The Russell Primary School

THE RUSSELL PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 31 st October -1 st November 2000

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THE RUSSELL PRIMARY SCHOOL

Inspection number: 224897 Inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 This report may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that all extracts quoted are reproduced verbatim without adaptation and on condition that the source and date thereof are stated.

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THE RUSSELL PRIMARY SCHOOL

Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the School Inspections Act 1996, the school must provide a copy of this report and/or its summary free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. The Russell Primary School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Petersham Road Richmond Surrey

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The Governing Body

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Mrs. D. Kelly

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 10 th February 1997 The Russell Primary School - 4

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Team members

John Carnaghan 1352 Registered inspector Elaine Parrish 9577 Lay inspector Marguerite Presman 1254 Team inspector

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Team members

Grasshoppers 1 Anglesey Close Chasetown Burntwood Staffordshire WS7 8XA

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Team members

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

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Team members

The Registrar Inspection Quality Division

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Team members

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE The Russell Primary School - 5

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 6

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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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

The Russell School is an infant and junior school of 266 pupils; this is above the national average size. Since the last inspection, in February 1997, numbers have risen from 239 and the school is over-subscribed. There are currently 141 girls and 125 boys. The nursery has 52 children, who attend for half of the week. Most pupils are of white UK heritage; 15 per cent come from Indian, black African, black Caribbean, Pakistani and other non-European backgrounds. The school has a designated unit for pupils with moderate to severe learning difficulties with 8 places; pupils leave this unit at the age of 7. The presence of this unit accounts for the fact that nearly three per cent of the pupils have a statement of special educational needs, a higher than average proportion. 23 per cent of the school’s pupils are on the register of special educational needs, similar to the national average. Nine per cent of

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

pupils have English as an additional language. This is higher than average and influenced by the proximity of a German school, which usually takes pupils from the age of 7, so that a number of pupils attend the Russell school until they are old enough to transfer. The school serves the Petersham area. This is a prosperous area with little social deprivation. In the immediate area over half of the children are from high social class households, the national average is below a third. Pupils’ attainment on entry to the school is above the national average.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

This is a very effective school with many very strong features. The head teacher, governing body and senior staff have a very clear picture of the school’s attributes and work very well together to bring about improvements. Standards in English and mathematics are high; science standards are average. Teaching in the school is good; for pupils under five and in Key Stage 1 it is very good. Pupils learn well, helped by their warm relationships with teachers. Parents feel positive about the school. Expenditure is above the national average, but the school gives good value for money.

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What the school does well

• The leadership and management of the school by the head teacher, the staff and the governing body are strong, clear and very effective. • Teaching and learning in the school are good and very good for children under five and pupils in Key Stage 1. • English and mathematics standards are above national averages. Standards of pupils under five are very good, they make a very good start to their education. • All pupils benefit from a very well managed curriculum and the good provision for spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. • The school fosters warm and positive relationships and very good personal development of pupils. Behaviour is good. • The school assesses pupils’ work and monitors their progress well.

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What could be improved

• Standards in science are too low. • The school should continue efforts to raise attainment at the end of Key Stage 1. • There are too few support staff in the larger classes in Key Stage 2. • Too few adults supervise children under five and in Key Stage 1 at lunch time. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan. The Russell Primary School - 7

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school was last inspected in February 1997. It has made good improvement implementing the key issues identified in the previous report. Time for teaching has been increased. The school has sought advice on providing spiritual education for its pupils; provision for spiritual development is now satisfactory. The school has developed detailed policies for all subjects. Teachers are now consistent in applying deadlines for the completion of work. The quality of the current home-school record book and the teachers’ records of pupils’ progress are now good. There are systematic programmes for senior staff and members of the governing body to monitor many elements of the daily life of the school. There is good awareness of most aspects of school life. Governors now visit the school regularly and have raised their awareness of the standards and quality of work. Standards in English and mathematics have improved since the last inspection; in science they are

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

similar. Overall, taking all these factors into consideration, especially the improvements in the quality of leadership and management, with the exception of standards in science, the school has made good improvement and is well placed to make further improvements.

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STANDARDS

The table shows the standards achieved by 11 year olds based on average point scores in National Curriculum tests.

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STANDARDS

Performance in: all schools similar schools Key

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STANDARDS

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

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STANDARDS

The improvements in results for English and mathematics since the last inspection have exceeded the national trend. At the end of Key Stage 2, attainment is well above national averages. Science results are less good but still above national averages. There are no significant differences between the attainment of boys and girls. Results for 2000 are similar to those in 1999 in English and mathematics but were lower in science. Inspection shows that the standards in English and mathematics at the end of Key Stage 2 are above average; they were well above in the 1999 test results. This is because a different cohort of pupils has been inspected whose academic profile is a little below that of the earlier group. Pupils have very good standards of speaking and listening. Reading, spelling, handwriting and presentation of work are good. At the end of Key Stage 2 pupils show good attainment in mental mathematics. All pupils with special educational needs and those with English as an

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STANDARDS

additional language reach standards appropriate to their learning goals. Pupils leave school well prepared for the next stage of education and all pupils, including those with special educational needs, have achieved as well as they can and have made good gains in their learning. Inspection findings indicate that standards in science at the end of Key Stage 2 are currently about average and below those of other core subjects. The work that pupils do in writing about experiments that have been undertaken is too descriptive and there is a lack of evaluation.

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STANDARDS

Standards at the end of Key Stage 1 have been below those at the end of Key Stage 2 in recent years. In 1999, they were well below national averages in writing, below average in mathematics and in reading. This is partly due to the higher proportion in Key Stage 1 of The Russell Primary School - 8 pupils with moderate and severe learning difficulties. From inspection, standards this year are above average. Pupils show good skills in extended writing. In mathematics most pupils aged 7 understand the place value of digits. The standards of work of children under five are well above what is expected of this age range. They receive consistently very good teaching. In language and literacy many children under five can read one-syllable words. The school has set realistic and challenging targets for its pupils in English and mathematics, based on analysis of pupils’ attainment. Targets in science are too low; pupils exceeded their school-

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STANDARDS

set targets for 2000 by 8 per cent, despite a drop in standards compared to the other core subjects.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Attitudes to the school Good. Pupils are strongly motivated and enthusiastic to answer questions and participate in all aspects of lessons.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Behaviour is good; pupils are courteous and confident. There is no bullying and there were no fixed-term exclusions in the last year.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Personal development and relationships All relationships in the school are very good. Pupils are warm and supportive of one another from an early age. They respect one another’s views in a mature fashion. Pupils get on very well with their teachers.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Attendance Attendance is good. The school has good procedures for monitoring it. Rates of authorised absence are below national averages. Unauthorised absence is in line with average.

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

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

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

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

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

Fifty-nine per cent of teaching was very good, 6 per cent was good, 29 per cent was satisfactory and 6 per cent was unsatisfactory. Teaching is good; much of it is very good, particularly in teaching pupils under five and in Key Stage 1. All lessons except one seen in these two areas were very good. The teaching of English is very good; teaching of mathematics is good. The teaching of basic skills of literacy and numeracy is very good. Lessons are well organised and planned. Teachers have good subject knowledge. Very good management of pupils in particular and the classroom as a whole is common. Teaching is less consistently good in Key Stage 2. Where lessons have weaknesses, pace can be too slow with over-long introductions. Some lessons run out of time, so that plenary sessions are rushed and ineffective. There are too few support staff available to support the teaching of the large classes in Key Stage 2. Pupils with special educational needs learn well and most

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

pupils, including those who receive additional literacy support, make good gains in learning. Pupils in the designated unit learn very well, owing to very good teaching.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Aspect Comment The Russell Primary School - 9 The quality and range of the curriculum The curriculum is very good. It is broad and balanced and pupils can study French in Years 4 to 6. Owing to good planning, the introduction of the new National Curriculum and the Foundation Stage is complete.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Provision for all pupils with special educational needs is good; they are well supported. Pupils from the designated unit are very well cared for.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils with English as an additional language Pupils with English as an additional language benefit from good provision. The school plans well to meet pupils’ individual needs.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development The school makes good provision for pupils’ personal development, particularly in developing their independence as learners. Provision for spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

How well the school cares for its pupils The school cares well for its pupils; academic performance and personal development are very well monitored. There is inadequate supervision of very young pupils in the playground at lunch-time.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

Leadership and manage- ment by the headteacher and other key staff The leadership of the head teacher, key staff and governors is very good. All are committed to raising standards and caring for every pupil. The head teacher knows and understands the school very well.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Governors fulfil their responsibilities very well, are knowledgeable about the school and bring a range of skills to its management.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The school’s evaluation of its performance Very good. Staff have thoroughly analysed almost every aspect of the school. This information is used well in the school development plan.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The strategic use of resources The school makes effective use of its good range of resources. With continued progress in raising standards, improved teaching and management, the school provides good value for money. The Russell Primary School - 10

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved • Children like coming to school. • Teaching is good. • School provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. • The school is well led and managed. • Behaviour in the school is good. • Children make good progress at school. • Children should get the right amount of homework. • School does not keep parents well enough informed of how children are getting on.

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

Inspection evidence supports all the positive views of parents. Pupils have positive feelings about their education. The amount of homework set is appropriate to pupils’ ages and needs and inspectors would like to reassure parents that homework is well employed as part of the learning process. The quality of information that the school provides for parents has improved and is now good. The Russell Primary School - 11

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The leadership and management of the school by the head teacher, the staff and the

governing body are strong, clear and very effective.

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The leadership and management of the school by the head teacher, the staff and the

1. The head teacher has successfully built a strong team spirit, developed the role of co- ordinators and established a clear educational direction for the school. She has promoted high standards and effective teaching and learning. She manages the school very well and is ably supported by the chair of governors. She leads by example, takes responsibility and ensures the smooth day-to-day running of the school. Unusually, the school has a thorough system of appraisal, which is managed by the head teacher. This highlights appropriate areas for development; performance targets are set for staff and these are reviewed regularly.

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The leadership and management of the school by the head teacher, the staff and the

2. All the teachers in the school are allocated to one of three curriculum teams. As a result all teachers are involved in the effective planning of the curriculum. This is exemplified in the smooth transition that the school has made to the new National Curriculum and the effective adoption of the new Foundation Stage requirements for teaching children under five. This system also encourages professional development; at the time of the inspection the deputy head teacher was on maternity leave but two co-ordinators ably filled her role.

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The leadership and management of the school by the head teacher, the staff and the

3. The head teacher and key staff monitor and evaluate the school’s performance effectively, they correctly identify the school’s strengths and weaknesses and take effective action to secure improvements. This is evident in the persistence with which the school has pursued the issue of lower attainment at the end of Key Stage 1. The reasons for the discrepancy in pupil performance at the age of seven are not clearly evident, but the whole school is well aware of the issue and is expending considerable effort to overcome the problem. There are some areas for more thorough monitoring of Key Stage 2 teaching. The quality of the published analysis of school data is exceptional. The ‘Assessment and Data Report 1999/2000’ is very thorough and clearly examines all facets of school life. The senior staff of the school each contributes sections of this document; every chapter concludes with a list of issues arising for the school and the action needed to address them. Presentation of

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The leadership and management of the school by the head teacher, the staff and the

data and other information is a model of clarity and this is a key document in the school’s continuing improvement.

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The leadership and management of the school by the head teacher, the staff and the

4. The head teacher has a caring disposition towards all individuals under her care and this is balanced by a rigorous commitment to improving the performance of the school. Decisions on financial issues are closely linked to agreed priorities expressed in the thorough school development plan. The school has effective and sound systems of daily financial management.

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The leadership and management of the school by the head teacher, the staff and the

5. The governors work very closely with the school, helped by the warm relationships between the chair and head teacher. They are well informed about all aspects of school life, frequently seeing for themselves through their visits to the school. The planned monitoring cycle ensures good coverage of all of the school’s activities. The degree of consultation between the staff and governors is very good. The governing body has an effective committee structure, which is constantly being reviewed to ensure the most effective working practices. The Russell Primary School - 12

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Teaching and learning in the school are good and very good for children under five

6. The good teaching has a strong impact on pupils’ learning. Teaching is well planned to meet the learning needs of all pupils. Excellent classroom routines are established with the youngest pupils in the school. These are developed throughout the school so that all pupils benefit from clearly understood rules and there is very little time lost when pupils move from task to task. Thus the pace of learning is very good. The planning of lessons is very good. This means that resources are deployed rapidly and support staff, when they are available, are always well briefed and able to assist in areas of greatest need. There is considerable subtlety in the way pupils are managed in classrooms. Because relationships are invariably very good confrontation is very rare. The close collaboration is beneficial to pupils’ learning. Teachers consistently expect that all pupils will give of their best and are very encouraging for

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Teaching and learning in the school are good and very good for children under five

pupils’ attempts. Teachers teach the basic skills of literacy and numeracy well. This results in good gains as pupils acquire both phonic and computational skills.

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Teaching and learning in the school are good and very good for children under five

7. Overall, teachers in Key Stage 2 show less assurance. They are less dynamic in their management of lessons, pace is less urgent so that the conclusion of lessons then has to be rushed and fails to reinforce learning or set the agenda for the next session. Pupils’ concentration occasionally falters where pace is slower, but there is always a good range of interesting and well-planned activities in each lesson, which stimulate pupils’ interest. Most lessons are lively and stimulating. In an excellent language and literacy lesson to pupils in the reception class the classroom routine of ‘hands up’ was well used in drawing up a shopping list as a whole group activity. All the children were closely involved making good verbal contributions to this session, which encouraged the identification of initial letters and, for those of higher attainment, the reading of single-syllable words. The teacher had planned an

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Teaching and learning in the school are good and very good for children under five

interesting variety of group tasks appropriate to the range of abilities in the class. These included art and design work, ICT and writing a shopping list. Children worked in a calm and purposeful way demonstrating very good independence. Children’s very good social development was evident as they worked together to achieve their goals. Overall the variety of activities, good pace and subtle yet very effective child and classroom management meant that all made very good gains in their learning. Teachers make good use of support staff and the good resources available for maximum impact in lessons.

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pupils under five are very good, so that the youngest pupils make a very good start

8. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of education. Standards in English and mathematics are above national averages and the implementation of literacy and numeracy is effective.

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pupils under five are very good, so that the youngest pupils make a very good start

9. Pupils make good progress in English and mathematics. The majority of pupils, including those with special educational needs and those with English as an additional language, have achieved as well as they can by the time they leave school. Since 1997 standards have improved at a rate faster than the national improvement and the 1999 national assessment results saw attainment in English and mathematics well above both national averages and those of similar schools. Inspection findings show that the particular cohort of pupils inspected in Year 6 have slightly lower levels of attainment than those achieved by their predecessors in 1999, but they are still above average. The Russell Primary School - 13 10. By the age of 11 in English pupils have very good speaking and listening skills. They all take an active part in discussions showing sensitivity to others’ views as well as expressing their own with lucidity. Standards of writing are good. Pupils’ writing, spelling and

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pupils under five are very good, so that the youngest pupils make a very good start

punctuation are accurate. Pupils’ presentation of work is neat and tidy. The use of ‘gold books’ for one week in each term has positive effects on the quality of all the work that pupils do. Pupils have a flair for words and often use an adventurous vocabulary in their written pieces. Owing to good and very good teaching pupils have clear understanding of what they are doing, how well they have done and how they can improve. This has a powerful impetus on learning.

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pupils under five are very good, so that the youngest pupils make a very good start

11. In mathematics pupils can do mental arithmetic with the ease and speed born of regular practice. They have good spatial skills and can define shapes such as octagons by their properties. In this they demonstrate a good mathematical vocabulary. In Year 6 pupils are able to use terms such as perpendicular, bisect, diagonals and parallel. Pupils have good problem-solving skills. Their application of number is good and pupils use the rules of number to check results and estimate approximate solutions with a sense of the likely outcome.

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pupils under five are very good, so that the youngest pupils make a very good start

12. Literacy and numeracy are well implemented across the school. Teachers have good knowledge of the literacy and numeracy initiatives and plan lessons well. In the literacy hour, appropriate emphasis is given to matching phonics to work in reading books and this contributes to the good progress that pupils make. Teachers give very clear explanations in the numeracy hour and ask pupils to verbalise their thinking. This, and the effective informal assessments that are made in plenary sessions, enables teachers assist greatly in pupils’ learning.

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from a very well managed curriculum and good provision for spiritual, moral, social

13. The curriculum development team leaders are well-informed about recent developments in the National Curriculum and have co-ordinated the successful implementation of Curriculum 2000 this term. The new Foundation Stage for pupils under five has also been effectively introduced. All staff are involved in the development of the curriculum so are, themselves, well-informed and feel a responsibility for what is taught. The school has produced full and useful curriculum statements and other documentation. The time allocated to subjects is equitably balanced.

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from a very well managed curriculum and good provision for spiritual, moral, social

14. The school provides a broad range of worthwhile opportunities, which meets the needs of all pupils. Subject policies are revised regularly by curriculum teams. The curriculum is broad and balanced. Science, music and learning support have specialist teachers and the school teaches French to years 4, 5 and 6. The school ensures, through its curriculum planning, that all pupils benefit according to need from what the school provides. Pupils with special educational needs, especially those from the designated unit, are integrated into the activities of the school as much as possible. The school provides a good range of extra-curricular activities.

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from a very well managed curriculum and good provision for spiritual, moral, social

15. The curriculum is well supported by good provision for spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Spiritual development is now satisfactory; this is an improvement on the last inspection. Opportunities are provided for reflection and prayer and pupils are taught about values beyond immediate self-gratification. A whole-school assembly on the theme of people having to live with the consequence of what they do was concluded with a carefully introduced prayer; pupils were exhorted to reflect (looking at a candle) or pray on this theme and asked to say amen if they had done so. Virtually all pupils did so. The school is a harmonious place based on trusting and respectful relationships where all pupils are valued. Pupils gain good insights into their own responses and spiritual beliefs of their own and other The Russell Primary School - 14 cultures. Young pupils showed awe at the beauty of a sparkler and were encouraged to close

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from a very well managed curriculum and good provision for spiritual, moral, social

their eyes and envision what they had witnessed, before setting out to draw the scene.

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from a very well managed curriculum and good provision for spiritual, moral, social

16. From the earliest age pupils are taught the differences between right and wrong. Teaching strongly emphasises collective responsibility. In lessons pupils are encouraged to pass opinions on other pupils’ answers and engage in other forms of peer group assessment. The ethos to this is strongly positive. Assemblies are planned to address a common theme throughout the week. Pupils explore feelings and moral choices in assemblies and in the literacy hour they study a range of texts with moral messages. A religious education lesson about religious celebrations, such as Christmas, taught about helping others and being considerate. When the teacher spoke about giving something without it costing money it led to discussion about the value of smiling at people.

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from a very well managed curriculum and good provision for spiritual, moral, social

17. Social development is actively encouraged in every aspect of school life. Lessons give many opportunities to work in pairs and groups. Pupils co-operate with each other as a matter of course and greatly assist one another in their learning. In an art and design lesson Year 1 pupils in groups shared ideas about the best materials to select to represent a firework in a way which was wholly natural to them and clearly advantageous to their learning. Assemblies frequently emphasise the results that one person’s action can have on other people.

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from a very well managed curriculum and good provision for spiritual, moral, social

18. Pupils’ cultural development is good. It is well enhanced through the telling and reading of stories from other cultures. For example, one assembly was based on a North American Indian legend. A Year 6 religious education lesson looked at the structure and decoration of mosques. The teacher then invited a Muslim boy to share his experiences with the class. Pupils were very respectful of the boy’s beliefs and learned a number of features of mosques. It is planned to enhance this study with a visit to a local mosque. Pupils learn about artists from a wide range of countries. They learn to contrast localities in the British Isles with those from farther afield, emphasising similarities and differences.

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The school fosters warm and positive relationships and very good personal

development of pupils. Behaviour is good.

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The school fosters warm and positive relationships and very good personal

19. The school is a warm and orderly community where rewards and sanctions are used appropriately. Pupils enjoy school. There is a climate of trust in the classroom. This has a positive effect on the standards that pupils achieve because they are not afraid to ask for help if they need it. Even the youngest pupils are naturally co-operative with their teacher and one another; when latecomers arrived at an afternoon registration children in the reception class automatically widened the circle to accommodate them. All teachers, including the head teacher, provide very good role models for pupils. They are unfailingly courteous to their charges and this is generally reciprocated. Pupils relate to those with learning and behavioural difficulties with great maturity. One pupil from the designated unit was making noises throughout a full school assembly but this did not upset the equanimity of the occasion because pupils did not react.

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The school fosters warm and positive relationships and very good personal

20. Pupils enter the school with good levels of social development. The school immediately starts to develop further their independence of learning. Throughout the school it is very striking how well pupils work alone, in pairs or in small groups without the presence of adults. They seek answers to problems from within themselves and through consulting their peers before requesting help from teachers. They frequently show great maturity when working with others. Pupils are confident learners. They listen to teachers intently then launch themselves into activities with gusto, wasting no time. There are a variety of monitors’ duties done by pupils from as young as Year 2. They take such responsibilities seriously.

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The school fosters warm and positive relationships and very good personal

21. Behaviour is good. Pupils speak confidently, but politely to adults. They behave well in moving between the three buildings containing the school classrooms, even in wet weather. The Russell Primary School - 15 At lunch time they are orderly, quiet and sensible in the dining hall. Behaviour in classrooms is invariably good or better; only where teaching has some weaknesses do a minority of pupils become disorderly. There have been no fixed-term exclusions from the school in the past year.

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The school fosters warm and positive relationships and very good personal

The school assesses pupils’ work well and the monitoring of their progress is good.

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The school fosters warm and positive relationships and very good personal

22. The school has good systems in place to analyse the results of national assessments. The detailed papers produced highlight the strengths and weaknesses of each subject. The issues drawn out feed into action-planning for individual subjects and into the evolution of the school development plan. A minor weakness is the target set for Key Stage 2 science results. Whereas the local authority sets targets for English and mathematics which are challenging but achievable, that set by the school for science was much lower. Pupils considerably exceeded this target.

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The school fosters warm and positive relationships and very good personal

23. The curriculum development team leaders maintain good records of assessment for their core subject areas. Pupils are regularly assessed by a variety of methods and good records are kept. This good practice enables teachers to track individuals as they move through the school and intervene if they feel that pupils are not progressing fast enough.

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The school fosters warm and positive relationships and very good personal

24. For one week in each term pupils do all their work in gold books. This serves as a portfolio of an individual’s work as she or he moves through the school. The pupil’s work during the week is very thoroughly marked. When comparisons are made with earlier work it is possible to make clear judgements about the rate of progress of each individual. Targets for every pupil can then be set and these are shared with parents. This comprises a clear and accessible way for the pupil, teacher and parent to be informed of the quality of learning. All pupils also have a record of achievement that is built up as they progress up the school. This provides a good document to assist the transfer of pupils into their secondary schools. School reports are thorough and informative and are again used to set targets for pupils.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

25. At the end of Key Stage 2 pupils standards in science are below those of English and mathematics. In 1999 standards were above national averages and those of similar schools. Fewer pupils reached higher levels of attainment where the proportion attaining level 5 or more was in line with the national average in 1999, while in English and mathematics the proportion was well above the national average.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

26. Science is taught by a specialist teacher and the school benefits from a specialist science classroom. Lessons focus on the practical activities of investigative science. For example a Year 5 lesson had the aim of teaching pupils to distinguish permeable from impermeable rock in preparation for a forthcoming field trip. Pupils tested sand, gravel and various types of soil. The activities were well planned and prepared by the teacher. Pupils enjoyed the activity, which produced some clear results, but learning was not effectively recorded or consolidated. In a Year 4 lesson investigating which materials dissolve pupils had little idea why they were conducting experiments or the concept of a fair test. They constantly confused dissolving and melting and were not corrected. Owing to this and poor pupil attitudes the learning was unsatisfactory.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

27. Because pupils do too little writing up of their practical activities they have a poor scientific vocabulary. When they do record their work pupils write with clarity and accuracy and understand the significance of evidence in scientific investigations. But their writing shows no evidence of predictions being made or any consideration of a fair test. The written records of experiments and investigations are brief and generally too descriptive. Findings The Russell Primary School - 16 are very rarely presented in anything but written form; pupils do not use mathematical representations such as graphs and pie charts sufficiently. Because the notes pupils make are not written up sufficiently, they are not well prepared for written national assessments.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

28. The teaching of science has not been systematically monitored in the last 2 years. The team leader for the science curriculum team is not a specialist science teacher. She monitors the planning of science. Targets for science at the end of Key Stage 2 have been too low. The school has attempted to moderate these so that they are more in line with those set in English and mathematics but, partly because the curriculum manager has not got a scientific background, this has not been wholly successful.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

The school should continue its efforts to raise attainment at the end of Key Stage 1.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

29. Standards in 1999 at the end of Key Stage 1 were below those at the end of Key Stage 2. They were well below national averages in writing, below average in mathematics and in reading. Part of the reason for this is the nature of the group of pupils who sat the tests in 1999; the academic profile of this group was lower than in previous years. Standards rose in 2000. The incorporation of the pupils with moderate and severe learning difficulties from the designated unit meant that there was a higher than average proportion of pupils with low levels of attainment. These pupils leave the school at the age of seven so are not included in Key Stage 2 national assessments.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

30. The school is aware that the inclusion of this small group of pupils is not the sole reason for lower Key Stage 1 attainment. It has started to undertake very thorough analysis of results in the last 2 years. Precise action is being taken to raise standards. For example, classroom support staff have been directed to help pupils identified as having lower levels of attainment. Classroom management is being monitored to ensure that boys are not allowed to develop an indifferent attitude. Work is being planned to cater for the wide range of abilities in the classes.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

31. The process of raising standards has started to have a positive impact in the classroom. Pupils start the National Curriculum in Year 1 with good standards. In lessons, Year 2 pupils’ attainment in English is good. They read with good intonation and expression. Virtually all pupils can construct short clear sentences, which are neatly written with good spelling and punctuation. In mathematics, most pupils understand the place value of digits and can order numbers to a hundred. They can count in tens from nought to a hundred. These clear improvements have not yet had time to work through into raising attainment in national assessments at the end of Key Stage 1 The Russell Primary School - 17

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There are too few support staff in the larger classes in Key Stage 2 and this is a

32. Class sizes in Key Stage 2 are large. Fewer support staff are deployed in Key Stage 2 lessons than elsewhere in the school. Inspection evidence shows that support staff have a positive impact on pupils’ learning. The school’s monitoring of teaching has not identified this strength sufficiently.

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There are too few support staff in the larger classes in Key Stage 2 and this is a

33. Pupils have a very good degree of independence in their learning so that they are frequently able to work unaided. Behaviour is good and unaffected by the lack of support. However, where they experience difficulties, it is not always possible for pupils to get the help they need. In a mathematics lesson with older pupils it became clear that a group of pupils was finding the task set too difficult. The teacher was unable to identify this problem as she was engaged in working with other pupils, so that the learning for one group was unsatisfactory.

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There are too few adults supervising children under five and in Key Stage 1 at lunch

34. The school has two play areas, one for pupils in Key Stage 2, and the other for under- fives and pupils in Key Stage 1. The older pupils are effectively supervised.

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There are too few adults supervising children under five and in Key Stage 1 at lunch

35. Younger pupils have an ill-defined play area with a number of places to hide, which are out of sight of the playground itself. Two supervisors are allocated to this area at lunch time; neither has first aid training. In practice this means that if a child has a minor injury, as frequently happens, he or she has to be taken into the school building for treatment. This can leave only one adult to supervise a large number of children. A proportion of these pupils are under the age of five. The supervisors make strenuous efforts but cannot keep all pupils under their direct supervision, at all times. Supervision of pupils in this playground is unsatisfactory.

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There are too few adults supervising children under five and in Key Stage 1 at lunch

36. The school was promptly told of the views of the inspection team and began to make improvements to the level of supervision during the inspection. The Russell Primary School - 18

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

37. The Russell school is a very effective school with many more strengths than weaknesses. In order to maintain recent progress the school should:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(1) Raise standards in science by: • monitoring science teaching to ensure that it is consistent with the qualities of teaching elsewhere; • setting appropriate and challenging targets for attainment at the end of Key Stage 2. (Paragraphs: 25-28)

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(2) Raise standards at the end of Key Stage 1 by: • continuing the close analysis of provision for pupils at this age; • building on the very good start pupils make in the early years part of the school. (Paragraphs: 29-31)

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(3) Ensure better supervision of younger pupils at lunchtime by: • deploying more adults in the play area used by pupils under five and those in Key Stage 1; • ensuring that at least one supervisor has first aid training; • limiting some play areas so that pupils are not able go out of sight. (Paragraphs: 34-36)

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(4) Improve teaching in Key Stage 2 by: • deploying more support staff to the large classes; • using monitoring of teaching to highlight areas for development. (Paragraphs: 7, 32, 33) The Russell Primary School - 19

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 7

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

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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.

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery YR – Y6

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 26 240

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils eligible for free school meals 2 26

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Information about the school’s pupils

Special educational needs Nursery YR – Y6

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 1 7

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 9 66

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Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 24

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 25

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 20

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Attendance

National comparative data 5.4 National comparative data 0.5

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Attendance

Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. The Russell Primary School - 20

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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 18 20 38

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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 14 13 15 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 18 18 18

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentage of pupils School 84 (74) 82 (71) 87 (77) 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 13 15 13 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 18 18 16

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentage of pupils School 82 (80) 87 (80) 76 (86) 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 17 21 38

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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 15 14 14 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 17 18 17

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentage of pupils School 84 (100) 84 (97) 82 (91) 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

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Boys 15 15 13 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 17 19 18

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentage of pupils School 84 (94) 89 (97) 82 (88) 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

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. The Russell Primary School - 21

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage 1 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – African heritage 4 Black – African heritage 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Any other minority ethnic group 20 Other minority ethnic groups 0 0

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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.

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 10.8 Financial year 1999/2000

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 24.6

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total expenditure 659 586

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 2.6 Expenditure per pupil 2 479

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 85.25 Balance brought forward from previous year 22 159

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance carried forward to next year 16 095

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Qualified teachers and support staff: nursery

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 0

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 0

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 2

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 66

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Teachers and classes Financial information

FTE means full-time equivalent. The Russell Primary School - 22

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

Percentage of responses in each category

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

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

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child is making good progress in school. 42 49 2 0 7

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

Behaviour in the school is good. 34 58 4 0 4

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 39 42 11 6 2

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 42 34 20 0 4

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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. 51 34 13 2 0

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 43 39 11 0 7

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school works closely with parents. 43 38 11 0 8

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is well led and managed. 55 32 6 0 7

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 45 39 7 0 9

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 53 47 0 0 0

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