Sladefield Infant School

SLADEFIELD INFANT SCHOOL

Acting Headteacher: Mrs. Pauline O’Brien

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SLADEFIELD INFANT SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 13 th –14 th November 2000

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SLADEFIELD INFANT SCHOOL

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

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SLADEFIELD INFANT SCHOOL

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Sladefield Road Ward End Birmingham

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Miss. B. Gilligan

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: October 1996 Sladefield Infant - 4

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Team members

Alison M Cartlidge OIN 23609 Registered inspector Roger Williams OIN 9895 Lay inspector Mike Capper OIN 23239 Team inspector Stephen Parker OIN 23658 Team inspector

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Team members

Barron Educational Co Ltd Hendre Loudwater Lane Rickmansworth Herts WD3 4AN

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Team members

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

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Team members

The Registrar Inspection Quality Division

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Team members

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Sladefield Infant - 5

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 6

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Sladefield Infant School is situated in the City of Birmingham. It is a larger than average infant school with 360 pupils between the ages of four and seven on roll. They are taught in twelve classes, each with one age-group. Pupils come from a mixture of owner occupied, privately rented and local authority housing. Thirty-four per cent of the pupils are entitled to free school meals. This is above average for the country. Nineteen per cent of pupils have special educational needs with no pupils having statements of special educational need. This is broadly in line with the national average. Sixty-nine per cent of pupils speak English as an additional language with the main language spoken being Punjabi. This figure is very much higher than average. Pupils’ attainment on entry to the school is well below average with a large number of pupils having a limited command of spoken English. A large number of

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

pupils join the school part way through their education. At the time of the inspection, the headteacher was working for the local education authority on a project for pupils with English as an additional language and the deputy headteacher was acting headteacher.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

This is a very good school. The leadership of senior members of staff is excellent and this means that the school is constantly improving. Very good teaching is effective in enabling pupils to make very good progress. The school continues to provide good value for money.

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What the school does well

• Excellent leadership ensures there is an effective shared commitment to improve • Very good teaching is based on careful planning and effective team work • National Curriculum Test results compare favourably with similar schools most years • Intensive support for literacy has a very good impact on pupils’ learning • Parents are very successfully enabled to take an active role in their children’s education • Pupils are successfully encouraged to work and play together harmoniously

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What could be improved

• The balance of the curriculum for reception children

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What could be improved

The area for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school has made good progress since the last inspection in 1996. Pupils’ attainment is higher in reading and writing and has been maintained in mathematics and science. Procedures for assessing pupils’ attainment and progress have been improved and these are used effectively. Schemes of work have been developed and support learning well, particularly in English where the strategy used is very good. Leadership and management and the quality of teaching have improved further and the partnership with parents has been strengthened. The provision for information and communication technology is good and some improvements have been made to make the playground more attractive. However, some of these improvements have been spoilt by vandalism and there is still little for pupils to do in the cramped outdoor play area. Sladefield Infant - 7

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STANDARDS

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

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Key

Reading C B D B well above average above average A B Writing B B D B Average below average C D Mathematics C C E C well below average E

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Key

Children in the reception year make good progress. However, they are still below average when they start in Year 1. By the end of Year 2, pupils attain good standards in reading and writing and satisfactory standards in mathematics and science. They make excellent progress in reading and writing and good progress in mathematics and science. Their progress in speaking is good although standards remain below average at the end of Year 2. This is mainly but not exclusively due to the less well -developed speaking skills of pupils for whom English is an additional language and the large number of pupils who arrive part way through their education.

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Key

Test results have improved over the last few years although in 2000 results were lower because a large number of pupils arrived at the school part way through their education. The school sets challenging but attainable targets each year in English and mathematics.

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Key

Pupils achieve good standards in art. They learn a wide range of painting and drawing techniques and develop a good understanding of the work of famous artists.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Very good. Pupils are keen to learn and concentrate very well in lessons. They develop good independence and take responsibility for various tasks around the school willingly.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Good. Pupils are polite and behave sensibly in lessons and in the playground.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Very good. Pupils of all races and backgrounds develop very good relationships. They respect the differences in cultures and are kind and friendly towards each other.

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Aspect Comment

Attendance Unsatisfactory. Attendance rates are below the national average due to parents taking their children on extended holidays. The school provides useful work packs to support absent pupils with their learning. Sladefield Infant - 8

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

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

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

The quality of teaching is very good overall and never less than satisfactory. Twenty-two per cent of teaching is satisfactory, 48 per cent good, 22 per cent very good and 8% excellent. The quality of teaching is excellent in English and consistently good in mathematics.

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

Teachers work together effectively in each year group to plan and prepare lessons. They have high expectations of the pupils and educational resources are used effectively. Clear instructions and explanations help pupils understand what they are expected to do and enable a very good pace of working. The careful teaching of new vocabulary and the intensive support given in literacy have an excellent impact on learning. Additional adult support is used effectively to support the learning of pupils with special educational needs and those for whom English is an additional language.

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

However, some teachers do not show clearly what pupils need to learn next when they mark work and some questions pupils are asked do not require them to give sufficiently detailed answers to help develop their spoken English more effectively.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum Overall satisfactory. Whilst there is a good curriculum at Key Stage 1, children in the reception year have insufficient opportunities for practical activities, purposeful play, making choices about their work and working outside.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Good overall. Support is more effective at Key Stage 1, where pupils’ individual needs are very well met. It is less effective in the reception year when children spend too long at sitting down activities in literacy and numeracy.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with English as an additional language Very good. The strategy for teaching English is very effective. Bilingual members of staff work very effectively with parents in workshops and with the class teachers enabling all pupils to be included in discussions. The promotion of pupils’ first language in lessons successfully demonstrates that being bilingual is a valuable skill.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Good. Pupils help develop class rules and members of staff support pupils well in learning to respect other values and beliefs. Festivals from various cultures are celebrated and this raises pupils’ appreciation and self-esteem. Members of staff are very successful in encouraging pupils to be friendly towards each other and to work and play together sensibly.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils Good. Very good monitoring of pupils’ learning in English helps teachers to meet the needs of all pupils. The school is very proactive in encouraging better attendance. The provision for pupils’ health and safety is very thorough. The school has a very good partnership with parents. Parents have very positive views of the school and their support has a very good impact during group reading sessions. The school runs excellent workshops, teaching parents how to support their children at home.

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and manage- ment by the headteacher and other key staff Excellent. The school has a very clear, shared vision and an exceptionally strong commitment to improve further. All members of staff have very clearly defined roles and responsibilities and this means that all aspects of the school’s work are carefully and successfully developed.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Good. Governors are very supportive of the work of the school and many are actively involved in its day to day work. They fulfil their statutory duties and have a clear understanding of the school’s strengths.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance Good. The school has a good awareness of strengths and weaknesses and identifies the correct priorities for development.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources Good. Specific grants are used effectively and the school is careful to compare the effectiveness of its work with other schools. It has started to evaluate the effectiveness of spending to see if best value is achieved and members of staff are expected to justify spending on new resources.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• The quality of the teaching • Pupils are expected to work hard • Children like school • Members of staff are approachable • Children make good progress • The range of activities outside lessons

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

The inspection team agrees with all the parents’ views. Sladefield Infant - 10

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Excellent leadership ensures there is an effective, shared commitment to improve

1. Outstanding leadership by the senior managers of the school means that the school continues to improve from the strong starting point established at the time of the last inspection in 1996. The headteacher and acting headteacher have a very clear vision for the school and this is successfully shared with other members of staff and the governing body. This clarity of purpose is evident in the seamless transition when the acting headteacher takes over the leadership and management of the school whilst the headteacher is absent working on a special project for the local authority.

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Excellent leadership ensures there is an effective, shared commitment to improve

2. Every member of staff is valued and has a clear understanding of his or her role and responsibilities in the smooth running and development of the school. They are inspired and motivated and there is an exceptionally strong commitment to improve further. Members of staff are very self- critical, have high expectations of what they should achieve and are constantly prepared to change to improve the provision for the pupils. This has resulted in an improvement in teaching and attainment, particularly in English, since the last inspection.

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Excellent leadership ensures there is an effective, shared commitment to improve

3. The school sets challenging but achievable targets in English and mathematics. The school has correctly identified the need to improve the balance of the curriculum for reception children to include more purposeful play and has started to monitor the attainment of various ethnic groups to ensure the needs of all groups are fully met. Teachers co-operate with each other to share planning for each year group and this means that lessons are thoroughly planned and prepared and members of staff are well supported in subjects that are not their particular strengths. This means that pupils are keen, try their best and are able to learn effectively.

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Excellent leadership ensures there is an effective, shared commitment to improve

4. Subjects, including English as an additional language, are well managed by very strong co- ordinators. They give a strong lead in subject developments and successfully monitor attainment by scrutinising pupils’ work and discussing lessons with each other. They have a good understanding of what needs to be done for the subject to be developed further and spend available funds purposefully and effectively. There is a relatively large contingency fund to maintain high levels of staffing and to provide resources for the new curriculum.

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Excellent leadership ensures there is an effective, shared commitment to improve

5. There is a clear understanding of the schools’ strengths and weaknesses and educational developments and training for members of staff are firmly based on the areas of greatest need. The high level of involvement of all members of staff is very evident. For example, teachers discussed and agreed what constitutes effective teaching so that when they monitor each other’s work they are all looking for the same things. Learning support assistants share information with teachers from courses they have attended.

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Very good teaching is based on careful planning and effective team work

6. The quality of teaching is very good overall, with 8 per cent of lessons being excellent, 22 per cent very good and 48 per cent good. The remaining 22 per cent of lessons are satisfactory. Teachers have high expectations, prepare well for lessons and make very good use of resources. High quality teaching throughout the school means that pupils achieve well. There are many very good features to teaching which mean that pupils are interested and motivated by the work they are given and as a result, in most lessons, they learn at a fast rate. There is more excellent and very good teaching in Years 1 and 2, than there is in the reception year, where some numeracy and literacy lessons do not achieve enough balance between practical and teacher-led activities. 7. Throughout the school, teachers prepare well for lessons and they plan in great detail. An excellent feature of the school’s work is the teamwork that is evident between teachers, bilingual support

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Very good teaching is based on careful planning and effective team work

Sladefield Infant - 11 assistants and learning support assistants. They plan together, supporting each other and sharing their expertise and their knowledge of the children so that the needs of all pupils are met. Learning support assistants provide high quality support to teachers in lessons. They are well trained and are fully involved in assessing pupils’ learning. Whilst sitting with pupils during introductions to lessons, learning support assistants observe individual pupils and make detailed assessments of their work. These notes provide very useful information, which is then used to identify what needs to be taught next. When working with groups of pupils, learning support assistants make a significant contribution to learning. They have high expectations of the work pupils should do and they manage them well.

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Very good teaching is based on careful planning and effective team work

8. All members of staff identify in their planning the new vocabulary they will need to introduce and this helps to extend the pupils’ knowledge and understanding. Great care is taken to involve all pupils in activities whatever their level of spoken English. Bilingual support teachers are used to good effect to ensure that pupils who are in the early stages of learning spoken English are able to take a good part in discussions. For example, in a lesson on healthy food in a reception class, the bilingual support teacher translated the teacher’s comments into the pupils’ first language. She also introduced the Punjabi names for the different types of food to all of the pupils. Teachers value the differing cultural backgrounds of pupils and, as a result, pupils have a high degree of respect for each other’s beliefs and values.

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Very good teaching is based on careful planning and effective team work

9. Introduction to lessons and instructions are clear and help pupils to understand what is expected. Discussions are well managed and teachers successfully involve all pupils in these. The teachers use questioning effectively overall, although on occasions questioning does not require more than a limited answer such as ‘yes’ or ‘no’ . As a result, opportunities to extend pupils ‘ speaking skills are missed. Teachers are very good at making learning relevant to the pupils and work is mostly purposeful. This was shown to good effect in a numeracy lesson in Year 2, when a measuring activity was needed to make a bed for a doll. Pupils were inspired by the need to measure accurately so that the bed was ‘just the right size for the doll’ .

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Very good teaching is based on careful planning and effective team work

10. Teachers have very high expectations of what pupils should achieve. This is particularly evident in the teaching of English in Years 1 and 2, where the quality of teaching is either excellent or very good. In these lessons, teachers consistently challenge pupils. They plan work to meet the needs of all pupils and organise work so that they are actively involved. In many lessons, adult helpers provide good support to pupils as they are working. This is particularly noteworthy during ‘group reading’ sessions when several adults, including governors, work alongside the teacher to ensure that pupils are able to get intensive individual support. However, some teachers do not show clearly what pupils need to learn next when they mark work.

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Very good teaching is based on careful planning and effective team work

11. Teachers use resources very effectively to stimulate pupils’ interest and promote discussion. In history lessons, artefacts such as old irons, tape-recorders and chamber pots are used effectively to show what life was like in the past. In science, teachers in the reception classes prepare an interesting range of fruit for pupils to look at, taste and draw. Information and communication technology resources have improved significantly since the last inspection and teachers are beginning to make good use of the computer room to teach computing skills to support learning in different curriculum areas. For example, a Year 1 class practised and improved computing skills when writing instructions for making a book.

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Very good teaching is based on careful planning and effective team work

12. The quality of teaching has improved significantly since the last inspection and is now a major reason for the good achievement of pupils.

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National Curriculum Test results compare favourably with similar schools most years

13. Pupils achieve well in English, mathematics and science with national test results at the end of Key Stage 1 showing that standards are higher than in similar schools in most years. Standards of pupils’ attainment are significantly higher than at the time of the last inspection in English. They remain broadly similar in mathematics and science. 14. Pupils’ attainment when they start school is well below average. This is confirmed by tests Sladefield Infant - 12 taken in their first term in school. A high number of pupils have poorly developed spoken English when they start school. However, by the time they leave school, at the end of Year 2, all pupils are achieving well in relation to their prior attainment. Over time, pupils make excellent progress in reading and writing and good progress in mathematics, science and speaking and listening.

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National Curriculum Test results compare favourably with similar schools most years

15. In 1999, pupils’ attainment was above average in reading and writing and average in mathematics and science when compared with all schools. However, pupils’ attainment was well above average when compared with similar schools in reading, writing and mathematics and above average in science.

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National Curriculum Test results compare favourably with similar schools most years

16. National test results were lower in 2000. This was due to the very high level of pupil mobility in that year group, with a high percentage of pupils joining the school in Year 2. There was also a higher than normal percentage of pupils who had been identified as having special educational needs. As a result, test results show that in reading and writing pupils’ attainment was below average when compared with all schools. In mathematics, pupils’ attainment was well below average. However, when compared with similar schools, pupils’ attainment was above average in reading and writing and average in mathematics. Teacher assessments in science show that in 2000, pupils’ attainment was average when compared with all schools, but above average when compared with similar schools.

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National Curriculum Test results compare favourably with similar schools most years

17. Inspection findings confirm the current Year 2 is on target to achieve significantly higher standards than those achieved in 2000 tests, with the standards of work seen being above average in reading and writing and average in mathematics and science.

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Intensive support for literacy has a very good impact on learning

18. English is an additional language for over sixty per cent of pupils, and many others enter the school with very limited language skills. Overall, language attainment on entry is well below the national average. The school has rightly identified language development as a major priority for improvement, and pursues this target with great determination and considerable expertise. The curriculum is very carefully planned to take account of the National Literacy Strategy, with well-considered modifications to meet the needs of all pupils. Strong teamwork ensures that teachers share their strengths, and teaching is closely monitored and supported to ensure that standards are consistently high. Specialist teaching of English as an additional language is of very high quality and well-integrated into lessons. A wide range of detailed assessments is used to identify pupils’ needs so that appropriate help can be given to

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Intensive support for literacy has a very good impact on learning

individuals and groups. For instance, specialist help is concentrated on pupils in the reception year for whom English is an additional language, and in Year 2 there are "acceleration groups" for pupils with the potential to reach the higher levels in national tests. Management of the different aspects of provision is excellent. As a result, pupils make excellent progress in reading and writing, and the number reaching the expected levels or higher at age seven is above the national average most years.

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Intensive support for literacy has a very good impact on learning

19. Progress in speaking is good, though attainment at age seven remains below average. Pupils listen well, but most speak quietly and indistinctly, many with a marked accent. Some are able to explain their ideas at length to the whole class or speak a prepared script, such as a prayer, in a school assembly. However, the high level of adult supervision means that pupils speak most often by giving brief answers to direct questions. The school has identified the need to develop further teachers’ strategies for promoting speaking skills.

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Intensive support for literacy has a very good impact on learning

20. Group reading sessions play a major part in the English programme, and the high level of adult support is a key factor in securing pupils’ rapid progress. Each class is divided into four groups according to attainment, and each group is led by an adult in reading, comprehension and writing tasks for most of the morning three times a week. The assisting adults include well-qualified learning support assistants, governors, parents and students. They make highly effective contributions because their strong commitment is backed by detailed training, consistent experience developed through working alongside teachers, and the support of well designed guidelines and pupil worksheets. Parents are also offered training sessions on how to support their children’s reading at home.

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Intensive support for literacy has a very good impact on learning

21. Class teachers work very hard to prepare group reading sessions, and the high quality of Sladefield Infant - 13 teamwork between adults is a very strong feature of this excellent provision. Stories and information books are well chosen for their high interest, and provide a real life or life-like context for the detail of pupils’ language learning. Pupils with little English have skilful help from bilingual teachers and assistants, which puts them at ease as well as bridging the gaps in their understanding. Respect for pupils’ home languages and cultures is a marked feature throughout the school, and brought to the fore, for instance, when a story is told very successfully in two languages in assembly.

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Intensive support for literacy has a very good impact on learning

22. Lessons have a very good pace and strong sense of purpose because they are planned and prepared in great detail. Pupils are told the targets for the lesson so they know what to do and understand what is expected of them. The extended sessions are made interesting by an imaginative variety of tasks. Pupils are kept busy at all times, producing a great deal of work, and the standard is high because of the close level of supervision. Members of staff show very strong commitment to high standards but with great sensitivity and sympathy for pupils’ needs. Pupils enjoy lessons and show pride in their achievements. Reading sessions are followed by extended writing sessions, where pupils have time to develop their own ideas. As a result, all pupils of differing prior attainment write at length, because the ideas and language they meet in reading give them confidence in writing. Their writing is

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Intensive support for literacy has a very good impact on learning

accurate because teachers give clear reminders of key points before they begin, such as "sentences begin with a capital letter and end with a full stop".

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Intensive support for literacy has a very good impact on learning

23. The same consistently high expectations for careful, accurate reading and writing are applied to other subjects, where very good use is made of opportunities to strengthen pupils’ literacy development. For example, Year 2’s recent extended historical accounts of the Fire of London are detailed, accurate and well presented. All around pupils see good models of language in stimulating classroom displays that celebrate the school’s success in promoting literacy as the key to pupils’ wider learning.

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Parents are enabled to take a more active role in their children’s education

24. The school works very hard at continually improving its partnership with parents. It keeps parents well informed of developments in the curriculum and about children’s progress. Frequent open evenings, reports and newsletters are well received by parents. The school brochure is well presented and includes information in English and Urdu.

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Parents are enabled to take a more active role in their children’s education

25. The school’s homework policy is an important part of the home school agreement and parents are expected to help pupils learn at home. To further this aim, and to help parents contribute better to their children’s learning, the school runs workshops, which focus on a particular year group. Parents are invited to attend and they are helped by teachers and bilingual members of staff to develop skills and strategies for reading with their children. Good relationships are developed in this way and teachers listen to and value what parents have to say. These workshops are well attended, and are greatly appreciated by the parents involved. This excellent initiative by the school is a significant factor in pupils’ achievement and progress.

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Parents are enabled to take a more active role in their children’s education

26. Several parents are trained to support teachers during group reading sessions and they make a valuable contribution to the pupils’ progress. Members of staff are friendly and welcoming and are available to speak to parents informally both before and after school.

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Parents are enabled to take a more active role in their children’s education

27. With the exception of the provision of extracurricular activities, parents are exceptionally positive about the school and are especially pleased with the high quality of the teaching and the way pupils’ are happy and expected to work hard.

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Pupils are successfully encouraged to work and play together harmoniously

28. Children from different backgrounds play and work together happily and develop good self- esteem. There is a very high degree of racial harmony that is evident in all aspects of the school’s daily Sladefield Infant - 14 routines. Pupils come from a wide range of social and cultural backgrounds but from their earliest experiences of school, they are encouraged to listen to each other and to respect each other’s views. In lessons and assemblies, pupils are introduced to the traditions and beliefs of different cultures. All pupils celebrate festivals from Christianity and Islam. In the reception year, pupils with varying degrees of fluency in English support each other and share their knowledge and vocabulary. For example, in a science lesson, they spoke in their first languages about the different types of food they were looking at. Pupils accept each other’s differences and they work together happily whatever their background.

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Pupils are successfully encouraged to work and play together harmoniously

29. Throughout the school, pupils are happy and confident and they develop good self-esteem. Children are keen to come to school and they play together happily. Although the playground is cramped, behaviour at playtime is good. Older pupils support younger pupils and there is a genuine air of concern for each other’s well being. For example, a pupil who had lost her playtime packet of crisps was quickly consoled by her classmates who offered to share their crisps with her. Lunchtimes are a well organised social occasions, when pupils are encourage to show good manners and eat properly.

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Pupils are successfully encouraged to work and play together harmoniously

30. Pupils have a very good attitude to learning. They respond in a lively manner in lessons and as they get older their confidence develops. In lessons, pupils concentrate well. Even when expected to sit for a long period of time, as sometimes happens in literacy and numeracy lessons in the reception year, pupils sit quietly and listen to what the teacher is saying. Older pupils sustain concentration for long periods of time, for example, in literacy lessons where they are writing or when using an art programme in the computer room to draw pictures of themselves.

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Pupils are successfully encouraged to work and play together harmoniously

31. Teachers are very positive with pupils and they work hard to develop their self-esteem. They value pupils’ contributions to lessons and praise is used effectively to encourage pupils to believe in their own ability. Good work is displayed very attractively around school and this helps pupils to understand what they can achieve when they try hard. A display board in the hall is used to show particularly noteworthy examples of pupils’ work. Throughout the school, there is an atmosphere of ‘we can do it’ . Teachers will not accept second best and pupils understand this. They respond well to this expectation. This is a major factor in the good achievements of pupils both in their personal development and in their work.

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Pupils are successfully encouraged to work and play together harmoniously

32. Pupils are proud of their school. They are very enthusiastic about the work they are given and are keen to learn and to do well. Pupils are pleased to share their work with visitors and they talk confidently about what they have done.

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The balance of the curriculum for reception children

33. Whilst members of staff work together well to plan coverage of the early years curriculum some sessions for literacy and numeracy are too long and require children to sit and concentrate beyond their ability. This is particularly evident for the less mature and lower attaining children. For example, in literacy, children work with the teacher as a whole class for half an hour sharing a story and playing sound games. Children concentrate well and enjoy this part of the lesson and it is very successful in increasing children’s knowledge and understanding. During some of these sessions a bilingual teacher tells the same story in Punjabi and this is very effective in maintaining the interest of children for whom English is an additional language and giving them confidence to participate. However, after this initial whole class work children work in smaller groups and some groups are expected to continue this

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The balance of the curriculum for reception children

intense concentration either sharing books with an adult or practising their writing. At these times less mature and lower attaining children lose concentration and do not learn effectively. The groups taking part in practical activities at this time such as playing in the house of the ‘three bears’ continue to concentrate well and find the change of activity refreshing and stimulating. A learning support assistant is effective in extending their vocabulary by asking probing questions and supporting them as they develop their version of the well-known story. This is much more effective in developing children’s language skills. Overall, there are insufficient opportunities for children to extend their spoken language in this way. Sladefield Infant - 15 34. There is no access from the reception classrooms to the playground and this restricts the outdoor curriculum. Teachers give children the opportunity to work outside as a whole class once a

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The balance of the curriculum for reception children

week, but this is insufficient to meet the physical development needs of all children. Children have the chance to develop their physical skills during sessions in the hall but at these times the lack of energy of some children to sustain physical activity is evident, showing that they have insufficient opportunity to take part in energetic activities over the week.

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The balance of the curriculum for reception children

35. There are insufficient opportunities for reception children to plan or initiate their own activities. This limits the children’s ability to think creatively and imaginatively and to follow their own interests and explore ideas independently. When children are given the freedom to make choices these are sometimes time fillers rather than challenging tasks to make them solve problems and be creative.

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36. WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

Improve the balance of the curriculum for reception children by,

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36. WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• Providing more opportunities for purposeful play and practical activities • Providing greater opportunity for children to work and play outside • Enabling children to make choices about what they are going to do and to explore their own ideas and interests

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

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

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

The table gives the percentage of teaching observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about lessons.

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils on the school’s roll YR – Y2 Sladefield Infant - 16 Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 360

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils eligible for free school meals 122

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 0

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 69

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Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 248

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 41

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 33

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Attendance

National comparative data 5.4 National comparative data 0.5

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Attendance

Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Sladefield Infant - 17

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year (1999) (63) 65 (57) 52 (120)

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Boys (52) 44 (51) 50 (53) 52 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls (53) 43 (53) 46 (51) 43

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentage of pupils School (88) 75 (87) 83 (87) 82 at NC level 2 or above National (82) 84 (83) 85 (87) 90

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Boys (47) 42 (49) 49 (50) 47 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls (48) 42 (50) 40 (50) 40

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentage of pupils School (79) 72 (83) 76 (83) 74 at NC level 2 or above National (82) 84 (86) 88 (87) 88

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Sladefield Infant - 18

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage 7 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – African heritage 0 Black – African heritage 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Any other minority ethnic group 13 Other minority ethnic groups

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 15.6 Financial year 1999

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 23

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y2 Total expenditure 724,745

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 7 Expenditure per pupil 2,014

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 193 Balance brought forward from previous year 77,285

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance carried forward to next year 76,328

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Teachers and classes Financial information

FTE means full-time equivalent. Sladefield Infant - 19

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Percentage of responses in each category

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

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child is making good progress in school. 64 34 1 0 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 53 41 4 0 2

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 56 40 2 1 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 60 33 6 0 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 65 28 4 1 2

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 69 27 2 0 2

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 54 39 3 1 3

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 59 35 1 0 5

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 54 41 2 0 3

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 33 35 11 2 19

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