West End Primary School

WEST END 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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WEST END 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. West End Primary School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Chatsworth Road Morecambe Lancashire Postcode: LA3 1BW

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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: Mrs E Grogan

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: February 1997 West End Primary School - 4

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responsibilities

Kath Tickell (17218) Registered inspector Art Special educational needs Equal opportunities What sort of school is it? How high are standards - the school’s results and pupils’ achievements? How well is the school led and managed? What should the school do to improve further? School data and indicators Eva Mills (13459) Lay inspector How well does the school care for its pupils? How well does the school work in partnership with parents? Steve Moss (7700) Team inspector Geography Physical education Information technology How well are pupils taught?

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responsibilities

Ann Evans (22806) Team inspector History Under fives How good are the curricular and other opportunities offered to pupils? Diane Grant (23665) Team inspector Mathematics / numeracy Religious education David Bone (24446) Team inspector English / literacy Music John Lewis (3909) Team inspector Science Design and technology How high are standards - pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development? West End Primary School - 5 The inspection contractor was:

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responsibilities

Kendal Education Office County Offices Busher Walk Kendal Cumbria LA9 4RQ

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responsibilities

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

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responsibilities

The Registrar Inspection Quality Division

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responsibilities

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE West End Primary School - 6

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 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? 11

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

West End is a large urban primary school situated in the west end of Morecambe. It caters for a highly transient population many of whom live in rented, multi-occupancy properties or in bed-and-breakfast establishments in the immediate area.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

There are 291 pupils in 11 classes. Of these 151 are boys and 140 are girls. The children coming into reception are from a variety of backgrounds and many have had little or no pre-school nursery or playgroup experience. There are 33 pupils in the two reception classes. Attainment on entry is below average. Many pupils’ language development and personal and social skills are well below average. The standard admission number is 50 though there are only two year groups which are at present fully subscribed.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

The percentage of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals at 48 per cent is well above the national average. The percentage of pupils on the school’s register of special educational needs at 38 per cent is also well above average. Nine pupils have Statements of Special Educational Needs. There is only one pupil for whom English is an additional language.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

At the time of the inspection, five teachers were on temporary contracts.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

The school provides an effective learning environment for a highly transient pupil population. Standards for seven and eleven year olds in the core subjects of English, mathematics and science are well below the national average and the average for similar schools, although results in the most recent tests for seven year olds show an improvement in standards in reading and mathematics. The work observed during the inspection shows that whilst attainment is below national expectations at the end of Key Stage 2, it is now in line with expectations for the majority of pupils in English and mathematics at the end of Key Stage 1. Teaching in almost all classes is generally good and has a positive effect upon children’s learning and progress in most subjects with particularly effective teaching in literacy and numeracy. The headteacher is a strong and decisive leader. She is very well supported by the senior

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

management team including the deputy headteacher, who also sets a good example of effective classroom teaching in Year 6. The school provides satisfactory value for money.

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What the school does well

• Teaching is good for the under-fives, Key Stage 1 and the older pupils in Key Stage 2 • Support staff are used very effectively in literacy and numeracy • Pupils have made significant progress in numeracy over the past two years • The great majority of pupils are well behaved and have good attitudes to learning • The school is well led and managed by the headteacher and key staff • There is a strong commitment to improvement from all members of the school community • Provision for pupils’ personal and social development is effective

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What could be improved

• Standards in the core subjects of English, mathematics and science throughout the school and information and communications technology (ICT) at the end of Key Stage 2 • The quality of the curriculum and assessment in foundation subjects • The extent to which parents work with the school to ensure punctuality and good attendance • The monitoring and evaluating role of the governing body The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school was last inspected in February 1997. Since then there have been major improvements in the key areas of management of the school and in promoting consistent whole-school approaches to the discipline of the children and their personal and social education. The pastoral care of pupils is now a strength of the school. The governing body and headteacher have successfully implemented almost all West End Primary School - 8 of the key issues for action in the last inspection report. In particular the school improvement plan is a practical and constructive document, which clearly communicates the priorities of the school, the actions being taken to move the school forward and the costs involved. However, some actions are taking longer to have an impact on raising standards than others. For example, standards in English, mathematics, science and ICT remain well below the national expectation and well below those of

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

schools in similar circumstances at the end of Key Stage 2. This has more to do with the lack of stability in staffing and the relatively high proportion of teachers on temporary contracts due to factors outside the control of the school, than the lack of emphasis on school improvement. Procedures for record keeping and assessment in literacy and numeracy have been successfully streamlined and updated and the setting of individual targets for all pupils is a particularly constructive improvement. However, assessment procedures are still unsatisfactory in the foundation subjects.

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

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Key

Pupils’ standards of attainment in English and mathematics are well below the national average in comparison with all schools. Results in science are very low and place the school in the lowest five per cent of all schools. The results in all three subjects are also well below the average when compared to similar schools. However, these results need to be interpreted in the light of the very unfavourable socio- economic background of the area and the very high proportion of pupils moving into and out of the school, often just before the tests are taken.

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Key

There have been no significant improvements in the results for 11 year olds over the past three years. However, the results for seven year olds in reading and mathematics have improved substantially in the past year. The school has set appropriate targets for English and mathematics up to 2001.

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Key

The standards observed during the inspection in English, mathematics and science are below the national expectations for 11 year olds although those for seven year olds are broadly in line with expectations in English and mathematics. Pupils are making good progress at Key Stage 1 and satisfactory progress in Key Stage 2 - although this accelerates during the last two years of this key stage.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Pupils have good attitudes to their work and show respect for teachers and other adults.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Behaviour is good in almost all lessons and pupils generally behave well at playtimes and lunchtime.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Pupils are willing to take responsibility and relationships are good. They make good progress in developing their personal skills. West End Primary School - 9 Attendance This is unsatisfactory despite the school’s considerable efforts to improve punctuality and attendance.

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

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

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

Teaching is good in literacy and numeracy. In these aspects of the curriculum teachers show good subject knowledge and plan well. Whole class teaching is a particular strength in these lessons as is the effective use made of non-teaching support staff. Teachers know pupils’ needs well and provide appropriate activities to build their understanding. Many teachers have good questioning skills which are used to ensure that all pupils are fully involved and motivated. A high proportion of the teaching in Key Stage 1 is very good or excellent and this results in pupils making good progress. In the lessons observed, 94 per cent of the teaching was satisfactory or better. In just over 20 per cent of lessons the teaching was very good or excellent. Much of the six per cent of unsatisfactory teaching was in classes which were being taught by temporary teachers in Key Stage 2.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum Although provision is good in English and mathematics it lacks balance and richness in science and some foundation subjects.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Day-to-day provision is good but the management and leadership of this aspect currently lacks cohesion.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Overall the school makes good provision for pupils’ personal development with particular strengths in the structured provision for personal, social and health education and the close and effective links between social and moral education. Cultural education is less well developed.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils Staff are well aware of pupils’ personal needs and provision is a strength of the school. Pupils’ academic performance is monitored effectively in literacy and numeracy. In other subjects procedures are not well developed.

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Aspect Comment

The school works hard to maintain good links with parents. However, the number of parents who respond to the school’s requests for support with children’s learning is limited. The national strategies for literacy and numeracy are being effectively implemented, although the emphasis placed on this, whilst reflecting the national priority, has resulted in some imbalance to the curriculum as a whole. The range of school-based extra-curricular activities is narrow. The pastoral care policy is consistently applied. There is an effective approach throughout the school to the promotion of positive behaviour. The school ensures good liaison with other agencies in supporting disadvantaged families. West End Primary School - 10

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and manage- ment by the headteacher and other key staff The headteacher and senior management team provide strong and effective leadership.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Governors are very supportive of the school and show commitment to its improvement. However, their role in monitoring and evaluation is unsatisfactory.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance The evaluation of performance in literacy and numeracy is now strong and the senior management team is active in evaluating the quality of teaching. Monitoring and evaluation of science and the foundation subjects are not yet sufficiently established.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources Expenditure is closely linked to the school’s priorities for development. Grants for specific purposes are spent appropriately.

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Aspect Comment

The strengths of leadership and management lie in the clear and purposeful leadership shown by the headteacher and senior management team, the building of teaching teams and in the monitoring, evaluation and development of the quality of teaching. The specific grant for classroom assistants has been used very effectively. The weaknesses are the governing body’s underdeveloped role in monitoring and evaluating the work of the school and the ineffectiveness of subject leadership in those areas currently without a named, active co-ordinator. The school has had a pattern of high staff turnover for a number of years. These changes, together with staff absences, have had a negative impact on the leadership of some subjects and aspects of the curriculum. Accommodation is adequate and resources are broadly satisfactory in all subjects with the exception of ICT.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• their children like school • they feel their children make good progress • the teaching is good • they feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or problems • the school expects children to work hard and achieve their best • the school is well led and managed • their children are helped to become mature and responsible • the amount of homework which children receive • the range of activities outside lessons

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

Evidence supports all parents’ positive views of the school - though it should be noted that pupils’ progress is more marked in Key Stage 1 and upper Key Stage 2 than in other parts of the school. Parents are right in their views that the range of activities outside lessons could be improved. In relation to homework, however, evidence during the inspection indicated that pupils were receiving amounts of homework which were broadly appropriate. West End Primary School - 11

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The school’s results and achievements

English, mathematics and science at Key Stage 1, test evidence

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The school’s results and achievements

1. Pupils’ standards at the age of seven in 2000, as measured by the national tests, are well below average in reading, writing and mathematics. When compared to schools in similar circumstances, pupils’ attainment remains well below average for reading, but their attainment in writing and mathematics is below average in comparison with other schools. Teachers’ assessment of pupils’ attainment in science is below the average when compared to all schools but above average when compared to schools in similar circumstances.

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The school’s results and achievements

English, mathematics and science at Key Stage 2, test evidence

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The school’s results and achievements

2. Pupils’ standards of attainment in English and mathematics are well below the national average and those in science are very low at the age of 11 as measured by the national tests, and they are also well below the average when compared to similar schools on the basis of benchmark data. However, several additional factors should be taken into account when analysing the information. First, there is a high percentage of pupil mobility in this school. An analysis of the results of the 23 pupils who have been at the school since reception shows that, in comparison to schools in similar circumstances, there is an improved picture - especially in mathematics where the percentage of these pupils reaching the expected level was broadly average - though percentages for English remained below average. Second the transience of pupils is seasonal with many pupils leaving or arriving just before the time of the

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The school’s results and achievements

standard assessment tasks set nationally (SATs). Third, this school is a pilot school for the national numeracy strategy and, as such, successive year groups of pupils have been regularly tested using a different specific NFER (National Federation for Educational Research) test. The results of this test show an improvement above that of the SATs.

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The school’s results and achievements

3. Pupils make good progress in English and mathematics over the course of Key Stage 2. Whilst the 2000 SATs results for mathematics show a dip in standards from the previous year, the NFER testing for numeracy undertaken each year since 1998 (as part of the national numeracy pilot project) shows that the 2000 Year 6 year group made significant gains in standardised test scores from Year 4 to Year 6. In 1998 when these pupils were in Year 4 only 15 per cent of pupils achieved scores over 105. In 1999 when the pupils were in Year 5, this percentage had increased to over 50 per cent. This percentage was sustained when pupils were re-tested in 2000. Progress indicators for science are not so good. One reason for this is the recent lack of stability in staffing in Key Stage 2, including the loss of a very effective science teacher.

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The school’s results and achievements

4. The school has set targets which are appropriately challenging for pupils at the end of both key stages for the year 2001 - English at 50 per cent and mathematics 56 per cent. Despite the high percentage of pupil mobility, the performance of the relevant year groups of pupils during the inspection indicates that these targets will be achievable.

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The school’s results and achievements

5. Standards observed during the inspection in English are satisfactory in Key Stage 1 with the majority of pupils in Year 2 reaching the levels expected of them nationally. Pupils at both key stages show they can listen carefully to their teachers and each other. Pupils’ attainment in mathematics and science is below the national expectations at the end of both key stages on the basis of work seen during the inspection.

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The school’s results and achievements

6. By the end of Key Stage 1, standards in ICT, religious education and history are broadly in line with national expectations but those in geography are below expectations. There was insufficient evidence to make judgements about standards in art, music and physical education for seven year olds. West End Primary School - 12 Standards in art, ICT, music and religious education are below national expectations at the end of Key Stage 2. Standards in history, geography and the dance element of physical education (PE) are broadly in line with expectations but there was insufficient evidence to make a judgement about standards in design and technology in both key stages.

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The school’s results and achievements

7. Given the low attainment of most pupils on entry to the school and the levels at which they are currently working, pupils’ achievements are good in Key Stage 1, and satisfactory for under-fives and Key Stage 2. In relation to their prior attainment, over the past two years, pupils throughout the school have made significant progress in numeracy. This is particularly marked towards the end of Key Stage 2. Those pupils who remain in the school for a number of years are making good progress in literacy and numeracy.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

8. Pupils are generally keen and eager to come to school. They relate well to each other, to their teachers and to other adults in the school. They enjoy their lessons, are interested, well motivated and often enthusiastic. A good example of this was seen in a music lesson in Year 5/6 where pupils really enjoyed singing together.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

9. Pupils are mostly attentive in class and listen carefully to each other and to their teachers. The mutual respect between staff and pupils is evident and in most lessons pupils concentrate well, completing tasks carefully and with attention to detail. They ask sensible questions and respond in an appropriate way. In most numeracy lessons pupils were particularly confident, keen to answer questions, and willing to explain their method of calculation. On the few occasions when pupils concentrate less well, it is sometimes when they are not sure what to do, activities are not well managed by the teacher or when the expectation of teachers is inappropriate.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

10. Relationships are good throughout the school. Teachers provide good role models, treating pupils with respect and listening to their views. Pupils respect the feelings of others and show that they value each other's opinions. For example, in a religious education lesson in a reception class, the ‘thought for the day’ focused upon how we behave in the playground and in circle time, when pupils sit round with their teacher to discuss important issues, older pupils shared openly and honestly their thoughts on how disabled people could feel vulnerable. Pupils work well together in groups and there are good relationships between boys and girls who work effectively together. Good examples of this were seen in science lessons in Year 5 and Year 6 where pupils worked well together sharing resources and testing the different properties of materials used to filter a soil and water mixture. Because the school makes

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

good provision for social and moral opportunities, pupils’ development in all these areas is good.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

11. Pupils behave well in most lessons and this contributes to them learning effectively. In a small number of lessons where control was less secure a few pupils, mainly boys, were disruptive and this sometimes hindered their learning. At playtimes and at lunchtimes pupils generally get on well with each other and there are few incidents of any kind. They enter and leave classrooms without fuss and even the youngest line up and file into assemblies in an orderly manner. Pupils and parents are confident that the school deals with bullying quickly and appropriately. This issue is also addressed well in circle time.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

12. Pupils respond maturely to opportunities to take responsibility. Children under five are developing well their independence and self-help. They share and co-operate with resources and play activities and take responsibility for tidying up and putting away the items they have used. As pupils move through the school they appreciate the opportunities provided to take increased responsibility. For example, monitors carry out a range of tasks which include managing the distribution and return of the small outdoor play equipment, monitoring attendance and collecting money from pupils having breakfast in the hall and taking telephone calls during lunch-time in the main reception area. They do all of these things well. Pupils are less ready to use their initiative and plan their own activities, however, as these aspects are given less priority.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

13. Attendance at the school is unsatisfactory. The exceptional circumstances of the school contribute to relatively high absence. However, attendance has greatly improved this year.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

14. Some pupils do arrive late in the morning and this does have a disruptive influence on the literacy West End Primary School - 13 and numeracy sessions. Instances of exclusion are relatively high for a school of this size but are reflective of the school’s policy in not tolerating abusive behaviour.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

15. Overall pupils have positive attitudes to their studies, form constructive relationships and behave well.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

16. To improve further pupils' personal development the school should: • ensure that the small number of disruptive pupils are encouraged to understand the impact on others of their actions; • ensure that inexperienced teachers have an opportunity to develop a range of strategies for dealing with instances of poor behaviour; • reduce the number of instances where pupils arrive late in the morning.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

17. Despite the considerable efforts of the school to encourage and monitor attendance, rates remain below those achieved nationally. The high proportion of pupils who move in and out of the area contributes to the relatively high absence rates as it is often some time before their names can be removed from the school’s register. Attendance rates did, however, improve considerably in the last school year after a decline since the last inspection. This is a measure of the success of the school’s procedures and the support of the educational welfare service.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

18. Punctuality remains a problem for a significant minority of pupils and their lateness sometimes has an effect on the first lesson of the day. Teachers use effective strategies to minimise any disruption caused by lateness.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

19. Teaching in almost all classes is generally good and has a positive effect upon children’s learning and progress in most subjects, with particularly effective teaching in literacy and numeracy. General strengths include the very effective deployment of classroom support staff, especially in literacy and numeracy lessons, with the result that pupils are productively engaged with their tasks for a high proportion of the time. Short-term planning for literacy and numeracy is of a high quality throughout the school. Clear learning objectives are shared with pupils and revisited at the end of each lesson so that children become aware of their own learning. In these lessons, teachers show a good understanding of children’s needs. Their timely guidance and support given to pupils in mid-task build confidence and encourage a deeper understanding. Most teachers have developed good questioning strategies, which

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

enable them to involve a wide range of pupils in whole class oral activities. Whole-class teaching is generally effective and ensures that pupils increase their knowledge and understanding.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

20. Teaching in some of the foundation subjects is less secure, particularly in music, geography and physical education where there has been little recent training for staff and subject knowledge is relatively weak. There is also a weakness in the foundation subjects and in science where teachers are not making sufficient use of their day-to-day assessments when planning future work. As a result, some work is either too difficult or undemanding and pupils are not helped to make progress.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

21. In the lessons observed, 94 per cent of the teaching was satisfactory or better. In just over one- fifth of the lessons, the teaching was very good or excellent.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

22. There are some weaknesses in teaching in the lower part of Key Stage 2 where 20 per cent of the teaching was judged unsatisfactory. All the unsatisfactory teaching occurred in the two classes being taught by temporary teachers.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

23. Children in the reception classes are well taught with almost three-quarters of the teaching being good. There are differences in the quality of teaching between the two classes with one being particularly strong, but some good teaching was observed in both. Routines and expectations are well established and understood by the children. Teachers have very good relationships with pupils. However, pupils are given limited opportunities to make their own choices and tasks are sometimes rather contrived with too few opportunities for pupils to play and explore resources for themselves. West End Primary School - 14 Lessons are planned thoroughly in these classes and there is good teaching of the basic skills of literacy and numeracy. In these lessons, the teachers show good skills in whole-class teaching with effective use of questions to involve as many pupils as possible in the work. Tasks are explained clearly

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

and this enables pupils to settle to their work quickly and make progress within lessons. Those pupils with special educational needs are supported well and there are effective working relationships between teachers and adult support staff.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

24. In Key Stage 1 the teaching is good and examples were seen in all three classes of very good or excellent teaching. There were no instances of unsatisfactory teaching in these classes. Lessons are carefully and jointly planned which provides consistency of approach and content between classes containing pupils of the same age. The teaching of literacy and numeracy is well developed with particularly strong whole-class teaching in numeracy. In one class, excellent use was made of a hand puppet to hold children’s attention and reinforce teaching points. The children were keen to correct the “deliberate” mistakes made by the puppet and, in so doing, consolidated their own understanding. Good whole-class and large group teaching was also evident in ICT, where teachers showed good knowledge of the programs they were demonstrating at the start of a unit of work; and in physical education, where

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

thorough planning, good subject knowledge and lively, imaginative teaching resulted in high levels of pupil involvement and very good performances in a dance lesson. Another excellent example of imaginative teaching was seen where teachers assumed the role of Florence Nightingale for a history lesson and used this to develop the children’s questioning skills as they “interviewed” her character. However, in some lessons in the foundation subjects, tasks are not sufficiently well matched to meet the needs of the older and younger pupils in mixed age classes. The two-year topic cycle also results in some lack of appropriate challenge with Year 2 pupils undertaking the same work as those in Year 1.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

25. In Key Stage 2 the quality of teaching varies from satisfactory in Years 3 and 4 to good in Years 5 and 6 where there were several instances of very good teaching. At the time of the inspection, temporary teachers were teaching three classes in Key Stage 2. Relationships between teacher and pupils in these classes were sometimes difficult and the flow of teaching became fragmented by the frequent need to ensure that pupils were attentive to the task in hand. As a result, the pace of work in these lessons was slow. However, the teaching of literacy and numeracy was at least satisfactory in all classes and the whole-class elements of the lessons were taught effectively. In some of the foundation subjects, tasks are not well matched to pupils’ needs and abilities and there are further examples of the two-year planning cycle resulting in the same tasks being offered to pupils in Year 3 and Year 4. In one

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

geography lesson this resulted in a task that was beyond the capabilities of the younger and less able pupils. They found the teaching difficult to follow and made little progress in their knowledge and understanding.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

26. The teaching of the older pupils in Years 5 and 6 is generally good with some very good teaching in Year 6. The teaching of literacy and numeracy is secure in all the classes in this part of the school. In a literacy lesson with Year 6 pupils, very effective teaching helped pupils to develop a good understanding of metaphor and imagery in dialogue between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. In a science lesson, good teamwork between the teacher and the classroom support assistant resulted in pupils making good progress. Whilst the teacher’s skilful questioning promoted further enquiry and deepened the pupils’ understanding, the assistant’s quiet guidance in mid-task helped children to learn the spelling of specialist words such as “suspension” through a “try it” approach.

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PUPILS?

27. The quality of education offered by the school is good. The curriculum is broad and relevant to the needs of pupils. The school places a strong emphasis on the teaching of literacy, numeracy and personal and social skills. The time allocated to these subjects results in some lack of balance in the curriculum and only limited time is available for the foundation subjects. This has an impact on the amount of work which is covered in some subjects. Since the last inspection the school has developed schemes of work for all areas of the curriculum which ought to ensure sensibly ordered stages in learning in well-judged steps to achieve purposeful coverage of skills and knowledge as pupils move through the school. However, the organisation of the foundation subjects in a two-year cycle and the general lack of time given to subjects such as geography and history mean that the overall curriculum

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PUPILS?

West End Primary School - 15 lacks both balance and continuity.

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PUPILS?

28. The curriculum for pupils in the reception classes is broad and relevant. The new scheme of work for the foundation stage of learning is very detailed and covers all six areas of learning and the planning for the teaching of the early learning goals is good.

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PUPILS?

29. The school has effective strategies in place to teach literacy and numeracy and has successfully implemented the national literacy and national numeracy strategies in both key stages. These are having a positive impact on raising pupils’ attainment particularly in Key Stage 1.

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PUPILS?

30. Pupils have full access to the curriculum and it is well organised to meet the needs of all pupils, including those with special educational needs. There is good support for pupils of lower attainment and with special educational needs through additional literacy support and there is very effective support from quality classroom assistants and special support assistants. The school makes good use of additional funding and specific input is given to groups to raise achievement through booster classes. The system for ensuring classes contain pupils of broadly similar attainment in the relevant subjects in Years 5 and 6 ensures that pupils of all levels of attainment are targeted effectively in literacy and numeracy lessons. All pupils benefit according to their needs and pupils make appropriate progress according to their prior attainment.

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PUPILS?

31. There are some good examples of effective cross-curricular provision. Skills acquired in literacy are employed in other areas of the curriculum such as in Years 5 and 6 where pupils drafted a letter to the British Museum to ask for further information about the historical objects which they have been investigating. Pupils’ mathematical knowledge is applied in other subject areas. For example, in a Year 2 lesson looking at healthy eating pupils construct block graphs to show what amounts of different foods are eaten, this work being supported by good teaching of how to make and use block graphs. In a Year 4 lesson looking at the impact of people on an environment, pupils use tallying and graphing skills to look for patterns of movement in school. Mathematics was also seen where pupils were using date lines in history lessons on the Tudors, measuring in design and technology and simple pictograms of eye

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PUPILS?

32. The school based extra-curricular provision is unsatisfactory, but the school has plans to improve the quantity and range of activities beyond the limited number currently offered - which are netball, football and a library club. There are some good examples of the curriculum being enriched and extended, such as in music where pupils experience the Hot House Music Group and More Music Morecambe. Good use is made of visits to extend and support the curriculum such as the Year 6 residential visit to Borwick Hall and recent visits to the Millennium Dome, the South Lakes Wildlife Park, Grizedale Forest, Wigan Pier and Docker Park.

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PUPILS?

33. The school makes good provision for pupils’ personal and social development, including health education, sex education and attention to drug misuse. This was identified as a weakness in the last inspection but is now a strength of the school. The scheme of work ensures coverage and the weekly timetabled sessions in all year groups ensure that pupils receive an entitlement to personal and social education. In Years 3 and 4 circle time is used effectively to explore issues such as bullying and to inform pupils about what action they should take if they see or experience bullying. Circle time is also used effectively to raise pupils’ self-esteem in Years 3 and 4 where the class chooses a special person and pupils give their views on that person’s qualities (while s/he is out of the room). In reception circle time is used effectively to consider how pupils should behave at break time and how they should look

p.15

PUPILS?

out for one another and take turns on the new playground equipment. The school makes good provision for health education and places an appropriate emphasis on the benefits of a healthy life style. The school nurse make a useful contribution to health education in the school by working with all pupils in all year groups.

p.15

PUPILS?

34. The school makes satisfactory provision for pupils’ spiritual development and enables them to reflect on their experiences in a way which develops their spiritual awareness and self-knowledge. The daily act of corporate worship meets statutory requirements and makes a good contribution to pupils’ spiritual development. Pupils enjoy singing, know the words well and join in enthusiastically. Themes are well chosen and interpreted imaginatively. The headteacher leads a very good assembly at Key West End Primary School - 16 Stage 2 on the theme “Do not judge simply by external appearances”. Pupils were asked to judge a beauty contest of fruits, which though attractive on the outside were flawed inside and this was linked appropriately to what pupils wear and how the latest gear and trainers are only external and that it is what is inside a person which matters most. The “thought for the day” also makes a good contribution

p.15

PUPILS?

to pupils’ spiritual development. In a Year 5/6 class this was a very settled, peaceful and reflective time and pupils were helped to think about helping others and not being selfish and to pray for support so that they could avoid being selfish.

p.16

PUPILS?

35. There is good provision for pupils’ moral development. Teaching clearly promotes the principles of right and wrong. The school provides a good moral code and this is reinforced effectively through class rules, agreed protocols and whole-school guidelines which are implemented consistently throughout the school. Pupils generally demonstrate a clear understanding of what is expected of them and are governed by an agreed set of values and principles rather than sanctions or rewards. There are planned opportunities to teach moral values in assemblies, in “thought for the day” and circle time. Teachers make good use of opportunities to consider moral dilemmas in different subjects of the curriculum. In Year 6 pupils discussed the consequences of actions as they analysed the dialogue in “Macbeth” and in the Year 1 and 2 class they engaged in a discussion about why people go to war in a history lesson

p.16

PUPILS?

about Florence Nightingale. Moral and social education are clearly related and the school successfully promotes values such as honesty, fairness and respect. Pupils demonstrate their growing respect for the views of others in circle time and in good work assemblies, recognising the achievements and gifts of others.

p.16

PUPILS?

36. The school makes good provision for pupils’ social development. Pupils in most classes work well together on group and paired activities and relationships are good. In all classes monitors carry out routine tasks such as giving out resources and all pupils participate fully in tidying up and putting things away. In a minority of classes, however, the teachers have difficulty in establishing purposeful relationships and in these classes pupils’ attitudes to good social behaviour and self-discipline are unsatisfactory.

p.16

PUPILS?

37. The school makes satisfactory provision for pupils’ cultural development overall. It organises a good range of visits to places locally and further afield and these make a positive contribution to the curriculum in some subjects such as history. The governors are committed to enriching the curriculum and have secured funding to support educational visits. There are limited resources in most subject areas to introduce pupils to the art, music and traditions of other cultures. There are some instances of work on other cultures such as work on pattern and designs from India in Year 5 and work on opera in music, but these are limited. Religious education makes a satisfactory contribution to pupils’ understanding of other cultures. Pupils learn about other world religions such as Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism and Buddhism. However, there are limited opportunities for pupils to gain first-hand experience

p.16

PUPILS?

of other cultures - for example, through visits to different places of worship.

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

38. Since the last inspection the school has implemented a pastoral care policy which provides comprehensive guidance for staff and is consistently applied. The school provides very well for the personal needs of individual pupils and this is a strength of the school. Teachers and other staff know pupils well, are aware of their circumstances and deal sensitively when they are unwell or upset.

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

39. A major improvement in this area is the introduction of a programme of personal, social and health education which provides effective support and advice for pupils in dealing with problems such as bullying and in promoting good relationships, co-operation and the raising of self-esteem.

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

40. The breakfast club provides very good support for pupils prior to school. Classroom assistants and special needs support staff are skilful in providing effective guidance for pupils during lessons, especially in literacy and numeracy.

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

41. The school has good procedures in place to deal with child protection issues and the health and safety of pupils is taken very seriously, with appropriate policies in place and good practice seen during inspection. The school also has good contact with the school nurse who is a governor. She provides a valuable ‘drop in’ clinic weekly as well as contributing to lessons involving health issues. West End Primary School - 17 42. The education welfare service makes a positive contribution to the monitoring of attendance, which the school does well. A school link worker provides very good support for disadvantaged families, endorsing the care and concern shown by staff.

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

43. The school actively promotes good behaviour and instances of poor behaviour in school are dealt with consistently and effectively. Good behaviour is praised and rewarded.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

44. A key issue from the last inspection was to improve record keeping and assessment. Measures to address this issue have been implemented very effectively in English and mathematics but not in science, religious education and the foundation stage subjects. For pupils with special educational needs there are detailed individual education plans (IEPs) which are drawn up by the class teacher, special education needs co-ordinator and often with the child and his or her parents. These effectively pinpoint targets, the actions proposed to achieve these targets and review dates. However, there is some inconsistency in the quality of the IEPs. Some are too vague and lack detail and this leads to a lack of progress in learning and development for the child involved.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

45. In English and mathematics, there are good systems in place for assessing pupils’ performance at the end of the school year and at strategic times during their studies. Data is collected and analysed to identify areas of weakness. The school has very detailed procedures in place to track specific groups of pupils using a variety of tests and optional standard assessment tasks.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

46. Effective practices identify how well pupils are making progress and the achievement of different groups. This identification is followed by rigorous diagnosis of what groups and individuals do well and how they might improve. This is recorded in terms of clear group and individual targets. Records are detailed and are collated in individual teachers’ assessment and record files. Older pupils are aware of their targets and can talk about the National Curriculum levels they are working at and towards. The new assessment, recording and reporting policy and its implementation in English and mathematics is complemented by the broad and very useful bank of data which is collected. Both are beginning to have a very positive effect on the progress pupils are making in these subjects. The use of statistical analysis of pupils’ performance is guiding curricular planning in both English and mathematics and in

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

booster classes where pupils are targeted for additional support as a result of tracking processes.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

47. The school’s marking policy clearly outlines good practice in marking and giving feedback to pupils about their work. However, it is not implemented consistently. There are examples of constructive feedback to support learning in literacy books but in other subjects - for example science - marking does not give supportive advice and is largely mechanistic. This does not help pupils make progress. The recent thorough monitoring and evaluation of marking by the assessment co-ordinator highlights these inconsistencies and action is underway to tackle issues and share best practice.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

48. Assessment procedures are unsatisfactory in science, ICT, religious education and the foundation subjects. Here a lack of regular short-term and considered assessment means that planning does not link accurately to pupils’ learning needs and teachers do not have a clear view of their progress. Individual and group targets are not set and pupils do not have a sense of the progress they are making.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

49. Pupils who are under five are assessed at the beginning and end of the year, but these assessments are not used to shape planning. Assessment is good for literacy and numeracy but limited in other areas. Pupils’ records of achievement are very selective and only of limited use in gaining a picture of pupils’ progress.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

50. Parents who expressed a view of the school are very supportive and feel confident that the school is working well and that their children are making good progress. They feel happy to approach the school with any concerns. The only issues about which parents expressed a concern are homework and extra-curricular activities. The inspection team generally supported the views of parents, although the level and quality of homework set during inspection was satisfactory. Although school-based extra- curricular activities are limited, the school supplements these with visits out of school.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

51. The school provides good information about its work. Parents are provided with sufficient details West End Primary School - 18 about what their children are doing and about their progress. There is a useful programme of home visits for all children entering reception. Annual written reports to parents have improved since the last inspection. For Years 1 to 6 they are detailed and very useful to parents, giving a good level of information on strengths, weaknesses and targets for improvement. Reports for under fives are currently being reviewed as they do not comment on all areas of learning.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

52. The school works hard to involve parents in the education of their children and a few parents provide effective help in the classroom and in supporting their children’s work at home. However, the number of parents who respond to the school’s requests for support is limited. Many parents lack confidence in their own ability to support their children’s learning at home. A number of parents do not work well with the school in ensuring that their children attend school regularly and arrive on time.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

53. The school provides accommodation, resources and support for an educational course for parents in helping in school and in helping their children at home. This course, which leads to a qualification, is useful and successfully promotes partnership with those parents involved.

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

54. The headteacher is a strong and decisive leader. She has a clear sense of direction. She has implemented strategies to ensure the ethos of the school has changed to focus upon higher expectations for individual pupils, not only in terms of academic achievement but also for personal and social education. The impact of this is evident in the progress which pupils have made over the last three years in literacy and numeracy - despite the exceptionally high level of transient pupils and the constant movement of children into and out of classes. Pupils’ behaviour and relationships have also improved. Contributing to this improvement has been the promotion of personal, social and health education throughout the school including a timetabled weekly circle time in every class.

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

55. Since the last inspection the school has taken action to establish an effective and purposeful senior management team. The members of this team give a firm steer to the work of the school. They meet together regularly and ensure that their commitment to continual improvement is reflected throughout the school. In the regular meetings of the phase groups which they lead, they focus on key aspects of teaching and learning. Minutes of recent meetings of the upper Key Stage 2 team and the Key Stage 1 team reflect a continuing concern for consistency in implementing procedures relating to literacy, numeracy and pastoral care. In lower Key Stage 2, however, there should be a closer focus on raising teachers’ expectations and pupils’ standards of attainment. The senior management team has a high visibility around the school and this contributes effectively towards its smooth running. The headteacher and deputy head take turns in duties every morning and after school as well as having a

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

duty rota at lunchtime. The management team believe the school has changed dramatically to become more caring, supportive and to have higher expectations of pupils.

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

56. The headteacher is very well supported by the deputy head who is a committed, dedicated and energetic teacher. Her work with the oldest children in the school sets a high standard - particularly in the areas of personal and social education, literacy and numeracy. She works very hard to encourage a sense of self-respect, confidence and pride in the children she teaches.

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

57. Members of the governing body are very supportive of the school and have confidence in the leadership and management of the headteacher. They have adopted the role of critical friend through lively questioning and discussion of priorities at meetings of the governing body. They participate in discussion about the strategic direction of the school and have helped shape aspects of its provision – particularly in areas relating to social and community links. For example, the implementation of the breakfast club for pupils has been very successful. In addition the governors’ decision to allocate £1,000 to help towards the expense of educational visits has resulted in an enrichment of the curriculum for all pupils.

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

58. The chair of governors visits school on a weekly basis during which time she discusses current local and national educational issues and their impact on the school with the headteacher. The governor with responsibility for special educational needs is well informed - both in relation to the current West End Primary School - 19 requirements and in relation to impending national changes in this area. In her role of school nurse she is in school regularly. Taken overall, however, the role of the governing body in monitoring and evaluating the work of the school is developing too slowly. At present they rely too heavily on information from the headteacher. Links between co-ordinators and members of the governing body are not well developed. There are few instances of governors finding out things for themselves or in partnership with school staff. This aspect of their role is unsatisfactory.

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

Curriculum and special needs co-ordinators

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

59. The role of curriculum co-ordinators - other than literacy and numeracy - in evaluating teaching and learning in their subjects across the school is limited at present. Literacy and numeracy have taken priority in curriculum co-ordination and monitoring of teaching and learning and these co-ordinators are very effective in promoting high quality teaching and in improving standards. Teachers are encouraged to make good use of feedback from monitoring visits to their classrooms and often receive a written report. Co-ordinators of science, religious education, ICT and the foundation subjects have had little involvement in monitoring and evaluating their subject. In some subjects, such as art, co-ordinators have been on long-term absence. The recently appointed ICT co-ordinator has already had a positive effect upon provision in this subject.

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

60. The leadership and management of provision for special educational needs is currently lacking some cohesion and direction - though the day-to-day provision for individual pupils is satisfactory. The special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO) is on long term sickness absence. Class teachers have worked hard to ensure IEPs are in place for all pupils on the register of special needs - but the quality and precision of these are inconsistent. This results in targets often being repeated following a review and the small steps of progress not being sufficiently recognised. The monitoring, evaluating and co-ordination of the school’s provision for special educational needs is currently unsatisfactory.

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

61. The school improvement plan is a thorough document which identifies appropriate priorities for development. It is informed by internal and external evaluations. The plan is clearly costed and has clear targets, success criteria and time scales. The school is making good progress towards achieving the targets it has set. Information from standardised tests is used in combination with other assessment information to identify progress and underachievement and to set individual pupils’ targets. The extent to which this information is then clearly used to influence teaching and ensure work is tailored to meet the needs of pupils of differing abilities varies across year groups - and is less evident in lower Key Stage 2.

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

62. The governing body have set targets which are appropriately challenging for pupils at the end of both key stages for the year 2001 - English 50 per cent and mathematics 56 per cent. Despite the high percentage of pupil mobility, the performance of the relevant year groups of pupils indicate that these targets will be achievable. These targets are not published in the school prospectus though they are clearly stated in the school development plan.

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

63. The school’s mission statement is clearly reflected in its day-to-day activities. The school is also very successful in meeting most of its aims - though further attention should now be given to curriculum balance and multicultural education.

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

64. There are clear links between the priorities in the school improvement plan and major areas of expenditure in the recent past. The school has spent the specific grants available to it for literacy, numeracy and ICT appropriately and the resulting improvements in resources for these subjects are having a positive effect upon the quality of teaching and on pupils’ progress. For example, the additional expenditure on literacy means that all classes now have a good range of books for guided reading and these were often used very effectively during the inspection. Similarly the recent expenditure on computers and associated software has had a markedly positive effect upon the quality of teaching in this subject and pupils are beginning to make good progress. The school has also spent a significant amount of grant on employing additional classroom support assistants. The effect of this expenditure is

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

apparent in almost all classrooms where pupils’ learning in literacy and numeracy is being significantly enhanced by the very effective team working of teachers and support staff. The school is beginning to apply the principles of “best value” to its decision making on budgetary matters. The headteacher West End Primary School - 20 consults the governing body and they make decisions on the basis of the key priorities of the school.

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

65. Routine financial control is secure. The school makes good use of computer systems for financial management and procedures for this area of management are clear and effective. There is also significant use of ICT for other aspects of school administration including pupil information and routine correspondence. The administrative staff are knowledgeable and use the technology efficiently. The administrative computers are networked and there is access to the Internet, although little use is made of this facility for administration and management at present. The headteacher is a frequent and effective user of ICT.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

66. The school has had a pattern of high staff turnover for a number of years. Only four of the teaching staff at the time of the inspection have been in post for more than four years; there is one newly qualified teacher and five classes are being taught by temporary staff on short-term contracts to cover extended staff illness and maternity leave. However, the permanent staff are skilful and work well as a team and there are signs that a degree of stability is returning to the staffing of the school. Staff changes and absence mean that there are currently several subjects without effective leadership. This is most noticeable in physical education and art, and the special educational needs co-ordinator is also on long-term absence. The effects of high staff turnover are minimised in those areas of the school where there is effective phase leadership as, for example, in upper Key Stage 2 or Key Stage 1.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

67. There has been little opportunity for staff other than co-ordinators to train and develop their knowledge and skills in subjects other than literacy and numeracy in recent years. As a result of this the quality of teaching was unsatisfactory in a very small minority of lessons. These included lessons observed in history and geography. In these lessons pupils did not make sufficient progress.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

68. Levels of support staff are good and this provision has a very positive effect upon the quality of education and on pupils’ engagement with their work. Teachers and classroom assistants work very effectively together and their teamwork is a strength of the school.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

69. The accommodation is adequate although several classrooms are rather small for the numbers which they have to accommodate. The school does not have easy access to any grassed areas for games.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

70. Resources are satisfactory in all subjects except ICT where, despite recent purchases, the historical pattern of low spending on computers means that the provision is still well below the average for all primary schools and that few computers are connected to the network and thence to the Internet. This results in pupils having too few opportunities to develop and practise their skills. Whilst the overall level of resources for special needs is satisfactory, there are too few games and other interactive resources. This constrains the extent to which pupils can take an active, participative role in developing their own learning.

p.20

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(1) the governing body, headteacher and staff should improve pupils’ standards of attainment in the core subjects of English, mathematics and science throughout the school, and in ICT in Key Stage 2;

p.20

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(2) the governing body, headteacher and staff should redouble their efforts and extend developments to encourage parents to work with the school in ensuring their children’s punctuality and good attendance;

p.20

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(3) the governing body should ensure they carry out their responsibilities for monitoring and evaluating the work of the school by • attending governor training to ensure they are knowledgeable about current expectations, • implementing procedures to ensure they can gain, at first hand, information on the work West End Primary School - 21 of the school to enable them to fulfil their responsibilities;

p.20

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(4) the governing body, headteacher and staff should improve the quality of the curriculum in the foundation subjects and its related assessment procedures by • ensuring all staff attend relevant in-service education for the foundation subjects, • ensuring there are procedures in place to monitor and evaluate the curriculum and teaching of the foundation subjects by developing the subject leadership role of curriculum co-ordinators. West End Primary School - 22

p.21

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 67

p.22

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

p.22

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.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery YR – Y6

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 0 291

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils eligible for free school meals - 138

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Special educational needs Nursery YR – Y6

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs - 7

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register - 98

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 1

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 99

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 42

p.22

Attendance

National comparative data 5.4 National comparative data 0.5

p.22

Attendance

Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. West End Primary School - 23

p.22

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 27 15 42

p.23

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

p.23

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Boys 17 18 23 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 11 11 12

p.23

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentage of pupils School 61.9 (39) 71.4 (55) 83.3 (91) at NC level 2 or above National 83 (82) 84 (83) 90 (87)

p.23

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.23

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Boys 18 23 24 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 11 13 13

p.23

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentage of pupils School 69 (55) 85.7 (70) 88.1 (75) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (82) 88 (86) 88 (87)

p.23

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

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

p.23

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 23 28 51

p.23

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

p.23

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Boys 11 10 13 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 14 14 13

p.23

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentage of pupils School 49 (50) 47.1 (52) 51 (76) at NC level 4 or above National 75 (70) 72 (69) 85 (78)

p.23

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.23

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Boys 13 13 15 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 16 15 17

p.23

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentage of pupils School 56.9 (56) 54.9 (62) 62.7 (76) at NC level 4 or above National 70 (68) 72 (69) 80 (75)

p.23

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. West End Primary School - 24

p.23

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage Black – Caribbean heritage

p.24

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – African heritage Black – African heritage

p.24

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Any other minority ethnic group Other minority ethnic groups

p.24

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.24

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 12.3 Financial year 1999/2000

p.24

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 23

p.24

Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y7 Total expenditure 537,344

p.24

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 18 Expenditure per pupil 1,885

p.24

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 287.5 Balance brought forward from previous year 54,298

p.24

Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance carried forward to next year 67,302 West End Primary School - 25

p.24

Percentage of responses in each category

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

p.25

Percentage of responses in each category

My child is making good progress in school. 47 45 4 0 4

p.25

Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 43 43 11 1 3

p.25

Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 34 34 20 8 4

p.25

Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 45 36 15 4 0

p.25

Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 80 15 5 0 0

p.25

Percentage of responses in each category

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 67 29 1 3 0

p.25

Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 42 43 12 3 0

p.25

Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 57 35 4 1 3

p.25

Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 52 41 3 0 4

p.25

Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 35 34 11 8 12 West End Primary School - 26

p.25

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

72. Many pupils enter the reception classes with poorly developed skills in speaking and listening and in personal and social skills. Attainment in mathematics is slightly better, but still below national expectations. Attainment on entry is below national expectations for all six areas of learning for the majority of pupils and well below for a significant minority of pupils. This is confirmed by the initial assessments made on entry to school.

p.26

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

73. Attainment in personal, social and emotional development is below national expectations. Pupils enter the reception classes with limited experiences but have settled into the routines and expectations of school very well. Pupils are interested and well motivated. They listen carefully to the teacher and concentrate well for whole-class input. However, in one class some pupils lack confidence and the teacher has to work hard to get them to participate fully. At circle time pupils pass round a toy and take their turns to say who they would give a beautiful present to and in the other class they pass round a hat and take turns to give good news from the weekend. Pupils enjoy activities, remain on task and move from one activity to another with the minimum of fuss. There are good relationships between the staff and pupils, and adults show appropriate care and concern for the pupils, helping them to feel

p.26

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

comfortable and to take part in different activities. Relationships between pupils are good. Pupils share resources, co-operate and work well together in the home corner and with construction materials. Behaviour is always good and sometimes very good. Pupils begin to develop some understanding of right and wrong and to understand the consequences of their actions through appropriate activities such as thought for the day when they consider how to behave in the playground. Pupils can get undressed and dressed for PE and care for their personal hygiene. Pupils participate in helping to tidy up at the end of sessions and to put things away. However, there are limited opportunities for pupils to initiate activities, to choose what resources they get out and to decide for themselves how they will tackle an activity, learning from successes and failures. There is an undue emphasis on activities the teacher

p.26

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

directs closely rather than those where children make their own choices for this stage in the year and insufficient opportunity for pupils to play, explore and investigate the resources and materials available in the reception classes. Pupils are encouraged to respect one another and to listen to one another’s ideas. They are helped to think about who they are talking to when they say a prayer.

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74. Pupils’ attainment in communication, language and literacy is below national expectations. Pupils listen well when the whole class is working with the teacher and respond well to instruction in PE and when activities are being explained. They listen to stories using the headphones and the tape recorder. Pupils respond to questions from the teachers but they have limited skills in expressing themselves because of a lack of vocabulary and limited previous experiences. Pupils enjoy stories such as “Each, Peach, Pear, Plum” and “This is the Bear”, some joining in with known phrases. They enjoy finger rhymes and songs, but many pupils listen and are not confident about participating with the actions and joining in with the words. Pupils enjoy the home corner which has been turned into the house of the three bears. They dress up as Goldilocks and the three bears and act out the roles in simple terms. Pupils begin to acquire some knowledge about books and how they work. They begin to

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recognise the initial sounds of some objects and to recognise the symbols for the sounds covered in the previous week. A few pupils are beginning to recognise words from the reading scheme but this knowledge is insecure and they “read” from memory of the text and other clues in the pictures rather than by decoding individual words. Pupils enjoy writing and are happy to “write” using their own marks. Some pupils begin to incorporate recognisable letters into their writing and a small number of pupils can write their own names correctly. Most pupils can recognise their own names and select their name card for self-registration at the beginning of the day.

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75. Pupils’ attainment in mathematical development is below national expectations. Most join in reciting numbers to ten and know that they have five fingers on one hand, but few can show seven fingers and most have difficulty counting small groups of objects up to ten accurately. Some are beginning to recognise the symbols for numbers and can spot which number is out of order on the washing line. Most pupils have learned some vocabulary to describe the comparative size of objects West End Primary School - 27 and can say which is the bigger and which the smaller of two Russian dolls. They can put cylinders into order by size and say which is taller and which is shorter. Pupils have been learning the names of plane and three-dimensional shapes, but most have difficulty remembering their names and this learning is not yet secure. Pupils can repeat simple patterns using two-dimensional and three-dimensional shapes.

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They can match objects by colour and shape.

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76. Pupils’ attainment in knowledge and understanding of the world is below national expectations. Only a few activities were observed for this area of the curriculum. Pupils have been carrying out activities related to a topic on “Ourselves”. During the week of the inspection they were engaged in activities to do with the senses, making sunglasses and looking at their paintings through different coloured lenses and exploring different resources such as a microscope and a periscope. Pupils are interested in investigating and in talking about their experiences. They enjoy looking through the glasses to see how colours change. Pupils use the computer to aid their learning. They can use the mouse to click on shapes and move them about the screen.

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77. Pupils’ attainment in creative development is below national expectations. Pupils have been introduced to a limited range of materials and techniques. They have printed with a variety of objects such as string, sponges and junk and carried out painting activities using wet and dry paint. They have made wrapping paper printing shapes all over it and have used it to wrap parcels. During the week of the inspection pupils cut up paper and other thin materials and glued them to paper to make their own collage pictures. Pupils enjoy playing with dough and some are successful in moulding it into three- dimensional shapes such as spheres and cones. Pupils’ drawings are undeveloped and lacking in detail. Many pupils are not at the stage when they can draw recognisable representations of people and objects. Pupils have limited opportunity to make use of creative resources for themselves, or to make

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decisions about what materials they would like to use in their creative play.

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78. Pupils’ attainment in physical development is below national expectations. Pupils are beginning to develop fine manipulative skills and can hold a pencil or paint brush and control it to some limited extent. Some pupils can use scissors to cut pictures out of catalogues and sort household objects into the appropriate rooms in a house. They can thread beads and construct a home for a dinosaur using the big wooden bricks and a selection of cylinders. Some pupils can colour inside the lines of a picture and write recognisable letters in their writing, but many have limited control and are still at the early stages of mark-making.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

79. Pupils are better at larger physical movement. They can use the large outdoor play area and enjoy balancing along the chain and climbing on the equipment. They can get changed for PE, taking off shoes and socks and outer garments and putting on their T-shirts and shorts. Pupils line up quietly to move to the hall for PE and find a space and follow the instructions of the teacher. They are beginning to move in a variety of ways and are developing confidence in controlling and co-ordinating their bodies.

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80. Teaching of under fives is never less than satisfactory and in 75 per cent of lessons teaching was judged to be good. Planning for literacy, numeracy and personal and social skills is good. Teachers are effective in teaching the basic skills and in whole class teaching. Staff work effectively as a team and non-teaching staff and parent helpers make a good contribution to pupils’ learning. Teachers set clear expectations for behaviour and pupils are well managed. Relationships are good and staff show appropriate care and concern for the pupils knowing them well as individuals. The classrooms are well resourced especially for literacy and numeracy and displays of pupils’ work reinforce the learning which has taken place. Teachers use their time effectively to interact with groups and individuals and are skilled at asking questions which engage pupils in the activities which are being offered. The two

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reception teachers plan activities together, so that pupils in the two parallel classes experience similar activities. However, the activities offered in one class are sometimes less interesting and challenging, are not always pitched at the right level and sometimes lessons lack pace and focus. There are no differences in the quality of teaching in each of the six areas of learning. Teaching has a positive impact on the learning of pupils of different levels of attainment and pupils make satisfactory progress. Pupils respond well to the range of activities offered and their attitudes to learning are good. Provision for pupils with special educational needs is good and pupils are well supported by non-teaching assistants. West End Primary School - 28 81. The teachers completed baseline assessments of the pupils on entry to the reception classes, but the analysis of the results from these have not yet been returned to school so that the information

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can be used to help shape teaching and groupings of pupils. The school has recently introduced records of achievement based on the early learning goals, but these are not yet being used to any extent to inform teaching. The school needs to consider ways of improving the assessment and record keeping systems to ensure that accurate records are kept of pupils’ attainment in each area of learning and the information used to guide planning.

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82. The school has developed a good scheme of work for under fives which is broad and relevant, but the implementation is not balanced because of the emphasis which the school places on language and literacy, mathematics and personal and social skills.

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83. The reception classes are well led by the co-ordinator who has sound experience with this age group and good phase expertise. She monitors planning and teaching effectively and has secured improvement to the quality of teaching and learning for the under fives. The accommodation is good with convenient access to toilets and to the outside play area. Resources are good especially resources for literacy and numeracy. The newly completed outdoor play area is an excellent addition to the facilities available to the under fives and should have a positive impact on pupils’ physical and social development. It is also well used by pupils throughout Key Stage 1.

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84. For the pupils who are at the end of Key Stage 1, results in the national tests over the last three years have been very low compared with the national average for both reading and writing. Currently, attainment is well below the national average in reading and writing. Results in reading are well below those of similar schools.

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85. For pupils who are at the end of Key Stage 2, results in the national tests over the last three years have been consistently well below the national average. Currently attainment is well below the national average and well below that of similar schools. There is no significant difference in the attainment of boys and girls at the end of either key stage.

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86. During the inspection, attainment was judged to be below national expectations at Key Stage 2, with no significant differences between boys and girls.

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87. In relation to their prior attainment, pupils in Key Stage 1 are making good progress. The influence of the literacy hour and how it is being taught is contributing to pupils making very good gains in their learning in some lessons. Pupils with Statements of Special Educational Needs for literacy make good progress towards the targets within their individual education plans.

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88. The great majority of pupils in both key stages have positive attitudes and are keen to learn in literacy lessons. They are attentive in shared text, word-level and phonics sessions. They listen to each other and their teachers during discussions. A good example of this was observed in a Year 6 lesson where pupils discussed aspects of Macbeth’s personality and ideas about imagery in the play in a shared text session. Pupils respected each other’s ideas and they responded thoughtfully to each other. Pupils show they can work successfully in groups and in pairs. Instances of less positive behaviour are rare but tend to relate to pupils being unclear about the teachers expectations or about what they are supposed to do in group work sessions.

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89. Pupils at both key stages show they can listen carefully to their teachers and each other. This is particularly true in the shared text session and the final full-class session. They show the ability to listen and to appraise each other’s work. They could give feedback to the teacher about what they did well and what they found difficult in a Year 1/2 phonics session. Pupils show well-developed skills in role play and drama. In a Year 2 lesson pupils worked well in the role in the “West End Clinic” by making appointments to see the doctor - both as a patient and as a receptionist. In Year 6 a pupil West End Primary School - 29 played the role of Macbeth in a “hot seat” role play. Circle time is regularly included in the school day throughout the school. This is having a marked impact on the development of pupils’ speaking and listening skills.

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90. Attainment in reading is in line with national expectations at the end of both key stages. The school has been successful in raising standards in reading in Key Stage 1, particularly over the last year, when the percentage of pupils achieving the national average nearly doubled. Generally pupils are able to talk confidentially about books and can share their likes and dislikes. They have positive attitudes to reading and are enthusiastic about books. In Key Stage 1, lower ability pupils read very hesitantly and are unable to use phonic clues successfully to decode unfamiliar words and make few errors. The higher ability pupils develop good strategies for reading in Year 2 and are reading frequently and confidently.

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91. In Key Stage 2 lower ability pupils develop skills but read hesitantly. They are able to use phonic clues and use the sense of the paragraph or sentence to predict words. In Year 6 pupils can self correct. Pupils of average ability can read confidently and express clear views about characters and plot. Pupils of higher ability read very fluently and accurately and with good expression. They are very confident in describing referencing skills and how factual information is presented and interpreted in stories.

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92. By the time pupils reach Year 2 they have made sound progress in mastering the basic grammatical forms and they can write in simple sentences using capital letters and full stops. They use connectives accurately. Many pupils attain in line with the national expectations in phonics sessions and there are examples of consistent and carefully formed handwriting in Year 1 and Year 2.

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93. At Key Stage 2 pupils develop sound grammatical skills. By the time they reach Year 6 the majority of pupils can write in complex sentences using a range of connectives. They can re-order sentences and explore word roots. Pupils of higher attaining ability can write effectively for a range of purposes and audiences including diaries, letters, newspaper reports, dialogues and estate agents’ brochures. Throughout Key Stage 2 there are examples of good creative writing. In Year 4 pupils write imaginatively about “In our School” and use powerful metaphors such as “Red is the colour of a bursting firework”. In Year 6 pupils’ write very interesting autobiographies - “My Story” - using ICT word- processing and desktop publishing skills. There are examples of very neat and attractive presentation of written work.

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94. The high standards of teaching observed in the literacy hour (all at least satisfactory, 80 per cent good or better) have a positive impact on the learning and achievement of the pupils in both key stages. Teachers are using the short-term (weekly) planning framework well to link into the medium-term objectives within the National Literacy Strategy. There is some evidence of group activities not being adapted to suit different levels of attainment. In these lessons work can lack challenge and pupils of different abilities do not make satisfactory progress. Teachers have secure subject knowledge and in the best teaching, delivery is enthusiastic and inspirational. Learning objectives are made explicit to the pupils and lessons move at a purposeful pace. Direct teaching ensures good understanding and learning and good questioning techniques encourage challenge and include all pupils, particularly in the

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shared text session. Generally the marking and the feedback given to pupils is sound but there are some inconsistencies. In the best teaching constructive comments are made which guide pupils in their learning. A good example is the written feedback given to pupils in Year 6 about work which they have completed comparing and contrasting the film of “Macbeth” to the play text. There is a high level of additional classroom support in the literacy hour at both key stages. Classroom assistants, who work with specific groups, are deployed very efficiently and offer very good guidance to pupils during whole- class sessions and group activities. Pupils with special educational needs receive good support from classroom assistants and additional literacy support teachers.

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95. In order to make judgements about levels of attainment and progress, teachers assess pupils on West End Primary School - 30 an annual basis in both key stages. In reception pupils are assessed through PIPs baseline tests and the Salford reading tests. In Key Stage 1 pupils continue with the Salford reading tests and PIPs assessment annually. End of Key Stage 1 standard assessment test results and the Year 2 PIPs data are used at the beginning of Year 3 to support underachievers and to improve standards.

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96. In Key Stage 2 PIPs assessment continues and at the end of each academic year pupils take the optional SATS tests. Outcomes of these and half-term/end of unit assessments give useful information about individual performance. Specific targets are set with pupils who then work towards achieving them. Outcomes of tests and records of targets are recorded in individual teachers’ literacy assessment files. These files are comprehensive and detailed and contain extremely useful information about individuals and groups of pupils. Outcomes of tests help guide teachers’ medium- and short-term planning for their sets and individual pupils. Routine assessment procedures to guide short-term planning are effective. Marking is generally supportive and constructive but there are some inconsistencies, as found during recent monitoring, which are being addressed. Pupils have reading records which list the books they are reading with supportive comments by teachers. Generally parents

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do not contribute to these. Teachers have individual reading profiles, which give good information about reading progress.

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97. English and literacy are very effectively led and managed by the subject leader. The National Literacy Strategy has been well implemented at whole school level and staff possess the necessary skills to teach the literacy hour effectively. They have been, and are, well supported through in-service training, led effectively by the subject leader, which focused on particular aspects of the literacy hour. New members of staff are given good support. The subject leader receives regular non-contact time to manage the subject. She monitors and evaluates planning, teaching and learning regularly and gives constructive feedback to teachers. She and the staff have outlined clear priorities in literacy, which they are actively working towards. The literacy governor is supportive and interested in developments and keeps in close contact with the subject leader. However, as yet, the governing body’s role in monitoring

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98. The accommodation available in the school is adequate for teaching literacy and the space available for pupils with special educational needs and for additional literacy support is well-utilised and organised. In some classrooms the areas designated for whole class activities are disproportionately large causing tables and chairs to be arranged too closely together. Pupils can be too cramped in group work and this gives rise to uneasiness and, on occasion, disruption. The school has an adequate range of “big books” and group readers and the central library is a good resource which is well used. It enjoys good support from a small but dedicated group of parents who are well briefed by the library co-ordinator. The library has been carefully organised and is well managed by the library co-ordinator.

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99. The school has worked hard since the last inspection to raise standards in English. The regular testing, detailed analysis of data and tracking of pupil progress has shown positive outcomes for pupils in Key Stage 1. In Key Stage 2, the process of individual target setting and pupils being involved in focusing on those targets is showing positive effects on their progress.

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100. To build on this and to raise standards in both key stages, the school should: • continue to track pupil progress and set targets for individuals to ensure improved attainment (support for all staff to ensure shared understanding of the process involved); • focus on improving extended writing particularly at Key Stage 2 (already highlighted by the school); • ensure that inconsistencies in marking are addressed so that marking offers constructive feedback; • share and model best practice in literacy teaching at both key stages to improve further the quality of teaching.

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101. Pupils’ attainment in mathematics is below the national expectations at the end of both key stages. The results for 2000 in national tasks and tests showed pupils’ attainment at seven and 11 to West End Primary School - 31 be well below the national average. In comparison with like schools results were below at seven but broadly in line at age 11. The average National Curriculum points achieved by the school at Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 were well below the national average. However, there is evidence of an improvement in areas of mathematics, especially number, as seen in information from the national testing of the data from the National Numeracy Pilot. The data for Year 6 pupils in 2000 showed that, over a two-year period, 40 per cent of the year group had shown significant added value with an additional 30 per cent having satisfactory added value. These scores compared favourably with national results for the tests.

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A similar improvement was also reflected in Year 3 and 4 data. Documentation, observation of lessons, scrutiny of pupils’ work and discussions with pupils confirm that pupils’ attainment overall is below national expectation. The school has yet to achieve targets for pupils achieving Level 4 and above in 2001, both of which show an expected improvement. However, the targets are based on the current year group and cannot take account of the high percentage of pupil mobility at the school. In the 2000 year group only 50 per cent of pupils had been in the school since reception and of the 50 pupils, seven new pupils arrived during the summer term and there were another five pupils who were predicted to be at Level 4 or above who were absent.

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MATHEMATICS

102. At Key Stage 1 pupils handle number bonds well to 10 and 20 and they are able to use doubling, halving and bridging through 10; they also have strategies to add nine and 11 using compensation. Pupils can identify multiples of 10, can explain place value in two digit numbers and use mental strategies effectively to add two and three simple digit numbers. They can measure length, using centimetres, have a good understanding of coins and calculate simple addition and subtraction of money. A small minority of higher attaining pupils can recognise half as a fraction, can explain a square and can tell the time using ‘a quarter to’. Most pupils have a reasonable understanding of the number system and how it works. For example, some Year 2 pupils could explain how, in a 100 square, if you drop down a row and go back a square it is the same as adding nine.

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103. By Year 6 pupils can order large numbers, order fractions, decimals and percentages and understand how to multiply and divide by 10 and 100. They understand and can identify multiples, factors, prime numbers and square numbers. They have a good understanding of place value, ratio and proportion, equivalence of fractions, area and perimeter of shapes. Some higher attaining pupils could explain reflective symmetry, could use a graph to convert miles to kilometres and were very secure in mental strategies for calculation. For example, a pupil could calculate 7 3 and explain his method accurately. However, a significant number of pupils in Year 6 who have arrived at the school over time have less developed knowledge and understanding of mathematics and are working at significantly lower levels within numeracy.

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MATHEMATICS

104. At Key Stage 1 pupils make good progress and achieve well for their prior attainment but at Key Stage 2 progress is only satisfactory. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress at both key stages. In relation to previous attainment over the past two years pupils throughout the school have made significant progress in numeracy especially in upper Key Stage 2.

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MATHEMATICS

105. Most pupils have a good attitude, behave well and particularly enjoy mental mathematics. They listen carefully, give good concentration and stay on task over time. They are confident and are prepared to talk about their work and explain their methods of calculation. Most pupils work well together in collaborative activities. Relationships are good and most pupils show respect for adults and for each other. In some lessons pupils are given the opportunity and are encouraged to reflect on their learning prior to discussion.

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MATHEMATICS

106. The quality of teaching at Key Stage 1 is good and in some cases very good. Secure subject knowledge, detailed short-term planning focussing on learning objectives and effective pupil management maximise the learning for all pupils where teaching is good. In Key Stage 2 teaching and learning is always satisfactory or better with some examples of good and very good teaching. However, at lower Key Stage 2 some features of the teaching are less effective. These include weaknesses in suiting tasks to pupils of different abilities, poor questioning skills, low expectations, poor use of time and ineffective pupil management. Teachers’ subject knowledge of the National Numeracy Strategy (NNS) and National Curriculum mathematics is mostly good and is further supported by the explicit policy statement for mathematics. The school has successfully implemented the National Numeracy Strategy and has benefited from being part of the pilot starting in 1998. Pupils in all year groups have a daily

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MATHEMATICS

West End Primary School - 32 mathematics lesson and these follow the recommended pattern. Planning from the NNS framework delivers a broad and balanced curriculum, covers links between aspects and ensures carefully graded steps in skills and understanding. The provision for the basic skills in numeracy across the school is good. However, quality in the use of the full-class sessions within NNS time is variable and some temporary staff are not yet maximising the impact of this element to revisit the learning objective. The majority of teachers are very effective in using the skills of interactive whole-class teaching which ensures that pupils increase their knowledge and understanding of mathematics. Where teaching is good the quality of explanation and demonstration together with the use of skilled questioning is very effective in involving pupils in their learning. For example, in a Year 2 lesson on understanding the

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MATHEMATICS

number system 0-100 looking at 100 square, the teacher used good explanation of the rows and columns followed by effective questioning of pupils as to what is happening as the spider moves from nine to 19 to 29. In a year 3/4 lesson relating multiplication to doubling, the teacher used a range of approaches including throwing and catching a soft dice and multiplying the numbers on the face by two or four and comparing to doubling. Teachers use a range of practical activities and games matched appropriately to pupils’ differing abilities but focused on the same theme to support pupils’ learning, with visual resources and classroom displays also contributing.

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MATHEMATICS

107. Where teaching is good, praise and encouragement are very effective in creating a supportive atmosphere in which learning can take place. There are very good relationships between staff, pupils and support staff. Teachers know their pupils very well and most pupils, including those with special educational needs, are well supported in lessons. The use of high quality support staff in working with groups of pupils in daily mathematics lessons is a significant factor in the acquisition of knowledge and understanding for these pupils.

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MATHEMATICS

108. Pupils apply effort to their work and are productive, working at a good pace. They show interest and understand what they are doing but need opportunities to develop independent working. Pupils, especially in Year 6, know how well they are progressing and understand how they can improve. Where teaching could be improved teachers do not use their time effectively and do not spend time in the main part of lessons getting specific groups to focus on learning. For example, in a Year 3 lesson on understanding multiplication from arrays, the teacher did not focus sufficiently well with one group but circulated all the groups to addressed issues rather than teaching one specific group.

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MATHEMATICS

109. The school has new procedures in place for making overall final assessments of pupils’ attainment in mathematics using half-termly assessments and optional national tests for tracking pupils’ progress from year to year. The school uses other assessment data gathered by use of nationally available and reliable materials, two in particular - the tests produced by the NFER as part of the numeracy project pilot scheme and the PIPs baseline assessments referred to in the English section of this report. Along with teachers’ own assessments, these are used effectively to identify the needs of key groups of pupils in order to target appropriate support to address need. The whole-school approach to routine assessment, the setting of appropriate targets for individual pupils related to NNS key objectives and the quality of marking help pupils to know what next to do to improve their work. For example, a group of mixed ability Year 6 pupils could explain their National Curriculum level and their

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expected end of Key Stage 2 level. They felt confident and understood how the assessment system was working for them.

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110. The committed and informed co-ordinator and the high quality of support and advice offered to all staff, either individually or through phase leaders, have been key influences in the implementation of the NNS throughout the school. The appropriate priorities in the subject development plan are clearly being addressed to improve the quality of provision in mathematics. The co-ordinator has put in place significant strategies to raise standards and has secure procedures in place, through a planned programme, to monitor and evaluate classroom practice and analyse test data.

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111. The purposeful introduction of the NNS is beginning to help in raising standards but the full impact is not yet fully evident. This is compounded by the ever-changing make-up of year groups of pupils as significant numbers of pupils leave and arrive throughout the year.

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MATHEMATICS

112. Since the last inspection the provision for mathematics has improved through a subject development plan to address key priorities, significant progress in the assessment and tracking of pupils West End Primary School - 33 and in the implementation of planned monitoring and evaluation of teaching and learning.

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MATHEMATICS

113. To improve the provision the school should now: • address the issue of using a range of questioning skills; • use examples of best practice within the school to improve the practice of staff especially in lower Key Stage 2; • address the needs of all pupils by activities and extension work that are clearly and appropriately varied for pupils of different abilities; • ensure direct teaching to specific groups in the main activity part of the daily mathematics lesson; • increase expectations of all pupils by injecting elements of deadlines and challenge into lessons. West End Primary School - 34

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SCIENCE

114. Pupils’ attainment at the end of both key stages is below national expectations. The lack of recorded evidence of pupils’ attainment in science in both key stages is noticeable. This reflects the emphasis that the school has placed on implementing the national literacy and numeracy strategies but has resulted in a narrowing of the range of pupils’ scientific experiences. Also, the school placed too much emphasis on developing pupils’ scientific enquiry skills during 1999 and leading up to the 2000 science tests rather than seeking a balance between developing enquiry skills and teaching the content associated with the Key Stage 2 science curriculum. This meant that pupils were not well prepared for the science tests having insufficient scientific knowledge, understanding or vocabulary to answer some of the questions. Both aspects taken together are seen as being significant in contributing to the lower

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SCIENCE

115. Attainment seen in most lessons is more in line with national expectations, however, in particular in how pupils undertake and record the outcomes of scientific investigations. This aspect of pupils’ attainment has improved since the last inspection. Teachers’ formal assessments in 1999 and 2000 for Key Stage 1, when compared to national figures, show attainment to be above average in pupils’ understanding of materials and their properties, average in their understanding of life and living processes, but well below average in all other aspects of the science curriculum. The number of pupils assessed at the higher Level 3 is also well below the national average. Teachers’ formal assessments in 1999 and 2000 for Key Stage 2, when compared to national figures, show attainment to be broadly in line with national averages. The results of tests at the end of Key Stage 2 in 1999 were below national

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SCIENCE

averages; in 2000 they were well below. There was no significant difference in performance between boys and girls, however. In comparison with similar schools pupils’ attainment in 1999 at Key Stage 1 was broadly in line. In 2000 it has fallen well below. At Key Stage 2 on the same comparison basis, pupils’ performance in 1999 was above the national average; for 2000, however, it has fallen to well below. The average points score for pupils over the last four years has remained below the national average. The overall performance of pupils in the national tests shows a downward trend and is an area of concern.

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SCIENCE

116. At the end of Key Stage 1 pupils are building a sound knowledge base of living things, materials and physical processes. They know that an appropriate diet is necessary for them both to grow and to stay healthy. Recorded evidence shows they understand that electrical devices do not work if there is a break in the circuit. Pupils use experimental and investigative skills well to perform simple tests and with help they can record their results. As early as Year 1 pupils recognise that plants need light and water to grow. They have grown bean plants from seeds but have not recorded their weekly change in height as accurately as they could have done. By Year 2, the labelling of diagrams shows more detail indicating that pupils are now familiar with the associated scientific vocabulary. In a lesson that took the pupils outdoors to investigate insect and mini-beast habitats at Heysham Nature Reserve, recorded

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SCIENCE

evidence showed that pupils had considered respect for living creatures and plants.

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117. At the end of Key Stage 2 the majority of pupils are able to make predictions based on their knowledge and understanding. They use the appropriate technical vocabulary to describe their findings and understand the importance of fair testing and accurate recording of evidence, although the use of diagrams, charts, tables and graphs to record the outcomes of investigations are at a low level. Opportunities for experimental work are now carefully woven into the different units across the other attainment targets, a significant improvement since the last inspection. Recorded examples show evidence of systematic enquiry being channelled into contexts where pupils can hypothesise and then plan and carry out their own experiment, drawing conclusions which are generally consistent with the evidence. In Key Stage 2 pupils demonstrated their understanding that mixing materials can cause them to change and that some changes are reversible and others are irreversible. They make

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predictions with understanding and are able to use the correct technical vocabulary - for example, dissolve, solid, reversible, evaporate and the like - to describe outcomes.

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SCIENCE

118. The range of scientific activities planned across both key stages is satisfactory but the recorded evidence indicates that the content of many activities is generally insufficiently challenging for many pupils, in particular the higher attainers. Planned activities do not always ensure that pupils are kept West End Primary School - 35 active and fully engaged with tasks that lead to clear gains in knowledge and understanding. As a result many pupils, in particular in Key Stage 2, are not making as much progress as they might otherwise. In one observed lesson the behaviour of a small minority of pupils distracted the whole class resulting in unsatisfactory progress.

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SCIENCE

119. Pupils have positive attitudes. They listen carefully and pay close attention to the teachers. Almost everyone is keen to answer questions and take part in discussions.

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SCIENCE

120. Teaching and learning ranges from good to unsatisfactory. Most teachers have secure subject knowledge and a clear understanding of the National Curriculum requirements. However, time constraints, a lack of detail in activity planning and classroom organisation, and weaker subject knowledge make some lessons less than satisfactory for some pupils, particularly the higher attainers. Most teachers make good use of questions and use praise to raise pupils' self-esteem and confidence. For example, in a Year 6 lesson on filtering the teacher used praise well to motivate and encourage all pupils to work hard. Examples of good teaching seen during the inspection were characterised by the way in which the teachers add excitement that fires interest and enthusiasm and then effectively manage and organise the class when undertaking the work that follows. For example, in a Year 1/2 lesson about healthy foods the teacher showed great enthusiasm. This interest spilt over to the pupils

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SCIENCE

who, as a result, became fascinated with what they found out. In these lessons the pace is brisk, expectations are high and control is excellent. Lessons have clear learning objectives that are shared with the class at the beginning and then revisited at the end. However, day-to-day assessment to guide short-term planning is underdeveloped and, as a consequence, in some lessons higher attaining pupils are not given tasks that challenge their thinking. There is insufficient use of ICT and data logging activities for Key Stage 2 pupils for research and for recording evidence and data. Systems are in place to check knowledge and understanding at the end of units of work, however, but they are not yet being used consistently across the school. Use of homework for older pupils is appropriate and it supports the work undertaken in class. Additional classroom support, where available, is very well deployed - for

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SCIENCE

example, when looking at different solutions and filtering.

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SCIENCE

121. The subject co-ordinator works hard to ensure that the science provision meets the statutory requirement. Breadth and balance is provided through the adoption of the national scheme of work that is now beginning to be used appropriately throughout the school, an improvement since the last inspection. The school has a good policy for science, which states the teaching and learning objectives and places appropriate emphasis on health and safety issues. Appropriate time is given to exploratory and investigative work that is incorporated into all medium-term units of work. The teachers know all the pupils well and want the best for them; there is a system in place to monitor and evaluate teaching and learning, but as yet the co-ordinator is not fully involved in this due to time constraints. The co-ordinator makes a good contribution to the important decisions related to in-service training and the purchase of

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SCIENCE

122. Classroom accommodation is adequate and well maintained. Resources are sufficient in range and quality to support work across all the attainment targets and are stored appropriately. Storage space is limited however. The quality and range of teaching resources is limited and needs to be improved.

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SCIENCE

123. Although the school has improved several aspects of its science provision since the last inspection standards remain below the levels indicated in that report, for the reasons outlined above . Opportunities for more scientific enquiry and investigation work are now in place and the school has an appropriate scheme of work that is now beginning to be used consistently across the school. The school recognises the fact that pupils’ performance in science is an issue and has included appropriate action to address this in the school improvement plan for this year.

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SCIENCE

124. In order to improve provision further the school should now: • fully implement procedures for the monitoring and evaluation of teaching and learning to identify aspects of the subject where staff need further training; • ensure that planning includes opportunities for day-to-day assessment that is used to shape West End Primary School - 36 teaching; • ensure that activities are planned to meet the needs of all pupils to enable them to make better progress and attain higher standards; • develop more opportunities for pupils to use ICT in their science work; • use charts and graphs more to record the outcomes of scientific enquiry; • introduce data logging activities for Key Stage 2 pupils.

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ART

125. The following judgements are based upon a limited number of lesson observations - in Key Stage 2 only - of discussions with pupils and scrutiny of pupils’ work and displays in classrooms and around the school.

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ART

126. Standards in art at the end of Key Stage 2 are below national expectations. In a lesson observed in Year 6 good teaching resulted in children making good progress during the course of the lesson. In this lesson on still life painting they were able to demonstrate good brush control using colour to emphasise form and composition. Generally, however, pupils’ knowledge and understanding of art and artists is limited and their ability to reflect critically on their own work and that of others, comparing ideas, methods and approaches, is also not well developed. There is insufficient evidence on which to make a judgement about standards of attainment at the end of Key Stage 1.

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ART

127. The quality of teaching observed at the end of Key Stage 2 was good. It was characterised by good subject knowledge on the part of the teacher, energetic and enthusiastic teaching which focused throughout the lesson on the learning objectives, and by appropriate demonstration and reference to the work of Cezanne using a reproduction of a still-life painting. The teacher encouraged the children to be bolder and more confident in creating their compositions using freer arm movements. The children responded well and showed pride and pleasure in their work.

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ART

128. Displays around the school are attractive and in many instances teachers use them to reinforce the learning that has taken place by the use of appropriate captions which summarise the process which the pupils have experienced and the relevant vocabulary. For example, the portraits carried out by Years 1 and 2 were part of a sequence of work in which pupils first looked closely at themselves and each other, then looked at portraits by famous artists, then experimented by using different materials to produce different types of line, then produced their own closely observed portraits.

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ART

129. Evidence from the work available indicates that the art curriculum in Key Stage 1 appropriately emphasises the exploration and development of ideas and has an important focus on recording from first-hand observation. Pupils in Years 1 and 2 have also used the computer to reproduce their line drawings and used the “fill” tool to flood the islands with colour.

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ART

130. No judgement can be made about pupils’ progress in art over the longer term because there was insufficient evidence available to see how pupils’ skills, knowledge and understanding develop over the key stage. The school does not have a portfolio of artwork either for the whole school or for individual pupils. The former is scheduled as part of the action plan for the development of art.

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ART

131. There is a lack of subject leadership in art. The co-ordinator is on long-term absence. There is no art policy in place. As a result, there is very little guidance available to support teachers in how to implement the scheme of work or to ensure greater consistency in teaching and learning approaches throughout the school. The scheme of work has not yet had time to have a direct impact upon pupils’ breadth of art experiences over the longer term.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

132. The following judgements are based upon a very limited number of lesson observations, discussions with pupils and an analysis of pupils' work. There was insufficient evidence, recorded or actual, of pupils’ work in design and technology and as such the inspection is unable to make a judgement on standards at the end of both key stages. West End Primary School - 37 133. In the few lessons observed, some pupils in Year 1/2 made satisfactory progress in their understanding of healthy eating by investigating ingredients and preparing ideas for party foods. In reception recycled materials were used quite successfully to make a house for Goldilocks and the three bears and pupils used templates successfully to make a pair of sunglasses to complement their science investigation work on colour and light. In these activities, pupils were able to talk confidently about their ideas and suggest how their designs could be improved. In food technology pupils put their

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

knowledge of working safely with ingredients to good use when making food products.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

134. In Year 5/6, pupils are beginning to use more advanced skills of designing and making to construct photograph frames. These are at the early stages of development with pupils investigating structures and applying their understanding appropriately to their designs. Most pupils are able to talk about their work confidently but their use of technical vocabulary is weak. Overall, there are no examples of pupils’ work recorded or other evidence of high standards in constructing using a wider range of materials to a finer degree of accuracy, in finishing products in different ways, or in extension work in designing and making products incorporating simple electric circuits and control.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

135. The majority of pupils are making unsatisfactory progress in developing their knowledge and skills in design and technology. Teachers are not fully aware of pupils' prior attainment as day-to-day assessment to shape short-term planning is underdeveloped. This has a negative impact on most pupils' progress in moving onto the more advanced skills in designing and making as they move through each key stage. A new scheme of work recently introduced, however, should ensure that all pupils experience an appropriate range of designing and making activities by the time they leave the school and make better progress as a result.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

136. When given the opportunity, pupils in both key stages respond with enthusiasm and commitment and concentrate to master the practical skills of cutting and joining basic materials and in planning and evaluating their work. They have sensible, mature and safe approaches to design-and-make tasks and behave well. Most pupils respect each other's point of view. They will often talk sensibly and with a degree of understanding about their designs - for example, when discussing the designs for party food in Year 1/2 and when discussing designs for playground equipment in Year 5. Pupils do take responsibility for managing their own resources and generally have pride in their work.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

137. In the few lessons observed the teaching and learning in design and technology was never less than satisfactory and in one lesson it was excellent. Teachers' subject knowledge is sound, but in relation to the more advanced skills of designing and making, teachers are less secure, particularly in Key Stage 2. The best lessons were characterised by the way in which the teacher added excitement that fired interest and enthusiasm and then effectively managed and organised the class when undertaking the work that followed. For example, in a Year 1/2 lesson about party foods the teacher showed great enthusiasm in demonstrating how to make a banana split; this interest spilt over to the pupils who, as a result, became fascinated with what they found out and applied this understanding well to some designs of their own. In these lessons the pace is brisk, expectations are high and control is excellent. Lessons have clear learning objectives that are shared with the class at the beginning, and

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

then revisited at the end. Guidance given by teachers to pupils in mid-task is also particularly effective where teachers provide good advice helping pupils to enquire further and make progress in their understanding of a process or technique. Additional classroom support, where available, is very well deployed - for example, when giving judicious advice to pupils when they are designing their party foods in Year 1/2. As a result of this support pupils made satisfactory progress. There is insufficient use of ICT, however, in both key stages to enable pupils to enhance the quality of their design work or to research, record data and control models. Teachers place appropriate emphasis on health, safety and food hygiene.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

138. There are missed opportunities for developing pupils' ICT skills through design and technology in both key stages. Insufficient focus is given to using ICT to help pupils improve the quality and standard of their work, to help them develop their designing, research and investigative skills and to help them control models they may have designed and made.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

Co-ordination West End Primary School - 38 139. The subject co-ordinator is new to the post but is working hard to ensure that the design and technology provision meets the statutory requirement. The current evidence of the range of work produced by pupils, however, is below that which is expected and is unsatisfactory. Breadth and balance are to be provided through the adoption of the national scheme of work. The school must ensure that this scheme is applied consistently if all pupils are to develop their design and technology capability fully. The school has a good policy for design and technology, which states the teaching and learning objectives, and places appropriate emphasis on health, safety and hygiene issues. There is a system in place to monitor and evaluate teaching and learning, but as yet the co-ordinator is not fully involved in this due to time constraints. The co-ordinator makes a good contribution to the important

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

decisions related to in-service training and the purchase of resources.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

140. Classroom accommodation is adequate and well maintained. Resources are sufficient in range and quality to support work across the attainment target and are stored appropriately. Storage space is limited, however. The quality and range of teaching resources is good and teachers make effective use of them; how to make pop-up cards and different ways of joining wood together are good examples of this kind of resource.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

141. The lack of actual and recorded evidence indicates that standards in design and technology have fallen since the last inspection. The actual amount of time given to the subject is not being used as planned and this is limiting achievement.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

142. In order to improve further the school should now: • fully implement the scheme of work across the school; • fully implement procedures for the monitoring and evaluation of teaching and learning to identify aspects of the subject where staff need further training; • ensure that planning includes opportunities for day-to-day assessment that is used to help shape teaching; • ensure that activities are planned to meet the needs of all pupils to enable them to make better progress and attain higher standards; • develop pupils' designing skills, in particular in communicating how an idea has developed; • develop more opportunities for pupils to use ICT in their science work.

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GEOGRAPHY

143. During the inspection, geography was being taught only in Years 3 and 4 and it was possible to observe only two lessons. In both these lessons attainment was below that expected for the age range.

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GEOGRAPHY

144. In Key Stage 1, discussions with pupils in Year 2 show that attainment is below the national expectation.

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GEOGRAPHY

145. Similar discussions with Year 6 pupils show that whilst attainment by the end of Key Stage 2 is broadly in line with national expectations, pupils’ map skills are poorly developed and they lack some key vocabulary when describing features of the natural landscape.

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GEOGRAPHY

146. The recently developed scheme of work provides satisfactory breadth to the planned curriculum but the two-year cycle of topics means that pupils can go for six months without studying any aspect of the geography curriculum. This lack of continuity is likely to impede pupils’ progress as they have insufficiently frequent opportunities to practice and apply their skills and knowledge. The school’s own curriculum analysis shows the equivalent of one hour a week devoted to geography. However, in practice the time is much less as there are periods of over a term when no geography is being taught and, in those terms when it is on the timetable, the time allocated is usually only an hour.

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GEOGRAPHY

147. An experienced part-time teacher co-ordinates the subject. The policy and scheme of work that she has developed are satisfactory but there has been no training for teachers in implementing the scheme and her own recent professional development has been inadequate. The guidance and procedures for assessing and recording pupils’ attainment in the subject are inadequate. Resources for the subject have been recently re-organised to match the units of the scheme of work. These are adequate for the units currently being taught but will need to be augmented for other units. West End Primary School - 39

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HISTORY

148. Attainment in history at the end of Key Stage 1 is in line with national expectations. Pupils in Year 2 have some understanding of “then” and “now” and can compare similarities and differences between pictures of hospitals in the Crimean War, when Florence Nightingale was a nurse, and hospitals today. The teacher made good links between the period being studied and today by pointing out that Florence Nightingale died in 1910, which was not long before her own father was born. Pupils were able to devise and to record appropriate historical questions to ask the “visitor” to the classroom. Each group of pupils thought of three questions to ask such as “ What kinds of medicine were used?” and “Who won the Crimean War?”. They sat entranced when the teacher dressed up as Florence Nightingale and came into the classroom with a candle and they entered into the spirit of the drama by asking their questions as if the “visitor” was real. Pupils in Years 1 and 2 can sequence events leading

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HISTORY

up to and during the Great Fire of London. They begin to understand chronology by locating events studied on the class time line. Pupils have good recall of the knowledge covered and they are beginning to develop the skills of deduction, enquiry and investigation.

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HISTORY

149. Only two lessons were observed in Key Stage 2 and there was limited history in the sample of work for Key Stage 2 because there is no history being taught in Years 3 and 4 this term and no evidence was provided of history taught in previous years. From the observations and from the sample of pupils’ work, attainment in history at the end of Key Stage 2 was judged to be in line with national expectations. Pupils have good recall of the periods studied and are interested in the Tudors. They talk knowledgeably about Henry VIII and his wives and have produced some interesting diary entries about his divorce from Catherine of Aragon. Pupils have used ICT to access information from “Encarta” for biographies of Henry and are fascinated by his physical attributes and the way he changed in portraits of the time during has reign. Pupils enjoy investigating replica artefacts from the Tudor period and talking

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HISTORY

about how they would have been used and who might have used them. With support they are able to use the evidence from the objects to decide what they know and what they would like to know and agree questions to include in a letter to the British Museum asking for further information.

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HISTORY

150. The quality of teaching in history is good in both key stages in the school. Lessons are well planned with clear learning objectives and there is a good balance between teaching historical knowledge and developing skills in historic enquiry. Teachers usually have good subject knowledge, lessons are lively and imaginative and pupils are interested and well motivated by the content. Teachers use good questioning skills to challenge pupils’ thinking and to help them understand what happened in the past and why. There are some weaknesses in teaching, however, since all pupils in Years 1 and 2 do the same activities and different activities are not planned for pupils of different levels of attainment. A similar weakness exists in Years 5 and 6. The history policy states that assessment of history should inform planning and that assessments at the end of units of work should be carried out by teachers.

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HISTORY

However, this is not happening in all classes throughout the school.

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HISTORY

151. The scheme of work for history is detailed and supportive for non-specialist teachers and meets statutory requirements. However, it is very selective in content and there are some terms when no history is taught to some year groups. There is limited time allocated to the teaching of history and the one-hour a week identified in the documentation is not fulfilled in practice. The subject leader is newly in post and what she lacks in subject knowledge and training in subject leadership she makes up for in interest and enthusiasm for her role. She has her own ideas for the development of history in the school. The existing action plan has many areas for development. Currently the monitoring and evaluation of teaching and learning and of standards in history are inadequate.

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HISTORY

152. There are adequate history resources for teachers at both key stages, but there are inadequate resources for pupils such as quantities of reference books and secondary resources and artefacts at both Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 and this limits the opportunities for personal study and research.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY

153. This subject has been the focus of much recent development in the school. A new scheme of work has been developed based upon national guidelines and several new computers have been purchased using grant for the National Grid for Learning. The recently appointed co-ordinator, who is West End Primary School - 40 absent on maternity leave, has already had a significant impact in improving practice in this subject but the recent nature of the improvements means that there are still weaknesses to be addressed and standards at the end of Key Stage 2 are below those expected nationally for this age group.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY

154. Recent purchases mean that there is now a recent computer in each classroom with two computers in each of the Year 5 and 6 classes. The computers were in regular use during the inspection and pupils in the lower years of the school are achieving standards that are broadly in line with national expectations. They are able to use a range of features in a simple painting program to create pictures and patterns and can use the keyboard and a prepared word-bank to record their observations of different types of fruit in science lessons.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY

155. In Key Stage 2, the lack of any substantial previous experience for most pupils means that standards are lower than expected. Year 6 pupils are able to search a CD-Rom encyclopaedia with adult support to find information on Tudor monarchs and are beginning to mix text and graphics using a desktop publishing program. However, their underlying skills are not secure and will require much practice to bring them up to standard.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY

156. In the few ICT lessons observed, teachers had prepared well and showed sound knowledge of the features of the programs they were demonstrating. In each case, the lessons were a whole-class introduction to the activities to be undertaken by individual pupils over the next few weeks. Explanations were clear and teachers made good use of pupils’ existing knowledge. In one Year 6 lesson, the teacher successfully recapped on learning from the previous week and pupils showed a good understanding of some of the principles of good page design. Teachers have not yet begun their training on the use of ICT to teach literacy, numeracy and science. As a result their knowledge and skills in this area are relatively weak.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY

157. In most classes, teachers use ICT to support learning in other subjects. This is noticeable in literacy and numeracy where pupils were observed working on programs designed to help them practice and consolidate basic skills and knowledge. In some instances this is effective and pupils make progress but, in too many instances, the teacher does not provide sufficient support and progress is slow or pupils’ misunderstandings persist. There were no instances observed where teachers used ICT to teach other subjects to the whole class or large groups.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY

158. The scheme of work is satisfactory and provides a breadth and balance to the planned curriculum. However, there is no policy statement that sets out clear guidance on how the subject should be taught. There is also a lack of effective guidance or procedures for assessing and recording pupils’ attainment.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY

159. The school has recently been connected to the Internet and several computers in the upper part of Key Stage 2 and in the library are able to access the information that this makes available. However, the connection has proved unreliable and this has had an adverse effect on its use. Parent helpers in the library provide effective support for pupils who wish to search the Internet. In one instance, a parent helped a pupil to refine their search for information on UFOs with the result that a suitable site was located. Teachers are not aware of the range of resources available on line to help them with planning and teaching. There is no curriculum use of e-mail by pupils or staff at present.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY

160. To date, the school has received around £7,000 in grant for the National Grid for Learning. This has been spent appropriately but the overall level of resources is still too low. The ratio of computers to pupils - at one to 18 - is well below the national average ratio for primary schools of one to 12 in March 2000. The network reaches only a few classes and should be a priority for further development along with the acquisition of additional computers.

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MUSIC

161. The standard of singing in upper Key Stage 2 is good. Pupils are able to follow and reproduce with their own voices complex patterns of tempo and duration within songs. They show strengths in singing and performing and in recognising structure - for example, in a Year 6 lesson where the pupils sang a jazz song in two parts. Overall, however, attainment at Key Stage 2 is below national expectations. Pupils’ skills using tuned and untuned percussion instruments are limited and their abilities in creating sounds and rhythms using instruments are underdeveloped. In Key Stage 1 it is not West End Primary School - 41 possible to make a judgement about standards as not enough music was seen or heard. However, singing in assemblies was tuneful, and in a music lesson in reception children could follow a simple rhythm and sing “Baa-baa-black-sheep” showing awareness of the different range of notes.

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MUSIC

162. In Key Stage 2 satisfactory progress is made by pupils. In a Year 4 lesson pupils made gains in their knowledge and understanding of opera through listening to short sections of Hansel and Gretel. They learn to recognise the difference between soprano and bass and they can learn to distinguish solos and duets from the chorus. In a Year 5/6 lesson pupils learnt to sing pop music with a member of a local music group - “Hot House”.

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MUSIC

163. Overall, music teaching is satisfactory. In upper Key Stage 2 it is very good. In these lessons the energy and enthusiasm of the teachers make learning more fun and pupils make real gains in their musical knowledge, understanding and ability. Clear objectives for learning and a lively pace are particularly strong features of the very good teaching. Good attention to detail - for example, the teacher leading facial and breathing exercises in preparation for singing - helps make the lesson more successful.

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MUSIC

164. Where teaching is less effective it is linked to unsatisfactory subject knowledge and a lack of clear expectations and classroom protocols for music lessons. In a Year 3 lesson the song presented was too complex for the pupils. The tempo was too fast and the range required was too great for the pupils of this age to sing. In a Year 3/4 lesson low expectations led to unacceptable behaviour which disrupted learning.

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MUSIC

165. Generally pupils are very positive about music. They are keen to sing and make rhythms by hand clapping. They work well together in lessons and respect each other’s ideas and efforts. In a lesson led by the “Hot House” music group, pupils were engrossed throughout the session. They clearly enjoyed their singing and applied themselves very well to performing the different songs. Pupils behave very well and are interested and motivated. They show enthusiasm and pleasure.

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MUSIC

166. The lively singing in assembly makes a positive contribution to pupils’ spiritual development but there are only limited references to music from different cultures.

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MUSIC

167. At the time of the last inspection music was judged to be a strength of the school, with standards of attainment and progress judged to be good. In order to ensure that all teachers are able to deliver the music curriculum effectively and that pupils achieve well, the music subject leader has worked hard to produce a cohesive programme for music teaching and learning.

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MUSIC

168. The National Curriculum requirements have been cross-referenced to an effective published scheme so that all teachers now have a very sound structure to work from with clear learning objectives which will offer sensibly connected coverage of different aspects in well-judged steps in learning. Good quality, class-based music teaching is starting to be developed. The subject leader is discussing approaches to assessment with the staff and is considering approaches to monitoring and evaluating teaching and learning to ensure that standards are raised. There is an adequate range of instruments, resource books and tapes and they are of good quality. However, there is a lack of instruments from different countries and cultures. Although there are no regular extra-curricular music groups some pupils receive peripatetic music tuition for strings and bass instruments. The school also produces musical

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MUSIC

performances, which are well received by parents and the community.

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MUSIC

169. To re-establish high standards of attainment and progress and good quality of teaching throughout, the school should: • improve teachers’ subject knowledge and confidence for class based music teaching; • establish procedures for the assessment of pupils’ work and use the information from this to guide the next stages of learning; • monitor and evaluate the quality of teaching and learning to highlight areas of strength and weaknesses, and address these; • increase the quantity and variety of musical instruments to include a wide range of instruments from different countries and cultures; • take steps to establish extra-curricular music groups.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

West End Primary School - 42 170. Only five lessons were observed during the inspection and in almost all of these the focus was on dance. Attainment in this aspect of the physical education curriculum is in line with national expectations by the end of Key Stage 2 with pupils showing satisfactory control and fluency in their movements. Most are able to understand the sequence of a popular dance from the 1950s and follow it well after practice. Teachers’ subject knowledge and confidence vary considerably with the less effective teaching resulting in movements which lack scope and dynamic quality.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

171. An extremely effective lesson was observed in Key Stage 1 where the teacher’s careful preparation and choice of percussion instruments combined with her infectious enthusiasm and excellent control to create a lesson in which the pupils were fully involved for the whole lesson as performers, observers and evaluators. The pace of the lesson and the quality of the instruction resulted in very good learning and a quality of performance well above that expected for pupils of this age. Nevertheless, there was too little evidence available to make a judgement about general standards in Key Stage 1.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

172. There is currently no single scheme of work in use throughout the school. The curriculum outline shows that all aspects are planned for in each key stage with Year 4 pupils attending swimming lessons. The leadership of the subject is in the hands of the headteacher as there is currently no co- ordinator. There has been little recent training for staff and this combination of factors has led to a lack of consistency and quality in the planning for the subject. The headteacher recognises this weakness and has recently decided to adopt a new scheme of work from the local education authority.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

173. Resources for the subject are satisfactory and well organised. The school hall is of a reasonable size and has a good range of fixed apparatus. Outside, the school playground is of a good size and is marked for a range of ball games. The school does not have any playing field or grassed area of its own but makes occasional use of fields belonging to the local secondary school.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

174. Standards in religious education are broadly in line at Key Stage 1 but below at Key Stage 2 compared with expectations expressed in the Lancashire Agreed Syllabus. These judgements are based upon evidence from documentation, observation of a limited number of lessons, scrutiny of pupils’ work and discussions with pupils. Pupils at the end of Key Stage 1 were able to discuss ‘feeling vulnerable’ in relation to different groups in society - elderly, disabled, pets, and babies - and subsequently to describe their different needs. Pupils at the end of Key Stage 2 could discuss the Ten Commandments and the need for rules, the creation story and special books for different world religions. Some very good examples of creation books from Years 5 and 6 were on display in the entrance hall.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

175. Pupils make some progress in the study of Judaism, Sikhism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam as identified in the scheme of work but further enrichment using a wider range of artefacts would be beneficial. Most pupils are enthusiastic to gain knowledge and show interest in the subject. Most pupils have a positive attitude towards their learning. They are very willing and confident to ask questions, they listen well and offer appropriate responses. This was clearly observed in a Year 1/2 lesson as they discussed vulnerability in an ideas brainstorm.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

176. The subject makes a positive contribution towards the pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. It teaches them to respect religious differences whilst drawing positively on the pupils’ own experiences, family and religious backgrounds. A role play area - the West End Clinic - provided good opportunity to develop social and moral awareness.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

177. The quality of teaching is never less than satisfactory with some very good teaching being observed in Key Stage 1. Where teaching is good lessons are well prepared and planning is detailed with specific learning objectives identified from the Lancashire Agreed Syllabus. Secure subject knowledge, an understanding of the subject and good use of clear explanation and questioning promote understanding of the concepts being taught and have a positive impact on the quality of learning. Most lessons show clear steps in learning. A very good example of the ‘stilling’ technique was well used to support the learning about vulnerability in Key Stage 1. Where teaching was less successful there were inappropriately prepared activities - such as the language used on cards in a sorting activity based on the Books of the Bible. Pupils had a fragmented knowledge of other world religions - Islam and Judaism.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

West End Primary School - 43 In a Year 5 lesson on the understanding of the construction of the Bible it was good to relate the Gospels to an incident in the playground being retold by different people from different view points.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

178. The co-ordinator has supported teachers throughout the school by preparing documentation accompanied by nationally provided materials. The role of the co-ordinator is underdeveloped and there is currently no monitoring of teaching and learning in order to evaluate standards. The co-ordinator monitors planning, monitors resources and attends relevant courses in order to disseminate to all staff using staff meetings.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

179. Resources are adequate to cover the curriculum and are well stored in a central store. However, the provision of books in the school library for world religions is inadequate.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

180. The new agreed syllabus and detailed planning are beginning to have some positive impact on the quality of teaching and learning in Key Stage 1 but this is currently less evident at Key Stage 2. Marking is of inconsistent quality and there is often too little response to the pupils’ work. The new policy statement is yet to be discussed by staff before being approved by the governing body.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

181. Since the last inspection the provision of religious education has improved in that there is now a scheme of work to ensure logical coverage and well-judged steps in learning and all the observed teaching was satisfactory or better. However, the overall standards at the end of Key Stage 2 are below what would be expected.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

182. In order to improve provision the school should now: • provide time to discuss the policy statement with all staff; • enrich the curriculum by improving the provision of quality artefacts to support the study of world religions; • enrich the curriculum by improving the provision for visits to other religious sites in the area; • improve the consistency of marking to help pupils to understand how they might improve; • ensure there is monitoring of teaching and learning in order to evaluate the quality of provision; • ensure clearly varied activities that are selected to address the needs of all pupils.

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