Triangle CofE VC Primary School

Triangle Church of England Primary School

Headteacher: Miss Janet Speak Acting headteacher at the time of the inspection: Ms Lesley Halstead

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Triangle Church of England Primary School

Dates of inspection: 4 th - 7 th February 2002

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Triangle Church of England 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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Triangle Church of England 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. Triangle CE Primary School

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Butterworth Lane Triangle Sowerby Bridge West Yorkshire Postcode: HX6 3NJ

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The governing body

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 10 th November 1997 Triangle CE Primary School

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Mr S. Evans Registered inspector Equal opportunities Special educational needs English Science Geography Music Physical education Religious education What sort of school is it? How high are standards? How well are pupils taught? How well is the school led and managed?

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Mrs M. Hackney Lay inspector Pupils' attitudes, values and personal development. How well does the school care for its pupils? How well does the school work in partnership with parents? Mr N. Sherman Team inspector Foundation Stage Mathematics Information and communication technology Art and design Design and technology History How good are curricular and other opportunities?

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

TWA Inspections Ltd 5 Lakeside Werrington Peterborough PE4 6QZ

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

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

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Triangle CE Primary School

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 6

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

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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS? 10

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Triangle is a Church of England Voluntary Controlled primary school with a total of 132 pupils on roll aged from 4 to 11 years. The school is smaller than the average primary school found nationally. It is situated in the village of Triangle, in the parish of Sowerby in West Yorkshire. Attainment on entry to the reception class at the age of four years is above that expected for children of this age. The percentage of pupils identified as having special educational needs - 13 per cent - is below the national average. Three pupils have Statements of Special Educational Need, which is proportionately the same as in most primary schools in the country. The percentage of pupils entitled to free school meals is below the national average. There is an acting headteacher who has been in post since the start of this school year. She is contracted to the school until December 2002. The school's headteacher is absent due to illness.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

This is an effective school that gives satisfactory value for money. Pupils attain standards above the national average by the time they leave the school. This means pupils make satisfactory progress during their time at the school. The quality of teaching and learning is good. Pupils' attitudes, behaviour and personal development are very good. The acting headteacher provides excellent leadership.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What the school does well • Throughout the school, there is a high proportion of good, very good and excellent teaching. This ensures pupils achieve well in their lessons. • The pupils like school. Their attitudes to school, behaviour, personal development and relationships with one another are very good. This positively affects pupils' good quality of learning. • Provision for pupils' personal development is very good. The experiences provided for their spiritual, moral and social development are particularly strong. • There is a very caring and supportive ethos in the school and the pupils feel valued. • The acting headteacher, very ably supported by the deputy headteacher, staff and governors, creates a culture within the school of high expectations of success, high quality and where everyone's efforts are valued.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What could be improved • Standards pupils attain by the end of Year 6 in science are not high enough. • The work planned for pupils in Years 3 to 6 in subjects other than English, mathematics, religious education and music is not organised to ensure that skills develop at an appropriate rate or work becomes harder as they move through the school. • Assessment procedures are good in English and mathematics, but are less effective in supporting pupils' learning in other subjects. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school was last inspected in November 1997. The school has developed satisfactorily since then, with rapid improvement during the current school year. The local education authority has provided very good support for the school. The school is well placed to bring about further significant improvement. Standards of pupils' attainment by the end of Year 2 are higher now than they were at the time of the last inspection. By the time pupils leave the school, standards are broadly the same as they were last time the school was inspected. However, standards in science are lower. Music standards throughout the school are much higher. The quality of teaching is better. For example, the amount of very good and excellent teaching has increased by a significant amount. The work planned for pupils in the Foundation Stage and in Years 1 and 2 is now good. It was a key issue from the last inspection. However, the work planned for

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

pupils in Years 3 to 6 is less effective. Procedures for assessing pupils' work have improved. The school has gone some way to meeting this key issue from the last inspection, but there is still some work to be done. Triangle CE Primary School

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

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STANDARDS

The decline in standards indicated in the above table has stopped. The school is not underachieving now. Inspection evidence indicates that standards of attainment are currently higher in English and mathematics than those shown in the table above for 2001. Standards are above average in both these subjects, with a significant proportion of pupils attaining a level above that expected for pupils this age. Standards in science reflect those attained in the 2001 national test. This is because the way pupils' work is organised means they have no effective opportunity to build on the skills and knowledge they learn as they move through the school. By the end of Year 6, pupils attain very highly in music and above national expectations in geography. They attain standards in line with national expectations in all other subjects. Taking account of all subjects, by the time pupils leave the school at the end of Year 6 they achieve

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STANDARDS

satisfactorily in relation to their prior attainment. There is no significant difference in the attainment of boys and girls. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress. By the end of the Foundation Stage, children make good progress. Pupils build on this progress well and by the end of Year 2 attain well above average in English and science, and above average in mathematics. They attain well above nationally expected standards in music and above in geography and physical education. They attain nationally expected standards in all other subjects. Standards in religious education are above those recommended in the locally agreed syllabus. In 2001 the school fell well short of their targets in English and mathematics. The targets for 2002 and 2003 are appropriately high and very challenging. The school is on course to meet these targets. This will ensure the school achieves at least average standards in

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Attitudes to the school Pupils have very good attitudes to their work. They are very interested in school and willingly involve themselves in the range of activities it provides.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Pupils' behaviour in and around the school is very good. They are polite to each other and to adults and look after their own property as well as that of others. There are no exclusions.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Personal development and relationships Pupils have very good relationships with one another and with the adults in the school. Their personal development is very good. Pupils respect other people's differences, show initiative and willingly take responsibility.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Attendance Attendance is very good and there is no unauthorised absence. Pupils are punctual and want to come to school. Triangle CE Primary School

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

Teaching of pupils in: Reception Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

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

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

The quality of teaching is good. Throughout the school, the teaching has many strengths and a few weaknesses. The strengths include: the teaching of basic skills, including literacy and numeracy, the good management of pupils' behaviour, the effective use of a range of teaching methods and deployment of support staff. Learning support staff make a positive contribution to pupils' learning. The quality of teaching of pupils with special educational needs is good. The school meets the needs of the higher attaining pupils effectively. The quality of teaching in the Foundation Stage is positively affected by the very good support provided by the nursery nurse. A weakness in some lessons is the ineffective management of the time available and the failure to use computers to support pupils' learning. The quality of the marking is satisfactory overall, but varies from very good to unsatisfactory. This inconsistency in the

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

marking of pupils' work in Years 3 to 6 slows the progress that some pupils make.

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

The quality of pupils' learning is good. They are keen to learn and work hard. They show a real interest in what they learn and concentrate well. They acquire basic skills, knowledge and understanding at a good rate. When appropriate they work co-operatively and collaboratively.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

The quality and range of the curriculum The school provides a satisfactory range of learning opportunities for pupils in Years 1 to 6. However, the school has not sufficiently thought through how the curriculum is to be planned effectively for pupils in each of the mixed-aged classes in Years 3 to 6. The good provision for extra-curricular activities enriches the quality of pupils’ learning further. Work is well planned to cover the six areas of learning for the Foundation Stage. Provision for pupils with special educational needs Support for pupils with special educational needs is good. It enables pupils to participate fully and with confidence in all their learning. Their learning is greatly enhanced by the very good work of the learning support staff. Arrangements for supporting pupils who have statements of special educational need are very effective.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Provision for pupils' spiritual, moral and social development is very good. It is good for their cultural development. The school ensures that pupils have a clear understanding of what is right and wrong and show a high degree of respect for all people.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

How well the school cares for its pupils The provision for pupils’ pastoral care and welfare is very good. Procedures for child protection are in place. The school has good procedures for assessing pupils' progress in the Foundation Stage and in English and mathematics in Years 1 to 6, but procedures are informal for other subjects.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

The school has a very good partnership with parents. Since the acting headteacher’s appointment at the beginning of the academic year parents’ confidence in the school has increased rapidly. The school has worked hard to re-establish a close working partnership with parents and ensure that they are well informed and involved. Parents give very good support to the school. Triangle CE Primary School

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff One of the main reasons for the substantial improvement this school year is the outstanding leadership of the acting headteacher. She has a very clear vision of what sort of school it should be and how to bring it about. She is very ably supported by the deputy headteacher. There is a good sense of team spirit among the staff and definite shared commitment to succeed. Subject co-ordinators make a sound contribution to the leadership and management of the school.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities The governors are very well organised and thorough in their approach. They have a good grasp of the strengths and weaknesses of the school. They work closely with the acting headteacher and staff in their efforts to achieve high standards.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The school’s evaluation of its performance During the last 12 months the school has monitored its performance closely and evaluated it effectively. It knows its strengths and the areas that require development and has taken very effective action to secure improvement.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The strategic use of resources Financial resources are managed well and the principles of best value applied effectively. The school is adequately staffed. There are shortcomings in some aspects of the accommodation and shortages in learning resources in some subjects.

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

Forty-four questionnaires were returned. This was 33 per cent of those sent out. Twenty-one parents made a written response. Twenty-six parents attended the pre-inspection meeting for parents.

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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

• Their children like school. • Their children behave well at school. • The school is easy to approach with concerns. • Staff have high expectations for their children. • The provision for their children's personal development is good. • They wish to be better informed about the progress their children make. • They believe the school does not work closely enough with them. • They feel the school is not well led and managed. • They consider that there are insufficient extra-curricular activities.

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

The inspectors support the parents' positive views. The acting headteacher is successfully addressing the concerns of parents. Although some parents expressed concern in the questionnaire about the way the school is led and managed, parents in fact speak very highly of the acting headteacher and have no complaints about her leadership and management of the school. There is an annual report of sound quality, formal occasions when parents discuss work with teachers and times when teachers discuss how pupils are taught. The acting headteacher and teachers are available to meet with parents informally to discuss any issues or concerns that a parent might have. Inspectors feel that these arrangements are at least as good as other schools and are sufficient to keep parents informed about their children. Parents are very welcome into school. The school values the help that numerous parents provide in classrooms.

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

More parents help with extra-curricular activities and accompany pupils when they go out on visits. The contribution made by parents has an outstanding effect on the quality of the choir and the provision for music in the school. There is a thriving parents', teachers' and friends' association. The range of extra- curricular activities compares favourably with other schools. Triangle CE Primary School

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

1. Pupils achieve well by the end of Year 2 compared with their ability on entry to the school. Inspection evidence indicates that standards in reading, writing and science are very good in comparison with all other schools and good when compared with those schools similar to Triangle. Standards in mathematics are good in relation to all schools and in comparison with similar schools. The standards seen during the inspection broadly reflect the results of the 2001 national tests. Literacy standards in Years 1 and 2 are very good. They are good in numeracy. Standards are higher than those reported on in the last inspection. There are three main reasons for this. The quality of teaching and learning is better and the way work is planned for the pupils is much improved. Planning was a key issue identified in the last report. The third reason is that pupils progress at a quicker rate in the reception class compared with the time of the last inspection. This is

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

because the quality of teaching and learning in the reception class is now very good when it was only satisfactory during the last inspection.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

2. By the end of Year 2, pupils attain well above nationally expected standards in music, above nationally expected standards in geography and physical education and reach good standards in religious education in relation to the targets set in the locally agreed syllabus. Standards in all other subjects are the same as those found in most other schools nationally. There is no significant difference between the attainment of girls and boys.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

3. Pupils achieve satisfactorily by the time they leave the school. By the end of Year 6, inspection evidence indicates that standards in English and mathematics are above the national average, but they are below the national average in science. In comparison with similar schools, standards are now satisfactory. Literacy and numeracy standards are good in Years 3 to 6. Standards in music are well above national expectations and pupils attain excellent standards in singing. Standards are above national expectations in geography. Pupils attain nationally expected standards in other subjects. Religious education standards are good in relation to the targets in the locally agreed syllabus for religious education. There is no significant difference in the attainment of boys and girls.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

4. Standards achieved by the current Year 6 in English and mathematics are significantly higher than those achieved in the 2001 national tests. The decline in standards over the last two years has stopped. There is definite evidence of a significant upward trend in pupils' attainment. Better teaching has brought about the improvement in current standards.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

5. After careful monitoring and evaluation, the acting headteacher has a very clear picture of the strengths and weaknesses of the teaching. With very good support from the acting headteacher and local education authority consultants, teachers have worked hard and effectively to eradicate weaknesses in the teaching. Well-focused attention on raising the expectations of what pupils can achieve is the cornerstone of the school's strategy for improvement. Procedures for assessing pupils and the use made of the results of the assessment are good. The acting headteacher supports teaching by providing a careful analysis of pupils' prior attainment. This ensures that teachers provide work that is hard enough for pupils and meets their particular needs. It also provides challenging but realistic targets for improvement. Pupils' own knowledge of their learning is good. This helps them set their own targets for improvement. They are keen to achieve these

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

targets. The good knowledge of their own learning stems directly from pupils discussing Triangle CE Primary School individually with the acting headteacher what they do well and where they need to improve. There is a real desire throughout the school to do well.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

6. Science standards remain as low as they were in the 2001 national test. They are also lower than at the time of the last inspection. Although the teaching and learning are mainly good in lessons, the progress pupils make over time is poor. This is because of the poor way the pupils' work is organised as they move through the school. Pupils cover an aspect of the science curriculum in one year and then very rarely develop their learning in that aspect again whilst at school. This means pupils complete work in Year 6 that is unsuitable because it is at a level that is too easy for them, or they do not have the necessary skills to build on. For example, during the inspection very similar work was observed in a Years 3/4 lesson as in a Years 5/6 lesson. The acting headteacher and teachers are aware of this serious shortcoming and have plans to put it right. Another very significant factor is the lack of investigative and experimental science work to help

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

pupils develop an understanding and knowledge of important scientific principles. The range and quality of learning resources for the subject are poor. This adversely affects pupils' learning and the progress they make. Some teachers' subject knowledge is weak and they do not teach the subject confidently. This means that the very highest attaining pupils are not given work that will challenge their thinking.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

7. In 2001 the school fell well short of their targets in English and mathematics. The targets for 2002 and 2003 are appropriately high and very challenging. The school is on course to meet these targets. This will ensure the school achieves at least average standards in relation to similar schools.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

8. By the end of the Foundation Stage, children often exceed the expectations of the Early Learning Goals in most areas of their learning 1 . The exception is in their physical development where the lack of regularly planned outside play is too infrequent owing to the lack of a suitable area to support children’s learning. Standards are similar to those reported on at the time of the last inspection.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

9. The school’s programme of support for pupils with special educational needs is good. It is well organised to identify pupils who need additional help in class. This ensures they make good progress. Arrangements to support pupils who have statements of special educational needs are good and ensure they attain standards which are in line with their prior achievements. Pupils who have individual education plans also make good progress in meeting their targets; therefore, their attainment in relation to these targets is good. Pupils who are withdrawn from class to receive additional help with literacy make good gains in the development of their basic reading, writing and spelling skills.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

10. Pupils in all classes have very good attitudes towards school and have been well maintained since the last inspection. Parents unanimously agree that their children like school. Almost without exception pupils are enthusiastic and speak confidently about their involvement in activities and the topics they learn about. During the inspection, the junior choir demonstrated a very mature attitude and remarkable commitment while rehearsing their performance with a parent who is a music teacher in another school. The school is a very happy, caring and orderly environment where pupils of all abilities are keen to learn and to take an active part. Pupils with special educational needs are equally interested and enthusiastic due to the good support they receive. All adults in the

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

The Foundation Stage begins when children reach the age of three and ends at the end of the reception class. It is a distinct stage in preparing children for later schooling and is based on six areas of learning. Early Learning Goals - these are expectat ions for most children to reach by the end of the Foundation Stage. They mainly refer to achievements children make in connection with: communication, language and literacy; mathematical development; personal, social and emotional development; knowledge and understanding of the world; and physical and creative development. Triangle CE Primary School school act as very good role models with adults and pupils showing mutual respect for each other. Pupils in the Foundation Stage are secure and happy and are eager to learn. A good example of this was seen in a music lesson when pupils contributed very well to a game involving clapping rhythmic patterns. Due to the high quality care and support they

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

receive from staff, children quickly settle into the routines of the reception class.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

11. Throughout the school, pupils know the school rules well and have helped to write their own code of conduct and classroom rules. They respond well to the school’s high expectations of self-discipline and initiative and this makes a strong contribution to their progress and achievements. During lessons, pupils of all abilities are keen to answer questions and to contribute their ideas and observations. They listen well to their teachers and to each other. In most lessons, and even when tasks are insufficiently challenging, pupils concentrate very well on their work. Most pupils try hard to do their best and want to please their teachers. When given the opportunity most pupils work well independently and move around the school sensibly and confidently.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

12. Pupils’ behaviour is very good. They respond very well to the school’s positive ethos and family atmosphere, which are linked closely to praise and recognition of success. Pupils have a clear sense of the difference between right and wrong. At lunchtime and outside in the playground, behaviour is very good with pupils of all ages playing very well together and older pupils taking care of younger ones. Pupils are very polite, friendly and helpful towards visitors who they make very welcome in their school. They have a very good understanding of how their actions affect others, an understanding which is well developed through stories and discussions. Pupils are trustworthy and show respect for their property and that of others. Although there have been isolated incidents of bullying in the past, pupils and parents are confident that since the arrival of the acting head teacher this issue has been dealt with very effectively. Pupils have a clear view that staff

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

listen to them and that any problems are dealt with sympathetically and promptly. There have been no exclusions for four years.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

13. Relationships amongst pupils and between pupils and all adults in the school are very good. Pupils respond well to circle time 2 , which teachers recently introduced in some classes. This makes a good contribution to building better relationships between pupils and towards their personal and social development. Pupils with special educational needs are very well integrated and pupils are very aware of the school’s commitment to the inclusion of everyone in all activities. During lessons, pupils share resources sensibly and willingly. They are co-operative and helpful when working in small groups and with partners. Pupils are very familiar and confident with the daily routines of school life and they have a sense of pride in their school. Examples of this were noted when a small group of Year 6 pupils spoke very enthusiastically about the performances of the school choir in the community and their success at a poetry festival. The very good relationships

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

throughout the school have a strong impact on standards and on pupils’ personal and academic progress.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

14. Pupils’ personal development is very good and linked closely to the school’s aims. Pupils in all classes are keen to help and are enthusiastic about taking on special responsibilities. Pupils act willingly as librarians, monitors in classrooms and at lunchtime and older pupils look after younger ones. Pupils in Year 6 are chosen as house captains and vice captains and they take their responsibilities seriously. The School Council is now well established with a chairperson, secretary and treasurer who are voted for office by their peers following a speech and presentation of their manifesto. Staff select two representatives from each class and pupils have a sense of achievement because of the outcome of some their requests and decisions.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

During Cc ircle Tt ime pupils discuss a wide range of personal and general issues. It is agreed by all pupils that no interruptions should occur and only one person at a time will speak. Respect for other pupils' views will occur at all times and therefore pupils feel confident that they can talk with ease and free from any form of interference of interruption from other pupils. Triangle CE Primary School 15. Older pupils confidently take responsibility for some aspects of their own learning, such as researching additional information at home and in the classroom. The limitations of the library accommodation and the unsatisfactory provision of non-fiction books restrict opportunities for them to extend their independent research skills further. Pupils enjoy regularly visiting places of educational and cultural interest, including a residential visit for older pupils. During visits to the village, pupils were keen to ask questions and were very

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

interested to learn more about the environment and the history of the village. Even though the weather was wet and stormy, pupils listened and behaved very well which made a strong contribution to their progress in learning.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

16. Attendance is very good and there is no unauthorised absence. Pupils are punctual and want to come to school. Registration and lessons start on time and there is an efficient and orderly start to the day. This has a very positive effect on pupils’ attitudes towards school and on their personal and academic progress. The high standards reported on in the last inspection have been maintained.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

17. The quality of teaching is very good for children in the Foundation Stage. It is good for pupils in Years 1 to 6. In the school as a whole, the teaching is satisfactory or better in all lessons. It is excellent in 6 per cent of lessons observed, very good in 26 per cent, good in 52 per cent and satisfactory in the remainder. Teaching is a strength of the school and has a positive effect on pupils' attainment and progress. The quality of teaching is better than at the time of the last inspection. Music teaching is excellent because of very effective deployment of visiting music specialists.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

18. Teaching for children in the Foundation Stage in the reception class is very good and has a positive effect on their learning. Staff manage children’s behaviour very well. The very good relationships that they have with them, clearly established classroom routines and the good organisation of resources underpin the staff's approach to managing the children's behaviour. Staff frequently praise children’s efforts and achievements, fostering their confidence and learning. They teach basic skills very well, for example in the development of pupils' communication, language and literacy skills which makes a good contribution to many aspects of their learning. There are good assessment procedures for tracking children’s progress which staff use successfully to plan the next steps in children’s learning. Support staff are deployed effectively in lessons and make a very positive contribution.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

19. In the teaching of pupils in Years 1 to 6, teachers' planning in most lessons shows clearly what they want different groups of pupils to learn. This ensures pupils know what is expected of them in lessons and their learning is focused. Teachers use a range of appropriate teaching methods. They persist in trying out a range of approaches when pupils find something difficult to grasp. They use questioning skills to help pupils learn and encourage pupils, particularly those who are reticent, to respond in ways which boost their self-esteem. These teaching approaches motivate the pupils to want to learn. For example, in a Years 4/5 literacy lesson, skilled questioning by the teacher meant that pupils gave clear and precise explanations of what an explanatory text is. They developed their understanding of how to use sub-headings very well.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

20. Teachers mainly have secure subject knowledge so they answer pupils' questions accurately and teach with confidence. This in turn extends pupils' knowledge and understanding of the work they complete. For example, in a Years 3/4 religious education lesson the teacher's very secure subject knowledge about Hinduism meant she explained things clearly and precisely. By the end of the lesson, pupils' gains in knowledge and understanding of the topic were very good. Teachers manage pupils' Triangle CE Primary School behaviour very effectively. As a result, little time is wasted in lessons and the pupils have more time to work hard. A strength of the teaching is the very good relationships between staff and pupils. This ensures that all pupils, whatever their backgrounds, are fully involved in lessons and feel valued. This greatly enhances the quality of pupils' learning. Teachers deploy support staff effectively to enhance pupils' learning. Support

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

staff contribute positively to pupils' progress.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

21. Teachers mainly use time and resources efficiently. For example, in a Years 5/6 textile technology lesson, the wide range of materials provided by the teacher and the very good use of two sewing machines enabled pupils to make cushions of good quality. The use of computers to support and enhance pupils' learning is satisfactory, with an increasing use in lessons. For example, in a Years 5/6 numeracy lesson, two pupils used computers to good purpose to extend their knowledge and understanding of angles. On screen, they measured angles accurately using an imaginary protractor.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

22. The quality of the marking of pupils' work varies from very good to unsatisfactory. In the high calibre marking, teachers provide very helpful comments to pupils to show why work is good or what needs to be done to improve it. A shortcoming of the marking is when teachers sometimes use a cursory tick without comment in one piece of work after another. There is good use of homework to extend pupils' learning.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

23. There is room for improvement in some aspects of the teaching. In some Years 4/5 lessons the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies are not organised with sufficient rigour so teachers spend too much time with their input at the expense of pupils' completing enough work of their own. In science, not all teachers have secure enough subject knowledge to ensure that pupils do work that is hard enough for them. The reception/Year 1 class receives an adequate amount of very good quality support, but the Years 1/2 class has much less support. There is, therefore, a significant difference in the level of classroom support available to the teachers. The learning of pupils in the Years 1/2 class, which is in very cramped conditions, sited in an area that is a thoroughfare and with a mixed-aged class, suffers as a result.

p.14

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

24. Early identification of special educational need enables teachers to address any possible issues. There are good quality individual education plans. Most targets are clear and measurable, for example being able to read certain letter sounds. Individual education plans are linked particularly well to the English and mathematics aspects of the National Curriculum. Teachers are aware of the needs of all their pupils. In lessons, pupils with special educational needs are well supported both by teachers and support assistants. The careful planning of programmes by teachers and special educational needs support staff ensure that pupils with statements of special educational needs achieve well. In a Years 3/4 science lesson, pupils with statements of special educational need made very good progress because of very good support. At the start of the lesson they named the colours of the flowers and by the end recognised and named the petals and stems. They

p.14

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

produced good quality diagrams to illustrate their findings. They played a full part in all aspects of the lesson, including a precise dissection of a flower.

p.14

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

25. The teaching of literacy and numeracy is good. The following are examples of how good quality teaching positively affected pupils' learning. • In an excellent Years 1/2 literacy lesson on the writing of character profiles the learning was very good. The teacher demonstrated very secure knowledge of the National Literacy Strategy. This meant pupils spent appropriate amounts of time listening, answering questions and working independently or together in groups. The teacher questioned the pupils very skilfully to challenge them intellectually and encourage them to bring previous learning to bear in working out their answers. The teacher very carefully matched work to pupils' varying needs. For example, the higher attaining pupils made excellent use of planning, drafting and redrafting their Triangle CE Primary School work by following well-established routines. Lower attaining pupils in the class - who

p.14

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

nonetheless attain at nationally expected levels - completed simplified tables to assist them with the same process. • The teaching and learning were good in a Years 4/5 numeracy lesson about co- ordinates and grid references. Mental calculation work preceded this. The teacher used the National Numeracy Strategy very effectively. She questioned pupils skilfully to involve all pupils in the mental calculation work. She did this through varying the degree of difficulty of questions. This ensured more able pupils were extended, while pupils who find learning difficult were provided with appropriate calculations to complete. Through good support from the teacher assistant, pupils working on computers made good gains in their understanding the number of degrees in a quarter turn, half turn, three quarter turn and a whole turn.

p.15

PUPILS?

26. The school provides a satisfactory range of learning opportunities for pupils. The good provision for extra-curricular activities, that include a varied range of educational visits and visitors, enrich the quality of pupils’ learning further. There has been an improvement in the planning of work for pupils in the Foundation Stage since the last inspection. It is now good and covers all areas of learning for children in the Foundation Stage. Planning of pupils' work is also better for pupils in Years 1 and 2. Planning in the Foundation Stage and in Years 1 and 2 were key issues identified in the last inspection. The school addressed these issues effectively.

p.15

PUPILS?

27. Throughout the school, the curriculum provides a satisfactory range of learning opportunities and it is relevant to the pupils’ needs and interests. It complies with statutory requirements and religious education is taught in accordance with the locally agreed syllabus. Provision for sex education and issues relating to drugs awareness are taught as part of the school’s good programme for personal, social and health education.

p.15

PUPILS?

28. However, while the curriculum for pupils in Years 1 and 2 is planned effectively, there are shortcomings in how the curriculum is planned for pupils in Years 3 to 6. The school has not sufficiently thought through how the curriculum is to be planned effectively for pupils in each of the mixed aged classes. In some subjects that include science, history and geography the work planned for pupils is taught as a block of work to all the pupils in each of the classes. For example, in history all the pupils in Years 3 to 6 may undertake work on the Vikings at the same time and the same work is often set for all pupils rather than been effectively planned to meet their different needs and ages. In science, pupils undertaking a unit of work in Year 3, for example, are not given a further opportunity to explore that unit again at a later stage. As a result, there is no planned programme of work that systematically builds on what pupils know, can do and understand as they

p.15

PUPILS?

29. The school successfully implements the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies. The school makes the teaching of literacy and numeracy a high priority. The school is aware of the need to ensure that the planning of learning in all subjects effectively supports the development of pupils’ literacy and numeracy skills. Where this is done more effectively, such as in religious education and design and technology, it has a positive impact on pupils’ learning. The school ensures that pupils have equal access to the curriculum and the curriculum provision for pupils with special educational needs is good. Teachers ensure, for example, that the pupils undertake work that is geared to their needs and targets in their individual educational plans. Learning support assistants are actively involved in the devising and setting of work for pupils with special educational needs and they make a strong contribution to the overall rate of progress that pupils with special

p.15

PUPILS?

educational needs make. Triangle CE Primary School 30. The school’s provision for extra-curricular activities is good. It organises various activities for pupils during the lunch break and at the end of the school day. These include art and design, information and communication technology, football, netball, gymnastics and musical activities. Participation rates are good. Residential courses for pupils in Year 6 provide the pupils with further opportunities to develop their social skills. The school has good links with the local community. These make a positive contribution to pupils’ learning in a number of areas. Members of the community assist greatly in the teaching of music and the running of the school choir. The school is heavily involved in supporting initiatives organised by the local church, all of which help to develop the pupils’ perception of what is means to be a member of a wider community.

p.15

PUPILS?

31. Links with local schools and other institutions in order to support pupils’ learning are satisfactory. Liaison with the playgroup that is sited on the school’s grounds is satisfactory. The school ensures that the pupils participate in sporting events organised by local schools. The school has links with a large number of secondary schools and given the large number of schools involved it is difficult for the school to develop joint curriculum initiatives and developments. However, the school prepares pupils effectively for their next stage in education. For example, Year 6 pupils will be involved in a science project at a local high school.

p.16

PUPILS?

32. Provision for pupils' personal development is very good. It is central to the school's mission and has a very significant effect on pupils' learning within a Christian ethos. It continues to be a strength of the school, as identified in the last inspection report.

p.16

PUPILS?

33. The school provides very well for pupils' spiritual development. It gives pupils a strong foundation of spiritual values in a Christian setting. Collective worship makes a good contribution to pupils' spiritual development. Teachers provide time for stillness, prayer and reflection, and singing and music contribute to the feeling of spirituality. In a whole school assembly, the acting headteacher brought out the value of caring for others very well when she told the story of Saint Francis of Assisi. Pupils visit their local church for special services. There is a 'thought for the week'. During the week of the inspection it was, ' Help us to listen when others need to talk'. Religious education lessons provide very good opportunities for pupils to develop their spirituality. For example, Year 2 pupils examined special places for worship linked to special people. They wrote about how God

p.16

PUPILS?

34. The school promotes pupils' moral development very strongly through the very good example that staff give of care and respect for others. For example, they listen with genuine interest to what pupils have to say and this shows that they value pupils' contributions. Pupils' very good behaviour in class and around the school demonstrates that staff ensure pupils distinguish between right and wrong. 'Circle time' is timetabled throughout the school. This gives pupils the opportunity to speak about issues and problems they may have in an atmosphere of fairness and sympathy. All staff have high expectations of the pupils both in and out of the classroom. This fosters high standards of relationships and consideration for others.

p.16

PUPILS?

35. The school is a very inclusive community where every individual is made to feel valued. The very good relationships between everyone in the school underpin the very good provision for pupils' social development. Teachers give pupils of all ages many activities in which to practise and develop their social skills. They encourage pupils to work together as friends in pairs and groups in lessons, for example in literacy, information and communication technology and physical education. Pupils' involvement in after school clubs, out of school visits and residential visits all contribute very positively to pupils' social development. The school council is a forum of elected pupils to represent pupils' views and aspirations to the acting headteacher. This helps all pupils to feel that their Triangle CE Primary School opinions count and are heard. The school provides opportunities for as many pupils as

p.16

PUPILS?

possible to take responsibility. There are many 'monitors' for many jobs.

p.17

PUPILS?

36. The curriculum provides many opportunities to broaden pupils' cultural experiences. Art, music and writing encourage pupils to explore and express their individual ideas. A good range of further activities enriches the curriculum, including concerts, art, theatre and museum visits. Classes go on walks to study the local environment, which has seen great change over the past century. Representatives from the local community visit the school to talk about these changes. Religious education lessons give pupils insight into other faiths and cultures as they study several world faiths. This could be further extended to include visits to places of worship of different faiths. This would help extend pupils' understanding of the cultural diversity of our country.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

37. The provision for pupils’ pastoral care and welfare is very good. Parents are confident that their children are safe and secure in school. Pupils with special educational needs and those who are more able receive good support and staff are very sensitive to their individual needs. This enables them to make good progress and to take full advantage of all educational opportunities. Staff know pupils very well and are alert to their individual, physical and emotional needs within a happy family atmosphere. Parents have expressed concerns about the potential danger to children by cars driving onto the school premises and parked cars on the road near to the school causing a hazard when crossing the road. The school is very aware of this potential danger and has taken appropriate steps to deal with the situation.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

38. Since the last inspection the school has adopted a formal health and safety policy linked to local authority guidelines. Staff and governors follow the guidelines closely. A formal audit and risk assessment is completed annually and the action plan is rigorously followed up. The caretaker monitors the site carefully and completes a variety of small maintenance tasks. All staff are vigilant to ensure that potential safety hazards are recorded and dealt with promptly. Electrical equipment is checked regularly. The provision for first aid has improved since the last inspection with an increased number of staff with a first aid qualification. In the case of illness or accident, the school contacts parents and accidents are efficiently recorded using good procedures, as was observed during the inspection when a pupil slipped and bumped her head. The school holds regular and efficient fire drills.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

39. Child protection procedures have improved since the last inspection and the school now has a formal policy that staff implement appropriately. Any concerns are efficiently monitored and recorded. The deputy headteacher is the designated person with responsibility. All staff, including the lunchtime supervisors, are aware of the procedures. When appropriate, pupils have access to all outside support agencies to support their learning. The school's administration officer is very efficient in keeping up-to-date computerised personal records, which are used effectively to support pupils’ personal needs and to assist in contacting parents.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

40. The school has very good procedures for monitoring and promoting attendance. Teachers complete registers accurately and consistently. Teachers and the administration officer efficiently monitor the registers for any pattern of absence by individual pupils. The procedures for monitoring and promoting good behaviour are very good and there is a consistent approach throughout the school. School rules are consolidated successfully through the school's code of conduct and the 'Triangle Family Tree', which displays the high expectations of good behaviour and relationships that the school expects. A good system of reward and celebration is well established. Pupils win team points and stars as well as receiving regular appropriate verbal praise and Triangle CE Primary School encouragement to succeed. Procedures to monitor and eliminate bullying, racism or any oppressive behaviour are very good and any inappropriate behaviour is dealt with

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

promptly and effectively. The school’s procedures for monitoring and supporting pupils’ personal development are good and their achievements are recorded accurately by staff who know their pupils very well.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

41. Procedures for assessing and monitoring children's attainment in the Foundation Stage are good. Children's progress is tracked against the Early Learning Goals using the 'stepping-stones' for learning. Assessments of the reception children provide useful information about the level of ability from which they start. In the Foundation Stage, staff use the results of any assessment effectively to plan appropriate work for the varying needs of the children.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

42. Procedures for monitoring and improving academic performance in Years 1 to 6 are satisfactory and the school has made sound progress since the last inspection - most of it during this academic year. The school has good procedures for assessing pupils' progress in English and mathematics, but assessment procedures in other subjects are informal. In English and mathematics there is a good whole-school system, started last term, for recording the level pupils reach in relation to National Curriculum levels of attainment. This allows teachers to identify what pupils need to do to progress to the next stage. This information is used very effectively to set individual and group targets. The learning targets are shared with parents, who can help their children towards the targets. This is a very effective system that contributes very significantly to the rise in standards that is now taking place in the school.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

43. Assessment in other subjects is informal and, while teachers have a general overall knowledge of what pupils know, it is not yet focused enough on specific skills, knowledge and understanding to raise standards further. Teachers have begun to make judgements about the amount of progress pupils make after they complete a unit of work. In information and communication technology, for example, it is hard for teachers to get a whole-school picture of where pupils are and the progress they make in the subject. As a result, the teachers are not always clear about the next stage or level of work pupils need to undertake in order to build on their learning. A very similar picture is evident for many other subjects of the curriculum.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

44. The school has good procedures for identifying special educational needs. Class teachers and the special educational needs co-ordinator work effectively together to identify areas of need and to set specific targets for pupils. The procedures for assessing the needs of pupils with special educational needs are very good. Progress towards individual targets is checked regularly and, as a result, teachers are able to modify targets when necessary. There are good links with the services provided by the local education authority. The school uses the advice and support from these services very well to develop pupils’ learning. There is special needs register, which is reviewed on a regular basis.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

45. The school has a very good partnership with parents. Since the acting headteacher’s appointment at the beginning of the academic year, parents’ confidence in the school is rapidly increasing. Most parents are satisfied with the standards achieved by their children. The school has worked hard to re-establish a close working partnership with parents and to ensure that they are well informed and involved. The school has an open door policy where parents are welcomed and encouraged to help. The majority of parents are comfortable about approaching the school with questions or to discuss problems and feel that the school listens to them. Parents of pupils with special educational needs are involved at a very early stage. The school ensures that they are Triangle CE Primary School kept well informed about progress and are invited to attend all review and assessment meetings. The majority of parents have signed the home/school agreement. The very

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

good links with parents makes a strong contribution to pupils’ progress and their academic and personal achievements at school and at home.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

46. The school values the help that numerous parents provide in classrooms and with a range of activities. Parents come into school to help with computer skills and food and textile technology as well as assisting in the preparation of resources. More parents help with extra-curricular activities and accompany pupils when they go out on visits. The contribution made by parents who are professional musicians has an outstanding effect on the quality of the choir and the provision for music in the school. Parents and members of the community are welcomed into school to talk to pupils about special topics such as the local environment and this contributes well to the enrichment of the curriculum. The Parent, Teacher and Friends' Association is very active in its support of the school and it raises considerable funds each year to provide additional learning resources. The majority of parents make a very good contribution to pupils’ learning at

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

school and at home by listening to reading and helping with homework topics. They support the work of the school well and their work has a strong impact on standards and on pupils’ progress and achievements.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

47. The quality of information for parents is good. Parents feel that communication has improved recently and are pleased to receive the weekly newsletters, which they find helpful. The newsletters are friendly and contain a good amount of information about events and organisation. At the time of the last inspection some parents indicated that they would appreciate more information about topics and work in classrooms. The acting headteacher now provides parents with satisfactory information about the topics being taught in literacy and numeracy to assist parents to help children at home. Before their children first come into the school, new parents feel well supported and they are invited with their children to spend time in the reception class and meet with the reception teacher. A series of leaflets have recently been distributed to parents including information about the behaviour policy, complaints procedures, homework and how to

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

help to improve reading. Attractive notice boards for parents are located at both entrances containing helpful information about class assemblies to which parents are invited, Triangle rules, the home/school agreement and the current newsletter. The school organises regular and very well-attended consultation and curriculum evenings for parents. The acting headteacher and staff are readily available to speak to parents informally at the start and end of the school day.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

48. The school has developed a more structured approach to homework and this year all pupils from Year 3 to Year 6 have been given homework diaries. Their use is gradually developing as an additional means of communication between school and home. All pupils have reading record books, which they take home each day with their reading books and are used well by pupils, teachers and parents as a means of communicating with one another.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

49. The prospectus and governors’ annual report to parents meet the statutory requirements and provide good information about organisation and the curriculum. Reports to parents are satisfactory with some good features such as individual targets for improvement and teacher assessments, but there is inconsistency between teachers in the clarity of information about progress in all subjects. Triangle CE Primary School

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

50. The leadership and management of the school are currently better than at the time of the last inspection. The acting headteacher provides excellent leadership. She ensures clear direction and focus for the work of the school. The causes of the school's under- achievement were quickly and correctly identified. Through a thorough, but necessarily brisk, evaluation of the quality of teaching, and monitoring and analysis of pupils' achievement, she identified a lack of high expectations as a major cause. Within a short time, she created and secured a commitment from the staff and pupils to strive for improvement. There is a good team spirit in the school and capacity to bring about further improvement. The acting headteacher is very ably supported by the deputy headteacher. Subject co-ordinators provide satisfactory leadership, with some subjects particularly well led.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

51. The governors also monitor performance and have a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the school and the challenges it faces. They work very closely with the acting headteacher to set the right priorities for development and improvement. Governors are effective in fulfilling their statutory duties. There is a common purpose among the leaders of the school which is one of the main reasons for the recent upward trend in pupils' achievement.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

52. The school is managed very well. The acting headteacher is in the process of putting together a new school improvement plan based on a clear analysis of the strengths and weaknesses in the school. Staff and governors are fully involved in the planning process. The targets set for the previous school year were not met. The targets for this year are higher but appropriate and linked to a clear programme of action. Governors are very closely involved in the strategic financial planning of the school. Their spending decisions relate directly to priorities for improvement and benefit for pupils. They are well supported in this respect by extra funds from the local education authority. This means they can maintain the current staffing levels that include a headteacher with no timetabled teaching commitment. In the short term, this is crucial to sustain the rapid and much needed improvement of standards within the school. Specific funding for supporting pupils with

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

special educational needs is well spent and gives good value for money. The governors and acting headteacher understand the need to evaluate the school's provision to ensure it provides best possible value and to obtain good value in their purchases.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

53. The school's administration officer provides very good day-to-day administration of the school. The financial administration of the school is very good. The very few minor issues raised in the last auditor's report have been addressed effectively. The school makes sound use of new technologies. For example, the acting headteacher has computerised the pupils' assessment data for ease of access. This has been made possible by the very recent introduction of a computer for senior management use. There are very effective lines of communication between the acting headteacher and staff and very importantly between school and parents. This has improved significantly over the last year.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

54. There is a positive ethos within the school, which reflects the school's aims and values that include a commitment to provide a very good effective learning environment, very good relationships and equality of opportunity for all, while maintaining a strong Christian identity. The ethos of the school positively affects standards. The school has the potential to be a good provider of initial teacher training.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

55. The school has a performance management policy in place and objectives for raising standards have been set for the staff. The targets for the acting headteacher are under review. The acting headteacher and governors plan to build the review part of the performance management process into its programme of continuous professional Triangle CE Primary School development. In this way the needs of individual staff and of the school can be, as far as possible, integrated.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

56. The school is adequately staffed with sufficient experienced teachers who are suitably qualified to teach the National Curriculum. Since the last inspection there has been some instability in staffing which has resulted in two part-time teachers sharing the responsibility for Year 4. Parents have concerns about the effects on their children’s education of the recent high turnover of staff, but in recent months the influence and strong leadership of the acting headteacher have helped to restore their confidence in the school. All teachers have responsibility for a class and at least two subjects to co- ordinate. The lack of professional expertise for the teaching of science has an adverse effect on standards. The school makes good use of local authority courses and all staff attend regular training as part of their professional development. Training is well matched to the needs of individual staff and the school development plan.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

57. There are enough learning support assistants to support groups and individual pupils in most classrooms. Support assistants work closely with teachers and help with planning and assessment. New members of staff receive very good support and assistance. Very good support is provided through the commitment of the school administration officer, caretaker and lunchtime supervisors who all ensure the effective day-to-day running of the school.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

58. Accommodation is unsatisfactory. Since the last inspection the office, staff room and library have been re-sited to make more efficient use of the building. The school makes good use of all available space, but facilities for storage remain very limited. There is a disproportionate amount of space used by out-of-school provision. The Year 6 classroom, which is a more recent extension to the building, provides good accommodation with sufficient space for the number on roll. The other classrooms are cramped for space and this limits the opportunity for some activities. In the Years 1/2 classroom, which also has to be used as a walkway, adults and pupils passing through to gain access to other areas of the school often disrupt lessons. The hall is small which restricts activities in physical education and is also used for assemblies, dining and the before and after 'Kids’ Club'. The library is small and will soon be further restricted when

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

the room is combined as a computer suite. The outside hard play facilities provide sufficient space for the current number of pupils. Outdoor play space for the youngest children is unsatisfactory as the school has no secure area for children to develop their physical skills with a range of large wheeled toys. The school is fortunate to have a large playing field at the rear of the building, which is well used for a variety of activities.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

59. Overall, resources to support the curriculum are unsatisfactory. The school has identified shortages in some areas and is well supported by the local education authority in its efforts to renew resources. The provision of resources for the teaching of science is inadequate. As at the time of the last inspection, there is not enough large apparatus for physical education. In the library the number and range of non-fiction books are insufficient and restrict the opportunity for pupils to develop independent research skills. The provision of computers for information and communication technology is good in classrooms and will be further enhanced with the imminent provision of additional computers in the library. The reorganisation and development of an art and design technology area has made learning resources more accessible to pupils and teachers. Triangle CE Primary School

p.21

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

60. The headteacher and staff, in conjunction with the governing body, should:

p.22

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• raise attainment in science by the end of Year 6 by: - ensuring scientific ideas and skills are built up in an organised and systematic way, which is based on learning that has already taken place and ensures continuity; - increasing the amount of experimental and investigative science that pupils complete; - increasing teachers' expertise in the teaching of science; - improving the range and quality of learning resources to support pupils' learning; (paragraphs 3, 6, 23, 28, 43, 59 and 91 - 96)

p.22

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• improve curriculum planning in Years 3 to 6 in all subjects, other than English, mathematics, religious education and music, so pupils develop skills progressively and work becomes appropriately harder as they move through the school; (paragraph 28 and the relevant subject paragraphs).

p.22

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• improve assessment procedures in subjects other than English and mathematics, and make effective use of the results of the assessment to plan pupils' work to accurately meet their varying needs. (paragraph 43 and the relevant subject paragraphs)

p.22

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

p.22

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

In addition to the above key issues the less important areas for development are:

p.22

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• improve outdoor play provision for children in the Foundation Stage; (paragraphs 58, 61 and 72) • improve the range and quality of learning resources in physical education and the non-fiction book stock in the library. (paragraphs 59, 79 and 125) Triangle CE Primary School

p.22

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 13

p.23

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very poor

p.23

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Percentage 6 26 52 16 0 0 0 The table gives the number and percentage of lessons observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about teaching. Care should be taken when interpreting these percentages as each lesson represents more than three, percentage points.

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s (FTE for part-time pupils) 132

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 4

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 3

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 17

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 1

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 11

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 7

p.23

Attendance

National comparative data 5.6 National comparative data 0.5 Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Triangle CE Primary School

p.23

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

Year Boys Girls Total Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2001 9 12 21

p.24

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

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

p.24

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

Boys * Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls

p.24

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

Percentage of pupils School 100 (95) 100 (89) 95 (95) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (83) 86 (84) 91 (90)

p.24

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

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.24

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

Boys Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls

p.24

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

Percentage of pupils School 100 (95) 100 (89) 100 (89) at NC level 2 or above National 85 (84) 89 (88) 89 (88)

p.24

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

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

p.24

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

Year Boys Girls Total Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 2001 10 7 17

p.24

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

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

p.24

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

Boys * Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls

p.24

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

Percentage of pupils School 71 (73) 59 (73) 88 (80) at NC level 4 or above National 75 (75) 71 (72) 87 (85)

p.24

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

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.24

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

Boys Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls

p.24

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

Percentage of pupils School 94 (87) 94 (87]) 94 (87) at NC level 4 or above National 72 (70) 74 (72) 82 (79) Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year.

p.24

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

*The number of boys and girls at National Curriculum level 4 and above is omitted because they numbers are fewer than 10. This eliminates the possibility of individual pupils being identified. Triangle CE Primary School

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage 0 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – African heritage 0 Black – African heritage 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Any other minority ethnic group 0 Other minority ethnic groups 0 0 This table refers to pupils of compulsory school age only. This table gives the number of exclusions of pupils of compulsory school age, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded.

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 6.1 Financial year 2001-02

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 21.6

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total income 298,647

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 5 Total expenditure 322,460

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 88.5 Expenditure per pupil 2,443

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance brought forward from previous year 8,000 FTE means full-time equivalent.

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Recruitment of teachers

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

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 5

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Recruitment of teachers

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 0

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of a term or more (FTE) 0

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of unfilled vacancies or vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of less than one term (FTE) 0 FTE means full-time equivalent. Triangle CE Primary School

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

Percentage of responses in each category

p.26

Results of the survey of parents and carers

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

p.26

Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child is making good progress in school. 40 44 14 2 0

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

Behaviour in the school is good. 36 57 2 0 5

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 34 50 11 5 0

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 42 28 21 9 0

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 55 27 9 9 0

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 50 46 2 0 2

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school works closely with parents. 38 28 24 10 0

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is well led and managed. 30 42 13 8 8

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 44 49 2 0 5

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 33 45 17 0 5

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

Not all rows add up to 100 due to rounding and some parents not feeling able to answer all the questions . Triangle CE Primary School PART D: THE STANDARDS AND QUALITY OF TEACHING IN AREAS OF THE CURRICULUM, SUBJECTS AND COURSES

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

61. Children enter the Foundation Stage with above expected levels of attainment for children of this age. Evidence from assessments made of children in their first half-term of full time education confirms this picture of good attainment. Children of reception age are taught alongside Year 1 pupils, but good attention is paid to their individual learning needs. The quality of teaching is very good, particularly in the development of pupils' communication, language and literacy skills and this makes a good contribution to many aspects of their learning. By the end of the Foundation Stage, most children exceed the expectations of the Early Learning Goals in most areas of their learning. The exception is their physical development. They do not play outside often enough because there is nowhere suitable for them to play. The school suffers in part from the cramped accommodation, but does have plans to improve provision in this area during the next 12

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

months. Despite this limitation, pupils make good gains in their learning in reception. They are well supported in many aspects of their learning by very good support staff and they grow measurably in confidence during their first full year at the school.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

62. The quality of teaching and learning is good. Successful staff development has contributed to the improvement in teaching since the last inspection. The teacher ensures that the planning of children's learning covers all the national Early Learning Goals. She has a good knowledge and understanding of the needs of young children and plans learning that successfully develops the children’s interests and natural curiosity. The classroom is bright and attractive and provides the children with good and frequent opportunities to use imaginative and structured play to support their everyday learning. Staff assess children at regular intervals, particularly in how their learning is developing in communication, language, literacy and mathematics. Staff make good use of the results of the assessment in planning the next steps in the children's learning. The strong relationships between staff and children and the very good management of the children's

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

behaviour are key features of the teaching. Staff manage the children in a warm and supportive manner. This ensures that the children feel comfortable in their new surroundings in their first few weeks in school. The learning support assistant is an integral part of the Foundation Stage team and supports children’s learning very effectively, particularly when the class teacher works with Year 1 pupils. Staff have very good links with parents. Many parents, for example, frequently listen to children read and make supportive comments in the reading diaries.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

63. As a result of the purposeful and effective teaching, most children leave the Foundation Stage well prepared for the National Curriculum work at the start of Year 1.

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Personal, social and emotional development

64. Children make good progress in their development of personal, social and emotional skills. The quality of teaching is very good. Staff place a strong emphasis on giving children sufficient scope to work in pairs or in small groups. This makes a positive contribution to the children’s understanding of the need to play and share equipment sensibly and fairly. Children make good gains in their understanding of the needs of others. Children play co-operatively in pairs with one another and work out problems set for them by the teacher. For example, in their sand and water activities they practise together to develop their understanding of the terms 'full' and 'half full. In many lessons, pupils are highly interested in what they do and concentrate well on their work. Many of them persevere in what they do and only seek the advice and assistance of an adult when they have explored all other avenues in order to solve the problem. Many choose

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Personal, social and emotional development

Triangle CE Primary School and use resources independently of the teacher. Staff emphasise how important it is to put equipment back after it has been used to ensure that children develop good habits.

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Personal, social and emotional development

65. Children make good progress in their ability to dress and undress themselves for physical education activities. Staff develop effectively the pupils’ understanding of the need to wash, eat healthily and to change clothes on a daily basis. Relationships between the adults who support the children’s learning are very good, as they are between the children themselves. Children are thoughtful, kind, aware of the needs of others and very happily follow the established classroom routines.

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Communication, language and literacy

66. Teaching is very good and ensures that most children make good progress in this aspect of their learning. Children are effective listeners and greatly enjoy the many stories that staff read to them. The teacher organises the classroom effectively with a good selection of tape-recorders and pre-recorded commercial tapes. Pupils use these tapes in lessons and they make a good contribution to pupils’ ability to listen effectively. Staff give children creative opportunities to develop their speaking skills through the use of structured and imaginative role-play activities with other children. This contributes positively to pupils’ confidence and ability to speak as part of a larger group. Many children speak clearly and articulately. They explain in some detail the work they do and how they solve the problems staff set for them.

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Communication, language and literacy

67. Children make good gains in their reading development. Teachers pay good attention to developing pupils understanding of books and print in general. Labels and captions, as well as general classroom displays, help to reinforce children’s early understanding of literacy. Teachers are careful to surround children with high quality books to encourage them to browse and develop their love of literature. Children make good gains in their understanding of print and, by the time they join Year 1, they read many common words and phrases. They have a good appreciation that stories have a beginning, middle and end.

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Communication, language and literacy

68. By the end of the Foundation Stage, children have made very good progress in the development of their writing skills. Children have a good knowledge and understanding of the alphabet and many write letters and words. In some cases they write simple sentences that include a full stop and a capital letter. Most of the children’s writing is correctly formed. Staff provide many opportunities for children to practice their writing through imaginative role-play. For example, they pretend to be 'Goldilocks' and write ‘letters of apology’ to the Three Bears. This makes a good contribution to the children’s understanding that writing comes in different forms and for different reasons.

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Mathematical development

69. Children make good gains in their mathematical development and progress is good. The quality of teaching and learning is also good. By the end of the Foundation Stage, children count confidently up to 20 and write the numbers 1 to 10 unaided in the correct order. With the use of plastic money, children complete addition sums accurately. For example, they add correctly 6p and 2p. They know that by taking 1p away from the total it reduces the amount left. By making good use of sand and water activities, staff ensure that children develop their understanding of ‘full’, ‘empty’ and ‘half full.’ Children also develop a good understanding of weight and use mathematical terms such a ‘heavier’ or ‘lighter’ correctly. Staff provide well-planned opportunities for children to develop their understanding of shape and space. For example, pupils use a simple art package on the computer correctly to explain the similarities and differences between two-dimensional

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Mathematical development

shapes such as a rectangle and square. Higher attaining children identify simple three- dimensional shapes. Staff give children good opportunities to use a range of Triangle CE Primary School mathematical equipment that include games and puzzles. This successfully develops the children’s positive attitudes to their mathematical learning.

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

70. By the end of the Foundation Stage, children develop a good knowledge and understanding of the world in which they live. Teaching is good and ensures that children of all abilities make good progress in this aspect of their learning. Staff make effective use of information and communication technology to sustain children’s learning. In many lessons children use a computer and tape-recorders to support their learning in a number of areas. For example, children know how to use a simple computer art package and manipulate the mouse to good effect. They obtain a print-out of their work without the assistance of an adult. Through exploring topics such as ‘Machines’, children learn how everyday objects are made, what materials they are made of and why they are used. Staff give children every encouragement to play and experiment with such materials. This successfully develops their curiosity about how things are made. Staff use

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

structured play to good purpose in developing the children’s knowledge. When they play in the ‘Machine Shop’, they make simple tubes that are connected together. When they roll a ball down the tubes the children successfully develop their understanding of how simple machines have parts that are, in many cases, interconnected.

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

71. Children have a developing understanding of concepts such as ‘older’ and ‘younger’. They understand that their grandparents are older than they are themselves and that birthdays are events that celebrate the passage of time. Through exploring concepts such as ‘winter,’ they develop their knowledge and understanding of how the weather relates to the time of the year. They also develop an appreciation of the natural world in which they live.

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Physical development

72. Children make satisfactory progress in their physical development. However, their achievements in this area of their learning are hampered by the lack of suitable outside space. Provision for this aspect of their learning does improve in the summer months when the weather becomes more appropriate. Also, the school has imminent plans to provide a suitable outdoor play area for the Foundation Stage. Teaching is satisfactory. There are strong features in the opportunities that staff provide for the children to develop the finer aspects of their physical development in the form of using tools and equipment to make simple models and artefacts. When using the hall for physical education work, the children make satisfactory progress in developing their running, climbing, jumping and balancing skills. In general classroom activities staff provide the children with a wide range of planned opportunities for children to write, cut and build. In this way the

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Physical development

children’s finer motor skills develop effectively. For example, children work independently to make a simple wheeled vehicle out of a range of different materials. Many children use scissors correctly and apply glue in an even way with a glue-spreader. Children handle large wooden bricks confidently. They equally enjoy manipulating small plastic interconnecting bricks and other small construction equipment.

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Creative development

73. Staff give children good opportunities to develop their creative skills. Teaching is good and ensures that most children extensively develop their imagination and creativity. Staff allow children through structured play to develop their senses by touching, seeing and feeling. This is done by picking up and exploring the features of everyday items such as a torch or a toy. There is a specific craft area in the classroom. The effective organisation of this area helps children to learn how to use and mix paints to good effect. Also, they develop their understanding of how a wide range of materials, such as paper, Triangle CE Primary School card, fabrics, malleable and recyclable materials can be used to create simple images and objects. Children enjoy singing in unison. They sing along in tune to simple songs such as ‘Ten Green Bottles’ as part of a mathematics lesson. Simple musical instruments

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Creative development

are readily available for children to play. This develops their natural curiosity about the sounds these instruments make and how different sounds can be created depending on how they are played.

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ENGLISH

74. Inspection evidence indicates that by the end of Year 2 standards are well above the national average. By the end of Year 6 they are above average. Throughout the school, pupils reach standards that are often very high in reading, speaking and listening. Pupils make good progress by the end of Year 2 and satisfactory progress by the end of Year 6. This school year has seen an increase in the rate at which pupils progress in Years 3 to 6. This accounts for the improvement in standards compared with the national test results in 2001. There is no significant difference in the attainment of boys and girls. Better teaching has brought about the improvement in current standards.

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ENGLISH

75. Through careful monitoring and evaluation, the acting headteacher has a very clear picture of the strengths and weaknesses of the teaching. Well-focused attention on raising the expectations of what pupils can achieve is the cornerstone of the school's strategy for improvement. Procedures for assessing pupils and the use made of the results of the assessment are good. The acting headteacher supports teaching by providing a careful analysis of what pupils can and cannot do. This ensures teachers provide work that is hard enough for pupils and meets their particular needs. This was evident in a Years 5/6 class in their work on paragraphs. The lower attaining group defined paragraphs by atmosphere, action, chronology and characterisation. By the end of the lesson, pupils had a good understanding of the concept. For example, they used short sentences in their paragraph to build up tension and atmosphere. Pupils' own

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ENGLISH

knowledge of their learning is good. This helps them set their own targets for improvement. They are keen to achieve these targets. This stems directly from pupils discussing individually with the acting headteacher what they do well and where they need to improve. There is a real desire throughout the school to do well in English. There is very effective involvement of the local education literacy consultant in the school's strategy for raising standards. She works closely with the teachers to advise and help to further improve teaching. The subject is very well led by a knowledgeable and supportive co-ordinator. Her leadership too contributes significantly to the improving standards.

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ENGLISH

76. Pupils’ speaking and listening skills are very good. Throughout the school, teachers provide many activities to extend pupils' speaking and listening skills in English and in other subjects as well, such as discussions in pairs or small groups and in speaking to an audience. For example, during an assembly Years 3/4 pupils read out clearly their descriptions of the worship in other faiths. Prospective school council representatives make a speech while presenting their manifestos. These opportunities for public performance have a very positive effect on pupils' achievement. Throughout the school, pupils listen carefully and respond appropriately to adults. In a Years 1/2 lesson, pupils listened carefully to the teacher's introduction to a lesson about character profiles and the use of verbs. During this introduction, a pupil explained articulately what a verb is. She gave the example: 'Olive, will you jump up and down for me?' Teachers also provide lots

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ENGLISH

of opportunities for pupils to speak during lessons. For example, during a Years 3/4 lesson on writing instructions pupils were given many opportunities to contribute ideas through the skilled questioning by the teacher. By the end of the lesson they talked articulately about what constituted a clear set of instructions. Triangle CE Primary School 77. Pupils achieve well above average standards in writing by the end of Year 2 and above average standards by the end of Year 6. There are definite signs that standards in writing are improving significantly in Years 3 to 6. For example, approximately 89 per cent of Year 6 pupils are on course to achieve the expected level for their age in the national test later this year. This compares favourably with the 70 per cent who attained it in 2001. Also, about 30 per cent produce work that is at a level higher than that expected for their age. This again is better than in 2001 when 18 per cent achieved this higher level. The

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ENGLISH

good progress pupils make in developing their writing skills is the result of staff teaching the basic skills of grammar, including punctuation, effectively. They combine this effective attention to the basic skills with making work interesting and this motivates pupils to concentrate and learn. The Years 1/2 teacher introduced a lesson on character profiles using an expressive retelling, including singing, of the 'Ugly Duckling' story. The pupils thoroughly enjoyed the choice of text. It motivated them to want to write and they produced a very good standard of writing. They used words such as 'popular' and 'frightened' correctly. They also used opposites correctly. For example, one pupil included 'unpopular' in his writing. Standards of spelling and handwriting are good.

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ENGLISH

78. Throughout the school pupils achieve well across a range of writing, such as poetry, story, reports and scripts, because of the good writing curriculum that teachers provide. An above-average Year 6 pupil wrote: 'Unaware of Simon's presence, Oliver clicked on the light. It was as strangely white as the moon'. A Year 2 pupil used punctuation correctly, including speech marks accurately. The pupil wrote: 'At noon big Billy goat gruff said, "We can't eat all this grass"'. Another example of excellent use of punctuation and descriptive writing was by a Year 5 boy. He wrote: 'He walked daringly up to his friends and said, "Sorry mates, can't play with you today, I'm a girl"'. The quality of pupils' poetry writing is of a very high standard. This is reflected in the fact that they won a local poetry competition with outstanding work. Teachers develop effectively literacy skills in other subjects. For example, in religious education a Year 6 pupil wrote in her story of Esther:

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ENGLISH

'When his messenger came back, he was furious - his wife had refused to come'. Teachers' good quality of marking enhances pupils' learning. In one piece of work, the teacher wrote: ' You have a good opening paragraph which draws the reader into the story, the setting and characters are introduced well'. There was evidence in the pupil's next piece of work that the story developed well from this good opening. However, in Years 4 and 5 the marking is not always of this high standard. This adversely affects the progress some pupils make.

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ENGLISH

79. There are a number of reasons why reading standards are high. The good teaching of basic skills combined with a variety of interesting activities that teachers give pupils have a very positive effect on pupils' standards. For example, a Year 2 lower-attaining pupil tackled new words using a variety of taught methods. He sounded out letters to word- build and made good use of picture clues. Teachers identify pupils' specific needs in learning to read very early. They then provide appropriate work skilfully. Teachers ensure that pupils who need extra help have the support of the Additional Literacy Strategy. The strategy is taught very well and has a definite and positive effect on pupils' learning. The 'reading volunteers' also enhance pupils' learning. Pupils very much appreciate the one-to-one attention they receive from these volunteers. The school has a satisfactory range of book resources for use in literacy lessons and for pupils to read at

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ENGLISH

home. Teachers use the books effectively to promote pupils' interest and enjoyment in reading and match them accurately to pupils' different reading levels. As a result, most pupils enjoy reading and achieve well. Another very significant factor in the pupils' success in learning to read is the excellent support they receive from their parents. Parents regularly listen to their children read at home and make helpful comments in the pupils' reading diaries. A shortcoming in reading provision in the school is the lack of non-fiction books in the library, which means pupils do not develop their research skills. Triangle CE Primary School 80. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress in relation to their prior attainment because teachers and support staff plan work for them that they match carefully to the pupils' learning needs. In a Years 4/5 lesson the learning support assistant supported pupils very effectively. Through skilled questioning, she encouraged

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ENGLISH

them to think about what they read and concentrate on identifying adjectives in the text. The pupils made good progress and by the end of the lesson they used adjectives correctly to describe rock and soil.

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ENGLISH

81. Teaching is good and affects pupils' learning positively. In 20 per cent of lessons it is very good or excellent. Teachers mainly structure the different parts of the literacy lessons carefully. As a result, in most lessons pupils waste no time and they cover a lot of work. When the lessons are satisfactory, the teacher does not use the time available effectively and this means there is insufficient time for pupils to complete all the work they are capable of doing. Teachers ensure that the work is sufficiently challenging yet matched to the learning needs of all pupils. In a Years 4/5 lesson, the higher attainers had to develop the skills of note taking and explanatory writing while lower attainers identified adjectives in a text. Teachers mainly make sound use of information and communication technology to support pupils' learning. For example, Year 4 word- processed their poems. Pupils completed this work to a high standard. One pupil wrote:

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ENGLISH

'Though others screamed and shrieked at her name, Because of her rudeness and bad language that came…'. Teachers use correct technical words and they encourage pupils to use them in English and other subjects.

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MATHEMATICS

82. Inspection findings indicate that pupils at the end of Year 2 achieve well in relation to their prior attainment. By the end of Year 6 pupils achieve satisfactorily. These findings broadly reflect achievement at the time of the last inspection. There is no significant difference in the attainment of boys and girls.

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MATHEMATICS

83. Standards in the National Curriculum tests at the end of Year 6 have declined in recent times and the school has not kept pace with improvements in mathematics seen nationally. The results of the most recent National Curriculum tests indicated that when compared to similar schools, standards were well below average. However, the input by the current acting headteacher and the measures she has implemented have reversed this trend and the pace of pupils’ learning in Years 3 to 6 is improving rapidly. This is the result of rigorous monitoring of the quality of teaching by the acting headteacher. As an outcome, expectations of what pupils can achieve are higher and the teachers' planning is more effective. There is currently good teaching of mathematics throughout the school, which contributes significantly to the increased rate of progress pupils make.

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MATHEMATICS

84. Other recent developments in the subject have helped to improve the quality of teaching. Teachers now make better use of assessment information in planning their lessons. The improved knowledge and understanding that teachers now have about what pupils know, can do and understand, particularly Years 3 to 6, helps them plan work that matches accurately pupils' varying levels of ability. Targets are now set for improvement. The acting headteacher and teachers regularly evaluate pupils' progress in relation to the set targets. The co-ordinator is newly appointed to the school and it is too early to judge her effectiveness. She does, however, share the vision for how the standards can be improved in the school.

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MATHEMATICS

85. Teachers have a good knowledge and understanding of the National Numeracy Strategy and use it well to support pupils’ learning. Teachers use the first part of many lessons effectively to flex pupils’ mental abilities with challenging mental calculations. Teachers pay good attention to developing pupils’ use and understanding of mathematical language and in solving everyday problems. Teachers fully involve support assistants in Triangle CE Primary School all parts of lessons and this positively affects pupils' learning. Another good feature of the teaching is the management of pupils' behaviour. Relationships are very good and ensure that pupils approach teachers or support assistants confidently to seek help when needed.

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MATHEMATICS

86. A shortcoming in teaching is the planned use of investigation work to support pupils’ learning. Teachers give too few opportunities to pupils to complete mathematical investigative work and this results in unsatisfactory learning in this aspect of their mathematical development. The quality of the marking of pupils' work is satisfactory with some weaknesses. While all teachers mark pupils’ work, it is often done in the form of a tick or a short comment. Too often, the marking does not give enough guidance to pupils about how they may improve their work.

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MATHEMATICS

87. By the end of Year 2, pupils have a good understanding of the properties of number and solve simple problems involving money. Most add together two digit numbers confidently and recognise odd and even numbers. Pupils know that subtraction is the reverse of addition. They mentally solve problems that involve the subtraction of double-digit figures. Their understanding of fractions is good. They accurately tell the time using an analogue or digital clock face. By the age of seven, pupils develop a good understanding of the concepts of shape and measure. For example, they explain the similarities and differences between two and three-dimensional shapes.

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MATHEMATICS

88. By the end of Year 6, pupils reach standards above the national average in most aspects of the mathematics curriculum. Noteworthy are the rapid gains in their learning of measure, shape and space. By the age of 11, pupils name and tell the difference between different sorts of angles. They know how to calculate the area of a right-angled triangle accurately by using the correct formula. Higher attaining pupils label and identify the properties of a circle and know how to construct a triangle properly using a pair of compasses. Teachers give pupils good opportunities to work out answers mentally. They have good strategies for working out problems involving long multiplication and division. Most pupils, including those with special educational needs, explain the relationships between decimals, fractions and percentages. They have a good understanding of the difference between improper and vulgar fractions.

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MATHEMATICS

89. Pupils ability to collect, interpret and handle data is the weaker feature of their attainment generally. Pupils have begun to make satisfactory use of information and communication technology to support their learning in this aspect of mathematics. Years 5 and 6 pupils use spreadsheets to interpret data. They are also developing their understanding of how such programs can solve a series of numbers and problems quickly and easily. However, given the high levels of ability and interest many pupils demonstrate in using computers, too little use is made of computers generally to support their mathematical development. In addition, few pupils make significant gains in understanding how the computer language of ‘Logo’ can aid their learning about shape and space. Greater use of this and other mathematical software offers much potential to boost the rate of pupils’ learning.

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MATHEMATICS

90. Throughout the school, the quality of teaching promotes pupils’ very good attitudes to the subject. Pupils are curious about the language of mathematics and work hard to solve the problems they are set. Interest levels are high. When pupils work in small groups or pairs, they do so in a co-operative and collaborative manner. Not all pupils, however, present their work as neatly as possible and this sometimes makes it difficult to follow the line of pupils’ thinking. Not all teachers have high enough expectations of pupils in this aspect of their work. There are some good links made to develop pupils’ numeracy skills in other subjects. For example, in a Year 6 design and technology lesson, pupils estimated, measured and cut out fabric as part of a project on making a cushion. In a Year 2 lesson, pupils measured and cut out card as part of making a moving vehicle.

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SCIENCE

Triangle CE Primary School 91. Inspection evidence indicates that standards of attainment in science are well above those normally found in Year 2, but standards in Year 6 are below those found nationally. This reflects the results of the most recent national tests. The school attains highly by the end of Year 2 in comparison with similar schools. However, pupils underachieve by the end of Year 6. Throughout the school, pupils identified as having special educational needs make similar progress to their classmates.

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SCIENCE

92. Standards at the end of Year 2 are higher than they were at the time of the last inspection, but they are lower at the end of Year 6. Although the teaching and learning are mainly good in lessons, the progress pupils make over time is poor. This is because of the poor way the pupils' work is organised as they move through the school. Pupils cover an aspect of the science curriculum in one year and then very rarely develop their learning in the aspect again while at school. This means pupils complete work in Year 6 that is unsuitable because it is at a level that is too easy for them or they do not have the necessary skills to build on. For example, during the inspection very similar work was observed in a Years 3/4 lesson as in a Years 5/6 lesson. The acting headteacher and teachers are aware of this serious shortcoming and have plans to put it right. Another very significant factor is the lack of investigative and experimental science work to help

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SCIENCE

pupils develop an understanding and knowledge of important scientific principles. The range and quality of learning resources for the subject are poor. This adversely affects pupils' learning and the progress they make. Some teachers' subject knowledge is weak and they do not teach the subject confidently. This means that the very highest attaining pupils are not given work that will challenge their thinking.

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SCIENCE

93. By the end of Year 2, pupils have good investigative skills because of the way teachers plan lessons. Teachers encourage pupils to think for themselves and observe. In Years 1/2 work on wind power, pupils had to observe and report what happened when they made self-propelling rockets powered by a balloon. Pupils showed a good awareness of appropriate vocabulary by saying: ' We can't see wind but we feel its power'. Practical problems help pupils develop their scientific knowledge and thinking. Pupils study plants and record what happens when they grow. The teacher developed pupils' literacy skills by ensuring that written accounts about how seeds travel were completed accurately. A very good feature of a Years 1/2 lesson was the use the teacher made of the pupils' previous learning, especially their visit to a local mill. This enabled pupils to quickly make the connection with their current work on wind power. The teacher also used very

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SCIENCE

effectively an aspect of their literacy work about The Wizard of Oz. Pupils related their learning in the lesson to the tornado in the story. The teacher demonstrated her high expectations of what she expected pupils to learn by the use of appropriate vocabulary. For example, she said, 'A spiral force lifted the house up in the air'. Year 2 pupils have a good understanding of the importance of having a healthy body through good eating habits and exercise. Pupils develop good scientific vocabulary because teachers reinforce key words both when speaking and by displaying them in the classrooms. For example, in the Years 1/2 classroom there is a good quality display of work about forces.

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SCIENCE

94. All pupils in Years 3 to 6 have completed the same work since the start of the school year. Older pupils do some more difficult work, but never at a level higher than that expected for pupils in Year 6. Many of the Year 6 pupils are capable of successfully tackling work at the higher level. It does, however, mean that pupils in Years 3 and 4 attain very highly because much of the work is very challenging for pupils of this age. Pupils in Years 3 and 4 have a very good knowledge and understanding of which materials are good conductors. They know how to construct an electrical circuit. Year 6 pupils extend this learning by including a buzzer. Halfway through this current school year, Year 6 pupils have completed no work on materials and their properties or forces. For example, there is no work on gravitational or magnetic forces. Older pupils rarely start their work with an investigation which would develop their knowledge and

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SCIENCE

Triangle CE Primary School understanding of a topic. Also, teachers miss opportunities to develop pupils' literacy skills. For example, much of Year 6's written work is copied notes although they are well capable of writing their own accounts.

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SCIENCE

95. The overall quality of teaching is good, but it ranges from satisfactory to very good. The best teaching is in Years 1, 2, 3 and 4. In the best teaching, teachers plan work well, usually starting with an investigation. The planning also ensures that pupils learn basic scientific skills well. Teachers do this by planning work that builds on and consolidates pupils' prior learning successfully. This is most effective for Year 3 pupils. In the very good lessons, teachers use their subject knowledge well to ask questions about their investigations. This means that pupils think about what they are doing and in turn this extends their understanding. In a Years 3/4 lesson, skilled questioning by the teacher made sure that pupils consolidated their knowledge and understanding of plants. The very good class control and relationships with pupils allow teachers to concentrate on imparting knowledge and giving additional support when necessary. This also means

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SCIENCE

pupils waste little time and complete a lot of work in lessons. This was evident in a Years 1/2 lesson when pupils investigated wind power. Pupils listened and watched intently and by the end of the lesson they explained clearly and identified accurately wind force, and linked it effectively to their experiments with self-propelling rockets. Teachers attempt to resource lessons as effectively as they can. In a Years 5/6 lesson on the dissection of flowers, the lesson was well resourced with a variety of flowers. This motivated pupils so well that they wanted to investigate the different parts of the flower. However, pupils' progress slowed because they had not covered this aspect of the science curriculum before and so had little prior knowledge of plants. A shortage of scientific equipment also hampered their investigations. For example, there was just one pair of tweezers to share between all the pupils in the class.

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SCIENCE

96. A weakness in the science teaching is the lack of use and development of pupils' literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology skills within the subject. There is also no effective system for assessing pupils' attainment or for measuring the progress they make. The acting headteacher has taken over the role of subject co-ordinator. She has a real awareness of what needs to be done, but has had insufficient time to implement change. The shortcomings in the subject are about to be addressed.

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ART AND DESIGN

97. Standards in art and design are in line with national expectations at the end of Years 2 and 6 and are at the same level as those noted at the last inspection. Pupils of all abilities, including those with special educational needs, make satisfactory progress in the development of their art skills as they move through each of the classes. Pupils’ learning is sufficiently enhanced by the quality of teaching, which is satisfactory. The subject co- ordinator provides good leadership and management of the subject.

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ART AND DESIGN

98. By the end of Year 2, pupils make satisfactory progress in developing their drawing skills. Teachers ensure that pupils have good access to a range of pencils to help develop their drawing skills. However, pupils are unsure as to why pencils have different weights of lead in them. Despite this, pupils have a good understanding of line and shade because of the emphasis teachers place on this aspect of art. For example, through good teaching of the artistic techniques of Quentin Blake, pupils emulated his style of drawing people by completing work in a similar style. In painting, pupils know that different colours can be made from combining different paints. Pupils’ skills of applying paint in a fair and even way develop at a good rate. Teachers provide pupils with sufficient opportunities to work in three dimensions. They also ensure that pupils complete good quality work by using different fabrics to make simple collages. Pupils’ knowledge and

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ART AND DESIGN

understanding of the works of famous artists are weaker features of their attainment. Triangle CE Primary School 99. By the end of Year 6, pupils continue to develop their understanding of artistic concepts such as line, colour, texture and tone at a satisfactory rate. Teachers provide pupils with sufficient scope to develop their drawing skills when they make initial sketches of their work. Good teaching makes sure that pupils enhance the quality of this work by applying different shading techniques. There was little evidence of pupils’ painting work available during the inspection. However, discussions with pupils suggest they understand terms such as ‘hue’ and how the adding of water or white may alter the tone of a colour. There are good links made with pupils' learning in design and technology by developing pupils’ understanding of textiles. During the inspection, pupils were making a cushion as part of

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ART AND DESIGN

their design and technology work. This work involved the pupils in developing their appreciation of how different fabrics can be used to create different works of art. Weaker features of pupils' learning include the use of information and communication technology to support art development. Also, pupils’ knowledge and understanding of the works of artists and famous craftspeople from other cultures are weaknesses. In addition, while pupils do use a sketchbook to complete preliminary work, their understanding of the importance of such books as a means of preparatory work is under-developed.

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ART AND DESIGN

100. Pupils enjoy their artwork and teachers give every encouragement to work carefully and diligently. This has a positive impact on their self-esteem. In the main, teachers have secure subject knowledge. Although art is taught as a separate subject, there are missed opportunities to develop pupils’ skills and understanding through some other subjects. Teachers explain clearly what they want pupils to do and this ensures that the majority of pupils understand what is expected of them by the end of a lesson. In addition, teachers provide appropriate support and guidance during lessons. However, teachers miss opportunities to develop pupils’ initiative in the subject by not allowing them to chose the medium and materials they wish to use in undertaking the work that is set for them. In Years 3 to 6, teachers make insufficient use of information and communication technology to support pupils’ understanding of the art and design process. Encouraging

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ART AND DESIGN

pupils to use information and communication technology at home as part of their studies of the works of famous artists through the Internet would be a valuable step in enhancing pupils’ learning.

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ART AND DESIGN

101. The school has only just developed procedures to assess pupils’ progress and development in the subject as they move through the school. These are based on national guidance for the subject. The school is developing ways to ensure that teachers know the stages of development their pupils are at in order to plan the next steps in their learning. The school has made good progress in developing guidance materials for teachers in planning work for pupils. These are consistently used in each of the classes. The co-ordinator is supportive of her colleagues and gives a good lead in implementing initiatives in respect of the subject. At present, there are few ways to ensure that pupils who display a particular talent or gift in the subject are identified and their talent further nurtured.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

102. Inspection evidence shows that by the end of Years 2 and 6, standards are in line with national expectations. This is a similar picture to that found at the time of the last inspection. Pupils with special educational needs make satisfactory progress in the development of their design and technology skills and throughout the school all pupils make satisfactory gains in their learning. Teachers make good links by ensuring that the pupils develop their understanding of the subject through other areas of the curriculum. As a result, this makes a positive contribution to the positive attitudes to the subject. The subject is well led and the co-ordinator has ensured that the school successfully embraces the national guidance given to schools to help plan pupils’ learning. Triangle CE Primary School 103. By the end of Year 2, pupils develop a satisfactory understanding of the need to think through their ideas before they start their work. They appreciate the need for simple

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

drawings to give an indication as to how their work may progress. Pupils understand the need for thinking what materials may be the most suitable for the task they have been set. Recent work on the theme of ‘Machines’ gave pupils the opportunity to make moving vehicles using wheels made from balsa wood. Their initial drawings were good and work progressed positively to ensuring that their finished work had a close resemblance to their drawings. By undertaking such work, pupils learned about the importance of different parts, how they were interrelated and how axles are important for wheels to work. Pupils make good gains in their understanding of the need to add finishing touches to their work in order for it to have an attractive appearance. Learning is further enhanced by the good array of everyday objects that are left on display for pupils to pick and explore how they work. This assists greatly in the development of pupils’ curiosity about the world in which

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

they live and of how different artefacts can be made from the same materials.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

104. By the end of Year 6, teachers provide sufficient opportunities for pupils to investigate and use a range of materials to make simple artefacts. Pupils develop a secure understanding of the importance of thinking through how their work may appear when completed. They label their drawings and make rough approximations as to the size and appearance of their work. Teachers give pupils good opportunities to explore real objects as a means of preparatory work to gauge for themselves how objects are made professionally. This helps pupils develop an understanding of the design and make principles that underpin design and technology work. Pupils work carefully. For example, in a Year 6 lesson, pupils were continuing to make a cushion that they started previously. Pupils made some interesting designs, measured out their fabric, cut it to size and then stitched it together with the aid of an electric sewing machine. Part of the success of this

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

work lay in the fact that pupils had been able to record their design and subsequent progress pictorially. This provided a useful framework as to how their work was to progress and ensured that their work had a strong degree of originality.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

105. Although little teaching was seen during the inspection, evaluation of teachers’ plans and discussions with pupils indicate that teaching and learning are at least satisfactory. Teachers have a satisfactory knowledge of the subject and where possible, make effective links with other subjects, particularly art and design, to support and enrich pupils’ learning. A key feature of the Years 5/6 lesson seen during the inspection was the good organisation of pupils’ learning. Resources were plentiful and gave pupils suitable choices as which materials may be most suitable for the work they were undertaking. The teacher gave pupils good opportunities to explain their work to their classmates, which helped to boost their confidence in speaking aloud to a wider group. The teacher encouraged pupils to ponder carefully on how their work could be improved. Throughout the school, pupils develop positive attitudes to the subject. Many are curious about how

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

things work and enjoy exploring the inner parts of various gadgets to find out how they work and how they are made. Teachers make good use of books to support pupils’ learning of different themes and topics. Teachers could make greater use of computer- aided design to improve teaching further. Assessment arrangements for the subject are informal and in need of improvement. Teachers effectively develop pupils' numeracy and literacy skills within the subject.

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GEOGRAPHY

106. By the end of both Years 2 and 6, most pupils reach standards above national expectations and achieve well for their abilities in the work available for inspection. This is the result of the good quality of teaching and learning, especially the very good use of the local area for fieldwork. No work was completed at the time of the inspection on a contrasting locality within the United Kingdom or in a less economically developed country. The way the geography curriculum is planned means that pupils in Years 3 to 6 Triangle CE Primary School cover the same themes at the same time. This is unsatisfactory as they will not meet a particular aspect of the geography curriculum again. This hampers the development of skills, knowledge and understanding in a systematic way as they move from class to class.

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GEOGRAPHY

107. By the time pupils leave Year 2, they have gained a good understanding of human beings' impact on the environment. For example, Year 1 pupils have a good understanding of the importance of recycling materials. They gained this understanding through studying what items are recycled at home. Through very good use of a village study, Years 5 and 6 pupils identify on an ordnance survey map the various physical features. They produce excellent quality sketch maps that they label correctly and provide an informative key. This work has been built on well form Year 3 work involving class plans and Year 4 work on compass directions and plans of the school. This work is of good quality. Year 4 also produce very good work on the study of the local village. This is supported by photographic evidence that enhances pupils' understanding. Teachers and pupils make use of a digital camera for this work.

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GEOGRAPHY

108. Teaching and learning throughout the school are good. The very good relationships between teachers and pupils help ensure that lessons are always very well organised and managed. Teachers have high expectations of what pupils can achieve and so set challenging work. For example, in a Year 1 lesson, pupils used their surveys, completed as homework, on recycling to produce graphs to record their findings. Not only was this very good mathematics work, but also their achievement in geography was above the level expected of pupils this age. By the end of the lesson they had a good appreciation of how the environment may be sustained and improved. Teachers make excellent use of visitors with local knowledge to lead lessons. Pupils in Years 3, 4 and 5 benefited from this strategy. By the end of the lessons, pupils had a very good understanding of the geographical factors that influenced the building of the village on its particular site. Pupils

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GEOGRAPHY

throughout the school have a very good understanding of their local environment.

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GEOGRAPHY

109. There are good links with pupils' development of their numeracy skills. For example, in the Years 4/5 class pupils' mapping skills are extended by work on two and three figure co-ordinates in mathematics. Homework is also used effectively to support pupils' learning in geography. Year 5 pupils completed high quality research work about the local village of Triangle. Pupils' literacy and computer skills are less well developed in geography. There are no effective assessment procedures in place to measure pupils' progress as they move through the school. The co-ordinator for geography provides satisfactory leadership for a subject that has been given a low priority in terms of whole school development.

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HISTORY

110. Inspection evidence shows that by the end of Years 2 and 6, pupils’ attainment is in line with national expectations. The standards reached by pupils at the time of the last inspection have been maintained. However, insufficient progress has been made in developing the curriculum that is planned for pupils in Years 3 to 6. As a result, while progress made by pupils, including those with special educational needs, is satisfactory it is hampered by the fact that pupils’ learning is not built up in a systematic way as they move through each of the classes. Higher attaining pupils in particular could achieve more in this subject.

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HISTORY

111. By the end of Year 2, pupils develop a satisfactory understanding of events from the past. They know that the last century experienced two world wars and that those who died are remembered on Remembrance Sunday. They know that the poppy holds particular significance on this day and that special prayers are said for those who died. They understand that the lives of their grandparents as children were different to their own and Triangle CE Primary School that the pastimes and the toys that their grandparents played with were different from those that they play with. They understand that people from the past are renowned for certain events and explain that Guy Fawkes is remembered in November for attempting to destroy the Houses of Parliament.

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HISTORY

112. By the end of Year 6, pupils develop a good understanding of how the village of Triangle has developed over the years. This is because of the strong emphasis that teachers place on developing the pupils’ understanding of the history of the village and the importance that the woollen industry has played in the early development of the village. Teachers make good links with geography to develop pupils’ knowledge and understanding in this respect. In Years 3 and 4, pupils develop a good understanding of a time line and by exploring themes and topics such as ‘Invaders and Settlers’ pupils appreciate the importance that the Vikings and Saxons played in the history of Britain. They know that the Vikings were not a group of people often displayed in films as marauding invaders but were heavily dependent on farming and trading in order to thrive. Pupils have a good understanding of terms such as ‘settlement’ and appreciate how

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HISTORY

important it was for the cotton mills of the 19 th Century to be sited near a water supply in order to draw their power to run the machinery. By the end of Year 6, pupils have a secure understanding of how information about the past can be gathered and needs to be interpreted in different ways. By exploring the features of their own school building, for example, they understand both how it has changed over the years and the purposes that part of the school was used for at one time.

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HISTORY

113. Although no direct teaching was observed during the inspection, evidence indicates that the quality of teaching and learning is at least satisfactory. Teachers pay good attention to ensure that pupils develop a good understanding of their local history. They provide pupils with a good range of educational trips to places of local interest to extend pupils' knowledge as well as develop their curiosity about how previous generations of people lived. Throughout the school, teachers have good subject knowledge and a strong enthusiasm for the subject and this impacts well on the pupils’ high levels of interest. However, there are issues in relation to the depth and coverage of how the subject is taught that reduce the rate of pupils’ learning. In essence, pupils in Years 3 to 6 explore the same theme or topic at the same time. Evaluation of pupils’ work indicates that while some activities planned for pupils are different in each of the classes, there is a strong

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HISTORY

overlap in the knowledge and skills in each of the classes. There is also insufficient attention paid to ensuring that pupils’ knowledge and skills develop in a sequential manner as they move through the school. In some classes, there is too much reliance on pupils completing a worksheet. Also, teachers give older pupils in particular too few opportunities to develop their literacy skills by carrying out personal research. Information and communication technology is not used often enough to support pupils' learning. Assessment procedures are ineffective.

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HISTORY

114. The co-ordinator has a strong interest in the subject and this has a strong influence on the pupils’ own level of interest and curiosity about the past. However, the quality and range of resources are too few and classes have to share what the school has between them when teaching the subject. At present, the co-ordinator has not had her role in terms of monitoring and evaluating the quality of teaching and learning sufficiently developed.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

115. Pupils’ attainment at the end of Years 2 and 6 is in line with national expectations. Standards have remained at the same level noted at the time of the last inspection. Pupils, including those with special educational needs, make satisfactory progress in most aspects of the subject. However, pupils’ learning of how to use equipment to control and programme simple electronic devices is unsatisfactory. Teachers provide too few Triangle CE Primary School opportunities for pupils to develop their skills in this aspect of the subject. The new co- ordinator for the subject provides good leadership and has raised the status of the subject. She has implemented measures to ensure that teachers make more effective use of computers and other related information and communication technology equipment to support pupils’ learning. Other measures have included the use of national guidance materials to support teachers in their planning of pupils’ learning. As a result of

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

such work, the rate of pupils’ learning is improving very quickly. Further plans include the provision of a small suite of computers in the school library to enable pupils to be taught in smaller groups - this was completed the week after the inspection.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

116. By the end of Year 2, pupils have a satisfactory understanding of how computers can be used to support their learning. Pupils competently word process stories and use an art program imaginatively and correctly to design pictures and graphics. Teachers provide opportunities for pupils to program a floor robotic toy. This ensures that they learn how certain electronic devices are dependent on a series of instructions in order to make them operate. Pupils make good gains in their understanding and knowledge of this aspect of their work. The use of information and communication technology to support their mathematical development in the form of using simple tables and charts is the weaker aspect of their development.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

117. By the end of Year 6, pupils know how to add graphics to a piece of text and how to manipulate that graphic in order to increase its size or alter the colour of it. Pupils have a good knowledge of how to use different fonts and that by doing so improve the appearance of their work. Pupils access the Internet very competently and use it well as a means of developing their research skills. They have a good knowledge of the technical terms related to the Internet. For example, pupils understand what is meant by a ‘web page’ and they locate information using the web to support their learning. Years 4 and 5 pupils expertly use a digital camera as part of their studies of the local area. By the end of Year 6, pupils know that a host of devices can be added to the computer in order to increase its versatility. Teachers' growing confidence ensures the use of information and communication technology plays an increasing, but still underdeveloped, part in

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

pupils' learning. Pupils have a clear understanding of how computers can benefit their everyday lives. Pupils make unsatisfactory progress in the development of their understanding of how to programme electronic devices. Older pupils, for example, do not have a sufficient awareness of control, modelling or sensor equipment.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

118. The quality of teaching is satisfactory. More recent improvements in the quality of teaching have taken place as a result of staff development to boost teachers’ confidence and understanding of the use computers can play as part of their everyday teaching. The good level of classroom organisation and management of pupils ensures that in many lessons, pupils use computers to support their learning. In specific lessons, explanations to pupils on how to use the equipment are clear and ensure that the pupils know what they have to do and how to use the software when they come to use the equipment. Teachers know that many of the pupils have access to computer equipment at home and give pupils the scope to use this as part of general homework activities. Teachers’ increasing enthusiasm for the subject has a positive effect on the pupils’ own attitudes to their work. When working at the computers, pupils work quietly and sensibly and show a

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

strong interest both in how computers work and how they can be used to support their learning. Teaching does not, however, make effective use of assessment information in planning pupils’ learning. At present, the way the school records and monitors pupils’ progress in their learning is at a very early stage of development. This makes it difficult for teachers to plan successfully in order to build on what pupils already know and can do in order to move them on at a faster pace.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

119. The co-ordinator, who has been managing the subject for around a year, has a clear perception of what still needs to be undertaken to ensure that pupils’ achievements and Triangle CE Primary School capabilities in the subject are realised. Strategic development for the subject is good. With the assistance of parents, the school has developed its own web page and plans are in place to enable pupils to play a more active part in developing this feature of the school’s provision.

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MUSIC

120. Standards in music are very good at the end of Years 2 and 6. This is a significant improvement since the last inspection. The reason for the improvement is use of visiting music specialists to teach the pupils. The quality of teaching and learning is excellent. The quality of singing performance is outstanding. This reflected in their very successful performance in the Royal Albert Hall during the 'Music for Youth Festival' - an outstanding achievement as they also composed the work they performed. During a choir practice at the time of the inspection, pupils sang with exuberance, supported by the specialist teacher who provided an excellent example to follow. The performance was truly breathtaking.

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MUSIC

121. In Years 1 and 2, pupils receive excellent teaching by a visiting specialist. Her very skilled teaching of voice control, pulse and rhythm resulted in very good performance by almost all pupils. The teacher teaches with infectious enthusiasm to ensure the pupils' learning is enjoyable as well as very effective. The teacher handles pupils' nervousness of public performance very sensitively. The result is that even the shyest pupil performs in front of the class, quietly but with increasing confidence. This not only increases pupils' singing skills, but also enhances their personal development. Throughout the lesson, boys and girls perform with equal enthusiasm. All pupils, including those identified as having special educational needs, make very good progress. The class teacher supports the visiting specialist's work effectively. In a class lesson, pupils confidently clap their names in rhythm during work on creating rhythmic patterns based on words and phrases.

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MUSIC

Pupils perform their 'playground chant' very enthusiastically and with a great sense of rhythm.

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MUSIC

122. Years 5 and 6 pupils demonstrated very good pulse and rhythm during an introductory foot-stamping and hand-clapping activity at the start of a very good lesson. The teacher's very secure subject knowledge led to skilled teaching of the glockenspiel to ensure pupils played the musical notes 'A' and 'E' to accompany very good quality singing in unison. Pupils sing tunefully in rounds and perform with great confidence. They complete the second section of the lesson with an excellent integrated performance of 'The Little Bell of Westminster' that involved recorders, triangles and glockenspiels. Pupils follow the hand signs for the musical scale accurately. They recognise the number of phrases in a piece of music. Very nearly all pupils sing with clear diction, pitch control and a sense of musical expression in unison and in two parts.

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MUSIC

123. Pupils clearly enjoy music lessons and are anxious to participate fully, including those with special educational needs. Pupils’ attitudes and behaviour are very good. They handle instruments with care and observe the rules about when to play and when not to play. When working in groups they co-operate and collaborate successfully, sharing ideas and instruments sensibly.

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MUSIC

124. Although assessment procedures are not formal, teachers have a very good knowledge of the level of performance and build on pupils' prior attainment very successfully. The acting headteacher has taken on the role of subject co-ordinator but, because of the outstanding quality of the teaching, the subject currently runs itself. However, systems need to be put in place for the teaching of the subject in case the school does not have access to the visiting specialists.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Triangle CE Primary School 125. During the inspection, inspectors observed lessons in educational gymnastics taught to pupils in Years 1, 2, 5 and 6. The teachers' planning for the subject ensures there is satisfactory attention to the entire curriculum throughout the year. Standards in lessons observed were above national expectations in Year 2 and in line with national expectations in Year 6. Pupils, including those with special educational needs, make satisfactory progress. Girls' performance is better than the boys. These findings broadly reflect those of the last inspection. The progress slows during Years 5 and 6 because the space available for pupils to perform is too small and limits the range of possible movements. Equipment, for example benches, is of poor quality and this again hampers progress. Pupils who attend the school's gymnastics club enhance their performance significantly. Most who attend are girls and this positively affects their performance in

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

lessons. Boys and girls benefit from after school netball and football clubs. Pupils attain nationally expected standards in swimming by the time they leave the school.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

126. The quality of teaching in the Years 1/2 lesson was very good. All pupils and the teacher were suitably dressed for the activities. The teacher provided the pupils with appropriate warm-up activities at the start of the lesson. Then at a brisk pace pupils moved into a sequence of curls and stretches. The high expectations of the teacher were reflected in the pupils' good quality finishing position, which was insisted on by the teacher. The emphasis the teacher places on effective use of space was particularly successful in improving pupils' performance. The introduction of mats extended pupils' range of movements to include various rolls of good quality. They all moved with co-ordination and control. The teacher made good use of pupils appraising one another to further improve performance. Behaviour was impeccable throughout and pupils were keen learners.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

127. The teaching and learning were satisfactory in the Years 5/6 lesson that consisted of sequence work on a climbing frame, mats and benches. The two benches were of poor quality. The teacher ensured pupils warmed up correctly with a range of suitable activities. The teacher emphasised to the pupils the importance of making full use of all the apparatus. Pupils' progress slowed when they queued for a turn. The planning did not make enough use of the floor as a piece of apparatus so that pupils did not have to wait around for a turn on the apparatus. Pupils work well co-operatively and collaboratively in pairs. Most move with control and co-ordination, but they were restricted by the lack of space and range of apparatus available.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

128. The co-ordinator is new to the school and has had no time to have any significant impact on standards within the subject. There has been no firm steer to the development of the subject. Assessment procedures are informal and do not provide a clear picture about how well pupils progress from one class to the next.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

129. Pupils' attainment is above the targets set in the locally agreed syllabus for religious education. This is an improvement when compared with the findings of the last inspection. Pupils develop a good knowledge of world faiths, including Christianity, Buddhism, Judaism, Islam and Hinduism, and discuss religious ideas responsibly and with interest. Pupils with special educational needs play a full part in lessons, contributing to discussions and making good progress. Religious education makes a strong contribution to pupils' spiritual development as well as increasing their awareness of other cultures.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

130. Pupils in Years 1 and 2 learnt about Joseph's coat and that it was a special coat. They linked this with thoughts about special people and how Jesus is their special friend. Throughout their religious education work the teacher makes effective links with pupils' literacy skills. For example, in response to the story of Noah's ark a pupil wrote an Triangle CE Primary School extended piece of work that included the sentence: 'God sent a rainbow to show us he would never flood the world again'. Year 2 pupils know that the local church of Saint Peter is the church with which the school is associated. They show a good knowledge of church furnishings. For example, from pictures they identify the altar, font, pulpit and pews. They accurately make comparisons with the furnishings found in a mosque, temple and synagogue. They have a clear understanding that our country is a multi-faith one.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

131. Older pupils in a good lesson about the creation discussed how Hindus have many Gods and how they emanate from one God. They reflected quietly on what the teacher told them and demonstrated a respectful interest in other faiths. Year 6 pupils have a good knowledge and understanding of how a birth is celebrated in various religions within a topic entitled new beginnings. Year 5 pupils wrote good quality baptism prayers following the story of the baptism of Jesus. Year 4 pupils completed good quality work on Buddhism. They showed a good knowledge of the life of Buddha and the five guidelines for living.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

132. Pupils’ attitudes and behaviour are good. They are interested in religious ideas and learning about other cultures. They respond well in discussion, making thoughtful suggestions and offering their individual opinions. When asked to reflect on their learning, pupils did so in a calm and receptive manner.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

133. Teachers have a good knowledge of the locally agreed syllabus and appreciate its practical approach to teaching and learning. They plan lessons well with interesting and challenging activities, which stimulate pupils’ interest and enthusiasm. This good planning, together with the careful preparation and use of resources, ensures that pupils’ achievement in lessons is at least satisfactory. Teachers question pupils skilfully to initiate discussion. They have high expectations of their pupils’ responses and attitudes. The good quality of discussions makes a significant contribution to pupils’ speaking and listening. Assessment is confined to teachers’ observation and marking of work. The co- ordinator leads the subject well and has amended the organisation of the planning for the subject. This ensures that pupils acquire skills, knowledge and understanding in a systematic way as they move through the school. The use of information and

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

communication technology to support pupils' learning in the subject is under-developed.

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