Blue Gate Fields Infants' School

BLUE GATE FIELDS INFANT SCHOOL

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

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BLUE GATE FIELDS INFANT 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. Blue Gate Fields Infant School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: King David Lane Stepney London

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The governing body

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Robert Oakley

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: May 2000 Blue Gate Fields Infant School - 4

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Aspect responsibilities

19623 Michael Cahill Registered inspector Mathematics Physical education What sort of school is it? The school’s results and pupils’ achievements How well are pupils taught? What should the school do to improve further? 11041 Marvyn Moore Lay inspector How well does the school care for its pupils? How well does the school work in partnership with parents? 8696 Abul Maula Team inspector English as an additional language English 19026 Brian Downes Team inspector Geography History Religious education How well is the school led and managed?

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Aspect responsibilities

21037 Christopher Gray Team inspector Special educational needs Science Art and design Design and technology How good are the curricular and other learning opportunities offered to pupils?

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Aspect responsibilities

22157 Mike Roussel Team inspector Foundation stage Information and communication technology Music Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

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Aspect responsibilities

Cambridge Education Associates Ltd Demeter House Station Road Cambridge CB1 2RS

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Aspect responsibilities

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

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Aspect responsibilities

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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Aspect responsibilities

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Blue Gate Fields Infant 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 pupils’ achievements Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

This is a larger than average, inner city infant school for children from three to seven years of age, serving the local Bangladeshi community. There are currently 267 infant children on roll. In addition there is a nursery which 60 children attend full-time and 27 part-time. Most children do not speak much English when they start in the nursery and do not have much experience of learning with others in a formal setting. As a result, their attainment on entry to the school is well below that usually found nationally. More than half of the children in the school are at the early stages of learning English. Almost all have Silhetu as their first language. The proportion of children on the school’s register of special educational needs is below the national average. Two have formal statements of need. The percentage of children who have free school meals is well above the national average.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

This is a good and steadily improving school that is effective in enabling its pupils to make good progress. The quality of teaching is good and pupils develop very good attitudes towards learning and towards other people. The school is very well led and managed and provides pupils with many good opportunities for learning; it provides good value for money.

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What the school does well

• Good teaching leads to good progress, especially in language skills, throughout the school. • Teachers and teaching assistants know the children very well and keep a close watch on each child’s attainment and progress. • There is a very pleasant and purposeful working atmosphere and all are welcomed and valued. • The school provides children with a very good start to their full-time education in the nursery and reception classes. • Leadership and management by the headteacher and senior staff are very good and sharply focused on improving pupils’ achievements. • The quality of pupils’ work in art is better than usual for their age. • The school is extremely successful at developing very good attitudes to learning among its pupils, as well as very good behaviour and relationships.

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What could be improved

• Pupils’ achievements in geography and history. • Opportunities for co-ordinators to develop teaching and learning in their subjects. • Co-operation with the neighbouring junior school to which pupils transfer at the end of Year 2. • The attendance of children who are away for long periods. 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 level of improvement since the last inspection in May 2000 when the school was removed from special measures has been good. The school has continued to deal effectively with the issues identified at that time. In particular, planning and assessment procedures are being extended to other subjects, governors are becoming more involved and effective and there are improved rates of progress in pupils’ written and spoken English. There has also been a big improvement in the overall quality of teaching. The school recognises that it has more to do on improving the contribution of curriculum co-ordinators to the management of the school. Blue Gate Fields Infant School - 7

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STANDARDS

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

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Key

reading E C D A well above average above average A B writing D C C A average below average C D mathematics C C C A well below average E

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Key

Schools are described as similar when they fall into the same band for free school meals, in this case greater than 50 per cent.

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Key

Children in the nursery and reception classes make good progress in all areas of learning from a well below average starting point. By the time that they enter Year 1, their attainment is still below the national expectation for their age but closer to it.

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Key

By the end of Year 2, around nine out of ten pupils achieve the national expectation of Level 2 in reading, writing, mathematics and science. This represents continued good progress. The overall trend in the school’s results since 1998 has been upwards. Pupils make particularly good progress in acquiring English as an additional language. In the view of the inspection team, present standards at the end of Year 2 are as shown in the following table, indicated by above, in line with or below national or, in the case of religious education, locally agreed, expectations. An asterisk (*) indicates that standards are higher than at the time the subject was last inspected.

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Subject Year 2 Subject Year 2

English In line Art and design Above* Mathematics In line Design and technology In line* Science In line Geography Below ICT In line* History Below Religious education In line* Music In line Physical education In line*

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Children have very good attitudes to their learning and enjoy being at school. They involve themselves fully in all activities and concentrate and work hard at the tasks they are set.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Children’s behaviour in lessons and around the school is very good. They come to their lessons quietly and ready to begin work. When they move around the school or play they show a good awareness of other people’s space.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships The quality of pupils’ personal development and of their relationships with each other and adults is very good. From the time that they enter the nursery they make the most of opportunities to choose and to work independently and with other children

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Aspect Comment

Attendance Attendance is unsatisfactory because many children are taken on long visits abroad during term time. Blue Gate Fields Infant School - 8 Relationships are a strength of the school. Pupils have very good attitudes towards each other and this is largely due to the very good example set by the adults in the school community. Blue Gate Fields Infant School - 9

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

Quality of teaching Very 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 in: Nursery and Reception Years 1 – 2

The quality of teaching is good and as a result children make good progress throughout their time at the school. During the inspection the teaching in many lessons was good or better, including a substantial number that were very good; there was very little unsatisfactory teaching. This represents a considerable improvement since the last inspection. The teaching of English, including literacy, and mathematics, including numeracy, was at least good in around three-quarters of the lessons observed, including a sizeable proportion that were very good.

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

The teaching has many strengths, including the way that teachers and their assistants work together and with the children; relationships are very good. Lessons are carefully planned and in the better lessons there is a good balance of whole class, group, paired and individual work. There is a very good use of questions to revise, assess and extend learning, particularly in terms of language and communication skills.

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

From the nursery onwards, children are very successfully encouraged to believe in their ability to learn and to work independently when that is appropriate. They show a lot of interest in what they are learning and work hard. They respond well to the encouragement and praise that they receive and take a lot of care with the presentation of their written work. Most are more than willing to answer questions and to contribute to discussions.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum The school teaches all the subjects that it is meant to, although geography and history do not have enough lesson time. Provision for the areas of learning in the nursery and reception classes is very good. Arrangements for the teaching of literacy are very good and lead to pupils making substantial progress in their English language skills.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Satisfactory; good support from teachers and their assistants helps pupils with special educational needs to make progress at the same rate as other children in the class. The school is formalising its arrangements for identifying pupils who need specific help and for checking on their progress.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with English as an additional language The school makes very good provision, through the skills of teachers and teaching assistants, for English language teaching. As a result almost all pupils make good progress; in Year 2 some who are still at the earlier stages of learning English do not continue to receive specialist support, and their learning slows.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Good; parents are pleased with the values the school promotes. Pupils learn the importance of good behaviour. They and the adults make the school into a happy and secure community. Provision for developing understanding of Bangladeshi culture is strong, but the children would benefit from learning more about a range of cultures.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils The school is a happy and caring place for pupils to learn in. Adults provide good support and guidance for pupils. The school keeps track of individual pupils’ attainment and progress very well. This has been an important factor in raising standards. The school recognises the need to Blue Gate Fields Infant School - 10 review arrangements for making the transfer to the junior school as smooth as possible, and to formalise arrangements for pupils’ welfare. There are good relationships between adults in the school and parents although only a small number of parents are directly involved in the daily work of the school.

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and manage- ment by the headteacher and other key staff The headteacher and the senior management team show very good leadership and management in setting up and monitoring procedures to raise standards. The leadership of the headteacher is outstanding.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities The governors are developing a clear view of the strengths and weaknesses of the school and of their role in shaping its direction. They fulfil all their statutory responsibilities.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance The school is rigorous in keeping all aspects of its performance under continuous review. Monitoring of teaching and learning by the senior management team has already led to improvements in quality and standards. Subject co-ordinators now need opportunities to observe directly the quality of teaching and learning in their subjects.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources Development and financial planning are now good, and there are plans to use the large surplus that accumulated in the past when control was less good. The school seeks to obtain the best value from its financial resources.

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Aspect Comment

The overall levels of staffing, accommodation and learning resources are good. Alongside the teachers and teaching assistants, ancillary staff make essential contributions to the success of the school. The school has spent wisely on learning resources and these are of good quality. Accommodation is good but there is no separate suite for information and communication technology and children do not have access to library facilities designed and organised with young children in mind.

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

The views of the 106 parents who returned completed questionnaires and of the 25 who attended the pre- inspection meeting with members of the inspection team were taken into account.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• Their children like school and they make good progress. • Teaching is good and the school has high expectations of children. • Behaviour is good and the school helps children to become mature and responsible. • The school is well managed and led. • The amount of homework. • Information about children’s progress • How closely the school works with them.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

The inspection team agrees completely with the positive comments made by parents. Parents appreciate the fact that they can talk to teachers and the headteacher every day. The school intends to arrange an extra, formal consultation opportunity for discussing children’s progress. The planned introduction of a home-school diary is also intended to help parents and the school to work more closely together. The amount of homework set is appropriate for children of this age. Blue Gate Fields Infant School - 11

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

1. The overall attainment of almost all children on entry to the nursery is well below average in all areas of learning, particularly in English language development. Pupils make good progress in all areas of learning in the nursery and reception classes and achieve very well. Children who start school with very little spoken English make very good progress. By the time they enter Year 1, the majority of children have improved to levels close to, but still below, the national Early Learning Goals in language and mathematical development. Some children achieve the Early Learning Goals in other areas of learning, including creative and physical development and knowledge and understanding of the world. The good progress that children make is due directly to the very good quality of teaching and organisation in the nursery and reception classes. There is no significant difference in attainment between boys and girls.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

2. In the national tests for Year 2 in the summer of 2001, results show that pupils’ attainment was below the national average in reading and in line with the national average in mathematics and writing. Pupils make good progress in Years 1 and 2 to achieve these results. In the science assessments, results were close to the national average. In reading, writing, mathematics and science, around 90 per cent of pupils achieved the national standard of Level 2. In respect of the proportion of pupils who achieved the higher standard, Level 3, the school’s results were above the national average in science and mathematics, close to it in writing and below it in reading. The overall trend in the school’s results in the Year 2 national tests over the last four years has been upwards. When compared with those of schools with a similar take-up of free school meals, results are well above average in reading, writing, mathematics and science. Given the very high

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

proportion of children who start school with little or no English, this shows what a good job the school is doing. There have been no significant differences in boys’ and girls’ results in recent years. The school sets realistic targets for pupils’ performance in the national testing programme and has been very successful in achieving them.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

3. Pupils with statements of special educational needs make good progress towards the targets in their individual education plans. This is because the targets are well chosen and pupils receive good support from teachers and assistants. Other pupils with special educational needs also make good progress because a teaching assistant normally works alongside them and provides useful additional support.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

4. The inspection team judged that pupils’ attainment in art at the end of Year 2 exceeds national expectations. In English (including literacy), mathematics (including numeracy), science, design and technology, information and communication technology, music and physical education, pupils’ attainment at the end of Year 2 is in line with national expectations. Pupils’ attainments in religious education are in line with those expressed in the locally agreed syllabus. Pupils’ attainment is below national expectations in geography and history; this is largely because these subjects have not been given a high priority in the school in recent times, and not enough time is given to them. (More details of pupils’ achievements and progress in the Foundation Stage and in the subjects of the National Curriculum and religious education are given in paragraphs 62 – 130 of the report)

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

5. Pupils have very good attitudes to learning and enjoy being in school. At all ages they concentrate well and persevere in all the activities they undertake. Their behaviour is very good. They respond well to each other and are sensitive to the needs of other children around them. The quality of pupils' personal development and relationships is also very good. Right from the moment they enter the nursery, they are given opportunities to choose, work independently and share with other children. All adults are very good role models and this has a significant effect on the development of very good relationships throughout the school. Pupils’ attendance is below the national average and unsatisfactory, largely because some families take their children on extended holidays in term time. Blue Gate Fields Infant School - 12 6. In all classes pupils have good attitudes to learning and this reflects the quality of teaching and

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

related activities. Where teaching is good or better, pupils work very hard, but on the rare occasions when the pace of learning is slow and unchallenging some pupils become restless and inattentive. Most pupils are enthusiastic in their learning and speak with confidence about what they have learned in school. The school is an orderly place where pupils are happy and familiar with the daily routines. These routines begin in the nursery and the positive start that children make has a lasting effect on their learning and personal development as they move through the school.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

7. Pupils understand the school’s rules and respond appropriately to the staff’s high expectations for self-discipline and consideration for others. This makes a strong contribution to their personal development and progress. Most activities are well planned and stimulate pupils’ curiosity. Overall, pupils concentrate well, for example when practising early writing skills, or when happily sharing books with their friends in the book corner. They do their best to follow instructions. They learn good social skills and build positive relationships with others.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

8. Pupils' behaviour is very good. They generally behave sensibly when moving around the school. This is supported well by teachers escorting children to and from the playground. It was particularly noticeable that when the nursery and reception children were lining up for their assembly and having to wait in the corridor to go into the hall, they were quiet, sensible and waited patiently until they could enter the hall. Playground behaviour is very good and pupils can be seen taking part in various activities where they share well and are aware of the need for other children to have space to play. Playground supervisors are very skilled at encouraging children to play sensibly with other children and even join in themselves. There is a good range of playground equipment and pupils are careful in the way they use the equipment so that other children have opportunities to play as well. The Foundation Stage outside play area is particularly

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

well equipped with the very good range of equipment that allows children to play safely and learn how to negotiate with others. There have been no fixed term or permanent exclusions in recent times.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

9. The quality of personal and social development and relationships is very good. Pupils follow the good examples set by staff as they learn to play their part in the school community. The Breakfast Club is an excellent example of good practice in developing and enhancing pupils' social development. Pupils enjoy a healthy breakfast together in a family atmosphere and this increases their ability to communicate with others in different social situations.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

10. Pupils with special educational needs are equally enthusiastic about school as their peers. They behave very well and have very good attitudes to their work. They are helped in this by the quality of the support they receive from teaching assistants and class teachers.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

11. The responsibility given to pupils and the way that this encourages them to use their initiative is good. They accept responsibility with maturity and a strong sense of community. Younger children and pupils are encouraged to become independent. For example, a well-organised routine gets children used to tidying up in the nursery. . All children get the opportunity to take part and wear a badge that indicates the area they are responsible for tidying.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

12. On the evidence of pupils’ work and the lessons observed during the inspection, the overall quality of teaching is good. During the inspection it was good or better in two-thirds of lessons, including one-third that were very good. There was very little unsatisfactory teaching. This represents a considerable improvement since the last inspection, when one fifth of lessons were judged to be good and one in ten was judged to be unsatisfactory. Reasons for the overall improvement include the increasingly successful adoption of the National Strategies for Literacy and Numeracy and effective monitoring by the headteacher and senior staff.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

13. The quality of teaching in the Foundation Stage during the inspection was good in almost all the lessons seen and very good in about a quarter of them. . It was good or better in more than half of the lessons observed in Years 1 and 2, including around a third that were very good. The teaching of English, including literacy, was good or better in three-quarters of the lessons seen, Blue Gate Fields Infant School - 13 including a third that were very good. In mathematics, including numeracy, the overall quality of teaching was also good, with more than 40 per cent of lessons judged to be very good. This consistently good quality of teaching is the main reason for the good progress that pupils make and for their achieving the national expectation in English and mathematics at the end of Year 2.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

14. Teaching assistants for pupils who have full statements of special educational need work well with their charges. They are patient and experienced and enable the pupils to learn well. Full-time teaching assistants support lower attaining pupils in all classes and they do this well so that the pupils make good progress. The number of pupils on the register of special educational needs is below the national average, but this may partly be due to the difficulties in identifying special educational needs in children who are still coming to terms with English. To widen the net, all teachers have identified the lowest attaining two out of five ability groups in their classes. They have set group targets for them, which are appropriate and easily measurable. This initiative began this term and teachers are shortly to evaluate the progress pupils make towards their targets.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

15. The very good relationships between adults and pupils help to maintain a pleasant and purposeful working atmosphere in the classrooms. These make an important contribution to the success of teaching and learning throughout the school. Lessons are normally planned well, often collaboratively by the teachers in a year group and sometimes with the support of a subject co- ordinator. Work is usually set that is suited to pupils of differing abilities and learning needs and this helps pupils to remain interested in their lessons and to concentrate well and work hard. A striking feature of many lessons is the teachers’ skills in using questions to help pupils to revise what they have already learned, to extend their learning and to check for understanding. Above all, teachers used questions well to help pupils to improve their understanding and use of the English language.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

16. Other features common to the good or better teaching seen during the inspection

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included:

• telling pupils what the purpose of the lesson was, what they were intended to learn and do; • a good balance of whole-class, group and individual work and of different activities – speaking and listening, writing, practical; • good reference back at the end of the lesson to what was to be learned so that pupils know how they have got on; • a good pace to lessons with the available time used to good purpose; • good organisation of the classroom and resources and very good management of pupils; • very good teamwork between teachers and teaching assistants so that all pupils were fully included in the lesson.

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included:

17. Where teaching was less successful the reasons included the absence of some of the

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above and/or:

• lack of challenge for some groups of pupils; • lack of specialist support for some pupils at the earlier stages of learning English; • too long (or not long enough) spent on one or other part of the lesson or not enough time allocated to the lesson; • tasks not explained clearly enough so that pupils cannot get on with their work independently.

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Learning and progress

18. Pupils of all abilities are helped to become confident in their ability to learn and to work independently where that is appropriate. In about two-thirds of lessons, learning was judged to be good or better. Pupils’ attitudes to their work, and their behaviour, were never less than satisfactory; in about 90 per cent of lessons they were judged to be at least good, including more than half where they were very good or excellent.

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The quality of marking

19. The quality of teachers’ marking of work in books is generally good but there were instances where significant amounts of pupils’ work had not been marked at all, with the result that pupils didn’t know whether what they had done was acceptable or not. At best, marking includes comments that clearly show pupils what is good about their work and, when necessary, how it can be improved. Blue Gate Fields Infant School - 14

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Homework

20. Pupils are encouraged to take their reading book home but the lack of a home-school diary or reading record means that an opportunity to involve parents in their children’s learning is not being taken. The school is looking at how it can best improve this situation. (More details about the quality of teaching and learning in areas of learning and subjects are given in paragraphs 62 - 130)

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TO PUPILS?

21. The school’s curriculum includes all the subjects of the National Curriculum and religious education and meets statutory requirements satisfactorily. All subjects are planned using national guidance, though this has not been tailored to suit the needs of the school in all subjects - for example, in science, where there is no co-ordinator, and in history and geography.

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TO PUPILS?

22. The range and quality of learning opportunities provided in the Foundation Stage are very good. The curriculum covers the required areas of learning and is relevant to children’s differently developing needs. As a result, children make very good progress in learning English and good progress in the other areas of learning and are well prepared for Year 1. The curriculum for Years 1 and 2 is satisfactory. Teachers plan their lessons to give pupils many interesting, relevant and worthwhile experiences in most subjects, and the strong emphasis on English has benefited pupils’ literacy, speaking and listening skills. However, the time allowed for history and geography is too little, so that pupils have not learnt as much as they should have by the end of Year 2. Science is taught in blocks rather than every week, and, in some classes, this means that pupils have lessons that are too long, especially for Year 1 pupils.

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TO PUPILS?

23. All pupils have equal access to curriculum opportunities. Boys and girls receive exactly the same teaching. Pupils with special educational needs receive good support from teaching assistants which is matched to the targets in their individual education plans. Lower attaining pupils receive a curriculum that meets their needs because they work with teaching assistants, all of whom are well trained and good at their jobs. Higher attaining pupils have work that is well matched to their needs in some classes, but this is not consistent across the school.

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TO PUPILS?

24. The provision for pupils with special educational needs is satisfactory overall. Good support from teachers and their assistants enable these pupils to progress at the same good rate as other pupils. The special educational needs co-ordinator is very experienced and does an efficient job with the necessary administration, which is in good order and very thorough. However, she is employed for only one day a week, though she often calls in at other times. This means that oversight of the teaching of the pupils on the register is the responsibility of another member of the senior staff, as is the regular reviewing of the progress the pupils make. The new headteacher intends to take on some of this responsibility in order to give greater coherence to the whole area.

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TO PUPILS?

25. The strategies for teaching literacy skills are very effective. This is clearly demonstrated by the fluency in English of pupils in Year 2, compared with their English language skills when they started in the nursery. This is achieved because every teacher places great emphasis on oracy skills in every lesson. Key vocabulary is identified in the planning and discussed and used with and by the pupils. Specific oracy lessons and good teaching of letter sounds also contribute to pupils’ good progress. The teaching of numeracy skills is effective. Teachers use the numeracy strategy well, though the time allotted to the three sections (introduction, main activities and final, whole-class session) is not always as well balanced as it could be.

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TO PUPILS?

26. The school has devised a new policy for personal, social and health education, which has yet to be adopted by the governors. This covers all aspects of the subject, including teaching about sex and drugs, and will introduce the use of circle time, a lesson when pupils sit in a circle and take turns in expressing their views. Current provision is satisfactory and takes place in subjects like science and religious education. Governors have already agreed that issues relating to sex and drugs will be dealt with should they arise.

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TO PUPILS?

27. The school receives funding for its extra-curricular activities, which are satisfactory in range and number. They are run mainly by the school’s teaching assistants and cover drama, sewing, Blue Gate Fields Infant School - 15 fitness, cookery, English, Bengali and numeracy. The new art co-ordinator is planning an art club, but there is no music or sport.

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TO PUPILS?

28. The community makes a good contribution to the life of the school. All children receive a visit at home before they start in the nursery and there are plans to extend this to children who newly join the school in other year groups. The school runs family literacy and numeracy projects on a regular basis to encourage pupils and parents to work together. There is a toy library, though it is not well used by parents. A sewing project enabled other members of the community, as well as parents and children, to come into the school. There is a well-furnished parents’ room, but parents are reluctant to use it. The school is well situated for visits to places of educational interest and the pupils have visited amenities such as the Bethnal Green Museum of Childhood and Shadwell Basin. Local organisations, such as St. Catherine’s Foundation, are generous in funding various initiatives.

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TO PUPILS?

29. The relationships with partner institutions are a weakness. Most children enter the nursery straight from home. A small number come from local playgroups, but there are no links with them. Nearly all the pupils, on leaving Year 2, go to the junior school, which not only shares the same site but is also physically part of the same building. Despite this, the information about pupils passed on at transfer is limited to the basic requirements. The only facilities the two schools share are the technology room, the studio and the library, and this is not adequately adapted to infants’ needs.

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Personal development

30. Provision for pupils’ personal development is good overall, an improvement on what was found at the time of the last inspection.

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Personal development

31. Satisfactory provision is made for pupils’ spiritual development. Much of this takes place in assemblies, which follow a weekly pattern and meet requirements. Assemblies in the hall take place in an atmosphere of great calm, which is established as soon as the pupils begin to enter. Tuesday assemblies have a moral theme and on the Tuesday of the inspection week, a quiet piece of flute music was playing as pupils began to arrive. The headteacher was standing at the front, moving her hands and arms in a pattern to follow the mood of the music. As the children sat down, they copied her movements, so that when all had arrived, all that could be heard was the music, although there was a sea of movement over the pupils. This provided a very suitable atmosphere to begin to consider the theme of how valuable differences in personality are. Opportunities to experience spiritual moments in lessons are not planned, which means they

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Personal development

might be missed, though they arise spontaneously. Such an occasion took place in a reception class who were watching a demonstration of moving toys by a visiting toy-maker. When she operated a lovely wooden octopus, causing its legs to fly out sideways, the children were astonished and their faces showed that momentary discovery which adults so value.

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Personal development

32. Very good provision is made for pupils’ moral and social development. Pupils know what is expected of them in terms of behaviour and all adults set them good examples of politeness and consideration. The two-storey design of the school presents a problem for infants because of the large distances between the playground and their classrooms. However, entering and leaving have become something of a ritual that the pupils enjoy. Every class forms a crocodile (nursery children call it a ‘caterpillar’ and place their extended arms on the shoulders of the person in front) that has a leader at the back and the front, both coveted positions. Their job is to see to opening and closing fire doors safely, ensuring that the line stays together and that everyone behaves in an orderly way. They are mostly successful. In lessons, teachers use pupils’ good sense of co- operation to good effect. In a very good mathematics lesson in Year 2, pupils were playing a

p.15

Personal development

game to develop their vocabulary of position. They could choose whether to play it in pairs or as a table group of eight. Two groups of eight were formed and the pupils played the game quietly and sensibly, putting up their hands to answer their friends’ questions. The teacher did not need to be involved at all and was able to work with another group.

p.15

Personal development

33. Provision for pupils’ cultural development is satisfactory. The school makes very good use of Bangladeshi culture and this is valuable in creating strong links with pupils’ homes. For example, displays in the hall describe aspects of Bangladesh and of Islam in English and Bengali; corridor display shows the ritual, clothes and objects used in weddings. But there is little provision for the Blue Gate Fields Infant School - 16 pupils to learn about other cultures that make up the United Kingdom. In religious education, pupils learn about other religions, such as Judaism, but multiculturalism is not a strong feature of the school, nor is there much work about English culture.

p.15

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

34. The school is a safe, secure and caring community and this is achieved largely because of the high level of support and encouragement given to pupils by the headteacher and staff. The school has a very effective pastoral system, which ensures that pupils' welfare is given a high priority, enabling them to learn with confidence and make good progress as a result. Pupils are extremely well cared for and supported by staff on a day-to-day basis. All staff contribute to the caring atmosphere and ensure that pupils receive a good level of support. Pupils’ health, welfare and progress are monitored carefully. However, the school's formal procedures for child protection and for aspects of ensuring pupils' welfare are poor. The school does not have its own child protection policy and child protection training has not recently been given to all staff or included in induction procedures for new staff; there is no reference to this in the staff handbook. The newly

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

appointed headteacher is the named person and although new to the Local Education Authority has not been provided with any training, despite having requested it. Record keeping in terms of incidents, action taken and follow up is not adequate. As a result of the inspection, however, the school and the Local Education Authority have arranged for child protection training for the headteacher and all staff to take place in the immediate future.

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

35. The school has not carried out a health and safety inspection since 2000 and no fire practice has been carried out in recent times. The school has an adequate number of first aiders, all of whom are appropriately qualified. Accidents are correctly recorded but the school does not keep records relating to the administration of medicines.

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

36. The school has very good procedures for monitoring and promoting good behaviour and eliminating oppressive behaviour. Behaviour in the school is very good and any, very occasional, instances of challenging behaviour are picked up and dealt with very quickly. The few school rules are fully understood and respected by pupils who are very anxious to obey them.

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

37. Attendance at the school at 91.6 per cent is unsatisfactory and below the national average. The low figure is mainly due to a large number of unauthorised absences that occur when pupils are taken abroad for long periods of time by their parents. The school actively promotes attendance and monitors attendance carefully although some registers are not always marked accurately. Parents are contacted on a first day of absence basis by staff. Stars and prizes are awarded for good attendance. Very good use is made of the services of the Educational Social Welfare Officer who visits the school on a regular basis and carries out home visits; her work is much appreciated by the school.

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

38. Procedures for monitoring pupils' personal development are good. Staff maintain and record progress in the Foundation Stage well and less formally in Years 1 and 2. Staff meet regularly to discuss pupils’ personal development and information is shared between teaching assistants and teachers, who know individual children and pupils very well. Pupils' personal development is carefully tracked and targets are set and shared with pupils and parents.

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

39. The progress made by pupils with formal statements of educational need is reviewed effectively by the special educational needs co-ordinator, working alongside class teachers. Good use is made of agencies outside the school, for example speech and language specialists, social workers, the educational welfare officer and educational psychologist. The progress of other pupils on the special educational needs register is reviewed by class teachers, though the headteacher plans to involve herself in the co-ordination of this because the special needs’ co-ordinator is employed for only one day a week.

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

40. There are very good procedures for assessing pupils’ attainment on entry to the school and for tracking attainment and progress throughout their time in school. All subjects except art and music have regular and consistent assessments across all classes. For younger children these are based on the Early Learning Goals, which have been adapted to meet the school’s specific requirements. For older pupils they are based on National Curriculum levels. The use of Blue Gate Fields Infant School - 17 assessment data to check on differences in attainment and progress between different groups of pupils, between boys and girls, for example, is good. Data are also used to check how well pupils in each class achieve. The use of assessment to guide curriculum planning is good but there are inconsistencies. The lower standards achieved in geography and history because of curriculum deficiencies have not been addressed, for example. There is often no clear link

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

between assessment and classroom teaching. The use of assessment is not strongly evident in many lessons as a means of providing a range of work to meet the needs of pupils at all levels of attainment.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

41. Parents have every confidence that the school offers a good level of support and care for their children and this is demonstrated by the fact that the school is over-subscribed and there is a waiting list for pupils to register. 42. The overwhelming majority of parents who responded to the pre-inspection questionnaire, felt that their children liked school, they were making good progress and that behaviour was good. The inspection findings concur entirely with these views. Pupils enjoy coming to school and start their day with enthusiasm and confidence. Pupils make very good progress at school and are quickly integrated into school life. They demonstrate very good behaviour in and out of lessons.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

43. A small minority of parents felt that they were not well informed about their children's progress and that the school does not work closely with them. Inspection findings do not support this view. The school works hard to ensure that communication with parents is good and parents are kept very well informed about the work of the school.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

44. The school has produced a brochure, which is informative, well written and gives parents all the information they need about the school's aims, timetables and curriculum details. The brochure is only available in English but a fortnightly newsletter is produced in both English and Bengali. The newsletter gives up-to-date information about activities that the school promotes and items that concern their children.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

45. Annual reports to parents are clear and concise and give full information to parents on the progress made by pupils on a subject-by-subject basis. They do not, however, give information about the targets set for individual pupils. At present, the school has one evening each year for parents to discuss the contents of the report; the school is to increase this to one evening per term. Parents are free to contact the school at any time if they have matters of concern they wish to discuss and parents have open access to the headteacher and teachers on a daily basis. The school contacts parents immediately by telephone or letter if they wish to see parents to discuss matters of pupils' behaviour or work. The school has arranged literacy and numeracy classes in an eight-week module where parents work alongside pupils; this has proved to be a great success.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

46. The school actively encourages parents to come in to help although very few parents take the opportunity to do so. The small number of parents who do come in help with sewing and in the nursery and reception classes, and in the supervision of out- of- school activities.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

47. The school has good induction arrangements for new pupils and their parents. Parents are invited to come into school on "Taster Days" accompanied by their children and are very warmly welcomed and given a good deal of information by the headteacher and nursery staff. In addition, nursery staff makes home visits.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

48. Parents are appropriately involved in the review of the progress that statemented pupils make and interpreters are made available. Parents of other pupils on the special educational needs register are informed when their children are entered on the register, but there are no formal arrangements for this; conversations tend to take place at chance meetings with parents at the end of the day. The special educational needs’ co-ordinator intends to make provision for more formal meetings in the light of the new code of practice. Parents are occasionally disinclined to allow their children to receive outside help. Blue Gate Fields Infant School - 18 49. The school has a home-school agreement which all parents sign. This gives parents a clear indication of what is expected of them and what the school is to provide to enhance their children's education. The school is making significant efforts to improve its communication and

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

liaison with parents. It recognises that many parents may not know enough about the National Curriculum to help their children as much as they would like.

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

50. The headteacher provides outstanding personal leadership. Since her recent appointment, she has given the school a clear sense of purpose and direction. Members of the senior management team provide very strong educational direction and this has helped teachers and other adults in the school to develop a strong commitment to improvement. This is evident in the way the school’s aims and values are reflected in its priorities. For example, there is a strong emphasis on literacy development and a number of procedures have been introduced to analyse assessment data to enable teachers to know more about each pupil’s performance. A systematic comparison of the progress of different groups of pupils and of different classes is undertaken. Teaching and learning strategies are constantly reviewed and this is a strong contributory factor in the rise in standards since the previous inspection. The delegation of

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

responsibility to subject co-ordinators is satisfactory but their roles need further development to allow them to take a stronger lead in planning and administration to raise standards.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

51. The chair of the governing body also shows strong leadership and a high level of commitment in support of the school. Governors are keen to serve the school’s best interests and are very supportive of the school’s management. Although many are new to the role, they have an understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses and take a satisfactory part in planning for the school’s future development. The headteacher, supported by the governors, has prepared a clear school development plan that has clear and realistic priorities for the school’s future development. The governing body is effective in fulfilling its statutory duties.

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

52. Staff appraisal and performance management are well established and set clear expectations and appropriate accountability on teachers related to their levels of responsibility. This, together with very good arrangements to monitor and support teaching, is having a positive impact on the quality of teaching and hence on standards.

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

53. The governors’ finance committee sets a balanced budget based on clear priorities and identified needs. The school’s financial planning is now good, though in the past an unacceptably large surplus has been allowed to accumulate in the school budget. This has accumulated over some time and is well above that usually accepted as being prudent. The governors are aware of this and discussions are in hand to ensure some sensible spending to reduce it and provide further benefits for pupils. The headteacher and governors have established clear oversight of the finances and are aware of the need to obtain good value when considering improvements and efficiency. The day-to-day administration of finances is very efficient.

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

54. The co-ordinator manages the organisation of special needs well, but has only one day a week to do it. This is not because the school under-estimates the importance of her role, but because great difficulty was experienced in appointing any one for a greater number of days. The teaching of pupils on the register by teaching assistants is managed efficiently by another member of staff. The headteacher intends to become more involved in the day-to-day review of pupils’ progress, because there is currently no-one else who can have a clear overview. Special grants are used appropriately and the school spends extra money to give every class a full-time teaching assistant. This money is used well because the assistants give effective support to pupils with special educational needs.

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

55. There is a good allocation of teachers and support staff to provide for pupils’ learning. Teachers are deployed well to ensure that their expertise is used to good effect. Teaching assistants make a significant contribution in supporting teaching and learning. Administrative staff provide a very friendly and efficient service. The school keeper and cleaning staff ensure that the school is cleaned to a high standard. The accommodation is good, and bright, attractive displays add to the overall sense of purpose and brightness around the school. The library, however, is shared with the junior school and is not organised with young children in mind. The playground provides Blue Gate Fields Infant School - 19 a good space that is well equipped with play facilities especially for younger pupils. The school has good resources overall.

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AS AN ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE

56. Almost all of the 354 pupils speak English as an additional language and 186 of them are at the earlier stages of learning the language. The work of the school is, therefore, focused primarily on providing all its pupils with access to the National Curriculum and all other learning opportunities that it offers. The school makes very good provision for pupils learning English as an additional language. This provision includes the teaching staff, comprising class teachers and teaching assistants, and a co-ordinator funded from the Ethnic Minorities Achievement Grant. All staff have good skills in promoting language development and pupils benefit from the presence of a good number of staff who are at least bi-lingual.

p.19

AS AN ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE

57. The school is very successful at raising the attainment of pupils from a point where they speak little or no English when they enter the nursery, to a level in line with national expectations by the end of Year 2, not only in English but also in mathematics and science.

p.19

AS AN ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE

58. Teachers and teaching assistants know their pupils very well and are committed to their well- being and to their academic progress. They explain points very carefully so that pupils understand what they are being taught and what they have to do; this enables them to be fully involved in lessons. Pupils benefit greatly from skilful questioning that helps them to consolidate and extend their learning and to use language correctly. Pupils also benefit from the school’s very successful programme for teaching letter sounds and from other initiatives such as the scheme for developing speaking and listening skills. All of this has a positive impact on pupils’ progress and attainment.

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AS AN ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE

59. Teaching staff keep track of pupils’ progress well by assessing their learning on a regular basis and keeping up-to-date records. Most pupils make good progress in acquiring basic communication skills both in individual lessons and over their time in the school. For staffing reasons, some pupils in Year 2 who are still at the earlier stages of learning English, including some who have special educational needs, no longer receive specialist language support and make relatively slower progress.

p.19

AS AN ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE

60. Pupils have very positive attitudes to learning and respond well to their teachers and to additional support. They relate well to each other and to the adults with whom they work. They are helped in this by the positive way in which the school values their Bangladeshi cultural heritage. This is well reflected in the displays around the school.

p.19

AS AN ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE

61. The work of the co-ordinator funded under the Ethnic Minority Achievement Grant with small groups of pupils is effective. During the inspection, her skilful questioning and modelling enabled a group of pupils to learn new words and extend their knowledge of some common spelling patterns. Her current role does not, however, include ‘partnership teaching’ or regular direct involvement in teachers’ planning since she provides out-of-class group support. As a consequence, her work is not directly related to work that pupils are doing in their lessons, though it deals with specific language items. Her current deployment does not enable her to fulfil her role as defined in the co-ordinator’s job description. There are, therefore, some pertinent issues for the governing body to consider relating to the management, co-ordination and cost effectiveness of this aspect of the provision.

p.19

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

62. In accordance with the existing agenda for school development, the headteacher, with

p.19

Raise the level of pupils’ achievements in geography and history by:

• developing and using schemes of work that meet National Curriculum requirements and are appropriate to the particular circumstances of the school; Blue Gate Fields Infant School - 20 • allocating sufficient time and resources to the teaching of these subjects; • providing any staff training that may be needed. See paragraphs 22, 109 – 114

p.19

subjects by:

• helping staff to develop the skills of focused lesson observation; • providing time for co-ordinators to observe and support teaching and learning throughout the school. See paragraphs 50, 84, 95, 99, 104, 108, 130 This area for improvement already features in the school’s development planning

p.20

seven by:

• making sure that the junior school receives the information it needs when pupils transfer to it; • helping pupils to make an easy transition to the junior school through visits; • making sure that staff in the junior school have copies of the schemes of work followed in the infant school; • seeking to review jointly the use of the building, particularly, but not only, with respect to library facilities. See paragraphs 29, 55, 80 This area for improvement already features in the school’s development planning

p.20

Improve the attendance of those pupils who are away for long periods by:

• continuing to impress upon parents the importance of their children’s regular attendance in order for them to make good progress. See paragraphs 5, 37 This area for improvement already features in the school’s development planning

p.20

following points for improvement in their action plan:

• Arrangements for regularly reviewing all aspects of the school’s procedures for safeguarding pupils’ welfare and safety. See paragraphs 34, 35

p.20

following points for improvement in their action plan:

• Providing library facilities that would be appropriate for young children in terms of book display and accessibility, and seating. See paragraphs 55, 80

p.20

following points for improvement in their action plan:

• Helping parents to know more about what is being taught and to be able to support their children’s learning better, for example by introducing a home-school diary. See paragraphs 20, 49, 80

p.20

following points for improvement in their action plan:

• Making sure that the work of the teacher funded from the Ethnic Minorities Achievement Grant is sharply focused on developing the skills of colleagues and providing specialist support to pupils. See paragraphs 17, 61, 83 These areas for improvement already feature in the school’s development planning Blue Gate Fields Infant School - 21

p.20

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 40

p.21

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactor y Poor Very Poor

p.21

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

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

p.21

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery YR – Y2

p.21

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 74 267

p.21

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 175

p.21

Information about the school’s pupils

Special educational needs Nursery YR – Y2

p.21

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 0 2

p.21

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 3 34

p.21

Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

p.21

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 351

p.21

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

p.21

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 51

p.21

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 54

p.21

Attendance

National comparative data 5.6 National comparative data 0.5

p.21

Attendance

Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Blue Gate Fields Infant School - 22

p.21

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

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2001 42 41 83

p.22

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

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

p.22

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

Boys 36 37 39 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 37 39 37

p.22

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

Percentage of pupils School 88 (87) 92 (88) 92 (88) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (83) 86 (84) 91 (90)

p.22

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

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.22

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

Boys 34 38 36 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 34 38 37

p.22

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

Percentage of pupils School 82 (84) 92 (87) 88 (87) at NC level 2 or above National 85 (84) 89 (88) 89 (88)

p.22

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

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

p.22

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage 1 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0

p.22

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – African heritage 0 Black – African heritage 0 0

p.22

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Any other minority ethnic group 0 Other minority ethnic groups 0 0

p.22

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

This table refers to pupils of compulsory school age only. This table gives the number of exclusions of pupils of compulsory school age, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded. Blue Gate Fields Infant School - 23

p.22

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 10.2 Financial year 2001/2002

p.23

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 26.2

p.23

Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y2 Total income 1,154,103

p.23

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 14 Total expenditure 1,029,324

p.23

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 266.5 Expenditure per pupil 2949

p.23

Teachers and classes Financial information

Qualified teachers and support staff: nursery Balance brought forward from previous year 54,877

p.23

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 3 Balance carried forward to next year 179,656

p.23

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 29

p.23

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 6

p.23

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 166 The new headteacher and the governing body have plans for substantial building alterations and improved staffing that will see this under-spend (which has developed over the last three years) reduced to an appropriate level.

p.23

Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 8

p.23

Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 7

p.23

Recruitment of teachers

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 0

p.23

Recruitment of teachers

Number of vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of a term or more (FTE) 1

p.23

Recruitment of teachers

Number of unfilled vacancies or vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of less than one term (FTE) 0

p.23

Recruitment of teachers

FTE means full-time equivalent. Blue Gate Fields Infant School - 24

p.23

Percentage of responses in each category

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

p.24

Percentage of responses in each category

My child is making good progress in school. 53 44 2 0 1

p.24

Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 67 30 0 1 3

p.24

Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 47 39 8 3 4

p.24

Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 54 31 12 1 1

p.24

Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 54 29 8 2 8

p.24

Percentage of responses in each category

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 75 21 1 1 2

p.24

Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 53 33 8 5 1

p.24

Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 56 30 1 2 11

p.24

Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 53 39 3 0 5

p.24

Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 51 29 8 2 9

p.24

Percentage of responses in each category

Some rows do not add to 100 because of rounding

p.24

Other issues raised by parents

Parents were keen to know more about what their children were taught and to be able to help them more at home. Blue Gate Fields Infant School - 25

p.24

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

63. At the time of the last inspection it was reported that children made particularly good progress in the nursery and reception classes, especially when improving their fluency in spoken English. This has not changed and their progress is a particular strength in the school, especially considering that when children are admitted to the nursery, their attainment in written and spoken English and mathematics is low. There are at the present time 60 children attending the nursery full-time and 27 children attending part-time. The number of children in the reception classes fully meets the admission number of 90, and in the present reception classes, all children, with the exception of five children, transferred from the nursery. However, there is a certain amount of turbulence in numbers due to families being in temporary accommodation or through moving out of the area. Before children start in the nursery, staff make a home visit and where necessary

p.25

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

they are accompanied by a staff member who speaks the child's first language. This helps children to settle and feel secure in the nursery environment. This has now been extended to children who are about to enter the reception class.

p.25

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

64. For almost all of the children English is an additional language and when they start in the nursery, this is their first extended experience of being outside the home. These children are at the early stages of learning English and their speaking skills are well below average. The early mathematical skills of most children are also well below those expected nationally. During their time in the nursery, children make very good progress in all the areas of learning and good progress overall through the Foundation Stage. By the time they transfer to Year 1, many children are likely to attain the nationally recommended Early Learning Goals for children of their age in personal, social and emotional development, knowledge and understanding of the world, physical development and creative development. However, for a significant number of children their attainment in communication, language and literacy and mathematical development will be

p.25

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

below average; there will be, nevertheless, some children who will achieve the Early Learning Goals in these areas, too.

p.25

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

65. During the inspection, teaching in the Foundation Stage was consistently good in all areas of learning. The six teachers, six nursery nurses and six teaching assistants work very well as a co-ordinated team. They provide a calm and welcoming environment in which children are happy and settled. This close teamwork is a strength that has a direct effect on the quality of learning and development of all children in the Foundation Stage. There is good provision for children's personal, social and emotional development. This is particularly important, as many children do not have the language skills necessary to negotiate with others and make their needs known to one another. The curriculum is planned well to promote children's development in the six areas of learning. However, there is no consistency of planning procedures across the whole Foundation Stage, as each of the three early years’ units plans individually. However, the new co-ordinator

p.25

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

has introduced a new planning sheet that is now being used and includes planning for individual children. In addition, the co-ordinator has a daily planning sheet in use in her unit, which she intends to introduce to the other units, thus ensuring a consistency of practice across the Foundation Stage.

p.25

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

66. The accommodation is very good and consists of three large double classrooms, a very spacious and secure outside play area, providing climbing apparatus, safety surfaces and a good range of learning areas. These include a garden area where children can plant and grow a variety of plants, thus developing their interests in the natural world. The outside area provides suitable activities for young children and has been the focus of development following an audit of resource provision and observing the systems already in place. The outdoor area is a current priority for further development with an increase in the number of focused activities and those of a cross- curricular nature.

p.25

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

67. All staff in the Foundation Stage have good relationships with children and manage them well. There are a number of staff who can converse with the children in their home language which is very helpful in the nursery, especially when children are at the very early stages of learning to speak English. This has a very positive effect in enhancing children’s’ learning and developing their confidence in the school setting. Blue Gate Fields Infant School - 26 Blue Gate Fields Infant School - 27

p.25

Personal, social and emotional development

68. When they start in the nursery, most children have personal and social skills that are well below average. The staff support them well and they quickly become used to school routines and enjoy coming to school. They are happy and secure and most settle well to the activities provided. Most children play happily alongside one another but, as is common for children of this age, few play together. For example, four children were playing in ‘The Clinic’ and individually engaged in activities, such as dressing a doll or driving an ambulance, but very little interaction took place between the children, although they were happily playing on their own. However, staff take every opportunity to involve the children in activities where they learn to share and take turns, such as taking the role of a shop-keeper or customer or throwing a beanbag to aim to get it into a hoop. Opportunities are planned for the children to talk about and show what they have done with other

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Personal, social and emotional development

children. As they mature and grow in confidence, they develop their social skills and by the time they are ready to leave the reception classes, they play happily together and begin to form friendships. Children enjoy the range of activities provided, try hard and show average levels of concentration for their age; they are developing good attitudes to learning. They learn to share toys and take turns and are becoming sociable and co-operative. By the time they transfer to Year 1, a majority of the children are likely to attain the Early Learning Goals for this aspect of their education.

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Communication, language and literacy

69. Almost all of the children in the nursery and reception classes are learning English as an additional language. During their time in the nursery and reception classes, the children make remarkable progress in spoken English. Staff spend a lot of time speaking to children and modelling language for them and children respond very positively to this stimulus. This was seen particularly in a lesson where reception children were learning to hear, read and write words with – ay in. The teacher had modelled the phrase “May I play with the spray today?” The children repeated the phrase with the same intonation as the teacher. Children enjoy looking at books and listening to stories. A number of stories were featured in themes that the children develop. In one such story, ‘The Enormous Turnip,’ an area of the classroom was created as a garden. A group of children was observed in an activity linked to the garden theme, where the teacher had

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Communication, language and literacy

created a visual story of “Mr Potato Head” and children had made their own potato head puppets. The aim was for the children to recall the events in the story and act them out, adding their own dialogue, thus giving the children a good opportunity to use their imagination and develop their oracy skills. Other opportunities for the development of role-play was in the ‘Fairy Tale Castle’ and this had followed on from the previous week when the theme was ‘Jack and the Beanstalk.’ A good display accompanied this with a pillar decorated as a beanstalk with Jack’s legs and feet seen to be disappearing into the ceiling, a good stimulus for children to talk about what they could see. As a further link to this story, children had planted their own seed to grow their own beanstalk. Children also know a number of popular rhymes such as 'Humpty Dumpty’ and they enjoy having stories read to them.

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Communication, language and literacy

70. To support the early development of children’s understanding, the school has dual language storybooks and often staff who are bilingual read a story and also explain it to the children in their home language so as to enhance their understanding and enjoyment of books. A good example of this support was observed in the Early Years’ Golden Book assembly, when children’s names had been put forward by teachers for special mention. After the Early Years’ co-ordinator had read out the names and explained what the award was for, the bilingual assistant explained the reason for the sticker award very carefully in their home language so that each child was fully aware of their achievement.

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Communication, language and literacy

71. Children recognise their own names and choose their name cards as they arrive in the morning. They enjoy practising writing their names and are keen to write their names and other words called out by the teacher on white boards. Children’s writing is neat, letters well formed and of an appropriate size. There is a high priority paid to teaching children the names and sounds of letters and this has had an impressive impact on reading. Children enjoy their guided reading time and are keen to talk about these stories, especially stories they have read as a whole class. Also children are keen to listen to stories on tape and can choose the book to accompany the story. In addition, children have frequent opportunities to use the computers. In one lesson, a girl wrote confidently and printed her story about ‘Five little Monsters.’ Children make very good Blue Gate Fields Infant School - 28 progress in this aspect of learning, especially from the low starting point on entry to school; by

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Communication, language and literacy

the time they are ready to start in Year 1, the attainment of most children is still below, but closer to, the expected level.

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Mathematical development

72. Children make good progress in this area. When they start in the nursery class, children have very limited mathematical skills. They show an interest in numbers and quickly learn some simple number songs and rhymes. At first they do not recognise many numerals and do not count on their own. Staff plan activities that focus on mathematical language, such as bigger/smaller, more/less. Nursery children recognise numbers to five and reception children to 20. However, the older children in the reception classes were engaged in an activity with their teacher in recognising numbers up to 100 on a large 100 square. Children are beginning to say and place numbers in sequence, such as one to 15 but do not always match objects accurately to numbers as they count. However, in one activity the teacher had groups of farm animals and as she added one more to the line each child would then take it in turns to count from one to the

p.28

Mathematical development

next animal added. An amusing incident and a check on children’s understanding was when the teacher tried to catch out the children by picking up a horse and calling it a pig. The children quickly corrected the teacher by telling her it was a horse. Another group of children was engaged in an investigation of number bonds for five and ten. In this activity, the teacher intended to engage the children in a practical activity using two hoops and multilink cubes. First she put four cubes in one hoop and one cube in the other, while checking with the group how many cubes were in each hoop. Then she wrote on a white board 4 + 1 = 5 and once the children were confident in the calculation she then went on to 5 + 5 = 10 and 9 + 1 +10. This was a very good session because by the end the children were confident and pleased with how well they had got on. However, although a majority of the lessons observed confirmed that planning was matched

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Mathematical development

closely to the needs of the children there was, however, an exception. One group of children was working independently from a worksheet, did not know what they were required to do and spent the time colouring in pictures. This was partly because they did not understand the task and also because they could not read and understand the instructions.

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Mathematical development

73. Children enjoy playing games with dice, such as ‘Lakes and Adders’, which is designed to reinforce counting on. Children recognise colours and two- and three-dimensional shapes and have drawn their own shape pictures. In addition, they have looked at patterns, creating their own out of pasta and rice and sorted long and short shape patterns. In the reception classes, children know how old they are and can say how old they will be on their next birthday. They can add small groups of objects correctly and compare numbers to say which is greater or smaller. They recognise the most common shapes and use these to complete puzzles and join in completing a giant puzzle in the outdoor area. By the time they are ready to start in Year 1, a small number of the older reception children are likely to attain the Early Learning Goals for mathematical development, while the majority will still be below, but closer to, national expectations.

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Knowledge and Understanding of the world

74. When they start in the nursery class, most children have little experience and understanding in this area of learning. Nevertheless, they are curious and interested in their surroundings and enjoy exploring the new experiences offered. They greatly enjoy digging in the garden outside. They plant seedlings and understand that their plants need water to make them grow. To keep a record of plant growth, children have made their own books, learning how to use a range of tools and how to join materials together. All the children enjoy using the computer. Many are developing good control of the mouse to move objects on the screen. They play games and have taken part in activities where they are introduced to control technology. In this activity, children are introduced to a floor robot and learn how to make it move by turning the device on and off.

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Knowledge and Understanding of the world

75. Children are introduced to the world about them, such as the school environment and by visits into their locality. The outside play area is good for exploring and children are able to climb into the tower house or sit in the wooden hut, where they can read books or talk to each other. The ‘World Display’ shows a range of artefacts, including clogs, dolls and flags from different countries. A globe identifies London and Bangladesh, showing the children where they live now and where their home nation is situated in the world. Children were excited when a visitor to the school showed them some wildlife, including a tarantula and stick insect. Another group Blue Gate Fields Infant School - 29 undertook an investigation of snails that was supported by photographs showing the children engaged in their study. Children have many opportunities to take part in construction using building blocks and a range of tools, such as a hammer and nails to join two pieces of wood

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Knowledge and Understanding of the world

together. A display shows that children have looked at the difference between what they were like as a baby and what they are like now in the present, thus developing a sense of time. Children make good progress and by the time they start Year 1, many are achieving the expected levels in this area of learning.

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Physical development

76. The school has developed the secure play area for the Foundation Stage. This is spacious and includes a grassed area, a garden, fixed climbing apparatus and a tarmac area. A good start has been made in developing the outdoor provision and further developments are planned. Nursery children use the good range of wheeled toys confidently and enthusiastically. They are quite skilled at steering tricycles and some are able to manoeuvre them confidently between the ‘road’ lines on the tarmac. Children are developing confidence in balancing along a beam though the younger children still need some adult support to do this. In the reception class, children enjoy movement lessons in the hall where they follow their teacher in walking forwards and backwards at different speeds. They are developing an awareness of the other children and begin to use the hall space sensibly. They are able to bounce a ball accurately in a hoop for their partner to catch.

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Physical development

At the end of the lesson, children spontaneously collected the balls and hoops and put them away. With the help of their teacher, reception children get out the benches and confidently step and jump off the end of the bench, demonstrating good control and landing. The majority of children are likely to achieve the Early Learning Goal for this aspect of physical development by the end of the reception year. In class they use pencils, brushes, scissors and other small tools with increasing confidence and skill. By the end of the reception year, it is likely that most children will attain the expected levels of physical development.

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Creative development

77. Children make good progress in this area of learning. Children enjoy using paint to print and make pictures. There are numerous displays of their work around the nursery and reception areas, including vegetable prints and printing with other objects such as cotton reels and colour mixing with rollers. Also they have used a computer paint program to design their own colour pictures. They use a range of materials to make collage pictures, such as textiles and have created snail collages as part of their study of snails. Opportunities for painting are not just confined to the inside area; children use painting easels outside and examples of seed collages and patterns are displayed outside. Other opportunities are available for children to make three- dimensional models using junk materials and to use play dough and clay to mould and make models. Some good examples of clay work that had been painted were on display. Children

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Creative development

enjoy singing and listening to familiar songs and rhymes and enjoy using the role-play area to play games and act out stories. By the end of the reception year, the majority of children are likely to attain the Early Learning Goals for Creative Development.

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ENGLISH

78. The previous inspection in 2000 reported that standards in English were broadly in line with the national average. The 2001 national test results were below average in reading, though close to the average in writing. They were particularly good, and well above the average, when compared to similar schools., Around 90 per cent of pupils achieved the national standard of Level 2 in the national tests in 2001. Current inspection findings reflect an improvement on the 2001 test results in reading and particularly in speaking and listening, where pupils’ communication skills were well below average. . The pupils are achieving well, having started from a well below average level of attainment on entry and bearing in mind the relatively longer time that pupils to whom English is an additional language take to acquire basic communication skills at this stage.

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ENGLISH

79. Pupils' attainment in speaking and listening is close to average, by the end of Year 2. Many pupils listen carefully and respond to stories with interest. Higher attainers sustain concentration well and respond positively to opportunities to develop their oral skills. Pupils benefit from the emphasis that their teachers place on correct speech, as was observed in an assembly as well Blue Gate Fields Infant School - 30 as in lessons. By the time pupils leave the infant school, many, particularly at the top end of the ability range, demonstrate good achievement in the development of their oral skills. They contribute to discussion readily. A significant number of pupils in Year 1 and a smaller number in Year 2, however, are unable to express themselves appropriately or fluently. They lack confidence in developing their ideas in meaningful sentences or when talking to an audience. It is too early to judge the effectiveness of the strategies such as partner work and circle time that the

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ENGLISH

school has introduced in order to promote pupils’ speaking and listening skills.

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ENGLISH

80. Reading standards are in line with the national average throughout the school with higher attainers in Year 2 working towards higher levels. The majority of pupils in Year 1 show a sound awareness of how to work out words that are new to them, reflecting the successful implementation of the school’s letter sounds programme. Many pupils read accurately and fluently, if not always with sufficient understanding or expression. Less able pupils, including those with special educational needs and those at the earlier stages of learning English as an additional language, are just starting to develop their decoding skills and comprehension. At present, they are unable to predict the contents of unfamiliar stories from their title, illustration or the blurb. Higher attainers in Year 2 are fairly independent readers. Pupils benefit greatly from strategies employed by the school, such as guided and silent reading, reading recovery and Book Week, but there is no

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ENGLISH

reading diary for pupils or their parents to comment on their progress. The absence of an appropriate match of books to the ability of some pupils, particularly the less able, reflects the need for monitoring in this respect. Pupils enjoy reading poetry, with older pupils showing a fairly well developed awareness of rhyming words. Many pupils demonstrate in discussion an awareness of how to locate a book in the school library, though many younger ones are unsure of their favourite authors, and no pupils were observed undertaking any ‘research’ activity during the inspection.

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ENGLISH

81. Standards of writing are close to the national average by the end of Year 2. Year 1 pupils have started re-telling stories, though not unaided. Higher attainers describe characters from stories, demonstrating the ability to develop the beginning of a story, introducing characters and the setting. A significant minority, including less able pupils and those at early stages of learning English, has difficulty with writing meaningful sentences unaided. Some of these pupils, for example, are unsure of basic sentence structure, while others use inappropriate vocabulary, because of their limited understanding of English. By the end of Year 2, many pupils demonstrate some understanding of how to structure stories and write for different purposes. Pupils of all abilities, particularly higher attainers, pay increasing attention to grammar and punctuation. Many Year 2 pupils identify the past tense of some verbs, with higher attainers being

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ENGLISH

aware of some irregular verbs. Some demonstrated examples of extended imaginative writing, including the use of word processing. Pupils’ handwriting and presentation are generally good.

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ENGLISH

82. Teaching is good with some very good features throughout the school. This represents a significant improvement since the last inspection. In the good and very good teaching, skilful questioning reflects good subject knowledge, and planning generally takes the needs of different groups of pupils into account. Effective intervention by the teacher enabled pupils in a Year 2 poetry lesson to identify features such as rhyme and alliteration, though they were unsure of identifying ‘words for effect’. In another Year 2 lesson, the teacher's modelling and commentary inspired pupils' confidence in developing a story. Homework is often included in the planning for these lessons, and good organisation and management have a positive impact on pupils' learning and behaviour. Less effective lessons, though still satisfactory overall, reflected an insufficient match of activity to the full ability range within the class, some inconsistency relating to marking

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ENGLISH

and shortcomings in the use of the concluding part of the lesson. Teachers' classroom strategies benefit slower learners and pupils at the early stages of learning English, as activities are generally directed carefully by the teacher. This sometimes limits opportunities for more able pupils to use their initiative. Most support staff make a good contribution to promoting pupils' attainment and progress.

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ENGLISH

83. Pupils learn well throughout the school. The majority show high levels of motivation and concentration. They engage readily in their work and contribute well to discussion. Many work independently when required to do so. This is partly due to their very positive attitudes to work and the very good relationships that they enjoy with their peers and adults. Pupils are very enthusiastic about activities and collaborate well when encouraged to do so. This helps them to make good progress both in individual lessons and over time. Lack of concentration sometimes Blue Gate Fields Infant School - 31 has a negative effect on learning for a minority of pupils, particularly in Year 1. There is no significant difference in the attainment of boys and girls. However, progress made by less able pupils, particularly those learning English as an additional language, slows down when they no longer receive specialist support towards the end of Year 2.

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ENGLISH

84. The National Literacy Strategy is well established and literacy skills are developed well in other subjects. The subject benefits from good management, resourcing and assessment systems. Books in classrooms include a suitable and accessible range of literature, including non-fiction, although the school lacks appropriate library facilities. The school’s priorities, to raise standards in speaking, listening and writing even further, are the right ones. To this end, the co-ordinators are aware of the need to develop their role in the monitoring of teaching and learning, to consolidate opportunities for developing pupils' oracy, and to ensure greater use of information and communication technology to promote literacy.

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MATHEMATICS

85. Standards seen in mathematics are in line with national expectations at the end of Year 2, as they were at the time of the last inspection. Results in the 2001 National Curriculum tests for Year 2 were in line with the national average and well above the average for similar schools. Since 1998 the school’s results have shown consistent improvement and 92 per cent of pupils achieved the national standard of Level 2 in 2001.

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MATHEMATICS

86. Examination of the work of pupils in the Year 1 classes shows that most have made satisfactory progress during the year. However, pupils in one of the three classes have made better progress and have more work recorded in their books. The marking of work in this class has been thorough and comments by the teacher are encouraging and clearly directed towards helping pupils to know what they have to do to improve.

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MATHEMATICS

87. Pupils in Year 1 improve their skills, knowledge and understanding in number work, being able to work out what ten more or less than a number is, and work out the difference between two small numbers. Most pupils develop a sound understanding of place value and work confidently with tens and units. There are good examples of pupils being asked to apply what they know to money problems, correctly adding 20p + 20p + 2p + 5p, for example. More able pupils could move successfully between 3 + 5 = 8 and 3 = 8 – 5. Pupils have also learned the names of common shapes and correctly work out the number of sides and corners and whether the sides are straight or curved.

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MATHEMATICS

88. During the inspection, lessons in Year 1 focused on number work, specifically odd and even numbers and doubles. Two lessons were judged to be satisfactory and the other good. The planning for all lessons was good and included work set at different levels of difficulty for different pupils. The pace of the lessons varied a lot. In the good lesson, there was particularly good use of questions to stimulate further thought and learning and pupils stayed on each activity just long enough to complete it. In the other two lessons, time was not used as well, with, for example, too long being spent on the introductory carpet session. In the final session of another lesson, explanations by individual pupils were not effectively shared with the rest of the class so there was some inattention and a very slow pace to the lesson. Some pupils made good progress because of the direction given to their learning by the teaching assistant who provide focused

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MATHEMATICS

challenge and support to slower learning pupils, including some with special educational needs.

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MATHEMATICS

89. Examination of the work of pupils in Year 2 shows that they made good progress throughout the year in developing their mathematical language and skills, knowledge and understanding. Pupils’ work is presented well and is usually conscientiously marked, with teachers’ comments and corrections directed clearly at improvement. For example, replacing the pupil’s 5 + 5 = 10 + 3 = 13 by 5 + 5 = 10, 10 + 3 = 13 is making a very important point about the correct use of the ‘=’ sign. Teachers are clearly encouraging pupils to develop strategies for calculation and to reflect on them. One pupil writes, for example ‘ I put 7 in my head and counted on 6’. Teaching in this year group is focused well on language development and understanding. Pupils make good gains in their competence at handling numbers, including short division, and in applying what they know to real-life situations. Work on collecting information and representing it graphically has been

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MATHEMATICS

carried out correctly and pupils have learned to measure in centimetres and work out half a Blue Gate Fields Infant School - 32 length. Knowledge of the names and properties of two-and three-dimensional shapes has developed well; pupils correctly identify faces, edges and corners in relation to cylinders, spheres, pyramids, cubes and cones.

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MATHEMATICS

90. During the inspection most Year 2 pupils, including those with special educational needs, made very good progress in their use of positional language to say where something was or how to get there. The sequence of lessons was very well planned and the teaching was never less than good; in most cases it was very good. In one lesson, the introductory session revising what had been learned on the previous day, and the concluding session confirming what had been learned during the lesson and preparing the ground for the next lesson, were particularly strong features. In all lessons there was a very good pace with teachers expecting pupils to work quickly and accurately. Teaching assistants gave very good help, enabling all pupils, including those with special educational needs, to be fully included and involved in the lessons. Pupils made good gains in their correct use of, for example, left, above, next to, close, and in ¼, ½, ¾ and whole

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MATHEMATICS

91. The better teaching seen in both Years 1 and 2 often included: • very good relationships in the classroom based on well-established routines and high expectations; • clear identification of what pupils were to learn in the lesson and making sure that they understood what would be required of them; • the provision of tasks appropriate to pupils of different levels of ability; • very good use of questions to revise and extend learning and to check for understanding; • good use of time, including a brisk pace and regular changes of activities; • good contributions by teaching assistants so that all pupils were supported in their learning.

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MATHEMATICS

92. Points for improvement in some lessons included: • allocating an appropriate amount of time to each of the different parts of the lesson; • setting tasks clearly and checking that pupils know what they have to do; • checking pupils’ understanding through regular questioning and marking of the work that they are doing during the lesson; • using the skills of teaching assistants effectively; • making sure that lesson planning focuses on what pupils are to learn rather than what teachers are going to do.

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MATHEMATICS

93. Based on the full range of evidence, the overall quality of teaching is satisfactory in Year 1 and good, including a substantial amount of very good, in Year 2. Consequently, most pupils, including those with special educational needs, make good progress as they move through the school. There is scope for using the resources of information and communication technology more fully to support and extend learning in mathematics. Although mathematics is used in some other subject lessons, such as science and design and technology, opportunities for developing and using pupils’ mathematical skills do not often feature in teachers’ planning.

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MATHEMATICS

94. The co-ordinator provides very good support for colleagues through the provision of a scheme of work based on the National Numeracy Strategy and through monitoring their planning. He now needs to have opportunities for observing teaching and learning in classes throughout the school in order to develop consistently good practice.

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SCIENCE

95. Pupils’ attainment by the end of Year 2 is similar to the national average. This represents an improvement since the last time that the subject was inspected. Most pupils across the range of prior attainment are making good progress.

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SCIENCE

96. Pupils in both year groups study a wide range of topics. Year 2 pupils have looked at the uses of electricity in their homes. In a good link with mathematics, they construct Venn diagrams of objects powered by battery, mains or either. They build simple circuits and know what is necessary for power to flow and that only some materials are conductors. In experiments on forces, they learn about friction and test different materials on a slope down which a toy car runs. They look at living creatures, such as insects and worms. They use their scientific knowledge Blue Gate Fields Infant School - 33 well in literacy lessons when they devise questions about frogs and entries about them for a glossary. During the inspection, pupils were learning about classification of animals. Given a good range of pictures, they decided on their own groupings, such as birds or animals, flying creatures or water creatures, and striped or non-striped. Higher attaining pupils investigated sub-

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SCIENCE

sets, such as creatures that fly by night or by day. A few of them knew the word nocturnal .

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SCIENCE

97. The quality of teaching is satisfactory overall. Amongst others, one very good lesson was observed and one which was unsatisfactory. A strength of the teaching in all lessons is the planning and emphasis on key vocabulary. A list of the words is displayed and pupils repeat them after the teacher, who subsequently makes sure that pupils use the words and pronounce them correctly. For example, in the Year 2 lessons, some of the words were classify, sub-group and human . Words in Year 1 lessons included outer ear and canal , though some of these concepts were too advanced for the pupils. This comes about because the scheme of work, taken from national guidance, has not been tailored to suit the school’s needs - there is no co- ordinator to do this. Another strength in all classes is the range of work covered. Teachers plan together and pupils’ past work shows a consistent and thorough approach to teaching. Because

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SCIENCE

science is taught in blocks rather than every week, the younger pupils (in Year 1) receive rather a heavy dose of science all at once, and this contributed to the unsatisfactory lesson. In some lessons, higher attaining pupils are not given enough challenge, because they are given the same work as other pupils.

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SCIENCE

98. Although there is no co-ordinator for science, teachers manage the subject adequately by careful planning in year groups and good assessment procedures. Nonetheless, curriculum guidance needs reviewing and there is no one to monitor standards or teaching. Computers are not regularly used in science, other than for pictures or diagrams.

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ART AND DESIGN

99. Pupils’ attainment by the end of Year 2 is above expectations. This represents an improvement since the last time that the subject was inspected. Most pupils across the range of prior attainment are making good progress.

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ART AND DESIGN

100. Pupils in both year groups have a broad experience in all aspects of the subject. Year 1 pupils make observational drawings of toys and furniture using pencil. A drawing of a chair by a Year 1 pupil showed very advanced shading to produce the effect of the pattern. Year 2 pupils use charcoal to sketch fish and watercolours to paint spring flowers with a high degree of delicacy. Year 1 pupils made Diwali pots from clay and pupils in Year 2 used clay to make very good models in the style of Henry Moore. They also use modroc for sculptures, based on pipe cleaners. During the inspection, Year 2 pupils were working on complex pictures based on their recent visit to Shadwell Basin. The work spanned several lessons: first, they had painted the background using shades of blue. They added texture by dragging straws through the paint to represent moving water or by daubing flowers at the bottom with their fingers. In another lesson,

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ART AND DESIGN

the pupils had made stencils of boats, buildings and shrubs. In the lesson observed, they were pooling these resources so that all the pupils on a table could use any they liked. There were no problems with sharing. Pupils could describe how they had made their work, using technical terms like texture and overlap . These words were part of the key vocabulary for the lesson.

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ART AND DESIGN

101. Teaching is good overall and was very good in the lesson just described. Pupils’ past work shows that teachers have a good understanding of the subject and much expertise. They have interesting ideas, which inspire the pupils to produce good work, and to persevere until it is finished. Teachers’ work is augmented by regular art projects, which all classes have a chance to experience. Some of these have produced permanent features, such as the unusual towers outside the front entrance, with shelves displaying pottery figures and objects. Another example is the stained glass at first-floor level in the hall, made from pupils’ drawings of a story called Jamil’s Clever Cat .

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ART AND DESIGN

102. The quality of display in the school is excellent and makes an important contribution to the atmosphere of the school. The results of some of the art projects, such as the collage Year 1 made based on We’re Going on a Bear Hunt , hang in the corridors, along with faces in the style of Picasso. All the work is framed and the co-ordinator changes the displays regularly. Blue Gate Fields Infant School - 34 103. The co-ordinator is newly appointed and has worked for a short time alongside the deputy headteacher, who oversaw the subject in the absence of a co-ordinator. The subject is well managed and the new co-ordinator is very enthusiastic and has much experience in the children’s art world. A very thorough portfolio shows examples of pupils’ work at different levels, though there is no system of assessment for individual pupils. The co-ordinator has had no opportunity to monitor teaching.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

104. Pupils’ overall attainment by the end of Year 2 is in line with national expectations, though the work they produce as a result of the visits from specialists is often above. This represents an improvement since the last time that the subject was inspected. Most pupils across the range of prior attainment are making satisfactory progress.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

105. No lessons were observed in Years 1 and 2, so no judgement can be made on the quality of teaching. The judgement on standards is based on pupils’ past and continuing work and a discussion with the co-ordinator. Year 2 pupils have been making vehicles from card, concentrating on producing effective axles and good movement.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

106. Every class has one day a year with a visiting specialist, and one of these took place in reception, rather than Year 1 or Year 2, during the inspection. A toy-maker, who is also an experienced teacher, came to spend the day with the class. The lesson was carefully planned by the class teacher and was a good mixture of observing, drawing, planning and making. By the end of the day, it was hoped that the children would have constructed puppets with moving limbs. The sessions observed were very good, and the children’s reaction to the toy octopus was described above (in the curriculum section). Evidence from a previous visit showed that reception pupils made very effective creepy-crawlies, with a cotton-reel mechanism for movement, which they assembled themselves.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

107. The management of the subject is satisfactory. The co-ordinator has a good understanding of the subject, but sees her role as mainly advisory, because she has another, time-consuming subject responsibility. She ensures that resources for teachers’ planning are available and organises the visiting specialists. She maintains a photographic record of pupils’ work, though there is no system of assessment for individual pupils. She has not been involved in monitoring the teaching of this subject.

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GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY

108. Because of inspection and timetabling arrangements, it was not possible to observe any geography or history being taught during the inspection. Judgements are based on analysis of pupils' work, teachers’ planning and on discussions with teachers.

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GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY

109. In both history and geography, standards are below those expected of pupils of the same age at the end of Year 2. There are no significant differences in attainment between boys and girls. Overall, pupils’ achievement is unsatisfactory and this is consistent across all groups and levels of ability.

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GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY

110. In geography, by the end of Year 2, pupils are able to use maps and plans of various types. They can map their routes to school, for example. They draw simple plans of the school playground and design a playground of their own using simple keys. Pupils in Year 2 make comparisons of the climate and houses in Bangladesh and in England. Pupils show good drawing skills. There is little evidence, however, that pupils in Year 2 can describe how the environment is influenced by people, or select information from a number of sources or that they are beginning to raise their own questions to investigate.

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GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY

111. By the end of Year 2 in history, pupils are able to distinguish between past and present and know that different events happen in different periods of time. They are able to recognise that changes happen over time. Pupils in Year 2, for example, can describe changes in the local area between Blue Gate Fields Infant School - 35 the time after the Great Fire of London and the present day. Although some work is done on the main characters of the periods studied, such as Florence Nightingale, pupils have very limited knowledge of them. There is little evidence that pupils can use time lines or place events in the correct order on the time line. Pupils do not use sources of information regularly to answer questions or to start to understand why people acted as they did.

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GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY

112. Although it is not possible to make a judgement about the quality of teaching, it is possible to identify some features of it. Analysis of pupils’ work indicates that teachers have satisfactory subject knowledge of the topics covered. Teachers’ planning for lessons is good and the long term planning provides continuity so there are no repeats of work. Pupils’ work is marked and corrected and hints are often given about how to improve grammar and spelling. Where worksheets are used, teachers often use the same material for the whole class and this does not provide a sufficient variety to cover the wide range of attainment found in most classes. Neither subject makes a satisfactory contribution to the development of the basic skills of literacy, numeracy or to information and communication technology.

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GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY

113. The main reason for pupils’ below average standards lies not with teaching, but with the very low time allocation given to geography and history in the school’s timetable. This means that the schemes of work cannot be covered adequately. There is no subject co-ordinator for history and the one for geography is a very recent appointment. This has further limited the development of the subjects. Due to the low time allocation, the subjects make an unsatisfactory contribution to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. In view of the below average standards and the lack of subject development, there has been insufficient improvement since the last inspection.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

114. Standards have improved a lot since the last time that the subject was inspected. However, there is still work to do to ensure that pupils make consistent progress as they move through the school. Children in the nursery and reception classes make good progress in information communication technology (ICT) and they can be seen regularly involved in working on computers and taking part in control technology by programming a robot to move. However, in Years 1 and 2 ICT is just beginning to take off. For example, an ICT advisory teacher from the Local Education Authority visited the school and introduced a new program to Year 1. As a result of this support, each class has displays of work undertaken through using the program for writing instructions. For example, instructions had been written for how to: ‘make a milk shake,’ ‘prepare breakfast’ and ‘making a cup of tea.’

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

115. Very little use is made of ICT in other subjects such as mathematics and science. Work seen in Year 1 included word-processed poems written by the pupils and, as a link with science, a drawing undertaken with a colour package of a flower with parts that had been labelled. In Year 2, there were examples of symmetrical pictures, a word-processed report of a visit made to Shadwell Creek and stories written by the pupils. In one class there was a display that illustrated work on data handling. This display was of a good standard and consisted of data collection that had been undertaken about colours of clothes, food chart and common letters that was displayed as graphs. There was no evidence of the use of control technology in Years 1 and 2.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

116. It is not possible to make a judgement of the quality of teaching as only one lesson was observed. However, during observations of groups of pupils working on computers, it was clear that their skills were developing satisfactorily. For example, they were confident in using the mouse and keyboard and were able to access information from CD ROMs. In addition, they were clear about using a number of control keys, such as shift key for capital letters and knew how to print out their work. Pupils have good attitudes to learning in ICT and were keen to show what they could do. They were also very quick to pick up new skills, such as how to underline and highlight text.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

117. The co-ordinator has worked hard to raise the profile of ICT in the school. This has included gaining the support of the Local Education Authority, arranging for a technician to visit each week to maintain the equipment, ensuring that the policy is reviewed annually, monitoring the ongoing development through regular assessments and ensuring that funding for the subject is focused on Blue Gate Fields Infant School - 36 the greatest need. In addition, the co-ordinator is very involved in the Web Wise Wapping project and has set up a bank of four computers for staff to use in school. Staff also have their own portable computer for home use to help and support them in their ongoing work and further development of ICT skills. The scheme of work is based on national guidance for the teaching and learning of ICT and staff have either completed, or are just completing, their nationally funded training. There are banks of three computers in each classroom and there have also been times

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

when the ICT suite in the junior school has been used. However, this is not a formalised programme and at the moment not all staff are confident in teaching a whole class lesson because of only having three computers in a classroom. A suite of computers would make it more manageable. During the week of the inspection, few computers were being used to their full capacity and consequently there were few opportunities for pupils to practise and refine their ICT skills. There is a good range of software for use, but there is little evidence of much of it being used regularly.

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M USIC

118. Standards in music by the end of Year 2 are in line with expectations for pupils of a similar age nationally. Standards have been maintained at this level since the last inspection. A specialist music teacher teaches all music lessons. However, although the class teachers stay with their classes during this time, there are no follow-up lessons to support the further development of music. The opportunity for teachers’ own professional development, where they can build up their own skills in teaching music, is not being capitalized on. These are missed opportunities that would undoubtedly enhance the music in the school and also go some way to raising standards. Apart from the lesson observed, no other music was evident in the school.

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M USIC

119. Only one music lesson was seen and the judgement on standards in music has been based on this lesson, the scheme of work, planning, photographic evidence and discussions with staff and pupils. The music curriculum covers the programmes of study and gives pupils access to a wide range of music from around the world, such as music from Africa, Israel, North America and the Caribbean. Pupils also sing tunes such as Frêre Jacques in English, French and their home language of Bangla.

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M USIC

120. On the evidence of the planning, pupils learn about the elements of music. They talk about rhythm and melody and are keen on rap. Some of these skills were seen in the Year 1 class music lesson with the visiting music teacher. The lesson started with pupils learning to sing the song ‘Come Follow’ as they entered the music studio. The lesson commenced with a physical warm- up and pupils loosened up and practised breathing exercises. When they had their musical warm-up they sang ‘Head, shoulders knees and toes’ in English and also in their home language. They are beginning to develop their ‘thinking voice’ and the teacher has started to introduce the pupils to tonic soh fa with the singing by the teacher indicating movement by the pupils. For example, doh me soh, ‘children stand’ and soh me doh, ‘sit down’. A number of other actions were practised and the pupils joined in a clapping rhythm session. The pupils were able to hear

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M USIC

and feel the rhythm patterns and moved to some folk music. To cool down the teacher introduced a grasshopper puppet and the children sang the grasshopper song. The quality of teaching in the lesson was outstanding and led to very good learning by the children. Although no lessons were seen in Year 2, other evidence suggests that the standards are at least in line with those expected nationally for this age group. .

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

121. The attainment of pupils by the end of Year 2 is in line with national expectations. This is an improvement on the last time that the subject was inspected. Pupils have satisfactory opportunities to develop games and gymnastics skills. Dance, however, is relatively undeveloped and is an area to be improved when the subject is a priority in the next development cycle. There are no extra-curricular opportunities to develop games’ skills, although fitness is included. Playground facilities encourage pupils to climb and balance and they show good agility, balance, co-ordination and confidence. Blue Gate Fields Infant School - 37 122. Two lessons were observed during the inspection, one of which was satisfactory and the other good. The lesson with pupils from Year 1 had been planned well and focused on developing the skill of controlling a ball with a foot. Most pupils learn how to stop a ball by putting their foot on it

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

and to move it using the inside of their foot. Work in pairs was not as effective as it could have been because some of the equipment had not been got out in preparation and there wasn’t enough room in the hall for all pairs to have enough space at the same time. This meant that their progress was satisfactory, rather than good. The teacher did not provide opportunities for pupils to watch each other’s performances and learn from them. There was a well-organised warm up and stretching session at the start of the lesson but nothing equivalent at the end.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

123. The lesson with pupils from Year 2 was also well planned and its presentation was sharply focused on improving pupils’ skills of copying the movements of a partner and learning to put together a sequence of movements and body shapes. The warm up and stretching were used very well to help pupils remember and re-visit what they had learned in an earlier lesson. Most pupils quickly showed that they could work in pairs to create ‘symmetrical’ patterns. The pace of the lesson was good with frequent injections of extra challenge and good support by both the teacher and the teaching assistant. The teacher used pairs of pupils to demonstrate good work and gave a commentary so that everyone understood what the components of the sequences were and what was good about them. The lesson ended with a calm, restful cooling down. All pupils, including those with special educational needs, had made good progress both in

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

developing their physical skills and in their use and understanding of the appropriate language.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

124. The school recognises the need to focus on the development of dance and to make sure that enough time is allocated to physical education for all pupils to improve their skills across all aspects of the subject.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

125. At the end of Year 2, attainment is in line with that described in the locally agreed syllabus for religious education. There are no significant differences in attainment between boys and girls. Over their time in school, pupils’ achievement is satisfactory and this is consistent across all levels of attainment.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

126. By the end of Year 2, pupils can identify different places of worship such as mosques, synagogues and Christian churches. They make comparisons between the main principles of religions such as those involved in celebrating the Sabbath and they know of the main holy books in Islam, Judaism and Christianity. Higher attaining pupils write short paragraphs on the main differences between the religions studied and on the main characters in religions other than their own. They know something of the life of Jesus, for example. Pupils can identify the main parts of a Christian church such as the altar, pews and the pulpit and describe the use of each. They understand the moral aspects of stories such as the Muslim story of the boy who threw stones at the date tree. Pupils develop a good understanding of what it means to be religious and to have deeply held beliefs.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

127. The quality of teaching is satisfactory overall. There is a minority of unsatisfactory teaching. All of the teachers control their classes well and this is achieved without fuss and with quiet authority. Teaching assistants provide effective support in the classroom and the level of teamwork between teachers and assistants is good. Teachers have adequate knowledge of the religions that are covered in the locally agreed syllabus so that pupils develop a satisfactory knowledge for their age of the main beliefs of major faiths. Teachers make good use of discussions during lessons, both between pupils and teacher and among the pupils themselves. This makes a good contribution to pupils’ speaking skills in English. Although there is no strong emphasis on teachers providing a range of writing opportunities, pupils frequently write short notes about their learning in the lesson and the subject makes a satisfactory contribution to pupils’

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

literacy development overall. Even where teaching is otherwise satisfactory, teachers do not provide a range of work tailored to the different levels of attainment found in all classes. Teachers do not make sufficient use of ICT for pupils to edit and refine their work or to use software to improve their learning. The subject does not make the required contribution to ICT overall. Blue Gate Fields Infant School - 38 128. Where teaching is unsatisfactory, it is mainly because the pace and challenge of the work are unsatisfactory. This was clearly demonstrated in a Year 1 lesson where a lot of time was wasted repeating three times over what the pupils had already learned. There was then a written exercise where pupils wrote down what they had learned. As the teacher had previously written all of this on the board, it presented little challenge especially to higher attaining pupils. Pupils show good

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

attitudes to work and relationships in classes are good. Even where teaching lacks interest, pupils behave very well in lessons.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

129. The religious education curriculum is satisfactory. It provides equality of opportunity for all pupils and meets statutory requirements. The subject makes a good contribution to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. In lessons, there are opportunities for pupils to reflect on other religions and on moral issues. There is a strong moral dimension in lessons where pupils learn the main principles of a number of religions. Pupils are taught right from wrong in lessons. Pupils have opportunities to develop social skills through discussion in class and by working together. There is an in-built cultural element in the subject through learning about different world faiths. There are good procedures in place to track pupils’ attainment and progress. Good use is made of the data provided to check whether groups of pupils or classes are making sufficient progress. At present there is no subject co-ordinator and this is a factor in holding up further

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

development in the subject. Provision has improved satisfactorily since the last time it was inspected.

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