Welwyn St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

WELWYN ST MARY’S CE PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 16 th –17 th October 2000

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WELWYN ST MARY’S CE PRIMARY 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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WELWYN ST MARY’S CE 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. Welwyn St Mary’s C E Primary School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: 15 London Road Welwyn Hertfordshire Postcode: AL6 9DJ

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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: Dr Rodney Dowdell

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: October 1996 Welwyn St Mary’s C E Primary School - 4

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Team members

Mrs V Mason 10598 Registered inspector Mr J Chapman 8933 Lay inspector Ms G Wiles 1193 Team inspector Mrs H Rask 30266 Team inspector

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Team members

Canada House 272 Field End Road Eastcote Middlesex HA4 9NA

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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 Welwyn St Mary’s C E 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

Welwyn St Mary’s is a voluntary aided Church of England primary school that is over- subscribed. It has increased in size since it was last inspected and, with 386 pupils on roll, it is larger than most primary schools. The children begin school in either the September or the January of the academic year during which they are five. A further 29 pupils are due to start in January 2001. The majority of children join the school with skills that are similar to those typically found at this age, although the personal and social skills of some are less well developed than is usual The pupils’ backgrounds are mixed, although the majority comes from the local area, which is one of relative economic advantage. The percentage of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is below the national average. Most pupils are of white ethnic background though there are a very few pupils of other ethnic heritages. All

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

pupils speak English as their first language. The school has identified 93 pupils who require some additional support for their special educational needs; this is a proportion similar to that found in most schools. Six of these children have a statement setting out the specific provision to be made.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

This is a very good school, with some outstanding features. The teaching is of a high quality that promotes the pupils’ learning very well. They achieve standards that are well above average. The school’s Christian ethos permeates all that the school does and the pupils’ personal development is excellent. The leadership of the school is outstanding; the headteacher, staff and governors monitor and evaluate the school’s performance rigorously so that resources may be directed to where they are most needed to bring improvement. There is a strong commitment to high achievement. The school gives very good value for money.

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What the school does well

• The leadership in the school is excellent. There is a strong sense of teamwork, collective purpose and enthusiasm for success. Continued improvement is achieved because of the way the school analyses and evaluates its work. • The teaching challenges and inspires all groups of pupils, expecting the most of them, and they achieve high standards in their work. • The school has established an excellent ethos, very effectively promoting pupils’ personal development. The pupils have high self-esteem, they are confident and very well behaved, and relationships are exemplary. • The school provides extremely well for the pupils who have special educational needs, making very effective use of the funds, including those from the Welwyn Trust, to ensure they have a high level of support.

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What could be improved

• The pupils’ work in English is of a very good standard overall, but standards in writing and spelling could be even higher. • The pupils achieve high standards in information and communication technology (ICT) but opportunities to use their ICT skills could be even more extensive. • The annual reports for parents are well written but could contain more information to help parents understand how well their children are progressing year on year.

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What could be improved

The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan. Welwyn St Mary’s C E Primary School - 7

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The last inspection in October 1996 found Welwyn St Mary’s to be a good school. Since then the school has continued to make very good improvement. The high standards the pupils achieve have been sustained and results in the national tests at the ages of seven and eleven continue to be significantly above those in most schools. The quality of teaching is much better than at the time of the last inspection; much higher proportions of good, very good and excellent teaching were seen in this inspection than in the last. The key issues for action identified previously have been tackled very effectively and the leadership and management by the headteacher, the staff and the governors have gone from strength to strength. A major strength now is the way in which the school monitors teaching and learning and its performance to identify where things are going well and where improvements can be made. The school has coped very well with the increased number of pupils and money has been

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

spent wisely to alter the building to give more classroom space and a designated computer room.

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STANDARDS

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

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Key

English A A A A well above average above average A B

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Key

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

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Key

• Schools with a similar proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals

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Key

Since the last inspection the pupils’ performance in the tests for eleven-year-olds has risen year on year, the increase being at least as good as that nationally. In the most recent tests, the challenging targets the school had set itself were exceeded. In 1999, both boys and girls achieved results well above the national average. The pupils at Welwyn St Mary’s are between two and three terms ahead of pupils nationally by the time they are eleven. An equally good picture is seen in the tests for seven-year-olds, where the pupils’ performance in reading, writing and mathematics has been consistently better than in most schools. The pupils at Welwyn St Mary’s also do much better in the national tests at the ages of seven and eleven than pupils in similar schools. The very good results have been sustained in the 2000 tests, although fewer children achieved at the highest level in the reading, writing and

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Key

mathematics tests for seven-year-olds than in 1999. This is because there was a higher proportion of pupils with special educational needs in this particular year group. The schools’ results in these tests were, however, still better than in most schools.

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Key

The standards of work seen in lessons and pupils’ books reflect these very good standards. The children enter the Reception class with broadly average skills and knowledge. The very Welwyn St Mary’s C E Primary School - 8 good teaching means that they make rapid progress, particularly in literacy and numeracy. In the infant and junior classes the very good progress is sustained. In all classes, the pupils produce a great deal of good quality work in English and mathematics, but standards in writing and spelling could be even higher.

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Key

Throughout the school the pupils also achieve well in other subjects of the curriculum, notably in art and music where the breadth of work and the high quality of teaching lead to work of outstanding quality.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Excellent. From the earliest age the pupils are eager to learn and try hard to do their best at all times. The way they concentrate and persevere is one of the reasons why they do so well.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Very good. The pupils are well behaved on the playground, in the dining room and at all times around the school. There have been no exclusions.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Excellent. The pupils show high levels of independence, confidence and maturity for their age. Relationships are excellent; pupils respect each other and adults.

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Aspect Comment

Attendance Good, and better than in most schools. Lessons start promptly; no time is wasted. The pupils’ attitudes, their behaviour and the strength of relationships reflect the Christian values that the school promotes. The older pupils take good care of the younger ones.

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

Lessons seen overall Very good Very good Very 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

Throughout the school and across the curriculum the quality of teaching and learning is very good. In 17 per cent of the lessons seen the teaching was excellent; in 42 per cent it was very good; and in a further 34 per cent it was good. The teaching was satisfactory in the remaining seven per cent. The pupils’ very good progress and high achievement are the result of challenging teaching that inspires all groups of pupils, including the brightest and the slower learners, and expects the most of them. The teachers’ enthusiasm, their planning for a variety of interesting activities, the individual attention they give to the pupils and their ability to identify pupils’ strengths and weaknesses are the reasons why pupils learn so well. A key feature of the excellent and very good teaching seen was the skilled way in which the teachers made the pupils think hard to find answers for themselves. They also move lessons along at a fast pace and the pupils respond by working hard and

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

keeping up with the work. In the more ordinary lessons the work was not pitched quite so well and there was some loss of pace. The strong teamwork between the class teachers and the other adults who work with them ensures that the help received by individual and small groups of pupils from the classroom assistants, specialist teachers and other adult helpers is maximised. The slower Welwyn St Mary’s C E Primary School - 9 learners and those with special educational needs are served very well by these arrangements; their confidence is boosted and they make very good progress towards the targets in their individual learning plans. The teachers have a very good understanding of the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies and use their expertise well. Literacy and numeracy are taught very well, although the school itself is seeking ways to raise standards in writing and spelling even further by looking at the way these aspects of English are taught.

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

Art and music have a high profile in the school and the teachers’ expertise and skills in these subjects result in very high quality teaching and learning.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum All statutory requirements for the curriculum are met. Whilst there is a strong emphasis on literacy and numeracy, all other subjects are covered well. The facilities for ICT are very good, but these could be used more extensively in some subjects. Extra-curricular provision is excellent. It is varied and very well supported by the pupils and provides outstanding opportunities for them to develop their talents and interests.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Very good. The pupils’ needs are met in the classroom and work is adapted so that they can cope with the same work as other children. Their progress is improved as a result of the extra support they receive from classroom assistants, specialist teachers and other adult helpers.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural, development Excellent. The school’s Christian values underpin all that the school does. It successfully fulfils its intention to encourage positive moral and social attitudes among the pupils and help them to appreciate the aesthetic and spiritual aspects of life.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils Very good. The staff take great care to know and care for the pupils as individuals.

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Aspect Comment

The pupils have a very interesting curriculum that covers all subjects of the National Curriculum and the learning goals for pupils in the Reception class. In class the pupils have plenty of opportunities to help one another and their teachers. They happily take responsibilities for jobs in the classroom and around the school. The adults treat the pupils with care and consideration, which pupils copy, and in this way learn to respect everyone as an important individual. The school cares for its pupils very well. Pupils are known well by all staff, who do their very best to ensure all learn in a safe and stimulating environment. The work pupils are given is closely checked to ensure that it suits every child as well as possible. Those pupils with special educational needs get very knowledgeable and effective support to overcome their difficulties.

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Aspect Comment

Welwyn St Mary’s C E Primary School - 10 Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff Excellent: the leadership by the headteacher and senior staff is decisive and motivating and the whole staff work as a team to maintain strengths and continue to improve. Management at all levels of responsibility is of high quality.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Excellent: the governors know what things the school does well and these are celebrated. They understand where changes are needed and take necessary action.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance Excellent: the school rigorously monitors teaching and learning and thoroughly analyses assessment results and evaluates what works well and less well. This information is used very effectively to identify priorities for further improvement.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources Excellent: people are managed well so that best use is made of staff. Funds are used to best effect to support pupils with special educational needs, for building improvements and for purchase of educational resources.

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Aspect Comment

This is a self-evaluating school that is very effectively led by the headteacher. All involved in the school constantly challenge and question what is done in the pursuit of excellence. Everyone in the school contributes to its excellent management. Procedures and practices are monitored and evaluated to ensure that what is working well is maintained and improvements made where necessary. The school consults with parents about school practice, takes their views and suggestions seriously, and responds appropriately. The school applies the principles of best value by testing out the effectiveness of what it provides, by being determined to improve and by ensuring money is spent wisely.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• The good progress their children make • The school’s core aims and values • The pupils’ good behaviour • Their children are happy at the school and known as individuals • Some parents feel their children do not get the right amount of work to do at home • Some parents would like more information about how well their children are doing

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

The majority of parents have positive views about most aspects of the school’s work. The inspection team agrees with the strengths the parents mentioned and has identified these among the things that the school does best. The arrangements for parents to meet with their children’s teachers provide good opportunities for them to discuss their children’s progress.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

The reports at the end of the year are well written, but the inspection team agrees that they could be even better if there were more information to help parents understand how well their children are doing in relation to what is expected for their age. The inspectors do not agree with the concerns of some parents about homework; it is relevant and extends the work done in the classroom, and is set in accordance with the school’s homework policy, which was agreed after consultation with all parents. Welwyn St Mary’s C E Primary School - 11

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collective purpose and enthusiasm for success. Continued improvement is achieved

because of the way the school analyses and evaluates its work.

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collective purpose and enthusiasm for success. Continued improvement is achieved

1. The leadership by the headteacher and senior staff is decisive and motivating. They communicate a very clear vision for further improvement and have established a strong sense of teamwork among the staff. All staff know what is expected of them and this helps them understand how they can contribute to the effectiveness of the school. They work with a strong sense of purpose and constantly challenge and question what is done to ensure that the pupils achieve and maintain the highest possible standards.

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collective purpose and enthusiasm for success. Continued improvement is achieved

2. The governors are as committed as the headteacher and staff to providing a high standard of education at Welwyn St Mary’s. Everything the school does is geared towards achieving its aims to provide the best educational experiences for the pupils and the pursuit of excellence in all aspects of the school’s life and work. The governors have very good information about the school, both from first-hand evidence and through the effective workings of its various committees. They provide exceptional support and encourage and praise everyone involved, but also review critically what the school does, comparing the quality of its provision and the standards achieved with other schools and consulting parents about school practice. They understand where changes are needed and take the necessary action.

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collective purpose and enthusiasm for success. Continued improvement is achieved

3. The headteacher, staff and governors constantly evaluate what they do in order to improve. Teaching and learning are monitored rigorously and test results and other performance data are thoroughly analysed to identify what works well and where things could be better. This reflection is carried out systematically as part of a regular school development process and is the basis for determining how and where teaching and learning can be made even better. For example, the recent analysis of test results and monitoring of the pupils’ work in the classroom have revealed where the teaching of writing and spelling needs to be refined to raise standards even further.

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collective purpose and enthusiasm for success. Continued improvement is achieved

4. Financial planning is an integral part of the school development process and funds are directed to where they are most needed to support the school’s actions to bring improvement. For example, staff deployment has been adjusted to give additional help in classes where there is a higher than usual number of pupils with special educational needs.

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collective purpose and enthusiasm for success. Continued improvement is achieved

Having taken such a decision, the governing body is not content until it assures itself that this is having the desired effect to enable these pupils to achieve their very best. To this end, it makes very effective use of assessment and other data to measure the pupils’ progress.

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collective purpose and enthusiasm for success. Continued improvement is achieved

5. All staff take their roles seriously, share the load and are highly motivated. Management at all levels is of a high quality, routines are efficient and time is used very well. Appraisal through professional interviews is welcomed by the staff, who seize development opportunities that will help them become more effective. The teachers’ renewed enthusiasm and increased repertoire of ideas for teaching Welwyn St Mary’s C E Primary School - 12 numeracy following their attendance at a recent training session exemplifies their commitment to improve and develop their own practice. The impact of this training is evident in the classroom: the pupils are enjoying the increased variety of activities and their skills of mental calculation are becoming well honed.

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The teaching challenges and inspires all groups of pupils, expecting the most of

them, and they achieve high standards in their work.

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The teaching challenges and inspires all groups of pupils, expecting the most of

6. The very good teaching is a strength of the school. In the lessons seen, all the teaching was satisfactory or better and well over half was very good or excellent. One of the particular strengths is the consistency in the quality of teaching: pupils expect all lessons, whosoever the teacher, to be challenging, and to be asked to think and to study hard.

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The teaching challenges and inspires all groups of pupils, expecting the most of

7. The teachers are very good at interesting the pupils so that they listen carefully and really attend to what is being said. They make lessons lively and fun. In the Reception class the teacher captivated the pupils’ interest when they practised identifying and ordering numbers from 0 to 10 by playing a game. The teacher ensured every pupil could identify the correct number by deliberately making errors, which the class had to correct. The pupils were delighted by the game and completely enthralled; consequently they really enjoyed learning about the number system in this way. A practical approach to teaching mathematics is equally well applied in the infant and junior classes. In a Year 2 lesson a game was used to great effect to introduce new work on the properties of three-dimensional shapes. This introduction fired the children’s enthusiasm and they went on to complete a very challenging task to investigate the key geometric features of such shapes. By the end

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The teaching challenges and inspires all groups of pupils, expecting the most of

of the lesson they had achieved much and were able to categorise the shapes according to the number of faces, edges and corners.

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The teaching challenges and inspires all groups of pupils, expecting the most of

8. The pupils are well aware of the high expectations their teachers have of them, and try extremely hard to achieve their best. This was exemplified in a Year 6 design and technology lesson, where the pupils beavered away in their groups to design and make a bridge, using only four sheets of thin card and basic equipment, that would hold more weight than the other groups’ bridges. The pupils put real intellectual effort into their work, showing an excellent understanding of how structures can be strengthened as they tested and modified their bridges. As they worked, the teacher’s questions were very effective at challenging the pupils to develop their ideas. The pupils achieved great satisfaction in designing and then making their bridges. Not only did they have fun, but also learnt a great deal about load-carrying structures.

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The teaching challenges and inspires all groups of pupils, expecting the most of

9. A visitor to the school is immediately struck by the quality of the artwork displayed on the walls throughout the school. The displays accurately reflect the work of the full range of pupils, not just the most able. Even though literacy and numeracy have taken an increased emphasis within the curriculum, the school has maintained its provision for art. The teachers have considerable expertise and they use this effectively to develop the pupils’ skills. In a Year 2 class, where pupils were engaged in still life drawing of a bowl of fruit, the teacher encouraged high standards of observation by asking questions such as “Is that exactly what you can see?” and “ I like the shape of your orange, but can I see that from here?” Her expertise was also evident in the way she taught the pupils to look closely at the colours of the fruits, helping them to understand how the colours differed when the fruits were in shadow.

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The teaching challenges and inspires all groups of pupils, expecting the most of

Welwyn St Mary’s C E Primary School - 13 The result of such skilful teaching was work of a very high technical quality, more typical of much older pupils in many schools.

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The teaching challenges and inspires all groups of pupils, expecting the most of

10. The teaching of music is also of outstanding quality. In a Year 1 lesson the teacher’s own understanding and creativity were channelled into challenging activities for the pupils by careful planning and organisation. A very good introduction to the lesson in which the pupils were actively involved in spotting changes in the pattern of a piece of music drew an instant response from them. Throughout the lesson, carried out at a brisk pace, the teacher encouraged pupils to listen carefully, for example, to hear when the beat of the music changed. When the children were making their own music, her comments carefully guided them so that they produced the desired effect of long and short, quiet and loud sounds on a variety of instruments. The teacher demanded high quality singing in the lesson, and her demands were met. The school choir and the quality of singing in school assemblies showed that this level of

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personal development. The pupils have high self-esteem, they are confident and

very well behaved, and relationships are exemplary.

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personal development. The pupils have high self-esteem, they are confident and

11. The school is at the heart of the local community and its strong and close association with the church has helped to foster and establish its very strong Christian ethos that pervades all aspects of its life. The school’s values are lived out in practice by all the staff and adults who work and help in the school. They all listen carefully to what the pupils say, are interested in them and any problems they may have, and demonstrate the courtesy that they expect them to show to others. Relationships throughout the school are exemplary and the pupils’ behaviour in classrooms, around the school and in the playground is very good. The playgrounds are places of happy and harmonious play at breaks and lunchtimes.

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personal development. The pupils have high self-esteem, they are confident and

12. The pupils are given a clear framework of values to regulate their behaviour and are helped to understand moral and social responsibilities. The pupils are supportive of one another and the older ones readily assist the younger ones, for example, by partnering them when they walk to the church for services. The teachers also promote the pupils’ social development very well by providing frequent opportunities for pupils to work together. They encourage discussion as a way of learning and this helps pupils to respect others’ views and beliefs. As a result, pupils have the confidence to express their opinions, knowing that their contributions are valued. A further demonstration of how pupils’ views and ideas are valued is the establishment of the school council, which gives pupils a chance to have a voice in the school community.

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personal development. The pupils have high self-esteem, they are confident and

13. The staff have a personal interest in every child and they try to foster the pupils’ interests and extend their skills and talents. They provide an excellent range of activities outside of lessons, including instrumental music tuition, and high numbers of pupils take part. Adults and pupils together use this time to very good effect and pupils enjoy the opportunities to pursue their interests. These activities, together with visits and residential trips, reflect the school’s strong commitment to education in the broadest sense, and they contribute significantly to the development of the pupils’ self-esteem and social skills.

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personal development. The pupils have high self-esteem, they are confident and

14. Assemblies are an important part of the school day and the teachers’ use of art and music to provide a suitable setting and illustrate concepts helps to foster pupils’ spiritual awareness and cultural development. Welwyn St Mary’s C E Primary School - 14 15. The school is most successful in fulfilling its intention to promote positive moral and social attitudes and enable the children to develop a sense of wonder and appreciation of the aesthetic and spiritual aspects of life.

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needs, making very effective use of funds, including those from the Welwyn Trust, to

ensure they have a high level of support.

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needs, making very effective use of funds, including those from the Welwyn Trust, to

16. The pupils with special educational needs are taught very well and they receive very good support to improve their work. The needs of the pupils are identified well and the arrangements for the frequent and regular review of their achievements means that the support given is precisely what is needed to maximise their progress.

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needs, making very effective use of funds, including those from the Welwyn Trust, to

17. Other pupils with learning needs, often those who need to improve their literacy and numeracy skills, get very effective support. This support is focused on improving the pupils’ skills in short, intensive teaching sessions out of the classroom so that the pupils can quickly keep up with the rest of the class. These strategies are successful because the classroom assistants and other adults who teach these small groups have been well trained and thoroughly briefed by the class teacher. For example, four Year 2 pupils were seen to make very good progress as they tried to make a sensible sentence from jumbled words. The classroom assistant reinforced the grammatical rules well by asking “Where would you find a capital letter?” or “What do you know about the way a sentence ends?” As a result, the pupils were helped to keep up with the work of their peers.

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needs, making very effective use of funds, including those from the Welwyn Trust, to

18. The teachers make as much use as possible of assessment information to guide planning for individuals with special educational needs. The work the pupils are given is well suited to their needs and broken down into small, achievable targets so that they can experience success. This is motivating to the pupils and their progress is very good.

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needs, making very effective use of funds, including those from the Welwyn Trust, to

19. The school’s strong commitment to supporting pupils who have special needs is exemplified in the way it manages its finances, including funds from the Welwyn Trust, to provide high levels of assistance. Decisions on where the support is focused are based on a thorough analysis of assessment and other data.

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The pupils’ work in English is of a very good standard overall, but standards in

writing and spelling could be even higher.

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The pupils’ work in English is of a very good standard overall, but standards in

20. In the national tests, pupils’ performance in English is of a high standard overall. Although the pupils do well in writing, many do much better in reading. A similar picture exists in most schools across the country, but in its quest to enable pupils to achieve to the best of their ability, the school has identified improvement in standards of writing and spelling for its attention. The breadth of work in the pupils’ books is wide, but there is scope for some to achieve higher standards by increasing their range of sentence structure and vocabulary. Occasionally, otherwise good work is marred by careless spelling and untidy handwriting. Welwyn St Mary’s C E Primary School - 15

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The pupils achieve high standards in information and communication technology but

opportunities to use their skills could be even more extensive.

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The pupils achieve high standards in information and communication technology but

21. The teachers plan very well to teach information and communication technology (ICT) as a subject in its own right, and pupils achieve high standards. The pupils are competent and confident users of computers and have a good understanding of how computer technology impacts on our everyday lives. Pupils use word processing effectively to draft and refine their work, for example in English, and they are beginning to make use of the Internet as a source of information for various pieces of research. The school has recognised the need to make more extensive use of ICT as a tool for learning. The intended action is well considered and includes appropriate staff training and increasing the range of hardware and software. The school’s plans to review and revise the morning timetable will also give teachers more opportunities to use the very good computer facilities.

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information to help parents understand how well their children are progressing

22. The reports to parents are good. They contain clear information on the work covered and pupils’ attainment in each subject area, as well as information on their children’s attitudes to work and their personal development. However, the reports could contain more information about the children’s achievements to help parents more easily understand how well their children are progressing from one year to the next.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

23. The governors, headteacher and staff should take the following action in order to raise standards and improve provision still further:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(1) raise standards in writing and spelling; * (ref para 20)

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(2) increase the use of ICT to support learning; * (ref para 21)

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(3) provide parents with information in the end-of-year written reports that will help them understand how well their children are progressing year on year. (ref para 22) Welwyn St Mary’s C E Primary School - 16 * These issues have already been identified as priorities in the school’s development plan. Welwyn St Mary’s C E Primary School - 17

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of lessons observed 29 Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 9

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfact ory Poor Very Poor

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

17 42 34 7 0 0 0 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 Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) N/A 386 Number of full-time pupils eligible for free school meals N/A 26 FTE means full-time equivalent.

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Information about the school’s pupils

Special educational needs Nursery YR– Y6 Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs N/A 6 Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register N/A 93

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Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils Number of pupils with English as an additional language 0

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 9

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Attendance

Welwyn St Mary’s C E Primary School - 18

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Authorised absence Unauthorised absence

% % School data 4.1 School data 0.1 National comparative data 5.4 National comparative data 0.5 Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Welwyn St Mary’s C E Primary School - 19

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Year Boys Girls Total Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 1999 34 29 63

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National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

Boys 33 33 34 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 26 25 26

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National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

Percentage of pupils School 95 ( 93) 94 ( 88) 95 ( 97) at NC level 2 or above National 82 (80) 83 (81) 87 (84)

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Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

Boys 33 34 34 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 26 26 25

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Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

Percentage of pupils School 94 (95) 96 (97) 93 ( 93) at NC level 2 or above National 82 (81) 86 (85) 87 (86) Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year.

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Year Boys Girls Total Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 1999 27 25 52

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National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

Boys 24 23 25 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 22 20 23

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National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

Percentage of pupils School 90 (78) 83 (75) 92 (83) at NC level 4 or above National 70 (65) 69 (63) 78 (71)

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Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

Welwyn St Mary’s C E Primary School - 20 Boys 23 24 24 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 21 21 21

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Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

Percentage of pupils School 85 (63) 87 (76) 91 (87) at NC level 4 or above National 68 (65) 69 (65) 75 (71) Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Welwyn St Mary’s C E Primary School - 21 Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

Black – Caribbean heritage 0 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0

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Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

Black – African heritage 0 Black – African heritage 0 0

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Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

Any other minority ethnic group 1 Other minority ethnic groups 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) 15.5 Financial year 1999/200

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 24.9

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR– Y6 Total expenditure 693,735

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 13 Expenditure per pupil 1,775

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 232 Balance brought forward from previous year 32,000

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance carried forward to next year 30,000

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Teachers and classes Financial information

FTE means full-time equivalent. Welwyn St Mary’s C E Primary School - 22 Results of the survey of parents and carers

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Percentage of responses in each category

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Teachers and classes Financial information

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

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Teachers and classes Financial information

My child is making good progress in school. 41 50 4 2 4

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Behaviour in the school is good. 42 55 1 0 3

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Teachers and classes Financial information

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 22 51 22 6 1

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Teachers and classes Financial information

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 21 49 21 6 5

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Teachers and classes Financial information

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 44 50 3 5 0

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Teachers and classes Financial information

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 50 49 1 0 0

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Teachers and classes Financial information

The school works closely with parents. 24 64 8 5 1

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Teachers and classes Financial information

The school is well led and managed. 45 47 4 2 3

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Teachers and classes Financial information

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 44 50 3 0 3

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Teachers and classes Financial information

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 30 56 8 1 5

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Other issues raised by parents

Many parents stated that they had selected Welwyn St Mary’s because it provided their children with an excellent all round education, including that for their children’s personal development. A small number of parents commented that their children’s progress had been hindered because three different teachers had taught the class during the year-long period when the class teacher had been absent due to illness.

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