Mayfield Church of England Primary School

MAYFIELD CHURCH OF ENGLAND PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: June 19 th –23 rd 2000

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MAYFIELD CHURCH OF ENGLAND PRIMARY SCHOOL

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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MAYFIELD 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. Mayfield Primary School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Fletching Street Mayfield East Sussex

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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: October 6 th - 10 th 1997 Mayfield Primary School - 4

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responsibilities

Hilary Bonser Registered inspector English; geography; history; music; physical education; equal opportunities. The school’s results and achievements; teaching and learning; learning opportunities, including personal, spiritual, moral, social and cultural development; assessment; leadership and management. Mary Bebo Lay inspector Attitudes, values and personal development. Care and welfare of pupils; partnership with parents. Pamela Francis Team inspector Mathematics; science; information technology; art; design technology; Under- fives; special educational needs.

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responsibilities

Quality Assurance Associates Ltd Herringston Barn Herringston Dorchester Dorset DT2 9PU

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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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responsibilities

The Registrar Inspection Quality Division

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responsibilities

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

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 6

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

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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS? 10

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Mayfield Church of England Primary School draws most of its pupils from the village in which it is situated. It is smaller than average in size, with 150 boys and girls from 4 to 11 years of age. Pupils’ attainments on entry to the school are broadly average, with the full range of attainment represented. There are 16 pupils with special educational needs, which is below the national average. Pupils come from a variety of backgrounds, some of which are comparatively advantaged. Fewer pupils than average are eligible for free school meals. There are no pupils who speak English as their second language or come from ethnic minorities.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

Mayfield Primary School is an effective school with many good features. Pupils reach high standards and achieve well by the time they leave the school in mathematics, science, English and music because the quality of teaching is good. Pupils behave well and they are keen to learn. The headteacher, governors and staff work together very well to improve standards. The school provides good value for money.

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What the school does well

• Standards are high in English, mathematics, science and music and pupils achieve well because teaching is good across the school. • The headteacher, governors and staff work together very effectively to improve standards in all aspects of school life. • The school cares very well for its pupils, successfully encouraging them to behave well, get on well with each other and with adults and to work hard. • The very good partnership between the school, parents and the local community enriches pupils’ learning in many ways. • Children under the age of five have a good start to school because they are well taught and have a good range of opportunities for learning. • Pupils with special educational needs make good progress because they are well taught and receive very good support from classroom assistants.

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What could be improved

• Standards in information technology and the progress that pupils make in the subject, especially in Key Stage 2. • Standards in writing, which are not as high as they are in reading. • The way that the school assesses, records and monitors pupils’ progress. • The role of the subject co-ordinators in improving standards and achievement. 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 October 1997. It has responded very effectively, by successfully tackling the serious weaknesses in teaching and pupils’ progress and the other issues noted then. Substantial improvements in the quality of teaching have been brought about by a rigorous programme of monitoring and support. As a result, standards in English, mathematics and science have risen, showing good improvement from those described in the last report. Pupils now make good progress overall and they are more interested in their work. Children under the age of five are well-taught now and the provision made for them and for pupils with special educational needs has also improved. The quality of leadership and management has improved further, with governors taking an increasingly active role. With the support of the local education authority, the major shortcomings in the school’s accommodation, which were pointed out in the previous report, have

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

been overcome, through an extensive building programme. There is a strong determination in the school to continue to raise standards and the quality of teaching and learning, which is backed by effective action and a very good partnership between all members of the school community. The school has set appropriately challenging targets for continuing improvement and is likely to exceed them this year.

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STANDARDS

Mayfield Primary School - 7 The table shows the standards achieved by 11 year olds based on average point scores in National Curriculum tests.

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Key

English A A B C well above average above average A B mathematics B A A B average below average C D science B B A B well below average E

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Key

The information shows that the performance of pupils in 1999, compared with all schools nationally, was well above average in mathematics and science and above average in English. Compared with similar schools, performance was above average in mathematics and science and average in English. Over the last four years, the school’s results have improved steadily in all three subjects, keeping pace with national trends. Improvements in English have not been quite so marked, as standards in writing have not risen as rapidly as in reading. Nevertheless, in the last two years, the number of pupils reaching the higher level 5 in all three subjects has increased noticeably because the quality of teaching has improved. The school has set appropriate targets to raise standards further.

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Key

The work seen by the inspection team at the end of Key Stage 2, continues to be above the expected levels in English and well above them in mathematics and science. Pupils also do better than expected for their age in music because they are taught very well. Standards in writing are still not as high as they are in reading. Pupils do not meet the expected standards in information technology at the age of eleven.

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Key

Pupils achieve well overall. Standards on entry to the school are broadly average and they have risen to above average overall by the time the pupils leave the school at the age of eleven. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress, with many of them reaching the standards expected nationally.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Good throughout the school.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Good in lessons and generally good at play. No exclusions.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Good; pupils get on well together and with all the adults in the school. They act responsibly and show initiative around school.

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Aspect Comment

Attendance Satisfactory; in line with national averages.

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Aspect Comment

The attitudes and approach of pupils to their work were good or better in over four-fifths of lessons seen and very good in half of these. They show care and concern for each other and act sensibly.

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

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

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

The quality of teaching was good or better in 71 per cent of the lessons seen, and very good in 18 per cent of them. It was unsatisfactory in 3 per cent. This is a significant improvement from the time of the previous inspection, when teaching was unsatisfactory overall with some that was poor. Science, English and mathematics, including literacy and numeracy skills are taught well across the school, with some very good teaching of the oldest and youngest pupils. This contributes strongly to the good achievements of pupils in these areas. Music is taught very well by the part-time teacher. In well-taught lessons across the school, pupils of all abilities concentrate well, work hard and make good progress because teachers give them interesting and demanding work that is carefully matched to their needs. In information technology, in Key Stage 2 especially, pupils’ learning is limited because some aspects of the curriculum are not taught and teachers do not always have enough

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

expertise to help pupils build on what they already know.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum Satisfactory overall. Good for the youngest children and those in Key Stage 1. Very good community links and good provision for literacy, numeracy and extra-curricular activities. Weakness in Key Stage 2, because National Curriculum requirements for control technology are not met.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Good; pupils have clear, achievable targets and are very well supported.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Good overall; very good provision for moral development and for personal and health education. Good provision for spiritual, social and cultural development.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils Very well; all staff provide caring support for pupils and know them very well.

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Aspect Comment

The curriculum is enriched considerably by a good variety of visitors, a good number of extra- curricular activities, especially in sport and music and by the close links with the local community. This contributes well to the interest pupils have in their work and to their good personal, social and cultural development. Pupils have limited opportunities in lessons for taking responsibility and showing initiative because teachers direct their work very closely.

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Aspect Comment

Mayfield Primary School - 9 Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff Very good leadership by the headteacher, supported very well by her deputy. The role of the subject co-ordinators is not yet fully developed.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Very well; they take an active and very effective part in the management of the school.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance Good overall; a particular strength is the effective monitoring and evaluation of teaching carried out by the headteacher and governors.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources Good; available money is used well to support priorities on the school development plan.

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Aspect Comment

The close partnership between staff, governors and parents promotes a strong, shared sense of direction over what needs to be done to raise standards and well planned action to achieve it. This is shown by the considerable improvements since the last inspection. Principles of best value are applied well to all spending decisions. There are sufficient learning resources overall to support the curriculum and staffing levels and the accommodation are good.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• The school helps their children to become mature and responsible. • The school is approachable and responsive to their views and concerns. • Their children are well taught. They are expected to work hard and make good progress. • The school is well led and managed. • Their children enjoy school. • Information about their child’s progress. • Homework arrangements. • The range of extra-curricular activities.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

The inspection team supports the positive views parents have of the school, except that pupils could be given more responsibility in lessons. With regard to their concerns, they found that there is a good combination of formal and informal opportunities for parents to find out about their child’s progress. Homework, especially for older pupils, is set and marked regularly. There is also a good range of extra-curricular activities, especially for sport and music. These are enriched by frequent participation in a wide variety of community events. Mayfield Primary School - 10

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The school’s results and achievements

1. Results in the 1999 National Curriculum tests, based on average points, were above average in reading and writing, and well above average in mathematics at the end of Key Stage 1. The proportion of pupils reaching the higher level 3 was below average in reading and close to average in writing. Compared to schools in similar context, the results were above average in mathematics and average in reading and writing. Teacher assessments in science indicate that standards were above the expected levels. At the end of Key Stage 2, results were above average in English and well above average in mathematics and science. The number of pupils exceeding these standards was well above average in all three subjects. Compared with schools of a similar type, standards were average in English and above average in mathematics and science. The performance of pupils over the last four years in these core subjects has improved steadily, keeping pace with national trends. The unconfirmed national

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The school’s results and achievements

test results for the Year 2000 indicate that this trend is continuing. An example of this is the increase in the number of pupils now exceeding the expected standards in reading in Key Stage 1. Variations between the performance of boys and girls are not significantly different from the national picture.

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The school’s results and achievements

2. Children's attainments on entry to the school, from observations and from analyses of the baseline assessments, are broadly average, with the full range of attainment represented. By the time they are five, they meet the standards expected for their age in all areas of learning. Overall standards have risen since the time of the last inspection, when they were described as average in English and above average in mathematics and science at the end of Key Stage 2. Current work and lesson observations show that pupils now make good progress through the school and achieve well, reaching above the expected levels in English and well above them in mathematics and science, by the time that they leave the school. This is largely because there have been substantial improvements in the quality of teaching as well as improvements in the provision for children in their reception year and for pupils with special educational

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The school’s results and achievements

needs. The good behaviour, concentration and positive attitudes that pupils have towards their work also contribute well to this. The school has set appropriately challenging targets to raise standards further in English, mathematics and science. These are likely to be exceeded this year. Standards in information technology, however, are below national expectations at the end of Key Stage 2. The school has already identified this as a weakness and has begun to address it.

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The school’s results and achievements

3. In English, standards are above the expected levels at the end of both key stages. Within this positive picture, standards in writing are not as high as they are in reading. Pupils achieve very well in reading because teachers have high expectations of them, as seen in the challenging work they set. Phonic skills are well-taught and teachers provide pupils with a good range of ways of tackling unfamiliar words. They make very good use of guided reading sessions during literacy hours to deepen pupils’ understanding of what they read and successfully engender a real enthusiasm for books. While standards in writing meet the expected levels and some pupils exceed these, especially at the end of Key Stage 2, pupils do not yet consistently apply the good knowledge they are acquiring in lessons, about the structures and features of language, in their own writing. Teachers do not give pupils sufficient guidance over exactly

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The school’s results and achievements

how to improve their work and sometimes do not give some more able writers demanding enough work. The school has appropriately identified this as an area for further development. Teachers give pupils frequent opportunities in other subjects to extend their reading skills by researching information from a number of sources. Their use of opportunities for writing across the curriculum is less focused. Most pupils meet the national expectations in speaking and listening at the end of both key stages and some exceed them.

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The school’s results and achievements

4. Standards in mathematics are above the expected levels at the end of Key Stage 1 and well above them at the end of Key Stage 2. Pupils achieve very well in numeracy, showing Mayfield Primary School - 11 particularly good skills in mental arithmetic. This is because the national numeracy strategy has been successfully implemented and teaching is consistently good. However, the recent emphasis on numeracy has led to pupils’ skills in investigative work in Key Stage 2 becoming relatively weaker. In Key Stage 2, there is some variation in the nature and demand of the work given to Year 5 pupils in different classes. This is because the teachers do not plan their work together. Pupils use their skills in numeracy and in measuring accurately well in other subjects, for example, in making model deck chairs in design technology.

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The school’s results and achievements

5. Standards in science are above the expected levels at the end of Key Stage 1 and well above them by the age of 11. Pupils make very good progress overall in all aspects of the subject. In Key Stage 1, pupils achieve well in their understanding of life processes through their study of plants. In Key Stage 2, pupils continue to achieve well when learning about physical forces and magnetism. Again in Year 5, there are variations in the type and difficulty of the work given to pupils, as teachers do not plan together in the way that they do, for example, for Year 1 pupils.

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The school’s results and achievements

6. Standards in information technology meet the expected levels at the end of Key Stage 1 and pupils make sound progress. In Key Stage 2, standards are below what is expected by the age of 11 and pupils’ overall achievement is unsatisfactory. Their progress is limited as the National Curriculum requirements for control technology are not met and because teachers’ own expertise is often not sufficient to help pupils in lessons to build on what they learn at home. Pupils extract information from CD-Roms and the internet for history and insert maps into work for geography, for example. In general, however, the use of information technology across the curriculum is not fully exploited.

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The school’s results and achievements

7. Standards remain high in music. Pupils achieve well by the end of Key Stage 1 and very well by the time they leave the school. This is because all pupils are taught very well by a part-time specialist teacher in weekly lessons and they have a very rich range of opportunities to extend their skills, especially in singing. At the end of both key stages, most pupils meet the expected levels for their age and make sound progress in art, design technology, history, geography and physical education. Pupils’ achievements have improved in all of these subjects since the last inspection in Key Stage 1, and across the school in design technology and physical education. This is mainly due to improvements in the quality of teaching and in the overall planning of the curriculum. In physical education, it is also because the building of the new hall means that all aspects of the National Curriculum can now be taught effectively and because many pupils

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The school’s results and achievements

improve their skills by taking part in a wide range of sporting activities after school.

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The school’s results and achievements

8. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress towards the targets set in focused individual education plans. Their targets in English and mathematics, for example, are precise, with well-planned strategies to help them achieve them. This is an improvement since the last inspection. Baseline assessments are used to identify specific needs at an early stage so that appropriate support can be given. Teachers match tasks carefully to their needs and pupils are very well supported with their work in class and when they are withdrawn for extra support. This is reflected in the high number of them who meet the expected standards in English, mathematics and science. Higher attaining pupils make good progress because most of the time teachers give them appropriately challenging work. This is an improvement since the previous inspection. There are no significant differences in the achievements of boys and girls.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

9. Pupils almost always respond well in lessons and have good attitudes to their work. There was only one lesson seen during the inspection when attitudes were less than satisfactory, and this was partly because classroom management was less secure on this occasion. Overall, the pupils’ attitudes have improved since the last inspection. Pupils are now consistently more attentive, interested and involved in their lessons throughout the school, as a direct result of the good improvement in the quality of teaching.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

10. Pupils are eager to come to school and strive hard to succeed. For example, in a Years 5 and 6 science lesson when investigating the effect of different surfaces, pupils made very good Mayfield Primary School - 12 progress in their practical skills in using a force meter, accurately reading the results and understanding the effect of friction on the force needed. They are keen to be involved in the range of activities the school provides. For instance, after school activities are well supported, as well as those involving the local community, such as exhibiting in the Horticultural Society’s Summer Show. Such positive attitudes make a good contribution to standards attained and the quality of learning.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

11. Children under five are happy and secure in school and they respond to all activities with interest and enjoyment. They behave well and are polite to each other and to adults. The children are eager to explore new learning, have fun doing so and co-operate well together. A good example to illustrate both their physical and personal and social development was seen when they took it in turns to be the driver or the navigator when riding bicycles, deftly manoeuvring around cones on an obstacle course with increasing control.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

12. The pupils’ behaviour in lessons is good and there is mostly a purposeful, working atmosphere. Around the school, pupils’ behaviour is generally good. The playground is well supervised both by staff and volunteer parents and any minor incident is quickly and effectively handled. The pupils themselves commented to inspectors that playground behaviour has improved with the strategies now in place, such as the arrangements for ball games. The school has recognised the need to enhance the playground environment still further, and a playground development project is under way, to which the whole school community has contributed. Parents expressed some concern about playground behaviour both at the parents’ meeting and in the parental questionnaires, but this was not borne out by inspection evidence. The pupils are polite, friendly and helpful to each other and to adults and are trustworthy, for example, when carrying

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

out jobs. They show respect for property; they are careful, for instance, when handling expensive computer equipment and do not interfere with the very attractive displays around the school. There is no evidence of graffiti or litter. No bullying or harassment was seen during the inspection. There have been no exclusions in the past twelve months.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

13. Overall, the pupils’ personal development and relationships are good. They offer good support to each other in class and help each other when they are stuck. They work well together in mixed gender groups and paired activities, sharing resources well when required. The pupils’ relationships with both teaching and support staff are also good. The pupils know they are valued and cared for and there is a high level of mutual respect. As they get older, they show a good understanding of the impact of their actions on others, as was shown in a Years 5 and 6 personal and social education lesson during a discussion on bullying. Pupils show respect for each other’s feelings, values and beliefs. For instance, in a Years 4 and 5 science lesson using their knowledge of magnets to design something that would solve cutlery being discarded with waste food in a canteen, pupils were able to evaluate critically each other’s work and help to

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

14. Around the school, pupils show good initiative and personal responsibility in the daily routines of the school. Older pupils are particularly helpful with the younger ones, for example in the dining hall and playground. However, within lessons, pupils do not always notice what needs to be done and do it. For example, in a Years 5 and 6 art lesson, pupils relied on the teacher to clear up spilt water rather than doing it themselves. Also, pupils are not always able to use their initiative enough to plan and organise their own work and resources, because teachers do not give them sufficient opportunities to do so.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

15. Attendance levels at the school are satisfactory and have been maintained since the previous inspection. They are broadly in line with the national average. Unauthorised absence is below the national average. As at the last inspection, a significant proportion of absence is still due to the number of parents requesting permission to take their children away on holiday during term time.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

16. The quality of teaching is good overall. As a result, pupils learn and achieve well. In the lessons seen, the quality of teaching was good or better in 71 per cent, and very good in 18 per cent of them. It was unsatisfactory in only 3 per cent. It is a marked improvement from the time of the last report, when teaching was unsatisfactory overall. A rigorous programme of Mayfield Primary School - 13 monitoring and support, led by the headteacher, together with a very well-planned programme of in-service training has contributed strongly to this. The effectiveness of these measures is also reflected in the increased consistency in the quality of teaching across the school. It is now good in both key stages and for children under the age of five. This helps all pupils to make steady progress. It is also good across the core subjects of English, mathematics and science. It is very good in music. This makes a significant contribution to the high standards

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

achieved in these subjects. Not enough lessons were seen to make an overall judgement on teaching in the other foundation subjects. The small amount of teaching seen in information technology was good. In Key Stage 2, the teaching seen in art was good overall and satisfactory in physical education.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

17. Literacy and numeracy skills are well-taught, helping pupils to make good and often very good progress in these areas. One reason for this is the way that teachers have worked hard to implement the national literacy and numeracy strategies consistently, helping pupils to build on previous learning. They have begun to make good links with other subjects to help pupils consolidate their skills. Several good examples were seen of teachers reinforcing phonic and spelling skills in other subjects, as in a science lesson for pupils in Years 2 and 3, when they were learning the names of plants. As part of their work in geography and design technology lessons, pupils practise measuring length and angles accurately.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

18. The teaching of pupils with special educational needs is good. The special needs co-ordinator and teachers work closely with classroom assistants who provide very effective support for pupils both individually and in small groups. Teachers ensure that work is challenging and well matched to their needs and manage the pupils well. As a result, pupils respond with interest in lessons and achieve well. When pupils meet the targets in their individual education plans, they are quickly moved on to new ones. This helps them to make good progress.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

19. In almost all lessons, there are strong features that create a good working environment and contribute to the good achievements of pupils and their positive attitudes to learning. Teachers brief and deploy classroom assistants well, so that their skilful support has a very positive impact on pupils’ learning. Teachers expect pupils to work hard and behave well. They help pupils to achieve this by creating a calm and purposeful atmosphere, which is underpinned by good classroom organisation. As a result, pupils listen well and settle quickly and sensibly to group activities, frequently showing how well they can concentrate. Teachers generally manage pupils in an effective, pleasant and consistent way. This is based on good relationships and mutual respect between all adults and pupils. They value pupils’ ideas and help them to develop their confidence and skills in articulating them. Good examples were

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

seen of this in many lessons across the school. It means that pupils are keen to share their strategies, for example in mathematics, and readily learn from their mistakes. Sometimes, however, teachers allow too high a noise level, which detracts from pace and sense of purpose in the lesson, as in a history lesson for pupils in Years 1 and 2.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

20. Teachers plan in a thorough and consistent way, which helps pupils to build systematically on previous learning. They have clear learning objectives for lessons that they share with pupils. They structure lessons in a similar way in different subjects. In these ways, they help pupils to know exactly what is expected of them. What often distinguished the very good teaching was the way that the teacher referred to the objectives at each stage of the lesson to keep pupils tightly focused on what they should be learning and, at the end, for pupils to review what they had achieved. This was particularly noticeable in lessons for pupils in Years 5 and 6 and it contributed well to the industrious way in which they worked. In general, teachers take careful account of the differing ages and abilities of pupils in their class. They use their good knowledge of the pupils to plan well-matched and challenging activities. It is particularly

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

evident in reading, mathematics, science and music, where teachers have high expectations of all pupils. This contributes to the high standards and very good progress pupils make in these subjects, especially in the class for the oldest pupils. In Key Stage 1 teachers plan very closely together to ensure that Year 1 pupils have similar experiences and are equally challenged, irrespective of which class they are in. This good practice is not followed in Key Stage 2, which results in variations in the demand and nature of work in mathematics and science particularly, for pupils in Year 5. Mayfield Primary School - 14 21. In very well taught lessons, teachers have very high expectations of what pupils can achieve and keep up a brisk and purposeful pace, often making effective use of time limits. This helps pupils to learn very well and to produce a considerable amount of work in relatively short time.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

This was evident in all music lessons. In a geography lesson for older pupils, they learnt to set compasses and take bearings and then practised this outside. By the end of the lesson, they had completed neat, accurate maps to show the bearings of 12 features taken from a point on Court Meadow. In a few lessons, not enough is expected of pupils, for example, more able writers in Year 2, and they work slowly, with little sense of urgency.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

22. Teachers have good subject knowledge in English, mathematics and science, and in the case of the specialist teacher, in music. This helps them to use questioning and intervention very effectively to extend pupils’ skills and to extend their understanding. This was very noticeable in music lessons, in the way that the teacher developed and refined pupils’ aural skills to a high level. In a science lesson for pupils in Years 4 and 5, the teacher and classroom assistant continually challenged pupils, through skilful questioning, to improve their ideas for separating cutlery and waste food. All teachers use their expertise to extend pupils’ vocabulary very well, by consistently helping pupils in all subjects to understand and use technical terms correctly, such as ‘statistics’ and ‘anecdote’, in an English lesson for older pupils. In information technology, however, with the exception of the co-ordinator, teachers do not have enough

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

expertise to extend pupils fully in all aspects of the subject, especially in Key Stage 2. The school is aware of this and a comprehensive training programme is planned for next term. At the end of Key Stage 2 in particular, teachers use homework well to reinforce class work, for pupils to practise research and information technology skills and for extended pieces of factual or fictional writing.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

23. Pupils show considerable interest in their work and concentrate well. This is because teachers choose relevant and stimulating activities that motivate them well. For example, in literacy lesson for Reception and Year 1 pupils, one child was so keen not to miss a 'Yes/No' game, to help pupils to recognise the 'ee' sound, that she called, ‘Will you wait for me?’ as she hurried to the toilet! However teachers do not give pupils many opportunities to take responsibility for choosing and organising resources or for making decisions about their work. This is because resources are usually prepared for them and teachers direct their activities very closely.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

24. Teachers gain a good knowledge of pupils’ strengths and weaknesses from effective questioning and discussion in class and by regularly marking their work. They put this to good use when planning subsequent activities. However, they do not often make full use of written comments in marking to help pupils understand exactly how they could improve their work. Although there are some examples of teachers making good use of the final part of lessons in particular, to help pupils evaluate their work, in general, pupils do not have enough opportunities for this. Teachers have begun to set individual targets for pupils, but these are not yet specific enough or used effectively with pupils to involve them more in their own learning or to help them improve the quality of their own work. Consequently, pupils’ understanding of how well they are doing is not secure enough.

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HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS?

25. The school provides its pupils with a wide range of relevant learning opportunities. The planning of the curriculum and the balance of time spent on each subject has been considerably improved since the last inspection. The school now successfully maintains a broad curriculum, which includes, for example, a strong emphasis on music and the teaching of French to Year 6 pupils, while giving good time and emphasis to literacy and numeracy. Its commitment to this is seen in the effective staff training that has taken place to support the introduction of the literacy and numeracy hours. This has led to a good range of effective strategies in teaching these basic skills, which is reflected in a marked improvement in quality of teaching and the progress pupils make as they move through the school. The school meets the requirements of the National Curriculum, except in the control aspect of information

p.14

HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS?

technology in Key Stage 2. The curriculum promotes the personal, spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of its pupils well overall and this makes a significant contribution to their good behaviour and positive attitudes to learning. It also helps to prepare them well for the next stage of their education. Mayfield Primary School - 15 26. There is a very good programme for pupils’ personal and health education. This is well- structured and taught systematically through the school. Sex education is taught according to the school policy, together with drugs awareness, and members of the local community make regular contributions to this programme. The curriculum is further enriched by a good variety of other visitors, such as drama groups, storytellers, musicians and artists who work with the pupils on projects such as the Millennium Mosaic, which has pride of place in the community library. Teachers make good links between subjects to broaden pupils’ learning. A limited

p.14

HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS?

number of visits within the locality, including a residential visit to Bowles Outdoor Pursuit Centre further enrich pupils’ learning opportunities and personal development. Pupils are helped to develop their musical skills through opportunities for individual instrumental tuition, by taking part in local music festivals and performing in plays and carol concerts for parents and members of the village community. Pupils also extend their interests in after school clubs for art and French, while many boys and girls take part in a wide range of sports clubs, such as stoolball, cricket and cross-country and in matches against other schools.

p.15

HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS?

27. Boys and girls of all abilities have full access to the curriculum and their differing needs are met more effectively than at the time of the previous inspection. There is now good provision for children under the age of five. Provision for pupils with special educational needs has also improved. Individual education plans have clear, specific and assessable targets for improvement and clearly define the work to be done. They are reviewed regularly, motivate pupils well and help them to make good progress. Overall, teachers now challenge higher attaining pupils more effectively. In Key Stage 1, teachers plan together very well indeed to ensure that Year 1 pupils have similar opportunities across the curriculum, irrespective of which class they are in. This very good example is not followed for Year 5 pupils and consequently in some subjects, such as mathematics and science, they are not equally

p.15

HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS?

28. Provision for pupils’ spiritual development is good. Personal, social and health education lessons and circle time activities give pupils opportunities to talk, think and reflect on their own feelings and those of others. Younger pupils write simple poems explaining what makes a favourite place special for them, while older pupils reflect on the importance of friendship. They write different kinds of prayers and mark special times of celebration or sadness by attaching these to a prayer net. Well-planned assembly themes and religious education topics also provide good opportunities for pupils to develop understanding and respect for the values and beliefs of others, as well as helping them to explore their own. Well-chosen music creates a calm and stilling atmosphere in most assemblies, although other opportunities for pupils to engage in quiet reflection are not fully exploited. The daily act of collective worship meets

p.15

HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS?

29. There is very good provision for pupils’ moral and good provision for their social development. Pupils are set a very good example by all staff and have a clear understanding of right and wrong. This is helped by opportunities for them to draw up their own classroom rules and to explore issues together in circle times. All staff have a positive approach to managing the pupils. They apply the behaviour code consistently. Through an emphasis on care and concern for others and the importance of teamwork, teachers successfully encourage pupils to co- operate well together. The school provides some good opportunities for pupils to take responsibility and to show initiative outside the classroom. Their involvement in the playground developments and community events are a good example of this, as well as the opportunities for older pupils to look after younger ones. However, within lessons, pupils have less

p.15

HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS?

opportunities to organise and take responsibility for their work, because teachers often give them too much direction in their learning. This is reflected in the lack of emphasis on investigative work in subjects such as mathematics, science and history, especially in Key Stage 2 and in the lack of opportunities for younger pupils to develop independence.

p.15

HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS?

30. The school makes good provision for cultural development. The wide range of visitors and workshops for music and the arts, together with frequent participation in community events, increases pupils’ knowledge of their own culture. Religious education topics and the close links with St Dunstan’s Church provide opportunities for pupils to learn about their own Christian heritage and about the traditions of other faiths. Stories, displays and work undertaken in art, Mayfield Primary School - 16 music and geography help to increase pupils’ awareness of different cultures in other countries. However, there is not enough provision made for pupils to learn about the multicultural nature of Britain and opportunities to explore this are missed in lessons.

p.15

HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS?

31. The strong involvement in the local community makes a very good contribution to pupils’ learning and is very actively promoted by the headteacher and governors. Participation in events such as the recent ‘100 Belfries Concert’, the village horticultural show and the annual carnival make a very good contribution to pupils’ personal, social and cultural development. Residents, local clergy and other groups, such as the cricket and rugby clubs, visit the school to broaden and reinforce pupils’ experiences as well as supporting fetes and social events. There are good links with the local pre-school group, which help the youngest children settle happily into the reception classes. The school is a member of an active local school cluster. They liaise closely to promote continuity for pupils as they move between schools, through, for example, staff visits, Year 8 pupils writing letters and stories for younger pupils and the

p.16

HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS?

opportunity for Year 6 pupils to see a production of ‘Romeo and Juliet.’

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

32. Valuing and caring for the children is fundamental to the school’s ethos. The school provides good educational and personal support for all its pupils, which enhances the quality of life in school and has a positive impact on standards. It has successfully maintained the overall high standards of care and support since the last inspection.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

33. All staff provide very close caring support for pupils; they have a very good knowledge of pupils’ individual needs. As a result, although there is no whole school formal system, the monitoring of pupils’ personal development is good through teachers’ own detailed knowledge and informal records, which inform comments in the annual report. Parents appreciate the support given to their children and pupils feel confident to consult staff when they have concerns. Pupils with special educational needs are fully integrated into school life.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

34. The school has good relationships with external support agencies, and these contribute positively to the standards pupils achieve and to the pastoral provision of the school. For instance, the school nurse contributes regularly to the school’s very good provision for health education. Learning support assistants provide very good support for pupils with special educational needs, which contributes to the good progress these pupils make. The children are given a very caring introduction into school through the well-structured induction programme and the strong links with the local pre-school group. Older pupils receive good support in a number of ways for their transfer to secondary school, for example, through the opportunity to participate in a residential visit to foster greater independence.

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

35. Arrangements for child protection are very good and all staff are fully aware of the procedures to be followed. The school has very good arrangements for promoting the health and safety of pupils through safe working practices. In addition, aspects of health and safety in everyday life are carefully emphasised in the school’s very good provision for personal and health education for all pupils. Governors are most diligent in carrying out their responsibilities. First aid arrangements are very good and pupils are very well supervised during playtimes. Although fire drills are carried out at least termly, details are not systematically recorded.

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

36. The procedures for monitoring attendance are very good. For example, the school secretary checks the registers early each morning and contacts parents promptly in the event of any unexplained absence. Measures to promote discipline and good behaviour are effective and are based on praise and positive encouragement rather than the imposition of sanctions. Success of every kind is celebrated very well. Pupils and parents value the school’s reward system, which is based on collective team points and individual certificates of achievement. Pupils and parents do not consider bullying an issue in school. Pupils are happy to tell staff of any minor incident and are confident that the matter will be handled appropriately. The school has had no exclusions in the past twelve months and, as such, reflects the school’s successful efforts to support pupils and resolve problems without resorting to this sanction.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

Mayfield Primary School - 17 37. Overall, the monitoring of pupils’ academic performance is satisfactory. There have been several improvements in assessment procedures and the use of the information produced since the time of the last inspection, but there are still some weaknesses. Annual assessments are now made of the pupils in each year group in English, mathematics and science through standardised and optional national tests. These are used, together with baseline assessments and information from the national tests in Year 2 and Year 6, to track pupils’ progress across the school and to set school targets. The school has begun to analyse the information obtained to identify areas of weakness in the curriculum, and pupils in need of further support, through, for example, the additional literacy strategy, although this work is at an early stage of development. Baseline assessments are also used to identify pupils with specific needs, so

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

that support can be given from an early stage. Classroom assistants keep careful records of the work they do with pupils with special educational needs. The individual education plans of these pupils are reviewed thoroughly each half-term, although the written records of the reviews are imprecise. In English, there are termly reading conferences and half-termly sampling of pupils’ writing, which is carefully annotated, assessed and moderated against national standards. These provide useful additional information about pupils’ progress.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

38. Teachers have a good knowledge of their pupils’ progress from their own informal ongoing assessments and make appropriate use of these in matching tasks to their needs. They evaluate lessons carefully. In mathematics and science, they assess pupils’ work at the end of each topic and keep their own records of this. However, in science and in other subjects there are no common procedures for assessment and records to inform the next teacher and to help pupils build systematically on their skills and knowledge as they move from class to class. The school is planning new procedures, related to the introduction of the revised curriculum in September, to begin to address these shortcomings. Teachers have started to set individual targets for pupils. However, the targets are not yet precise enough or used sufficiently well with pupils as a focus to help them to improve their work and the school is currently reviewing

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

39. The school maintains many very good links with its parents and carers, helping them to contribute positively to pupils’ learning and social development. The significant strengths identified in the previous report have been maintained. The parents as a whole are very satisfied with the provision the school makes for their children and what it achieves. Parents at the meeting, and those returning the questionnaires, express a very high degree of satisfaction that their children like school, that the quality of teaching is good, that it is approachable, that it promotes hard work and that it is well led and managed. They also appreciate the good progress their children are making and feel that the school’s approach encourages maturity in their children. The main concerns expressed by parents were to do with homework arrangements, particularly for the older pupils, the level of information received about their

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

child’s progress and the limitations of extra curricular activities. None of these concerns was borne out by inspection evidence. Homework books for the older pupils show work that is regularly set and marked. The school has an open door policy for parents to talk to teachers informally about their children’s progress, as well as more formal arrangements. The range of after school activities is good and is enhanced with numerous enriching opportunities involving the community.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

40. The quality of information provided for parents and carers is very good. They are very well informed about day to day events through, for instance, regular newsletters from the headteacher. In addition, termly governors’ newsletters inform parents of their work within school. Parents appreciate the information the school provides on how they can help with their children’s learning at home, for example, the hugely successful maths trail held recently. The annual written reports for each child are good and mostly give a clear view of what pupils know, understand and can do, particularly in English and mathematics. Short term goals are identified in English and mathematics to help pupils improve. Very good opportunities are provided for parents to discuss their children’s progress through formal and informal meetings. The school liaises well with parents of pupils with special educational needs, who regularly

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

share in the setting and review of their child’s individual education plans. Mayfield Primary School - 18 41. Parents’ and carers’ involvement in the school is very good. They are much encouraged and they feel very welcome to become involved. They find it very easy to approach staff informally to discuss any questions or problems regarding their children. Parents are involved with the work of the school in a number of ways. For example, parental opinion has recently been sought through a questionnaire about aspects of the school’s work which will contribute to the school development plan. A large number of parents make an important contribution to standards through help with school activities, for example in lessons, as well as with various projects, such as the playground development. In addition, the parent teacher association works hard in organising social and fundraising events, which raise significant funds to improve

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

the educational opportunities of all pupils. Parents are actively encouraged to become involved in their children’s learning at home and they all have a copy of the school’s homework policy detailing expectations. They generally respond well to this request, in particular with reading. Parents make very good use of the on-site community library with their children. They are also very supportive of events involving their children, such as the Years 4 and 5 class assembly on the theme of ‘prayer’ which was observed during the inspection.

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

42. The overall leadership and management of the school is good. There has been a very effective response to the serious weaknesses in teaching and in pupils’ progress, as well as to other issues, identified in the previous report, two and a half years ago. This is seen in the substantial improvements in the quality of teaching, from unsatisfactory to good overall across the school. As a result of this, pupils now achieve well. The improvements in the teaching of children under the age of five have been outstanding. These improvements in teaching have been brought about by a rigorous and very well-planned programme of monitoring, support and development led by the headteacher, together with very good, well-used opportunities for staff training. The well-thought out and consistent implementation of the national literacy and numeracy strategies have also contributed to improvements in the teaching of basic skills and

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

the good progress pupils make in these areas. In addition to this, there has been a further improvement in the informed and very active involvement of the governing body.

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

43. The headteacher provides very good leadership. She gives a strong sense of direction to the work of the school, which is clearly focused on raising standards through improving the quality of teaching and learning. She has shared this very effectively with the staff, governors and parents, securing the commitment, enthusiasm and willingness of all to continuing improvement. It results in a close partnership, working with a clear sense of purpose towards common goals.

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

44. The clearly stated aims of the school are very evident in its policies and procedures and promoted consistently in the daily life and work of the school. There is a strong emphasis on mutual respect and on enabling all pupils to achieve their best. This is reflected in the good provision for pupils with special educational needs and the particular emphasis placed on personal, spiritual, moral, social and cultural education. Its effectiveness is evident in the good behaviour and personal development of pupils and their good attitudes to learning. Parents are rightly appreciative of the positive influence of the school’s aims and values on their children.

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

45. The headteacher is supported very well by her deputy, who is fully involved in all decision making and development planning, as well as contributing well to the efficient, smooth day-to- day running of the school. As special educational needs co-ordinator, she works closely with class teachers and assistants, as well as with the governor responsible for special educational needs, to effectively monitor the progress of pupils on the special needs register and to provide very good support for them. All Code of Practice requirements are met. The management of special educational needs has improved since the last inspection, resulting in better provision and increasing pupils’ achievements. The co-ordinators for literacy and numeracy have worked hard to ensure the effective use of the national strategies by leading staff training and, more recently, by monitoring teaching. The co-ordinator for information technology is also effective

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

in improving planning and provision for this subject. However, in general, the role of co- ordinators is under-developed. They do not have full responsibility for their budgets. As yet, they do not monitor planning or teaching on a regular basis, for example, to check the quality of provision for pupils of the same age in different classes. They are not fully involved in Mayfield Primary School - 19 analysing assessment information or the outcomes of pupils’ work. This restricts their overview of pupils’ progress and standards across the school and their contribution to improving these.

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

46. The headteacher continues to monitor teaching regularly. Lesson observations are focused and the subsequent discussions and action points agreed with teachers, together with good arrangements for appraisal and professional development, support ongoing improvements in the quality of teaching. The headteacher and deputy carry out careful analysis of test results. This has already led to action to remedy weaknesses in science in Key Stage 1, for example, and to identify pupils in need of support through the additional literacy strategy. However, the analysis and use of performance data to track and improve pupils’ progress and to set targets is not yet fully exploited.

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

47. Governors are committed, very well informed and very supportive of the school. The review of their procedures and committees and their full participation in training opportunities enable them to carry out their responsibilities and fulfil their role as ‘critical friends’ very well. Since the last inspection, the governors have become increasingly involved in effective monitoring of teaching and learning. They now have a full, well-organised programme, carefully linked to the school’s current priorities. Their perceptive observations enable them to monitor and evaluate the progress of the school development plan. This, in turn, informs their very clear view of the strengths and weaknesses of the school and their effective strategic planning and use of resources. A good example of this is the way they have worked closely with the information technology co-ordinator to develop a strategy for the continuing development of the subject, to

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

meet funding requirements. They have been particularly effective in promoting good communications and the close involvement of both the local community and parents with the school. This has a very positive impact on the support for and enrichment of pupils’ learning. A good example of this is the way that they make use of questionnaires and discussions with parents, to incorporate their views into the school development plan.

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

48. Financial planning is good. The governing body is involved closely with the headteacher in prioritising spending decisions, based on improving the educational standards of the pupils. A good example of this is the good progress made by lower attaining pupils and those with special educational needs through the very effective support of the additional classroom assistants that have been employed. The efficient administrative officer ensures that information is readily available for the headteacher and the finance committee so that finances are kept in good order and costs easily determined. Budget expenditure is monitored regularly and good use is made of specific grants, especially to support staff training. The school ensures, through competitive tendering and consultation, that they obtain best value for money, for example, when deciding to lease rather than buy new computers.

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

49. An extensive re-furbishment and building programme since the last inspection has effectively addressed the serious shortcomings then noted in the accommodation. A good-sized hall now enables all elements of the National Curriculum for physical education to be taught. The new building now provides an attractive and safe learning environment for pupils, which is enhanced by stimulating displays. The imaginative siting of the community library within the school building has not only added to the resources readily available for pupils to use and fuelled their enthusiasm for reading - many pupils are active members - but also strengthened the links between the school and local community. Mayfield Primary School - 20

p.19

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

In the context of the school’s many strengths, the governors, headteacher and staff should address the following matters in their action plan in order to raise standards and the quality of education still further:

p.20

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

a) Raise standards and improve the progress of pupils in information technology by:-*

p.20

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

§ ensuring that National Curriculum requirements are met fully in Key Stage 2. § providing sufficient opportunities for pupils to develop their skills in all aspects of the subject and monitoring their progress in these systematically . § increasing the expertise and confidence of teachers by implementing the training programme as planned. § increasing the use of information technology to support other subjects. (see paragraphs 2,6,22,25,75,80,86,87,98)

p.20

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

b) further improve standards in writing by:-* Mayfield Primary School - 21 § giving pupils more opportunities to re-draft their work, to improve the content as well as the accuracy. § ensuring all more able writers are given demanding enough work. § providing more focused opportunities for pupils to develop their writing skills in other subjects. § making better use of marking and individual targets to help pupils improve their work. (paragraphs 3,21,66,68,97)

p.20

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

c) Continue to develop procedures for assessing, recording and monitoring pupils’ progress and the way that they are used to help pupils improve their work by :-*

p.21

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

§ establishing agreed assessment procedures and records for all subjects, so that the development of pupils’ skills can be tracked. § using a consistent approach to written marking that helps pupils to know exactly how to improve their work. § providing more opportunities for pupils to be involved in evaluating their own and each other’s work. § making better use of more precise individual targets with pupils. (see paragraphs 24,38,68,75,82,85,91,97,99,104,116)

p.21

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

d) Develop the role of the subject co-ordinators further in improving standards and achievement by:-

p.21

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

§ providing regular opportunities for them to monitor planning, teaching and the outcomes of pupils’ work across the school, taking particular account of pupils in mixed age classes. § involving core subject co-ordinators in the analysis and interpretation of performance data. (see paragraphs 20,27,45,69,77,82,95,99,104)

p.21

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

In addition to the above, the following points for development should be considered for inclusion in the action plan:-

p.21

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• Provide more opportunities in lessons for pupils to take responsibility for aspects of their learning. (see paragraphs 14,24,29,53,90) • Provide more opportunities for pupils to learn about other cultures in Britain. (see paragraph 30)

p.21

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

* The school has already identified these areas for development.

p.21

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 32

p.21

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

p.21

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

0 18 53 26 3 0 0 The table gives the percentage of teaching observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about lessons.

p.21

Information about the school’s pupils

Mayfield Primary School - 22 Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery YR– Y6

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) N/A 150

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils eligible for free school meals N/A 4 FTE means full-time equivalent.

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Special educational needs Nursery YR – Y6

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs N/A 2

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register N/A 16

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 0

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 10

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 2

p.22

Attendance

National comparative data 5.4 National comparative data 0.5 Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Mayfield Primary School - 23

p.22

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 1999 11 12 23

p.23

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

p.23

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Boys 10 10 10 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 12 12 12

p.23

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentage of pupils School 96(96) 96(96) 96(96) at NC level 2 or above National 82(80) 83(81) 87(84)

p.23

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.23

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Boys 10 10 10 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 12 12 12

p.23

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentage of pupils School 96(95) 96(100) 96(100) at NC level 2 or above National 82(81) 86(85) 87(86)

p.23

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

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

p.23

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 1999 10 10 20

p.23

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

p.23

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Boys 8 8 9 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 8 9 10

p.23

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentage of pupils School 80(80) 85(70) 95(90) at NC level 4 or above National 70(65) 69(59) 78(69)

p.23

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.23

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Boys 8 8 8 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 9 8 10

p.23

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentage of pupils School 85(80) 80(70) 90(90) at NC level 4 or above National 68(65) 69(65) 75(71) Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Mayfield Primary School - 24

p.23

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage 0 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0

p.24

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – African heritage 0 Black – African heritage 0 0

p.24

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Any other minority ethnic group 5 Other minority ethnic groups This table refers to pupils of compulsory school age only. This table gives the number of exclusions of pupils of compulsory school age, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded.

p.24

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 6.2 Financial year 1999/00

p.24

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 24

p.24

Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total expenditure 280316

p.24

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 5 Expenditure per pupil 1894

p.24

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 61.5 Balance brought forward from previous year 11919

p.24

Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance carried forward to next year 5267

p.24

Teachers and classes Financial information

FTE means full-time equivalent. Mayfield Primary School - 25

p.24

Percentage of responses in each category

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

p.25

Percentage of responses in each category

My child is making good progress in school. 44 49 2 2 4

p.25

Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 18 67 7 7 2

p.25

Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 21 63 11 5 0

p.25

Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 40 42 16 2 0

p.25

Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 72 23 0 5 0

p.25

Percentage of responses in each category

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 61 32 2 4 2

p.25

Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 55 30 9 5 0

p.25

Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 56 36 0 7 0

p.25

Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 46 49 0 2 4

p.25

Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 36 45 11 5 4 Mayfield Primary School - 26

p.25

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

50. Children are admitted to the reception classes in the September following their fourth birthday. Entry is phased for pupils to begin school on a part-time basis and move to full-time attendance. During the inspection, there were six four-year-olds in the reception and Year 1 class. From an analysis of the school’s assessments of pupils during their first term and from inspectors’ observations, while the full range of attainment is represented, overall, attainment on entry to the school is average. Under-fives are accommodated in the Reception and Year 1 class and are taught with children who have reached the ages of five and six.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

51. Four-year-olds make a good start to school and, by the time children reach statutory school age, they meet the expected standards specified in national guidance, in all the areas of learning. Children who have been identified as having learning difficulties make good progress due to the very good support that they receive from classroom assistants. The achievement of children in the Reception class has greatly improved since the last inspection as a result of the quality of the teaching, which has improved from poor to consistently good with some very good features, during the current inspection.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

52. The curricular provision for under-fives is good. Teaching for the four and five year olds in the Reception and Year 1 class is consistently good with some very good teaching. As a result, children, including those with learning difficulties, acquire knowledge, understanding and skills at a good rate. The teacher and her assistants have good knowledge and understanding of the needs of children in the foundation stage and of the curriculum to meet those needs. The teacher plans the curriculum to ensure that the children undertake many practical experiences and make good use of play to extend learning. She plans effectively from the six areas of learning for under-fives and clearly identifies what she intends each group of children to learn. This thorough planning is shared with the classroom assistants to give a consistently clear direction to the work of the class. Work is matched well to children’s different abilities and ages

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

and when they have attained the expected standards at five, the teacher moves them smoothly into the subjects of the National Curriculum.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

53. The strengths in the teaching are the high expectations of children’s behaviour and attainment and the good management of children, based on good relationships and a calm, quiet discipline. In this secure, challenging environment, children try hard to succeed and work productively at a good pace. The teacher takes every opportunity to teach basic skills; there are many opportunities, particularly at the end of the lesson when work is reviewed, for children to practise their skills in speaking and listening. In music and physical education, the teacher revised the sound of the week. In science, spelling was taught well, and in mathematics, the teacher extended children’s vocabulary. The teacher provides a good balance of direct teaching and interesting activities to achieve her learning objectives. As a result, children are interested, concentrate well for their age and try hard to succeed. She

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

makes very good use of her classroom assistants, the specialist teacher for music and learning resources. The organisation of the classroom is good and lessons proceed at a good pace; children know what is expected of them and know the routines well. However, there are insufficient opportunities for children to organise themselves independently from an adult and to select resources and activities. All adults know the children well but there are few written records especially in children’s personal and social development.

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Personal and social development

54. The under-fives achieve satisfactorily and most attain the expected standards in personal and social development on entry to statutory education and a significant proportion of children exceed these standards. By the time children reach five, their behaviour is good, and they have good relationships with their teachers and classroom assistants, and each other. They work co-operatively in groups, as seen when children played in the barbecue area and explored the water tray, and they also work independently. They are willing to take turns and Mayfield Primary School - 27 show this when they work together at a computer. They are aware of the right and wrong way to treat each other during classroom activities and at playtimes.

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Personal and social development

55. Children share resources fairly, are confident and they treat property with care, for example, in the role-play area, the barbecue, and at the water tray, where they showed great care for the resources. Children show their feelings and enjoy the tasks they are given. They sustain concentration and persevere, as seen when they undertook mathematical and musical activities. They dress themselves for physical education and in aprons for messy activities. The teaching is good; the teacher and classroom assistants have high expectations, they establish good routines and their discipline, based on good relationships, is quiet but firm. Children do not have sufficient opportunities to select an activity or resources as the teachers always prepare everything and children are directed to activities. Children are treated courteously by teachers and respond with good manners to adults and other children when for

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Personal and social development

example, the cress sandwiches made in the lesson, were handed around for everyone to eat.

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Language and literacy

56. As a result of the good teaching, children achieve satisfactorily and, by the time they are five, most attain in line with the recommended outcomes for children of this age in language and literacy. The teacher provides many opportunities for children to speak during the day. Children also enjoy listening to stories on the tapes in the listening centre and from storytellers who visit the school. The teacher has high expectations and ensures that children speak in sentences rather than in single words. She continually probes children’s initial response to encourage the use of a more varied vocabulary and she asks those who speak indistinctly to try again for other children to hear their contributions clearly. Most listen to their teachers attentively. Children of higher prior attainment speak confidently and articulately for their age.

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Language and literacy

57. Children have good attitudes to reading. They know how books work and that print carries meaning. Some children recognise familiar words and use their phonic skills to support their reading. They enjoy talking about the stories they have read and effectively relate them to their own experiences. They are particularly good at using the clues in pictures to help them understand and re-tell stories. Children are beginning to write; they write words using their phonic knowledge and are trying to write them independently, using a word wall. Most children identify and write their names with appropriate use of upper and lower case letters; their handwriting is becoming clear and letters are formed satisfactorily as seen in their writing on ‘Peter and the Wolf’ about a performance given by a puppet theatre.

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Mathematics

58. Due to the good teaching, four-year-olds achieve satisfactorily and they attain the standards expected by the age of five. The teacher makes good use of practical activities to consolidate children’s knowledge and understanding of number and there is good teaching of basic skills with many opportunities for children to talk about their work and explain how they arrived at their answers. In a numeracy hour in the group activities, the teacher worked with the four- year-olds on counting to ten, while the classroom assistant supervised the work of the five and six year olds. Children are beginning to use mathematical language to describe position and when riding on bicycles, they learned the difference between right and left. When the teacher checks the day’s attendance, she often asks the children to calculate the number present by working out a subtraction sum.

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

59. Because of the very good teaching, children achieve well and most attain the expected standards by the time they are five and many are working within the first level of the National Curriculum in science. Children made a map of the human body by drawing around a child and they labelled parts that they could see and parts, such as, blood, the brain and bones that were inside the body. Children explore a water wheel when they use the water tray and answer the teacher’s written questions about ways of making the wheel move fast and slowly. There are frequent opportunities to use computers to support early learning, as seen when children used talking games and used the mouse to drop, drag and turn leaves and petals, when forming a Mayfield Primary School - 28 plant from its parts. Children made cress sandwiches with their classroom assistant and used skills such as cutting to remove the cress from the container in which it grew and spreading the

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

butter with a knife. They talk about where they live and crops, which are harvested for people to eat. The teacher uses a good balance of activities for children to explore the world around them, some of which are directed by an adult and some where children find out for themselves. The good organisation of the reception area, the high expectations of children’s behaviour and the imaginative activities enable them to increase successfully their knowledge and understanding of the world.

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Physical development

60. As a result of the good teaching, children achieve satisfactorily and their attainment meets the standards expected by the time they are five. They move confidently and imaginatively and demonstrate good awareness of space when they play parachute games during a physical education lesson. The teacher works enthusiastically with the children and ensures their safety and that equipment is used very sensibly. When riding bicycles they take turns to be the driver and navigator and ride in and out of an obstacle course of cones with increasing control. They learn to reverse the bicycle by pushing the pedals backwards. Children’s manipulative skills are sound, in that they handle pencils and other tools and materials, such as the mouse on a computer, with increasing co-ordination and control. Children derive great enjoyment from their physical activities.

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Creative development

61. Children make sound progress and attain the expected standards by the time they are five. Teaching is at least good and very good in music. The teacher gives them frequent opportunities to use paint to express their ideas and emotions during free activities as seen in children’s self-portraits. Art techniques are also taught well and children apply these skills to mix shades of red, paint spring trees in blossom, and make patterns using marbling techniques and bubble painting. A project over five weeks to make a screen depicting the seasons involved tie and dye techniques and sewing. The finished product is of excellent quality for pupils of the ages in the class and led to an imaginative response from children, which was written down by the parents who contributed to the project. The role-play area is regularly changed to provide opportunities for imaginative play. During the inspection it was the

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Creative development

barbecue, but an album shows photographs of children enjoying role-play in a weather station when pupils from Year 5 joined them. Adults regularly intervene to develop language and literacy skills. The four-year-olds join the five and six year olds for music and because the class teacher and the specialist teacher for music carefully choose the activities, there are many opportunities for the four-year-olds to join in.

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ENGLISH

62. Results from the 1999 national tests, based on average points, show that standards in reading and writing at the end of Key Stage 1 and in English at the end of Key Stage 2, were above the national average and in line with those of similar schools. At the end of Key Stage 2, the proportion of pupils reaching the higher level 5 was well above average. The performance of pupils over the last four years has improved steadily, broadly keeping pace with national trends. Differences in the performances of boys and girls are not significantly different to the national picture. Inspection evidence from lesson observations and the work of current Year 2 and Year 6 pupils confirms that standards overall in English are above the expected levels at the end of both key stages. Within this positive picture, standards in writing are not as high as they are in reading. This is reflected in the unconfirmed results of this year’s national tests.

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ENGLISH

63. Standards in language and literacy are broadly average when children start school and above average when they leave the school at the age of 11. Pupils achieve well overall and make good progress in both key stages. This is a marked improvement since the time of the last inspection, when pupils’ progress was described as sound in Key Stage 1 and unsatisfactory in significant aspects of the subject in Key Stage 2. Considerable improvements in the quality of teaching, the consistent way in which the national literacy strategy has been well implemented, Mayfield Primary School - 29 together with the good behaviour and positive attitudes pupils have towards their work, have contributed to this. Pupils with special educational needs also make good progress. Those in need of additional support are identified at an early stage and the special needs co-ordinator, class teachers and classroom assistants work closely together to help these pupils to do well,

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ENGLISH

through very effective support in class and, where appropriate, through individual or group teaching. An example of this is the good progress made by a number of pupils as a result of the effective use of the additional literacy strategy. It is reflected in the high percentage of lower attaining pupils who reach the expected standards in English .

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ENGLISH

64. Most pupils meet the expected standards in speaking and listening at the end of both key stages and some exceed them. By the age of seven, pupils engage in conversation with adults confidently. They listen carefully to the teacher and to each other. Some pupils explain their ideas very clearly, adding interesting detail, as in a Years 1 and 2 lesson about safety, when pupils were discussing how to avoid dangers in the sun, in playgrounds or near water. Teachers make good use of plenary sessions at the end of lessons to increase pupils’ confidence and clarity in speaking in front of small groups. They also successfully extend pupils’ vocabulary in all subjects through their consistent emphasis on pupils’ understanding and using technical terms correctly. By the end of Key Stage 2, pupils listen carefully, respond thoughtfully to each other's views and begin to build on these, as in paired discussions during a

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ENGLISH

lesson for older pupils about bullying. However, in many lessons teachers do not take full advantage of opportunities for group discussions to develop these skills further. Pupils in both key stages develop confidence in speaking in front of large groups and learn to adapt their speech appropriately, through regular opportunities in assemblies. Some use complex sentences and interesting vocabulary. Very good examples of this were seen in a class assembly about ‘Prayer,’ and during a school assembly when older pupils were invited to explain the personal efforts involved in their achievements in activities such as riding, dancing and playing the euphonium.

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ENGLISH

65. Standards in reading are well above the expected levels at the end of both key stages. Many pupils make very good progress in both key stages. There is a particular improvement from the 1999 Key Stage 1 national test results, in the number of pupils now exceeding the expected standards. This is due to the increasing impact of good teaching of phonic skills, for example, and the effective use of the national literacy strategy in reading from the time that pupils start school. By the age of seven, almost all pupils read an appropriate range of books with reasonable fluency and accuracy and with good expression. They use a good variety of ways to tackle unfamiliar words and show a good understanding of what they are reading by substituting sensible words for those they do not know. Higher attaining pupils show an increasing understanding of plots and characters. For example, one boy explained, with

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ENGLISH

considerable amusement, why Grandma was suspicious of George, spontaneously referring to the text in ‘George’s Marvellous Medicine’. By the age of 11, most pupils read often quite challenging books, clearly and with good expression. Teachers make very good use of group guided reading sessions, during the literacy hour, to deepen their pupils’ understanding of themes and characterisation and to extend the range of authors read. A particular strength is the great enthusiasm for reading that many boys and girls show. They use every spare moment in class to read their books. In a literacy lesson, Year 4 pupils were keen to know when they would have the chance to read ‘Mightier than the Sword.’ This enthusiasm has been enhanced by the location within the school of the attractive community library, which many pupils and parents use after school. Pupils’ library skills, however, are less well developed, with most, for example, relying on adults rather than classification systems to

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ENGLISH

locate books. Teachers provide good opportunities across the curriculum for pupils to apply and extend their reading skills in

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ENGLISH

retrieving information from a wide variety of sources, including books, CD-ROMs and the internet, often for homework. Pupils make good use of dictionaries and thesauri in lessons.

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ENGLISH

66. Standards in writing meet the expected levels at the end of both key stages. Pupils make satisfactory progress overall. The number of pupils meeting the expected standards in writing Mayfield Primary School - 30 at the end of Key Stage 1 is above the expected levels. Few, however, exceed these. One reason for this is that more able writers are not always given demanding enough work. By the age of seven, almost all pupils write in simple sentences mostly using well-formed letters and reasonably accurate spelling. They write in a variety of forms, including poems, letters and stories. They sequence their writing appropriately when describing their T-shirt designs. They begin to use capital letters and full stops correctly. A few higher attaining pupils begin to use more structured sentences and interesting vocabulary, for example, when re-telling the story of ‘Peter and the Wolf’. By the time they leave the school, pupils' writing is generally well

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ENGLISH

organised and neatly presented. They write in a good variety of forms and spell quite accurately, although some do not use more complex sentences confidently or fully extend their ideas. Some higher attaining pupils, however, vary sentence structure, style and vocabulary competently to create particular effects. Good examples of this include articles about the importance of bicycle safety and an imaginative sequel to the ‘Pied Piper of Hamelin’. Younger pupils begin to adjust their style appropriately when writing stories about Anansi for children in the reception class. Pupils throughout the school often make good progress in literacy lessons in developing their knowledge and understanding of the structure and features of language, but do not yet apply this consistently in their own writing. One reason for this is that teachers do not provide enough opportunities for pupils to re-draft their work to improve its content and

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ENGLISH

structure, as well as its accuracy. While they provide frequent opportunities for pupils to improve the fluency of their writing in other subjects, they do not identify, in their planning, the specific skills to be developed. Although all teachers make good use of the introductory and plenary parts of lessons to reinforce and extend all pupils’ understanding of the structure of language, they do not always challenge more able writers sufficiently in the nature or pace of the group activities. This results in some achieving less than might be expected; for example, when more able Year 2 pupils worked at a leisurely pace, when writing booklets about plants.

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ENGLISH

67. The quality of teaching is good overall. It is good or better in 80 per cent of lessons and very good in 40 per cent of these. No unsatisfactory teaching was seen during the inspection. This is a significant improvement since the last inspection and is a key factor in the good progress pupils now make in their learning. This was illustrated in a very well taught lesson for pupils in Years 5 and 6, based on arguments for and against capital punishment. The teacher not only shared the clear lesson objectives with pupils at the beginning of the lesson, but referred to them throughout, so that at each stage, pupils knew exactly what they should be learning and, by the end of the lesson, how well they had done. They also knew how they would be expected to develop their work in the next lesson. This motivated them well and, together with the high expectations of them made clear by the teacher, resulted in them working very hard throughout

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ENGLISH

the lesson. The teacher used challenging questions and made very good use of the text to extend pupils’ understanding about the different ways that arguments can be supported. He used skilful questioning to explore the meanings of unfamiliar words and phrases, eliciting suggestions such as ‘the dangers to children playing in parks’ as an example of ‘appealing to the emotions’. During the lesson, the classroom assistant provided very effective help to pupils with special educational needs, by using good questioning to help them organise and verbalise their ideas before writing them. As a result, for example, one pupil was able to contribute fully to the plenary session by giving a clear explanation of ‘an eye for an eye’.

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ENGLISH

68. All teachers use their good subject knowledge effectively in skilful questioning. For example, this helped pupils in Years 4 and 5 not only to deepen their understanding of ‘Overheard on a Saltmarsh’, but to compare the layout and style of the poem with previous ones read. All teachers plan thoroughly for literacy lessons, taking careful account of the differing ages and abilities of the pupils in their class. It results, in general, in teachers setting well-matched and appropriately challenging activities, which enables all pupils to achieve well. This is particularly evident in guided reading groups. Another good example was seen in a lesson for Year 3 pupils based on ‘Farmyard Cacophony’. After a lively introduction, which captured the enthusiasm of the pupils, the teacher used well-matched activities for each group to hold their interest fully, while helping them improve both their uses of alliteration and onomatopoeia and

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ENGLISH

a new spelling pattern. Teachers manage pupils in an effective, pleasant and consistent way, which helps to sustain their concentration and contributes to their positive attitudes. This is based on very good relationships and mutual respect between all adults and pupils. Good use Mayfield Primary School - 31 is made of homework opportunities to encourage pupils to practise their literacy skills in researching information, for history and geography for example, as well as for older pupils to undertake extended writing. Teachers mark work regularly. Although spelling and punctuation are corrected, there are few examples of useful comments, in relation to the main objectives for the particular piece of writing, to help pupils know exactly how to improve their work. Teachers have begun to set individual targets for pupils, but as yet they are not yet precise enough or used sufficiently well with pupils to be an effective tool in helping them to improve

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ENGLISH

69. Teachers have worked hard and successfully to implement the national literacy strategy consistently, so that pupils build effectively on previous learning. The co-ordinator has made a good contribution to this, through the in-service training of colleagues and by monitoring the teaching of the literacy hour, together with the headteacher and governors. As yet, she has no opportunity to monitor planning and this restricts her overview of standards and achievement especially in Key Stage 2. There is a good range of annual assessments, and useful procedures such as termly reading conferences and half-termly sampling of pupils’ writing. These are used appropriately to track pupils’ progress across the school, in setting school targets, and to identify pupils in need of additional support. The curriculum is enriched through the visits of, for example, theatre groups and puppeteers, and very good liaison with the local

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ENGLISH

secondary school, which contribute well to pupils’ social and cultural development.

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MATHEMATICS

70. There has been good improvement in mathematics since the last inspection. The teaching has improved from barely sound to consistently good across the school. This has the impact of improving achievement in both key stages from satisfactory to good and raising pupils’ attainment at eleven from above average to well above average. The co-ordinator has introduced the national numeracy strategy well to improve standards across the school.

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MATHEMATICS

71. The results of the 1999 National Curriculum tests, based on average points at seven and eleven, show that pupils’ attainment was well above the national average and above average when compared to schools with a similar intake. When the levels actually achieved are examined, at seven, the proportion of pupils achieving level 2 or above and those achieving higher levels is above the national average and above average for similar schools. At eleven, the proportion of pupils achieving level 4 and above and those achieving higher levels is well above the national average and above average for similar schools. For the four years from 1996 to 1999 the trend across the school has been upward and consistently above average. Inspection evidence indicates that by seven, pupils are continuing to achieve standards that are above the levels expected for their ages, with little difference between the performance of

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MATHEMATICS

boys and girls. These findings are reflected in the provisional results of this year’s national teacher assessments. In Key Stage 2, pupils achieve well and at eleven, pupils attain well above the levels expected for their ages with particularly good skills in mental arithmetic. The school’s target for the year 2000 has been exceeded. Pupils who have learning difficulties make good progress due to the good match of work to their needs and the very good support from classroom assistants and visiting teachers.

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MATHEMATICS

72. By the end of Year 2, the majority of pupils can identify odd and even numbers and number patterns, add and subtract small numbers, identify halves and quarters and have a sound understanding of the place value of hundreds, tens and units. Pupils are developing personal strategies for mental calculations. For example, in early morning maths in a Years 2 and 3 class, a group of more able pupils in Year 2 confidently explained their methods of working out the answers. In another lesson in Years 1 and 2, the teacher used a one hundred number- square to help pupils in Year 2 to develop strategies for counting in fives as an introduction to the building of the five times table. Many pupils could identify the alternating pattern in the answers to the five times table. All lessons observed were in number. Previous work in pupils’ books shows that in their work on shape, space and measurement, pupils in Year 2 use units of

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MATHEMATICS

time accurately and know the relationship between them. They understand and use money competently, identify lines of symmetry and right angles and organise and interpret data in Mayfield Primary School - 32 lists, tables and simple graphs. Pupils are beginning to measure accurately in centimetres and metres and they use computers to practise addition and subtraction and to build pictograms from data that they have collected. Pupils in Year 1 have applied their mathematical knowledge and understanding to investigate whether a statement is true; for example, they found that when two odd numbers are added together, the answer is always an even number.

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MATHEMATICS

73. By the end of Year 6, most pupils have a good knowledge of all the multiplication tables, are very proficient in mental arithmetic and calculate speedily. Their knowledge and understanding of shape, space and measures are good. They find areas of two-dimensional shapes using a formula, identify congruent shapes and orders of rotational symmetry. They use measurement well when reading scales, for example, in science on a force meter in Newtons and in geography when collecting rainfall and when using their knowledge of angles to take bearings. In Years 2 and 3 in science, with help from the teacher, pupils measured the heights of plants in centimetres when making observations of the parts of plants. In design technology, the good quality of the finished products, the deck chairs in Years 4 and 5 and chairs in Years 5 and 6, are partly due to the accuracy of the measurements used. When using and applying

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MATHEMATICS

mathematics, pupils are sometimes unable to choose the correct operation to solve problems. In the Years 4 and 5 class, a significant proportion of pupils did not read the question carefully enough to identify the correct operations. In Key Stage 2, there is a weakness in pupils’ investigative skills due to the recent emphasis on numeracy. By the end of Year 6, pupils interpret data from a graph correctly and sometimes use computers to record collected data and interpret the graphs.

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MATHEMATICS

74. The quality of teaching is consistently good across the school. Teachers have a good knowledge and understanding of the subject. They make good use of mathematical vocabulary, from the teacher in the Reception class who introduced pupils to ‘estimate’ to the teacher in Years 5 and 6 who reminded pupils of the meaning of ‘congruent’ and introduced the terms ‘translation’ and ‘rotational’ in relation to symmetry. As a result pupils remember and use mathematical terms confidently. Teachers plan their lessons effectively and the majority of teachers share the objectives of the lesson with the pupils. Skills in numeracy are practised regularly, particularly in registration, where good use is often made of the time to calculate the numbers of pupils attending. Teachers challenge pupils in lessons, as seen in Years 1 and 2 when pupils were challenged to see how many could manage the five times table to 25 times

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MATHEMATICS

five and in Years 2 and 3 by the difficulty of the questions in mental arithmetic. One pupil’s response in Years 2 and 3 was very positive; ‘I love these,’ was heard when questions requiring several operations were reached. Pupils try hard, are interested and concentrate well. In the Years 4 and 5 class, a pupil set his own challenge for the amount of work he would finish during the lesson. When he succeeded, the class applauded him spontaneously. Teachers use a good balance of explanation, activities for pupils, often well matched to different prior attainments, and a plenary in which work is reviewed. They often make further teaching points and in the Years 5 and 6 class pupils are encouraged to evaluate their learning in relation to the objectives shared with them at the start of the session. This helps them to review their work and they learn how to improve it.

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MATHEMATICS

75. Teachers make good use of questions to assess and move pupils on to their next stage of learning. Work is regularly marked but not all teachers write evaluative comments or ask questions related to the lesson’s objectives to help pupils to improve their work. Teachers give good guidance to classroom assistants who support pupils very well. Throughout the school, the attitudes of pupils to learning are good, with some very good attitudes in the Years 5 and 6 class due to good relationships and interesting tasks. Pupils respond with enthusiasm to questions, work well together, behave responsibly, share willingly and treat resources with care. Teachers encourage pupils to share their errors and strategies and teachers make teaching points from these errors. Consequently, pupils are not afraid to offer answers and strategies to learn from their mistakes. Generally teachers manage pupils well and relationships between pupils, and between pupils and adults, are good, but sometimes noise

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MATHEMATICS

levels are too high. Pupils receive limited opportunities to take responsibility for selecting and organising their own resources or for making decisions about their work because resources are always prepared for them and teachers organise, direct and supervise their work very closely. In the Years 5 and 6 class, the teacher uses homework well as a preparation for the secondary Mayfield Primary School - 33 phase and to enhance the learning in class. Although teachers use computers as a tool in mathematics, they are not used enough, particularly in Key Stage 2 where teachers’ lack of personal skills hinder their use.

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MATHEMATICS

76. The subject manager provides good leadership and has a good awareness of the strengths of the subject and areas for development. Performance data has been analysed by the senior management team, although the strengths and weaknesses in the subject could be identified more precisely. The co-ordinator has monitored teaching in each class and has taught demonstration lessons for his colleagues. He has a thorough action plan for the development of mathematics in the school’s strategic planning and has completed a statement to inform the next plan. He has a budget to increase resources for the subject but planning ahead is difficult, as the budget changes through the year. Sound procedures, including regular testing, are in place for assessing pupils’ progress and understanding. Although teachers make their own records, a common format to track pupils’ progress as they move between classes has only

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MATHEMATICS

just been introduced. A successful evening involving staff, the majority of parents and pupils has been held to explain the national numeracy strategy and to raise the profile of mathematics. While pupils in Key Stage 1 in mixed age classes receive equal access to the curriculum, there is not equal access for pupils in Year 5 who are in two classes. Teachers in the two classes containing pupils in Year 1 plan co-operatively to ensure that pupils receive similar work and can reach similar standards. Pupils in Year 5 in the Years 4 and 5 class undertake more investigative work but do not reach the same standards in mathematics overall as their peers in the Years 5 and 6 class. Pupils in Year 5 in the Years 5 and 6 class attain higher standards because they work with the pupils from Year 6 and are extended further. The teachers who teach the Year 5 pupils do not plan co-operatively enough for the year group.

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SCIENCE

77. There has been good improvement in science since the last inspection. As a result of the current good quality of teaching, pupils achieve well across the school and standards of attainment have risen at seven and at eleven. Resources are now adequate to teach the National Curriculum.

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SCIENCE

78. In 1999 at the end of Key Stage 1, the attainment of seven-year-olds based on teacher assessments was above average in comparison with national results and in line with results in similar schools. In 1999 at the end of Key Stage 2 in national tests, pupils’ results were well above the national average and above average when compared with similar schools. From 1996 to 1999, the results at the end of both key stages were consistently above the national average and the performance of boys and girls was similar. Inspection findings reflect the provisional results for the year 2000, and show that pupils achieve well. At seven, they attain above the levels expected for their ages and, at eleven pupils attain well above the levels expected for their ages. There are no significant differences in the performance of boys and girls. In Key Stage 2, pupils continue to achieve well. The expected results for the year 2000

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SCIENCE

exceed the school’s target for eleven-year-olds. Pupils with learning difficulties across the school make good progress due to the very good support that they receive from classroom assistants and parent helpers.

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SCIENCE

79. During the inspection all classes with pupils from Key Stage 1 were working on the programme of study related to life processes and living things. The school’s guidance on planning science covers all programmes of study effectively and previous work showed that most infant pupils have sound investigative skills, knowledge and understanding of materials and physical processes. Pupils in the reception recognise and name external and some internal parts of the body and draw and correctly label the parts in writing on a large map of the body. Pupils in Year 1, with help from a classroom assistant, set up an investigation to find out the basic conditions for growth of a bean seed. They watered half of the seeds in pots of soil and did not water the other half. They made a prediction that the seed without water would not grow and they recorded their experiment accurately in pictures. They also made careful observational

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SCIENCE

drawings of fruits and seeds when they looked at them through a magnifying glass and understood that plants grow and reproduce from seeds. In the Years 2 and 3 class, pupils Mayfield Primary School - 34 made observational drawings of a variety of plants and showed the height and labelled the parts of the plant with special emphasis on the different types of roots. They use mathematical skills to measure results, for example, when they measure the height of the plants in centimetres.

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SCIENCE

80. In Key Stage 2, pupils in the Years 4 and 5 class solved a realistic problem that used their knowledge and understanding of magnetism and their designing skills from design technology. They generated ideas for a method of sorting cutlery and waste food in a canteen. They made realistic suggestions of ways to solve the problem and sketched their ideas to show the details of how magnetism would be used to solve the problem. In the Years 5 and 6 class, pupils explored the use of a force meter to measure the pull force in Newtons to make objects such as a chair, a brick, a drawer and a door move on different surfaces. They undertake the practical work in groups and organise the roles that each member will take during the task but they respond to the teacher’s instructions and do not select suitable equipment to use for themselves and make few decisions about the way to carry out the task. They make

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SCIENCE

observations and measure in Newtons the force to move the objects, they understand that a smaller force will be needed to move the object on a smooth surface because there is less friction to obstruct the object’s movement. While computers are used to support work in science, overall, there is insufficient use of information technology to record and analyse data and to use sensors to take measurements, as teachers’ skills in using computers are insufficiently developed to allow them to extend pupils’ skills especially for older pupils.

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SCIENCE

81. Overall, the quality of teaching is good in both key stages. Teaching is at least satisfactory with some good and very good teaching in the classes for Reception and Year 1, and for Years 5 and 6. Teachers have good knowledge and understanding of science and make good use of scientific vocabulary across all classes. As a result, pupils correctly use ‘reproduce’ and ‘pesticide’ in Year 1, ‘species’ and ‘root nodules’ in the Years 2 and 3 class and ‘lubricant’ in the Years 5 and 6 class. There is good teaching of basic skills in spelling, speaking and listening and mathematics. Teachers plan their lessons well identifying clear objectives for the lesson, sometimes, as in the Reception and Year 1 class, for each group in the class. Generally these objectives are shared with the pupils and in the very good teaching are reviewed at the end of the lesson to ascertain whether pupils have learned successfully. In the Years 5 and 6 class,

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SCIENCE

pupils are encouraged to review the objectives to judge their own learning. In the Years 4 and 5 class, the teacher encouraged pupils to evaluate the designs of others, which gave pupils insights, into how they could improve their own work. Teachers deploy their classroom assistants and any parent helpers effectively to give extra support to pupils with learning difficulties, with the result that they make good progress and learn well. In the Years 5 and 6 class, the teacher gives deadlines to the pupils for completing a task, which ensures that they work productively at a brisk pace. All teachers pay good attention to safety in lessons, for example, in handling plants. Teachers use a good balance of explanation, discussion and practical activity in their lessons. Most teachers and classroom assistants manage their pupils well and have good relationships with them that result in pupils who are interested, try hard,

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SCIENCE

concentrate on their work, behave well and have good attitudes towards science. One pupil in Year 1 was so motivated and interested that she was reluctant to stop work for playtime. In the satisfactory teaching, the weaknesses were the management of pupils that led to noise levels that were too high and expectations of pupils’ attainment that were not challenging enough. A positive feature of the teaching is the teachers’ skilful questioning to challenge pupils’ understanding, to extend their thinking and to assess their work. This was seen in the Years 4 and 5 class when the teacher moved from group to group assessing their initial ideas on how to design a method of separating cutlery and waste food using magnetism. She, and the classroom assistant, continually challenged pupils through their questioning to improve their ideas. Teachers’ written marking is usually praise and rarely asks questions or is related to the

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SCIENCE

lesson’s objectives to improve pupils’ work.

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SCIENCE

82. The curriculum is broad and balanced and meets statutory requirements. In Key Stage 1, there is a good balance of scientific investigation across the other programmes of study in the National Curriculum but the balance is inconsistent in Key Stage 2, with insufficient scientific investigation in some classes. Pupils in mixed age classes in Key Stage 1 receive equal access to the curriculum because the teachers for the year group plan co-operatively to ensure equality of opportunity. In Key Stage 2, however, Year 5 pupils in the Years 4 and 5 class Mayfield Primary School - 35 undertake more scientific investigation independently, while pupils in the Years 5 and 6 class attain higher standards because they work more closely with pupils in Year 6. There is sound provision for pupils’ spiritual development within science, as seen when a pupil in Year 1 wondered at the number of new strawberry plants that could be produced from the seeds on

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SCIENCE

the outside of a strawberry when looking at the fruit through a magnifying glass. The co- ordinator provides sound leadership for the subject. She supports colleagues well, but does not have a clear overview of the subject across the school and how it might be improved. This is because she has had no recent opportunities to monitor teaching and takes only a limited role in analysing performance data from tests. She does not monitor the planning or assessment of science and does not have responsibility for the budget. At present, there are no agreed procedures to record pupils’ skills in science as they move through the school.

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

83. There has been sound improvement since the last inspection. In the limited amount of teaching seen, the quality was good. There is new guidance on planning for the subject and the good leadership by the co-ordinator has been maintained. In Key Stage 2, standards of attainment have declined due to the greater demands of the National Curriculum. Only two lessons of direct teaching were observed during the inspection week, in the Years 1 and 2 and Years 4 and 5 classes. Therefore, judgements are based on those lessons and observations of pupils using the computer during lessons to support other subjects, the scrutiny of pupils’ work, displays around the school and discussion with pupils and teachers.

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

84. In Key Stage 1, pupils’ achievement is sound and, by seven they reach standards in information technology that are just equal to those expected nationally. In Key Stage 2, overall, pupils’ achievement is unsatisfactory and, by eleven, standards are below those expected nationally. This is because the teachers’ range of expertise is not extensive enough to ensure adequate coverage of the National Curriculum requirements and there is not enough use of information technology to support other subjects. In the reception class, pupils ‘drag’, ‘drop’ and rotate leaves, roots, stems and petals to build a picture of the whole plant to support their work in science and use the mouse skilfully to answer verbal questions about routes that animals use to their homes. They use a ‘paint’ program to make butterflies for the class collage picture of ‘Peter and the Wolf’, have used a digital camera to record work undertaken on

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

‘Kipper’s cake’ and use tape recorders to listen to taped stories in the class listening centre. Pupils in Year 1, with support from a classroom assistant, follow written instructions to access a program to build a pictogram of children’s transport to school. They enter the data that had been collected during the previous lesson and print the pictogram in colour. Most pupils confidently use the mouse and keyboard. Their confidence is directly related to the confidence of the class teacher and the classroom assistant. In Key Stage 2, when designing wrapping paper, pupils in the Years 4 and 5 class create a repeating pattern using a stamp tool, they select appropriate areas of their design, copy them and change the size. There is a considerable difference in the levels of pupils’ skills depending on whether they have computers at home. In the Years 5 and 6 class, pupils used the computer to support their work

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

in geography. With support from a parent helper, they used a web site to find a street plan of the area around their home. They copied four blocks of the map, minimised it, copied it on to a Word program and wrote about the geographical features near their home using the compass points they had learned in the geography lesson. A display of homework undertaken in a holiday in the Years 5 and 6 class shows some good work in amalgamating text, in different fonts and sizes, with bullet points, indexes, sub-titles and pictures using ‘clipart’, to produce an information leaflet on an Owners’ handbook for a Hover-bike. Pupils’ skills in control technology are below those expected for their age as they have little opportunity to learn these. 85. A lack of assessment procedures to track pupils’ skills, means that able pupils and those bringing skills from home are not being sufficiently challenged. For example, at home, pupils in

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

the Years 5 and 6 class are using CD Roms and the Internet to research for homework, they write stories, letters of complaint and use a spellchecker to correct their spelling and they use ‘paint’ programs to make birthday cards. In school they do not always use the drafting process on screen when writing and merely copy type their work after drafting by hand. Mayfield Primary School - 36 86. The limited amount of teaching seen was good in both key stages. While teachers have sufficient personal expertise for the chosen activity for the lesson, it is inadequate overall and insufficient for the later years of Key Stage 2. There is great reliance on the co-ordinator and parent helpers for the necessary expertise to support pupils. Teachers plan effectively and identify clear objectives but it is difficult for them to challenge their pupils due to their own lack of confidence in their personal skills, particularly in Key Stage 2. They use effective teaching

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

methods, often teaching a skill during a lesson for pupils to practise in pairs during the following week. Teachers keep a careful check on whether pupils have had a turn to ensure equality of access to the computers. When given the opportunity to use the computer, pupils have very good attitudes to their work. They are very interested and motivated, share the equipment well and pupils with good skills help others willingly. Their behaviour is good. Within lessons, pupils make sound progress, they try hard to succeed and greatly enjoy using the machines.

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

87. The co-ordinator provides good leadership. She has provided guidance on planning for teachers based on a national scheme and has a good overview of the current stage of the subject and the need for equipment and training for staff to improve the range of the curriculum and teachers’ skills. New multimedia computers have been purchased to replace ageing equipment, a digital camera and a scanner; equipment for control technology started to arrive during the inspection. The school has a clear plan for the subject’s development, provided by a working group of governors with the co-ordinator, that is soon to be presented to the full governing body. Staff training will be fully addressed when a national training initiative is implemented in the autumn. Links across the curriculum are unsatisfactory; pupils’ work and displays indicate insufficient use of computers to support other subjects. The National

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Curriculum is not yet fully in place in Key Stage 2 because there is limited work in control technology

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ART

88. Evidence from the few lessons seen, from good quality displays around the school and from pupils’ sketch books shows that pupils, including those with special educational needs, achieve satisfactorily in both key stages as knowledge, understanding and skills are developed progressively. Pupils at seven just attain the expected standards for their age and pupils at eleven attain the expected standards. In current work in Key Stage 1, pupils in the Reception and Year 1 class have explored different shades of red, have painted trees in blossom in the spring, have made patterns using marbling techniques and have made thumb pots in clay. Work of high quality was seen in a screen where pupils in the Reception and Year 1 class had conveyed the moods of the seasons in different colours using tie and dye techniques and had decorated each panel by sewing wool, buttons, beads and sequins on to the background.

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ART

Pupils in the Years 1 and 2 class mix colours, contribute parts to a collage picture of ‘Peter and the Wolf’, paint landscapes in pastels, draw in the style of Picasso and make observational drawings of flowers in a vase. Work by pupils in Key Stage 2 increases in the sophistication of the skills they use. Their sketches become more detailed and they use media in different ways to create texture and tones in compositions. Examples of this include patterns in the style of Kandinsky by pupils in the Years 4 and 5 class and industrial landscapes in the style of Lowry in the Years 5 and 6 class. Pupils in this class completed a piece of high quality work when an artist in residence led them in designing and making a large mosaic to commemorate the Millennium. Pupils in the Years 5 and 6 class showed good knowledge and understanding of the work of artists such as Hockney, Matisse, Van Gogh and Bruegel in a lesson when they

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ART

used colours to depict moods in a composition. In both key stages, there is insufficient use of computers to compose pictures and patterns.

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ART

89. In Key Stage 1, the teaching of art in the lesson that was observed was unsatisfactory because the teacher’s knowledge and understanding in art was weak. There were too many learning objectives in one lesson for the ages of the pupils, which made the task too difficult. The teacher’s management of pupils was unsatisfactory and led to high noise levels and silly behaviour. Consequently, pupils made unsatisfactory progress in developing their skills. One Mayfield Primary School - 37 lesson is insufficient evidence to make a judgement on the quality of teaching in the key stage overall; the work on display suggests that it is not typical for the key stage.

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ART

90. In Key Stage 2, teaching is good. Teachers have secure knowledge and understanding of art and they teach skills and techniques proficiently. Teachers plan well to identify clear learning objectives, and in the Years 5 and 6 class, these objectives are shared with pupils. Teachers have high expectations and insist on high standards and correct techniques. In the Years 5 and 6 class, the teacher instilled confidence in the class that they would succeed although the task was challenging. While lessons proceed at a good pace there is sufficient time for pupils to take care and a pride in their work. Because teachers and classroom assistants have positive relationships with pupils and manage them well, pupils behave well and have good attitudes to art. They try hard, work productively at a good pace and enjoy the work. Teachers use a good balance of effective teaching methods. The lesson usually starts with a review of the previous

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ART

work and input from the teacher on the development of the techniques learned. The teacher gives pupils opportunities to experiment with the techniques and media before bringing the class together to evaluate work critically. In both lessons, this was particularly effective in helping pupils to learn how to improve their own work. Most pupils responded and were able to contribute good reasons why they considered some compositions to be better than others. Across the school, there are only limited opportunities for pupils to be responsible for their work because resources are always prepared for them and teachers, even in upper Key Stage 2, organise and direct their work closely.

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ART

91. The co-ordinator provides sound leadership. She has produced revised guidance for teachers that provides good breadth, balance and relevance to meet the needs of pupils and a good balance of both programmes of study in the National Curriculum. Whilst pupils make good progress in learning techniques and applying them in their compositions, they have less opportunities to use art as a means of expressing a response to emotions and imagination. The co-ordinator has a thorough action plan for the development of the subject through the year and recognises the need for training for some teachers to improve standards. Assessment of art is unsatisfactory, as there are no procedures in place yet. The monitoring of art is informal; as the co-ordinator is the headteacher, she is able to view work as she moves around the school and when pupils bring good quality work to show her. There is no formal monitoring of

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ART

the subject. The subject provides a good contribution to pupils’ cultural development in their studies of famous artists and in the style of art from other cultures such as the Aboriginal art from Australia, and the art based on African and Indian artefacts. The visit from an artist to work with pupils on the Millennium Mosaic and the help from parents on the ‘Seasons’ screen contribute to the very good links with the community and parents .

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ART

92. There has been sound improvement since the previous inspection. Standards in Key Stage 1 have improved slightly and have been maintained in Key Stage 2. The criticism about the lack of guidance for teachers in planning has been overcome. Teaching in Key Stage 2 is now good, with sufficient direct teaching of skills and techniques.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

93. No lessons in design technology were observed during the inspection week. Therefore, judgements are based on the scrutiny of the pupils’ work, discussion with pupils and staff, displays and photographic evidence. There has been good improvement since the last inspection in standards of attainment at seven and eleven; they are now in line with those expected nationally at the end of both key stages. Guidance for teachers in planning for the subject is in place and there are sufficient resources to teach the National Curriculum. The sound leadership and management have been maintained but there are still no assessment procedures to track pupils’ progress.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

94. Pupils, including those who have learning difficulties, achieve satisfactorily throughout the school. Pupils in the Reception and Year 1 class have designed decoration for T-shirts on paper and in art they used fabric paint to apply their design to the garment. For homework they Mayfield Primary School - 38 designed and made a hat to wear with the T-shirt and invited their parents to a fashion show to model their designs. They made ‘Kipper’s cake’ from a story in a reading book and while pupils in the reception mixed the ingredients, pupils from Year 1 used the digital camera to record the proceedings and wrote a book illustrated with the photographs. Pupils in the Years 2 and 3 class designed and made good quality puppets, cooked ratatouille, as a meal designed for a vegetarian and made patterns with thread in sewing. Pupils in the Years 4 and 5 class designed an Iron Man, based on the description by Ted Hughes. They made sketches of their

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

design in their sketchbooks and planned the materials to be used. They also made pop-up story books that they read to younger pupils in the Reception and Year 1 class and deck chairs for a small teddy bear. Pupils in the Years 5 and 6 class have designed and made Yule logs, gift boxes, slippers and chairs for a soft toy. All of the products made across the school are of good quality. By the end of Key Stage 2, pupils identify appropriate materials that should be used and make careful labelled sketches of their designs for each step of the manufacture. They use measurements accurately to build their products and they learn the skills of cutting and joining materials such as wood and metal wire, and use fabrics, foil and paint in finishing techniques. They evaluate their products against the design intentions, for example, that the soft toys would fit into the chairs and make suggestions as to how they could have improved

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

the product. Pupils have very good attitudes to the subject. Pupils in the reception class were very much looking forward to sharing their work on the T-shirts with parents at a fashion parade. Pupils in the Years 4 and 5 class greatly enjoyed the design technology aspects of finding a way of separating waste food from cutlery in a science lesson.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

95. The co-ordinator provides sound leadership and has improved standards by means of the action plan following the last inspection. She recognises the future needs of the subject but as there is no regular monitoring of the subject or teaching in it, she is unable to gain a clear view of its development. There is insufficient use of computers to support the subject, particularly in the use of control technology because the school’s equipment is just arriving and teachers’ skills are inadequate to use it. Pupils are provided with a good range of learning opportunities with good links to other subjects, such as art and science. While pupils in the same year group in mixed age classes in Key Stage 1 have the same opportunities, because their teachers plan co-operatively, pupils in Year 5 do not.

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GEOGRAPHY

96. Only two lessons were seen during the inspection week. However, evidence from these, discussions with staff, scrutiny of planning, displays and previous work indicate that the majority of pupils reach the expected standards for their age by the end of both key stages. Pupils, including those with special educational needs, make sound progress as they move through the school. This is an improvement in Key Stage 1, from the unsatisfactory progress described in the previous inspection report.

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GEOGRAPHY

97. In Key Stage 1, pupils identify how buildings and land are used in different ways during a study of Mayfield. They learn to ask appropriate geographical questions by designing a questionnaire to use with shopkeepers in the village to find out about their jobs. Younger pupils develop their mapping skills by drawing picture maps of stories such as ‘Peter and the Wolf.’ Year 2 pupils build on this by using keys appropriately and by plotting the route taken from India to England by Mary in ‘The Secret Garden’. This also illustrates the good links teachers often make with other subjects, such as music and English, to interest pupils by setting their work in a relevant context. Pupils in Key Stage 2 begin to contrast their own village locality with larger towns in the area such as Tunbridge Wells. They learn about some more distant lands in topics about the rainforests and the Caribbean. Teachers make good use of opportunities for pupils to

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GEOGRAPHY

practise their literacy skills in writing in different forms, such as a newspaper report on a carnival in Trinidad, although marking does not indicate how well they have achieved this or how it could be improved. Pupils improve their research skills by using videos, CD Roms and the Internet to find additional information, often for homework. Pupils learn some field work skills when studying local rivers such as the Tickerage. Older pupils extend their mapping skills through experience of orienteering. Mayfield Primary School - 39 98. Insufficient teaching was seen to make an overall judgement on its quality. Examples of good and very good teaching were observed. In a lesson about journeys for Years 1 and 2 pupils, the teacher took good account of their differing ages and abilities in the tasks she gave them, with more challenging work given to the older pupils. This helped pupils to build on previous

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GEOGRAPHY

skills and to concentrate well. She made good use of the classroom assistant to provide very effective help for younger pupils. She used good questioning skills in the plenary session both to reinforce and extend pupils’ learning about the use of different types of transport. In a lesson for Years 5 and 6 pupils, the teacher made very good links with previous work on angles in mathematics and magnetism in science to explain how to take compass bearings. This, together with the knowledge that these new skills would be used in orienteering during their residential visit to Bowles, motivated pupils very well. They were engrossed as they learnt how to set their compass and practised taking readings in the classroom, following the very clear instructions of the teacher. The teacher planned the tightly structured lesson very well. Combined with his very good management of the pupils, this meant that a brisk and purposeful

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GEOGRAPHY

pace was kept up throughout, both in the classroom and during practical work outside. By the end of the lesson, all pupils had taken reasonably accurate bearings of 12 features of their own choice, from a central point outside, and transferred this information to very neatly presented, completed maps. The very good amount of work achieved reflected the very high expectations of the teacher and the high levels of concentration and good behaviour of the pupils. They clearly and rightly felt that they had learnt a great deal. Although teachers make some use of information technology to support work in geography, it is not fully exploited.

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GEOGRAPHY

99. The co-ordinator provides sound leadership. She has planned how the new subject requirements for September will be met and how pupils’ progress will be assessed. At present there are no agreed procedures for assessing and recording the development of pupils’ geographical skills and knowledge as they move through the school. As a result, pupils do not always build these systematically as they move from teacher to teacher. The co-ordinator has no opportunity to monitor teachers’ planning or teaching and this limits her overview of the subject and the standards achieved. The curriculum is enriched by the relevant links made with other subjects such as art, history, information technology and music. This, together with appropriate use of the immediate locality, contributes well to their social and cultural development.

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HISTORY

100. Only two lessons were seen during the inspection week. However, evidence from these, discussions with staff, scrutiny of planning, displays and previous work indicate that the majority of pupils, including those with special educational needs, make sound progress through the school. In Key Stage 1 this is an improvement since the last inspection. They reach the expected standards for their age by the end of both key stages.

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HISTORY

101. In Key Stage 1, pupils begin to find out how life has changed in recent times from a number of sources. They identify some differences between old and modern buildings during a walk through Mayfield. They begin to ask appropriate historical questions about the childhood memories of their families and of older members of the village community. They use simple vocabulary about time correctly and sequence holiday photographs, using their own experiences to help them distinguish what has changed and what has stayed the same. Older pupils begin to offer reasons for their observations.

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HISTORY

102. In Key Stage 2, younger pupils improve their understanding of change by contrasting features of Roman, Anglo-Saxon and Viking Britain. The teacher increases pupils’ awareness and their recall of what they have learnt by, for example, the use of concept maps at the beginning and end of topics. She helps them to improve their work with useful written comments and suggestions for their next topic. Most teachers, however, mark work in relation to the accuracy of spelling and representation, rather than for its historical content. They find out about the daily lives, culture and beliefs of the Ancient Greeks, sometimes by learning to make notes from non- fiction books. This makes a good contribution to their developing literacy skills. Mayfield Primary School - 40 Older pupils study aspects of life in more detail, in Roman and Victorian Britain for example, and begin to consider the causes and consequences of historical events. By Year 6, pupils

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HISTORY

confidently select and organise historical information from a wide range of resources including books, pictures, CD Roms and the internet. They take pride in the neat presentation of their work. Pupils make better progress in increasing their factual knowledge than in their skills of using source material to interpret, ask and answer questions about the past. This is because teachers provide fewer opportunities for this.

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HISTORY

103. Insufficient teaching was seen to make an overall judgement on its quality. In the two lessons seen, it was satisfactory. In both lessons, the teachers planned carefully, taking account of the differing ages and abilities of their pupils. They shared the clear objectives of the lessons with the pupils well, which helped them to settle quickly to their tasks. Both teachers made good use of classroom assistants and briefed them thoroughly. This helped them to provide very effective support for pupils with learning difficulties, so that they could participate fully in the lesson. Pupils in Years 1 and 2 were interested in the well-chosen photographs of past seaside holidays and worked well together in their groups. However, the teacher allowed too much noise and chatter, which reduced the sense of purpose and pace of the lesson and the amount that many pupils learnt. In a lesson about the Aztecs, the activity given to the Year 4 pupils

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HISTORY

was not demanding enough and they learnt little in that part of the lesson. Their pace and quality of learning improved considerably in the plenary session because the teacher questioned them skilfully, challenging their thinking about why the Aztecs had gods of nature and how their beliefs in an afterlife affected their religious customs. This captured the pupils’ attention well and they were interested and keen to offer their ideas.

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HISTORY

104. The co-ordinator provides sound leadership. She has adapted the scheme of work appropriately to meet the new requirements for September and has planned how pupils’ progress will be assessed. At present there are no agreed procedures for assessing and recording the development of pupils’ historical skills as they move though the school, to help them build these systematically as they move from teacher to teacher. The co-ordinator has no opportunity to monitor teachers’ planning or teaching and this limits her overview of the subject and the standards achieved and how to improve these. Relevant links are made with other subjects such as art, geography, design technology and music. This, together with the limited use of visits to places of historical interest in the locality, enhances the breadth of pupils' learning across the curriculum and contributes well to their social and cultural development.

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MUSIC

105. Standards overall are above the expected levels by the end of Key Stage 1 and well above these by the end of Key Stage 2. This is because pupils are taught very well by a specialist part-time teacher in weekly lessons and they have a very rich range of opportunities to practise and extend their skills, especially in singing. All pupils, including those with special educational needs, make very good progress as they move through the school. High standards have been maintained since the last inspection.

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MUSIC

106. In Year 1, pupils show increasing awareness of others and learn to hold a part when singing ‘Row, Row the Boat’, as a two part round with adult help. They use untuned and body percussion with good control to create and vary the sounds of the sea. By the end of Year 2, pupils sing a good variety of songs from memory, both in unison and in two parts. They show good sense of pulse and very good control of dynamics and tempo. A particularly good example of this was heard when the Year 2 pupils performed their festival song, ‘Hairy Bear’ for the rest of the school. They sang very expressively, confidently and with very good phrasing and diction. One pupil sang a solo part with great aplomb, while three others provided a well-controlled accompaniment on glockenspiels. They clearly enjoyed themselves and were justly proud of their achievement.

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MUSIC

107. In Key Stage 2, pupils continue to build progressively on their skills. By the time they leave the school they are able to perform a range of songs, occasionally in French, to a very high standard. This is evident in recordings of their performance in the recent ‘100 Belfries Concert’. In lessons, boys and girls alike show particularly good skills in recognising, repeating Mayfield Primary School - 41 and clapping complicated rhythmic patterns accurately by ear. They compose short rhythmic tunes, which they combine and perform, showing a good understanding of note values.

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MUSIC

108. The specialist music teacher plans and structures her lessons very well. She uses her expertise to very good effect in choosing a stimulating variety of activities, which support the very specific lesson objectives very well. She has a very good relationship with pupils of all ages, managing and organising them effectively. This helps them to meet her very high expectations of behaviour and of the precision and accuracy in their work. An outstanding example of this was seen in a Years 5 and 6 lesson, where all pupils listened intently and were totally engaged for the whole lesson, both in the introductory activities and as they co-operated in pairs on their compositions. Lessons proceed at a very brisk pace. Not a moment is wasted within each 30 minute lesson. Each activity builds purposefully on the previous lesson and the teacher explains to pupils exactly how it will be taken forward next time. This helps them to be

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MUSIC

aware of their own learning and contributes well to their good and often very good progress in each lesson.

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MUSIC

109. The teacher also uses her expertise very well in continually challenging pupils to extend their skills. In a Reception and Year 1 lesson, as soon as pupils were able to sing a two-note refrain accurately, she immediately introduced a third note. As a result, within this short section of the lesson, pupils' control of pitch improved noticeably. Another example of this was the skilful way in which she helped Years 2 and 3 pupils to practise and refine small sections of 'The Jaguar’ song, helping them to make very good progress in the expressiveness and precision of their singing. Occasionally the teacher does not allow enough time for an activity. For example, in the same lesson, pupils had little time to respond to two contrasting pieces of music about the rainforest and the teacher suggested ideas rather than eliciting them from the pupils, which inhibited their learning.

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MUSIC

110. The specialist teacher, who also acts as co-ordinator, manages the subject very well. She plans very effectively from a well constructed scheme of work, which helps pupils to develop their musical skills and knowledge systematically as they move through the school, although no formal records are kept of these. The co-ordinator plans closely with class teachers , who follow up lessons with their own class work. Good links are made with pupils work in other subjects. For example in a Reception and Year 1 music lesson, the teacher used the sound of the week, 'ch', in singing games and as a train sound to help pupils improve their voice control of tempo and dynamics. Pupils in Years 4 and 5 are composing and performing a musical play based on Aztec legends. This adds to pupils’ evident interest in lessons and broadens their learning very well.

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MUSIC

111. Pupils have regular opportunities to listen to a good range of music by different composers and from a variety of cultures. However, their skills in listening, appraising and responding to music are not as highly developed as they are in performing and composing. This is because less emphasis is given to these aspects in lessons. Pupils have many opportunities to participate in performances in school, such as Cinderella, at Christmas, as well as in music festivals and a rich variety of events in the local community. These include a Gilbert and Sullivan workshop and the chance to work with the Prince Consort Percussion Group. This not only extends pupils’ musical knowledge and skills but also makes a very good contribution to their personal, social and cultural development.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

112. During the inspection week, only games and one gymnastics lessons were seen. In those, standards overall meet the expected levels and boys and girls, including those with special educational needs, make sound progress. This is an improvement since the last inspection, when progress was judged to be unsatisfactory overall. This is because the provision of a new school hall and appropriate gymnastics equipment now means that all aspects of the National Curriculum are taught. The quality and consistency of teaching have also improved. Mayfield Primary School - 42 113. By the end of Key Stage 1, most pupils throw and catch small balls with reasonable accuracy and improve their skills by practising the teaching points made and demonstrated appropriately by their teacher. Younger pupils show a good awareness of space and each other. They run, jump and change direction with control. Some can explain in simple terms why their hearts

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

beat faster after running. They co-operate very well with each other, when playing a good variety of parachute games. They work well as a team to make their movements more precise in order to toss the ball in the air.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

114. By the end of Key Stage 2, pupils work purposefully in groups of varying sizes to improve the techniques, accuracy, and length of their overarm throws. Several older pupils show skills in throwing and striking a ball that are better than expected for their age. This is because their teacher uses his subject expertise well to help them improve and also because they have many opportunities to practise and extend their skills in clubs and in matches against other schools in sports such as cricket, rounders and stoolball. Younger pupils demonstrate appropriate control when mounting, travelling and dismounting from a variety of small apparatus and show some imagination in planning and linking their movements together.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

115. Not enough teaching was seen in Key Stage I to make an overall judgement. In Key Stage 2, the quality of teaching is satisfactory, with some that is good. Teachers set a good example to pupils by dressing appropriately and give due attention to safety procedures. In a well taught lesson on throwing skills for pupils in Years 5 and 6, the teacher shared the objectives of each activity very clearly so that pupils knew exactly what they were to practise and how to refine their skills. This helped them to make good progress. A good variety of well-paced, well- organised activities kept their interest and attention. The teacher intervened well, both to help pupils improve and to move on more able pupils with more challenging tasks. In a gymnastics lesson for pupils in Years 4 and 5, very clear tasks were given to each group, which successfully focused their attention on particular movements. However, not enough use was

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

made of opportunities for pupils to evaluate each other’s performances with regard to how they could be improved.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

116. The co-ordinator provides sound management of the subject and ensures that there is an appropriate balance between the different aspects of the subject, although there is less emphasis on dance. There are regular swimming lessons for pupils in Key Stage 2 and opportunities to take part in annual galas. This year, all Year 6 pupils can swim. Older pupils take part in an exciting range of outdoor pursuits during a residential visit that takes place in alternate years. However, the co-ordinator has no opportunity to monitor the quality of planning and teaching to ensure that pupils build up their skills progressively and no assessment or records are made of their progress to guide their next teacher. Many boys and girls in Key Stage 2 attend a very good range of after school clubs and represent the school with some success in matches and tournaments. This season, for example, pupils won the

p.42

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

district football competition and came second in netball. Members of local rugby and cricket clubs visit the school to provide additional coaching. All of this increases pupils’ evident enthusiasm for sport and makes a very good contribution to their personal and social development.

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