Ben Jonson Primary School

BEN JONSON SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 19 - 22 November 2001

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BEN JONSON SCHOOL

Inspection number: 221462 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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BEN JONSON 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. Ben Jonson School - 4

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Essian Street London Postcode: E1 4QE

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Mr Simon Killick

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: February 2000 Ben Jonson School - 5

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responsibilities

15334 Julie Hooper Registered inspector Art How high are standards? The school’s results and pupils’ achievements. How well are pupils taught? How well is the school managed? 13807 Christine Haggerty Lay inspector How well does the school care for its pupils? How well does the school work in partnership with parents? 31801 Yvonne Bacchetta Team inspector Science Information and communication technology How high are standards? Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development. 22831 Clive Lewis Team inspector Foundation stage Design and technology How good are the curricular and other opportunities. Special educational needs. 20877 David Pink Team inspector History Geography Equal opportunities.

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responsibilities

28200 Paul Stevens Team inspector Mathematics Music Physical education 12764 Wendy Thomas Team inspector English Religious education English as an additional language. Ben Jonson School - 6 The inspection contractor was:

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responsibilities

Cambridge Education Associates Demeter House Station Road Cambridge CB1 2RS

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responsibilities

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

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responsibilities

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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responsibilities

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Ben Jonson School - 7

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 7 - 11

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? 12 - 14

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

The school is a large school of its type and caters for pupils between the ages of four and eleven. It is situated on the Ocean Estate in Stepney where most of the pupils live. The area is mostly social housing and, overall, there is a high level of socio-economic disadvantage. As a result, nearly 70 per cent of pupils are eligible to receive free meals, which is well above the national figure. There are 379 pupils on roll of statutory school age in thirteen classes; 23 children are still under five in the reception class. This is more pupils than at the last inspection in February 2000, and the school still has to enrol the January intake of reception children. Nearly all of the pupils are from ethnic minority backgrounds, mainly Bangladeshi. Almost two-thirds of them are at an early stage of English acquisition which is a very high proportion when compared with most primary schools. Although children enter school with a

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

wide range of experiences, attainment overall is well below that expected of pupils of their age nationally. Thirty-two per cent of pupils are on the register of special educational needs and nearly four per cent have statements of special educational needs; both are high in relation to national figures. The school has a high mobility of pupils and in any one year an above average number of pupils join and leave the school other than at the usual time.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

Ben Jonson Primary School is a very good school that strongly supports learning. Teaching, overall, is good, and very good for the youngest children in the school and this promotes learning very well. The school provides a generally broad and balanced curriculum. Pupils enjoy being at school, are well- behaved and very keen to learn. Very good relationships exist between pupils, and staff and pupils. Parents are very supportive of the school. The headteacher, with the full support of the staff and governors, provides very effective leadership. Since the last inspection she has overseen significant and steady improvements in the quality of the education the school provides. The school gives good value for money.

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What the school does well

• The school provides very well for the children in the Foundation Stage so they have a very good start to their education. • The quality of teaching is good and this has had a significant impact on pupils’ learning and contributes greatly to the high achievement of pupils in English, mathematics and science by the time they leave the school. • The care the school provides, the very good relationships pupils enjoy with each other and with the staff and the very positive attitudes they have to their work enable them to make good progress in their learning. • The school provides very well for moral, social and cultural development. • The headteacher provides very effective leadership so that the entire school community is committed to raising standards. • The provision the school makes for pupils with special educational needs and those who speak English as an additional language is very good enabling these pupils to make good and often very

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What could be improved

• Standards in English, science and information and communication technology at Key Stage 1 and in religious education at both key stages. • Ensure that all pupils have the opportunity to take part in an act of collective worship every day as is their statutory right. • Attendance and punctuality of pupils. 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

Since the last inspection in February 2000, the school has been very successful in addressing most of the key issues identified in the last report. The school is now providing a very good education for the pupils in the Foundation Stage. Overall, there is also a greater proportion of good and better teaching. Standards in English have improved considerably by the time pupils leave the school and this is reflected Ben Jonson School - 9 in the much improved test results for 11-year-olds. However, standards in English by the end of Key Stage 1 remain below the national average. There have also been great improvement in standards in mathematics and science by the time pupils leave the school and, to a lesser extent, in art. Although standards in information and communication technology for the older pupils have improved, for the pupils in Key Stage 1 they are still below the standards expected for pupils of their age. Standards attained by

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

pupils in religious education are not as good as at the last inspection. Co-ordinators are now playing a more important role in the monitoring of the quality of teaching and learning in their subjects. The school now has effective procedures for gathering information about what pupils know and can do and teachers use this to plan appropriate work for individual pupils. Other significant improvements are: pupils’ attitudes to their learning are now very good; the provision the school makes for pupils’ moral, social and cultural awareness is very effective; the school looks after the pupils very well; the school’s links with parents are very good; the provision the school makes for pupils with special educational needs and who speak English as an additional language are very effective; the leadership and management of the school are very good. Since the last inspection the school has made very good improvements and is well placed

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STANDARDS

The table shows the standards achieved by pupils at the end of Year 6 based on average point scores in National Curriculum tests.

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Key

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

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Key

The table shows that, in 1999 and 2000 the results of the English tests for Year 6 pupils were well below the national average. Although better in mathematics and science for the years 1998 and 1999 standards in the subjects were well below average in 2000. However, due to much improved teaching and learning strategies and higher expectations of pupils’ achievements by teachers, the results improved greatly in 2001, surpassing the school’s targets, and with a greater than average number of pupils achieving the higher Level 5 in all the tested subjects. When compared with schools where pupils have similar backgrounds the results were very high in English and mathematics and well above average in science. In their tests in 2001, the percentage of Year 2 pupils achieving the expected Level 2 was almost the same as that nationally in reading and mathematics but considerably lower in writing. However, the comparative percentage achieving the higher Level 3 was very low, making the average

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Key

points score for all these subjects well below average when compared with all schools , but in line with schools where pupils have similar backgrounds in reading and writing, although slightly lower in mathematics.

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Key

The current pupils in Year 2 are attaining standards in English and science below that expected for their age group, mainly because a large proportion have not developed fluency in spoken or written English. However, in mathematics most are attaining average standards with a small number achieving beyond this. Standards attained by the Year 6 pupils in English and science are generally above those expected for their age group. In mathematics, standards are average although a significant number are attaining standards above this. Standards in religious education of both Year 2 and 6 pupils are below the expected levels of the locally agreed syllabus as many pupils show a very superficial knowledge of faiths other than their own. Pupils achieve sound standards in most other subjects but standards in information and communication technology of Year 2 pupils are currently below average because not enough time is

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Key

The provision for pupils with special educational needs is very good and as a result pupils make at least good progress towards the targets in their individual education plans and achieve well in relation to their Ben Jonson School - 10 prior attainment. Pupils who speak English as an additional language make good progress in their acquisition of spoken and written English due to the very effective support they receive. Although the school is aware of the needs of gifted and talented pupils it is at an early stage of developing extra support for them.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Very good. Pupils are respectful, keen to learn and enjoy school life.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Good. Pupils listen carefully to each other and consider thoughtfully the feelings of others.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Good. Pupils enjoy taking responsibility. Very good relationships exist between pupils between pupils and adults.

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Aspect Comment

Attendance Unsatisfactory. Too many pupils take extended holidays in term-time and there is a significant amount of lateness.

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Aspect Comment

Pupils are confident learners and keen to increase their knowledge and skills in all subjects, particularly as they progress through the school.

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

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

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

The quality of teaching observed was good overall. In the reception class the teaching was very good. This consistently high quality of teaching is reflected in the good and often very good rate of progress the children make in their early years at school. The teachers, nursery nurses and all members of the support staff have a clear understanding of the educational and social needs of these young children and have realistically high expectations of achievement and behaviour.

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

Since the last inspection the school has developed a very focused approach to teaching and learning and this has had a great impact on the attainment of pupils. Teachers nearly always share with pupils at the beginning of lessons what they are going to learn and assess through questioning and discussion whether pupils have achieved this. Teachers are very conscientious and clear about what they expect pupils to learn. They plan their lessons very well and generally use their assessments of pupils effectively to provide appropriate challenge. Teachers are very aware of their responsibilities and successfully promote learning for pupils with special educational needs. In addition, teachers are well aware of the needs of pupils who are at an early stage of acquisition of English. They take every opportunity in all subjects to develop language. Teachers ensure that pupils are aware of key words they need to learn

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

and understand, and carefully repeat them at regular intervals. Most teachers have high expectations of work and behaviour and nearly all pupils rise to these, which enhances their learning.

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

Teaching of English and mathematics is generally good, and pupils learn effectively because important areas for development, such as oracy, have been carefully identified and focused upon. In literacy and numeracy lessons, teachers’ enthusiasm for promoting learning often shows as teachers successfully provide a good balance between building on and reinforcing pupils’ previous knowledge, and presenting them with new ideas and information. Teachers frequently use skilful questioning techniques to extend pupils’ thinking and learning and most level questions carefully to match the learning abilities of pupils in their classes.

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

There are some weaknesses in teaching. The pace of learning is slow especially when teachers take too Ben Jonson School - 11 much time explaining tasks, give pupils too much time to complete them so they became bored and lose concentration. In other lessons the work planned for the pupils was not matched well to their understanding and did not develop their knowledge and skills successfully.

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

All support staff make a very valuable contribution to the pupils’ education. They are very well prepared to meet the pupils’ learning needs especially those with special educational needs. They are well informed by teachers and provide considerable support, through speaking and listening activities, for pupils who are at an early stage of English acquisition, both in whole class lessons and group activities.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum Very good for pupils in the Foundation Stage. The school provides, in general, a good broad and balanced curriculum for the five to eleven year olds.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Very good provision for all pupils and especially for those pupils who have Statements of Special Educational Need.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with English as an additional language The provision and support is very good. The school places a great priority on developing oracy in all lessons.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Very good, overall. The school promotes the pupils’ moral, social and cultural awareness very well. The provision for pupils’ spiritual development is satisfactory.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils Very well. The staff are caring and know the pupils well. They provide very good advice and support for all pupils.

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Aspect Comment

The school offers a good range of learning opportunities, including good support for learning outside the school day. The school places a great emphasis on improving pupils’ English skills. Consequently, a much larger proportion of time than usual has to be spent on improving speaking and listening skills during all lessons. The school is generally successful in overcoming the resulting time restrictions for subjects other than English, mathematics and science by introducing strong cross-curricular links between lessons. Although the curriculum meets statutory requirements to teach all subjects of the National Curriculum and religious education, the allocated time to teach religious education at the end of Key Stage 2 does not allow for the requirements of the Agreed Syllabus to be met properly. Acts of collective worship do not always provide sufficient opportunities for pupils to reflect on their own

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Aspect Comment

experience and that of others. In addition, not all classes take part in an act of collective worship every day, as is statutory. The vast majority of parents are very supportive of the school and their children’s learning.

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and manage- ment by the headteacher and other key staff Very good. The headteacher provides very effective and enthusiastic leadership. She and her highly supportive staff are committed to providing the best education for the pupils and raising standards .

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities The governors are very effective, have a high level of expertise and take an active role in the management of the school. They fulfil their statutory requirements well.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance Very good. The headteacher, staff and governors are very strongly committed to raising standards. Ben Jonson School - 12 The strategic use of resources Very good. The school uses the material resources, the accommodation and the strengths of the staff to great effect in order to support pupils’ learning.

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Aspect Comment

The inclusion of pupils and staff into the community of the school is very good. The headteacher, senior management team and the staff work together effectively to meet the school’s wholly appropriate aims so that a very positive ethos pervades the school. Governors are enthusiastic and have a useful committee structure to improve the efficiency of their management. The school monitors and evaluates its performance closely and governors have a good understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. The budget is operated according to the factors of best value. Teachers, in their roles of subject co-ordinators, are making an effective input into monitoring and evaluating the curriculum and teaching and the impact it has on pupils’ learning. The school’s staffing provision is good, the accommodation is very good and resources are good, overall, both in quality and quantity .

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• Their children enjoy school. • Children make good progress. • Behaviour is good. • Teaching is good. • Children are expected to work hard. • The school helps children to become mature. • Some would like the school to work more closely with parents. • Some would like to know more about what their children are doing in school and how they are progressing. • Some do not feel comfortable about approaching staff with problems. • The provision of homework.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

The inspection team agrees with the parents’ positive comments. However, the team does not agree with a minority of parents’ views on improvements. The school gives parents many opportunities to be involved in their children’s education. It provides parents with as many opportunities as most schools, to find out how their children are progressing in their work. In addition, the school has an ‘open door’ approach so parents can make an appointment to see the teacher or headteacher about their child’s progress or discuss problems they may have at any time. The school provides adequate and appropriate homework which enhances pupils’ learning. Ben Jonson School - 13

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

1. Nearly all children when they enter the school, in the September or January before their fifth birthday have had some pre-school experience. They enter reception with attainment assessed as well below average. Children achieve very well and make good and often very good progress during their time in the class due to the very good teaching and very good range of learning opportunities provided. Even so, most are unlikely to attain the recommended Early Learning Goals 1 in their personal, social and emotional development, communication, language and literacy, mathematical development and knowledge and understanding of the world. Children’s attainment in areas such as creative and physical development, which do not depend so greatly on spoken English, is likely to be broadly average.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

2. Standards in reading, writing and mathematics in the national tests for Year 2 pupils have remained well below the national average over the last four years. In their tests in 2001, the percentage of Year 2 pupils achieving the expected Level 2 was almost the same as that nationally in reading and mathematics but considerably lower in writing. However, the comparative percentage achieving the higher Level 3 was very low, making the average points score for all these subjects well below average when compared with all schools , but in line with schools where pupils have similar backgrounds in reading and writing, although slightly lower in mathematics. Teachers’ assessments of standards in science at the end of 2000 for this age group were also below average. In general, there was very little difference on the average performance of seven- year-old boys and girls over the last three years.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

3. Over the years 1998 to 2000 the results of the English tests for Year 6 pupils were well below the national average. In mathematics over the same period the results were average in 1998 and 1999 but dropped to well below average in 2000 and there was a similar picture in the science results. However, due to much improved teaching and learning strategies and higher expectations of pupils’ achievements by teachers, the results improved greatly in 2001, surpassing the school’s targets, and with a greater than average number of pupils achieving the higher level 5 in all subjects. In English results were above the national average and in mathematics and science results were well above the national average. When compared with schools where pupils have similar backgrounds the results were very high in English and mathematics and well above average in science. There has been very little difference between the performance of boys and girls in these tests over the

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

last three years. The trend in the school’s average National Curriculum points for English, mathematics and science over the last four years is above the national trend. The school has set challenging yet realistic targets for these tests in 2002.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

4. Most pupils make at least good progress and achieve well over time and this progress escalates as pupils’ acquisition of spoken and written English improves. Pupils are also benefiting from the improved teaching and the generous level of support staff who give valuable assistance to pupils with special educational needs and those who speak English as an additional language. Pupils make good progress in their personal and social development and have very good attitudes to their learning and this is a major factor in enabling teachers to establish calm interactive conditions in which good quality learning can take place.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

5. The current pupils in Years 2 are attaining standards in English and science below that expected for their age group, mainly because a large proportion have not developed fluency in spoken or written English. However, in mathematics most are attaining average standards with a small number achieving beyond this. Standards attained by the Year 6 pupils in English and science are generally above those expected for their age group. In mathematics standards are average although a significant number are attaining higher standards.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

1 Early Learning Goals are what most children are expected to achieve by the end of the foundation year (reception year) in the following areas of their development: personal, social and emotional, communication, language and literacy, mathematical, knowledge and understanding of the world, physical and creative. Ben Jonson School - 14 6. During their time in Key Stage 1 most pupils are steadily developing fluency in spoken English but even so by the end of the key stage their speaking skills are below average. However, most listen well to teachers and support staff. By the time pupils are 11 years old most pupils have speaking and listening skills which are at least average. Most pupils in Key Stage 2 express their ideas and thoughts and feelings using an increasingly wide vocabulary as they move through the school. Most pupils listen attentively to their teachers and each other. Pupils’ reading skills in Year 2 are

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

below average but as pupils develop their skills of spoken English many have become confident and fluent readers by the time they are in Year 6. In Year 2 pupils’ skills in writing are weak as many are still at the early stages of learning English but pupils make good progress throughout Key Stage 2, and most Year 6 pupils have average and often better writing skills. Most are beginning to write sustained stories organising them in paragraphs. Pupils’ writing is neat as most take care over the presentation of their work. As pupils’ fluency in English increases so does their use of grammar so by the time pupils are in Year 6 they have an appropriate grasp of grammar for their age group. Pupils' number skills in Years 2 and 6 are at least average and often above average especially in Year 6. Most of these pupils show a good knowledge of strategies necessary for accurate mental calculations and read and write numbers up to 100,000 with a good

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

knowledge of place value. In science, Key Stage 1 pupils undertake an appropriate range of work which gives them an appropriate knowledge and understanding of scientific facts, but pupils' skills of scientific enquiry are not as well developed. During their time in Key Stage 2 pupils’ skills of scientific enquiry develop well along with their knowledge and understanding of scientific facts.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

7. Standards in religious education of both Year 2 and 6 pupils are below the expected levels of the locally agreed syllabus as many pupils show a very superficial knowledge of faiths other than their own. Pupils achieve sound standards in most other subjects but standards in information and communication technology of Year 2 pupils are currently below average because not enough time is spent on developing skills.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

8. The provision for pupils with special educational needs is very good and as a result pupils make at least good progress towards the targets in their individual education plans and achieve well in relation to their prior attainment. Pupils who speak English as an additional language make good progress in their acquisition of spoken and written English due to the very effective support they receive. Although the school is aware of the needs of gifted and talented pupils it is at an early stage of developing extra support for them.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

9. Pupils’ attitudes to learning and school life are very good and have improved since the last inspection.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

10. Due to the high priority put on developing children’s personal, social and emotional development when they start school, children soon develop good attitudes to their learning. Children become confident in their surroundings and develop an understanding of basic rules, taking turns and learning to put up their hands to answer a question. Many concentrate for lengthening periods and approach activities positively and behave well both within the classrooms and around the school. Many become involved in the classroom routines, such as clearing away after activities. However, due to their language difficulties they are often reticent about acknowledging the need for help or seeking help appropriately where needed.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

11. Throughout the rest of the school pupils are confident learners and keen to increase their knowledge and skills in all subjects, particularly as they progress through the school when they are able to work more independently. This is because teachers work hard to match work to meet the needs of their pupils and clearly explain what they are expected to learn. In classroom discussions pupils show very good respect in the way they listen to each other. Pupils consider learning as fun and enjoy coming to school and 97 per cent of parents who returned the questionnaires confirmed this. Enthusiasm and involvement in lunchtime and after school activities are very good. Pupils are proud of taking on responsibilities such as acting as ‘playground friends’ or helping friends who have difficulties. Younger pupils appreciate the opportunities to learn new playground games. Ben Jonson School - 15 12. Behaviour, overall, is good and standards have been maintained since the previous inspection. The

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

impact of the school initiatives to improve playground behaviour is very good and since the beginning of the autumn term the school’s monitoring records indicates a decrease in playground accidents because of an improvement in behaviour. No pupils have been excluded for poor behaviour in the past year and only very good playground behaviour was observed during inspection week. Ninety-two per cent of parents agree that behaviour in the school is good. Pupils follow procedures for ending playtime and move into and around the school in an orderly way when supervised. ‘The Playground Eye’ newsletter shares the views of supervisors and the School Council reports on an improvement in how well pupils play together which raises pupils’ awareness of how their actions affect others. In the majority of class lessons pupils respect the feelings and beliefs of others and behave appropriately. In almost all lessons pupils co-operate

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

well in small and large groups and help each other with tasks set by the teacher. In a few lessons that are not well managed by teachers pupils do not show this respect in listening to others when they share their experiences nor do they fully understand what is expected of them

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

13. Pupils’ personal development is generally good and an improvement since the last inspection. Pupils respond well when given the opportunity to take responsibility and initiative, for example, in their letters of application to fulfil the role of chairperson on the School Council and members suggest monitors from each class to oversee use of baskets of small apparatus at playtimes. As a result of their involvement in recycling, pupils raise money by putting on a fashion show using old recycled fabrics to make clothes as part of the Summer Fayre. They appreciate the trust placed upon them to be responsible for taking school registers to the office. During the summer term older pupils are eager to assist younger pupils with reading as part of a ‘Buddy’ programme. Pupils in Year 6 are willingly involved in the ‘The Playground Friends’ scheme alongside a teacher, which younger pupils enjoy.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

14. Relationships within the school, as at the last inspection, are very good and are based upon mutual respect. Because of the secure, relaxed interaction between themselves, teachers and other adults, pupils are confident in sharing their ideas orally in almost all lessons. The very effective working relationships in the school make a significant contribution to consistency in the implementation of systems for teaching and learning in place in the school and in pupils’ desire to learn and their ability to concentrate, listen well and increase their knowledge.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

15. Pupils’ attendance is unsatisfactory. However, it has improved slightly since the last inspection when it was judged to be satisfactory. Although the attendance of pupils is below the national average it is well above the 90 per cent threshold and is above the average for schools in the local authority area. However, there are too many pupils taking extended holidays in term time and this has a negative effect on the progress and attainment of those pupils who miss school and has a serious impact on the overall attendance figures for the school.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

16. The unauthorised absence figure is well above the national average and above the average for the local authority area. The school correctly identifies unauthorised absence in line with the official guidelines and this has led to an increase in the unauthorised absence figure. There is no evidence of truancy. Other absences are generally due to medical reasons. Registration is taken quickly and efficiently, but there are a number of pupils arriving late for school, and the school sees this as a need to be addressed.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

17. Overall, the quality of teaching observed was good and often very good or better. However, eight per cent of teaching was unsatisfactory. Throughout the school, 65 per cent of teaching was good or better, 28 per cent very good or better and four per cent excellent. At Key Stage 1, although the teaching in one lesson was unsatisfactory, 96 per cent was satisfactory or better, 64 per cent good or better, 25 per cent very good or better and one lesson, four per cent, was excellent. Of the teaching at Key Stage 2, 88 per cent was satisfactory or better, 61 per cent good or better, 24 per cent very good or better and in two lessons, 8 per cent of the teaching was excellent. The proportion of good or better teaching has improved considerably since the last inspection and is having a positive impact on pupils’ learning. Ben Jonson School - 16 18. The quality of the teaching of the children at the Foundation Stage was very good. This is a vast

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

improvement since the last inspection when it was judged to be a weakness of the school. Now it is a strength. This consistently high quality of teaching is reflected in the good and often very good rate of progress the children make in their early years at school. The teachers, nursery nurses and all members of the support staff have a clear understanding of the educational and social needs of these young children, the vast majority of whom speak little or no English. They plan and resource a good range of well-supported, interesting and challenging activities, indoors and out, model a range of appropriate behaviour and constantly stress the development of speaking and listening and personal and social skills. All members of staff have realistically high expectations of achievement and behaviour.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

19. Since the last inspection the school has developed a very focused approach to teaching and learning and this has had a great impact on the attainment of pupils. Teachers nearly always share with pupils at the beginning of lessons what they are going to learn and assess through questioning and discussion whether pupils have achieved this. For example, at the beginning of a physical development lesson the teacher told the children in the reception class that they were going to learn how to move different parts of the body. At the end of the lesson she asked them whether they thought they had learnt this and the assistants assessed individual pupils’ thoughts on this, speaking in the language they were most comfortable with, before they went to change.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

20. Teachers are very conscientious and clear about what they expect pupils to learn. They plan their lessons very well and generally use their assessments of pupils effectively to provide appropriate challenge. In this way teachers cater very well for the wide range of ability levels in their classes. They provide suitable challenge for those pupils who find learning easy and good support for those who find it more difficult. Teachers are very aware of their responsibilities and successfully promote learning for pupils with special educational needs. Appropriately detailed and specific individual educational plans with ‘smart’ targets for pupils’ learning are provided for pupils on the register, written by the class teachers in conjunction with the special educational needs co-ordinator. These are kept by teachers in the classrooms so that they can be referred to regularly and annotated by the teacher or classroom support assistants. Teachers appropriately keep pupils

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

aware of these targets, and also praise them for all their achievements. The co-ordinator, special educational needs teachers, class teachers and the well-qualified and conscientious classroom support assistants work together very well to meet the needs of pupils with special educational needs. They provide very good in-class support, a very good blend of help and challenge, and a range of graded tasks matched to their needs. In addition, teachers are well aware of the needs of pupils who are at an early stage of acquisition of English. They take every opportunity in all subjects to develop language. Teachers ensure that pupils are aware of key words they need to learn and understand, and carefully repeat them at regular intervals. In most lessons, teachers give pupils the chance to discuss a question or problem with their ‘talking partner’, giving them the time and often the confidence, to answer.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

21. Teachers have high expectations of work and behaviour and nearly all pupils rise to these, which enhances their learning. For example, in a science lesson the Year 6 pupils were learning about forces and, in particular, gravity. The class teacher ensured that the pupils knew what she expected them to learn so they focused fully on the activity. She used correct terminology to develop their scientific vocabulary in her preliminary explanations and instructions and left pupils with enough information to measure the force created by standard weights. During their experiments the teacher allowed pupils the time to discuss their findings and refine their experiments. By the end of the lesson most pupils were developing a clearer understanding about the force of gravity.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

22. The quality of teaching in literacy and numeracy lessons is frequently good or better. Teachers’ enthusiasm for promoting learning often shows in these lessons when teachers successfully provide a good balance between building on and reinforcing pupils’ previous knowledge, and presenting them with new ideas and information. For example, in a Year 1 numeracy lesson, the teacher was developing pupils’ mathematical vocabulary as they described the position of teddy in relation to a mug. The teacher involved the pupils in an exciting game with a good injection of humour, which stimulated their interest and learning. Not only did the pupils learn the words associated with position, the teacher also furthered pupils’ literacy skills by asking them to describe in full sentences the relative position of the teddy to the mug. The quality of teaching observed in all other subjects, apart from religious education where it was unsatisfactory, was at

p.16

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

Ben Jonson School - 17 least satisfactory and frequently good. When and where appropriate, teachers use information and communication technology effectively to support pupils’ learning, and pupils themselves appreciate how computers improve the spelling and presentation of their work.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

23. Teachers frequently use skilful questioning techniques to extend pupils’ thinking and learning and many level questions carefully to match the learning abilities of pupils in their classes. In a very good literacy lesson, the oldest pupils were finding out how paragraphs are organised in texts. Through a challenging task and a very good question and answer session the pupils soon learned that a paragraph included a main event and details that supported it. The teacher had extremely good subject knowledge and she created a very good learning situation through the good use of resources and mix of teaching strategies, so that the pupils were focused very positively on their work and developing their knowledge of writing.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

24. However, there are some weaknesses in teaching. The pace of learning was slow in a numeracy lesson because the teacher took too much time explaining tasks and gave pupils too much time to complete them so they became bored and lost concentration. In all of the three religious education lessons observed the quality of teaching was unsatisfactory. In the lesson with the Year 2 pupils the teacher was unable to hold the pupils’ attention and interest and so many started to behave inappropriately. The teacher had to continually stop the lesson and draw them together again and this had the detrimental effect of slowing the pace of the lesson and pupils’ learning. In the other lessons the work planned for the pupils was not matched well to their understanding and did not develop their knowledge and skills. In the two unsuccessful music lessons, one teacher did not give sufficient challenges to promote learning and the other failed to

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

manage the pupils’ poor behaviour so very little learning took place.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

25. Teachers’ use of marking is inconsistent and does not always support learning well. However, in some subjects, for example English and mathematics, teachers use marking effectively to develop learning and achieve a good balance between making supportive comments and suggestions for improvement and development. Homework is frequently used well to support learning. For instance, all pupils are encouraged to take books home to extend their reading and older pupils often take revision work to support their work in lessons.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

26. All support staff make a very valuable contribution to the pupils’ education. They are very well prepared to meet the pupils’ learning needs especially those with special educational needs. They are well informed by teachers and provide considerable support, through speaking and listening activities, for pupils who are at an early stage of English acquisition, both in whole class lessons and group activities.

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TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

27. The provision for very young children in the Foundation Stage is very good and a strength of the school. This constitutes a considerable improvement since the previous OFSTED inspection, less than two years ago.

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TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

28. For pupils throughout the rest of the school, as at the last inspection, the school provides a broad and generally balanced curriculum. It offers a good range of learning opportunities, including good support for learning outside the school day, which successfully meet the needs of its pupils. The curriculum meets statutory requirements to teach all subjects of the National Curriculum and religious education. However, at the time of inspection religious education had not been taught during the current term at the end of Key Stage 2, and lessons in the subject were planned to be taught intensively as a block in the last two weeks of the term. However, this limited amount of time allotted to the subject does not allow for the requirements of the Agreed Syllabus to be met properly. The balance of the curriculum is currently unsatisfactory in this subject at the end of Key Stage 2, although satisfactory for the rest of the school.

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TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

29. The great majority of pupils on entry to the school do not speak English, and so the school has placed the emphasis of the curriculum, particularly in the lower school, firmly on improving pupils’ English skills. Consequently, a much larger proportion of time than usual has to be spent on improving speaking and listening skills during all lessons. The school has tried hard and with Ben Jonson School - 18 some success to overcome the resulting time restrictions for subjects other than English, mathematics and science by introducing strong cross-curricular links between lessons. For example, a Year 3 design and technology lesson was seen during the inspection to have very strong curricular links to English, information and communication technology, science and mathematics. There is a whole school ‘curriculum map’ detailing all units of work to be undertaken by each year group during the school year and appropriate, largely government-recommended

p.17

TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

schemes of work are in place for all curriculum subjects. These provide a secure basis for skills and learning to be built on progressively as pupils move through the school, and appropriate guidance to teachers.

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TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

30. The school has implemented the government's recommended National Literacy and Numeracy strategies very well, and planning and teaching take appropriate account of the recommendations both for lesson format and for lesson content. A good range of well-supported extra-curricular activities takes place during lunchtimes and after school during the year, including a good range of after-school clubs supported by government-awarded ‘New Opportunities Funding’. A rich programme of additional educational visits and visitors is arranged to enhance learning and broaden the curriculum. The school makes satisfactory provision for homework, which is set and, in the majority of cases, marked regularly.

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TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

31. All pupils have equal access to all areas of the curriculum and those pupils with learning needs or physical disabilities have a good level of support to ensure they are included as far as possible in all activities. Arrangements for identifying and supporting pupils with special educational needs are very good. A comprehensive register of special educational needs is kept by the special educational needs co-ordinator who provides very good leadership and support for special educational needs within the school. Pupils with Statements of Special Educational Need in the school receive the support detailed in their statements and are very well included in all school activities. Their individual education plans and targets are reviewed regularly, wherever possible, with parents’ input.

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TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

32. The school makes very good provision for pupils' personal, social and health education through weekly lessons and other areas of the curriculum, such as science. A well-planned programme of personal, social and health education activities including circle times, when as a class, pupils talk and discuss problems that arise, make a significant contribution to pupils’ understanding of the responsibilities of being a member of the community. The governing body has made the decision that sex education should not be part of the curriculum, but appropriate drugs-misuse education is provided. The school has developed good links with the local community through the Education Business Partnership (EBP), local businesses and industry. Visitors to the school such as artists, use their specific expertise in their work with the pupils, and enrich the curriculum. The school has good relationships with the adjacent nursery school and there are good links with the local

p.18

TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

33. Provision for pupils’ moral, social and cultural development is very good, is an improvement since the last inspection and is a strength of the school. Provision for pupils’ spiritual development is satisfactory which is not so good as at the last inspection.

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TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

34. The provision for pupils’ moral development is very good. The school is clear about what it expects from pupils. Pupils, in turn, are clear about what is right and wrong. Most pupils behave well in lessons and around the school, showing that they recognise the difference. Sensible rules, which the pupils have helped to devise, are displayed in classrooms. In a Year 6 class all the pupils have signed a contract agreeing their class code of behaviour. The achievement assemblies celebrate pupils’ good work and behaviour and help to convey a strong sense of purpose to all pupils. Teachers and learning support assistants are good role models and by their examples show pupils how they should behave. They show patience and consideration in all their dealings with pupils, helping them to resolve any difficulties and helping them to support and understand each other.

p.18

TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

35. The school makes very good provision for pupils’ social development. Teachers show sympathy in their monitoring of pupils’ relationships throughout the school. They take time to explain to pupils the benefits of building a harmonious community. Although there are a few examples of aggressive behaviour, most of the pupils are kind and caring towards one another. The school has introduced a system of playground friends. This involves older pupils being available to support Ben Jonson School - 19 and play with younger pupils at playtimes, ensuring that they are included in games and that any pupils feeling lonely or left out can be supported. These pupils receive guidance in their roles and all pupils speak very positively about them. There is a recently formed school council. Pupils are very proud of having been elected as councillors and are very concerned to represent the views of their classmates. In lessons pupils work very well together in pairs or groups. They show good

p.18

TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

levels of co-operation and support each other well. Pupils make regular collections for charity. The school is currently collecting money to support the UNICEF appeal to support children in Afghanistan. The school has previously collected money for the BBC’s Children In Need Appeal and has taken part in the sponsored skipping event for the National Heart Foundation. Pupils in Year 6 have considered their responsibilities as members of the school community and have thought about what they can contribute to the school.

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TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

36. The school provides very good opportunities for pupils to reflect upon their own culture and that of others. The school celebrates the cultural heritage of its many Bengali pupils. The inspection took place during the observance of Ramadan and the school took great care to support its Muslim pupils in their religious observance. A place for prayer was provided during the week and this was led by a Muslim teacher. There are welcome notices around the school in different languages and posters indicating that all cultures are equally valued. Music and art make a good contribution to pupils’ cultural development.

p.19

TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

37. Overall, the provision for pupils’ spiritual development is satisfactory. However, acts of collective worship do not always provide sufficient opportunities for pupils to reflect on their own experience and that of others. In addition, not all classes take part in an act of collective worship every day, as is statutory. Across the curriculum, opportunities for pupils to reflect on experience were very limited and not planned for. In a Year 6 lesson, pupils were asked to reflect on how they felt when reading about Helen Keller’s first experience of being able to communicate with someone else. Pupils responded well to this opportunity but it was a rare example in the inspection. Teachers do not include in their planning questions to encourage pupils to reflect on their experience and to consider the deeper meaning of why and how things are as they are.

p.19

TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

38. Progress has been good in providing for pupils’ moral, social and cultural development but progress in the provision for pupils’ spiritual development is unsatisfactory.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

39. All staff are very committed to the care and well being of the pupils in the school. They know the pupils very well and use this knowledge to provide very good support and guidance, which meet pupils’ needs.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

40. Procedures for child protection and for ensuring pupils’ welfare, health and safety are very good. This is an improvement since the last inspection. The head teacher and the deputy head have had the appropriate training for child protection and the new category of looked after children. All staff have recently attended an induction course to increase their awareness of child protection issues and the current reporting procedures. The child protection procedures are in line with the local authority guidelines and procedures are in place for looked after children. Health and safety procedures are very good. Pupils take medication under staff supervision as and when required, and all staff have attended a one-day first aid course. Staff have a list of pupils’ medical conditions and pupils know that they can go to any member of staff for help or guidance. The school uses a number of outside agencies to provide effective support for all their pupils. The school complies

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

with current legislation and ensures that police checks are carried out on everyone in the school. There is an annual premises audit, which is carried out by an outside consultancy and there are no outstanding health and safety issues. The head teacher and the hard working school premises manager make termly risk assessments and any defects are recorded and rectified, although no unnecessary maintenance is currently taking place because of the proposed new buildings. The school is clean and well looked after. Legal requirements are met with fire regulations and all electrical testing. Pupils are well supervised at all times by a very committed and caring staff. The school liaises regularly with outside agencies to ensure appropriate support is available for pupils. Pupils’ records contain a wide range of academic and social information.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

41. The school’s procedures for monitoring and promoting attendance are very good. The school has Ben Jonson School - 20 introduced a range of new, very good procedures to bring about improvements in pupils’ attendance. These include contacting parents on the first day that a pupil does not attend school, meetings with parents, staff and the educational welfare officer, letters to parents about poor attendance and also letters when the attendance of pupils improves. The school regularly highlights attendance issues in their newsletters and the assistant head teacher monitors the attendance on a weekly basis for individual pupils whose attendance is causing concern. A gold bowl is presented each week to the class with the highest attendance at each key stage and individual pupils are presented with certificates and stickers to recognise good or improved attendance. This is effective and is very popular with the pupils. The school is currently reviewing its procedures to ensure effective and

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

accurate recording and monitoring of punctuality.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

42. Procedures for monitoring and promoting good behaviour are very good. All staff are consistent in the application of the behaviour policy and they have very high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. The class teacher deals with any misbehaviour in the classroom and the more serious incidents are recorded. The members of the senior management team monitor these records every half term. This has resulted in the school introducing a number of new initiatives, which have been successful in bringing about improvements in behaviour. For example pupils, who are put on report, monitor and evaluate their own behaviour. They were keen to explain that when they get angry they now take time out to calm down and no longer get involved in fights. Lunchtime is well supervised and the new initiatives currently being introduced are proving to be successful with pupils and with staff.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

43. Procedures for monitoring pupils’ personal development are good. Staff use a range of strategies to monitor pupils’ personal development. Pupils take great pride in receiving stickers and certificates at assemblies in recognition of their success. Teachers meet regularly with other members of staff and share information to ensure effective support is provided for all pupils. Sharing specific information with parents at the parents’ consultation meeting also aids monitoring of personal development.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

44. Procedures for assessing pupils’ attainment and progress are very good. This is a very good improvement since the previous inspection and the effective action taken by the school has raised pupils’ standards above national expectations in English, mathematics and science at the end of the school remarkably. Previously assessment procedures for gathering information about what pupils know and can do and using the information to inform teachers’ planning was a key issue and the school has addressed this issue very successfully. Currently, teachers plan what they want pupils to learn in each lesson and carefully assess pupils’ learning against these objectives. This good practice is raising standards across the curriculum in most subjects. The use of assessment for medium and long-term planning in English, mathematics and science is effective in monitoring pupils’ progress throughout the school and the school has a clear action plan to

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

transfer this good practice to the foundation subjects. Planning for portfolios for each subject with samples of levelled work is rightly part of the assessment action plan. 45. There is very good use of assessment procedures to identify pupils with special educational needs. The special educational needs co-ordinator maintains a detailed register of special educational needs pupils. There are appropriate procedures for identifying ‘concerns’ and for placing pupils on the register and one measure of the efficacy of the school’s provision is that pupils move off the register as well as onto it. There is very good inclusion of pupils with special educational needs into all daily activities and changes have been made in the use of accommodation in order to better accommodate the needs of pupils with special educational needs.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

46. Results of school tests are analysed from which pupils’ individual needs are planned. Learning targets are set which are shared with the pupils and their parents. The great majority of pupils in the school are Muslim and learning is part of their home culture. In this way the pupils and the school are advantaged from the support by the home for pupils to reach their targets. Academic and personal targets are integrated well into lessons and the school policy for marking pupils’ written work against the expected learning outcomes is generally followed, but if adhered to more consistently by all teachers, would have a greater effect on learning.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

47. Planning work is based upon the analysis of pupils’ performance in relation to how well they meet the individual or class targets and as a result is raising pupils’ standards. Tracking of individual Ben Jonson School - 21 pupils’ progress from careful observations recorded soon after entry to the reception class, is on going throughout the school. Information about pupils’ achievements in reception in relation to the Early Learning Goals and their needs for learning sounds and words is used well for planning at the beginning of Key Stage 1. Pupils who need help with reading at the beginning of Key Stage 2 respond well to additional support in literacy. All teachers including those new to the school use records maintained by previous teachers to plan teaching that matches the needs of the pupils to provide important continuity in teaching and learning. Support staff are familiar with procedures and

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

are fully involved at the end of lessons in assessing how well pupils in their group reach the learning intentions and in noting their individual reading development when listening to pupils read. Class teachers’ reading records clearly identify pupils’ responses and needs which inform further teaching and target setting.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

48. The vast majority of parents who attended the meeting and completed the questionnaire are very happy with what the school achieves and provides. However, a very small number of parents at the parents’ meeting said they did not know how to complain. The school documentation clearly identifies the procedures for parents who wish to make a complaint and this information is also included in newsletters to parents.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

49. The quality of information provided to parents about their child’s progress is very good. The school works very hard at providing parents with information that will help to bring about improvements in standards, behaviour and attendance. For example, when the attendance of pupils in the reception class dropped below 90 per cent earlier this term, the school arranged for the educational welfare officer to talk to parents about the importance of ensuring that their children attend school regularly. The school arranges for an interpreter to be available every morning and at the end of the school day for parents to raise any concerns. This service is much valued by parents who raise a number of family concerns as well as academic issues. Parents report that the school always does its best to provide support for the family with both social and academic advice. There are however some inconsistencies in the quality of pupils’ annual reports. Some reports are too

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

positive and the targets for improvement are not specific enough for example ‘Continue to work hard.’ But other reports, particularly those of pupils in Year 6, are very good. They provide detailed information on pupils’ strengths and weaknesses and include realistic targets for improvement. There are parent/teacher consultation meetings every term when each child’s progress is discussed. There are additional meetings for parents of pupils in Years 2 and 6 when the procedures for the national assessment tests are explained in detail to parents. The school always arranges for interpreters to be present at parents’ meetings. One classroom assistant in each year group acts as an interpreter. This is very effective in ensuring that accurate information is passed to parents. The regular letters home are often translated into home languages. Parents of pupils in Year 4 were invited to watch a video about the literacy hour in Bengali and in English; these

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

initiatives are very effective in promoting partnership with parents and in helping to raise standards of achievement. The prospectus and the governors’ annual report to parents are informative and meet requirements. The school provides parents with advance information on what their children will be studying each term and there is a meeting for parents of pupils in Year 6 to discuss the transfer to secondary education. The very good quality information which is provided to parents has a very positive effect on the progress and attainment of pupils.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

50. Parental involvement in their children’s learning is very good. The majority of parents take advantage of the many opportunities which the school offers for them to become more involved in their children’s learning. The attendance of parents at meetings is very high. For example 27 parents out of 33 attended the reception meeting about attendance. The attendance of parents at the parent consultation meetings is almost one hundred per cent. This has a very positive effect on the progress and the attainment of pupils. Parents of children in reception come into school to help with reading and they also learn phonics together with their child. Parents help regularly with homework although some parents reported that homework is not always marked. Workshops on mathematics and science are planned for parents which should enable them to help their child more effectively and to understand how their child is learning in school. Parents regularly write

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

comments in their child’s home reading record and are very supportive of their children’s learning. For example parents of pupils in Year 6 purchased revisions books to help their children who were due to take the national assessment tests. The school has very good systems for keeping parents Ben Jonson School - 22 of special educational needs pupils well informed about their children’s progress and, where necessary, bilingual support is provided for these meetings. The support of parents and their involvement in their children’s education have a significant impact on the standards achieved by the school.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

51. Overall, the effectiveness of the school’s links with parents is very good and constitutes an improvement since the last inspection.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

52. The leadership and management of the school are very good, which is an improvement since the last inspection. The headteacher, appointed not long before the last OFSTED inspection, has overseen significant, steady improvements in the quality of the curriculum, the quality of lesson planning and of teaching through rigorous monitoring and evaluation.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

53. She has a clear vision for the future development of the school and this is well documented in the school improvement plan. This comprehensive and well-constructed plan has been an important focus for the educational direction of the work of the school and establishing improvements. As a result the quality of education and teaching of pupils in the Foundation Stage have improved significantly, and the standards Year 6 pupils attained last year in the national assessment tests in English, mathematics and science surpassed those nationally. She very effective and enthusiastic and, in spite of the large turnover of staff, has cultivated a team spirit within the school community so that there is a shared, whole-school determination and capacity to succeed in the pursuit of raising standards. The senior management team work very well together and their complementary individual expertise leads to a successful management structure. The wholly

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

appropriate aims of the school are met such that a very positive ethos pervades the school.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

54. Governors are keen and have high levels of expertise. They are very supportive, take an active role in the management of the school and fulfil their statutory requirements well. The school monitors and evaluates its performance closely and governors have a good understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. They make good use of the detailed analysis of assessment results and compare them with other schools both locally and nationally.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

55. The school is very effective in evaluating the curriculum and teaching and the impact it has on pupils’ learning, especially through classroom observations undertaken by the headteacher, senior management team, subject co-ordinators and outside agencies. Most teachers in their roles of subject co-ordinators also monitor and evaluate teachers’ plans, lead training sessions and keep governors up to date with developments. They are well supported by the assistant headteacher and consultants bought in by the school for this purpose. Most have well focused development plans and are currently working hard to review policies and update schemes of work in line with curriculum changes. They are beginning to make an important contribution to the management of the school.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

56. The inclusion of pupils and staff into the community of the school is very good. There is a very good, managed approach, which actively informs the life of the school. Senior staff have a clear overview of areas where pupils and staff need to be included and seek ways in which to improve the involvement of people in the school. The focus of inclusion in the playground has meant training for midday meal supervisors and a regular newsletter dealing with their issues. This has been successful in creating a shared concern amongst all people in the school. People from the majority and minority groups in the local community help as classroom learning assistants and this is effective in providing role models for pupils and in raising their aspirations. The school cares well for its pupils needing particular care and attention. The special educational needs co-ordinator liases closely with teachers and support staff and has a very good overview of special educational

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

57. The school’s financial management is very good. Governors work closely with the school to secure value for money when buying resources and to try to ensure that the school’s overall provision compares favourably with other schools. In order that pupils receive a continuous and progressive education, governors take appropriate measures to retain good teachers. Co-ordinators are taking increasing responsibility for financial management of their subject, so that their knowledge helps to Ben Jonson School - 23 focus expenditure. This applies particularly to the budget for pupils with special educational needs. The school has made very good use of funds available for these pupils, so that staffing is particularly strong to support them. The school also makes good use of funds for supply teachers in using some of them to cover classes while teachers attend in-service training. All grants are very appropriately used for the benefit of pupils. The school’s daily administration is very efficient

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

and effective, making good use of computer technology, and freeing teachers to concentrate their minds on educating pupils.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

58. The school’s staffing provision is good. All teachers have the necessary expertise to teach the National Curriculum and religious education. The school has deployed its educational support staff very well, so that pupils with special educational needs, or who are still developing their use of English, are totally included in every lesson. The school also employs and makes very good use of a numeracy consultant who has made a major impact on teaching and learning especially in mathematics.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

59. Arrangements for the induction of new staff are very good. This is important in a school where there have been a significant number of changes. The school prepares newly qualified teachers well for their role, and supports them with opportunities for training. Teachers have a mentor who provides good guidance. New co-ordinators are clear about their roles and quickly learn to provide focused advice.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

60. The school ’ s accommodation is very good. It is spacious with good size classrooms that allow for the grouping and regrouping of pupils for a range of practical activities. All classrooms have access to running water. There are a number of specialist rooms, a medical room and parents’ room. The library is used by both key stages and currently doubles up as a computer suite. There is sufficient furniture of the correct size for all pupils. There is access for the disabled and a toilet for disabled pupils. The outside play areas are very good. The hard play areas have a range of games painted on the surfaces and there are quiet areas in the two playgrounds. There is also a grassed area in the Key Stage 1 playground but the school does not have access to a large playing field. The reception pupils have their own secure play area. There is no graffiti. Overall, the accommodation is generous and well kept.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

61. The school’s resources are good, overall, both in quality and quantity, as at the last inspection. Resources for pupils in the reception class, especially for outdoor activities which were criticised at the last inspection for being insufficient, are now very good. For art, history and geography resources are adequate but they are currently unsatisfactory for information and communication technology. For all other subjects resources are good. However, the storage of some resources is not well organised, so they are not easily accessible.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

62. The school has made very good improvements since the last inspection and school development planning indicates a capacity to improve further. Even though the cost of educating individual pupils is very high compared with that locally and nationally the school is currently giving good value for money.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

63. In order to continue with the very good school improvements, the governors, headteacher and staff should, take the following actions

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(1) Raise standards in English*, science* and information and communication technology* at Key Stage 1 by:

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• building on the successes of the improvements in the Foundation Stage; (Paragraphs 1, 10, 18, 27, 64 - 73) • continuing to provide opportunities for speaking, reading and writing across the curriculum; (Paragraphs 13, 29, 77, 79, 95, 110, 113) • providing more opportunities for scientific enquiry; (Paragraphs 6, 92) • providing pupils with sufficient time for them to develop their skills in information and communication technology and raising teachers expectations of what they expect pupils to attain. (Paragraphs 7, 115) Ben Jonson School - 24 (2) Raise standards in religious education at both key stages by:

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• ensuring that an appropriate amount of time is devoted to teaching religious education especially at the end of Key Stage 2; (Paragraphs 28, 132, 133) • improving the quality of teaching in the subject. (Paragraphs 7, 24, 134)

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(3) Ensure that all pupils have the opportunity to take part in an act of collective worship every day, as is their statutory right. (Paragraph 37)

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(4) Improve attendance and punctuality of pupils* through increased liaison with parents and carers, and the local education authority, and through increased incentives for pupils to arrive at school on time and attend regularly. (Paragraphs 15, 16, 41, 43, 49)

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

* Identified for improvement on the school’s development plan. Ben Jonson School - 25

p.24

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 65

p.25

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactor y Poor Very Poor

p.25

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

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

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 379

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 249

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 13

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 120

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 372

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 40

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

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

p.25

Attendance

National comparative data 5.6 National comparative data 0.5

p.25

Attendance

Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Ben Jonson School - 26

p.25

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

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2001 32 24 56

p.26

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

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

p.26

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

Boys 26 24 28 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 20 17 22

p.26

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

Percentage of pupils School 82 (74) 73 (84) 89 (83) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (83) 86 (84) 91 (90)

p.26

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

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

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

Boys 25 27 23 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 17 20 14

p.26

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

Percentage of pupils School 75 (76) 84 (78) 66 (76) at NC level 2 or above National 85 (84) 89 (88) 89 (88)

p.26

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

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

p.26

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

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 2001 26 24 50

p.26

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

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

p.26

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

Boys 19 21 24 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 21 19 23

p.26

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

Percentage of pupils School 80 (61) 80 (56) 94 (72) at NC level 4 or above National 75 (75) 71 (72) 87 (85)

p.26

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

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.26

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

Boys 16 20 20 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 19 18 23

p.26

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

Percentage of pupils School 70 (68) 76 (68) 86 (74) at NC level 4 or above National 72 (70) 74 (72) 82 (79)

p.26

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

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Ben Jonson School - 27

p.26

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage 1 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – African heritage 12 Black – African heritage 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Any other minority ethnic group 2 Other minority ethnic groups 0 0

p.27

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

This table refers to pupils of compulsory school age only. This table gives the number of exclusions of pupils of compulsory school age, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded.

p.27

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 22.2 Financial year 2000/2001

p.27

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 17

p.27

Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total income 1,298,574

p.27

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 19.5 Total expenditure 1,307,403

p.27

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 470.5 Expenditure per pupil 3,294

p.27

Teachers and classes Financial information

FTE means full-time equivalent. Balance brought forward from previous year 47,907

p.27

Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance carried forward to next year 39,078

p.27

Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 11.1

p.27

Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 9

p.27

Recruitment of teachers

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 0

p.27

Recruitment of teachers

Number of vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of a term or more (FTE) 7

p.27

Recruitment of teachers

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

p.27

Recruitment of teachers

FTE means full-time equivalent. Ben Jonson School - 28

p.27

Percentage of responses in each category

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

p.28

Percentage of responses in each category

My child is making good progress in school. 55 41 2 0 2

p.28

Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 63 30 2 0 5

p.28

Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 54 33 8 2 3

p.28

Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 52 34 8 3 3

p.28

Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 53 27 5 5 10

p.28

Percentage of responses in each category

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 65 25 3 1 6

p.28

Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 57 27 6 5 5

p.28

Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 51 35 4 3 7

p.28

Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 55 37 3 0 5

p.28

Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 47 34 6 3 10 Ben Jonson School - 29

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

64. Foundation Stage provision is very good and is a strength of the school. This constitutes very good improvement since the previous OFSTED inspection, less than two years previously.

p.29

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

65. Children enter the Foundation Stage in two separate intakes, at the beginning of the autumn term in September and at the beginning of the spring term in January. Most pupils attend a local nursery part-time before entering the school. At the time of the inspection there were 33 children in the class, ten of whom had had their fifth birthday. The school undertakes local education authority ‘baseline’ assessments of basic skills within the first half-term of pupils entering the school. This confirms that attainment on entry to the school is assessed as well below national averages, particularly in the area of communication, language and literacy in English. Children make good and often very good progress during their time in the class due to the very good teaching and very good range of learning opportunities provided. However, most of the children are still unlikely to attain the recommended Early Learning Goals in their personal, social and

p.29

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

emotional development, communication, language and literacy, mathematical development and knowledge and understanding of the world. Children’s attainment in areas such as creative and physical development, which do not depend so greatly on spoken English, is likely to be broadly average.

p.29

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

66. Teaching in the Foundation Stage is very good. The hard work and enthusiasm of the leading Foundation Stage teacher and support staff, the very good quality and range of learning opportunities provided, the very detailed planning and the ongoing assessment of pupils’ progress and the very rich learning environment lead to pupils making good and often very good progress. Teaching is very well founded on the Early Learning Goals for pupils under five years of age and is characterised by very good teamwork and liaison between the class teacher and the hard-working and enthusiastic teaching assistants. They plan and resource a good range of well-supported, interesting and challenging activities, indoors and out, model a range of appropriate behaviour and constantly stress the development of speaking and listening and personal and social skills. The teacher manages pupils very well, has high but realistic expectations of children, and utilises

p.29

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

teaching methods which inspire curiosity and learning.

p.29

Personal, social and emotional development

67. Children make good progress in their personal, social and emotional development due to the clear expectations of staff. Children are broadly confident in their surroundings, most moving to their chosen task or activity independently or with gentle encouragement. They are developing an understanding of basic rules, taking turns and learning to put up their hands to answer a question. They are able to concentrate for lengthening periods, sitting quietly and alertly on the carpet and in whole-school assemblies, in introductions to lessons, and when involved in a task. Due to their language difficulties they are often reticent about acknowledging the need for help or seeking help appropriately where needed. However, they respond positively and with growing confidence to a range of experiences, forming relationships, taking turns, sharing and co-operating, and paying an appropriate amount of attention to the task given to them. They are becoming involved in the

p.29

Personal, social and emotional development

classroom routines, such as clearing away after activities, and demonstrate care, respect and affection for other children. They approach activities positively and behave well both within the classrooms and around the school. The Foundation Stage team have developed a very good rapport with the children; they work together very well and organise an interesting and exciting variety of activities both indoor and out with a clear purpose which leads to developing confidence and growing independence.

p.29

Communication, language and literacy

68. In this area of development children's attainment is well below expectations overall, since for almost all the children English is a second language and one that is not spoken at home. Most children are beginning to understand that words and pictures carry meaning and that, in English, print is read from left to right, and from top to bottom. The more able are beginning to associate Ben Jonson School - 30 sounds with patterns, words and letters but need considerable and repeated support with this. A minority are beginning to recognise initial sounds and rhymes and all enjoy listening to a story, some joining in with repeated rhymes with gusto. A more able child was able to recognise some letters and read a simple text, pointing to words, sounding and blending the letters and looking at the illustration for clues. The majority of children however, politely say ‘Thank you very much’ when given a new book and hold the book up the right way. However, most have limited

p.29

Communication, language and literacy

understanding of the difference between ‘writing’ and ‘picture’, nod and shake their heads in answer to the teacher’s questions and speak, when pressed, with one-word answers. Children enjoy marking and basic writing experiences, using a range of marking implements for drawing, marking, scribbling and writing. They write over the teacher’s writing, beginning correct letter formation and, for example, copying their names under the adult’s examples, in some cases recognising their own names. They read regularly to the class teacher and other adults and listen to a story attentively and respond appropriately, sitting still and looking at the storyteller. Adults have very good relationships with the children and value and encourage talk with the result that the children make good progress in their speaking and listening skills during their time in the class. A wide range of interesting and exciting activities, including role play activities, are planned and

p.30

Communication, language and literacy

resourced to develop pupils’ speaking and listening skills. The class teacher has appropriately high expectations, very good classroom management skills and a very good rapport with the pupils leading to a high level of motivation and very good quality of learning. The class ‘interpreter’ works very well with the class teacher to support children’s understanding.

p.30

Mathematical development

69. In this area of development children's attainment is below average for their age and this is again linked closely to their language and literacy skills. In a very well supported practical mathematics lesson in the school hall the majority of children, after thirty minutes of intensive repetition and practical, physical activity, joined in with simple number songs. They clapped ten times, twisting upwards from 1 to 10, counting 10 balls on an abacus, reading and saying numbers on a number snake and walking 10 steps, counting along the way. Most chanted from one to ten together and were beginning to recognise the numerals, and sequence these correctly. Teaching of mathematical development is very good. The teacher plans activities very well and the quality of support from learning support assistants is very good. Daily mental mathematical activities and outdoor mathematical play activities are well planned. The activities are well matched to the

p.30

Mathematical development

children’s ability and a very good pace is maintained throughout the lessons. Planning adheres closely to the National Numeracy Strategy Programmes of Study.

p.30

Knowledge and understanding of the world

70. Children’s knowledge and understanding of the world are below that expected of children of their age. Because of their language difficulties, children find it difficult to talk readily to adults about day to day life and about events important to them. However, they select appropriate materials and develop building, constructing and joining skills through such activities as model building with large construction kits, working with play dough and sticking and glueing to make a paper bag, for example. Children working at the class computer approach the computer confidently. Children have an ‘environmental walk’ every week to develop their knowledge and understanding of the world and, during the inspection, the walk was to the nearby Regent’s Canal, adjacent to the school. On the walk, the very high ratio of adults to children allowed both teachers and support staff to constantly talk to the children, reinforcing behaviour and language, ‘Where are we going now?’,

p.30

Knowledge and understanding of the world

‘Where have we been?’, ‘What can you see now?’, ‘How many ducks can you see?’, and, as a man walks past, ‘Is he running?’, continually encouraging them to talk, think and learn. Teaching is very good in this area of learning. A very interesting and well-supported range of activities is provided that moves children on with their understanding. There are regular school and class assemblies, celebrating a variety of festivals and cultures. The class teacher and supporting staff have a very good rapport with the pupils, they work very well together as a team, assess children’s progress thoroughly and regularly and resource lessons very well.

p.30

Physical development

71. In their physical development children attain standards expected of children of their age nationally. A good range of role-play activities and indoor and outdoor activities with large play equipment are Ben Jonson School - 31 provided to develop pupils’ physical skills. In a physical development lesson in the school hall, children demonstrated a satisfactory awareness of their own bodies and control of their own and others' space and responded to the activities with enthusiasm, most following instructions well and some using other children as role models. They ‘warm-up’ appropriately and ‘cool down’ after exercise. Children are encouraged to undress and dress for the lesson independently and most are able to do this although several need help, particularly with their shoes. Children’s attitudes and self-discipline in this lesson were excellent. Teaching in the area of physical development is

p.30

Physical development

very good. The teacher demonstrates very good management skills, organises resources very well, plans lessons well, with specific learning targets for each lesson and moves the lesson along at a very good pace with an appropriate blend of praise and direction, constantly reinforcing language development.

p.31

Creative development

72. Children’s attainment in this area of development is as expected for children of their age. Children enjoy role-play and imaginative games; they are beginning to join in with simple songs such as ‘Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star’ and respond to the moods and tempo of music, responding to music by clapping, generally on the beat. They develop their ‘fine motor’ skills by using scissors to cut paper and materials and develop their understanding of colour by mixing chalks to produce secondary colours, mixing orange to paint the fruit of the same name, for example. Pupils are given opportunities to work with a wide range of media and materials. Musical instruments and listening tapes of songs, rhymes and stories are available at all times. Teaching in this area of learning is very good; creative activities are included in a well-organised range of activities with all resources readily at hand and available for the children to use.

p.31

Creative development

73. The class teacher is the Foundation Stage co-ordinator and has a very good knowledge of the needs of these young children. She bases lessons on the government recommended scheme for children in the foundation stage, Early Learning Goals, incorporating information about children's skills gained from the assessment of basic skills undertaken on entry to the class. Learning support assistants work very well together and, in co-operation with the class teacher, support the children very well. Provision for pupils with special educational needs is very good, with early identification of pupils with specific learning needs. Accommodation for the Foundation Stage is good. The two classrooms and outdoor area are spacious, and provide an exciting learning environment which allows the provision of a range of interesting free choice and adult-led activities indoors and out. Resources are now very good, especially for outdoor activities, which is an

p.31

Creative development

improvement since the last inspection. All resources are clearly and bilingually labelled.

p.31

ENGLISH

74. The current pupils in Year 2 are attaining standards in English below that expected for their age group, mainly because a large proportion have not developed fluency in spoken or written English. Most pupils make at least good progress and achieve well over time and as pupils move through the school their acquisition of spoken and written English escalates. As a result, standards attained by the Year 6 pupils in English are generally above those expected for their age group. There is no significant difference in the attainment of boys and girls.

p.31

ENGLISH

75. When they start in Year 1, pupils are still working hard at developing their spoken English. Throughout Years 1 and 2 they receive very good support. Key vocabulary is included in all teachers’ planning and is very evident in lessons. Teachers encourage pupils to answer questions in sentences and model language well for them. Pupils are keen to answer questions and many enjoy contributing to discussions, though many of them find it difficult to express their ideas clearly. They listen well to their teachers and are happy to talk to visitors about their work. As they progress through the school, pupils develop their speaking skills in a variety of situations. Teachers make good use of drama and role play to encourage pupils’ speaking skills. In a good Year 6 history lesson on the Victorians, the teacher introduced pupils to the idea of debating issues. They had been learning about the lives of Victorian children and were asked to debate the

p.31

ENGLISH

issue of child chimney sweeps from different points of view. Pupils showed good knowledge of the topic and were thoughtful in their approach to the subject. The activity supported the development of the spoken language. Ben Jonson School - 32 76. By the time they are seven, pupils are making steady progress in reading but their attainment is still below expected levels. They are developing an understanding of books and how they are organised. Pupils are building up the number of words they can read at first sight, but they do not have well developed strategies for tackling unfamiliar words. Their knowledge of sounds is not yet secure enough for them to sound out new words. They are not yet skilled in using the pictures to help them tell the story. In a Year 2 lesson, the teacher gave pupils a good demonstration of reading aloud, using punctuation as a guide to expression. Pupils followed the example well and

p.31

ENGLISH

try hard when they read aloud. By the time they are 11 pupils are confident and fluent readers. They talk about the difference between fiction and non-fiction books. They can explain how the library is organised and how they can find books on different topics to help with work. Many of the pupils are members of local libraries and say that they enjoy reading. They talk about a range of books and authors that they enjoy. They are developing good research skills and can find the information they need from a variety of sources, including the internet. The reading skills of average and above average attaining pupils are sufficiently developed to enable them to cope with most texts. The reading skills of pupils with special educational needs are less well developed and they sometimes have difficulties with work in other subjects when learning is dependent on reading.

p.32

ENGLISH

77. Because they are still at the early stages of learning English many pupils have weak writing skills by the age of seven. In their answers to questions they often show good understanding but they lack the skills to record their knowledge in writing. This was noticed in geography and history lessons when pupils could talk about what they had learned but were not able to write about it. As they develop their knowledge and understanding of English, pupils make very good progress in their writing skills. By the time they are 11, pupils are developing a good grasp of grammar and punctuation. They are beginning to write sustained stories with good attention to character and plot. They understand how to organise their work in paragraphs and can pick out the main and subsidiary points in a text. This helps them to organise their own writing well. Pupils take care over their handwriting and presentation. Younger pupils regularly practise forming their letters

p.32

ENGLISH

correctly and are developing a fluent legible style. Older pupils are developing a good understanding of spelling strategies. The school has a very clear policy for the marking of pupils’ work. There were some examples of very effective marking which gave pupils clear guidance as to how they could improve their work and pupils responded well to this.

p.32

ENGLISH

78. The quality of teaching was good, overall. Teaching was never less than satisfactory and was occasionally very good. Teachers across the school have a good understanding of how to teach reading and writing. They are very aware of the needs of bilingual pupils and take care to help and support them in their learning of English. The effectiveness of teaching is apparent in the quality of work produced by the pupils. They engage in lively discussions and are developing a sense of audience and purpose in their writing. Teachers make sure that pupils know what they are expected to learn during the lessons and how this relates to their earlier work. They help pupils to make connections across subjects, for example in their discussion of historical events. In the past year teachers have been very concerned to develop pupils’ speaking skills and to provide opportunities for pupils to speak in a variety of situations. They use a good variety of vocabulary to

p.32

ENGLISH

promote pupils’ interest in language. They take care to introduce pupils to the correct terms and help them to use these effectively. As a result pupils are learning to express their ideas accurately. They are learning to use a good range of descriptive words in their speaking and writing. Teachers regularly share the learning intentions of the lessons with pupils. This helps pupils to understand the focus of the lesson and helps them to concentrate on their tasks. In the most successful lessons, teachers provide a good range of tasks for pupils with different learning needs. In an excellent Year 6 lesson the higher attaining pupils were suitably challenged in their work and were helped to develop their understanding. Lower attaining pupils were well supported by an effective learning support assistant and carefully prepared resources. At the end of lessons teachers routinely refer back to the learning intentions and discuss with pupils what they have

p.32

ENGLISH

been learning. In the majority of lessons, teachers give very clear explanations of the work to be covered. They have good subject knowledge and use time and resources well. They are particularly effective in working with support teachers as a team and in including the skilled learning support assistants to develop pupils’ learning. Teachers make good use of questions to assess pupils’ understanding. Pupils with special educational needs have individual education plans. They are very well supported in lessons by skilled learning support assistants.

p.32

ENGLISH

79. The management of English is very effective. Despite recent staff changes, the policy of having Ben Jonson School - 33 curriculum leadership teams has enabled the school to sustain good subject development. The monitoring and evaluation of English takes place on a regular basis. Staff have discussed the levelling of pupils’ work and analyse the school’s performance well. At the time of the last inspection, standards in English were judged to be in need of improvement. The school has responded well to the key issues for action relating to English. There has been an emphasis through the school on improving pupils’ speaking skills and this is showing results. Opportunities for extended writing are being developed and the school is steadily improving its stock of reading materials to match pupils’ ability. There has been good progress in English since the last inspection and this is well reflected in the much improved test results for 11-year-olds.

p.32

AN ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE

80. At the time of the last inspection, the progress of pupils for whom English is an additional language was good overall. However, it was unsatisfactory for children under five because the overall judgement on provision for the youngest pupils was a cause for concern and this is reflected in the judgement for English as an additional language. The school has made significant progress in this aspect of its work and provision for pupils with English as an additional language is now very good for all pupils. As almost 98 per cent of pupils are from ethnic minority backgrounds and a high proportion have English as an additional language, the standards they attain are in line with those in the rest of the report.

p.33

AN ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE

81. Funding through the Ethnic Minority Achievement Grant is devolved to the school. The school has decided that as so many of the pupils qualify for this support, the responsibility for supporting bilingual learners should rest with class teachers but that a support teacher is provided for each year group. There is also specific support for targeted pupils on the early stages of fluency in English and the specialist teacher works extensively with these younger pupils. The school has several bilingual learning support assistants who give very effective support to pupils especially in the early years. All teachers are concerned to include key vocabulary in their lessons and this is particularly helpful to pupils for whom English is an additional language.

p.33

AN ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE

82. The Ethnic Minority Achievement Grant Co-ordinator for English as an additional language is knowledgeable and supports colleagues well. He is currently working with the younger classes where pupils are at the early stages of fluency in English. During the introductions to lessons, he supports specific pupils, quietly encouraging them, explaining things to them and keeping them on task. The learning support assistants also do this effectively. When pupils then move to their group tasks, he works with the target group and focuses well on their individual learning needs in English. As a result of this pupils are making good progress.

p.33

AN ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE

83. The assessment of pupils’ progress in learning English is thorough and effective. The school uses local authority guidance very effectively to assess pupils’ levels of fluency in English and to provide suitable support for them. The school has a Bilingual Instructor who undertakes assessment of pupils who are new to English. This enables the school to assess whether these pupils might also have additional educational needs. Very good records are kept of the progress of pupils for whom English is an additional language. Overall the teaching of English as an additional language is good and pupils make good progress. The co-ordination of the subject is very effective.

p.33

MATHEMATICS

84. Standards of attainment in mathematics are average for both seven and eleven-year-olds, with a small number of Year 2 pupils, and significantly more Year 6 pupils, attaining above average standards. These pupils’ achievements are good, including those with special educational needs or for whom English is an additional language. Boys and girls attain similarly. This improvement since the last inspection, is a consequence of good teaching, very good co-ordination of the subject and thorough use of assessment of pupils’ progress.

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MATHEMATICS

85. The inspection has taken into account standards of attainment in lessons and in pupils’ work over a prolonged period, as well as referring to records of pupils’ performance and progress over time. These indicate better attainment by current seven-year-olds than by those who undertook the 2001 Ben Jonson School - 34 national tests, where their performance was well below average in comparison with schools nationally, and below the average for schools with a similar intake. However, they match the 2001 national tests for eleven-year-olds, where pupils’ performance was well above average in comparison with schools nationally, and very high in comparison with both schools with a similar intake and the pupils’ own performance when they were seven.

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MATHEMATICS

86. By the age of seven, pupils’ attainment is average, with a small number of pupils attaining standards above average. This represents good achievement. At this early stage in the school year, they accurately add and subtract numbers and amounts of money to 30, and deal with problems involving giving change from a pound. They also carefully construct and interpret bar charts of monthly totals of birthdays in their class. More able pupils understand that numbers can be added in any order, and confidently handle subtraction with hundreds, tens and units. Pupils with special needs sequence numbers to 150, tell the time to the hour, and also make simple bar charts. Most pupils mentally add three units with accuracy. Leading up to this, the majority of pupils in Year 1 handle addition and subtraction to 20, measure in centimetres and identify the properties of regular two-dimensional shapes.

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MATHEMATICS

87. By the age of eleven, pupils’ attainment is average, and a significant number of pupils are attaining standards above or well above average. This also represents good achievement. Again at an early stage in the school year, pupils read and write numbers to 100,000 with an understanding of place value. They multiply and divide by 10 and 100, and round up or down to the nearest hundred. Pupils know and understand the equivalence of fractions, and the place value of digits in decimals to hundredths. They confidently identify simple percentages of measures. More able pupils interpret accurately line graphs of increasing height with age; they multiply and divide decimals by 10 and 100. Less able pupils understand place value to 1000, the equivalence of simple fractions and how to write them, and can interpret graphs. A great deal of the work in previous year groups is above average or better. For example, pupils in Year 4 exchange pence for pounds to 2000p,

p.34

MATHEMATICS

while more able understand place value to 100,000. Pupils in Year 5 create different rectangles having the same area, and estimate and construct angles accurately.

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MATHEMATICS

88. The quality of teaching is good in both key stages. All teaching is satisfactory or better in classes for five to seven-year-olds, with half very good or excellent. The quality of teaching for the seven to eleven-year-olds ranged from satisfactory to very good although there was one lesson where the teaching was unsatisfactory. There are many major strengths in teaching that lead to good progress in pupils’ learning. Teachers are very skilful in using the National Numeracy Strategy. The methods they use help pupils to develop a deep understanding that provides a sound basis for future learning. The main parts of lessons invariably begin with a session to consolidate previous learning to prepare for new ideas. This was shown to be important in a Year 5 lesson on constructing and interpreting bar charts, using computer technology. Teachers’ planning is highly structured and takes into account different levels of understanding including those with special

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MATHEMATICS

educational needs and those who are at an early stage of acquisition of the English language. For example, in a lesson in Year 1 on position, the teacher encouraged reticent pupils to participate in a discussion to learn how to use different words. Consequently, those with English as an additional language came forward to answer questions. In another lesson in Year 4, to establish the appropriate units of lengths to use, the teacher often rephrased questions so that pupils were able to make the right suggestion.

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MATHEMATICS

89. Teachers continuously make pupils aware of what they are trying to learn. In doing so they help them to understand that a variety of mental and written strategies can be used to calculate or solve problems. For example, teachers put across a number of ways to add hundreds, tens and units in order that they understand their place value. Teachers’ expectations of thinking, reasoning and behaviour are high. Pupils therefore work hard and enjoy making contributions to discussions. Moreover, they settle down to their work with a high level of interest and concentration. In a Year 5 lesson on using line graphs, the teacher challenged pupils to predict what a graph of New Zealand’s monthly average temperatures would look like based on their knowledge and understanding. Pupils’ keenness to succeed led them to make sensible suggestions. They then transferred actual measurements onto their graphs. Most teachers have a very good manner with

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MATHEMATICS

the pupils which brings out the best in them. One lesson on regular shapes captured pupils’ attention through the use of humour when the teacher made deliberate mistakes.

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MATHEMATICS

90. There are no general weaknesses in teaching. Occasionally, there are missed opportunities to use Ben Jonson School - 35 structured apparatus to help pupils learn place value. Sometimes teachers do not expect pupils to come out with their own suggestions about how to make a calculation before telling them a way to do it. Classroom learning assistants provide invaluable support to pupils’ learning. One Year 4 class had three who gave very close support to small groups of pupils working at different levels when multiplying and dividing by 10 and 100. They discussed pupils’ problems with them and suggested ways to take a step-by-step approach towards their solution. Teachers’ assessment and marking of pupils’ work are of a very high standard. Marking indicates praise, but also puts across how pupils can improve their reasoning and work.

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MATHEMATICS

91. The co-ordinators provide very good leadership of the subject. They have worked with teachers to identify and rectify any general gaps in pupils’ learning, so that a very focused programme has been established with clear targets for pupils. They have also ensured that pupils’ progress is thoroughly monitored through a very thorough system of assessment. The school’s employment of a numeracy consultant has been very beneficial to teachers through the model she provides for teaching. She also gives invaluable in-service training via discussion. There is a satisfactory programme of homework. The school is participating in the ‘Ocean Impact Project’ which is well designed to help parents to become more involved in their children’s learning. Teachers do not make full use of computers in mathematics. Otherwise, the school’s provision has made very good improvements in standards of attainment since the last inspection.

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SCIENCE

92. Standards of work seen during the inspection are below average for pupils in Year 2 and above average for pupils in Year 6. This represents very good improvement at the end of the school since the previous inspection two years ago. Pupils at the end of Year 2 have a satisfactory knowledge and understanding of science facts but their scientific enquiry skills are well below national expectations. In both key stages there is insufficient use of the computer for pupils to enter their own data from investigations and of data handling programs to look for patterns.

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SCIENCE

93. By the age of seven pupils make detailed drawings of plants and give correct reasons why plants may not grow. They have a good understanding about why materials are chosen for different purposes and how they can change the shape of materials. Pupils co-operate well in pairs to discuss and find out about how materials change by following instructions and using materials provided by the teacher. They increase their use and understanding of vocabulary in practical activities.

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SCIENCE

94. By the age of eleven pupils are clearly aware of their own learning and learn through a good variety of practical investigations. They have a good understanding of how forces act against each other and use their scientific knowledge to interpret changes in forces. They read measurements on instruments correctly and use the computer to increase their understanding of facts, which they explain enthusiastically.

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SCIENCE

95. Teaching and learning are satisfactory at Key Stage 1 and at Key Stage 2 are very good. All teachers make learning intentions clear and plan carefully for pupils to discuss ideas in pairs which helps them form ideas. The impact of a teaching consultant working alongside teachers raises the standards of teaching in classes where teachers are new to the country. Good links are made with the use of materials in art and in units of work in design and technology to strengthen pupils’ ideas in science. The good range of practical activities is appropriately within the everyday life experience of the pupils. Pupils enjoy their learning and receive a high level of support according to their needs to enable them to achieve as well as they can. Sometimes teachers at Key Stage 1 expect too much of pupils when they record their observations and this reduces their increasing confidence in written English. From the scrutiny of work, pupils use appropriate

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SCIENCE

different forms of writing using lists, labelling drawings and writing sentences, but lack the opportunity to record their ideas, suggest how a test could be fair, or use measurement when making comparisons.

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SCIENCE

96. Teaching throughout Key Stage 2 develops pupils’ skills of scientific enquiry well. A good progression in the relevant use of measurement equal with their mathematical ability increases pupils’ knowledge and understanding. Very good questioning skills encourage pupils in Year 4 to give reasons why the brightness of bulbs changes when more batteries are added to a circuit. Ben Jonson School - 36 Teachers use good methods such as involving pupils in adding information to a table to group food and linking changes in pulse rate with energy. They make effective use of visual resources for the teaching and learning about main body organs which enhances pupils’ understanding. Good support is provided by the information and communication technology co-ordinator in teaching pupils to use a spreadsheet to record pupils’ observations on healthy eating.

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SCIENCE

97. Teachers make effective use of day-to-day assessment during and at the end of lessons. When marking pupils’ books several teachers appropriately write comments that recognise pupils’ achievement in relation to what pupils were expected to have learned. Sometimes, where they include questions to promote pupils’ further ideas, higher attaining pupils write replies that indicate that they have reflected upon their work as a result.

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SCIENCE

98. Co-ordination of science is by a teacher new to the school who is supported well by the senior management team. The school has recently introduced in the school’s science policy the importance of using pupils’ ideas as part of investigation, and recognises that teaching needs to

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SCIENCE

ensure that work they have carried out in literacy and numeracy impacts on the science curriculum, especially at Key Stage 1.

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ART AND DESIGN

99. Standards for the present groups of Year 2 and 6 pupils are as expected for pupils of their age groups. Standards have remained broadly the same since the last inspection for Key Stage 1, but have improved at Key Stage 2. Many pupils in the lessons observed made good progress because of good teaching and use of resources to stimulate pupils’ imagination and give them a basis for developing their own artistic skills. All pupils have equal access to the subject and, because of its practical nature, pupils who have problems with spoken and written English are not inhibited in their development.

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ART AND DESIGN

100. Year 2 pupils were consolidating their colour mixing skills to match the colours of autumn leaves. Many were blending the colours well and making close matches, acknowledging the fact that the colours would lighten as the paint dried. They were also using their skills of observation well noticing the varying colours in the leaves, and other features such as the veins saying, ‘There are lines on the leaves’. Most were familiar with the terms primary and secondary colours and knew which mixes of primary colours made the secondary ones. In their lessons Year 6 pupils were successfully building on their previous learning of colour mixing to match colours they could see in Victorian paintings, in particular different shades within any one colour. Most were managing some very close matches using palates of paper effectively. Alongside this activity pupils were working in twos, using the digital camera to take photographs of each other dressed in Victorian

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ART AND DESIGN

costume as a preliminary exercise to painting these, in a future lesson.

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ART AND DESIGN

101. Work on display shows that pupils use a good range of materials and experiment and develop techniques appropriately in their artwork. Year 6 pupils had worked with a visiting artist to produce some large metal letters decorated very effectively with fine patterns. Year 2 pupils had painted pictures on wet paper and dry paper and compared the different effects. Pupils also work in three dimensions in making and decorating clay tiles and, in conjunction with their topic on World War II, Year 5 pupils were creating models, in clay, of memorable objects they would put into their boxes if they had to be evacuated. A display of artwork by Year 5 pupils was of a good standard and indicated pupils’ commitment to producing finished pieces of work over a period of time. In this work they had visited the V&A museum and studied different techniques employed by artists in their work and used these and a wide range of materials to create a series of pictures in collage

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ART AND DESIGN

form of the story of Perseus. As part of this they had used their literacy skills to good effect to decide on the significant events in the story of Perseus. They also used their information and communication technology skills well to photograph tableaux they had arranged of these events, as guidance before starting on the finished product.

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ART AND DESIGN

102. Overall, the quality of teaching was good. In the best lessons the teachers had very good subject knowledge and a clear understanding of what they wanted the pupils to learn, which they shared with the pupils. They encouraged pupils to be creative, and sensitively helped them to understand what was good in their work and what could be improved. They make good use of pupils’ sketch Ben Jonson School - 37 books to develop skills. Explanations are clear and teachers demonstrate skills effectively so pupils have a good understanding of what they are meant to do. Teachers use appropriate language and pupils are comfortable with this, for example talking about primary and secondary colours happily. Good classroom organisation and pupil management play an important part in ensuring that all pupils can work undisturbed and with adequate resources to stimulate their imaginations and widen their experience as a basis for future work. Pupils are encouraged to work

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ART AND DESIGN

independently and respond well to the challenge.

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ART AND DESIGN

103. The acting subject co-ordinator is enthusiastic and has worked hard to establish appropriate planning aids for teachers of each year group that reflect the needs and circumstances of the pupils and build on pupils’ skills as they move through the school. She has helped to build up teachers’ knowledge, understanding and confidence to teach the subject through training and her development plan shows she plans to promote this further. Although there are no formal assessments made of pupils’ work, the co-ordinator plans to build up a portfolio of pupils’ work indicating levels of developing skills. She monitors teachers’ planning each term and gives oral feedback to them on the quality of work in displays. The good range of visits pupils make to art galleries and museums and the use of visiting artists enrich the art curriculum.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

104. Attainment at the end of both key stages is satisfactory and pupils make satisfactory progress in design and technology as they move through the school; a similar judgement to that at the last inspection.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

105. Pupils in Year 2 undertaking a project on vehicles, were making simple drawings and labelling parts on their diagrams, employing pictures and words to explain their own designs in preparation for making and testing a wheeled vehicle. Pupils in Year 3 were undertaking a ‘Healthy Snacks’ project which had very good cross-curricular links with mathematics, science and information and communication technology. They were engaged in following a previously made design plan to make a food product, such as, sandwiches, muffins, pies and jellies. In this, they were adhering to safe procedures for food safety and hygiene, washing their hands, taking great care with knives and wearing suitable clothing and furthering a range of skills, techniques and processes and knowledge. Pupils in Year 4 were making a torch after previously designing their torch, generating product ideas after considering users, developing their ideas and listing the requirements for their

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

designs. They were using scientific skills well, showing a good understanding of the way simple circuits, with switches included, can be utilised to provide working results. No lesson was seen in Year 5, although work undertaken during the term demonstrated satisfactory design and making skills. Year 6 had not undertaken design and technology during the present term but their previous work during Year 5 indicates broadly satisfactory skills.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

106. The quality of teaching in the lesson observed at Key Stage 1 was satisfactory and the quality of teaching in Key Stage 2 was good. Teachers demonstrate good subject knowledge, resource the lessons well, have high expectations of the pupils and provide very clear explanations.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

107. The co-ordinator, relatively new to the post, was in the process of developing a new whole-school scheme of work to help teachers with their planning, and to ensure pupils’ skills are developed step by step as they move through the school. Currently the planning is based on the government-recommended scheme of work for the subject. Resources for the subject are satisfactory.

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GEOGRAPHY

108. The standards of attainment of the pupils at the ages of seven and eleven are in line with those expected of pupils of a similar age nationally. This is due to the effective planning, which guides and underpins the teaching, and makes the acquisition of language central to their learning.

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GEOGRAPHY

109. Pupils by the age of seven can use maps to illustrate their journey to school. They develop their skills in fieldwork by surveying the school grounds to seek improvements. They increase their knowledge of the world by following the imaginary travels of a toy bear. By the age of eleven pupils Ben Jonson School - 38 know about the water cycle. They can understand how water is used in the home and how water gets to the home. They extend their knowledge of the world by indicating areas of high and low rainfall.

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GEOGRAPHY

110. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. The planning of work and lessons is good. This ensures that the skills of pupils are developed together with increasing their proficiency in English. Good links are made with literacy when pupils take notes from texts in their research into hurricanes and tornadoes. There are good relationships between teachers and their pupils and this creates a positive atmosphere in classrooms so those pupils are confident about their learning. Pupils learn effectively because they are well managed by their teachers. Pupils have opportunities to write in an increasing range of styles and to use numerical skills in describing and analysing data in surveys and in calculating volumes of water. In Year 1 pupils begin to understand the ways in which people move across the world by land, sea and air. They compare an urban area with a rural area in Cornwall. They highlight and communicate distinctive features of

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GEOGRAPHY

111. The co-ordination of the subject is good. The effective planning incorporates links across the curriculum, which help to improve the language skills of pupils. This planning is used effectively as a basis to monitor teaching and the outcomes of pupils' learning. A good range of visits supports learning through Years 1 to 6. Standards have been maintained since the last inspection.

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HISTORY

112. The standards of attainment of pupils at the ages of seven and eleven are in line with those expected of pupils of similar ages nationally. This is achieved through very effective planning and an emphasis on developing the language of the pupils. By the age of seven pupils understand the sequence of events which accounted for the Great Fire of London in 1665. They understand the reasons why ‘Remembrance Day’ is held every year in November. They develop skills of questioning evidence to find out the contribution Florence Nightingale made to the changes in nursing in the 19 th century. In Year 6 pupils carry out research on the employment of children in Victorian Times. They are able to frame questions in order to use evidence, including written sources, to understand the different motives held by people regarding changes in the law relating to the employment of children. They are able to place events in the order in which they happened

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HISTORY

113. The quality of teaching and learning is good. The planning of lessons across Years 1 to 6 is very good. This ensures that teaching is consistent and that the pupils learn to use their historical skills in a systematic way. Good links are made with English and information and communication technology so those pupils are able to use and become confident in using their language skills. Effective use is made of wall displays to help pupils understand what is required of them and to stimulate their imagination. In Years 1 and 2 pupils learn about the Great Fire of London but also relate this to the issues of safety in school today. In Year 5 pupils understand that food rationing was introduced into Britain during World War II. Pupils are challenged by the teacher to make a range of meals for two to seven days based on the ration quota. Pupils' learning is good because of the confident teaching, the whole approach to language development also the good relationships

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HISTORY

established between teachers and their pupils. Learning support assistants, who are well briefed by the teachers, are confident and supportive to pupils in their learning.

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HISTORY

114. The co-ordination of the subject is good. The very effective planning together with effective monitoring ensures that teaching is consistent and that pupils' skills are built in a systematic way. The enthusiastic co-ordinator is new to the post, but has inherited very effective systems for ensuring high standards of pupils’ learning. Improvement since the last is inspection is good, because standards in Years 1 and 2 have improved.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

115. There has been satisfactory improvement since the previous inspection. Standards remain below the levels expected nationally of pupils at Key Stage 1 because pupils do not have inadequate access to computers and because teachers have low expectations of what they expect pupils to attain. In Year 6 the standards pupils attain are close to those expected nationally for pupils of that age and pupils use information and communication technology to support other subjects. Ben Jonson School - 39 This constitutes an improvement since the last inspection. The school now has sensors for pupils to monitor change but relies upon visits to the City Learning Centre to fulfil statutory requirements for control.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

116. By the age of seven pupils use computers to increase their understanding of sequencing and to create rhymes based upon existing nursery rhymes or to describe small animals they find in the playground. They understand how to use a keyboard to edit their work by changing letters or words. They use CD-Roms effectively to explore events and stories and listen to tape recorded stories. They generate colourful pictures in the style of Mondrian in art lessons. Younger pupils in the key stage demonstrate very good mouse control to generate pictures of animals seen at Stepping Stones farm. They improve their recognition of initial sounds when using an on-screen dictionary to write. In their control of a programmable toy, pupils build on their learning from work carried out in the reception class and understand that the toy responds to commands.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

117. By the age of eleven pupils have satisfactory keyboard skills. Although at the beginning of the key stage pupils’ keyboard skills are slow because of lack of practice at Key Stage 1, they improve by the end of the key stage. Pupils save and retrieve a variety of forms of their own writing and copy and paste pictures into their work, which they then save on to individual disks. They respond well to challenges set by Education Business Partnerships to publish a newspaper using a wide range of writing styles and use a digital camera to import pictures. Pupils use the Internet in history lessons to insert pictures into their writing about the Victorians and for finding out information about the Tudors or evacuees. Pupils make effective use of the computer in design and technology to collect, enter and present this information about food preferences, or to design a plan for an air raid shelter. Pupils use the computer to match tones of colour and all pupils use logo to draw a

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

regular shape on the screen. Younger pupils at Key Stage 2 experiment with music explorer and setting up and sending email. Older pupils create a web page as part of a ‘VOLCO’ project.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

118. Teaching and learning at Key Stage 2 were good. Too few lessons were seen at Key Stage 1 to make secure judgements on teaching and learning. The school has good systems in place for the use of computers across the curriculum. At present there are insufficient computers for class lessons for individual year groups. This has a negative impact on the opportunities for pupils’ development and achievement in all aspects of information and communication technology, especially since the majority do not have access to computers at home. Pupils show a lively interest in information and communication technology and explain enthusiastically how computers help them find out more information, and appreciate how computers improve the spelling and presentation of their work.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

119. Co-ordination of the subject is good and provides very good support for teachers when planning. The co-ordinator has begun to collect samples of work but these are not levelled and cannot be used to monitor progression in standards in the school. Pupils’ skills are enhanced in the ‘Cyber Club’ held during lunchtime or after school and run by the co-ordinator. The school has a satisfactory bank of software for subjects other than for religious education.

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MUSIC

120. Only two music lessons were observed in classes for five to seven-year-olds and two in classes for seven to eleven-year-olds. However, pupils’ were heard singing in assemblies and singing practices, and discussions and practical sessions were held with groups of seven and eleven-year- olds. No observations were made of lessons featuring appraising although in assemblies pupils listen quietly to classical music being played, and some remember the names of composers as well as identify the instruments that are playing.

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MUSIC

121. Pupils’ standards of attainment in music are in line with national expectations at seven and eleven years old, although eleven-year-olds’ singing is above these. This maintains the standards observed at the last inspection. Pupils achieve satisfactorily, including those with special educational needs and those for whom English is an additional language. However, not enough teaching was observed to make judgements of its overall quality. The range of learning opportunities is good and the co-ordinator provides strong leadership.

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MUSIC

122. By the age of seven, pupils’ attainment is in line with expectations. Their singing is in tune, with a Ben Jonson School - 40 satisfactory standard of diction, rhythm and volume. In their percussion work, pupils accurately sustain a repeating rhythm and perform from simple notation. They respond well to conducting which suggests changes in pitch or volume, and know how to change one without varying the other.

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MUSIC

123. By the age of eleven, pupils’ attainment is in line with expectations. Pupils sing in tune and have good diction, rhythm and volume. They successfully combine parts in rounds and other forms, including examples from different ethnic cultures. In one song stemming from a Finnish legend, pupils showed their good control by accelerating and decelerating in unison. Pupils successfully make up short rhythmic sentences on percussion instruments and combine different rhythms in groups. They are adept at improvising against a sustained rhythm, but are not confident with melodic instruments. Pupils have a sound knowledge of musical terms such as ‘tempo’ and ‘dynamics’.

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MUSIC

124. There was insufficient evidence to judge the quality of teaching. However, the singing practices showed that teachers give satisfactory attention to the quality of pupils’ performance. Where there was good teaching, good subject knowledge led to pupils learning to be accurate in reading notation and to use correct musical terminology. Teachers planned well structured lessons with a variety of activities, so that pupils’ interest and enjoyment were maintained. In one good lesson pupils had to listen carefully to notes with different pitches, for example, so that they could reproduce them for themselves. It also made good use of the pupils to act as ‘teachers’ so that they could use their own learning to benefit others. Where there was unsatisfactory or poor teaching, pupils were not taught how to develop their learning or to handle

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MUSIC

instruments carefully, and were inadequately prepared for their activities. Consequently they did not learn to refine their performances.

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MUSIC

125. The co-ordinators provide very good leadership of the subject. They are very aware that there are areas for development. Co-ordinators have provided good in-service training to build confidence through modelling teaching and using a series of workshops. However, some teachers are not always aware of their specific learning objectives in lessons, and do not relate them to the long- term aims of the scheme of work. In addition, there is no system of assessment against which teachers can judge pupils’ progress, except for a tick-sheet which tracks what pupils have covered. Although the possibilities in the use of computers have not been well explored, the school provides a good number of learning opportunities in addition to the national curriculum. Some pupils benefit from learning with visiting teachers, and there is a school choir. Others play in a steel band or learn brass instruments. The Guildhall School of Music and musicians ‘in residence’

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MUSIC

have worked with pupils in developing expertise on a variety of instruments. Pupils have been delighted by the opportunity to attend a concert specially designed for children at the Festival Hall. This led to some expressive writing in appreciation of their experiences: ‘My favourite instrument is the gong, because it vibrated and the sound kept going on as if it was in a competition, and sounded exciting.’

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

126. Three physical education lessons were observed in classes for five to seven-year-olds, and two in classes for seven to eleven year-olds. Judgements are based on these and discussions with pupils. Neither pupils aged seven nor pupils aged eleven were observed. It is therefore not possible to judge standards of attainment. The quality of teaching is always satisfactory or better, and frequently good. The range of learning opportunities is satisfactory, but there is no system of assessment to help teachers in their planning to meet pupils’ needs. The co-ordinator provides very good leadership of the subject.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

127. Pupils’ standards of attainment in Year 1 are in line with expectations. Pupils retain sequences of dance in their minds and perform these well in association with Bengali music. They have acquired the skill to travel in different ways in response, for example, to being asked to pretend they are different types of bean such as ‘runner’ or ‘jumping’. Their co-ordination is satisfactory in different types of movement. Pupils understand why it is healthy to change for physical education, and why exercise is good for the body. Ben Jonson School - 41 128. Pupils continue to make satisfactory progress so that standards of attainment in Year 5 are still in line with expectations. Pupils develop interesting sequences of movements involving different body shapes, and some of them show very good co-ordination. They transfer their ideas to apparatus successfully. Most pupils perform a forward roll. In dance lessons, pupils show satisfactory co-

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

129. The quality of teaching is good in classes for five to seven-year-olds. Teachers alert pupils to the need to warm up so that they learn to exercise safely. They carefully prepare pupils for their activities so that no time is wasted. Pupils respond well by settling down to work straightaway. Lessons are lively with a well-paced introductory practice of skills and a good balance of talking and activity. For example, one teacher fully discussed possible ways to travel before pupils set about making sequences. Consequently they learnt to think for themselves using their sound knowledge. Teachers also have high expectations, so that pupils learn to develop their movements well. Where helpful, teachers model skills such as those needed to catch a ball. Occasionally, teachers miss opportunities to develop pupils’ speaking in discussions, and accept one word answers, rather than expecting sentences.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

130. There is not enough evidence to judge the quality of teaching in classes for seven to eleven-year- olds. Nevertheless it was good in the two observed lessons. In these, there were high expectations of behaviour, so that pupils listened attentively and made good progress in their games skills and indoor sequences of movements. Pupils received clear instructions so that they learnt to control a ball with their feet. Teachers made good use of pupils to model movements, and ensured that they practised and refined their skills.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

131. The co-ordinator provides very good leadership of the subject. Close monitoring and development of teaching take place through direct observation of lessons and feedback. The curriculum is satisfactorily broad with a good input of dance from a specialist teacher. A satisfactory range of extra-curricular sporting activities is offered to all pupils. The school has a very good range of resources including some especially designed for pupils with physical impairments, so that they are fully included in physical education. It is not possible to state whether there have been improvements in standards since the last inspection, but the limited evidence suggests that they have at least been maintained.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

132. Pupils’ knowledge and understanding in religious education are below the levels expected for both seven and 11 year olds. This indicates a decline in standards since the last inspection when pupils were judged to be achieving satisfactory standards in relation to the expectations of the locally agreed syllabus. Most of the pupils in the school are from practising Muslim families. These pupils have a very secure knowledge and understanding of their own faith. However, pupils showed very superficial knowledge and understanding of other faiths. In a discussion with 11-year- old pupils, they found it difficult to identify significant religious leaders from different faiths and could only name a church as a place of worship for people of one different faith. They were insecure in their knowledge of even the names of the major world faiths, for example, one pupil though that Turkish was a religion.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

133. Only a small number of religious education lessons took place during the inspection. The inspection took place during the month of Ramadan. Most of the pupils were from families who keep the fast and observe the teachings of Islam. In these lessons the pupils were more knowledgeable than the teacher and were able to talk with personal knowledge about their experiences. In a Year 4 lesson, the focus was to learn about the celebration of Christmas and its significance for Christians. The teacher used a video in this lesson but pupils’ responses showed that they were very confused about the subject.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

134. In all the lessons observed teaching was unsatisfactory. The teachers observed did not have secure subject knowledge and did not have appropriate expectations of what pupils should do. The scrutiny of pupils’ work shows that there is an over reliance on published worksheets which are not effective in developing pupils’ skills, knowledge and understanding. No lessons were observed in Years 5 or 6 as these were not timetabled during the inspection week. Teachers’ planning shows that religious education for these year groups is expected to be taught in the last Ben Jonson School - 42 two weeks of the current term. This is unsatisfactory as it does not allow for the elements of the locally agreed syllabus to be taught in sufficient depth. The school policy states that religious education should be taught weekly and that an appropriate amount of time be devoted to it. In discussion with older pupils, their lack of knowledge and understanding confirm that the provision

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

for religious education for them is currently unsatisfactory.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

135. Overall the management of the subject is ineffective. The co-ordinator is new to the post and has not yet got a full grasp of the understanding of the role of subject leader. Strategies for monitoring the subject are unsatisfactory. Planning is monitored on a half termly basis but teachers do not receive appropriate feedback on their planning. Pupils’ work is not monitored. Religious education is identified in the school development plan as an issue for the coming year and professional development has been arranged for the spring term of 2002.

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