Wellington Primary School

WELLINGTON PRIMARY SCHOOL

Full 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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WELLINGTON 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. Wellington Primary School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Sutton Lane, Hounslow, Middlesex.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The governing body

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Mrs Sue Lewry

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 15 June 1998 Wellington Primary School - 4

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities Equal opportunities Special educational needs 12487 John Lilly Registered inspector

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

English as an additional language Attainment and progress Teaching Curriculum and provision for personal development Leadership and management 9115 Terry Clarke Lay inspector Attitudes Care, guidance and welfare Partnership with parents Foundation Stage 27736 Jeremy Collins Team inspector Science English Design and technology 3162 Philip O’Neill Team inspector

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Physical education Mathematics Information and communication technology 27895 Margaret Skinner Team inspector

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Music Art and design Geography History 15372 Patricia Walker Team inspector

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Religious education Wellington Primary School - 5 The inspection contractor was:

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Open Book Inspections 6 East Point High Street, Seal Sevenoaks Kent TN15 0EG

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Wellington Primary School - 6

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REPORT CONTENTS

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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PART B: COMMENTARY

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

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HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER

OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS? 18 - 22

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HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS? 22 - 26

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED? 28 - 30

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER? 31 - 32

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS 33 - 36

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PART D: THE STANDARDS AND QUALITY OF TEACHING IN

AREAS OF THE CURRICULUM, SUBJECTS AND COURSES 37 - 60 Wellington Primary School - 7

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Wellington is a large primary school with 421 boys and girls on roll between the ages of 3 and 11. A much higher than average proportion of the pupils are learning or already use English as an additional language (56 per cent), and a significant number of these pupils are recent arrivals from other countries. The main languages spoken by all these pupils at home are Urdu, Punjabi, Gujerati and Arabic, although there are several other languages represented. There is a high proportion of pupils with special educational needs, including those with statements. A high percentage of pupils are eligible for free school meals, and a much higher than average number of pupils join or leave the school other than at the Foundation Stage and at the end of Year 6. The pupils come mainly from the immediate locality of the school, an area of mixed social and owner-occupied housing. Compared with the national picture, most pupils come from homes that are significantly less socially and

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

economically favoured than average. Most pupils join the school with lower than average attainment, and many with attainment that is very low for their ages. The school has recently received a government Achievement Award for improvement.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

The school’s aims include: to provide a caring and committed community in which high achievement is possible for all pupils, a community based upon working in partnership with others, and to celebrate the many cultures in the school and ensure equality of opportunity for all. The school’s improvement plan sets as priorities: the curriculum, staff development, information and communication technology and improvements to the buildings.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

Wellington is a good and improving school. The school is well led and managed. Governors and staff are determined to provide the best possible education for all pupils and, consequently, both teaching and the progress of pupils are good. Pupils are keen to come to school and work hard, and relationships within the school are excellent. Pupils say they have a deep affection for their school and teachers, because the school is like a good family certain of where it is going, strong in its values, sharing success and failure, and caring for all its members. Standards are higher than in schools facing similar demands, becoming better year-on-year, and are well set to go on improving. The school offers good value for money.

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What the school does well

• The strong leadership of the headteacher and deputy headteacher is at the heart of a committed team of staff and governors who continue to raise the quality of education significantly. • Teaching is good and often very good or excellent. • Teachers and teaching assistants ensure that pupils make good progress, especially in mathematics. • The high quality administration team underpins the effectiveness of the school. • The provision for the personal development of all pupils is very good. • The school makes very good provision for pupils learning English as an additional language, an example of the way the school ensures that all pupils have equal opportunities to achieve. • The especially good provision at the Foundation Stage and in Year 6 ensures that pupils make a very good start to their schooling and, subsequently, are well prepared to move on to secondary education. Wellington Primary School - 8

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What could be improved

• The good planning, policies and procedures in place should be used to full effect and further developed, especially assessment. • More consistency is needed in teaching, resources for learning, and leadership of subjects. • The development of pupils’ speaking and listening skills should be enhanced and related more securely to the development of writing and reading. • Governors need to continue their efforts to improve the unsatisfactory and poor accommodation. 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

At the previous inspection in June 1998, the school was found to have serious weaknesses. Due to the determination and hard work of senior management, staff and governors, improvement since that time has been good. The school now provides good quality education. Management is now good and leadership strong. Planning is comprehensive, relevant and a secure basis for both day-to-day work and also future improvement. Assessment now plays a central and growing part in raising standards, and teaching is more effective. Standards of attainment are rising and performance in national tests is better than the average for similar schools. The school has come a long way in a short time, even though it has faced increasing problems, for instance the increase in pupils arriving from other countries. The school recognises that there is still work to be done, and has the strong will and secure capabilities to improve further.

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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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STANDARDS

Performance in: all schools similar schools Key

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STANDARDS

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

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STANDARDS

In national tests and assessments for pupils aged seven in 2000, pupils achieved standards in reading that were below the national average and standards well below average in writing. In mathematics they were above average. However, children enter the school with low attainment and progress up to age seven is at least satisfactory and for most pupils good. Despite the prior attainment of pupils having declined in recent years, the performance of the school is improving, a picture not made clear by simple grades. In national tests for pupils aged eleven, there is a picture of steady improvement. Grades that compare Wellington’s results with similar schools should be treated with caution because official comparison is based upon eligibility for free school meals alone; it does not take into account other important factors such as the high proportion of pupils with low-attainment joining the school later than the Foundation Stage. When compared with schools in truly

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STANDARDS

Wellington Primary School - 9 similar circumstances, performance in reading and mathematics by pupils aged seven in 2000 was well above the average, and above average in writing. By the time pupils were eleven, performance in English was above this average, and in mathematics and science it was well above. This shows that pupils made good progress throughout the school, although further improvement in English is necessary. The attainments of current pupils aged seven and eleven show that standards overall have been maintained and in some areas have improved. The school’s targets for improvement are appropriately challenging.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Attitudes to the school Pupils have very good attitudes to their work. They are keen to work hard and most are determined to achieve high standards.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms With very rare exceptions, behaviour is good. Bullying is rare.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Personal development and relationships Pupils develop very well spiritually, socially, morally and culturally. They become balanced, perceptive and independent young people, confident in their own value, and very willing to value and care for others. Relationships amongst pupils, and between pupils and adults are excellent.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

The family ethos of the school is a considerable strength and is the result of the strong and consistent way the school promotes its aims, values and what it stands for.

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

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

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

Lessons seen overall Very good 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 AND LEARNING

Teaching is good and has improved since the previous inspection. As a result, most pupils, whatever their ability level or learning needs, make good progress; they are willing to work hard and thoughtfully, collaborate with others, and have an increasingly good awareness of both the meaning and purpose of what they learn and also how they can improve. Overall, virtually all teaching is at least satisfactory, 70 per cent good or better and 36 per cent very good or excellent. However, teaching is not consistently good across years, classes and subjects and, in the longer term, this inconsistency is holding back the progress of pupils as they move through the school. Both mathematics and English are taught effectively, although the teaching of English needs to pay more attention to language development as a whole, and in particular the skills of speaking and listening as these relate to creative and

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

extended writing. Wellington Primary School - 10

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

The quality and range of the curriculum The curriculum is broad and balanced, and relevant to pupils’ present and future lives. It meets requirements for the National Curriculum and religious education. Opportunities for learning outside lessons are satisfactory but not extensive.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils with special educational needs The provision is well managed and good support is provided in most but not all lessons. The variation is mainly due to the school being unable to provide sufficient teaching assistants.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils with English as an additional language Provision is very good. The specialised team is excellently led and managed, and works closely with class teachers. At present there is insufficient resource to support pupils when gaining higher-level language skills.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Provision is very good for spiritual, moral and social development and for cultural development it is excellent. Pupils are extremely well prepared for life in a society of many faiths and cultures.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

How well the school cares for its pupils The school makes good provision for the care, support and welfare of all pupils.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Parents value the school and they have a growing pride in its achievements. Relationships between staff and parents are warm and responsive, and parents help in many ways, for example with the tuck shop. However, there is an opportunity to build upon these good relationships, learning from the good practice already clear in the nursery and reception classes. At this stage, parents are very involved with their children’s learning.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff The headteacher and deputy headteacher provide strong leadership and effective management, and are well supported by teachers in their management roles. Staff share a commitment to improvement through working as a team.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities The governing body is effective and efficient and meets its responsibilities well. Governors provide strong direction and support for staff.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The school’s evaluation of its performance Although rigorously honest in the way it evaluates its work, the school has yet to achieve a sufficiently clear view of the strengths to build upon and weaknesses to address.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The strategic use of resources Governors ensure that money is spent wisely and prudently, linking investment closely to their improvement plan and long-term aims.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The school has the capacity and capabilities to improve further because leadership and management are strong, and because it uses the guidance of others, honest appraisal of performance and prudent investment to increase the value of its work. There are enough qualified staff to meet the demands of the curriculum, although the school recognises that Wellington Primary School - 11 more teaching assistants are needed in the upper school. Despite the energetic efforts of governors, the accommodation is inconvenient and often of unsatisfactory and poor quality. This has a negative and significant impact on the learning of pupils. Learning resources are mainly satisfactory.

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

What pleases parents most What some parents would like to see improved • Their children like school, work hard and behave well. • Teaching is good and their children make good progress. • The school helps their children to develop into mature and responsible young people. • They find it easy to approach the staff with problems and concerns. • They would like more information on their children’s progress. • They would like more clubs and outside class activities.

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

Inspectors agree with the positive views of parents. They also agree that, although arrangements are satisfactory, the school could usefully provide parents with more information on their children’s progress; this would involve parents more fully in raising standards. Whilst understanding financial restrictions facing the school and parents, inspectors find that the school needs to find ways and means to extend the opportunities for pupils to experience the wider world and develop their especial interests and talents, possibly through a better range of clubs and visits. Wellington Primary School - 12

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

1. The school’s results and pupils’ achievements have improved since the previous inspection. Pupils make good progress at both key stages, following a very good start at the Foundation Stage. Most pupils join the school, whether in the nursery or in higher years, with low attainment for their ages, and many are learning English as an additional language. By the ages of seven and eleven, they attain in most subjects the standards expected at those ages, and when standards are below this pupils’ progress is still good since they started from a low base. There is strong evidence that improvements in planning, assessment, leadership and management are leading to continuous improvement because staff understand more clearly what needs to be done. However, inconsistencies in teaching need addressing because they hold back improvement in standards over time.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

2. In national tests and assessments at the end of Key Stage 1 in 2000, pupils attained standards in reading that were below the national average and standards well below average in writing. In mathematics, they were above average. However, children enter the school with low attainment and, therefore, progress is at least satisfactory and for most good. Despite the attainment of pupils when they join the school having declined, the performance of the school is improving, a picture not made clear by simple grades. In national tests at the end of Key Stage 2 there is a picture of steady improvement even though pupils have presented increasing problems, for example joining the school in higher years mainly with low or very low attainment, and many needing to learn English as a new language. Grades that compare Wellington’s results with similar schools should be treated with caution because official comparison

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

is based upon eligibility for free school meals alone; it does not take into account other important factors such as the proportion of pupils learning English as an additional language, and the high proportion of pupils joining or leaving the school other than in the Foundation Stage and Year 6. When compared with schools facing truly similar problems, the proportion of pupils attaining the expected levels in reading and mathematics at the end of Key Stage 1 was well above the average, and above average in writing. At the end of Key Stage 2, performance in English was above the average for schools in truly similar contexts, and in mathematics and science well above average. This shows that pupils make good progress throughout the school, although further improvement in English is necessary. It is significant that pupils who have been in the school since reception tend to attain ten per cent better results in

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

English and science than pupils who joined the school later. The school’s targets for improvement are appropriately challenging.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

3. Children at the Foundation Stage make good progress in both the nursery and reception classes. They move steadily forward, and are well placed to meet the goals for this stage in their schooling, and this creates a secure basis for learning within the National Curriculum. The teaching allows higher-ability children to exceed these goals, and those with special educational needs to make good progress relative to their prior attainment. Those learning English as an additional language make very good progress in the acquisition of English and at least good progress in their general learning. Wellington Primary School - 13 4. At Key Stage 1, pupils make good progress in English, mathematics, information and communication technology, design and technology and religious education, and at least satisfactory progress in science, art and design, history, geography, music and physical education. Girls do as well as boys, and apparent differences in the

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

attainment of girls and boys in recent national tests aged seven reflect differences in cohort rather than differences in the effectiveness of teaching. Pupils with special educational needs are supported well and make good progress, and pupils learning English as an additional language are supported very well and make very good progress in their language development, and at least good progress in their other work. Pupils of average and below average ability make good progress. Pupils with above average ability make good progress, although those with the highest ability sometimes make only satisfactory progress because they find some work too easy or what they are asked to do too restricted.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

5. By the time pupils are seven, most attain the nationally expected standards in all subjects except English, where standards are below what is expected, and religious education, where they are above. Overall, fewer pupils than average exceed national expectations. There are many reasons for this. In the main this is because most pupils have low or very low standards when they join the school, and therefore have a long way to go, and sometimes it is because they are also need to learn English as a new language. However, in some lessons it is because teachers set the most able pupils work that is insufficiently challenging. Even so, considering attainment and progress together, the school is effective in its efforts to improve and maintain high standards; this is because teaching in all its aspects is consistently effective in all classes and both years.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

6. At Key Stage 2, over time pupils make good progress in all subjects except music and physical education, where progress is satisfactory. In the case of music this less good progress relates to the lack of teachers’ expertise in this subject, and in physical education to the extent and range of the curriculum, for example the too few opportunities for competitive sport. This positive picture would be even better if teaching were equally effective in all classes and all years. Current pupils in Year 6 are making very good progress and in Year 3 good and sometimes better progress. However, in Years 4 and 5, progress varies between classes because the quality of teaching varies, and, overall, progress becomes satisfactory rather than good, and occasionally unsatisfactory. This inconsistency needs to be addressed rigorously so that all teaching and therefore progress become equally good.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

7. By the time pupils are eleven, most attain the expected standards in all subjects except English and religious education. In religious education they are above the standards expected by the locally agreed syllabus and this is because the teaching is good and the curriculum rich and varied. However, standards in English are below expectations in each year and by the time pupils are eleven. This area for improvement is covered in more detail later in this section (paragraph 10).

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

8. Girls and boys usually make equally good progress. Pupils with special educational needs are supported well and make good progress, although this slows significantly when teaching assistants are not available. Pupils being supported in the acquisition of English as a new language make very good progress in their English language development and gain quick and effective access to the general learning. Many of these pupils, if they have been in the school for some time, make better progress than their English-speaking peers and are amongst the higher-attainers. This is because the specialised support they receive helps them become intense listeners and Wellington Primary School - 14 reflective speakers who think through and discuss what they are learning. Pupils of average and below average ability usually make at least good progress because teachers relate the teaching precisely to their needs. This is particularly the case in

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

Year 6, but practice in Years 4 and 5 is less consistent. Over time, pupils of higher ability make only satisfactory progress, although this improves significantly in Year 6, because the teaching becomes more challenging and more precisely matched to the needs of the pupils. There are some pupils of very high ability and the school is beginning to address their needs, for example using a secondary teacher to challenge a pupil in mathematics. However, support for these pupils remains an area for improvement.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

9. Pupils of all abilities and prior attainment make good progress in mathematics and numeracy. This is because skills and understandings in these areas are taught systematically and consistently throughout the school, and teachers seek opportunities for pupils to use and extend their skills in other subjects. Accurate assessment allows teachers to match the learning to the needs of each level of ability. Moreover, it is also the case that pupils learning English as an additional language can access the learning more rapidly than in subjects more dependent upon speaking English.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

10. The key area for improvement lies in the provision for speaking, listening, reading and writing. The school has made significant improvement since the previous inspection, but it is at a stage on a journey and needs to continue to move forward. Pupils need to make very good progress in all aspects of language development in order for standards across the curriculum to be maintained and improve further. After a very good start at the Foundation Stage, where pupils make very good progress in all aspects of their language development, including what national guidance calls ‘language for thinking’, progress slows. The key reasons for this are:

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

• there are inconsistencies in the quality of teaching, especially at Key Stage 2, often related to insufficient flexibility and responsiveness to pupils’ learning needs when implementing the Literacy Strategy; • there is insufficient focus on the development of listening skills and this impedes development of speaking skills; • these oral and aural skills are insufficiently related to the development of reading and writing skills, especially in creative and extended writing; • the teaching of reading is insufficiently systematic, especially as pupils move up the school.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

All these factors hinder progress and restrict attainment, not only in English but also in all other subjects.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

11. Pupils’ attitudes and their personal development are very good and they behave well. Relationships amongst pupils and with adults are excellent. The level of attendance is satisfactory.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

12. Pupils’ attitudes are very good. They very much enjoy coming to school, are enthusiastic when they arrive and quickly settle down to work after registration. Pupils are interested in life at the school and readily involve themselves in the range of activities provided, both in the classroom and at play times. In lessons, pupils are eager to answer questions but, in spite of this eagerness, they are usually patient and Wellington Primary School - 15 wait for their names to be called before answering. They show a lively interest in visitors and readily come and talk to them. Pupils like their school and are justly proud of it.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

13. Overall, pupils’ behaviour in the classroom and around the school is good. There were three fixed-term exclusions in the year before the inspection and, so far in the current year, there have also been three. These were for threatening behaviour involving two pupils with known behavioural problems. Episodes of poor behaviour leading to exclusion are very rare. The great majority of parents answering the questionnaire believe that behaviour is good. One parent, who accompanied pupils in Year 6 on an outing, said that members of the public complimented the school on the pupils’ good behaviour. Pupils are polite and courteous, say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ and hold doors open for adults and each other. Pupils say that bullying is not a problem at the school. This view was confirmed during the inspection. There was one isolated bullying incident seen. When it was drawn to the attention of the

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

headteacher, it was dealt with promptly and effectively. There is an absence of racism in any form.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

14. The personal development of pupils is very good, and they have a very good understanding of the impact of their actions on others. This shines through clearly from their actions in and around the school. The respect, which pupils show for each other’s feelings, values and beliefs is excellent and good examples can be seen during religious education lessons. Pupils are prepared to show initiative and they take responsibility willingly. For instance, there are a number of ‘jobs’ for which the pupils can apply such as paramedics, corridor monitors and lunchtime helpers. Having applied, a pupil is interviewed and the post filled. A pupil who carries out the tasks particularly well can be selected as ‘employee of the week’; the award is made in assembly, and the pupil’s picture is displayed on the notice board. Pupils performing these roles show good levels of initiative, with further examples when they

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

help to run the tuck shop, which opens on Fridays. There is a school council but, because of other priorities, it has been less active this term.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

15. The quality of relationships is a particular strength of the school and is excellent. This ensures a happy and friendly school. Staff provide excellent role models and pupils value the trust, support and care that they receive. Through this, an effective teaching and learning environment is promoted. In the classroom, pupils learn to co-operate with each other working well in pairs and in groups. They help each other and share resources very well. The welcoming atmosphere initiated by the headteacher and office staff quickly pervades the rest of the school.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

16. At the last inspection, attendance was below the national average and punctuality was a major problem. Both of these have improved and in the last full reporting year the attendance rate was broadly in line with the national average. It is, therefore, satisfactory. While a few pupils arrive late in the mornings, the numbers are small and latecomers are almost invariably in school by 9.15 am. If last year’s rate of attendance and the current low incidence of lateness are maintained, there is likely to be a positive impact on pupils’ attainment and progress; satisfactory attendance is already a contributing factor in raising standards. Wellington Primary School - 16

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

17. Teaching is good and has improved since the previous inspection. As a result, most pupils make good progress; they are willing to work hard and thoughtfully, collaborate with others, and have an increasing and good awareness of the point of what they learn and how they can improve. Overall, virtually all teaching is at least satisfactory, 70 per cent good or better and 36 per cent very good or excellent. However, teaching is not consistently good across years, classes and subjects and, in the longer term, this inconsistency is holding back the progress of pupils as they move through the school.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

18. Teaching at the Foundation Stage and in Year 6 is of consistently very high quality, and this means that pupils make a very secure start in their schooling, and are well prepared to move on to their secondary education. A feature of the learning in the Foundation Stage and in Year 6 is the manner in which teachers help pupils to understand the purpose of what they are learning and the standard they need to reach. Teachers help pupils evaluate their own work and plan how they can individually improve. Pupils become ambitious and realistic learners, capable of taking responsibility upon themselves rather than blaming others or waiting for help.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

19. Teaching is good at both key stages, but slightly more effective over time at Key Stage 1. This is because senior management and subject co-ordinators are not yet fully effective at assuring that all teachers teach sufficiently well to meet the significant and very varied learning needs of the pupils. Similarly, in some subjects there is work to be done on developing some teachers’ subject skills and knowledge, for example for history. This issue is more fully addressed in the leadership and management section of this report. As a result of this lack of expertise, teaching in some years, particularly at Key Stage 2, is significantly less effective than others, and the learning of pupils slows. Sometimes this is because the behaviour of the class deteriorates and the pupils lose concentration, and at other times because the pace of the learning becomes too slow. Sometimes the work is too difficult for the least able and too easy

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

for the most able. The very rare unsatisfactory, and the more common only just satisfactory, teaching is an area for improvement in the middle years of Key Stage 2. Such teaching is not sufficiently effective to generate good progress; pupils who join the school with low or very low attainment need to make good progress in order to be well prepared for their secondary education. When teaching is only satisfactory, the significant problems many pupils have in their learning tend to overwhelm the effectiveness of the teaching.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

20. In the very effective lessons, the effects of the staff development that the school has already achieved shine through as do the very high general skills of the teachers. Planning is extremely thorough and provides a structure for steady progress by each pupil. The teachers use accurate assessment to match precisely each learning task to each ability level and learning need, and the lesson’s learning objectives focus on skills and understandings to be gained rather than curriculum to be covered. In such lessons, teachers make extremely good use of the pupils' individual targets. In the plenary session at the ends of lessons, teachers evaluate extremely rigorously learning achieved against learning intended, driving both themselves and the pupils to confirm what has been learned and where there are still problems to address. They use very open questions to force pupils to think out the answers, and they build very

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

perceptively upon each pupil’s contribution. This high level skill is underpinned by the way teachers have thought through the learning problems of the pupils and then Wellington Primary School - 17 designed and devised a plan to meet them. This was very evident in a geography lesson when the teacher had planned a series of questions for the class to address as a whole. These questions were empowered by the way the teacher asked them, and she led the class from the simple to the complex, the shallow to the deep and, above all, to gaining the skills and understanding to tackle a question that in less effective lessons would have been impossible. In this lesson, the teacher provided the pupils with time to think; the pupils’ concentration was so intense you could almost hear their brains working. That their brains were indeed working very well became clear in the high quality of their subsequent writing, writing that of itself deepened and

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

consolidated what the pupils were learning.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

21. This description of the very good and excellent teaching raises a significant feature of the teaching of literacy, and of speaking and listening as a whole. Overall, the teaching and learning of literacy is good, but there are important weaknesses. Not all teachers have yet moved on from conscientious implementation of the National Literacy Strategy to fully understanding that it is a tool not a strait-jacket. Similarly, at a school level, there is insufficient understanding of how speaking, listening, reading and writing are parts of language development as a whole rather than separate skills. A strength of the teaching in the nursery and throughout the Foundation Stage is the way teachers address what national guidance calls ‘language for thinking’. These teachers realise that developing listening skills improves the thinking skills of pupils and leads naturally to pupils increasing their ability to express their thoughts through

p.17

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

an emerging ability to speak. In turn, this underpins their growing ability to write and express in a structured way their understandings on paper. At this point they come to understand that writing with well-formed letters and learning to form well-constructed sentences with more ‘powerful’ words helps them to communicate their ideas to others more effectively, as well as to tighten, order and focus their own thinking. Reading then builds upon these skills and enriches understanding, but is also a skill to be taught in its own right.

p.17

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

22. The school has yet to assure that this very effective approach forms a strong core to teaching throughout the school. As a consequence of the present situation, pupils, for example when talking about their reading in Year 5, only read a limited range of literature and at all ability levels say when trying to express their ideas, ‘I cannot put it into words’. An area for urgent improvement is the design of a policy to improve language development by improved teaching of speaking and listening, alongside reading and writing.

p.17

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

23. In the main, teaching, and the good and better teaching in particular, is well planned and has clear objectives for the learning. It is usually well matched to the abilities of the pupils and their varying learning needs, and this shows the benefits from the improved procedures for assessment. A feature of all teaching is the way lessons have clear objectives which are evaluated at the ends of lessons. However, it is only the most skilled teachers who focus on finding ways to unblock learning and then move it forward, rather than planning curriculum coverage and then finding ways to address problems that arise; lesson objectives that describe tasks rather than skills to be gained restrict the effectiveness of a significant number of lessons.

p.17

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

24. In the very powerful teaching in Year 6, the use of assessment and tracking of each pupil’s progress is already highly effectively in unpacking the learning problems of each individual and then matching this awareness to highly supportive teaching. Pupils in this year make good and often very good progress, whatever their ability or Wellington Primary School - 18 need. Some teachers in lower years have yet to become confident and aware users of these skills and, therefore, pupils make slower and more erratic progress.

p.17

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

25. In the classes where all pupils make the best progress, teachers use assessment to feed back to pupils orally or through marking why and where they succeed or fail, and what they need to do to improve. In these classes, pupils gain the ability to evaluate their work and plan their own ways forward. The use of this giving of feedback, sometimes called ‘formative assessment’, is an area for school improvement.

p.18

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

26. The teaching of numeracy is good and has several very good features. Skills and understanding are taught systematically and progressively, and teachers use assessment to match each learning task to the ability of each pupil. Class teachers use other subjects such as geography to support the pupils’ practical application of what they learn in mathematics lessons.

p.18

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

27. Tasks set for homework are, in the main, of good quality and relevant to the pupils’ learning. However, in many classes, this is a bolt-on addition to the teaching rather than an integral and important opportunity to extend and enrich the pupils’ learning. The practice across classes is very inconsistent: some teachers use homework very well whilst others do not promote it sufficiently to improve and extend pupils’ learning. Similarly, teachers vary in the extent to which they encourage pupils to research on their own, for example using libraries. This aspect of teaching is an area for improvement.

p.18

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

28. The determination of the school to support every pupil and give every pupil an equal opportunity to succeed is at the heart of all teaching. Teaching for pupils learning English as an additional language is very good, and it is good for pupils with special educational needs. The specialist input of teachers of English as an additional language enables these pupils to make very good progress in their general learning as well as in the acquisition of English. This is covered in more detail in paragraph 55 so that the different aspects of this provision can be seen as a whole. Teaching for pupils with special gifts and talents is beginning to play a greater role, for example through partnership with a secondary school for mathematics, yet remains an area for further improvement. Underpinning this good and inclusive provision is the way the skilled teaching assistants, specialist language teachers and class teachers work as

p.18

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

an integrated team; the pupils’ progress slows when this is not the case. The teaching assistants are a strength of the school and their lack is evident in many lessons towards the top of the school because there are not sufficient adults to meet the wide range of learning needs.

p.18

PUPILS?

29. The curriculum is balanced and broad, and relevant to pupils’ present and future lives. It meets the requirements for the Foundation Stage, the National Curriculum and the locally agreed syllabus for religious education. The curriculum provides a sound programme of learning, carefully planned to meet the needs of the pupils; this programme is considerably improved since the previous inspection and much better planned.

p.18

PUPILS?

30. The curriculum for children at the Foundation Stage is delivered through the nursery and then two reception classes. In the nursery, the learning activities and more structured sessions are planned with considerable care so that each child has good Wellington Primary School - 19 experience of each of the required areas of learning. This provides a rich range of learning opportunities. The way the teacher and teaching assistants work so closely as a team ensures that each child has equal opportunities to succeed, and this is further guaranteed by the input of a highly skilled language support teaching assistant. The strength of the provision is the way the teaching team balance free- play activity that helps the children become independent and curious learners, with the more structured sessions, for example programming a ‘roamer’, that successfully encourage concentration over time and following instructions.

p.18

PUPILS?

31. The reception classes build on this strong foundation, introducing with considerable care the more structured activities and day. A strength of this provision is the way that each child is helped to find relevance and purpose in their learning, for example by learning about the various way people from different faiths get married. Throughout the Foundation Stage, there is a strong focus on the key skills of numeracy and literacy, including speaking and listening. The learning is underpinned by a strong partnership with parents, for example the way pupils take home simple tasks, including reading, to work on with their parents. This curriculum partnership links learning at school to learning at home, with a home-school book forming a well-used communication vehicle. Overall, the curriculum forms a very secure basis for work in the National Curriculum.

p.19

PUPILS?

32. At Key Stage 1, the curriculum benefits from the recent improvements in planning, the improved training for teachers and the leadership of subject co-ordinators. Consequently, although there is an appropriate focus on literacy and numeracy, proper place is given to the other subjects. The performing arts are given pride of place through art, music, drama and dance, and this enriches learning within other subjects, for example design and technology. The humanities, geography and history are introduced in ways that help pupils understand how each subject contributes to the completeness of learning. Science provides a strong core whilst information and communication technology provides a further and essential set of skills in a well- planned way. A strong emphasis on religious education ensures that pupils not only see that people grapple with facts but also are guided by faith, and physical education

p.19

PUPILS?

helps pupils learn securely that a healthy and skilled body is the vehicle for a healthy mind and spirit.

p.19

PUPILS?

33. At Key Stage 2, this careful planning continues, enhanced as at Key Stage 1 by the way teachers in each year plan as a team; subject co-ordinators ensure that the planning enables each unit of learning to relate to the next in secure and sensible progression. A feature of the teaching of the curriculum is the manner in which teachers build upon the experience of the pupils, and guide them to evaluate their own learning, thus seeing the links between the various subjects they study. By the time pupils are eleven, they have a secure basis for learning at the secondary phase.

p.19

PUPILS?

34. The school has strong aims to ensure that all pupils have equal access to the curriculum; these do not remain just a vision but are carried through to specific planning. Teachers find ways to give all pupils equal access to the learning, and manage classes in ways that ensure that girls and boys have equal opportunity to succeed. The highly skilled contribution of the specialist language team ensures that pupils learning English as an additional language can access the curriculum as quickly as possible; they support them perceptively when arriving in the school from other countries. Pupils with special educational needs are usually catered for through specific planning or support, and this allows pupils to access the curriculum at a level appropriate to their needs. This access is carefully monitored and evaluated by the Wellington Primary School - 20 co-ordinator of special educational needs provision. The school is beginning to build

p.19

PUPILS?

improved access for those pupils with special gifts and talents, but this remains an area for improvement. The school analyses assessment data to investigate whether all pupils have equal access to the curriculum, but this important procedure is not yet sufficiently systematic or probing. Overall, the school ensures good access to the curriculum for all pupils.

p.20

PUPILS?

35. The school has designed a good curriculum to cover areas of personal, health and social education, including citizenship, but this is at an early stage of implementation. The curriculum meets requirements for sex and drugs education through learning within subjects such as science and physical education. Even so, this overall aspect of the curriculum is not yet sufficiently developed.

p.20

PUPILS?

36. The key difference between the very effective and the less effective teaching is the way the most effective teachers set skills and understanding to be learned rather than curriculum to be covered and explain to pupils how to learn and how to understand their own learning. These explanations link back to the way the curriculum is planned. At present it is set out as a curriculum map that ensures the ground is covered, rather than a programme of learning, highlighting the skills and understandings to be gained and in which order. This offers an opportunity for future development by making clearer the way skills need to learned.

p.20

PUPILS?

37. To see the way forward to this next level of curriculum planning, the school already has examples of good practice in the planning for literacy and numeracy. The curriculum for these areas of learning, along with science, design and technology and religious education, is good because planning sets out the progressive and continuous acquisition of skills and understanding. Even so, planning for literacy needs to express more clearly the way speaking, listening, writing and reading interrelate.

p.20

PUPILS?

38. The school arranges a satisfactory and in some areas, for example religious education, very good programme of visits out to places of interest and visitors into the school. These expand the pupils’ knowledge but also, and more significantly, their understanding of the extent of learning available. The school reports that visits out are restricted by lack of finance but, whilst understandable, this misses an important aspect of learning for pupils. Similarly, although there is a programme of outside class clubs and activities, for example dance and learning musical instruments, the present level of provision misses important opportunities to extend the pupils’ learning and allow particular gifts and talents to flower. To some extent the school overcomes these problems by managing playtimes in ways that enable purposeful play, for example football competitions. After a very good start at the Foundation Stage, the

p.20

PUPILS?

setting of homework is very inconsistent across years and classes. The less effective practice misses opportunities to extend and enrich the curriculum.

p.20

Contribution of the community to the curriculum

39. The school has a good and constructive relationship with partner institutions and there is a sound contribution to pupils’ learning from the immediate and wider community. There is good liaison with the two comprehensive schools to which the great majority of Wellington School pupils transfer in Year 7. Examples of this are the visit by pupils in Year 6 to a secondary school to see their Christmas production and the visit by staff to another to talk to Year 7 pupils and see how previous Wellington pupils have settled in. These links also provide specialist support for pupils with special gifts and Wellington Primary School - 21 talents, for example mathematics. Community links include taking parcels at Harvest Festival to local residents, a visit from Father Christmas for the infant classes, a visit to the local elderly persons’ home from pupils in Year 6, as well as good relationships with all the faith communities represented within the school. Year 6 pupils attended a

p.20

Contribution of the community to the curriculum

Junior Citizenship day in Feltham. Links are established through a number of school trips. One of these is a residential visit to Hindhead. The school recognises that building upon current provision provides an opportunity to extend the curriculum further.

p.21

Provision for personal development

40. This is a considerable strength of the school. Provision for spiritual, moral and social development is very good, and for cultural development it is excellent. Provision has improved since the previous inspection.

p.21

Provision for personal development

41. This is a school in which the spiritual dimension threads through the life and work of the school community. It has been determined that collective worship may reflect the faith backgrounds of the pupils rather than being broadly Christian. This allows the school to arrange assemblies and collective worship in ways that allow all pupils to experience reflectively the power of belief in a divinity or divinities that influence life and support human identity, dignity and purpose. In full school assemblies, the simply moral and social moves into quiet reflection and prayer, centred upon the lighting of a candle. Class-based collective worship provides examples of deeply spiritual experience, including a Muslim pupil sharing her ways of praying and in another class the way the blinds were quietly drawn and the candle lit as inspiring ways of creating stillness and quiet within the hustle and bustle of life. Religious education makes a

p.21

Provision for personal development

strong contribution, enabling pupils to feel the experiential power of special places, texts and objects, and sharing feelings of faith, for example through song with a visitor of the Jewish faith. This strong heart to the provision enriches the wonder at seeing sunflowers grow in science, and artistic creations that probe the imagination.

p.21

Provision for personal development

42. This is a school that does not confuse the moral with the spiritual but allows them to work in partnership. There are clear rules of behaviour that all staff consistently enforce and promote. Each class has worked out rules for their own class groups and this helps pupils gain a good understanding not only of what is right and wrong, but also why this is the case. This strong moral insight is picked up and used positively in many lessons, for example the questions raised when studying the conflict between the Aztecs and the Spanish invaders, and the way Jesus’ parable of ‘the sower’ forces people to find ways in which the moral challenge may be applied to individual lives. The whole provision is securely and firmly supported by a well thought through pattern of sanctions and rewards through which success is recognised and celebrated, and pupils are held to account when things go wrong.

p.21

Provision for personal development

43. Underpinning spiritual and moral development is the very strong social development that comes through pupils’ growing awareness of the way the school works as an effective, achieving and close-knit community. Staff provide fine role models for pupils to emulate. From the earliest years, pupils learn the part they need to play in the school’s success by taking on proudly and conscientiously a wide range of responsibilities. There is a developing school council that helps pupils learn how to make their views heard and the part they play as young citizens, but more recently it has met infrequently. Especially innovative is the ‘young employee’ scheme, managed by the lunchtime supervisors, and the ‘young enterprise’ group who make things for sale at the weekly tuck-shop event, of itself a good introduction to the Wellington Primary School - 22 realities of adult life. Similarly, lunchtimes provide good opportunities to eat together

p.21

Provision for personal development

in a well-mannered way, and pay for their food themselves, and the school helps them responsibly deal with when they forget their money. The catering staff make a very positive contribution to building this good ethos at mealtimes.

p.22

Provision for personal development

44. The pupils see that rules, rewards and sanctions are applied fairly, and this teaches them the nature and significance of justice. The life of the school is grounded in the need to provide equal opportunities for all. This allows pupils to absorb this commitment and make it part of their own identity, caring for others within the school and wider afield through raising money for charities, for example raising a great deal of money for people in need in India, a need they had identified themselves. The school recognises that there are ways to improve on this very good provision through, for example, extending opportunities to take part in outside class activities including competitive sport and fuller implementation of the programme for personal, social and health education.

p.22

Provision for personal development

45. The cultural dimension of the provision is excellent. Skilled teaching helps pupils appreciate cultures from the past and present, and a good range of British and European cultural achievements. Pupils learn how a people’s culture enriches and enlivens life as a whole, as well as giving individuals a sense of unique value. This is a very strong element in assemblies and, for example, English lessons studying good literature. Each pupil is enabled to celebrate and build upon the uniqueness and special qualities of their own faith and cultural heritage, especially but not uniquely in religious education. A large display in the school celebrates the many faiths within the school, and written messages in many languages throughout the school not only aid communication but also celebrate these differences. Through such subjects as religious education, pupils gain a deep and secure understanding and knowledge of

p.22

Provision for personal development

other faiths and cultures, as well as their own. The way the life and work of the school are managed enables each constituent faith and culture to enrich the nature and experience of the whole; pupils of different faiths often share and value their differing experiences. This ethos and approach colours all the learning, for example creativity from many cultures in art and music. The way teachers build very effectively and perceptively upon the pupils’ own cultural experience helps them value their own cultural identities and achievements, making their learning extremely relevant to their present and future lives.

p.22

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

46. The procedures for child protection and for ensuring pupils’ welfare and the provision for educational and personal support and guidance for pupils are good. The monitoring of pupils’ academic performance and personal development is satisfactory with some good features. The pupils receive their education in a warm, caring and supportive environment. Standards of provision have been maintained since the previous inspection.

p.22

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

47. The school has proper arrangements in place for child protection, in line with those of the local authority. The headteacher is the designated adult and keeps staff properly informed of the procedures. The school has a positive relationship with the local authority’s social services department.

p.22

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

48. Procedures for ensuring pupils’ welfare are good and are underpinned by a broad personal, social and health education syllabus that is at a fairly early stage of implementation. There is an appropriate number of staff who have received training in Wellington Primary School - 23 first-aid procedures, with an experienced welfare assistant responsible for the day-to- day management of pupils with minor injuries, accidents and illnesses. These are recorded meticulously. On the last day of the inspection, a pupil received an injury in the playground. This was dealt with promptly and efficiently. The school has a detailed health and safety policy in place, which is similar to that of the local authority but sensibly adapted to suit the school’s needs. Overall responsibility for health and safety lies with the governing body and they take this responsibility seriously. Health and safety issues are dealt with promptly.

p.22

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

49. The school has good procedures for monitoring and improving attendance. Registers are called promptly and pupils who arrive late report to the office. That they have done so before they go to their classroom is written on a note, which the pupil gives to the class teacher. Registration has been computerised and this enables the school to monitor closely the attendance level throughout the year. Certificates are awarded for 100 per cent attendance. There is a first day contact policy for unexplained absences. The school strongly discourages parents from taking pupils away on holiday during term time but, through no fault of the school, this is not always successful. Some pupils visit their heritage countries and this tends to depress the attendance figures. The school writes to the parents of pupils who are regularly late or absent. The governing body monitors attendance frequently. The school receives good support

p.23

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

from an experienced education welfare officer.

p.23

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

50. There are good procedures in place for monitoring and promoting good behaviour, and those for monitoring and eliminating oppressive behaviour are very good. Good behaviour is very much a part of the school’s ethos underpinned by the excellent relationships within the school. There is an appropriate system of rewards and, if necessary, of sanctions, which pupils know well and understand. For instance, when interviewed, pupils told of the system of three warnings leading to break-time detention. During the inspection pupils could, on occasions, be seen entering the headteacher’s office, referred following instances of misbehaviour; although dealt with firmly, they were treated in ways that helped them understand why something was wrong and how to find constructive ways of dealing with the problem. Pupils emphasised the absence of bullying and evidence of racism was conspicuous by its absence.

p.23

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

51. The school monitors and supports well pupils’ academic progress and personal development. Pupils have their own individual targets as well as those in place for the whole class in each lesson. The monitoring process involves regular staff discussions with the use of tracking sheets for individual pupils. Apart from pupils’ annual reports, which include a section on personal development, there are also internal progress reports throughout the year. The latter help the school to pick up any problems should they arise. If they do, the class teacher involves the headteacher and deputy and, where necessary, the pupil’s parents to try to resolve matters.

p.23

Support and guidance for pupils with special educational needs

52. The school makes good provision for pupils with special educational needs and the governors and senior management have plans for further improvement. The co- ordinator has been in post only since the beginning of this year but, during this time, has improved policy and procedures significantly. As a result, pupils’ needs are identified and diagnosed very early and sensible plans drawn up to provide suitable support. This support is guided by individual education plans with focused targets and sensible ideas on how to achieve them. These plans are drawn up in partnership with Wellington Primary School - 24 class teachers and teaching assistants. The success of the plans is regularly reviewed and evaluated against the progress made by the pupils, and plans are adapted if necessary.

p.23

Support and guidance for pupils with special educational needs

53. In the main, these pupils work within mainstream classes. Class teachers plan the work to fit their needs with care and perception and, when available, work closely with skilled teaching assistants. The co-ordinator has one day release from class responsibilities. She uses this time wisely to monitor provision in classes, and offer advice to class teachers, who are released from class duties by the headteacher taking the class. The co-ordinator manages the provision well, maintaining a productive partnership with parents. However, even though she has benefited from in-service training, she recognises she needs to increase and extend her expertise. The co-ordinator and the school as a whole benefit from good relationships with other agencies such as the learning support service which offer help with both learning and behavioural problems, and the educational psychologist. There have been problems

p.24

Support and guidance for pupils with special educational needs

with continuity of support in this area and with the difficulty in gaining specialised support for speech problems. There are many pupils with special educational needs, and resources in terms of in-class support are restricted. Even so, as the result of present support and guidance they make good progress and gain access to the curriculum equivalent to their peers. However, it is clear from lesson observations that their good progress often depends upon having additional assistance in class. In the main, teachers plan well to meet their needs.

p.24

Support and guidance for pupils with special educational needs

54. Pupils with special educational needs are well supported, and consequently make not only good progress in their general work but also their personal development. When this cannot be guaranteed, governors and senior management act firmly to find a solution, working closely with parents and other agencies.

p.24

Support for pupils learning English as an additional language

55. The quality of the support offered by the local authority language support service makes a very significant contribution to the provision offered by the school. They provide excellent support for the pupils and the school and go a considerable way in achieving their aim to ensure ‘equality through quality’. Specialised staff are given extensive training and development support, and the service has gained the Investor in People standard. The service provides a wide and high quality range of very well focused and practical support documents for their own staff and mainstream teachers, and assure the quality of provision against clear criteria. A particular strength is the way resources are closely related to requirements of the National Curriculum. The service also provides much valued training for mainstream staff but this is restricted by a lack of resources. To some extent this is overcome by the very strong strategy of

p.24

Support for pupils learning English as an additional language

working in partnership with the school and class teachers, a strategy that works very well in this school.

p.24

Support for pupils learning English as an additional language

56. Class teachers, learning support assistants and the specialist staff work in partnership. Pupils’ language learning needs and their more general learning are rapidly and accurately assessed on entry and individual plans drawn up for each pupil. This is underpinned by good relationships with parents that involve them productively in their children’s learning. The pupils’ progress both in English development and in general learning is frequently monitored and evaluated, leading to effective action when necessary. The school’s assessment records show that most pupils learning English as an additional language make rapid progress in the acquisition of English and at least satisfactory, usually good and often very good progress in their general Wellington Primary School - 25 work. Pupils gain in confidence and are keen to learn, and relate easily with others in a school in which staff and pupils value difference as something special and

p.24

Support for pupils learning English as an additional language

wonderful. A major factor that restricts the progress of many of these pupils is not so much the problems of learning a new language as the low levels of prior education when they join the school, including low speaking and listening skills in their home language.

p.25

Support for pupils learning English as an additional language

57. The team of specialised teachers and the language support assistant are very expert and experienced. They work from a small but well resourced specialist room and are highly organised, committed and purposeful. The leadership and management of the team are excellent, and closely related to the overall management of the school. With the school, they provide good learning resources for these pupils, some books being in the home language of the pupils. The support provided for pupils is very good until they achieve a level of English that provides them with satisfactory access to the general teaching and learning. However, there is insufficient resource to help pupils to the reach the higher-level language skills that are needed to achieve high and very high standards. This is not a criticism since resources are restricted by finance available, but highlights the need for all class teachers and learning support assistants

p.25

Support for pupils learning English as an additional language

to be aware of and understand the learning needs of these pupils. Some class teachers have this understanding but some have received insufficient training.

p.25

Support for pupils learning English as an additional language

58. Teaching of pupils learning English as an additional language is usually very good or excellent when carried out by specialised staff, and this includes the teaching by the language support assistant. This is because the teaching is expert, has considerable focus, pace and challenge and is based upon an excellent relationship with the pupils. This relationship is warm, caring but also firm. Planning is very detailed and first considers the learning needs of the pupils and then the style of teaching that best meets those needs. Teachers make very clear to the pupils why they succeed, why they meet problems and what they need to do or learn next. When working in partnership with class teachers, teaching is usually very good or excellent because specialist and mainstream staff work as a close-knit team from the planning stage through to delivery and eventual evaluation. In this situation, the effectiveness of

p.25

Support for pupils learning English as an additional language

teaching continuously improves. However, when this close partnership does not occur, the specialised support is to some extent wasted in full class sessions within the lesson, and, when working with a group is not sufficiently guided by clear and appropriate learning objectives. A particular skill of the teachers in very effective lessons is the way they integrate their oral input, sometimes in the home language of the pupils, with the oral teaching of the class teacher; the one does not disrupt the other but works in productive partnership.

p.25

Assessment

59. Assessment was judged to be a serious weakness at the previous inspection. The school has worked hard and with determination to improve this area of the school’s work, and assessment now provides good support for the planning of learning and teaching.

p.25

Assessment

60. The staff assess carefully and accurately the attainment of the pupils and, by tracking the progress of each pupil, evaluate their progress. They act rapidly when progress slows, adapting the level of support and the methods of teaching. Consequently, assessment has become an effective tool in raising standards and guaranteeing equality of opportunity. When teaching observed was unsatisfactory or only satisfactory, the commonest reason was that the teacher had not used assessment Wellington Primary School - 26 sufficiently to adapt the teaching or learning tasks to match each level of learning need.

p.25

Assessment

61. The school has further developed assessment techniques to sharpen and make more precise the learning objectives of each lesson. In the most effective lessons, the teachers make certain the objectives describe what skills and understandings the pupils are to gain, rather than simply describing the coverage of information. This allows teachers to match the learning activities and challenges very precisely to the learning needs of each level of ability within the class. Similarly, these teachers agree challenging targets for each pupil, and the clarity of objectives enables both pupils and teachers to evaluate each lesson and piece of work against these objectives, both understanding why individuals are successful and why they still meet problems. Areas of best practice are in the Foundation Stage and Year 6, and in the excellent work of the language support team. The individual education plans for pupils with special

p.26

Assessment

educational needs also offer examples of good practice. All these areas of effective use of assessment lead effectively to teachers adapting their teaching and pupils adapting their learning in order to improve. The extent and ways different teachers use these assessment techniques is a common reason for the difference between very effective and only marginally effective teaching and learning.

p.26

Assessment

62. Teachers, subject co-ordinators and senior management are beginning to analyse assessment data in greater detail, extracting greater understanding of the reasons why teaching is effective or not, and to what extent factors such as culture, gender and language development in English impact on learning. This knowledge is already being used to raise standards but remains an aspect to be further improved. Similarly, senior management and governors are beginning to gain the skills to test the school’s performance against performance in all schools and schools facing similar problems to their own. They have made a good start, but have yet to gain the skills to interrogate assessment statistics effectively and fully interpret what they tell them.

p.26

Assessment

63. The most effective teachers use assessment linked to clear learning objectives to feed back orally to pupils where and why they succeed, where and why they meet problems, and what they need to learn next. Marking is in the main conscientious but too often fails to make these feedback messages clear and easily understood. Where this does occur, the pupils become very skilled at evaluating their own work, seeing why they succeed and how to improve. However, at present, the school does not provide pupils with sufficient ways to set themselves targets, decide plans to meet them, evaluate systematically their progress and record their achievements. Even so, the improvements staff have achieved have already raised standards significantly and provide many and secure opportunities for further development and improvement.

p.26

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

64. The parents’ views of the school, the effectiveness of the school’s links with parents and the impact of parents’ involvement on the work of the school are all, overall, satisfactory. However, there is a fund of goodwill, on which the school is ideally placed to build very good links, involving parents more fully in their children’s education.

p.26

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

65. At the inspectors’ meetings with parents, the views expressed were largely positive. Only 20 per cent of questionnaires were returned and these were mostly positive, with very few accompanying letters showing concern. Most parents believe their children like the school and are making good progress. They also believe that teaching and Wellington Primary School - 27 pupils’ behaviour are good, and that they would find it easy to approach the school with problems and that the school expects the children to work hard and achieve their best. Inspectors agree with these positive views. Some concerns were expressed about the range of activities outside lessons, and inspectors agree that these opportunities need to be increased. Some parents wanted the amount of information they receive about how their children are progressing to be increased, although inspectors found present arrangement satisfactory. A number of parents were not

p.26

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

sure how well the school is led and managed; the inspectors find that the school is led and managed well. Questionnaires were sent out in different languages to help those parents for whom English is not their first language.

p.27

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

66. A large amount of good quality information is provided for parents. This includes a full and informative prospectus and a governors’ annual report, which both contain the relevant statutory information. As well as these, there is a well-presented handbook for parents of pupils at the Foundation Stage. The school sends out regular newsletters giving news of school events and other news. Annual school reports are detailed and in different styles for pupils of different years. Across the school, there is some inconsistency in the information provided in the reports and they could be improved if they contained pupils’ targets for future improvement. The school has parents’ consultation evenings each term, that in the autumn being more of a ‘welcoming one’ for all years. Interpreters are found if necessary. Staff are easily available to talk to parents at other times, should the necessity arise. The deputy

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

headteacher is carrying out a survey of parents’ views on aspects of the school through a comprehensive questionnaire. When the analysis of returns has been completed, the school intends that some of the suggestions will be included in the school development plan. Similarly, she is consulting pupils with the same intent. Although this questionnaire for parents is monolingual, many bilingual parents will translate for others. Some older children will translate for their parents.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

67. A ‘Friends’ Association’ has recently been formed and is already showing signs of considerable success. In the current year, they have raised over £800 for extra resources. Parents run a tuck shop for pupils after school on a Friday, and run this in ways that give pupils a good introduction to adult life. A few parents help out in the school, particularly at the Foundation Stage. At the moment, the numbers who help are small but the headteacher hopes to build on this. Some parents help with pupils’ work at home and in listening to pupils read. A very good start is made at the Foundation Stage on making homework a strong link between learning at school and learning at home, a programme supported by home-school books for messages between teachers and parents. This good practice provides a good basis and example for improvement further up the school where homework tends not to be used fully effectively in building the involvement of parents.

p.27

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

68. Leadership and management are good and much improved since the previous inspection, when they were found to be a serious weakness of the school. The school has clear aims and strong values, and these enrich all aspects of its life and work. At the heart of these aims and values is the school’s commitment to providing every pupil with an equal opportunity to succeed.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

69. The headteacher and, more recently, the deputy headteacher provide strong and clear leadership, setting standards for teachers and pupils to reach. They lead by example, and the headteacher is continually around the school, supporting teachers and recognising pupils who have done high quality work or, when necessary, dealing with pupils who misbehave. Since the previous inspection, staff as a whole have designed and implemented comprehensive and coherent policies for the curriculum and wider work of the school. Even though recruitment problems have caused some areas to lack a co-ordinator, the underlying policies means staff know what to do and what needs to be achieved. The subject co-ordinators and staff responsible for, for example, special educational needs, are well briefed and have clear job descriptions. Although some subjects are better led than others, all middle managers either lead, or

p.28

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

have made a good start at leading, their subjects and evaluating and supporting work in their areas. Even so, since the learning of many pupils is impeded by, for example, low attainment on entry or little prior education when joining the school from other countries, subject leadership needs to be even more effective at developing the teachers’ skills. At present there are insufficiently clear management links between subject managers and the support and guidance that should be provided by senior management and specific governors.

p.28

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

70. Overlaying this basically good management is good communication and the way year teams work closely together. Even so, the passing on of best practice between years needs to be improved.

p.28

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

71. The governors have increased their effectiveness considerably. The Chair provides excellent leadership and ensures that the governing body works efficiently and effectively. Governors provide the school with a strong sense of direction and purpose, and ensure that standards continue to rise. They set challenging targets to meet, although these tend to be presented as predictions rather than as a quality standard to be met over time. Committees have clearly delegated responsibilities and have action plans to meet. The governing body works very closely with staff, providing wise counsel and guidance when required. Governors have a growing understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the school, but this tends to be intuitive and they recognise that their systems for monitoring and evaluating the life and work of the school are not yet sufficiently systematic to give them a crystal clear

p.28

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

picture of strengths and weaknesses. Governors meet their responsibilities well.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

72. Governors and senior management recognise that they need to gain a better understanding of what constitutes high quality, and to help all staff also to understand what they have already achieved and what now needs to be achieved. For example, many teachers do not have a clear understanding of how they can tell the difference between very effective and simply satisfactory teaching and learning. To address this, the school is actively considering such quality systems as Investor in People and the Basic Skills Quality Award. Wellington Primary School - 29 73. The school improvement plan is a comprehensive action plan and is the foundation stone of the school’s rapid improvement. It sets key priorities that make clear what needs to be done first, and notes areas that require continuous maintenance. Even so, it lacks some of the features of the type of plan that will ensure that standards continue to rise. Currently, the plan does not sufficiently specify the quality to achieve

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

and targets to meet, and which areas of the plan should take priority because lack of action will hold back improvement overall; for example, teaching of speaking and listening skills. Consequently, the plan does not sufficiently clarify ways to measure or judge progress towards objectives, and does not address sufficiently the need to check where the school is and how far they need to improve in each year. This lack of precision means it is unclear to staff which element to address first and, therefore, for many it appears a very high mountain to climb. This results in some staff feeling rightly that they cannot work harder, and not seeing ways they can use the same time and energy to more benefit. This sometimes leads to frustration and depression, and a drop in motivation or determination to try. The plan lacks sufficiently clear schedules over time that set the right things, in the right order and at the right pace. These

p.29

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

aspects of improvement planning are a required area for further improvement if the school is to continue to improve.

p.29

Finance and efficiency

74. Staff and governors have worked hard, rapidly and with skill to ensure that the finances of the school are in good order, and that monies are spent wisely, prudently, gain best value and are tightly related to the requirements of the improvement plan.

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Finance and efficiency

75. The school makes good use of its available financial resources. The funds are managed well and the school benefits from the services of a bursar with extensive experience in educational finance. The plans to use up most of its carry-forward in the current year can be justified by a projected increase in pupil numbers. Governors know, however, that if this increase does not happen they have more than sufficient money from other funds as a back up. The school administrator carries out the day- to-day management of the school budget very efficiently, with support from the bursar and the headteacher. The office staff as a whole work very effectively and efficiently, and their work increases the effectiveness of the whole school. The school makes effective use of new technology in the office and across the school. The governors understand well the principles of how to gain best value and specific grants are used

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Finance and efficiency

for the correct purposes. The local authority has carried out a recent audit and a number of minor recommendations are in the process of being implemented. The governing body is kept well informed of the state of the budget through the finance committee, and governors monitor expenditure continually.

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Staffing

76. The staff are a strength of the school. They share a commitment to improvement, and work increasingly as a team that shares both success and failure. This working and collaborative culture provides a secure basis for further improvement because staff share best practice and solve problems together. Between them, staff have the skills and expertise to meet the demands of the curriculum and provision for personal development. A valuable part of this team are the teaching assistants who work very much as support teachers, the lunch-time supervisors who see their task to educate and not simply to ensure good order, and the very efficient administration staff who understand very well what needs to be done. The current administration team underpin and make possible the increasing effectiveness and efficiency of the school. Wellington Primary School - 30 Governors recognise and inspectors agree that ways need to be found to increase

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Staffing

adult helpers in classes, especially at Key Stage 2, because in every class pupils exhibit a very wide range of learning problems.

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Staffing

77. The school has introduced the new requirements for performance management very effectively, and there is an appropriate range of staff development opportunities. Senior management and subject co-ordinators observe lessons and feed back what works and what does not, and help staff learn the required skills to improve. Even so, procedures for supporting staff learning and development are not sufficiently developed. This is to become a key responsibility of the recently appointed deputy headteacher, and she plans to make lesson observation more systematic and effective, and to find ways to make staff development a more pro-active support for the school improvement plan, rather than the present to some extent ad hoc and reactive programme. This is a sensible and needed strategy. The management of the school needs to form a more secure link between staff development needs identified within the school development plan, and by lesson observation and

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Staffing

appraisal, and staff development planned for and delivered. There has been a high turnover in staff. New staff and teachers newly qualified are well supported, but the school needs to address more supportively the learning needs of colleagues in the second and subsequent years in a role.

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Resources for learning

78. Resources for learning are adequate overall, but good only in certain areas. They are good for such subjects as art, but for English there are too few books and these are of insufficient range. The school is currently developing a library area, but at the time of the inspection it lacked a centre to support sufficiently the reading and independent research of pupils. Resources for information and communication technology are satisfactory, and promise to be good once the new computer suite is complete. Resources overall require auditing against required standards of quality, quantity, accessibility and range in order to identify more clearly appropriate improvement.

p.30

Accommodation

79. Even though the school delivers the curriculum successfully and governors have made strenuous and in some cases successful efforts to improve the school’s buildings, the accommodation is unsatisfactory and, in many places, poor. The mobile classrooms are in poor condition and most are too small for the efficient delivery of the curriculum. Even one of the newly built classrooms is not big enough for teaching subjects such as art or for the literacy hour. Noise from passing aircraft seriously disrupts learning, and yet the temporary classrooms are not properly insulated for sound. Overall, the learning capacity of pupils is reduced significantly because of the inadequacy of the accommodation. The library, at the moment, is unsatisfactory but is due to be developed shortly, and the new information and communication technology suite is expected to be up and running by the end of this term. The outside

p.30

Accommodation

accommodation is satisfactory, with a spacious hard play area and a good playing field. The dedicated play area for Foundation Stage pupils is good, as is the rest of the nursery accommodation. Wellington Primary School - 31

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

80. The school has moved a long way in very recent years and the benefits have begun to show. However, the pupils present many and varied learning problems and these problems are increasing. Therefore, the quality of provision must also continue to improve. The problem can be seen as running up a down escalator. The school is succeeding against the odds by climbing hard and making headway. However, to reach the top and avoid being drawn backwards, in this school good and very good provision is essential, and the simply satisfactory is not sufficient to address the many learning problems the pupils present.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

81. To continue to improve standards, governors and staff should:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(1) Ensure that they use to full effect and develop further the good planning, policies and procedures they have put in place by:

p.31

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• making certain that assessment data is more accurate, and more thoroughly analysed and interpreted, in order to highlight first priorities for improvement in lessons and for the school as a whole; (paragraphs 59-63 and 71-72) • increasing the use of the understanding this brings to relate more precisely the planning of teaching to the learning needs of each pupil, especially the higher ability pupils; (paragraphs 23-24) • using this information to improve learning by ensuring that pupils understand more clearly why they succeed, why they meet problems, and what they must learn next; (paragraphs 24, 60, 61, 63) • targeting staff development policy and planning more precisely to the needs of the improvement plan, and the results of lesson observations and appraisal so that teaching becomes of equal and consistently high quality in all classes; (paragraphs 19 and 77) • moving planning of the curriculum on from ensuring that the required areas

p.31

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

are covered, to planning it in ways that see it as a structure for progressive learning; (paragraphs 36 and 37) • ensuring that all planning, and especially the school improvement plan, specifies very clearly the quality required, and ways to measure and achieve continuous improvement. (paragraph 73)

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(2) Assure that the high quality achieved in some areas is achieved in all areas, for example teaching in all classes, resources for learning, and subject leadership by:

p.31

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• using the information gained by assessment, and monitoring and evaluating standards against clear specifications of quality required, to assure that quality is equally high in all areas of the school’s work, and that inconsistency is addressed rigorously, especially in teaching; (paragraphs 72, 73 and 77) • improving further the leadership and management of subjects, for example by linking subject co-ordinators more securely to senior managers and specific governors; (paragraph 69) • auditing and evaluating learning resources in order to understand more clearly improvements required and the best way to make investments that raise standards overall; for example, for literacy. (paragraph 78) Wellington Primary School - 32 (3) Place much higher priority on the development of pupils’ language skills, especially speaking and listening skills linked to creative and extended writing by:

p.31

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• putting in place a better policy for the development of speaking and listening skills, ensuring that it plays a central part in the planning of all lessons; (paragraphs 10, 21, 36 and 37) • linking this policy more securely to creative and extended writing, and reading of greater variety and range; (paragraphs 10, 21, 36 and 37) • linking these language skills more extensively to opportunities for independent learning and exploration, for example homework and extensive use of a better library resource area; (paragraph 27) • using present practice more fully, for example the self-evaluating plenary sessions at the ends of lessons, to allow pupils to discuss their work even more intensively; (paragraph 25) • extending individual target-setting, action planning and recording of achievement procedures, giving pupils even more opportunity to listen to guidance and discuss the part they need to play. (paragraphs 61-63)

p.32

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(4) Governors need to continue their efforts to improve the unsatisfactory and poor accommodation by:

p.32

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• ensuring the intended library becomes a high quality centre for independent learning; (paragraph 79) • improving the sound insulation of temporary classrooms; (paragraph 79) • continuing work with partners such as the local education authority concerning improvements in accommodation. (paragraph 79)

p.32

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

When addressing the above, governors should also consider the following opportunities for improvement:

p.32

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• build upon the good relationship with parents to enable a more productive involvement in their children’s learning, for example through improved range and quality of homework and improved home-school books; (paragraph 67) • use links with community to extend the range of outside class learning opportunities and support from other adults, especially but not exclusively in support of gifted and talented pupils. (paragraphs 38 and 39) Wellington Primary School - 33

p.32

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 18

p.33

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

p.33

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

14 22 35 27 2 0 0 The table gives the percentage of teaching observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about lessons.

p.33

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery YR – Y6

p.33

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 31 359

p.33

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals na 103 FTE means full-time equivalent.

p.33

Information about the school’s pupils

Special educational needs Nursery YR – Y6

p.33

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 0 3

p.33

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 0 88

p.33

Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

p.33

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 237

p.33

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

p.33

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 53

p.33

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 34

p.33

Attendance

National comparative data 5.2 National comparative data 0.5 Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Wellington Primary School - 34

p.33

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2000 19 28 47

p.34

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

p.34

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Boys 13 13 19 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 27 27 27

p.34

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentage of pupils School 85 (82) 85 (82) 98 (82) at NC level 2 or above National 83 (82) 84 (83) 90 (87)

p.34

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.34

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Boys 13 16 15 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 26 26 28

p.34

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentage of pupils School 83 (76) 89 (82) 91 (94) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (82) 88 (86) 88 (87)

p.34

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

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

p.34

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 27 24 51

p.34

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

p.34

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Boys 18 23 24 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 15 18 19

p.34

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentage of pupils School 65 (65) 80 (65) 84 (59) at NC level 4 or above National 75 (70) 72 (69) 88 (87)

p.34

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.34

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Boys na na na Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls na na na

p.34

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentage of pupils School 72 (66) 67 (57) 68 (64) at NC level 4 or above National 70 (68) 72 (69) 79 (75) Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Wellington Primary School - 35

p.34

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage 4 Black – Caribbean heritage 1 0

p.35

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – African heritage 8 Black – African heritage 0 0

p.35

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Any other minority ethnic group 45 Other minority ethnic groups 1 0 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.35

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 16 Financial year 2000-2001

p.35

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 22.4

p.35

Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total expenditure 776526

p.35

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 7 Expenditure per pupil 2066

p.35

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 171 Balance brought forward from previous year 25655

p.35

Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance carried forward to next year 43225

p.35

Teachers and classes Financial information

Qualified teachers and support staff: nursery

p.35

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 1

p.35

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 31

p.35

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 1

p.35

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 33

p.35

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per FTE adult 15.5 FTE means full-time equivalent. Wellington Primary School - 36

p.35

Results of the survey of parents and carers

Percentage of responses in each category

p.36

Results of the survey of parents and carers

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

p.36

Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child is making good progress in school. 43 43] 10 2 2

p.36

Results of the survey of parents and carers

Behaviour in the school is good. 50 40 8 0 2

p.36

Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 37 43 9 7 4

p.36

Results of the survey of parents and carers

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 48 31 15 2 4

p.36

Results of the survey of parents and carers

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 49 41 6 2 2

p.36

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 59 29 4 4 4

p.36

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school works closely with parents. 31 49 10 4 6

p.36

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is well led and managed. 31 41 16 4 8

p.36

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 35 44 4 2 15

p.36

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 23 21 26 11 19

p.36

Results of the survey of parents and carers

Individual parents raised other matters including special educational needs provision and potentially racialist behaviour. The major concern of parents was the poor quality accommodation. Wellington Primary School - 37

p.36

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

82. Provision for learning is very good. There are 116 children presently in the Foundation Stage; 62 children are in the nursery and the remainder are in the two reception classes. Before the children enter the school for the first time, there are home visits to explain to parents how the school aims to introduce their children into the educational world. The process is a gentle one and the children come for a day’s visit prior to entry and every effort is made to settle them quickly into their new school. Most of the children begin with below average levels of knowledge, skills and understanding for their age. Skills in communication, language and literacy are low and there are many children for whom English is an additional language. Their personal, social and emotional development is at very early stages.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

83. These children benefit from highly skilled and motivated teachers who build up excellent relationships with the parents, which gives the young ones confidence in their new surroundings. Parents bring the children into the nursery each day and settle them ready for work. This is a very friendly and social time as the staff make time to discuss any queries that parents may have, both in the nursery class and also the reception classes.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

84. The quality of teaching has improved since the previous inspection; it is now very good throughout all the classes and all the teachers were seen to give excellent lessons at some stage during the inspection. The professionalism of all the staff, including the nursery nurses and teaching assistants, is outstanding and is characterised by deep understanding of how these young children learn and where they are going to lead them. They intend to teach them both knowledge and skills and why they need them, so that the children become active learners. The staff achieve these aims extremely effectively. The tremendous drive to learn so characteristic of such young children is matched by the high expectations the staff have of them. Strong partnership between staff leads to very knowledgeable and shared planning; this is the keynote of success as it ensures continuity and progress and also a rich curriculum. The staff take every opportunity to extend language in all the areas of

p.37

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

learning. The support received by the children with English as an additional language is of such high quality that within a very short time they become very confident in its use.

p.37

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

85. The Foundation Stage is currently overseen very well by the headteacher, but she hopes to appoint an experienced practitioner in the near future. Resources are adequate in range and accessibility, and are used very effectively.

p.37

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

86. The accommodation in the nursery is excellent. The room is very large and the children have an extensive outside play area with climbing frames and small pathways to trundle tricycles and tractors. The children in reception also have access to this area when the nursery is closed in the middle of the day. Accommodation in one reception class is unsatisfactory as the room is very small; in the other it is adequate.

p.37

Personal, social and emotional development

87. Provision for learning is very good. The beginning of the new day demonstrates the very good quality of provision for personal development. The children enter class very Wellington Primary School - 38 calmly and happily, and sit down and chatter quietly among themselves. In the nursery, name cards are placed in a semi-circle around the teacher of the group and children greet both her and also each other very sensibly. During this session the children take responsibility for choosing their first activity. This atmosphere of positive endeavour develops well within the nursery and continues throughout the reception year. Social skills are developed through the many shared activities, for example in constructing railway tracks and sharing the trucks. Children also understand the need for taking turns when waiting to play on the climbing frames. During a physical education lesson, the children worked very well in pairs and subsequently in larger

p.37

Personal, social and emotional development

groups without choosing to be with anyone in particular. The children in reception showed great maturity when discussing how they should behave at playtime and how their actions affect other people. A boy said that you ought to invite people to play in your game if they were sad and lonely. A girl added that she would be very happy if it happened to her. When asked why she declared, ‘It’s such a nice thing to say!’.

p.38

Personal, social and emotional development

88. The children tidy up very well and look on it as a privilege. They are also very pleased to be chosen helpers, a daily occurrence as the children takes turns regularly. Children make good progress throughout the Foundation Stage and are well placed to exceed the early learning goals for this aspect of their learning.

p.38

Communication, language and literacy

89. Provision for learning for these skills is very good and leads to very good learning, including by children who learn English as an additional language. Through the exceptional support, these children soon have great confidence in using the language, even if their vocabulary is restricted. For example, one child who had not been long in the school contributed well to a discussion on helping others when they are injured.

p.38

Communication, language and literacy

90. The very good teaching of language skills promotes the use of language in all the activities of the day through good questioning. This constantly increases the growth of language. When the children were identifying shapes cut in card, the teacher invited them to look through the hole and then describe carefully what they saw.

p.38

Communication, language and literacy

91. Teachers develop the children’s listening skills very effectively. In most lessons, teachers rarely had to repeat themselves as the children are so keen to be involved in all activities. They enjoy rhyming stories particularly and try to predict what the next rhyming word might be. In talking about stories, the teachers encourage shy children to answer and give them time to express their ideas. The children listen well to each other.

p.38

Communication, language and literacy

92. The development of reading starts very well in the nursery, where the children learn the basic sounds, and this progresses to above average reading skills in reception classes. Higher-attaining pupils read simple books very well and those children who have advanced more slowly also read well, though from simpler texts, and can re-tell the story later. The children have home/school diaries which are well documented and to which the parents contribute helpful comments on the development of their children’s reading.

p.38

Communication, language and literacy

93. Writing develops well from the nursery through to reception. From learning the complexities of letter formation in writing their names, children make good progress to emergent writing and this results in higher-attaining pupils writing very short stories. Other children write their names well and also write well-constructed sentences. Thus, this good progress means that children will meet the early learning goals, achieving a Wellington Primary School - 39 sound standard in language, together with great confidence, before moving into the National Curriculum.

p.38

Mathematical development

94. Provision for learning is good. The teachers take every opportunity to encourage counting. Registration at the beginning of the day involves working out the number of children in the class, and from the start of the nursery the children become familiar with names of two and three dimensional shapes and are given plenty of opportunity to handle, sort and match them. One boy showed considerable skill in judging space. When he pointed out the smallest boat in his water play, he was asked how many of the dice he could fit in it. His reply of seven seemed far too many, but he was accurate in his prediction. Most children learn to count up to five in the nursery, and some go well beyond.

p.39

Mathematical development

95. In reception classes, progress is very marked as the children add and subtract one from ten. In one class, the children could work out mentally the answer when up to three items were subtracted from a different starting number. All children make good progress, including those with English as an additional language; the language support assistant inspires them with confidence and enthusiasm as they see that they are able to understand the processes, which they see. The teachers make sure children gain the vocabulary and understanding of mathematical language such as ‘more than’, ‘less than’, ‘larger’ and ‘smaller’. They also stress positional language well in everyday situations, such as ‘Put the large bricks by the wall’. When the children leave the Foundation Stage their standard of work means that they are well placed to reach the expected level for their age.

p.39

Knowledge and understanding of the world

96. Provision for learning is very good and very varied. The imaginative presentation of work by the teaching staff gives children a wide range of focused activities. In the nursery, the children consider ‘holes’ and ‘circles’ and their importance in our lives. They look at sieves and how the different-sized holes make a difference to the flow. They squeeze through holes in the climbing frame. There are holes in the top of cups and the use of holes becomes an endless but a very good teaching point. They explore holes in cylinders and tubes so that articles can pass through them and different ways of making bubbles. They are introduced to cooking and show great delight in producing fairy cakes and mixing the icing to go on top.

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

97. One of the great strengths in the Foundation Stage is the very good progress the children make in learning computer skills. In the nursery, the youngest children show good control of the mouse. They also understand how to find their way around the programs. When questioned, the children explain and demonstrate clearly how they go to the menu and select the different levels of work. They are also making good progress in programming the ‘roamer’ robot. Their good knowledge shows in their explanations, for example ‘To make it work properly you have to make it forget everything’.

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

98. The children make further progress in reception classes. They know how to save and store their work in their own files and how to access them. These files are quite extensive and their portfolios include aspects of language, mathematics and art. Wellington Primary School - 40 99. In a visit to a church the children dressed up and role-played as brides and grooms and went through a marriage ceremony, learning the seriousness of the promises that one makes. All these activities stimulate the children’s appetite for knowledge, and their involvement in ‘grown up’ situations leads to very good progress in learning about the world. Stories and sharing news help children begin to see the difference between past and present and how they can relate home and school, close at hand and far away. Thus the children’s understanding is of a good standard and they are well placed to exceed the early learning goals and are already well prepared to move

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Physical development

100. Provision for learning is satisfactory with some good features. When the children enter school, their physical skills are below average, both in fine motor and also more robust activities. Their skills improve steadily. In the physical education lesson seen, the children were well aware of their own and others’ space. There was no bumping as they moved about, jumping, skipping and running. They also clearly understand that they have a warm-up session to get their bodies ready for exercise. When the children use the climbing frame, they are agile and imaginative, inventing new ways of passing through, over and under the pieces of apparatus. In finer manual control, they make good progress in holding pencils and crayons and are particularly accurate in cutting out as they make a mini doily. There is a satisfactory supply of larger equipment, such as tricycles and pedal tractors for children to exercise their gross

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Physical development

motor skills. The pupils are well placed to meet but not exceed the early learning goals, and this provides a secure basis for learning within the National Curriculum.

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Creative development

101. Provision for learning is good with several very good features. The children progress well overall as the provision for creative development is of very high quality. In the nursery, the children have continuous opportunities for painting and role play. They can dress up as crocodiles and this stimulates their imaginations well, as they always enjoy being monsters. Their paintings of butterflies, which related to their topic and observation of butterflies climbing out of the chrysalis, were very bright and colourful and composed using the symmetrical technique. In all the classes, the children have good opportunities for junk modelling and in one reception class they made some very good dinosaurs out of clay. This effectively introduces them to increasing skills and understanding concerning form and function, as well as the skills of joining and making things hold together.

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Creative development

102. In all the classrooms, the walls are festooned with paintings of jungle animals, self- portraits and computer pictures. The children also make good use of construction kits, and make very good wheeled vehicles. These activities link creative work with areas that will later be used in design and technology.

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Creative development

103. A very colourful performance was the highlight of the children’s Christmas festivities and this gave all of them good opportunities for drama, dance and music. Their singing is tuneful and confident. If present progress continues, most children will exceed the early learning goals by the time they move to the National Curriculum. The children can express themselves effectively with different media and techniques.

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ENGLISH

Wellington Primary School - 41 104. Provision for learning is good. However, there are weaknesses to address that, at present, hold back further improvement. Pupils join the school with below average standards of attainment. In the 2000 tests, attainment in reading and writing fell below the national average for seven-year-olds. Girls did better than boys both reading and writing, but to a greater extent in reading; this reflects differences in prior attainment rather than differences in the effectiveness of teaching. Over the last few years, standards have risen in the tests in reading, but have declined in writing. In relation to the attainment of schools in similar circumstances, standards in the 2000 tests were average in reading and below average in writing. Few pupils reach the higher levels in reading and writing and this depresses the average scores. If, however, one considers the proportion of pupils achieving the expected level, the underlying

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ENGLISH

performance of the pupils is well above the average for truly similar schools; this is a measure of the positive extent to which teachers overcome the learning problems the pupils present, for example, low levels of education when joining the school from other countries. Whilst attainment in reading is rising nationally, there was a fall in the school’s results from 1996 to 1998 with a steady improvement since then. Standards in writing rose from 1996 to 1998 but have been on the decline since 1998. This apparent decline hides the fact that year-on-year pupils present increasing problems, for example the increase in pupils joining the school after the nursery with low prior attainment. Pupils generally perform better in mathematics and science than in English.

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ENGLISH

105. In the 2000 tests for eleven-year-olds, the performance of boys and girls fell below the national average for their age group, with girls doing better than boys. This represents above average attainment in relation to the attainment of pupils in schools in truly similar contexts, despite too few pupils reaching the higher levels. Test results over three years have improved for girls and boys in line with the national rate of improvement.

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ENGLISH

106. In lessons and in work seen, seven-year-old boys’ and girls’ attainment is below the expected level. This reflects the levels attained in the tests. Even so, pupils speak confidently and listen carefully to discussion, intervening appropriately with soundly formed views. Writing is rarely of a good standard and reading is persistently below average for the pupils’ ages. Weaknesses in reading arise from insufficient continued emphasis on building the pupils’ repertoire of language. There is not enough emphasis on the development of knowledge of books and higher-attaining pupils’ range of reading is too limited. This highlights the need for teachers to improve the ways in which they plan for the development of language as a whole, seeing listening, speaking, creative and extended writing and wide reading as aspects of the whole, the one supporting the others.

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ENGLISH

107. There are a number of contributory factors that tend to depress standards. There is a high proportion of pupils who are relatively new to English, many of whom are recent arrivals from other countries, joining the school in different years; the pupils who have been right through the school are generally the highest-attaining pupils. Additionally, neither reading nor writing have been taught well in all classes, although this deficiency is being steadily redressed by work in literacy, and by the school’s improvement in planning and assessment related to monitoring and evaluation by management. To some extent, the present learning of pupils suffers from some inadequate teaching in the past.

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ENGLISH

108. There are significant inconsistencies in pupils’ progress and attainment throughout Key Stage 2. These result, to some extent, from inconsistencies in the effectiveness Wellington Primary School - 42 of teaching in different years and classes. The quality of what is provided for pupils with special educational needs and for pupils for whom English is an additional language ensures that these pupils make good and often very good progress in their work. The higher-attaining pupils are not well catered for: they are sometimes provided with work that is too easy, particularly in writing and in reading.

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ENGLISH

109. Pupils are given many opportunities in lessons to develop speaking and listening skills. As a result, they make generally satisfactory progress, though planning tends to pay insufficient attention to the development of these skills. Even so, as they progress through the key stages, they gain in confidence and become increasingly articulate and fluent. Pupils are accustomed to discussion. They listen carefully to their teachers and other pupils; however, there is not enough emphasis on the development and organisation of ideas. Few teachers, for instance, insist on pupils giving reasons for their views. There are missed opportunities for extending pupils’ language in ways that build the foundations for writing.

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ENGLISH

110. Standards in reading are below national expectations for seven and eleven-year-olds. Pupils read a limited range of books and do not follow a continuous and progressively challenging reading programme. Weaknesses in the strategy for the development of reading contribute to below average standards. For example, in Key Stage 1, teachers do not always apply the good teaching of word building in literacy lessons to building words phonetically in reading practice. In lessons where this is taking place, pupils make palpable advances in their skill in handling words and sentences in their books. This was a key feature of a lesson in Year 1 where the pupils read the book ‘Handa’s Surprise’ with real interest and enthusiasm. The teacher used every possible device to sustain their involvement. Particularly striking was the use of role play: one pupil dressed magnificently as the main character providing a focus for real

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ENGLISH

interaction between the pupils’ discussion and their reading. There is insufficient wider, extended reading for higher-attaining pupils in Key Stage 2. It must be said, however, that the recent building programme has made it difficult to stock or use the library effectively. This is a factor that is beyond the teachers’ control and is an acknowledged impediment to the more effective use of books.

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ENGLISH

111. Most pupils write in a range of forms, for example news, stories and descriptions. There are some examples of good work. For example, the pupils’ rewriting of the story of Cinderella shows that they understand the structure of narrative . Even so, much of their work is marred by irregularly formed letters. Handwriting has been a continued cause for concern within the school. The work on handwriting is beginning to have some impact, but the modelling of letter shapes is not used in a sufficiently effective way to support continuous improvement.

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ENGLISH

112. The overall quality of teaching and learning in both key stages is good. The lessons seen in Key Stage 1 were very good, good and satisfactory in equal measure. The overall quality of teaching in Key Stage 2 is also good with a quarter of the lessons very good, a quarter good, one third satisfactory and a very small measure of unsatisfactory teaching. The main area for improvement is introducing ways to assure that teaching is of equally high quality in all years and classes. A key strength in teaching is the quality of preparation and planning. In the best lessons, the teachers provide a progressively challenging series of stimulating language activities, working effectively on what pupils already know. This was a marked feature of a lesson in Year 2 concerned with the identification and sounding out of double vowel sounds. The lesson got off to an excellent start as the teacher made the objectives of the

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ENGLISH

lesson clear to the pupils, most of whom knew what the word ‘phoneme’ meant and Wellington Primary School - 43 also knew that they improve their reading by becoming familiar with basic sounds. The teacher built very effectively on this awareness, enhancing the pupils’ identification of sounds by the skilful use of a glove puppet. The pupils were totally captivated by the puppet’s difficulty in identifying basic sounds and did all they could to help him overcome his difficulties.

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ENGLISH

113. Teaching is strengthened across the school by making clear to pupils the objectives of lessons and by checking their learning against these objectives at the end of the lesson. The result of this is that pupils become more aware of their attainments and of how to improve. The quality of the teacher’s questioning is a defining feature of many lessons. For instance, in a Year 6 lesson dealing with styles of writing, the teacher’s questions were increasingly demanding, with the consequence that pupils’ language was steadily improved. This was also a feature of another Year 6 lesson when stimulating questioning about an extract from a story by Anne Fine encouraged the pupils to be more adventurous with their ideas.

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ENGLISH

114. Pupils with special educational needs are effectively supported by some good individual and group attention. Class teachers provide activities appropriate for these pupils. There is excellent specialist teaching provided for pupils for whom English is an additional language. In teaching that is unsatisfactory or just satisfactory, there are weaknesses in the management of behaviour and the use of the pupils’ language to extend their confidence in language, particularly in their written work. Though homework is used satisfactorily to support pupils’ learning, there are inconsistencies across the years in its quality and range. The use of assessment to identify how pupils are performing and to pinpoint individual barriers to learning is patchy, varying in effectiveness from year to year and class to class.

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ENGLISH

115. Pupils behave well. They enjoy discussion and writing. They are keen to learn and are given the opportunity to read books for pleasure. They generally work well both independently and also co-operatively in group work. Pupils’ positive attitudes enhance their learning. They are particularly enthusiastic about drama. Due to limitations of accommodation, particularly in Year 6 and in the temporary accommodation, it is almost impossible to teach drama effectively. Despite these difficulties, there is some good work in Year 6.

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ENGLISH

116. The subject is well led. There is some effective monitoring of teaching, but action to improve the development of literacy is not underpinned by the consistent implementation of whole school policies on the development of language. Since the last inspection, there have been improvements in planning. Overall standards have improved slightly, but writing remains a relative weakness. There are not enough books available to support learning as the library remains to be restored to full use after the building programme.

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Literacy

117. Most pupils have sufficient reading, writing, speaking and listening skills to support their learning in all subjects across the curriculum. Pupils with special educational needs are helped to read texts in other subjects, for example in mathematics, science and geography. A remarkable feature of the school is the rapid rate at which pupils who are new to English build up their skill and confidence in the use of the language. This results from excellent teaching, where the refined use of language activities raises the pupils’ confidence and fluency. Wellington Primary School - 44 118. Teachers provide pupils with some good opportunities to develop their skills in speaking and listening through class discussion, but the planned development of writing is limited to English lessons. Teachers take positive action to ensure that pupils understand specialist vocabulary in some geography, mathematics and science

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Literacy

lessons, either with key words or through discussion of text.

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MATHEMATICS

119. Provision for learning is good. In the 2000 national tests, seven-year-old pupils reached standards above the national average and well above those attained in similar schools. Eleven-year-olds attained standards that were in line with national expectations and above average when compared with similar schools. While, at seven, the number of pupils achieving the higher levels is in line with national expectations, at eleven it is below. Since the last inspection in 1998, standards have continuously improved except in one year. There was no marked difference in the performance of girls and boys at eleven but the seven-year-old girls tended to perform better than the boys in the last national tests.

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MATHEMATICS

120. Lesson observations and scrutiny of pupils’ work show that pupils in Year 2 and Year 6 attain the standards expected of their age in numeracy and all areas of mathematics (number, algebra, space, shape and measures, and data handling). The school, led by senior management, has worked hard and successfully since the previous inspection to raise standards of attainment and continuously identify measures for further improvement. They have ensured that the complete curriculum is rigorously covered, with special emphasis on mathematical investigations and problem solving that were weaknesses at the last inspection. Mathematics has been a focus subject. Measures, that include ‘booster’ classes and the introduction of a new scheme of work, have had a positive impact on pupil's standards but there are still some variations in the rate of progress between year groups. Pupils with English as an additional language and those with special educational needs make good progress.

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MATHEMATICS

121. By the age of seven, pupils count and manipulate numbers to 100 and use the two times table in mental mathematics, for instance knowing that 10 groups of 2 make 20. They divide shapes into halves and the more able into quarters as well. They know some of the properties of two and three-dimensional shapes. When solving a two-part number problem, the more able pupils construct a simple explanation, such as in: ‘3 x 20p=60p and 2 x 10p=20p, so that is 80p, and if the present is 45p, I subtract 40p then 5p so my answer is 35p’. They construct simple bar charts recording the favourite type of crisps of every pupil in the class.

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MATHEMATICS

122. At the age of eleven, pupils work out calculations in their heads quickly, they understand improper fractions, and are developing their measuring skills well; they use and interpret a range of diagrams and charts, including pie charts. They check the results, make sensible estimations and regularly apply their mathematical knowledge to problems. However, in the middle school the speed at which pupils calculate answers to problems is hampered because they say their tables by counting, for example ‘5, 10, 15, 20, 25, etc’, then when asked ‘9 times 5?’ they have to start at the beginning and are very slow to find the correct answer.

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MATHEMATICS

123. The quality of teaching and learning is mostly good, with many very good and even excellent lessons. With very rare exceptions, all teaching is at least satisfactory. In the lessons seen in Years 2 and 3 the teaching is good or very good. In Years 4 and 5 the teaching varies from unsatisfactory to good but is satisfactory overall. The pace Wellington Primary School - 45 of learning in this age group is slower than other year groups and the progress of pupils is more variable. The quality of learning improves greatly in Year 6, where the teaching is very good or excellent; here all pupils make good progress and the lower- attainers very good progress. The success of the best lessons results from teachers implementing fully and effectively careful lesson planning that is developed by every year group. Such lessons are guided by the school plan and incorporate differentiated tasks for each ability group. When support staff are available, they are

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MATHEMATICS

used well to reinforce pupils’ learning, particularly those pupils with English as an additional language and those with special educational needs.

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MATHEMATICS

124. In the quarter of the 16 lessons seen that were very good or excellent, pupils are encouraged to solve problems in their own way, to use mathematical language correctly and to select practical apparatus if appropriate. They are given tasks that, while challenging, are based upon an assessment of their former knowledge. In a Year 1 lesson, pupils worked collaboratively and co-operatively in groups of four to play games to work out who came first, second, third and fourth. In a Year 6 lesson, pupils were able to identify the percentage divisions on a pie chart by converting a fraction two-fifths to 40 per cent. In the unsatisfactory lesson, work was not matched to the pupils' abilities; hence, they were unable to complete their work and so became restless and noisy.

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MATHEMATICS

125. The teachers are familiar and secure with the National Numeracy Strategy, which they apply effectively. The aim of the lesson is well defined and is clearly shared with pupils at the start and later reinforced. At the end of the lesson, most teachers assess what pupils have understood and help them to understand what they have achieved. The teachers use a good range of vocabulary and this results in the pupils using the correct terminology. The oral and mental sessions are usually delivered with enthusiasm, and questions targeted to different abilities and based on previous knowledge. Consequently, pupils show good mental agility and in good lessons answer, when appropriate, in full, well structured sentences. The main teaching activities involve pupils in practising their skills co-operatively, collaboratively and independently in almost all classes. Pupils usually work with enthusiasm and

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MATHEMATICS

sustained, focused concentration. Sometimes these tasks do not consistently challenge the higher-attaining pupils. Presentation of work is almost always good and often very good.

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MATHEMATICS

126. Every class provides opportunities for pupils to develop their mathematical knowledge, skills and understanding using information and communication technology that has been the mathematical focus this year. The software program used is effectively linked to the mathematics topics being taught. In a Year 5 class, pupils used appropriately sensory devices to measure sound levels and temperature. Pupils use mathematics to aid learning in many other subjects, for example in co-ordinates for map work in geography, and in a Year 1 class there is a graph recording the growth of plants over four weeks. Each class has, as well as an appropriate and attractive themed mathematics display, a mathematics board with a problem-solving activity that is changed weekly; in some classes, there were numbers which pupils had to find different ways of making. These areas are now strengths of the curriculum, unlike at

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MATHEMATICS

127. Class teachers have used statutory and non-statutory tests to set levels of attainment they expect pupils to achieve by the end of the school year. This system has not been rigorous enough to ensure that all pupils, especially higher-attainers, are constantly challenged. Hence, a new and effective whole school tracking system has Wellington Primary School - 46 been introduced. All pupils are set mathematical targets, which are reviewed termly. Work is regularly marked with encouraging comments but does not always show pupils how to improve their work. Homework is set weekly throughout the school but, although aiding learning, remains an area for further improvement.

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MATHEMATICS

128. The management of the subject is very good and there is a very comprehensive development plan. The new co-ordinator, like her predecessor, provides a knowledgeable lead and very effective support for her colleagues. She monitors and evaluates teachers’ planning, samples pupils’ work and observes teaching on a regular basis. Organisation is now more effective this year with two parallel classes in every year group. Learning resources are satisfactory and used effectively. In some classes, limited accommodation space restricts the teaching and learning opportunities.

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SCIENCE

129. Provision for learning for science is good. Teachers’ assessments in 2000 showed that standards reached by the seven-year-old pupils were close to the national average and above average for similar schools. Standards in the national tests for eleven-year-olds were also at the national average for all schools, and were above average for schools in truly similar contexts. Current pupils maintain and to some extent have improved on these levels of attainment. Overall standards have improved significantly since the previous inspection. This is mainly because the curriculum has been extended to ensure that much more investigative and experimental science is included in the pupils’ work.

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SCIENCE

130. The learning and progress is good among pupils with English as an additional language and those with special educational needs; both groups are supported well in lessons. The teachers prepare lessons to suit individual needs and on some occasions teaching assistants are available to work with the pupils. In one particular class the lesson, although given in English, was also in part translated into Punjabi; this had a good impact on learning and also on these pupils’ self-esteem.

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SCIENCE

131. Standards of work reached by pupils up to the age of seven are largely satisfactory, although the pupils’ previous work indicates too little writing-up of investigations and scientific experiments. This misses opportunities to build upon the good learning in lessons, for example the discovery of the coldest place in the classroom and constructing simple electric circuits. In one lesson, pupils showed themselves to be very focused on the subject of the life cycle of the frog and the teacher’s good questioning drew out information from them. One pupil was very keen to explain and demonstrate his knowledge of the feeding habits of frogs.

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SCIENCE

132. The improving standards among eleven-year-olds are based upon much of the work done in earlier years, where the scientific method is followed very carefully and the investigations are well written up. In Year 5, the pupils conducted, with good teacher support, a highly technical experiment to discover which of three materials was most effective for insulating sound. The pupils worked together well, discussing their predictions and comparing their ideas. The measurements were taken using a very sophisticated computer-driven device for measuring sound. The pupils made good predictions and wrote up their findings in a very scientific manner. They had a very clear idea of the requirements for fair testing and made sure that they kept to these requirements. They can explain that a fair test is one where only one element in the test can be changed, whilst all the others remain the same. Wellington Primary School - 47

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SCIENCE

133. The eleven-year-old pupils were challenged to use their scientific knowledge to produce a burglar alarm. This presented them with many problems to solve, including the design of a pressure switch, which would remain on after it was triggered. Collaborating well in pairs or groups, the pupils worked steadily, testing their designs and theories. This was a taxing task but the pupils were highly motivated and persisted in their work. Throughout all the years, the pupils show great interest in their work and much of it is well presented.

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SCIENCE

134. The quality of teaching is inconsistent from year to year and even between classes in the same year. In Key Stage1, teaching overall is satisfactory: one third of the lessons seen were good and two thirds were satisfactory. The good teaching showed good pace and effective knowledge and understanding of the subject. Whilst this was also true for the satisfactory lessons, problems of class management detracted from the pupils’ progress in writing up their research. Planning was good overall and this accounted for the pupils’ satisfactory progress.

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SCIENCE

135. At Key Stage 2 the quality of teaching is good overall: one third is good, one third very good and one third excellent. There were some gaps in curriculum coverage in the earlier years at this key stage. The excellent and very good lessons were full of pace and challenge. The excellent lessons also made the entire process very exciting with a rapid movement into a hands-on experience. The learning and progress related very much to the quality of teaching. The teaching has improved significantly in Key Stage 2 since the last inspection and there is now no unsatisfactory teaching.

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SCIENCE

136. There is effective co-ordination of the subject and the co-ordinator has been successful in driving the standards to average levels. However, not all the teaching has responded to the input of in-service training. The curriculum is now good, as are the schemes of work. Assessment is good and the co-ordinator monitors teaching and learning. There are good profiles of work, which are levelled to the requirement of the National Curriculum. Resources are good but accommodation for teaching investigative or experimental science is unsatisfactory as many of the classrooms are too small, including the new ones for Year 6.

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ART AND DESIGN

137. Provision for learning is satisfactory and standards are improving. It was not possible to see any art lessons in Key Stage 1 during the course of the inspection and judgements are therefore based on scrutiny of work previously produced and on other documentary evidence.

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ART AND DESIGN

138. Attainment in art at the end of Key Stage 1 is in line with national expectations for pupils of that age. Pupils have an appropriate sense of colour which they use to convey a scene or mood; for example, pupils depicting seaside scenes used bright colours, particularly blues and yellows to give a sense of sea and sun, while pupils drawing from nature used colours in the green and brown range. Little use of colour mixing was seen. They use a range of colour media such as pastel and oil pastel, which is applied carefully to give depth and consistency of colour. Pupils explore an appropriate range of techniques, such as marbling and pipe cleaner ‘sculpture’ with generally satisfactory results. In general, pupils lack creativity and the desire to experiment. For example, all pupils producing patterns in a religious education lesson preferred to copy the examples provided rather than devise their own. Pupils

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ART AND DESIGN

demonstrate a satisfactory sense of shape, proportion and composition. They have Wellington Primary School - 48 knowledge of the work of a range of major artists such as Mondrian and Matisse and, based upon their understanding of the techniques used by these artists, use information technology to explore ways of producing their own works in a similar style. Pupils have produced work in clay that shows a developing sense of shape and form and are able to ‘glaze’ their work neatly and evenly using a transparent synthetic glue. Sketchbooks have been introduced only very recently and so pupils’ experience in their use is insufficient.

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ART AND DESIGN

139. Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 is also in line with national expectations. Pupils use an appropriate range of media, such as paint, fabric and pencil, in techniques such as printing and collage as well as for painting and sketching. These techniques are usually employed appropriately, but pupils tend to apply colour in bold ‘blocks’ with little use of more subtle shades, for example colours they have mixed themselves and then blended on the page with other colours. A class in Year 5, however, did employ these techniques to a greater extent when using sponges to print and make interesting patterns. In imaginative work, such as a ‘Dream Scene’ collage, some pupils show creativity and the ability to convey mood through colour and texture, but some pupils find it difficult to decide on their choice of material or technique, placing more emphasis on the subject matter of their work than on what materials and

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ART AND DESIGN

techniques would be best employed. Pupils show interest in styles of art, which are new to them and in the work of artists of repute, producing convincing pastel work in the style of Aboriginal artists and careful pencil sketches based on the work of Stephen Wiltshire. They are able to make good use of the opportunity to discuss their work, offering opinions and advice to each other, but the limited vocabulary and speaking skills of many pupils mean that this kind of discussion is not as useful as it would be if they could explain their ideas more precisely. A promising start has been made on the use of sketchbooks for experimentation and planning, although these have not yet been used for the purpose of experimenting with colour.

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ART AND DESIGN

140. Although at the time of the previous inspection, attainment in art was above the national expectation in both key stages, the apparent current decline in standards should be seen against a background of a decrease in the time available to teach art throughout the school.

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ART AND DESIGN

141. The attitudes and behaviour of pupils were at least good in all lessons seen and very good in two lessons. The generally careful way in which previous work has been carried out and the sensible way in which materials have been used also indicates good attitudes on the part of pupils. Pupils behave sensibly and in a mature manner, making good use of the opportunities they are given to discuss and reflect on their own work and that of others. Older pupils, in particular, take care that these comments are made diplomatically and pupils respond positively to receiving advice from other people. They think about how they will carry out their work, although great consideration goes into what they are going to produce at the expense of consideration of what materials and techniques they will use. Most pupils show enthusiasm and interest in their work. For example, some pupils in Year 6 who knew they were about to start a unit of work on portraiture took the trouble to bring in

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ART AND DESIGN

photographs from home to help with their composition. Pupils work well together and usually demonstrate good relationships.

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ART AND DESIGN

142. All teaching seen in Key Stage 2 was at least satisfactory. One lesson was good and one lesson was very good. Teachers offer a good range of activities, using more demanding media and techniques than those used in Key Stage 1, and pupils make good progress in the acquisition of skills and techniques. In particular, teachers offer Wellington Primary School - 49 tasks that call upon the imagination and creativity of pupils, an area that many find particularly challenging. Good use was made of the visit to the school of a local artist, not just at the time of the visit, but during follow-up lessons when pupils were expected to apply their new knowledge of techniques and materials to further tasks. Teachers make effective use of questioning to prompt recall of previous learning. Teachers use effectively the historical and artistic background of pupils’ work and make helpful and frequent references to the work of a wide and adventurous range of

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ART AND DESIGN

artists in order to set the work in context. This represents a maintenance of the quality of teaching at the time of the previous inspection.

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ART AND DESIGN

143. The leadership and management of the subject are satisfactory. There is a new policy for art that is more helpful and informative than the one previously in use and a nationally recommended scheme of work is currently in its first year of operation. There are plans to review this at the end of its first year of operation, in order to adapt it more precisely to the school’s circumstances. There are good procedures for the assessment and recording of pupils’ attainment and progress, but lack of certainty over the use to which this valuable information should be put. Good use is made of visits from local artists but there are no opportunities for pupils to visit art exhibitions or galleries. Investigations should be made into ways of providing opportunities of this kind without incurring excessive costs. The subject is well resourced, particularly in the wealth of examples of work by well-known artists. Some classrooms are far too

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ART AND DESIGN

small to allow the full range of artistic activities, for example the independent selection of materials and the chance of moving round to review the work of others.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

144. Provision for learning is good. Design and technology is taught mainly at the end of each term, in the design and technology week. Judgements about pupils’ standards of attainment and the quality of their learning are based upon an analysis of pupils’ work and teachers’ plans, and upon displays and discussions with the co-ordinator and other teachers.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

145. By the time pupils are seven years of age, standards meet national expectations. This is evident in the work in fabrics when the pupils designed, measured and cut materials to make Joseph’s coat of many colours. The work was enhanced by the use of computers in the early design stage. Some of the products of this work show considerable sensitivity to colour patterns; they are accurately measured and consistently stitched. Boys and girls reach comparable standards. In Year 1, pupils understand the uses of different fruits and vegetables in food. Skills are further extended in the study of homes when pupils work on cutting and shaping the constituent parts of a house. Through this work, they come to understand some of the features of structures and materials. In all their work, pupils evaluate products and the processes by which products are produced. In creating houses, they take account

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

of people’s needs and preferences. Pupils work with various materials, such as card, fabric and natural food ingredients. They use simple tools confidently.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

146. By the time pupils leave the school at eleven, they reach the expected standard. Steady progress is made in refining skills, improving the quality of designs and in evaluating their work as they move through the junior years. Their creative efforts culminate in Year 6 in the designing and making of slippers. Many of these show considerable sophistication in the use of materials. Some good opportunities are given to pupils to solve challenging problems and generate their own designs in order to gain a wider range of design and technology experiences. For example, in Year 5, Wellington Primary School - 50 pupils are encouraged to develop a recipe for making biscuits. This is used as an opportunity to extend their skills in writing and increase their vocabulary as they do so.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

147. As few lessons were seen it is not possible to make a first-hand judgement about the overall quality of teaching. The teaching in the lessons seen was good and according to other evidence, this is usually the case. It is evident that teachers are confident in their knowledge of design and technology and competent in planning activities that successfully engage the pupils’ interest and enthusiasm. Teachers collaborate well together and this helps them link the learning with work in other subjects. For example, in the work in Year 3 on building a lighthouse, pupils combine what they learn in science about electrical circuits to create a light. In all their work, pupils evaluate the final product in great detail.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

148. Conversations with pupils show that this is a very popular subject. Pupils take a real pride in their work on display. The older pupils had very happy memories of the work they carried out in design and technology as they moved through the school. In the few lessons seen, the pupils’ delight in their work was evident.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

149. The subject is well led and managed. At the time of the last inspection, skills in design and technology were judged to be at a low level and not built on in either key stage. Attainment was below national expectations. There was little planning for continuity and the subject did not meet the requirements of the National Curriculum. This unsatisfactory state of affairs has been addressed decisively. Teaching is now underpinned by very good documentation. There is a clear programme of experiences, worked out for all years, which supports the progressive development of skills in designing and making.

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GEOGRAPHY

150. Provision for learning is satisfactory with some good features. It was not possible to observe geography lessons in Year 2 or Year 6 during the course of the inspection and so judgements on attainment at the ends of Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 are based on the evidence of scrutiny of work previously completed and other documentary evidence.

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GEOGRAPHY

151. At the end of Key Stage 1, attainment in geography is in line with national expectations for pupils of that age. All pupils are able to draw simple maps and higher-attaining pupils can include appropriate detail such as towns and vegetation. Younger pupils understand that maps can be used to draw a route from one place to another, for example from home to school, and can use a simple sequence of landmarks to make the route clearer. Higher-attaining pupils can draw a ‘bird’s eye view’ map, showing understanding of the idea that maps are essentially a ‘from above’ diagram of an area. Pupils across the attainment range understand that not all places are the same, that conditions can vary considerably from one location to another and that these have an effect on lifestyle. Imaginary postcards written by pupils from a range of world wide locations show an understanding of how climate and the physical

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GEOGRAPHY

features of landscape can affect the way people live. Pupils from one class have studied the difference between physical and human features of a landscape, although lower-attaining pupils do not fully understand this distinction.

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GEOGRAPHY

152. Attainment in geography at the end of Key Stage 2 is in line with national expectations. Pupils know and understand an appropriate range of factual information about the physical geography of rivers and the effect of water on the Wellington Primary School - 51 landscape. The written work of pupils across the attainment range shows generally correct use of geographical vocabulary. Lower-attaining pupils use frameworks to support their independent writing, although when carrying out their own research there is a tendency to copy from the original source material. They are able to mark an appropriate range of features on maps and diagrams and higher-attaining pupils can use a map to recognise and locate features of the river they are studying. Pupils in one class have carried out a practical investigation of the permeability of a range of natural substances such as sand and gravel and have written up the results of their

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GEOGRAPHY

investigations satisfactorily. Pupils use a good range of methods of recording their knowledge and understanding, for example by extended writing, diagrams and charts. Although all pupils are able to use maps that are provided for them, to identify and locate geographical features, little evidence was seen of the use of pupils’ own map- making skills to draw their own maps or to devise signs and symbols to be used on them. Pupils can use four-figure grid references, but higher-attaining pupils do not go on to practise the use of more demanding references. This represents improvement since the previous inspection, when attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 was below national expectations.

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GEOGRAPHY

153. The attitudes and behaviour of pupils are always at least satisfactory and in one lesson they were excellent. They show interest in their work and are eager to contribute their ideas to discussions. They listen to their teacher and each other quietly and attentively. When necessary, pupils are able to work sensibly and very quietly at their written tasks, although if an activity is too protracted, some pupils begin to lose interest and concentration. Pupils’ written work, particularly that of older pupils, is neatly and carefully presented. There has been a maintenance of the good attitudes and standards of behaviour noted in the previous inspection report.

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GEOGRAPHY

154. All teaching seen in geography was at least satisfactory and in one lesson it was excellent. Teachers plan a range of activities, which stimulate pupils’ interest and promote progress. For example, younger pupils starting work on the idea of using maps were fascinated to trace the landmarks passed by the animals in the story they had read in their literacy hour and made simple but effective route maps to trace the events of the story. Their engagement with the lesson was further secured by having the opportunity to taste the exotic fruits from the trees they passed on the way and they made good progress in understanding both the idea of landmarks and also the fact that everyday life is different in other countries. Very effective teachers make good use of questioning to encourage pupils to think hard and answer in precise terms, using correct geographical and general vocabulary. Use is made of a range of

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GEOGRAPHY

tasks to meet the needs of all pupils across the attainment range, for example in an excellent lesson building upon a previous lesson spent collecting data on ‘noisiness’ and ‘busy-ness’, in different areas of the school. This extremely skilful use of language and giving time for the pupils to think through their answers led them to discuss the subjectivity of views and the environmental impact of their findings. This showed that all pupils had gained a level of understanding significantly above that normally expected of pupils of their age.

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GEOGRAPHY

155. There is some evidence that parallel classes do not cover their topics in the same amount of detail. For example, one class in Year 6 has written records of a practical investigation into permeability, while the other has not. There is also some inconsistency in the standard of the marking of pupils’ work, with some work being marked with little more than a tick, while other work is marked using supportive comments. There is little evidence of marking giving pupils advice on what they need to do to improve their work. In Key Stage 1, pupils’ completed written work is Wellington Primary School - 52 organised very informally and is frequently interspersed with unrelated work form other subjects. This makes it difficult for the pupils themselves and their teachers to develop a sense of continuity in the subject or to track progress over time

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GEOGRAPHY

156. There has been improvement since the previous inspection, which noted some shortcomings. There is now no excessive use of worksheets and teachers do plan a range of tasks to meet the needs of pupils across the attainment range, when this is seen to be necessary.

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GEOGRAPHY

157. The leadership and management of geography are generally satisfactory. A nationally approved scheme of work is used and the co-ordinator regularly monitors the planning of geography lessons. However, there are some inconsistencies between classes in the coverage of some topics, which have not been identified by this means. The co-ordinator has no means of checking if sufficient time is devoted in each class to all geography units of work. There is only a very restricted programme of visits to places of geographical interest and older pupils have few opportunities to carry out fieldwork, although a recent visit to a rural village was a strong exception. Investigation has not been made into ways of providing such opportunities on a local basis without incurring too much cost or time out of the classroom. Within the restricted budget available to geography, some sensible acquisitions of atlases have

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GEOGRAPHY

been made the co-ordinator since her recent appointment.

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HISTORY

158. Provision for learning is satisfactory with some good features. Attainment in history at the end of Key Stage 1 is in line with national expectations for pupils of this age. Pupils have satisfactory knowledge and understanding of an appropriate range of events and personalities from the past, and are able to use some details of these periods, for example dates, when discussing or writing. They show understanding of the order in which things happened, can put the episodes of an historical event into the correct order and can understand that these events have consequences for future events. Across the attainment range, pupils show appropriate understanding of why things happened, for example that the Great Fire of London spread so rapidly because houses were closely packed and made of wood, although only higher- attaining pupils are able to make independent written comments about this. All pupils

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HISTORY

show clear understanding of the fact that things change over time and are able to identify these changes, for example how houses have changed from the Tudor period until the present. Pupils have satisfactory understanding of differences between the life that is familiar to them today and life in the past, identifying, for example, the way in which their own home town has developed over time. This represents a maintenance of the standards of attainment at the time of the previous inspection.

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HISTORY

159. Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 is also in line with national expectations for pupils of that age. They have satisfactory knowledge of historical events and situations from a wide range of periods and have a developing sense of the order in which events took place, understanding, for example, that the time of the ancient Egyptians was before the time of Christ. Most pupils understand the concept of BC and AD. Pupils understand that the causes of historical events can be traced and have a simple understanding of the causes of the Second World War. During the key stage, pupils develop satisfactory understanding of the importance of historical source material in providing evidence for our knowledge about what happened in the past and by Year 6 are able to identify, in basic terms, possible sources of such evidence. Average and higher-attaining pupils are able to use a range of source materials to

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HISTORY

Wellington Primary School - 53 enhance their understanding of history, while lower-attaining pupils are able to interpret photographic evidence. All pupils show understanding of the point of view of people who were alive at the time of the periods they study, for example of the feelings of children who were evacuated during the second world war or the way Aztecs regarded the invading Spanish. Most pupils are able to undertake basic independent research, although there is a tendency for them to copy from materials directly rather than interpret them in the light of their own understanding.

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HISTORY

160. No overall judgement about the standards of attainment in Key Stage 2 was made in the previous inspection report.

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HISTORY

161. Pupils show attitudes to their work in history, which are at least satisfactory and sometimes very good. They are usually involved and interested in their work, listen carefully to their teacher and each other, and do their best to carry out their tasks. All pupils, including younger ones, join in discussion enthusiastically and offer answers and contributions readily. They respond very positively to tasks, which are selected to engage their interest and enthusiasm. For example, pupils all participated eagerly and helpfully and with obvious enjoyment when winding a very long strip of paper around the playground area in order to illustrate how much time had elapsed since the period of the ancient Egyptians. Pupils carry out homework tasks conscientiously and show pride in what they have been able to accomplish, for example making a very good model of an Aztec place of worship.

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HISTORY

162. All teaching seen was at least satisfactory and in one lesson it was very good. Teachers have appropriate subject knowledge and plan their lessons well, with generally clear objectives for what they want their pupils to learn, which are shared with their class. However, in the least effective lessons these objectives do not make sufficiently clear the skills and understandings to be achieved by each level of ability. Teachers make appropriate use of discussion, especially at the ends of the lessons when pupils have the opportunity to review and evaluate their progress. Pupils make good progress when teachers use methods which engage their interest and involvement, for example by the use of a model of a castle, or by using pupils’ natural interest and energy to investigate the challenging concept of BC and AD for themselves. There is limited evidence in lessons of a range of tasks being given to

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HISTORY

match the needs of all pupils and in one lesson all pupils reached similar levels of attainment, with higher-attaining pupils being insufficiently challenged. Marking of pupils’ work is regular and supportive, but offers too little advice on what they need to do in order to improve.

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HISTORY

163. No overall judgement was made about the quality of teaching in the previous inspection report.

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HISTORY

164. The leadership and management of the subject are satisfactory. A nationally recommended scheme of work is used, which is sensibly supplemented by two topics, which are particular interests of individual teachers who have accumulated good resources for teaching in these particular areas. The recently appointed subject co- ordinator is very aware of the fact that these additional topics should promote the same historical skills as the topics in the recommended scheme and they have been cross checked with this in mind. The assessment of pupils’ attainment and progress is carried out and recorded at the end of each unit of work, although there is some uncertainty over the use to which such information should be put when planning the curriculum. In addition, the co-ordinator has begun to collect samples of work across the attainment range from all classes in order to monitor progress and the way in

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HISTORY

Wellington Primary School - 54 which the curriculum is covered. The subject co-ordinator monitors the planning for each class. There is only a very limited programme of visits to places of historical interest, mainly because of the expense involved, but the co-ordinator is looking into less costly visits in order to make them more widely available. There is limited availability of history books for individual or class research from within the school’s own resources, but good use is made of the school library service to supplement these and, at the time of the inspection, there was a satisfactory range of books available.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

165. Provision for learning is satisfactory in information and communication technology and well set to improve further. Standards are in line with national expectations at ages seven and eleven. Evidence from dedicated information and communication technology lessons and the many other lessons where computers were used to support learning in other subjects, and scrutiny of previous work and teachers’ plans confirm that current standards are considerably higher than at the time of the last inspection. Pupils at both key stages have made at least satisfactory and often good progress this year. At the time of inspection, the school had only a very small number of computers, approximately one per class, and some very new laptops. This severely limits pupils access to the computer despite the very best efforts of all the staff to ensure that all pupils have equal time on computers. However, the standards

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

achieved with these limited resources are an indication of how high a focus information and communication technology has in the school. The new computer suite with 16 computers will not be ready until September because of building difficulties beyond the control of the school.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

166. In Key Stage 1, the standards are slightly above those expected for the pupils’ age. This is mainly as result of the good and exceptionally thorough basis for learning fostered in the Foundation Stage and a well-planned syllabus. Throughout the school, the teachers have sound knowledge and are able to ensure that an appropriate range of work is provided for the children. They show realistic expectations of the pupils and are able to teach them the basic skills of information technology. Year 2 pupils are able to use various tools such as flood-fill, straight line and shape to produce pictures in the style of Mondrian. They use word-processing skills to organise their information; for example, the contents page was made for a book listing healthy food, growing food, fruits, drink and the need for exercise. Pupils are able to take photographs using the digital camera. 167. At Key Stage 2 most pupils show fluency in basic operations such as the use of the

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

keyboard and the mouse. They work confidently with tool bars and menus. In all classes, pupils understand the vocabulary and terms used by the teacher. The attainment of pupils at eleven is that expected for their age and they make good progress during Year 6. Pupils have researched the Internet and design their own multi-media resource based on the London Blitz and their history study of the Second World War. The resources covered information about how to survive an air raid, including sound effects of the planes dropping bombs. A pupil with English as an additional language and in the first stage of learning the language compiled a resource sheet about animal sounds complete with sound effects. In Years 3, 4 and 5 progress is satisfactory. Pupils in Year 3 are able to manipulate music software to create a tape of their own musical compositions. At the end of each session pupils save their work into a folder so they can continue it later.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

Wellington Primary School - 55 168. Throughout Key Stages 1 and 2, teaching is always satisfactory with some good lessons and one very good lesson observed. This is a great credit to the teaching staff and their planning, secure knowledge and effective classroom management, because they are often teaching with the pupils squeezed together to get a glimpse of the one class computer screen. In a Year 4 lesson, pupils had to move much of the classroom furniture before they could organise a space large enough to view the screen. In Year 3, the carefully planned lesson on how pupils should send e-mails, a development of former knowledge, was very difficult to deliver because of the lack of resources and space. However, the teachers used this as a valuable learning experience for pupils who discussed the difficulties of electronic communications and compared unfavourably the tool bar of a laptop with the mouse control. All pupils look

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

forward eagerly to the opening of the computer suite when they will be able to communicate with other schools. When working in two’s and three’s on the computer during other lessons, pupils worked sensibly and with good concentration, co- operating well. In one Year 6 class, pupils were ensuring that they understood fully how to use a spreadsheet by becoming instructors to other members of the class. The pupils’ attitude to working on the computer is positive and they are confident users of the technology.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

169. Each pupil has an information and communication technology target that is reviewed twice every year. Also, at the start of each year, teachers forecast the progress to be made by each pupil and evaluate their success at the end of the year. This year, a whole-school assessment procedure to measure attainment has been established. This allows co-ordinators to have a comprehensive overview that is updated termly, thereby enabling them to identify any groups under-achieving and immediately organise constructive help to improve teachers' knowledge and confidence. All pupils with English as an additional language and those with special educational needs make the same progress as their peers.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

170. The very knowledgeable, well organised and enthusiastic co-ordinator team of a class teacher and a nursery nurse has worked very hard this year to raise the profile of information and communication technology and to ensure that the procedures are complete before the new computer suite is installed. The co-ordinator monitors teaching and samples termly the progress of randomly chosen pupils in every class. She reviews all information and communication technology curriculum planning both for specific skills and also how the subject will support other subjects. These measures address the weaknesses concerning curriculum and progress at Key Stage 2 noted at the time of the last inspection. Additionally, the co-ordinator uses her expertise to enable teachers to become confident users, as does the nursery nurse, who also ensures that the computers are working. While satisfactory standards are attained with such limited resources at present, the new suite should ensure that

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

information and communication technology has an even greater impact on pupils’ work and that the entire curriculum can be covered more effectively, particularly at Key Stage 2.

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MUSIC

171. Provision for learning is satisfactory. Pupils at seven and eleven attain standards broadly in line with national expectations for their ages. No longer do some pupils exceed these expectations as they did at the time of the last inspection. Pupils with English as an additional language and those with special educational needs attain the same standards as their peers. Wellington Primary School - 56 172. Younger pupils sing with enthusiasm, showing good control of pitch, dynamics and rhythm, as they did in the lower school singing time when the music co-ordinator accompanied them on the piano. They are able to repeat short rhythmic and melodic patterns. In a Year 1 class, pupils were able to identify which chime bar would produce the high and the low notes, then beat the rhythm to the song and evaluate whether they had sung with expression. In Year 2, pupils accurately play ascending and descending scales on the glockenspiel.

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MUSIC

173. Eight-year-olds sing with clear diction and considered musical expression, quickly learn new melodies, sing in unison and soon perform confidently to an audience. In Year 4, pupils correctly identify strong and weak pulses in music as varied as a brass band and sitar music. The older pupils identify some of the instruments played in one of the ‘The Brandenburg Concertos’ and ‘Winter’ from ‘The Four Seasons’, including the harpsichord, recorder and violins. Pupils develop a satisfactory but not wide musical vocabulary as they progress through the school, and by Year 6 they describe how melodies convey mood and discuss confidently the duration, tempo and pitch organised within musical structures.

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MUSIC

174. The quality of teaching and learning is always satisfactory and in a third of lessons good. In a reception class, during an excellent lesson, the music co-ordinator used her outstanding skills to develop the pupils' musical knowledge and understanding, including those in the early stages of learning English, to perform a new song using a wide variety of pitched and unpitched instruments to accompany the lyrics and actions. The success of this lesson resulted from the teacher accurately and continuously assessing the progress of the pupils. All other teachers, who are not music specialists, use a commercially produced scheme of work employing taped music. This ensures that the curriculum is covered but few lessons are imaginative or captivating. The low quality of the sound produced by the music players can hamper progress, as in a Year 4 lesson when some of the four recordings were indistinct and

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MUSIC

made the pupils’ task more difficult. As at the time of the last inspection, where the teacher has some musical knowledge and confidence, the teaching is flexible and adapted to the needs of the pupils. In a good Year 3 lesson, after listening very carefully to a taped song, pupils said that its mood was smooth and romantic. They sang using musical phrasing, breathing in all the correct places. The teacher helped them achieve this through clear demonstration. Pupils then evaluated that this performance of the song was more fluid as result of correct breathing. However, other teaching is over-reliant on set lesson plans and, consequently, is less flexible and with a slower pace. This was particularly the case in a singing lesson in a Year 5, when the learning of some pupils became unfocused.

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MUSIC

175. Pupils have 20 minutes a week singing to live music played by the co-ordinator at the lower and upper school singing practices. Some pupils in Key Stage 2 pay for recorder, guitar or violin lessons provided by the Hounslow Music Service, and these provide individuals with opportunities to develop their interests and talents. Some professional musicians have visited the school, including a ‘World of Music’ workshop whose members introduced African music. Information and communication technology is used to enhance music. In Year 3, pupils have produced a tape of musical sequence that they composed using software. As the musician in the upper school has left, there is no longer a school choir.

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MUSIC

176. The very knowledgeable music co-ordinator teaches in a reception class and is the only specialist. She monitors the quality of teaching and supports the staff by listening to tapes of their lessons and holding regular surgeries to give advice. She reviews Wellington Primary School - 57 termly planning but time constraints limit her practical involvement in classes other than her own. Pupils have musical targets and their progress is systematically assessed. The resources of pitched and unpitched instruments are satisfactory. However, the lack of a music specialist at Key Stage 2 limits the pupils’ range of opportunities to perform accompanied by live music.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

177. Provision for learning is satisfactory with some good features. At ages seven and eleven, pupils’ attainment is similar to that found in most other schools.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

178. In gymnastics, when changing direction, pupils show good awareness of others around them. They practise and perform simple jumps safely and link their actions together. Pupils are quick to understand the structure of simple games. By the age of seven they demonstrate good co-ordination. They are aware of the effect exercise has on their bodies and talk about how they could improve their skills, using a good range of the appropriate language. Pupils in Year 2 show sensitivity to music as they improve the expressive quality of their movements when they explore feelings through dance.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

179. Eleven-year-old pupils are confident in demonstrating movement. They have a sound level of control in linking a series of movements together, having planned and practised the skills required. They use apparatus well to extend the exploration of balance. All pupils are aware of health and safety in physical education. The great majority of pupils swim confidently and unaided over at least 25 metres before the age of eleven years.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

180. Pupils behave well and their response to physical education is good. They enter the hall quietly and use their time effectively. They use warm-up exercises to good effect. Pupils concentrate to improve the quality of their skills and show enjoyment in being physically active. They co-operate in pairs and small groups, for example when setting out the apparatus. Pupils with special educational needs and those who are learning English as a new language integrate well and make good progress, as do the higher-attaining pupils.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

181. The quality of teaching is satisfactory overall. Lessons begin with an effective warm- up. The pupils take this part of the lesson very seriously and have come to understand the importance of preparing different muscles for different forms of physical exercise. The teachers’ use of the appropriate technical terms extends the pupils’ range of language. Calm, quiet management and good relationships promote the pupils’ self-confidence. Where teaching is good, lessons have a good balance between direct teaching and opportunities for pupils to practise and explore movements. This was true of the teaching of dance. In one lesson in Year 4, as a result of the enthusiasm of the teacher and her skill in modelling the movement patterns, the pupils refined and improved their work to the point where it was dynamic and expressive. Demonstrations by individual pupils to the rest of the class are used

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

effectively to draw attention to key elements in the activities. Occasionally, pupils are not told clearly what to look for in demonstrations, with the consequence that these parts of the lesson do not contribute significantly to their learning. There are too few opportunities provided for pupils to evaluate and refine their own performances and those of their peers. Wellington Primary School - 58 182. There are no competitive games played against other schools and this misses opportunities to enrich the pupils’ social development. However, the headteacher does help pupils to arrange competitions, for example football at lunchtimes, and both girls and boys take part. There is a thriving dance club for the infant pupils but there is an unsatisfactory range of other physical activities outside lessons. Since the last inspection, the standards of attainment and the quality of teaching, judged then to be

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

satisfactory, have been maintained. The subject now meets the requirements of the National Curriculum. Documentation to support teaching has been improved considerably. The improvements have resulted from good leadership and support for those teachers who are not as confident in teaching physical education as they are in teaching other subjects.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

183. Provision for learning is good and standards high. Attainment in religious education at the end of Key Stage 1 is above the expectations of the locally agreed syllabus for pupils of this age. Pupils have good factual knowledge and recall of significant aspects of the faiths they study, for example pupils know about the importance of the rituals of washing before prayer in the Moslem faith and know about the stages of these rituals. They know and use correctly some of the specialised vocabulary connected with this; for example, they refer to the Qur’an. They have a clear understanding of the importance of religious practices, which are common to major faiths, for example prayer, and understand its significance. Many pupils know that prayer is ‘talking to a God’ and can suggest some of the reasons why people pray, for example to give thanks, and they understand that prayer should not be for frivolous or

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

selfish purposes. Most pupils have a developing understanding of the importance of symbolism and symbolic objects in religious belief and practice and know, for example, that Chollah bread is important in Jewish celebration. They have good understanding of some of the moral and social standards common to the faiths they study and know, for example, that the support given by friendship and family relationships is valued by many religious groups. All pupils show great respect for the beliefs and practices of others and understand that it is important to demonstrate this in their own relationships.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

184. Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 is also above the expectations of the locally agreed syllabus for pupils of this age. Pupils have good knowledge and understanding of the major faiths they study and understand the beliefs, practices, traditions and culture of each. Most pupils have good factual knowledge of the beliefs central to Judaism and show great empathy with the artefacts, traditions and culture arising from them. They understand the links between religious belief and tradition; for example they understand how the Christian celebration of the birth of Christ has led to the traditional giving of gifts and the significance of gifts in Christian belief. All pupils, including those who are not Moslem, show good understanding of the beliefs and practices of Islam. Most pupils understand the challenging concept of the significance of religious stories, for example how the parables of Christ impact on their

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

everyday lives. Pupils across the attainment range can discuss their work in religious education with empathetic understanding. This represents an overall improvement since the previous inspection; attainment at the time of the previous inspection was largely in line with expectations.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

185. The attitudes and behaviour of pupils in religious education lessons are always at least good and in some lessons are very good. Pupils behave very sensibly and in a mature manner. They are eager to hear and discuss the ideas of others, expressing Wellington Primary School - 59 and demonstrating great respect for a range of beliefs, practices and artefacts. For example, a group of younger pupils watching one of their class demonstrating Islamic prayer rituals showed not only interest but also awe, and later discussed their responses in hushed voices. Pupils show interest in their work and are engaged by their tasks. They make the most of opportunities to discuss their knowledge and understanding in both small groups and also as a class. This represents improvement since the previous inspection; attitudes and behaviour at that time were mainly good. Present provision makes a very significant contribution to the pupils’ spiritual, moral,

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

186. All teaching seen in religious education lessons was at least good and approximately half was very good. Teachers plan their lessons well, with a variety of activities, which stimulate and maintain interest and concentration. They make good use of discussion and pupils’ contributions to lessons to extend their knowledge and understanding; on these occasions, pupils make good progress in their understanding of challenging topics and concepts. Teachers make effective links between religious teachings and the effect which they have on pupils’ everyday lives; for example, in a lesson on Hindu stories, the teacher drew from them very clearly the relevance and application which they had to pupils’ own situations. In this lesson, pupils demonstrated good progress over time in recalling and interpreting a series of Hindu stories and this was enhanced by creating a Hindu shrine and centre for daily religious practice within the classroom

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

itself. Teachers make good use of their own subject knowledge and also contributions from visitors to the school and from pupils themselves to make lessons interesting and informative. The school makes very good use of links with local faith communities, including visits to many places of worship. In this way pupils see for themselves the importance of special places, the meaning of religious practices and the place special books play in religious life. This represents an improvement since the previous inspection; at that time teaching was good overall.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

187. The leadership and management of the subject are satisfactory. The co-ordinator has good working knowledge of the requirements of the locally agreed syllabus for religious education and there is a thorough scheme of work, which relates these requirements to the needs of the school; this provides a rich and well-planned curriculum. There is a structure for the regular assessment of pupils’ attainment and progress in the subject, and teachers carry this out regularly. Even so, there is lack of clarity about how this information should be used to inform curriculum planning and raise attainment. Good use is made of a regular programme of visits to local places of worship to enhance pupils’ knowledge and understanding. Teachers make good use of visits into school by representatives of a number of faiths, for example singing Jewish songs and sharing reverence for the Torah. There is currently a policy, which

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

places more emphasis on discussion and pupils’ participation in lessons than on the written or graphic recording of knowledge and understanding. This has led to a situation where pupils have limited recorded evidence of their work in religious education and where what they do have is organised and presented in a very informal format. Not only is it therefore not possible for pupils to trace their own progress in the subject by reviewing their recorded work, but they have too limited experience of the kind of reflection and expression best worked through in writing.

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