Other · Ofsted report
St John's CofE Junior Mixed and Infant School
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101319
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Strengths
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- In general, attainment on entry is above average and the rise in attainment over their time in school indicates that pupils achieve well up to the end of Year 2 and very well up to the end of Year 6 with particularly good progress in Year 6. p.41
- There are strong indications that the school has taken action to eradicate any teasing, for example, a theme about Friendship has promoted very high levels of pupils' awareness of others' feelings. p.13
- The high quality of the constructive comments made indicates the thoughtful, reflective approach that encourages positive development of the skills of critical analysis. p.37
- Pupils with special educational needs make good progress because their learning is well supported by class teachers who are sensitive to their needs and aware of their individual education plans. p.38
- 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 p.6
Concerns
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- There are still occasional incidents of racial teasing because the pupils have not yet been taught sufficiently about which words are unacceptable. p.22
- This weakness has led to some inconsistencies in the level of challenge offered, especially to higher attaining pupils and consequently to a degree of underachievement especially in Key Stage 2. p.40
- A number of parents feel it is insufficient and there are inconsistencies between teachers. p.17
- There is inadequate coverage of geography, history and, to a lesser extent, art and design. p.17
- In the questionnaires and at the parents’ meeting there was concern that they do not know well enough how their child is progressing. p.21
Next steps
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- The school was last inspected in October 1997. p.7
- Since then results in the National Curriculum tests have risen broadly in line with the national trend and remained above and sometimes well above average. p.7
- In all the subjects tested, results have improved at the end of each key stage, except in mathematics at Key Stage 1, where they have fallen since the last inspection but remain above average. p.7
- Work has been done to improve the key issues from the last report and some, such as improvements in design and technology, and increasing work related to problem-solving have been successful. p.7
- Some have led to strategic improvements, such as those to the music curriculum and the monitoring and evaluation by the St John's CE (A) Primary School - 8- February 2002 senior staff. p.7
- However, some, such as the planning of how the income from lettings will be spent and the evaluation of major spending decisions have had little impact and the action plans are incomplete. p.7
- The table shows the standards achieved by pupils at the end of Year 6 based on average point scores in National Curriculum tests. p.8
- Performance in: all schools similar schools Key p.8
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Full report text
ST JOHN'S CE PRIMARY SCHOOL
Dates of inspection: 4 - 7 February 2002
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ST JOHN'S CE PRIMARY SCHOOL
Full inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 This report may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that all extracts quoted are reproduced verbatim without adaptation and on condition that the source and date thereof are stated.
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ST JOHN'S CE 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. St John's CE (A) Primary School - 3- February 2002
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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
Type of school: Junior and infant with nursery
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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
School category: Church of England Voluntary Aided
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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
School address: Crescent Road Friern Barnet London
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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 Fiona Childs
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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
Date of previous inspection: 6 - 9 October 1997 St John's CE (A) Primary School - 4- February 2002
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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM
Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities 20714 Mr M Carter Registered inspector Mathematics Information and communicatio n technology What sort of school is it? School’s results and pupils’ achievements How well are the pupils taught? How well is the school led and managed? What should the school do to improve further? 19320 Mrs B Attaway Lay Inspector Pupils’ attitudes, behaviour and personal development How well does the school care for its pupils? How well does the school work in partnership with parents? 14871 Mrs B Buteaux Team inspector English Design and technology Geography Music English as an additional language Equal opportunities St John's CE (A) Primary School - 5- February 2002 13476 Mrs J Roberts Team inspector Areas of learning for children in the Foundation Stage Art and design Physical education 19026 Mr Brian Downes Team inspector Science History Special educational needs How good are the curricular and other
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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM
Nord Anglia Inspection Services Strathblane House Ashfield Road Cheadle Stockport SK8 1BB
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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM
Any concerns or complaints about the inspection or the report should be raised with the inspection contractor. Complaints that are not satisfactorily resolved by the contractor should be raised with OFSTED by writing to:
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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM
The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division
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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM
Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE St John's CE (A) Primary School - 6- February 2002
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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 7
Information about the school How good the school is What the school does well What could be improved How the school has improved since its last inspection Standards Pupils’ attitudes and values Teaching and learning Other aspects of the school How well the school is led and managed Parents’ and carers’ views of the school
p.6
HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS? 12
The school’s results and pupils’ achievements Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development
p.6
AREAS OF THE CURRICULUM AND SUBJECTS 31
St John's CE (A) Primary School - 7- February 2002
p.7
INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
The school is Church of England Voluntary Aided and serves a residential area of Friern Barnet with generally favourable socio-economic indicators. Four-year-olds are enrolled in the Reception class twice a year and there is also a Nursery class for younger children, either for the mornings or for the afternoons. This is located about two miles away from the main school. In the main school there are 223 pupils and this is similar in size to the average school. Up to half of the families are of Greek origin although there are only four pupils with English as an additional language who require only a little extra help. There are also small numbers of pupils with, African, Afro-Caribbean, Asian or other backgrounds. Fourteen pupils are known to be eligible for free school meals and this is less than average. There is a slightly higher than average proportion of pupils with special educational needs, 62 in all, and two of these have a statement,
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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
which is lower than average. Currently, the pupils' attainment on entry to the Infant stage is above the local average, although two years ago it was below average.
p.7
HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS
This is an improving school that already has standards in English, mathematics and science, which are above average. The teaching is good overall and has improved since the last inspection. Such improvements have been managed well by the previous acting headteacher and now by the new headteacher. The governors have successfully worked to maintain an appropriate emphasis on improving standards. However, the school recognises that some pupils could reach higher levels and there are some strategies in place to enable this to happen. Although the expenditure for each pupil is above average, the school provides satisfactory value for money.
p.7
HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS
What the school does well • Standards in English, mathematics and science are often above or well above average. • The children have good attitudes and enthusiasm for their learning and what the school offers. • There is a strong commitment to improvement amongst the whole school community. • Parents' views and the support of parents and the community are very positive. • The very good provision for the pupils' social development contributes to very good relationships. • The pupils' behaviour is good because it is well-managed by members of staff.
p.7
HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS
What could be improved • There is some under-achievement particularly amongst higher attaining pupils. • The standards and provision made for history and geography are weak. • Information from assessments is not used rigorously enough to set well-matched work for groups of pupils. • The way in which the subjects are led and co-ordinated is inconsistent. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.
p.7
HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION
The school was last inspected in October 1997. Since then results in the National Curriculum tests have risen broadly in line with the national trend and remained above and sometimes well above average. In all the subjects tested, results have improved at the end of each key stage, except in mathematics at Key Stage 1, where they have fallen since the last inspection but remain above average. Work has been done to improve the key issues from the last report and some, such as improvements in design and technology, and increasing work related to problem-solving have been successful. Some have led to strategic improvements, such as those to the music curriculum and the monitoring and evaluation by the St John's CE (A) Primary School - 8- February 2002 senior staff. However, some, such as the planning of how the income from lettings will be spent and the evaluation of major spending decisions have had little impact and the action plans are incomplete. Overall,
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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION
the school's improvement is satisfactory.
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STANDARDS
The table shows the standards achieved by pupils at the end of Year 6 based on average point scores in National Curriculum tests.
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STANDARDS
Performance in: all schools similar schools Key
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STANDARDS
English B A A C well above average above average A B mathematics A B B C average below average C D science A C B C well below average E
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STANDARDS
Standards are good overall. The results are based upon pupils who have now left the school. In most years a higher than average proportion of eleven-year-olds achieve the expected standards in English, mathematics and science. Furthermore, there is often above average levels of high attainment. When comparing the school's 2001 performance to that of schools having similar pupils, it was average overall but in mathematics there was a larger than usual group not achieving the expected standard, whereas in science there was a less than average number attaining the higher level. In comparison to schools with similar results for this age group when they were seven, standards at eleven were below average in mathematics and science indicating some weak progress through Key Stage 2. They were average in English. Since the last inspection the overall trend in results has been broadly in line with national
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STANDARDS
improvements. The standards of the current pupils are above average in English and mathematics and well above average in science. Nevertheless, there is a degree of under-achievement and there could be more pupils with high attainment and their levels could be even higher. The school's own analyses recognise this. In Key Stage 1, the results of the 2001 National Curriculum tests showed above average performance in reading and mathematics and well above in writing. There was a good amount of high attainment, except in reading, where it was average. From the baseline assessment made of the current Year 2 pupils, when they were four, good progress has been made and the pupils achieve well. Throughout Key Stages 1 and 2 the pupils achieve well in lessons and in comparison to similar schools the results are average. This positive picture is reflected in the school's tracking of the results from assessments made at the end of
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STANDARDS
each year through Key Stage 2. However, in mathematics, achievement was less positive. Targets are set for each pupil and shared with parents. Overall targets were exceeded in English and met in mathematics. Standards are unsatisfactory in geography and history, but in the other subjects in Key Stage 2 they are satisfactory in information and communication technology, design and technology, art and design, music and physical education.
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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES
Attitudes to the school Good. The pupils are enthusiastic and very interested in their learning. They become very involved in what the school has to offer.
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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES
Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Good. This has improved and is now supported by a clear policy that is well implemented by teachers and other staff. St John's CE (A) Primary School - 9- February 2002 Personal development and relationships Very good. Many pupils have an extremely mature awareness of the feelings of others and are caring and reliable when undertaking various tasks.
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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES
Attendance Satisfactory. Absence rates are similar to the national average.
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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES
These aspects have improved since the last inspection and are now good with very good personal development. There have been several initiatives to improve the pupils' relationships with each other and to raise their awareness and consideration of others' needs. However, against this very strong picture, and good racial harmony, there remains a very small number of incidents of teasing of pupils from ethnic- minority backgrounds. Partly in response to this, the school has plans to introduce regular lessons of personal, social and health education in all classes in addition to its existing strategies for personal and social development.
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TEACHING AND LEARNING
Teaching of pupils in: Nursery and Reception Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6
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TEACHING AND LEARNING
Quality of teaching satisfactory satisfactory good Inspectors make judgements about teaching in the range: excellent; very good; good; satisfactory; unsatisfactory; poor; very poor. ‘Satisfactory’ means that the teaching is adequate and strengths outweigh weaknesses.
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TEACHING AND LEARNING
The quality of teaching is good overall and best in Key Stage 2. It is good throughout in English, mathematics and science. The national strategies for literacy and numeracy are being effective and help the pupils to make good progress in basic skills. Teaching has improved since the last inspection and there are more opportunities for pupils to explain their learning, to solve problems and investigate for themselves. The teachers manage their classes very well and consequently behaviour and the pupils' concentration are good. In Key Stages 1 and 2, the teachers generally have a good knowledge of the subjects they teach and this is because of a good level of continuing staff development and an emphasis on teaching, learning and raising standards. The teaching of pupils with special educational needs is good and they learn well in withdrawal groups and in their classrooms, making progress towards the targets in
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TEACHING AND LEARNING
their individual education plans. Teaching for pupils with high attainment is not sufficiently challenging in a significant minority of lessons. This is largely because insufficient account is taken of what these pupils already know and can do and also because little learning is planned from the higher levels of the National Curriculum. In history and geography the teaching is generally satisfactory but lessons are not teaching the pupils enough of the programmes of study. Teaching in the Foundation Stage is of mixed quality with a number of good aspects, such as when there are learning objectives clearly linked to what the pupils need to learn next.
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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL
The quality and range of the curriculum Satisfactory overall. Teachers plan lessons which are interesting, although in history and geography there are gaps in the pupils' learning.
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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL
Provision for pupils with special educational needs Good. The pupils' individual education plans are written well and help the pupils to made good progress.
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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL
Provision for pupils with English as an additional language There are no pupils at an early stage of English language acquisition but provision is made from the school's special needs support to help pupils overcome any difficulties. St John's CE (A) Primary School - 10- February 2002 Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Good overall. Very good provision is made for the pupils' social development and provision is good for moral and spiritual development. Provision is satisfactory for cultural development.
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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL
How well the school cares for its pupils Satisfactory overall. There are strengths in the support and guidance for pupils individually, for promoting good behaviour and assessing attainment, but there are weaknesses in the use of assessments.
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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL
Parents are very supportive of the school and give help in several ways. The school has good links with parents who generally support the children well with their learning at home. The information provided for parents is good but could be improved in the Nursery. The curriculum is often enriched with visits and visitors and there is a good provision of extra-curricular activities that are well supported, but there are few of these for pupils in Key Stage 1. Although many are taken, there are some lost opportunities to raise the pupils' awareness of a range of other cultures and of Britain's multicultural society. However, the pupils' personal development is supported well and their academic performance is monitored soundly. Assessments could be used better to plan future work. Good behaviour is promoted well and monitored closely.
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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED
Leadership and manage- ment by the headteacher and other key staff Good, overall. The work of the acting headteacher last year, the new headteacher this term and of senior teachers has promoted a very good commitment to improvement and an emphasis on learning.
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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED
How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Satisfactory. The governors have worked extremely hard in the school's interests but had little time to evaluate major spending decisions. Governors have a very strong commitment to the school.
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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED
The school’s evaluation of its performance Satisfactory. Evaluation has been maintained and there are a good number of systems in place to monitor the pupils' performance.
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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED
The strategic use of resources Satisfactory. Funding is carefully used to maximise the pupils' leaning and to support the key areas of the school's development plan.
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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED
Staffing, accommodation and learning resources all make sound provision for the pupils' education. The number of support staff has been increased and class sizes are reasonable. For some subjects there is a good supply of resources such as for science, physical education and the Foundation Stage. The school has overcome the staffing and other difficulties of last year and has maintained a strong emphasis on raising standards. It is now well placed to make further gains. The key issues from the last inspection have not all been addressed fully. However, a reasonable amount has been achieved, while maintaining the quality of education overall. The governors and senior staff are keen and effective in obtaining the best value for money from any significant expenditure. This is a high priority since the school has a very tight budget, which is now reviewed by a local authority service, which the governors have sensibly engaged.
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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED
St John's CE (A) Primary School - 11- February 2002
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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL
What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved
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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL
• The children like the school and are keen to attend. • The teaching is good and the pupils are helped to become mature. • The school is approachable. • Behaviour is good. • The children are expected to work hard. • Consistency in homework. • More information about progress. • Closer work with parents. • The range of extra-curricular activities.
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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL
Parents' views are generally very supportive of the school and most are keen that it should continue its good work and make further improvements. The inspection team agrees with the parents' positive views about the school. There was some inconsistency in homework between classes but the policy is good and should lead to improvement. The information the school provides is good in some ways but for children in the Nursery, there is not enough. The school now works well with its parents. Generally, there is a good dialogue with parents and the school is planning more initiatives to improve this further. The range of extra- curricular activities overall is better than many schools of its type and here the inspection evidence did not reflect parents' views. However, activities provided for pupils in Key Stage 1 are limited. St John's CE (A) Primary School - 12- February 2002
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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
1. Overall, results are good and the large majority of pupils reach the expected standards with a good number achieving the higher levels. In English, mathematics and science, the proportions of pupils reaching the expected standard has improved since the last inspection. The trend in the school's results is broadly in line with the national trend, although there are some fluctuations and in mathematics and English the 2001 eleven- year-olds' results fell slightly while remaining above average. In comparison to schools having pupils from similar backgrounds the results were average. However, when compared with pupils nationally who had similar results when they were seven, the progress made in Key Stage 2 has been average in English but below average in mathematics and science. This is partly because more pupils could achieve higher levels.
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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
2. A baseline assessment is made of the children's attainment in their Reception year and these assessments show a range of attainment that is largely a little above average but two years ago it was a little below average. The children now make good progress overall in the Foundation Stage and in Key Stage 1 so that when they are seven standards are above average in reading, writing, mathematics and science. Progress continues to be positive through Key Stage 2 and the standards of the eleven-year-olds are above average in English and mathematics and well above average in science. While there are differences in the attainment of girls and boys they are not great and there has been no strategic action about this yet. The school has, however, evaluated the progress of pupils from Greek backgrounds and found that these pupils did better than others in mathematics and science but not in English. No specific strategies have
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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
been employed to monitor this difference. There are now plans to analyse test results in much more detail to enable the tracking of groups of pupils to regularly evaluate their progress. However, the overall achievement of pupils in Key Stage 1 and 2 is good although there is a degree of under-achievement by some higher attaining pupils.
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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
3. Literacy and numeracy skills are usually well taught and all the pupils gain good skills and competence. Even early in Key Stage 2 many are able to use these to good effect when reading independently. They are effective and persuasive writers and quickly recognise patterns in numbers enabling quick calculation. The school has several different forms of targets and each child is set targets for their learning and improvement and these are shared and well-known to the pupils. The school also has overall targets for improvement and last year these were met in mathematics and exceeded in English.
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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
4. Pupils with special educational needs achieve satisfactory standards in the Foundation Stage and good standards in relation to their prior attainment in all subjects except history and geography between Years 1 and 6. They make good progress overall towards their individual targets. Where pupils with special educational needs are withdrawn for literacy or numeracy lessons, they make good progress. Pupils with statements of special educational needs and those who are given additional support make good progress against the targets in their statements and their individual St John's CE (A) Primary School - 13- February 2002 education plans. Of the few pupils for whom English is an additional language, none is at an early stage of English language acquisition and their progress is not discernibly different from that of others.
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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
5. In the Foundation Stage attainment in communication, language and literacy and in personal, social and emotional development and in physical development is above average with some pupils occasionally working within National Curriculum levels. In mathematical and creative development and knowledge and understanding of the world, the pupils' attainment is satisfactory. Learning is fastest in the Reception class where planning and assessment are related well to the curriculum. In Key Stage 1, attainment in geography and history is unsatisfactory because the programmes of study are insufficiently taught and the skills required are not learned well enough. In physical education, design and technology, art and design and information and communication technology standards are satisfactory. However, there was insufficient evidence to judge attainment in music. In Key Stage 2, attainment is unsatisfactory in history and
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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
geography and satisfactory in music, physical education, design and technology information and communication technology and in art and design.
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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development
6. Pupils’ attitudes to school are good; at the time of the last inspection they were positive. Parents describe pupils as being fired up by learning , especially in science. Generally, pupils with special educational needs show good attitudes to their work and behave well in lessons and around the school. All the pupils settle in well at the start of the day to a familiar routine. When the pace of the lesson is good, the pupils’ enthusiasm is evident as in a Year 1 physical education lesson. In a Nursery class, a four year old, almost unaided, typed her name on the computer; when she had a print out she showed it to adults and to her classmates excitedly. This enthusiasm is also demonstrated in the high level of support for extra-curricular activities. For example, members of the school choir arrive at 8.15a.m. for practice once a week. During the inspection, three pupils were seen organising and running their own recorder practice at lunch-time, so that they
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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development
could perform in assembly. Many pupils were seen enjoying the dance club. The school council is to be asked for their views on the range of extra-curricular activities available.
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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development
7. There is a genuine warmth in the welcome visitors receive from the pupils. They want to share and discuss their school life and work, and they readily initiate conversation. They demonstrate good manners, for example, in opening doors for adults.
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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development
8. Behaviour is good, with instances of very good behaviour. This reflects the parents’ views. Pupils move around the school quietly and respond well to good management of behaviour. The recently revised behaviour and discipline policy reflects how adults and children should interact. It defines the boundaries of acceptable behaviour in detail and aims to raise awareness about appropriate behaviour. The policy is well structured and sets out clear expectations of the children, staff and parents. Teachers are expected to plan and deliver lessons aimed at motivating pupils and raising their self-esteem and the new policy effectively promotes positive behaviour. However, the policy on the use of force to control or restrain pupils should be clearer; in particular the phrase reasonable restraint should give clearer guidance so that staff know exactly what is meant in such circumstances.
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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development
9. Discussion with a random selection of six pupils from ethnic minority backgrounds revealed that two had received racial teasing comments in the past but that four had not. The recipients reported that when it had occurred, they were listened to by staff and that the issues were dealt with promptly and fairly. This supports the views of parents at the St John's CE (A) Primary School - 14- February 2002 pre-inspection meeting. There are strong indications that the school has taken action to eradicate any teasing, for example, a theme about Friendship has promoted very high levels of pupils' awareness of others' feelings. There are plans for further initiatives such as more lessons of personal, social and health education.
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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development
10. There has been one fixed-term exclusion in the last reporting year and the school indicates that guidelines set out by the Department for Education and Skills were followed fully. An independent review of the exclusion does not support this view fully. However, the school is to introduce a new policy for the exclusion of pupils from school, based on the guidelines of the London Diocesan Board for Schools. A draft copy indicates that it is sound and provides good support for the recently revised behaviour and discipline policy.
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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development
11. Relationships are very good, as at the time of the last inspection. This is also the parents’ view. There is much cohesion between different ethnic groups; in the classroom, the playground and at lunchtime with self-selected groups of pupils representing mixed backgrounds. Respect for others is part of the school’s Christian philosophy. In lessons, the pupils work well in groups, exchanging ideas and sharing resources. They support disadvantaged pupils; in Reception, two girls and four boys were observed establishing a relationship with one such pupil. At wet lunchtimes, older pupils support the younger ones. These very good relationships are enhanced by the very effective opportunities for personal development offered by the school.
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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development
12. Pupils’ personal development is good. The previous inspection found limited opportunities for pupils to share and discuss their views; since then the school has created many more opportunities. In classes, time is made for discussion about social issues, for example, earning pocket money. During the inspection, Year 3 pupils discussed fairness . The pupils could all give examples of unfairness towards themselves and could reflect on times when they knew they had been unfair towards others. Pupils are encouraged to resolve their own problems, while staff support this approach through listening and, when necessary, intervening. Targets are set together with the pupils, and communicated to parents. They include, for example, getting on with others in the class , or being polite when asking for items. There is a termly theme that is discussed both in class and in the school council. The current theme is
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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development
friendship and caring and has enabled the children to show empathy and to know that they are valued.
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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development
13. The pupils help to set class rules each year and this enables them to understand that as they mature they become more responsible for their own actions. The school council has enabled pupils from Nursery upwards to begin to understand citizenship and to know that they have a right to be heard. In the Reception class, the daily rota for classroom helpers enables young pupils to understand the need to take turns, as well as assuming some responsibility, such as taking registers to the office. All pupils are expected to tidy away resources and this good practice was seen working well in the Nursery, where the children undertook the tasks with enthusiasm; on one occasion three girls were seen placing cups and saucers in a line and with precision. A range of other opportunities is available for pupils throughout the school, such as setting up resources for an assembly or acting as door monitors at lunchtime.
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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development
14. At the last inspection, a key issue was to increase opportunities for problem-solving and independent study for older pupils. There are now more opportunities to work at home on topics and further opportunities are created, particularly within numeracy lessons. Every class has to undertake a personal topic, for example, in history or geography. In Year 6 pupils have to prepare a topic about themselves. There has been a staff training St John's CE (A) Primary School - 15- February 2002 day aimed at offering more open questions in mathematics. As a result of these initiatives, by Year 6, many pupils demonstrate confidence and preparedness for the change to secondary education. Personal initiative is encouraged. The school ensures that the pupils listen to their peers' suggestions. Following a discussion on the contents of packed lunch boxes, one group of pupils wrote to the deputy headteacher to say that
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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development
they believed her judgements were too harsh. After consideration she agreed and responded accordingly.
p.15
Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development
15. Attendance is satisfactory and broadly in line with the national average; this is the same as at the time of the last inspection. Levels of unauthorised absence are similar to the national average.
p.15
HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?
16. Teaching is good overall with one lesson in ten of very good quality. One lesson in twenty is unsatisfactory and the remainder are equally good or satisfactory. The teaching is significantly better in Key Stage 2, where the large majority of lessons are taught well. It is predominantly satisfactory in Key Stage 1 with occasional good and very good lessons and in the Foundation Stage the teaching is also satisfactory with a number of good lessons but very occasional unsatisfactory lessons. There has been some improvement in the quality of teaching since the last inspection. The proportion of unsatisfactory teaching has significantly reduced and in Key Stage 2, there is much more good teaching. However, in the Foundation Stage and in Key Stage 1 there is a lower proportion of good lessons.
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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?
17. In a large majority of lessons the pupils are managed very well and discipline is good. These aspects of teaching have improved significantly since the last inspection and now help the pupils to be very interested in their learning and to concentrate and work hard. In most lessons the behaviour policy is adhered to effectively and the pupils are taught in a way that promotes their self-esteem. Consequently, the pace of learning and the amount of work completed is good, particularly in Key Stage 2. For example, in a science lesson for pupils of Year 6, the good use of questions and answers together with a range of interesting activities promoted good learning about elastic bands being stretched by weights. The pupils were well behaved because they understood what to do and because the relationships in the class were very good with clear expectations of good behaviour.
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18. Because of continued staff development, an emphasis on teaching and learning and the planning the curriculum, the teachers usually have good knowledge of the subjects they teach and in English, mathematics and science they teach the basic skills well. Curriculum planning clearly identifies what the pupils are intended to learn and usually promotes appropriately small steps in the gaining of skills. Teaching methods chosen usually ensure that there are interesting activities, which engage the pupils' interest and the targets set help them to be aware of their progress. The teaching of information and communication technology exemplifies this approach of well-prepared lessons in which the pupils are led to successfully accomplish tasks and produce a very good standard of work. However, in this subject, the teaching allows too little freedom for the pupils to experiment and to learn how to navigate computer programs for themselves.
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St John's CE (A) Primary School - 16- February 2002 19. Teaching for pupils with special educational needs is good overall, including when they are withdrawn from lessons for extra support. Individual education plans for pupils with special educational needs are good and contain suitably specific targets for their learning. These are now being revised in line with the new national code of practice. Where pupils are supported in lessons, classroom assistants provide effective support. However, there are times in lessons when the co-ordinator for special educational needs and classroom assistants are not fully employed in the work of the lesson. This is particularly so when teachers are doing work with the whole class and in plenary sessions at the end of lessons.
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20. The teaching of pupils in Key Stage 2 was good overall with 14 per cent of lessons being very good, 52 per cent being good, 31 per cent being satisfactory and 3 per cent being unsatisfactory. Teaching was good in all of the subjects inspected apart from geography and history where it was satisfactory. It has improved considerably since the last inspection. A small amount of extra provision is made for pupils needing closer teaching to meet their numeracy targets and this is of good quality. However, there is also a degree of under-expectation of higher attaining pupils in mathematics and science. This is partly because assessments are not used well enough for teachers to become aware of what the pupils already know and partly because learning is seldom planned from the higher levels of the National Curriculum programmes of study. In history and geography the teaching does not include all of the aspects of these subjects
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and the pupils are not taught all of the skills required. These subjects do not have a designated co-ordinator. Nevertheless, in most subjects the teaching is effective and the pupils learn well. For example, in a good dance lesson for pupils of Year 5, the emphasis was on the control of the body and evaluating its quality. This led to expressive movement in which the pupils improved their performance. The small amount of unsatisfactory teaching represented one lesson where a science experiment was inadequately prepared.
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21. The teaching in Key Stage 1 is satisfactory overall with some good and very good teaching and none that was unsatisfactory. The best teaching is in the core subjects of English, mathematics and science. For example, in a mathematics lesson for Year 2 pupils, the teacher's very good knowledge of the subject and common misconceptions and errors that pupils make was used to pre-empt their possible mistakes and helped the pupils to make very good progress. They quickly learnt new words such as inverse operation and were quickly able to use these in their descriptions of how to calculate numbers mentally. However, even in this very good lesson there were some pupils for whom the work was not well matched and this is largely because detailed assessments of their understanding had not been used well enough to organise the pupils into groups. Teaching in information and communication technology, art and design, design and
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technology, history and physical education is satisfactory. In geography and music it was not possible to judge because there were no lessons seen.
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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?
22. Teaching in the Foundation Stage is satisfactory overall. In the few unsatisfactory lessons the teaching does not extend the pupils' learning sufficiently through questioning and discussion. In the Nursery, the use of books is limited and the children's learning is not well-enough connected to the planned curriculum. There is also an inappropriate balance between activities that the children choose and those that selected by members of staff because staff do not use their knowledge and observations of the children's stages of development to provide appropriately challenging activities. Where the teaching is good, demonstrations and explanations are used and questions are asked to check the children’s understanding. In the St John's CE (A) Primary School - 17- February 2002 Reception class staff have clear learning objectives for the children, who are grouped for the activity based on previous assessments. Where the same resources are to be
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used, the activity is designed to match the ability of the children in each group.
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23. Homework is used throughout the school and this supports the pupils' learning. A number of parents feel it is insufficient and there are inconsistencies between teachers. However, there is a helpful policy and overall, homework enriches the pupils' learning.
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24. The quality and range of the learning opportunities provided by the school are satisfactory overall. The time allocation is broadly in line with the average for pupils in Years 1 and 2 and below the average for Years 3 to 6. There are schemes of work to support each area of the curriculum mainly following national recommendations. These indicate the main learning objectives, activities, resources and timings for each objective. This effective system helps to ensure continuity across all year groups. School assemblies meet the requirement to hold a daily act of collective worship. Although the curriculum has satisfactory breadth and balance overall there are some inconsistencies. There is inadequate coverage of geography, history and, to a lesser extent, art and design. There is generous provision for physical education, which includes swimming lessons for all pupils and discrete teaching of information and
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communication technology. All pupils, including those with special educational needs and those who speak English as an additional language, have good access to all areas of the curriculum. The school makes good provision for teaching literacy and numeracy and has effective strategies in place.
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25. The curriculum provision for pupils with special educational needs is good. Pupils with special educational needs have access to all of the opportunities offered by the school. Individual education plans are good and have sufficiently well focussed targets for individual pupils.
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26. Provision for the pupils who speak English as an additional language is satisfactory. They have access to the full curriculum and are welcomed into the school community, which follows the Christian ethic of offering equal opportunities to pupils of all races, religions and cultures. There are 74 pupils speaking English as an additional language but most of these speak English at home. Only four pupils are sometimes in need of support in English language acquisition. The majority of pupils are of Greek and Greek- Cypriot origin. Their families are well established in Britain and most children are second or third generation. Many of these pupils attend the Greek School on Saturday mornings to learn more of the language and culture. Provision for those pupils needing language support is organised by the special educational needs co-ordinator and her team. This is an economically viable solution because the school does not receive any
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additional funding to pay for a language support teacher. Pupils are also supported within lessons by the class teacher with extra support from the special educational needs co-ordinator where it is needed. For example, pupils are withdrawn for close study of text to facilitate comprehension of complex reading passages. Religious education is multi-faith striving to establish a sense of self-esteem for all pupils. Pupils are taught to respect the opinions, creeds and cultures of others and to celebrate their differences, understanding that the school community is a reflection of the wider society outside the school. Overall, the achievement of pupils from ethnic backgrounds is in line with that of all other pupils in the school and sometimes it is better. St John's CE (A) Primary School - 18- February 2002 27. There is good provision for extra-curricular activities although most of these do not
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include younger pupils. There is a range of musical activities, football, netball, swimming, dance and a drama club. There is a residential trip for pupils each year and a number of trips and visitors to the school, which further enhance the provision. There is a high take up rate for all activities. The provision of extra-curricular activities has been maintained well during the last year. The clubs offer opportunities for both boys and girls. The school agrees with parents that consideration should be given to restarting the French club, which ended when a member of staff left; a Latin club is also being considered.
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28. The provision for pupils’ personal, social and health education is satisfactory. Although there are few separate lessons for this aspect, there is teaching in other lessons such as science and religious education. The school is now discussing the further development of this aspect by the organising of regular, separate lessons. All the adults in the school make efforts to provide the pupils with good opportunities to develop positive relationships and become responsible citizens. Pupils are made aware of the dangers of alcohol, tobacco and illegal drugs. Sex education is taught satisfactorily through the science curriculum. The discussion of personal issues are held in some classes but this is not a regular, consistent provision for all classes, although there are plans to make it so.
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29. The community makes a very good contribution to the pupils’ learning. The school has good links with local churches. There is an active parents and friends association that contributes substantial support and there is a school shop. Parents and governors visit frequently, for example, to hear pupils read. Local companies support the school. A number of pupils from local schools and colleges carry out their work experience at St John’s.
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30. There are good links with partner institutions. Links with local secondary schools are effective and transfer of pupils to these schools is arranged smoothly. Teachers from secondary schools visit Year 6 and run “taster” lessons for pupils. There are also links with secondary schools for physical education. There are good links for discussing the transfer of pupils with special educational needs between the relevant co-ordinators.
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31. Provision for personal development is good overall and consequently Year 6 pupils demonstrate very caring, and responsible attitudes and are becoming accountable for their own behaviour and making their own decisions. Parents agree that the school helps pupils to become mature.
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32. Provision for spiritual development is good. At the core of the provision are the assemblies. They contribute to this area by providing opportunities for quiet reflection where the pupils focus on a candle which is lit. Pupils are helped to understand the importance of belief in a caring deity through stories from the Bible and comparisons made with everyday events. This was done effectively during an assembly for Key Stage 2 pupils, when the story of the Good Samaritan was used to tell a modern-day story about bullying. Religious education plays a part in helping pupils understand the point and purpose of a spiritual life within Christianity and regular visits are made by the priest to lead acts of corporate worship. There are further opportunities for pupils to express their feelings and responses to life through creative writing. A good example was some writing in history, based on how it felt to be an evacuee. However, the school could do
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more to provide planned opportunities for pupils to express their responses to life and nature through other subjects such as music and art and design. St John's CE (A) Primary School - 19- February 2002 33. Provision for moral development is good. All the staff help the pupils to understand that communities need rules and that individuals need to know what constitutes right and wrong. From the Nursery onwards, adults help pupils understand the consequences of their actions and how they need to discriminate between what they choose to do and how they should act. This learning is supported by school and class rules of conduct and reinforced by an agreed pattern of rewards and sanctions. Staff are good role models for the pupils and their relationship with the pupils is one of trust and confidence. Pupils are encouraged to develop morally by respecting the privacy and property of others.
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34. Provision for social development is very good and a strength of the school. The pupils are polite and helpful. In the Foundation Stage the children share, take turns and work together co-operatively. The more mature children pair up with the less confident ones to carry out jobs, such as tidying up. There is a system of classroom helpers where children are given responsibilities, such as taking the register and handing out the milk. Older children attach themselves to Reception children to help at playtimes and lunchtimes. Good behaviour was seen in all classes. The range of pupil groupings used in lessons support the less confident pupils so that self-esteem is promoted for all. There are opportunities for pupils to take on responsibilities such as membership of the school council. Even though the provision for social development is very good, the school misses opportunities to improve it through more systematic implementation of
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the policy for personal and social education using regular, planned discussion. The school is considering organising more discrete lessons, which relate to this aspect.
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35. Provision for the pupils' cultural development is satisfactory. There are many welcome signs in different languages, a copy of Nelson Mandela’s speech in the hall and references to equality and friendship on display. However, the school does not promote the cultural traditions of the pupils and staff sufficiently. There are some lost opportunities to enrich the curriculum by drawing on the people from different cultures, who are already in the school and the local community. There are some dual language books in each classroom and translations are on classroom doors. Resources, such as textiles, artefacts and posters reflecting other cultures and Britain's multicultural society are limited. Pupils have participated in organised events, such as African dancing for the Millenium celebrations. Contributions from curriculum areas such as art and design, music and literacy are helpful but not used regularly. Although pupils are introduced to
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world faiths as part their religious education programme, more could be done to promote the special qualities of each culture represented in the school.
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36. Recent staffing changes have resulted in no senior teacher being recently trained in child protection procedures. However, the school is not without adequate expertise because a welfare assistant has recent training, one senior teacher was trained a few years ago and the deputy headteacher has a sound knowledge of the procedures having benefited from visits by the school nurse and the police. Furthermore, procedures are known well by other staff. Provision is currently satisfactory. The deputy headteacher is the current co-ordinator for whom further training is planned and this should lead to a re- evaluation of current guidance within the school.
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37. Health and safety audits are carried out annually and the pupils' safety is well considered. In a Year 1 physical education lesson there was strong emphasis on St John's CE (A) Primary School - 20- February 2002 pupils’ safety in both moving around the hall and when the pupils jumped from the equipment. In the playground there are systems to prevent ball games from intruding on other pupils’ activities.
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38. The monitoring and promotion of attendance is good. A scrutiny of the registers shows that they are monitored regularly and absences are accounted for. The school is presently seeking ways in which they can compare attendance rates with other local similar schools. Consideration is also being given to establishing a class reward for good attendance or for the class with the most improved attendance.
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39. Behaviour monitoring and promotion is very good and implemented well throughout the school. Class records are maintained and passed on as the children move through the school. This good practice provides evidence over time, especially for discussions with parents. A new log-book has just been established to record more serious misbehaviour and will be monitored twice a term. Following a recommendation of the independent review team about exclusion, the school has reviewed some of its policies, including the behaviour and discipline policy, which is now more robust. Good behaviour is promoted through positive celebration such as the reward systems.
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40. House points and the marbles in a jar system allow pupils to develop a team spirit and to know that others can share in their success. Individual teachers decide about class rewards and this contributes to a degree of inconsistency. Individual rewards for achievement or good behaviour are celebrated in assembly and they promote self- esteem. Lunchtime awards by the supervisors are effective in promoting good standards of behaviour on the playground. The school does not agree with the few parents who think that the rewards for older pupils are inappropriate. However, the school council is to be asked to discuss the systems currently in use.
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41. At the parents’ meeting concern was expressed at children leaving the same lesson each week for peripatetic music tuition. There is a rota for these lessons which changes twice each term. The school does not consider it feasible to change these timings but more may be done to reduce any learning that is lost.
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42. There are good procedures in place for assessing pupils’ attainment on entry and for tracking attainment and progress over time although more could be done to track progress in Key Stage 1. For older pupils the procedures are based on National Curriculum levels. There are weeks in each term which are designated for the undertaking of assessments in English, mathematics and science. The procedures for monitoring and supporting pupils’ academic progress are satisfactory overall. There are good procedures for assessing the progress of pupils with special educational needs. For example, the data provided is used to assess the pupils' level of support needed or if they should be added to or removed from the register of special educational needs.
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43. The use of assessment data to check on differences in attainment and progress between different groups of pupils is under-developed. For example, there is little use of assessment to check the achievement of different ethnic groups and where there are differences between the performance of girls and boys, little has been done to address them. The use of assessment to guide curriculum planning is unsatisfactory, particularly in geography and history where inadequacies in the curriculum have not been addressed. Furthermore, teachers do not use on-going assessments enough to help plan the correct level of learning for different groups of pupils in their class, particularly the higher attainers. St John's CE (A) Primary School - 21- February 2002
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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?
44. Parents see the school as very good, a place where their children want to be to do better and to improve themselves. The inspection found that the school’s links with parents are good as they were at the time of the last inspection. There are weekly newsletters which keep parents well informed of school life and are supported by letters about specific items such as the safety aspects of using large play equipment before and after school. In one letter the newly appointed headteacher invited parents to seek him out and introduce themselves in the playground at the start of the school day. He wants all parents to feel comfortable in approaching the school with problems. However, the school prospectus and the governors’ annual report to parents do not contain all of the necessary information. The prospectus omits the name of the headteacher and in the governors’ report there are no official targets for attainment, although it does explain
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individual target setting. Eighty per cent of parents have signed the home-school agreement.
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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?
45. Newsletters and an autumn curriculum evening for each class enable parents to have a good understanding of what their children are to be taught. The curriculum evenings are well attended and parents find them very useful. A further meeting is arranged for the parents of those children who will be taking the National Curriculum assessments; parents consider this meeting to be very informative. They believe that they could be more supportive if the occasion was brought forward and consideration should be given to this. The two consultation evenings, in the spring and summer terms offer opportunities for parents to share children’s targets, discuss progress and to know how best they can help at home. In the questionnaires and at the parents’ meeting there was concern that they do not know well enough how their child is progressing. Some 50 per cent of parents do not attend the spring consultation, with 60 per cent missing the
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summer meeting. This indicates that a substantial number of parents miss opportunities to be informed fully of their child’s progress. The various opportunities offered during the year, combined with the school’s open-door policy, represent good information about progress.
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46. However, the school should consider the needs of the parents of the Nursery pupils who do not receive any written report until their child is about to leave the Nursery; parents rely on day-to-day contact. At an induction meeting, parents of new Nursery pupils are told that they have access to information about pupils' progress and by making use of this availability they would be in a better position to support their children at home. The induction arrangements enable most Nursery pupils to settle in well; there are arrangements to support those who find it more difficult. Several opportunities are provided to ensure that Nursery pupils feel confident about moving to Reception.
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47. Annual reports are issued in February and supported at the end of the summer term by an end of year summary, indicating the targets achieved. This procedure enables parents to have written information on their child’s progress more frequently than in most primary schools. Annual reports for pupils in Years 2 to 6 are of very good quality with areas for improvement clearly identified. Reports for Reception pupils state what the child has achieved, but there are no suggested areas for improvement. Reports for Nursery pupils are not to the same standard as those for primary aged pupils. Parents of Nursery pupils are given little comparative information and few pointers for improvement. St John's CE (A) Primary School - 22- February 2002 48. There are satisfactory formal and informal contacts with parents of pupils with special educational needs and parents’ responses in the questionnaire indicated that they are
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pleased with this provision. Parents usually attend reviews of pupils’ progress where these apply. There are good contacts with local authority services for special educational needs.
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49. There is a very good homework policy; the pupils know the days on which homework will be set and when it should be completed. A sizeable minority of parents of Key Stage 2 pupils do not consider the amount of homework is appropriate. Some suggest it is insufficiently challenging for pupils of high attainment. This reflects the school’s recognition that some pupils could reach higher levels and the perceived need for preparation for local grammar school entry. During the inspection there were a few occasions at which homework was set, for example, a Year 6 mathematics group was asked to complete a worksheet for homework. The inspection found some inconsistencies, but overall homework was satisfactory and supported the pupils' learning.
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50. The school is considering various options to enable parents to have a clearer understanding of the organisation of aspects such as homework, for example, through drop-in coffee mornings. The school has an open-door policy and the newly appointed headteacher is keen to extend communication with parents.
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51. The Parents and Friends Association receives strong support, including much from the local community, and raises funds substantially in excess of those raised in similar schools. The pupils’ education has benefited from extra resources, such as; a sandpit for Reception, books and resources for the new mathematics scheme and musical instruments. The association is now planning to help with the renovation of the school’s swimming pool building. They have used some innovative fundraising ideas such as sponsoring paving slabs and chairs for the recently installed information and communication technology suite.
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52. A series of events over the last 15 months, focussing on a small number of pupils in one class, led to a number of serious allegations involving the school, the local education authority and the London Diocesan Board and culminating in an extensive independent review. These matters had a considerable impact on the school's management, including the resignation of the previous headteacher. The deputy headteacher has been the school's acting headteacher for the past year until the beginning of the current term.
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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?
53. The new headteacher and the previous acting headteacher, who has reverted to her deputy headteacher role, promote a strong educational direction and this has helped teachers and others to have a very good commitment to improvement. This is evident in the way the school's values and aims are reflected in its priorities. For example, last year there was a review of the school's policy for teaching and learning and a continued emphasis on staff development. Consequently, the school is well positioned to make further gains in its effectiveness. For example, over the last year the school has sought strategies to effect improvements in the pupils' progress through new systems, such as those for planning and assessment. The new headteacher has started to introduce a number of procedures to analyse test data enabling teachers to know more about each child's performance. The concern to improve standards and the quality of education
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has also been promoted well by the governors, who receive information from the headteacher, helping them to gain a satisfactory view of the school's main strengths and St John's CE (A) Primary School - 23- February 2002 weaknesses. In the last few months the senior staff have been reviewing policies such as those for behaviour, race relations and exclusions. Several changes have been made but work is still taking place, particularly where the recommended policies of external bodies have only recently been re-drafted. Such delays have led to limitations in the schools' approach to racial harassment. There are still occasional incidents of racial teasing because the pupils have not yet been taught sufficiently about which words are unacceptable. However, there has been some very good work about friendship and tolerance and many pupils are highly aware of the feelings and sensitivities of others.
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54. The school analysed the performance of the pupils from Greek backgrounds some two years ago and found slight differences in that the Greek pupils performed slightly better in science and mathematics but less well in English. The vast majority of the pupils spoke English as their first language and no other reasons could be identified for the disparity. The issue was not felt to be sufficiently significant for further investigation. Analyses of the data from the National Curriculum tests are now used helpfully to identify any areas of weakness and these help the school to form action plans for English and mathematics. Tests are also used at the end of Year 3, 4, and 5 and these help to chart the pupils' progress. They help the school to set targets for overall performance and for individual pupils. However, a systematic comparison of the progress of different groups of pupils within the school is not yet undertaken, although the headteacher has plans to
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do so. The roles of senior teachers were changed last year to allow some sharing of management tasks because there was no deputy headteacher. Key Stage co- ordinators shared monitoring, evaluation and development planning roles with the acting headteacher. There was also some helpful management training for these staff. This organisation is one way in which the school was able to maintain an emphasis on raising standards, despite a lack of time available for regular lesson observations. Nevertheless, such systems have led to a clear identification of needs and to the formation of a good quality development plan, which is based on discussion and evaluation with all those involved. It also includes sensible prioritisation and a three-year outline. Development planning is good and well supported by the governing body.
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55. The governing body is very keen that the school's best interests are served and have worked unusually hard to that end. They are very supportive of the school's management. The governors recognise that the events of last year have had some impact on the school's finances, but have considered the children's needs first and believe that teaching and learning have not been affected. However, because several governors are new and last year's work was time consuming, the degree of independent monitoring undertaken has been insufficient for the governors to have a clear overview of the impact of the decisions they have taken. Nevertheless, other statutory requirements are carefully addressed and, for example, the school has introduced performance management procedures satisfactorily. It has solved staffing shortages by attracting two teachers from overseas and is aware of the need to relocate the Nursery
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to the main school site and is actively pursuing this goal.
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56. The professional development of teachers and other staff is an important priority and has continued well over the last few years. This involves a good degree of commitment by the teachers, the senior management and the governors in providing appropriate funding. St John's CE (A) Primary School - 24- February 2002 57. Some staff development has been intensive, such as that for information and communication technology and involved both internal and external training as well as much informal advice given by the co-ordinator. There has been a good deal of training available for non-teaching staff and this is reflected in the quality of their work. New teachers to the school are allocated mentors to help with their induction and newly qualified teachers are also offered appropriate help. However, there are limitations in the school's consideration of staff needs. For example, a newly qualified teacher has
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responsibility for the separate Nursery in the afternoons and for the co-ordination of art and design throughout the main school. Nevertheless, the school has satisfactory capability to train teachers and students.
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58. The current management system is under review, since the school has now reverted to having a deputy headteacher, and a longer period is needed by the headteacher to make recommendations to the governors about roles and responsibilities. Informal monitoring of the quality of teaching and of the delivery of the curriculum is already taking place, since some systems were in abeyance last year. There is a greater emphasis on the monitoring roles of subject co-ordinators and more time is now available for this work because the deputy headteacher does not have a class responsibility.
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59. The deputy headteacher is the co-ordinator for special educational needs and has shown good leadership and management in administering this work, preparing individual education plans and setting up procedures for supporting the pupils' learning that are based on realistic and sensible priorities. Although there are occasional inconsistencies, classroom assistants are well deployed and follow clear criteria. The governor with oversight of the provision for special educational needs gives good service and valuable support. Statutory requirements for special educational needs are met fully.
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60. The school’s financial planning is satisfactory. At the last inspection there were two relevant key issues. One concerned income from lettings and the other concerned the effectiveness of major spending decisions. Due to the expense of supply teachers last year, the school has a very tight budget this year, and this has resulted in a review to re- allocate the budget early in the year. Governors have purchased help from the local education authority's financial management scheme. This has led them to carry over a small surplus. There has been no adverse impact on the pupils’ education. The school is now fully staffed, resulting in substantially less spending on supply teachers. In planning next year’s budget, use should be made of diagnostic strategies to ensure the best value is made of the allocated budget as well as improving the level of financial planning.
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61. The key issue concerning the long and short-term priorities for spending the income from lettings has not been addressed, because the budget was so tight. Currently, this substantial income is added to the budget and there is no clear allocation for spending this money. Now that spending on supply teachers is reduced, the school should rely on its allocated budget as its main source of income and view the income from lettings as a welcome addition. Planned renovation of the swimming pool may result in a temporary reduction of this income. The budget for spending on furniture is much higher than its allocation. This is due to the purchase of chairs for the new information and communications technology suite. St John's CE (A) Primary School - 25- February 2002 62. The school follows the principles of best value and selected tenders are more likely to be given to contractors who have a good reputation and a proven track record with this
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or other schools. The governors are zealous in their efforts to make the best use of limited finances. The school contributes to and is a net-recipient of funds from a local trust appreciating the generosity of the Trustees of Friern Barnet local church trust, who have contributed, for example, towards the cost of improving the playground.
p.25
HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?
63. The school’s accommodation is satisfactory. There are sufficient classrooms of reasonable size for the current number of pupils. The recent addition of a computer suite significantly enhances the school's provision. The Nursery building, situated two miles away, is being sold and is to move to the school's main site. This amalgamation should ensure cohesion between the Nursery and main school, but an area of the playground will be lost due to the large portable buildings required. To compensate, part of the grassed area is to be converted into additional playground space. The building housing the swimming pool is twenty-five years old and is in need of renovation. The parents and friends association is aiming to raise funds to support this renovation. Parental support for redecoration has brightened some classrooms. Further improvements need to be done to ensure all pupils work in a stimulating atmosphere.
p.25
HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?
The school is not fully accessible for disabled pupils due to the steps linking varying levels, both inside and outside the school. This is to be addressed during the forthcoming building work.
p.25
HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?
64. The school's resources for learning are satisfactory overall and for some subjects they are good such as for science and physical education, although there are weaknesses for art and design. For the most part, they are well organised and easily accessible and this helps the pupils to use them well taking care and replacing them appropriately. In most lessons resources are used effectively to supporting the pupils' learning. Subject co-ordinators organise their replenishment and storage. However, in English and mathematics more could be provided to support the learning of the highest attaining pupils. St John's CE (A) Primary School - 26- February 2002
p.25
WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?
Items marked * are already being considered by the school.
p.26
WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?
65. In order for the school to make further improvements and to redress its weaknesses the governors, headteacher and teachers should:
p.26
WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?
(1) increase the number of pupils attaining highly and the levels they achieve,* particularly in mathematics and science, by:
p.26
WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?
• providing more work from the higher National Curriculum levels: (Paragraphs 1, 20, 96, 98) • identifying such pupils earlier and monitoring their progress; (Paragraph 42) • improving the extra provision made to support these pupils; (Paragraph 96)
p.26
WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?
(2) improve the provision made and the pupils' standards in history and geography by:
p.26
WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?
• providing systems to ensure that the whole curriculum is taught; (Paragraph 24) • raising teachers' awareness of the key elements and the progression expected in the programmes of study; (Paragraph 20) • rigorously monitoring curriculum planning and the pupils' attainment; (Paragraph 4)
p.26
WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?
(3) increase the use of assessments and the analysis of data by:
p.26
WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?
• monitoring the use of lesson evaluations and on-going assessments to provide well-matched work for groups of pupils of different attainment; (Paragraphs 42, 43) • tracking the progress of a wide range of groups of pupils through the school such as boys and girls, pupils of different attainment and pupils from different cultural backgrounds and using the outcomes to amend the teaching and provision;* (Paragraphs 2, 26, 43) • improving the school's systems to track individual pupil's progress from the Reception class and to evaluate the overall achievement of pupils in the school;* (Paragraphs 2, 53, 54)
p.26
WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?
(4) improve the consistency of co-ordination of subjects by:
p.26
WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?
• ensuring all subjects have a co-ordinator; (Paragraphs 113, 118, 124) • clarifying the roles and responsibilities of co-ordinators and providing the means to carry them out; (Paragraphs 57, 58) • increasing the continuity of provision in the Foundation Stage by enabling more rigorous co-ordination.* (Paragraphs 5, 22, 67, 77)
p.26
WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?
The governors should also complete outstanding action plans from the key issues of the last inspection report. St John's CE (A) Primary School - 27- February 2002
p.26
Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection
Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 32
p.27
Summary of teaching observed during the inspection
Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactor y Poor Very Poor
p.27
Summary of teaching observed during the inspection
The table gives the number and percentage of lessons observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about teaching. Care should be taken when interpreting these percentages as each lesson represents more than one percentage point.
p.27
Information about the school’s pupils
Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery YR – Y6
p.27
Information about the school’s pupils
Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 23 200
p.27
Information about the school’s pupils
Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals - 14
p.27
Information about the school’s pupils
Special educational needs Nursery YR – Y6
p.27
Information about the school’s pupils
Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 0 2
p.27
Information about the school’s pupils
Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 4 62
p.27
Information about the school’s pupils
English as an additional language No of pupils
p.27
Information about the school’s pupils
Number of pupils with English as an additional language 4
p.27
Information about the school’s pupils
Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils
p.27
Information about the school’s pupils
Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 4
p.27
Information about the school’s pupils
Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 20
p.27
Attendance
School data 5.0 School data 0.6 St John's CE (A) Primary School - 28- February 2002 National comparative data 5.6 National comparative data 0.5
p.27
Attendance
Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. St John's CE (A) Primary School - 29- February 2002
p.28
Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)
Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2001 16 13 29
p.29
Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)
National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics
p.29
Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)
Boys 15 16 16 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 12 13 12
p.29
Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)
Percentage of pupils School 93 (100) 100 (97) 97 (100) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (83) 86 (84) 91 (90)
p.29
Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)
Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science
p.29
Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)
Boys 16 16 16 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 13 10 13
p.29
Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)
Percentage of pupils School 100 (90) 90 (90) 100 (100) at NC level 2 or above National 85 (84) 89 (88) 89 (88)
p.29
Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)
Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year.
p.29
Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)
Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 2001 17 12 29
p.29
Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)
National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science
p.29
Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)
Boys 15 11 17 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 12 11 12
p.29
Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)
Percentage of pupils School 93 (93) 76 (76) 100 (97) at NC level 4 or above National 75 (75) 71 (72) 87 (85)
p.29
Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)
Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science
p.29
Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)
Boys 13 12 14 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 12 12 12
p.29
Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)
Percentage of pupils School 86 (90) 83 (86) 90 (89) at NC level 4 or above National 72 (70) 74 (72) 82 (79)
p.29
Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)
Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. St John's CE (A) Primary School - 30- February 2002
p.29
Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year
Black – Caribbean heritage 1 Black – Caribbean heritage 1 0
p.30
Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year
Black – African heritage 1 Black – African heritage 0 0
p.30
Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year
Any other minority ethnic group 47 Other minority ethnic groups 0 0
p.30
Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year
This table refers to pupils of compulsory school age only. This table gives the number of exclusions of pupils of compulsory school age, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded.
p.30
Teachers and classes Financial information
Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 8.5 Financial year 2000/2001
p.30
Teachers and classes Financial information
Number of pupils per qualified teacher 23.5
p.30
Teachers and classes Financial information
Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total income 557,056
p.30
Teachers and classes Financial information
Total number of education support staff 5 Total expenditure 571,941
p.30
Teachers and classes Financial information
Total aggregate hours worked per week 123.5 Expenditure per pupil 2,373
p.30
Teachers and classes Financial information
Qualified teachers and support staff: nursery Balance brought forward from previous year 31,303
p.30
Teachers and classes Financial information
Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 1 Balance carried forward to next year 16,418
p.30
Teachers and classes Financial information
Number of pupils per qualified teacher 28
p.30
Teachers and classes Financial information
Total number of education support staff 1
p.30
Teachers and classes Financial information
Total aggregate hours worked per week 32.5
p.30
Recruitment of teachers
Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 4
p.30
Recruitment of teachers
Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 3
p.30
Recruitment of teachers
Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 1
p.30
Recruitment of teachers
Number of vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of a term or more (FTE) 1
p.30
Recruitment of teachers
Number of unfilled vacancies or vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of less than one term (FTE) 0 St John's CE (A) Primary School - 31- February 2002 FTE means full-time equivalent. St John's CE (A) Primary School - 32- February 2002
p.30
Results of the survey of parents and carers
Percentage of responses in each category
p.32
Results of the survey of parents and carers
Strongly agree Tend to agree Tend to disagree Strongly disagree Don’t know
p.32
Results of the survey of parents and carers
My child is making good progress in school. 25 56 10 3 6
p.32
Results of the survey of parents and carers
Behaviour in the school is good. 31 65 3 0 1
p.32
Results of the survey of parents and carers
My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 15 37 34 3 11
p.32
Results of the survey of parents and carers
I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 17 46 30 7 0
p.32
Results of the survey of parents and carers
I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 46 37 14 0 3
p.32
Results of the survey of parents and carers
The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 31 51 6 0 13
p.32
Results of the survey of parents and carers
The school works closely with parents. 27 42 23 7 1
p.32
Results of the survey of parents and carers
The school is well led and managed. 18 39 11 8 23
p.32
Results of the survey of parents and carers
The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 28 61 3 1 7
p.32
Results of the survey of parents and carers
The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 14 35 28 7 15
p.32
Results of the survey of parents and carers
Many parents expressed a strong wish that the school should now be allowed to move on from the difficulties it experienced during the last year. A few parents felt there should be more coaching to help pupils gain entry to selective secondary schools. St John's CE (A) Primary School - 33- February 2002
p.32
AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE
66. Standards on entry to the Nursery are satisfactory and by the time children leave the Reception class standards are good. The majority of children leave the Reception class having achieved the early learning goals, and a small proportion are working within Level 1 of the National Curriculum in English. The children make satisfactory progress in mathematical development, creative development and knowledge and understanding of the world and good progress in communication, language and literacy, personal, social and emotional development and physical development. In the Nursery there is one child who has English as an additional language, another who is having formal assessment for language and communication difficulties, and in Reception one child with a statement for emotional and behavioural difficulties. Children who have English as an additional language and special educational needs make satisfactory progress in the Nursery and
p.33
AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE
67. The Nursery is in a separate site from the main school, approximately two miles away, and is staffed by two part-time teachers, one for the mornings and the other, who is a newly qualified teacher, teaches in the afternoons. The classroom assistant works full time in the Nursery and the newly appointed Foundation Stage co-ordinator has established a system where the classroom assistant from the Reception class works one day a week in the Nursery to support children for their transition to the main school. There are plans to bring the Nursery to the main school. At the time of the inspection there were limited opportunities for the co-ordinator to monitor the teaching and learning in the Nursery and to support the teaching staff, and so opportunities to develop a coherent and consistent approach to planning the curriculum and for assessing the children's achievements are limited.
p.33
Personal, social and emotional development
68. Standards are good overall. Children are developing their confidence; children in the Nursery share information about themselves in discussions and in the Reception class, they take the register to the office and hand out milk at snack time. When children work with adults in the Nursery they concentrate and persevere, such as when making food with the play-dough. In the Reception class children persevere at an activity without the support of the teacher, for example, when they were introduced to the roamer, they sustained their interest until they had made it knock down the skittles. Personal independence is encouraged, children in the Nursery put on their own coats and Reception children are able to get dressed and undressed for physical activities with minimum support. Behaviour is good and relationships are secure. The children are encouraged to tidy up and those younger children who find this more difficult are
p.33
Personal, social and emotional development
partnered with more confident ones to complete the task. Children in the Nursery have lots of unplanned opportunities to collaborate, such as making a train station with the wooden blocks or acting out scenarios in the role-play area. In the Reception class, the teacher plans the groupings to support children’s learning and to increase their self- esteem. The staff in the Foundation Stage are positive role models for the children and teach and provide for this area of learning well. St John's CE (A) Primary School - 34- February 2002
p.33
Communication language and literacy
69. Children enter the Nursery with satisfactory standards and by the end of Reception standards are good. Children in the Nursery communicate their thoughts and feelings when an adult is engaged with their play, such as talking about how they feel when not being invited to a party, and what was going to happen at a baby’s christening. When left to play alone, the children do not initiate conversations or engage in conversation. The children for whom English is an additional language and those with special educational needs are not supported enough and are left to play too long on the computer. In the Reception class children speak clearly and audibly and those for whom English is an additional language progress well.
p.34
Communication language and literacy
70. There is a good selection of story books in the Nursery, and during the inspection, children were observed sharing books with an adult at story time but not using books independently. Some could find their name for self-registration and others recognised the sounds and letters in their names. In Reception, the high attainers talked about their favourite books and expressed preferences for stories, such as Disney stories and Wind in the Willows and read from their reading book with understanding. The low attainers could read the story using the pictures and chant the repetitive phrase, such as “I want my mummy”. They can hear and recognise initial and end sounds, some of the children are beginning to build up simple three letter words on their own. The children use the range of implements to write and make marks, for example, in the role-play area a Nursery child took notes whilst playing the role of the gas man; in Reception, children
p.34
Communication language and literacy
are writing independently about their families. The Reception children are developing their skills in writing and are forming letters correctly. Teaching is good overall.
p.34
Mathematical development
71. Standards at the end of the Foundation Stage are satisfactory. Children make satisfactory progress in Nursery and Reception. In the Nursery, staff use mathematical words, such as "more than", "most", "fewer than", and "least", but children have few opportunities to practise using these ideas in different activities. There were lost opportunities for children to develop their understanding of numbers when discussing their findings from a graph. In Reception, children can write, use and recognise numbers up to six and can perform simple additions and subtractions. For example, a group of children predicted which number to type onto the roamer for it to reach the skittles, and then adjusted their choice. They can create simple patterns, such as when they decorated Elmer, and talk about two-dimensional shapes such as square, circle and triangle. The children in Reception are familiar with a variety of number songs. They are
p.34
Mathematical development
beginning to develop ideas about weight when comparing the weights of familiar objects in the classroom. The teaching is satisfactory overall and by the end of the Foundation Stage most children will have met the early learning goals for mathematical development.
p.34
Knowledge and understanding of the world
72. Standards are satisfactory. In the Nursery, children talk about their families and special events such as the birth of a baby or a Christening. They know how to operate the programme on the computer to count objects and mix colours. They can select resources, cut and make models from found materials but have no opportunity to improve their models by adaptation or decoration. There are few natural resources in the Nursery for children to observe or resources to promote them to question how things work. In the Reception class the children are beginning to develop a sense of the past and the present by talking about changes in school, for example, using glass milk bottles St John's CE (A) Primary School - 35- February 2002 and chalk, or wearing uniforms. They use technology such as the listening centre, computers, in the classroom and in the computer suite to support their learning. They use their sense of hearing to follow directions, when finding a hidden teddy and to match
p.34
Knowledge and understanding of the world
the sounds when playing sound lotto. By the end of the Foundation Stage most children will have met the early learning goals for knowledge and understanding of the world, and teaching is satisfactory overall. Nevertheless, there is scope for greater promotion of observation and exploration.
p.35
Physical development
73. Standards in the Nursery and Reception are good. The children in the Nursery have a large outdoor play area, where they run, climb, jump, ride cycles and play with balls. Children in Reception have an enclosed play area outside the classroom. In the Nursery children move with good control and co-ordination, they are developing a good sense of space and are able to move about the room confidently, negotiating each other, furniture and objects. The outdoor area is available for an hour each session. However, there are some lost opportunities for staff to encourage children to practise newly acquired skills or present new challenges. Children in Reception show good control when balancing on parts of their bodies, and co-ordination when carrying mats in the hall. They notice that their bodies become hot after exercise and say what the effects of exercise are. The children in the Nursery are developing good skills when joining construction materials
p.35
Physical development
such as Stickle-bricks and they can use play-dough to mould and pull into shapes. Children in Reception show skill when using a needle to sew a puppet. The opportunity for children in Reception to have a weekly swimming lesson, contributes positively to their physical development and by the time they leave Reception most children are confident in the water. The teaching is satisfactory and by the end of the Foundation Stage most children have met the early learning goals.
p.35
Creative development
74. Standards in the Nursery and Reception class are satisfactory. In the Nursery, children are beginning to express themselves imaginatively, they are choosing materials for their models, and developing competence in using scissors, glue-sticks and a variety of mark-making resources. They play at being people they have met and take on their mannerisms, such as those of a doctor or priest. They empathise with characters from stories, such as "Alfie". They mix two colours to make a third and talk about shades of colour. Children in the Reception class join in with songs and rhymes. They recognise and name instruments and can describe the sounds they make. They are beginning to compose tunes and take on the role of the conductor. The children in Reception class join in enthusiastically with familiar hymns during assembly. They use their imagination in the role-play area, which is a castle, and use a range of materials and techniques
p.35
Creative development
such as printing, collage, and paint to make pictures. They use the computer to complete pictures using the mouse to drag words and pictures across the screen.
p.35
Creative development
75. The quality of teaching is satisfactory overall. Where teaching is unsatisfactory, not enough open questions, such as “Can you tell me..? What do you think..?” are used to challenge children’s thinking. In the Nursery, children are not asked to make links between their activities and the use of books is limited. There is an inappropriate balance between activities that the children choose and those selected by members of staff. Staff do not draw sufficiently on their knowledge and observations of the children to plan challenging activities appropriate to their stage of development. When the teaching is good, staff use a balance of demonstrations and explanations and check the children’s understanding through effective questioning. In the Reception class staff have clear learning objectives for the children. St John's CE (A) Primary School - 36- February 2002 76. Parents have informal and formal opportunities to talk to staff about their children’s
p.35
Creative development
progress. Teachers in the Nursery visit the children's homes before they start school. However, the information gained from these or from assessments made later does not clearly contribute to the planning of the curriculum or specific activities for individual children or groups. The assessments made of the Nursery children do not reflect the stages of development identified in the Foundation Stage curriculum. In Reception, the intended learning is planned for but the activities are not always clearly linked to the pupils' past assessments.
p.36
Creative development
77. The newly appointed Foundation Stage co-ordinator has put into place some effective systems to overcome the split site situation, such as weekly team meetings in the main school and weekly visits to the Nursery. A policy for the Foundation Stage is in draft form and a development plan, which identifies strategies to improve the quality of teaching and learning, has been prepared.
p.36
Creative development
78. The resources in both classes are well organised and accessible for the children. The Nursery has a system for self-registration. However, there are no children’s name labels around the room for them to read or copy. There is a table with milk and fruit to encourage the children to make a decision about when to have their snack but nowhere for them to sit and eat it. The room is organised into areas but some children can be out of sight for a long period and so may not be experiencing the full range of activities. The print-rich environment in the Reception class is stimulating and supports the children well by the provision of posters and labels. There are good systems for independent learning, for example the use of name cards by the outside door and the tick off sheets by the activities. There is a good range of children’s work from across the areas of learning on display. Resources in some areas of learning could be increased, for
p.36
Creative development
example, books, fabric, objects and pictures to reflect the cultural backgrounds of the children, and a greater range of natural and manufactured resources to encourage exploration, observation, prediction and discussion.
p.36
ENGLISH
79. Standards of attainment are above average at the end of each key stage. The attainment of pupils entering Year 1 is slightly above the standards expected for their age. They make good progress and achieve well in the National Curriculum tests at the end of Year 2. The results in 2001 were above national averages in reading and well above in writing. Pupils’ attainment in reading was average in comparison to schools having pupils from similar backgrounds but in writing, they were above average. This is an improvement in the standards achieved and the rate of progress made since the last inspection. Trends over time indicate that standards are rising broadly in line with the trend nationally. Pupils’ standards in writing have risen sharply over the past year.
p.36
ENGLISH
80. Pupils in Year 1 speak confidently and join in group discussions eagerly although they still have to learn about taking turns and listening carefully to others. The learning of the skills of reading and writing are linked to promote progress for all the pupils. St John's CE (A) Primary School - 37- February 2002 81. By Year 2 pupils’ respond thoughtfully to their teachers’ questions expressing their ideas and opinions with increasing confidence. Pupils read a range of stories with their teachers building on these to develop their own writing. For example, pupils based their descriptive writing on the shared text, ‘Town Mouse and Country Mouse’. All pupils wrote imaginatively about these two contrasting settings using lively and colourful adjectives to describe ‘the noisy traffic’ in the town compared to ‘the leafy green trees’ in the country. Higher attaining pupils link their ideas in complete sentences sequencing
p.36
ENGLISH
these to form a simple narrative and pupils of all ability levels use vocabulary adventurously.
p.37
ENGLISH
82. The results achieved by pupils at the end of Year 6 in the 2001 National Curriculum tests were well above average and in line with similar schools. One third of the pupils reached standards above those expected nationally, although there has been a slight fall in high attainment since 2000. Nonetheless, this is an improvement since the last inspection when standards in English were in line with national averages. There is no significant difference between the attainment of boys and girls.
p.37
ENGLISH
83. Pupils progress well through Years 3 and 4 and teachers prepare them well in Year 5 to ensure good standards are sustained in Year 6. Pupils develop their speaking skills through giving formal talks to the whole class. In Year 5 pupils share information and explain techniques mastered in a favourite hobby or sport. For example, one pupil spoke encouragingly about horse-riding, demonstrating the need for protective head gear in case she fell off! In Year 6 pupils gave speech presentations focused on projects undertaken in other curriculum areas. For example, making a model weatherproof shelter for design and technology. As a result of this experience, pupils develop skills of addressing an audience formally, explaining a process in all stages of development, answering questions and sharing their knowledge with others as they evaluate the outcomes. The pupils also develop skills of listening carefully, reflecting on
p.37
ENGLISH
what is said, phrasing their questions concisely and taking turns in the discussion by responding appropriately to others.
p.37
ENGLISH
84. Pupils write with increasing maturity of style, choosing the forms of language most appropriate for the purpose of their writing. For example, pupils in Year 5 write imaginative stories in the genre of a fairy tale evoking the horror of falling into “a never- ending hole”. By Year 6, pupils are refining their skills and organising their own ‘writing conferences’ to review and evaluate the written work of other pupils in the class. The high quality of the constructive comments made indicates the thoughtful, reflective approach that encourages positive development of the skills of critical analysis. Pupils are learning to master the essential components of correct spelling, relevant use of punctuation and understanding of appropriate grammar. These enhance pupils’ written work. An example of skilful use of punctuation and grammar is found in pupils’ writing focused on the Creation myth, which explores how creatures began. One pupil wrote,
p.37
ENGLISH
“Dog began. He took the redness of the sunset/the sponginess of jelly. And dog made his long tongue”. All four skills of speaking, listening, reading and writing integrate in the pupils’ learning as they exchange ideas and opinions through lively discussions focused on the set writing tasks. Pupils in Year 6 read a wide range of texts. They comment perceptively and with a delightful touch of humour on the success and otherwise, of turning the Harry Potter stories into a film. For example, some pupils expressed dismay that their favourite characters were not portrayed as they had imagined them and key events were omitted from the film version.
p.37
ENGLISH
85. Learning of pupils in all year groups is consistently good as a result of the quality of teaching they receive. Teachers prepare their lessons carefully using the National Literacy Strategy in conjunction with other national guidance as the framework for their St John's CE (A) Primary School - 38- February 2002 planning. This provides purposeful objectives for learning which teachers share with their pupils. Pupils learn best when teachers set a lively pace moving from one learning activity to another, keeping pupils motivated and focused on the text they are studying. Pupils respond eagerly if teachers’ questions are searching enough to excite their curiosity by presenting a problem to be solved. For example, pupils in a Year 2 class described the cars, buses, lorries they would see in a busy street struggling with the teacher’s challenge to find a collective noun. Finally they discovered that ‘vehicles’ and
p.37
ENGLISH
‘traffic’ were interesting words extending their vocabulary to include ‘traffic-jam’. However in some lessons teachers prolong the opening session ‘on the carpet’ and the pupils cannot sustain sufficient concentration.
p.38
ENGLISH
86. Provision for learning is good over all year groups. Pupils in Years 3, 4, 5 learn well and in Year 6 they learn very well. This is reflected in the good results they achieve. The quality of the learning process varies according to teachers’ skills and the effectiveness of the strategies used. There were no unsatisfactory lessons seen during the inspection and two-thirds of the lessons were good or better. In the best lessons, teachers set a brisk pace, asked open-ended questions to encouraged pupils to think for themselves. They also set challenging tasks requiring pupils to take responsibility for their own learning. Teachers give pupils good opportunities to speak at length about their ideas and discoveries, justifying their opinions and developing a reasoned argument to support their conclusions. Consequently, they can write coherently from different points of view using language skilfully for a range of purposes. This oral practice before written
p.38
ENGLISH
exposition is a strength of the teaching because all four skills are integrated in the learning process. Pupils have a heightened awareness of their own learning when teachers allow time for a plenary session at the end of each lesson, in which pupils are invited to reflect upon the tasks and activities undertaken, evaluate their experiences and comment on new skills acquired and information learned.
p.38
ENGLISH
87. Pupils’ written work is celebrated through displays combining several subjects around the school often using writing skills to comment on work in other subjects. Pupils in Year 2 linked materials used in design and technology with written accounts of scientific experiments to explain how materials can be changed by heating. Focusing on food technology they used the ingredients for making fairy cakes as their ‘tasty’ example. Information and communication technology was not used in any lessons observed. However, some good examples of word-processing were found in pupils’ creative writing describing home-sick evacuees in the Second World War. Pupils in Year 6 used computers for their cinquains using different fonts for these five line poems.
p.38
ENGLISH
88. Most teachers mark pupils’ work thoroughly giving praise and encouragement for efforts made, although they do not always indicate how pupils might improve. Pupils know their targets. However, they cannot always explain how well they are progressing towards them. Assessment is not used sufficiently to ensure that systems for monitoring pupils’ work informs teachers’ planning to raise standards overall.
p.38
ENGLISH
89. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress because their learning is well supported by class teachers who are sensitive to their needs and aware of their individual education plans. The special educational needs co-ordinator and her team of teaching assistants facilitate these pupils' learning by withdrawing them in small groups for special help or working alongside them in the classroom. Pupils with special gifts and talents are celebrated but the support for their needs tends to be insufficiently planned. However, groups of higher attaining pupils have been started recently to raise standards of achievement in the National Curriculum tests. The small number of pupils for whom English is an additional language are supported through the special educational needs team. No pupil is still at an early stage of English language St John's CE (A) Primary School - 39- February 2002 acquisition.
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ENGLISH
90. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is sustained through the study of stories and poems. Older pupils write Creation Stories based on the many beliefs in different cultures of how the world began. There is a variety of extra-curricular clubs across the curriculum which supports pupils’ learning in literacy. One of the favourites is the Drama Club which meets every week providing opportunities for role play and taking part in a production. The subject is led by the deputy head teacher who is well supported by the co-ordinators for younger and older pupils. Resources are adequate although a more generous supply of reading books would support the pupils’ learning needs in literacy and in other subject areas. The best possible use is made of the classroom accommodation and the school provides a good climate for learning.
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MATHEMATICS
91. Standards of numeracy are generally good throughout the school and show some improvements since the last inspection. A good majority of the pupils learn and remember combinations of numbers such as those that together make ten and, for older pupils, the multiplication tables. They use a good variety of strategies to calculate numbers mentally and can explain these using the correct mathematical words. Results of the 2001 National Curriculum tests for eleven-year-olds were above average and this is because there was an above average number of pupils achieving highly, despite the fact that progress from when they were seven was below average. In comparison to schools having pupils from similar backgrounds these results were average. Although there has been considerable fluctuation in the results since 1997, the overall trend has been positive and broadly in line with the national trend. However, over
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MATHEMATICS
the last two years results have fallen slightly and this is largely due to a smaller proportion of high attainers. Standards of the current pupils of Year 6 are not quite a high as those of last year and this is mainly due to insufficient provision for the higher attaining pupils.
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MATHEMATICS
92. The results of the 2001 National Curriculum tests for seven-year-olds were above average because of a high proportion of pupils achieving standards above those expected. In comparison to schools having pupils from similar backgrounds these results were average. While remaining above average overall, these results have fallen slightly since 1997. The standards of the current pupils of Year 2 are good because about two-fifths of the pupils are achieving highly, although this performance is insecure because of inconsistencies in the level of work they are set. On entry to the key stage, the children's attainment is usually slightly above average. They have made good progress in Key Stage 1 and satisfactory progress in Key Stage 2. The school's overall performance in the subject is good but there is some underachievement by higher- attaining pupils and the subject has lacked rigorous co-ordination to identify areas for
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MATHEMATICS
93. Usually lessons start with a whole class discussion and questions about mental calculation. These use a number of different ways for pupils to show answers; sometimes there are counting exercises with number patterns or multiplication tables; sometimes teachers ask questions and pupils answer on small whiteboards or number fans; sometimes there is chain of questions prompted by cards for pupils to answer and sometimes questions are asked of particular pupils and these are the most successful in providing enough challenge for pupils of different attainment. The pupils in Year 2 could show what number complements the one given by the teacher to make 20, because they already knew well the numbers that make 10. However, a small number were uncertain how to show 14. In the main part of this lesson, the pupils quickly learnt St John's CE (A) Primary School - 40- February 2002 that 6 + 2 = 8 = 2 + 6 and went on to learn the word "inverse operation", about half
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MATHEMATICS
quickly realising that if 37 + 14 = 51 then 51 - 14 = 37. Through the teacher's knowledgeable explanations the pupils learnt how to use such phrases in their own descriptions. However, there was a range of attainment with a small number of pupils muddling 14 and 41 while higher attainers wrote large numbers correctly, although a few of this group were not certain how to write 102. The past work of these pupils generally shows good progress although tasks for the higher attainers are not always sufficiently difficult. The pupils' books are neatly presented and there is a good quantity of correct work.
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MATHEMATICS
94. The past work of Year 6 pupils is also neatly laid out and shows that a wide range of aspects of the subject have been taught and that targets for the pupils' learning have been set. The work of pupils of higher attainment is made harder by the use of larger numbers and seldom through the use of more complex ideas. Their work is marked regularly with encouraging comments although seldom with hints on how to improve. In a lesson, the Year 6 pupils of average and above average attainment demonstrated that they could simplify fractions such as 25/60 and later they learnt to order these by finding a common denominator. Only a few pupils managed to do this at first because they muddled the tasks of simplifying fractions and of finding common denominators. In a lesson specifically taught for lower attaining Year 6 pupils, they learnt how to convert mixed numbers to improper fractions and related this to everyday problems such as
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MATHEMATICS
how many minutes is one and a half hours. Although somewhat harder than the work for lower attainers, a lesson for the highest attaining pupils helped them to learn to calculate and write proportions in different ways such as 7/10 = 0.7 = 70%.
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MATHEMATICS
95. Throughout the school the pupils are ready, willing and keen to learn and have generally good attitudes to the subject. Behaviour in lessons is usually good, especially for the oldest pupils. Occasionally, lessons are noisy either because the pupils are invited to discuss their work and the level of noise becomes distracting, or because there are too few opportunities for the pupils to think for themselves having to answer questions that request one single word answer only. Homework is completed well and supports the pupils' learning.
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MATHEMATICS
96. Overall, the teaching is good throughout the school. The National Numeracy Strategy has been adopted well and is regularly used with consistent planning, although formats for weekly plans vary. Teachers have a strong subject knowledge, good class management and good organisation. However, in several lessons classroom assistants were not used fully when class discussions took place and this is because they were not asked to record assessments of pupils' spoken or recorded responses. Such assessments and the information that teachers gain when marking the pupils' work is not used enough to help the teachers provide accurately matched work for pupils of different attainment. This weakness has led to some inconsistencies in the level of challenge offered, especially to higher attaining pupils and consequently to a degree of underachievement especially in Key Stage 2. There is a small amount of special
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MATHEMATICS
provision made to help raise the achievement of particular groups of high and low attainers in Year 6. This limited initiative is beginning to be effective. Due to understandable circumstances last year the coordinator has been unable to fulfil the St John's CE (A) Primary School - 41- February 2002 role but has a good understanding of what needs to be done and has kept an overview of the school's provision and identified the need for more use of the information gained from assessments.
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SCIENCE
97. Results in the 2001 National Curriculum tests were above the national average both at the end of Year 2 and the end of Year 6. These results were broadly in line with those for similar schools. Tests for Year 2 pupils indicated that the children's knowledge about materials and their properties were well below those for other aspects of the subject. This is not reflected by inspection evidence and the issue has clearly been resolved. Results have improved since the last inspection particularly for pupils at the end of Year 6.
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SCIENCE
98. Inspection evidence indicates that standards are above average at the end of Year 2 and well above average at the end of Year 6. Pupils make significant gains in attainment in Year 6. There are no significant differences in attainment between boys and girls or across the four aspects of the subject. In general, attainment on entry is above average and the rise in attainment over their time in school indicates that pupils achieve well up to the end of Year 2 and very well up to the end of Year 6 with particularly good progress in Year 6. Pupils with special educational needs and those who speak English as an additional language achieve in line with their peers and make good progress in relation to their prior attainment. However, in general, high attaining pupils do not achieve the maximum levels of which they are capable.
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SCIENCE
99. By the end of Year 2, pupils are beginning to develop the basic vocabulary and concepts associated with science. Pupils in Year 2, for example, can describe basic electrical circuits and can explain what happens if something in the circuit changes such as adding extra bulbs. Pupils in Year 1 are able to draw and label the basic parts of plants such as the stem, flowers, buds and petals. They are able to describe the basic conditions needed for plants to grow. Pupils carry out simple investigations and make predictions about what may happen. This is seen in work done on push/pull forces by Year 2 pupils. Higher attaining pupils write short, accurate paragraphs about the methods used, and give their results in simple tables. Lower attaining pupils write up their results on tables and charts prepared by the teacher. By the end of Year 2 pupils can carry out basic sorting operations into groups such as wood, glass and metal.
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SCIENCE
100. By the end of Year 6, pupils develop a very good factual knowledge and a range of scientific vocabulary that they use with confidence. Pupils in Year 6, for example, use and understand terms such as resistance, distillation, evaporation and photosynthesis. Pupils in Year 5 understand the scientific basis of the benefits of healthy diet and of exercise. When they are conducting investigations, pupils are able to design and set up their own tests and they use equipment with care. They recognise the need for fair tests and can describe the most important factors in making sure that tests are fair. They are able to explain what happens if one variable in a test is altered. When discussing and writing about tests afterwards, pupils are able to describe any shortcomings in their methods and make suggestions as to how the test could be improved in the light of their experience. A good example of this was seen in a Year 6 lesson where pupils reviewed
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SCIENCE
their test results, discussed them confidently in front of the rest of the class and repeated the tests with adjustments if necessary. St John's CE (A) Primary School - 42- February 2002 101. The subject makes a good contribution to pupils’ literacy and numeracy development. It also uses information and communication technology. Pupils usually write up results of investigations for themselves and are encouraged to develop their individual writing styles. This makes a good contribution to literacy development especially for higher attaining pupils who are encouraged to write at greater length and develop a wider range of vocabulary. This needs to be developed further for the highest attaining pupils. Pupils also routinely use measurements of different types in science and present evidence on a range of graphs and tables often designed by themselves rather than by the teacher. This makes a significant contribution to numeracy. The use of computers to edit, refine
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SCIENCE
and produce their work is good and pupils also use computers frequently to produce graphs or tables to display results.
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SCIENCE
102. The quality of teaching and learning is good with very good teaching in nearly half of the lessons. There is a small minority of unsatisfactory teaching. At the time of the last inspection teaching was satisfactory overall, and it has clearly improved since then. Where teaching is unsatisfactory, it is because the teaching methods are not sufficiently well thought out. This was evident in a Year 4 lesson where the teacher decided to conduct an experiment herself with the class watching. Learning would have been better if the pupils had conducted the test themselves rather than sitting passively watching the teacher for a long period. The planning for this lesson was insecure and the experiment not tried out in advance. All the teachers have very good class control, achieved without fuss and with good humour. Pupils generally respond well to this approach and behaviour is good in lessons. Pupils show interest in science and have
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SCIENCE
good attitudes to work. Where teaching is very good, the teacher's good subject knowledge is combined with thorough planning to provide challenging work that makes pupils think hard about the scientific principles involved. This was clearly seen in a Year 6 lesson where pupils were investigating the effects of different weights on elastic bands. The teacher had high expectations of the pupils and they were expected to report back to the class about the success or otherwise of their methods as well as what had been learned about scientific principles. This led to very good learning. However, the provision of work suited to the needs of high attaining pupils is not sufficiently well-developed. While there is a good number of pupils achieving above the expected standards, this proportion could be increased and opportunities made for a few to achieve very high standards.
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SCIENCE
103. There are good procedures for assessment in place. The data provided is used to set targets for the subject and for individual pupils. However, the use of data to track attainment and progress for particular groups of pupils is not sufficiently well-developed. The subject makes a good contribution to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Pupils are encouraged to study, and reflect upon, the wonders of the scientific world and the environment and this makes a good contribution to their spiritual development. There is a very strong moral dimension in lessons and pupils are taught right from wrong. In discussions, pupils learn to listen and appreciate the views of others thus developing their social skills as well as those of speaking and listening. Social development is further enhanced by opportunities to work together, share and take turns. Pupils have opportunities to take responsibility by organising equipment and
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SCIENCE
tidying up after lessons. Cultural development is satisfactory, but there is no strong emphasis on the wide range of traditions from which scientific thinking comes. The leadership and management of the subject are very good. Standards have risen. Teaching has improved. There are clear priorities for further development. The subject has made good progress since the last inspection. St John's CE (A) Primary School - 43- February 2002
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ART AND DESIGN
104. Standards are satisfactory overall in both key stages and similar to those found at the time of the last inspection. Two lessons were seen during the inspection, one in each key stage. From discussions with pupils and looking at examples of work, pupils have a satisfactory range of experiences and are developing an understanding of materials and processes for making and investigating. By the age of seven, standards of exploring and investigating ideas are satisfactory when pupils are drawing and painting but are less well-developed in three-dimensional work, textiles and printing because of the limited choice of resources available. By the age of eleven, standards in evaluating and developing their own and each others’ work are satisfactory and pupils are beginning to use their sketch books to practise skills and to develop their imagination.
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ART AND DESIGN
105. In Key Stage 1 pupils mix paint successfully, carefully considering tones and shade, in preparation for painting portraits. The lesson observed was one of a series where pupils had used different media, such as pencil and charcoals, for observational drawings. The teacher sensitively discussed the similarities and differences in skin colour of the pupils in the class. In Key Stage 2, pupils built on their previous experience of using modroc when making figures of people in motion. The teacher drew their attention to proportion and size and considering the model from different angles. Pupils’ progress in understanding work by recognised artists is limited by the range of resources available.
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ART AND DESIGN
106. The pupils have good attitudes to lessons, behaviour is good and pupils are sensible and trustworthy when using equipment. All pupils are co-operative and willing to share resources. Pupils in Year 1 are confident to try out their ideas and talk about how they have mixed their colours and use descriptive language when discussing the shades. In Year 6, pupils evaluate their own and each others’ work positively and identify the good features of the models and those that require further development.
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ART AND DESIGN
107. The quality of teaching and learning in Key Stage 1 is satisfactory and good in Key Stage 2. Where teaching was good, the teacher planned well, set clear objectives for each part of the lesson and drew the pupils’ attention to common difficulties and ways that they could be overcome. The pupils talked about how they had to consider the distribution of weight in order for the model to stand up and how best to use modroc on a small scale model. The teacher reviewed pupils’ work at significant times through the lesson to check their progress and achievement, without interrupting the pace of the activity. There were lost opportunities to link this work with that of other artists due to the absence of posters, pictures or copies of famous pieces of art. When teaching was satisfactory the teacher was limited by the range of resources which resulted in pupils having restricted choice of equipment and materials. A better balance between direction
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ART AND DESIGN
and exploration in the introductory part of the lesson would have given the pupils more individual opportunities for exploring colours. In both lessons the teachers used praise effectively to motivate and encourage the pupils. The pupils’ learning is helped by the classroom support staff, who often work with small groups or give planned support to individual pupils.
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ART AND DESIGN
108. The recently appointed co-ordinator is a newly qualified teacher, who teaches part-time in the Nursery on a separate site. This combination of factors means that the subject cannot be monitored and supported effectively. Teachers follow a national scheme of work but there is little guidance about progression in the skills, knowledge and understanding of all the elements of the subject. Sketch-books have been introduced into Key Stage 2, however, there is a lack of clarity about how they are to be used. More formal monitoring of the curriculum is needed to ensure pupils have experience of all aspects of art and design, particularly textiles, printing and three dimensions. Regular St John's CE (A) Primary School - 44- February 2002 assessment is needed to measure pupils’ progress and experiences and a system of recording pupils’ attainments would help teachers monitor standards. Since the introduction of the new computer suite the pupils are beginning to use computers to aid
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ART AND DESIGN
their art work. Pupils’ knowledge and understanding of artists and art styles is limited and a wider range of pictures, objects and materials from different cultures would provide greater opportunities for more in-depth work. The curriculum would be further enriched by visits to galleries and visits from artists.
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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY
109. By the end of Year 2 the pupils’ attainment is close to the standards expected for their age. Pupils use a range of materials effectively by designing their products carefully before beginning the making progress. Design and technology is often linked with science and taught within the same series of lessons. This strategy works because pupils learn about materials and their properties and the results of heating or cooling them. Pupils discover how materials can be changed by processes such as stirring, rolling, squeezing or pressing. For example, pupils in a Year 2 class used eggs, flour, fat, sugar to investigate what happened when they mixed these ingredients together in a food technology lesson. They predicted that after heating in an oven the raw materials would turn into fairy cakes.
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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY
110. The pupils develop skills using simple tools for making models of people and animals for a nativity scene. Currently, the pupils are engaged in making glove puppets, stitching the two sections together with brightly coloured thread. All pupils have the opportunity to learn by practical experience and they discover by investigating the processes.
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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY
111. The pupils talk about products they have made and explain the purposes for which they can be used. For example, pupils in Year 3 explained how they made a face mask out of papier-mache to resemble the visors made by the Romans to protect their faces when they went into battle. Pupils in Year 4 used junk material from supermarkets such as boxes, cartons and cylinders to construct Tudor houses as part of their history project. Pupils in Year 5 used junk materials to make a musical instrument that can be used as a sound effect to create atmosphere for the performance of a story. For example, pupils planned an appropriate sound effect for the moment when King Midas touches base materials to turn them into gold. Some pupils select materials for how closely these resemble a musical instrument instead of focusing on the intended purpose, which is the sound it will make. Pupils’ competence varies, but overall there is
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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY
good focus on the main elements of design and technology. As a result pupils understand that the quality of a product depends not only on how it looks or even how well it is made but on how well it meets the intended purpose.
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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY
112. Teaching is satisfactory overall and often good because pupils develop their ideas through careful planning of the processes involved to produce some sophisticated structures with hinges for working doors and pulleys to raise and lower protective covering. For example, in Year 6, pupils designed and made three-dimensional shelters considering the suitability and durability of the materials used. The pupils employed their literacy skills profitably as they presented their finished product to the whole class explaining the problems they encountered, some ways in which they could improve their models and alternative methods of construction they would use in the St John's CE (A) Primary School - 45- February 2002 future. As a result pupils reinforced their understanding that the most important feature of their finished product is how well it meets the intended purpose. For example, how well their shelters can stand up to environmental changes.
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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY
113. There is no co-ordinator to manage the subject but class teachers follow the National Curriculum programmes of study and nationally recommended guidance. As a result teachers’ planning is satisfactory and the learning of pupils in all year groups is satisfactory overall with some very good work produced by pupils in Year 6.
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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY
114. Since the last inspection there have been improvements in several areas. The pupils' attainment is now in line with national expectations. The pupils use a wider range of materials for making products and increasingly these are constructed to meet their intended purpose.
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GEOGRAPHY
115. The attainment of pupils is below the standards expected nationally for pupils in all year groups. This is because there are not enough geographical studies of physical features and the pupils are not developing the skills of geographical enquiry through fieldwork or environmental studies. Judgements are based on lessons observed, on an interview with the deputy headteacher, because there is no co-ordinator designated for the subject, and with groups of pupils from Year 2 and Year 6. An analysis has been made of the written work recorded in the books of pupils in all year groups. The findings show that there is insufficient coverage of all the areas indicated by the school’s geography policy. Although there are useful links with science, for example, in the work of Year 1 pupils, there is insufficient consolidation of the learning to ensure that pupils can use geographical language to explain physical features of the world around them. In Year 2,
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GEOGRAPHY
pupils identify different settings for living such as town, country, seaside comparing and contrasting different places and expressing their own views. Pupils made some good studies of physical disasters, such as storms that damage the environment, linking these to the effects on the lives of the people living in the area. However, there are insufficient observations using geographical language, to indicate that pupils at all levels of learning have understood the skills required for a geographical enquiry.
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GEOGRAPHY
116. In Year 3, the only recorded work was a list of things and places seen on a walk close to the school. In Year 4, the pupils compare and contrast a family living in a poor village in Southern India with their own lives. Resource material is used from a published scheme following national guidance, which provides photographs and worksheets. There was not enough detailed recording in pupils’ notebooks of physical differences between the people and places, the social structures, climate and conditions. There was a heavy reliance on worksheet materials. In Year 5, the pupils combine their historical studies of the Tudors and their explorations with changes in the maps of the world at the time of Elizabeth the First. There is little evidence of pupils’ investigative skills being developed through geographical enquiry. There are not sufficient opportunities provided for pupils to research how and why places change, the effects of
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GEOGRAPHY
physical and human processes, and the patterns made by these on the environment.
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GEOGRAPHY
117. Teaching was satisfactory in the lessons seen and pupils used their good literacy skills to advantage. For example, in a Year 6 lesson, the pupils used dictionaries to find meanings of ‘erosion, estuary, delta, transported’ and then completed a comprehension exercise about rivers. Pupils worked well but the task set did not focus their efforts in developing investigative skills through geographical enquiry. In the geography lessons observed, no maps, plans, diagrams or graphs were used consistently as part of pupils’ studies. Discussions with pupils revealed an eager curiosity into physical phenomena St John's CE (A) Primary School - 46- February 2002 and a keen interest in people and places. The pupils are keen to increase their skills through experience and to discover the geographical significance of processes and patterns that feature in our physical world.
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GEOGRAPHY
118. At the last inspection geography and history were reported together and both were considered to be satisfactory. A co-ordinator is needed to organise pupils’ learning in geography ensure that the good standards achieved in the core subjects are sustained in the humanities. Systems of assessment are needed to monitor pupils’ progress and to inform future planning for the subject.
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HISTORY
119. Standards are below those expected of pupils of the same age both at the end of Year 2 and the end of Year 6. There is insufficient coverage of the curriculum to raise standards. Overall pupils’ achievements are unsatisfactory and this is consistent across all groups and all levels of ability.
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HISTORY
120. By the end of Year 2, pupils are able to distinguish between past and present and understand that different events happen in different periods of time. They have a basic understanding of some of the major events that have taken place. Pupils in Year 2, for example, are able to talk about The Great Fire of London, its causes and some of the effects. They know that Charles II was the king at the time and can say something of the contribution of Samuel Pepys to the history of the period. However, there is limited evidence that the pupils are able to identify the differing ways in which the past is represented, to make historical enquiries to ask and answer questions about the past or to learn of the lives of important people both in Britain and in the wider world.
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HISTORY
121. By the end of Year 6, the pupils have developed some understanding of a number of periods of history including those of Ancient Greece, the Anglo-Saxons, the Tudors and the Victorians. The lack of earlier development of basic skills in history does not provide a sound base on which the older pupils can build. Pupils’ sense of chronology is better developed by the age of eleven and they can place the various periods of history into a timeline. When pupils produce work on various periods, the quality of what they do is good. Pupils in Year 5, for example, produce interesting project work on the Tudors. However, coverage is largely limited to the life of Henry VIII=, his love of music and his wives. There is little of other events such as the establishment of the Church of England or why he acted as he did. There is little learning about the reigns of other monarchs of the period. Similarly work on Elizabethan explorers is largely confined to a
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HISTORY
little writing about the career of Drake and other more important explorers of the period are ignored. When pupils study the Victorians, they produce work on the life of the Queen and the pupils have a day where they study life in a Victorian school. However, work on the great events and the great people of the time is limited.
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HISTORY
122. History makes some contribution to the pupils’ literacy development because the pupils have some opportunities to write about the feelings of people in other periods and to explore why they acted as they did. There is limited use of information and communication technology to locate resources such as previous census results or old maps. St John's CE (A) Primary School - 47- February 2002 123. The quality of teaching and the learning it promotes is satisfactory. There is good teaching in one-quarter of the lessons. A strong feature of teaching is very good class control and as a result behaviour in lessons is generally good. Where teaching is good, both medium-term and short-term planning are good and this provides good continuity for pupils. In these lessons, the teacher uses a range of methods to provide both factual knowledge and opportunities for research and individual thinking. This was
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HISTORY
demonstrated in a Year 5 lesson where the teacher made good use of a computer programme and her own knowledge of ancient Greek theatre to show how some of its traditions are reflected in modern day drama. Pupils were then asked to use a range of sources to research and discuss a number of questions. This led to the development of not only a level of factual knowledge but also opportunities for individual thinking and work. The development of these more sophisticated skills would help to improve standards throughout the school.
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HISTORY
124. Procedures for tracking pupils’ attainment and progress are satisfactory. The use of assessment to check curriculum coverage is unsatisfactory. At present there is no subject co-ordinator and this has added to the low level of monitoring that has taken place. The subject makes an unsatisfactory contribution to pupils’ spiritual, social and cultural development because of the lack of coverage in the curriculum and because many of those elements that are missing are those such as research, discussion and independent work that would contribute most. The contribution to pupils’ moral development is good and pupils learn right from wrong in lessons. Because of the lack of overall co-ordination, the leadership and management of the subject are unsatisfactory. Standards have declined since the last inspection and the subject has made unsatisfactory progress since that time.
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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY
125. Standards are satisfactory at the end of each key stage. They are similar to the standards existing at the time of the last inspection and in some aspects have improved. There are some particular pieces of work of high quality. The pupils' past work in folders indicates that they have been taught to operate a small number of applications to very good effect. For example, the folders of Year 4 pupils contain examples of persuasive writing that has been word processed, including paragraphing, font changes, lay-out and with added pictures. There are also symmetrical pictures, folder covers with overlaid coloured frames and designs as well as computer generated pie-charts from data entered by the pupils. The work is well produced and is reflected in other year groups. The work of Year 6 pupils covers a similar range of computer programs but used in greater depth. For example, their word-processing work is for a newspaper and writing
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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY
is with the appropriate style and layout with headlines, columns and inserted pictures. The provision of teaching and resources has improved well since the last inspection. Despite these good examples of work, the pupils' capability in lessons throughout the school is not yet independent enough and the work produced is heavily guided by staff. For example, the pupils of Year 3 are sluggish at using a keyboard and only those who regularly use a computer at home, are faster. Pupils of Year 2 lack confidence in accessing information from a CD Rom and are cautious to try. However, the pupils learn quickly and are able, but seldom encouraged, to make generalisations about the nature and organisation of computer programs.
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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY
126. All the lessons seen took place in the school's new computer suite, which has a good number of computers and enables the pupils to work singly as they are taught half a class at a time. This happens twice weekly when the other half of the class has a swimming lesson. Class teachers teach the lessons and are sometimes supported by classroom assistants. These arrangements are effective and ensure each child is St John's CE (A) Primary School - 48- February 2002 taught with equal access to learn and use a computer. There is also a computer in each classroom and these are to provide extra practice for pupils and for use to support learning in other subjects. Since the last inspection a good amount of training has taken place and teachers are usually sufficiently confident in the program they are teaching. The school is half-way through a national training scheme, although the co-ordinator has
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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY
also provided much advice and information for teachers. Consequently, the quality of teaching is satisfactory with a minority of well-taught lessons. The pupils are closely guided in navigating the program being used and given individual help to ensure each achieves a result. However, only sometimes are they taught to make generalisations or to experiment with the controls to navigate a program. Consequently, they are not as confident as they could be and their learning is seldom used in new applications.
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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY
127. The school's resources now enable the teaching of all the programmes of study and a nationally recommended scheme of work is used. Although there is no whole school system for recording each pupil's access to a computer, there is an assessment record made for each child and this is passed to the next teacher. These record the pupil's attainment based on the skills gained. The co-ordinator is very enthusiastic and is generating a good level of interest and learning for staff and pupils. Medium-term planning is regularly reviewed and discussion held with teachers. There is rightly a concern to widen the use of the subject in supporting other subjects and increase the use of the classroom based computers. Currently, there are too few opportunities for pupils to practise and experiment using the skills and knowledge they are taught in the computer suite.
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MUSIC
128. Attainment of pupils in all year groups is in line with standards expected nationally. Judgements are based on the few lessons seen, discussion with pupils in Year 2 and Year 6, interviews with the recently appointed co-ordinator for music and with visiting music teachers. Several extra-curricular musical activities provide further evidence that music plays an important part in the education offered by the school. Pupils who have instrumental music lessons both in school and outside, are encouraged to bring their instruments into school and contribute to music-making in lessons and in assemblies. For example, the music ensemble of recorders and flutes combined with the choir at whole school assembly to give a good performance of ‘Ol, Lisa Jane’. The pupils found the music in their recorder books and organised the presentation themselves.
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MUSIC
129. In a lively lesson observed in the Reception class, the children used a good range of percussion instruments to create rhythmic patterns that were directed into a short musical sequence. Individual children were given the opportunity to ‘conduct’ the rest of the class using hand signals to indicate softer/louder, crescendo and a controlled ‘stop’ on an agreed signal. The children were able to concentrate on singing (with actions) the ‘Boogie Woogie Song’ while playing the instrumental accompaniments. Their first attempts were chaotic but they persevered and achieved a good standard after several rehearsals.
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MUSIC
130. Teaching is good overall and pupils learn well. They are enthusiastic and enjoy both music-making and singing. For example, in a Year 4 lesson, the pupils established rhythmic patterns beginning with hand-clapping then transferring to instruments once the pattern was secure. Pupils explore the ways in which sounds can be combined St John's CE (A) Primary School - 49- February 2002 through performing simple rhythmic patterns in unison and using percussion instruments. As a result, the pupils understand how interrelated skills can be combined within one musical structure.
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MUSIC
131. Pupils in Year 5 attempted a more challenging task. The whole class formed a choir singing the melody, ‘Daisy, Daisy’ as a round, the musicians accompanied the choir playing the tune only. The ‘band’ of one violin, two flutes and three recorders had some first hand experience of the difficulties of combining the musical elements of pitch, dynamics and tempo, into a musical performance!
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MUSIC
132. The new co-ordinator has ambitious schemes for raising standards and for establishing musical performances at school. At the last inspection music was flourishing and with a new co-ordinator there are encouraging signs that it will do so again.
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PHYSICAL EDUCATION
133. Standards in both Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 are satisfactory and similar to those found at the time of the last inspection. Two lessons were seen in Key Stage 1, one of which was swimming. One lesson was observed in Key Stage 2. In swimming, standards are above the national average in both key stages. There is no difference between the attainment of girls and boys.
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PHYSICAL EDUCATION
134. In Key Stage 1 pupils make good progress in their swimming and by the age of seven most pupils can swim 25 metres using a recognisable stroke. By the age of 11 most children can swim between 400 and 800 metres using a good range of strokes, including butterfly. In Year 6 some of the children are beginning to learn the basic skills of life saving. The swimming teacher is well qualified and all the pupils demonstrate a high level of confidence in the water. In dance lessons the seven-year-old pupils are beginning to link movements into simple sequences and show an increasing awareness of the space around them. By the age of eleven the pupils are able to respond to changes in music by altering their rhythm and direction. They respond to slow music with good body control and expressive use of arms and trunk. In gymnastics, pupils by the age of seven show increasing control when balancing and holding their position, and
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PHYSICAL EDUCATION
are developing good styles when completing forward rolls. Standards are satisfactory with some good aspects. No gymnastics was seen in Key Stage 2. No games lessons were seen during the inspection.
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PHYSICAL EDUCATION
135. Pupils in Key Stage 1 and 2 are aware of the need to warm up and cool down before and after physical activity. In a Year 5 lesson the teacher used a combination of aerobic and stretching exercises before the start of the dance lesson. Pupils in Year 1 are aware of safety issues during lessons and the apparatus is carried carefully. Pupils are able to make evaluative comments about their own and others’ performances. This is used to refine movements and improve technical skills.
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PHYSICAL EDUCATION
136. Pupils make satisfactory and sometimes good progress when they are given time to practise and improve their actions. Pupils in Year 1 were given further opportunities to practise landing with their knees bent after observing and evaluating others' attempts. Pupils in Year 5 made good progress in the dance lesson when they were given time to talk about and plan their performance. Pupils with special educational needs often make good progress; they display confidence and concentration when they are working within a group. For example, one pupil worked co-operatively and sustained his interest when planning and performing a group dance. St John's CE (A) Primary School - 50- February 2002 137. The pupils’ response in lessons is good overall. They listen and respond to instructions. Activities are undertaken with enthusiasm and pupils demonstrate a high level of fair play. Evaluations of each others’ performances are done sensitively and positively.
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PHYSICAL EDUCATION
138. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory and sometimes good. Where it is good, teachers have good subject knowledge, plan a structured lesson and the lesson moves at a brisk pace. For example, in a Year 1 lesson the teacher had clear expectations, which were shared with the pupils and the lesson contained some revision from a previous lesson about jumping and some new learning about rolling. In a Year 5 lesson the teacher made links to work in literacy on myths and legends which enabled the children to focus on their movements and rhythm as they had a good understanding of the creature they were interpreting. When teaching is satisfactory, not enough time is given to evaluate and refine movements.
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PHYSICAL EDUCATION
139. There is a newly appointed co-ordinator who meets each half term with the sports coach to discuss the content of the units of work. The school has a long-term curriculum plan, which identifies when the units of work are to be taught and their allocation of time. There is an appropriate balance of all aspects of the programme of study. The swimming teacher assesses pupils’ attainment in swimming, and their attitudes and behaviour each half term. Her comments are included on reports to parents. At the moment there is no formal system to assess and record pupils’ attainment in dance, gymnastics or games. Monitoring the curriculum and supporting staff is done informally through discussions. The role of the co-ordinator is not developed enough to make an impact on the quality of teaching and learning.
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PHYSICAL EDUCATION
140. The subject is well resourced. Equipment is well organised and easily accessible. However, some of the mats used in the hall are frayed and stained. There is a swimming pool on site and fixed wooden equipment in the grounds for use at playtime. The after school clubs for football, netball and dance are well supported. There is an annual residential visit when pupils in Key Stage 2 take part in outdoor, adventurous activities. Pupils take part in Borough and inter-county swimming galas and there are athletic and football tournaments organised with other schools. Overall, the subject is enriched well by these events.
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