St Anthony's Catholic Primary School

ST ANTHONY’S RC (VA) PRIMARY SCHOOL

Reporting inspector: Mrs Valerie Singleton

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ST ANTHONY’S RC (VA) PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 20 th - 23 rd November 2000

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ST ANTHONY’S RC (VA) PRIMARY SCHOOL

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

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ST ANTHONY’S RC (VA) PRIMARY SCHOOL

Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the School Inspections Act 1996, the school must provide a copy of this report and/or its summary free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. St Anthony’s RC (VA) Primary School - 1

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Etherow Street East Dulwich London

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The Governing Body

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Reverend J O’Connor

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: January 1997 St Anthony’s RC (VA) Primary School - 2

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Aspect responsibilities

Mrs Valerie Singleton Registered inspector English Music English as an additional language What sort of school is it? The school’s results and achievements How well are the pupils taught? Mrs Sarah McDermott Lay inspector Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development How well the school cares for its pupils How well the school works in partnership with parents Mrs Ingrid Bradbury Team inspector Information technology Special educational needs Equal opportunities How well is the school led and managed? How good are the curricular and other opportunities offered to pupils? Mrs Raminder Arora Team inspector Science The Foundation Stage Art and design Mr James Walsh Team Inspector Mathematics Geography and history Physical education Design and technology Mrs Suzanne Gerred Modern foreign languages – French

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Aspect responsibilities

Capital Inspections Chaucer Building Canterbury Road Morden Surrey SM4 6PX

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Aspect responsibilities

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

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Aspect responsibilities

The Registrar Inspection Quality Division

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Aspect responsibilities

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE St Anthony’s RC (VA) Primary School - 3

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 4 - 7

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? 8 - 10

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

St Anthony’s Roman Catholic (Voluntary Aided) school is situated in East Dulwich, South London. With 311 pupils on roll, it is bigger than most primary schools. The school has just opened a nursery which caters for 34 part-time three to four-year-old children. Children start school in the reception classes at the beginning of the year when they are five. There is one class for each age group plus a Year 1/ 2, a Year 3/ 4 and a Year 5/ 6 class. The number of pupils who are eligible for free school meals is broadly in line with the national average. Fourteen per cent of pupils have English as an additional language, which is above the national average, although few are at the early stages of speaking English. The majority of pupils are white and British with a significant number of pupils who are either black British, African or Caribbean. Ten per cent of pupils have special educational needs, which is below the

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

national average, and four pupils have a Statement of Special Educational Need. Attainment on entry to school at five years of age is generally similar to that of most children of that age. The targets agreed with the local authority for Year 6 pupils in the 2001 national tests are 75 per cent for English and mathematics. In view of recent good results in national tests, the school has set the targets higher.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

St Anthony’s RC (VA) school provides a strong Christian ethos and a caring environment where there is a clear commitment for all pupils to achieve well. Pupils achieve particularly well in English and mathematics. There is strong leadership and good management. Pupils have very good attitudes towards school and the very good role models provided by all staff ensure relationships are very positive. Despite some present weaknesses in teaching, the school provides satisfactory value for money.

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What the school does well

• The good teaching in upper Key Stage 2 and in English and mathematics in Key Stage 1 ensures good standards are maintained in the national tests in English and mathematics at the end of both key stages. • The committed and well organised headteacher is well supported by the deputy head and senior management team and provides strong leadership. • Pupils have very good attitudes towards school, they behave well on the whole and there are very good relationships between all. • The careful analysis of test data is used well to track pupils’ progress each year. • Very good general school information for parents leads to their positive involvement in their children’s learning. • The school provides a secure environment for the pupils and the good provision for social and moral development supports a caring ethos.

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What could be improved

• The quality of teaching in the Foundation Stage and Years 3 and 4. • Pupils’ attainment in information and communication technology (as identified by the school). • Planning to ensure pupils progressively acquire skills as well as knowledge in science, art, design and technology, and aspects of history and geography. • The role of governors as critical friends so that they have the means to independently monitor all aspects of the school’s work. • The time allocations to subjects to ensure pupils have a broad and rich curriculum. 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 previous inspection in January 1997, the Key Issue to improve standards in geography has been met. Attainment in information technology has improved, although overall standards are still not high enough. There has not been enough improvement in design and technology. All the issues concerning Health and Safety requirements have been fully addressed. Teaching in the Foundation Stage has improved, but it is still unsatisfactory in some areas. Good systems have been developed to St Anthony’s RC (VA) Primary School - 5 monitor the use of time and staff, and quality of teaching.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

In addition, the school has improved standards in English and mathematics. Good information is provided for parents concerning all areas of school life. Very good procedures have been developed to track individual progress annually and analyse data to inform planning. A nursery has been opened. The playground environment and resources, especially books, have been considerably improved. Overall, the school has made satisfactory improvement since the previous inspection.

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STANDARDS

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

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Key

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

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Key

The school’s results in the 2000 national tests are in the highest five per cent of all schools in English. The trend in the school’s average points for all three subjects over the past four years was above the national trend.

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Key

In the 2000 tests and tasks for seven year olds, results in reading and writing were in the top five per cent of all primary schools, and in mathematics they were very high. Pupils achieve well in Key Stage 1.

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Key

Inspection findings are that, by the time pupils are eleven, standards in English and mathematics are above the national average and, in science, they are in line. Pupils make satisfactory progress, with good achievement seen in Years 5 and 6. Literacy and numeracy skills are not used well enough to enhance learning in other subjects. Standards in information and communication technology are not yet high enough. The school is aware of this and has identified this as a priority for development this year. Achievement is satisfactory in geography, history, physical education and music, with good standards in singing. Standards in art in the areas covered are appropriate, but pupils have a limited curriculum. Achievement in design and technology is unsatisfactory. Pupils make good progress in French.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Pupils have very good attitudes towards school. They enjoy coming to school and most are interested in their work and concentrate well. Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Most pupils behave well in class and around the school, with some examples of very good behaviour amongst the youngest and oldest pupils. A significant minority of pupils in lower Key Stage 2 often disrupt those around them, affecting others’ progress. Personal development and relationships Pupils show good care for each other, reflecting the Christian ethos of the school. There are very good relationships between all staff and pupils. Personal development is good and, by the time pupils leave school, they are confident, mature and articulate. St Anthony’s RC (VA) Primary School - 6 Attendance Attendance and punctuality are good.

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

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

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

Out of 66 lessons observed, over half were good or better, 30 per cent satisfactory and 17 per cent unsatisfactory. Although this is an improvement on the previous report, it indicates some serious weaknesses within teaching. However, much is located in some lessons in lower Key Stage 2 and the Foundation Stage. There is consistently good teaching in upper Key Stage 2 and some good teaching in Key Stage 1, especially in teaching literacy and numeracy skills. Difficulties are created with the movement of Year 3 and 4 pupils for maths sets, making behaviour management even more difficult. Other weaknesses are due to some inappropriate tasks being set and teachers’ insecure knowledge of subjects. There are two new teachers in the Foundation Stage who need help in planning the curriculum more effectively. The school has some secure systems in place, which have been successful in identifying some of these problems already and it is well placed to deal effectively with the weaknesses

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

In the many good lessons seen, high expectations of response and behaviour result in good learning and high standards being attained. Appropriate challenges for pupils of different abilities are set and work builds on previous learning. Very good questioning enhances pupils’ understanding and they are well informed about what they are going to learn and why. Skilful management of behaviour creates a good ethos for learning. Learning support staff are used very effectively to support pupils with special educational needs, ensuring that they make good progress.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum The school provides a broad curriculum that meets the needs of its pupils overall, but the large amount allocated to English limits that available for other subjects. Planning for the Foundation Stage is unsatisfactory.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with special educational needs There is good provision for these pupils ~ all procedures are well developed, with good quality advice and support offered.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with English as an additional language The school has some basic information about pupils’ stage of fluency, but procedures are in place to more effectively monitor the progress of those who are now arriving with little or no English.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Provision is satisfactory overall, with good provision for moral and social development.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils Good all-round care is offered to pupils, creating a secure and welcoming environment. Some sound assessment procedures are being developed.

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Aspect Comment

The general school information to parents is very good and results in parents making a good contribution to their children’s learning. St Anthony’s RC (VA) Primary School - 7

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and manage- ment by the headteacher and other key staff The well-organised and committed headteacher is supported effectively by his senior management team. He has built up a team who collectively reflect the Catholic ethos and academic aims of the school. Good delegation to co-ordinators has been established and this is helping to raise standards in planning and learning.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities The governing body fulfils all statutory requirements and committee procedures are good. Governors use their own skills to support the school well. They are beginning to develop their role as critical friends, but need to be more closely involved in monitoring the work of the school.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance Good procedures have been established for tracking individual progress annually, analysing data and used for setting targets. Teaching is rigorously monitored and effective in identifying needs. Governors are not involved in these processes. The evaluation of financial decisions is not yet matched clearly enough to raising standards.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources Financial planning is good. Governors seek value for money for services and resources. Resources inside and outside of school are used well.

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Aspect Comment

Accommodation is good, although there is inadequate outdoor accommodation for the reception classes and that of the nursery is somewhat cramped. There are not enough resources for information and communication technology. The planned new computer suite will help resolve this. Although the school has made significant improvements to book resources, there are not enough reference books in the library to support independent research. The support staff all provide very good service to the school.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• Their children like coming to school. • The good attitudes and values promoted by the school. • The weekly newsletters keep them well informed. • The caring ethos and good support given to their children. • The good behaviour, especially evident in assemblies. • There were some concerns about homework. • A significant minority feel the school does not work closely with them. • They would like more information about their children’s progress. • There are not enough extra-curricular activities, and children’s access to these is restricted.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

Inspectors agree with the positive comments apart from having some concerns about behaviour in some classes. Concerns about homework are not seen to be justified. The findings are that the school does work closely with parents, although the quality of reports could be improved by more consistently providing clear information about progress. The team agrees that extra-curricular activities are limited. St Anthony’s RC (VA) Primary School - 8

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The school’s results and achievements

1. Pupils enter the nursery with low personal, social and emotional skills. They have weak early writing and speaking skills. Skills and knowledge in mathematics, their creative and physical development and their understanding of the environment are similar to most children of their age. They make satisfactory progress in the reception classes and, by the time they enter Key Stage 1, they are achieving as well as most children at the age of five.

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The school’s results and achievements

2. Results in the national tests for seven year olds over the past four years have remained generally well above the national average in reading, writing and mathematics, apart from a dip in mathematics in 1998. In the 2000 national tests for seven year olds, 95 per cent of pupils attained Level 2 or above in reading, with 23 per cent attaining the higher Level 3 and, in writing, 95 per cent attained Level 2 or above, with 12 per cent attaining Level 3. These results place the school in the top 5 per cent of all schools. In mathematics, 98 per cent attained Level 2 or above, with 37 per cent attaining Level 3. These results are also very high compared to the national average. When compared with similar schools, the results are very high in all three areas, at both Level 2 and Level 3.

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The school’s results and achievements

3. In the 2000 tests for eleven year olds, 84 per cent of pupils attained Level 4 or above in English, with 42 per cent attaining at the higher Level 5. These results are well above the national average at both levels. In mathematics, 78 per cent of pupils attained Level 4 or above, with 24 per cent reaching Level 5. This is above the national average. In science, 82 per cent of pupils attained Level 4 or above, with 33 per cent attaining Level 5. These results are in line with the national average. When compared to schools with a similar intake, results are well above for English and mathematics, and in line for science. Comparisons at Level 5 are well above for English and above for mathematics and science. There is no significant difference in the performance of boys and girls. Teachers assessed that only 68 per cent of pupils would attain Level 4 or higher in science, which is significantly lower than the actual results. This indicates inadequate

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The school’s results and achievements

assessment procedures are in place for this subject.

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The school’s results and achievements

4. Taking all core subjects together, the performance of pupils at eleven over the four years from 1997 to 2000 was above the national average, with good standards maintained. The headteacher has recently introduced close analyses of appropriate data and started tracking the progress of individual pupils year on year. Booster classes, an early morning reading club and use of a well supported home-reading programme are having a positive impact in English, as results in the tests indicate. Pupils achieve well for their ability in Year 1 and 2 and in upper Key Stage 2. Inspection evidence confirms that, by the time pupils leave the school at eleven, their attainment is above national expectations in English, mathematics and in line with national expectations in science.

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The school’s results and achievements

5. The school exceeded the targets set for pupils attaining Level 4 or above in the English and mathematics national tests in 2000. In 2001, the targets set by the local authority are 75 per cent for English and for mathematics, although the school has set higher targets internally.

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The school’s results and achievements

6. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress, as they receive good support in lessons from well trained learning support assistants. Individual Education Plans are agreed and targets addressed in teachers’ planning. Most pupils who have English as an additional language are at the higher stages of fluency and have full access to the curriculum. The few who are at an early stage do not receive specialist help, but their progress is satisfactory in lessons.

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The school’s results and achievements

7. By the time they are eleven, the overall standards of speaking and listening are good. Pupils respond in an articulate and mature way and enjoy sharing their ideas. Standards in decoding text and reading for meaning are good. Pupils discuss their preferences and give a good account St Anthony’s RC (VA) Primary School - 9 of the story. Pupils of all abilities read regularly and choose challenging texts. However, even the high ability pupils are unaware of how fiction books are arranged in a library, and how to locate information from a book. By Years 5 and 6, pupils are writing in a range of styles. Pupils learn a range of skills to support their writing and they draft and edit their work in order to make improvements. Work is neatly presented and higher ability pupils use a range of punctuation, develop lively and thoughtful ideas and use some adventurous and effective vocabulary. Little

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The school’s results and achievements

writing is evident in other subjects, however, nor of writing for a specific audience. There are few examples where work is presented in different and imaginative ways.

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The school’s results and achievements

8. Most pupils, by the age of eleven, have a clear knowledge of place value and many understand negative numbers. Many pupils are able to use decimals to two and three places in both measurement and money. They understand percentages and recognise their fractional and decimal equivalents. Most tell the time successfully, name a range of angles and identify the properties of shapes. Pupils collect data and competently produce a range of graphs to display their findings. They undertake a limited amount of practical work, which is not broadly reflected across all the areas of mathematics.

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The school’s results and achievements

9. Progress in science in Key Stage 2 is limited, mainly due to weaknesses in the organisation of the science curriculum and the identified lack of emphasis on investigative science. By the age of eleven, pupils demonstrate good knowledge about micro-organisms. They gain satisfactory knowledge of nutritious food and the need for a balanced diet. As identified by the school, pupils do not have enough opportunities to apply their knowledge, plan and set up experiments, discover through enquiry and record their observations. The use of numeracy and information and communication technology to enhance pupils’ progress across the science curriculum is limited.

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The school’s results and achievements

10. In information and communication technology, standards are below national expectations in some of the required areas for this subject. Pupils have not yet experienced all the major strands of the subject enough to reach the required levels overall. The plans for a new computer suite will help address the weaknesses. The older pupils use technical language when discussing the use of programs. They conduct some research using CD-ROMs. There is some evidence that they are able to use and direct a turtle, create graphs and record their work either through word processing or desktop publishing. However, there is little evidence of the use of information technology in other subjects and there is only limited drafting and editing of work.

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The school’s results and achievements

11. Standards are in line with those expected nationally in geography, history, physical education and music, with good standards of singing. Standards in the art covered are at the appropriate level, but the curriculum is very limited. Standards in design and technology are not high enough.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

12. Pupils have very positive attitudes to school and learning. They arrive happily and in a positive frame of mind at the beginning of the day. All parents who responded to the questionnaires or attended the meeting believe that the school promotes sound attitudes and values and report that their children enjoy school. Pupils of all ages talk enthusiastically about their involvement in the school community and are proud to wear the smart, green uniform. The older pupils, particularly, take on a good range of responsibilities around the school, such as librarians, monitors and prefects. In lessons, pupils are keen to learn and contribute to discussions. Pupils in a Year 1 geography lesson were well involved in giving ideas on human and physical features in the local community. The vast majority of pupils know the routines well and get down to work quickly and quietly. Pupils in the mixed Year 5 and 6 class were very organised in moving the tables and

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

preparing the room for a speedy start to a drama session within an English lesson. During the inspection, the response of pupils in lessons across the school was judged to be good, with some particularly good attitudes in Key Stage 1 classes.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

13. The behaviour of pupils is good. There have been no exclusions in the recent past. Pupils are very orderly as they move around the school. Assemblies and hymn practices start promptly as the pupils arrive without fuss in the hall. Out in the playground behaviour is good. There is some boisterous running and playing, but no more than expected for primary age pupils making the St Anthony’s RC (VA) Primary School - 10 most of the fresh air. Reception pupils going out of the school to visit Dulwich library were exemplary in their behaviour and crossed the roads in a very sensible fashion. In lessons, most pupils behave well, especially in the Key Stage 1 and upper Key Stage 2 classes. However, there is a significant amount of disruption in the Year 3 and 4 classes that has a negative impact on teaching and learning. Pupils find it difficult to resume productivity and interest in learning when they need to move between classrooms for mathematics sets. Some pupils take advantage

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

of inconsistent behaviour management by new teachers or those who do not give clear messages on routines and discipline. Pupils are very polite and courteous to visitors. Inspectors were often asked if they needed help or directions and rarely had to open the door for themselves! The behaviour of pupils remains as good as at the time of the last inspection, although there are still concerns with the same group of children, who are now further up the school.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

14. The personal development of the pupils is good. Pupils grow well in maturity as they progress up the school. Even young reception pupils have already learned to change for physical education swiftly and fold their clothes neatly and tidily. Year 5 and 6 pupils are very helpful in their respective roles of prefect or monitor. Older pupils are responsible and mature as they assist in the nursery class. There is a strong ethos of helping and caring for each other. Pupils are all active members of the Christian school community. Most pupils are starting to take independent responsibility for their own learning. Many can identify their own particular targets for learning and can make satisfactory use of dictionaries and encyclopaedias. However, some pupils are not confident in doing their own research unprompted and are slow to take the initiative.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

15. Relationships in the school are very good. Pupils show respect to all adults. They look up to their teachers as role models and are able to confide in them if they have worries or concerns. Pupils get on very well with each other. Boys and girls from different social and ethnic backgrounds collaborate well in lessons and play harmoniously at break times. Year 6 pupils reported that the care and positive relationships are their favourite aspects of school life. There was no bullying seen during the inspection week and there is very little recorded over the last term. Most pupils have a good awareness of the impact of their actions on others. They respond very well to the strong, moral, Christian ethos and teaching in the school. However, a few pupils do not yet realise that their misbehaviour in lessons is disrupting the learning for their peers. Pupils show good respect for feelings, values and beliefs, with a strong emphasis on the Catholic

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

16. The attendance rate is good. It is higher than the average for Southwark and other primary schools nationally. Attendance has been well maintained since the last inspection. The levels of unauthorised absence are low. It is rare for pupils to be away from school without notice or for reasons that have not been allowed. The punctuality of pupils is good. It has improved since the last inspection.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

17. Teaching is unsatisfactory overall, because there are some weaknesses across the school, apart from consistently good teaching in upper Key Stage 2 and some good teaching in Key Stage 1. French is taught well by a visiting specialist. There are two new teachers in the Foundation Stage who need help in planning the curriculum more effectively. There are difficulties because of weak management of pupils’ behaviour in lower Key Stage 2, which becomes more of a problem when the pupils move into different groups for mathematics. This affected their learning in all these lessons seen during the inspection. Other weaknesses are due to insecure subject knowledge in music, insufficient resources in information and communication technology and some inappropriate and unchallenging tasks in science. However, the headteacher regularly monitors teaching and the rigorous procedures have successfully identified weaknesses, which are being

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

addressed appropriately and resulting in positive change. The team’s judgement is that the school has sufficiently effective procedures to deal with the weaknesses observed during the inspection. The school’s good results in the national tests indicate that sufficiently good teaching does take place to ensure that, by the end of each key stage, pupils are not under-achieving.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

18. The national literacy and numeracy strategies have been implemented well and teaching is St Anthony’s RC (VA) Primary School - 11 generally very secure in these subjects, apart from in Years 3 and 4. Basic skills are taught well, especially in Year 1/2 English, where every opportunity is taken by the teacher to extend pupils’ understanding and literacy skills, as when looking at the ‘Big Book of Rhymes’. She skilfully drew in speaking and listening skills, reading and looking for patterns in rhymes, as well as writing skills through a focus on punctuation and spelling groups. Good teaching in upper Key Stage 2 ensures pupils develop good reading and writing skills and secure strategies for tackling and completing mathematical tasks. Older pupils have few opportunities to become involved in personal research and investigations in lessons, although there are some good examples, such as when Year 3/4 pupils followed a visit to Dulwich gallery with an investigation into how

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

characters in the past had an influence on the local area.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

19. In the best lessons, teachers have high expectations of response and behaviour, which results in a commitment to learning and high standards, such as reached in singing in a Year 5/6 lesson. Pupils are given clear expectations about the time available, the presentation and their application to work, for example, when Year 2 pupils work to a timer in literacy activities, which results in them really focusing on the task in hand. Even the youngest pupils are expected to work independently on activities and know they are not expected to interrupt the teacher when working with a group. Very effective management of pupils in hymn practice was seen when one teacher managed five classes.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

20. Good planning in numeracy lessons ensures pupils of all abilities are given appropriate challenges and tasks build on from previous learning well. This is particularly evident in upper Key Stage 2, where all pupils make good progress as a result. Tasks to excite and enthuse the pupils result in good learning, for instance, in Year 4 art when pupils designed and made a clay tile, learning to use the material and tools well, leading to successful results.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

21. Teachers use questioning well to check understanding and move pupils on in their learning. Perceptive questions extended Year 5 pupils’ understanding of micro-organisms. In most lessons, teachers share the learning objective with pupils and refer back to this in the final sharing sessions, to reinforce the aims and to encourage pupils to evaluate what they have learnt. This ensures pupils are aware of their own progress. Good use of subject specific vocabulary in most lessons broadens pupils’ knowledge. New words are reinforced and pupils given the opportunity to use them in context to help them remember and understand. A good example was seen in Year 6 English when pupils were studying the derivatives of words.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

22. Learning support assistants are used well. They offer good support to pupils with special educational needs. In whole class sessions, the assistants work effectively with one or two pupils, keeping them involved in what is happening, checking their understanding and encouraging them to respond to questions. In Year 1/2 English, an assistant worked with individual pupils to teach them how to use a computer program in order that they could use it independently in future. This was good use of her time and expertise. Good use of visual aids and games helps move pupils forward well in learning French. Apart from some over-long science sessions, lessons are well paced and teachers keep to the allocated times.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

23. Homework is set regularly and used to reinforce basic learning, such as reading, spelling and some research tasks for the older pupils. In some good examples of effective marking, such as in English, teachers’ comments clearly indicate to pupils how they can improve their work. On- going assessment informs daily planning well by some teachers in mathematics.

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PUPILS?

24. The curriculum in the foundation stage is beginning to be planned more appropriately to meet the needs of young children, but, at present, it does not provide a sufficiently broad and stimulating range of activities with clear learning outcomes outlined as Early Learning Goals in national guidelines. The outdoor area is too small for the reception classes and not able to fully support learning across all areas. St Anthony’s RC (VA) Primary School - 12 25. The curriculum in Key Stage 1 and 2 meets the needs of its pupils overall and the quality and range of learning opportunities provided are satisfactory, apart from some aspects of information and communication technology. However, the school includes all the necessary strands of this subject in its long-term planning. The curriculum covers all subjects of the National Curriculum and religious education and includes French for pupils in Key Stage 2. There are weaknesses

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PUPILS?

within it, particularly the heavy emphasis on English, the lack of depth and enrichment in foundation subjects and too few opportunities for independent learning. The school provides for sex education and gives appropriate attention to teaching about the dangers of drug abuse. The sex education programme is taught within the Catholic context and a good policy is in place. A good programme of personal, social and health education successfully includes aspects of citizenship.

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PUPILS?

26. The National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies are securely in place and are having a positive effect on standards. The planning for literacy and numeracy is well structured and monitored appropriately and rigorously by the subject co-ordinators. The overlong time allocation for English, however, limits the time that is given to the foundation subjects, and the use and application in areas of science and mathematics. Literacy skills are not promoted well enough in other areas of the curriculum.

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PUPILS?

27. There is no overall curriculum policy, but the school is in the process of developing a comprehensive and useful teaching and learning policy, which covers all aspects of the curriculum and assessment. The school is updating its schemes of work as it trials the programmes of study from the Qualification and Curriculum Authority. Very few schemes have been agreed yet, but the school is planning to develop them in a coherent and careful manner. At present, there is not enough focus on ensuring that pupils progressively acquire skills as well as knowledge, particularly in science, art, design and technology and elements of geography and history. The school day has been lengthened to allow time for the foundation subjects, but, apart from extra time for physical education, the time for other areas remains the same, with little time devoted to subjects such as art and design, and design and technology.

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PUPILS?

28. The school ensures satisfactory equality of access for all pupils to all areas of the curriculum. The provision is good for pupils with special educational needs with very little withdrawal of these pupils and sufficient class based support available. The register of special educational needs is kept up to date, pupils with individual educational plans are reviewed regularly. In English and mathematics, there are activities planned for pupils of different abilities and the headteacher has recently started a club for higher attaining pupils that will give them opportunities to work at their own level on independent research projects. At present, science is not planned well enough to meet the needs of pupils of different ages and abilities within Key Stage 2.

p.14

PUPILS?

29. The many good opportunities for the pupils to take part in out of school visits include visits to art galleries, the Globe theatre and libraries. Visitors in school enhance the pupils’ learning, for example, local musicians and artists. An annual residential visit to Holland takes place for the older pupils and it is very much appreciated by the pupils. There are good links with the school to which the pupils transfer at the age of 11 and with local colleges for fostering student placements in the school. The school offers a limited range of extra-curricular activities after school including recorder, football and French. However, these incur charges or expenses, which limits access to some pupils.

p.14

PUPILS?

30. The school uses visits and visitors well to support learning, such as Year 3 visiting Dulwich Art Gallery and Key Stage 1 enjoying working with a musician. Year 6 benefit from a residential trip to Holland. There are good links to the secondary school to which most pupils transfer, making their transition smooth and effective. Close links with the local college mean that the school benefits from student placements.

p.14

PUPILS?

31. Since the last inspection, the improvement in the curriculum has been satisfactory and the school is taking appropriate action to implement the recently nationally required changes. St Anthony’s RC (VA) Primary School - 13 32. The provision by the school for spiritual, moral, social and cultural education is satisfactory overall. The provision for spiritual development is satisfactory and is supported through the school’s Catholic ethos. However, there are insufficient opportunities in lessons for the pupils to respond with awe and wonder. When this did happen, as in music at the end of Key Stage 2, the pupils showed a real joy in singing and experienced the success of being part of a difficult four part round. Also, in one English lesson, a group of Year 2 pupils were really enthusiastic about describing instruments they had seen in a music lesson. Opportunities for spiritual development

p.14

PUPILS?

are not planned for in teachers’ lessons. In the assembly observed, there was little opportunity for reflection; although the music was well chosen and the theme was that of receiving invitations and the beginning of Advent, it did not make a positive contribution to the pupils’ spiritual education.

p.15

PUPILS?

33. The provision for moral education is good. Pupils are given strong moral guidance and know right from wrong. The school rules, based on care, concern and courtesy, are clearly displayed and are reflected in the way in which most pupils behave. Classroom rules are agreed and clearly prominent. The expectations of the staff are high in this area and this is reflected in the ethos of the school. The pupils are very welcoming and the relationships they have with the staff are very good.

p.15

PUPILS?

34. The pupils’ social development provision is good. The pupils are very polite, take turns and look after the younger children. A prefect and monitor system is in place and those who fulfil these roles do so seriously and conscientiously. The school has a very caring ethos, which encourages pupils to help each other. There are good examples of pupils helping the younger ones at lunchtime and helping to organise the dining hall. The pupils are given many responsibilities around the school and they are also supportive of people in the community who are in need and are aware of those needs. There are less opportunities for pupils to develop their own initiative.

p.15

PUPILS?

35. The provision for the cultural development of the pupils is satisfactory. There is some evidence around the school of visits to places of cultural interest, with some displays of other cultures, for example, Indian dolls and a display of Polish artefacts and photographs. Examples of greetings in different languages are displayed in the hall and pictures of the school journey. Some of the framed paintings around the school reflect different cultures and the geography on St Lucia is teaching the pupils about types of dress and lifestyle. However, there is insufficient emphasis on the multi-cultural society in which they live, including the lifestyles and religions of that society. Therefore, the learning experiences of the pupils are not sufficiently enriched by this aspect of the curriculum.

p.15

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

36. A strong ethos of support and guidance for each individual pervades the school. The Catholic message of care for all in their charge very effectively underpins the workings in the school. Pupils are supported satisfactorily in their personal development. Most young pupils are soon able to cope with school life. However, the practice of starting all the new nursery children on the same day in September does not enable the staff to give individual attention to those children who are nervous of leaving their parents. As the pupils progress through the school, they are given more responsibilities and helped well to grow in maturity. Some pupils are being introduced well to the world of work and careers, by writing applications and CVs for the job of headteacher’s helper and by interviewing the cook and premises officer about their roles in the school. The older pupils are given effective lessons in sex and drugs education to prepare them for life beyond

p.15

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

primary school. There are good procedures to support the Year 6 pupils and their families as the pupils prepare to take entrance tests and move on to secondary school. Many pupils are given targets to enable them to become more responsible for their learning. However, the practice of promoting effective independence in learning or personal actions is not consistent across the school. For example, some pupils are too dependent on their teacher telling them to use a dictionary or hang up their coat. They are not all being given sufficient encouragement to take the initiative themselves.

p.15

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

37. The school has good procedures for dealing with health and safety issues. The thorough health and safety policy has clear directions and guidelines. The premises officer is vigilant and deals St Anthony’s RC (VA) Primary School - 14 with any potential hazards as soon as they are identified. At the last inspection, the report raised several issues about health and safety matters. These have all been remedied effectively. The school site is very safe and secure. First aid procedures are good. Any minor accidents are very carefully recorded and the parents effectively informed. Most first aid is dealt with effectively in situ or by the school office, but it is not appropriate to clean cuts and grazes in the school lavatory block. Arrangements for child protection are satisfactory. The deputy headteacher is the person designated to deal with the child protection agency and all staff know what to do should

p.15

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

they be suspicious of child abuse. Provision for school meals is very good. A healthy and nourishing meal is available for those pupils who choose to take school dinners.

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

38. The procedures for promoting and monitoring attendance are good. Parents are frequently reminded of the need for regular attendance of their children at school. The award of certificates and silver cups for good class or individual attendance is successful in encouraging pupils to attend. Registration sheets are marked promptly at the beginning of the morning and afternoon sessions. Currently the bursar is on sick leave so the computerised system has not been updated for a while. For the time being, the legal evidence of attendance and absence is with these registration sheets. The school is not meeting legal requirements because it does not ensure that teachers mark in ink and that they record all pupils who are present rather than just those who are absent.

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

39. The school has satisfactory procedures for monitoring and promoting good behaviour. A well- written Code of Conduct gives a good message on the high expectations of behaviour. The school celebrates good behaviour, politeness and effort well via the award of book tokens to St Anthony’s ACEs (pupils who are rewarded for achievement, courtesy or effort). Each class devises its own set of rules, giving the pupils a chance to have some responsibility for behaviour in their group. However, the school does not have clear and unambiguous guidelines for staff and pupils on the effective management of poor behaviour. This means that staff new to the school do not have a well supported strategy for dealing with disruptive pupils and that there are inconsistencies in management between different teachers. Pupils in some classes are quick to take advantage of shaky behaviour management and this detracts from effective learning. The last inspection raised

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

a similar concern about inconsistent behaviour management. Any misbehaviour or rare occurrences of racial problems are recorded carefully in the class or headteacher’s incident book. Any incidents of bullying are sorted out effectively and swiftly.

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

40. There are satisfactory procedures in place for assessing pupils’ attainment and progress in the core subjects. Base line assessment is used on entry into school and, as well as the Year 2 and 6 statutory tasks and tests, pupils in Years 3, 4 and 5 are assessed using a commercial package and their on-going progress monitored in terms of both National Curriculum levels reached and age standardised scores. The school is in the process of developing procedures to assess how well pupils are acquiring basic skills and knowledge in order to identify strengths and weaknesses more quickly. At present, assessment is based on the evaluation of lessons and it does not influence short-term planning enough. All pupils have individual targets for English and these are kept in their books as a regular reminder. The assessment co-ordinator is tracking three pupils in each class to ensure that work is regularly monitored and levels of attainment are recorded.

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

These good procedures are not yet fully embedded in school practice. There is no tracking, at present, of pupils with English as an additional language and it would be appropriate to include them in the process. All the pupils have individual personal records of achievement which are of high quality.

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

41. Pupils with special educational needs are given good support and their progress is reviewed on a termly basis. The co-ordinator is very experienced and is able to conduct initial assessments. She has a rolling programme to monitor all special needs pupils in each class. All individual education plans have relevant and attainable targets. Good support is given to pupils with Statements of Special Educational Need, reviews are carried out with the parents and class teachers and all statutory requirements fully met.

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

St Anthony’s RC (VA) Primary School - 15 42. Parents give a satisfactory level of support to the school. Most are appreciative of what the school provides and state that they are pleased with the achievements and attitudes fostered in their children. They like the weekly newsletter, high expectations and caring ethos. Although many parents report that behaviour is good, the inspection team has some reservations about behaviour, particularly in the lower end of Key Stage 2.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

43. A significant number of parents have concerns about the school. Some do not believe that there is the right amount of homework. Inspectors judge that the quantity and regularity of homework is appropriate for primary aged children. Other parents feel that they are not given sufficient information about the progress of their children. The school does provide enough opportunities for parents to meet the class teachers to talk about progress. However, although the end of year reports meet statutory requirements, they are not consistent in giving a clear message on how their children have progressed in learning over the year.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

44. A quarter of parents who returned the questionnaires and many at the meeting stated that the school does not work sufficiently closely with parents. The inspection team does not agree with this view. The school includes parents well in many decisions. Parents have been consulted on general school issues via questionnaires and meetings. They are sent policies, such as the behaviour code, for comment and have all been given an up to date overview of the school day and organisation. Decisions on the school uniform and the extension of the school day included input from parents. Recently, the school has slipped up by introducing the tuck shop with insufficient notice to parents who expect a good level of consultation.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

45. Nearly half of parents responding to the questionnaires were dissatisfied with the range of activities outside lessons. This concern is justified. The range of clubs available to pupils is unsatisfactory compared with most primary schools. The narrow range and cost implications do not allow sufficient pupils to benefit from an extended and stimulating curriculum beyond lessons.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

46. Overall the school has good, effective links with parents. The quality of information provided is good, particularly on general school issues. The tabloid style weekly newsletters are excellent; they are colourful, easy to read and most effective in imparting necessary information and celebrating pupils’ achievement. Similarly, the booklets sent to parents on the school journey and moving to secondary school are impressive. Parents receive a good amount of information on what is being taught in the classroom and have been able to attend meetings explaining the literacy and numeracy strategies. This all helps parents to support their children’s learning positively from home. In the same vein, homework guidance is clear.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

47. The impact of the parents’ involvement on the work of the school is good. A thriving parent/teacher association raises a good amount of money towards resources. The funds raised from events, such as the popular Christmas fair, are currently being directed to the planned computer suite. A good number of parents help in the school. Trips out of school would not be able to take place without the enthusiastic parents who help to accompany the pupils. Recently, parents have been active in helping to form a marketing group to seek out grants and awards to bolster funds available to the school. Parents are keen to see their children achieve well in school. They show interest in what their children are learning and are good supporters of homework. The parents share the same ideals as the school and this contributes positively to their children’s learning.

p.17

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

48. The leadership and management of the headteacher, deputy headteacher and senior management team is good. They have a shared vision with the governing body of continuous improvement for the school and this is reflected in the day to day running of the school. The headteacher is well organised and thorough and has built up a cohesive team in the school who reflect the Catholic ethos and academic aims of the school. The reflection of these aims and values in the work of the school is good. The leadership of the school ensures a clear educational direction, which is reflected in the attainments, particularly in the national tests, of the pupils. St Anthony’s RC (VA) Primary School - 16 49. The senior management team knows the strengths of the school and has identified appropriate areas for development, which are reflected in the school improvement plan, for example, the development of information and communication technology. There is good delegation of

p.17

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

responsibilities to staff. The roles of the co-ordinators have now been established and are supported by suitable job descriptions. They monitor work and planning in their subjects and have a clear understanding of the standards which are expected.

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

50. A suitable appraisal procedure is now being established as part of performance management. The headteacher, senior management team and co-ordinators, on a regular basis, monitor teaching, both formally and informally, and, where necessary, action is taken to support teachers who are not teaching in a satisfactory manner. However, this takes time in order to ensure that the right support is available and this is reflected in the proportion of unsatisfactory teaching seen during the inspection.

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

51. The headteacher uses the end of year tests to carefully monitor and analyse the standards reached and to set future targets in the national tests. Tracking of the pupils has started for monitoring individual progress and the analysis of test data is used well to check teaching and planning. The school has a wealth of this statistical information, which is used to monitor each cohort of pupils as they progress through the school and indicate where additional work is needed.

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

52. The governing body fulfils it statutory requirements and governors are developing an awareness of the strengths and weaknesses of the school. They are kept very well informed on a regular basis by the headteacher through very comprehensive reports. They have a system of suitable committees, which meet on a twice-termly basis. All the appropriate procedures are in place and the governors are beginning to develop their role as ‘critical friends’. However, at present, they are not all well enough informed in educational matters to review independently what the school offers, in order to take a full part in shaping the future development of the school. They have recently taken on different responsibilities because of the school’s move from Grant Maintained status. Governors use their skills to support the school well.

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

53. A detailed and appropriate school improvement plan is in place. At present, the evaluation of financial decisions is not matched to clear expectations of pupil attainment. The shared commitment by the governing body and the school to improve and its capacity to succeed is good.

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

54. The school is efficient and makes satisfactory use of its funds, grants and resources, including staff and equipment. Educational priorities are supported well through financial planning. The recent building of the nursery has used much available capital and reduced the contingency amount to a low level. However, the headteacher is keeping a close eye on finances and ensures that any spending is tied in well with the educational needs of the pupils. Since the last inspection, the school has improved in the evaluation of its spending. The school is effective in following the principles of best value. Financial control is strong. There are clear, thorough systems in place to help in the easy checking of the budget and the smooth running of the office. Co-ordinators monitor the spending on their subjects carefully. The latest audit raised no major issues.

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

55. Money allocated via the standards fund is well spent for the designated purposes. Information technology is used well for administration purposes, but money spent on computers in the classrooms and library is not yet making sufficient impact on the information and communication technological learning of the pupils. Staff are effectively deployed across the school, but the school management needs to review the role of deputy head, especially as there is unsatisfactory teaching in some classes. Although she takes a full part in the strategic management of the school, she currently does not have responsibility for a class and so can be used more effectively to address the weaknesses.

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

56. The school has sufficient qualified full-time teachers and support staff who offer effective help in the classes, the office and at midday. The premises officer and his team maintain the buildings St Anthony’s RC (VA) Primary School - 17 and grounds very efficiently and well. Good procedures are in place for supporting staff new to the school as well as for the professional development of teachers, especially those having difficulties.

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

57. The accommodation is good, with extra rooms available for the library, music and reading support. The outside accommodation is adequate, despite the lack of a field, and much improved for use at playtimes. However, the outdoor environment for the reception classes is inadequate and that for the nursery is cramped. Resources are generally satisfactory, apart from the identified weaknesses in information and communication technology and reference books in the library. There is a need for more resources in art in order to offer a broad and challenging curriculum.

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

58. Pupils come from a wide range of socio-economic backgrounds and, despite a significant amount of unsatisfactory teaching, achieve good standards and have good attitudes. Leadership and management is good and the school has made satisfactory improvement since the last inspection. Consequently, the overall effectiveness of the school is satisfactory. Taking into account the comparatively high expenditure per pupil, the school gives satisfactory value for money.

p.19

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

59. In order to further improve, the governors and headteacher should:

p.19

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

i) Address the weaknesses in teaching in the foundation stage and Years 3 and 4 by

p.19

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• continuing to regularly monitor teaching and set clear targets for improvement, especially where there are known weaknesses; • reviewing the setting arrangements for mathematics in Years 3 and 4; • establishing consistent procedures for behaviour management; • providing appropriate training and advice for the teachers in the reception classes in order to improve their planning and organisation.

p.19

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(see paragraphs 13, 17, 24, 39, 50, 62-63, 65, 68, 87, 97)

p.19

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

ii) Implement the school’s plans to improve the quality of provision for information and communication technology and continue to improve standards in the subject.

p.19

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(see paragraphs 9-10, 25, 49, 55, 95, 101, 122-127)

p.19

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• raising the standards and improving the curriculum in design and technology; • ensuring that planning facilitates the progressive acquisition of skills in science, art, history and geography; • reviewing the time allocations to ensure the foundation subjects have adequate coverage; • developing the use of literacy skills across other subjects.

p.19

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(see paragraphs 7, 9, 11, 25-27, 78, 92-93, 97-98, 103-109, 115, 121)

p.19

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

iv) Implement systems so the governors further develop their role in independently monitoring all aspects of the school’s work.

p.19

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

In addition, the following less important issue should be considered for inclusion in the action plan:

p.19

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• to provide more opportunities for pupils to take part in independent research, investigations and problem solving activities. St Anthony’s RC (VA) Primary School - 18 (see paragraphs 7-9, 18, 36, 81, 92) St Anthony’s RC (VA) Primary School - 19

p.19

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 35

p.21

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

p.21

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

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

p.21

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery YR – Y6

p.21

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 17 294

p.21

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils eligible for free school meals 49

p.21

Information about the school’s pupils

Special educational needs Nursery YR – Y6

p.21

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 4

p.21

Information about the school’s pupils

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

p.21

Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

p.21

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 45

p.21

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

p.21

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 19

p.21

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 8

p.21

Attendance

National comparative data 5.4 National comparative data 0.5

p.21

Attendance

Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. St Anthony’s RC (VA) Primary School - 20

p.21

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2000 20 23 43

p.22

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

p.22

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Boys 19 18 19 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 22 23 23

p.22

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentage of pupils School 95 (96) 95 (96) 98 (98) at NC level 2 or above National 83 (82) 79 (83) 90 (87)

p.22

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.22

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Boys 18 19 20 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 22 23 23

p.22

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentage of pupils School 93 (92) 98 (96) 100 (100) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (82) 88 (86) 88 (87)

p.22

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

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

p.22

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 2000 26 19 45

p.22

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

p.22

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Boys 23 20 23 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 15 15 14

p.22

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentage of pupils School 84 (89) 78 (75) 82 (92) at NC level 4 or above National 70 (65) 69 (69) 78 (69)

p.22

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.22

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Boys 23 20 19 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 16 14 12

p.22

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentage of pupils School 87 (92) 77 (83) 68 (92) at NC level 4 or above National 70 (68) 72 (69) 79 (75)

p.22

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. St Anthony’s RC (VA) Primary School - 21

p.22

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage 23 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0

p.23

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – African heritage 36 Black – African heritage 0 0

p.23

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Any other minority ethnic group 9 Other minority ethnic groups 0 0

p.23

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.23

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 14 Financial year 1999/2000

p.23

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 27

p.23

Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total expenditure 887,404

p.23

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 6 Expenditure per pupil 2853

p.23

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 139 Balance brought forward from previous year 89,746

p.23

Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance carried forward to next year 47.368

p.23

Teachers and classes Financial information

Qualified teachers and support staff: nursery

p.23

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 1

p.23

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 17

p.23

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 1

p.23

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 65

p.23

Teachers and classes Financial information

FTE means full-time equivalent. St Anthony’s RC (VA) Primary School - 22

p.23

Percentage of responses in each category

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

p.24

Percentage of responses in each category

My child is making good progress in school. 49 43 3 3 1

p.24

Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 58 39 0 1 1

p.24

Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 39 39 13 0 3

p.24

Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 35 41 17 4 1

p.24

Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 51 38 9 3 0

p.24

Percentage of responses in each category

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 61 36 1 0 0

p.24

Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 33 36 25 0 4

p.24

Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 54 35 6 3 0

p.24

Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 55 32 10 0 3

p.24

Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 28 22 28 12 7 St Anthony’s RC (VA) Primary School - 23 St Anthony’s RC (VA) Primary School - 24

p.24

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

60. The school has a new nursery catering for 34 part-time 3-4 year-olds. Children are admitted to the reception classes at the start of the school year in which they turn five. At the time of inspection, most children in the reception classes were under five. The nursery is staffed with one full-time teacher and a full-time nursery nurse. Another two full-time nursery nurses effectively support the reception classes in both indoor and outdoor activities.

p.26

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

61. Based on the inspection evidence, most children’s attainment on entry to the nursery is low, particularly in the areas of personal, social and emotional development as well as communication, language and literacy. A few children with English as an additional language speak little or no English at first. However, most children make good progress and exceed expectations of Early Learning Goals in their personal, social and emotional development. They achieve well and show good gains over time in communication, language and literacy. The results of the baseline assessments confirm that most children reach the expected standards in the areas of communication, language and literacy, mathematics, knowledge and understanding of the world and creative and physical development by the end of the foundation stage. Children with special educational needs receive satisfactory support to enhance their progress. Children learning

p.26

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

English as an additional language do not receive specialised support, but usually acquire enough spoken English to function adequately within the classroom.

p.26

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

62. These findings mark a significant improvement over the previous inspection report when children showed slow progress and attained unsatisfactory standards. However, some weaknesses, particularly in the planning of the early year’s curriculum, are evident. While some of the experiences provided are relevant, imaginative and enjoyable, for example, creative work such as collage, painting and playing with play dough, the planning does not effectively incorporate the national guidance on Early Learning Goals in all areas of learning and is not appropriately linked to the advancement of children’s skills, knowledge and understanding. The outdoor provision is unsatisfactory for the reception classes and currently very limited in the nursery. The curriculum provision in the reception classes is extended to link with the work children will encounter in Key Stage 1 in the literacy and numeracy strategies. Both nursery and reception teachers and

p.26

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

support staff plan together, but, in the absence of the Foundation Stage co-ordinator, are not guided effectively to provide a stimulating range of activities with clear learning outcomes. Teachers’ short-term planning does not make the learning objectives clear for all areas of learning on a daily basis in both nursery and reception classes. The procedures to monitor and assess children’s progress on a regular basis lack clear focus and are not well established as part of planning in both nursery and reception classes. Baseline assessments results are not used particularly well to link work with what children can and cannot do. As a result, some of the work set does not match children’s abilities.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

63. The overall quality of teaching in the foundation phase is unsatisfactory. It was good in a quarter of all lessons observed. This is an improvement from the quality of teaching reported as ‘poor’ in the previous inspection. In the good lessons, the staff carefully plan to provide an imaginative range of activities with clear intentions. Their expectations of work and behaviour are appropriate and the tasks generally match the children’s level of functioning and skill. This was seen to good effect when the teacher in reception provided an interesting range of containers and materials for the children to explore ‘full’ and ‘empty’. In the unsatisfactory lessons, teachers show a lack of knowledge of how young children learn and adopt a very direct and formal approach to teaching. They have inappropriate expectations of work, which is not suitably linked to children’s prior attainment; for example, in a lesson about symmetry, children’s learning was based on the use of

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mirrors and three-dimensional shapes of different colours. Not only was this beyond the children’s understanding, it also confused two concepts. In the nursery, while appropriate ranges of opportunities are planned for young three year-olds, too little is done to develop ‘talk’. For example, adults too often do not support children’s role-play by holding discussions which extend St Anthony’s RC (VA) Primary School - 25 their use and understanding of words. Children play for extended periods of time, often without any adult intervention. However, teachers manage children well and make appropriate use of time and resources in most lessons. Homework in the form of borrowing books is used particularly well to enhance children’s progress in reading. The staff work effectively as a team and support one another.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

64. Children enter the nursery with low personal, social and emotional skills. They quickly settle down and feel both happy and secure. By the time they leave the reception classes, children have achieved well and have successfully acquired most of the early learning goals in this area. Teaching of this particular aspect is good, particularly in reception classes. Children are constantly encouraged to feel confident about what they can achieve in a variety of learning situations. This is evident in the nursery where regular participation in activities, such as sharing fruit and drink, gives children opportunities to share and take turns fairly in a familiar setting. In reception classes, children are encouraged to concentrate and listen quietly. Some simple classroom rules are shared with all. For example, children learn to put their hands up and wait to be asked to answer questions and talk about a familiar story, such as “The Gingerbread Man.”

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

They are taught the difference between right and wrong and guided to behave sensibly at all times. Children show consideration and respect for property and each other. The staff act as good role models for children and explain clearly what is expected of them. Children are helped to form good relationships with others through many good opportunities to work in pairs or as part of a group. They make good progress as they learn to co-operate, share and take turns. Most children are attentive and eager to learn and enjoy sharing their work with any available adult. They participate enthusiastically in teacher-led and self-initiated activities.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

65. The children’s skills in communication, language and literacy are satisfactory by the end of the foundation stage and they are on course to attain most of the early learning goals. Reception teachers successfully work towards developing talk and new vocabulary, for example, through paired work in a lesson to exchange information about what children did over the weekend. There are appropriate opportunities for children to listen and respond to stories, songs and rhymes in the nursery. Children in the reception classes start to link sounds with letters through language games. They recite the alphabet and, through daily practice, learn and consolidate new sounds each day as part of literacy sessions. Most children talk interestingly about their experiences and develop new vocabulary. They confidently sequence events in a story, for example, the Gingerbread man, and record this in little concertina books, showing developing recall and

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

knowledge of main events. Most children willingly talk about the aspects of their work, speaking clearly and in full sentences. Some children in the reception classes are gaining satisfactory control in developing early writing skills. They can draw and paint with increasing control. However, most children find the complicated joined-up script very difficult to follow and it is not appropriate that they should be expected to write in this way at such a young age. Opportunities are lacking for children to play at writing, attend to writing patterns or make marks, for example, in sand or use finger-paints. Most children in the reception classes write their own name unaided. Very good progress is made when adults work in small groups or on a one to one basis to give children individual attention. The introduction of the literacy strategy is making a positive impact. Children develop new vocabulary as they collectively discuss pictures in the storybooks. Parents

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

are encouraged to share books, with children and record comments on daily basis. The ‘Pact’ system of regular exchange and sharing of books as well as the routine visits to the local library by reception classes, effectively enhances children’s love for books and ability to recognise words. A significant number of pupils are developing secure early reading skills and an ability to write short and meaningful sentences unaided by the end of the reception year.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

66. Most children are on course to attain the early learning goals in mathematics by the end of the foundation stage. Children are supported to match, sort and count using everyday objects. They count and order accurately up to 10 and beyond and recognise the number symbols. Opportunities for practical activities are generally well planned to help children to write the number symbols correctly. Most children recognise basic two-dimensional shapes and gain knowledge of capacity and weight from practical experiences with sand and water. Some older children describe objects by position, shape, size, colour and quantity. They enjoy working with large and small construction equipment and jigsaws. A few higher attaining children demonstrate good St Anthony’s RC (VA) Primary School - 26 knowledge and understanding of how to solve simple problems involving addition and subtraction, and use vocabulary such as, ‘add one more’ or ‘take one away’, ‘how many altogether?’ and ‘how

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

many left?’ The teachers successfully plan oral and mental practice of numbers with suitable activities, for example, counting effectively forwards and backwards from 10 and beyond in reception classes, and counting cakes in the nursery and sharing to develop one to one correspondence. An effective use of number rhymes and songs further enhances pupils’ learning.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

67. Most children have adequate general knowledge of their own environment on entry to reception. Adults support children’s understanding and encourage learning of how children have grown since they were babies. Most children confidently name the main parts of the body. Children build on their knowledge about where they live and support their understanding of self and the family through activities such as role-play in the ‘home corner’. They work with sand and freely explore properties of malleable materials. They use paint to mix different colours, but most in the nursery do not yet name basic colours correctly. There are opportunities for children to explore everyday objects of interest, as well as select from a variety of reclaimed materials to make imaginative models and develop skills, such as cutting, joining, folding and building. When working with different materials and developing use of their senses, they carefully observe and describe

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

changes, for example, the cornflour mixed with water. Most children demonstrate satisfactory computer skills for their age. They show increasing control in the use of the mouse to move items on the screen.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

68. Children are on course to meet national expectations for early learning goals in physical development. The outdoor provision to enhance children’s physical skills is unsatisfactory for reception classes and very limited for nursery children. The range of large and small outdoor resources, such as, bikes and prams or climbing apparatus, is limited. In the main school hall children learn to be aware of space and develop co-ordination and control in movement. Children follow simple instructions and enjoy lessons that are well structured and stimulating, for example, moving to music and making patterns with paper ribbons. Their rate of learning is reduced when a lesson is not suitably organised to keep them purposefully involved. In their use of construction toys most children demonstrate reasonable hand and eye co-ordination. They are developing confidence in the use of different tools such as scissors and joining materials such as glue. The

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

range of opportunities for this work is limited and not suitably planned to encourage the progressive development of skills. Teachers do not always provide calm and sensitive support and show satisfactory understanding of how young children learn. This area of teaching is unsatisfactory overall. However, staff have a good awareness of children’s safety.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

69. In creative development, most children are on course to meet national expectations of early learning goals by the end of the foundation stage. They experiment with paint and can use their observations and imagination to create attractive and well produced results. They are given opportunities to explore colour and texture and work with a range of materials, such as black and silver paper, foil and glitter. The collage pictures produced by nursery children using these materials were particularly good. Children sing and clap nursery rhymes with a good sense of rhythm. Support staff work closely with teachers and make positive contributions to children’s learning. However, they do not talk to the children sufficiently and ask relevant questions to extend their vocabulary. In the reception classes, children benefit from opportunities of creating patterns with wax and washing these over with thin paint. Most children show obvious enjoyment,

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

show pride in their work and can talk interestingly about what they are doing.

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ENGLISH

70. In the 2000 national tests for seven year olds, the school’s results placed them in the top five per cent of all schools both nationally and when compared to similar schools. There are significant inaccuracies in teachers’ assessment of standards, with more than twice as many pupils assessed to be at Level 3 reading and writing as actually achieved the level.

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ENGLISH

71. In the 2000 Key Stage 2 tests, results are well above the national average and well above when compared to similar schools. Over the past four years, the school has continued to improve and the average results are well above the national average. Unlike the national picture, there is no St Anthony’s RC (VA) Primary School - 27 significant difference between the results of boys and girls. There are no major differences between the achievement of different ethnic groups, as noted in the previous report. Pupils with weaknesses are well supported by receiving Additional Literacy Support in school and by extra English classes being run during the holidays for older pupils.

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ENGLISH

72. During the inspection, work seen during lessons and in books indicate that Year 2 pupils are reaching a high standard in reading, good standards in writing, although this is limited in breadth at present, and have satisfactory speaking and good listening skills. Pupils make good progress in Key Stage 1. Progress is satisfactory in lower Key Stage 2, but good progress is evident in Years 5 and 6. By the time they are eleven, pupils can read well for their age and have good comprehension of the text, but there are significant weaknesses in their ability to use a library and retrieve information from a range of sources. Writing is well developed and higher ability pupils are already producing work at Level 5, which is above the national expectations for this age. Speaking and listening skills are good. Pupils with special educational needs receive appropriate support and also make good progress. The very few pupils who are at the early

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stages of learning English as an additional language do not receive any specialist support, but satisfactory progress can be seen in lessons.

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73. Speaking and listening skills are well promoted in lessons, as boys and girls are encouraged to share their ideas and report back on their learning. The youngest pupils listen very well, but some are reticent about speaking. Pupils make good progress and, with very positive encouragement from staff, they all learn to make good contributions by the end of Key Stage 1. In lower Key Stage 2, pupils’ listening skills deteriorate, due to the disruptive influence of a significant minority of pupils. In Year 4, pupils are very eager to respond to questions, but sometimes act in a immature way when they are not chosen. Year 5 pupils prepared and asked some effective questions when interviewing the school cook about her work. By the time they are eleven, pupils respond in an articulate and mature way and enjoy sharing their ideas. Speaking and listening skills are also well supported by the regular opportunities pupils have to perform in a class

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74. In Key Stage 1, pupils make good progress with reading and they particularly benefit from the well promoted home-reading scheme. Most pupils read every night at home as well as to an adult in school on a regular basis. Those who experience difficulties are invited to attend the early morning reading club. All pupils learn a range of decoding skills, and know how to use picture and context cues. The lower ability pupils read text they have rehearsed and can retell elements of the story. The higher ability pupils read fluently and with expression. They make predictions, answer questions about the story and see simple links. They can use a dictionary competently. Pupils continue to make good progress and by Year 6 they are confident to read aloud, can discuss their preferences and give a good account of the story. Pupils of all abilities read regularly and choose challenging texts. They all have favourite authors and types of books.

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However, even the high ability pupils are unaware of how fiction books are arranged in a library and how to locate information from a book. This is a significant weakness. However, younger pupils are developing these skills, due to the implementation of the National Literacy Strategy. Daily guided reading sessions give pupils the opportunity to develop their comprehension and dictionary skills.

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75. Writing skills are progressively developed, with the younger pupils practising joining letters, by writing over the teacher’s examples and then trying some independently. They have word lists and word books to support them when they are writing on their own. Regular lists of words to practise at home support their spelling skills effectively. Year 1 pupils write a sequence of four events, making their own choices, from a published book. The higher ability Year 1 and 2 pupils successfully write their own poem, based on ‘Humpty Dumpty’, with many managing to maintain rhyming words throughout. Pupils have written a story, but there are few other types of writing evident at this stage of the year. One class book celebrated Year 1 pupils’ work, when they sensitively recorded their thoughts about war.

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76. In Key Stage 2, pupils experience writing in a greater variety of forms, such as poetry and riddles, retelling the story of ‘Red Riding Hood’ from the wolf’s viewpoint and compiling a report as a St Anthony’s RC (VA) Primary School - 28 journalist in Year 3 and 4. Pupils in Year 5 and 6 write an obituary, study the form of instructional text, complete an accident report and develop their own creative stories. Pupils learn a range of skills to support their writing; how to brainstorm their ideas, write a story plan, draft and edit their work in order to make improvements. Work is neatly presented and Year 6 pupils, particularly, complete an impressive amount of work. Higher ability pupils use a range of punctuation appropriately, including apostrophes and commas. They develop lively and thoughtful ideas using some adventurous and effective vocabulary. However, little writing is evident in other subjects nor

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of writing for a specific audience. Also, there are few examples where pupils present their work in different and imaginative ways, so their writing experiences are too limited.

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ENGLISH

77. Teaching ranges from satisfactory to very good and it is good overall. Teachers are secure in delivering the National Literacy Strategy and lessons reflect the suggested format and timings well. There is consistently good teaching in upper Key Stage 2 and most classes in Key Stage 1, where well planned lessons support all aspects of learning, and develop a wide range of literacy skills. Good management of pupils with positive reinforcement and praise, attractive resources and activities keep pupils involved throughout and motivated to work hard. This was seen in Year 6 when the teacher enthused pupils about an etymological dictionary and devised a ‘Call my Bluff’ game to skilfully illustrate how the derivatives of words are helpful in establishing their meaning. In a very good lesson in Year 1/ 2, the teacher taught throughout the lesson and took every opportunity during the text work to extend and maximise pupils’ learning. The same range of

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ENGLISH

activities are offered to all pupils throughout the week, but the actual tasks are carefully matched to their different abilities. Learning support assistants are used well to work with particular pupils on their concentration and involvement, as well as to teach a group during the activity time how to use a computer spelling program. Weaknesses in teaching are due to poor management of pupils’ behaviour in lower Key Stage 2 classes. This adversely affects learning and limits the progress being made. Some good use is made of the guided reading periods, such as when older pupils completed a comprehension exercise that supported their learning in geography, but such lessons are not used consistently well across the school. There are some good examples of helpful marking where teachers clearly identify how pupils can improve their work. Homework tasks are set regularly and help to reinforce and develop pupils’ literacy skills.

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ENGLISH

78. Literacy skills are being developed well through English lessons but they are not being used effectively to support learning in other areas of the curriculum. There are few examples of empathetic writing, research, note-taking or report writing, for instance. Pupils do respond to moral issues through literacy, such as writing poems about pollution and smoking. There is some evidence of word processing being used to enhance the presentation of work and to compile newspaper reports, but it is not used sufficiently often. Overall the weaknesses identified in the previous report have been successfully addressed.

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ENGLISH

79. The new co-ordinator rigorously monitors planning and samples pupils’ work. She looks for areas for improvement and shares this with all staff. There is an established planned cycle for teaching to be monitored, which has helped raise standards of teaching literacy. Recently, the co- ordinator has reviewed and updated the subject policy. The comprehensive and helpful document provides a clear view as to how all aspects of English are to be delivered and supported. Pupils are tested in reading twice annually at present, but the test used is very limited and relies on sight vocabulary skills only, so it does not indicate why pupils may be having difficulties. Samples of written work are matched to National Curriculum levels once a year in order to check progress. Very comprehensive individual pupil portfolios clearly show improvements over each key stage. Annual tests are analysed and strengths and weaknesses in learning identified. This

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is used well to inform planning. However, there is not enough use of regular assessment to inform termly planning at present.

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MATHEMATICS

80. Standards in mathematics are above the national average at the end of both key stages. Standards have risen significantly since the last inspection when pupils’ attainment was judged to be broadly in line with national expectations. St Anthony’s RC (VA) Primary School - 29 81. The results of the 2000 national tests for pupils aged seven were above the national average and well above the average for similar schools. The proportion of pupils gaining the higher level 3 was also well above the national average. The performance of pupils aged seven in mathematics over the last four years was above the national average with a significant dip in 1998. Standards of pupils currently in Year 2 are above average levels expected nationally in most parts of the subject. However, using and applying mathematics is not as well developed. There are no significant differences between girls and boys in test results.

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MATHEMATICS

82. The results of the 2000 national tests for pupils aged eleven are above the national average and well above the average for similar schools. The proportion of pupils gaining the higher level 5 was above the national average. The numeracy strategy and the “setting” arrangements in Years 5 and 6 are having a positive effect on achievement. Pupils make good progress towards the targets that the school has agreed with the local education authority. However, individual pupil targets are not set and the school intends to address this as another means of tracking pupils’ progress. Current standards amongst 11 year olds are above the national average in most aspects of mathematics except in the application of mathematical skills which is slightly under- developed. The majority of pupils at this stage of the year work confidently at the nationally expected level for their age. Higher attaining pupils achieve consistently above this level. They

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make good progress overall. The performance of boys and girls is very similar in both tests and work seen in the classroom. Pupils’ test results in Year 6 are good due to several factors. These include firstly the achievement by the pupils, secondly the quality of teaching in Year 6, thirdly the impact of booster lessons which have a very positive effect on pupils’ attainment and progress and, finally, the effective way in which the school is implementing the national numeracy strategy and the “setting” arrangement in Year 6.

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MATHEMATICS

83. By the end of Key Stage 1, the majority of pupils order numbers to 100 and know what each digit represents. Higher attaining pupils order numbers beyond 100. Pupils use a range of methods, such as “counting on and back”, to mentally solve problems. They add two digit numbers and find the difference by counting up from the smaller to the larger number. Most pupils are developing good knowledge of the 2, 3, 4 and 5 times multiplication tables and find fractions of quantities. Higher attaining pupils begin to recognise factors and multiples in the 8 and 10 times tables. Pupils identify coins and can then make totals up to £1, or more. They use both standard and non-standard units of metric measurement in the context of length. Pupils are beginning to understand basic time by performing a range of tasks within one minute. For example, pupils in Year 2 carried out simple activities, such as counting the number of times they could touch their

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MATHEMATICS

toes in one minute. Results were then recorded as part of a data-handling process and comparisons were then made. Pupils recognise two and three-dimensional shapes and describe some of their features.

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MATHEMATICS

84. By the end of Key Stage 2, all pupils undertake work in all four rules of number. Pupils have a clear knowledge of place value and many understand negative numbers. For example, higher attaining pupils working with co-ordinates in four quadrants were carefully plotting both positive and negative numbers to make and move a range of quadrilaterals. Many pupils are able to use decimals to two and three places in both measurement and money. They understand percentages and recognise their fractional and decimal equivalents. Most tell the time successfully, both in analogue and digital display, name a range of angles and identify the properties of quadrilaterals and triangles. Pupils collect data and competently produce a range of graphs to display their findings using the computer. Most pupils understand the concept of probability and use the appropriate terminology correctly to describe their findings. Pupils

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MATHEMATICS

undertake a limited amount of practical work which is not broadly reflected across all the areas of mathematics.

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MATHEMATICS

85. Pupils in Key Stage 1 enjoy mathematics lessons. They show enthusiasm and their pace of working is good. They listen attentively and work well individually and collaboratively. They are eager to respond to quick-fire questions when practising mental mathematics. Pupils’ attitudes to the subject in Key Stage 2 varies according to pupils’ behavioural patterns. In Years 5 and 6, most pupils behave well and are keen to learn during the “setting “ ability groups. They are keen to talk about their tasks and listen attentively both to the teacher and to other pupils. They are St Anthony’s RC (VA) Primary School - 30 able to concentrate on their activities and are well motivated. They co-operate well in small groups and relationships are good. However, in Years 3 and 4, the picture is totally different. The majority of pupils are noisy, too talkative and do not listen to the teacher. In all lessons seen, the

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MATHEMATICS

majority of pupils lacked concentration, were very unruly and progress was unsatisfactory, with little learning achieved.

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MATHEMATICS

86. The quality of teaching and learning in Key Stage 1 is good. Teachers’ knowledge of mathematics is secure, so explanations are accurate and interesting. At times, teachers inspire and enthuse pupils through their captivating demonstrations and the good use of praise and encouragement. Lessons are carefully planned based on the pattern of the national numeracy strategy and teachers make the necessary allowance for pupils’ differing attainment. Clear learning intentions for each element of the lesson are shared with the pupils and revisited during the plenary session. The mental/oral starters to lessons are lively and teachers’ questioning is penetrative and perceptive. Teachers’ expectations of pupils’ work and behaviour are high and this has a positive impact on pupils’ progress. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress in their learning as work set is both appropriate and challenging to their needs; also,

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MATHEMATICS

learning support staff are well briefed and provide good support and guidance. Teachers organise the lessons well and pupils’ behaviour is managed effectively. They expect pupils to concentrate and this has a good impact on the quality and quantity of work produced. Homework is set and appropriately marked.

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MATHEMATICS

87. The quality of teaching and learning in Key Stage 2 ranges from very good to unsatisfactory. Teaching is satisfactory or better in half of all teaching in Years 5 and 6 with the other half of teaching in Years 3 and 4 unsatisfactory. Overall, teaching and learning in Key Stage 2 is unsatisfactory. The Year 3 and 4 pupils become particularly restless when they move out of their classes into their ‘set’ groups, but the teachers do not insist on high standards of behaviour. As a result, there is insecure management of pupils, low expectations and constant noise. In these lessons, an unsatisfactory climate for learning adversely affects pupils’ progress. For example, in one unsatisfactory lesson, pupils did not show respect for each other nor did they listen to the teacher particularly during the plenary session. Hence, pupils’ learning deteriorates and progress is minimal.

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MATHEMATICS

88. Teaching and learning is effective in Years 5 and 6 as teachers have high expectations of work and behaviour. As a result of this, pupils respond well to lessons and concentrate on their tasks in a productive working climate. Teachers demonstrate good subject knowledge and explain clearly what pupils are expected to learn. There is a high proportion of direct teaching which is having a positive impact on pupils’ learning. Good use of discussion and questioning helps to clarify pupils’ understanding of concepts and methods of working. Activities are well matched to the needs of pupils’ attainment levels, with higher and lower attaining pupils being well challenged. Average attaining pupils are given appropriate work in most lessons but they still require further opportunities to extend their rate of learning. Mathematical vocabulary is used well to support pupils’ literacy skills. For example, when translating a rectangle from one quadrant to the next,

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MATHEMATICS

pupils referred to origin, quadrant, vertical and horizontal axes. Good monitoring of pupils’ work enables teachers to give appropriate support during lessons. Teachers organise their classes effectively and class routines are well established. Homework is given regularly and linked to class work.

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MATHEMATICS

89. The leadership and management of the subject is sound. The co-ordinator is new to the school but is fully aware of the subject’s strengths and the areas that need development. He has already gained a good understanding of mathematics within the school. Monitoring of teaching and planning is used well to gather information about standards. Reviews of pupils’ work are carried out regularly. Useful written comments on planning are passed back to teachers. Assessment procedures are satisfactory. Pupils’ test results are analysed systematically in order to raise standards where necessary. Regular testing takes place and results are recorded for all pupils. However, the information from assessment is not used positively to guide short-term planning.

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MATHEMATICS

90. Resources in mathematics are adequate. The use of information and communication technology is not consistently applied to support pupils’ learning. There is some evidence of the use of St Anthony’s RC (VA) Primary School - 31 numeracy across the curriculum, for instance, pie charts, line and block graphs, but few cross- curricular links are established.

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SCIENCE

91. The teacher assessments of seven year-olds in 2000 show standards as well above average compared to those of other schools nationally. The proportion of pupils achieving higher levels is above the national average. The results of teacher assessment for seven year-olds over the last four years indicate that standards are consistently high in comparison with national averages. However, the national test results for eleven year-olds show a decline this year after steadily improving over the last four years. In the 2000 national tests, pupils achieved slightly above the national average standards, with the number of pupils achieving the higher levels above that found nationally. These results are broadly in line with the average for similar schools. 92. The standards seen during inspection broadly reflect the current year’s national test results, particularly for the eleven-year-olds. In the current Year 2, standards are above that expected

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nationally and have steadily improved since the last inspection. The drop in the standards for eleven-year-olds from last year has been carefully analysed by the school. The main weakness identified is the lack of focus in the planning and teaching of investigative science. Inspection evidence confirms that, at present, teachers do not place sufficient emphasis on pupils undertaking their own experiments and investigating for themselves. This is leading to a particular lack in pupils' enquiry skills and ability to record efficiently what they find, which is affecting standards.

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SCIENCE

93. An analysis of pupils’ work in Key Stage 1 shows that most pupils make consistently good progress and maintain high standards of achievement. Most pupils, including those with special educational needs and those with English as an additional language, make satisfactory progress over their time in school. Progress in Key Stage 2 is only just satisfactory, mainly due to weaknesses in the interim re-organisation of the science curriculum and the identified lack of emphasis on investigative science. For example, during the autumn term, both key stages are working on the programme of study involving life processes and living things, and some of the work gets repeated between year groups. During the inspection, all pupils in Years 3 and 4 worked on ‘healthy diet’ and produced a day’s menu, and all pupils in Years 5 and 6 worked on micro-organism and looked at the mould on bread. In the whole class lessons, the level of work is

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SCIENCE

aimed at pupils with average ability and no clear reference made to different ages and stages of learning. This leads to higher attaining, older pupils not achieving as well as they might.

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SCIENCE

94. In Year 2, pupils in their study of living things develop a good understanding of the different parts of a plant and record their findings in books. A discussion with a group of Year 2 pupils revealed that they know how to carry out careful experiments to discover what a seed needs in order to grow, for example, growing cress or bulbs in different conditions and keeping a record of their growth. They also study the parts of a human body and recognise that, in order to keep alive and stay healthy, a human being needs a good diet, exercise and sleep. When looking at physical processes, pupils experiment with batteries, wires and bulbs to demonstrate good knowledge of how to make a bulb light up. Before starting an experiment, pupils are often encouraged to make predictions and sensible suggestions, for example, how tall they might grow in a year. Younger pupils in the key stage carry out investigations to develop use and awareness of senses to

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SCIENCE

identify and group materials effectively according to their properties, such as rough, hard, smooth and soft. Pupils are developing a good understanding of what is a fair test when exploring the changes caused to materials through processes such as heating and cooling. They talk confidently about their work with magnets, correctly naming materials that are magnetic. They make good progress across the key stage.

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SCIENCE

95. Pupils in Years 5 and 6 demonstrate good knowledge about micro-organisms. They do not have enough opportunities to apply their knowledge, plan and set up experiments, discover through enquiry and record their observations with precision in their investigative work. Younger Key Stage 2 pupils make predictions and understand how evidence can be collected from different sources. They gain satisfactory knowledge of nutritious food and the need for a balanced diet. Their presentation of recorded work is generally good. The use of information and communication St Anthony’s RC (VA) Primary School - 32 technology to enhance pupils’ progress across the science curriculum is limited in both key stages.

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SCIENCE

96. Pupils’ response and attitude to learning is generally good, although only just satisfactory in Years 3 and 4. Most pupils are well motivated and engage in activities with good interest. They apply themselves enthusiastically to investigations, showing curiosity by asking questions and making suggestions. Most are applying their knowledge and skills successfully to new learning. Most pupils listen well to discussions and build on ideas from their teacher and other pupils. Pupils work co-operatively, sharing equipment and helping each other.

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SCIENCE

97. The quality of teaching is satisfactory overall. It is unsatisfactory in a quarter of the lessons. Some of the good teaching is mainly at the top end of Key Stage 2. The unsatisfactory lessons are due to a lack of appropriate strategies to control pupils’ disruptive behaviour in Year 3 and an activity that lacked scientific challenge in Year 2. In the best lessons, teachers use probing and open-ended questions to elicit fuller response, prompt further enquiry and provide challenge. Teachers’ own knowledge of the subject and scientific understanding is generally satisfactory in most lessons. They explain new knowledge accurately and carefully plan an appropriate sequence of activities with clear and specific learning intentions. The organisation and use of time and resources to support learning is generally effective. Pupils are sometimes organised in small groups and pairs appropriate to the activity. Most teachers do not give high priority to

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SCIENCE

investigative and experimental work and this leads to pupils’ skills in this area being unsatisfactory. Some lessons are two hours long and develop at a very slow pace, with the result that pupils’ interest sometimes wanes.

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SCIENCE

98. The school is currently changing from following its own scheme of work to using that produced by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority. At present, science is not planned well enough to meet the needs of pupils of different ages and abilities within Key Stage 2. Planning is monitored satisfactorily against the present agreed programme. However, the co-ordinator is enthusiastic in her role to raise standards and has a clear educational direction. The quality of marking and the day to day assessment and recording in the subject is satisfactory. However, there are no formal procedures to assess and record pupils’ progress on a regular basis. This situation contributes to the poor standard of teacher assessments at the end of Key Stage 2. The subject is adequately resourced, but the need for practical equipment to be readily accessible has been recognised by the co-ordinator.

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ART AND DESIGN

99. The last time the school was inspected, standards in art and design were just satisfactory at Key Stage 1 and unsatisfactory at Key Stage 2. The standards now meet national expectations at both key stages and show improvement since the last inspection. This judgement is based on one lesson, the scrutiny of samples of work and the displays around the school, as well as talking to pupils and members of staff. Most pupils, including those with special educational needs, show generally satisfactory progress across both key stages in the basic skills of collage, drawing and painting.

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ART AND DESIGN

100. Most pupils in both key stages are confidently developing an understanding of some different techniques and skills. They mix colours carefully and use different shades in their drawings and paintings. In Key Stage 1, inspired by their visit to Dulwich Picture Gallery, pupils have produced pictures of buildings in paintings. Younger pupils attended a workshop and learnt to use fabric crayons. A few good examples of prints using polystyrene blocks and monoprinting are on display. There is a general lack of three-dimensional work where pupils plan, design and make artefacts and images, using a range of modelling materials such as wood, clay, wire, papier- mâché. As a result, pupils’ skills and knowledge of shape, texture and form are insufficiently developed.

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ART AND DESIGN

101. In Key Stage 2 one class has successfully experimented in making tiles using design in clay. Pupils in a Year 4 class were observed working confidently on a project to create a mural out of clay tiles. Year 5 and 6 pupils study the work of the Impressionists and create some attractive St Anthony’s RC (VA) Primary School - 33 pictures in the same styles. Most pupils demonstrate satisfactory powers of observation, accuracy of detail, shape and size in drawing and colouring with different media, such as pastels, charcoal and chalk, pencil colours and felt-tips. Pupils are not sufficiently encouraged to evaluate and make improvements to further develop their own work. The use of sketchbooks to record their observational drawings or experiment with line and tone is an effective record of individual achievement and progress in this aspect of art over time. There is insufficient emphasis in developing computer-aided art and design in both key stages.

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ART AND DESIGN

102. There is insufficient evidence to make judgement on the overall quality of teaching. In the one lesson observed in Year 4, teaching was very good. The teacher had good subject knowledge and prepared effectively. The lesson provided suitable challenge to develop pupils’ art skills and ability to explore with imagination the shape and form in a clay tile. As a result, pupils listened intently, followed instructions well and sustained concentration.

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ART AND DESIGN

103. Some weaknesses in the organisation of the art and design curriculum are evident. The skills in art have not been taught progressively across the year groups and there is a lack of emphasis on the ‘design’ element of the subject. Art is suitably linked to other subjects, such as science, history and geography. However, sometimes the art component in these links is less well focused and not carefully planned to support the systematic development of the required artistic techniques. The range and quality of resources are inadequate and the allocation of time to the subject is inappropriate. However, the available resources are suitably organised for ease of access centrally and in classrooms.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

104. Only one lesson was seen in design and technology. Evidence was also drawn from looking at teachers’ planning, examples of pupils’ work, a limited display and discussions with the co- ordinator and pupils. The standard of work in both key stages is below that normally found for the age of the pupils. Standards in design and technology are unsatisfactory and are similar to those reported at the last inspection.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

105. From the analysis of pupils’ work in Key Stage 1, pupils have not had sufficient exposure to give them a worthwhile experience of the subject. Pupils in Key Stage 1 explore food, preparing the making of a pizza as part of food technology. They carefully list the ingredients and make preparatory drawings of the finished product. They evaluate and make necessary changes in their preparation. Some small cloth bags which pupils had made were of an unsatisfactory standard when compared to standards expected of pupils of this age.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

106. Evidence of pupils’ past and present work in Key Stage 2 showed a narrow range of designing and making. For example, pupils had designed and made a boat which could float, a minibeast environment, large geometrical frames and some musical instruments. While some work was satisfactory, for example, the making of an electrical circuit, the work is too limited to be accepted as being of a satisfactory standard overall. The quality of the work, particularly the making of musical instruments in Key Stage 2 from containers and card, is of a low standard, with little attention given to finishing techniques. By the end of Key Stage 2, pupils have satisfactory knowledge and understanding about the subject, but have not had sufficient experiences in using a wide range of tools, skills and techniques to make quality products.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

107. In the lesson seen, teaching was good. However, there is insufficient evidence to make a secure overall judgement on the quality of teaching. Teachers plan satisfactorily for design and technology each term. However, there is repetition in the planning particularly for those pupils in the mixed year classes. For example, all classes are taught food technology within each year’s programme. The evidence of the inspection is that teachers do not give sufficient attention to ensuring that skills are developed progressively as pupils move through the school.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

108. The school is using a scheme of work prepared by a previous co-ordinator. The curriculum co- ordinator is very new to her responsibility in this subject. Monitoring of both teaching and planning is not taking place. The regular reviewing of pupils’ work is not yet organised and St Anthony’s RC (VA) Primary School - 34 assessment to inform curriculum planning does not take place. Resources are adequate and are easily accessible. However, most tools appear to be underused and the school is not making good use of its resources in this subject.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

109. Little progress appears to have been made since the last inspection. Many pupils are missing an area of experience that should make a more positive contribution to the breadth and depth of the whole school curriculum.

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GEOGRAPHY

110. Standards in geography have improved since the last inspection. Evidence from observing lessons, discussions with pupils, teachers’ planning, display and reviewing pupils’ work indicates that standards are now typical of those achieved in most schools and progress is satisfactory, including that of pupils with special educational needs.

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GEOGRAPHY

111. In Key Stage 1, pupils experience visits out of school in order to study the local area and develop appropriate geographical knowledge and understanding. Pupils confidently study the human and physical features of the locality. They examine pictures of the area and make accurate comparisons of Dulwich past and present. They accurately draw simple maps of the area and work out routes from their home to the school. 112. In Key Stage 2, pupils study their local area and a contrasting locality in more detail. Pupils show a good understanding of the main features within their local environment. They draw accurate sketches of different buildings found in the local area. In the study of St Lucia, pupils locate the capital Castries as being in the north west part of the island. They have a good understanding of the importance of the banana crop to the economy and the effects of tourism which causes change to the island and the population.

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GEOGRAPHY

113. Progress in learning is satisfactory. Most pupils gradually acquire sound knowledge of their immediate area and other countries. Pupils are developing a range of enquiry skills through their local studies visits. However, pupils have limited opportunities to develop the necessary skills in depth as they progress through the school. Limited written work seen makes a satisfactory contribution to pupils’ literacy skills and work on maps looking at distances and scales contributes to pupils’ development in numeracy.

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GEOGRAPHY

114. In the three lessons seen, pupils’ interest was well stimulated through a good selection of pictures and books. Pupils demonstrate confidence in asking questions. They concentrate well and show care and attention to the presentation of their work. However, there is insufficient evidence to give an overall secure judgement on teaching across the school. Those lessons seen during the inspection were of a good quality and teachers demonstrated good knowledge, organisation and management of pupils.

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GEOGRAPHY

115. The school has adopted the units from the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority’s scheme of work. The curriculum is based on a two-year cycle and taught in blocks but not during each term. This leads to a disjointed approach to learning geographical skills and progression is not tracked effectively. The newly appointed co-ordinator undertakes some monitoring of planning but there is no monitoring of teaching and learning to share good practice to raise standards. Procedures for assessment and the use of assessment to inform future teaching and planning are not established.

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GEOGRAPHY

116. Learning resources are generally satisfactory but some require replacement as they become out of date. Information and communication technology is used well in Years 5 and 6 to link with the study of St Lucia. The local area and museums are used effectively and pupils in Year 6 have the opportunity to go to a residential centre in Holland. The subject contributes satisfactorily to pupils’ cultural development.

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HISTORY

St Anthony’s RC (VA) Primary School - 35 117. Only one lesson was seen during the course of the inspection. Judgements are based on an examination of pupils’ work, displays, teachers’ planning and a discussion with pupils. The previous inspection reported that standards were consistent with national expectations. These standards have been maintained.

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HISTORY

118. In Key Stage 1, pupils are developing an appropriate understanding of the past and of changes over time. They learn about themselves, their families and go on to make simple family trees. They look at history through stories and they identify periods of history through a timeline on houses. By the end of the key stage, pupils have acquired relevant knowledge, but have not learned sufficiently about the methods of enquiry and recording.

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HISTORY

119. Pupils in Key Stage 2 are gaining factual knowledge and a sense of chronology through the study of the local area and specific periods in history. Pupils learn about different people who have contributed to the early history of Dulwich. For example, pupils in Year 3 and 4 were investigating people who created change in the nearby locality, including King Edgar and the “Gypsy Queen”. From a discussion with Year 6 pupils, they have a secure knowledge of the Egyptians, Romans, Greeks and Victorians. Pupils can name several important features of Ancient Egypt and recognise the developments made by the Romans in Britain. They successfully study Victorian life, noticing similarities and differences between the past and the present. However, from the scrutiny of pupils’ work there are limited opportunities for older pupils to use a wide range of sources to investigate the past or to write about what they have learnt through structural narratives

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HISTORY

120. Overall, the scrutiny of pupils’ work indicates that progress in learning is satisfactory for all pupils. Pupils are acquiring relevant knowledge and understanding through using books, pictures and a limited range of artefacts. Visits outside of school in the local area and museums give pupils opportunities to gain historical information.

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HISTORY

121. There is insufficient evidence to make a firm judgement on the quality of teaching. The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority’s exemplars are used as the scheme of work. The curriculum is taught on a two-year cycle but not in each term. The limited arrangement for teaching history and the repetition in the termly plans have a negative impact on the continuity of learning and development of historical skills across the school.

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HISTORY

122. There is a recently appointed co-ordinator. She has not had the opportunity to monitor the quality of teaching and learning to share good practice to further raise standards in the subject. There are no systems of assessment in place to assess how well pupils are acquiring historical knowledge, understanding and skills. Resources are adequate and there is good use of the local environment to enhance pupils’ learning. The use of information and communication technology to access information is not firmly established. There are limited cross-curricular links with numeracy.

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

123. The standards of attainment overall are below those expected in both key stages. However, in the areas which are covered by the present school information and communication technology curriculum, individual attainment of all pupils is satisfactory. The younger pupils are able to use a mouse and keyboard and to choose and create simple posters using a desktop publishing program with guidance. They understand the terms landscape and portrait and how to change the colour of a picture. The older pupils use technical language when discussing the use of programs, for example cut and paste, highlight and drag and drop. They are doing some research linked to science using CD-ROMs. Year 6 pupils are finding out information about St Lucia for their geography project. The younger pupils use a music program to compose, listen to and edit a tune and then to print out notation. They make satisfactory progress despite the limited access

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

they have to computers. There is some evidence that they are able to use and direct a turtle, create graphs and record their work either through word processing or desktop publishing. However, there is little evidence of the use of information technology in other subjects and there is limited drafting and editing of work. St Anthony’s RC (VA) Primary School - 36 124. Pupils are very enthusiastic about the use of computers, access to the internet and the use of e- mail, even though they are do not have sufficient access at present. They wait patiently for their turn and are happy to demonstrate their skills to the class. They share their knowledge with each other and encourage their peers to attempt more complex text movement or change of graphics.

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

125. The quality of teaching in the lessons seen during the inspection was satisfactory overall and there were examples of good and very good teaching at both key stages. Where the teaching is good, as in Years 5 and 6, the teachers use the very limited equipment well to teach specific skills. They assess the learning of the pupils through good questioning and ask groups to demonstrate that they can put the newly learned skills into practice. Understanding is checked constantly and pupils are aware of the lesson objectives. The pupils ask good questions and use their observational skills well. They learn different ways to access a CD-ROM. The use of subject appropriate vocabulary is good. Teachers have good technical knowledge of the use of the computer, as do the pupils. Resources are checked and prepared prior to lessons. Pupils are well managed despite the limited resources. Where teaching is unsatisfactory the lesson is

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

less clearly focused on information technology skills, with pup0ils collecting data rather than using the computer to analyse it. When teachers cannot tackle problems with hardware, this has a negative impact on their teaching.

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

126. The teaching of information and communication technology within the school does not meet the curriculum requirements in terms of breadth and balance because control technology and regular access to the internet are missing. There is little work with robots, or modelling, and the use of information technology within other subjects is limited. However, in the curriculum planning these areas are addressed and, as soon as the new information technology suite is opened by Easter 2001, this should enable the whole range to be taught. The co-ordinator took over the role in September and has already evaluated what they have achieved and has a very good improvement plan in place. She has a very clear vision of how the subject will be developed. The subject is well co-ordinated, planning is monitored and so is some teaching.

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

127. The resources for information technology are at present unsatisfactory, with pupils having very limited access to computers as part of their day-to-day work. Overall, there has been insufficient progress since the last inspection, due, in part, to the new requirements. However, the potential for information technology to make a contribution to the pupils learning in the near future is good.

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MODERN FOREIGN LANGUAGES - FRENCH

128. The teaching of French has been introduced since the previous inspection. Pupils are taught French very effectively in Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 for one short period each week. Their competence is good so that, by the time they leave the school, a number of pupils speak words, phrases or short sentences confidently and accurately. Pupils learn the vocabulary for a range of topics including “school”, “food” and “clothes”. Many pupils know how to say their names, their age and where they live and are familiar with traditional phrases used for thanks, greetings and goodbyes. They know how to say whether they like or dislike something, for example, different kinds of food. When listening to a recording of a song, they can pick out words and phrases that they know.

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MODERN FOREIGN LANGUAGES - FRENCH

129. Teaching is good because the teacher delivers lively lessons and, being French, speaks fluently at a normal pace. Her enthusiasm has an infectious impact on the pupils. They enjoy learning another language and find the lilt of the French language fun. They effectively reproduce the accent and intonation of the teacher when they speak. Lessons are carefully thought out so that new learning builds on previous knowledge and understanding. The teacher uses methods which engage and hold the pupils’ interest, including games and songs. She makes good use of visual aids and makes learning enjoyable. Good use is made of the time available. Although the pace is brisk, sufficient attention is spent on ensuring pupils’ pronunciation is accurate.

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MODERN FOREIGN LANGUAGES - FRENCH

130. The curriculum is based on a commercial scheme, with an appropriate emphasis on conversational French in all year groups. Some reading and writing is gradually introduced, but St Anthony’s RC (VA) Primary School - 37 only when the pupils are already familiar with the vocabulary in the context of the lesson. Pupils are given a good start to learning a modern foreign language and are well prepared for secondary education.

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MUSIC

131. Only three lessons were observed in music due to timetabling arrangements. One recorder club was observed. No singing or musical performances were part of assemblies or other activities. Other evidence was obtained from attending hymn practices, one of which included the choir. Although there is insufficient evidence about the whole music curriculum, standards appear to be about in line with and maintained since the previous inspection. Standards in singing are good. Key Stage 1 pupils benefitted from a workshop with a visiting specialist.

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MUSIC

132. Year 1 pupils clap back the rhythm of ‘Humpty Dumpty’ with reasonable accuracy and clap the pulse in time to the taped music. With adult support, they manage to clap the two layers together, but do not progress to relating this to using instruments. They name a tambourine and know how to play it appropriately. Years 3 and 4 pupils understand how a metronome keeps the tempo and are beginning to interpret a graphic score, using hands or voices to play the relevant rhythm for each part. Years 5 and 6 pupils sing well, using good breathing and control. They can sing “Fire of Chicago” as a round very well, in two and four parts. Pupils really enjoy hymn practice. Key Stage 1 pupils sing with feeling, in tune and lyrically. Key Stage 2 sing a range of carols harmoniously, using different dynamics as appropriate, with a group of pupils providing percussion accompaniment. The choir sings in two groups, with one providing the descant. Their

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MUSIC

singing is of very good quality, with good vocal technique and musical interpretation. Pupils are all actively involved and enjoy the challenge. No creative instrumental work or appraising music was observed in lessons. Twenty two pupils in Key Stage 2 learn the recorder and this supports their knowledge of musical notation well. Key Stage 1 pupils have experienced using a music program on the computer to compose and print out a tune. Planning indicates a broad and balanced curriculum is covered over the year for all age groups.

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MUSIC

133. The teaching observed ranged from unsatisfactory, where a newly qualified teacher was very insecure about the subject, to very good. In the very good lesson, the teacher had expertise about singing. She ensured the pupils warmed up their voices appropriately first and taught breathing and vocal techniques through the song they were singing. She offered increasing challenges and made good use of the tape recorder to encourage the pupils to evaluate their own performance and suggest improvements. With the visiting musician, the Key Stage 1 pupils made good progress in learning about and playing a range of musical instruments from different cultures. They were very interested and took a lively and active part in all that was offered.

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MUSIC

134. The co-ordinator offers good support by planning lessons for those teachers who are insecure. At present there are no procedures for monitoring pupils’ progress in music or for identifying strengths and weaknesses in teaching. The school has improved the range of music available for pupils to hear, has a good range of tuned and untuned percussion and created a separate music room.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

135. Standards achieved in physical education at the end of both key stages are in line with national expectations. Evidence from this inspection indicates that standards have been maintained since the last inspection.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

136. Pupils in Key Stage 1 achieve satisfactory standards in gymnastics and dance activities. They learn to explore space, developing awareness of their position in a large area such as the hall and the playground. Pupils learn to travel creating different patterns of running movements. In team games, pupils show enjoyment in dodging opponents in a game called “dragons lair”. In dance, they develop a sense of sequential movements, interpreting different moods and feelings as they move to the music. Pupils choose an imaginative range of movements as they perform as St Anthony’s RC (VA) Primary School - 38 animals and insects. By the end of the key stage, pupils are gaining greater control of their movements and beginning to understand the importance of warm-ups and cool-down exercises.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

137. Satisfactory standards and achievement continue throughout Key Stage 2 in games, with good standards in gymnastics in Year 6. Pupils demonstrate a satisfactory range of skills in most activities. In gymnastics, the oldest pupils develop a sequence of movements working both on the floor and on apparatus at different levels. They are developing confidence both in planning and performing their movements. For example, their sequences included balances, jumps and a series of different rolls. Pupils showed a good standard of achievement as they concentrated well on positions of hands and feet. In small games, pupils show satisfactory skills in striking/fielding activities. For example, Year 5 worked successfully in pairs striking the tennis ball and improving their hand and eye co-ordination. Most pupils by the end of the key stage understand the effects of strenuous activity on their bodies. Swimming is undertaken within Key Stage 2 and a high

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

proportion of pupils are on course to achieve the required distance of 25 metres by the time they are eleven. The pupils make satisfactory progress in their learning in Key Stage 1 and good progress in Key Stage 2. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress in all their activities as they move through the school.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

138. Pupils have good attitudes to physical education. They work well together and enjoy the activities. Most pupils show a good awareness of safety, for instance, when getting out and putting away equipment. All pupils change into physical education clothing and work barefoot in indoor sessions.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

139. The quality of teaching is satisfactory overall, with good teaching in Years 5 and 6. Teachers have great enthusiasm and secure knowledge which motivates and inspires pupils to achieve better standards. All lessons begin with a warm-up and progress through structured tasks offering suitable challenges before finishing with cool-down exercises. However, on occasions warm-ups are too brief and not physically demanding for the age of the pupils. Lessons are well planned, resources are plentiful and readily available. Teachers provide very good role models for pupils in gymnastics, dance and games by wearing appropriate footwear and clothing. They set a good example by their active participation in lessons. Where teaching is good, there is secure knowledge of the subject, pace and momentum are sustained and the teacher has good management skills. Pupils respond well to this method of teaching and learning is enhanced.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Where teaching is satisfactory, the pace is slower and physical demands are less challenging for the majority of pupils. The use of assessment by teachers to evaluate pupils’ performance during lessons varies and is not firmly established.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

140. The school provides a broad and balanced physical education programme which enables pupils to build on their standards as they move through the school. Physical education is given more emphasis now as part of the extended curriculum time during the school day. Extra-curricular sports activities are very limited for all pupils and this is an unsatisfactory arrangement. The co- ordinator supported by the “shadow” co-ordinator provide sound leadership for the subject. However, monitoring and evaluating teaching is not consistently carried out across the subject.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

141. The quality of resources is good and teachers make sure that pupils handle equipment safely and carefully. The hall provides good space for indoor physical education and the playgrounds are good resources for outdoor activities.

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