Thornaby-on-Tees Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 16 th – 17 th October 2000

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SCHOOL

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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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. Thornaby-on-Tees C of E (VC) Primary School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Baysdale Road Thornaby Stockton-on-Tees Postcode: TS17 9DB

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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: Rev. D Hawthorn

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 21/10/96 Thornaby-on-Tees C of E (VC) Primary School - 4

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Team members

School haus Ltd Suite 17 BPS Business Centre Brake Lane Walesby Nottinghamshire NG22 9HQ

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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 Thornaby-on-Tees C of E (VC) 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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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS 16

Thornaby-on-Tees C of E (VC) Primary School - 6

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

This school is a large voluntary controlled Church of England primary school for boys and girls 3 - 11 years old. It has 285 full-time pupils and 52 part-time children in the nursery class. Many children enter the nursery with under-developed personal, social, speech, and communication skills, but, by the time they start reception, their attainment is broadly typical of that found nationally. Twelve per cent of the pupils are eligible for free school meals, which is close to the national average and twelve per cent have special educational needs, which is below the national average. There are no pupils with Statements of Special Educational Need and a low percentage (one per cent) of pupils with English as an additional language. Almost all of the pupils are from white English speaking families, and broadly average backgrounds.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

This is a very effective school because teaching is good and pupils progress well to reach above average standards by the time they leave. Pupils get a very good start in the nursery, where the very effective teaching stimulates high levels of interest and children are eager to learn. Leadership and management are purposeful and all staff share a firm commitment, and demonstrate a good capacity, to improve. Pupils achieve well because of the well-planned and implemented programme for personal development and the very positive ethos for learning that permeates the school. The school provides good value for money.

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What the school does well

• Pupils achieve well in the juniors and their attainment at age 11 is above average in English, mathematics and science because of good teaching. • The provision in the nursery is very good. • Pupils behave very well and are eager to learn because staff care about them and make very good provision for their personal, social, and moral development. • New staff are introduced to the school well and teachers are receptive to advice and act quickly to improve their teaching.

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What could be improved

• High standards have not been maintained over time in Key Stage 1 because the brighter pupils do not do well enough. • The school could do better about finding out about its strengths and weaknesses. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school has made satisfactory progress since its last inspection in 1996. Many of the strengths have been maintained and most of the key issues have been dealt with. Good teaching and high standards overall have been sustained in Key Stage 2, but not in Key Stage 1 because teachers do not use assessment effectively to plan work to stretch the brighter pupils. School development planning is better than it was. Investigation in mathematics has improved. Staff move between year groups in order to broaden their teaching experience, and governors are more involved in curriculum matters. Thornaby-on-Tees C of E (VC) Primary School - 7

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STANDARDS

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

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Key

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

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Key

The results of the national tests for 11-year-olds improved in line with the national trend between 1996 and 1999. Targets are usually exceeded and the school does well in comparison with similar schools. Results in mathematics and science dropped in 2000, however, and the school did not meet its target in mathematics because some of the brighter pupils did not do as well as expected. Although this can be attributed in part to five of the brighter pupils leaving the school during the key stage, last year’s workbooks show that brighter and average attaining pupils too often did the same work. Most pupils currently are working at the expected level and many at the higher level in English and mathematics, although there was evidence of brighter pupils in mathematics still being given, at times, similar work to the average attaining.

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Key

The 1999 test results for seven-year-olds were average in writing and mathematics and only one per cent fewer pupils than nationally reached the expected level in reading. The school did as well as similar schools in writing, but not as well in reading and mathematics. Higher attaining pupils did not do well in either reading or writing. Although in 2000, the school worked hard to ensure that more pupils reached a secure Level 2 (the expected level for seven-year olds) in reading, writing and mathematics, no pupils have attained the higher level in writing for the last three years and in science for the last two. Although in Key Stage 1, pupils’ attainment is broadly as expected for pupils of their age, the brighter pupils do not achieve well enough because their work is insufficiently challenging.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Very good. Pupils show a keen interest and are eager to do well.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Very good because teachers establish good routines and have high expectations about how pupils should behave.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Very good. Pupils listen to each other, take turns and work effectively in small groups. They establish very effective relationships with staff and other pupils.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes are very good because the provision for pupils’ personal development is very effective. Staff encourage pupils to work hard and always do their best, particularly in the presentation of their work. Pupils’ very positive attitudes towards learning, and one another, help them to succeed in their learning by building their confidence and self-esteem. Thornaby-on-Tees C of E (VC) Primary School - 8

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

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

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

Teaching and learning are good overall. They are most effective in the nursery and Key Stage 2. Teaching was satisfactory or better in 94 per cent of the lessons seen. It was good in 56 per cent and very good in 12 per cent. All of the good lessons seen were in nursery and reception and Key Stage 2, and the very good ones were in the nursery. One lesson in Key Stage 1 was unsatisfactory. Teaching did not take enough account of pupils’ previous learning and insufficient regard was given to the main teaching points identified in the lesson plan. Consequently, pupils did not learn enough and their achievement was below their capabilities.

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

Children learn very well in the nursery because the activities are meaningful and purposeful and teaching focuses very effectively on what children have already learnt and need to do next. Learning in Key Stage 2 is good because, usually, pupils of all abilities are set challenging work. Booster classes for targeted pupils effectively help to raise standards because learning is more focused.

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

In both key stages, teachers’ comments in pupils’ English workbooks show pupils how to improve. High standards of presentation are expected in all subjects. Lessons are well structured and pupils’ learning is built systematically over time because of the effective implementation of the national strategies for literacy and numeracy. Literacy and numeracy skills are taught well, but there is not always sufficient time for writing at greater depth and the books in school do not always inspire pupils to want to read. Comments in the pupils’ mathematics books do not help pupils to improve.

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

Teaching in Key Stage 1 does not take sufficient account of pupils’ previous learning and the work does not challenge the brighter pupils because they are usually set the same tasks as the average and lower attaining pupils. Whilst the less able are supported in their work and achieve well, the brighter ones do not progress at a good enough rate.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum Satisfactory. Very good in nursery where the curriculum is broad, meaningful and purposeful and activities are well planned, well structured, and well managed.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Good. Their learning is enhanced because high demands are made on them and they are given effective support to do the work.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with English as an additional language Satisfactory. Pupils are supported appropriately in lessons.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Very good. A real strength, which contributes significantly to learning and achievement and prepares pupils very well for adult life.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils Good. Staff care for pupils well.

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Aspect Comment

The provision throughout the school for pupils’ spiritual, moral and social development is firmly rooted in everything that the school does. There are good opportunities for pupils to reflect on helping others and to develop recognition and respect for people of different backgrounds, cultures and abilities. Staff work together very well and provide pupils with excellent role models on which they base their own relationships with others. Pupils have a strong sense of right and wrong because staff talk with them about truth and justice and the impact their actions have on others. Thornaby-on-Tees C of E (VC) Primary School - 9

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff Good. They create an excellent climate for learning for both pupils and staff and have a keen desire to raise standards and good commitment to improve.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Satisfactory. Governors are fully committed to improvement, but do not effectively evaluate the impact their decisions have on raising standards.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance Unsatisfactory. The school’s evaluation procedures are in their infancy and insufficiently developed to identify precisely why things are as they are.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources Satisfactory, but the school cannot be sure that its expenditure is having the most impact on raising standards because its evaluation procedures are under-developed and insufficiently rigorous.

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Aspect Comment

Staff induction is good and newly qualified teachers are supported well. They benefit from rigorous and effective monitoring of their teaching and agreed targets for improvement. All teachers are receptive to advice and act quickly to address weaknesses noted in their teaching. The school applies the principles of best value appropriately.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• Their children like coming to school. • The standards pupils attain and the progress that they make. • The way pupils behave in and out of school. • The way the staff know their children well and take good care of them. • The good teaching and the positive attitudes and values that the school promotes. • The way staff expect children to work hard, do their best and become mature and responsible. • The way the school is led and managed. • The range of activities outside lessons.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

The inspection team agrees with most of the parent’s positive comments. Although school evaluation is under- developed and insufficiently rigorous, leadership and management are nevertheless sound overall. There are many good aspects to teaching, but the brighter pupils in Key Stage 1 could do better. The range of activities outside lessons is similar to that found in most schools. Thornaby-on-Tees C of E (VC) Primary School - 10

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English, mathematics and science because of good teaching

1. Standards are above average in English, mathematics and science by the time the pupils leave the school and the school usually exceeds its targets in all three subjects. Pupils of all abilities learn well, mainly because teachers use their assessments of what pupils already know to set suitably challenging work. There are occasions, however, when the work does not challenge the brighter pupils enough, particularly in mathematics. The least able pupils are supported effectively in lessons by the class teachers and classroom assistants, who help them to do the work. Work for pupils with special educational needs is pitched at the right level during withdrawal sessions and good questions such as “What is the best way to count these squares?” give pupils a good grasp of how to calculate the length and breadth of a given shape. Teachers include all pupils in the introductions to lessons, asking individual pupils relevant questions depending on their capability.

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English, mathematics and science because of good teaching

2. Pupils achieve well during lessons because the teaching is inspirational and interests the pupils successfully. The lively introductions and approach to learning make the work enjoyable and pupils are eager to start their tasks. Teaching incorporates a good balance of praise, support and challenge, giving pupils confidence to have a go. For example, in a Year 3 lesson on speech marks, the teacher explained the idea carefully and probed pupils’ understanding through questions such as “Who’s saying that?” and “How do you know it is Mr Large speaking?” Teachers constantly give time targets and this adds a sense of urgency to pupils’ work. Teaching makes high demands on pupils to try hard and behave well and pupils respond very positively to these expectations. Teachers make very useful comments in pupils’ English workbooks to help them make improvements to their work, but not in mathematics, where marking is mainly ticks or crosses, with little indication to pupils

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English, mathematics and science because of good teaching

about what they are doing right or where they are going wrong.

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English, mathematics and science because of good teaching

3. Teachers are confident teaching the national literacy and numeracy schemes of work and implement both successfully, although sometimes sticking too rigidly to the scheme in mathematics and losing sight of the need to adapt the work for pupils of higher ability. Nevertheless, teaching builds systematically on pupils’ learning during lessons (such as when pupils in Year 3 were learning about speech marks), and over time. Lessons are well structured and move at a brisk pace. Teaching holds the pupils’ interest successfully because resources are well prepared - such as enlarged text of ‘A quiet night in’ for class teaching in Year 3, and diagrams of areas in a Year 6 mathematics lesson.

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English, mathematics and science because of good teaching

4. Teaching and learning are particularly good in English, where the test results rose again in 2000, with 86 per cent of the pupils reaching the expected level and above, and 37 per cent attaining the higher level. Pupils write for a range of purposes including poetry, letters, stories, and reports, but there is insufficient time allocated for extended writing and the amount of work pupils can do in the time allowed is limited. There is good focus on spelling and punctuation. Pupils are encouraged to use dictionaries when they are unsure of the spelling of words such as ‘apprehensive’. Teachers ask well-focused questions such as “Would he have a grin on his face if he was worried?” when pupils convert a story into playscript. By the time they leave the school, most pupils read accurately. They chose imaginative words in their stories to grab the attention of the reader and their work is well structured and sequenced into paragraphs. They use stage directions well such as ‘aside’

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English, mathematics and science because of good teaching

when writing plays, and their handwriting is neat, legible and well formed.

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English, mathematics and science because of good teaching

5. Teachers have good subject knowledge and understanding of the requirements of the mathematics curriculum. They are confident and enthusiastic about the subject, and this Thornaby-on-Tees C of E (VC) Primary School - 11 impacts well on the pupils’ positive approach. The school is, this year for the first time, targeting pupils for additional support in mathematics, as they did in English last year, to try to ensure that the brighter-average pupils attain the higher level and the lower-average pupils attain the expected level. By the time they leave the school, most pupils use mathematical language – such as ‘factor’ - appropriately because teaching promotes it well. They find the area of given shapes, calculating accurately. They investigate problems confidently and sensibly and work competently with numbers up to 9999. They add and subtract decimals to two decimal places and recognise fractions and percentages. They work with negative

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English, mathematics and science because of good teaching

numbers and use co-ordinates in all quadrants.

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The provision in the nursery is very good

6. Most of the children enter the nursery with attainment below that of other children of their age. They learn quickly and, by the time they move to the reception class, their attainment is broadly as expected.

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The provision in the nursery is very good

7. The nursery is an exciting place to be. It is full of activity, with the teacher, nursery nurse, and volunteer helpers working and playing alongside children. Nursery staff have a very good understanding about how young children learn through exploration and observation and use this knowledge well to strengthen children’s knowledge and understanding, for example, of shapes and their properties. They are very clear about what they want children to learn, and plan a good range of experiences to enable children to make good progress in all areas of learning, concentrating initially on developing their personal, social, and communication skills.

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The provision in the nursery is very good

8. There is a good atmosphere for learning in which children feel secure and valued. Activities are well planned, well structured and well managed by the class teacher, nursery nurse and adult helpers. Adults support children well, such as when weighing out ingredients to bake with, because all of them are clear about what they are to do. Helpers have very detailed written instructions which include examples of questions they can ask individuals and groups of children when, for example, making gingerbread men with them, and know what the children are to learn from the activity that they are supervising.

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The provision in the nursery is very good

9. Teaching and learning are very good because teachers use their assessments of children’s previous learning very effectively to plan suitable activities and guide children’s learning. Daily lesson plans successfully target groups of children for additional support or more challenging activities because teachers know precisely what individual children can already do and need to do next. This means that even when children work at the same activity, the demands made on individual children differs according to their assessed needs. Adult intervention focuses well on what individual children need to learn next, and well-focused questions, such as “How many sides and corners has it?” help the eight children in the morning session who already recognise basic two-dimensional shapes to develop their understanding of shape properties. Whilst the work and play of these children is more focused and greater demands are made on them, others of less ability experience shapes

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The provision in the nursery is very good

through well-planned activities such as printing using paint, matching shapes, and using different shapes to create a person.

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The provision in the nursery is very good

10. There is a good balance of times when children choose for themselves and times when adults choose for them from the activities available, developing children’s independence and confidence well. Resources are very good in range and quality. Equipment and materials are labelled and easily accessible to children and adults. The room is filled with words and numbers to promote literacy and numeracy skills. The outdoor learning area is attractive and well resourced with a variety of wheeled push and pull toys and climbing equipment to promote children’s communication and physical skills in particular. Space is used very well in the classroom, which is divided into areas for learning including a woodwork area in which children saw and hammer wood, a cooking area, and role-play areas such as a house and a doctor’s surgery. Thornaby-on-Tees C of E (VC) Primary School - 12

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very good provision for their personal, social and moral development

11. The school’s ethos is embedded in supporting and caring for pupils and staff. Consequently, pupils of all ages feel valued and have very good attitudes towards school and their work. They show a keenness to work hard and do their best because they know that their teachers care about them and celebrate their achievement and success.

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very good provision for their personal, social and moral development

12. From starting school in the nursery, children are encouraged to look after their classroom and the equipment in it, tidying away things when they are finished with them. They are well- settled, happy children because the relationships they have with the teacher and nursery nurse are built on trust. They all show confidence in undertaking tasks, and high levels of interest in their work, because the activities they are given to do are relevant, meaningful and purposeful. Children play and work together well and share and take turns; they are very well behaved and co-operative.

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very good provision for their personal, social and moral development

13. Pupils throughout the school know, understand and respond well to the school’s rules. There are good opportunities for reflecting on how to behave appropriately towards others and about the importance of helping each other, for example, through well-told stories in collective worship. Consequently, pupils of all ages get on with each other well and work together sensibly, listening to their teachers and classmates.

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very good provision for their personal, social and moral development

14. Teachers establish good routines for work and have high expectations of pupils’ response and behaviour. Because pupils trust and respect their teachers, they enjoy very effective relationships with them, which build their confidence, and allow them to succeed and make good progress. Consequently, pupils of all ages and abilities are keen to participate in lessons. For example, when a group of Year 5 pupils with special educational needs were working on multiplication tables one boy was so eager to answer he called out excitedly “Can I have a go at that?” Pupils are secure and confident enough to ask questions when they are unsure about something, such as how to find the area of a given shape in mathematics.

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very good provision for their personal, social and moral development

15. All pupils present their work very well because teachers lead by very good example. Their own handwriting is meticulous and they present the pupils’ work beautifully in well-made books or on the walls, celebrating the achievements of individuals and filling them with pride.

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quickly to improve their teaching

16. There is a culture within the school, generated very effectively by the school management, which reflects an eagerness to do well. Consequently, all staff are fully committed to school improvement and achieving greater success.

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quickly to improve their teaching

17. There are three newly qualified teachers, all of whom started their teaching careers at Thornaby Church of England Primary School at the beginning of this term. Their induction is very effective. Their mentor, who supervises their planning and spends time with them each week talking about what is and is not working in their teaching, supports them very well. The observations she makes of their lessons identify clearly what needs to be done to improve teaching and learning in lessons and contribute effectively to staff development. Targets for improvement are realistic, useful and achievable because the evaluative comments are sharp and well focused and effectively boost the teachers’ morale, whilst pointing out what could be made better.

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quickly to improve their teaching

18. This enthusiasm for improvement permeates the school. All staff, including the head teacher and senior managers, were very receptive to what inspectors had to say during the inspection week. They listened attentively to what and why things had and had not worked in Thornaby-on-Tees C of E (VC) Primary School - 13 lessons, such as why some groups of pupils had made more progress than others. Subject co-ordinators listened to comments about, for example, why brighter pupils in Year 6 did not do as well as expected in mathematics last year and discussed with inspectors the need for closer analyses and scrutiny of pupils’ learning over time. All of the teachers are fully committed to improving their teaching in order to provide the very best possible for the pupils in their care and many aspects of teaching improved during the inspection period because of the teachers’ effective responses to inspectors’ comments. One teacher, for example,

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quickly to improve their teaching

adapted her plans to provide more suitable challenge for the brighter pupils in the class and the work the pupils did in the next lesson was well matched to their capability and their learning was consequently improved. Because of the staff’s very positive response to suggestions and their ability to listen to and understand what they need to do next, this school is well placed to make further improvements.

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pupils do not do well enough

19. Although there are many strengths in teaching in Key Stage 1, test results in Key Stage 1 have declined over time in reading, writing and mathematics and the school does not do as well as schools with a similar percentage of free school meals. Information from the school’s assessments shows that the ability of the children on entry to nursery is declining steadily year-on-year. Whilst this could partly explain some decline over the years in the end of Key Stage 1 results, children do well in the foundation stage and most reach the early learning goals by the end of the reception class. Evidence from the inspection shows that the main reason for the fall is that teaching does not take sufficient account of pupils’ previous learning and the work, although sometimes different for different ability groups, is not based accurately on pupils’ assessed needs. For example, in a Year 2 mathematics lesson on shape recognition, although the higher attaining group were expected to do more

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pupils do not do well enough

difficult work than the others - identifying shapes from the number of sides and corners – they were well capable of moving on to looking at reflective symmetry in shapes.

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pupils do not do well enough

20. There are many times when all pupils are set the same task, with the brighter pupils expected to do more and the less able pupils to do less of the same thing. For example in a Year 1 literacy lesson, all pupils were asked to copy instructions from cards on how to make a milkshake – the higher attaining copied more, the lower attaining less. This resulted in the higher attaining pupils marking time in what turned into a handwriting lesson. In another Year 1 literacy lesson, the higher attaining pupils wrote their own recipes. Because the focus was on using sentence connectives, however, they were not encouraged to write in the present tense or in well-constructed sentences using full stops and capital letters. Consequently, most of them wrote in the past tense and in one long sentence, with each instruction joined to the other with ‘and then’. Their work was inappropriately praised, so neither the exercise

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pupils do not do well enough

nor the teaching comments did much to develop pupils’ understanding of writing clear and easy-to-follow instructions.

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pupils do not do well enough

21. Lesson plans detail what all pupils are to learn by the end of the lesson. However, the learning intentions are the same for all pupils, with no indication about how the more able are going to achieve better than the less. Extension activities such as ‘choose a book and read it quietly’, do little to extend pupils’ learning and time is often wasted at the end of lessons with ‘fill in’ activities.

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The school could do better about finding out about its strengths and weaknesses

22. Whole-school evaluation is ineffective and because of this, the school has been unable to either identify reasons, for example, of why the good progress in nursery is not sustained in later years or to stem the decline in Key Stage 1 test results. However, the school has Thornaby-on-Tees C of E (VC) Primary School - 14 implemented the school evaluation scheme published by the local authority and is determined to improve. This process is in its infancy, however, and is not yet effective because, although the school describes what is happening, it does not evaluate why. For example, the self-evaluation report identifies that a below average percentage of pupils attained the higher levels in Key Stage 1 in 1999, but does not offer any explanation about why or what might be done to remedy it.

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The school could do better about finding out about its strengths and weaknesses

23. Although the head teacher and senior managers monitor the test results, particularly in Key Stage 2, they do not analyse and evaluate them to identify trends in attainment over time or to formulate hypotheses about why pupils’ achievements are as they are. They do not analyse pupils’ individual answers to test questions and then explore the reasons for success or failure in answering particular questions. They do not, for example, carry out rigorous scrutiny of curriculum planning, talk with pupils to see what they have learnt from what has been taught, or look at their work to gauge their level of achievement. Lesson observations are variable in quality and effectiveness. Although the deputy head’s monitoring of the newly qualified teachers’ lessons are very effective in identifying areas for further improvement, some of the other observations are too descriptive. They are, consequently, of little use in the evaluation of why teaching and learning are more successful in some

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The school could do better about finding out about its strengths and weaknesses

24. Subject co-ordinators are not sufficiently involved in monitoring what is going on in their subjects. For example, in mathematics, they make sensible suggestions about why test results in Key Stage 2 dropped in 2000, but their ideas are not substantiated by secure evidence because they have not looked analytically at the their ideas to either prove or disprove them. They do not have a clear enough picture of what is happening in their subjects and therefore have little influence in their development.

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The school could do better about finding out about its strengths and weaknesses

25. Governors do not evaluate the impact their spending decisions have on standards. They have a very firm commitment to, for example, increase the number of support staff, but do not evaluate the impact this has on teaching and learning. They do not know why, for example, even though support in the early years has increased, standards have not. They cannot therefore be sure that their funding is being spent in the most effective way. Thornaby-on-Tees C of E (VC) Primary School - 15

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(1) Improve the teaching and learning for the brighter pupils in Key Stage 1 by ensuring that teachers use what they know about pupils’ past achievements to set suitably challenging work;

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(2) Improve the monitoring and evaluation procedures so that the school knows what is happening in teaching and learning and why by:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

i) analysing trends in test results to identify patterns in attainment over time and explore the reasons why; ii) examining pupils’ work and their answers to test questions to identify strengths and weaknesses in learning; iii) talking with pupils to ensure that they retain what they have been taught; iv) ensuring that the money spent improves provision and effectively raises standards; v) improving the consistency of the quality of lesson observations so that all teachers are clear about what does and does not work in their lessons and know about how to remedy weaknesses. Thornaby-on-Tees C of E (VC) Primary School - 16

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 12

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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) 26 311

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils eligible for free school meals NA 37

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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 0 0

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 0 23

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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 4

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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 6

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 9

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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. Thornaby-on-Tees C of E (VC) Primary School - 17

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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 1999 17 25 42

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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 12 16 15 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 22 23 24

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentage of pupils School 81 (88) 93 (86) 93 (90) at NC level 2 or above National 82 (80) 83 (81) 87 (84)

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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 14 16 17 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 23 24 25

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentage of pupils School 88 (88) 95 (90) 100 (92) at NC level 2 or above National 82 (81) 86 (85) 87 (86)

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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 1999 27 21 48

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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 23 24 24 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 16 13 19

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentage of pupils School 81 (80) 77 (69) 90 (78) at NC level 4 or above National 70 (65) 69 (59) 78 (69)

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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 23 24 23 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 16 13 17

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentage of pupils School 81 (63) 77 (74) 83 (74) at NC level 4 or above National 68 (65) 69 (65) 75 (71)

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Thornaby-on-Tees C of E (VC) Primary School - 18

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage 0 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – African heritage 0 Black – African heritage 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Any other minority ethnic group 0 Other minority ethnic groups

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 14.5 Financial year 1999/2000

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 21.5

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total expenditure 532367

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 4 Expenditure per pupil 1535

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 74 Balance brought forward from previous year 27089

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance carried forward to next year 32964

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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) 1

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 26

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 1

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 30

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Teachers and classes Financial information

FTE means full-time equivalent. Thornaby-on-Tees C of E (VC) Primary School - 19

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Percentage of responses in each category

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

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child is making good progress in school. 70 29 0 1 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 63 34 1 1 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 43 41 13 1 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 54 40 4 1 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 89 10 0 1 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 73 23 3 0 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 51 43 3 1 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 74 21 1 1 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 63 34 1 1 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 23 41 14 6 16

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