Roseacre Junior School

ROSEACRE JUNIOR SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 14 and 15 January 2002

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ROSEACRE JUNIOR SCHOOL

Inspection number: 197740 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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ROSEACRE JUNIOR SCHOOL

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: The Landway Bearsted Maidstone Kent

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The Governing Body

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Mr Peter Begbey

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: September 1997 Roseacre Junior School ii

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Team members

19824 Mrs J Sinclair Registered inspector 13828 Mr R Ibbitson Lay inspector 1224 Mr G Todd Team inspector 22223 Mrs H Ranger Team inspector

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Team members

Westminster Education Consultants Old Garden House The Lanterns Bridge Lane London SW11 3AD

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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 Roseacre Junior School iii

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 1

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

Roseacre is a foundation junior school for boys and girls aged seven to eleven. With 404 pupils on roll, the school is bigger than most other junior schools. It draws most of its pupils from the village of Bearsted. There are few pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds or for whom English is an additional language. Most of these pupils understand and speak English with confidence. There are 75 pupils on the school’s register of special educational needs (18 per cent), which is below the national average. There are nine pupils on stages three to five of the register, with two pupils having a statement of special educational needs. Less than one per cent of pupils are eligible for free school meals and this is well below average. There are 13 classes, all with pupils of the same age, and the average class size is 31. The attainment of children on entry to the school varies year on year, but is always at least above

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

average overall. The school has been awarded ‘Beacon’ status by the Department for Education and Skills for its leadership and management, literacy, numeracy, information and communication technology, (ICT) teaching, gifted and talented research, and continuing professional development.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

Roseacre Junior School is a very successful school with significant strengths. Pupils attain high standards in English, mathematics and science by the end of Year 6. This is due to the very good teaching they receive, which helps them to make good and often very good progress. The excellent relationships at all levels, and pupils’ very good attitudes and behaviour, create a positive learning environment, which significantly enhances learning. There is a very good range of additional curricular activities, which promotes pupils’ academic and personal development. The school has excellent leadership, which underpins the drive for excellence in all areas of school life. The school provides very good value for money.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

• Pupils attain high standards in English, mathematics and science by the end of Year 6 because the quality of teaching is very good. • The head teacher provides excellent leadership that promotes high standards. The deputy headteacher and senior management team very ably support her. • The school provides a very good range of additional curricular activities, which enhances pupils’ academic and personal development. • The provision and teaching of information and communication technology (ICT) is very good, and as a result pupils make very good gains in their learning. • Pupils’ very good attitudes and behaviour, and the excellent relationships throughout the school, contribute significantly to pupils’ learning.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

The school is continually striving to improve its performance against its own very high standards. It has no significant areas for improvement. Roseacre Junior School 2

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

At the time of the last inspection in September 1997, the school was found to be very effective, with no areas identified for improvement. This high quality has been maintained overall. Additionally, there have been good developments in ICT, and the school has gradually increased the number of pupils achieving at the higher Level 5 in English, mathematics and science. The head teacher, who is passionate about education, continues to provide excellent leadership that ensures all staff members are fully involved in the work of the school and in its decision-making process.

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STANDARDS

The table shows the standards achieved by pupils at the end of Year 6 based on average point scores in National Curriculum tests.

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in:

1999 2000 2001 2001 English A* A* A* A mathematics A* A* A A science A A A A

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Key

well above average A above average B average C below average D well below average E

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Key

This table shows that in 2001 the school’s test results were in the top five per cent nationally for English and well above average for mathematics and science. The results are also well above the average for schools of a similar type. Standards have remained consistently high over time, and the number of pupils achieving at the higher Level 5 has increased over time. Occasionally, pupils achieve at Level 6, which is very high. Pupils enter the school with at least above average levels of attainment and the school successfully builds on this, ensuring that pupils continue to make very good progress.

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Key

The inspection findings confirm that the school’s high standards are being maintained. Challenging targets are set each year and these are usually met. Most pupils in Year 6 are working at the expected level (Level 4) in English, mathematics and science, with a significant number of pupils working at the higher levels. The standards that pupils achieve in other subjects are higher than expected. All pupils, including those with special educational needs and English as an additional language, have their needs met very well and this enables them to make good and often very progress.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Very good. Pupils have very good attitudes to all areas of school life. They are keen to learn and enthusiastic in their approach. Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Very good. Pupils are consistently polite and courteous to adults and to each other. There have been no exclusions. Personal development and relationships Very good. Pupils act in a mature and responsible manner, an attitude which the school has worked hard to foster. There are excellent relationships across the school and this ensures a productive atmosphere for learning. Attendance Very good. Pupils’ enjoyment of school is reflected in their above average rate of attendance. Roseacre Junior School 3

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Teaching of pupils in: Years 3-6

Quality of teaching 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 in: Years 3-6

The quality of teaching in the school is very good. This leads directly to pupils making very good gains in their learning, so that by Year 6 they attain high standards. The teaching of literacy and numeracy is very effective. Teachers have high expectations of what pupils can achieve, whilst being very mindful of pupils’ differing learning needs. This is reflected very clearly in the very good evaluations teachers make of pupils’ responses to individual lessons. Teachers manage pupils very well, using praise and encouragement to good effect. This enhances pupils’ esteem and motivates them to work even harder. Pupils are interested in their work and keen to learn. As a result, they put in a tremendous amount of intellectual, creative and physical effort.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum The school provides a very good range of learning opportunities, which enhance pupils’ academic and personal development. Provision for pupils with special educational needs Very good. The pupils’ needs are met very well through effective in- class support and well-structured individual education plans.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with English as an additional language The school provides very well for the few pupils who have English as an additional language. There is very good liaison with parents to ensure that their needs are fully met. Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Very good overall. The school cultivates all areas of pupils’ personal development very well. Provision for pupils’ social development is excellent. Pupils are given a very wide range of opportunities for the development of social skills.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils. Very well. The school provides a very supportive working environment and clearly values pupils as individuals. The excellent office staff is invaluable in this respect. Very good use is made of assessment information to guide curricular planning.

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Aspect Comment

The school offers a very good range of additional curricular activities, which enhance pupils’ personal and academic development. These include a wide range of visits, visitors, links with the community, music clubs, opportunities to learn foreign languages, and sporting clubs and events. Roseacre Junior School 4

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff The headteacher provides excellent leadership, which promotes high standards and the effective professional development of all staff. Her deputy headteacher and senior management team very ably support her. The school, which recently acquired Beacon status, is working with other schools locally to promote higher educational standards. How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Very well. The governors have an important role in shaping the school’s direction; they are fully aware of its many strengths but are not complacent. They support and encourage the school in its continuing development. Statutory responsibilities are fulfilled well. The school’s evaluation of its performance Excellent. The school has analysed strengths and weaknesses identified from performance data and has used the knowledge extremely well to set targets for improving pupils’ performance. All staff are continually

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Aspect Comment

evaluating both their own and the pupils’ performance in order to secure improvement. The strategic use of resources The school makes very good use of its resources, including specific grants.

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Aspect Comment

The leadership of the school is clearly focused on promoting high standards and providing a broad, balanced and enriched curriculum. The business manager ensures that the principles of best value are applied extremely well across the full spectrum of the school ‘s work. The school is very clean and well presented. The hall size is small for whole school events.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• Their children like school and are making good progress. • Behaviour is good and the school is helping their children become mature and responsible. • Teaching is good and the children are expected to work hard. • The school is well led and managed. • The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. • The quality of homework and its consistency within year groups. • The information parents get about their children’s progress. • The way the school works with parents.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

Inspectors agree with parents’ positive views of the school. However, they find no justification for parents’ concerns about homework, information on children’s progress or the way that the school works with parents. The staff in the school works hard to ensure the homework provided is suitable for the needs of the pupils in their classes and encourages them to be independent learners. The information given to parents on their children’s progress is very good. The school provides ample opportunities for work to be discussed both throughout the term and at regular parent meetings. The school works hard to foster a good relationship with parents and in this it is largely successful. Roseacre Junior School 5

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Pupils attain high standards in English, mathematics and science by the end of Year 6

because the quality of teaching is very good .

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Pupils attain high standards in English, mathematics and science by the end of Year 6

1. The results of the National Curriculum tests in 2001, taken by pupils in Year 6, showed that standards were high in English and well above average in mathematics and science. When compared with those of similar schools (based on the number of pupils having free school meals), standards were well above average in all three subjects. In English, standards attained by pupils in Year 6 were in the top 5 per cent nationally. Over time, the school has maintained these high standards, almost always being in the top 5 per cent nationally for both English and mathematics. The work pupils were doing during the inspection, and the evidence obtained from a review of earlier work, confirms these high standards. The attainment of pupils on entry to the school varies year on year but is always at least above average. Across the school, pupils achieve well and often very well in relation to their attainment on entry.

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Pupils attain high standards in English, mathematics and science by the end of Year 6

2. The quality of teaching, in the core and foundation subjects alike, is very good. The pupils learn very effectively as a result of the stimulus and interest, which the teaching provides, and they make very good progress.

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Pupils attain high standards in English, mathematics and science by the end of Year 6

3. Teachers plan lessons very well and ensure that they cater for the differing learning needs of pupils. They ensure that planning for pupils with special educational needs supports both the pupils and the teaching assistants who work with them. Planning clearly sets out the process for the lesson and the learning outcomes expected. As a result, pupils make good gains in their learning and are interested and motivated to work hard. Very good questioning is a hallmark of all lessons. For example, in a mathematics lesson in Year 3, where the teacher was consolidating odd and even numbers, she asked, ‘Can you give me an odd or even three-digit number?’ ‘Which numeral tells me that the three digit number I have been given is an even number?’ Teachers are very good at listening to pupils’ responses, encouraging them to think further and develop their idea more fully. For example, in a literacy lesson, when the teacher was writing sentences, she asked, ’What word don’t I

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Pupils attain high standards in English, mathematics and science by the end of Year 6

like?’ Pupils responded with ‘got’. ‘What is an alternative word?’ ‘Pounced.’ ‘Why do I prefer that word’? ‘It is more descriptive.’

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Pupils attain high standards in English, mathematics and science by the end of Year 6

4. Teachers also use every opportunity to develop language skills through pupils’ responses. For example, when a pupil offered the phrase ‘teeth like daggers’ the teacher’s immediate response was, ‘what type of phrase is that?’ How can it be changed to a metaphor? Various teaching methods are used successfully to improve pupils’ skills, knowledge and understanding, including explanation, demonstration and use of visual materials. Teachers’ explanations are clear and, as a result, pupils know what they have to do and settle to tasks quickly. They are given good opportunities to discuss issues, and tasks are well matched to the lesson objectives. Good use is made of technical vocabulary such as ‘digit’ and ‘translucent’ in Year 3, and ‘sedimentation’, ‘effluent’ and ‘filtration’ in Year 6. Teachers use resources very well to support their lessons, for example the use of contrasting videos to explore legends in Year 4, and a mock Roman soldier’s uniform in a

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Pupils attain high standards in English, mathematics and science by the end of Year 6

5. Physical education lessons are well structured, with good attention to health and safety and quality of movement. Teachers encourage pupils to demonstrate the quality of their movements in order to share good practice and consider further improvements. In these Roseacre Junior School 6 lessons good use is made of evaluation tasks to sharpen pupils’ awareness of movement and of how to improve one another’s work. Pupils listen attentively to each other, discuss issues sensibly and show great respect for their peers.

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Pupils attain high standards in English, mathematics and science by the end of Year 6

6. There are strong features common to all lessons. Teachers manage pupils very well. They have high expectations of behaviour but conduct lessons in a friendly and supportive manner. They use humour and encouragement well to engage pupils. Very good cross- curricular links are made in all subjects, which clearly helps pupils with their learning. In geography, for example, pupils are encouraged to use their scientific understanding of filtration when discussing the process of cleaning used water. There are excellent relationships between pupils and adults, and this ensures full participation in all activities and a willingness to express ideas and opinions. All teachers carry out detailed evaluations of their lessons and use this information when planning future work. This identifies pupils’ individual strengths and weaknesses and highlights the teacher’s main focus for development. The consistently high quality of the teaching ensures that pupils enjoy lessons

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Pupils attain high standards in English, mathematics and science by the end of Year 6

and are motivated to put a high level of intellectual and creative effort into their learning.

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Pupils attain high standards in English, mathematics and science by the end of Year 6

The headteacher provides excellent leadership, which promotes high standards. The deputy headteacher and senior management team very ably supports her.

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Pupils attain high standards in English, mathematics and science by the end of Year 6

7. The head teacher provides excellent direction for the work of the school. She is passionate about education and the pupils in her care, and is consistently striving to improve the learning environment. Expectations of staff performance are very high, but she also ensures they are very well supported in their work. There is a strong management team whose members are proactive in shaping the direction of the school. They are focused on raising standards within a supportive framework, which recognises the professionalism and individual strengths of each member of staff. All are part of a whole school team working towards a common goal. They are responsible for disseminating expertise, maintaining an overview of the school improvement plan, carrying out a detailed analysis of test results, managing change, and supporting staff new to the profession. Their success is obvious in the very good quality of teaching, the high standards attained and the very high morale of staff

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Pupils attain high standards in English, mathematics and science by the end of Year 6

8. The head teacher takes very seriously her commitment to other schools through Beacon Status, whilst remaining clearly focused on the needs of staff and pupils within her own school. She and senior members of staff give good support to a variety of schools and headteachers to help them with improvement. Several members of staff are considered to be leaders in their field, for example leading literacy or numeracy teachers, or an advanced skills teacher in the case of one of the ICT co-ordinators. The school is very mindful of the importance of ensuring that there is good supply cover when teachers are out of school. Where possible, the same supply teacher is consistently used to cover an individual class.

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Pupils attain high standards in English, mathematics and science by the end of Year 6

9. There is rigorous monitoring of teaching and learning, carried out through a variety of means. Classroom observations are one element, and teachers are given detailed feedback on their strengths and areas for development. The headteacher scrutinises the work of individual pupils in discussion with them. This not only gives her a good idea of how they are progressing and the quality of curriculum they receive but also a clear indication of their attitude to the work. Subject co-ordinators monitor groups of pupils. For example, the numeracy co-ordinator is currently monitoring a group of pupils suspected of underachieving in their mathematical work. Roseacre Junior School 7 10. The school very carefully considers the movement of pupils within mathematics sets based on their work output. Full discussions are held with parents before moving pupils within sets. The school shows very great consideration of both pupils and parents through

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Pupils attain high standards in English, mathematics and science by the end of Year 6

this exercise. Very able pupils, particularly those who entered the school at the high Level 4 in English, are being very closely monitored to ensure their progress is not compromised. The school is currently involved in action research on gifted and talented pupils indicating the school’s commitment to promoting their interests. Subject co-ordinators monitor their areas of the curriculum through activities such as monitoring planning, scrutinising groups of pupils’ work, or looking at particular aspects of their subject. They have action plans, which clearly identify the main developments for their subjects within a given timescale. Governors monitor areas of the curriculum through lesson observations and give detailed reports to the full governing body. They use a pro forma, which ensures their visits are focused and is also useful in determining quality. Some of these reports reflect the excitement of governors at

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Pupils attain high standards in English, mathematics and science by the end of Year 6

observing teaching of high quality. The school’s performance management cycle is used very effectively to ensure that staff perform to a high standard and are fully supported in their professional development.

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Pupils attain high standards in English, mathematics and science by the end of Year 6

11. There is a very clear school improvement plan that indicates the school’s priorities. These priorities are developed through whole school action plans. There is a clear identification of the current position and the targets to be reached in order to effect improvement. Targets are clear and measurable in terms of improved standards. Through its improvement plan, the school clearly shows that it is not complacent but is continuing to develop its expertise and improve the quality of education it provides. For example, a current focus in literacy is the development of visual literacy as a tool that will enable pupils to extrapolate meaning from visual text. A good example of this is the use of contrasting video recordings of imaginary creatures, to compare and contrast settings. The school is also continuing its work on developing pupils’ emotional intelligence, thinking skills and independence. There is a detailed information and communication technology (ICT) plan with

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Pupils attain high standards in English, mathematics and science by the end of Year 6

accompanying budget plan to support the school’s strong drive for improved provision in this area. Many of these planned improvements were being developed or already in place at the time of the inspection. Governors and all staff use the school improvement plan very effectively as a tool to monitor targets and to secure improvements across the spectrum of the school’s work.

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The school provides a very good range of additional curricular activities, which

enhances pupils’ academic and personal development.

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The school provides a very good range of additional curricular activities, which

12. The school offers a very good range of additional curricular activities overall. There is a very good programme of educational visits, and visitors to the school provide high quality experiences. There are very effective links with the community and an excellent range of extra-curricular activities. These all provide valuable opportunities to promote pupils’ academic and personal development. The school holds a strong belief in the need for a creative curriculum and works hard to preserve this alongside national initiatives. As a result, pupils make a wide range of visits out of school. An interesting side effect of these is that the school gets invited to events as a result of the links it has established. For example, pupils have been invited to events at Canterbury Cathedral and the Globe Theatre in London. Other regular visits involve the local museum and church and visits to the Royal Opera House and

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The school provides a very good range of additional curricular activities, which

13. The school makes very good use of visitors and events to enhance pupils’ learning. Every year the school holds an arts week, which involves art, music and drama. Year groups work together and parents are encouraged to be involved. Usually a visiting author, such as Michael Morpurgo, attends and there are productions by the Young Shakespeare Company. Roseacre Junior School 8 The school has a Kent cricket development coach who works regularly with pupils to develop their cricket skills. A regular visitor to the school to lead assemblies is a captain of the Church Army. His assemblies involve pupils and teaching staff alike and are very stimulating and thought provoking.

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The school provides a very good range of additional curricular activities, which

14. There are residential visits for pupils in Year 5, to PGL Outdoor Pursuits Centres in Ross on Wye and Devon, or to Michael Morpurgo’s farm in Devon, where they take full part in farming activities such as cleaning out animals and feeding them. Pupils in Year 6 always visit Paris for a week in the summer term. This includes a visit to French schools. The school has three link schools in France and pupils from a school in Bourbourg visit Roseacre. Throughout the year the school is supporting pupils’ development of the French language and culture through lunchtime clubs and regular teaching of French as part of the curriculum. 15. The school makes excellent use of extra -curricular activities to develop a wide variety of skills. The range of activities, such as French, chess, music and netball clubs, is a good example of this. There is a very good tradition of music in the school. The school orchestra

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The school provides a very good range of additional curricular activities, which

has played at the Festival Hall in London, the senior recorder group has taken part in the Maidstone festival, and the choir has performed with the Kent Police Choir. During the inspection recorder clubs were seen practising. The senior recorder club comprised a good mix of boys and girls who played their instruments with a good level of skill. The school is involved in the Minimus Latin Project in association with King’s School Rochester, whose pupils help with this.

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The school provides a very good range of additional curricular activities, which

16. Pupils take part in a variety of sporting events and clubs, which very effectively enhance the provision for physical education and development. For example, netball and cricket teams are involved in local competitions. Additionally there is keep fit, swimming, golf, short tennis and cross-country.

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The school provides a very good range of additional curricular activities, which

17. There are very good links with the community. The school takes part in the annual village fete and pupils walk in the procession; pupils were dressed as animals for the most recent procession. Pupils manage stalls and donate the money to the village funds. Many attend Songs of Praise in the village church as part of the celebration. When the village has its ‘Spring Clean’ week pupils from the school collect litter. They take part in concerts in the local church, singing and playing musical instruments. The senior choir gave a concert at Leeds castle in December. In summer the school’s Maypole Dance group performs throughout Kent and raises money for many charities. The school always visits the Kent County Show as a means of celebrating its local heritage. As a result of their involvement in the community, pupils learn the importance of participation and contributing to the life of the

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Provision and teaching of ICT is very good and as a result pupils make good gains in

their knowledge of the subject and its application.

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Provision and teaching of ICT is very good and as a result pupils make good gains in

18. The provision for ICT is now very good. This is an improvement since the last inspection, when inspectors felt that the numbers of computers in the school was insufficient for the numbers of able children. The school now has a suite of networked computers, which is used regularly for whole class teaching. A full time technician has been appointed and successfully supports pupils and teachers during lessons. There are two ICT co-ordinators, one of whom is an advanced skills teacher in this subject. His skills are used both within the school and to support local schools under the provision of the beacon Roseacre Junior School 9 scheme. He is also responsible for the training of staff within the school and has provided some training for parents. The Parents Association has purchased equipment for the library, classroom computers, and a data projector for the hall, linked to a computer and sound

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Provision and teaching of ICT is very good and as a result pupils make good gains in

19. As a result of this input, standards of attainment in ICT are well above average, with pupils throughout the school demonstrating very good levels of skill across all aspects of ICT. For example, pupils in Year 3 know how to create digital images of places in Bearsted. They integrate text and graphics, changing fonts, colours and letter size. They are very familiar with paint programs, for example their artwork in the style of Monet. In their history work on the Celts they downloaded images of villages and houses from the Internet. By the time they reach Year 6 they know how to make Christmas cards, using a Wizard. They paste clip art and Internet pictures, using boxes, borders and frames. They know how to make Power Point presentations and merge text and graphics effectively to make items such as book covers. They use the e-mail facility by writing letters in Word, copying them and pasting to

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Provision and teaching of ICT is very good and as a result pupils make good gains in

Outlook for transmission over the Internet. Their use of the Internet and CD-ROM’s as a means of research is evident in many subjects.

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Provision and teaching of ICT is very good and as a result pupils make good gains in

20. Only two ICT lessons were observed during the inspection and both of these were very good. In one lesson the teacher made excellent use of demonstration to show pupils how to search for information, copy an image and then post it to the publisher. She also demonstrated sizing and re-sizing and adding text in a box. Although pupils were new to these skills, they very quickly learnt to use the new techniques successfully. Teachers plan lessons in detail and provide well for pupils’ differing learning needs. Evaluation of previous lessons is used well to inform planning and remind pupils of previous learning. The teachers’ very good subject knowledge and computer skills enable them to provide challenging work and question pupils skilfully to improve their knowledge and understanding. Pupils respond very well to the challenges the teachers provide, work quickly and ask for help when needed.

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Provision and teaching of ICT is very good and as a result pupils make good gains in

Pupils with special educational needs are very well supported by the teacher and technician, as are all pupils requiring help to solve problems. Teachers use remote learning very effectively as a tool for whole class teaching, for example sharing the intricacies of a spreadsheet through highlighting a whole column and putting the £ sign in all cells. This enables all pupils to be immediately productive. Teachers are developing ICT well across the subjects of the curriculum, for example using the Severn/Trent web site for geography and the Internet for information on Celtic villages in history. Additionally, pupils are learning to use the data projector in the hall to provide music and words for assemblies.

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Provision and teaching of ICT is very good and as a result pupils make good gains in

21. The co-ordinators for ICT have been instrumental in raising the profile of the subject. They have ensured that a very good policy and scheme of work are in place and that the National Curriculum is fully covered. The ICT development and action plans demonstrate the school’s continuing drive for improvement in this area of the curriculum.

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Pupils’ very good attitudes and behaviour, and the excellent relationships

throughout the school contribute significantly to pupils’ learning.

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Pupils’ very good attitudes and behaviour, and the excellent relationships

22. Throughout the school, pupils’ very good attitudes to learning and their behaviour make a strong contribution to the orderly environment in which effective learning takes place. Pupils enjoy coming to school and feel secure and valued within this environment. The excellent relationships, which exist at all levels in the school, contribute significantly to a climate of mutual respect and enthusiasm for learning.

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Pupils’ very good attitudes and behaviour, and the excellent relationships

23. The school has worked very hard to cultivate pupils’ very good attitudes to their learning, and in this it has been successful. Pupils listen very well to the explanations and Roseacre Junior School 10 instructions given by their teachers, settle to their tasks very quickly, and are clear about what they have to do. They tackle new work with enthusiasm, confidently share their ideas with each other in groups or pairs, and have a strong desire to improve. For example, during a geography lesson in Year 6, pupils worked collaboratively to study maps of Bearsted in order to identify similarities and differences. In an ICT lesson in Year 5, pupils worked co- operatively to complete their spreadsheets. Teachers have high expectations of pupils and this is reflected in the very good standards of presentation in all of the work. Pupils are keen to respond to teachers’ questioning and are very responsive to new learning. For example, in

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Pupils’ very good attitudes and behaviour, and the excellent relationships

a literacy lesson in Year 3, they were quick to pick up important aspects of the text and used interesting vocabulary such as ‘oozing pool’ ‘foul smelling’ and ‘gruesome’ to describe the forest.

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Pupils’ very good attitudes and behaviour, and the excellent relationships

24. Behaviour is very good in classrooms, around the school, and in the playground. Pupils agree their classroom rules and abide by them well. They are clear about how they are expected to behave and respond well to the school’s firm but sensitive approach to school discipline. Pupils enter and leave the hall at the beginning and end of assemblies in a quiet and orderly fashion, which is no mean feat, as there is barely enough space to accommodate all of them. They behave very well during lunch in the hall and move out to play in a sensible, well-organised manner. All behave in a mature and responsible manner and the School Council plays an important role in this. For example, there were some difficulties at lunchtimes and the School Council came up with the idea of having zones for activities and boxes of equipment for each year group. This has improved the situation immensely and devolved responsibility to year groups, who are responsible for the contents

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Pupils’ very good attitudes and behaviour, and the excellent relationships

of their boxes. In all aspects of school life pupils show consideration towards each other and work and play well together, even when not directly under adult supervision. Pupils are polite, friendly and open in their communications with each other and with all adults in the school. There are mentors and ‘buddies’ for pupils who need support.

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Pupils’ very good attitudes and behaviour, and the excellent relationships

25. There are excellent relationships throughout the school and these have a significant impact on pupils’ self esteem – an area of huge importance to the school. A very good example was when a group of Year 6 pupils were asked whom they would talk to if they had a problem; they all felt that they could talk with confidence to any adult in the school. In lessons, teachers encourage and support pupils, giving them the confidence to contribute their ideas and opinions. In ICT lessons, the technician and class teachers give very good support to pupils experiencing difficulties and pupils are very appreciative of this help. Teaching assistants ensure that pupils with special educational needs are supported in their learning and praise their efforts, which leads to a desire to learn more. There is a strong thread of mutual respect, which runs through all layers of the school community. Roseacre Junior School 11

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of lessons observed (includes one lesson which was not graded) 21 Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 9

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Poor

Number 1 11 7 1 0 0 0 Percentage 5 55 35 5 0 0 0 The table gives the number and percentage of lessons observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about teaching. [When the total number is substantially less than 100, add] Care should be taken when interpreting these percentages as each lesson represents more than one [two, three, etc] percentage point[s]. [Where the total is close to or greater than 100, use only the first sentence.]

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Pupils on the school’s roll Y3 – Y6

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 404 Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 2 FTE means full-time equivalent.

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Special educational needs Y3 – Y6

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 2 Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 75

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pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 3

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pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 1 Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 6

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% %

School data 3.8 School data 0 National comparative data 5.2 National comparative data 0.5 Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Roseacre Junior School 12

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

Year Boys Girls Total Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year: 2001 56 54 110

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National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

Boys 56 53 55 Girls 53 49 53 Numbers of pupils at NC Level 4 and above Total 109 102 108 Percentage of pupils School 99 (96) 93 (94) 98 (98) at NC Level 4 or above National 74 (75) 71 (72) 87 (85)

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Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

Boys 49 47 55 Girls 52 48 52 Numbers of pupils at NC Level 4 and above Total 101 95 107 Percentage of pupils School 92 (94) 91 (94) 98 (96) at NC Level 4 or above National 72 (70) 73 (72) 82 (79) Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year.

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ent

Black – Caribbean heritage 1 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0

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ent

Black – African heritage 0 Black – African heritage 0 0

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ent

Black – other 0 Black – other 0 0 Indian 1 Indian 0 0 Pakistani 2 Pakistani 0 0 Bangladeshi 0 Bangladeshi 0 0 Chinese 0 Chinese 0 0 White 400 White 0 0 Any other minority ethnic group 0 Other minority ethnic groups 0 0

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ent

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. Roseacre Junior School 13

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Y3 – Y6

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 16 Financial year 2000/2001

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Y3 – Y6

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 26.9

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Y3 – Y6

Total number of education support staff 11 Total expenditure 733,678.00

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Y3 – Y6

Total aggregate hours worked per week 147 Expenditure per pupil 1,768.00

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Y3 – Y6

FTE means full-time equivalent. Balance brought forward from previous year 8,256.00

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 3

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 3

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Recruitment of teachers

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 0

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of a term or more (FTE) Number of unfilled vacancies or vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of less than one term (FTE) FTE means full-time equivalent. Roseacre Junior School 14

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Questionnaire return rate

Number of questionnaires sent out 404 Number of questionnaires returned 198

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know

My child is making good progress in school. 52 45 2 0 1

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know

Behaviour in the school is good. 54 43 2 0 1

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know

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 29 57 12 2 1

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know

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 26 55 16 1 2

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know

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 40 47 8 4 1

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know

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 76 22 2 0 0

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know

The school works closely with parents. 32 51 12 4 1

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know

The school is well led and managed. 73 23 2 1 2

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know

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 51 45 3 0 2

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know

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 52 40 4 2 3

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