Eastfield Infant and Nursery School

EASTFIELD INFANT AND NURSERY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 20 th – 21 st May 2002

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EASTFIELD INFANT AND NURSERY SCHOOL

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

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EASTFIELD INFANT AND NURSERY 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. Eastfield Infant and Nursery School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Pig Lane St Ives Huntingdon Cambridgeshire

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The governing body

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Dr P Brooker

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 17 November 1997 Eastfield Infant and Nursery School - 4

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Team members

17288 Miss M A Warner Registered inspector 9169 Mrs J Keyworth Lay inspector 8203 Mrs S Halley Team inspector

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Team members

PkR Educational Consultants Ltd 6 Sherman Road Bromley Kent BR1 3JH

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Team members

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

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Team members

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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Team members

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Eastfield Infant and Nursery School - 5

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 6

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Eastfield Infant and Nursery School is situated in the older part of the town of St Ives, near Huntingdon. The school is bigger than other primary schools nationally, with 297 pupils on roll, including 78 children who attend part-time in the nursery. About half the pupils come from outside the catchment area: not all those in the nursery transfer to the infant classes. Other than this there is little movement in and out of school. Twelve per cent of pupils have been identified as having special educational needs, which is below the national average. Three per cent of pupils have formal statements of need, which is above the national average. Twelve per cent of pupils have English as an additional language, which is high. Four per cent of these pupils are at the early stages of learning English. Eleven per cent of pupils are entitled to free school meals, which is broadly average. Pupils enter the nursery with a very wide range of ability:

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

overall, attainment on entry is average but children’s numeracy skills are below average. The school was awarded Beacon status in June 2001 and won DfES School Achievement Awards for excellence in both 2000 and in 2001.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

Eastfield Infant and Nursery School is a very effective school. Pupils reach high standards by the time they leave in Year 2, having made very good progress. This is as a result of very good teaching and pupils’ enthusiasm for learning. Leadership is very good at all levels and the school is very well managed. Given that pupils’ attainment on entry is average and pupils reach high standards by the time they leave the school the school gives very good value for money.

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What the school does well

• Pupils achieve very high standards in English and well above average standards in mathematics, science, art and design, and information and communication technology. Very good links are made between subjects. • Provision for children in the nursery is excellent, largely because teaching is very good, ensuring that all children, whatever their level of attainment, achieve well when they start school. • Very good teaching skills, including the very good analysis and use of assessment to help plan lessons, contribute strongly to the high standards that pupils achieve. • There is very strong leadership from the headteacher who delegates effectively. This ensures clear educational direction for the school and excellent support from administrative staff. • The promotion of pupils’ personal development is a high priority in the school and relationships are very good. As a result, pupils have very good attitudes to learning which in turn promote high

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What could be improved

• There are no significant weaknesses other than the areas for improvement identified in the very well thought through school development plan. 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 has maintained the high standards of pupils’ work since the previous inspection in November 1997: good progress has been made in all the key issues. Teachers’ planning is almost always very good. The assessment of children on entry to the nursery and reception classes takes place and is used effectively. The assessment of pupils in Years 1 and 2 is also used well. The school has addressed the issues of the last report well and as a result the substantial improvements that have been made have led to further strengths in the school. Eastfield Infant and Nursery School - 7

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STANDARDS

The table shows the standards achieved by pupils at the end of Year 2 based on National Curriculum test results.

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Key

1999 2000 2001 2001 very high A* Reading A A* A* A* well above average above average A B Writing A A A A average below average C D Mathematics A* A* A A well below average E

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Key

Overall, pupils reach above average standards in the nursery and by the time they leave the school in Year 2. Pupils make very good progress: their achievement is very good. There has been a rising trend in reading results for the last four years. For the past two years pupils have reached very high standards in reading that are in the top five per cent of schools nationally. Results in 2001 were also in the top five per cent when compared with similar schools. There was a rising trend in writing results from 1997 to 1999. Although results dropped slightly in 2000 and 2001 pupils have reached well above average standards in writing for the past three years. In 2001 standards were well above those of similar schools. There was a rising trend in mathematics results from 1997 to 2000, with standards being in the top five per cent of schools nationally in 1999 and 2000. Results dropped slightly in 2001 but were well above

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Key

the national average and the average for similar schools. Pupils achieve well in all aspects of mathematics. Teachers’ assessments in science, in 2001, show that the number of pupils reaching the expected standards was above the national average. In English, mathematics and in science, the number of pupils reaching the higher Level 3 was well above the national average in 2001.

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Key

In the work seen standards were similar to the tests. In English a particular strength is in the development of language, including the extension of pupils’ vocabulary, reading and phonic skills, through literacy lessons and seamlessly across the curriculum.

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Key

Very good standards in information and communication technology are reached because pupils are confident in using a mouse and using the Internet for research. They are competent in using a computer for modelling and for data handling and have learned to control different pieces of technological equipment well. There are also strengths in the standards attained in art, particularly in clay, pen and ink and close observation work.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Very good. Pupils throughout the school have very positive attitudes, are keen to learn and are interested in all that is presented to them, which has a significant impact on their attainment and achievement. Children in the nursery show a high degree of independence. Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Pupils’ behaviour in lessons and about the school is very good.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Very good. Pupils have a clear understanding of right and wrong, they are responsible and relationships throughout the school are very good. Attendance Attendance levels are satisfactory. Pupils arrive punctually to school. Eastfield Infant and Nursery School - 8 Pupils’ enthusiasm for learning is one of the school’s great strengths.

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Teaching of pupils in: Nursery and Reception Years 1 – 2

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

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Teaching of pupils in: Nursery and Reception Years 1 – 2

Teaching is very good and pupils learn very effectively. Teaching is satisfactory or better in all lessons, good or better in nearly eight out of ten lessons and very good or better in nearly seven out of ten lessons. Two excellent lessons were observed in the nursery and Year 2. Teaching in English is very good and in mathematics is good. Excellent teaching was observed in both English and mathematics. The pupils’ literacy and numeracy skills are very well taught, with teachers using a range of different methods which hold pupils’ interest and ensure that they learn new things quickly. In the large majority of lessons teaching is, as parents rightly say, inspirational and pupils, as a result, are very well motivated. Teachers almost always plan very well. Half-termly plans are shared with parents. Teachers use assessment very well to plan work for pupils of different abilities: as a result, all pupils are provided

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Teaching of pupils in: Nursery and Reception Years 1 – 2

The quality of children’s learning in the nursery is very good and occasionally excellent. The organisation of the day in the nursery and reception classes gives children the opportunity to plan their own activities under the guidance of well-informed adults. As a result, children quickly become independent and through the constant conversations they have with staff, are continually learning. The pupils work hard and put in a great deal of intellectual, physical and creative effort. Their keenness to learn results in the good progress that they make. Pupils are encouraged to discuss their work with each other and this promotes learning well. On the few occasions where the pace of lessons was too slow, pupils did not cover enough work. This was because different parts of the lesson were not planned in enough depth.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum Good. The curriculum is presented in an inspiring way and makes good use of the local environment. Provision for pupils with special educational needs Very good. Early assessment of pupils’ needs ensures that the school provides very well for pupils with a wide range of special educational needs. Provision for pupils with English as an additional language Good. Pupils with English as an additional language receive good support and achieve well. There has been a marked improvement in the achievement of these pupils over the last three years. Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development The promotion of pupils’ personal development is highly successful. Assemblies provide very well for pupils’ spiritual development and many opportunities are provided for them to develop morally and socially. The school prepares them well to appreciate cultural differences.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils Good. Staff know their pupils well and assessment procedures are excellent.

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Aspect Comment

Strengths. There is very good provision for higher-attaining pupils. The art and design, and information and communication technology curriculum are particularly strong for an infant school. Assessment procedures and the use of assessment are excellent. Eastfield Infant and Nursery School - 9 Weaknesses. There are some minor health and safety issues to address. Eastfield Infant and Nursery School - 10

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff The headteacher has built a strong team over a number of years and provides inspirational leadership. She delegates very effectively and is innovative in her ideas. Management at all levels is very good with an emphasis on pupils reaching high standards, balanced with an equally high regard for their personal development.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Very good. Governors fulfil their responsibilities very well. They are knowledgeable, have completed training, have specific duties and are involved in the life of the school whenever possible.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance The excellent use of new technology by office staff, to collate assessment data, enables the school to evaluate its performance very well.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources The strategic use of resource is strongly focused on funding learning support assistants in classrooms, who are used very effectively.

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Aspect Comment

The governors, headteacher and staff ensure that they get the best value out of the resources available to them by challenging each other as to the standards that should be expected, comparing results with schools nationally and locally, consulting to ensure that standards are maintained and ensuring that what is provided is in the best interests of pupils and parents. Statutory requirements are not met in full in the governors’ annual report to parents and there are some minor health and safety issues.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. • Behaviour in the school is good. • The teaching is good. • My child likes school. • My child is making good progress. • Parents do not think that the school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. • Parents do not think that their child gets the right amount of work to do at home. • Parents would like their children’s reports to mention areas for development.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

Inspectors support the positive views parents have about the school. Teaching is very good and pupils are expected to work hard. Pupils are very well behaved and they achieve very well. Governors have a policy that teachers should not be expected to run after-school clubs and teachers run a residential visit and organise local visits and Christmas productions. A football club, French club and until recently ballet have been run by visiting instructors out of school hours, and support staff help run clubs at a local community centre. Inspectors judge that the right amount of voluntary homework is set for pupils of this age. However, Inspectors agree that pupils’ reports do not give enough information about how pupils could improve in different subjects. Eastfield Infant and Nursery School - 11

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average standards in mathematics, science, art and design and information and

communication technology. Very good links are made between subjects.

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average standards in mathematics, science, art and design and information and

1. Attainment on entry to the nursery is broadly average but there are wide variations in this attainment. The school has a larger than average number of children who enter nursery with high levels of attainment. Five per cent of children in the nursery have formal statements of need. The school is the only Local Education Authority funded nursery in the town and is known to cater well for pupils with special educational needs. Children who speak English as an additional language are given very good support in the nursery. They increase their vocabulary, as do their peers, through the use of information and communication technology and able to name almost all the objects in a picture on the screen. They are also encouraged to support one another, for example by translating for one another and, as a result, they achieve very well. The nursery is very well resourced, both indoors and outside. The outdoor facilities are exceptionally

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average standards in mathematics, science, art and design and information and

good and this contributes strongly to their learning and the standards they achieve. Assessment on entry to the reception classes shows that the methods used in the nursery have promoted children’s speaking and listening skills and their personal and social development particularly well. Children’s achievement in reception classes is satisfactory and they are on course to reach the Early Learning Goals in most areas of learning by the time they reach Year 1. Pupils’ achievement in Years 1 and 2 is good and often very good. They reach well above average standards by the time they leave the school.

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average standards in mathematics, science, art and design and information and

2. Results in the 2001 National Curriculum tests in reading, were in the top five per cent of schools nationally. They were well above the national average and those of similar schools in writing and mathematics. The percentage reaching the higher than expected Level 3 was well above the national average in all three subjects. Pupils at the end of Year 2 have reached very high standards in the National Curriculum reading tests for the past two years. There has been a rising trend in reading results for the last four years. In 2002, half the pupils are expected to achieve at the higher Level 3 and nearly three-quarters at Level 2a or above. Pupils have reached well above average standards in writing for the past three years. In 2001 standards were well above those of similar schools. A third of pupils are expected to achieve Level 3 in 2002 and a half are expected to achieve Level 2a or above. Standards in mathematics were in the top five

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average standards in mathematics, science, art and design and information and

per cent of schools nationally in 1999 and 2000 and were well above the national average and the average for similar schools in 2001. Pupils achieve well in all aspects of mathematics. In 2002, 54 per cent of pupils achieved a Level 3 and 76 per cent achieved either Level 3 or 2a. The school has been awarded the DfES School Achievement Awards in 2000 and 2001.

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average standards in mathematics, science, art and design and information and

3. Standards in reading are very high. This is mainly due to very good teaching and the good range of learning opportunities provided. For example, teachers model thoughtful, expressive reading in lessons which is reflected in the pupils’ own reading aloud. This emphasis on reading well aloud is one way in which the school reflects its focus on promoting speaking and listening skills. The school has a very good range of reading books, a book week is held in alternate years and an author and illustrator have visited the school and encouraged pupils’ reading further. Pupils enjoy reading or sharing books with one another in inviting reading corners throughout the school and in guided reading lessons. Eastfield Infant and Nursery School - 12 4. In the nursery, children already know that print carries meaning for information and enjoyment and by Year 1 pupils are attempting to write poetry by substituting their own

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average standards in mathematics, science, art and design and information and

lines in a poem and sequence events in their writing. In Year 2, pupils are expected to draft and re-draft their work and are not afraid to try out new vocabulary. They use interesting imagery such as, ‘I held my breath like a giant weather balloon’. There are many examples of pupils using very ambitious vocabulary in their writing.

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average standards in mathematics, science, art and design and information and

5. A particular strength in English is in the development of literacy skills across the curriculum, including the extension of pupils’ vocabulary, reading and the sounds letters make. Interesting role play areas, such as an Estate Agent also develop language skills. Their written work on history and geography topics, such as the Victorians and a local study, includes extension work for higher-attaining pupils and a good use of subject specific vocabulary. Pupils research for information on topics in books and on the Internet and use word processing skills to write independently and creatively. In English, pupils write imaginative and thoughtful poetry. Another contribution to pupils’ success in English is the considerable volume of writing that pupils complete for a variety of different purposes and audiences. Work is well presented and their spelling, punctuation and grammar are reasonably accurate. In science, pupils record

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average standards in mathematics, science, art and design and information and

investigations systematically, which contributes to the standards pupils attain. They know the names and label parts of the human body and write about living things and healthy foods.

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average standards in mathematics, science, art and design and information and

6. Standards in mathematics are well above average, reflecting the good and often very good teaching and learning in Years 1 and 2. Pupils have a good knowledge of two- and three-dimensional shapes and they produce different graphs, such as a pie diagram, block or line graph to record their results collated on a tally column. Many high-attaining pupils in Year 2 show good mental agility when using numbers, sometimes promoted by very imaginative team games, challenging work and a good use of information and communication technology. These methods cater for pupils of all abilities well.

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average standards in mathematics, science, art and design and information and

7. Standards in information and communication technology are well above average. Each classroom is well resourced with computers. Pupils are confident in using a mouse and in using the Internet for research. They are competent in using a computer for data handling and have learned to control different technological equipment well. There are further strengths in art and design, with well above average standards being achieved in clay modelling, pen and ink drawings and close observation paintings. All subjects are covered well: simple map work and traffic surveys are carried out in geography, a subject where the travel agency role-play area also contributes well and information and communication technology is used to create posters. Physical education includes swimming lessons at the nearby junior school and assemblies demonstrate pupils’ enjoyment of singing which is reasonably tuneful. No judgement can be made on

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average standards in mathematics, science, art and design and information and

standards in design and technology or religious education as little work was seen, but teachers’ planning and displays show that they are taught to the expectations of the National Curriculum and the local Agreed Syllabus.

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average standards in mathematics, science, art and design and information and

8. The school has maintained the high standards reported at the last inspection, through imaginative teaching, strong cross-curricular links and because of pupils’ enthusiasm for learning, all of which are supported by good quality resources. Eastfield Infant and Nursery School - 13

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good, ensuring that all children, whatever their level of attainment, achieve well

9. Children in the nursery achieve well because the provision for them is excellent. They are successfully encouraged to plan their own learning, become independent and, as a result, are able to make choices and recognise, under the guidance of well-informed adults, when choices are inappropriate. This is as a result of the school’s adaptation of a system called High/Scope. These methods, particularly in encouraging pupils to plan their own work, now predominate in the nursery and to a lesser degree in the reception classes. They have been adapted successfully by the school over recent years, and in particular, since the introduction and implementation of the Literacy and Numeracy Strategies.

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good, ensuring that all children, whatever their level of attainment, achieve well

10. The quality of teaching and learning in the nursery is very good and occasionally excellent. Language, literacy and communication skills are developed very well through the conversations children have with staff as they go about their different activities. Teachers carefully broaden out children’s vocabulary, taking every opportunity to help children practise speaking, and through rhymes and songs and stories. Whilst new vocabulary is consistently being introduced, new skills are learned, such as how to hold scissors properly or paint a wall (blackboard) with water and a household paint brush. Children gain new knowledge through exploring colour, shape and size when working with play dough. They become independent quickly because teachers provide effective opportunities for them to, for example, mix their own paint and renew dirty water pots with clean water for the next child after they have painted. Outside, activities and play

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good, ensuring that all children, whatever their level of attainment, achieve well

space are extensive and imaginative. Here, children are given enough freedom to become independent. The nursery teacher and teacher assistants join in their activities, developing language through conversation and observing and providing for their needs; for example, the need for one child, who had recently been in hospital, to ride a heavier bike to develop strength in her legs. Children play together well, for example on the train engine or when pretending to be fire officers and police officers and when cycling round the cycle path under the beautiful silver birch trees. The setting of the outside play area provides well for children’s aesthetic and creative development. The wide variety of trees and the sensory garden encourage children to observe, touch and collect things, such as nuts found beneath the trees or the shells cemented into the sensory wall. They make very good progress in their knowledge and understanding of the world. The

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good, ensuring that all children, whatever their level of attainment, achieve well

imaginative indoor and outdoor provision, built up by teachers over many years, provides a very stimulating environment in which children learn through exploration.

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good, ensuring that all children, whatever their level of attainment, achieve well

11. Inside, the class is organised in three smaller groups when the children are brought together at the start and end of sessions. At the end of a session children talk about what they have been doing. These small groups allow time for a greater number of children to discuss what they have done than would be possible in a larger group, which further develops their ability to communicate. The teacher and two teacher assistants work closely together ensuring that all groups are equally provided for. These small groups are also used well to assess what children have learned in a session. Each week records about children’s achievements are updated. At the end of the school year assessments are repeated to gauge the amount of progress individual and groups of pupils have made. In reception, when children work in class groups, their opportunities to have a turn to speak or to play an instrument are limited; for example, in

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good, ensuring that all children, whatever their level of attainment, achieve well

a music lesson very few children actually played a rhythm although this was one of the objectives of the lesson. Better use could be made of classroom assistants in some lessons. However, the adapted High/Scope methods are successfully used at the start of the day when children plan what they are to do. The withdrawal of individual or pairs Eastfield Infant and Nursery School - 14 of children for specific teaching by teacher assistants, such as in literacy, is also successful.

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Very good teaching skills, including the very good analysis and use of assessment to

help plan lessons, contribute strongly to the high standards that pupils achieve.

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Very good teaching skills, including the very good analysis and use of assessment to

12. Very good teaching is characterised by the very good analysis and use of assessment to help plan lessons and this contributes very well to the high standards that pupils achieve. Teaching was very good and excellent in over half the lessons observed. In over three-quarters of lessons, teaching was good or better. The teaching of English and literacy is very good. The teaching of mathematics and numeracy is good overall and sometimes excellent. In the large majority of lessons teaching is, as parents rightly say, inspirational and pupils, as a result, are very well motivated.

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Very good teaching skills, including the very good analysis and use of assessment to

13. The school has developed its own schemes of work for the majority of subjects and successfully uses the national strategies for Literacy, Numeracy, a published scheme for music, the local educational authority’s scheme for science and the locally Agreed Syllabus for religious education. The science curriculum is strongly linked to geography, history, art and mathematics. Because the school has chosen to use schemes of work which they have developed themselves, teachers have a clear understanding of the thinking behind the schemes of work and are clear about what they are expected to teach. Teachers plan half-termly to these schemes of work and these, good quality, half-termly plans are sent home to parents. This involves parents, from the start of a new topic, with their children’s learning and helps them support the children at home.

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Very good teaching skills, including the very good analysis and use of assessment to

14. The school has well-developed systems for assessing pupils’ work. English, mathematics and science are assessed half-termly. Half-termly plans show how most subjects should be assessed at the end of a topic. Assessments are analysed and used by teachers to plan lessons: most teachers plan very well on a daily basis and work is well matched to the very wide range of pupils’ needs. For example, the school is beginning to adopt the new Code of Practice for pupils with special educational needs and provides pupils with Individual Educational or Behaviour Plans and the school’s own Extended Differentiation Plans. Group Education Plans have recently been introduced. The needs of pupils who speak English as an additional language are also analysed and planned for. High-attaining pupils are often given very challenging work that extends their learning. A good example of this was in a mathematics lesson

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Very good teaching skills, including the very good analysis and use of assessment to

in Year 2, where pupils had to work out complex numerical problems mentally and create two-dimensional pictures from three-dimensional shapes. They benefit greatly from the brisk and lively pace of lessons which makes them think quickly and clearly motivated them to want to learn more. In literacy, teachers have high expectations, ensuring that pupils of all abilities make very good gains in knowledge, understanding and skills, at levels appropriate to their levels of attainment. For example, only the higher-attaining pupils understood the humour in some poetry that was being studied but average-attaining pupils also enjoyed it once it was explained. Occasionally, teachers’ daily plans focus more on what activity the pupils are to take part in rather than what is to be learned, and the plans of inexperienced teachers do not provide enough detail. As a result learning objectives are not always fully met on these

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Very good teaching skills, including the very good analysis and use of assessment to

15. The very good teaching means that pupils learn very effectively. Pupils’ keenness to learn results in their good achievement. Pupils are encouraged to discuss their work with each other, sharing ideas and widen their knowledge: this is a further reason for the high standards they achieve. For example, in mathematics pupils worked in teams Eastfield Infant and Nursery School - 15 to find answers and in science there was spirited discussion, in one group, as to whether centipedes had 100 or 1000 legs. Speaking is developed well in the school but listening is sometimes not of such a high standard and pupils need to be reminded to take turns.

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Very good teaching skills, including the very good analysis and use of assessment to

16. One of the reasons for the success of pupils with formal statements of need is the very good support they are given by their support assistants who keep excellent records which show what pupils are finding difficult and need to work at further. These are shared with class teacher who can then plan effectively for these pupils. All pupils with special educational needs and with English as an additional language are well supported by classroom assistants, often in small groups. The support staff make a major contribution to pupils’ achievements. The school has a wide range of good quality learning resources, often on display in classrooms, the hall and corridors. These include artefacts of the major religions very well displayed in the hall, and evident for all to see during assemblies where pupils of different religions are valued. Displays in the entrance hall and classrooms about the Victorian era, contribute well to pupils’

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Very good teaching skills, including the very good analysis and use of assessment to

knowledge and understanding of this topic. The local environment, both in and out of school are additional resources that are used well and enhance the curriculum and pupils’ knowledge and understanding.

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Very good teaching skills, including the very good analysis and use of assessment to

There is very strong leadership from the headteacher who delegates effectively.

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This ensures clear educational direction for the school and excellent support from

17. The headteacher has built a strong team over a number of years and provides inspirational leadership. She delegates very effectively and is innovative in her ideas. This effective delegation of duties enables all staff to carry out their roles successfully. Management at all levels is very good, with an emphasis on reaching high standards, balanced with promoting the pupils’ personal development very effectively. The administrative staff, who already use computers to record the personal details and attendance of pupils, use the same data bases to input all assessment data, demonstrating an economical use of time and expertise and enabling teachers to use their time more profitably for teaching. This excellent use of new technology by office staff enables the school to evaluate its performance very well. Teachers are given appropriate class lists before they carry out an assessment which they complete and

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This ensures clear educational direction for the school and excellent support from

return to the office. Once results have been entered, teachers are provided with data in various forms, such as lists and graphs showing results of tests, the progress pupils make and predications for the future. They use this data to help them plan lessons effectively and this leads to their good teaching. This data is also used by the headteacher and senior staff to analyse results with regard to gender, ethnicity and age. Records and predictions have been kept by the headteacher for the last six years in increasing detail and the governors have recently appointed a school’s ‘Self- evaluation co-ordinator’ to take a lead this aspect of the school’s work from September. The importance the school lays on the analysis of assessment data to predict results and inform teachers so that they can help pupils reach their targets is invaluable and is one of the contributory factors to the high standards that pupils achieve.

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This ensures clear educational direction for the school and excellent support from

18. The school monitors and analyses the progress of pupils who speak English as an additional language well and finds that there has been a marked improvement in the achievement of these pupils over the last three years. These pupils have extra support from extra funding used to appoint a teacher for one day a week, as well as learning support assistant and bilingual general assistant time. Good links are also made with mothers of these pupils through a sewing club. The school’s policy of full inclusion of pupils is very successful in raising the attainment of almost all pupils. The early Eastfield Infant and Nursery School - 16 assessment of pupils with special educational needs is also very effective. The one area were concern was voiced by parents was in the provision for autistic children to develop their social skills in smaller groups. While the school does provide for this, further discussion is needed between the school and parents to ensure that provision is

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This ensures clear educational direction for the school and excellent support from

19. The school applies the principles of best value very well. Teachers constantly challenge each other about the standards that should be expected in their classes if targets are to be reached; they compare results with those nationally and locally; they consult to ensure these high standards are maintained and ensure that what is provided is in the best interests of pupils and parents. These principles of best value are also applied in the wider context of spending on school resources and the effectiveness of this spending on standards. The school is staffed with well-qualified teaching and support staff who have a wide range of experience. The school has a very good range of good quality learning resources. The accommodation and site are extensive, very well equipped and used well. The strategic use of resource is strongly focused on funding adults in class, who are used very effectively to support pupils and maintain high

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This ensures clear educational direction for the school and excellent support from

20. The governing body ensures that money is spent wisely. Governors are well informed, particularly through the school’s self-evaluation information, have specific duties and are involved in the life of the school whenever possible. They study assessment data and the scatter graphs showing what progress pupils have made. They fulfil their responsibilities very well. Governors have been through self-assessment training and two governors visit the school monthly. New teachers attend a governors’ meeting in their first term and governors attend staff meetings when new initiatives are being introduced. Governors are aware of the very wide range of pupils’ attainment in each class and support this financially with additional support staff. Finance matters are planned three years ahead and at present, a priority is the development of information and communication technology. The governors send out their own news letters to

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This ensures clear educational direction for the school and excellent support from

parents and there is a link governor with the School Association. Some minor health and safety issues have been overlooked when risk assessments have been carried out and not all statutory requirements in the governors’ annual report to parents had been included in the latest issues.

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relationships are very good. As a result, pupils have very good attitudes to learning

21. The promotion of pupils’ personal development is a high priority in the school. Children in the nursery show a high degree of independence and confidence. Pupils throughout the school have very positive attitudes, are keen to learn and are interested in all that is presented to them. Pupils’ behaviour in lessons and about the school is good, although some become over exuberant at times and over keen to answer questions. Pupils who speak English as an additional language receive good support and make good progress: bilingual support is provided where needed and pupils happily translate for one another from the earliest age. The school provides very well for pupils with a wide range of special educational needs and for pupils with high levels of attainment. Relationships throughout the school are very good and staff provide very good role models. Eastfield Infant and Nursery School - 17 22. The positive behaviour policy is successful in promoting good behaviour. Pupils’

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relationships are very good. As a result, pupils have very good attitudes to learning

personal development is also promoted well through the local education authority’s personal and social education scheme of work which covers drug awareness and an awareness and appreciation of the feelings of others. In Year 1 personal safety, rules and risks are discussed sensitively. Pupils feel safe to talk, for example, about times when they have been frightened or in danger. The school has carried out a healthy eating project, and encourages parents to provide healthy packed lunches for their children. Fruit is provided at break-time and pupils are encouraged to drink water during the day. The school council provides a useful forum for pupils to discuss concerns under the careful guidance of senior staff. They discuss matters such as the selection of fruit that they have at break-time and the provision of water bottles. Council members are enthusiastic and articulate and very conscious of representing the opinions of the

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relationships are very good. As a result, pupils have very good attitudes to learning

peers. School and class rules are displayed around the school, as are lists of pupils’ jobs. Class rules include positive statements such as: ‘Look after things around you’, ‘Try to do your best work’, ‘Always be careful’, ‘Move around quietly’ and ‘Be a friend to someone’. There are good opportunities for personal and social development at lunch and break-times. The playground is well developed for play and learning. There is plenty of supervision and many activities are provided, including clothes for dressing up and small games equipment.

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relationships are very good. As a result, pupils have very good attitudes to learning

23. The school provides very good opportunities for pupils to develop spiritually, morally and socially and there are good opportunities for them to develop an awareness of the richness and diversity of cultural traditions. Assemblies promote a sense of community, self-worth and an appreciation of pupils as part of their own family as well as part of the school. During the inspection, a four-week-old baby sister was welcomed in assembly, together with her mother, grandmother and two brothers who attend the school. A sense of awe as the baby was shown to the pupils was evident and those with recently born brothers and sisters were also acknowledged. A lighted candle during prayer and information about baptism and Islamic birth customs made all feel included and gave a spiritual dimension to the social occasion. Pupils also respond with excitement to art and music, such as when they are told they are to make African

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relationships are very good. As a result, pupils have very good attitudes to learning

masks and when they listen to parents, who have formed a music group, play in assembly. Both these occasions promote pupils’ cultural development well. A French club run before school for a small number of pupils is an additional cultural enhancement to the curriculum for a few pupils.

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relationships are very good. As a result, pupils have very good attitudes to learning

24. Since being awarded Beacon Status in September 2001, the school, with eleven other schools, has worked at a variety of levels on several projects. These have included activities such as the shared development of a local Broadband Learning Community Project, support for the management of school self-evaluation and a very recent project involving the three local Foundation Stage Beacon schools focussing on the management of early assessment. The majority of this work has involved working with a partner school, which recently was removed from special measures earlier than expected. Opportunities for teachers to observe the teaching of literacy and the very good teaching in the Foundation Stage and also to consult on management strategies, contributed greatly to this significant achievement.

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relationships are very good. As a result, pupils have very good attitudes to learning

25. Governors and staff are continually reflecting on their practice and in so doing are always aiming to improve on what the school already provides. The excellent school development plan records clearly the philosophy and values of the school and its plans for the future. This school is very well placed to continue to improve and develop as a Beacon school. Eastfield Infant and Nursery School - 18

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

26. There are no significant weaknesses other than the areas for improvement identified in the very well thought through and detailed school development plan which clearly states the school’s values and vision and its strategies for reaching them.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

27. To maintain the strengths and the high standards that pupils achieve, the headteacher, governors and staff should continue to implement the school development plan. Eastfield Infant and Nursery School - 19

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 20

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactor y Poor Very poor

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

The table gives the number and percentage of lessons observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about teaching. Care should be taken when interpreting these percentages as each lesson represents more than five percentage points..

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery YR – Y2

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 39 219

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 0 23

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Information about the school’s pupils

Special educational needs Nursery YR – Y2

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 2 8

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 6 31

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Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 34

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 30

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Information about the school’s pupils

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

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Attendance

School data 5.8 School data 0.1 Eastfield Infant and Nursery School - 20 National comparative data 5.6 National comparative data 0.5

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Attendance

Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Eastfield Infant and Nursery School - 21

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

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2001 46 35 81

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

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

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

Boys 44 44 45 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 35 35 35

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

Percentage of pupils School 98 (100) 98 (98) 99 (100) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (83) 86 (84) 91 (90)

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

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

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

Boys 44 45 44 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 35 35 35

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

Percentage of pupils School 98 (98) 99 (100) 98 (98) at NC level 2 or above National 85 (84) 89 (88) 89 (88)

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

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

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage 3 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – African heritage 1 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

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

This table refers to pupils of compulsory school age only. This table gives the number of exclusions of pupils of compulsory school age, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded. Eastfield Infant and Nursery School - 22

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 8 Financial year 2000/2001

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 24.1

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y2 Total income 581,635

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 18 Total expenditure 568,480

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 425 Expenditure per pupil 2,162

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Qualified teachers and support staff: nursery Balance brought forward from previous year 27,083

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 1 Balance carried forward to next year 40,238

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 39.1

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 5

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 124

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 5

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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) 1

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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

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Recruitment of teachers

FTE means full-time equivalent. Eastfield Infant and Nursery School - 23

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Percentage of responses in each category

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

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child is making good progress in school. 67 30 3 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 57 43 0 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 35 52 10 0 3

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Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 44 49 5 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 59 33 6 0 2

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 63 37 0 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 59 36 3 0 2

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 68 27 0 0 5

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 62 31 3 2 2

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 17 44 19 10 10

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Other issues raised by parents

• Parents would like their children’s reports to mention areas for development. Inspectors agree that more guidance could be given in pupils’ reports about how they could improve in different subjects. • Governors have a policy that teachers should not be expected to run after-school clubs. Inspectors do not disagree with this. • Inspectors judge that the right amount of voluntary homework is set for pupils of this age.

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