Fulford Primary School

FULFORD COUNTY PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 30 th April – 1 st May 2001

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FULFORD COUNTY PRIMARY SCHOOL

Inspection number: 197338 Short inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 This report may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that all extracts quoted are reproduced verbatim without adaptation and on condition that the source and date thereof are stated.

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FULFORD COUNTY 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. Fulford Primary School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Fulford Road Fulford Stoke-on-Trent Postcode: ST11 9QT

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The governing body

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Mrs P Holdcroft

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 8 th – 10 th September 1997 Fulford Primary School - 4

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Team members

21581 Mrs Mary Speakman Registered inspector 89928 Mr Alan Dobson Lay inspector

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Team members

Schools Inspection Unit University of Birmingham Edgbaston Birmingham B15 2TT

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Team members

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

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Team members

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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Team members

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

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 6

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Fulford County Primary School is in Fulford, a village about 4 miles north of Stone, Staffordshire. The school serves the village of Fulford and the surrounding rural area. There are 57 pupils on roll aged from four to eleven, six of whom are below statutory school age and attend on a part-time basis. Children are admitted at the beginning of the term after their fourth birthday and attend on a part-time basis until the beginning of the school year in which they are five. Four per cent of pupils have an entitlement to free school meals, this figure being well below average for a primary school. Nine per cent of pupils are identified as having special educational needs. This proportion is well below average. Two per cent of pupils have a statement of special educational needs, this is in line with national average. Nearly all pupils come from a white British heritage and all pupils speak English as a first language. Children enter

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

the school with a broad range of capabilities, but their attainment on entry is similar to that generally seen.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

This is a good school that is emerging well from a turbulent period and is providing all its pupils with a positive climate for learning. Standards are high in English and mathematics. The overall quality of teaching throughout the school is good. The headteacher combines her diverse roles most effectively. She manages the school well and gives firm and effective leadership, having, since her appointment, steered the school skilfully through a difficult time. The school gives satisfactory value for money.

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What the school does well

• Many pupils achieve high standards in most aspects of English and mathematics at the end of Key Stages 1 and 2. Children in reception achieve well in the area of mathematical development. • The overall quality of the teaching is good. Teachers’ planning and well organised lessons ensure that careful attention is given to the learning needs of all pupils. • The school’s good provision for social and moral development is instrumental in promoting pupils’ very positive attitudes towards school and to each other. • The headteacher gives effective leadership and manages the school well. She is well supported by all the staff.

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What could be improved

• At Key Stage 2 the lack of a policy or long-term planning for science combined with inadequate resourcing means that it is difficult for teachers to ensure that pupils are being taught this subject effectively. • The school development plan does not provide sufficient detail for staff or governors to be able to monitor the effectiveness of school improvement closely. • The pupils’ annual reports do not contain sufficient detail about progress made and, along with the governors’ annual report to parents, do not meet statutory requirements. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan which will be sent to all parents and carers of pupils in the school.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school was last inspected in September 1997. The school has, overall, made satisfactory progress in addressing the key issues from the last inspection. Most work on addressing the key issues has been undertaken during this school year. Standards have improved in English and mathematics since the last inspection. Standards in science have been maintained in spite of the lack of overall planning for Key Stage 2. There is now a logical programme for the teaching of history and geography at Key Stage 2, with policy statements and long-term planning in place for both subjects. The headteacher co- ordinates both subjects effectively. Some curriculum documentation requires updating in the light of recent curriculum changes. The school is developing assessment procedures for monitoring pupils’ progress and attainment and some useful initiatives have been put in place, which enable teachers to Fulford Primary School - 7

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

track pupils’ progress more closely. There is a systematic approach to testing pupils and analysing pupils’ written work at regular intervals. The progress pupils make is recorded and the information is used to establish termly individual academic targets. This information is well used to inform lesson planning and match work to pupils’ learning needs. The headteacher ensures that the governors are kept well informed about the work and life of the school. However, the lack of detail about the school’s targets for improvement in the main school development plan, means that they are not able to monitor closely the success, or otherwise, of school development initiatives.

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STANDARDS

Children in the Foundation Stage work hard and most achieve the expected standard by the end of their year in reception. There are particular strengths in achievement in mathematical development. As pupils move through Key Stages 1 and 2 they achieve well in English and mathematics. Because the number of pupils taking the tests at the end of Key Stage 2 in 2000 was so small, the scores and comparative tables are not published in this report. Standards achieved by the current group of Year 6 pupils, although high, are not as high as those seen in 2000. During this school year, pupils in Year 6 have made considerable strides in literacy. Standards in reading are high and written work shows substantial improvement since the beginning of the school year. The attainments of pupils currently in Years 2 and 6 are above national averages in English and mathematics, and in line with national averages in science.

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STANDARDS

There is no significant difference between the achievement of boys or girls in lessons. The provision for pupils with special educational needs is good. Standards in information and communication technology, at the end of Key Stage 2, are in line with national expectations. Pupils are set precise individual targets every term. In 2000, pupils exceeded the targets set for attainment at the end of Key Stage 2. The targets set for pupils at the end of Key Stage 2 in 2001 reflect realistically the capabilities of the current Year 6 pupils.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Very good. Pupils are keen to come to school and enjoy their work. They respond well to their teachers and work hard. The youngest children in reception settle quickly and concentrate well on their various activities.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Behaviour in the classroom and around the school is good. Pupils work and play together with a high level of consideration for each other’s needs and views.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Very good. Relations between pupils and adults are very positive. As they become older, pupils learn to approach their studies with increasing independence. They fulfil their roles and responsibilities within the school community effectively. They look out for each other in the playground and play together amicably.

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Aspect Comment

Attendance Attendance is good and above the national average.

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

Lessons seen overall Good Good Good Inspectors make judgements about teaching in the range: excellent; very good; good; satisfactory; unsatisfactory; poor; very poor. ‘Satisfactory’ means that the teaching is adequate and strengths outweigh weaknesses. During the week of the inspection, teaching was good in 67 per cent of lessons (10 lessons) with 26 per cent being satisfactory (4 lessons). One lesson (7 per cent) was unsatisfactory. A particular feature of Fulford Primary School - 8 teaching is that lessons are well organised to take full account of the learning needs of different ages and attainments of pupils within one class. There is a good understanding on the part of all teachers of the pupils’ individual strengths and weaknesses and what they need to do to improve. The teaching of literacy and numeracy is good at both key stages. However, older pupils at Key Stage 1 have insufficient opportunities to write independently in subjects other than English. The teaching of the youngest

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

children is very carefully organised. Their needs are well provided for, both when the class is being taught as a whole and when they work under the guidance of experienced and effective support assistants. Pupils with special educational needs are taught and supported well throughout the school. Higher attaining pupils are, on the whole, appropriately challenged, although sometimes at Key Stage 1, more could be expected of their written work.

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

Pupils’ learning is good. They show a high level of interest in their work and, mostly, concentrate for a good length of time. The oldest pupils at Key Stage 2 have worked particularly hard to catch up on those aspects of literacy and science that were neglected in Year 5 and have made noticeable strides in their learning this year. The setting of precise individual targets for improvement on a termly basis is proving effective in enabling pupils to understand what they need to do to improve their work.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum Satisfactory overall. The curriculum provided for the Foundation Stage offers children a good range of worthwhile experiences. The school provides a reasonably broad curriculum at Key Stage 1 and 2. The organisation of the science curriculum at Key Stage 2 is weak; there is no long term planning that would ensure that all aspects of the National Curriculum are taught in a logical order. Provision for pupils with special educational needs Good. These pupils are well supported by teachers and support staff. Provision ensures that these pupils are able to make good progress and to play a full part in school life.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Good. Teachers provide good role models and have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. Respect for all is well promoted. Pupils understand the difference between right and wrong. Spiritual development is satisfactory. There are good opportunities for reflection during school assemblies, but rarely during the school day. Cultural development is satisfactory.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils Procedures for the care and protection of pupils are good. There is a high standard of informal care for all pupils. There are systematic arrangements for assessing and monitoring pupils’ progress and the findings are being used with increasing precision to plan further work and to inform the setting of pupils’ individual targets.

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff The headteacher has provided firm leadership through a very stressful period. She manages the school efficiently and is well supported by all her colleagues. Fulford Primary School - 9 How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Satisfactory. Over the last year, the governing body has increased its understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. Its role in monitoring school improvement needs to be developed further. The governors have a realistic view of the current strengths and weaknesses of the school.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance Satisfactory. Pupils’ progress is monitored carefully. School development initiatives and the time spans in which initiatives are to be completed are not defined closely enough. There is no information about how the school will judge the extent of its success. This means the effectiveness of initiatives cannot be monitored or evaluated closely. Teaching has been monitored from time to time but there is no formal programme for monitoring currently in place.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources All funds are deployed appropriately and best use is made of available resources. The governors and headteacher monitor expenditure very carefully on a week-by-week basis. They make every effort to ensure they obtain best value in the acquisition and use of resources and services. Budget reserves have been ear marked to fund a third teacher in the next school year.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• The school is well led and managed. • Their children like school. • Parents find the staff approachable. • Behaviour is good. • Teachers have high expectations. • Parents would like more information about the school curriculum and the topics their children are covering. • There are some inconsistencies in the organisation of homework.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

The parents have a positive view of the school. They know that the school has been through a difficult period but have confidence in the ability of the current leadership to further improve the quality of provision. The inspectors agree with the parents’ positive views of the school and also agree that the school needs to make more information about the curriculum available to parents. Some pupils’ annual reports contain insufficient information about the progress their children are making. The school is aware that there are some inconsistencies in approaches to homework and is currently revising its homework policy. Fulford Primary School - 10

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Stages 1 and 2. Children in reception achieve well in the area of mathematical

1. Children enter the school with a wide spread of abilities. They achieve standards in most areas of learning that are similar to those usually seen and understanding in mathematical development is high for their age. By the end of Key Stage 1, most pupils are achieving standards in English and mathematics that are higher than those usually seen. This is also the case at the end of Key Stage 2.

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Stages 1 and 2. Children in reception achieve well in the area of mathematical

2. Pupils’ speaking and listening skills develop well as they progress through the school. At Key Stage 1, the older pupils show confidence in speaking in front of the class or whole school. For example, when taking part in acting out a story during whole school assembly, they speak up clearly and expressively. They listen with a good level of concentration to their teacher and to their classmates when working or playing in groups. As they get older, they take increasing account of their classmates’ opinions and ideas. In a science lesson, pupils listened attentively to the teachers’ exposition about the frog’s life cycle. There was some interesting discussion about what happens to frog spawn and this was further enhanced by observations of frog spawn in a tank. The high quality of discussion and pupils’ concentration meant that many pupils were able to answer clearly and correctly some quite challenging

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Stages 1 and 2. Children in reception achieve well in the area of mathematical

questions such as “Why will frog spawn hatch more quickly in the classroom than in a pond?" The youngest children in the Foundation Stage benefit from listening and talking to their older classmates, and from the provision made for them to talk and listen to each other in a small group about what they have learnt from their time spent with the older pupils. Throughout Key Stage 2, pupils continue to develop as confident speakers and listeners. They benefit from opportunities in the literacy hour to discuss the quality of the texts they are studying and consider how effectively language is being used. In Years 3 and 4 pupils are able to evaluate sensibly how well adjectives were used in the text they are studying. In numeracy, Year 4 pupils explain very clearly what mathematical processes they used to find correct solutions mentally. Year 3 pupils find this more difficult but profit from listening to their

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Stages 1 and 2. Children in reception achieve well in the area of mathematical

older classmates’ clear explanations. The vocabulary of many older pupils is extensive for their age, and when responding in informal conversations and in lessons, they use a good range of language to express their understanding and ideas.

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Stages 1 and 2. Children in reception achieve well in the area of mathematical

3. Standards in reading are high throughout the school. By the end of Key Stage 1, most pupils are able to read books of a reasonable level of difficulty with fluency and expression. They have acquired a variety of strategies to help them understand unknown words. They are positive about reading, discuss their current book and read their own work aloud to an audience. This good progress continues through Key Stage 2. Pupils are now benefiting from the recent improvement in the quantity and range of books available for group reading activities. Pupils are able to discuss their reading preferences and apply the skills of personal study they have been taught during the literacy hour.

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Stages 1 and 2. Children in reception achieve well in the area of mathematical

4. Most pupils’ writing develops well as they progress through Key Stage 1 although more could be expected of the older, higher attaining pupils. By the age of seven, most pupils write for a wide variety of purposes. They produce stories, poems, reports and instructions. Most pupils write in correctly structured sentences with accurate spelling of common words. Handwriting is legible and usually joined. The higher attaining pupils are beginning to write quite complex sentences but are not always able to sustain this for the full length of their writing. By the end of Key Stage 2, most pupils are attaining high standards in writing. As they Fulford Primary School - 11 move through the key stage, there are improvements in the presentation of their work, the breadth of vocabulary, accuracy in spelling complex and unusual words and use of punctuation. They understand the importance or drafting and redrafting their writing in order to

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Stages 1 and 2. Children in reception achieve well in the area of mathematical

improve it. In Years 3 and 4, their work on the accurate use of vocabulary is helping to improve the quality of their own writing. In Years 5 and 6, pupils have extended the range of their writing considerably, and Year 6 pupils have worked very hard with their teacher to cover work that had been omitted in Year 5. By the time they are eleven, most pupils are able to express themselves clearly and accurately, using quite detailed and complex sentences.

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Stages 1 and 2. Children in reception achieve well in the area of mathematical

5. Children in the Foundation Stage make good progress in the area of mathematical development and some exceed the requirements of the Early Learning Goals by the age of five. Most older children recognise and write numbers at least to nine and some beyond. They benefit from sharing the start of the numeracy hour with older pupils. They show their skill in counting up and down a number line and identifying numbers that are 'more' or 'less'. This does much to boost their confidence and facility with numbers. When undertaking practical activities, they use the language of shape such as 'square' and 'rectangle' confidently and some children able to explain the differences between these two shapes. By the end of Key Stage 1, pupils are developing a good range of strategies for calculation and problem solving. The older pupils are able to work with numbers up to 1000 and higher attaining pupils correctly read and order numbers that are higher than this. Some pupils are

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Stages 1 and 2. Children in reception achieve well in the area of mathematical

able to multiply two digit numbers by other two digit numbers. They are developing a good understanding of shape, space and standard measures. At Key Stage 2 pupils build on the mathematical skills and knowledge they have acquired at Key Stage 1. By Year 4 pupils are secure in their knowledge of most multiplication tables to ten and are able to apply these when undertaking mental maths calculations. By the end of the key stage, pupils have tackled successfully a wide range of work. They show good understanding of fractions, decimals, percentages, money and measurement. They measure angles accurately with a protractor. They apply the maths they learn to everyday situations, for example making calculations using train timetables.

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Stages 1 and 2. Children in reception achieve well in the area of mathematical

6. In both English and mathematics there has been an improvement in standards since the last inspection and this is shown in both the national test results over three years and in the work seen in the school.

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The overall quality of the teaching is good. Teachers’ planning and their inclusive

teaching style gives careful attention to the learning needs of all pupils.

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The overall quality of the teaching is good. Teachers’ planning and their inclusive

7. At the time of the last inspection, the majority of teaching was judged to be good. This standard has been maintained and good teaching was, once again, seen in the majority of lessons.

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The overall quality of the teaching is good. Teachers’ planning and their inclusive

8. Throughout the school, there is careful planning of lessons and this supports successfully what is happening in classrooms. Teachers are skilful at teaching a wide age range in each class and in using a variety of teaching methods. They are adept at planning the content and activities of a lesson to ensure that pupils of all ages and abilities get maximum benefit from what is being taught. Sometimes the activities vary from group to group. For example, during a mathematics lesson for pupils in Year 3 and 4 all the class was studying aspects of calculating with money. However, the mathematical tasks were varied according to the different levels of pupils’ understanding. Some pupils needed to use prompts such as plastic money to help them with their working, others needed to show their working but could manage without practical equipment, whilst the higher attaining pupils were expected and able to calculate the answers to the problems mentally. Sometimes the task

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The overall quality of the teaching is good. Teachers’ planning and their inclusive

set is broadly similar, for example, when Year 1 and 2 pupils listened to an account of a Fulford Primary School - 12 parable in religious education but the teacher adjusted the questioning to suit the age and ability of individual pupils. In all classes, teachers make good use of targeted questioning. This ensures that pupils of all ages are fully involved and challenged by the lesson. Teachers regularly assess the success or otherwise of their lessons, making evaluative notes on the back of their weekly planning. Pupils are given good individual feedback on the quality of their work during lessons and most marking is precise with comments identifying what pupils need to do next to succeed. At the time of the last inspection, the provision for history and geography at Key Stage 2 did not meet statutory requirements. Since then, detailed policies and schemes of work have been produced for these two subjects. A rolling programme of

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The overall quality of the teaching is good. Teachers’ planning and their inclusive

topics is now in place that ensures that pupils are taught these subjects logically and with full coverage of all the required programmes of study.

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The overall quality of the teaching is good. Teachers’ planning and their inclusive

9. The organisation of provision for Foundation Stage is particularly effective, making good use of experienced support staff and the additional classroom available. Children benefit from the challenge of sharing aspects of older pupils’ work that will promote their progress effectively at the Foundation Stage. They take part in some of the whole Key Stage 1 class sessions and then are carefully organised to undertake interesting practical activities that serve their needs well. They are well guided and supervised by the support staff. The environment in which children work is well organised and attractive and they have good access to the materials and equipment they need. Curriculum and lesson planning are thorough. Good links are made between activities so they support the development of skills across of all aspects of the Foundation Stage curriculum. For example, during the inspection, activities with paint, construction equipment and story telling were observed that supported

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The overall quality of the teaching is good. Teachers’ planning and their inclusive

the development of literacy by being linked to the story of Burglar Bill they had shared with the older pupils. The support assistant very skilfully encouraged children to have a go at the various activities that were well planned to develop further their phonic knowledge and early reading skills. The children responded well, being keen to learn more. During the inspection, children demonstrated very high levels of concentration and a considerable sense of purpose. Children selected activities carefully and always saw their tasks through to a satisfying conclusion. There was no aimless 'flitting' from activity to activity. The youngest children benefit considerably from attending school on a part-time basis only and activities are adjusted well to suit their needs as the youngest learners.

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The school’s good provision for social and moral development is instrumental in

promoting pupils’ very positive attitudes towards school and to each other.

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The school’s good provision for social and moral development is instrumental in

10. Provision for pupils’ social and moral development is instrumental in promoting the pupils’ very positive attitudes, high standards of behaviour and the very constructive relationships that are evident.

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The school’s good provision for social and moral development is instrumental in

11. The school’s commitment to promoting a positive whole school ethos is clearly demonstrated in assemblies, in class discussions and in the day-to-day relationships between all members of the school community. Staff are very good role models for pupils. They demonstrate fairness in lessons and give pupils’ views full consideration. The school’s expectations of how pupils should behave towards each other are well understood and sustained by the pupils. They are reinforced through discussions in class and through personal and social education at Key Stage 2. Pupils at Key Stage 1 are very supportive of their younger classmates. During a mathematics lesson, they were observed silently willing the youngest children to succeed and respond correctly (which they did). Pupils play together amicably at break times, organising themselves into interesting games. Pupils are very supportive of the school and value the friendly atmosphere. Older pupils report that “it is easy

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The school’s good provision for social and moral development is instrumental in

to make friends here”. Fulford Primary School - 13 12. Throughout the school, pupils are given regular opportunities to develop a responsible and independent attitude towards their work. The youngest children in reception are expected to take their part in ensuring that equipment is tidied away at the end of a session. They take this responsibility very seriously, know where equipment is kept and are clear about the teachers' and support staff’s expectations that equipment will be well cared for.

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The school’s good provision for social and moral development is instrumental in

13. As they move through the school, pupils take more responsibility for organising their work. They settle to work quickly at the beginning of a session and use support and reference materials such as maths equipment and dictionaries sensibly and with increasing independence. Pupils’ achievements are recognised and celebrated in the weekly 'Showing off' assembly. They earn house points for demonstrating effort and high quality both in work and in the part they play in the life of the school.

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The school’s good provision for social and moral development is instrumental in

14. Links with the wider community are currently being developed through increasing participation in village and church activities. A sense of responsibility to the wider world is shown in pupils’ fund raising for charities such as Children in Need. The recent production of Jerusalem Joy as well as giving pupils a good opportunity to participate in the life of the village community also raised money for local charities.

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The headteacher gives effective leadership and manages the school well. She is well

15. The headteacher was appointed at a very turbulent time in the school‘s life. She has worked effectively to raise staff morale and established systems and routines that give a secure framework to the daily life of the school. She also has the complete confidence of the parents. The appendix that has been attached to the existing school development plan gives a clear and detailed picture of the rapid pace of change, improvement and rationalisation that the headteacher has undertaken since her appointment. At the same time, the headteacher maintains high standards in her roles as a class teacher and Key Stage 1 co-ordinator.

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The headteacher gives effective leadership and manages the school well. She is well

16. She has addressed with energy the resolving of those key issues from the previous inspection that had not been dealt with. The history and geography curricula have been rationalised and there are now efficient assessment procedures to inform planning and target setting. The review and setting of individual targets for pupils now takes place on a termly basis.

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The headteacher gives effective leadership and manages the school well. She is well

17. The role of the governors is being further developed and the headteacher ensures that they are kept fully informed about matters related to standards, curriculum development and finance.

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The headteacher gives effective leadership and manages the school well. She is well

18. The headteacher is well supported by all the staff, who work hard and give of their best to the pupils in their charge. The co-ordination of the National Curriculum is shared between the headteacher and the one permanent teacher. They are currently ensuring that schemes of work take account of recent changes and that all subjects are adequately resourced at both key stages.

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planning for science at Key Stage 2 means that it is difficult for teachers to ensure

that pupils are being taught this subject effectively. Fulford Primary School - 14 19. There is no policy or long-term planning for science at Key Stage 2. In the past, the school has relied on commercially produced materials to ensure coverage of the necessary scientific knowledge. However, there is no agreement about the order in which topics should be taught, or about how investigative and experimental aspects of science should be approached.

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planning for science at Key Stage 2 means that it is difficult for teachers to ensure

20. Teachers at Key Stage 2 therefore are struggling to provide pupils with a logical and thorough coverage of the subject. The fact that pupils achieve average standards at the end of Key Stage 2 is a tribute to the tenacity and hard work of the class teacher of Years 5 and 6. She has established what pupils needed to learn to enable them to reach a reasonable standard and then ensured good coverage of the programmes of study over the school year.

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planning for science at Key Stage 2 means that it is difficult for teachers to ensure

21. It is significant that the only unsatisfactory lesson seen during the week of the inspection was a science lesson. It was unsatisfactory because, although the investigation of what plants need to grow was pitched at an appropriate level for the age and ability of the pupils, the teaching methods used were unsatisfactory. The pupils were given no opportunities to develop investigative skills, to make predictions about what might happen or record their ideas and methods independently. The whole organisation of the lesson was not typical of what was observed generally during the inspection, in that pupils were not enabled to work independently but just expected to follow the teacher’s instructions without discussion.

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planning for science at Key Stage 2 means that it is difficult for teachers to ensure

22. Resources for science at Key Stage 2 are very limited. Although there are reasonable supplies of basic items such as viewfinders and plastic funnels, there is a lack of more specialised equipment such as sprung weight measures, or tuning forks. The equipment is centrally stored but needs to be organised so that teachers have quick access to all the equipment they need to teach particular topics.

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planning for science at Key Stage 2 means that it is difficult for teachers to ensure

23. The school is aware of the deficiencies in science provision and arrangements have been made for in-service training in this subject during the autumn 2001 term.

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The school development plan does not provide sufficient detail for staff or

governors to be able to monitor the effectiveness of school improvement closely.

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The school development plan does not provide sufficient detail for staff or

24. The current school development plan runs from 1997 to 2001. The priorities for development that it identifies are realistic and linked with the findings of the previous inspection. However, there is a lack of specific information about what action is to be taken to facilitate improvement, how success will be judged and what resources or funds are needed. The time spans for achievement are vague and the school has not identified who is responsible for monitoring or evaluating the success of each planned improvement.

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The school development plan does not provide sufficient detail for staff or

25. The headteacher has, since her appointment, produced an appendix to this plan with development initiatives identified to run from September 2000 to July 2001. The areas for development in this document are very detailed and identify accurately the urgent actions needed to support teaching and learning. Evidence from the inspection shows that inroads have been made into tackling most of the issues identified in the appendix. Its findings have been discussed with the governors.

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make, and along with the annual governors’ report to parents, do not meet statutory

requirements. Fulford Primary School - 15 26. The quality of reports to parents is variable. Reports for pupils at Key Stage 1 contain a useful amount of detail about progress, particularly in English and mathematics. However, this is not the case for reports of pupils at Key Stage 2 where, frequently, they lack detail about what pupils have achieved. Comments are confined to very general statements about the pupils’ attitude to a subject and a judgement about whether the progress is satisfactory or good. Comments for English are particularly general; often there is an overall statement with no specific reference to progress in reading or writing.

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make, and along with the annual governors’ report to parents, do not meet statutory

27. Reports do not meet statutory requirements because there is no separate comment on attainment and progress in information and communication technology.

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make, and along with the annual governors’ report to parents, do not meet statutory

28. The annual governors’ report to parents omits many pieces of information that are required in order to meet statutory requirements. Most notably, there is no information on any actions the governors have taken since the last annual general meeting with parents.

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make, and along with the annual governors’ report to parents, do not meet statutory

Pupils’ authorised and unauthorised absences. A statement on progress in implementing the action plan drawn up after the previous inspection. The school’s finances. School security. Provision for pupils with disabilities. Fulford Primary School - 16

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

The headteacher, in partnership with the governing body and staff should now:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

30. Improve the quality of provision for science at Key Stage 2 by:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

Devising and implementing a policy and long-term planning that will ensure that all the required areas of study are covered systematically and give appropriate attention to investigating and experimenting; Paragraph 19

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

Improvinf the level of resourcing for this subject; Paragraph 22

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

Providing training opportunities for staff who need to increase their expertise in this subject. Paragraph 20

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

31. Ensure that the school development document provides sufficient information

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useful tool for judging the pace and effectiveness of school improvement

32. Improve the quality of the school’s annual report to parents by:

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useful tool for judging the pace and effectiveness of school improvement

Providing more detail on how pupils are progressing, especially in English and mathematics; Paragraph 26

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useful tool for judging the pace and effectiveness of school improvement

Ensuring that statutory requirements are met by including specific comments on information and communication technology. Paragraph 27

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useful tool for judging the pace and effectiveness of school improvement

33. Ensure that the content of the governors' annual report to parents has all the necessary information to meet statutory requirements. Paragraph 29 Fulford Primary School - 17

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 10

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

The table gives the percentage of teaching observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about lessons.

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 57

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 1

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 1

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 5

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Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 0

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 1

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 4

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Attendance

National comparative data 5.1 National comparative data 0.5 Fulford Primary School - 18

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage 0 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – African heritage 0 Black – African heritage 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Any other minority ethnic group 1 Other minority ethnic groups 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

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Teachers and classes *Financial information

Qualified teachers and classes: YR – Y6 *See strategic use of resources in parents’ summary for details

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Teachers and classes *Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 3.2 Financial year 99-00

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Teachers and classes *Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 18

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Teachers and classes *Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total expenditure 136742

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Teachers and classes *Financial information

Total number of education support staff 3 Expenditure per pupil 2487

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Teachers and classes *Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 36 Balance brought forward from previous year 2360

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Teachers and classes *Financial information

Balance carried forward to next year 13814

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Teachers and classes *Financial information

FTE means full-time equivalent. Fulford Primary School - 19

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Questionnaire return rate

Percentage of questionnaires returned 51

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Percentage of responses in each category

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

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child is making good progress in school. 59 38 3 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 72 28 0 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 45 31 7 17

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Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 55 38 3 3 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 69 28 3 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 69 24 7 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 62 28 10 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 86 10 0 0 3

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 59 38 3 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 24 38 34 3 0

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