regularly and there is an effective system for identifying, on a lesson-by-lesson basis, which pupils would benefit from additional support. There has been good progress in the provision for systematic on-going assessment since the previous inspection. Good use is made of sporting organisations in the area to give additional assistance with extra-curricular sport. The facilities for physical education are satisfactory, both indoors and outdoors, and there is adequate appropriate equipment.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

133. Standards of attainment and the quality of education in religious education are broadly the same as they were at the last inspection. The school implements the locally agreed syllabus for religious education as required statutorily, but the quality of work produced lacks rigour and challenge. Standards in the small amount of work available for inspection are generally in line with the expectations of the agreed syllabus. However, lack of further evidence makes it impossible to strengthen this judgement. The quality of education provided in religious education has strengths and weaknesses. Overall, it is unsatisfactory. Nonsuch Primary School - 41 134. By the age of seven, children’s knowledge and understanding of religious education is broadly in line with the expectations of the locally agreed syllabus. Children are taught about Christianity; for example, some parables Jesus told and the use of churches as places of

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

worship. They know aspects of some other faiths; for example, Diwali and the Torah. Most of their learning is knowledge about religion, but some lessons focus very successfully on learning lessons from religion. For example, Year 2 pupils were responding to the question, “What was Jesus trying to say in the parable of the Good Samaritan?” By the age of eleven, pupils are taught about places of worship in a variety of major world religions and learn about some of the beliefs and practices from Christianity, Islam and Judaism in particular. Pupils continue to learn lessons from religion. Year 5 pupils were reflecting on the similarities between the work of General Booth and the Salvation Army with the parable of the Good Samaritan.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

135. As only three lessons in religious education were observed during the inspection, it is not possible to make overall judgements about the quality of teaching. An example of outstanding teaching was noted in a Year 2 lesson on parables. The strengths of this teaching included: excellent planning with clear, challenging learning objectives that focused on learning from parables; high quality questioning, which encouraged pupils to think deeply about the meanings of parables; a very good blend of whole-class and group discussions, high quality interventions into group discussions by the teacher and learning support assistant, and very high expectations of pupil achievement. Some of these features of teaching were also observed in other lessons. However, in one lesson in spite of a number of positive features, certain key weaknesses in the teaching were apparent. These were: insufficient teacher

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

expertise about the Jewish festival of Purim to teach the lesson well enough; lack of clarity in the learning objectives to provide sufficient focus for the teaching; not using time effectively because of an inability to prevent certain pupils from exuberant interruptions to the lesson, and not enough progress being made by pupils.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

136. The scrutiny of pupils’ work throughout the school was disappointing. Too little work was available for analysis in either key stage. The work that was available indicates that many topics in religious education are not taught in enough depth. The teaching does not take into account pupils’ different levels of attainment or need. High attaining pupils are carrying out the same tasks as pupils who have Statements of Special Educational Needs. Most pupils are able to attain higher standards in religious education. In addition, opportunities to extend literacy skills are not taken often enough. This is an unsatisfactory picture.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

137. A new co-ordinator has been appointed to lead and manage the subject. This is timely, especially as the local authority is introducing a new agreed syllabus from the beginning of next term. The new co-ordinator’s priorities for development are good. She plans to review existing provision, match current study units with the new agreed syllabus, take account of national guidance and implement a revised programme of work. This will be monitored at the planning stage; pupils’ work will be analysed and lesson observations will take place in due course. These are important steps to take to ensure a rise in standards.

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