Bradley Primary School

Bradley Primary School

Dates of inspection: 4 – 7 December 2000

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Bradley Primary School

Inspection number: 224380 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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Bradley 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. BRADLEY PRIMARY SCHOOL 4

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Dover Street Nelson Lancs

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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: Ms Susan Nike

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 7 October 1996 BRADLEY PRIMARY SCHOOL 5

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Aspect responsibilities

Mrs D Bell 16413 Registered Inspector Art and design What sort of school is it? How high are standards? The school’s results and pupils’ achievements How well are pupils taught? How well is the school led and managed? Mrs S Scull 19363 Lay Inspector How well does the school care for its pupils? How well does the school work in partnership with parents? Mrs K McArthur Team member Areas of learning for children in the Foundation Stage English Music Equality of opportunity Mr D Wilkinson Team member Mathematics How high are standards? Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development Information and communications technology Design and technology Mr S Lord 29686 Team member History How good are the curricular and other opportunities offered to pupils? Physical education English as an additional language Mr S Gill 25212 Team member Science Geography Religious education Mr M Beale 11472 Special educational BRADLEY PRIMARY SCHOOL 6

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Aspect responsibilities

Focus Inspection Services The Court 8 Bar Meadow Dobcross Saddleworth Oldham OL3 5QW

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Aspect responsibilities

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

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Aspect responsibilities

The Registrar Inspection Quality Division

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Aspect responsibilities

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE BRADLEY PRIMARY SCHOOL 7

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 7

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

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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS? 11

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Bradley Primary School is bigger than other schools and serves one of the most socially disadvantaged areas in Lancashire. It has 373 pupils on its roll, 196 boys and 177 girls. A very high proportion of pupils (77.4%) come from ethnic minority families. In the majority of homes, English is not the first language spoken and a high proportion of the pupils (14.7%) are at the early stage of English language acquisition. In the reception classes, this rises to 71%. The majority of children come to school in the August of the school year in which they are four, having had little or no pre-school experience and with very low levels of attainment. There are 14 classes in the school, each catering for a single age group. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals (39.4%), is well above the national average. The school has a significant proportion of traveller children (6.2%) and there is considerable movement of pupils in and out of the school in all year groups. The percentage

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

of pupils on the register for special educational needs (27%) is above average, as is the percentage of pupils with statements of special educational need. During the inspection, two supply teachers were sharing the teaching of pupils in one of the Year 6 classes because the regular teacher was absent. The school has set the raising of standards as an ongoing priority in the school improvement plan, which also focuses on ensuring continuity and consistency in the curriculum; improving the provision for information and communication technology and for special educational needs; and successfully introducing performance management procedures.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

This is a good school. From a very low starting point on entry to their reception year, the vast majority of pupils achieve well because staff care for them very well and work very hard to make sure they reach the highest standards of which they are capable. Standards in English, mathematics and science are well below the national average but have risen steadily, and at the same rate as standards nationally, since the last inspection. Pupils enjoy coming to school. They behave very well and quickly learn to respect their teachers and each other. The school makes good provision for all its pupils and supports their learning well. The quality of teaching is good and the curriculum is well planned to meet the learning needs of the pupils in this school. Teachers work very hard to minimise the disruptive effect of erratic attendance on the learning and attainment of traveller children, and the effect of absence due to long holidays abroad on the learning and attainment of pupils for whom English

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

is an additional language. The school is very well led and managed and it provides good value for money.

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What the school does well

• Teaching and learning are good and are successfully raising standards in English, mathematics and science. • All staff work very hard to help pupils become increasingly fluent in the English language. • Leadership and management are very good and the school cares for its pupils very well. • Pupils’ behaviour is very good because it is consistently very well managed in almost all classes. • There is good provision for pupils with special educational needs and English as an additional language. • The information gained from tests and assessments is used very effectively to plan pupils’ learning.

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What could be improved

• Standards in English, mathematics and information and communications technology because they are below the national expectation for pupils aged 11. • The unsatisfactory use of information and communications technology in all subjects. • The unsatisfactory attendance of a minority of pupils. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school was last inspected in October 1996. Since then, improvement has been good. A significantly higher proportion of teaching is good or better. The rigorous systems in place for analysing test and assessment results and for school self-evaluation have resulted in considerable improvements in the leadership and management of the school. This has had a positive impact on the standards pupils reach and on how well they learn because the roles and responsibilities of the senior managers and of the curriculum co-ordinators are very clearly defined and understood, and the drive to raise standards has resulted in accurate teacher assessments and steady improvements in the school’s performance in the national tests for English, mathematics and science. Children under five now have a separate, well marked out play area. The infant library has been upgraded and the improved use of space in the infant department means that resources are stored more effectively and are more

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

easily accessible to the staff and pupils. The school improvement plan is now a useful tool for development. BRADLEY PRIMARY SCHOOL 9 Governors fulfil their roles and responsibilities well and have a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses in the school. Their involvement in the school and in school development planning is good.

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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

1998 1999 2000 2000 English E E* E D well above average above average A B Mathematics E E E C Average below average C D Science E E E C well below average very low E E* The standards seen in the work of the pupils currently in Year 6 and Year 2 are below the nationally expected levels for their ages in English and mathematics. In science, pupils in Year 6 are working at the expected levels for their age but pupils in Year 2 are working below the nationally expected levels for their age. Pupils in all age groups achieve well in English, mathematics and science. The current pupils’ attainment is better than that seen in National Curriculum tests in 2000 and reflects the commitment and hard work of the teachers in their constant battle to raise standards and make sure that pupils achieve as well as they can during their time in the school. The school sets challenging but realistic targets to raise attainment year on year and works hard to achieve them.

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Key

Individual target setting has been successfully introduced in English and mathematics to track pupils’ progress more effectively as they move through the school, and to support them by identifying clear and measurable small steps in learning so that they, too, can see how well they are doing. This is already having a positive impact on pupils’ learning and attainment in English and mathematics. Standards have risen in line with the national trend over the last three years. However, they are not yet as high as they could be because several factors adversely affect the standards pupils reach in all subjects, namely: • the very low language level of many of the pupils when they start school, which continues to hinder their development as they move through the school; • the significant minority of pupils, taken by their parents on long holidays abroad, who lose continuity in learning English and in their education overall;

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Key

• the erratic attendance of the traveller children and the considerable movement of pupils in and out of the school, particularly between the ages of 7 and 11 In art, standards are good and pupils achieve well. Pupils reach satisfactory standards in design and technology, geography, physical education and religious education by the time they leave the school. In history, information and communications technology (ICT) and music, standards are lower than expected for pupils’ ages. They achieve well in history and satisfactorily in music. In all age groups, pupils’ achievement in ICT is unsatisfactory. This is because the computer suite is very new and until it was set up there was little opportunity for the pupils to gain the necessary skills to achieve well enough in this subject. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress towards the clear and precise targets set for them in their individual education plans because they receive good support and work hard. Pupils for whom English is an

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Key

additional language also make good progress both in their acquisition and use of the English language. This helps them to reach higher standards and to achieve well. Traveller children make good progress during the time they are in the school. The support they receive from the Local Education Authority’s Traveller Service and the vigilance of the school in ensuring that, as far as possible, they attend both regularly and on time, contribute in great measure to their progress.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Good: pupils enjoy coming to school. Most pupils settle to work quickly and concentrate well on their tasks. Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Very good because all pupils know and the vast majority value what the school does to ensure good behaviour. There have been no exclusions for some time. Personal development and relationships Satisfactory: pupils willingly undertake a range of appropriate duties throughout the school but they are not given enough opportunities to work BRADLEY PRIMARY SCHOOL 10 independently or show initiative. Attendance Unsatisfactory: this is mostly caused by the erratic attendance of traveller children and those parents who take their children on extended holidays abroad during school time.

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

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

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

The quality of teaching is good. In 2% of lessons teaching is excellent; in 20% of lessons it is very good. In 46% of lessons, teaching is good and in 30% of lessons, it is satisfactory. Teaching is unsatisfactory in 2% of lessons. The teaching of English is very good in the 5 to 7 age range and good in the rest of the school. Good direct teaching of literacy skills throughout the school not only helps to develop the pupils’ communication and language skills but also ensures that they can appropriately access learning in other subjects. The teaching of mathematics is good in the 7 to 11 age range and satisfactory in the younger age range and teachers readily seize opportunities to reinforce and extend pupils’ numeracy skills in subjects such as science and history. In all subjects, teachers plan their lessons well to meet the needs of the different groups of pupils they teach. The individual education plans for pupils with special educational needs contain clear and precise targets and pupils’

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

progress towards them is very regularly checked. Because the majority of pupils come from homes where English is an additional language, and some come to the school with very little English, teachers are careful to use precise language in all lessons and to check that all pupils understand the vocabulary being used as they speak to each other and to the teacher, or as they explore new knowledge and understanding in other subjects. Most teachers also provide a suitably wide range of opportunities for pupils to use their speaking and listening skills, for example in a geography debate in Year 5. This effectively builds the pupils’ confidence to state their own opinions and to reason things out for themselves after giving due consideration to other people’s points of view. As a result of this good teaching, pupils’ language skills are greatly improved. The teachers use their good subject knowledge to build on pupils’ responses and extend and challenge their thinking. Very effective

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

questioning is adapted to suit the pupils’ different levels of attainment and pupils are successfully taught to persevere and to work hard. Despite the school’s best efforts, however, the pupils’ lack of language adversely affects their learning, for example, in mathematics. In almost all lessons, teachers manage pupils’ behaviour very well. In the two unsatisfactory lessons, the unsatisfactory behaviour of a small number of pupils was not handled well and pupils were not kept on task. This adversely affected the learning of the whole class. As they mark pupils’ work with them, teachers discuss how well the pupils are doing and show them how to improve their work. This same good practice is not extended to the written marking in pupils’ books, which is inconsistent throughout the school.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum Good: the curriculum is well planned to meet the needs of the pupils and all statutory requirements are met. Provision for pupils with special educational needs Good provision and management overall, although there are some concerns about the purpose of withdrawal groups for mathematics. Pupils’ individual education plans have realistic targets that are used to plan work and help pupils make good progress. Statutory requirements are met and pupils are well integrated into the work of the school. Provision for pupils with English as an additional language Good: these pupils are the majority of the school’s population. Good help from high quality support staff enables them to make good progress in the learning of English and thereby gain access to learning in other subjects. Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Good overall, with very good provision for moral development, resulting in the

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Aspect Comment

very good behaviour seen in most lessons. There are, however, few opportunities for pupils to exercise responsibility or show initiative, a weakness identified at the last inspection. How well the school cares for its pupils Very well: the caring atmosphere enables pupils to feel secure and there are very good procedures for monitoring attendance and behaviour. The school makes very good use of the information it gains from tests and assessments to BRADLEY PRIMARY SCHOOL 11 determine what pupils need to learn in order to raise their attainment.

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Aspect Comment

The school continues to work hard to involve parents and its partnership with them is satisfactory. They receive good information about what is happening in school, including what their children are to learn. However, the pupils’ annual reports do not give parents enough information on progress or on what pupils need to do to improve. Few parents help in the school or are involved in its work.

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff Very good: substantial improvements since the last inspection have led to a clear educational direction, shared by all staff, and a very high commitment to raising standards through improved teaching and learning. How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities They do this well. Governors are appropriately involved in the school. They have a good understanding of its strengths and weaknesses and how it can address them in order to raise standards further. The school’s evaluation of its performance Good: effective systems are in place and are being used well to determine how to improve. The strategic use of resources Good: all money made available to the school is carefully allocated to the school’s areas of priority and is well accounted for.

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Aspect Comment

The level of staffing, both teaching and non-teaching, is good. This enables pupils to benefit from smaller classes, and from some small group and occasionally individual teaching. The accommodation is satisfactory. The hall is adequate in size but the need to timetable it for continual use because of the number of classes in the school means that physical education lessons are somewhat short and on some occasions there is insufficient time for pupils to extend their skills fully. Resources are good. They are mostly well used and are easily accessible to staff and pupils. The school works hard to ensure it gains best value from all its spending.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• Children like school • Children make good progress • Behaviour is good • Teaching is good • The amount of homework is not right • Information about how their children are getting on • Range of activities outside of the school day • Dinner times • Bullying

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

Inspectors agree with the parents’ positive views. With regard to what parents would like to see improved, inspectors found that: • the amount and type of homework is adequate and that teachers adhere to the guidelines set in the school’s homework policy; • the school has an open door policy so that parents can come to discuss their children’s progress at any time; however, the pupils’ annual reports do not adequately report the progress pupils are making in each subject, or indicate what they need to do to improve; • the range of activities outside of the normal school day is limited by the pupils having to attend the Mosque school at that time; the school tries to compensate by having some of the activities at lunchtimes instead; • dinner times observed were friendly, social occasions and scrutiny of the work of the kitchen staff reveals they try hard to provide appropriate food menus to meet the cultural requirements of all pupils;

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• although no incidents of bullying or oppressive behaviour were observed, pupils are confident that should any occur, staff would deal with them swiftly and effectively. BRADLEY PRIMARY SCHOOL 12

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The school’s results and achievements

1. In the National Curriculum tests in 2000, the performance of pupils aged 11 was well below that of all schools in English, mathematics and science. In English it was below the average for schools with similar percentages of free school meals. In mathematics and science, it was in line with the average for schools with similar percentages of free school meals. Over the last five years, pupils’ performance in the tests, taken across all three subjects, has risen at a rate similar to the national trend. However, in mathematics and science, it has risen faster than the national trend and there has been a significant improvement in the percentage of pupils reaching the expected levels in these two subjects. Since 1996, boys have performed better than girls in the English and mathematics tests. However, in science, there has been very little difference between the attainment of boys and girls over time. When averaged out

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The school’s results and achievements

over the last three years, there are no significant differences in attainment in English, mathematics or science and none were noted during the inspection. The standards seen in the work of the pupils

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currently in Year 6 are below those expected nationally for their age in English and mathematics but

are as expected for their age in science.

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currently in Year 6 are below those expected nationally for their age in English and mathematics but

2. In the National Curriculum tests for pupils aged 7 in 2000, the school’s performance in reading and writing was well below that of all schools. In mathematics, it was very low, placing it in the bottom 5% of all schools. The test results were well below those of similar schools in reading and mathematics, and below those of similar schools in writing. Over the last five years, boys have performed better than girls in both reading and writing but the results for 2000 show that the gap is beginning to close. Between 1996 and 1999, there was a decline in the performance of seven-year-old pupils in reading and writing and although there is evidence of improvement in the school’s performance in 2000, it is still lower than it was in 1996, when the school was last inspected. This does, however, mask the fact that the percentage of pupils reaching the nationally expected levels has risen in that time, with a significant

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currently in Year 6 are below those expected nationally for their age in English and mathematics but

improvement in writing, mathematics and science between 1999 and 2000. The teacher assessments for science in 2000 show that the performance of pupils aged 7 was below that of all schools but above the performance of similar schools. The standards seen in the work of pupils currently in Year 2 are below those expected for their age in speaking and listening, reading, writing, mathematics and science.

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currently in Year 6 are below those expected nationally for their age in English and mathematics but

3. Children enter the reception class with levels of attainment that are very low when compared to those expected of four-year-olds nationally. The vast majority come from homes where English is an additional language and the greater proportion of these (seven out of ten children in the current reception classes) speak little or no English when they start school in the in the August of the school year in which they are four. Although some have attended the local nursery, the majority do not have any form of pre- school education. The results of a nationally approved test carried out just after the children start school show that communication, language and literacy skills and personal, social and emotional development are very weak. The children have little knowledge and understanding of the world around them. Many have not had access to an appropriate range of books, pencils and toys. In school they

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currently in Year 6 are below those expected nationally for their age in English and mathematics but

explore with a sense of awe and wonder, for example, toys that play simple melodies and are normally associated with a younger age group. Good teaching ensures that the children achieve well and make good progress in their reception year, particularly in language and social skills. Nevertheless, at the end

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knowledge and understanding of the world. It is below the expectations for five-year-olds in physical

4. The school rigorously analyses all test and assessment results and uses very effectively the outcomes of the analyses to plan what pupils need to learn in order to achieve well. It sets realistic but challenging targets to improve attainment in English and mathematics and it works hard to reach them. Despite the school’s best efforts, a number of factors adversely affect the standards reached by a significant minority of pupils who start school speaking very little English, and the standards attained by children from traveller families because: BRADLEY PRIMARY SCHOOL 13 • the very low language level of many of the pupils when they start school continues to hinder their development as they move through the school; • a significant minority of pupils lose continuity in learning English and in their education overall because they are taken by their parents on long holidays abroad,; • the erratic attendance of the traveller children and the considerable movement of pupils in and

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knowledge and understanding of the world. It is below the expectations for five-year-olds in physical

out of the school disrupts the continuity in learning required to reach higher standards.

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knowledge and understanding of the world. It is below the expectations for five-year-olds in physical

5. Nevertheless, teachers are not deflected from their goal of enabling pupils to achieve as well as they can while they are in the school. Individual target setting has been introduced to track pupils’ progress more effectively and to provide better support for them by identifying clear and measurable small steps in learning so that they, too, can see how well they are doing. This is already having a positive impact on learning in English and mathematics in Year 6 and there are clear plans to extend it to the rest of the school. At whole school level, challenging but realistic targets are set and the school works purposefully towards achieving them. These targets are set as a result of the rigorous analysis of all tests and assessments that take place in the school and of what is known of the prior attainment of the pupils who join the school in different year groups. In 2000, the school did not quite meet its target for

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knowledge and understanding of the world. It is below the expectations for five-year-olds in physical

English, but it exceeded its targets for both mathematics and science.

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knowledge and understanding of the world. It is below the expectations for five-year-olds in physical

6. From a very low starting point, pupils make giant strides in acquiring speaking and listening skills. Although these skills are still well below average at the age of 7 and below average at the age of 11, pupils have gained an appropriate range of vocabulary by the time they leave the school, to enable them confidently to join in whole class sessions, present work to an audience and give their own opinions on an appropriate range of issues. An effective debate, held in Year 5, demonstrated this well. Pupils could give the views of a range of different people for and against the pedestrianisation of Nelson town centre, responding well to the teacher’s effective and skilful questioning, but the majority gave only short answers and required considerable prompting from the teacher to extend their ideas further. Pupils also achieve well in reading. A significant minority progress from mechanical reading that often lacks

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knowledge and understanding of the world. It is below the expectations for five-year-olds in physical

fluency at the age of 7, to being able to name a wide range of authors and books by the age 11, with higher attaining pupils choosing books because they are more challenging. Pupils’ reading and research skills are hindered by their lack of access to books at home and few read independently for pleasure or apply their reading skills well in other subjects. Many lack the skills of deducing meaning from the text and reading remains a mechanical exercise for these pupils. A reading analysis undertaken by the school highlights the need to build up the pupils’ vocabulary and explore the meanings of works and teachers are careful to do this in almost all lessons. Pupils cover a suitably broad range of writing skills, learning to use different styles and writing for different purposes. Handwriting is satisfactory by Year 6 but the majority of pupils in Year 2 still struggle to form letters that are accurate and of a consistent size. A small

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knowledge and understanding of the world. It is below the expectations for five-year-olds in physical

number of higher attaining pupils learn to write sensibly and at considerable length by the time they are in Year 2. However, they use short sentences and even in Year 6, they do not use joining words appropriately and do not have the ability to organise their writing effectively into longer and more descriptive sentences. The majority of pupils develop a sound understanding of basic grammatical conventions by Year 6 and use punctuation accurately as they write. Lower attaining pupils in Year 2 do not recognise letters or their sounds well enough to use their wordbooks effectively for spellings. By Year 6, pupils are successfully taught to classify words into ‘families’ by identifying word ‘strings’ and discriminating between sounds. Uncertainty about how to follow written instructions, however, continues to hinder the learning of lower attaining pupils. These weaknesses limit the pupils’ ability to

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knowledge and understanding of the world. It is below the expectations for five-year-olds in physical

write independently and consequently they are not being presented with sufficiently challenging opportunities to do so. This was also a finding of the last inspection. Although pupils are encouraged and constantly reminded to do so, they do not readily apply their literacy skills when working in other subjects and this hinders their learning as does the small but significant amount of copied work evident in the pupils’ books in subjects such as history.

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knowledge and understanding of the world. It is below the expectations for five-year-olds in physical

7. Pupils aged 5 to 7 achieve satisfactorily in mathematics. However, it is in this age range that the pupils’ lack of language skills has the most significantly adverse effect on their attainment. For example, the majority of pupils in Year 1 are unable to order the days of the week because they are insecure as to what the names of the days are. By the age of 7, pupils have a sound knowledge of different number combinations to 10 and the majority accurately order numbers to 100. However, their responses remain slow and their ability to solve problems in words remains weak. Although achievement is good in the 7 to 11 age range, pupils’ attainment continues to be hindered by their lack of understanding and BRADLEY PRIMARY SCHOOL 14 consistent use of the correct mathematical vocabulary, despite the best efforts of their teachers to reinforce and consolidate this at every opportunity. For example, many of the older pupils accurately

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knowledge and understanding of the world. It is below the expectations for five-year-olds in physical

answer a straightforward question such as “What is half of 64?” but find difficulty solving a problem phrased as “I’m thinking of a number which when doubled makes 64, what is the number?” In both age groups, many pupils accurately carry out calculations but are slow to record their work on paper and higher attaining pupils are not always sufficiently challenged to think deeply about mathematical problems. The majority of pupils in all age groups do not develop a wide enough range of strategies for solving mathematical problems. By the time they leave the school, pupils satisfactorily use the traditional ways of setting down number problems and the neatness of their presentation adds to the accuracy of their calculations involving addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Pupils attain satisfactory standards in measuring. For example, in Year 5, the majority of pupils accurately measure

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knowledge and understanding of the world. It is below the expectations for five-year-olds in physical

angles to the nearest degree and have a sound understanding of the differences between acute and obtuse angles. Much of the work on measurement in pupil’s books is accurate and clearly shows that they achieve well in this element of mathematics. However, as they move through school pupils have too few opportunities to study the symmetrical properties of shape. In all age groups, pupils enjoy the challenge of the mental mathematics sessions and their good attitudes to the subject contribute effectively to their attainment and achievement.

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knowledge and understanding of the world. It is below the expectations for five-year-olds in physical

8. Pupils achieve well in science as they move through the school. They show interest in their science work, behave very well, sustain concentration and as a result make good gains in their knowledge and understanding. Throughout the school, the pupils’ obvious enthusiasm for their work in science contributes well to their learning. Good and very good teaching in the 5 to 7 age range ensures that the work provided for pupils is set at a level of difficulty that will move each pupil’s learning forward. Practical activities in Year 2, such as acting out making and breaking an electrical circuit results in pupils reaching a sound understanding of how electrical circuits work. Between the ages of 5 and 7, pupils effectively learn how to classify different materials according to their properties. They acquire and use correctly, the associated scientific language to describe the materials accurately and to explain why they

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knowledge and understanding of the world. It is below the expectations for five-year-olds in physical

have placed them in their different categories. They record their findings appropriately on a simple data sheet. In response to effective questioning and prompts from the teacher, pupils in Year 6 confidently offer credible explanations for why pitch is influenced by both the length and tension of a vibrating object. A weakness in this work is that pupils are not always provided with sufficient opportunities to predict what might happen prior to carrying out their investigations. They have a satisfactory understanding of what constitutes a fair test and, although they still require a great deal of support with scientific language, they use a writing frame appropriately to help them to record their findings.

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knowledge and understanding of the world. It is below the expectations for five-year-olds in physical

9. Pupils with special educational needs attain standards that reflect their individual targets. They achieve well, benefiting from a good balance of whole class teaching, some small group work and some individual attention to their areas of difficulty. The vast majority of pupils in this school are from homes where English is not the first language spoken. Both they and the pupils with special educational needs receive a good level of additional teaching and non-teaching support, which enables them to make good progress towards their targets as they move through the school. Traveller children also make good progress in the time they are in the school. The support they receive from the Local Education Authority’s Traveller Service and the vigilance of the school in ensuring, as far as possible, that they attend both regularly and on time, contribute in great measure to their progress.

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knowledge and understanding of the world. It is below the expectations for five-year-olds in physical

10. Pupils aged 7 and 11 attain good standards in art and they achieve well. Their careful observational work, attention to detail and good use of, for example, colour, shape and space leads to pieces of art work that are of a high quality because the relevant skills are taught well and pupils practise them in their sketch books. Attainment is sound and achievement is good in design and technology; and both attainment and achievement are sound in physical education. In geography and religious education, standards are as expected by the time the pupils leave the school; in history, they are below the expectations for pupils aged 7 and 11. At the age of 7, standards in geography and religious education are lower than expected for pupils’ ages. However, in all three subjects, pupils achieve well given the very low starting point when they come to the school and the fact that many have to learn the English

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knowledge and understanding of the world. It is below the expectations for five-year-olds in physical

language before they can begin to learn other subjects. In music and in information and communications technology (ICT), pupils aged 7 and 11 are working below the expectation for their age. In music, they achieve satisfactorily. In all age groups, pupils’ achievements in ICT are unsatisfactory. This is because the computer suite is very new and until it was set up at the beginning of this school year, there was BRADLEY PRIMARY SCHOOL 15 little opportunity for the pupils to gain the necessary skills to achieve satisfactorily. Even now, while pupils have a weekly lesson in the suite, there are insufficient opportunities for them to use the skills in their work in other subjects.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

11. Pupils have good attitudes to their work. Their behaviour is very good both in and out of lessons and their personal development is satisfactory. These are important strengths, which are helping pupils to learn effectively. The inspector’s view of behaviour in school concurs with the very positive opinions expressed by parents in the returned questionnaires. Standards in these areas remain similar to those seen at the previous inspection. 12. There have been no exclusions in the last year and this is the regular pattern for the school. Pupils move sensibly around school and show appropriate respect for each other, for adults, for the building and for the resources made available to them. No bullying was observed and pupils are confident that should any occur, the staff would promptly and effectively deal with it. Pupils mix easily in the playground and form friendships across age, gender and ethnic groups. As pupils move up through the school, there is

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

a marked improvement in the self discipline of the majority and in their ability to maintain concentration over a period of time. These levels of concentration and very good behaviour ensure that lessons proceed at a good pace with very little time lost through teachers having to deal with misbehaving pupils.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

13. Pupils have good levels of enthusiasm for school and enjoy lessons. They are keen, in the introduction to lessons, to offer answers, and participate enthusiastically, with an eagerness to please, in practical subjects such as physical education. They concentrate well and are generally attentive to both the teachers and each other. They listen attentively to the views and ideas of their friends while waiting for their turn to speak. The quality of relationships in the school, between pupils and between pupils and adults, is very good. Many pupils hold Islamic beliefs and attend the Mosque. The period of the inspection coincided with Ramadan with many pupils observing the fast. Pupils in school accept the beliefs held by others in a mature way.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

14. Pupils willingly accept responsibilities, for example, when called upon to undertake jobs such as door monitors and helping to keep equipment tidy in the hall or in class. Pupils have class responsibilities for handing out and clearing away equipment and books and they carry these out well. At lunchtimes, older pupils respond well to the requests from adults to befriend and help the younger children. As at the last inspection, there are insufficient opportunities for pupils to take responsibility for their own learning although some good examples were seen during literacy lessons. Pupils are to rarely seen to take the initiative by setting their own tasks. This is often due to the pupils’ lack of language skills and to the younger pupils’ lack of confidence in themselves, and the consequent need for constant guidance and support from their teachers.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

15. Pupils with special educational needs respond well to the additional support they receive, as do those pupils for whom English is a second language. There is no evidence of racial harassment or oppressive behaviour to these or other groups of pupils.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

16. Attendance rates are unsatisfactory and are below the national average. The level of authorised absence is high and is greatly affected by the number of families taking extended holidays abroad during term time. Many of the children involved are amongst those who have a very poor command of the English language. The continuity required to learn English effectively is disrupted and this also adversely affects their learning in other subjects. The irregular attendance of a number of Traveller children is also reflected in the school’s absence figures. Representatives from the Local Education Authority’s Traveller Support Service are working effectively with these families and the attendance of some of the pupils is now improving. The attainment and progress of these pupils is being adversely affected by not attending school regularly. An analysis of the attendance figures shows that the school’s absence rates would be similar to national levels if parents did not take their children out of

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

school for these reasons. BRADLEY PRIMARY SCHOOL 16 17. The level of unauthorised absence is also above the national average and is caused by parents allowing their children to be absent from school for unacceptable reasons. A small minority of pupils are late arriving at school, but teachers ensure that they are integrated into lessons with the minimum disruption. The school is working very closely with support services to encourage pupils’ regular and punctual attendance.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

18. The quality of teaching is good. It is excellent in 2 per cent of lessons; very good in 20 per cent; good in 46 per cent; satisfactory in 30 per cent and unsatisfactory in 2 per cent. A significantly higher proportion of good and very good teaching was seen during this inspection than was reported at the last inspection. The good teaching has a significantly positive impact on pupils’ learning and achievement in all subjects. In English, teaching is good overall and very good in the 5 to 7 age range. English is an additional language for the majority of pupils in this school and throughout the school, teachers and support staff work hard and are particularly good at developing pupils’ language, literacy and communication skills. This is a strong cross-curricular feature of the work in all classes and helps to promote the pupils’ learning in all subjects. In mathematics, the teaching of pupils aged 5 to 7 is

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

satisfactory and the teaching of pupils aged 7 to 11 is good. There are examples of good and very good teaching in all subjects. Planning is good throughout the school. For children under five, it is firmly based on the national guidance for each of the six areas of learning. Teachers make good use of the recently developed ‘stepping stones’ in learning to ensure that the children work purposefully towards the nationally agreed early learning goals for the end of the Foundation Stage. For pupils aged 5 to 11, the teachers’ good planning is securely based on the requirements of the National Curriculum programmes of study and the locally agreed syllabus for religious education. Due attention is paid to the requirements of the National Strategies for Literacy and Numeracy. In most lessons, activities are well planned to meet the learning needs of pupils of differing levels of prior attainment. Teachers’

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

planning is greatly improved since the last inspection.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

19. The teaching of children under five is good in 80 per cent of lessons, very good in 10 per cent and satisfactory in the remainder. Teachers in both reception classes have a good knowledge and understanding of the children and their needs, and of the national recommendations for the teaching of pupils of this age. Seven out of ten children in the two reception classes are at an early stage of language acquisition, many having come to school speaking little or no English. Teachers, nursery nurses and bi-lingual assistants plan and work well together to promote very effectively the children’s communication and language skills, their personal, social and emotional development and their knowledge and understanding, in order to provide the children with as good a foundation as possible to their learning. The staff work hard to provide the children with experiences they have not had prior to coming to school, to help them catch up on early learning skills. For example, the children explored with

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

awe and wonder, a range of musical toys normally associated with a much younger age group, and teachers’ records show that a significant minority of pupils do not know how to hold and use a pencil when they start school. The staff effectively introduce the children to traditional tales and stories from both the children’s own and the British culture. By the end of their reception year, the children’s attainment is still well below that expected for their age in all areas learning except physical and creative development. However, because of the good teaching they receive, the majority of children achieve well and make good progress, particularly in the acquisition and use of the English language. Higher attaining pupils make very good progress in speaking and understanding English.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

20. The teaching of pupils aged 5 to 7 is very good. It is always at least satisfactory and is very good or better in 42 per cent of lessons. The very good organisation and management of pupils and of support staff enable the teachers to spend quality time with each group and this effectively promotes and extends the pupils’ language and learning skills. For example, in a very good art lesson with pupils in Year 2, the teacher’s very effective questioning greatly enhanced the pupils’ observational skills and their ability to describe exactly what they saw, as they drew and painted an arrangement of different fruits and tried to re-create the texture of a large shell using different pencil techniques. Excellent teaching of literacy in the same class resulted in pupils recognising speech in text and reading with good expression, the story of the ‘Three Billy Goats Gruff’. As the week progressed, the teacher

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

carefully and effectively adapted her planning to address identified weaknesses in language and BRADLEY PRIMARY SCHOOL 17 learning. Thus the pupils achieved very well as their knowledge of traditional tales was consolidated and their work on direct speech was extended from using speech bubbles to using speech marks.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

21. The teaching of pupils aged 7 to 11 is good. It is always at least satisfactory in 97 per cent of lessons and is very good or better in 15 per cent of lessons. There is a small amount of unsatisfactory teaching in this age group. The excellent teaching in a Year 6 literacy lesson occurred as a result of the teacher’s very good knowledge of poetry conventions, her enthusiasm and her ability to inspire the pupils. She constantly challenged them to think hard, seek rhymes and understand the rhythm of poetry as they explored how to extend the verses in a given poem. Throughout the lesson, she checked, through very effective questioning, that they understood the meaning of words used in the poem and they responded very well to the added challenge of explaining how they could tell whether their answers were correct. Excellent learning took place in the lesson and pupils were further challenged to consolidate this in a

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

related homework task. The unsatisfactory teaching in this age group occurred because the two teachers concerned were less successful at managing the restless and at times unco-operative behaviour of a small group of pupils in a Year 4 literacy lesson and in a Year 6 music lesson. In the music lesson, the lesson objectives were not met. The teacher, who was not the pupils’ regular class teacher, failed to establish herself at the beginning of the lesson and was not able to recover her position with a restless class.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

22. In almost all lessons in all age groups, teachers share with pupils their clear objectives for the lesson. Good questioning techniques are used to involve all pupils at the start of lessons, to assess their work and to add extra challenge where necessary. Sound evaluations of pupils’ learning take place at the ends of lessons and most teachers skilfully use what is learned from these and from assessing the pupils’ work to plan what they are to learn next. Pupils respond well to the high expectations that most teachers have of their work rate and behaviour by listening carefully, following instructions and settling to work quickly. The caring and supportive relationships evident in all lessons and the well established routines in the classroom also encourage pupils to work independently and in groups, especially in the literacy hour. For example, in a very good Year 1 literacy lesson, two groups of pupils, one of average

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

attainment and the other a higher attaining group, worked very effectively on their own, rising to the high challenge set for them to help each other. Group leaders organised the efficient use and distribution of glue, scissors and, as needed, dictionaries and word lists, and pupils supported each other with spelling, reminders of the story they were studying and of their discussions about the characters within it. This enabled the teacher to focus on a lower attaining group, and the classroom support assistant to work with a group of pupils who needed further language development because of their special educational needs or their lack of English. Towards the end of the lesson, and in response to the teacher’s timely reminders and good use of time, the pupils tidied everything away very quickly, obviously used to the well established routines in the classroom. This enhanced their personal and social skills and they were soon ready to participate fully in the final plenary. In this, the teacher used

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

role play activities very effectively to reinforce links between speech and characterisation and to evaluate the pupils’ understanding of a traditional tale.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

23. The quality of teaching for pupils with special educational needs is always at least satisfactory. In English and mathematics, teachers plan work carefully, using the targets set in the pupils’ individual education plans. The directed teaching, often undertaken by well briefed and well deployed support staff, the good reference to targets and the warm praise given to the pupils, ensure that they make good progress towards their targets. For example, very good teaching of a group of special educational needs pupils in Year 1 enabled them to complete the word ‘big’ by recognising the individual letters and their sounds, and to sequence speech bubbles accurately to re-tell a familiar story. Similarly the good support given to two Year 4 pupils with statements of special educational need helped them to identify the different uses of verbs and to make good progress in completing the task of ordering the steps in a

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TO PUPILS?

BRADLEY PRIMARY SCHOOL 18 24. The school provides a good range of worthwhile learning opportunities for its pupils in a rich curriculum that fulfils statutory requirements and is broad, balanced and meets the needs of all pupils. The curriculum is well planned to ensure equality of access and opportunity for all pupils.

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TO PUPILS?

25. Good provision is made for those pupils who enter school knowing very little English. Since the majority of pupils come from homes where English is an additional language, the school correctly places a strong emphasis on the development of the English language and on pupils’ communication skills. The curricular planning in all subjects successfully promotes these skills by ensuring that key vocabulary is clearly identified and understood prior to the pupils undertaking any new work. The curriculum is kept under constant review. The school uses well the information gained from the rigorous analysis of test and assessment results and adapts the curriculum to meet the learning needs of the pupils as is seen in the successful initiatives to improve pupils’ writing and to address weaknesses in science. The school has responded promptly and positively to the recent changes in the National Curriculum and in the

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TO PUPILS?

provision for children under five in the Foundation Stage. Teachers are successfully incorporating the new initiatives into their planning. The school has successfully implemented the National Strategies for Literacy and Numeracy. The introduction of National Literacy Strategy is having a positive impact on pupils’ achievement and on standards in English. The National Numeracy Strategy is beginning to raise standards in mathematics especially in the pupils’ quick responses to number problems. Curricular planning has greatly improved since the last inspection. It is now detailed and the skills and knowledge to be taught are clearly identified in medium and short term planning, which is then used well on a day- to-day basis as teachers plan the detail in lessons.

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TO PUPILS?

26. At the time of the previous inspection a key issue was the provision of outdoor resources for children under five. The school has done its best within the constraints of the playground space available, to improve the situation. The children now have a separate adequate play area with additional markings, although this is not easily accessible from all of the Foundation Stage classes, and there is a large concrete store to house the large play equipment. The curriculum for children in the two reception classes is imaginatively planned. Teachers and classroom support staff plan together and complement each other well in organising and supporting learning in the classroom. Stimulating learning opportunities are provided and structured play activities are particularly well organised. Much hard work is put into promoting language development and helping the pupils to speak English correctly in order to improve their learning in all subjects. In the rest of the school, an appropriate amount of time is

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TO PUPILS?

allocated to all subjects. Joint planning between parallel classes is firmly rooted in the National Curriculum programmes of study and is often supported by well constructed schemes of work and guidelines that are successfully based on national guidance. Consistency is good because both teachers’ planning and overall curricular planning are successfully overseen by the subject co- ordinators. The exception is music where the national guidance is still at the trial stage as the school moves towards it from a previously used commercial scheme.

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TO PUPILS?

27. Curricular provision for pupils with special educational needs is good and follows the recommendations of the nationally agreed Code of Practice. Individual education plans are readily available in classrooms and contain a good range of appropriate targets, which teachers use well in their planning. This is seen at its best in the work planned for small groups in literacy and numeracy lessons. For pupils aged 7 to 11, the work planned for some small groups working away from their class is not significantly different from the main class group and does not always justify withdrawal. When pupils work with the class, the learning support assistants often record their observations of the pupils’ progress and response. This contributes effectively to the regular reviews of pupils’ progress and informs appropriately the setting of any new targets. Procedures for the identification and assessment of pupils with special educational

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needs are good and have recently been successfully extended to include identifying those pupils who need extra support at a very early stage, immediately following the outcomes of baseline assessments in the reception classes.

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TO PUPILS?

28. Good provision is made for pupils’ personal, social and health education. The school has a suitable written policy and weekly lessons are taught effectively in all classes. The school’s prospectus states that sex education is not taught as part of the formal curriculum but children’s questions will be dealt with sensitively. The school nurse assists with the delivery of the health education programme by talking to girls in Year 6 about puberty and explaining the importance of personal hygiene to the children in the reception classes. There is no separate policy for drugs education but pupils receive BRADLEY PRIMARY SCHOOL 19 appropriate information about the dangers of the misuse of drugs as part of their studies in science. The very caring ethos within the school demonstrates the importance that is placed upon these aspects of pupils’ learning. Its sensitivity to the cultural background of its pupils is exemplified in the arrangements

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TO PUPILS?

made for boys and girls separately to attend swimming sessions.

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TO PUPILS?

29. Although the school provides a number of extra curricular activities to extend the curriculum outside the normal school day, the range is more limited than at the last inspection. Attending the Mosque after the school day restricts the time many pupils have available for extra curricular activities. Pupils enjoy a lunchtime art club, a science club, an infant choir, an ocarina group and cricket coaching in the summer. A homework club helps pupils in Year 6 to revise effectively as they approach their National Curriculum tests. The school allows pupils access to the school playground out of school hours to organise their own sport activities because there is a lack of play space in the area.

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TO PUPILS?

30. The school has developed successful links with the community, which contribute to pupils’ learning. For example, the local Mosque and Church are used to develop pupils’ awareness of religious beliefs. Girls have the opportunity to attend a computer club arranged by the local ‘Pakistan Welfare Association’. The police, fire and ambulance services all visit the school to give talks and demonstrations to pupils. An orchestra from Nelson and Colne College performs musical recitals at the school. There are good links with Bradley Nursery School, which arranges pre-transfer visits for the children who attend it, prior to their entering the reception classes. Similarly, the local high schools arrange for Year 6 pupils to visit prior to transfer. Such initiatives help to provide a smooth transition between the phases of pupils’ education. Local secondary schools also send work experience students to the school. The school has close links with St Martins College at Lancaster University and regularly

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TO PUPILS?

accepts students training to be teachers.

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TO PUPILS?

31. The overall provision for pupils’ personal development including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Provision for pupils’ moral development is very good. Provision for spiritual development is good and for social and cultural development provision is satisfactory. The situation is broadly similar to that found at the last inspection.

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TO PUPILS?

32. Good spiritual development is evident in assemblies. Acts of collective worship are well planned and meet statutory requirements. They offer pupils opportunities for prayer and quiet reflection. There are opportunities to explore and reflect upon the wonder of the world through other subjects. For example, pupils inYear1 are encouraged to think about happiness in relationships and show awe and wonder when the teacher and bilingual support assistant show their wedding dresses. Pupils in Year 3 gasp as they see an excellent replica of a Roman soldier’s helmet and reflect on the sort of life such a person might have led. Pupils are encouraged to reflect carefully as they debate a range of issues in English lessons, and perform appropriate dance movements in physical education lessons. Spiritual development is further enhanced in the development of good observational skills in art. Such experiences make a significant contribution to pupils’ spiritual development.

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TO PUPILS?

33. Moral development is very good and a strength of the school. The school is very successful in teaching its pupils the difference between right and wrong. Through assemblies and personal and social education lessons pupils are frequently encouraged to think about moral issues. Part of the school’s Mission Statement, “Treat others as you like being treated yourself,” is clearly reflected in its code of conduct. The code is understood and consistently applied by all staff around the school and in most lessons. In some classes teachers and pupils have taken the code a stage further and drawn up a set of classroom rules and procedures. This adds to pupils’ understanding of “doing the right thing” and of being responsible for their actions. Moral issues form the basis of many assemblies. For example, in an infant assembly, pupils are told a story about lepers and learn the importance of accepting people

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TO PUPILS?

whatever their problems. Similarly, “Making Choices” was the theme of a very good whole school assembly. This was led by Year 3 pupils narrating and acting out a short play about a child who found a purse containing money. They successfully made pupils aware that when temptation comes their way it is better to be honest than give into temptation. Pupils’ achievements are highlighted and celebrated in assemblies and certificates are presented to pupils on the basis of good work, exemplary behaviour and willingness to be helpful. This helps to promote the pupils’ self esteem and they are justifiably proud of their achievements. BRADLEY PRIMARY SCHOOL 20 34. Pupils’ social development is appropriately fostered in the many opportunities provided in all subjects for effective collaborative work in pairs and in groups. Pupils share equipment and treat it with respect. As at the last inspection, however, there is a limited range of opportunities for pupils to show initiative

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and take responsibility. In physical education lessons, monitors are made responsible for setting out and putting away small and large apparatus. Classes also have monitors for routine tasks such as taking registers to the school office and acting as door monitors at critical points in the school. Pupils’ social development is further enhanced by visits out of school, for example, to the cinema to introduce them to aspects of life beyond their own homes. Older pupils read to younger pupils and often hear siblings read at home.

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TO PUPILS?

35. The school prepares its pupils appropriately for life in a culturally diverse Britain. Pupils learn to appreciate and value their own and other cultures. This is seen, for example, in geography in the study of Pakistan and in history in the study of life in Britain in the past. Pupils have opportunities to study art from different times and places during their school life, for example, Asian art and aboriginal art. They are also introduced to a wide range of literature that includes traditional stories from British folklore and from other countries around the world. A suitable range of visits out of school and visitors into the school further enhances their understanding of local and national culture. These include, for example, visits to the local area, including Towneley Hall; and further afield to Blackpool Zoo, the National Museum of Photography in Bradford and the Manchester Science Museum. Visitors into school include

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the M6 Theatre Company, the Lancashire Schools Music Service and a children’s author.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

36. The school continues to provide a caring and supportive environment and staff place a high priority on pupils’ welfare. Pupils are confident to approach adults with their concerns and they receive sensitive and effective guidance. Each child is valued and treated with respect. This has a beneficial effect upon pupils’ attitudes to their work and helps to develop their self-esteem and to encourage their progress.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

37. Pupils with special educational needs receive good levels of educational support. Teachers’ concerns about individuals are carefully documented and followed up sensitively. Parents are consulted fully. Individual education plans include targets for personal and academic development and pupils are offered support in the classroom and in withdrawal groups with another teacher, although this cannot always be justified, for example, in mathematics. The progress of pupils with special educational needs is assessed carefully and systematically and comprehensive records make it possible to track this progress through the school and to adapt their targets and their work to meet their learning and personal needs.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

38. There are appropriate child protection procedures and staff are suitably aware of how to report any concerns. There is close liaison with specialist agencies to provide additional support for pupils and their families. Arrangements to promote pupils’ health and safety are very good. The caretaker works hard to maintain the buildings and to monitor any safety concerns. He conducts regular inspections of the building, accompanied by representatives from the governing body. There are clear procedures for visits out of school and pupils’ safety is of paramount importance. First aid arrangements are very good and parents are notified promptly if their child becomes unwell during the school day. Pupils with specific medical problems are cared for well and there is good supervision at break and lunch times. The cook and kitchen staff ensure that the different diets of pupils are catered for appropriately when

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

preparing school meals. Members of staff work hard to ensure pupils feel secure and comfortable, so that they can make the most of their time in school.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

39. There are very effective systems in place to promote discipline and good behaviour. Pupils are fully aware of teachers’ high expectations of them and good emphasis is placed upon rewarding positive behaviour. Merit points and certificates are awarded to pupils aged 7 to 11 and these achievements are celebrated weekly in assemblies. Younger pupils receive stickers, certificates and gifts at their ‘Happy Assembly’ to reward them for good or kind behaviour, for effort and for good work. There is a clear system of sanctions and the school involves parents at an early stage in cases of inappropriate behaviour. Bullying is not common but any isolated cases are dealt with quickly and effectively. BRADLEY PRIMARY SCHOOL 21 40. Pupils’ absences are very well monitored and the school works closely with the Education Welfare Officer and the Traveller Support Services to promote regular and punctual attendance. The secretary

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

and headteacher regularly check attendance registers and parents are contacted promptly about unexplained absences. The absences of Traveller children are tracked on a daily basis and the educational welfare officer checks the attendance of all pupils and makes home visits when necessary. Pupils with good attendance records receive headteacher and governors’ challenge certificates. Despite these very good systems and the high level of support offered to families, pupils’ attendance is still below the national average.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

41. In the previous inspection report assessment procedures and the use of assessment information were identified as a weakness. Since then the school, under the guidance of the relatively recently formed assessment management team, has made significant improvements, both in assessing pupils’ work and in using assessment evidence to improve curricular provision. Both assessments procedures and the use of assessment are now satisfactory overall with some examples of good and very good practice in most classes. The results of both statutory and non-statutory tests are meticulously recorded and analysed to identify strengths and weaknesses in curricular provision and in individual and group attainment. The information is used effectively to inform future planning, predict pupils’ attainment and set targets. For example, the school uses the information to set individual targets in literacy and group targets in numeracy and where relevant, changes are made to the curriculum to target any weaknesses.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

Weaknesses in spelling were identified twelve months ago and the action taken to improve the teaching and learning of spelling has raised attainment because it was applied consistently across the school. Pupils’ reading, spelling and knowledge of multiplication tables are checked regularly. The members of the Ethnic Minorities Achievement team make careful assessments of the progress made by pupils who are learning English as an additional language. The comprehensive baseline assessment for children in the reception year gives detailed information on each child’s attainment and is appropriately used to identify at an early stage, each child’s learning needs.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

42. The good procedures evident in English and mathematics are not yet in place in other subjects and the assessment of the pupils’ attainment and progress as they move through the school is less well structured. Whilst most teachers know their pupils well and make good quality assessments of their work, there is no consistently effective approach to recording pupils’ progress throughout the school. Appropriate samples of pupils’ work are kept in most subjects but they are not regularly updated and most do not show the context in which they were produced or indicate a level of attainment. There is also a notable inconsistency in how well marking is used to recognise attainment and provide pupils with targets for future development.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

43. Pupils’ personal development is monitored continually by class teachers through informal discussions and by observations at break or at lunch times. There are good arrangements for children starting in the reception classes and they have several opportunities to visit the school before formal entry. Teachers make home visits if necessary and also visit the local nursery that several children attend. Pupils are well prepared for their move to secondary education and they have chances to visit their chosen school before transfer. Class teachers liaise closely as pupils progress through the school and there is a good exchange of information. Members of staff know their pupils well, relationships are good and these have a positive impact on pupils’ learning and achievements.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

44. The school continues to work hard to forge an effective partnership with parents, but has met with only partial success. A small number of parents help in classrooms but few are involved actively in the life of the school. Parents’ views of the school are mainly positive and although only two parents attended the pre-inspection meeting with inspectors, just over one third of parents returned the questionnaire issued prior to the inspection. Approximately eight out of ten parents report that they would feel comfortable approaching the school with any concerns and that the school works closely with them.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

45. Parents’ evenings are held termly to discuss pupils’ progress, and the vast majority of parents attend these. The school makes good arrangements to involve parents who do not speak English as their first language and bi-lingual assistants attend these evenings to assist parents. All parents have returned the home school agreement and most try to support their children with homework tasks, including BRADLEY PRIMARY SCHOOL 22 reading. There is usually a good attendance at meetings arranged for parents with children new to the school but attendance was poor at a recent meeting about mathematics homework.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

46. Information for parents is good. The school issues regular letters and attractive termly newsletters that provide parents with detailed information about activities and events. Individual class work programmes are issued so that parents know the topic areas that their children will be studying. The prospectus and governors’ annual report are well presented and there is a very good information pack for new parents with details of useful activities to complete at home with their children. The school arranges for summaries of communications to be issued in the appropriate community language and parents are encouraged to contact staff if they have any concerns. The parents of pupils with special educational needs are informed at the earliest stage of concern. They are invited into school to discuss their children’s progress and learning needs and are given appropriate advice as to how they can help.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

Parents are invited to all reviews of learning targets, including the statutory reviews for pupils with statements of special educational need.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

47. Pupils’ annual written progress reports contain comments in all subject areas but the quality of the comments varies. The current format of the report, grouping some subjects together, limits the type of comment that can be made about pupils’ progress in individual subjects. While some give good insights into the progress pupils have made, and what they know, understand and can do, others do not state clearly enough the strengths and weaknesses in children’s performances and what might be done to improve the quality of their learning.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

48. The leadership and management of the school are very good and much improved since the last inspection. The headteacher provides a clear and very purposeful sense of direction for the school. His commitment to ensuring that pupils reach the highest possible standards is shared by all staff and governors. The headteacher’s monitoring of all aspects of the school’s work is very good. His clearly stated aim – to ensure that all parts of the school’s systems and processes are dovetailing effectively – is evident in the way he has successfully delegated many of the management duties since the last inspection. This was done not only in response to the key issue in the previous report but also as a result of the head’s attendance at a leadership and management course for serving headteachers, the deputy’s attendance at a school self-evaluation course and the appointment of a new and highly motivated Key Stage 1 co-ordinator. All of these actions led to a strengthening of the role of all co-

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

ordinators in relation to their subjects and to the strengthening of the management systems in the school as a whole. The senior management team now consists of the headteacher, a very effective deputy, who is also the Key Stage 2 co-ordinator, and the Key Stage 1 co-ordinator. They work together very successfully to bring about the changes necessary to move the school forward. Their roles and responsibilities and those of the subject co-ordinators are very clearly defined and carried out effectively. The school’s commitment to improvement and its capacity to succeed are very strong.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

49. The procedures for monitoring and evaluating the school’s work, including teaching, are good. As they check teachers’ planning files at the beginning of each half term, the senior managers focus effectively on the forecasts for learning, on the weekly plans and on the evaluative comments from the previous half term to ensure that teachers are using the outcomes of their evaluations to plan the next stage of pupils’ learning. Classroom observations have in the last two years focused appropriately on literacy and numeracy and have involved the senior management team, the curriculum co-ordinators and the Local Education Authority’s consultants. Individual feedback is given to staff and general issues are raised at staff meetings and effectively addressed at whole school level. In other subjects, the co- ordinators carefully monitor teachers’ planning and sample pupils’ work to ensure consistency and

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

continuity in learning and to inform the action plans for each subject. Effective action is taken to raise the quality of teaching and learning as a result of the monitoring including, for example, moving teachers to different year groups, devising a consistent format for planning, using demonstration lessons to share good practice, providing guidance for co-ordinators in monitoring their subjects, and establishing a programme of regular meetings between co-ordinators and the senior management team to decide on how best to address weaknesses. All of these have contributed effectively to improved teaching and learning. An identified weakness still to be addressed is the inconsistency in marking. BRADLEY PRIMARY SCHOOL 23 50. The governors are now appropriately involved in the life of the school and in the school development planning process. Designated governors attend relevant courses and are well informed as to their roles

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

and responsibilities. They have a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses in the school and carry out their statutory duties effectively. The headteacher values the opinions of those governors who act as critical friends of the school. The recently appointed chair of governors has a very clear understanding of her role in ensuring that all governors are effectively involved in decision making, in supporting school improvement, and in monitoring the work of the school and the standards it achieves. The vice chair, a member of the ethnic community, has a strong commitment to raising awareness amongst parents of their role in supporting their children’s learning and in preparing them well for life in a culturally diverse Britain, beyond their immediate community. The ethnic community is well represented on the governing body.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

51. Financial planning is good. Governors have a clear commitment and, in the words of the headteacher, a ‘dogged determination’ to ensuring that the school receives best value from all of its spending. They set a prudent budget each year, based on a range of spending plans submitted to them by the headteacher and monitor carefully the school’s spending through the termly budget statements they receive. The school accrued a large surplus due to several factors beyond its control and governors have wisely used the surplus funding to appoint extra permanent support staff to enable pupils who need it, to receive more individualised support in order to raise their levels of attainment and help increase their rate of learning. Some of the surplus has also been appropriately earmarked to improve resources for information and communications technology. Day to day financial administration and control are effective. All school routines are well established and the school administrative officer

p.23

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

provides good support for all teachers, including the headteacher.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

52. The management and administration of special educational needs are good. There are two special educational needs co-ordinators, one for pupils aged 5 to 7 and one for pupils aged 7 to 11. They are thorough and meticulous in keeping records updated and in ensuring that all statutory requirements are met. Teaching and support staff work closely with the co-ordinators to ensure that appropriate work is planned for the pupils. The funding for pupils with special educational needs is used wisely to meet their needs and a high level of support staffing is maintained to enable the pupils to receive a good level of individualised help that enables them to learn and achieve well as they move through the school.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

53. The headteacher, governors and Ethnic Minority Achievement support staff work well together to address the needs of the pupils who have English as an additional language. They ensure that the school makes good use of the specific funding provided to support these pupils by maintaining a high level of support and by placing a strong emphasis on the development of language and communication skills from the reception class onwards.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

54. Staffing levels are good and both teaching and support staff are well deployed. The school has made a significant commitment to maintaining this high level of provision, and appropriate planning is in place to ensure that the improvements achieved as a result of it can be sustained. Accommodation is satisfactory and the space available is effectively used. There is an appropriate number of classrooms, additional teaching spaces, and a new computer room. Attractive displays help raise the standards of pupils’ work by establishing high standards and celebrating success. Standards of cleanliness are consistently very good throughout the school, reflecting the commitment of the school caretaker and other premises staff. Outdoor facilities are satisfactory, with well marked, hard surfaced play areas. The playground has been enhanced by the provision of raised planting areas, which are currently being

p.23

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

used to allow pupils to observe and record bulb growth. However, the much improved designated play area for pupils in the reception classes is not directly accessible from their classroom, and there is no games field. The infant library has been much improved since the previous inspection. However, the junior library has been moved to one end of the hall to accommodate the setting up of the information and communications technology suite and because the hall is in constant use for physical education lessons, the junior library is not a welcoming area for pupils to browse through books or undertake effective research related to the subjects they are studying. Overall, however, resources for learning are good. Most are well stored, easily accessible and effectively used to support pupils’ learning. This represents good improvement since the last inspection, when there was a reported inequality of provision between the key stages.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

BRADLEY PRIMARY SCHOOL 24 BRADLEY PRIMARY SCHOOL 25

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

55. In order to improve further pupils’ attainment and achievement, the headteacher, governors and staff should:

p.25

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• In English and mathematics: - complete the process of setting individual targets for all pupils based on the secure assessment of their previous learning; - assess the effectiveness of the targets frequently enough to be sure that pupils are learning more effectively and reaching higher standards; - continue the good systems already in place to assess, record and analyse standards and achievement and address any weaknesses found. (Paragraphs: 5, 41, 42, 69, 83)

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• In information and communications technology (ICT), focus now on:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

- evaluating the curriculum to make sure all areas of this subject are adequately covered both in ICT itself and in other subjects; - providing more opportunities for pupils to use ICT as an integral part of their work in other subjects, including making better use of the computers available in their classrooms; - assessing pupils’ work and using the outcomes of assessment effectively to address any identified weaknesses; (Paragraphs: 10, 81, 89, 103, 107, 108-111, 115, 123)

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• Take further action to improve attendance and reduce the amount of authorised and unauthorised absence. (Paragraphs: 16, 17)

p.25

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

The above issues are already receiving attention as part of the School Improvement Plan.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

In addition to the above, the governors should consider including the following more minor issues in their action plan:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

The lack of consistency in marking (42, 80) The limited opportunities for pupils to take responsibility and show initiative (14, 34) The lack of clarity of purpose in withdrawing pupils for some special educational needs support (27, 80) The inadequate reporting of strengths and weaknesses in all subjects in the pupils’ annual reports (47) BRADLEY PRIMARY SCHOOL 26

p.25

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 41

p.26

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

p.26

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.26

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery YR – Y6

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 373

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils eligible for free school meals 147

p.26

Information about the school’s pupils

Special educational needs Nursery YR – Y6

p.26

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 7

p.26

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 101

p.26

Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

p.26

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 273

p.26

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

p.26

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 31

p.26

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 26

p.26

Attendance

National comparative data 5.6 National comparative data 0.5

p.26

Attendance

Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. BRADLEY PRIMARY SCHOOL 27

p.26

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 34 20 54

p.27

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

p.27

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Boys 23 25 27 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 17 18 16

p.27

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentage of pupils School 74 (65) 80 (65) 80 (61) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (82) 85 (83) 90 (87)

p.27

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Boys 23 27 28 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 17 18 18

p.27

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentage of pupils School 74 (65) 83 (78) 85 (82) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (82) 88 (86) 88 (87)

p.27

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

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

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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 25 22 47

p.27

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

p.27

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Boys 12 15 17 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 12 14 16

p.27

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentage of pupils School 51 (42) 63 (40) 70 (55) at NC level 4 or above National 75 (70) 72 (69) 85 (78)

p.27

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.27

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Boys 13 15 16 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 11 14 15

p.27

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentage of pupils School 50 (44) 60 (51) 65 (55) at NC level 4 or above National 70 (68) 72 (69) 80 (75)

p.27

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. BRADLEY PRIMARY SCHOOL 28

p.27

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage 0 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – African heritage 0 Black – African heritage 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Any other minority ethnic group 0 Other minority ethnic groups

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

p.28

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 20.1 Financial year 1999/2000

p.28

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 18.6

p.28

Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total expenditure 741064

p.28

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 10 Expenditure per pupil 1997

p.28

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 210 Balance brought forward from previous year 161480

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance carried forward to next year 172453 BRADLEY PRIMARY SCHOOL 29

p.28

Percentage of responses in each category

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

p.29

Percentage of responses in each category

My child is making good progress in school. 44 46 7 2 2

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Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 45 45 8 1 2

p.29

Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 45 36 15 2 2

p.29

Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 52 28 9 7 3

p.29

Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 47 39 5 5 4

p.29

Percentage of responses in each category

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 58 28 6 2 6

p.29

Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 46 34 9 5 6

p.29

Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 46 35 7 5 8

p.29

Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 47 37 6 3 7

p.29

Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 31 23 22 7 8

p.29

Other issues raised by parents:

Two parents expressed concern about bullying and about school dinners. Inspectors found that: • dinner times observed were friendly, social occasions and scrutiny of the work of the kitchen staff reveals they try hard to provide appropriate food menus to meet the cultural requirements of all pupils; • although no incidents of bullying or oppressive behaviour were observed, pupils are confident that should any occur, staff would deal with them swiftly and effectively. BRADLEY PRIMARY SCHOOL 30

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

56. The Foundation Stage children enter the two reception classes in the August of the school year in which they are four. Although some have attended the local nursery, over half of the children have not had any form of pre-school education. When they start school, the children’s attainment is very low. Seven out of ten children in this year’s intake are at an early stage of language acquisition, arriving in school able to speak little or no English. By the end of the reception year, although attainment in all areas of learning is still well below that expected for their age, the children have made considerable progress, particularly in the acquisition and development of language. This is due to good teaching that places great emphasis on helping the children to learn the necessary language and social skills.

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Personal, social and emotional development

57. When they start school, poor personal and social skills inhibit the children’s progress in all areas of learning. They have little experience of being away from home in a new, busy environment. Staff work hard and successfully create a warm, welcoming atmosphere where children are valued. Children are effectively taught good manners, how to take turns, to share, and to care for equipment, books, toys and themselves. They quickly learn to work in large and small groups. The quality of teaching is good. All staff work very effectively to provide the children with good role models. They relate to and interact well with the children and show them how they should conduct themselves in different situations. The staff establish good routines for the children, for example, when getting changed for physical lessons, children are encouraged to become more independent by dressing themselves. They are praised when

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Personal, social and emotional development

they try hard or achieve something new and this builds their self esteem and their confidence to try again. The children are taught to respect other cultures and religions, and enjoy looking at a christening gown and learning how Christians are christened in church. They learn about clothes worn for celebrations in different cultures by dressing in Asian clothes or fancy dress party outfits in the role play area. By the end of the reception year, the children have made good progress but their attainment is still below that expected for their age and many still need considerable support to achieve well.

p.30

Communication, Language and Literacy

58. The high number of children for whom English is an additional language, and who are in the early stages of language acquisition plus the low levels of a language development of other children means that language and communication forms the basis and focus of work in all areas of learning. Good teaching is evident in the skilful use of questions that not only give the children confidence to speak and respond in group activities, but also give them enough time to respond, even though some can only give one or two word answers. All staff ensure that they make instructions clear and precise, use simple terms, and always use the correct vocabulary associated with each area of learning. They constantly reinforce and check that the children understand what words mean and know what they have to do. Children are effectively taught to listen carefully. While they create a collage of party clothes, for example, the

p.30

Communication, Language and Literacy

classroom assistant encourages them to say the names of the colours they are using, and then extends this to describing the colour, introducing words like ‘shiny.’ Having to keep a balloon up in the air, and take a doll up and down some steps, teaches children the meaning of the word ‘up’. They are encouraged to talk about choosing food while setting the table in the house corner. In a science lesson, children are encouraged to describe what they feel when they put their hand into warm or cold water. Many children do not have access to books at home, so there is a welcoming book corner where they can sit quietly to enjoy a good range of fiction and non-fiction books. Good use is made of books in displays in the various areas, for example, for work on a topic about’ the weather’. Children are taught how to handle a book correctly, and to follow the direction of the print from left to right. They learn that

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Communication, Language and Literacy

print has meaning. They enjoy stories and poems, and are successfully introduced to the ‘big book’ element of the National Literacy Strategy. Many children have not handled a pencil prior to coming to school. The writing table has a good supply of pencils, crayons and paper to encourage them to practise pencil skills and form letters. Children write invitations to a party, but are not able to complete all the details. They copy from their name cards, but very few can write their names legibly or form BRADLEY PRIMARY SCHOOL 31 letters correctly. Print is well used in all displays around the classroom. Children learn the alphabet using a well known commercial scheme that turns each letter into a character, and begin to understand the different sounds made by each letter. Children make great progress in language development, but because their attainment is very low when they start school, and because the majority have to learn and

p.30

Communication, Language and Literacy

extend their knowledge of English, standards are likely to remain well below those expected for their age when they move into Year 1. The children receive very little support from their parents, many of whom lack confidence in English themselves.

p.31

Mathematical Development

59. When children start school, their mathematical skills are poor. A wide range of appropriate activities is provided to promote the acquisition of the skills necessary for mathematical development. Numbers are well displayed around the room, with opportunities for counting, sorting, matching, adding and subtracting. Teaching is good. The bi-lingual assistant turns a counting activity into a game, as well as taking the opportunity for language development. Using a dice, the children hop forward or back on large interlocking number tiles, which are also used to teach them to order numbers correctly. The children count aloud, most count accurately to 10 but few go beyond. A good display of clocks and watches is used to teach the children about time. They move the hands of the clocks round to show important times, such as dinner time or home time. The names and properties of shapes are taught, and different shapes displayed and labelled. The children’s mathematical learning is slow, however, as they

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Mathematical Development

struggle to acquire the correct language at the same time as acquiring mathematical skills. Standards are still likely to be much lower than expected for their age by the time they enter Year 1.

p.31

Knowledge and understanding of the world

60. Good teaching ensures that an appropriately wide range of motivating activities is provided to stimulate the children’s interest in the world around them. They are taught how to use the computer, and use a mouse ‘big ball’, specifically designed for small hands, with a good range of suitable programs for their age. In one lesson, they successfully programmed a floor robot to change direction, and watched with delight and wonder when it carried out their instructions. Staff joined in with this activity, and further developed the children’s learning by asking them to teach the classroom assistant how to input instructions. They begin to develop an understanding of the passing of time as they look at the baby clothes they used to wear, and staff introduce them to appropriate vocabulary such as ‘once’ ’now’ and ‘then’. They learn about the passing of the seasons, and displays for autumn are clearly labelled to

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

extend their vocabulary as they learn what they can do with ‘conkers’. They compare hot and cold water in a science activity and explore their sense of touch and experiment with ways to warm the water by rubbing it or blowing on it. When the teacher shows them a kettle and suggests using this to warm the water, many children do not recognise the kettle or know what it does. There are fish in a tank for the children to observe and care for. An annual farm visit provides the children with new and first hand experiences of observing animals in their natural surroundings. Occasional visits to the park and walks around the locality help to provide pupils with experiences of their local area. While children achieve well in this area of learning, the attainment of the great majority remains well below that expected for their age.

p.31

Physical development

61. When they enter the reception class, children have poor physical skills. There is little open space in the locality where the children can play out of school hours. Effective teaching ensures that they have good opportunities to improve their manipulative skills by using scissors, holding pencils and brushes, threading, completing jigsaws and using pegboards and small equipment. They have two physical education lessons each week in the school hall and develop an appropriate awareness of space as they learn to balance and to move with due regard for the safety of themselves and others. Through dance, the teacher encourages the children to use and be aware of every part of the body, right down to their toes. The children learn to follow instruction and move in time to the music. Since the last inspection, an outdoor play area has been established at the front of the school, with a road and playground markings.

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Physical development

While this is an improvement, it is not ideal, being some distance away from the classroom and next to the main entrance gates to the school. Children appropriately use large play equipment in this area and were seen riding on the wheeled fire-engine, linking with their class work on the letter ‘f’ and the story BRADLEY PRIMARY SCHOOL 32 of Fireman Sam. They build with large construction bricks and can chalk and practise drawing large letters in foam. They make good progress in this area of learning but their physical development remains below the standard expected for their age.

p.31

Creative development

62. The children work in a variety of media, using bright bold colours. Good teaching ensures that they paint freely, make self-portraits and practise repeating patterns. They make collages of celebration clothes and design waistcoats using sparkly fabrics and textures. Children’s work is well displayed and used to enhance the classroom environment. In music lessons, children effectively learn to use a range of percussion instruments and discover that sounds can also be made using body percussion. They vary the dynamics as they make long and short, loud and quiet sounds. Imaginative play is encouraged in the role play area where children have opportunities to dress up, plan food and discuss menus for a picnic. Staff make effective use of all opportunities to enhance the children’s creative development and interact well with them to encourage their language development. However, the attainment of the

p.32

Creative development

majority of children is likely to be below the standard expected for their age as they move into Year 1.

p.32

Teaching

63. Teaching is good in the reception classes. The teachers know, care about and interact well with the children. They have good subject knowledge and understanding of the curriculum for this age group. All activities are firmly based on the early learning goals, using the stepping stones as a framework for good planning. Teachers, the nursery nurse and the bi-lingual assistant plan and work well together to promote the children’s knowledge and understanding, particularly in language development. This is a strong cross-curricular feature of the work in the two classes. Staff arrange home visits before the children start school. Parents are welcomed into the school and are provided with a useful starter pack to help prepare their child for school. There are good links with the local nursery, which include the borrowing of some resources to enhance the children’s learning in order to cater for the very low

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Teaching

attainment of the children. To this end, staff also provide additional resources from home, such as toys normally associated with a younger age group. The curriculum is imaginatively planned to meet the children’s learning needs and to address the limited range of experiences they have prior to starting school. All staff work effectively together to give the children a good foundation to their learning.

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ENGLISH

64. The performance of pupils aged 11 in the English National Curriculum tests in 2000 was well below that of all schools and below that of schools with a similar percentage of pupils in receipt of free school meals. The percentage of pupils reaching the higher levels was well below that found in all schools and below that of similar schools. Over the last five years, pupils’ performance in the tests has risen steadily, at a rate similar to the national trend, although more slowly than attainment in mathematics or science. Since 1996, boys have done better than girls in the tests. However, when averaged out over the last three years, there are no significant differences between the attainment of boys and girls and none were noted during the inspection. In spite of good teaching and good achievement in speaking and listening, reading and writing between the ages of 7 and 11, standards are below those expected nationally for

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ENGLISH

pupils aged 11 but they achieve well as they move through the school. A number of social factors affect pupils’ attainment and their performance in the tests, namely: • the low language skills of pupils for whom English is an additional language, many of whom started at the school speaking little or no English; • the considerable disruption to the learning of English and learning in all subjects caused by the long absences of a significant minority of pupils on extended family holidays abroad; • the erratic and unpunctual attendance of traveller children.

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ENGLISH

65. In the National Curriculum tests in 2000 for pupils aged 7, the school’s performance in reading and writing was well below that of all schools. The results were well below those of similar schools in reading and below those of similar schools in writing. When compared with all schools, the percentage of pupils reaching the higher levels was very low in reading and below average in writing. When compared with similar schools, the percentages of pupils reaching the higher levels were well below BRADLEY PRIMARY SCHOOL 33 average in reading but average in writing. Over the last five years, boys have performed better than girls in both reading and writing but the 2000 results show that the gap is beginning to close. Between 1996 and 1999, there has been a decline in the reading and writing results for pupils aged 7 and although there is evidence of a rise in the results in 2000, they are still lower than they were in 1996, when the

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ENGLISH

66. When pupils enter Year 1, standards are well below average age in reading, writing, speaking and listening. Some pupils are still in the early stages of language acquisition. The attainment of most is affected by their lack of language skills or by their poor patterns of attendance. All staff work hard to teach language skills and develop pupil’s confidence, but many pupils can only speak in short phrases, which then adversely affects their ability to read and write. Pupils know that print carries meaning and is used for many purposes. They learn basic literary conventions, and recognise that a book has an author, a title and an illustrator. At the beginning of Year 1, few pupils can write their names legibly and unaided. In Years 1 and 2, they begin to recognise sounds and form letters more accurately. Although they achieve well, the standards seen in the work of pupils currently in Year 2 are below average in

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ENGLISH

spite of the very good teaching and learning support they receive.

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ENGLISH

67. The great extent of the pupil’s language deprivation means that all staff plan and encourage speaking and listening at every opportunity. Groups of Year 1 pupils confidently act out the story of the ‘Three Little Pigs’, and try hard to speak clearly in front of the class. During phonic work, Year 2 pupils enjoy reporting letter sounds to the whole group, and their audience listens and participates well. By the time they are 7, the majority of pupils’ speaking and listening skills are still well below average. In an excellent Year 6 lesson, pupils were reading poems aloud to experiment with rhythm and identify the rhymes. The teacher extended their listening skills well by asking them to listen carefully for the pattern and metre. They successfully discussed their own poems in pairs, and were keen to report to the whole class. Pupils learn to read aloud with appropriate expression, to listen carefully and to discriminate

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ENGLISH

accurately between sounds. The plenary session at the end of each lesson is well used to develop both speaking and listening skills. Pupils use their speaking and listening skills effectively in other subjects. For example, Year 5 pupils held a debate about the effects of the pedestrianisation of Nelson town centre, and when placed in the ‘hot seat’, could express and explain their opinions satisfactorily. In a religious education lesson, Year 5 pupils effectively explained the main points in different sacred texts. Year 3 pupils narrated and acted out a play about right and wrong in an assembly and the whole school listened intently throughout. Whilst pupils gain confidence to express themselves in front of an audience, their speaking and listening skills are still below average by the time they are in Year 6. The majority still use only short sentences and cannot sustain a conversation without a significant degree of

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ENGLISH

prompting. In the majority of lessons, the pupils’ very good attitudes and behaviour result in high levels of concentration that enables them to learn well.

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ENGLISH

68. Pupils achieve well in reading in Years 1 and 2. Through reading together in the literacy hour, they gain confidence and begin to develop expression as they read. However, the low reading standards and language skills mean that not all pupils can join in such activities. All pupils do, however, enjoy choosing books and listening to stories, particularly traditional tales. They are effectively taught how to read unfamiliar words and the majority begin to use effectively the technique of sounding out letters to help them decipher new words. Lower attaining pupils are not so secure in this strategy and wait for the teacher or another adult to help. Many of these pupils read mechanically and lack fluency. Middle and higher attainers begin to make sensible predictions from the text and to read with greater fluency. Many pupils throughout the school do not have access to books at home and the school compensates for this

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ENGLISH

by making home-school books available for pupils to take home weekly, although these need more resourcing. Many parents do not read English well, so pupils often read their books to older siblings or other relatives.

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ENGLISH

69. By the time they are in Year 6, most pupils have progressed significantly in their ability to read, but standards are below those expected nationally for pupils aged 11. Not all pupils understand everything they read. Many lack the skills of inferring meaning from the text, and reading remains a mechanical exercise for these pupils. Teachers are beginning to set individual targets for pupils, and encourage pupils to be aware of them, and even to set their own. Pupils speak with pleasure about the books they enjoy, and read an increasing variety of texts in their literacy work. One higher achieving Year 6 pupil chose to read ‘The secret passage’ by Nina Bawden because she thought it ‘would be a challenge to BRADLEY PRIMARY SCHOOL 34 read a mystery story’. Middle and higher achievers read fluently and confidently by Year 6, and name Enid Blyton, Michael Morpurgo, Roald Dahl and Michael Rosen as favourite authors. Other pupils

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ENGLISH

could not name authors but still enjoy traditional tales, a somewhat immature choice for pupils of this age. Pupils’ ability to work independently and to develop sound research skills is hindered by their inability to read well and apply reading skills in their other work. Few pupils use such higher order skills effectively. The analysis carried out by the co-ordinator for English shows that pupils need to build up vocabulary and explore the meaning of words and teachers pay careful attention to these elements in all lessons, including how they plan for shared and guided reading in the literacy hour.

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ENGLISH

70. There are two libraries, one for infants and one for juniors. The younger pupils have books in the TV room, and the separate, self-contained library area is off the main corridor. There is a good supply of fiction and non-fiction books. At the last inspection, few books were available to pupils. The provision of books is now adequate, but the location is not suitable for either private study or even for small groups of pupils to use because it is difficult to supervise from the classrooms. The junior library was moved into the school hall from a separate room, that is now the computer suite. The junior library contains a good range of non-fiction books, well ordered and displayed, and all catalogued in the Dewey system, but the sets of encyclopaedias are old-fashioned. Fiction books are held in classes. The hall is in constant use all day, limiting the usefulness of the library for private study and research,

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thereby limiting the opportunities for pupils to take responsibility for their own learning. There is no computer for recording loans or for cataloguing books.

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ENGLISH

71. By the age of 7, pupil’s writing skills are well below average. Lower achieving pupils in Year 1 are only just beginning to copy from the teacher’s script, and to form letters accurately and of a consistent size. Middle and higher attaining pupils develop a bold, confident style of writing, and some can write sensibly at a considerable length. Pupils learn how to use a dictionary accurately and to use speech bubbles to show what the characters in a story are saying. All pupils have regular handwriting and spelling practice, which improves their skills in these aspects of English. Pupils in Year 2 write appropriately in a wider range of styles including letter writing and descriptive writing, for example in history. Most pupils use full stops and capital letters accurately and higher attaining pupils show satisfactory development of comprehension skills as they use prepared worksheets to answer questions

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ENGLISH

about the text. Lower attaining pupils successfully make a booklet about the ‘Little Red Hen’, but do not recognise letters or their sounds well enough to use their wordbooks effectively for spellings.

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ENGLISH

72. Between the ages of 7 and 11, pupils appropriately extend their writing skills by learning how reports are presented, and how to write accurate and clear instructions. Year 3 pupils were able to deduce the meaning of unfamiliar words in the reports they read, for example ‘sanctuary’ and ‘horrific’, due to careful and skilled teaching that led them to work out the answers. Some pupils do not read or follow instructions carefully enough and this detracts from their ability to carry out a task accurately. Pupils in Year 4 acquire a greater understanding of grammatical conventions and extend their use of punctuation to include, for example, question marks, although this is inconsistent. They still require a great deal of prompting from the teacher as they write a recipe during a guided writing session and are not fully confident at carrying out such tasks. By Year 5, pupils begin to convey their feelings through the

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ENGLISH

careful choice of words in poems and know that there are different types of poems, explaining, for example, what is meant by the term ‘free poem’. They are successfully taught to classify words into ‘families’ by identifying word ‘strings’ and discriminating between sounds. Year 6 pupils make appropriate use of standard and rhyming dictionaries to write poems with a pattern. They satisfactorily improve their extended writing skills by writing, for example, autobiographies, and they develop a greater insight into characterisation. Inspection findings confirm the analysis done by the English co- ordinator, which shows that pupils’ writing lacks conjunctions, longer sentences and organisational skills. These weaknesses limit the pupils’ ability to write independently and consequently they are not being presented with sufficiently challenging opportunities to do so. This was also a finding of the last

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ENGLISH

73. The quality of teaching is good overall. The teaching of pupils aged 5 to 7 is very good and the teaching of pupils aged 7 to 11 is good. There are occasional examples of excellent teaching in both age groups, and a small amount of unsatisfactory teaching in the 7 to 11 age group. Teachers use their secure knowledge of English and of the National Literacy Strategy to plan well. They have very high expectations of what the pupils are likely to achieve, particularly in their acquisition and use of the BRADLEY PRIMARY SCHOOL 35 English language. All teachers stress good language development as a major factor in developing pupils’ learning and plan explicitly to teach the range of vocabulary pupils will need in all lessons and in all subjects. This not only helps to develop the pupils’ communication and language skills but also ensures that they can access learning in other subjects and improve their competency in literacy. Good

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ENGLISH

direct teaching of the correct grammatical conventions and letter sounds enhances the pupils’ ability to structure their work in speaking and listening, and writing and helps them to understand better what they read. Challenging, effective and demanding questions are skilfully used and adapted to meet the pupils’ different levels of prior attainment and to ensure that all pupils are enabled to participate effectively in oral sessions. Teachers build well on pupils’ prior learning to ensure that their progress is continuous. Well paced lessons maintain pupils’ interest and involvement in their learning. Careful evaluations are made after each lesson to assess how well pupils have achieved their learning objectives, and planning is adapted if necessary to address any identified areas of weakness. For example, the teacher’s evaluation of a Year 2 lesson showed that the pupils did not fully understand

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ENGLISH

what a troll was when they studied the ‘Three Billy Goats Gruff,’ so she planned some dictionary work so they could find out for themselves in the following lesson. Very good and excellent teaching challenges and inspires pupils. In the very small amount of unsatisfactory teaching seen, there was insufficient explanation of more difficult words, the teacher did not check that pupils understood the task and did not manage successfully the adverse behaviour of a small minority of pupils in the class. Teachers make very good use of all support staff, deploying them very effectively to work with specific groups of pupils. The good provision for pupils with special educational needs enables them to make good progress towards the clear targets set in their individual education plans. Appropriate homework is regularly set and helps to consolidate the work pupils do in class.

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ENGLISH

74. The management and leadership of English is very good and has led to good improvement since the last inspection. The co-ordinator very effectively uses her very good knowledge of the National Literacy Strategy to present a clear vision of how to raise standards in English. She undertakes a very thorough analysis of all test results, analyses the quality and range of pupils’ work and monitors literacy regularly to track and evaluate pupils’ performance and the quality of teaching and learning. The Literacy Action Plan for the current year is specifically targeting improvements in teaching and learning. The last inspection found that the reliability of teacher assessment needed to be improved. This issue has been satisfactorily addressed. Teacher assessments are now accurate and the procedures for assessment are good. Throughout the school, teachers make good use of the outcomes of assessment to plan further

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ENGLISH

learning for the pupils. In addition, the school uses the outcomes of the national tests to adapt the English curriculum to address specific weaknesses, for example, in spelling and handwriting. Pupils’ literacy skills are now also being promoted satisfactorily through the use of information and communications technology as they learn to word process some of their work. The designated governor for literacy frequently visits the school to check on what is happening in literacy and is well informed about all issues. There is a good range of high quality resources and they are well used throughout the school.

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MATHEMATICS

75. In the National Curriculum tests for mathematics in 2000, the performance of pupils aged 11 was well below that of all schools but broadly in line with the average for similar schools. The percentage of pupils reaching the higher level is well below all schools but is also broadly in line with the average for similar schools. Over the last five years, pupils’ performance in the tests has risen steadily, at a rate that is faster than the national trend. Only 28 per cent of eleven-year-olds reached the expected level in 1996, compared with 63 per cent in 2000. Since 1996, boys have done better than girls in the tests. However, when averaged out over the last three years, there is little difference between the attainment of boys and girls and none was noted during this inspection.

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MATHEMATICS

76. In the National Curriculum tests for pupils aged 7 in 2000, the school’s performance in mathematics was very low, placing it in the bottom 5% of all schools. The performance was well below that of similar schools. The percentage of pupils reaching the higher levels was very low in comparison to the national average and the average for similar schools. Over the last five years, boys have performed better than girls in mathematics but the 2000 results show that the gap is beginning to close. No significant differences were noted during this inspection. Between 1997 and 1999, there was a decline in the results for pupils aged 7 and although there is evidence of a significant rise in the results in 2000, they are still BRADLEY PRIMARY SCHOOL 36 lower than they were in 1996, when the school was last inspected. The percentage of seven-year-old pupils reaching level 2 (the expected level) has risen from 61 per cent in 1999 to 80 per cent in 2000,

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MATHEMATICS

although very few pupils attained the higher grade.

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MATHEMATICS

77. The standards seen in the work of pupils currently in Year 2 and Year 6 are below the national expectation for pupils aged 7 and 11. A number of factors adversely affect pupils’ attainment, for example: • the very low level of pupils’ attainment on entry to the school • the effect of parents taking pupils on long holidays abroad during term time • the erratic attendance and punctuality of traveller children. Most pupils do not fully master the language of the subject, despite the best efforts of their teachers. For example, many of the older pupils accurately answer a straightforward question such as “What is half of 64?” but find difficulty solving a problem phrased “I’m thinking of a number which when doubled makes 64, what is the number?” The higher attaining pupils often receive insufficient challenge because they are not required to think deeply about mathematics and develop a variety of strategies for solving

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MATHEMATICS

problems. Additionally, many pupils can do the mathematics calculation accurately but are slow when committing the work to paper. There is much good work going on in school. Standards are rising. Pupils at both key stages present their work well and the neatness of presentation adds to the accuracy of calculations. The school is successfully implementing the National Numeracy Strategy and this is helping to raise standards in all classes. In particular it is having a marked effect on pupils’ mental agility with number.

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MATHEMATICS

78. By Year 6, pupils have a satisfactory range of skills in paper and pencil methods of calculation. Using the traditional ways of setting down, they carry out accurately calculations involving addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. In some work, they accurately calculate to two decimal places. The teaching of pupils aged 7 to 11 is good and consequently the pupils learn well. This is particularly true in the oral part of each lesson. In the middle part of the lesson however, there are too few examples of pupils using different ways of finding answers and recording for themselves their own ways of calculating. It is in areas such as this that the pupils’ inability to apply their mathematical knowledge to problem solving adversely affects their attainment. In areas such as measuring and drawing angles, pupils attain satisfactory standards. In Year 5, the majority of pupils accurately measure angles to the

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MATHEMATICS

nearest degree and have a sound understanding of the differences between, for example, acute and obtuse angles. Much of the work in pupil’s books is accurate and clearly shows that this element of the learning is good. However, as they move through school pupils have too few opportunities to study the symmetrical properties of shape.

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MATHEMATICS

79. It is between the ages of 5 and 7 that the pupils’ lack of language skills has a significantly adverse affect on their attainment. For example, very few pupils in a Year 1 class were able to order the days of the week because they were insecure as to their names. Teachers give repeated and very effective attention to language work and are constantly reinforcing and widening pupils’ vocabulary. The teaching of pupils aged 5 to 7 is satisfactory. Pupils behave very well and little time, if any, is lost to behaviour management because of the skilful handling of pupils by their teachers. However, the pace of learning is sometimes slower than it needs to be for the higher attaining pupils, who sometimes find the work too easy and need a greater challenge. By the age of 7, pupils have a sound knowledge of different number combinations up to 10. They accurately order number up to 100 and begin to recognise number

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MATHEMATICS

sequences such as odd and even. Standards in these areas of work are improving but for many pupils, their responses are still too slow and their application of number skills in simple problem solving is weak. The suitably broad curriculum gives pupils satisfactory learning opportunities in telling the time and drawing simple column graphs of, for example, their favourite colours.

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MATHEMATICS

80. Teachers conscientiously mark the pupils’ books but apart from the very good practice seen in the books of the pupils in one of the Year 5 classes, too little attention is given to providing effective feedback to the pupils by way of extra challenge. Some marking by supply staff is inaccurate. Teachers use effective methods to support pupils with special educational needs and those with English as an additional language, including the good use of support staff. Pupils with special educational needs are sometimes withdrawn to work in smaller groups. The purpose of the withdrawal sessions are not always clear, as pupils undertake the same work as the rest of the class and miss out on the opportunity to share and extend their learning, for example, by hearing how other pupils arrive at their answers. BRADLEY PRIMARY SCHOOL 37 Effective teaching of these pupils includes asking the pupils to record their work in a simpler way, such

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MATHEMATICS

as circling the right answer. In all lessons pupils have good attitudes to their learning. They listen attentively to their teachers and each other. They are keen to answer in the oral sessions and show particular enthusiasm for this part of the lesson. Their good attitudes contribute effectively to their good achievement, despite their low levels of competency on entry to the school.

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MATHEMATICS

81. Throughout the school, too little use is made of information and communications technology. Teachers regularly miss opportunities to use the classroom-based computers to give pupils further good learning experiences in mathematics. However, some good work occurs in Year 2 and Year 5 to support the pupils’ work in handling information. In other subjects such as history and science teachers take the opportunity to broaden pupils’ knowledge and understanding of mathematics. In science, pupils have drawn graphs to illustrate the rate at which puddles dry out. In history, the pupils use time-lines, which broadens their concept of number.

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MATHEMATICS

82. The two co-ordinators lead and manage the subject well. The improved and now satisfactory assessment procedures, include the rigorous analysis of test and assessment results, the effective monitoring of teaching and of pupils’ progress and the introduction of group targets. These strategies have been very effective in raising standards, particularly in the 7 to 11 age range. There are good resources for mathematics and teachers use them effectively in their work. For example, the use of an overhead projector to teach pupils how to measure angles was very effective in ensuring the pupils knew how to do this accurately. Some delightful resources for pupils aged 5 to 7, such as the colourful ‘100 square carpets’, are used well by staff and make learning enjoyable and highly motivating for the pupils.

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SCIENCE

83. In the 2000 National Curriculum tests for science, the performance of pupils aged 11 was well below that of all schools but in line with that of similar schools. The percentage of pupils reaching the higher level is below that of all schools but above that found in similar schools. Over the last five years, pupils’ performance has risen faster than the national trend. Since 1996, there has been very little difference between the attainment of boys and girls and none was noted during this inspection. Raising standards in science was a key issues in the 1995 inspection report and the school has worked hard and successfully to address this issue. Between 1999 and 2000, the percentage of pupils reaching the expected levels in the tests rose from 55 per cent to 70 per cent. The main reasons for this improvement, which is particularly evident in the increased percentage of pupils aged 11 reaching the higher levels in

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SCIENCE

the subject, are the good quality planning, monitoring and evaluation of the subject, together with effective teaching that is having a positive effect on pupils’ attainment. The school is also successfully using assessment to identify areas of weakness and is setting targets to improve. The pupils currently

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in Year 6 are working at the nationally expected levels for their age and pupils achieve well between

84. The 2000 teacher assessments for science show that the performance of pupils aged 7 was below that of all schools but above the performance of similar schools. The percentage reaching the higher levels was well below all schools and below that found in similar schools. The standards seen in the work of pupils in Year 2 are below those expected for their age. However, given their very low starting point on entry to the school, this represents good achievement.

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in Year 6 are working at the nationally expected levels for their age and pupils achieve well between

85. Pupils with special educational needs and those for whom English is an additional language make good progress throughout the school. Teachers use effectively the language targets set in the individual education plans for pupils with special educational needs to ensure that their work in science is carefully planned to meet their particular needs. All pupils are encouraged to develop their speaking and listening skills and as a result they make effective contributions to class discussions during science lessons. Pupils for whom English is an additional language receive well targeted support from both teachers and support staff to help them acquire the relevant scientific vocabulary in order to understand the science topic being taught.

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in Year 6 are working at the nationally expected levels for their age and pupils achieve well between

86. The quality of teaching is good overall. It is good or better in 71 per cent of lessons and satisfactory in the remainder. Throughout the school, teachers plan their work very well by making effective use of a BRADLEY PRIMARY SCHOOL 38 scheme of work that is based on national guidelines. They also make good use of the information they gather from the assessment of individuals and groups of pupils to plan relevant work.

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in Year 6 are working at the nationally expected levels for their age and pupils achieve well between

87. Good and very good teaching in the 5 to 7 age range ensures that the work provided for pupils is set at a level of difficulty that will move their learning forward. For example, in Year 2 when studying electricity, pupils work in pairs and use simple apparatus safely to make bulbs light up. They know that a battery contains chemicals that change to produce electricity and most have an appropriate understanding of the fact that when the chemical change is complete, the battery will no longer work. After being introduced to the concept of an electrical circuit, the pupils rise to the added challenge from the teacher by appropriately describing their work and offering reasonable explanations as to how an electrical circuit works. Where whole class review sessions at the end of a lesson are well managed, teachers begin with a restatement of their lesson objectives, and then use well-chosen questions to test

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in Year 6 are working at the nationally expected levels for their age and pupils achieve well between

pupils’ understanding. A good example of this was when a Year 2 teacher worked with pupils to act out making and breaking an electrical circuit, by forming a circle and holding hands. Good teaching in Year 1 ensures that pupils of all levels of prior attainment are suitably challenged to make significant gains in their learning. Resources are carefully selected to meet the needs of different groups of pupils and in one lesson higher attaining pupils were required to work independently to sort objects according to whether they were magnetic or non magnetic. They did this well and after they had drawn the objects on a recording chart, they were encouraged by the teacher to select suitable words to label their drawings. At the same time, the teacher provided good support for a less able group by helping them to categorise objects according to their properties, for example rough or smooth, hard or soft, rigid or flexible and

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in Year 6 are working at the nationally expected levels for their age and pupils achieve well between

constantly required the pupils to use the correct terminology to explain why they placed objects in one category or another. The pupils were taught and acquired a sound understanding of the meaning of the word ‘transparent’ and applied this new learning effectively in their analysis and in the recording of their findings appropriately on a data sheet.

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in Year 6 are working at the nationally expected levels for their age and pupils achieve well between

88. Good teaching in the 7 to 11 age range ensures that pupils are always clear about the lesson objectives. In Year 6, the effective use of a flip chart to draw pupils’ minds to the objectives during the lesson keeps them focused, well motivated and enthusiastic throughout the lesson. This good practice ensures that pupils have a clear understanding of what is expected of them and can judge how well they are doing. The good attitudes and very good behaviour of the majority of pupils enable the lessons to proceed at a good pace and contributes to the pupils’ successful learning. Indeed the high standard of behaviour displayed by pupils throughout the school is particularly well reflected in science lessons as they respond enthusiastically but sensibly and safely to the practical nature of many of the activities. Pupils in Year 6 have a satisfactory knowledge of the way in which sound travels and undertake appropriate

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in Year 6 are working at the nationally expected levels for their age and pupils achieve well between

investigative work to help them discover that the level of pitch is influenced by both the length and the tension of a vibrating object. In response to effective questioning and prompts from the teacher, they confidently offer credible explanations for this. Pupils use a writing frame appropriately to help them record their findings but their use of the whole scientific process was not as effective as it could have been because they had not been asked to predict the outcomes of their investigations or to establish a hypothesis. Year 5 pupils are similarly challenged and respond very well during the introduction to a new topic about ’keeping healthy’. In one lesson, the teacher used effectively a brainstorming strategy to explore pupils’ existing levels of knowledge and understanding. This generated much lively debate, and in response to a pupil’s question about the causes of heart disease, the teacher skilfully digressed

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in Year 6 are working at the nationally expected levels for their age and pupils achieve well between

from her planned script to provide basic information, which was appropriate in relation to the age of the pupils. This lesson concludes with the setting of appropriate homework, requiring pupils to record their diet for a day for discussion in the next lesson. This helps the pupils to consolidate the work they had done in class and to prepare effectively for the next stage of their learning. Pupils in Year 4 show a satisfactory ability to answer questions about the relative merits of various insulating materials to keep things hot or cold. They conduct appropriate investigations with ice cubes wrapped in various materials, for example, bubble wrap, metal foil, newspaper and plastic, and are able to describe the factors that are likely to influence whether their methods will meet the requirements of a fair test. Pupils show interest in their work, sustain concentration and make good gains in their knowledge and

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in Year 6 are working at the nationally expected levels for their age and pupils achieve well between

89. Leadership and management of the subject are good because the co-ordinators have a joint and effective overview of the subject. They monitor and evaluate the quality of teaching and learning by reviewing teachers’ planning and by collecting samples of pupils’ work. This, together with the careful BRADLEY PRIMARY SCHOOL 39 use of pupil performance data, has been instrumental in the significant improvements in pupils’ attainment that have recently taken place. Regular end of topic assessments identify common strengths and weakness in pupils’ knowledge and understanding. Teachers use this information well and modify their planning to address weaknesses and to raise standards. The use made of information and communications technology (ICT) to support learning in science is unsatisfactory. However, plans are in place to address this issue now that the new ICT suite is operational. The range, quality and use of

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in Year 6 are working at the nationally expected levels for their age and pupils achieve well between

resources are good and co-ordinators plan to extend these further by the purchase of more appropriate resources for younger pupils, for example, lenses with chunky handles. This is part of the school’s campaign to encourage pupils to be more curious about the world around them. Although the quality of teachers’ science displays is good, insufficient use is made of pupils’ work in the 7 to 11 age range to emphasise the importance of the subject and enable pupils to learn from what others have done. There has been good improvement in science since the last inspection.

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ART AND DESIGN

90. The attainment of pupils aged 7 and 11 is higher than expected for their age. Their achievement in art is good. Observational drawing skills are very strong. Pupils are very effectively taught to observe closely and to describe in words and in drawings, the detail they see in objects presented to them. This enhances both their art and their literacy skills. From Year 1, the pupils practise their drawing skills very effectively in their sketchbooks, using viewfinders to observe detail more closely and to learn how to represent distance in their work. Pupils in Year 2 apply these skills very well in their observational drawings of an arrangement of plastic fruit and, prompted by effective questioning from the teacher, describe accurately how the colours change depending on where the light falls on the fruit and whether a particular fruit is placed at the front or the back of the group. They also use shading well to recreate

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ART AND DESIGN

the texture of a large shell using different qualities of pencils. The folder of observational drawings of pupils’ shoes shows the very good progression in this aspect of art.

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ART AND DESIGN

91. Pupils in Year 4 sustain high levels of concentration and motivation as they work on their theme of journeys. Having explored the theme in various ways, including taking pictures of their journey around and to school, they compared their findings with the way other artists had depicted journeys of different kinds. The art gallery created in one area of the classroom on which the work of the various artists is displayed, greatly enhances the pupils’ understanding. They confidently explain why they chose the shapes that they abstracted from their earlier observed work and from the photographs they took, to produce creative and imaginative pieces of art using printmaking. As they re-create some of this work in the style of aboriginal art, they show a good understanding of the limited range of colours they can use and of the symbolism of some of the colours. The teacher’s very good planning indicates that the pupils

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ART AND DESIGN

will move on to further representations of this work using the computer. The pupils in this class very effectively apply their good knowledge of how to use line, shape, space and colour in a computer program which the teacher uses to develop good mouse control and the ability to fill areas of a picture with colour.

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ART AND DESIGN

92. It is not possible to make a secure overall judgement on the quality of teaching throughout the school because only two lessons were observed where teachers directly taught art. In both lessons the teaching was very good. The lessons were very well planned and the teachers’ very effective circulation, probing questioning and sensitive suggestions kept pupils working hard because they were very clear about how well they were doing and what they needed to do to improve. The constant reinforcement of the need to use the correct terminology extended pupils’ vocabulary well. Art makes a very good contribution to the pupils’ spiritual, moral, social, cultural and personal development as they learn how, for example, artists in different times and cultures used their art to communicate the meaning of journeys, and how they represented the beauty of the world around them. In the Year 4 lesson, the teacher used the pupils’ own work very effectively in this way and a pupil described why she had used

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ART AND DESIGN

the symbol of a pigeon on her journey because it reminded her of a journey she frequently made with her granddad. Pupils take very good care of the materials and equipment they use and respect the work and opinions of others in their class when evaluating their work. This helps them to improve their own work and gain a deeper understanding of art. BRADLEY PRIMARY SCHOOL 40 93. This subject is very well led. The very enthusiastic and well qualified art co-ordinator provides very effective guidance for teachers as to what to teach and how to assess pupils’ work. The very well planned curriculum, based on national guidance, ensures that pupils’ learning is continuous as they move through the school and there is clear evidence of this in the school portfolios. These show the very good range of worthwhile experiences offered to pupils during their time in the school. Although they are not annotated to show the levels at which the pupils are working, the co-ordinator has

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ART AND DESIGN

provided teachers with very effective guidance as to why the particular pieces are included and what they say about the standard of pupils’ work. Assessment procedures are satisfactory and there is clear evidence in the evaluations in teachers’ planning, that they use the outcomes of assessment to plan further work for the pupils. There has been good improvement in art since the last inspection.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

94. Standards in design and technology are as expected for pupils aged 7 and 11. There has been good improvement in design and technology since the last inspection. The school has sensibly adopted much of the advice in the most recent national guidelines for the subject.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

95. The quality of teaching is good overall, although the teaching of pupils aged 5 to 7 is very good because there is greater attention to the detail of the work and to forward planning. As pupils move through school, they study a variety of topics, for example, structures, packaging, puppets, sandwiches, and musical instruments. These topics give pupils a rich range of experiences, which enables them to work with many different types of materials. The teachers follow a common approach to the way they teach the subject. This helps to ensure that the pupils’ learning is continuous. The work always builds on pupils’ previous experiences. Before pupils design and make things for themselves the teachers ensure that they have the chance to study similar products made by other people. For example, pupils in Year 2 design and make finger puppets only after they have had the opportunity to handle and talk

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

about a lovely collection of different puppets. The pupils can describe the materials used to make the puppets. They accurately identify how they are made and why. They know and point out where the puppeteer used stitching or where parts of the puppet are joined using glue. They appropriately select stiff material to make the crest of the bird, and eyes that wiggle to make the puppet look funny. The good questioning skills of teachers ensures the good development of pupils’ knowledge, for example, “What is it made of?” “Why is it made like this?” “How could it be changed?”

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

96. Throughout the school, a wide range of appropriate skills is taught well. Pupils learn to sew, to join using different media, to cut, measure and score. The skills are taught in the context of the topic being studied. For example, pupils in Year 3 practise scoring skills before they make their boxes and have the opportunity to see how various three-dimensional boxes can be broken down into two-dimensional nets. Pupils in Year 2 practise sewing skills on open weave fabrics using running stitch and cross stitch, in readiness for puppet making. These are good learning experiences for the pupils. They listen attentively to each other’s ideas, co-operate and share resources, waiting patiently for what they need. These good attitudes, combined with most pupils’ very good behaviour, contribute positively to their good achievement in the subject. In discussions pupils are attentive. Pupils often work in mixed ability

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

groups and pupils with special educational needs receive good support. Often the extra help given is in the form of additional adult support or by teachers providing additional guidance, a word list for example, to help them with the spelling of the materials.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

97. By the time pupils reach Year 6 they realise that designs sometimes have conflicting requirements. For example, in discussion with the pupils, they showed that they understood that while a waterproof material was essential for making a tent, some waterproof materials might not be the most suitable because of their weight or cost. Pupils throughout the school show good levels of achievement. The detail of some of their finished products demonstrates this clearly. Pupils in Year 5 have made a range of good quality musical instruments that demonstrate in their sound boxes for stringed instruments, their good attention to detail.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

98. The subject is well led and managed. There is clear guidance as to what should be taught and when. The co-ordinator oversees teachers’ planning to ensure that teachers follow a common approach because this significantly influences the pupils’ good achievements. The school has a good range of resources that are used well to teach the subject. BRADLEY PRIMARY SCHOOL 41

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GEOGRAPHY

99. Because of the way the teaching of geography topics is organised for pupils aged 5 to 7, it was not possible to observe any lessons in this age group. Judgements about attainment and achievement are therefore securely based on evidence obtained from discussions with pupils, from an analysis of their previous work and from work on display. From a very low starting point when they enter school, pupils aged between 5 and 7 achieve well. However, the standards seen in the work of pupils currently in Year 2 are below those expected for their age. It is not possible to make a judgement on the quality of teaching in this age group. Pupils’ attainment in geography is as expected for their ages by the time they are in Year 6. Pupils aged between 7 and 11 achieve well in this subject and the quality of teaching is good in this age range. This confirms that standards have been maintained since the last inspection.

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GEOGRAPHY

100. For the majority of pupils, English is an additional language and they have to overcome the barrier of learning English in order to make sufficient progress in geography. This is particularly noticeable in the work of pupils aged between 5 and 7. However, pupils with English as an additional language and those with special educational needs make good progress because teachers have a good awareness of the language targets set for them. The teachers are always careful to use accurate geographical vocabulary and constantly check that the pupils know, understand and use it correctly. This makes an effective contribution to the pupils’ attainment.

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GEOGRAPHY

101. Pupils aged between 5 and 7 acquire satisfactory mapping skills and use these to link people to their workplaces, for example, they correctly place the vicar in the church and the nurse in the hospital. Following a walk around the area, they drew reasonably accurate maps to show where the local shops, the Mosque, the supermarket and the school are situated. Higher attaining pupils in Year 1 accurately record their journey from home to school on their maps and pupils have undertaken a survey of the immediate area around the school and have recorded their findings appropriately. They also investigated local businesses and discovered that some buildings have undergone a change of use. For example, the old swimming pool is now a shop selling textiles. Pupils record their findings in a range of ways and use their speaking and listening skills appropriately to discuss and communicate their findings and also use pictures, charts and writing to record their work.

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GEOGRAPHY

102. The teachers of pupils aged 7 to 11 build well on this early foundation. They use their secure subject knowledge well to plan appropriate work and to extend pupils’ responses to their effective questioning. Good teaching ensures that lessons move at a brisk pace and that all pupils are suitably involved in all parts of the lesson. Pupils respond by concentrating well and working collaboratively when given the opportunity. Teachers use an appropriate range of strategies to develop pupils’ geographical knowledge and understanding. For example, as pupils in Year 3 study hot and cold climates, teachers effectively use visual aids, maps and atlases to stimulate discussion and promote learning. Pupils who are learning about the Amazon rainforest develop a sound range of subject specific vocabulary and confidently use words such as ‘temperature’, ‘tropical’, ‘climate’, ‘habitat’ and ‘environment’. They

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GEOGRAPHY

accurately locate the Amazon basin on a large scale map and enjoy participating in the whole group activity by coming out to the front of the class to identify different places on a large inflatable globe. Carefully constructed worksheets ensure that pupils of all levels of prior attainment are suitably challenged, although they do restrict the opportunities for pupils to write more freely to record their learning. As pupils in Year 4 study the village of Chembakoli in India, they successfully compare life in their own town with that in the Indian village. The teacher skilfully draws on the first hand experiences that many pupils have gained on their visits to Pakistan to bring the lesson alive. Pupils contribute willingly to the discussion and demonstrate a high level of knowledge and understanding when discussing, for example, the problems associated with water supply in rural locations. Pupils develop

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GEOGRAPHY

good co-operative skills as they work in pairs to write about what they have learned and this activity also makes a significant contribution to the development of literacy. Pupils in Year 5 also use their literacy skills well as, following the collection of first hand evidence during a street survey, they debate the effects of pedestrianisation on Nelson town centre and the advantages and disadvantages of it for special interest groups such as disabled people and mothers with pushchairs. This work also contributes well to the development of citizenship as the pupils realise that they can make their voices heard in local issues. The quality of teacher intervention in the debate is high, leading to very BRADLEY PRIMARY SCHOOL 42 successful learning. No lessons were seen in Year 6 but pupils’ work shows that the good achievement continues and that they attain satisfactory standards in their work.

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GEOGRAPHY

103. Subject leadership and management are good. Both co-ordinators have carried out some monitoring of their subject, by checking teachers’ planning and analysing samples of pupils’ work. The scheme of work outlines the progressive development of geographical skills and assessment procedures are satisfactory. Literacy skills are successfully enhanced in this subject through discussions and debates, descriptive writing and labelling. Numeracy is developed satisfactorily through studying map co- ordinates and graphs. The use made of information and communications technology (ICT) to support learning in geography is unsatisfactory. However, sound plans are in place to address this issue now that the new ICT suite is operational. The subject makes a valuable contribution to pupils’ personal development and a sound contribution to their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. The previous inspection identified that resources for pupils aged 5 to 7 needed supplementing to include

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GEOGRAPHY

plans, maps, videos and posters. This issue has been appropriately addressed.

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HISTORY

104. During the inspection it was not possible to observe any lessons in the 5 to 7 age range and only three lessons were observed in the 7 to 11 age range. An analysis of pupils’ work and teacher’s planning and discussions with pupils provide sound evidence that standards in history are below those expected for pupils’ ages. In the last inspection standards were judged to be in line with national expectations. From a very low starting point in their knowledge and understanding of the world on entry to school and the fact that a high number of pupils have English as an additional language, their achievement is good. This is also true for pupils with special educational needs. The school has worked hard to address the weaknesses identified in the last inspection by introducing a scheme of work that clearly reflects the National Curriculum Programmes of Study. There is now less reliance on worksheets and a much wider

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HISTORY

use of artefacts, which shows an improvement on the findings of the last inspection.

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HISTORY

105. In the work of pupils aged 5 to 7, it is clear that they are presented with a good range of worthwhile learning experiences. They accurately sequence pictures on a time line that shows when the Great Fire of London occurred. They demonstrate a sound ability to find out from pictures, the major features of a street scene in 1666. They accurately assess some of the differences between then and now by describing what they see, for example, a water pump, no drainpipes and wooden houses. Higher attaining pupils record their findings appropriately using simple sentences. These research skills are effectively built upon in Year 3 as pupils study the Roman period and begin to discover why the Romans invaded Britain. This work is successful because the teacher uses her very good subject knowledge to good effect by asking pupils challenging questions and introduces appropriate artefacts and visual aids to keep pupils’ highly motivated and enthusiastic to learn. Pupils in Year 6 confidently

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HISTORY

and accurately describe characteristics of past periods and societies and show that they recognise changes within them, as seen in a study of the Victorians. Pupils’ literacy skills are further enhanced as they produce a list of questions about the period that they would like others to answer. The teacher provides a good range of books, photographs, a CD ROM and other Victorian artefacts to guide pupils as they find out more about the past. The pupils’ good attitudes to the subject, and their very good behaviour, mean that they take good care of the books and artefacts, and use them well in their work. Pupils make sensible suggestions about how each artefact might have been used, decide what might be the modern day equivalent and complete a simple table with their findings. They use their own prior knowledge very well in this subject. For example, a group of pupils examining an abacus knew that it

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HISTORY

was used for counting because they had seen them used in a school in Pakistan. The subject makes a good contribution to pupils’ spiritual and cultural development as they reflect on what happened in the past, how historical events affected peoples’ lives, and how they continue to influence the present. Pupils in Year 6 develop a sound understanding of English heritage through their study of life in Victorian times.

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HISTORY

106. In the three lessons seen, the quality of teaching was good in one and satisfactory in the other two. Pupils’ learning is much influenced by the good questioning skills used by teachers to extend the pupils’ oral skills and to assess their understanding. Because of the limited communication skills of a significant number of pupils, teachers often use questions that require a specific answer, rather than open-ended questions, which provide opportunities for an extended response. While this is appropriate BRADLEY PRIMARY SCHOOL 43 for some pupils, for others it means that their learning is not extended as well as it could be. The same limited communication skills also inhibit pupils’ ability to develop and utilise an appropriate range of research and reference skills, factors that are essential for the successful study of history. In written recording, there is an emphasis on finding the missing word in a sentence, completing sentences and

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HISTORY

writing answers to a series of questions. These activities make a sound contribution to the acquisition of literacy comprehension skills but do not allow the higher attaining pupils enough opportunities to make a personal written response to their historical studies.

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HISTORY

107. Subject leadership and management are good. The two co-ordinators are well informed and forward- looking. There is a sound policy and a good scheme of work for the subject. National guidelines are used to good effect throughout the school and these, along with the scheme of work, have a positive impact on teacher’s planning and pupils’ learning. The co-ordinators check teachers’ planning, sample pupils’ work to ascertain coverage and standards, and provide good informal support to their colleagues when necessary. Resources are good and well used by both teachers and pupils. The exception is information and communications technology, an omission the school has sound plans to address as the new computer suite and the computers available in classrooms become more effectively used.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

108. Pupils’ attainment in information and communications technology (ICT) is below that expected nationally for pupils aged 7 and 11 and they do not achieve well enough in this subject. There has been a decline in standards since the previous inspection. Until recently the teaching of the subject has been erratic and the learning undertaken in one class has not been successfully built upon in other classes. For example, pupils aged 5 to 7 are successfully introduced to control technology but teachers of older pupils do not build upon the work as pupils move up the school. Until this school year, pupils did not receive a broad and balanced curriculum. However, the new computer suite has sufficient computers to enable the teachers to teach a whole class at the same time. Each class now has a weekly lesson in the computer suite and the teaching is good. All pupils are now making rapid progress in their learning.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

Nevertheless, there are too many missed opportunities to use the classroom computers to reinforce skills taught in the computer suite and to support pupils’ work in other subjects.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

109. Throughout the school, the present strength in this new provision is in the use of computers for word- processing. In a short space of time, the majority of pupils have learned how to log on correctly to the new computers. Pupils aged 5 to 7 are already able to select different fonts when word-processing and know how to save their work to their class directory. Older pupils in the 7 to 11 age range know how to use the software to set out their writing in the form of a letter and they edit their work skilfully. Some of the higher order skills such as combining text and pictures have yet to be learned. In both age groups, pupils have had the opportunity to use graphic software to draw pictures. Pupils aged 5 to 7 have used this software to create pictures in the style of Jackson Pollock. In doing so, they are successfully developing their skills in using the mouse and are both reinforcing and extending their knowledge of the

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

potential of the software. Pupils confidently print out the work for themselves by accessing the appropriate part of the toolbar. In Years 5 and 6 pupils have created drawings, for example, a plan of their classroom. However, the difference in standards across the year groups is small, as pupils in the past have had far too few opportunities to use the computers based in the classrooms.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

110. Since the computer suite has been operational, the pupils’ learning experiences have improved vastly. In addition to the word-processing and graphic work already mentioned, pupils in Years 2 and 5 are currently learning how to use spreadsheets for data handling. The teaching of the subject, in the computer suite, is good. The teachers are confident and they often have the valuable support of a knowledgeable classroom assistant. Much of the teaching is lively and engaging and the work undertaken builds carefully on the pupils’ previous lessons. This makes the learning good. Pupils usually work in pairs supporting each other. They are patient to take turns and their behaviour is very good. The teachers are establishing good working routines, for example, the way in which pupils regularly save their work and shut down the systems so that they are ready for the next group. Pupils are successfully encouraged to try things out for themselves before seeking the help of an adult. In this

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

way they are becoming more responsible for their own learning. A pair of pupils in Year 5, when working on a spreadsheet, decided that it was appropriate to give titles to the cell columns. This is an BRADLEY PRIMARY SCHOOL 44 encouraging sign of pupils beginning to use their own initiative. Year 6 pupils have successfully accessed information from the Internet. The teacher provided the pupils with a well-written support sheet of instructions together with some web-site addresses for them to explore. Pupils were able to locate the information and print it out. They were greatly excited by locating these geographical and sporting web-sites for themselves.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

111. In recent months, much of the time of the subject manager has been given to overseeing the development of the computer suite. The school has adopted the most recent guidelines for the teaching of the subject but does not yet have any systematic way of assessing pupils’ progress or achievement in the subject. The new resources and the teachers’ effective use of the new guidelines are having a substantial impact on raising standards. However, adequate consideration has not yet been given to providing the teachers with clear guidance as to when each topic is to be taught in order to ensure that pupils receive a broad and balanced curriculum, which builds on previous learning over time. Plans are in place to raise further the expertise of staff and there are outline plans for further improvements in resources. The subject is well placed for further development.

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MUSIC

112. During the inspection, six music lessons were observed, and the ocarina group was visited. Pupils’ attainment is below that expected for pupils aged 7 and 11 but the achievement of all pupils, including those with special educational needs and those for whom English is an additional language, is satisfactory. Many pupils do not hear music outside school, and some are not allowed to listen or dance to music because of their cultural beliefs. This limits their experience and development of rhythm, particularly as many do not learn rhythm through repeating traditional nursery rhymes or songs in English. The quality of teaching is satisfactory overall, although it is very good in the 5 to 7 age range. There was some unsatisfactory teaching in Year 6 when a teacher other than the regular class teacher was taking the class. This teacher failed to take control of the class at the beginning of the lesson. A

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MUSIC

small but significant minority of pupils did not participate in the lesson and learned very little from it. There was no unsatisfactory teaching at the last inspection, but there were also fewer examples of good teaching at that time.

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MUSIC

113. Pupils in Year 1 learn to differentiate appropriately between fast and slow sounds and loud and quiet sounds as they sing a familiar song several times, changing the rhythm and the volume each time. Most pupils clap in time to the beat and successfully recognise changes of rhythm as they make the noise of a train at different speeds and listen to the sound of a clock. The very good teaching in a Year 2 lesson, which included good demonstrations by the teacher and the highly motivating use of puppets, led to pupils to being able to work successfully in pairs to sing and recite nursery songs and rhymes in the voices of the different characters. The pupils responded very well to this and enjoyed exploring how to alter their voices. The teacher also made good use of the activity to correct pupils’ pronunciation and to build their confidence to speak and sing in front of others. The very good behaviour of the pupils and

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MUSIC

the very effective challenge to pupils’ creative and language skills led to very good learning in this lesson because pupils were very clear about what they had to do.

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MUSIC

114. Teachers of pupils aged 7 to 11 build effectively on the pupils’ earlier learning. Pupils in Year 3 respond well to listening to music. Good questioning and appropriate listening activities enable them to recognise and describe how composers combine musical elements to paint a picture. For example, they used accurately the key vocabulary they were taught at the beginning of the lesson, namely, ‘composer’, ‘pitch’, ‘tempo’ and ‘dynamics’ to describe the different uses Saint Saens made of musical elements in the elephant and the swan from Carnival of the Animals. The majority of pupils in a Year 6 class identify accurately, slow, moderate and fast tempos in Mendelssohn’s Midsummer Night’s Dream. They recognise that a composer uses music to create a picture in the same way as an author uses words to create a story, and reflect appropriately on what the music says to them, confidently suggesting

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MUSIC

squirrels, butterflies and birds. However, in this class, a significant minority of pupils do not relate to the music and because the teacher fails to involve them effectively in it, they gain little from the listening activity. As pupils in Year 4 work together in pairs to compose an accompaniment to a familiar song, BRADLEY PRIMARY SCHOOL 45 they use a suitable selection of untuned percussion instruments. They sing along enthusiastically, with a little variation in pitch and rhythm, but few pairs can successfully plan and develop an accompaniment. When singing ‘London’s Burning’, pupils in Year 5 recognise if a note sounds too high or too low and, even if they cannot say what it should be, they make good attempts to find it on a glockenspiel. In the best lessons, good teaching effectively extends and develops pupil’s musical awareness. In other lessons, pupil’s musical knowledge progresses slowly because teachers lack

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MUSIC

confidence and miss opportunities to allow pupils to explore the range of sounds available from different instruments.

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MUSIC

115. The two co-ordinators lead and manage the subject satisfactorily, but do not undertake any monitoring of teaching or learning. The school is beginning to use the nationally recommended scheme of work for music. Work was previously based on a commercially published scheme, which provides tapes and lesson plans but no longer fully meets curriculum requirements. The accompanying books are dated and worn, and do not appeal to the pupils. As yet the new scheme has not been adapted for the school’s needs and elements of it are being tried out in different year groups. The provision of resources has improved since the last inspection, and the school now has a satisfactory amount of tuned and untuned instruments for all age groups, including an appropriate selection of CDs. Music makes a satisfactory contribution to pupil’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. There is no evidence of the

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MUSIC

appropriate use of information and communications technology in this subject. Extra-curricular activities are limited to the infant ocarina group and the school choir.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

116. Standards for pupils aged 7 and 11 in dance, games and gymnastics are broadly typical for their age. All pupils, including those with special educational needs, and those for whom English is an additional language, show sound achievement in these strands in relation to their prior attainment. The majority of pupils have limited previous experience of swimming and a significant number of pupils do not reach the expected attainment levels by the age of 11. Single sex swimming takes place to accommodate the cultural beliefs of the school’s Muslim families. Planning for outdoor and adventurous activities is under developed. The picture is similar to that reported in the last inspection. However, at that time, it was found that certain resources were in need of replacement. This is no longer the case as the quality and quantity of resources available for physical education are now good, well stored and well used.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

During the inspection they were suitably enhanced by the delivery of Top Sport and Top Play equipment.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

117. By the age of 7, most pupils show enthusiasm for physical education and listen carefully to instructions. In dance, Year 2 pupils make slow, controlled, graceful arm movements to music. They develop good co- operation skills through “mirroring” their movements with a partner. Pupils in Year 5 develop heavy movements with their arms, body and legs while moving around the hall to appropriate music. Their movements are successful because the teacher gives time for practice and refinement. Dance makes a good contribution to pupils’ spiritual and cultural development. In a gymnastics lesson, pupils in Year 3 successfully link three curled shapes to make a suitable sequence on the floor and then respond well to the extra challenge to create a similar sequence on benches, boxes, tables and mats. This suitably extends their range of curling shapes and the more confident pupils are more adventurous. Year 6 pupils

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

sensitively evaluate each other’s work to improve the quality of their movements. For example, in a lesson where they perform symmetrical shapes on the floor and on the large apparatus pupils observe that “toes need to point more” and “knees ought to be tucked up high.” The subject makes a good contribution to pupils’ social development as they learn to relate to others and take responsibility. For example, pupils work successfully in pairs and in groups and all through school they are made responsible for carrying, setting out and checking large apparatus in gymnastics lessons. All pupils are aware of the need to stretch muscles prior to vigorous exercise and pupils in Year 6 understand the benefits of a raised heartbeat to healthy living.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

118. The quality of teaching is good and has a positive impact on pupils’ achievement. Effective planning results in lessons that successfully develop pupils’ skills step by step. Teachers successfully transmit their enthusiasm for the subject to the pupils. They have appropriately high expectations of what pupils can achieve and pupils respond well to these by being eager to please, concentrating on the task set and working quietly. The pupils’ good behaviour contributes well to their learning. Teachers give clear BRADLEY PRIMARY SCHOOL 46 instructions and explanations that help pupils to understand what they have to do. When appropriate, they use bilingual support to explain, in the pupils’ first language, any new vocabulary associated with the activities to be undertaken. This was seen in a Year 1 dance lesson when pupils had the meaning of “knitting” and “typing” explained and demonstrated for reinforcement. Teachers effectively

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

demonstrate the correct techniques, such as those required to ensure appropriate landings. They give praise and encouragement, which motivates pupils to try harder. In the best lessons, teachers very effectively encourage pupils to evaluate their own and other pupils’ efforts to help them understand how well they are achieving and what they need to do to improve. This does not, however, happen in all lessons. Physical education lessons are relatively short. Consequently teachers tend to rush some elements of some lessons, especially warm up sessions and the amount of time given for practising skills.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

119. Subject leadership is good. The two co-ordinators are well informed and enthusiastic. There is an appropriate policy for the subject and a very effective new scheme of work is being implemented that provides very good guidance for teachers’ planning. The co-ordinators check teachers’ medium term planning. Lesson observations have been carried out and this has resulted in a very useful set of photographs that are used as examples of the standards pupils can attain. Informal support is given to teachers when necessary to help them plan their lessons.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

120. Pupils in Year 6 are working at the levels expected for their age as set out in the locally agreed syllabus for religious education. The work of pupils in Year 2 is below the expectations for their age. Daily acts of collective worship, which are of a broadly spiritual character, assist pupils to develop an awareness of the nature of prayer and to reflect on issues that touch their lives. During the inspection, pupils were studying aspects of Christianity. Yearly plans show good provision for the study of other faiths. All pupils have access to the religious education curriculum on offer and pupils with special educational needs, and those for whom English is an additional language, make good progress. Religious education makes a particularly valuable contribution to pupils’ personal development and a good contribution to their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. It is clear that the recent introduction of the

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

personal, social and health education programme has made a very positive contribution to pupils’ achievement in religious education. Pupils achieve well throughout the school. Their attitudes to the subject are good and their behaviour is very good, enabling them to learn well and to respect and value the opinions of others.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

121. By the age of 7, pupils know about places of worship in different religious faiths, for example, a church and a Mosque. They acquire a sound understanding of the main elements of Buddhism and the importance of the Eight Fold Path in that religion. Pupils in Year 1 learn about the Christian nativity and higher attainers describe appropriately the characters in the story. In a very good lesson with pupils in Year 2, as the teacher reads the story of the angel appearing to Zaccharias a Muslim pupil likens the story to the visit of the angel to Mohammed, a story he had heard at the Mosque school. The teacher seizes the opportunity to build on this and uses her own very good knowledge and understanding to involve the pupils in some effective multi-faith learning. For example, she extends the work into a discussion of the significance of holy books in the two religions and all pupils willingly and confidently

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

contribute to the discussion, thereby consolidating and extending their learning. In the two lessons seen in this age group, teaching was satisfactory in one and very good in the other.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

122. The quality of teaching is good in the 7 to 11 age range and occasionally very good. The teachers’ good planning is firmly based on the requirements of the locally agreed syllabus and provides a good range of opportunities for pupils to compare the similarities and differences between different religions and how they affect the lives of the people who follow them. Pupils in Year 4 consider the importance of Advent to Christian people. The teacher establishes very clear links between Advent and Christmas, and the Muslim pupils’ celebrations of Eid and Ramadan as times when people think of others. Pupils offer their thoughts and ideas confidently and spontaneously, showing that they understand that there are others less fortunate than themselves. Teachers make good use of cross curricular opportunities and in a Year 4 geography lesson, for example, when pupils are comparing life in an Indian village with their

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

home town of Nelson, several comment about how their school feels a safe place because of the way everyone accepts and respects each other’s religious beliefs. Pupils in Year 3 listen attentively as they BRADLEY PRIMARY SCHOOL 47 are told of Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem. The teacher challenges them to imagine how Mary must have felt when she realised there was no room at the inn. Pupils respond with some very good vocabulary, for example, ‘apprehensive’, ‘frightened’, ‘lonely’. They then reflect appropriately on parallel situations in their own lives and discuss how they would feel if they were rejected by a friend or turned away from a party. Sensitive teaching leads pupils to confront their own behaviour by ‘making room’ for others when they want to join in a game at school. In their learning about sacred texts and having been reminded that this term’s text is the Bible, pupils discuss the Christmas story of the wise

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

men and shepherds. Their understanding increases as, through discussion and debate, they come to an appreciation of the symbolism of the story.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

123. Two enthusiastic and committed co-ordinators manage the subject well. There is a clear whole school policy that is based on the Lancashire agreed syllabus, which is currently due for revision. Although there is some evidence of assessment being used to guide teacher’s planning, procedures to track pupil’s progress and measure standards are not yet fully in place. The use made of information and communications technology to support learning in religious education is unsatisfactory. However, plans are in place to address this issue now that the new information and communications technology suite is operational. Resources for learning are satisfactory, and the school benefits from being the home base for the resources and artefacts shared by the Pendle Centre of Religious Education. Literacy is successfully enhanced through this subject through descriptive and reflective writing. The previous inspection identified that too few opportunities were provided for class discussion or pupil interaction.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

This omission has been fully rectified. Teachers make very good use of the opportunities available to develop speaking and listening skills through debate, discussion and role-play. This is a particular strength within the teaching of the subject, which makes a significant contribution to the good achievement of pupils.

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