Athersley South Primary School

ATHERSLEY SOUTH PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 25 th – 28 th September 2000

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ATHERSLEY SOUTH PRIMARY SCHOOL

Inspection number: 224296 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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ATHERSLEY SOUTH 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. Athersley South Primary School - 1

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Wakefield Road Smithies Barnsley South Yorkshire

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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 K Bostwick

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: May 1998 Athersley South Primary School - 2

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Colin Smith(25211) Registered inspector Science The characteristics and effectiveness of the school. Design and technology The school’s results and pupils’ achievements. Music Teaching and learning. Equal opportunities Ann Longfield(9511) Lay inspector Pupils’ attitudes, behaviour and personal development Links with community Pupils spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Pupils’ welfare, health and safety Partnership with parents and carers Attendance Accommodation John Atkinson(18819) Team inspector English Staffing Information and communication technology Resources

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Art and design Special educational needs Margaret McLean(12631) Team inspector Children in the foundation stage Assessment and monitoring of academic achievement Religious education Curriculum History Derek Pattinson(19120) Team inspector Mathematics Leadership and management Geography Physical education Athersley South Primary School - 3 Athersley South Primary School - 4 The inspection contractor was:

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Eclipse (education) Limited 14 Enterprise House Kingsway Team Valley Gateshead NE11 0SR

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

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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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

The Registrar Inspection Quality Division

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Athersley South Primary School - 5

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 5

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

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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS? 10

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Athersley South Primary School is a large school that serves the needs of families who live on the local authority housing estates on the northern outskirts of Barnsley. The 268 pupils on roll are made up of 140 boys and 128 girls. In addition, there are 68 part time (34 full time equivalent) children in the nursery. The proportion of pupils with special educational needs of 17 per cent is broadly average, although the means of identifying these pupils is changing and the figure is set to rise. Up to fifty pupils arrive or leave the school each year, reflecting a significant number of families on the move. One hundred and thirty six pupils (51 per cent) are entitled to free school meals, which is well above the national average. Almost all of the pupils are white and English speaking. Children’s attainment on entry to school is well below average.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

The school is effective. Standards reached by pupils at the age of 11 are below the national average in English, mathematics and science. However, most pupils begin school with low attainment and achieve well to earn results that are better than those in similar schools. Pupils make good progress in the nursery, reception and at Key Stage 2, where much of the teaching is good. However, pupils underachieve in Key Stage 1 largely because the teaching is unsatisfactory in Year 2. Consequently, by the time pupils reach the age of seven standards are well below average in reading, writing, mathematics and science. Pupils’ attainment in information and communication technology has improved greatly and they now reach high standards. Pupils are very well cared for, particularly those with special educational needs. Most pupils’ have positive attitudes to learning and their behaviour is good. The head teacher has

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

steered the school successfully through a difficult period of reorganisation. He, along with senior staff and governors, provides sound leadership and clear direction for the work of the school. Overall, the school gives satisfactory value for money.

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What the school does well

• Pupils achieve well in Key Stage 2 in English, mathematics and science. • Pupils achieve good standards in information and communication technology and art and design. • Teaching in the nursery, reception and in Key Stage 2 is mainly good. • Most pupils behave well and show good attitudes to learning. • The provision for pupils with special educational needs is good and this enables them to make good progress. • The administration of the school is excellent.

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What could be improved

• Teaching in Year 2 is unsatisfactory and, as a result, standards in Key Stage 1 are too low in reading, writing, mathematics and science. • Pupils’ understanding of faiths is a weakness in religious education and most pupils have little appreciation of the multicultural nature of society. • Pupils’ are slow to acquire skills in geography because this aspect of the curriculum is not well organised. • Despite the school’s best efforts, attendance is still well below average. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school has made good improvements since the last inspection in 1998. The serious weaknesses in the nursery have been turned into strengths and standards by the age of 11 in English, mathematics and Athersley South Primary School - 7 science have improved. Standards in information and communication technology have leapt and pupils’ work in music, history and design and technology is better. These improvements are the result of a determined effort to provide curriculum guidance for teachers and to increase the teaching time available. However, standards in Key Stage 1 have not improved enough. Whilst the quality of teaching has improved overall, there are weaknesses in Year 2. The use of assessment has improved at Key Stage 2 and is helping teachers to set more challenging work. As a result, more able pupils are making better progress. However, there has been little improvement in these respects at Key Stage 1. The head

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

teacher has put in place systems to monitor and evaluate the work of the school. These have worked well in Key Stage 2 but not in Key Stage 1. Co-ordinators in literacy and numeracy, and in other subjects at Key Stage 2, now play an important part in monitoring and improving standards but strong leadership has not been evident in Key Stage 1. The school has overcome the serious weaknesses reported at the time of the last inspection and is well placed to continue its improvements.

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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 D E B well above average above average A B Mathematics E D D B Average below average C D Science D D D B well below average E

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Key

Many children enter school with low attainment. The good start they have in the nursery and in reception helps them to make up ground and reach the standards expected in creative, physical and personal, social and emotional development. Language and number skills take longer to develop and children’s attainment in mathematics, knowledge and understanding of the world and literacy, particularly, is still some way behind. Progress slows in Key Stage 1. Although pupils achieve well enough in Year 1, they underachieve in Year 2 where standards are well below average and well below those of similar schools in reading and writing. This is largely because in Year 2 not enough is expected of the pupils and the work provided is not challenging. In Key Stage 2, standards have been improving and are continuing to rise this year. The slight fall in results in 2000 reflects a higher number of pupils with special educational

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Key

needs in the cohort. The attainment of the current Year 6 pupils is below the national average and standards by the end of Key Stage 2 are higher than they are in similar schools. The successful introduction of the literacy and numeracy strategies and the additional booster classes has helped to lift standards. The targets set by the school have already been reached. Standards in information and communication technology have improved dramatically and are now good. The very recently introduced Agreed Syllabus for religious education makes it impossible to judge standards but pupils’ knowledge and understanding of other faiths is weak. Standards are high in art and design and satisfactory in most of the other subjects. However, standards are too low in geography because pupils’ skills are not built up steadily from year to year. Athersley South Primary School - 8

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Good; Most pupils enjoy school and are interested and involved in their work, although a few infant and Year 3 and 4 pupils lack concentration. Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Good; Most pupils behave well in lessons and around school. There are few incidents of aggression or bullying and no exclusions. Personal development and relationships Good; Relationships between pupils, teachers and helpers are good. Pupils help to look after the school by accepting responsibilities. Attendance Well below average; A few families cause much of the low attendance and lateness, for example, twelve children have caused 40 per cent of the absences this term.

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Aspect Comment

Pupils with special educational needs are well behaved and eager to answer questions. Their good attitudes reflect the effort put in by teachers and learning support assistants to make their learning purposeful and rewarding.

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Teaching of pupils: Aged up to 6 years Aged 6-7 years Aged 7-11 years

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

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Teaching of pupils: Aged up to 6 years Aged 6-7 years Aged 7-11 years

Teaching is satisfactory. Of the lessons seen, 32 per cent were satisfactory, 52 per cent were good, and a further 12 per cent were very good. However, four per cent of the teaching was unsatisfactory. The unsatisfactory teaching occurs in the Year 2 class where too little is expected of the pupils and finished work is not always carefully marked and organised. The vast majority of lessons are well managed and pupils are able to learn without distraction. Teaching in Key Stage 2 is good, and often very good, particularly in the mixed Year 5/6 class. The teaching of information and communication technology, and art and design is good. In Key Stage 2, lessons move along at a quick pace and pupils show a sense of urgency. High standards are expected and pupils respond positively to this. The teaching of basic skills in literacy and numeracy is good in Key Stage 2 but weaker in Year 2. The teaching of science, art and

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Teaching of pupils: Aged up to 6 years Aged 6-7 years Aged 7-11 years

design, and physical education is often good in Key Stage 2. The teaching of children in the nursery and reception is vibrant and stimulating and the teaching of pupils with special educational needs is good throughout the school. Particular teaching strengths include the good contribution made by learning support assistants who work successfully alongside teachers. Athersley South Primary School - 9

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum Satisfactory; Schemes of work and teachers’ plans enable pupils to build on what they have learnt earlier but skills needed in geography and pupils’ understanding of world religions are not well provided for. The provision of extra-curricular activities is satisfactory. Provision for pupils with special educational needs Good; The school employs several learning support assistants who work with these pupils. The system works well and helps them to acquire the basic skills. Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Good in moral and social, satisfactory in spiritual and cultural areas. Pupils are given good opportunities to work together and help to set class rules. However, opportunities are missed to develop pupils’ spiritual awareness in lessons. They lack an understanding of the multicultural society in which they live.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils Satisfactory; The level of care, guidance and support for pupils is good. Pupils’ learning is regularly assessed in English, mathematics, science and information and communication technology in Key Stage 2. In other subjects, and in Key Stage 1 generally, teachers do not make enough use of the results to gauge how well pupils are learning and set future targets.

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Aspect Comment

The school keeps parents well informed about their children’s learning and school events.

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and manage- ment by the head teacher and other key staff Satisfactory; The head teacher has introduced a wide range of strategies to bring about improvements. However, neither he nor the deputy head has Key Stage 1 experience and weaknesses in this part of school have been missed. Co-ordinators provide good support for teachers but only those leading English, mathematics, and information and communication technology visit classes to monitor standards. How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Governors are kept well informed and fulfil their statutory duties effectively. They offer good support to the school and are increasingly involved in the drive to raise standards. The school’s evaluation of its performance The results of assessments are analysed and weaknesses are identified and shared with teachers. The focus has been at the end of Key Stage 2 where standards are improving. However, the same rigorous measures

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Aspect Comment

have not been applied in Key Stage 1. The strategic use of resources Good: recent funded improvements are taking effect. Governors look for cost effectiveness in their decision making and use financial resources wisely to target improvements. The administration of the school is excellent.

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Aspect Comment

There are a sufficient number of teachers and a good number of well trained learning assistants to support pupils’ social and academic needs. The accommodation is good and used well and the school has an adequate supply of learning resources. Athersley South Primary School - 10

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• Good information about children’s progress • The teaching is good • The school is well led and managed • Children are making good progress • Behaviour is good • The school works closely with parents • The school is welcoming and approachable • Children are expected to try their best • The school helps children to become mature and responsible • The amount of homework provided • The range of extra-curricular activities

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

Inspectors largely agree with parents’ positive views of the school, but the good teaching and good progress made by children does not apply to Year 2. From September this year, a new homework policy and a home-school agreement have been introduced. The level of homework currently being given is sufficient and similar to that provided in other schools. Parents’ reservations about the limited range of extra-curricular activities are not justified. Sporting activities are very well represented and there are other activities such as the computer club and the choir. The only area where the school cannot offer additional activities is in teaching children to play musical instruments. Athersley South Primary School - 11

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The school’s results and achievements

1 Standards reached by pupils aged seven are well below average in reading, writing, mathematics and science. National test results and teachers’ assessments presented the same picture in 2000. Very few pupils, aged seven, reach the higher levels in any subject. Although there is some improvement in mathematics this year, standards in Key Stage 1 have remained low in recent years. There are a number of reasons for this. Children usually enter school with well below average knowledge and understanding of words, letters and numbers. Until recently, the nursery did little to help the children to improve and little progress was made until the children arrived in the reception class. Pupils’ progress has been steady in Year 1, but then slipped back badly in Year 2. Although, on the surface, teaching looked sound in Year 2, in so far as the pupils were under control and the work was planned, the level of work provided was no more demanding than in Year 1. Pupils, therefore, were not

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The school’s results and achievements

given work that prepared them for the tests at the age of seven and they began to underachieve. Furthermore, many pupils lost interest and stopped trying. Teachers struggle to overcome these negative attitudes in Year 3. These weaknesses were missed because neither the head teacher nor the deputy head teacher had any previous teaching experience of infant age pupils and assumed that all of the problems arose from the nursery. The attention focused in the nursery has prompted vast improvements but these have not yet had time to feed through into Key Stage 1. However, the unsatisfactory teaching in Year 2 has not been tackled.

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The school’s results and achievements

2 Pupils achieve well in Key Stage 2 and results have improved year on year because teaching is strong. The tests taken in 2000 show pupils’ attainment to be well below average in English but below average in mathematics and science. However, the school is doing better than similar schools in all three subjects. In 1999, and again this year, standards are below the national average rather than well below. Removed a sentence. More and more pupils are reaching the higher levels, more in fact than in similar schools. The improvements taking place reflect the school’s drive to raise standards and the challenging targets set have been achieved. The head teacher is very central to this. He and the deputy head teacher know what to expect in the junior classes and have put strategies in place to ensure that standards continue to rise. For example, pupils’ assessment results are carefully analysed and any

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The school’s results and achievements

common weaknesses are swiftly dealt with. The head teacher and English and mathematics co- ordinators carefully check the progress pupils make in their books. They also observe teachers taking lessons, after which they comment on the good features or suggest where improvements could be made. Key Stage 2 teachers work hard and are successful in overcoming many of the weaknesses inherited from Year 2.

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The school’s results and achievements

3 Children start school with low levels of knowledge and understanding. Baseline assessments of children starting the nursery show that very few children understand letters, words or numbers. Teaching and the provision for learning in both the nursery and in reception are now good. Teachers and support staff make a particularly good job of helping children to adjust to school life. Consequently, children settle quickly into everyday routines, behave well and make good progress in their personal, social and emotional development. By the age of five they have caught up with most children in this area of learning. In all other areas of learning, children achieve well. They make good progress when they are working with the teacher or nursery assistant on group activities and when they are free to explore their own interests. This is because during the direct teaching sessions, children have good opportunities to talk, listen and

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The school’s results and achievements

learn. When they choose their own activities, teachers intervene, encourage them to talk and help them to grasp new ideas. However, many pupils enter the nursery unable to communicate with more than single words and with little understanding of the world around them. Despite the good progress, they are not on course to reach the levels expected by the end of the reception year in communication, language Athersley South Primary School - 12 and literature, mathematical development, and knowledge and understanding of the world. In creative and physical development, children are on course to reach the levels expected.

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The school’s results and achievements

4 Standards in information and communication technology have improved significantly since the last inspection. Pupils now make very good progress and are reaching levels higher than expected by the ages of seven and 11. The development and use of the computer suite has been a major factor, but teachers have shown a determination to improve their knowledge and understanding of how to teach the subject. The use if information and communication technology in other subjects, however, is weaker partly because of a lack of software. The very recent introduction of the new Agreed Syllabus for religious education makes it impossible to judge standards. The school has not yet had time to interpret the objectives and organise lessons accordingly. However, inspection evidence suggests that whilst pupils make satisfactory progress in learning about Christianity, their knowledge and understanding of other

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The school’s results and achievements

religions are weak. Lessons are sometimes too short and the new Agreed Syllabus is not being introduced thoughtfully. Improving the religious education curriculum is an issue for the school. Pupils’ achieve well in art and design and reach high standards throughout the school. Standards in physical education are as expected but are good in dance at Key Stage 2. In design and technology, pupils achievements are typical for their age but the elements of design in Key Stage 1 and evaluation of finished work in Key Stage 2 are weaker. Pupils’ achievements in music are also typical but there are gaps in pupils’ learning at Key Stage 1 because teachers have an insecure grasp of the subject. In history, pupils gain the necessary skills, but this is not the case in geography because the skills needed have not been carefully identified and are therefore not taught in a clear sequence.

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The school’s results and achievements

5 Pupils make steady progress in reading at the start of Key Stage 1. In Year 1, they learn letter sounds and how to blend these together to make words. Practice at home helps the reading along. However, in Year 2 the books given to pupils are not closely matched to their reading needs and home reading is not well monitored. Inconsistent reading records, however, are not limited only to Year 2. In Year 2, pupils slip back and fall well short of the standards expected by the age of seven. In Key Stage 2, pupils are taught well and many become fluent and independent readers by the age of 11. Pupils’ writing skills do not improve enough towards the end of Key Stage 1. Although attention is given to handwriting and spelling, pupils do not have enough opportunities to write for different purposes, not least because in many subjects pupils are only expected to fill in missing words on worksheets. In Key Stage

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The school’s results and achievements

2, the development of writing skills, such as spelling, grammar and punctuation progress effectively because these aspects are taught well. Pupils also have good opportunities to write extensively in other subjects such as science. Many pupils have difficulties with speaking and are not confident to speak to the whole class. Younger pupils have a limited concentration span that affects their ability to listen for any length of time. Although teachers are aware of these weaknesses, drama is rarely used. Most teachers have good knowledge of the subject, enjoy teaching English and have implemented the literacy hour effectively. These factors are enabling pupils to achieve well and are leading to the improvements in standards by the age of 11. Pupils’ literacy skills are suitably developed in other subjects in Key Stage 2, such as writing reports in science. However, in Key Stage 1 pupils often fill in worksheets and literacy

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The school’s results and achievements

6 Pupils make steady progress in mathematics in Year 1 but underachieve in Year 2 where the level of work is undemanding. Pupils achieve well in Key Stage 2, particularly where they are taught in ability groups. They develop competence in the basic skills of numeracy and are rapidly improving their ability to solve mathematical problems. Numeracy skills are developed effectively in subjects such as science and information and communication technology when pupils handle data, but there the too few opportunities for numeracy to be applied in other subjects in Key Stage 1.

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The school’s results and achievements

7 Pupils in Key Stage 1 make slow progress in science. In Year 2, worksheets are used too often and many of these are at a very low level. Pupils’ knowledge and understanding of plants, materials and physical sciences fall behind. However, in practical work, pupils achieve much better and learn to make Athersley South Primary School - 13 reasonable predictions and careful observations. At Key Stage 2, pupils achieve very well in their knowledge and understanding across all areas of science and in their skills of experimenting.

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The school’s results and achievements

8 Pupils with special educational needs make good progress. Teachers care about both their academic and their social development. Their learning needs are carefully assessed and plans are devised to help them to improve. The school has invested heavily in additional learning support assistants. This has proved to be a successful move. In most lessons pupils with special educational needs are watched carefully. Instructions are clarified and support is given for basic skills such as spelling. This extra support helps them to achieve well. In Key Stage 2 the progress made by boys is below that of girls, which follows the national pattern. More able pupils are moving ahead in Key Stage 2. Setting by ability is an important factor but teachers are ambitious for the pupils and this urges the pupils on. In Year 2, it is the more able pupils who are held back the most. The school does not have any gifted and

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The school’s results and achievements

talented pupils, but two young children are achieving particularly well compared to their peers. Their progress is being tracked to ensure that their needs are fully met.

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The school’s results and achievements

9 The weaknesses in the nursery have been remedied and the foundation stage is strong. Improvements have been made in several subjects, such as information and communication technology and standards by the age of 11 are higher. These improvements have enabled the school to overcome the serious weaknesses found at the time of the last inspection. The school now has the knowledge and drive to move itself forward.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

10 Most pupils show good attitudes towards learning. There has been an improvement since the last inspection since there are now very few examples of inattention and lack of co-operation. Most pupils pay attention to their teachers and settle to work steadily in lessons. All but a very small number of the pupils behave well and show friendship and consideration towards others. However, attendance is unsatisfactory.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

11 Pupils’ attitudes are good and they usually take an interest in their work. For example, in a science lesson about senses in Year 1, pupils thoroughly enjoyed sorting crisps by their taste and identifying objects by touch. Information and communication technology lessons, particularly, are anticipated with excitement. A small number of pupils in Years 3 and 4 are sometimes slow to listen and tend to be easily distracted, particularly in the afternoon sessions. They are learning to adjust to the quicker pace and higher expectations of the junior classes and are gradually responding.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

12 Good relationships have been established between the pupils, the staff and other adults and between the pupils themselves. They carry out their responsibilities sensibly whether in the classroom or, as is the case with Year 6 pupils, with whole school duties. They respond well to encouragement to use their own initiative, for example, finding information about the Olympics as a homework task and making it into posters in school. Pupils show concern for others and help each other in lessons and around school. They have a growing awareness of how their actions affect others which is particularly evident during discussion times.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

13 Behaviour is good throughout the school. Most pupils are polite and courteous. Occasionally pupils let themselves down but these incidences are dealt with quickly. It is evident from the lack of graffiti and absence of litter that pupils are proud of their school and they help to look after the attractive outside play areas. They show responsibility when using school equipment. There have been no exclusions since the last inspection.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

14 Attendance is unsatisfactory and is below the national average. School records show that 40 Athersley South Primary School - 14 per cent of absences since the start of term are related to twelve pupils. A small number of families take their annual holidays during term time and this lowers the school average overall. A significant number of pupils arrive at school late so that it is difficult for some classes to start work promptly. During the inspection twelve pupils from one class arrived after the start of the school day. Not all parents recognise the importance of their children’s regular attendance and prompt arrival.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

15 The school is fortunate to have a caring, committed and hard working staff. On balance, teaching is satisfactory. Teaching in the foundation stage and in Key Stage 2 is good but teaching in Key Stage 1 is unsatisfactory. Of the teaching seen during the inspection, all but four per cent was at least satisfactory, 52 per cent was good and 12 per cent was very good. This is a significant improvement on the last inspection when only 30 per cent of the teaching was good and 13 per cent was unsatisfactory.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

16 The greatest improvements have been made in the nursery. A new teacher has taken over and she has teamed up well with the teacher in the reception class. Together they provide a very good education for young children and help them to get off to a good start. Lessons are very well planned and both teachers place great importance on helping children to improve their spoken and written language. For example, the nursery is rich in interesting activities that tempt the children to explore. Adults are on hand to talk about these new experiences and children develop the confidence to express their ideas. In reception, these skills are built on well. Painstaking efforts are made to encourage children to read and write. Children’s writing skills, particularly, develop at a rapid rate. In both classes, teachers assess children’s progress very effectively by noting children’s responses to lessons at regular intervals. Basic

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

skills are taught very well but children’s personal, social and emotional development is regarded with equal importance. Children are encouraged and expected to take some responsibility for selecting and clearing away their own activities, concentrate for reasonable periods of time and work harmoniously with others. The atmosphere for learning is first class.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

17 There has been least improvement in the teaching in Key Stage 1. Teaching here is unsatisfactory because the teaching in Year 2 is weak. In Year 1, there are a few strong points and no major weaknesses. In both Years 1 and 2 discipline is sufficient to ensure that pupils pay attention and settle to work to improve their basic skills of reading, writing and mathematics. Lessons are planned and organised effectively and teachers explain clearly what pupils are expected to learn. In Year 1, the work given to pupils is set at about the right level and their finished work is marked carefully so that they and the teacher know what they have to do to improve. In Year 2, although on the surface the class teaching is planned and organised in the same way as it is in Year 1, the level of work given to the pupils is too easy. In science for example, they complete exactly the same worksheets as the Year 1 pupils. In the

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

mathematics lesson seen, pupils were dealing with numbers to ten, just as they were in the Year 1 classes. This means that pupils, particularly the more able, are not challenged and the low expectations of the teacher are reflected in the work produced by the pupils. Finished work is often just ticked or even sometimes left unmarked. The assessment of pupils’ progress is weak. There are few comments to encourage or guide pupils into making greater efforts. Consequently, pupils’ motivation is affected and the drive to improve is lost, pupils begin to underachieve and standards fall.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

18 The picture is very different in Key Stage 2 where most of the teaching is good. Year 3 and 4 teachers are currently struggling to establish a calm purposeful working atmosphere. They are injecting greater demands and a quicker pace into their lessons but some pupils have fallen into bad habits and take some convincing that hard work and good application will bring rewards later. Pressure is being exerted on the pupils but an examination of the work from last year shows that once pupils respond to the teachers’ higher expectations the rate of progress is considerable. Pupils in Years 5 and 6 understand the school routines. Consequently, hard work and good application are accepted as the norm. Lessons here, Athersley South Primary School - 15 flow smoothly, the work is well organised, new learning is explained clearly and pupils’ learning accelerates. More time is given to the core subjects of English, mathematics and science and pupils are

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

well prepared for the national tests at the age of 11. This focus on improving performance shows in better results each year. In Key Stage 2 the quality of lesson planning is good and teachers are more successful in pinpointing exactly what the pupils are expected to learn than they are in Key Stage 1. In mathematics and science lessons, for example, the objectives for the lesson are written on the blackboard. During the lesson, teachers scatter questions to all of the pupils to evaluate how well they understand the new ideas. At the end of the lessons pupils are asked to reflect on what they have achieved and their work is marked carefully to identify the starting point for the next lesson.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

19 The efforts put into improving the quality of teaching of literacy, numeracy, science and information and communication technology are paying dividends. In these subjects most teachers have good expertise and the basic skills are taught effectively, particularly in the foundation stage and in Key Stage 2. Almost all teachers place a strong emphasis on mental mathematics. Investigation skills in science are built up systematically and reading and writing skills in English receive much attention. The skilled teaching of information and communication technology throughout the school represents a huge improvement since the last inspection when it was a serious weakness. Teachers’ knowledge and understanding of other subjects is satisfactory but more variable throughout the school. In only religious education and music at Key Stage 1 is expertise lacking. The approaches used, particularly in Key Stage

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

2, are often practical and interesting and have equal appeal for both boys and girls.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

20 Recently, learning support assistants have been employed and trained to help teachers by working with groups of pupils or individuals during lessons. The support they give is of high quality and their patience and perseverance is having a positive effect in all classes. Pupils with special educational needs benefit most because learning support assistants help them to listen and concentrate when the teacher is talking to the whole class. On numerous occasions during the inspection, pupils with learning difficulties were able to answer teachers’ questions because they had discussed their ideas with learning support staff and gained the confidence to speak to the whole class.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

21 A significant number of parents expressed concern over the lack of homework. New agreements have been introduced this term and the level of homework set is now about right.

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PUPILS?

22 The curriculum provided by the school is now satisfactory and satisfies the statutory requirement to offer a broad and balanced range of experiences covering all subjects of the National Curriculum and religious education. However, there are some weaknesses in the planning and overall structure of what pupils learn.

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PUPILS?

23 The school has made good progress in some areas of the curriculum since the previous inspection. The school has lengthened the school day to give more time for each subject. Pupils now receive their full curriculum entitlement. Almost all elements of information and communication technology are now met. Curriculum coverage of design and technology and music has improved but there are still some weaker elements. For example, pupils seldom evaluate and modify their work in design and technology and are given few opportunities to experience music from other cultures. The school has recently received the revised Agreed Syllabus for religious education, which requires the study, in depth, of some chosen religions as well as Christianity. At the present time, these faiths are not studied in sufficient depth and in some classes lessons in religious education are not long enough.

p.18

PUPILS?

24 The curriculum provided for children in the foundation stage of learning is very good and the Athersley South Primary School - 16 quality of planning for pupils in the nursery and reception classes is a major strength of the school’s curriculum. Teachers from both the nursery and reception class plan together very successfully to ensure that all children make progressive gains in their learning, particularly on transfer to the reception class.

p.18

PUPILS?

25 The school has implemented the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies effectively. There is, quite rightly, a strong emphasis placed on the development of speaking and listening skills but the extra time spent on these skills lessens the time given to writing. In Year 2, for example, there are insufficient opportunities for pupils to write letters, reports or poems. The school is beginning to implement a programme of health education, although sex education and drugs awareness is already adequately covered in Year 6. All pupils have equality of access and opportunity to the whole curriculum. Good provision is made for pupils with special educational needs and those for whom English is an additional language. These pupils remain with their classes, and are supported very effectively in lessons by learning support assistants. Pupils’ intellectual development is generally promoted well, and most pupils

p.19

PUPILS?

receive sufficiently challenging tasks to enable them to achieve within their abilities in almost all classes. However, this is not the case in Year 2 where pupils underachieve.

p.19

PUPILS?

26 The head teacher and staff have worked hard to put in place a clear curriculum that is well matched to the pupils’ learning needs. Teachers know what they should teach because the national schemes of work for all subjects have been introduced. These have been modified to match the needs of the pupils by organising the learning into two-year cycles to enable pupils in mixed age classes to have equal and full access to every subject. However, this provision is not yet in place for religious education and the skills in geography have not been carefully mapped out. Teachers’ understanding of how to use these schemes of work is variable across subjects, and heavily dependent on the expertise of subject co- ordinators. Not all co-ordinators regularly check teachers’ planning and examine pupils’ work in the different subjects. These weaknesses have resulted in unsatisfactory progress being made in Year 2 in a

p.19

PUPILS?

27 The school has a good relationship with the community, and visitors who come into school to talk to pupils enrich the curriculum. Educational visits enhance some subjects, such as history, particularly well. The effective use of the school’s computer suite during lessons and after school, has contributed to pupils’ improved standards in information and communication technology, since the last inspection. There is a satisfactory range of extra-curricular activities including sport. However, apart from the choir there is no instrumental music tuition. Homework is used well, and plays an important part in preparing pupils for secondary school.

p.19

PUPILS?

28 The school’s provision for spiritual, moral, social and cultural development has improved since the last inspection. Daily acts of collective worship provide a valuable opportunity for spiritual development. A local minister leads some of these. He draws well on stories from the Bible and is successful in helping pupils to reflect on the Christian message. Pupils enjoy these assemblies, join in well and listen carefully. In many classes, discussion time provides an opportunity for pupils to reflect on and talk about events at school and at home. Throughout school, pupils are taught to respect and value each other. Despite these positive features, the school does not have an overall plan for promoting pupils’ spiritual awareness in other subjects and opportunities are often missed. However, pupils do learn to appreciate beauty through art and design, and the wonder of new life in science.

p.19

PUPILS?

29 The provision for moral development is good. The school sets clear guidelines about what is right and wrong. The considerate behaviour of most pupils is evidence that they recognise the difference. The school’s ‘Golden Rules’ are prominently displayed around the school and each class devises its own rules. This helps pupils to understand why rules are needed and encourages them to abide by them. The ‘Special Person of the Week’ and the ‘Special Class of the Week’ awards reinforce the school’s central aims. Athersley South Primary School - 17 30 Social development is good. Relationships throughout the school are good and are sympathetically monitored by all staff who provide good role models for the pupils. Teachers of the younger pupils are successfully helping them to share and to take turns. Occasionally, older pupils distract and disturb others but teachers are quick to intervene and explain how problems should be solved. As a

p.19

PUPILS?

result, there are few examples of openly aggressive behaviour. Pupils are consistently encouraged to be kind and caring towards each other and praised for working together productively as a member of a group. The school provides good opportunities for older pupils to look after younger ones in the playground.

p.20

PUPILS?

31 The provision for pupils’ cultural development is satisfactory. Through lessons in art and design, music, history and geography, pupils come to appreciate their own heritage. The school’s ‘artist in residence’ works with pupils on projects such as decorating the main school corridor as a Victorian street. These experiences enable pupils to gain insights into cultures of the past. However, pupils have very little appreciation of cultures other than their own. In music, for example, Year 6 pupils cannot recall any styles of music from other places. Similarly, the religious education curriculum is not sufficiently developed to enable pupils to understand different cultures and lifestyles. As a result, pupils have a very limited understanding of the multicultural society in which they live. The school has recognised this weakness and has nominated this as an area of improvement.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

32 The school takes good care of the pupils as reported at the time of the last inspection. Procedures for child protection and promoting the well being, health and safety of all pupils are good. The teaching and non-teaching staff provide a good standard of care. The school has a suitable policy for child protection and all members of staff are aware of the procedures and are kept up to date with any concerns. Health and safety and risk assessment procedures are all in place.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

33 There is tight monitoring of attendance and good procedures for following up absences are in place. However, persistent absentees and families who take their holidays in term time let the school down and lower the attendance rate. The educational welfare officer regularly monitors the registers and takes appropriate action to contact families when absenteeism and lateness gives cause for concern.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

34 The good behaviour throughout the school is the result of the strong promotion of the school’s Golden Rules and the pupils’ own class rules. The pupils value the awards given to the ‘Class of the Week’.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

35 Pupils’ personal development is well taken care of. Teachers know their pupils well. They carefully track pupils’ responses to lessons and take an interest in their relationships and social development. Any concerns are quickly followed up with the head teacher and parents.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

36 The assessment procedures used to gauge the achievements of children in the nursery and reception classes are very good. Children are assessed when they arrive in the nursery. Weekly assessments are then made in all the areas of learning. The results of these are used to inform the planning for the next week. Nursery nurses’ help to gather the information and much is known about the children as they move through nursery and into the reception class. Assessments are made when children first enter the reception class. Regular assessments take place and these are recorded in individual booklets for each child, with informative comments. The result is a clear picture of the progress of each child throughout the year.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

37 The school now makes detailed analysis of the National Curriculum test results achieved when pupils reach the age of 11. As a result, pupils’ strengths and weaknesses are identified. Additional work Athersley South Primary School - 18 is then provided in lessons and through booster classes to remedy the weaker areas. This has resulted in pupils in Years 5 and 6 now being taught in ability sets. The analysis of tests given to pupils in Years 3 and 4, enables teachers to identify those who are performing at a low level. These pupils are then given additional support for literacy. However, the use of assessment in Key Stage 1 is unsatisfactory. Weaknesses are not identified and worked on. As a result, standards in Year 2 are too low.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

38 In other subjects, the gathering of information and use of assessment depends on individual teachers. Where books are used, the marking of pupils’ work acts as a record in itself and teachers’ lesson planning sheets show that some teachers do make a conscious effort to assess pupils’ progress. However, in subjects other than English, mathematics, science, and information and communication technology assessment is not used consistently. Targets are set to encourage higher Year 6 pupils to achieve higher results each year but targets are not set for individual pupils as they are in some schools.

p.21

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

39 The school is welcoming and the head teacher and staff try very hard to work with the parents. This was the picture at the time of last inspection. However, the small attendance at the parents’ meeting and low return of questionnaires indicates that many parents take the school for granted and are unable or unwilling to give of their time and energy. From the questionnaires returned and comments made at the parents’ meeting, most parents have confidence in the school and appreciate the efforts made for their children. In particular, parents value the information provided, and the ease with which they can find out about their children’s progress. Parents have only two concerns. Some parents want more homework for their children. This is improving and about the right amount of regular homework is now given. Some parents do not feel that the school offers enough extra curricular activities. However, the school provides

p.21

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

sporting activities, a computer club and a choir. These are similar to the level of after school activities provided in other schools of the same size.

p.21

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

40 Many initiatives have been taken to strengthen links with parents and involve them in the life of the school. A very successful home school relationship has been established in the nursery. Home visits have begun and this is giving parents the confidence to stay with their children at the start of the school day in the nursery. This helps children to settle into the nursery when they first start. This is a significant improvement since the last inspection. Other projects to help parents to support their children’s learning, such as hearing them read or assisting with homework, have only had a limited effect. Whilst the initial take up is good many parents soon stop attending the sessions. As a result, children receive less help, both at home and in school, than is the case in many schools. Some events are well supported. For example, sporting activities and concerts are well attended and parents of younger children are frequently seen in

p.21

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

school at the start of the school day. This does enable teachers to keep parents informed about their children’s day-to-day progress.

p.21

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

41 There is no formal parents’ association but parents support fund raising events and a small number offer regular help in the classroom and with educational visits. Parents are kept well informed of school activities through the regular numbered newsletters, which give a good account of the varied activities of the school. They are given regular information about the curriculum, especially the topics to be covered during a term. There is a good attendance at the termly consultation evenings, but there has been a poor response to the various curricular evenings. The pupils’ annual progress reports provide sufficient information. The clear prospectus and Governors’ annual report meet statutory requirements.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

42 The leadership and management of the school are satisfactory and stronger than at the time of Athersley South Primary School - 19 the last inspection. There is a clear, secure and shared vision for school improvement and effective, yet still developing, systems and procedures to realise this. Planning for the future involves staff and governors and the priorities identified reflect the needs of the school in all but one area. Once identified, each priority is carefully thought through in terms of how long it will take, who will be responsible and how much it will cost. Changes are always evaluated. This measured approach has led to the successful implementation of several initiatives, for example, the improvements in curriculum planning since the last inspection.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

43 The head teacher works hard to raise standards and is sensitive to the needs of his staff. He ensures that teachers and learning assistants are well supported in their work. This has helped to establish good relationships between staff and pupils and provide a good working atmosphere in which pupils can achieve their full potential. The head teacher leads by example, is fully involved in all aspects of school life, and has forged good links with all those who have an interest in the school’s future development. He has steered the school successfully through a difficult period of reorganisation, significantly improved the nursery and implemented effectively the Literacy and Numeracy strategies. He has a clear vision for the continued growth of the school, and the ability and commitment to realise this. He observes lessons regularly and provides teachers with verbal and written feedback. He

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

arranges for national test results to be thoroughly analysed with the view to improving pupils’ performance and takes responsibility for maintaining pupils’ good behaviour.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

44 Both the head teacher and deputy head teacher have middle school backgrounds and neither has had extensive experience in nursery and infant school education. This has made the task of evaluating the quality of education provided in the Key Stage 1 very difficult. Consequently, weaknesses in Key Stage 1 have been missed. Work provided for pupils in Year 2 in English, mathematics and science has been too easy for some time. As a result, standards at the end of Key Stage 1 have remained low in these subjects since the last inspection. From the previous inspection it was assumed that the low standards sprung from the weaknesses in the nursery. Consequently, attention has been centred there and the work of the nursery has been significantly improved. However in Year 2, the low standards have continued.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

45 Apart from the low standards in Key Stage 1, many good improvements have been made since the last inspection. For example, standards of teaching and learning in the Nursery and in information and communication technology have substantially improved. Teachers, who act as leaders for particular subjects, have a better grasp of the work done than at the time of the last inspection. Co-ordinators for English and mathematics are now involved in regular and systematic monitoring of the development and teaching of their subjects. This helps to ensure that approaches are rigorous and consistent, and that there is a clear focus on improving standards. However, each subject is co-ordinated by two teachers, one in each key stage. This has operated successfully in English and mathematics because there is so much to oversee but the system has not worked in all subjects. Key Stage 2 co-ordinators have generally

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

been more effective and supported teachers well but there are fewer Key Stage 1 teachers to share the load. Instead, they have worked together as an infant department but no one has taken overall responsibility for the harder task of monitoring standards. This is partly why weaknesses in Key Stage 1 have gone unnoticed.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

46 The governing body fulfils its statutory responsibilities well. Its level of involvement in the evaluation and improvement of the school’s performance is good. For example, following consultation with the head teacher, governors agreed to appoint additional learning support assistants to help improve provision for the least able pupils, which is proving successful. Governors reviewed and changed the role of the deputy head teacher to improve the level of monitoring and support to help raise standards. Governors are centrally involved in setting aims and fostering the caring and supportive learning atmosphere in the school. The governing body is therefore very involved in and well informed about the life of the school, and is providing clear direction for its work. Athersley South Primary School - 20 47 Since the last inspection there is now a more settled team of teachers and as a result staff

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

morale has improved since this is reflected in the positive team spirit that is evident in the school. The teaching staff are well deployed and a strength of the school is its use of staff expertise to teach other classes such as in information and communication technology, music and art and design. Educational support staff are well qualified, very committed and work conscientiously and closely with class teachers in helping to raise the achievements of targeted groups of pupils, particularly pupils with special educational needs. There is a good system for supporting new and newly qualified teachers and this ensures that staff feel valued and able to seek advice from and share the expertise of other more experienced teachers.

p.23

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

48 The accommodation is good and enhanced by a separate dining hall and the new information and communication technology suite. However, the library is currently being refurbished and as yet does not play a sufficient part in developing pupils’ research skills. The nursery is spacious and well designed but the reception classroom is too small for group activities. For example, it is only possible for the children to paint once a week. The buildings are very clean and attractively displayed with pupils’ work. Improving the school grounds represents a very successful project over recent years and pupils themselves have been involved in designing mosaics for hard surface areas. The outdoor environment is both stimulating and a valuable source of learning.

p.23

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

49 The day-to-day management and administration of the school by the office manager is excellent. There is careful forward planning to take account of future pupil numbers and their impact on income, and rigorous and frequent monitoring of spending patterns to ensure that finances are tightly controlled. Contingency arrangements to ensure that the school’s budget can meet future developments are clearly established, and provide evidence of prudent financial management. Grants available to the school such as funding for special educational needs are targeted well and improving pupils’ learning. Financial planning is therefore very good, and decisions for spending are closely linked to identified priorities in the school development plan. The governing body ensures that these decisions provide the best value for pupils. Funding allocated for pupils with special educational needs is used efficiently to

p.23

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

promote their progress and attainment through a very good level of adult support and appropriate learning resources. Taking account of the children’s attainment on entry into the school, the standards they achieve and the education they receive, the school provides satisfactory value for money.

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

50 The school has many good features. Children make good progress in the foundation stage and pupils achieve well in Key Stage 2. However, standards are too low in Key Stage 1 because pupils are not challenged sufficiently in Year 2 and standards in religious education and geography are not high enough. The school needs to remedy these weaknesses and the head teacher and governors should take action on the following issues.

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(1) Substantially raise standards in Year 2 in English, mathematics and science by:

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• Raising the teacher’s expectations of what pupils can achieve. • Assessing pupils’ progress and using the results to set more challenging work.

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(Paragraphs 1, 5, 6, 7, 17, 26, 37, 45, 60, 62, 64, 65, 70, 71, 73, 74 and 77)

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(2) Improve pupils’ knowledge and understanding of religious education by:

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• Ensuring that different faiths are studied in sufficient depth. Athersley South Primary School - 21 • Providing training for teachers to help them to teach all aspects of the subject well. • Ensuring that lessons are of sufficient length and that pupils’ work is assessed.

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

When drawing up their action plan governors will have to take account of two minor issues.

p.24

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• Continuing the efforts to improve attendance. (Paragraphs 14 and 33) • Raising pupils’ attainment in geography. (Paragraphs 4, 26 and 87) Athersley South Primary School - 22

p.24

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 33

p.25

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

p.25

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.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery YR – Y6

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 34 268

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils eligible for free school meals N/A 136

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Special educational needs Nursery YR – Y6

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 0 7

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 0 51

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 7

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 24

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 29

p.25

Attendance

National comparative data 5.4 National comparative data 0.5

p.25

Attendance

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

p.25

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 19 21 40

p.26

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

p.26

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Boys 9 8 17 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 15 14 17

p.26

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentage of pupils School 60% (58%) 55% (60%) 85% (68%) at NC level 2 or above National 83% (82%) 84% (83%) 90% (87%)

p.26

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.26

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Boys 8 16 13 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 14 18 16

p.26

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentage of pupils School 55% (58%) 85% (68%) 73% (70%) at NC level 2 or above National 84% (82%) 88% (86%) 88% (87%)

p.26

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

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

p.26

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 2000 26 23 49

p.26

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

p.26

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Boys 14 15 19 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 15 15 17

p.26

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentage of pupils School 59% (56%) 61% (64%) 73% (72%) at NC level 4 or above National 75% (70%) 72% (69%) 85% (78%)

p.26

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.26

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Boys 15 16 19 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 17 17 17

p.26

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentage of pupils School 59% (52%) 67% (66%) 73% (65%) at NC level 4 or above National 70% (68%) 72% (69%) 79% (75%) Athersley South Primary School - 24 Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Athersley South Primary School - 25

p.26

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage 0 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0

p.28

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – African heritage 0 Black – African heritage 0 0

p.28

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Any other minority ethnic group 7 Other minority ethnic groups 0 0

p.28

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.28

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 12.6 Financial year 1999 - 2000

p.28

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 25.3

p.28

Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total expenditure 558,861

p.28

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 12 Expenditure per pupil 1,851

p.28

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 262 Balance brought forward from previous year -4,000

p.28

Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance carried forward to next year 28,631

p.28

Teachers and classes Financial information

Qualified teachers and support staff: nursery

p.28

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 1

p.28

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 34

p.28

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 4

p.28

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 100

p.28

Teachers and classes Financial information

FTE means full-time equivalent. Athersley South Primary School - 26

p.28

Results of the survey of parents and carers

Percentage of responses in each category

p.29

Results of the survey of parents and carers

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

p.29

Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child is making good progress in school. 38 62 0 0 0

p.29

Results of the survey of parents and carers

Behaviour in the school is good. 24 57 10 0 10

p.29

Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 14 38 43 5 0

p.29

Results of the survey of parents and carers

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 48 43 10 0 0

p.29

Results of the survey of parents and carers

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 48 43 0 10 0

p.29

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 33 62 5 0 0

p.29

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school works closely with parents. 38 57 0 5 0

p.29

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is well led and managed. 47 47 0 5 0

p.29

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 33 57 5 0 5

p.29

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 25 40 20 5 10 Athersley South Primary School - 27

p.29

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

51 At the time of the inspection there were 17 children in the reception class, and 68 children attending part-time in the nursery. New children join the nursery each term when the oldest children transfer to the reception class. When children start in the nursery their attainment is well below average and particularly so in speaking and listening skills. The nursery is housed in a purpose built separate building. The accommodation is good, and together with vibrant displays, provides a stimulating environment. Whilst the accommodation in the reception class is of good quality, it is small for the number of children. This poses organisational problems and limits the range of activities that can be offered daily. The last inspection reported that there were serious weaknesses in the nursery. Great improvements have been made both in the quality of provision and in the teaching. As a result, the

p.30

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

nursery is now a major strength of the school alongside the good provision in the reception class. However, the children’s improving attainment has not yet had time to feed through and raise standards in the reception class. Attainment on entry into the reception class is well below what might be expected for children of this age in speaking and listening, and is below in mathematical understanding. This is confirmed by the results of assessments made as children enter the reception class.

p.30

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

52 The nursery and reception class teachers work together very effectively. The quality of teaching is consistently good, and often very good in both classes. Teachers are already planning effectively together using the new national guidance. Their teaching offers a wide range of activities and experiences for the children, with a strong emphasis on promoting speaking and listening skills. Teaching also promotes children’s personal, social and emotional development very well. Children’s attainment and progress is regularly assessed against the new guidance. Teachers then use the results of these assessments to plan their future lessons. As a result, children transferring to the reception class build successfully on their previously learning. Two nursery nurses in the nursery, and an adult learning support assistant in the reception class make a valuable contribution to children’s learning. This support ensures

p.30

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

that all children achieve well, particularly children with special educational needs and the few children with English as an additional language.

p.30

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

53 Provision for children’s personal, social and emotional development is good. In the nursery, children are encouraged to check themselves when they arrive, by finding their own name card. They are taught to be independent when preparing for activities. They wash their own hands, and put on aprons themselves. Children carry out daily responsibilities for tidying away resources at the end of activities. Some younger children are still immature. They quickly move away to join other activities that have caught their attention and cannot sustain their concentration for very long. When a small group of children working with the teacher were sharing various fruits, a number of younger children joined the group, saying “Me too”. In the reception class, children often shout out and are reluctant to wait their turn to speak. They are learning to respond to the teacher’s good strategies for engaging their attention,

p.30

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

and they know what they should do instead of calling out. In ‘Circle Time’ they say “Thank you” to each other when they pass the Teddy bear around. Children are developing an awareness of the difference between right and wrong through sharing stories. Through good teaching, they learn that helping each other is important. Examples of how children have helped classmates are displayed on the class ‘Kind Hands’ tree. A weekly “Special Person” certificate is given a special place in the classroom, and this contributes to raising children’s self-esteem. Children know what is expected of them, and they are on course to achieve the expected level in this area. Athersley South Primary School - 28 54 Provision for language and literacy is good, and has a high priority in both classes. All adults working with children are skilled at involving children in talking about what they are doing, and helping

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

them to develop their language and improve their vocabulary. However, despite the good teaching, many children have difficulty listening carefully and this hinders the development of language skills. Children often use single words to communicate and they speak indistinctly. For example, in the nursery, one child correctly recognised a potato, but said “kato”. In the reception class, children have poor listening skills. They talk in short phrases and are often indistinct. In the nursery, children often sit quietly in pairs and share picture books. They enjoy hearing stories. In the reception class, children handle books correctly, and turn pages from left to right. They have difficulty explaining their understanding of picture books. For example, when asked what was happening in a picture where a girl was sitting down talking on the telephone, one child replied “Sitting”. Children recognise some letter sounds, but they refer to numbers

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more readily than letters. For example, by saying “circle” when pointing to the letter ‘o’ and “one” for the letter ‘l’. One more able child in reception is reading a sequence of sentences with understanding. Most children write recognisable letters of their own names. When looking at previous work, there is evidence of very good progress in writing in the reception class. By the end of the year, some children were copy writing a few simple sentences using capital letters correctly and letters were well formed. However, children have poor speaking and listening skills and their attainment is well below average in this area.

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55 Children’s mathematical development is good and this reflects the good teaching. The nursery and reception teachers have a good grasp of the subject and mathematics is used naturally in many activities. As a result, children quickly learn to recognise shapes and numbers. For example, children’s understanding of shapes develops quickly in the nursery through activities such as using paints to make shape prints. Younger children practice counting to three. Although they match shapes, they can only name a few. In the reception class, children practice counting to ten by reciting number rhymes. They recognise the names of shapes such as circle, square and triangle and the names of numbers up to ten. However, their awareness of positional language is less well developed, and children have difficulty understanding ‘next to’. Children practice writing numbers that are correctly formed. Although children

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are unlikely to reach the expected level in this area of learning, they achieve well.

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56 Children’s knowledge and understanding of the world is not well developed when they enter the nursery and still below average by the time they complete their reception year. For example, one child did not know the name for a “rolling pin” when working with play-dough. The teaching is good and a broad range of activities is planned around themes, such as Family and Food. In the nursery, children tasted foods such as mangoes for the first time. Good provision is made to promote multicultural awareness through the choice of stories from other cultures. Children have brought examples of clothes they wore as babies and are developing an awareness of the passage of time by comparing them with the clothes they are wearing now. Children have good opportunities to use a computer. In the nursery, one boy persistently chose this activity. He controlled the mouse well to click and move shapes to complete a

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picture. In the reception class, there are opportunities for children to share their likes and dislikes of different food, and to make and taste foods such as vegetable soup. There are opportunities for them to use the keyboard to write their own name and to use a moving Roamer forwards and backwards.

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57 Creative skills are developed well in the nursery. The two nursery nurses are used effectively to support small groups of children in a range of activities. Children mix powder paints, enjoy painting activities, but only recognise a few colours. They use glue and materials confidently to create three- dimensional models of which they are very proud. When using play dough, children use cutters to make different mathematical shapes. Children respond well to music. They take part in singing and action rhymes that are linked well to different areas of learning, such as shape songs, and songs that name body parts. Children choose favourite nursery rhymes and have opportunities to experiment with musical instruments. The reception class does not allow permanent opportunities in the room for water, sand and painting activities. At present, the teacher has to plan these activities on one day a week, because of the

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Athersley South Primary School - 29 lack of space. There are opportunities to mix colours, to record the colours of fruits and to develop observational drawing skills. Children use cut fruits to make prints. They hear a range of music, including music from other cultures, such as a Caribbean steel band. Children join older children singing action songs. They learn songs in assemblies, and listen to the music of famous composers. Teaching in this area is good in both the nursery and in reception and children are on course to achieve the expected levels in this area.

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58 The provision for physical development is good in the nursery and teaching in this area is good in both classes. In the nursery, outdoor activities are very well supervised and there are clear objectives for all activities. The majority of children ride bicycles with care for the safety of others, although some of the youngest children do not yet have this awareness. During the inspection, the assessment of children’s recognition of shapes and their physical abilities when they were hopping and jumping into shapes in the playground, was well organised. In reception, children make good progress in physical development. They use space in the school hall confidently and understand instructions such as walk, run and sit down. Children are developing skills of stretching and relaxing and they use different body parts in a range of physical activities. However, although the reception class now has a fenced playground area, these

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children no longer have access to the large play apparatus available in the nursery. Teaching is good in both classes and children are on course to reach the expected standards.

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ENGLISH

59 Over the past three years results have improved considerably and although by the age of 11 pupils’ attainment in the 2000 tests is well below the national average, it is above that of pupils in similar schools. The current Year 6 pupils are reaching standards below rather than well below the national average. These results are a considerable achievement when account is taken of the significant number of pupils with special educational needs in the different year groups. The number of pupils reaching the higher levels has continued to improve and the impact on results has been significant. The improvement in standards is largely achieved through the implementation of effective assessment strategies. Test results are analysed and pupils’ common mistakes are identified. The good teaching and the effective additional support given by experienced and committed support staff also play an important part in raising

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60 By the age of seven pupils’ attainment is well below the national average and also well below that attained by pupils in similar schools. The results in the 2000 national tests showed little improvement on the previous year. Only a tenth of pupils reach the higher levels in reading. Pupils underachieve because of the unsatisfactory teaching in Year 2. In Year 2, insufficient attention is given to the development of reading skills. In writing, pupils often fill in missing words on worksheets and the lack of opportunities for pupils to write at length holds back their progress. The marking of pupils’ work is often superficial with few pointers for improvement. The teachers’ expectations of what pupils are capable of achieving are too low.

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61 Attainment in speaking is below that expected of pupils aged seven and 11 but progress is satisfactory overall and sometimes good; for example in the higher attaining groups in Years 5 and 6 where the majority of pupils are increasingly expressing themselves confidently and clearly. However, in Key Stage 1 too often pupils only respond with one or two words when answering teachers’ questions and are rarely encouraged to reply in longer phrases or sentences. Pupils listen attentively during the literacy hour but in Years 2 and 3 many pupils have a limited concentration span and are frequently reminded about the importance of listening to the teachers’ instructions and the contributions of others. Older pupils listen carefully to their teachers, and to each other, and contribute willingly to group and class discussions. This was seen when Year 5 and 6 pupils explained the structure of a story in preparation for

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the task of re-writing a story into a play script. Pupils respond well to the planned opportunities for Athersley South Primary School - 30 expressing feelings, voicing opinions and describing events. Year 6 pupils were enthusiastic when discussing how to write the dramatic conventions for a play. These opportunities are effective in extending pupils’ vocabulary and increasing their self-confidence. Many pupils have a limited vocabulary which restricts the range of their explanations and discussions. Whilst teachers include opportunities for pupils to express their ideas in other subjects, there is insufficient use of drama across the school to improve pupils speaking and listening skills.

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62 By the end of Key Stage 1 the standard of reading is still very low and is well below that expected of seven year olds. The few higher attaining pupils demonstrate a good degree of fluency, expression and understanding. However the majority of pupils do not make sufficient progress in Year 2. The home reading scheme is not effective because some pupils do not take books home and when they do, their reading is not well monitored. At times, the reading books they choose are not matched to their abilities. There is sound teaching of phonics in Key Stage 1 and pupils with reading difficulties are given additional support from support assistants. However, too few of these pupils have specific targets to improve their standard of reading. In Year 1, pupils use picture or contextual clues appropriately, are building a basic sight vocabulary and use their understanding of phonics to attempt unknown words.

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63 By the end Key Stage 2 the standard of reading is below average but over two thirds of the pupils are fully independent readers by Year 6. The more able pupils read accurately and fluently with a good standard of expression and can discuss characters and select main features from the text. A significant number of pupils have reading difficulties but they receive good support in class. The school has rightly identified the need to extend the range of fiction available to pupils and a good level of funding has been allocated for this purpose. A major weakness in the school is that reading records are not kept in a consistent form. Therefore when pupils move from one class to another their needs are not easily identified and consequently met.

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64 Attainment in writing by the end of Key Stage 1 is well below the standards expected. Progress is unsatisfactory and, although sound attention is paid to handwriting and spelling, the range of opportunities for writing is restricted. Pupils can construct simple sentences, and use capital letters and full stops. Pupils in Year 1 write satisfactorily about their opinion of ‘George’s Marvellous Medicine’ and construct a good group poem about spring. Pupils in Year 2 write a letter to a friend and try to re-write a fairy tale. However, little improvement is evident after Year 1 and pupils have limited skills in story writing. In Key Stage 2, pupils achieve well. Pupils understand how to use dictionaries and thesauruses to support their spelling and the regular testing of spelling has raised standards. The teaching of spelling is good in Year 6. The teacher has identified common errors and set targets for the pupils to learn these

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words. By the end of Key Stage 2 the majority of pupils are able to plan and redraft written work including stories, drama scripts, narrative, poetry and letters. Pupils in Year 6 write good acrostic poems about ‘Alcohol’ and re-write parables to create modern stories. Pupils write in a range of styles, pay adequate attention to punctuation and use speech very effectively; for example there was a very good piece of extended writing in Year 6 about ‘Avalanche Escape’. A major strength of Key Stage 2 is that each teacher provides good opportunities for pupils to consolidate previous skills. This is most noticeable in letter writing, story writing and poetry. Instructional writing is also good; for example Year 3 pupils wrote good descriptions of ‘How to make a sandwich’ and Year 5 pupils about ‘How to make a jumping Santa’. The standard of handwriting is good.

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65 In Key Stage 1 the teaching in English is unsatisfactory because of the weaknesses in Year 2. Although the teacher has a secure knowledge of the literacy hour and manages the pupils with care and sensitivity, there is a lack of rigour to the teaching. Tasks are not well matched to the pupils’ abilities, there is a lack of challenge in the work set and, in particular, higher attaining pupils are not expected to achieve as well as they could. In a Year 2 literacy lesson, for example, pupils were asked to search for ‘oi’ and ‘oy’ words in a passage. However, the text selected was unsuitable and the pupils were unable to complete the task. Pupils with special educational needs are aided well by learning support staff in all Athersley South Primary School - 31 classes. In the mixed Year 1/2 class, the teaching is sound and in Year 1 the teaching is good and builds well upon the good progress that pupils make in reception. In Year 1, pupils settle down quickly, are

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attentive and participate willingly and enthusiastically in discussions.

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66 In Key Stage 2, teaching is good and teachers have a thorough knowledge of the subject. Lessons are planned carefully, the aims are made clear to the pupils and a good pace of learning is achieved. Pupils of all abilities are challenged because the work provided is closely matched to pupils’ different learning needs. Teachers employ a good range of strategies for maintaining good behaviour and have good relationships with pupils. This leads to pupils supporting each other and developing good attitudes to English. Teachers make skilful use of questioning to find out how well pupils are learning. As a result, pupils in these lessons show interest and enthusiasm in their work, concentrate for long periods of time, behave well and take pride in the presentation of their writing. In Year 6, for example, the teacher drew on pupils’ responses to a theatre visit the week before. Their interest and enthusiasm was skilfully

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channelled as the teacher guided them to understand how to turn a story into a play. Teachers in Key Stage 2 have high expectations, make timely interventions to consolidate and extend pupils’ learning and time is used well by sustaining a very brisk pace throughout. This ensures that pupils strive to improve their standards of work and respond to challenges in a mature and determined manner.

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67 The school has established clear priorities for English with the specific aim of raising standards and in Key Stage 2 this has been very successful. For example, a computerised tracking system to chart the progress made by every pupil is being developed. Formal procedures, such as observing lessons and examining teachers’ plans, have now been implemented. These systems are effective in monitoring and evaluating the teaching of English, particularly in Key Stage 2 and the process is gradually being extended to Key Stage 1. Teachers’ evaluations and assessments of individual pupils are used well to guide short term curriculum planning.

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MATHEMATICS

68 Standards in mathematics by the end of Key Stage 2 are improving year by year, although they are still below national levels. The results of 2000 painted a similar picture. Results in both 1999 and 2000 show that standards are higher than in similar schools. The improvements in standards arise from good teaching, a high level of challenge in the work provided, the successful introduction of the National Numeracy Strategy and the work of the learning support assistants in helping less able pupil to improve their mathematical understanding. Pupils with special educational needs are almost always given work at the right level and receive good support, enabling them to make good progress.

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69 The determination to raise standards is evident in the way pupils’ national test results are analysed. Common weaknesses are identified and measures are taken to prevent the weaknesses occurring again. In this respect, key stage co-ordinators for mathematics provide strong leadership. They have also begun to monitor some aspects of teaching during the numeracy hour. Most recently, they have observed the way teachers try to improve pupils’ mental mathematics at the beginning of the lesson. Pupils’ quick recall of mathematical facts is already improving. Co-ordinators have clear plans for the subject’s continued development, although they have missed some weaknesses in Key Stage 1.

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70 Standards in mathematics have not improved enough by the end of Key Stage 1 and they are well below national standards expected. The low standards result from the lack of challenge for pupils in Year 2, the poor match of work and a lack of structure in the teaching. These factors have caused pupils to underachieve. The most recent results of national tests at the end of Key Stage 1 continue to be well below the national average but are closer to those in similar schools than they have been in previous years. Athersley South Primary School - 32 71 Pupils enter school knowing little about numbers or about the language of mathematics, such as “greater” or “smaller”. They achieve well in the nursery and in reception where they receive a good range of mathematical experiences, which lay a good foundation for later learning. Pupils make steady progress in Year 1. They begin to count, sequence, add, subtract, read and write numbers to ten and start

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to identify different shapes, and number patterns. Year 2 pupils recognise odd and even numbers, start to understand place value of digits, and begin to use standard units of length, such as, centimetres. However, the work is often little more than a repeat of Year 1 work, for example, numbers to ten. Much of the work is too easy for many pupils, and most work is completed on photocopied sheets. Too little emphasis is given to using mathematics in real-life situations, although this is a weakness, which is not confined to Year 2. These drawbacks prevent pupils from making the progress of which they are capable. This results in low standards at the end of Key Stage 1 and levels of interest and involvement, which are at best satisfactory.

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72 In Key Stage 2, pupils achieve well in most classes, and especially in Years 5 and 6. This is because pupils last year were grouped by ability in smaller groups, with the involvement of an additional teacher. This strategy enables pupils to handle more challenging work and reach higher levels of understanding. The success of the system has now been extended to Years 3 and 4 and the early signs are promising. At this early stage of the school year, some Year 3 pupils are unable to concentrate for very long, and this hinders their mathematical development. However, teachers are persevering and determined to create a busy working atmosphere. Pupils are gaining the confidence to use numbers to 100 and organise information into charts and block graphs. Year 4 pupils are keen to succeed. Their enthusiasm is fostered through the provision of a good range of activities, including the opportunities to

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solve mathematical problems. For example, they discover which coins they might use to pay for supermarket goods. In Years 5 and 6, most pupils work with good application, reflecting their teachers’ drive and enthusiasm and achieve well. However, there is scope for even better progress because pupils are not yet involved in setting their own targets for improvement.

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73 The teaching of mathematics is unsatisfactory at Key Stage 1 but good at Key Stage 2. Teaching is satisfactory in Years 1 and 3, and mostly good in Years 4, 5 and 6 but unsatisfactory in Year 2. The good teaching is characterised by good working relationships between teachers and their pupils. In these classes, teachers expect pupils to try hard and show pride in achievement, which they do. Teachers ask searching questions to prompt pupils to think and this helps them to develop mathematical understanding. The regular assessment of what pupils know and understand enables teachers to plan the next learning steps very accurately. However, the teaching in Year 2 is unsatisfactory because work is too easy for most pupils. This does little to generate their interest and involvement and results in slow progress. There is little regular assessment of pupils’ work to help build effectively on previous learning.

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This means that many pupils in Year 2, and some in Year 1, are capable of achieving more. Most teachers strengthen pupils’ understanding by linking mathematics with other subjects, such as art and design, and history. However, information and communication technology is insufficiently used in mathematics because of a lack of software.

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SCIENCE

74 Standards in science are satisfactory by the time pupils reach the age of 11. However, standards are too low in Key Stage 1 and are well below those reached by pupils in similar schools. Pupils do not achieve as well as they should because the teaching in Year 2 is unsatisfactory and pupils are not challenged. However, teaching is good in Key Stage 2 and pupils begin to reach higher standards in every class. Although pupils are reaching standards below the national average by the age of 11, their knowledge and understanding of science are at least equal to their peers in similar schools. Standards have improved every year at Key Stage 2. Removed a sentence. There has been little improvement at Key Stage 1. Athersley South Primary School - 33 75 Pupils’ skills of experimenting and investigating develop very well in Key Stage 2 and acceptably in Key Stage 1. Practical science has a high profile throughout the school, pupils enjoy the

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practical work and develop good attitudes towards learning science. By the age of 11 pupils are as competent as any in devising fair tests and obtaining results. This is because the co-ordinator has put time and effort into helping all teachers to understand the importance of encouraging pupils to predict, observe and record their findings. However, pupils’ understanding of plants, animals, materials and physical sciences is very weak by the age of seven. Their progress is seriously hindered in Year 2 where pupils’ finished work is often left unmarked and the level of work provided is no higher than that given to pupils in Year 1. This largely explains the low attainment by the age of seven.

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SCIENCE

76 There have been improvements since the last inspection but it is at Key Stage 2 where the benefits are most evident. A scheme of work has now been provided and science is taught in two year cycles to enable pupils, including those in mixed age classes, to cover all areas of the curriculum. The assessment of pupils’ work has also improved at Key Stage 2. Pupils are tested at the end of each unit of work and at the end of each year. The results are carefully analysed and any recurring weaknesses are dealt with. This has resulted in increasingly improving results. The picture in Key Stage 1 is different. Here assessment is weak, not least because much of the work is recorded on worksheets and these are not dated and ordered. This makes it difficult for either teachers or pupils to see whether or not their work is improving. Whilst the subject is well co-ordinated in Key Stage 2 and the drive to raise standards

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is evident, weaknesses in Key Stage 1 have not been diagnosed and standards remain low.

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77 Teaching is unsatisfactory at Key Stage 1 because too little is expected of the pupils in Year 2. The work given to the pupils is too easy and their progress is not carefully monitored. However, teaching is satisfactory in Year 1. Year 1 teachers prepare their lessons carefully and make an effort to provide interesting tasks, such as describing different objects according to their touch, taste or smell. This is valuable experience because pupils’ language skills are weak throughout the school and any opportunity to talk or write about their findings helps to strengthen these weaknesses. However teachers in Year 1 and Year 2, do not think hard enough about what pupils are expected to learn and lesson objectives are sometimes vague. As a result, more able pupils are not stretched enough. Pupils with special educational needs, however, make good progress in every class. Learning support assistants are present in many of

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the lessons. They help pupils to concentrate by sitting near them when the teacher speaks to the whole class. Once the groupwork begins, they are on hand to help pupils to explain their ideas and support their written work.

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78 Teaching in Key Stage 2 is consistently good. When pupils enter the junior classes, the level of challenge increases significantly. Pupils find it hard to adjust to the pace of work in the first few weeks but make huge leaps in learning as the year progresses. The presentation of work changes. They begin to write much more and show pride in both handwriting and diagrammatic work. Lessons have a very clear purpose and teachers write exactly what pupils are expected to learn on the blackboard. Demonstrations are very effective, particularly in the Year 5/6 class where teaching is very good. When helping pupils to understand the relationship between solids liquids and gases, the teacher poured water into a jar of wooden balls. Pupils were asked to predict what would happen and then observe carefully. Pupils used words, such as molecules, comfortably and the quality of discussion was excellent. One very

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good feature is the use of planning boards to help pupils to think scientifically. In most Key Stage 2 lessons, pupils are taught to define exactly what the problem is, then predict a result, ensure the test they devise if fair and finally observe and record the results. Pupils frequently measure changes in different units and this strengthens their understanding of mathematics but information and communication technology is seldom used and this is a weakness.

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ART AND DESIGN

Athersley South Primary School - 34 79 Since the last inspection the good standards in art and design have been maintained and pupils achieve well throughout the school. Pupils with special educational needs play a full and active part in lessons, receive individual help to understand instructions and consequently make good progress.

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ART AND DESIGN

80 In Key Stage 1 pupils use a range of media to represent their ideas and observations and pay good attention to detail in shape and colour, as seen in pupils’ self-portraits. They very successfully experiment with colour and paints and use brushes to see the different effects that may be produced. They gain inspiration from examples of famous artists and are able to communicate creative ideas. By the age of seven, pupils draw and paint well from direct observation and readily discuss how to improve their work.

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ART AND DESIGN

81 In Key Stage 2 pupils confidently use a wide range of materials, including charcoal, pastel, textured paper, fabric and paint. In Year 4, for example, pupils showed good technical skill in producing intricate three-dimensional work of Egyptian mummies in coffins. Most pupils talk knowledgeably about the style, form and major work of artists such as Van Gogh and Georges Seurat. The printing work in Years 3 and 4 is of a high standard and the work on Islamic tile patterns makes good links with their topic in religious education. All pupils, including those with special educational needs, acquire a range of highly developed skills in observing, drawing, painting, printing and modelling. For example pupils in Year 6 made colourful and realistic Aztec masks. Pupils assess and evaluate their work and the work of others with a mature level of constructive criticism.

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ART AND DESIGN

82 The quality of teaching is good. Lessons are well planned and explanations and demonstrations are used effectively to develop understanding. This leads to pupils showing considerable enthusiasm and enjoyment, having been encouraged to be confident, independent and evaluative learners. Their behaviour and maturity when handling equipment is very good. Teaching is very good in the mixed Year 3/4 class. The teacher has very good subject knowledge and expects pupils to achieve a high standard of work. To this end she reviews pupils’ progress thoroughly and urges them to persevere. As a result, pupils are conscientious, remain on task for long periods of time and take great pride in their achievements.

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ART AND DESIGN

83 The high standards achieved reflect enthusiastic leadership shown by the co-ordinator. She has effective procedures for monitoring standards of work and for assessing pupils’ progress such as the compilation of portfolios of work. The work of the artist in residence, for example the work on the Olympic banners, further enhances the work in the school and helps to sustain the pupils’ motivation and interest.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

84 Pupils’ work in design and technology has improved since the last inspection and standards are now more typical of pupils of primary school age. Teaching is satisfactory, pupils show enthusiasm for the subject and concentrate well on their tasks. The co-ordinator supports teachers well by providing very clear guidelines on how to teach the subject and has a clear understanding of the standards throughout the school. However, Year 5 and 6 teachers justifiably spend more time on improving standards in the basic subjects but this leaves little time for design and technology. As a result, the good standards reached in Years 3 and 4 are not extended further. In many lessons, pupils with special educational needs receive extra help form learning support assistants. They are helped to follow instructions correctly. In all classes, pupils with special educational needs have good opportunities to

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discuss their ideas, improve their use of technical language and make good progress.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

85 In Key Stage 1, the skills pupils need to make models are taught well. For example the Year 1 teacher demonstrates how to cut card accurately and safely and then makes deliberate mistakes to test Athersley South Primary School - 35 pupils’ understanding. This approach works well and pupils learn to use tools correctly and cut and join materials together safely. Pupils also learn how to finish off their models and the wheeled vehicles made in Year 2 reflect pupils’ pride in their work. Although teachers draw out pupils’ ideas through discussion, pupils in Year 2 are vague about planning ahead and have not yet recognised the importance of designing before making. Pupils are not expected to record their ideas in a book. This makes the task of assessing their progress more difficult.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

86 Pupils achieve very well in Years 3 and 4 where the influence of the co-ordinator is most strongly felt. In these classes, pupils reach good standards in both designing and making and it is the only part of school where information and communication technology is used to aid design. For example, pupils explore graphics programs to design attractive packaging and plan different layouts for a room. Skills are taught very well and pupils learn how to incorporate movement into their models by experimenting with levers and rotating mechanisms. Design and technology projects are continued into Years 5 and 6 but with much less frequency. Pupils have little opportunity to extend their skills through evaluating their work and modifying their ideas as they go along. As a result, pupils do not reach the stage of drawing step by step designs or using computer control programs or electric motors to power

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GEOGRAPHY

87 Pupils achieve well in Years 3 and 4, but in other areas of the school progress is unsatisfactory. This is because geography is not well represented in the school’s curriculum and is less secure than at the time of the last inspection. There are weaknesses in the monitoring and evaluation of the subject therefore deficiencies are not dealt with. Completed work is superficial and unrelated, and does not provide evidence that knowledge, skills and understanding develop systematically. For example, the teaching of mapping skills does not build carefully on previous learning, and pupils have too little access to maps of various scales to help them to develop their understanding. Visits to places like the River Dearn and Langsett, occasionally take place and help to bring the subject to life but such visits are rare. Pupils do not have a sufficiently wide geographical vocabulary by Year 6. There is little assessment of pupils’

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geographical understanding as they move through the school. There are not enough resources, such as, local maps, and this hinders the development of local geography. As a result of these weaknesses, standards are too low by the end of Key Stage 2.

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88 Key Stage 1 pupils recognise and comment on human and physical features of places both near and further afield. For example, they identify buildings they pass on their way to school. Pupils begin to pick out similarities and differences between two locations when they compare transport in Barnsley with that of the island of Coll. However, many pupils have weak language skills and a limited vocabulary. This restricts their capacity to talk and write about their experiences.

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GEOGRAPHY

89 Geography is well represented in Years 3 and 4. Through a study of the Indian village pupils are able to contrast village life with their own lifestyle. By comparing homes and schools in both communities, pupils acquire knowledge and begin to use geographical terms correctly. Their cultural understanding is increased when they learn about the Indian way of life, particularly through activities such as eating an Indian meal. Through good links with history, pupils learn that nearness to water, food and building materials, influences the location of settlements. Upper Key Stage 2 pupils compile a database of the world’s highest mountains and learn how water reaches our taps, although these activities are not carried out in sufficient depth to enable pupils to significantly move forward in their geographical understanding. Similarly, there are too few opportunities for pupils to develop information and

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communication technology skills in geography.

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GEOGRAPHY

90 From the two lessons seen, it is not possible to make a clear judgement about the quality of Athersley South Primary School - 36 teaching and learning. In the Key Stage 1 lesson seen, the teacher had a clear aim and carefully explained what the pupils were expected to do. However, the tasks given to pupils were too demanding for some pupils and did not take sufficient account of their limited background knowledge. This impeded some pupils’ learning. In the Key Stage 2 lesson seen, the teaching was good. The teacher insisted that the pupils studied the photograph of a road and a river very closely. The pupils had to think hard to give reasons why villagers might choose to settle there. No time was wasted and the teacher’s good subject knowledge and use of questioning helped pupils to achieve well. In this class the teacher is establishing good attitudes to learning. Athersley South Primary School - 37

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HISTORY

91 No lessons were seen at Key Stage 1, during the inspection. However, examination of pupils’ work, displays and discussions with teachers and pupils indicates that standards are broadly typical of pupils of primary school age. This is an improvement in Key Stage 1, since the last inspection. Pupils with special educational needs usually receive extra help from learning support assistants and make steady progress.

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HISTORY

92 In Year 1, pupils know Florence Nightingale lived a long time ago. They identify some of the differences between hospitals then and hospitals today. In Year 2, pupils pretend to be Victorian children. This enables them to make satisfactory progress in understanding the different ways that people lived in the past. For example, one pupil said that if you were naughty in class you were caned in Victorian times. More able pupils know that the Victorian times were 150 years ago. Pupils kept a diary of the main events of the Fire of London. They used historical terms, such as Victorian times, to talk about events in the past.

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HISTORY

93 In Years 3 and 4, pupils study civilisations such as Egyptians, Romans and Celts in some depth. In Year 4, pupils know that historical facts are gathered from the evidence of archaeologists. Teachers encourage pupils to write descriptions, reports and accounts. For example, they write diary accounts imagining an air raid in their own school during the Second World War, and write letters home as though they are away during the war. Such opportunities strengthen pupils’ understanding of history and improve their use of language. In Years 5 and 6, pupils use a wide range of strategies to collect historical evidence. For example, they use the Internet to update information about the Olympic Games, and link this topical information very well to their current topic about Ancient Greece. Pupils have re-enacted their own Ancient Games ceremony, and a paraplegic Olympic contestant came to talk to them. In Year

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HISTORY

6, pupils understand how to read timelines of events in history, including interpreting the use of AD and BC correctly. These pupils also have a good understanding of Victorian society, having spent a day as Victorian servants.

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HISTORY

94 Teaching is good and occasionally very good. Teachers know how to teach history. They use questioning well to recap on pupils’ previous learning. They use resources, such as posters, photographs and artefacts, thoughtfully to explain new ideas and capture pupils’ interests. Lessons are well organised and well managed. This helps pupils to behave well, concentrate and develop good attitudes to learning. At the end of the lesson, teachers ask questions to help them to assess how well pupils have understood the new learning. History is enhanced by visits to local places of historical interest, and visitors who come to talk to the pupils about life in the past. This enriches pupils’ learning, and celebrates their historical heritage. There are attractive, interactive displays, throughout the school that not only celebrate pupils’ achievements, but also promotes learning well.

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HISTORY

95 Subject co-ordinators have provided guidance to help teachers to understand what to teach. However, the absence of assessment procedures, noted at the time of the last inspection, still prevails. Co-ordinators do not monitor teachers’ planning or check the effectiveness of pupils’ learning as they move through school. These weaknesses limit pupils’ capacity to build on earlier learning and gain the full range of historical skills.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

96 At the time of the last inspection standards in information and communication technology were unsatisfactory and progress was poor. The school was set the targets of improving both the curriculum and standards. Since then standards have risen dramatically and by the end of Key Stages 1 and 2 pupils’ attainment in information and communication technology is above the levels expected of pupils aged seven Athersley South Primary School - 38 and 11. The very good progress over the past two years is due to the support teaching given by the subject co-ordinator and the careful monitoring of lessons. The provision of an excellent computer suite and the increase in teachers’ confidence and subject knowledge has made an important contribution to the high standards.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

97 In Key Stage 1 pupils are able to log on to the school’s network, have good keyboard skills and are confident in using the computer for word processing. Pupils learn the basic skills of how to move the mouse and choose options on the screen. By the end of Key Stage 1 pupils are able to communicate their ideas using text and graphics and able to enter, store, retrieve and print their work. For example, pupils can trace routes on a map which they build on screen and draw pictures using a particular program. They represent their finding of a traffic survey in a bar graph and construct a pictogram of the weather.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

98 In Key Stage 2 pupils make very good progress as they consolidate the achievements of the past two years. In Years 5 and 6 there is a significant number of pupils attaining above the national expectation. Pupils extend their skills in word processing and are able to store, retrieve and amend data, enter sequences of instructions and use a multi-media package to produce a presentation about the topic of Ancient Greece. In this presentation they combine text, graphics and animation with good skill and considerable imagination. There is good evidence of pupils using the internet in Years 3 and 4 when pupils investigate the facts about the wives of Henry VIII for their history topic. The same pupils explore a CD-ROM about India to gather information for their topic work in geography. Pupils in Years 3 and 4 are also able to investigate the data that has been entered about the physical characteristics of pupils in

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

the school. They interrogate this data in a variety of ways and become fully aware of the power of the computer’s memory.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

99 Information and communication technology is taught as a discrete subject but opportunities are missed to develop pupils’ skills through other subjects due to the absence of appropriate software. The standard of teaching is good. The team teaching between class teachers and the co-ordinator leads to high expectations of the pupils, good levels of individual support and sustained periods of pupils’ concentration. The pupils’ attitudes to their work are good and they are able to work with commitment and enthusiasm. They are keen and thoroughly enjoy using the range of information technologies. They listen to instructions carefully, treat equipment with absolute respect and are eager to develop their skills. All lessons have very thorough introductions with clear explanations of what pupils need to do. Teachers have established effective routines of working and this means that time is used well and pupils are very

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

self-disciplined when working with minimal supervision. A particular strength is the extra support that pupils with special educational needs receive from the support assistants which leads to them gaining in confidence and making few mistakes in the application of skills.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

100 The information and communication technology curriculum is well managed and now meets National Curriculum requirements. Pupils are given a wide range of experiences and all elements of the subject are taught. The subject co-ordinator provides very good leadership and through his commitment and enthusiasm has transformed the quality of work. There is now a detailed scheme of work that ensures pupils are provided with activities in an appropriate sequence that builds upon their previous learning.

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MUSIC

101 Standards in music are typical of pupils of primary school age. Teaching is good in Years 5 and 6 and satisfactory in other classes. There have been some improvements since the last inspection. Most notably, standards are higher in Key Stage 2 because all teachers now ensure that pupils pay attention in lessons so that they are able to learn. Pupils now behave well in lessons and have positive attitudes to the subject. Pupils with special educational needs are often helped in lessons by learning support assistants. Athersley South Primary School - 39 This enables them to make steady progress.

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MUSIC

102 In Key Stage 1, pupils enjoy singing and they make steady progress in learning to play instruments. However, there are gaps in their learning. Teachers follow national guidelines to decide what to teach but they are uncertain of exactly how to teach the subject. The music co-ordinator has missed this lack of subject knowledge and opted not to introduce a scheme of work that offers lesson notes and taped music. Teachers therefore have too little support for planning their lessons. As a result, teachers miss opportunities to improve their pupils’ knowledge and skills. For example, pupils are not taught to use musical terms, such as beat and rhythm, correctly.

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MUSIC

103 In Key Stage 2, pupils’ achievements are comparatively better because teachers exchange classes. Music lessons are taken by teachers who are more confident with the subject. This ensures that junior age pupils are usually taught well. This is evident in the way they sing, keeping a straight back and breathing correctly at the end of a phrase. However, pupils do not pronounce the words clearly enough when they sing and this is not pointed out. Pupils achieve well in their understanding of the language of music, particularly in Year 5 and 6. A teacher with a musical background takes the upper junior classes. She guides pupils well in understanding important elements such as tempo and pitch and shows them how to write down different arrangements. This helps pupils to compose their own pieces and record them using simple notation. The school choir improves pupils’ singing and by the age of 11 pupils can hold their

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MUSIC

part well when singing two part songs. There are however, three significant weaknesses. Pupils have a very limited understanding of music from other cultures, the potential of information and communication technology is not exploited and there is no form of assessment to ensure that teachers know how well pupils are progressing.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

104 Standards are broadly typical of pupils of primary school age but pupils in Key Stage 2 achieve well in dance. Pupils make satisfactory progress in the other aspects of physical education such as games and gymnastics. Both dance and swimming are taught more thoroughly than at the time of the last inspection. The improvements are attributable to the good leadership of the subject co-ordinator and the support she receives from her Key Stage 1 colleague. Improvements to provision have included better community links from which pupils benefit, such as, with the Professional Football Association to help improve football skills.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

105 Year 1 pupils demonstrate simple gymnastic skills that show their developing control and co- ordination as they stretch, balance and travel. By Year 2, pupils follow instructions correctly and use space thoughtfully as they travel in different ways around the hall floor. Many pupils are beginning to link two simple actions together. In games, Year 2 pupils show confidence and increasing control in using their hands and feet to control a ball.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

106 In Key Stage 2, pupils build up the skills needed to play competitive games well. They begin to understand and apply rules correctly. In Year 4, for example, pupils learn how to hold a hockey stick correctly and to turn and dribble. In Year 5, pupils practice the skills of mini rugby and begin to learn tactics. Pupils are aware of the effects of exercise on their heart and what happens to their bodies during exercise. Pupils’ dance skills are good. In Year 3, for example, pupils devise, perform and link a range of movement patterns based on machines. By Year 5, they interpret and perform a set dance to Tudor music. Pupils are aware of the need for a good posture and changes of speed of movement. Their work improves significantly as they plan, practice and evaluate their routines.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

107 Teaching is satisfactory at Key Stage 1, mainly good and occasionally very good at Key Stage 2. The good teaching is characterised by warm-up and cool-down activities, clear instructions being given Athersley South Primary School - 40 and a brisk pace to the lesson. Key Stage 2 teachers have a secure knowledge of the subject, set a good level of challenge and make good use of praise and evaluation to help pupils to improve their performance. Lessons are occasionally hampered when teachers do not have instant control. Although rare, on these occasions pupils make less progress because time is lost gaining their attention. Most pupils behave well in lessons and have a good attitude to learning. They now dress correctly for lessons, which is an improvement since the last inspection. Pupils with special educational needs make steady progress. They are helped to follow instructions and encouraged to express their ideas. Despite recent

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

improvements, there are still areas of weakness. For example, there is no consistent approach to assessing pupils’ progress, and there is an absence of monitoring of teaching and learning to help to identify specific weaknesses as pupils move through the school.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

108 The last inspection reported that standards in religious education were satisfactory and in line with the expectations of the locally Agreed Syllabus. However, since then, a revised Agreed Syllabus has been published. This identifies that Christianity should be taught throughout the school, with one major faith being taught in depth at Key Stage 1 and two at Key Stage 2. The school has begun to plan using the Agreed Syllabus but insufficient time has elapsed for draft planning to be agreed. As a result, there is insufficient evidence to make a judgement on standards by the end of both key stages in relation to the expectations of the revised Agreed Syllabus.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

109 In Year 1, pupils make satisfactory progress. They recognise that the Bible is a special book. They are aware of some of the stories that Jesus told, and know that He died on a cross. Pupils are beginning to be aware that some of the stories told about Jesus are miracles. For example, in a lesson in Year 1, pupils suggested that “He couldn’t possibly feed all those people” when sharing the story of Jesus ‘feeding the five thousand’. In Year 2 pupils’ progress is unsatisfactory. They only have a limited recall of the Creation story. Their response to the idea that people are special simply involved drawing pictures of their friends. Pupils know Jesus was born at Christmas, and that He helped people. They know people pray to God when they go to church, but many pupils have not visited a church. Pupils in Year 2 last year learnt about Judaism, but there is little recorded work, and they recall very little about this work

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

in discussions. In Years 3 and 4, pupils make satisfactory progress in learning about Christianity, and writing about their own feelings, such as when they felt angry or excited. They build on their previous learning about Christmas, and learn the symbolism of the Advent wreath. However, progress is unsatisfactory in knowledge and understanding about Hinduism. Work is fragmentary, and the work pupils have done about Sikhism and Buddhism results in their knowledge and understanding of these faiths being confused. In a lesson about Hindu worship, many pupils knew the importance of the Hindu symbol of “Aum”, but did not understand the Hindu belief in one God having many ways of being represented. In Years 5 and 6, pupils make satisfactory progress expressing their own ideas about the parable of the Good Samaritan. A few pupils recognise that this story has a moral meaning, but few are familiar with

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

the term ‘parable’. In Year 6, pupils make satisfactory progress in Christianity. They suggest how they could present the story to younger children, by making posters. In discussion with Year 6 pupils, they have very fragmentary knowledge and understanding of Sikhism, and confuse this faith with Hinduism. Pupils’ previous work included recounting the work of famous Christians such as Dr. Barnardo, and they make satisfactory progress in their knowledge about the Christian year by looking in more depth at the events leading to Easter.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

110 In the lessons seen, teaching was satisfactory. There was some good teaching seen at both key stages, in Year 1 and Year 6, where teacher’s planning was thorough with clear learning objectives. This demonstrated their secure subject knowledge. In these lessons, pupils are managed well, and resources are used effectively to capture pupils’ interest. For example, in Year 1, the teacher brought in a packed lunch box with five teacakes and two apples and suggested she would use this to feed the class. The Athersley South Primary School - 41 parallel with the story of ‘the feeding of the five thousand’ was clearly made and pupils extended their mathematical reasoning in an effort to solve the problem. However, activities are not always matched well to pupils’ abilities. This provides insufficient challenge, particularly for more able pupils. Where teachers are less secure in their subject knowledge, planning is too brief. The knowledge, skills and

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

understanding to be taught are not clearly identified. In the Year 1 and 2 class, and in Year 3, teachers needed to spend too much time managing the behaviour of pupils. These repeated interruptions resulted in pupils making unsatisfactory progress, however most pupils behave well in lessons and have positive attitudes to the subject. There was no additional support for pupils with special educational needs in the lessons seen but learning support assistants do provide extra help and enable these pupils to make steady progress. Teachers also use appropriate questioning skills to involve these pupils.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

111 Religious education meets statutory requirements to teach the locally Agreed Syllabus, and is taught in all classes throughout the school, including the reception class. The co-ordinator is absent due to sickness, and a temporary co-ordinator is voluntarily in place. She is knowledgeable about the requirements of the Agreed Syllabus. However, planning to implement the Agreed Syllabus is still in the early stages and does not match the school’s two year cycle of delivery of the curriculum. This results in subject co-ordinators being unable to guarantee that all pupils make progressive gains in knowledge and understanding. Religious education has no place in the school development plan, and long term planning allocates insufficient time to teaching faiths other than Christianity. In some classes lessons are too short, and pupils return to the subject later in the week. This is unsatisfactory, and slows the progress pupils

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

make. There are no assessment procedures in place. At present, monitoring of teachers’ planning, and pupils’ work, does not guarantee that pupils are given challenging tasks in lessons or that there is a balance between the faiths being taught. Artefacts have been purchased, and this is an improvement since the last inspection. However, the work of pupils is very seldom displayed. Religious education makes a satisfactory contribution to pupils’ spiritual, moral and social development. The contribution to pupils’ multicultural awareness and understanding is less well developed.

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