St Stephen's Church of England Primary School

ST STEPHEN’S C.E. PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 20 th – 22 nd November 2000

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ST STEPHEN’S C.E. PRIMARY SCHOOL

Inspection number: 224834 Inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 St Stephen’s CEP School 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Dorset Road Lambeth London

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The Governing Body, St Stephen’s CEP School

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Miss J Gregson

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: September 1994

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

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. St Stephen’s CEP School 4 Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the School Inspections Act 1996, the school must provide a copy of this report and/or its summary free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. St Stephen’s CEP School 5

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Paul Missin Registered inspector Art and design, Design and technology. What sort of school is it? The school’s results and achievements. How well are pupils taught? How well is the school led and managed? What should the school do to improve further? Ron Elam 9092 Lay inspector Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development. How well does the school care for its pupils? How well does the school work in partnership with parents? Alan Britton Team inspector Mathematics, Geography, Physical education, Special Educational needs. How good are the curricular and other opportunities offered to pupils?

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Judith Howell Team inspector Children in the Foundation Stage, Science, Information and communication technology, Music. Marie Gibbon Team inspector English, History, Equality of opportunity, English as an additional language. Dorothy Latham Team inspector Additional inspection requirements relating to the Inspection of Initiative funded under special national programmes to raise achievement and promote inclusion.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

The inspection contractor was: Phoenix Educational Consultants "Thule" 60 Joy Lane Whitstable Kent CT5 4LT Tel: 01227 273449 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: The Registrar Inspection Quality Division

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE St Stephen’s CEP School 6

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 5

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

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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS? 10

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

St Stephen’s is a voluntary aided Church of England Primary school for pupils aged three to 11 years. There are currently 169 pupils who attend the school full-time, 87 girls and 82 boys. This is smaller than most similar schools. Six children attend the Nursery on a part-time basis. Pupils within the school represent 23 countries and 21 languages. Seventy-six per cent of pupils have English as an additional language. This is very high. This proportion has been increasing steadily over recent years. Sixty-five pupils are on the earliest stages of language acquisition and 35 are on the higher stages of language acquisition, 34 of whom are in Key Stage 2. Forty-three per cent of pupils are on the school’s special educational needs register. This is well above average and it is significantly higher than at the last full OFSTED inspection. Mobility in the school is high. Fourteen pupils joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission and 23 left the school other

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

than at the usual time of transfer. Sixty-one pupils are known to be eligible for free school meals, (36 per cent). This is above average. When they enter the school, most children are attaining standards that are well below those expected for their age. A significant proportion of them have very low levels of English language acquisition. The school was placed in Special Measures following the full inspection in 1994 and was judged to have serious weaknesses by an inspection by Her Majesty’s Inspectors in 1998. The school is part of an Educational Action Zone.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

St Stephen’s is a school that has continued to provide its pupils with a caring and challenging environment despite recent changes in senior leadership. The school now works hard as a unified team. The school is effective in meeting the needs of all its pupils, especially the high proportion using English as an additional language and those with special educational needs. The standards that most pupils achieve are well matched to their own abilities whilst not reaching national standards. The quality of teaching and pupils’ learning is consistently satisfactory, but with several good features. The leadership of the acting headteacher is sensitive and perceptive, and she has met governors’ leadership targets well. Both income and expenditure are well above average levels, but considering the appropriate achievement of most of the pupils, the school provides satisfactory value for money.

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What the school does well

• The good support and encouragement given to pupils using English as an additional language. • The effective provision for pupils with special educational needs. • The good leadership of the acting headteacher and key staff in the school. • Pupils’ attitudes to school are good. They are interested in all activities and demonstrate enthusiasm for learning. • Provision for pupils’ cultural and moral development is very good. Good opportunities are provided to encourage pupils’ social development.

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What could be improved

• The standards achieved in the national tests for 11 and seven-year-olds are too low. • The current school development plan and does not provide sufficiently clear direction over a long enough period. • Assessment information is not used sharply enough to target work, especially in English and for pupils with English as an additional language. • Standards achieved by 11 and seven year olds in information and communication technology, history, geography and design and technology are too low. • The rate of attendance is well below national averages. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan. St Stephen’s CEP School 8

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school has made satisfactory progress since its last full OFSTED inspection in September 1994. The steady progress made between 1994 and 1998 led to the removal from Special Measures in 1998. At least satisfactory progress has been made in addressing most of the key issues identified in the 1994 inspection. All pupils now receive their full entitlement to a broad and balanced curriculum and the expectations and achievement of all pupils have been raised. Significant improvements have been made in the quality of teaching across the school by increasing teachers’ subject expertise, and clear leadership and management structures have been put into place. Future planning for the strategic development of the school has not been so well developed. The main strengths identified in the most recent report by Her Majesty’s Inspectors have been maintained and key issues addressed. The teaching at Key Stage 2 is now more consistent and the

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

quality of teachers’ short term planning has improved. However, standards measured by the results of end of key stage tests have remained very low. The commitment of the staff and the good management procedures introduced by the acting headteacher mean that the school now has a good base on which further improvements can be made.

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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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schools

English E* E E C Well above average Above average A

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schools

B mathematics E* E E D Average Below average C D science E* E E E Well below average E

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schools

The table shows that, although standards in English, mathematics and science are well below those expected in all schools, when compared with similar schools, attainment in English is in line with that expected; in mathematics, it is below and in science, it is well below. The very high proportion of pupils with English as an additional language and the high proportion of pupils with special educational needs are achieving good standards for their previous ability. A large number of pupils with very basic levels of English acquisition are being enabled to gain full access to the National Curriculum. The findings of the inspection are that the current Year 6 group are on course to achieve standards in English and science that are well below average, and below average standards in mathematics. Improvements in the standards attained in mathematics have been achieved by the effective implementation of the National Numeracy Strategy. Average standards are

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schools

achieved in art and design, physical education and music. Standards in design and technology, geography and information and communication technology are below average, and standards in history are well below average. The attainment targets in English and mathematics, which the school has set for 2001, are lower than those of 2000 but they accurately reflect the differences between the respective year groups. The targets are realistic and the school is on course to achieve them. The findings of the inspection are that by the age of seven, pupils attain average standards in art and design and physical education. In reading, writing, mathematics, science, history, geography and design and technology, standards are below average, and in information and communication technology, they are well St Stephen’s CEP School 9 below average. Standards have risen as a result of the clear planning and effective teaching of basic skills at

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schools

this key stage. Children in the Foundation Stage reach average standards in their personal, social and emotional development, physical and creative development. Standards in mathematics and in their knowledge and understanding of the world are below those expected for their age, and most children’s development of language skills is well below other children of the same age. Pupils with English as an additional language make good progress in their language acquisition and pupils with special educational needs attain good standards according to their previous ability and make good progress towards their own learning targets.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Pupils’ attitudes to school and to each other are good. They are keen to come to school and show interest and enthusiasm in their lessons.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Pupils’ behaviour in class and around the school is satisfactory. There is an absence of aggressive behaviour or bullying. Most respond well to the school’s behaviour policy.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Relationships among the many ethnic groups in the school are good. Pupils get on well with each other and play constructively together. Satisfactory attention is paid to promoting pupils’ personal development.

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Aspect Comment

Attendance The rate of attendance is unsatisfactory. It is well below that of most schools. The rate of unauthorised absence is well above the national average. The school has an insufficiently detailed view of the pattern of attendance across the school.

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

Lessons seen overall Satisfactory Satisfactory Satisfactory Inspectors make judgements about teaching in the range: excellent; very good; good; satisfactory; unsatisfactory; poor; very poor. ‘Satisfactory’ means that the teaching is adequate and strengths outweigh weaknesses. During the inspection, five per cent of the teaching observed was very good, 52 per cent good, 41 per cent satisfactory and two per cent unsatisfactory. There are no significant variations in the quality of teaching across the key stages. Overall, the quality of teaching and the quality of pupils’ learning is satisfactory, but with several good features. Strategies for teaching literacy and numeracy are both good. At both key stages, the quality of teaching and pupils’ learning are good in mathematics, and satisfactory in all other subjects of the curriculum. There was insufficient evidence for a judgement to be made in music at Key Stage 1. The

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

strengths in the quality of teaching that improves pupils’ learning are in lessons where pupils are managed well, teachers’ planning is clear and detailed and the learning intended during the lesson is shared with the pupils. Teaching is good in the Nursery. Here teachers interact with children well and provide a good balance between structured and free choice activities. Pupils with English as an additional language receive very good support and guidance from support assistants, class teachers and specialist language teachers. The teaching of pupils with special educational needs is also good.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum The school now provides a broad and balanced curriculum, which meets the requirements of the National Curriculum. The National Literacy and St Stephen’s CEP School 10 Numeracy Strategies are being taught well. Curriculum planning is sound. Appropriate learning opportunities are provided for children in the Foundation Stage. Extracurricular opportunities provided by the school are unsatisfactory.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with special educational needs This is good. Provision is well managed and well organised. Pupils’ individual learning plans identify clear learning steps and these are appropriately reviewed and revised.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with English as an additional language Provision is good. Pupils’ language needs are carefully assessed and they are provided with good levels of support. The liaison between support staff, teachers and specialist language staff is effective.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Provision for pupils’ moral and cultural development is very good, that for social development is good, and for spiritual development, it is sound. Teachers give a clear moral lead, and the school celebrates the cultural diversity within the community well.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils The school adopts sound procedures to ensure the safety and well being of its pupils. Overall, assessment procedures are well organised and effective. However, in English and for pupils with English as an additional language, the data collected are not used to target pupils’ learning clearly.

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Aspect Comment

Parents have a positive view of the school, but most parents have insufficient impact on the school’s work.

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff Despite being in the school for a very short time, the acting headteacher has given the school clear leadership and direction. Senior teachers and co- ordinators now support the leadership of the school well. However, the school development plan does not provide for sufficiently long-term development.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities The governing body gives sound support to the work of the school. Governors have a clear view of the strengths and weaknesses of the school, and individual governors use their interests and experience well to support its work.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance The school has a clear view of where it needs to improve. The acting headteacher and co-ordinators have undertaken monitoring of teaching and learning across the school, and the impact of aspects of special funding has been evaluated well. The school is using assessment data to build up a picture of the value added to pupils as they move through the school.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources The school manages all of the specific funded initiatives at least soundly, and the grant for the provision of English as an additional language is managed well. Good use is made of funding for pupils with special educational needs. Learning resources are satisfactory overall, but for literacy, they are good. The school gives appropriate attention to obtaining value for money.

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Aspect Comment

Overall, the school’s accommodation is satisfactory and supports pupils’ learning well. The school has a good number of teaching and support staff. These factors positively affect the progress and achievement of most of the pupils. St Stephen’s CEP School 11

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• Their children’s progress. • Behaviour is good. • Teaching in the school. • They are kept well informed about progress. • They feel comfortable about approaching the school if they have a problem. • Their children are expected to work hard. • The school works closely with parents. • Their children are helped to become mature. • Their children like school. • Provision of homework. • The range of activities outside lessons.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

Inspectors’ judgements mostly endorse the parents’ positive views of the school. There are good opportunities for parents to find out about the progress of their children. Nevertheless, the quality of the end-of-year reports on pupils’ progress is very poor. They provide little information on what the pupils know and can do and how they can improve. The judgements of the inspection are that the provision for homework is satisfactory overall, but it is not set regularly in all classes and that the range of activities and clubs at lunchtime and after school is unsatisfactory. St Stephen’s CEP School 12

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The school’s results and achievements

1. Several features of the characteristics of the school impact significantly on the overall standards reached across both key stages. The proportion of pupils with English as an additional language is very high compared with other schools in the borough and all schools nationally. The proportion has been increasing steadily over recent years. It was just over 50 per cent at the time of the last full OFSTED inspection in 1994, and it is currently 76 per cent of the school’s population. In 1994, the proportion of pupils with special educational needs was 28 per cent; it is currently 43 per cent. Pupil mobility is high compared with other schools. Many of these pupils are admitted to the school other than at the normal admission time, and many enter the school with very little knowledge of English. There are three refugee children in the school. All these features affect the overall standards achieved in the school and limit the school’s ability to reach national standards. As a

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The school’s results and achievements

result of the carefully targeted work, the good level of individual support and instruction provided by the school and other agencies, most of the pupils are enabled to have appropriate access to the full curriculum by the time they leave the school. These pupils achieve well according to their previous abilities and make good progress towards their own learning targets although not necessarily meeting national standards in several subjects. 2. Children enter the Nursery achieving standards that are well below those expected for their age. Most children enter the Nursery able to communicate their needs and ideas using their own family language, but a considerable number of children are at an early stage in their ability to communicate in English. However, most children indicate that they understand what is said to them. Most children make good progress in the Nursery given their low starting point and broaden and consolidate their knowledge in all areas of learning.

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The school’s results and achievements

By the time they are ready to start in Year 1, the majority of children achieve well and attain the Early Learning Goals in personal, social and emotional development and in their physical and creative development. In communication, language and literacy, most children attain standards that are well below those expected for their age, and in mathematical development and in their knowledge and understanding of the world, their attainment is below average. 3. In the end of Key Stage 1 national test and teacher assessments in 2000, the school’s results were well below average in reading, writing and mathematics when compared with all schools. When compared with similar schools, standards were below average in reading, and well below average in writing and mathematics. In science, the assessments made by teachers were well below those in all schools and below those in similar schools. Standards in all of these subjects have risen since 1996, and are recovering from a

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The school’s results and achievements

significant dip in 1999. The school set achievement targets for pupils’ attainment in the 2000 tests. These were revised upwards after consultation with the Local Education Authority. These more ambitious targets were exceeded in the 2000 tests. The school has set further challenging targets for 2001. 4. The findings of the inspection are that, by the time they are seven, the current Year 2 group is on course to achieve average standards in art and design and physical education. Standards in reading and writing, mathematics and science are below average. The results of the 2000 national tests and teacher assessments indicated that attainment was well below average. Improvement has been achieved as a result of the impact of the literacy and numeracy hours and improvements to the planning and teaching of the science curriculum. Standards in history, geography and design and technology are below average and those in information and

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The school’s results and achievements

communication technology are well below average. There was insufficient evidence in music for an overall judgement on pupils’ attainment to be made. Since the last full OFSTED inspection, standards in science and art and design have improved as a result of better teaching, planning and subject co-ordination. The below average standards in English and mathematics, and the sound standards achieved in physical education have been maintained. There was insufficient evidence or insufficiently clear judgements for comment to be made in other subjects. 5. At Key Stage 1, in English, pupils respond willingly to questions and listen appropriately to their teachers and to each other. Most use simple letter sounds in their reading, but many have a limited sight vocabulary and use a limited range of books. Pupils mostly spell familiar words correctly but use capital letters and full St Stephen’s CEP School 13

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The school’s results and achievements

stops inconsistently in their writing. In mathematics, most pupils recall addition and subtraction facts to ten, and are beginning to order numbers to 100. Most recognise and name common two-dimensional shapes like squares, triangles and circles. However, most have difficulty in recognising and explaining number patterns. In science, pupils know the features of a healthy diet and sort materials according to their properties. Most need continued support to help them analyse and record their findings. In information and communication technology, some pupils use an art program to draw and colour Joseph’s coat, but most are not sure about loading, saving or printing work. In art and design, pupils are confident with techniques such as colour washes and how to blend chalk crayons by rubbing. In design and technology, pupils join pieces of fabric in different ways, but they have insufficient opportunity to make plans of their designs or to evaluate what they have

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The school’s results and achievements

done. In geography, pupils are aware of features of their own classroom and the local area, but they have insufficient knowledge of places further away. In history, pupils think about past wars as they consider the Poppy Appeal and visit the local war memorial. In physical education, pupils demonstrate appropriate control over their gymnastic movements but they are given insufficient opportunity to evaluate their own performance. 6. In the end of Key Stage 2 national tests in 2000, the school’s results were well below average for all schools in English, mathematics and science. However, when compared with similar schools, standards in English were average; in mathematics, they were below average and in science, they were well below average. Analysis of the school’s test data indicates that standards are broadly in line with those in 1996, but that overall standards are rising each year from a dip in 1998. The school set targets for pupils’ attainment in

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The school’s results and achievements

the 2000 tests and these were revised upwards after consultation with the Local Education Authority. However, the year group did not meet those targets. Those set for 2001 offer a significant amount of challenge to the school. 7. The findings of the inspection are that, by the time they are 11, the current Year 6 group is on course to achieve average standards in art and design, music and physical education. Standards in mathematics, information and communication technology, geography and design and technology are below average. Those in English, science and history are well below average. Standards in mathematics are higher than those indicated in the 2000 tests as a result of the effective implementation of the numeracy hour. Since the last full OFSTED inspection, standards in art, geography and physical education have improved as a result of better planning and more effective teaching. Standards achieved are lower in English, science and music and the

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The school’s results and achievements

low overall standards in all other subjects have continued. 8. At Key Stage 2, in English, pupils offer their ideas and answer readily in class discussion. However, many do not speak clearly or confidently or answer at length or in detail. Pupils are learning to recognise words by sight in their reading, but have a limited range of reading. Some write simple sentences accurately using basic punctuation but most have difficulty in sustaining longer pieces of writing. In mathematics, pupils use their knowledge of the position and value of numbers to multiply and divide whole numbers by ten or 100. Most know their multiplication tables up to ten. However, most have difficulty with approximations and judging the reasonableness of their answers. In science, pupils gain a sound understanding of the differences between melting and dissolving and how different mixtures might be separated, but most lack the necessary skills to

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The school’s results and achievements

devise their own investigation or to record what they have done clearly or systematically. In information and communication technology, pupils gain confidence with word processing skills and use data on CD ROMS for their topic work in history and geography, but most have insufficient opportunities to send and receive e-mails. In art and design, pupils undertake observational drawing, for example, of African drums, and colour and shade them appropriately. In design and technology, they test the strength of material and structures as they make a bridge with folded paper to support a given weight. Other pupils demonstrate insufficiently precise measuring, marking out and cutting skills. In geography, pupils understand how symbols are important in maps and mapping, but they have insufficient opportunities to undertake their own research. In history, they develop a sound understanding of life in Victorian Britain, but often their recorded work is too limited. In music, as

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The school’s results and achievements

pupils compose their own compositions to illustrate building Hadrian’s Wall, they play with good rhythm and tempo. When they play hockey, pupils develop an appropriate appreciation of defence and attack strategies and the importance of tactics in games. 9. A high proportion of pupils who have English as an additional language enter the school with very little knowledge of English. The pupils who enter the school at the normal admission time reach the higher levels of St Stephen’s CEP School 14 English acquisition before they leave. Most of these pupils are able to have appropriate access to the full curriculum because they have good specialist support and there are regular termly reviews of their progress, especially at Key Stage 1. This represents good achievement from a very low base. A significant number join the school during Key Stage 2 and the school’s records show that these pupils make at least satisfactory

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The school’s results and achievements

progress in improving their levels of English and having access to the curriculum before the end of Key Stage 2. 10. Pupils with special educational needs achieve good standards according to their ability and previous learning. Children in the Foundation Stage of education achieve similar standards towards the Early Learning Goals in line with their mainstream classmates. All pupils make significant progress towards achieving their individual learning targets in the allotted time. This judgement is similar to the findings of the previous full OFSTED inspection. This is achieved because of the prominence that issues dealing with special educational needs have within the school and within each teacher’s planning for the curriculum. Work is well matched to pupils’ ability and pupils are supported and encouraged well by class teachers and learning support assistants. 11. Across the school, standards achieved in literacy and numeracy are good for pupils’ previous ability.

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The school’s results and achievements

Pupils with English as an additional language are provided with sufficient specialist language support to enable them to gain full access to the National Curriculum and the literacy work of pupils with special educational needs is well focused and supported. Pupils also make good progress in the development of their numeracy skills. The effectiveness of teaching is improved by the confident implementation of the National Numeracy Strategy. A few pupils achieve average standards in numeracy by the time they leave the school.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

12. Pupils' attitudes and relationships with each other and adults are strengths of the school and make a good contribution to the standards achieved. Their behaviour overall and personal development are satisfactory. This judgement indicates an improvement since the previous inspection and reflects the widespread views of parents. Parents state that their children enjoy school. 13. Throughout the school pupils' attitudes towards learning are good. This includes pupils with special educational needs and those with English as an additional language. They concentrate well and show interest in what they are doing as was seen particularly in a Year 2 science lesson looking at the properties of materials. In numeracy lessons, pupils demonstrate the confidence to try and work out answers in front of their classmates. A Year 3 history lesson on the Anglo-Saxons showed that the high expectations of the teacher and the good match of the work to the abilities of the pupils resulted in their being well motivated to

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

work hard. Pupils in the Reception year showed continuing concentration when practising Ghanaian weaving. The consistent approach adopted by the teachers ensures that pupils settle down to work quickly both after coming in from breaks and when moving from whole-class to group activities. 14. Overall, pupils behave satisfactorily in the classroom, at play and lunch times. They are open, well mannered, polite to adults and to each other and courteous and welcoming to visitors. They move around the school in an orderly way when supervised although they sometimes run if there is no adult present. In particular, some are still learning to take care when using the stairs. They show respect for property, for example, when using the computers and are careful when collecting and putting away instruments during music lessons. The great majority of pupils behave appropriately and respond well to the positive comments

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

and awards of ‘ticks’ from the staff. A few pupils need more frequent reminders on how they should conduct themselves, but even then the learning of the rest of the class is usually not disrupted. Pupils have respect for their peers and no aggressive behaviour or bullying was observed during the inspection. 15. Relationships between pupils and with adults are good and contribute to the quality of work in lessons. Pupils get on well with each other when playing games at break and lunch times. In the classroom the youngest respect each other’s space when sitting close together on the carpet. In a ‘circle time’ lesson in Year 1, the pupils showed that they understood that they should not call out and waited for their turn to speak. Good co-operation was seen in a Year 1 physical education lesson and in a Year 4 design and technology lesson when pupils allocated tasks to each other in their groups while making a container for a ‘Jack-in-a-

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

box’. Pupils in the Nursery play together well outside and take turns when using the bicycles and other wheeled toys. Year 1 pupils listened respectfully to the contributions of others when discussing the differences between old and new toys. Boys and girls and pupils from different ethnic and cultural St Stephen’s CEP School 15 backgrounds co-operate together very well in group work in the classroom and when playing at break and lunch times. 16. Pupils' personal development is satisfactory. During a music lesson, Year 3 pupils took one another’s ideas into account when making the sounds associated with building a wall. Year 5 pupils made positive comments about the contributions from others when measuring pulse rates in a science lesson. Pupils take on many tasks both within the classroom and outside. The Year 6 pupils respond well to the various responsibilities they are given such as helping in assembly and monitoring the water fountains at the end of

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

breaks. A meeting of the school council showed that the representatives had properly consulted their classmates and they could produce good reasons why, for example, the afternoon break should be reintroduced. They are starting to use their initiative as they move around the classroom to find materials they may need. Pupils’ personal development is promoted as they become involved in collecting for different charities throughout the year. However, across the school, there are insufficient opportunities provided for pupils to develop independence in their learning, and even the older ones are often dependent on the teachers’ guidance. 17. Children in the Nursery settle quickly into the school routines. They are friendly and happy to come to school. At the start of the day, they enter the classroom with enthusiasm and quickly proceed to the activities of their own choosing. They are well behaved and have a positive approach to their learning activities. In the

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

Reception class, most children settle well to the more formal aspects of learning as, for instance, during the literacy time and when working in small groups, they sustain their concentration for suitable periods of time. Many children show independence in dressing and personal hygiene. There is good racial harmony within the Nursery and Reception; diversity is a way of life. 18. Pupils who have English as an additional language have positive attitudes to school and to each other. There is good value placed on each individual and pupils’ achievements are consistently appreciated. As a result, pupils are happy to come to school and relate well to each other both in the classroom and in the playground. Pupils with special educational needs show good attitudes to their work and behave well in their lessons and in all aspects of school life. In whole-class lesson observations, it is difficult to identify these

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

pupils due to their concentration and good behaviour. Pupils with special educational needs are well accepted by their classmates both in the classrooms and in the playgrounds. 19. Attendance is unsatisfactory. After several years of being around the national average, in the past year, it fell to well below the level of other schools. The great majority of pupils are keen to come to school and are in the playground before the bell sounds in the morning. However, several pupils arrive late on most mornings although usually only by a few minutes. Registration takes place commendably promptly at the start of the day, although the procedures in Key Stage 1 can result in late pupils not being recorded in the register until the afternoon. The unauthorised absence rate was well above the national average. In part, this was due to problems in one class where a number of pupils left without parents telling the school for several weeks.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

Other absences are usually due to the illness, although a number of parents insist on taking their children on holiday in term time. A few absences are authorised incorrectly. These include holidays of more than two weeks and some instances of illness of other family members preventing the child being brought to school. The school has an insufficiently clear view of the pattern of attendance in the different classes throughout the school.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

20. Across the school, the quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory, but with good features, several of which were seen during the lessons observed. The quality of teaching is now significantly stronger than at the last full OFSTED inspection. Then teaching was judged to have been variable across the school and included elements of unsatisfactory and poor teaching. The judgement of the current inspection is similar to that of the last report of Her Majesty’s Inspectors, which found that the overall quality of teaching was satisfactory with a significant proportion being good. The inconsistency in the quality of teaching at Key Stage 2 had remained a serious weakness after the last shorter inspection. This weakness has been successfully addressed. The quality of teaching is now much more consistent across the school. Over half of the lessons observed in the Foundation Stage, at Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 are good, although the proportion remains the lowest at

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

Key Stage 2. Since the last full OFSTED inspection, the quality of teaching in the Nursery has improved. St Stephen’s CEP School 16 21. In the current inspection, 42 lessons or part lessons were observed. The teaching in five per cent of these was very good; in 52 per cent, it was good, in 41 per cent, satisfactory, and in two per cent, it was unsatisfactory. The quality of pupils’ learning closely mirrors these figures. The quality of teaching and the quality of learning for pupils with special educational needs and those for whom English is an additional language are good across the school. 22. The quality of teaching and learning for children in the Foundation Stage is satisfactory overall. It is good in the Nursery. This represents an improvement since the last full OFSTED inspection when the teaching in the Nursery was judged to have been poor. Planning is now particularly good in the Nursery and is carefully

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matched to the Early Learning Goals for children of this age. The good balance between structured and free- choice play activities helps to build good relationships with other children and to extend their independent learning. There is a strong emphasis upon activities that will promote speaking and listening skills. All adults listen with interest to what the children have to say and, through careful questioning, develop their communication skills. In the Nursery, the teacher and Nursery nurse work very effectively as a team, both in the planning and teaching of the children. However, weaknesses are evident in the Reception class in the teacher’s understanding of how to maximise children’s learning. The teacher has introduced the framework of the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategy appropriately but, in general, the group work provided for these children is insufficiently focused and does not take into account the needs of the many children who are

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still becoming familiar with English. The well-established systematic observations to identify aspects of the children’s development in the Nursery do not extend to the Reception class, where it is not sufficiently rigorous to identify clearly the strengths and weaknesses of their learning. Expectations of children’s behaviour are appropriate and relationships are secure. In the Nursery, the happy relationships established with the children, together with the sensitivity and expertise of both the Nursery teacher and Nursery nurse, create effective learning. 23. At Key Stage 1, the quality of teaching and the quality of pupils’ learning are satisfactory. This is an improvement since the last full OFSTED inspection when it was judged that in over a third of the lessons observed teaching was unsatisfactory. The school has responded well to the key issue at the last full OFSTED inspection which judged that teachers were not providing pupils with appropriate and challenging

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tasks based on a clear identification of their learning needs. This has been addressed well. Currently, there is no unsatisfactory teaching, and in nearly seven of ten lessons, teaching is good. Teaching is good in mathematics and for literacy and numeracy, and satisfactory in all other subjects. There was insufficient evidence for a judgement to be made about the overall quality of teaching in music. Most aspects of the quality of pupils’ learning are satisfactory. Strengths are the encouragement given to individual pupils by support teachers and the effective summing up sessions at the end of lessons which reinforce learning well. Weaknesses are where pupils do not listen sufficiently carefully to adults’ instructions. 24. At Key Stage 1, a science lesson where older pupils were investigating how objects made from different materials could be changed illustrated several features of good teaching. The teacher’s planning was detailed

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and included reference to the learning intended in the lesson and tasks were well matched to the different abilities of pupils in the class. The management and organisation of the class were efficient and effective and the class teacher and the language support teacher supported individual and groups well as they worked. Other features of good teaching are where pupils are shown clearly what they must do, the introductions to lessons quickly secure pupils’ interest and the learning achieved in the lesson is reinforced well in the summing up activity. 25. At Key Stage 2, the quality of teaching and the quality of pupils’ learning are also satisfactory. This is an improvement since the last full OFSTED inspection when it was judged that in over a third of the lessons observed, teaching was unsatisfactory. The school has responded well to the key issue at the last full OFSTED inspection which judged that teachers were not providing pupils with appropriate and challenging

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tasks based on a clear identification of their learning needs. This has been addressed well. In this inspection, teaching in over a half of the lessons observed was satisfactory, and it was only unsatisfactory in a single lesson. Teaching is good in mathematics and in literacy and numeracy and satisfactory in all other subjects. Strengths in pupils’ learning are where pupils are encouraged to ask questions and to participate well in lessons. Weaknesses are when time is lost in lessons as pupils move to group work or change activities and when activities are over directed by the teacher. St Stephen’s CEP School 17 26. At Key Stage 2, a music lesson to younger pupils, where groups were composing their own interpretations of the process of building Hadrian’s Wall, illustrated several features of good teaching. The lesson began with an interesting discussion relating pupils’ work in music to that in history. The discussion

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was well led and pupils’ contributions were fully valued and the interesting compositions were performed confidently and evaluated constructively by others in the class. Other features of good teaching are in lessons where the teacher appropriately reminds the class of what they have learnt previously, interesting resources are well used and pupils are given good opportunities to develop speaking and listening skills. Where teaching is unsatisfactory the pace of the lesson drops as a result of interruptions by pupils, too much noisy, off-task conversation is allowed and some parts of lessons are too long. 27. Pupils who have English as an additional language receive very good specialist support at Key Stage 1 and good specialist support at Key Stage 2. A good example of the quality of this support was seen in a Year 1 history lesson where both the specialist teacher’s and the class teacher’s planning was well focussed on the

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needs of the range of pupils in the class. Targeted pupils at an early stage of English language learning were monitored during class discussion and in other activities. Word banks and translations in the pupils’ first language were available to provide additional support. The specialist teacher used open-ended questions very well and encouraged careful listening and speaking to develop pupils’ abilities effectively. Pupils’ achievements were carefully evaluated and recorded and the next stages in their learning were identified. Both teaching and learning were very good as a result. When pupils are not supported by specialist teachers, the quality of teaching is more variable and ranges from good to satisfactory. All staff know their pupils well and this helps them to plan appropriately for the range of language acquisition within the class. Where teachers liaise closely with specialist teachers, planning is more effectively matched to pupils’ specific

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language needs. This is not consistent in each class and although teachers plan effectively for the appropriate subject elements, the specific language needs of pupils are not always addressed. There is good liaison between the co-ordinators for pupils with special educational needs and pupils who have English as an additional language to provide appropriate and relevant targets for pupils who are on both registers. Learning support assistants are generally well used to monitor pupils in whole-class sessions and to support in pupils’ group and individual work. However, not all literacy and numeracy lessons have a learning support assistant and this has an impact on classes where a very high proportion of pupils have English as an additional language. The achievements of pupils who have English as an additional language are regularly reviewed each term and records are linked to National Curriculum and language acquisition levels, which provide a

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good basis for teachers to plan future lessons. 28. Pupils with special educational needs are taught well. All class teachers and support staff show a good awareness of issues involving special educational needs. An analysis of teachers’ planning and lesson observations show a sound ability to plan and teach a curriculum appropriately modified to meet the different needs of pupils in the class. Support for pupils with special educational needs is closely and carefully matched to the support given to pupils with English as an additional language. Support assistants are used appropriately and well to assist special educational needs pupils of all age groups, especially in the literacy and numeracy hours. Teachers’ planning folders contain copies of the individual education plans of the special educational needs pupils in their classes indicating a good awareness of their needs. They are also appropriately involved

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in the formulation of these plans in consultation with the co-ordinator for special educational needs.

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29. Overall, the quality and range of the curriculum provided by the school are satisfactory for both key stages and promote the aims of the school well. It includes all subjects of the National Curriculum, together with religious education. The curriculum also meets all statutory requirements and offers all pupils a wide range of opportunities. Personal and social education receives particularly good attention. Health, sex education and the use and misuse of drugs and medicines are either taught as part of science, or are discussed in ‘circle times’ and assemblies. The very large number of pupils who have English as an additional language, and those with special educational needs, participate fully in the school’s curricular and extracurricular activities. Great care is taken by the school to ensure that these pupils do not miss their entitlement to all areas and subjects of the curriculum by means of their support working with them in the

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classrooms. Appropriate policies and schemes of work are in place and there is an appropriate amount of St Stephen’s CEP School 18 time given to all subjects. This is an improvement since the last full OFSTED inspection when a key issue identified the need to ensure, ‘that all pupils receive their full entitlement to a broad and balanced curriculum which includes all subjects and attainment targets of the National Curriculum’. The school has addressed this issue well and the school curriculum is now wide and well balanced for the ages and abilities of all pupils. The provision for homework is satisfactory overall, but is not regularly set in all classes, even though a homework policy is in place. 30. Planning for the curriculum is satisfactory and ensures that all the required elements of the National Curriculum are taught. Teachers follow detailed half termly plans, and their weekly and daily plans are

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thorough with most indicating assessment opportunities, how tasks are matched to the different ability levels in each class, and the responsibilities of support assistants. This has addressed a weakness identified in the 1998 inspection. Teachers’ half termly planning is appropriately monitored by the headteacher and curriculum co- ordinators and pupils’ work across the school is assessed by the staff according to National Curriculum levels. 31. Overall, the quality and range of learning opportunities for children in the Foundation Stage are satisfactory. The planning for children in both the Nursery and Reception takes full account of all six areas of learning as recommended in the curricular guidance for the Foundation Stage. A strong emphasis is placed on providing first-hand experiences of quality in the Nursery and on helping the children to acquire communication skills and develop their personal and social skills. More formal work, linked to literacy and

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numeracy, is introduced appropriately to the children in the Reception class, but insufficient consideration is given to providing group activities of quality that meet the needs of all children. Provision for outdoor play in the Nursery is very good and although the Reception children do not have free access to their own outdoor play area, appropriate use is made of the Nursery facilities, at times other than break times, to allow the children access to the appropriate equipment. 32. The strategies for literacy and numeracy have both been successfully implemented, and are effective. In numeracy, good teaching has led to a rise in standards in both key stages and a general improvement in the confidence of teachers. The school has implemented the National Literacy Strategy well, and the effectiveness of provision has been enhanced by Additional Literacy Support and from funding from other specific initiatives. Resources are good and provision is enabling all pupils to gain full access to the National

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Curriculum. 33. The curriculum for pupils with special educational needs is well organised and appropriate for their needs. Pupils receive good, targeted support in the classroom. This indicates an improvement on the findings of the last OFSTED inspection when it was considered satisfactory. Individual education plans are comprehensive and appropriate to the needs of each pupil. They are prepared by the co-ordinator for special educational needs in consultation with pupils, parents, class teachers and learning support assistants. All contain individual targets, achievement criteria, possible class strategies and intended outcomes. They are frequently reviewed and targets are planned in small steps in order to give pupils confidence in achieving their learning goals. The school’s records indicate a good degree of movement by pupils within and out of the Register. Pupils with special education needs are grouped for nearly all curriculum work in their classrooms to ensure that they

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receive appropriate support. There is very little withdrawal for extra tuition, which does not compromise their entitlement to the full curriculum and also helps with their social skills and acceptance by their classmates. 34. The curriculum provided for pupils with English as an additional language is good. These pupils are enabled to have full access to the curriculum offered by the school. The school is placing an effective focus on developing additional curricular strategies in Key Stage 1 to help the high number of pupils who enter the school with very low levels of English language. The school has a good and developing range of bilingual books, audio materials and work sheets in nine different languages. It also prepares reading records using the first languages of the majority of the pupils in the school. Specialist support and useful guidance are given to staff who work with pupils who are new to the school. There is good informal liaison between all staff who

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provide support for pupils who have English as an additional language to plan activities which meet pupils’ needs. Where this liaison includes a clear focus on specific language needs, planning is effective and meets pupils’ needs well. However, this liaison is not consistently effective across the school and in all subjects. Teachers’ planning does not always sufficiently identify how pupils’ varying language needs can best be met. St Stephen’s CEP School 19 35. There is a useful policy for the provision of English as an additional language but it is currently in draft form, having been recently reviewed and updated. Teachers are given appropriate documentation to ensure that they are familiar with stages of language acquisition and there is good guidance for teachers who have new entrants to the school in their class. However, there is not sufficiently detailed guidance to help teachers plan and teach specific language activities which are well matched to the needs of the pupils in their class.

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The co-ordinator has identified appropriate and relevant priorities for the further development of the provision in a well-detailed action plan. 36. Extracurricular provision is unsatisfactory and provides insufficient enhancement of the curriculum for pupils of all age groups. Pupils of all abilities and gender are able to take part in a few activities, including a soccer club and cricket and athletics in the summer. Specialist coaches from outside the school assist with some of the sporting activities. Year 6 pupils are due to participate in a residential visit to Sussex in the near future and this will involve visits to Battle, Hastings and Bewl Water. Visits and visitors to the school enhance the curriculum and these have included the London Philharmonic Orchestra, an African dance troupe and a poet. However, the range of other opportunities is too limited. 37. The provision for pupils’ personal, social and health education is good and is a major improvement on the

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position at the time of the previous inspection. The co-ordinator has a good understanding of the various areas that should be taught and the scheme of work provides a good development of aspects such as attitudes, citizenship, health and relationships for all year groups. Teachers have received appropriate training in the use of ‘circle time’. Sex education and drug awareness are planned at appropriate stages during the pupils’ time in the school. Health and safety education also features in the teaching of subjects such as science, physical education and design and technology. Nevertheless, although teachers ensure that pupils warm up at the start of physical education lessons, pupils do not always understand the reasons why it is necessary. 38. The local community contributes well to pupils’ learning through the local church organisations and a nearby supermarket. A breakfast club is organised at the local community centre every school morning and

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there is a Portuguese school open to pupils from the school and other local schools in the hall every day after school financed by the Portuguese embassy. This effective initiative has been continued since the last OFSTED inspection. Links with partner institutions are sound. The school has close links with local nursery schools and mutual visits are made by pupils to and from the local secondary school. The school also has close, constructive contact with a local ‘beacon’ school and schools in the area with a similar intake of pupils for comparing teachers’ judgements on standards achieved in each school. 39. Overall, the school’s provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Provision for pupils’ moral and cultural development is very good, for their social development is good, and for their spiritual development is satisfactory. This is strength of the school and is an improvement on the findings

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at the time of the previous full inspection. 40. The opportunities for pupils to gain insight into values and beliefs in order to develop their spiritual awareness are satisfactory. They are underpinned by the school’s Christian ethos and heritage. School assemblies help pupils to develop an understanding not only of Anglican tradition as visitors from other churches and Christian organisations also contribute. The school’s commitment to prayer extends to the saying of grace at lunchtime. Pupils visit the local church and other visitors have included a Chinese priest in the Nursery. History lessons occasionally provide an insight into the way that people are motivated into helping others. Visits enable pupils to experience and wonder at new things. However, the school does not always plan opportunities within lessons to enable pupils to appreciate fully the exciting nature of the world around them or to reflect upon their own feelings.

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41. The school’s approach to pupils' moral development is very good. The school stands for definite values and there are clear expectations of high standards of behaviour and acceptable conduct to which the pupils respond. A consistent approach is followed in the classroom and is reinforced in assemblies and during ‘circle time’. These standards lead to the pupils having a good awareness of right and wrong. This makes for an orderly school, although some pupils lack self disciplined. The staff are good role models and the overall positive approach of the school to encouraging pupils' moral development is evident in the way that all adults deal with pupils. St Stephen’s CEP School 20 42. There is good provision for the social development of the pupils. The school values its members and encourages pupils to integrate well both at work and at play. In the classroom, there are many opportunities to work together in pairs or groups, although the younger pupils are often only just starting to develop their social

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skills. Pupils are encouraged, and are willing, to undertake various tasks appropriate to their age, such as getting resources and tidying up at the end of the session. Older pupils have duties around the school which further their understanding of the school as a community. Displays in the Key Stage 1 classrooms show that pupils have various opportunities to consider people in the wider world. The midday supervisors extend further the pupils’ social involvement by encouraging politeness and patience at dinnertime. 43. The provision for pupils’ cultural development is also very good and celebrates the diversity of families within the school. Nursery rhymes, stories, music and dressing up clothes relate not only to Europe but also to other parts of the world. They enable pupils to appreciate their own cultural background and that of other people. Pupils in Class 2 produced poems in the style of those by Japanese children. A display in the

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Reception class features clothes from Africa, Scotland and Pearly Kings and Queens. Much evidence was seen of work related to the recent Black history month. Painting and music (including visiting musicians from both Ghana and the London Philharmonic Orchestra) help the development of aesthetic awareness.

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44. Staff show appropriate concern for the needs of the pupils and provide good role models to encourage their development. Parents are pleased with the level of support in the school, and see it as a caring community where staff are approachable if there are any problems. The procedures for assessing pupils’ attainment, progress and personal development are good. Pupils’ personal development is monitored and recorded to provide a good long-term outline of their progress in this area for incorporation into end-of-year reports and for discussion at parents’ evenings. 45. Overall, the school has satisfactory procedures for child protection and for ensuring the welfare of the pupils. The headteacher is the designated officer for child protection and the school follows local procedures. The staff generally have received guidance on how to deal with any situations that may arise and know to whom to report in the school if necessary. The provision for first aid is good: several staff are trained, records

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are kept of treatment and letters sent home to parents as appropriate. A health and safety policy is in place, and the co-ordinator has had recent training and is familiar with the relevant procedures. The governors are actively involved in touring the school to identify any potential hazards. The teachers ensure that pupils are made aware of health and safety issues during lessons such as science, physical education and design and technology. However, a significant weakness is that the school has not carried out a health and safety risk assessment in recent years. In addition, not all staff have received recent training and are aware of current procedures. The arrangements for sex education and drug awareness are appropriate. 46. Pupils with special educational needs are supported well by learning support assistants, the co-ordinator for special educational needs and a part time teacher. Pupils are identified initially for support using the

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results of the Local Education Authority’s assessment on entry to the school programme and are placed on the register of special educational needs. The co-ordinator also has developed good relationships with outside agencies including, the educational psychologist and speech and language therapists. Language interpreters are available for those pupils and parents who also have English as an additional language. Support for more able pupils has recently been improved by the provision of ‘booster’ classes in English and mathematics. 47. Children in the Foundation Stage are well cared for and it is evident that they are very happy and at ease in their surroundings. Assessment and record keeping procedures in the Nursery are good. Both the teacher and Nursery nurse make constant on-going observations of the children at work and play, within each area of learning. Consequently, both the Nursery teacher and Nursery nurse have a clear overview of the curriculum

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and recognise the purpose and potential for each activity. In both the Nursery and Reception class, individual targets are set for each child and shared with their parents or carers at open evenings at the end of the year. The meetings and discussions with parents are carefully recorded. On entry to the Reception class, the children are assessed according to the Local Education Authority’s assessment on entry to school programme. 48. The school has formulated a useful policy document for assessment and there is now a consistent approach and policy for recording information about pupils’ progress in both the core and other subjects. This St Stephen’s CEP School 21 shows a distinct improvement from the findings of the last OFSTED inspection when it was stated that, ‘the school needs to develop a common approach to assessment, particularly in Key Stage 2, which can assist in raising the overall standards of pupils’ work’.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

49. Since the last inspection, there has been good improvement in the procedures for assessment and the analysis of assessment data. The last OFSTED inspection stated that, ‘assessment is not generally used to inform curriculum planning, either of individual or groups of pupils, except in the case of pupils with special educational needs.’ Children in the Reception class are assessed in relation to the recently introduced national Early Learning Goals. This assessment provides valuable information for planning their individual needs, identifies those children with special educational needs and provides a starting point for individual tracking documents in English, mathematics and science. In addition to the national tests at the end of Key Stage 1 and 2, the school uses commercial reading and non-verbal tests in English, reading and mathematics. Assessment by teachers is carried out in all year group classes and is passed on to the next class teacher as

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pupils move through the school. Another valuable aid to assessment is the ‘first of the month’ free choice in pupils’ writing which is performed unaided. Pupils’ progress and attainment in mathematics are recorded using National Curriculum levels and the procedures of the National Numeracy Strategy. Subjects like history and geography are assessed at the end of each studied module following the guidance of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority. Subject co-ordinators assess samples of pupils’ work in books or folders alongside teachers’ planning for their subjects. The data from all these tests are analysed methodically to provide the school with useful information concerning gender differences in national results and the learning progress in standards for individual pupils including tracking in mathematics, science and English. Samples of work or portfolios are being initiated for moderation and guidance in levelling with other schools with similar intakes of

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

pupils. However, the use of assessment to support the learning of pupils in English and those using English as an additional language is not always sufficiently precise and carefully targeted. Assessment data are not used sufficiently in history, art and music to inform teachers’ planning. 50. The school has very good procedures in place for assessing, monitoring and supporting the achievements of pupils who have English as an additional language. These procedures are particularly effective when pupils enter the school and in the early year of Key Stage 1. The co-ordinator for the provision for English as an additional language interviews all new pupils and their parents, with a translator present when required. This enables pupils’ needs to be quickly identified and appropriate provision allocated. Pupils’ progress through the stages of English language acquisition is regularly reviewed each term and recorded alongside their linked

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National Curriculum levels in literacy and numeracy. This system provides a useful and effective overview of pupils’ development and a good support to the identification of future needs. There is good and effective liaison with the co-ordinator for special educational needs to ensure that support for pupils, who have both special educational needs and English as an additional language, is well matched to their abilities. There is good informal liaison between class teachers and support staff and all staff know their pupils well. However, the liaison is not always effective in ensuring that all teachers’ planning and lesson activities identify the next small specific language steps for all pupils. Good use is made of the support and advice of the Local Education Authority advisory services with whom they meet regularly and of the translation services they offer. The school makes very good use of the links of governors with community organisations to help them

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ensure that they have a good understanding of pupils’ social and personal circumstances and to help provide the support required. 51. There are very good procedures for promoting good behaviour. The behaviour policy clearly describes the school rules and the various rewards and sanctions. With the support of a consultant provided by the Local Education Authority, the school has ensured that the pupils clearly understand what is expected of them. The teachers consistently award ‘ticks’ for good behaviour and attitudes leading to a certificate at the end of the day. The inspectors saw good instances in lessons of teachers ensuring that pupils understood how to behave. Midday supervisors are involved as well, recording behaviour at lunchtime and giving out stickers. All staff can award certificates to pupils at the weekly merits assembly. Parents are involved and have received details of the school’s approach. Teachers telephone home, both for good behaviour and work, as

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well as occasions when behaviour is poor. Although the parents could not recall any instances of bullying or racism, the school takes appropriate action if any occurs. The pupils who show any sustained difficulty with behaviour are monitored well through the school's system for special educational needs. St Stephen’s CEP School 22 52. Overall, the procedures for monitoring and promoting attendance and punctuality are satisfactory. The school’s approach has some good features. The keenness of the pupils to come to school and the good relationships with parents resulted in absence being in line with national figures for several years, though it went down last year. The registers are kept well and have additional notes showing more detail of the reasons for absence and whether any action has been taken. The school ensures that parents supply reasons for absence with the result that the level of unauthorised absence is normally low. New registers are in use this

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year with the office staff calculating percentages of absence each week. However, no monitoring takes place over a longer period to help to identify trends. In addition, some parents still do not fully appreciate the need to avoid taking their children out of school in term time. The prompt registration at the beginning of the day ensures good records are kept of lateness, although some pupils continue to arrive after the start of the day. The school produces few analyses of punctuality.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

53. In their responses to the questionnaire and at the meeting with the inspectors, parents showed that they were generally very pleased with all that the school does. The inspection team generally supports all their positive comments. Parents say that the school is well led and that the teaching is good. Their children like coming to school and make progress as a result of the good level of support that they receive. The school expects pupils to work hard and helps them to become mature and responsible. It works closely with parents who feel comfortable when approaching the school with any questions. These reactions are similar to the comments made at the time of the previous inspection. Some parents are concerned about activities outside lessons and the inspectors conclude that the range of activities and clubs at lunchtime and after school is unsatisfactory. Some doubts were expressed about the amount of homework but the inspection team judged

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that the provision for homework was satisfactory overall, but that that it was not set regularly in all classes. 54. The school has established good links with the parents and these contacts are effective. The headteacher sends newsletters home three or four times a term outlining the various activities that the pupils are involved in as well as providing general administrative information. Teachers send letters informing parents what they will be teaching their pupils, although the detail varies from teacher to teacher. Other letters refer to more specific matters. Parents have a very good opportunity to see the teachers every afternoon. They are in the playground at the end of the day when parents are collecting their children. The inspectors saw several conversations taking place and it is very apparent that parents feel that they are welcome to come into the school. Many parents come to the formal meetings with teachers in the autumn and spring terms to discuss

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their child’s progress. The annual report on progress is sent home in the summer term. This report is good for the Foundation Stage but very poor for the rest of the school. It provides no information on what the pupils know and can do and little information on how they can improve. A particular strength of the school is the effort made to provide translation and interpreting facilities for Portuguese and Cantonese speaking families. This enables families to be more fully involved in their children’s education. Parents of pupils with special educational needs are appropriately involved in the setting and review of their children’s individual education plans. 55. The school works hard to establish effective links with the parents of pupils who have English as an additional language. All pupils who enter the school and their parents are interviewed by the co-ordinator, using the translator services provided by the Local Education Authority when required. Letters to parents,

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booklets informing parents about the joint reading programme and reading record books are translated into the main languages used by pupils in the school. Translators are available during parents’ evenings to support good communication. The school rightly regards these developments as providing good support but recognises that the liaison with parents of pupils who have English as an additional language should continue to develop to ensure further productive involvement with parents. 56. The school provides good information to parents about their children with special educational needs through annual reviews, individual education plans, end-of-year reports and parents’ evenings. The Local Education Authority provides interpreters for parents who do not speak English. Most parents are willing to be involved in regular reviews of their children’s progress and planning their individual education plans.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

57. Induction procedures for children entering the Nursery are appropriate. Parents have the opportunity to meet with the headteacher, link governor and the special educational needs co-ordinator to discuss St Stephen’s CEP School 23 procedures. There is no booklet provided for parents that is specific to the school’s provision for children in the Foundation Stage. The Chair of Governors, in her role as a Fegans Family worker, works closely with the school and families to help establish secure relationships. Regular letters are sent home and there is a lending library of games, books and activities to promote the development of children’s literacy and numeracy skills. Children also take books home to share with their parents. Assessment and record keeping procedures at the Foundation Stage are excellent. 58. Generally, parents’ involvement with the school makes only a limited contribution to its work and to the

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

attainment of the pupils. Pupils are generally happy in school, work hard and are keen to learn. These attitudes reflect the extent to which parents encourage their children to respect the school and the education process. Reading books are sent home every day and the older pupils have homework diaries. However, the comments from parents are usually limited. The parent teacher association is supportive in arranging both fundraising and social events, but only a few parents are involved. Despite encouragement by the school, few parents come to help in the classroom on a regular basis although more are willing to help on trips out.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

59. The acting headteacher provides the school with good leadership. Despite being at the school for less than a term, she has given the school clear direction, stability and a sense of purpose. She has fulfilled governors’ objectives for her acting headship well and has encouraged teachers who had become disillusioned following the circumstances relating to the sudden resignation of the previous headteacher and other senior staff changes. She has developed an effective partnership with the two senior teachers in the school and this ‘Trio’ group and the wider senior management team have a good view of the working of the school and manage its development well. The acting headteacher has ensured that provision for pupils with special educational needs and those using English as an additional language has, wherever possible, been enhanced. This has improved the leadership of the school since the last full OFSTED inspection when it was judged that

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

there was no clear leadership being exercised, and it has continued the qualities of leadership recorded in the most recent report of Her Majesty’s Inspectors which judged that the school was then well governed and managed. 60. The role of the co-ordinators, particularly those managing English, mathematics and science, has been developed well. The co-ordinators’ respective action plans have appropriately focused on raising standards and ensuring that the needs of all pupils are fully met. The revised management structure and the organisation of meetings within the school ensure that issues are discussed and decisions are taken and that teaching and support staff are appropriately consulted and advised. 61. Despite the short time in the school, the acting headteacher has undertaken some useful monitoring of the school’s work. She has sampled the standards of reading in each year group and fed findings back to

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

teachers. She has also worked alongside the literacy and numeracy co-ordinators as they have monitored teaching and learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work in their areas. However, this has not been formalised into a systematic monitoring programme across the school. Some useful work is beginning to be been done in the analysis of statistical data relating to the standards achieved in the school and the value which the school adds to pupils as they move through. 62. The school has a mission statement and declared aims that bring together its work with the parish, the parents and the community and the needs of all the pupils. Staff morale is now good, and there is a commitment to improve which is shared by teaching and support staff and the school governors. The school is making satisfactory progress in implementing Performance Management procedures. A draft performance management policy has been produced but objective setting has been deferred until the new headteacher is in

p.23

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

post. Procedures for inducting teachers new to the profession are good. The Local Education Authority scheme is used and adapted, and the teacher who was newly qualified in the previous year was supported well. A detailed staff handbook is provided for teachers new to the school. 63. The school development plan, which was devised by the previous headteacher, is thorough and well organised. Many of the priorities that have been identified are appropriately targeted towards raising standards. This is an improvement since the last full OFSTED inspection when it was judged that there was no clear developmental plan in place which linked resources to curricular development. A positive feature of the most recent report of Her Majesty’s Inspectors, which noted that the existing school development plan St Stephen’s CEP School 24 successfully linked actions, timescales and resources, has been maintained. However, a current weakness in

p.23

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

overall planning is that is that developmental targets have only been identified up to the end of the summer term 2000. There has been no interim plan for the autumn term, and no longer term outline of the school’s development. This has made it harder for the acting headteacher and the governors to ensure that the planned developments have been continued in a systematic way and that the school is given clear strategic direction. Despite this lack of overall policy, curricular developments identified in the co-ordinators’ action plans have been addressed, and detailed plans are being made to ensure a smooth transfer to the new headteacher from January 2001. 64. The governing body gives satisfactory support to the work of the school. Through its full meetings and through the work of the well-established committees, the governors maintain an appropriate view of the working of the school. Governors provide the school with strategic direction, as they are involved in the

p.24

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

formulation and working of the school development plan, and devising and monitoring of the annual budget. However, this is made more difficult without a longer term school development plan. Governors have a good view of the strengths and weaknesses of the school and, during the recent staffing changes, they have provided a clear vision for the school’s future developmental needs. Individual governors support the school well. The counselling work provided by the Chair of Governors as a Fegans Family worker, gives particularly valuable support to pupils and their families. Governors’ monitoring of the progress made in school development planning, particularly during the autumn term 2000, has been insufficiently rigorous.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

65. The school has a clear view of the several specific funded initiatives that support its work. The school makes particularly good use of the funding it receives from the Ethnic Minorities and Travellers’ Achievement Grant to appoint a full time co-ordinator and a part time specialist teacher. The use of this specific grant is having a significant impact on provision for pupils with English as an additional language and is raising their level of achievement. The management of the Education Action Zone funding is sound. Some initiatives, such as the homework club and the advisory support for literacy and numeracy, have had a positive impact on teaching and learning across the school. However, a weakness in managing this grant has been the lack of coherent planning to bring together different projects. Funds from the Excellence in Cities initiative, the Standards fund and the New Opportunities Fund have been used satisfactorily. The school also makes

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

good use of funding to provide short term intervention projects with a specific purpose. A good example of these projects was a behaviour support programme for identified older pupils, mainly boys, who had English as an additional language. 66. The management of the school’s budget is sound. School development priorities were well matched to budget planning in the previous school development plan. The school’s administrative officer is efficient. The most recent financial audit judged that office procedures were well organised and the school indicates that the minor recommendations made have been fully addressed. The administrative officer is helpfully becoming more involved in the wider budget setting and monitoring process. Governors maintain a sound oversight of the school’s spending, but the budget surplus from the previous year was well above recommended levels. Money had been earmarked for improvements to the Foundation Stage outside play area. The school applies

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

the principles of best value soundly to its work. 67. The management of the provision for children in the Foundation Stage is good. The co-ordinator for the Early Years is the Nursery teacher, who has a very good knowledge and understanding of the needs of young children. She provides effective support to all staff, both in the Nursery and Reception. The quality of relationships within the Early Years department is very good. However, it is a recognised need to develop further the Nursery and Reception into a more cohesive unit. The level of assistance provided by the school is high, with a full-time Nursery nurse attached to both the Nursery and Reception class. The language support teachers also provide very good support for the children who have English as an additional language. The Nursery accommodation is spacious and has its own outdoor play area, which is very well used. The Reception class, however, is cramped for the number of children on roll and they do not have their own

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

outdoor play area. There are plans to develop an outdoor play area adjacent to the Nursery for the Reception class. Learning resources overall are good. They are, however, better in the Nursery than in Reception due, in part, to the lack of space indoors and the lack of their own equipment for outdoor play in Reception. St Stephen’s CEP School 25 68. The management of provision for pupils using English as an additional language is good. The co-ordinator of the provision for English as an additional language is a non-class based member of staff who, through her long service in the school, has established a good understanding of her role. She is well supported by the part time services of a very good specialist teacher and by the good support of two learning support assistants. Although these members of staff have a good understanding of their role, there is insufficient support in some classes during literacy lessons. These classes have very high proportions of pupils with English as an

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

additional language and, in these situations, pupils’ achievements are sometimes limited by the lack of appropriate support. 69. The management of the provision for pupils with special educational needs is good. A comprehensive and appropriate policy is in place and this is particularly essential due to the large number of pupils with special educational needs in the school. This provision includes staffing and funding, and monitoring and evaluating the progress and attainment of pupils. A part time teacher has been designated with the responsibility for the co-ordination of special educational needs and manages the provision well. A member of the governing body has been delegated to oversee the provision. The co-ordinator meets support staff regularly on an informal and formal basis. All the required information concerning special educational needs is contained in the governors' Annual Report to parents. Any support from outside the school is allocated appropriately and is

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

well managed within the school. 70. As at the time of the last inspection, there are a sufficient number of suitably qualified and experienced teachers and support staff to meet the demands of the curriculum. All teachers have had professional development interviews recently leading to an individual action plan. Staff are generally deployed appropriately, although not all the literacy lessons have support staff working in the classroom. The match of staff to co-ordinating roles generally maximises their experience and expertise although the co-ordinators for history and art are away on long term sick leave and the music co-ordinator is in post temporarily. The co- ordinator for special educational needs and non-teaching assistants provide good support for those pupils with special educational needs. The specialist staff for pupils with English as an additional language provide very good support. Staff new to the school receive appropriate guidance and there are very good induction

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

arrangements for newly qualified teachers. Staff development is linked to the school development plan but also takes account of the needs of individuals. It is effective in improving both teaching and learning. Training for the implementation of the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies has been successful in providing a structured and effective programme of learning which has a positive impact on pupils’ achievement. 71. The accommodation is satisfactory and enhances the teaching of the curriculum and the learning of the pupils. The classrooms are adequate in size and have attractive displays of pupils' work and information. The library is well used for withdrawal of small groups of pupils but is too small for whole-class teaching or for groups of more than ten or twelve pupils. The playground has a variety of climbing equipment and different spaces and is pleasantly surrounded by trees and shrubs. A small garden and an enclosed patio with a

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

fountain are attractive areas. Pupils and staff make efficient and effective use of the facilities available and there is good support from the premises manager and the cleaning staff in providing a clean and well- maintained environment. 72. Overall, the provision of resources is satisfactory. Resources for music, literacy, for pupils with special educational needs and English as an additional language are good and for other subjects, they are satisfactory. Whilst the overall provision for English is satisfactory, a number of the books in the library are unattractive and out-of-date. The school makes good use of the loan facilities provided by the Local Education Authority to borrow artefacts for history. Good use is made of the library as a base for the teaching of small group and individual pupils who have English as an additional language. There is a good range of bilingual resources, which are well displayed and the specialist teacher extends them well with her own resources. There is a

p.25

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

good stock of materials, which act as word banks and number lines in nine different languages and most, but not all classrooms, have a good variety of labels and instructions in a number of different languages. St Stephen’s CEP School 26

p.25

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

73. In order to continue to improve the quality of education offered to the pupils the headteacher,

p.26

governors and staff should:

(1) Raise the standard of pupils’ attainment in English, mathematics and science. See paragraphs: 1, 3-8, 84 – 109

p.26

(2) Improve school development planning to ensure that:

i) priorities for development are identified and carefully linked to income and expenditure patterns; ii) an outline of the development of the school is identified beyond the current year. iii) See paragraphs: 63, 64

p.26

(3) Ensure that assessment data, which are provided are more sharply used to inform planning,

particularly in English and in the teaching of pupils with English as an additional language. See paragraphs: 27, 34, 49, 94-96, 101, 103

p.26

(4) Raise attainment across the school in information communication technology, history,

geography, and design and technology. See paragraphs: 114 - 131

p.26

(4) Raise attainment across the school in information communication technology, history,

(5) Improve pupils’ attendance and punctuality by :

p.26

(4) Raise attainment across the school in information communication technology, history,

(i) further monitoring the pattern of attendance and punctuality across the school and setting appropriate targets for improvement; (ii) ensuring that unauthorised absences are accurately recorded; (iii) ensuring that parents are made fully aware of the importance of punctuality and regular attendance. See paragraphs: 19, 52

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OTHER ISSUES WHICH SHOULD BE CONSIDERED BY THE SCHOOL

(i) Carry out a full health and safety risk assessment and ensure that all staff understand their roles and responsibilities. See paragraph: 45

p.26

OTHER ISSUES WHICH SHOULD BE CONSIDERED BY THE SCHOOL

(ii) Ensure that annual reports on the progress that pupils make inform parents clearly what their children know and can do, and how they might improve. See paragraph: 54

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OTHER ISSUES WHICH SHOULD BE CONSIDERED BY THE SCHOOL

(iii) Improve opportunities for extracurricular activities. See paragraphs: 46, 53, 138

p.26

OTHER ISSUES WHICH SHOULD BE CONSIDERED BY THE SCHOOL

(iv) Provide further in-service training to increase the effectiveness of teaching in physical education. See paragraph: 138

p.26

OTHER ISSUES WHICH SHOULD BE CONSIDERED BY THE SCHOOL

(v) Improve the use of the library to develop pupils’ investigative and research skills further. See paragraphs: 87, 120 St Stephen’s CEP School 27 74. PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

p.26

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 21

p.27

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

p.27

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

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

p.27

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils on the school’s roll Foundation Y1– Y6

p.27

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 32 169

p.27

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils eligible for free school meals 61

p.27

Information about the school’s pupils

Special educational needs Foundation Y1– Y6

p.27

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 2

p.27

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 76

p.27

Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

p.27

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 113

p.27

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

p.27

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 14

p.27

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 23

p.27

Attendance

National comparative data 5.2 National comparative data 0.5

p.27

Attendance

Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. St Stephen’s CEP School 28

p.27

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 12 16 28

p.28

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Boys 7 7 7 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 13 13 14

p.28

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentage of pupils School 71 (57) 71 (57) 75 (65) at NC level 2 or above National 84 [82] 85 [83] 90 [87]

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Boys 7 7 8 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 13 14 14

p.28

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentage of pupils School 71 (57) 75 (74) 79 (65) at NC level 2 or above National 84 [82] 88 [86] 88 [87]

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

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

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 2000 13 17 30

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Boys 3 5 5 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 12 9 11

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentage of pupils School 50 (60) 47 (53) 55 (53) at NC level 4 or above National 75 [70] 72 [69] 85 [78]

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.28

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Boys N/a N/a N/a Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls N/a N/a N/a

p.28

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentage of pupils School (60) (63) (67) at NC level 4 or above National 70 [68] 72 [69] 80 [75]

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

* Figures not required because of small year groups Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. St Stephen’s CEP School 29 St Stephen’s CEP School 30

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage 21 Black – Caribbean heritage 1 0

p.30

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – African heritage 60 Black – African heritage 0 0

p.30

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Any other minority ethnic group 6 Other minority ethnic groups

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

p.30

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 19.8 Financial year 1999

p.30

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 8.69

p.30

Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total expenditure 675414

p.30

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 10 Expenditure per pupil 3232

p.30

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 162 Balance brought forward from previous year 62226

p.30

Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance carried forward to next year 84285 St Stephen’s CEP School 31

p.30

Results of the survey of parents and carers

Percentage of responses in each category

p.31

Results of the survey of parents and carers

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

p.31

Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child is making good progress in school. 57 31 3 2 6

p.31

Results of the survey of parents and carers

Behaviour in the school is good. 55 33 2 1 9

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 35 42 8 10 6

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 57 34 2 1 6

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 72 20 2 1 4

p.31

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 63 30 2 1 3

p.31

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school works closely with parents. 52 31 3 4 9

p.31

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is well led and managed. 42 27 4 7 20

p.31

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 53 33 6 2 7

p.31

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 30 31 9 7 22

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

Summary of parents’ and carers’ responses

p.31

Results of the survey of parents and carers

No significant further responses were made . St Stephen’s CEP School 32

p.31

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

75. There have been considerable improvements to the provision for children in the Foundation Stage since the previous full OFSTED inspection, particularly in the Nursery, where much of the teaching was judged to have been poor. The good teaching in the Nursery is now having a positive impact on children’s learning. However, children in the Reception class have had some disruption to their education through the long-term absence of the teacher and the subsequent number of supply teachers. The support given by teachers funded under the Ethnic Minorities and Travellers Achievement Grant is very effective and is helping to extend the language development of the many children who are new to English. 76. Children enter the Nursery with levels of attainment well below those expected for their age. A significant majority of the children have English as an additional language and although they can communicate

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

their needs and ideas using their own family language, many are at an early stage in their ability to communicate in English. The range of attainment measured by the Local Education Authority’s assessment on entry to the school programme shows that children’s attainment on entry to the Reception class is below average for Lambeth schools. Most children make good progress, particularly in the Nursery, and broaden and consolidate their knowledge in all areas of learning. By the time they are ready to start in Year 1, the majority of children achieve well and attain the Early Learning Goals in personal, social and emotional development and in their physical and creative development. However, in communication, language and literacy, standards are well below those expected for their age, and in mathematical development and in their knowledge and understanding of the world, their attainment is below average.

p.32

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

77. Children are admitted to the Nursery for either a morning or afternoon session after their third birthday and transfer to full time attendance when they become four. Most children from the Nursery enter the Reception class either in the September or January before their fifth birthday. At the time of the inspection, of the 21 children in the Nursery, 15 attended on a full-time basis and six part-time. In the Reception class, eight of the children on roll were aged under five.

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Personal, social and emotional development

78. Many children enter the Nursery class with immature skills in personal and social development. By the time they leave the Reception class, most are achieving the Early Learning Goals in this area. This shows very good achievement and reflects the skilful teaching, where children are constantly encouraged to feel confident about what they can achieve. The quality of teaching and the quality of children’s learning are good in the Nursery and satisfactory in the Reception class. The inspection took place in the autumn term when many of the children had only recently been admitted to the Nursery. These young children have settled well and are happy and secure in their new surroundings. At the beginning of the day, they enter the classroom with enthusiasm and eagerly explore the variety of activities on offer. They learn to share, and take turns, and are helped to show consideration for others. In both the Nursery and Reception class, children show interest

p.32

Personal, social and emotional development

in the planned experiences provided for them and show increasing independence in selecting and carrying out the activities. They show personal independence in dressing themselves when, for instance, going outside to the play area, children attend to their own personal hygiene needs and happily eat their lunch in the school hall alongside the older pupils. Most children in the Nursery class learn to play and work together appropriately in small groups and respond well to requests and suggestions put to them by the class teacher and Nursery nurse. The children are eager to explore new experiences. For example, when making sandwiches or pasta pictures, children in the Nursery display high levels of involvement and complete the activities with satisfaction. In the Reception class, most children settle to the more structured activities, as in literacy, and concentrate for appropriate periods of time. During these sessions, very good support is provided by the

p.32

Personal, social and emotional development

language support teacher for those many children who speak English as an additional language. However, a few children in the Reception class, at times, find it difficult to co-operate with other children while at play. Personal and social development is strongly promoted in all areas of learning and the planning is comprehensive for this element. The well-established routines in the Nursery and caring nature of the provision allow all children to feel secure and to grow in confidence. The adults provide very good role models for the children, and always treat each other and the children with courtesy and respect. This leads to trusting St Stephen’s CEP School 33 relationships and helps the children to develop an awareness of others. The adults also promote children’s personal independence effectively. For instance, in the Nursery, the well-defined areas of interest and orderly storage system ensure that children have consistent access to materials and equipment. The good

p.32

Personal, social and emotional development

planning and opportunities provided in the Nursery allow the children to make choices within the planned activities and contribute well to their self-confidence.

p.33

Communication, language and literacy

79. Most children enter the Nursery communicating in a language other than English and from a wide range of cultures and ethnic groups. Many children use gestures such as nods and shakes of the head to communicate their feelings and answer questions using essential words in isolation or in simple phrases to identify what they do and do not want. All adults use talk to good effect and are good active listeners. Throughout all the areas of learning, all staff talk to the children individually and in groups to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to communicate effectively. They show children that they value their efforts at communicating. Although standards remain well below average by the time they enter Year 1, most children make good progress in their learning, and many are sufficiently confident to express their thoughts and ideas in English. The quality of teaching and the quality of children’s learning are satisfactory in the

p.33

Communication, language and literacy

Nursery and the Reception class. Children in the Nursery are provided with a wide range of practical and purposeful free choice activities to support the development of their language and the good involvement of all adults extends their vocabulary. For example, while at play outside, the Nursery nurse constantly talks with the children, plays circle games with them and encourages all children to take part in play. Story telling in the Nursery and Reception encourages listening and speaking skills. Most children listen attentively and in the Reception class, they become more confident in their use of a growing vocabulary when participating in discussions. The language support teachers provide very good support to the targeted children in developing their understanding and use of the English vocabulary. For example, when giving instructions to a small group of children in the Reception class on where to cut the paper in preparation for their weaving, the language

p.33

Communication, language and literacy

support teacher emphasised the need to cut on the lines, not outside or inside. All children enjoy listening to stories and readily share books with adults. They join in with the stories and begin to show an awareness of pattern in rhyming words, such as ‘Sam’ and ‘ham’. In the Reception class, the more able children recognise familiar words in text and begin to link sounds to letters. However, most children are still at the early reading stage of knowing that pictures carry meaning and, with support, are beginning to understand the concept of a word. Elements of the Literacy Framework are introduced gradually in the Reception class and, in general, are used appropriately by the teacher to meet the needs of the children. A sound understanding of the way stories are structured with a beginning, middle and end is developed appropriately through the use of well- known stories, such as ‘The Gingerbread Man’, when children have the opportunity to draw the sequence of

p.33

Communication, language and literacy

events in the story. Children are provided with good opportunities to take part in role-play situations and develop an increasing awareness of writing for a purpose whatever their stage of development. For example, in the Nursery, children act out the role of waitresses or waiters in the café to ‘write’ out an order for a meal. Supplies of paper, pencils and crayons are readily available for children to use. By the end of Reception, although most children can write or copy their own name, most of them are still at the stage of making random marks on paper or need an adult to act as scribe for them.

p.33

Mathematical development

80. Children in the Nursery achieve well below average in this area of learning. In the Nursery and Reception class, mathematical development is effectively promoted through the use of number games and songs. The quality of teaching and the quality of children’s learning are satisfactory in the Nursery and the Reception class. Staff create many play activities to introduce children to appropriate mathematical language. For example, through the exploration of water and sand, they begin to understand the vocabulary of measurement, such as full and empty and when making sandwiches, the children are introduced to language such as half and quarter when cutting their sandwiches. The children are provided with a wide range of practical experiences, such as matching colours and shapes, building with bricks and fitting together jigsaw pieces. The more formal activities for mathematics are appropriately introduced to the children in the

p.33

Mathematical development

Reception class through the framework for teaching numeracy. Although attainment in mathematics is below average by the end of the Reception year, the children make good progress in their number recognition. Most children count to ten and some more able children recognise numerals up to 20. They show increased St Stephen’s CEP School 34 confidence in saying a number that comes before or after a given number and begin to relate addition to combining two groups of objects within ten. Many children begin to use the mathematical names for the simple shapes of triangle, circle and square. However, for many, their use and understanding of the language of size such as ‘little’, ‘big’ and ‘bigger’ are below average for their age. The work is well planned both in the Nursery and Reception class and appropriate interaction with an adult enables all children to develop their mathematical ideas. In order to support the many children in Nursery and Reception who have English as an

p.33

Mathematical development

additional language, the number lines on display reflect at least five of the home languages spoken by the children.

p.34

Knowledge and understanding of the world

81. Children enter the Nursery with a low level of general knowledge. Although most show curiosity in their surroundings, many need encouragement to explore, investigate and ask questions. They make sound progress and the many children for whom English is an additional language respond well to the wide range of experiences provided both in the Nursery and Reception class. Overall, the quality of teaching is satisfactory. Lessons are planned well and appropriate use is made of resources to stimulate the children’s enthusiasm. All adults use good questioning skills to develop children’s knowledge and understanding. Taking themes such as ‘ Myself ’, ‘Transport’ and ‘Clothes and Costumes’, activities are well planned to enable children to explore aspects of the environment and to relate the work to their own experiences. Discussion forms an important part of the work and children are encouraged to be observant and to describe what they see. For example,

p.34

Knowledge and understanding of the world

the Nursery teacher made good use of a walk in the park to encourage the children to observe and talk about the different colours of flowers and objects they saw. In both the Nursery and Reception class, the activities provided help children to develop an understanding of the world around them. For instance, children in the Reception class learn about the traditional costumes associated with people around the world by making models and dressing them in outfits such as tartan kilts, African traditional clothing and as Pearly Kings and Queens. They mark on a map of the world their country of origin and, through the creative activities provided ,develop an awareness of art practices in their own and other countries. However, overall, the children achieve below expectations for their age by the end of the Reception year as only a few can talk about where they live, know about their immediate environment or have an understanding of change over time. A wide

p.34

Knowledge and understanding of the world

range of construction toys and materials is provided for the children in the Nursery to explore and use their skills to make models. They quickly learn to use the computer and make appropriate progress, as demonstrated in their work when they used a paint program to create different effects. Staff make very good use of the different cultures of children within the Foundation Stage to celebrate and deepen the knowledge of their own and others’ practices. For example, they use resources in role-play that reflect an appropriate range of cultures, such as dressing up clothes and dolls, and celebrate festivals such as Christmas, Diwali and the Chinese New Year.

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Physical development

82. Children in the Nursery achieve broadly average standards for children of this age. They show increasing control and skills when using the wheeled toys outdoors and stop when necessary. The quality of teaching and the quality of children’s learning are satisfactory in the Nursery and the Reception class. A wide range of activities is provided for the children that include climbing apparatus, a slide, balancing equipment, a good range of push and pull toys and activities that support their social and creative development. The outdoor area is regarded very much as an extension of the Nursery classroom where children have free access to all the relevant activities. However, children in the Reception class do not have their own appropriate secure designated outdoor play area. Consequently, the provision of appropriate and frequent enough free physical play with push and pull toys, wheeled toys and climbing apparatus is inadequate for these children. The

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Physical development

Reception teacher, however, ensures that there is regular access for short periods of outdoor play in the Nursery area and school playground and provides physical education lessons in the school hall. Unfortunately, during the time of the inspection, it was not possible to observe any physical education lessons. Good opportunities are provided for the children to develop their finer manipulative skills in both the Nursery and Reception class, for example, in cutting and sticking paper to make pictures, using crayons and felt tip pens for drawing and modelling with scrap materials. They are also provided with a wide range of malleable materials including play dough and clay. Consequently, by the end of Reception, the children demonstrate increasing skill and control in the use of paintbrushes, construction sets and puzzles. Children are also taught St Stephen’s CEP School 35 skills such as cutting with scissors and spreading butter on bread with a knife to help them gain safe control of

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Creative development

83. The quality of teaching and the quality of children’s learning in this aspect are good in the Nursery and satisfactory in the Reception class. Most children are on course to attain the Early Learning Goals by the end of the Reception year. Children start from a fairly basic level of skill when they enter the Nursery and make good progress through a wide range of experiences in art, story making and imaginative play. The café role- play area in the Nursery is popular and gives good opportunities for imaginative role-play. In the Reception class, however, the home area is less stimulating and limits the opportunities for children to draw upon their imagination while at play. In the Nursery, children play alongside others and delight in acting out scenes such as, dressing up as waiters and waitresses and taking ‘orders’ for meals from adults and other children in the class. They use a variety of materials, such as pasta and cereals, to create pictures, make ‘bubble’ prints to

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Creative development

illustrate the story of The Blue Balloon and use clay to make diva lamps. Their observational drawings and prints of fruit show good attention to detail for these young children. Many children enjoy playing with the ‘small world’ toys to act out their own stories and show pleasure when singing Nursery rhymes and action songs together, although they are rather hesitant about joining in with the words. The Nursery classroom is a stimulating environment for children to work in and this aspect of learning is very well supported by the sensitive intervention of the Nursery teacher and Nursery nurse. Children in Reception show an appropriate appreciation of the effects of different colours, shapes and patterns. They use different materials to create costumes for paper dolls and combine materials to create a collage of Humpty Dumpty. The Reception classroom is, however, less spacious than the Nursery classroom and does, at times, place restrictions on the

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Creative development

resources that can be made available for the children to explore, experiment and express their creativity freely. Both in the Nursery and Reception class, teachers make good use of art practices that reflect the ethnic mix of the children. For example, children in the Nursery use paint, felt tips and the computer to make Rangoli patterns. In the Reception class, the children have produced some very good observational drawings of an African wooden bowl, using an effective wax resist finish, and have also made African masks using different materials. A very effective session led by the language support teacher resulted in the children learning about the Ghanaian practice of Kente weaving. Throughout this time, the teacher introduced and constantly reinforced the necessary vocabulary to help the children to talk about the process of weaving.

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ENGLISH

84. Standards at Key Stage 1 are similar to the findings of the last inspection and remain below average for seven year old pupils. Standards in English at Key Stage 2 are well below average for eleven year old pupils and are similar to those seen in the school’s previous inspection. Results in the 2000 national tests show that standards for both seven and eleven year olds are well below those found in most schools. However, they are below those found in similar schools in reading and well below those found in similar schools in writing and speaking and listening at the end of Key Stage 1. Standards are comparable to those found in similar schools in English in Key Stage 2. Standards in English are strongly influenced by the high number of pupils who enter the school and who join the school during both key stages with low levels of English language acquisition. There have been some fluctuations in standards over the last four years and these reflect the varying entry

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ENGLISH

patterns of individual year groups and also the effect of turbulence in the school population. Results in the national tests show a slight improvement in Key Stage 2 results over the last three years and a slight improvement over the previous year’s results in Key Stage 1 in both reading and writing. Differences in the inspection findings and the results of national tests are due to the differences in different groups of pupils. In 2000, the school met the targets set by the local education authority for Key Stage 1 in both reading and writing but did not meet the revised, more challenging targets which it had set itself. The school did not meet the targets set by the Local Education Authority for Key Stage 2 and the school attributes this to the high degree of staff changes experienced by these pupils. The targets for 2001 represent a significant degree of challenge for the school. 85. Many pupils enter the school with very limited understanding and use of English and very weak reading

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ENGLISH

and writing skills. From this well below average base, they make good progress through Key Stage 1 to reach St Stephen’s CEP School 36 below average standards at the end of the key stage. This is because of effective teaching, particularly at the end of the key stage and very good specialist support for the high proportion of pupils who have English as an additional language. The national end of Key Stage 1 test results for this group of pupils indicate that standards were well below average when they entered Key Stage 2. One third of the current group of pupils in Year 6 joined the school during Key Stage 2 and a high proportion of these pupils have English as an additional language. The progress of the year group has been adversely affected by a significant number of staff changes. For these reasons, standards were well below average in Year 6. 86. By the age of seven, standards of speaking and listening are well below average. Through well targeted

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ENGLISH

and effective support, the high number of pupils with English as an additional language make good progress through the stages of language acquisition but their articulation is not always clear and their responses are often brief. They respond willingly to questions and most listen appropriately to their teacher and to each other because the teacher has established good patterns of response and has high expectations of pupils’ attention. Pupils enjoy the rhythm and sound of expressive language and this was evident in their reading aloud together of the poem ‘Dinosaur’s Story’. 87. At the end of Year 2, standards of reading are below average. More able and some average pupils make simple comments about the story they are reading or characters in the story. They use illustrations and some simple phonics to help them understand their reading and are building a limited number of words to develop their sight vocabulary. Although most pupils identify the initial letter or sound of a word, they are not

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ENGLISH

sufficiently secure in their use of letter sounds and simple patterns to support their reading. Most pupils’ experience of an appropriate range of reading material is often too limited. More able pupils are often able to talk to about their reading at home and name some traditional tales and well-known classics such as Winnie the Pooh and the Jungle Book. 88. By the age of seven, standards in writing are below average. Although the range of pupils’ work is limited at this stage of the year, teachers’ planning indicates that the range is generally appropriate. Some more able and average pupils write simple sentences that convey meaning clearly. They spell simple familiar words correctly but although they know that sentences are demarcated by full stops and capital letters they do not use them consistently. More able pupils use ideas to create simple stories. However, a number of less able pupils are not able to convey meaning independently or to produce recognisable words unless they follow their

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ENGLISH

teacher’s modelling. All pupils’ writing is valued and this helps them to write confidently and take a pride in their work. Although most pupils form letters clearly and some write with consistent size and shape, a number do not use upper and lower case letter forms consistently accurately. 89. By the age of eleven, standards in speaking and listening are below average. Most pupils participate willingly in question and answer sessions in class. As with pupils in Key Stage 1, there is evident enjoyment in the sound and expression of vivid language when, for example, pupils in Year 6 chanted the witches’ spell from Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’ together. They offer their ideas and answers readily but a number do not speak clearly or audibly or offer a detailed response. There are too few opportunities for pupils to experience discussion and reporting in groups or to speak to larger audiences. 90. At the end of Key Stage 2, standards of reading are well below average. More able pupils have an

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ENGLISH

appropriate sight vocabulary and range of strategies to help them read unfamiliar words. These pupils read an appropriate range of books at home as well as their school readers and enjoy well-known modern fiction such as the Harry Potter books and the books of Roald Dahl. They discuss some of the different features of autobiography and fiction. Average and less able pupils have a limited awareness and experience of an appropriate range of reading outside their reading at school. Some less able pupils understand how to break down more complex words but are not always able to put them together again accurately or meaningfully. Pupils do not have appropriate experience or understanding of how to use the library system. 91. By the age of 11, pupils’ standards of writing are well below average. More able and some average pupils write simple sentences accurately and occasionally use more complex structures. Familiar words are

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ENGLISH

spelt accurately and most pupils use their knowledge of letter sounds to attempt the spelling of more complex words. Although more able pupils use basic punctuation appropriately, they do not use punctuation within a sentence nor are they always accurate in the use of punctuation for direct speech. There are some weaknesses in the use of basic punctuation by average and less able pupils. Some pupils are beginning to use St Stephen’s CEP School 37 words to create interesting and more vivid effects. Pupils understand how to organise their writing into playscripts and set out their ideas in a narrative form. However, extended pieces of writing start well but often lose their momentum and the endings are weak. The range and length of pupils’ writing are too limited, even for this early stage of the year, and pupils are not always sufficiently productive in their written work in class. Presentation is usually careful and neat but the standard of joined handwriting is too variable.

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ENGLISH

92. The overall quality of the teaching and the quality of pupils’ learning at Key Stage 1 are satisfactory but with elements of good teaching. The qualities of good teaching at Key Stage 1 were well exemplified in a Year 2 lesson where pupils were immediately involved and interested in the lesson because they were asked to read aloud together a poem they had previously studied. The teacher’s enthusiasm was infectious and pupils were encouraged to enjoy the familiarity of the poem and the vivid sound of the language. The teacher used questions very effectively to encourage pupils to respond and to refine their suggestions. Other features of good teaching in otherwise satisfactory lessons were where group activities were well linked to the introduction to the lesson, where the development of pupils’ language awareness was continued in the activities provided to ensure a good level of challenge for all pupils.

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ENGLISH

93. In Key Stage 2, the quality of teaching and the quality of pupils’ learning are also satisfactory. At this key stage, there was one unsatisfactory lesson. Overall, this shows good improvement since the last inspection when teaching was unsatisfactory in Key Stage 2. Several features of good teaching were seen in a lesson to Year 3 pupils. The teacher provided the class with good opportunities in the summing up session at the end of the lesson for them to become aware of their responsibility as learners. She discussed with the class what they had learnt during the lesson and whether they felt they had achieved the lesson’s objectives. Overall, teachers know their pupils well and provide them with good support and encouragement to learn both in whole-class sessions and in comments in their written work. There is very consistent use of the strategies of the school’s behaviour policy, which all pupils understand and which helps to promote better attention and

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ENGLISH

better listening in lessons. Where teaching is unsatisfactory includes where the management of pupils is weaker and the momentum of the lesson is lost in frequent interventions to achieve appropriate attention and listening. This is sometimes combined with a less challenging pace and some activities are too prolonged. Expectations for the amount of work achieved are sometimes too low in lessons at the end of Key Stage 2. 94. Pupils with special educational needs are given good support, which enables them to make good progress. They have well focused individual targets and they are well supported in class by learning support assistants. A number of pupils have behavioural difficulties and they receive good support from all staff to help them develop good response patterns in lessons and in their relationships with other pupils and staff. Pupils who have English as an additional language have very good specialist support in Key Stage 1 as the school targets

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ENGLISH

support for the language development of the very youngest pupils in the school who often enter the school with very low levels of English. There is good continuing specialist support in Key Stage 2 and pupils throughout the school make good progress through the stages of language acquisition. However, the opportunities for specialist teachers and class teachers to share their expertise to plan for these pupils in literacy lessons are too limited and some group activities in lessons are less effective as a result. 95. Although teachers’ planning is generally closely matched to the requirements of the National Literacy Strategy, it does not always sufficiently take into consideration the very specific language needs of the pupils who have English as an additional language. This is particularly true in the planning of group activities. There are good systems in place, which are generally well used to keep records of pupils’ attainment in both reading

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ENGLISH

and writing. However, the very useful system of ‘First of the Month’ writing is not being consistently and fully implemented in all classes. Although teachers keep regular assessments of pupils’ reading through the guided reading in literacy lessons, the monitoring of pupils’ individual reading is not sufficiently frequent or consistent in some classes to ensure that all pupils are reading interesting books at a challenging level. Library skills are insufficiently taught throughout the school and not enough use is made of the school’s limited library space to support pupils’ research skills. Although teachers effectively explore the richness of language in lessons and create attractive displays of pupils’ work, the profile given to language and reading in the school generally is too passive to provide effective stimulation and challenge for pupils whose experience of English is often very limited.

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ENGLISH

St Stephen’s CEP School 38 96. The English co-ordinator has been in post for one year and has a good understanding of his role. He has a personal enthusiasm for the subject and provides a good model in his own teaching. He has worked effectively with the literacy advisory teacher funded by the Education Action Zone initiative, to produce appropriate and relevant priorities for the subject. Good use is also made of this specialist teacher to support the development of staff expertise. The co-ordinator has monitored teaching and has given useful feedback to his colleagues. He has also monitored teachers’ planning and pupils’ work. The school makes good use of the information from analyses of the results of the national tests and a good range of standardised tests to set individual targets for all pupils in the three aspects of the subject. These targets are usefully linked to National Curriculum levels but the detail of these levels is not always sufficiently sharply linked to teachers’ planning

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ENGLISH

and to lesson activities. There is a policy for the subject but it does not fully reflect the curriculum taught by the school. The co-ordinator has already identified the need to update and review the document. A useful handwriting policy has recently been formed to ensure consistent practice across the school. The school has fully implemented the National Literacy Strategy and the Additional Literacy Support programme and the subject meets the requirements of the National Curriculum. The school has good resources for the teaching of literacy and its general book resources are satisfactory. However, it has identified as an appropriate priority the review of the way books are presented in the classroom and their attraction for pupils. The school library, whilst containing a generally appropriate range of books, is too small to allow whole-class teaching and access to the books. It is currently underused and pupils’ skills in its use are underdeveloped. The subject is enhanced

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ENGLISH

by visitors to the school, such as the poet Scorpio, who worked with pupils to write their own rap poems. The subject makes a good contribution to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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MATHEMATICS

97. Standards in the Year 2 national tests have improved since 1999 but were still well below average in 2000 compared with all schools and with similar schools. The very low attainment of children on entry to the school and the very high proportion of pupils with special educational needs and English as an additional language influence the low levels achieved. However, most pupils are enabled to make good progress in relation to their previous ability and they achieve well. Workable targets have been set by the school and are on course to be achieved in the next academic year. 98. The findings of this inspection are that standards in mathematics are below average in Key Stage 1, with some pupils achieving national standards in numeracy. At the last inspection, standards were also judged to have been below average, but closer to average in number work. Most pupils mentally recall addition and

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MATHEMATICS

subtraction facts to ten and they are beginning to develop the ability to order numbers up to 100. They choose the appropriate operation when solving simple problems using addition and subtraction, for example, five birds on a bird table, two more arrive, one flew away, how many are left? Most pupils identify halves and quarters of shapes and halves of numbers but have difficulty in working out quarters of numbers. They show a sound understanding of coinage up to ten pence and can estimate the necessary change due from the same amount. Only a few pupils are able to identify odd and even numbers from a pattern or individually. Some pupils are beginning to explain their mental strategies when calculating simple addition sums. In their work on shape, space and measurement, they understand hour times and have performed timed tasks in their work on data handling, such as recording the number of times they can jump or write their own name in a minute. Most

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MATHEMATICS

pupils of this age group recognise and name two dimensional shapes like, squares, triangles, circles and rectangles and, with support, are beginning to identify the number of faces, edges and corners of three dimensional shapes. 99. Analysis of the school’s results for the Year 6 national tests in 2000 show an improvement since 1998 in comparison with the national average and a further improvement compared with similar schools. Most pupils are enabled to make good progress in relation to their previous ability and they achieve well. The school reached its targets for the tests in 2000 and has set even more challenging targets to improve attainment for 2001. The findings of this inspection are that standards in Year 6 are below the national average with a significant minority of pupils reaching average standards in numeracy. This judgement shows an improvement on the results of the 2000 national tests. This improvement can be explained by the successful

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MATHEMATICS

implementation of the National Numeracy Strategy in all classrooms and the consequent improvement and confidence in the teaching of mathematics throughout the school. There is no significant difference in the attainment of boys and girls in the subject. St Stephen’s CEP School 39 100. Some Year 6 pupils use their understanding of place value to multiply and divide whole numbers by ten or 100. They order four digit numbers and explain the process. Most pupils have a sound knowledge and understanding of their multiplication tables from two to ten. They explain the term 'multiple' but not all understand the concept of ‘square number’. Pupils add decimals to two decimal places but have some difficulty with subtraction and carrying. A significant minority of Year 6 pupils use simple fractions and percentages to describe proportions and convert fractions to percentages and the other way around, sometimes using a 100 square. Very few pupils show an understanding of approximation strategies but they

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MATHEMATICS

sometimes consider the reasonableness of their results when applied to the size of smaller numbers. Nearly all pupils understand and can explain the perimeter of a two-dimensional shape and can calculate or measure perimeters of regular shapes like squares, rectangles and triangles. Pupils have some knowledge and understanding of plotting and identifying co-ordinates in the first quadrant and a few pupils can do so in all four quadrants. In their mental numeracy work, pupils are willing and eager to explain their methods and solutions to others and share their mental strategies of working. 101. The quality of teaching and the quality of pupils’ learning in Key Stage 1 are good. In lessons, there was good quality teaching by all teachers working to the format of the National Numeracy Strategy, which has developed and extended their knowledge and understanding of the subject. This development has led, in

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MATHEMATICS

turn, to higher standards and better progress by pupils of all abilities. Lessons are planned well and the good use of assessment data helps to track individual pupils’ progress and attainment as they move through the school. However, this assessment is not always used appropriately to plan work for pupils with English as an additional language. Pupils are managed well and support staff, resources and time are used to give nearly all pupils a good ‘hands on’ experience of mathematics. In the Year 2 lesson observed, the special educational needs co-ordinator worked in the classroom with a group of pupils to give them valuable support. 102. The quality of teaching and learning in Key Stage 2 is also good. It is never less than satisfactory and, on many occasions, good. This shows an improvement since the last inspection when teaching was judged to be broadly sound but varied from sound to poor. The quality of learning has also improved in the junior school

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MATHEMATICS

from satisfactory to good. Teachers’ knowledge and understanding of the subject have been extended by the introduction of the National Numeracy Strategy and this is evident from lesson observations, which contain a large proportion of direct teaching both to the whole class and smaller groups. All teachers share the objectives of the lesson with their pupils and make sure they understand the intended learning outcomes by the end of the lesson. They use the short mental session at the beginning of the lesson to sharpen pupils’ mental numeracy skills and encourage them to explain their mental strategies. However, sometimes, this is over directed by teachers who are looking for one particular answer. Teachers use any available support well and lessons are well paced to give a good deal of challenge to pupils. They move around the classroom well to ascertain that all pupils are on task or work with small groups, although the pace of pupils’ learning

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MATHEMATICS

sometimes slows down when pupils are working in groups that are not being supported by adults. 103. The improvements in the management and planning of mathematics, which the school has made since the last inspection are having a positive effect on attainment in both key stages. The subject co-ordinator is a member of the senior management team and understands what is required to raise standards in the subject. She manages the subject well and has monitored the teaching of the numeracy hour in all classrooms. Good arrangements are in place to monitor the progress made by pupils throughout the school. This process begins with an analysis of the data from the Local Education Authority’s programme of assessment on entry to the school. Education plans for pupils with special educational needs are clear and comprehensive, although the use of assessment results for pupils who have English as an additional language are not always precise

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MATHEMATICS

enough to give them the maximum help. Effective strategies have been formulated in consultation with all staff for teaching the National Numeracy Strategy. This has been instrumental in giving staff confidence in teaching numeracy which has led to improved learning and attainment by pupils. Mathematics is used well across the curriculum, for example, graphs and measurement are used appropriately in science and geography. The subject meets the requirements of the National Curriculum.

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SCIENCE

104. The results of the 1999 and 2000 national teacher assessment tests at the end of Key Stage 1 showed that standards achieved were well below average compared with those of other schools nationally. However, most pupils are enabled to make good progress in relation to their previous ability and they achieve well. Over St Stephen’s CEP School 40 the past year, the school has provided extra support in science lessons at the lower end of the school to the large proportion of pupils who have English as an additional language. This is beginning to show results and is helping to raise standards. The inspection’s findings are that, although standards are now below average, the pupils’ achievement is appropriate, when taking into consideration the high proportion of pupils with English as an additional language. The findings of this inspection are that the standards pupils achieve in Year 6 are well

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SCIENCE

below average. However, standards in Year 6 are adversely affected by the very large number of pupils with English as an additional language, a significant number of pupils with special educational needs and the high pupil mobility including pupils who have very little knowledge of English when they arrive in the school. This finding is broadly in line with school’s previous full OFSTED inspection in 1994. In the inspection carried out by Her Majesty’s Inspectors in 1998, standards in science lessons were judged to be average, and sometimes above average, but these judgements were not confirmed by the results of the subsequent national tests. 105. Pupils in Year 2 generally show average factual knowledge of life processes, living things and properties of materials. However, for the majority of pupils who speak English as an additional language, their use of scientific language to describe the processes is below average. This is reflected in the low

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SCIENCE

percentage of pupils who obtain the average Level 2 standard in the teacher assessments at the end of the key stage. In 2000, only 79 per cent of pupils achieved Level 2 and above, whilst no pupil achieved Level 3. However, when compared with similar schools, standards were just below average. By the age of seven, pupils identify and name types of food that make up their diet and recognise the importance of eating a variety of foods to stay healthy. They sort and group materials on the basis of simple properties and recognise that some materials occur naturally and some do not. They explore a variety of materials, such as re-usable adhesive and balloons, and find out that some can be altered by stretching and bending and can easily change back, whilst others, such as stone, cannot easily be changed. More able pupils make predictions about what might happen and use the correct vocabulary associated with the changing materials. They record their

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SCIENCE

results through drawings and writing. However, most pupils need constant reinforcement and support to enable them to understand, discuss and record their findings. In Year 1, pupils name a number of light sources and identify that sources of light, such as fireworks and torches, show up best when it is dark. Much of what the pupils learn comes from taking part in first hand investigations and, although much of the work is directed by adults, pupils learn to use the simple equipment provided and, with help, begin to make relevant observations related to the tasks and to develop their scientific vocabulary. 106. The 2000 national test results show that pupils aged 11 achieved standards that were well below the average of all and similar schools. This is due to the many factors as outlined previously in the report. Trends over time, however, show an improvement in standards with a rise in attainment from only 23 per cent of

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SCIENCE

pupils achieving Level 4 and above in 1998 to 55 per cent in 2000. Many of the findings relate to the low level of pupils’ attainment in scientific enquiry. The school is aiming to address these problems by widening the methods of approach to help pupils improve their enquiry skills. Most pupils are enabled to make good progress in relation to their previous ability and they achieve well. 107. In Year 6, pupils use the resources that they are given for experimental work but lack skill in devising their own experiments to investigate their activities and their recording skills are under developed. Many pupils find it difficult to make links between ideas and to explain things using simple scientific language. They recognise that plants need light and water to grow well and know that different animals live in different habitats. However, their knowledge is basic and there is little evidence to suggest that the pupils understand

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SCIENCE

the feeding relationships in a habitat in terms of scientific knowledge. They learn that some solids, such as salt, dissolve in water to give solutions but some, such as sand do not. More able pupils confidently describe dissolving as ‘when you put something in liquid, it will seem to disappear, but it will still be there, you can’t see it as it will be part of the liquid’. However, many pupils in Year 6 do not understand the difference between melting and dissolving. Pupils in Year 5, however, identify the differences between solids, liquids and gases and gain an understanding that liquids evaporate and form gases which flow from place to place, such as when using an air freshener. Their work is accurately recorded using tables and charts and is aided by links with mathematical development by measuring, for instance, the time it took for the smell of the gases from the air freshener to reach their noses. In Year 4, pupils demonstrate a sound knowledge of electricity by

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SCIENCE

constructing simple circuits and using them to test which materials let electricity pass through. However, St Stephen’s CEP School 41 many of the pupils who do not have English as their first language have difficulty in understanding the scientific vocabulary and require a great deal of support to write a simple report of what they did. 108. Overall, the quality of teaching and learning, including that for pupils with English as an additional language and those with special educational needs, is satisfactory at both key stages. Pupils with English as an additional language are particularly well supported in science lessons by teachers funded under the Ethnic Minorities and Travellers Achievement Grant who work alongside the class teachers. This was well illustrated in a Year 4 lesson when the pupils were expected to write a simple report on the wiring up of bulbs to batteries. The good use of questions to elicit the pupils’ ideas for ordering the sequence of events and the

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SCIENCE

effective strategies for keeping the pupils on task enabled these pupils to improve their learning and produce reports that were other than basic and minimal. Lessons overall are well planned and show a clear sequence to the activities. Time is used well and most teachers use a good blend of approaches, such as discussion, demonstration and ‘hands on’ practical experiences that engage most pupils throughout the lessons. The work in most lessons is challenging and, where it is best, it is appropriately matched to the different abilities in the classes. However, at times, it is over ambitious for the many pupils who have English as an additional language and for those with special educational needs. Consequently, they do not always acquire the basic scientific understanding before being moved on to the next stage in their learning. All teachers do, however, emphasise the importance of using the correct scientific vocabulary when pupils are asked to give an

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SCIENCE

explanation of their work. This not only improves the pupils’ understanding but also enables the teacher to recognise any misconception the pupils may have and help to clear them up. This was evident in a Year 6 lesson that involved dissolving substances and when pupils used the term ‘melting’ to describe the principle, this was picked up and corrected. Overall, the management of pupils is sound and promotes an appropriate working atmosphere in classrooms. At times, however, the control is such that pupils have insufficient opportunities to make their own suggestions on how to collect data, select the suitable equipment or devise their own investigations. In Year 2, particularly good use is made of practical activities to promote the pupils’ understanding and make the subject enjoyable. With support, they carry out an investigation, on how objects made from some materials can be altered. The involvement of each pupil was the key principle to the lesson

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SCIENCE

and at the end of the lesson when asked by the teacher ‘what have we found out?’ many pupils put forward their thoughts using the correct vocabulary, such as stretching, bending and squashing, to describe what they did to the materials. Across the school, teachers have good subject knowledge, ask good questions and involve all pupils in the lesson. A good example of this was in Year 5, where pupils were measuring their pulse rates and the teacher introduced the need for making it a fair test by testing it three times. The good use of questions such as ‘what is your hypothesis, do you think your pulse rate will remain the same?’ moved pupils on in their learning and developed both their communication and scientific knowledge. At both key stages, teachers do not make sufficient use of information and communication technology in science. 109. The school has adopted the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority guidelines, which provide the

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SCIENCE

basis for appropriate progression. Assessment procedures are satisfactory with the use of a commercially produced scheme that works well alongside the nationally recommended scheme. The co-ordinator is very new to the post, but is well qualified and has an enthusiasm for the subject. He is very aware of the strengths and weaknesses of science in the school. Already, he has carried out an audit of science and gathered together the views and needs of his colleagues. The co-ordinator has set up a link with the science co- ordinator of a local beacon school, who led a staff meeting on how to teach science through an investigative approach. This is already beginning to have a favourable on the quality of teaching and pupils’ learning. Although the monitoring of pupils’ learning is securely in place, by sampling their work, the system does not link to the monitoring of teaching in the school. Progress since the last inspection is satisfactory overall.

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SCIENCE

Teaching and learning have improved, the amount of time allocated to science is now consistent and there is sufficient guidance to help all teachers. However, standards remain low. Learning resources for science are adequate. The science nature area is to be relocated to allow all pupils to use it for environmental studies. Good use is made of visits to places such as the ‘Oasis’ a wild life area, the Natural History Museum and Kew Gardens to enrich the pupils’ learning.

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ART AND DESIGN

110. Because of the way in which the curriculum is organised, it was only possible to see a single lesson taught at Key Stage 2. Curricular time for art and design alternates each half term with lessons in design and St Stephen’s CEP School 42 technology. Judgements about standards have, therefore, been made from evidence from class and school displays, a scrutiny of the co-ordinator’s subject folder, teachers’ planning and discussions with staff and pupils. By the age of seven and 11, pupils of all abilities, including those with special educational needs and those using English as an additional language, achieve average standards. This is an improvement on the findings of the most recent full OFSTED report when it was judged that standards were barely satisfactory at Key Stage 2. 111. The quality of teaching and the quality of pupils’ learning at Key Stage 1 are satisfactory. Teachers provide appropriate opportunities for pupils to use and develop a range of techniques using different materials.

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ART AND DESIGN

For example, younger pupils interpret the theme ‘Light and Dark’ and produce pictures of bonfires and Christmas lights on black paper, which are made realistic by effective blending of chalk crayons. Younger pupils draw self portraits using pencil. Some of these indicated immature development. Across this key stage, pupils’ learning is encouraged by the use of art and design to support work done in other areas of the curriculum. For example, younger pupils have painted and displayed large pictures to illustrate part of the story of ‘Not now Bernard’. There was evidence in several classroom displays, in particular in representations of flowers by older pupils, that teachers had encouraged good attention to detail in pupils’ work and a concern to produce a good, attractive, finished product. Older pupils are made aware of the work of other artists as they consider the work of Georgia 0’ Keeffe and paint their pictures in a similar style.

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ART AND DESIGN

112. The quality of teaching and the quality of pupils’ learning at Key Stage 2 are satisfactory. There is evidence from class displays that art techniques are used well to illustrate work in other subjects. For example, younger pupils use pencil crayons to illustrate their poems ‘All About Me’. Pupils’ understanding and appreciation of the traditions of other cultures are developed well. They made careful observational drawings of different African drums they had seen and used during an ‘Afternoon of African Music’. Younger pupils are made aware of colour and texture as they look at displays of ethnic costumes in their class. This has addressed a deficiency identified at the previous OFSTED inspection. In the single lesson observed at this key stage, the quality of teaching and of pupils’ learning was good. In this lesson, pupils were encouraged to observe Egyptian hieroglyphics and patterns carefully before making their own plate designs.

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ART AND DESIGN

A shortcoming across the key stage is the inconsistent use of sketchbooks. 113. Leadership in the subject is satisfactory. Teachers are given sound support in their work by a concise policy and guidelines statement. This has yet to be revised since the introduction of the Curriculum 2000. Planning follows a useful scheme of work, which indicates an appropriate progression in concepts, skills and knowledge across both key stages. This is also an improvement since the last inspection when there was no coherent policy and scheme of work for the subject across the school. However, procedures for assessing and recording the progress made by pupils are not sufficiently developed. Interest in the subject is promoted well by the displays around the school and by the large colourful murals painted in some corridors. The effectiveness of the co-ordinator has been limited by her absence from school on extended sick leave.

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ART AND DESIGN

Overall, the school has made good improvement since the last inspection.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

114. By the time they are seven and 11, most pupils achieve standards that are below average. Pupils with special educational needs and those using English as an additional language achieve well according to their abilities and aptitudes. Standards at the last full OFSTED inspection were also judged to have been unsatisfactory at the end of Key Stage 2. 115. The quality of teaching and the quality of pupils’ learning at Key Stage 1 are satisfactory. Teachers adapt their lessons well to the very high proportion of pupils with special educational needs and those with English as an additional language in each class. This enables these pupils to learn appropriately at their level although not reaching average standards. An example of this was observed in a lesson to older pupils who were investigating different ways of joining pieces of fabric. The teacher introduced the tasks very clearly and constantly reinforced new vocabulary, activities were changed quickly to maintain pupils’ interest and

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

motivation, and the adult helpers supported their groups well. As pupils cut, stapled and glued different fabrics together, they developed their skills satisfactorily. Younger pupils have sound opportunity to assemble an appropriate range of construction materials. Shortcomings in provision at this key stage are the poor development of oral skills to enable pupils to discuss their ideas, communicate their likes and dislikes and St Stephen’s CEP School 43 suggest ways of improving their work. Insufficient emphasis is placed on pupils’ ability to make plans for their models and to provide effective finishing techniques to completed work. 116. The quality of teaching and the quality of pupils’ learning at Key Stage 2 are also satisfactory. Teachers introduce topics clearly and have a good understanding of what they want to achieve. In the best lessons, the learning intended is shared with the pupils at the beginning of the activity and constantly referred

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

to as the lesson proceeds. Teachers introduce a variety of interesting challenges, such as to design and make a Jack-in-the-Box, and to make a bridge with folded paper that can support a given weight. These activities enable pupils to develop a sound understanding of the strength of some materials and the limitations of others. Pupils’ learning is extended well by teachers’ probing questions but, in some lessons, more able pupils are not given the guidance they require to enable them to make better progress. In a few lessons, the effectiveness of teaching is reduced by teachers who do not ensure that all pupils are listening to them before they explain tasks or give instructions. There is evidence in the work of some classes of a good approach to the subject which involves identifying a design opportunity, preparing plans, making artefacts and evaluating and improving them. However, this approach is not consistently adopted across the school. Other shortcomings at

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

this key stage are the limited use of different mechanisms in model making, testing and evaluating products and insufficiently precise measuring, marking out and cutting skills. 117. Teachers are supported by a satisfactory policy and guidelines statement. Planning follows the nationally recommended scheme of work, which has been appropriately revised and refined by the co- ordinator. Design topics for each class are identified on a long-term curricular grid, which shows coverage for both key stages. The co-ordinator gives a good lead to the subject and promotes interest in the subject well. She monitors teachers’ half termly plans but has had no opportunity to support or monitor teaching and learning across the school. The newly introduced assessment system is good. It provides teachers with assessment ideas for each taught topic, and teachers are beginning to have the data to track individual pupils’

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

progress as they move through the school. Design work is helpfully focused on themes brought by visitors to the school, some from a variety of cultural backgrounds. Several initiatives were related to the recent Black History focus. Overall, the school has made satisfactory progress in the planning and teaching of the subject despite standards still being below those expected nationally.

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GEOGRAPHY

118. During the inspection, it was only possible to observe the teaching of geography in Year 5, because of the school’s curricular and timetabling arrangements of alternating the teaching of the subject with history. However, a thorough scrutiny and analysis of pupils’ work and teachers’ planning, observation of displays, and discussions with pupils and teachers indicate below average standards in both key stages. At the last full OFSTED inspection, no judgement was made of standards achieved at Key Stage 1, but standards at Key Stage 2 were considered to have been well below national expectations, with many pupils underachieving. Standards have improved since then as a result of improved teaching and curricular leadership. There are currently no gender differences in standards of achievement in the subject. 119. The quality of teaching and of pupils’ learning is satisfactory at Key Stage 1. In Year 1, pupils are

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GEOGRAPHY

beginning to ask and answer questions about environments by considering the products in various shops in the neighbourhood like the butcher, sweet shop, baker, café and library. These skills are developed as pupils produce simple plans of their classroom, which demonstrate some knowledge and understanding of scale. Some pupils are also beginning to use simple geographical vocabulary in reference to location. The presentation of pupils’ work is satisfactory and is linked well to other subjects like mathematics in their map work. However, pupils’ ability to ask and answer questions about places using their own selected information and observations is still under developed although some demonstrate an awareness of localities beyond their own from their own holidays and those of their classmates. An analysis of previous work indicates a satisfactory pace of learning but insufficient challenge. 120. At Key Stage 2, the quality of teaching and the quality of pupils’ learning are also satisfactory. This is

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GEOGRAPHY

an improvement on the last OFSTED inspection where they were judged unsatisfactory. Teachers ensure that pupils are learning the right knowledge, concepts and skills. For example, the simple map work in Key Stage 1 is developed as pupils move through the school. In Year 4, they design a village and make a map of their design, and in Year 5, they work on a plan of Durham to increase their understanding of the reason why St Stephen’s CEP School 44 colour codes make maps and plans easier to understand and interpret. In Year 6, pupils have used the recent floods in this country to enhance their knowledge and understanding of aspects of world weather. They are also linking some of their studies in geography to preliminary work associated with their forthcoming residential visit to Sussex. Cross-curricular links are emphasised wherever possible. There are good links with numeracy in work on measuring or map-work, and work in science, for example, in Year 5’s work on the

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GEOGRAPHY

water cycle. Pupils with special educational needs and those with English as an additional language are provided with work that is well matched to their ability and they receive support in most classrooms. However, a weakness in provision is the lack of opportunity provided for pupils to participate in independent work, including research, and to propose suitable geographical questions for study and investigation. This is related closely to the different needs of the very large number of pupils with English as an additional language. 121. The subject is well managed by a well-qualified and enthusiastic teacher and there has been an improvement in management of the subject since the last inspection. Half termly plans for all year groups have been formulated by the co-ordinator in line with the revised National Curriculum. This planning follows the guidelines of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority and is alternated in termly planning with history.

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GEOGRAPHY

Teachers’ planning for the subject is monitored by the co-ordinator and samples of pupils’ work are being collected to illustrate standards achieved and to help teachers assess the level of pupils’ work according to National Curriculum criteria. The co-ordinator provides useful guidance to staff on an informal and formal basis but there has been no opportunity for her to monitor teaching and learning in classrooms. An action plan has been prepared and the need for extra resources, including software, has been identified. The Internet has already been used for research work on Egypt and further use of this is envisaged by a link up with a school in a different location like a rural school. Curricular provision is appropriate in both key stages and moral, social and cultural development is promoted well by pupils learning about their own and other cultures and the way that man affects his environment. Assessment procedures are satisfactory and are normally carried out

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HISTORY

122. By the time they are seven, pupils achieve below average standards. By the time they are 11, standards achieved are well below average. In the school’s previous report, there was insufficient evidence to make a judgement on pupils’ standards of work at Key Stage 1 although similar standards were observed at Key Stage 2. Pupils with special educational needs and pupils with English as an additional language achieve well relative to their previous attainment. The standards reached by Year 6 pupils is limited by the level of special educational needs in the class and by their language skills which are well below average. This is reflected in their recorded work, which is narrow in both the range of work and the amount recorded. 123. The quality of teaching and the quality of pupils’ learning are satisfactory with evidence of some good teaching at both key stages. This is an improvement since the last full OFSTED inspection when it was

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HISTORY

judged that teaching across the school failed to develop pupils’ understanding systematically. This report found that pupils in Key Stage 2 were not used to considering the ‘reliability, utility or validity of historical evidence or the possibility of different interpretations of historical events.’ 124. A strength of history teaching at Key Stage 1 is the focus on developing pupils’ abilities to make relevant observations about artefacts, pictures and eye witness accounts. This encourages pupils’ learning well. For example, in a Year 2 lesson, pupils visited the local war memorial to develop their understanding of how war affects people’s lives. The lesson which followed was one in a series of lessons, in which they had interviewed an older member of the local community and considered some of the effects of war. They learnt about the significance of some of the features of the war memorial, such as that it included the names of

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HISTORY

people who had died in the war and that poppies were a sign of remembrance. Year 1 pupils make observations about old and new toys and make simple drawings representing their observations. In this lesson, very good support from the specialist teacher enabled pupils with English as an additional language to develop their subject vocabulary well and one pupil used the word ‘artefact’ correctly by the end of the lesson. 125. There were no opportunities to observe teaching at Key Stage 2, but indications are that teaching and learning are generally satisfactory. History is taught on a half termly basis with geography and, in this half term, there was no history being taught in Years 5 and 6. However, the analysis of pupils’ work in Year 6 St Stephen’s CEP School 45 dealing with aspects of Victorian Britain illustrated several strengths and some shortcomings of teaching across this key stage. Pupils developed a sound knowledge and appreciation of how life had changed in the

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HISTORY

local area during Victorian times. They examined census returns, and made notes on a chart of typical Victorian names, the ages of people working and types of jobs. They understood some of the ways in which schools in Victorian times were different from schools now. However, the notes and recorded work were too limited to indicate that pupils understood characteristic features of Victorian times or were able to put their notes into a meaningful context. Pupils’ learning is developed well by the clever use of interesting resources. For example, in a lesson to Year 3 pupils, they studied pictures and postcards related to artefacts found at the Sutton Hoo Anglo Saxon burial ground and used their knowledge of life in Anglo Saxon times to make observations about the artefacts found. Both the class teacher and the learning support assistant used questions skilfully to encourage pupils to extend their observations and to ensure they could support their ideas

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HISTORY

with direct observation of the evidence. 126. The previous report indicated that the subject did not meet the requirements of the National Curriculum and did not ensure that pupils developed their learning in progressive, linked stages. The subject now has an appropriate draft policy in place. It generally meets the requirements of the National Curriculum and makes good use of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority units of work to form a scheme of work and to ensure that pupils are developing their skills appropriately. However, although pupils have some opportunities to develop research skills, these opportunities are not sufficiently evident in older pupils’ work. The co-ordinator has an appropriate understanding of her role. She has monitored teachers’ planning, but the evaluation of pupils’ work linked to National Curriculum levels and the identification of priorities for the subject are not fully in place. The school has sought to enhance pupils’ experiences by making good use of

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HISTORY

the resources of the local area and of the knowledge of older people in the community. The school recently celebrated the cultural diversity of its own community in a Black History month when they invited poets and artists to the school to work with pupils. Pupils have opportunities to visit such places as the British Museum, and Hampton Court and, during the residential visit for Year 6, pupils visit the site of the Battle of Hastings. There are some good cross-curricular links with subjects such as music, when pupils in Year 3 composed music to represent the building of Hadrian’s Wall. Resources for the subject are satisfactory. The school has an appropriate range of artefacts including the recent purchase of information and communication technology resources to support pupils’ research. These resources are well supplemented by teachers’ own resources and by purchases from visits. The subject makes a satisfactory contribution to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

127. By the time they are 11, pupils achieve standards that are below average. The standards attained by seven year olds are well below average. The previous inspection also found standards to be variable. Little direct teaching was observed during the current inspection. Therefore judgements are based on the scrutiny of pupils’ work, displays around the school and discussion with pupils and staff. Older pupils in Key Stage 1 are under achieving and are not sufficiently skilled to work at the computer independently. From this low start, pupils throughout Key Stage 2 are learning effectively and by Year 6, most pupils understand what they are doing, show positive attitudes and talk confidently about the past work covered in Year 5. 128. The attainment of pupils aged seven years is well below average. The pupils in Year 1 are more competent than Year 2 pupils. Pupils in Year 2 use an art program to create a design for Joseph’s coat of

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

many colours. They are able to change colours, draw lines, use various paint effects and amend things they have done. Pupils are generally familiar with simple operations with the keyboard and mouse and are prepared to experiment should anything go wrong. However, many pupils have to ask an adult how to select the appropriate keys when working at the computer. Pupils in Year 2 are unable to open or close down a program and cannot save and retrieve their work without support. The work produced by pupils in Year 1 shows that they have gained sufficient knowledge to use computers to create pictures and to use a graphing package to enter information and group different shapes. This is mainly the result of satisfactory teaching. However, the quantity and quality of work produced indicate that pupils are making insufficient progress from Year 1 to Year 2 in the development of their computer skills.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

129. In Key Stage 2, standards are below average. However, they are making good progress from Year 3 to Year 5. Teachers carefully build on the pupils’ knowledge and each step of learning builds on the St Stephen’s CEP School 46 previous one appropriately so that, in Year 6, pupils are sufficiently confident to use information and communication technology to present information in different forms. They use the Internet and CD-ROMs confidently as research tools to extract information to support their work in history and geography. Pupils learn to use communication technology to ensure that their writing is clear, well presented and free of errors. In Year 3, pupils type in text with spaces between words, use the shift key to make capital letters and learn how to delete sentences by highlighting the text. They change font style, size and colour to create different visual effects appropriately. Pupils in Year 5 build on their experiences of using paint packages and use a

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

graphics package to combine and manipulate images. Discussions with pupils in Year 6 indicate that in Year 5 they gained an appropriate understanding of how to enter instructions to control a screen turtle. They also explained how they had used a music program for composing. Good levels of interest are maintained as pupils move through the school and in discussion with pupils, several indicated that they did not have access to a computer at home. Pupils throughout the school have not had the opportunity to develop the technique of sending, receiving and replying to e-mails. 130. The quality of teaching and the quality of pupils’ learning are satisfactory across the school. Although no overall judgement was made on the quality of teaching in the previous inspection, teachers were judged to lack confidence and pupils’ progress was considered to be hindered by the lack of support and by the absence

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

of class planning. This is not the case now. Most teachers have good knowledge and are able to ensure that an appropriate range of work is provided for the pupils. A number of teachers have received training to improve their skills and this is beginning to have a favourable impact on pupils’ learning. All teachers introduce pupils to the appropriate skills as a class before allowing them access to the computers as individuals. In this way, the pupils are introduced to the concepts and skills in a systematic way and it ensures that when pupils do use the computers on their own they are able to do so with minimal support. Good teaching was observed in Year 3, when the pupils were introduced to the basic skills of using the word processor to refine sentences by adding words and making corrections. The teacher made good use of demonstration and gave clear explanations to the pupils on how to edit the text before she was confident that

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

the pupils understood what was expected of them. The level of challenge was sufficient for most pupils to succeed by the end of the lesson. Long term and medium term planning for the subject is good. However, record keeping of the acquisition of skills is not firmly embedded throughout the school and, therefore, is not an effective tool to meet the different ability ranges. This has been recognised by the co-ordinator and is an area identified for further development. During the week of the inspection, computer programs were used to complement other areas of the curriculum, such as literacy, art and design and technology, but there was less evidence of computers being used to support science or mathematics. 131. The subject meets the requirements of the National Curriculum. The school has recently adopted the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority guidelines to ensure progression and to support this there is a well

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

structured commercially produced scheme of work in place. However, these have yet to make an impact on raising standards. The areas of development identified in the previous inspection have, in the main, been addressed and, together with the purchase of new computers and software packages, ensure that all aspects of the programmes of study are in place. Monitoring of pupils’ work is carried out by the co-ordinator who collects samples of work from three pupils of differing ability in each year group. However, they are not compared against National Curriculum levels. The subject co-ordinator provides good leadership and management through her support and knowledge. However, she has not had the opportunity to work alongside colleagues in order to support and monitor teaching and learning. Overall, resources are adequate to support the teaching of all aspects of the subject and, in most instances, are used by teachers appropriately.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

Good use is made of computers to support the development of pupils who speak English as an additional language and for those pupils who have special educational needs. The subject enhances pupils’ personal and social development, when they work in pairs sharing tasks and when working with adults.

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MUSIC

132. Because of the way in which the timetable is organised, it was not possible to see any music taught at Key Stage 1. There was, therefore, insufficient evidence for an overall judgement to be made on standards attained at this key stage or about the quality of teaching and learning. In Key Stage 2, only two lessons were observed. The findings of the inspection are, therefore, also based upon the scrutiny of planning and discussion with staff and pupils. Pupils in Key Stage 2 attain average standards and they enjoy their music St Stephen’s CEP School 47 making activities. Pupils who speak English as an additional language and those with special educational needs make sound progress because much of the work in lessons is carried out in groups where pupils support each other well. 133. The quality of teaching and the quality of pupils’ learning in Key Stage 2 are satisfactory. In the previous inspection, a specialist music teacher took full responsibility for planning, implementing and assessing

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MUSIC

music throughout the school and class teachers rarely participated. Standards of performance were judged to have been good. There is no longer a music specialist in the school and all class teachers are responsible for the teaching of music to their class. There is a wide range of attainment, but in both Year 3 and Year 5, pupils listen attentively and learn to improvise and create their own compositions. They show a good understanding of the sounds made by different musical instruments and how they can be used effectively for their own compositions, as observed when pupils in Year 3 chose drums, scrapers and shakers to create the effect of the building of Hadrian’s Wall. They played with rhythmic accuracy, showing a good sense of beat and tempo. Pupils in this lesson listened with concentration and responded appropriately to the given musical starting point when using the percussion instruments and when performing as a class, they followed

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MUSIC

instructions and stopped playing. Teachers plan their lessons well and build progressively on the pupils’ skills. They have good relationships with pupils and in most instances manage pupils’ behaviour successfully. The quality of learning is often increased because pupils’ enjoy music and their interest enables them to make the best use of opportunities on offer. Teachers demonstrate sound subject knowledge that, overall, extends the quality of pupils’ learning. For instance when teaching pupils in Year 5 the idea of a looped beat found in modern chart music, the teacher captured the pupils’ interest by playing a sample of the music using a minidisk to help pupils identify the beats. After working with different groups in the class to come into and out of the tune using different body percussion sounds, the pupils as a class effectively built up cyclic rhythm. The lesson developed well to introducing the idea of scoring the music that they had composed by inventing

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MUSIC

names for the sounds they had created. Teachers offer all pupils an appropriate variety of musical experiences and the opportunity to be actively involved in lessons. This helps to develop not only their skills but enriches their musical experiences. Pupils are provided with appropriate opportunities to appraise each other’s performance and are encouraged to do so in a positive manner. 134. There has been a satisfactory improvement since the last inspection in terms of pupils composing and improvising. The judgement on standards of performance, however, has declined from good to average. In general, this is since the music specialist left and no tuition is provided for pupils to read and play music. The present co-ordinator has a ‘caretaking’ role until a music specialist is appointed. The existing scheme of work based on the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority guidelines provides teachers with the support to develop

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MUSIC

pupils’ musical skills in a structured way as they move through the school. Forms of assessment, however, are left to individual teachers and there is no whole school format to track the development of individual skills. There is a wide range of resources that includes CDs, tapes, percussion instruments and multicultural instruments. Special seasonal services are held to which parents are invited and pupils in Year 6 sing carols for the elderly in the local church. Pupils’ experiences are widened and enriched by visitors invited to the school, such as African drummers and the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Music makes a good contribution to pupils’ social and cultural development.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

135. Standards in physical education are average in both key stages. This judgement is similar to that made by the school’s previous full OFSTED inspection at Key Stage 1, but it is an improvement on the unsatisfactory judgement for Key Stage 2 made at the same time. Standards in swimming are satisfactory. Swimming is carried out in Years 3 and 4 and the school indicates that most of the pupils reach the required standard by the time they leave the school. There are no differences in standards between boys and girls in either key stage. Overall, pupils’ achievement, including that by pupils with special educational needs and those using English as an additional language, is also satisfactory. 136. The quality of teaching and the quality of pupils’ learning are satisfactory in Key Stage 1. This is similar to the judgement made by the previous inspection. In gymnastics lessons, pupils demonstrate the

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

ability to reproduce simple movement skills like walking and jumping with developing control and co- ordination. Teachers are often actively involved in the lessons and demonstrate good practice confidently. This helps pupils’ motivation and improves their learning. However, insufficient opportunity is given to pupils St Stephen’s CEP School 48 to show what they can do and to comment on and evaluate their work and that of others. Lessons usually begin with a ‘warm up’ and end with a ‘cool down’ activity. 137. The quality of teaching and the quality of pupils’ learning are also satisfactory in Key Stage 2. No lessons were judged to have been unsatisfactory. This demonstrates an improvement in the quality of teaching since the last full inspection. In their gymnastic activities, most pupils demonstrate basic skills showing improved control and co-ordination from Key Stage 1. For example, younger pupils vary a ‘swinging’ and

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

‘climbing’ movement and link them to form a sequence. Year 4 pupils choose and use appropriate ‘rolling’ and ‘twisting’ movements both individually and as part of a sequence. The teacher’s quiet but firm manner encouraged all pupils to perform quietly and safely leading to good progress in their gymnastic skills. Nearly all are able to exercise safely and indicate a developing awareness of the use of space. As in Key Stage 1 lessons, the opportunity to remind pupils about the effect of exercise on their bodies was missed. Year 6 pupils worked conscientiously and well at their games activities and nearly all indicated appropriate control and precision in their ball control skills when using a hockey stick. Most pupils demonstrated appropriate understanding of tactics in small team games, for example, in their competitive hockey games at the end of the session. 138. There has been a satisfactory improvement in the subject since the last inspection, which is

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

demonstrated by improved standards in Key Stage 2 and by the way that weaknesses in the quality of teaching have been addressed. However, not all teachers are sufficiently confident in the teaching of the subject. The subject co-ordinator has recently taken up the post and sets a good example through enthusiastic teaching and management. Half termly plans, which are matched to the recommendations of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority guidelines, have been produced covering all elements of the subject. This scheme of work ensures sound progression in the subject for pupils of all abilities. The co-ordinator has not had the opportunity to monitor teaching and learning in the classroom but he has already identified that the dance aspect of the subject is relatively the weakest. Assessment procedures are in place and pupils are assessed in relation to the National Curriculum levels at the end of each module. An extracurricular soccer

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

club has been re-introduced and pupils participate in cricket and athletics clubs in the summer term. Year 6 pupils are due to participate in a residential visit to Sussex in the next few weeks and participation in outdoor activities will be a feature of this provision. However, other extracurricular sports activities for all age groups are limited. Resources for the subject are satisfactory, although pupils do not have the benefit of a grass playing surface for their games activities. The internal hall is of a reasonable size but the available area is limited by the storage of canteen, physical education and music apparatus and equipment around its perimeter.

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