Bramley St Peter's Church of England Primary School

ENGLAND PRIMARY SCHOOL

Reporting inspector: Ms K Manning No: 20267

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ENGLAND PRIMARY SCHOOL

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

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ENGLAND PRIMARY SCHOOL

Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the School Inspections Act 1996, the school must provide a copy of this report and/or its summary free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. Bramley St Peter's Church of England Primary School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Type of school: Infant and junior school

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Hough Lane Bramley Leeds

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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: Rev P Baldwin

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: September 1998 Bramley St Peter's Church of England Primary School - 4

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

20267 Ms K Manning Registered inspector Design and technology Areas of learning for the foundation stage What sort of school is it? The school's results and achievements How well are the pupils taught? What should the school do to improve further? How well is the school led and managed? 1234 Mrs T Bradley Lay inspector Pupils' attitudes, values and personal development How well does the school care for its pupils? How well does the school work in partnership with parents? 10269 Mr D Figures Team inspector English Art Music 17857 Mr D Walters Team inspector Science Geography History 8420 Mrs V Roberts Team inspector Religious education Equal opportunities Special educational needs English as an additional language How good are the curricular and other opportunities offered to pupils?

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

21073 Mr R Greenall Team inspector Mathematics Information and communication technology Physical education

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Yorkshire Educational Services Ltd 16 Burn Hall Darlington Road Croxdale DURHAM DH1 3SR

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

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

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway Bramley St Peter's Church of England Primary School - 5 London WC2B 6SE Bramley St Peter's Church of England Primary School - 6

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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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THE CURRICULUM, SUBJECTS AND COURSES 22

Bramley St Peter's Church of England Primary School - 7

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Bramley St. Peter’s is a large, voluntary controlled, primary school serving the local community. The area is more disadvantaged than most; with higher unemployment and crime. Pupils come from predominantly English backgrounds and only a very small number do not speak English as their first language. Almost a quarter of pupils are entitled to free school meals, which is more than in most schools. The number of pupils who start or leave the school part way through their education is high. This happens when families move in and out of the area. There are 188 boys and 183 girls in classes from reception to Year 6. Children’s attainment on entry to the reception classes is generally below expectations but this year, for the first time, it is much more typical of four-year-olds. The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs is slightly higher than in most other schools. Ninety-eight pupils are on the school’s register of special educational needs

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

because they have learning, physical or emotional difficulties. Of these, seven pupils have statements of special needs.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

This is a school on the move. It no longer has serious weaknesses. Very strong leadership from the head teacher and some good teaching ensure that most pupils reach the standards of which they are capable, even though they are not as high as in other schools. Expenditure is high but the school gives satisfactory value for money.

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What the school does well

• The headteacher and staff work hard to improve pupils’ learning. • Good teaching in the reception classes ensures that children get a fine start to their education. • The school makes good provision for pupils with special educational needs. • More than half the teaching is now good or better and this is helping to raise standards. • Teachers ensure that pupils are looked after well and pupils respond by being keen and eager to learn.

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What could be improved

• Pupils in Years 1 and 2 do not make fast enough progress in English, mathematics and science. • Standards in information and communication technology are not high enough in Years 3 to 6. • When they are moving around the school pupils do not always behave as well as they should. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school has continued to improve rapidly since its visit by Her Majesty’s Inspectors in February 2000. The headteacher and governors responded to all the key issues and tackled each one systematically. There is more good teaching and less unsatisfactory teaching than previously. This has helped raise standards in information and communication technology to the expected levels by the end of Year 2. Standards in English, mathematics and science are rising at a faster rate than the national trend, and many pupils achieve their own personal best. Staff with management responsibilities keep a close check on their subjects and know what needs to be done to continue to improve. The results of tests and assessments in English and mathematics are Bramley St Peter's Church of England Primary School - 8 used well, to keep track of how well each pupil is doing, though there is still some work to do to

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

extend this good practice to other subjects. Governors’ reports now meet all statutory requirements and the health and safety issues identified at the time of the previous inspection have been resolved. All of this, coupled with the hard work and commitment of staff, put the school in a good position to be able to continue to improve and achieve this year’s targets for raising standards.

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STANDARDS

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

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schools

1998 1999 2000 2000 English E B D C mathematics C D C B science D A C A well above average above average average below average well below average A B C D E

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schools

The school’s own records show that children in the reception classes made good progress towards the goals established for their development in all areas of learning and in personal, social and emotional growth. This year, most are well on the way to achieving or exceeding the standards expected for their age.

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schools

Last year, national tests for seven-year-olds showed that standards were well below average in reading, writing, mathematics and science. Comparisons with results achieved in schools with similar intakes showed that pupils did not perform as well in reading and performed poorly in writing and mathematics. These results are deceptive because almost a fifth of these pupils had special educational needs and did not reach the levels expected for their age. In addition, almost a third had started school after the normal time of joining, in the reception class. Many had no nursery experience and had a lot of catching up to do.

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schools

The standards achieved by eleven-year-olds were below average in English but average in mathematics and science. The school’s success can be seen in comparisons with similar schools. These show that in English, pupils in Bramley St Peter’s performed as well as those from similar schools. They performed better than pupils in similar schools in mathematics and did really well in science. The school exceeded its targets for raising standards in English and mathematics.

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schools

Although the school’s results appear to dip and rise from one year to the next, they are improving rapidly and at a faster rate than the national trend. Test results are affected by the high numbers of pupils who have special educational needs and who join the school in the middle of a key stage and have not had the chance to follow the school’s programmes of work all the way through.

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schools

Standards in information and communication technology are typical of seven-year-olds by the end of Year 2 but below the levels expected of eleven-year-olds. This is because the school has only recently got the equipment to teach the subject properly and pupils in Years 3 to 6 are a long way behind. In religious education, standards meet the requirements of the locally Agreed Syllabus for seven and eleven-year-olds.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Good. Pupils enjoy all activities and work hard to do their best. Bramley St Peter's Church of England Primary School - 9 Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Satisfactory. Pupils’ behaviour is better in lessons than it is when they are outside or moving around the school. A significant number of pupils run and behave in a boisterous way when teachers are not supervising them. Personal development and relationships Satisfactory. Pupils are keen to take responsibility and help others. Their good relationships with teachers contribute to the quality of their learning. Attendance Good. It is above the national average and reflects pupils’ enthusiasm for the school.

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

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

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

Teaching has improved considerably since the last inspection. Most is now good or better. During the inspection, 16 per cent of the lessons seen were very good (one being excellent), 45 per cent were good and 33 per cent were satisfactory. Five per cent were unsatisfactory. Teaching in the Foundation Stage is always good or better and there is some very strong teaching in classes in Year 5.

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

Strengths in teaching and learning : ~ a good start to pupils’ learning in the reception class provides a secure foundation to their work in Years 1 and 2 ~ most teachers are good at teaching the basic skills of English and mathematics and this is responsible for the increase in pupils’ learning ~ the methods used by teachers are generally effective and extend pupils’ learning ~ teachers meet the needs of different groups of pupils by providing work at a level that supports their learning ~ teachers manage pupils well and as a result most concentrate and are able to get on with their work.

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

Weaknesses in teaching and learning : ~ unsatisfactory lessons happen when teachers do not have good enough knowledge of the subjects they are teaching ~ some lessons are unsatisfactory because they lack pace or purpose and pupils’ learning is too slow.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum Satisfactory. Sufficient emphasis is given to all subjects and a good range of after-school sports and activities extends the curriculum. Provision for pupils with special educational needs Good. Their work is planned carefully and they are given the support they need to help them make steady progress.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with English as an additional language Staff ensure that the very small number of pupils who have English as an additional language make steady progress.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Satisfactory. Pupils’ spiritual development is promoted through assemblies and lessons. Their moral and social development is promoted in the day-to-day life of the schools. Pupils learn about their own and other cultures in subjects such as art, music, geography, history and religious education. Bramley St Peter's Church of England Primary School - 10 How well the school cares for its pupils Teachers give good support and guidance to pupils when it is needed and keep a careful check on behaviour and attendance. The way the school assesses and checks pupils’ learning is good.

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Aspect Comment

Teachers work in close partnership with parents. Parents are encouraged to help their children learn at home and to take part in activities in school. A good example of this is the way parents of children in the reception classes are invited regularly to watch them singing and performing action rhymes.

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff The headteacher’s very strong leadership ensures that the school is constantly looking for ways to improve its provision. Standards are rising at a good rate as a result of the combined efforts of teachers and the way that all members of staff work together as a team. How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Governors fulfil all their legal responsibilities well. They are closely involved in planning the school’s development and in managing its finances. The school’s evaluation of its performance By keeping an extremely close check on pupils’ learning and through rigorous monitoring of teaching, the headteacher has a very good understanding of the school’s performance and its position in relation to other schools. The strategic use of resources Accommodation and resources are used to good effect to improve teaching and learning. The school is good at getting best value from

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Aspect Comment

There are enough teachers and classroom assistants to support pupils’ learning. The school is a good size and there are sufficient resources to teach the curriculum. Teachers consult with parents about decisions that affect their children’s education, such as those made about homework.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• That their children are making good progress. • Their children like school. • The teaching is good. • They are comfortable about approaching staff with questions or problems. • Their children are expected to work hard. • They would like a more interesting range of activities for their children outside lessons. • Some parents feel that their children do not get the right amount of homework. • A number of parents would like more information about how their children are getting on. • Some parents would like the school to work more closely with them.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

Inspectors agree with parents’ positive views of the school. The school provides a wide range of interesting activities and visitors to extend pupils’ learning. Pupils are asked to read at home and learn spellings and multiplication tables. Older pupils are sometimes given projects to do at home. All of this supports their learning in school. The school tries hard to involve parents in their children’s learning and provides the right sort of information about their progress. Bramley St Peter's Church of England Primary School - 11

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

1. Two important factors affect the schools’ results in national tests. First, the school has a higher than average proportion of pupils who have special educational needs. Last year, almost a fifth of the pupils in Years 2 and 6 had difficulties with learning in literacy and numeracy. Second, the number of families who move into and out of the area is very high. This means that many pupils join the school after the time when they would normally do so, in reception class.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

2. In previous years, the early achievements of children were below those of other four-year- olds. The picture has changed significantly this year. For the first time, the school’s tests show that children in the reception class have positive attitudes to learning and do better than most other four-year-olds in reading and mathematics. Standards in writing are typical for children’s age. Whatever their ability, children make good progress during their time in the Foundation Stage. Most of the children in this year’s classes are likely to achieve, and in some instances exceed, many of the goals in communication, language and literacy, mathematics, knowledge and understanding of the world, physical and creative development and in their personal, social and emotional growth.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

3. The results of national tests for seven-year-olds show that standards in reading, writing and mathematics were well below average. Teachers’ assessments showed that standards were below average in science. Almost a fifth of pupils failed to reach the level expected for their age in all four subjects. These were the pupils with special educational needs. Fewer pupils than in most schools achieved a higher level in reading and mathematics. No pupils achieved a higher level in writing or science, which means that, in these subjects, more able pupils are not doing as well as they could. When compared with the performance of pupils in similar schools, pupils’ performance in reading was below average. It was well below average in writing and mathematics.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

4. The results of national tests for eleven-year-olds in 2000 showed that standards were below average in English but average in mathematics and science. A real success for the school is that in mathematics, pupils in Bramley St. Peter’s perform better than those in similar schools. They do even better in science, where their performance is well above average compared with pupils in similar schools. Test results have risen sharply in the last four years and standards in all three subjects are improving at a faster rate than the national trend. The school exceeded the targets it had set for raising standards in English and mathematics in the year 2000.

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Standards of work seen during the inspection

5. Inspection findings show that standards in English, mathematics and science are improving, though they remain below those expected of pupils in Year 2. The fact that standards are still below expectations is because pupils started from a lower base than those in most other schools and because the improved teaching has not had the time to have an effect on pupils’ attainments. In junior classes, standards are below average in English but are largely average in mathematics and science. Improvements in junior classes are the result of some strong teaching in Years 4, 5 and 6.

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Standards of work seen during the inspection

6. In English, standards are below average and higher attaining pupils in Years 1 and 2 do not achieve as well as they should in writing. Only the higher attaining pupils write at any length and lower attaining pupils do not always form their letters correctly and their handwriting is poor. Spelling is also weak. Standards in reading are below average in junior classes. This is largely because pupils read well enough but do not always understand what they have read. Throughout the school, pupils’ writing reflects their lack of confidence in speaking and their limited vocabulary. This is evident in all subjects, not just English. 7. In mathematics, standards are below average by Year 2 but most pupils have caught up by Bramley St Peter's Church of England Primary School - 12 the time they are in Year 6. Standards are lower than expected at the age of seven because pupils do not have a firm enough understanding of the pattern and relationship within number. A

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Standards of work seen during the inspection

significant factor in why pupils catch up in junior classes is that they are taught in groups of similar ability and this is working well. Pupils do well because they use their mathematical knowledge to solve problems and investigate patterns and relationship in number.

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Standards of work seen during the inspection

8. In science, higher attaining pupils in Years 1 and 2 do not achieve as well as they should and standards are below average. Good teaching helps pupils in junior classes catch up. Consequently, pupils achieve the standards of which they are capable by Year 6. They have a firm knowledge of materials and their properties, living things and physical processes.

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Standards of work seen during the inspection

9. Standards in information and communication technology have improved rapidly in Years 1 and 2 and they are now in line with what is expected for pupils’ age. This is a result of the school having more computers and teachers having the knowledge and confidence to teach the subject. However, older pupils have a lot of catching up to do and standards remain below average by the time pupils are in Year 6. Pupils have not had the opportunities to work with computers that would enable them to combine multi-media in their work.

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Standards of work seen during the inspection

10. In religious education, standards continue to meet those prescribed by the locally agreed syllabus and pupils have a reasonable knowledge of the religions they study. Pupils in Years 2 and 6, continue to achieve the standards expected for their ages in art and design, geography, history and physical education. In design and technology, pupils are better at designing and evaluating their work than they were at the time of the previous inspection, though the quality of models is still not high enough. In music, there has been no improvement in the standards achieved by eleven-year- olds. It remains below expectations, largely as a result of teachers’ limited knowledge of how to teach the subject.

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Standards of work seen during the inspection

11. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress towards the targets in their individual education plans and achieve the standards of which they are capable. A significant number have special educational needs linked to behaviour and these pupils are given the support they need to help them play a full part in lessons. Pupils who speak English as an additional language are not at the early stage of learning to speak English. Nonetheless, the help they are given ensures that they achieve their personal best.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

12. Pupils enjoy coming to school and have good attitudes to learning. Children in the reception class burst into school with a smile on their face. They settle happily into school life, quickly learn its routines and soon develop good habits towards work. Pupils in Year 1 through to Year 6 are always ready to work, keen to respond to challenges and maintain energetic interest in activities. For example, pupils in Year 2 could hardly wait to get started on their work in an information and communication technology lesson. Despite this, they listened carefully to their teacher and tried really hard to create witty captions for the characters on the screen. Parents are pleased that their children are expected to work hard. Occasional restlessness from pupils who have special educational needs for their behavioural problems rarely disturbs other pupils or slows down parts of lessons. Other pupils with special educational needs also have positive attitudes to learning

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

because of the extra support they get and the success they enjoy from activities planned to match their needs. They show increasing confidence because their teachers take care to include them in all activities. Pupils who join the school part way through their education settle in and make friends quickly.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

13. In lessons, pupils generally behave well. Most of them settle down quickly to their work and do as they are told. Lunchtimes are pleasant, social occasions with happy chatter between pupils and the ladies who supervise them. In other situations, pupils’ behaviour is satisfactory but many pupils do not have the self-discipline to behave sensibly. This is particularly noticeable when they are moving between classes and at the start and end of lessons. Many pupils run and few stop to let other pupils or adults pass if they are coming in the opposite direction. During breaks, pupils of Bramley St Peter's Church of England Primary School - 13 all ages mix and play in a friendly way. Though the relationships they have with one another are generally amicable there are situations when pupils behave in a confrontational way. Despite this, pupils, parents and teachers agree that incidents of bullying are rare. A small number of pupils

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

have been excluded from school for short periods in the last year; this reflects the school’s insistence on good behaviour.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

14. The school has maintained the satisfactory standards of personal development achieved at the last inspection. Pupils willingly accept responsibilities such as tidying up and helping their teachers to prepare for lessons but many lack the maturity to negotiate who will do what when they are expected to work together. This often leads to squabbling. As they get older, pupils take more responsibility for a range of important jobs including helping younger pupils at lunchtime. When teaching is at its very best, pupils respond in a mature way. This was evident in an excellent lesson in Year 5, when pupils learned to handle pressure from their friends. They thoroughly enjoyed trying to persuade a partner that their point of view was the right one and made some very perceptive contributions to the discussion that took place afterwards.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

15. Pupils respond well to the school's methods for promoting their personal development. They show pleasure when they are praised by teachers and are keen to gain rewards for effort and sensible behaviour. When asked, pupils say that they try hard for their teachers. They also respond well to the school’s provision for their social development and are enthusiastic members of the many clubs and groups that take place after school. The relationship between pupils and teachers reflects their mutual liking and respect.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

16. The level of pupils' attendance has improved steadily since the last inspection, and is now above the national average. Most absence is caused by illness and there is little unauthorised absence. Punctuality is satisfactory. Most pupils arrive on time each day so that lessons can begin promptly. Latecomers only occasionally disrupt lessons.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

17. During the inspection, 16 per cent of the lessons seen were very good (one being excellent) 45 per cent were good and 33 per cent were satisfactory. Five per cent were unsatisfactory. This represents a very good improvement in teaching since the last inspection when a considerable amount of the teaching was unsatisfactory. Good and very good teaching results from teachers’ hard work in improving their expertise.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

18. An important contribution teachers make to pupils’ learning comes from their determination that pupils will achieve a personal best. To include all pupils, teachers analyse the results of national tests thoroughly in order to identify groups of pupils who may be slipping through the net. Analysis is followed up by questions from staff about how teaching for these pupils can be improved. This is the way that teachers ensure that higher attaining pupils have more challenging work this year than they did last year, when the results of national tests showed that they were not performing as well as they could. In addition to targeting specific subjects for improvement, teachers also set personal targets for pupils. This strategy is beginning to have an impact on pupils’ learning in that pupils and their parents understand what teachers are aiming for and most try hard to achieve it.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

19. Teachers are quick off the mark when it comes to using the results of national tests to point the way to changes in teaching and learning. For example, results showed that higher attaining pupils in Year 6 were doing better at science than they were in English and mathematics. To ensure that they do equally well in all subjects, teachers now plan more challenging work for the brightest pupils and they are taught in groups of similar ability for mathematics. This is not being done so well in Years 1 and 2, where there is a wide spread of ability in classes, and higher attaining pupils are not always challenged by their work. Bramley St Peter's Church of England Primary School - 14 20. Similarly, teachers are far sharper in their assessments of what pupils can do than they were at the time of the previous inspection. The use teachers make of information from assessments of pupils’ work to plan the next stage of learning is better in English and mathematics

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

than in other subjects. By recording pupils’ achievements, teachers track their progress effectively. In this way they can judge if pupils are doing their best, or are underachieving in the light of their past attainments. Teachers recognise the need to use similar strategies to record progress and plan work in other subjects and co-coordinators have all identified this as a priority for development in the next year.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

21. Throughout the school, teachers manage pupils well. Discipline is based on mutual liking and a willingness in pupils to try hard and please their teachers. Inappropriate or poor behaviour is dealt with quietly and firmly, with the result that other pupils are rarely distracted from their work. In addition, teachers make good use of other adults in the class to help pupils who might otherwise lose interest or fall behind with their work. This was evident in a design and technology lesson in a class in Year 4, when support staff prompted and helped pupils design a package for an object. All of this means that pupils are engaged purposefully in their work, which in turn is helping to raise standards.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

22. Training and support from the local education authority has led to teachers having a better knowledge of most subjects. The exceptions are in music and information and communication technology where more training is needed if teachers are to raise standards. Lack of knowledge was one of the reasons why some lessons, seen during the inspection, were unsatisfactory. Teaching is also unsatisfactory when the pace of the lesson was too slow or activities did not help pupils learn what the teacher had planned. In these lessons pupils’ did not make enough progress in their learning.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

23. A strength of the teaching is the good provision made for pupils with special educational needs. This is most noticeable in the way they are given extra help and support with their reading and writing. Pupils’ difficulties are diagnosed very early in the reception classes. Further up the school, additional support for small groups helps lower attaining pupils in Year 3 to improve their reading and writing and often re-awakens their interest in books. Later on, pupils in Year 6 are given the extra push needed to help them do as well as they can in National Curriculum tests through booster classes which focus on English and mathematics. Alongside these initiatives pupils with special educational needs are also given a lot of help in their lessons. Teachers make good use of the time and talents of classroom assistants to work with small groups and individuals and to ensure that pupils whose special educational needs arise from emotional and behavioural problems

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

do not disrupt the lesson for others. As a result of all this support, pupils with special educational needs make good progress towards the targets on their individual education plans.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

24. One of the reasons why standards in English and mathematics are rising is that teachers are using the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies to good effect. In Years 1 and 2, this has led to better teaching of the basic skills of reading and writing and pupils being taught to use the sounds of letters to help them read and spell unfamiliar words. In junior classes, mental arithmetic sessions help pupils learn multiplication tables and encourage them to solve mathematical problems in their head. Another reason for improved standards is that teachers make good use of homework to support pupils’ learning in school. This starts in the reception class, when children learn the names of the characters in the books they read. Throughout the school, pupils are encouraged to read at home. This has a strong effect on pupils’ interest in books. Teachers also ask pupils to learn spellings and multiplication tables and older pupils are given holiday projects.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

Although some parents are concerned that their children do not get enough or in some cases that they get too much homework, with few exceptions, it is sufficient to extend pupils’ learning in school. Bramley St Peter's Church of England Primary School - 15

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

25. The school has made the improvements necessary to ensure that the curriculum now meets statutory requirements and, as a result, standards are rising. The curriculum for children in the Foundation Stage is satisfactory and fully reflects the spirit of new national guidelines. Children in the reception class are provided with stimulating activities and experiences that cover all the recommended areas of learning and enable them to move easily to work in the National Curriculum. The curriculum for pupils in Years 1 to 6 is also satisfactory. Sufficient time is now given to each subject and gaps in the teaching of information and communication technology and science have been remedied.

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

26. The school has implemented the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies effectively. In the reception classes, teachers ensure that children have some time each day to learn about reading, writing and number. This gets them off to a good start. In Years 1 and 2, teachers have highlighted writing as an area for development and pupils are given help with their reading through the project of literacy pledge . This is likely to have an effect on next year’s test results. In junior classes, teachers try to ensure that all pupils benefit from the curriculum by focusing on improving the reading of the less able pupils. These pupils are given additional support with their reading through projects such as PIPs, SkillTeach and additional literacy support . In addition, booster classes give them the push they need to do as well as they can in national tests in English and mathematics.

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

27. A positive feature of curricular planning lies in the way teachers consider pupils’ differing needs. This is evident in the school’s good provision for pupils with special educational needs. This is far better than it was at the time of the previous inspection, when it was judged to be unsatisfactory. The school seeks specialist support to establish targets for these pupils’ learning and behaviour. Teachers pay careful attention to their needs in lessons and plan a suitable curriculum based on objectives agreed with their parents. In addition to this good support, the school extends the opportunities available to pupils with special educational needs by making good use of the skills of classroom assistants to support their development and to ensure their inclusion in all activities. The same careful attention is given to ensuring that pupils with English as an additional language and those who join the school part-way through their education are given the

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

support they need to achieve their best.

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

28. The curriculum is enriched by the school’s involvement in the local and wider community and through a good number of extra-curricular activities. One of the best features of the school’s links with the community is the way visitors are invited into school to work with pupils. This was evident when members of the local history society worked with pupils in a class in Year 5 on make and mend crafts. Pupils thoroughly enjoyed the lesson and learned a lot about their own past culture. Parents’ views that there are not enough after-school activities are unfounded. Pupils have the chance to take part in sports and art, music and dance activities. All clubs and activities help promote pupils’ social and cultural development, whether it is gaining a competitive spirit as they play cricket and rugby or joining in with line-dancing. Many pupils say that they enjoy these activities and that they are one of the things they like best about school.

p.15

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

29. There are good links between the school and nearby pre-school groups and nurseries, which are having a positive benefit as pupils move from one stage of their education to another. Links with local comprehensive schools are also effective. Pupils in Year 6 visit their new schools and after several discussions, teachers pass on records about pupils’ attainments.

p.15

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

30. Teachers provide pupils with a helpful programme of personal, social and health education that is beginning to have a good effect on their personal growth. The programme is taught as a separate subject in some year groups but it also permeates the whole curriculum. Healthy eating, for example, is promoted through science, while the benefits of regular exercise are emphasised during physical education. Visits by the school nurse help pupils to become more aware of Bramley St Peter's Church of England Primary School - 16 personal hygiene and raise their awareness of the use and misuse of drugs. A clear policy for sex education is in place and this is explained to parents in the school’s prospectus.

p.15

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

31. The school’s provision for spiritual, moral social and cultural development continues to be satisfactory in all aspects. Spiritual development is very apparent in collective worship and lessons in religious education. The lighting of candles in assemblies reminds pupils of the special nature of prayer. Teachers encourage pupils to think about Jesus and how his teaching reflects on their daily lives. For example, pupils hang their prayers and wishes on a special prayer tree in the entrance to the school. The good relationships that teachers establish with pupils encourage them to be open and frank about their feelings and receptive to the feelings and beliefs of others.

p.16

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

32. The school provides a clear moral code and most pupils respond by behaving well. The school is a caring community, in which pupils are taught to respect themselves and others. Consequently, even the youngest children in the reception class are aware of their rights and responsibilities to others. Teachers and support staff make sure that pupils understand the difference between right and wrong and that they are aware of wider issues affecting the school, for example, theft of computers and vandalism.

p.16

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

33. Teachers’ organisation of lessons supports social development by encouraging pupils to work together amicably and to share opinions and ideas. Staff invite pupils to take on responsibilities that range from returning registers to the office, to helping out at lunchtimes. By giving pupils opportunities to take initiatives for tasks that need attention around the school, teachers try to ensure that they learn to respond in a sensible way. However, they are only partially successful in that a significant number of pupils do not have the social skills to negotiate and agree duties and tasks without an adult to lead the way.

p.16

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

34. Pupils are taught about their cultural heritage through story, art, music, poetry and dance. They gain first-hand experiences of other cultures by visiting a local mosque and synagogue. Many visitors, such as the fire service, the police and the school nurse come into school. These visits help pupils to appreciate their local culture and community. Their knowledge and understanding of the world is extended, for example, by contributing money to help support a child in India. Working with a visiting sculptor and listening to a pianist have had a marked impact on pupils’ appreciation of art and music.

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

35. The quality of care and support pupils receive in school has improved since the previous inspection and is now good. Pupils are confident that they will be well cared for and are aware of the routines to follow in an emergency, if they have an accident or feel unwell. Because they feel secure in school, pupils can get on with the business of learning.

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

36. Procedures for ensuring pupils’ general welfare are good. Child protection arrangements reflect local education authority guidelines and staff are well trained in the procedures to follow if they are concerned about any child. The caretaker and governors carry out health and safety checks of the site regularly. Some staff have training in first aid and regular fire drills and checks on electrical equipment ensure pupils safety at all times.

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

37. The school has improved attendance by keeping a close check on who is off school and why. Any unexplained absence is followed up and teachers encourage pupils to come to school by rewarding them for good attendance. The school has plans to use a computerised system that is likely to make this a smoother and more manageable operation and will show at a glance whether there are any patterns to individual pupils’ absence.

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

38. Staff consistently use a sensible range of measures for promoting and maintaining the positive attitudes that are responsible for good behaviour in lessons. There is little evidence of Bramley St Peter's Church of England Primary School - 17 bullying or aggressive behaviour and staff follow the school’s guidelines to deal with incidents as they arise . The only weak spot to the school’s provision is that pupils are not supervised well enough before and after lessons and this is the time when behaviour is not as good as it should be.

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

39. The school keeps a close check on how pupils are progressing at a personal level. Pupils now have access to learning mentors; adults who help them deal with their personal and emotional problems. The initiative works by providing an adult to deal with volatile outbursts by pupils. It is already successful in reducing the number of occasions when pupils are disturbed in their work by the poor behaviour of others. The school’s programme of personal, social and health education is also beginning to have a positive impact on pupils’ maturity and behaviour. However, until it is taught in all classes, as intended, it is unlikely to make a big difference.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

40. The school has done a lot of work on assessment since the last inspection, when it was a key issue for development. There are now good procedures for assessing pupils’ learning. Teachers are given guidance about what to assess in the schemes of work for each subject. Tests are carried out at the age of five, and at the end of Years 2 to 6. A strength of the school’s procedures for assessment is the way that teachers are beginning to use their judgements about what level pupils have achieved to predict where they will be at the end of each year. This is helping them to set realistic targets in English and mathematics and identify when pupils are not making the progress they should. The only area identified by the school as needing further work is that teachers do not always make enough use of the results of tests to pitch work at the right level for all pupils. A weakness to daily assessment is that, while teachers mark pupils’ work regularly and

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

praise pupils for their efforts, they do not always write the sorts of comments that help pupils know what they have done wrong.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

41. Pupils with special educational needs are looked after well, their progress is reviewed regularly and parents are encouraged to attend meetings to see how well they are doing and set new targets for their learning.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

42. Parents have a much higher opinion of the school that they did at the time of the previous inspection. Most are happy with the efforts made on behalf of their children and are full of praise for teachers and the headteacher. One of the reasons for this is that communications with parents have improved since the last inspection and are now satisfactory. Parents receive informative newsletters to let them know what is going on. The prospectus and governing body's annual report also provide good quality information. However, written reports about their children’s progress and learning do not always tell parents what their children cannot do and this prevents them from helping out at home. In addition, governors have sought parents’ views on important issues, such as the home-school agreement.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

43. The school provides the parents of pupils with special educational needs with good information about issues concerning their children from the time that initial concerns are raised. Teachers share the objectives of statements and individual education plans with parents, so that they can help their children at home. By attending parents’ meetings, the special educational needs co-ordinator keeps them up-to-date with news about their children’s progress. Similarly, the parents of pupils who are new to the school are told if their children have difficulties in settling.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

44. Teachers make determined efforts to involve parents in their children’s learning and this is starting to pay dividends. A small number of parents help in lessons or accompany pupils on educational visits. The extra help they provide allows teachers to plan a much wider range of activities than is normally available. For example, pupils in a class in Year 2 were able to go outside to collect data about numbers of cars because a parent was there to supervise a small group. A particularly good example of the closer partnership between parents and the school is that a number of parents attend an after-school computer club, where they learn alongside their children. Bramley St Peter's Church of England Primary School - 18 Arrangements for children to join the reception class are well organised. They help parents and children to understand and to settle into the routines of the school. Staff establish the good

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

relationships with parents that set the scene for partnerships that help children in this year’s reception classes to become confident learners. In addition, parents are expected to listen to their children read and help out with homework and holiday projects and many do so. Pupils’ reading diaries show that those whose parents help them at home often make faster progress with their reading than those who do not get the extra attention.

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

45. The headteacher is doing a very good job for the school and has been the catalyst for many of the changes and improvements over the past few years. At the time of the last inspection he had not been in the school long enough to have made the changes necessary to move it forward. Since then, he has built up a team of teachers who are highly motivated and hard working and whose shared aim is that good teaching will help all pupils achieve the best they can. Great care has been taken to deploy staff to take maximum advantage of their experience and expertise, and this is starting to pay dividends. For example, the enthusiasm and knowledge of the co-ordinator for information and communication technology has helped teachers improve their own skills, and this in turn has started to raise standards. This is a big improvement since the previous inspection, when co-ordinators were only just beginning to be effective.

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

46. Governors made a wise decision when they decided not to appoint a deputy headteacher until next term. This relieved some of the financial pressures of an extremely tight budget but has not damaged the leadership of the school. Newly appointed and temporary teachers are given the help and guidance they need to settle in. Everyone has the chance to evaluate their own performance and the senior management team monitors the quality of teaching in a systematic and rigorous way. They use what they have learned from observing teachers at work to plan training and spending on resources and to set targets for further improvement. This is one of the key factors in why teaching has improved so much in the last year.

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

47. A strength of the leadership and management of the school is that changes are always based on a thorough understanding of what is working and what needs improving. For example, co-ordinators keep a close check on teachers’ planning and the curriculum and know what needs to be done to continue to improve the teaching and learning in their subjects. This is evident in the realistic targets they have set for next year. At a more senior level, the headteacher’s firm understanding of the strengths of teachers has resulted in some good partnerships, such as the one by the two teachers in the reception classes. The way they work together is one of the reasons why children get a fine start to their education.

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

48. Governors fulfil their statutory duties in helping to shape the direction of the school and are determined that it will be successful. New governors have brought fresh views and increased vigour to the governing body and this has helped keep up the momentum for continued improvement. One of their achievements has been the way they have worked closely with the headteacher to bring spending into line, while at the same time making judicious use of grants to buy the computers needed to raise standards in information and communication technology. Governors keep a close eye on the impact their spending has had on raising standards and on spending in general. They are helped by an efficient school secretary who ensures that the school runs smoothly.

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

49. The school is rapidly beginning to make effective use of modern technology. The headteacher is trying out a computerized system for tracking pupils’ progress from one year to the next. This will make it easier for teachers to judge whether pupils are making fast enough progress; one of the school’s key issues for development.

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

50. The school makes good use of all its resources to help raise standards. All pupils benefit from the ample space and resources, such as the kitchen area and libraries. Those with special Bramley St Peter's Church of England Primary School - 19 educational needs, benefit from the time and talents of classroom assistants, who make a significant contribution to the quality of teaching.

p.18

51. WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

Governors, headteacher and staff should:

p.19

[i] raise standards in English, mathematics and science in Years 1 and 2 by:

a] planning more challenging work for higher attaining pupils; b] ensuring that teachers use the results of tests to gain a clear indication of where pupils are starting from; c] checking pupils’ books to ensure that work gets progressively harder as pupils get older. (paragraphs 70, 71,78, 83, 90, 92, 96)

p.19

[ii] raise standards in information and communication technology in Years 3 to 6 by:

a] ensuring that teachers have the training necessary to help them teach the curriculum; b] planning more opportunities for pupils to use computers in literacy and numeracy lessons. (paragraphs 120 - 127)

p.19

[iii] ensure that pupils behave well when they are moving around the school by:

a] increasing the amount of supervision as pupils go out to play and at the start and end of the day; b] insisting that pupils do not run when they are moving between classes. (paragraphs 13 and 38) Bramley St Peter's Church of England Primary School - 20

p.19

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of lessons observed 78 Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 39

p.20

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor 1 15 45 33 5 0 0 The table gives the percentage of teaching observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about lessons.

p.20

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery YR – Y6 Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 371 Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 88 FTE means full-time equivalent.

p.20

Information about the school’s pupils

Special educational needs Nursery YR – Y6 Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 7 Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 98

p.20

Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils Number of pupils with English as an additional language 2

p.20

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 37 Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 61

p.20

Attendance

Authorised absence Unauthorised absence % % School data 4.7 School data 0.4 National comparative data 5.2 National comparative data 0.5 Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Bramley St Peter's Church of England Primary School - 21

p.20

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Year Boys Girls Total Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2000 29 30 59

p.21

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics Boys 18 19 20 Girls 28 29 27 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Total 46 48 47 School 78 (71) 81 (62) 80 (74) Percentage of pupils at NC level 2 or above National 84 (82) 85 (83) 90 (87)

p.21

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science Boys 18 20 21 Girls 28 29 28 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Total 46 49 49 School 78 (76) 83 (74) 83 (79) Percentage of pupils at NC level 2 or above National 84 (82) 88 (86) 88 (87) Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year.

p.21

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Year Boys Girls Total Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 2000 24 32 56

p.21

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science Boys 16 17 22 Girls 26 21 30 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Total 42 38 52 School 75 (72) 68 (65) 93 (87) Percentage of pupils at NC level 4 or above National 75 (70) 72 (69) 85 (78)

p.21

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science Boys 7 12 10 Girls 16 19 15 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Total 23 31 25 School 41 (47) 55 (47) 45 (45) Percentage of pupils at NC level 4 or above National 70 (68) 72 (69) 80 (75) Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year.

p.21

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage Black – Caribbean heritage Black – African heritage Black – African heritage Black – other Black – other Indian Indian Pakistani 2 Pakistani Bangladeshi Bangladeshi Chinese Chinese White 315 White 8 Any other minority ethnic group Other minority ethnic groups Bramley St Peter's Church of England Primary School - 22 This table refers to pupils of compulsory school age only. This table gives the number of exclusions of pupils of compulsory school age, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded.

p.21

Teachers and classes Financial information

Qualified teachers and classes: YR – Y6 Financial year 99/2000 Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 14.5 Number of pupils per qualified teacher 25.6 £ Average class size 24.4 Total income 716,034 Total expenditure 731,924 Education support staff: YR – Y6 Expenditure per pupil 2,006 Total number of education support staff 12 Balance brought forward from previous year 14,110

p.22

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 328 Balance carried forward to next year -1,780

p.22

Results of the survey of parents and carers

Questionnaire return rate Number of questionnaires sent out 371 Number of questionnaires returned 74

p.22

Results of the survey of parents and carers

Percentage of responses in each category Strongly agree Tend to agree Tend to disagree Strongly disagree Don’t know

p.22

Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child is making good progress in school. 53 42 3 0 3

p.22

Results of the survey of parents and carers

Behaviour in the school is good. 36 51 11 0 3

p.22

Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 27 54 14 5 0

p.22

Results of the survey of parents and carers

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 35 46 15 3 1

p.22

Results of the survey of parents and carers

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 68 24 5 1 1

p.22

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 58 38 0 1 3

p.22

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school works closely with parents. 36 39 15 4 5

p.22

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is well led and managed. 55 27 14 1 3

p.22

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 52 34 10 0 4

p.22

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 34 34 16 5 11 Bramley St Peter's Church of England Primary School - 23

p.22

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

52. Children start in reception class in the September of the year in which they are five. At the time of the inspection 27 children were aged five. Very few children have been to nursery or play- school before they start in Bramley St Peter’s and their achievements are generally below expectations for their age. This year, for the first time, children’s early experiences of books and numbers are similar to those of many other four-year-olds.

p.23

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

53. Consistently good teaching ensures that children get a fine start to their education. Children make good progress in everything they do, and most are likely to achieve, and in some instances exceed, many of the goals established for their development in language and communication, literacy, mathematics, knowledge and understanding of the world, physical and creative development and in their personal, social and emotional growth. This is a better picture than at the time of the previous inspection when children made steady progress but were unlikely to achieve many of the skills typical for their age.

p.23

Personal, social and emotional development

54. The school’s good provision for children’s personal, social and emotional development starts before children begin school, when staff make sure that they and their parents are familiar with the teachers, the building and the requirements of the new situation. All staff in the reception classes expect children to share resources fairly and get on well with others. Children respond by working alongside one another in water and sand and taking their turn when playing games. Children are taught to take their turn in discussions and listen to what others have to say. As a result, they are confident when spoken to and keen to engage adults in conversation. One boy was very keen to tell a visitor that they have a great fun in the hall because it is big but sometimes they are silly . The same good care for children’s personal development is evident throughout the school day. Because teachers, support staff and older pupils watch out for them, children enjoy the social

p.23

Personal, social and emotional development

event that lunchtimes become and learn to take care of themselves in the playground.

p.23

Communication, language and literacy

55. The teaching in the reception class has a particularly good effect on developing and extending children’s speaking and listening skills. Staff constantly ask questions and encourage children to talk to them. Children respond by losing any initial shyness and, by the second term, most are confident enough to tell the rest of the class about their work. Adults also have high expectations of the language that children should use and understand. For example, in an activity where children experimented to see which objects floated and which sank, the classroom assistant used technical terms, such as the surface of the water . As a result, children began to use the same words in their explanations of what was happening. There are many opportunities for children to listen to songs, rhymes, stories and instructions each day. Children enjoy these times and pay careful attention to what their teachers say.

p.23

Communication, language and literacy

56. Teachers are good at developing the basic skills of reading and writing. Each day, children have time to listen to and read stories. Children learn to look at the pictures and the letters to help them read words they do not know. Consequently average and higher attaining children read simple stories and have already achieved the first level of the National Curriculum. When helping groups of children to record their ideas, teachers also emphasise the use of letter sounds to build unfamiliar words. This gives children the confidence to try to write new words without support. They know that writing carries meaning and do their best to copy the words their teachers write in their workbooks. Bramley St Peter's Church of England Primary School - 24

p.23

Mathematical development

57. Very good teaching of mathematical development is founded in the teachers’ understanding of what children need to do to reach the early learning goals. Children thoroughly enjoy number rhymes that increase their understanding of more or less and help them count. Teachers are sensitive to the inappropriateness of large amounts of recorded work at this early stage, and concentrate instead on providing children with a range of practical activities to extend their mathematical understanding. For example, children do a lot of counting, adding, subtracting and sorting of objects they like, such as coloured bears. As a result, higher attaining children are good at recognising, counting, ordering and recording numbers up to ten. These children make such good progress that they are ready for work in the National Curriculum.

p.24

Mathematical development

58. Because lessons are organised well with suitable work for different groups of pupils, average and lower attaining children also do well in mathematics. Their understanding of numbers from one to six is secure, but they are not confident when forming digits. Children of all abilities make good progress in understanding measurement through simple comparisons and by ordering longer and shorter objects. Similarly, with shape, most children know the names and identify simple two-dimensional shapes such as squares and circles.

p.24

Knowledge and understanding of the world

59. Teachers place great emphasis on widening children’s knowledge and understanding of the world. They help children learn about their neighbourhood and families through looking at pictures and photographs. In this way children see that there are different types of houses and buildings in the city and draw and paint maps that include features such as roads, a park and buildings. Stories are a good source of information about different situations and people. Children learn about other cultures in this way.

p.24

Knowledge and understanding of the world

60. One of the strengths of teaching in this area of learning is that children are encouraged to find things out for themselves. This was evident in a good science-based activity, when children explored the properties of materials to see which ones floated and which sank. They quickly learned that it was not just the biggest objects that sank and that some heavy objects floated. Teachers also emphasise the importance of asking questions, such as what makes the flowers grow, and of looking carefully. As a result, children are very keen to explore the world and find things out.

p.24

Knowledge and understanding of the world

61. Teachers ensure that children get to use computers regularly and that they know how to use cassette recorders when they want to listen to a story. Children quickly learn to do this easily and settle down to listen to stories or play computer games. Staff ensure that children learn about important events in the church calendar and their own life; for example, Christmas and baptism. Aside from lessons, the warm Christian ethos of the school is also evident in the day-to-day running of the reception class and in children’s attitudes to one another.

p.24

Knowledge and understanding of the world

62. All of these activities provide a good foundation for historical, geographical, scientific and technological learning and help children achieve a knowledge and understanding of the world that are typical for their age.

p.24

Physical development

63. Children’s physical development is typical for their age, and because they are taught well they make good progress towards the goals for early learning. In lessons in the hall, the teacher expected children to listen attentively to her instructions when playing traffic lights as a warm up game. As a result, they quickly got the idea and became very dramatic in their poses; some pointed fingers and others made faces to show how they had stopped abruptly. While they had tremendous fun balancing bean-bags on their head, most children were very aware of space, Bramley St Peter's Church of England Primary School - 25 direction and speed, and took care not to injure themselves or others. Although they can rely on support staff to help them if things go wrong, they are fairly good at dealing with zips, buttons and shoes when dressing themselves. When playing outside, children are robust and lively. They whiz

p.24

Physical development

up and down the yard at a great speed and hop, skip and jump in their games with one another. Children are likely to make even better progress with their physical development once the proposed separate play area is completed.

p.25

Physical development

64. At a different level, teachers also teach skills such as cutting and gluing, to help children gain control of these types of movement. Having regular opportunities to use small tools ensures that children are competent when it comes to painting and hold pens and scissors correctly.

p.25

Creative development

65. Teachers plan a wide range of interesting creative activities in which children can explore colour, texture shape and music. As a result, children’s pictures are colourful and accurate in detail and the creative development of four-year-olds is typical for their age. They cut and stick card and paper to make models from household objects. A good example of this was the shoes they made from card. Children had joined the shoes with sticky tape, glue and staples and decorated their finished models with glitter, paint and shiny paper.

p.25

Creative development

66. One of the best and most enjoyable aspects of creative development is the weekly sessions where parents are invited to hear their children sing. These are formal affairs with a planned programme of songs and performers. They are held at the end of the day and parents come into the classes to watch the show. Children have a good repertoire of more than ten songs and rhymes, which they perform alone, with friends or as the whole class. Everyone joins in with the actions and most children know the words. Parents and children enjoy these delightful sessions and children gain a lot of confidence and self-esteem when they are praised for their efforts.

p.25

ENGLISH

67. The results of the national tests in 2000 indicate that standards at the age of 11 are below average in national terms but average when compared with those of schools with a similar intake of pupils. As measured by the 2000 assessments, pupils’ attainment at the age of seven was well below the national average in reading and writing, and well below that for similar schools. This is largely on account of poor results by the boys; girls' results are nearer the average.

p.25

ENGLISH

68. However, the trend in results in recent years has been upwards and, supported by good teaching, the present generation of seven-year olds is set to obtain better results. The standards of pupils between seven and eleven reflect their low starting point and the inconsistent quality of the teaching they experience but, helped by good teaching in the middle junior years, their achievement is satisfactory overall. Work seen during the inspection was consistent with results below the national average at both seven and eleven.

p.25

ENGLISH

69. Standards of speaking and listening by the age of seven and the age of eleven are below average because pupils have had insufficient opportunity to build up the required skills and confidence. In Year 1, pupils listen carefully to their teacher but while some show that they have listened effectively, a significant proportion find when they start the task, that they have not understood the instructions. In Year 2, pupils listen to instructions and carry them out efficiently, but speaking skills are not well developed. For example, pupils are not confident in discussing their work and those of average or below average attainment have difficulty in articulating ideas clearly.

p.25

ENGLISH

70. Many pupils between the ages of seven and eleven talk confidently in informal situations. When speaking in formal situations they are less successful. For example, Year 4 pupils listen with care to stories and questions, but lack confidence when talking about the story or their writing. When asked questions they respond briefly, rarely elaborating their answers. Some pupils lack the Bramley St Peter's Church of England Primary School - 26 verbal skills to negotiate solutions to problems with their peers. By the age of eleven, the most able pupils discuss their work using a suitable vocabulary to justify their opinions, but others, in class or when talking about their work to adults, are much less skilled in expressing their ideas.

p.25

ENGLISH

71. Standards of reading are below expectation for pupils at both the age of seven and eleven. The highest attaining seven-year-olds read accurately, using different ways of tackling unfamiliar words but without expression or a sense of audience. Average attaining pupils read hesitantly, recognising many words, but with some inaccuracies, and the lower attainers recognise few words in a familiar text and lack the skills to tackle them. Higher attaining pupils do not always make the progress they could because they are not challenged by their work. This happens when teachers do not use what they have learned from assessments to plan work. By the age of eleven, the highest-attaining pupils read efficiently and accurately but without expression. Those of average attainment read hesitantly with incomplete comprehension, misreading simple words. The lower- attaining pupils find many familiar words difficult and have inadequate strategies for reading

p.26

ENGLISH

unfamiliar words. They enjoy reading, however, and talk about the content of their reading confidently. Most pupils at this stage have unsatisfactory library skills, but can use a contents page or index effectively. The most able are beginning to use skim-reading as a way of finding information quickly.

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ENGLISH

72. The standard of pupils’ writing is below average. At the age of seven the highest-attaining pupils, about a quarter of the class, write a well-constructed and informative letter. One boy, for instance, gave a prospective new pupil good information about the school, including the days for spelling tests. Their handwriting is legible with well-formed letters but in some cases their spelling is weak because they are not given sufficiently challenging work. Pupils of average ability know the conventions of letter writing, but are unable to place sentences on the page accurately. The lower attainers manage a few words, but their handwriting is immature, a mixture of letters inaccurately placed on the page.

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ENGLISH

73. The work of a small minority of eleven-year-olds is good. It demonstrates interesting ideas, careful planning and a convincing structure, well illustrated in an imaginative piece called If pictures could speak . Dialogue is well used. Words are judiciously chosen, as, for example in: We drove along the highway, our hair blowing behind us . More typically, however, pupils have interesting ideas that are limited by unsatisfactory skills. The use of capital letters at the beginning of sentences or for the first person is insecure, for example. The spelling of simple words such as unhappy is inaccurate. The writing of the less able pupils is often brief and does not show a secure grasp of narrative structure. Their handwriting is legible but immature, and spelling is uncertain.

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ENGLISH

74. Nevertheless, the achievement of most pupils is satisfactory because they make steady - in some cases good - progress over time from a low starting point. Their assessment folders show the handwriting of the younger pupils becoming more controlled, their compositions longer and punctuation becoming better established. The more able pupils begin to organise their work into sentences with capitals and full stops. The records of pupils in the upper part of the school also indicate satisfactory progress over time. The most able improve their sentence structure and extend their choice of words. The work of others becomes more organised, its legibility improves, and more words are spelled correctly.

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ENGLISH

75. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress and achieve appropriately, taking account of their starting points and their targets. They work well when supported by the special needs assistants and produce work consistent with expectations. Pupils who speak English as an additional language make steady progress and reach the levels of which they are capable.

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ENGLISH

76. Pupils’ work is satisfactorily presented when teachers make their expectations clear. However, the handwriting of a significant minority at all points in the school is not as good as it should be. This is at least in part because many pupils - up to a third in some classes - do not hold their pens and pencils properly. This makes their writing laborious and lacking in fluency. Too many pupils do not join their letters. Pupils’ other literacy skills are satisfactorily supported in different subjects. There are good opportunities for extended writing in history, for example. Pupils Bramley St Peter's Church of England Primary School - 27 are given practice in interrogating different sources for research in history topics. Information and communication technology provides satisfactory support for the subject.

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ENGLISH

77. The quality of the teaching is satisfactory overall. The successful lessons are those where teachers know the subject and their pupils well so that good planning provides pupils with well- matched tasks, which they recognise as relevant. Clarity of objectives and planning enables the teacher to explain well and give clear instructions. As a result, pupils know what they have to do and why, they get on quickly, work industriously and make good progress, producing good ideas and interesting work. There is a consistent and constructive approach to managing the pupils’ behaviour based on high expectations, and pupils listen carefully and work sensibly and responsibly. Skilled questioning draws in pupils of all abilities, keeping them attentive and eager to participate. A fast pace and a sense of purpose carry pupils along and little time is wasted. A good use of praise motivates and encourages them. Additional adults are usually deployed to good

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ENGLISH

advantage to support groups or individuals, who make progress at an appropriate rate. Sometimes, however, they are without a role for long periods. Homework consolidates what has been learned and suitably extends the work of the lesson. Pupils report that they read to someone regularly at home. This contributes satisfactorily to their progress. The quality of marking, criticised in the last inspection report, is satisfactory, though it does not always give pupils a clear indication of how to improve.

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ENGLISH

78. Where lessons are less successful it is often because they lack pace. Learning objectives are not always clear enough, and because the lesson loses focus, pupils are confused. Some teachers do not take full advantage of the framework provided by the National Literacy Strategy to help them. For example, they do not use the plenary part of the lesson as well as they could to provide opportunities for speaking and listening or to help the pupils review what they have learned and set the agenda for the next lesson. On some occasions, the teacher’s role is too dominant. On others, questioning is insufficiently considered. When this happens, because pupils have insufficient involvement in the lesson, their attention wanders, their behaviour deteriorates and their achievement becomes unsatisfactory.

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ENGLISH

79. There has been much progress since the last inspection. Assessment has improved and is now well organised to support pupils and indicate to teachers areas for future attention. As a result, standards are rising, although the assessment scheme has been introduced too recently for its effect to be seen in improved national assessment results. The monitoring of teaching, teachers’ planning and pupils’ progress is now firmly in place though co-ordinators are not yet monitoring pupils’ books closely enough. It has led to initiatives to improve the achievement of particular groups of pupils and it is helping to improve standards. Although resources for the subject have improved and are good, the library stock remains insufficient in quantity and quality to support the level of independent work reasonably to be expected of many pupils.

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MATHEMATICS

80. Standards have improved steadily since the last inspection. In 2000, the results of national tests for seven-year-old were well below the average for all schools and for similar schools. For eleven-year-olds, results were broadly in line with the national average. They were also above the average for schools in similar contexts nationally and amongst the highest in the family of schools in West Leeds. Given the constraints facing the school, these results for older pupils represent good achievement over time. The school aims to achieve similar standards this year. Taking into account the likely effect of the booster classes that were successful last year, this is a realistic aim.

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MATHEMATICS

81. The previous inspection found that most pupils made unsatisfactory progress in key areas such as shape and measure, and the ability to understand and manage number. It traced these weaknesses to particular shortcomings in provision. Very well directed action by the headteacher, local adviser and the co-ordinator has led to very good improvement since 1998. Together they have developed the monitoring, support, training and guidance systems necessary to improve Bramley St Peter's Church of England Primary School - 28 teaching and learning. Early introduction of the National Numeracy Strategy gave vital extra impetus to the rising standards noted by Her Majesty’s Inspectors early in 2000. The subject now has very good systems for evaluating its work and for monitoring and strengthening its performance. For example, some issues relating to differences in performance between boys and girls have been

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MATHEMATICS

investigated and resolved. The capacity for continuing improvement is very good.

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MATHEMATICS

82. Improving standards are reflected in the increasing proportions of seven and eleven-year- olds who achieve the expected, or higher than expected, levels for their age. However, these proportions are still not high enough, especially at age seven. For example, almost all pupils in Year 2 recognise odd and even numbers and most can see and extend simple odd and even patterns. However, very few can predict the patterns that will emerge, by adding three for instance, or explain their reasoning clearly. In a Year 2 lesson in which pupils gathered data on their favourite drinks, most understood concepts of table, pictogram and block graph, and some could explain the advantage of the tally method for recording data. Even with good support, however, many did not check their numbers or count accurately from their tally record, and very few recognised the need for accuracy as they drew their block graphs.

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MATHEMATICS

83. By the time they are eleven, pupils show better confidence and competence across the areas of mathematics than was seen during the previous inspection. For example, most pupils have secure strategies for measuring compound area and for using a protractor to draw or measure a given angle of turn. Higher attaining pupils quickly and accurately use information about two angles of a triangle to calculate the third. They explain their working clearly in mathematical language and show good understanding of the properties of different angles. They tackle investigations independently, and organise and present their recorded work well. However, the proportion of pupils who are not achieving expected levels remains high at over 25 per cent. They know how to calculate the area of a rectangle by counting squares but do not recognise or use the links between this and simple multiplication. Despite good support, they have difficulty in recalling

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MATHEMATICS

number operations up to 100. Across the school, pupils show improved strategies for applying their mathematical knowledge to practical problems. However, most have weak strategies for checking their own work, for example by estimation or inverse operations, because few teachers consistently urge the need for this. Nor do they emphasise enough the value of accuracy in mental and written methods. This is an area where teachers’ expectations of what pupils can do are sometimes too low.

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MATHEMATICS

84. As a result of the greater rigour and consistency brought by the National Numeracy Strategy and the school’s assessment and monitoring systems, pupils throughout the school make better progress than they did. In order to raise standards further, teachers in Years 1 and 2 have identified the need to make better use of assessment to plan work. However, progress is significantly better in Years 4, 5 and 6 than in the preceding three years, and more work is needed to improve the pace and quality of progress here, particularly in Year 3. In the main, pupils’ achievements mirror the quality of teaching, most especially its clarity of focus and its level of expectation of concentration, care and productive effort. In some classes, shortcomings in these qualities particularly restrict the progress of the more able pupils.

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MATHEMATICS

85. On the other hand, good provisions for the large number of pupils who have special educational needs enable them to progress well. The school assesses carefully each pupil’s needs in numeracy and identifies relevant, specific and achievable targets by which individual progress can be planned and measured. Most teachers pay due regard to this information in planning learning activities for these pupils. Support staff work closely with teachers. They share planning and assessment information and provide good support for pupils’ learning.

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MATHEMATICS

86. The climate for learning is satisfactory. The great majority of pupils are keen to learn, and readily engage in practical activities. They behave responsibly in lessons and respond well to their teachers and classroom assistants. However, interest and attention deteriorate when pace or challenge slackens, or the teacher talks too much. Many pupils have weak learning skills. They lack the speaking skills to share and build ideas together in whole-class discussions or to negotiate productive co-operation in group tasks. Few pupils seek help from other pupils, or know how best Bramley St Peter's Church of England Primary School - 29 to offer it. Most pupils persevere and complete their tasks, but only the older more able pupils know how to organise themselves for independent work and extended projects, or how to maintain focus and use time well.

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MATHEMATICS

87. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory in junior classes but there are some gaps in the teaching in infant classes that prevent pupils from making faster progress.

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MATHEMATICS

88. Teachers plan and work securely within the numeracy framework and its three-part lesson structure, and promote basic skills through coherent, step-by-step programmes. They manage their classes with an effective mix of firmness and good humour, usually without raising their voices. In the main, they successfully engage their pupils in the mental numeracy sessions, pushing them along through well-paced progressions and using resources such as the overhead projector to demonstrate, reinforce and check correct methods of working. In the better lessons, they vigorously challenge pupils to discuss and explain alternative methods accurately in mathematical language. When this happens, pupils maintain interest and concentration, participate more eagerly, apply fuller intellectual effort to acquiring new understandings, and show pleasure in their growing command of ‘special words’.

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MATHEMATICS

89. Several particular strengths distinguish the good lessons from those that are satisfactory. First, the aims of the lesson are not only stated initially, but are also kept in view throughout the lesson and, at the end, pupils are expected to use them as definite points of reference to review and fix new learning. Teachers revisit and enlist earlier learning as a secure basis for what is new. Higher attaining pupils are as well provided for as those who have special educational needs, so that they have constant opportunity to move forward at their best pace. Good lessons have a more stimulating variety of methods. For example, pupils were asked to investigate practically for themselves the rule that the three angles of any triangle will always make a straight line. Pupils’ questions were referred back to them with an invitation to explain the difficulty in calculation and discuss alternatives. Support staff have a clear and active role at every stage of the lesson.

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MATHEMATICS

Deadlines are used and time is efficiently managed so that nothing drifts and pupils maintain pace and focus in their work. Finally, teachers use homework consistently to reinforce and extend learning, and work is marked constructively so that pupils know what they have achieved and can go on to achieve. Whilst some of these qualities are present in the satisfactory lessons, they function less consistently or at a significantly lower level. A lower pace and quality of learning result, particularly for the more able. A more consistent realisation of these strengths across the school would raise the quality of all teaching and learning.

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MATHEMATICS

90. There is evidence of improving awareness of the need to develop numeracy skills by using them in a planned and consistent way to support learning in other subjects. In science, for example, pupils are required to measure weight, capacity and force in specific units and to read scales. They use stopwatches to time recovery rate after exercise, gather their information in tables, and then present it as line or bar graphs by which to interpret results. Information and communication technology is beginning to make an equally significant contribution. For instance, pupils created and used a spreadsheet to analyse their own spelling test results. As part of an extended project on triangles, pupils in Year 6 created a branching database to classify different types of triangles by their properties. The challenge now is to extend the planned range of such opportunities across the wider curriculum.

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MATHEMATICS

91. Management of the subject is very good. The co-ordinator has used her extended role and her considerable specialist expertise very effectively to strengthen the quality of provision and raise standards. She has rightly identified the next step as checking pupils’ books in order to ensure that the work they get is progressively harder as they get older. Well-organised training programmes have supported the successful development of the Numeracy Strategy. Rigorous use of good assessment procedures enables the school to track each pupil and year group, and to set targets to accelerate progress. Very detailed, coherent and far-sighted action plans are informed by rigorous monitoring of the work of the subject. These are carried out systematically to improve all aspects of quality and standards. Much remains to be done to achieve consistency at the higher level, but the necessary systems are in place and the momentum is strong.

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MATHEMATICS

Bramley St Peter's Church of England Primary School - 30

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SCIENCE

92. Attainment by the junior pupils has improved significantly since the last inspection, when it was judged to be unsatisfactory. The trend of improvement over three years has culminated in an above average number of pupils achieving the expectation for their age in national tests in 2000. This is very good in comparison with schools in a similar context. Although the current Year 6 has a high proportion of special needs pupils, inspection evidence shows that attainment is in line with national expectations though a significant number of pupils are working at a higher level. Such success has been achieved because the teaching is monitored effectively and is now good overall, with some very good features. Teachers have higher expectations of what pupils can do, because they have access to information from good assessment procedures. This enables them to set targets for improvement, which shows pupils clearly what they have to do to make better progress.

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SCIENCE

93. Over time, most pupils in Years 1 and 2 make steady progress from when they start school. Higher attaining pupils do not make fast enough progress because work is not always challenging enough. This happens when teachers do not use the results of assessments and tests. The amount of time allocated to science at the infants' stage is lower than usual, which means that, although appropriate work is covered, pupils are denied opportunities to study in depth. As a consequence of this and of teaching that does not use assessment data to best effect when planning lessons, attainment is below what is expected by the age of seven. The number of pupils achieving the higher level is well below the national average, the same as at the previous inspection.

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SCIENCE

94. Junior pupils are making good progress in the use of scientific vocabulary and benefit from the promotion of investigative science. By applying their knowledge of magnetism, choosing the appropriate equipment and techniques for separating solids, Year 6 pupils successfully separated a mixture of rice, sand, peas, salt and paperclips. By making bullet-point notes of what they were going to do and carrying out their task with a partner, pupils showed a mature attitude to their work. Year 5 pupils had good opportunities to demonstrate their knowledge in a lesson about light sources and shadows. Terms such as transparent and translucent were used correctly and they enthusiastically applied their knowledge of how light travels to some of the challenges set by the teacher. As a result of opportunities to record results from a range of sorting activities, Year 2 pupils are making satisfactory progress in understanding the importance of collecting evidence.

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SCIENCE

They recognise common characteristics in un-tuned musical instruments and record the methods of making sounds as tables or circles. Over time, their rate of progress is slow because of the limited opportunities to practise their skills.

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SCIENCE

95. One of the reasons for the success in Years 4, 5 and 6 is the recognition by teachers that literacy and numeracy skills can be developed in their science lessons. Equally important has been the expectation of pupils to be more independent. Consequently, pupils know how to set out their work for science and high standards of presentation are expected. Pupils have a wide range of ways of recording their results at their disposal, including line and bar graphs. They are accomplished in reading stopwatches and scales accurately and in Year 6 know the levels they are achieving. From this has developed good attitudes to their work and most pupils show enthusiasm and interest in what they and their classmates are doing. Attitudes in Years 1, 2 and 3 are less enthusiastic. Pupils enjoy practical activities and participate enthusiastically, but do not show a similar eagerness to learn because they have fewer opportunities to develop the work skills to make

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SCIENCE

them more independent. Standards of presentation are generally low because pupils are not expected to use a ruler when drawing up their tables or circles. Most pupils are well behaved and enjoy taking part in lessons, making pertinent contributions to discussions. Where behaviour falls below what is acceptable teachers use the school strategies successfully, so that other pupils are not distracted from their work.

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SCIENCE

96. The teaching is more effective than at the previous inspection, when a significant proportion was unsatisfactory. Currently, no teaching is considered to be unsatisfactory. In junior classes, it is good overall, and has very good features. These occur where teachers have good subject Bramley St Peter's Church of England Primary School - 31 knowledge and high expectations of what the pupils can do. All teachers have a scheme of work to guide them, supported by effective long and medium-term plans. However, there is a variation in short-term planning of lessons which impacts on the pupils’ attainment and rate of progress. In Years 4, 5 and 6, teachers use assessment data to plan tasks that are challenging, as well as setting out their expectations clearly. Time limits for activities are set and the lesson time organised so that work is evaluated before moving on to the next stage. The result is a good rate of progress

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SCIENCE

and improved attainment, even though the overall amount of time spent on science is low compared with other schools. Less use is made of assessment data in Years 1, 2 and 3. Although the lesson structure and planning are consistent throughout the school, there is a tendency to allow the activities to fill the time allotted to them, without time limits and the rigorous drive to improve standards. This slows the rate of progress over each term, so that many pupils are not achieving their full potential by the age of seven. Relationships in classes are good. Pupils are mostly at ease with each other and their teachers, which helps create a secure learning situation. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress because effective planning and trust established between teachers and support staff enable them to be brought into the lessons frequently, especially during discussions.

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SCIENCE

97. The subject co-ordinator is having a good impact on the improvement in standards through regular monitoring of planning and has begun to check pupils’ work in order to ensure that work gets more difficult from one year to the next. Most of the unsatisfactory teaching aspects from the previous inspection have been successfully addressed, so that there is sufficient good practice within the school to promote further improvement. Procedures for assessment are good, but the information it generates is not employed consistently to plan lessons. Teachers mark pupils work conscientiously. The best marking tells pupils where they have gone wrong and how to improve their work. There is a need to make greater use of information and communication technology to present work, results and for research activities.

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ART AND DESIGN

98. Standards are typical of those expected from seven and eleven-year-olds. Teaching is often good and pupils learn well as a result.

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ART AND DESIGN

99. By the end of Year 2, pupils draw and colour effectively, and the most talented produce work of a good quality. Drawing from first-hand observation is at an average level. In work in which pupils matched a photograph and a drawing of objects in the classroom, the average and above average achieving pupils showed careful observation and well managed pencil work. In some cases pupils asked to complete a part-picture produced very attractive detail. Lower attaining pupils’ work is below the expected level as it is limited by uncertain pencil control. Pupils’ work using computer graphic programs includes attractive and complex symmetrical patterns. Their pastel pictures of the sun breaking through the cloud, following Monet, capture the sense of mystery well.

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ART AND DESIGN

100. By the end of Year 6, pupils are familiar with, and use effectively, a broad range of two- dimensional materials such as pencil, water colours, collage, crayon and pastel, and have experience of other techniques such as wax and scratch. Three-dimensional work of a satisfactory standard is undertaken. Pupils experience working with clay, producing thoughtful work in support of the history topic on the Greeks. Pupils work imaginatively with fabrics when, in Year 5, ladies of the local history society teach them a range of techniques under the general heading of Make do and Mend , related to their study of the Second World War. Good use is made of sketch books for pupils to try out their ideas and refine them before producing a final, improved version: teachers insist on good research and careful planning so that pupils can get the best possible result. Pupils have experience of the work of established artists and use it in their work. For example, in Year 6,

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ART AND DESIGN

pupils’ work in parallel with a study of Lowry resulted in pictures that were well observed and well executed, accurately capturing the mood of the originals. Bramley St Peter's Church of England Primary School - 32 101. In general, teachers have a sound general knowledge and understanding of the subject. Planning draws on this satisfactorily. A good feature is the time planned into lessons where pupils are obliged to consider and evaluate their work. For example, in one lesson for six and seven-year- olds the pictures were improved because the teacher insisted that pupils paused and told a partner what it would look like when finished. Teachers’ instructions and demonstrations are clear, so that pupils have plenty of ideas with which to work and know what is expected of them. Space and resources are well organised so that pupils can work without interruption and make good progress. The use of outside help in Year 5 is particularly successful and creates a situation in which pupils’

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ART AND DESIGN

social skills also are enhanced. As a result of the good teaching, pupils behave well, concentrate over long periods, enjoy what they are doing and are pleased when they produce successful work.

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ART AND DESIGN

102. Since the last inspection, the school has maintained its all-round satisfactory provision for the subject and the standards reached by pupils. The quality of teaching, then judged to be satisfactory, is now good. Sketchbooks are now used so that pupils can assemble and develop ideas. The school is prevented from making any substantial further improvement by the absence of the monitoring of teaching and learning that could be used to identify and consolidate strengths and identify and remedy weaknesses.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

103. Standards are typical for of those expected from seven and eleven-year-olds. They are higher than they were when the school was last inspected. The main issue then was that pupils in junior classes were not making fast enough progress. In addition, throughout the school, pupils’ designs were of limited use and models were rarely finished to a good standard. Sound leadership has ensured that most of these issues have been dealt with successfully. All pupils, including those with special educational needs, now achieve satisfactorily and understand the importance of designing. There is still some way to go before models could be described as of good quality.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

104. Teaching is satisfactory and pupils in all classes make steady progress. Because teachers emphasise the need to plan and consider their models, by the time they are seven-years-old, pupils have a firm understanding of the process of designing, making and evaluating products. The moving toys that pupils in Year 1 make show that most are competent at cutting and joining material such as card, paper and textiles. Finished models look like the original designs and evaluations show that they have given thought to how models or designs could have been improved. For example, one pupil wrote I didn’t draw a bow on her dress as an example of what would have made the design better.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

105. A good feature of the teaching is that teachers make sure pupils are aware of design and technology in the wider world. For instance, before pupils in Year 2 made pizzas they visited a local supermarket to look at how ingredients were stored and packaged. This not only brought the subject to life, the visit also made a significant contribution to pupils’ social development. Back in school, pupils learned about the need for hygiene and safety when handling kitchen tools before they cut and sliced their chosen ingredients. Older pupils study how products are packaged in more detail and can look at a wide variety of boxes and packets in an eye-catching display in the corridor. In a lesson in Year 4, pupils thought carefully about the size, shape, weight and material of their models before they designed a box suitable for sending it through the post. In doing so they amended and improved their designs so that the finished product fitted the purpose for which it was

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

106. Teachers’ knowledge of the subject has increased since the previous inspection. This is partly a result of training and also because teachers now have a good quality programme of work to help them plan. This has resulted in better teaching and learning of design. In Years 1 and 2, pupils’ designs are mainly pictures with some labels about features and material. They rarely contain information about the fabric. However, teachers make effective use of worksheets to show which tools pupils intend to use and to help them evaluate their work. As pupils get older their Bramley St Peter's Church of England Primary School - 33 designs become more complex, though many still lack detailed information about size. Pupils in Years 5 and 6 use a computer program to help them design rooms. As part of a good homework project they built rooms using card, textiles and a simple scale, such as 1 metre equals 1

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

107. Because the activities that teachers plan are interesting, pupils are keen to learn and enjoy their work in design and technology. This was evident in a lesson in Year 3, when pupils settled quickly to testing and making structures that would support a heavy weight. It is also evident in the pride with which older pupils explained how they used batteries to make moving models of fairground rides.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

108. Despite their enthusiasm, pupils do not always finish their models to a high standard. Edges and joins are often rough and uneven and painting is patchy, leaving gaps where the card can be seen. The co-ordinator has begun to collect examples and photographs of pupils' work and in this way has already identified this as an area for improvement. Having a firm grasp of the strengths and weaknesses of the subject means that the co-ordinator is in a sound position to plan the next steps towards improving the quality of teaching and continuing to raise standards.

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GEOGRAPHY

109. Standards in geography have been maintained since the last inspection and remain typical for pupils’ ages by the end of Years 2 and 6.

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GEOGRAPHY

110. The teaching is satisfactory overall, although there are one or two weaknesses that prevent pupils from achieving at a faster rate. Teachers plan work that is interesting and consequently pupils enjoy finding out about their own locality and the world. Teachers use a satisfactory range of resources to help pupils learn. For example, pupils in Years 1 and 2 learn about Bramley through first-hand experiences of studying patterns of traffic. In this way they gain familiarity with their own locality and learn to ask geographical questions and gather information. Pupils in classes in Year 4 used holiday brochures to gain information about how climate and location affects the way people live and work. One resource that is currently not used sufficiently is computers. Pupils have not had sufficient opportunities to use CD-ROMs or the Internet in their research and this limits their understanding of how information and communication technology can be used as a means of

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GEOGRAPHY

111. Teachers ensure that pupils learn to use atlases and maps. Pupils start by learning their own address and by finding the countries of the United Kingdom. As they get older, they use a gazetteer and grid references to locate places, mountain ranges and rivers. This was evident when pupils in a class in Year 4 quickly found the American states of Alaska and Florida in their atlases.

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GEOGRAPHY

112. The weaknesses in teaching stem from the way the subject is taught. Geography is taught in blocks and the long gaps between each unit of work mean that pupils forget much of what they have learned from one topic to the next. For example, pupils from classes in Year 6 talked confidently about rivers and rocks and used words such as source and tributary to describe the water cycle. They were far less confident talking about the topics they had studied in Year 5 and are not building up a wider picture of the world.

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GEOGRAPHY

113. Interesting lesson introductions are a positive feature where teachers have a good level of knowledge of the subject. In a good lesson in Year 4, the teacher’s good choice of resources captured pupils’ imagination. This led to a high level of concentration and some good discussions as pupils talked about the places they had chosen to study. In addition, teachers are generally good at questioning pupils to further promote their interest and to prompt them to ask their own geographical questions. For example, a small group of pupils in Year 2 were helped to see that buildings were unlikely to be in Bramley by looking closely at architectural features and building materials. Pupils thoroughly enjoyed looking at the pictures and listened attentively to what their Bramley St Peter's Church of England Primary School - 34 teacher and other pupils had to say. 114. The school has taken sufficient action to develop the subject since the last inspection and

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GEOGRAPHY

the school is in a sound position to be able to teach the new curriculum. However, teachers have not tackled the issue of providing more challenging work for higher attaining pupils. Too often they do the same work as average attaining pupils and this prevents them from achieving their personal best. The co-ordinator has identified the need to monitor teachers’ planning and pupils’ work as a priority, in order to remedy this situation.

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HISTORY

115. The school has maintained satisfactory standards since the last inspection. Teachers use the school’s programme for teaching to help them plan work that is interesting and challenging. This enables pupils to make steady progress, so that by the time they leave school most pupils, including those with special educational needs, have a sound understanding of the periods and people they study.

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HISTORY

116. Teachers ensure that pupils learn about different periods of history and present the subject through stories, video, pictures and books. Consequently by the time they leave school, pupils have a reasonably developed sense of the past. They know about periods of history from ancient times, such as the Greeks and Egyptians and from more recent periods, such as the Victorians.

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HISTORY

117. A good feature of teaching is the way teachers use a variety of methods to raise and maintain pupils’ enthusiasm while improving their recording skills. They ensure that pupils have many opportunities to put their literacy skills to good use in history lessons by asking them to act as reporters and letter writers and encouraging them to engage in debate. For example, pupils in Year 6 talked and wrote convincingly about the pros and cons of industrialisation and the railways in Victorian Britain. They also wrote evocative letters from the point of view of a soldier serving abroad and children who had been evacuated from the city in the time of World War 2. These showed how the subject had been brought to life for pupils.

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HISTORY

118. Starting in Year 1, pupils are encouraged to find out about the past by using the clues found in photographs, texts and objects. They begin by putting pictures and photographs in the right order, using clues of clothing and vehicles to help them decide which ones are from an earlier date. Pupils in classes in Year 2 used photographs and pictures to help them learn about the architectural features of castles. Older pupils use a wide range of texts and books to research the topics they study. They are beginning to make use of CD ROMs and the Internet, though this is at an early stage. Pupils in a class in Year 5 had a great time and improved their research techniques by pretending that they were archaeologists and sifting through a range of historical evidence about children’s lives during World War 2.

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HISTORY

119. Throughout the school, teachers choose topics that are interesting to pupils. For example, pupils in a class in Year 2 gave very graphic accounts of the Great Fire of London because the story and pictures had fired their imagination. Similarly, work on Victorian England inspired pupils in Year 6 to write poems that were full of emotion and sympathy for children of that era.

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HISTORY

120. Teachers make good provision for pupils who have special educational needs. They are given the support they need with reading and writing to help them do as well as they can. In contrast, higher attaining pupils are not always given more challenging work and this prevents them from achieving their personal best. The co-ordinator recognises that this would have been spotted sooner if pupils’ work had been checked more closely. The school’s procedures for assessing what pupils know have improved slightly since the previous inspection when they were judged to be unsatisfactory. This is one of the targets identified by the co-ordinator as an area for future development. This sound leadership puts the school in a good position to continue to improve the quality of teaching and raise standards. Bramley St Peter's Church of England Primary School - 35

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

121. Seven-year-old pupils attain the standards expected for their age, but the attainment of eleven-year-olds is below the expected standard. Progress is good in almost all branches of the subject, and for all pupils, including those who have special educational needs. Information and communication technology is a rapidly developing subject in the school, and the greatly increased learning opportunities provided by the recently established computer suite have accelerated pupils’ progress.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

122. The last inspection found unsatisfactory progress and below average standards in every strand of the subject, because an unsatisfactory curriculum and a low allocation of time denied pupils adequate access and opportunity. Since then, rapid improvements in provision have raised standards by increasing the range and quality of opportunity. The planned use of the new suite ensures that every pupil has a minimum of one hour’s instruction each week, and also that the requirements of the National Curriculum are covered. Teaching is more confident and competent in information and communication technology; assessment systems are developing well, and a good portfolio of moderated work for each year group promotes accuracy of assessment.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

123. Pupils in Year 2 are highly motivated, and they respond well to their teacher’s high expectations and clear step-by-step demonstrations. In the course of a good lesson, they showed confident ability to log on and off; to access programs from the hard disk, and to save and print work. In using a program for word-processing, they learned to change the size and style of font, and to use the capital key and full stop. All pupils progressed well because they were challenged and supported according to need. The same pupils can also use tools and precise mouse control to draw and print a picture. They have used the control panel of a programmable robot to program it to follow a set course with specific turns and distances. They can also work with CD-ROMs, using a subject index to search and find information for their history topic.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

124. Progress in the junior years is good. Pupils in Year 3 are developing sound understandings of password, simulation and decision web by choosing specific options as they navigate an increasingly difficult course around Granny’s Garden . In Year 4, pupils recalled earlier learning about how to control a programmable robot, and then transferred it in order to write a series of commands to move a turtle around the screen in different patterns. Very good teaching enabled pupils in Year 5 to develop the knowledge and skills required to design, produce, edit, save and print a newspaper page on a specific historical event. These pupils know how to enter text and manipulate it to explore a range of eye-catching formats. They change fonts, styles, and reposition and resize text and graphics before printing and evaluating what they have written. Pupils in Year 6 make similar progress in learning to manipulate text and handle data. For example, they have

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

produced a striking range of different flowerhead patterns by programming the computer to rotate a particular shape systematically. However, some key skills in working with text are underdeveloped because lack of opportunity restricted progress in previous years.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

125. Improved planning is creating better opportunities for pupils to use their skills in information and communication technology to support their learning in other subjects. For example, pupils have used a spreadsheet to analyse their spelling-test results, and have created a branching database to classify different types of triangle. In a very good literacy lesson in which a Year 5 class were learning how to research chosen topics, the time was divided between the library and the information and communication technology suite. In this way, pupils had direct opportunities to learn and to compare the value of different information resources and how to search them. However, much work remains to be done to achieve an effective whole-school structure for using information and communication technology across the curriculum. This development is a planned priority in the next round of training. Recently acquired equipment for monitoring events such as

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

temperature change is now coming into use. Currently, there are too few computers in classrooms to enable pupils to use their information and communication technology skills regularly in the context of their classroom work. Bramley St Peter's Church of England Primary School - 36 126. Pupils are enthusiastic to learn new skills. They are attentive to their teachers and strive to complete new tasks successfully. They concentrate on their work and use computers with care. Tasks often require them to share a computer and work collaboratively, and pupils are developing the skills of compromise as they negotiate a joint decision. In this way, the subject makes a distinct contribution to pupils’ personal and social development.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

127. The quality of teaching and learning is good. Of the five lessons observed, one was satisfactory, two were good and two very good. The fact that no significant weaknesses were directly observed shows how far work in information and communication technology has improved since the last inspection. Teachers now have much more confidence in teaching the subject, and this is reflected in their high expectations of what pupils can achieve, and in their planning for the full range of activity across the required programmes of study. Teachers plan structured practical lessons; give clear step-by-step explanations and demonstrations; organise and manage activities well; circulate effectively to support and challenge work in progress, and conduct good final reviews, which reinforce new learning and look forward to the next stage. As a result, pupils acquire new knowledge and skills at a good rate.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

128. Information and communication technology is a well-managed subject. It is led by an enthusiastic, committed and informed co-ordinator and supported by a staff team who are willing to play a full part in further necessary developments. The co-ordinator’s clear vision for the subject is fully stated in an impressively detailed and coherent action plan. Current work to integrate assessment into the process of teaching and learning is good. All developments have been efficiently planned and carried out, and the uses of time and money thoroughly checked to secure best value. The school has organised a weekly course to train parents in information and communication technology, and is completing arrangements for older pupils to teach their parents in the new suite.

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MUSIC

129. Standards of attainment by the age of seven are on course to accord with those expected and pupils of all levels of ability are achieving satisfactorily. Pupils in Years 1 and 2 listen attentively to music and sing satisfactorily. Most can follow a pulse and reproduce it by clapping or marching. They respond with pleasure to music with a strong rhythm and move their heads, arms and legs in time to it. They know some instruments are struck and some shaken to make a sound. When they play the instruments, they co-ordinate their playing with others well. The quality of teaching in this part of the school is good, based on teachers’ good understanding of the subject. Suitably planned activities enable pupils to build on what they already know, and extend their skills. Explanations are clear and helpful to the pupils, who know what they have to do as a result.

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MUSIC

130. Music in the seven to eleven age group presents a very mixed picture. In Year 5, for example, standards are above average. Pupils listen carefully. They sing, mostly in tune, with satisfactory voice production. They are rhythmically secure, and with help from the teacher sustain two parts. They work industriously in groups to develop a performance involving several elements and present it confidently to the rest of the class. In the case of a rap it included words, rhythm and actions. A boys’ group worked particularly well together and produced a convincing rap, which they performed with commitment. Pupils playing keyboards work with enthusiasm, concentrating well and building up a performance under guidance to the point where they play a simple melody accurately and sing, mostly in tune. Pupils playing tenor and descant recorders concentrate hard on producing an acceptable note – not easy on the larger instrument. They are beginning to count

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MUSIC

accurately and their confidence and the quality of the sound they make manifestly improves as they practise. Their very good achievement is possible because of the level of staffing and resources available to them; teaching is enthusiastic, based on good knowledge and skills. Resources are plentiful and well used so that pupils’ interest is maintained throughout. They have a very good experience of music, in which they enjoy improving their performance. Bramley St Peter's Church of England Primary School - 37 131. Standards in the present Year 6, however, are below average and pupils do not achieve as well as they should. In large part this is because of pupils’ poor attitudes to the subject. They have unsatisfactory performance skills. Their singing is mostly tuneful, but with an immature, breathy voice production. Their playing is ill disciplined. They present the teacher with many challenges

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MUSIC

when the pace of the lesson is interrupted by immature behaviour, mostly on the part of boys. Accordingly, too much time is spent on managing the behaviour and so pupils do not make the progress they should.

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MUSIC

132. The quality of many pupils’ musical experience is enhanced by the opportunities available to older pupils for instrumental tuition in small groups. Visiting teachers offer strings, guitar, woodwind and percussion, which pupils learn with enthusiasm. Pupils with special educational needs, and those learning English as an additional language, are fully included and make progress in line with that of other pupils.

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MUSIC

133. The quality of teaching in music depends on the confidence of the teacher with the subject but it is satisfactory overall and helps many pupils extend their appreciation of the subject. The teaching of younger pupils is good. In the upper part of the school, the quality of teaching varies between very good and unsatisfactory but is satisfactory overall. In the best lessons the pupils respond by making good progress in listening and performing effectively. Teachers plan well so that activities progress briskly and pupils’ attention and involvement are retained. The high expectations of pupils’ behaviour and commitment make them want to work hard and succeed. The teachers’ incidental teaching of musical basics enables pupils to build up their background knowledge. The teachers’ rapport with the pupils and their very good management skills maintain a cracking pace, keeping pupils attentive and eager to do well. Where lessons are unsuccessful it is

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MUSIC

because teachers’ insufficient subject knowledge prevents them from helping pupils develop their skills and understanding of the subject.

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MUSIC

134. Pupils’ standards of attainment draw considerable benefit from the contribution of visiting staff, and other adult volunteers, notably those from the neighbouring specialist arts college. This provides valuable expertise and enables the school to organise smaller teaching groups in which pupils receive good practical experience.

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MUSIC

135. The school has maintained the position reported at the time of the last inspection. The injection of external resources and expertise, however, puts the school in a satisfactory position to improve when the implications of the revised National Curriculum have been fully assimilated into school practice. The school is prevented from making any substantial further improvement by the absence of the monitoring of teaching and learning that could be used to identify and consolidate strengths and identify and remedy weaknesses.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

136. Standards of work in gymnastics, dance and games are as expected for pupils aged seven and eleven. Pupils, including those who have special educational needs, make satisfactory progress in these physical skills, and standards have been maintained at this level since the time of the last inspection.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

137. In swimming, standards are unsatisfactory because pupils have not had enough opportunity to achieve the expected levels of stroke technique, distance swimming and water safety. Recognising its weak provision in this important area, the school has improved its arrangements. Whilst the main emphasis remains on Year 4, pupils have extended opportunities from Year 3 to Year 6 to practise under expert instruction and develop the required skills.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

138. Progress in gymnastics is sound. Pupils in Year 1 follow clear instructions carefully, showing a good awareness of space and safety, and responding well to warm-up routines and Bramley St Peter's Church of England Primary School - 38 demonstrations. They think creatively about contrasting movements as partners mirror each other’s actions. Pupils in Year 4 work well in teams to develop complex sequences of movements, which they perform with co-ordination and control.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

139. In dance, too, progress is satisfactory, and pupils in Year 6 work to a specific theme to create a synchronised group performance that combines changes of level, speed and direction with controlled patterns of arm movement. Most groups imaginatively adapt their dance sequence to variations in the character of music.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

140. Pupils are enthusiastic about physical activity and dress appropriately for lessons. They work sensibly in pairs or larger groups. Their behaviour is at least satisfactory and they understand and observe safety procedures. Girls and boys take part in all activities and appreciate the good provisions for equality of opportunity.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

141. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory in the junior years. No overall judgement is possible for the teaching of infants as only one lesson was observed, though that was of good quality. Of the other four lessons observed, two were satisfactory and two good. One shortcoming is that teachers accept the performance that pupils give and have no rigorous or explicit expectation that it is worked on intensively, extended and polished. For example, in a Year 3 dance lesson linked to work in history, the teacher developed good movement ideas related to the building, launching and sailing of a Viking longboat. However, there was no clear challenge for them to use their historical knowledge in a creative way or fit it to a narrative form to give shape and imaginative meaning to their various movements. Nor did pupils have good opportunity to evaluate their work and set new targets. Where the quality of teaching is good, the opposite is the case. In a Year 6

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

dance lesson on the theme of the Olympic Games, again linked to current work in history, the teacher demanded Olympic effort and constantly and explicitly raised the level of challenge to achieve it. The resulting quality of learning, in new skills, creative effort, pace and interest of work, and sense of achievement, was clearly visible.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

142. The school has good accommodation for both indoor and outdoor lessons and activities and uses it well. It also makes increasing use of the local municipal swimming pool and of the staff there. The stock of apparatus and equipment is adequate and easily accessible, but much of it is rather worn.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

143. The subject is managed effectively. As well as achieving improved provisions for swimming, the co-ordinator has redeveloped the policy and scheme of work to comply with the revised National Curriculum. Skilful use of national guidance has improved the breadth and balance of work in the subject. The co-ordinator has improved procedures for assessment, which means that pupils’ achievements can now be tracked as they move form one year to the next. A good range of after-school activities, which are greatly appreciated by pupils, extends the taught curriculum. Several teachers give time freely to running weekly clubs for line dancing, rugby, gymnastics, dance-drama, athletics, football, netball, soft tennis and quick cricket. Coaches are sometimes used from professional organisations such as Leeds Rhinos or Yorkshire Dance. In addition, many pupils have opportunities to take part in galas, competitive matches and

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

tournaments. In this way, the subject makes a good contribution to pupils’ social and moral development.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

144. The school continues to maintain satisfactory provision for religious education since the last inspection. Pupils’ achievements, including those of pupils with special educational needs, are in line with those expected of the locally Agreed Syllabus.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

145. Pupils in their last year of school understand the purpose of special books such as the Bible Bramley St Peter's Church of England Primary School - 39 and the Qur’an. They write their own versions of Old Testament stories such as David and Goliath, expressing aspects of morality such as right will always win . They understand the main happenings in the lives of important religious figures such as Jesus Christ and Mother Teresa. When examining artefacts such as a mezuzah, they increase their knowledge of other faiths such as Judaism, appreciate the special nature of the prayer it contains and remark upon designs, which highlight the differences between different cultures. Their knowledge is further increased in exploring aspects of pilgrimage and the faith of Muslims. When listening to stories they make connections between fasting during Lent and the fasting of Muslims during Ramadan.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

146. By the time they are in Year 2, pupils have encountered a number of stories from the Old and New Testaments. They recall the story of Moses in some detail and remember some of the stories Jesus told such as The Good Samaritan. In circle time they consider ideas such as what it means to be a special friend. They understand that people have different place of worship, which are special to them and that ceremonies such as baptism take place there. Their vocabulary grows as they examine replicas of the Torah and examine clothing Jewish children wear to school and the synagogue.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

147. The teaching is satisfactory overall. Clear planning has improved teachers' confidence and lessons are resourced well to raise pupils’ interest and, where possible, give first hand experiences of different places of worship. Subsequently pupils make good progress in their learning about their own and other faiths. Younger pupils are curious about the reading of the Torah as a scroll and wonder how do they turn it over ? Older pupils consider the implications of embarking on a pilgrimage and what it would mean to them. Teachers lead discussion and tell stories well, which encourages good listening skills. When marking work teachers ask questions of infant pupils on how they feel. This quality of marking is not so evident in junior pupils’ work although teachers find diverse ways for pupils to record their work. They exercise pupils’ literacy skills well in written work by using techniques for retrieving information. Muslim pupils are encouraged to make contributions

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

to lessons on Islam to widen pupils’ knowledge of cultural diversity. As a result pupils share their experiences and social and cultural development positively advances.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

148. Attitudes to religious education are good overall. Pupils are interested in the stories they hear and show respect for the artefacts they handle. They are curious about the different customs and traditions of other faiths and begin to appreciate the values and belief held by people of their own and other cultures. Overall, work is recorded well and behaviour is generally good. In a few instances the weak concentration of a minority of junior pupils lowers the standard of their work.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

149. The co-ordinator has worked hard to provide a well-planned scheme of work to support teaching staff. She is committed to improving links with the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of the school and this shows in several aspects of collective worship. Visits and the use of good resources feature noticeably in the guidance for teachers. They are encouraged to seek support and advice and this has raised the confidence of teachers in teaching the subject.

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