Mill Hill Primary School

WAITE END PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 1 st – 4 th July 2002

p.1

WAITE END PRIMARY SCHOOL

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

p.1

WAITE END 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. Waite End Primary School - 3

p.2

INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Mill Road Waterlooville Hampshire Postcode: PO7 7DB

p.3

INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The governing body

p.3

INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: April 2000 Waite End Primary School - 4

p.3

Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

18354 Mrs Rowena Onions Registered inspector Mathematics Information and communication technology Music Equal opportunities The characteristics and effectiveness of the school The school’s results and pupils’ achievements Teaching and learning Leadership and management 11564 Mrs Jean Mackay Lay inspector Pupils’ welfare, health and safety Partnership with parents and carers 14997 Mrs Valerie Emery Team inspector English Geography Physical education English as an additional language 10611 Mr Martin James Team inspector Science History Religious education Quality and range of opportunities for learning

p.4

Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

18498 Mrs Denise Morris Team inspector The Foundation Stage Art and design Design and technology Special educational needs Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

p.4

Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Evenlode Associates Ltd 6 Abbey Close Alcester Warwickshire B49 5QW

p.4

Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

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:

p.4

Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

p.4

Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Waite End Primary School - 5

p.4

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

p.5

HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS? 10

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

p.5

INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Waite End Primary is a school of below average size, with 175 pupils on roll. It caters for pupils from the age of four to eleven years. The school accepts both boys and girls. It currently has 20 per cent more girls than boys. All pupils are of white United Kingdom heritage. There is one pupil for whom English is an additional language. This pupil is at a relatively early stage of language acquisition. The school is situated near to the centre of Waterlooville and draws from an area where there is considerable social and economic deprivation. Presently 28 per cent of pupils are identified as being entitled to free school meals, which is above the national average. The pupils enter the reception class with a range of attainment and there is some variation between year groups but, overall, it is below average. There are 73 pupils (42 per cent) currently identified on the school’s special educational needs register. This is well above the national

p.6

INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

average. Four pupils have statements of special educational need. The school has pupils with a range of special needs, most of which have mild or specific learning difficulties, but some have emotional or behavioural difficulties or difficulties with speech and language. The school has been through a lengthy period of turbulence involving amalgamation, threatened closure and an eventual planned halving of its size due to surplus places in the area. The latter has caused the school to need alteration and some rebuilding and this too has added to the pressures placed on staff.

p.6

HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

Waite End is an improving school. Over the last four years, there has been a fifty per cent rise in the number of pupils attaining the expected level (Level 4) in the end of Year 6 national tests in English, mathematics and science. The school is now providing effective education for its pupils. The quality of teaching is satisfactory overall and is now good in the reception class and in Years 1 and 2. It is also good in many lessons in Years 3 to 6. Standards are rising and are average at the end of the reception year and Year 2. Standards remain well below average in Year 6, but these pupils have made good progress over the last two years. The school has been well led and managed, and the headteacher has shown very good leadership in taking the school through the period of disruption and in promoting the improvements seen. The school is currently giving satisfactory value for money.

p.6

What the school does well

• Children in the reception year are given a good start to their education. • Because they are well taught, pupils in the reception year and in Years 1 and 2 achieve well in English, mathematics and science and attain average standards. • Pupils attain above average standards in physical education. • Adults treat all pupils thoughtfully and with respect. Because of this and due to very good moral and social education, pupils learn to behave well and to become increasingly mature. • Very good leadership by the headteacher has enabled the school to overcome considerable difficulties and to provide increasingly effective education. • Parents are very pleased with the education provided for their children.

p.6

What could be improved

• Despite recent improvements, standards in English, mathematics and science are still not high enough.* • Standards in information and communication technology (ICT) are too low and the curriculum does not meet statutory requirements.* • The way the school checks the quality of the education it provides and the progress pupils make is not good enough.* • Teachers do not have high enough expectations of the way pupils present their work. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan. * These aspects of the school’s work had already been identified by the school as being in need of improvement.

p.6

HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

Waite End Primary School - 7 The school has made good improvement over the last four years and since its last inspection in April 2000. There has been good progress in the main issues identified at this time. Standards have risen steadily. Pupils’ attitudes and behaviour are much better because the provision for their social, moral, spiritual and cultural education has improved. The quality of teaching has improved and there is now a good proportion of well-taught lessons. The quality of the provision for pupils with special educational needs is more effective and these pupils now make good progress.

p.7

STANDARDS

The table shows the standards achieved by pupils at the end of Year 6 based on average point scores in National Curriculum tests.

p.7

Performance in: all schools similar schools

1999 2000 2001 2001 Key English E E E E well above average above average A B mathematics E E E D average below average C D science E* E* D C well below average lowest 5% nationally E E*

p.7

Performance in: all schools similar schools

Children enter the reception year with below average attainments. Until the current year, despite making steady progress, pupils have entered Year 1 with below average attainments. Due to the good teaching they have received, children now nearing the end of their reception year have achieved well and are attaining near average standards. Pupils in Years 1 and 2 have also achieved well. The current Year 2 pupils are attaining average standards in reading, writing, mathematics and science, although standards of spelling and handwriting remain below average. Standards throughout the school are rising. This shows an increase on the well below average standards attained in 2001.

p.7

Performance in: all schools similar schools

In Years 3 to 6, attainment is more variable, partly because of the differences between the number of pupils with special educational needs in different year groups, and partly because some of the older pupils have had to make up a lot of ground missed when the education provided in the school was not as effective as it is now. There is general improvement and standards are relatively better in Years 3 and 4 than they are in Years 5 and 6. In English, mathematics and science, Year 6 pupils have had a lot of ground to make up. They have achieved in a satisfactory way over the last four years but they, in common with Year 5, have made much more rapid progress over the last two years. Despite this, standards in English and mathematics amongst the current Year 6 pupils remain well below average. The number of pupils attaining the expected level (Level 4) in the national tests has, however, improved by fifty per cent

p.7

Performance in: all schools similar schools

over the last four years. The school has set appropriate targets in English and mathematics for the groups of pupils currently reaching Year 6, but needs to set more challenging targets for the future. Standards in science were better in 2001 but, despite having made good progress over the last two years, standards in this year’s Year 6 are well below average.

p.7

Performance in: all schools similar schools

A majority of pupils reach average standards in other subjects and they achieve in a satisfactory way. Standards in physical education, however, are above average throughout the school. In ICT, they are below average, mostly because the computers have not been functioning properly for a large proportion of this year. Throughout the school, pupils with special educational needs do well and make good progress. Those of potentially higher attainment, however, do not make such consistent gains and these pupils do not always do as well as they could.

p.7

Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Good. Pupils like school and join in well with the activities provided for them both during lessons and after school. Behaviour, in and out Good. Pupils act with consideration and politeness. They do as they are asked Waite End Primary School - 8 of classrooms in class. This allows lessons to be conducted in an orderly way. Behaviour in the playground is good. Personal development and relationships Very good. Pupils respond well to each other and to adults. They gain personal skills and become increasingly mature. They are able to work well together and show a sense of responsibility for themselves and towards others. Attendance Satisfactory. Despite the best efforts of the school and an improving trend, attendance is a little below the national average. Waite End Primary School - 9

p.7

Teaching of pupils in: Reception Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

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

p.9

Teaching of pupils in: Reception Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

Children in the reception year are well taught. As a result, they learn well in each aspect of their development. A warm supportive atmosphere is created in the classroom and this enables the children to become confident learners. The teachers and teaching assistants work well together to give the children good attention and each individual is well known. This enables adults to have appropriately high expectations of the children. Because relationships are so good, the children want to please and make efforts to complete work successfully. In the rest of the school, teaching has a number of strengths. Pupils are very well managed and respected and the resultant good behaviour creates a good working atmosphere. Pupils want to learn because teachers make efforts to plan work that is stimulating. The teachers are enthusiastic about what they teach and this enthusiasm means that pupils are interested and

p.9

Teaching of pupils in: Reception Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

involved and try hard. Teachers have appropriate expectations of most pupils but not always of the potentially higher- attaining pupils. This is partly because planning does not always show clearly enough what pupils of different attainments will learn in a lesson. This is particularly evident in the planning for the older pupils in Years 3 to 6. Pupils with special educational needs, however, are well taught and receive very good quality support from teaching assistants. This enables them to learn well even when planning shows only one activity to be undertaken by the whole group. Literacy and numeracy are well taught in Years 1 and 2 and taught in a satisfactory way in Years 3 to 6. In all subjects, teachers do not expect enough of the way pupils present their work, nor do they give a good enough example in the way they mark this work. On occasions, pupils, especially in Years 3 to 6, are expected to sit for too long at the

p.9

Teaching of pupils in: Reception Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

beginning of lessons listening to the teacher. This means that they loose concentration and time is not as productively spent as it might be. Time is better used in the middle part of lessons, with activities being varied and interesting. This promotes good learning.

p.9

Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum Satisfactory overall. The school provides a broad an imaginative curriculum both in lessons and through activities out of class. The quality of the curriculum plays a large part in the interest pupils show in their work. Despite the best efforts of staff and governors, technical problems have meant that the ICT curriculum has not meet statutory requirements in the current year. Provision for pupils with special educational needs Good. Work is well planned and pupils are actively and successfully assisted to make good progress.

p.9

Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with English as an additional language Satisfactory. The school does its best to help such pupils and to ensure that they improve and extend their knowledge of English and are able to join in with the work undertaken by the class. Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Very good. Provision for developing the pupils socially and morally is particularly effective and is allowing pupils to become increasingly mature young people and increasingly successful learners. The provision for the development of pupils’ spiritual and cultural understanding is good.

p.9

Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils Well. The school provides a safe and secure environment in which pupils can develop individually. Assessment is beginning to be developed and used to guide further work in English, mathematics and science. There is, however, insufficient assessment in other subjects. Waite End Primary School - 10 The school works well in partnership with parents. It provides good information and makes good efforts to encourage parents to play a full part in their child’s education. Waite End Primary School - 11

p.9

Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff Both the leadership and management of the school are good overall. The headteacher has, however, provided very good, decisive leadership and has steered the school well in making improvements. She has been well supported by the deputy headteacher. The leadership of some subjects is also good, but there is a need to further develop the leadership of others. How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Satisfactory. The governors are a hard-working and supportive group of people. They have played a valuable part in the improvements seen in the school. There is a need to make their monitoring of the school’s work more systematic. The school’s evaluation of its performance Unsatisfactory. Although the headteacher has a clear picture of the school’s strengths and weaknesses, there is currently insufficient checking of the quality of teaching, planning and pupils’ work undertaken by subject co-

p.11

Aspect Comment

ordinators. This has been identified by the school as an area for development and steps have already been taken to begin this work. The strategic use of resources Good. The school uses its funds well in supporting the aspects identified in the school improvement plan. Grants are actively sought after and are well spent. The governors check the value provided by the school in relation to other similar schools and take account of parental opinion. They are not yet sufficiently rigorous in evaluating the effects on standards of their major spending decisions.

p.11

Aspect Comment

The school benefits from good accommodation that assists teachers in providing a good working environment. The school does not, however, have sufficient adapted accommodation to meet the needs of disabled pupils. There are sufficient resources to support teaching and learning in all subjects and some subjects, including English, mathematics and science, are well resourced. The school is short of computers and this makes using computers to help pupils learn in all subjects difficult.

p.11

What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• That children like the school. • The progress the children make. • The quality of the teaching. • The approachability of the school and the information it provides. • That the school expects children to work hard. • The way the school helps children to become mature and responsible. • The way the school is led and managed. • The activities provided outside lessons. • A very small number of parents are unhappy about the types of reading book that are sent home.

p.11

What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

The inspection team agrees with the parents’ positive views. The school has already identified the feelings about reading at home and has begun to change the system for the types of books to be read. The team agrees that this change is needed. Waite End Primary School - 12

p.11

The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

1. Children enter the school with below average attainments, especially in their communication, language and literacy, mathematical development and their knowledge and understanding of the world. Until the current year, this below average attainment has persisted through the reception year and pupils have also had below average attainment when they entered Year 1. This year, the improvements in teaching in the school have meant that the pupils have achieved well and have attained the goals set for children of this age. This gives them a good start for the rest of their education.

p.12

The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

2. In English, pupils in Years 1 and 2 have also benefited from the improved quality of teaching and are also achieving well. Standards in speaking and listening are average. The particular emphasis on the development of language is having a good impact on the pupils’ levels of attainment, not only in English, but in other subjects as well. Other initiatives, such as a new approach to the teaching of phonics and extra support for Year 1 pupils who experience early difficulty, are also beginning to show in improved standards. Overall, pupils in Years 1 and 2 are attaining average standards in both reading and writing. There are aspects of their work, however, that remain below average. This includes spelling and handwriting. The attempts to improve these are not yet showing in pupils’ independent work. The general trend towards improvement is also evident in Years 3 to 6. The current Year 3 pupils have been the focus of attention, particularly with respect

p.12

The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

to their writing skills. This is beginning to pay off and standards in both reading and writing are close to average here and in Year 4. Pupils in Years 5 and 6 had further to go towards attaining average standards. Evidence is that they have made good progress over the last two years. This is in part due to the sensible decision for the English co-ordinator to give specialist teaching to these two year groups. The good quality teaching they have received, together with the extra classes for Year 6 pupils over the last term, have assisted them to achieve well. Most are able to read and write sufficiently well to support their future learning, although a smaller percentage than seen nationally will reach the expected level (Level 4) before they leave the school. This means that, despite the good progress, standards remain well below average. As in Years 1 and 2, spelling and handwriting are particular areas of weakness.

p.12

The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

3. Standards in mathematics, although still well below the national average for the current Year 6 group, are rising and have improved since the time of the last inspection. Results of the 2001 national tests show that standards in mathematics were well below average in both Year 2 and Year 6. In the current year, standards in Years 1 and 2 are average. Pupils have achieved well. The consistent approach to teaching mathematics, in particular the emphasis on talking about work and on mental strategies, is having a positive effect, although both are in need of continued emphasis. At present, pupils work with reasonable accuracy when calculating with numbers up to 20 but they do not yet do this at speed. The good use of mathematical language by the teachers means that pupils have a suitable vocabulary to describe weight and length, and they are able to describe shapes by giving simple properties such as the number of sides a rectangle has and how

p.12

The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

it differs from a square. As in English, Year 5 and 6 pupils have been taught by the co-ordinator and this has proved a successful strategy. It has particularly benefited the Year 5 pupils who have been taught in a very small group. These pupils, along with the Year 4 pupils, although not yet attaining average standards, are only just below these. Overall, pupils in Year 6 have achieved in a satisfactory way over their time in Years 3 to 6, but data shows that they have achieved well over the last two years. Standards in Year 6 remain low because there was too much ground to make up in the given time. Despite the good progress they have made over the last two years, these pupils have been unable to fully make up the deficits in their learning. Particular weakness is evident in the mental skills of these pupils. Waite End Primary School - 13 4. Standards in science are average at the end of Year 2 and below average at the end of Year 6.

p.12

The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

Work undertaken to improve the teachers’ general teaching skills is having an impact in science, and standards are gradually rising. The increased emphasis on practical work and on scientific vocabulary is increasing pupils’ interest in the subject and is allowing them to use correct language to organise their thinking. As with other subjects, the lower standards amongst the older pupils are a legacy of the past. Standards in information and communication technology (ICT) are below average throughout the school. They are lower than they were at the time of the last inspection when standards were rising. This has happened because, despite considerable efforts to rectify the faults, the school’s computer suite has not been functioning properly over a long period. Planning shows that teachers think about what they will teach and are aware of the requirements, but that they have been unable to put these plans into practice. Good leadership in physical

p.13

The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

education, that has included the co-ordinator’s working alongside staff to improve their teaching skills and a rise in the profile of sporting activities throughout the school, has meant that standards in physical education have improved and are now above average. Pupils achieve well. Standards in art and design and the making aspect of design and technology are average throughout the school. Standards in other subjects are average for pupils at the end of Year 2 and Year 6. All pupils have achieved in a satisfactory way in these subjects. Although pupils attain average standards overall in history, geography and religious education, the quality of their written work does not fully reflect the breadth of their knowledge and understanding in the way that their oral work does.

p.13

The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

5. The school has a very positive approach to the inclusion of all pupils and actively seeks to ensure that each pupil learns as well as he or she can. Because they receive good support and teaching, pupils with special educational needs do well in relation to their prior attainments. Pupils of potentially higher attainment, however, could sometimes be doing better. Teachers’ planning does not show clearly enough what these pupils will learn in a lesson and this means that they are not always challenged in the way that they should be. The help for pupils with English as an additional language (currently just one pupil) is satisfactory and supports satisfactory achievement. There is no evidence of significant differences between the attainment of boys and girls. The school uses data to set targets for year groups in English and mathematics. Some tracking of pupils to see if pupils meet the targets set has begun, but is not yet sufficiently consistently used to be of

p.13

Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

6. The attitudes, behaviour and personal development of pupils are good and have improved since the previous inspection. Evidence is that there has been a vast improvement in attitudes and behaviour over the last four years and that this is having a significant impact on standards. Pupils are keen to come to school and take part fully in school life. A recent questionnaire to parents showed that the vast majority believed behaviour at the school to be good. Pupils are eager to take part in activities and many stay after school or attend lunchtime clubs to take part in exciting experiences such as sports, arts, drama and technology sessions. Pupils listen well in lessons, respond politely to each other and to adults and help with many simple tasks around the school. They show good levels of enthusiasm for all aspects of school life.

p.13

Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

7. Pupils behave well in and around the school. It is an orderly community in which all feel safe and valued. Pupils discuss bullying and learn how to resolve conflict, and no evidence of any anti-social behaviour was observed during the week of the inspection. There have been two temporary exclusions in the past year and this is a considerable reduction on previous years. Pupils learn to be tolerant of others and to respect differences. Targets for pupils who have behavioural difficulties are carefully monitored and behaviour is improving due to the good provision for social and moral development. The positive reward system in lessons and the praise assemblies are key features in the improvements noted in behaviour in all year groups across the school. For example, in Year 1, pupils were observed being responsive, co-operative and enthusiastic in physical Waite End Primary School - 14 education as they worked together to control small balls. In Years 5 and 6, pupils were seen

p.13

Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

working well together, sharing information in science as they undertook an environmental survey.

p.14

Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

8. The personal development of the pupils is very good. Pupils take on many simple responsibilities, such as preparing rooms for lessons, tidying up, collecting registers and holding doors open. Their self-esteem is promoted through the good personal and social education sessions in which they learn to value the views and feelings of others. In Year 3, for example, pupils readily supported their peers as they applauded each other’s dramatic representation of ‘The Creation Story’ in religious education. In literacy lessons across the school, pupils work independently and show good levels of confidence in their work. Relationships in the school are very good. They are fostered very well through the many enriching experiences that are offered on a daily basis. The array of external visits and visitors to the school enhances the positive ethos in which pupils are thriving.

p.14

Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

9. Despite the best efforts of the school, which regularly reminds parents of the importance of regular attendance to the attainment and progress of its pupils, attendance levels are satisfactory overall but slightly below the national average. This is largely caused by a small number of families who take holidays in term time and a small group of pupils who stay away for trivial reasons. Most pupils attend well. In the spring term, for example, 28 pupils received 100 per cent attendance awards. Pupils mainly arrive at school on time. Registers are completed quickly enabling a prompt start to be made to lessons.

p.14

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

10. The quality of teaching for the youngest children in the reception year is good in all aspects of their development. It is particularly good in fostering personal, social and emotional development and this gives pupils a good start to their time in the school. Work is carefully planned and prepared and care is taken to ensure that the activities provided meet the identified needs of the children and promote their interest. Language is rightly viewed as a key skill in the children’s development and the emphasis on this is having good effect. The children are very keen to learn and this actively assists their progress. Teamwork is a key factor in the reception class and this has enabled the education of the pupils to remain effective over the recent mid-term change of teachers. The teaching of pupils in Year 1 and 2 is good overall and promotes good learning. Teaching in Years 3 to 6 is satisfactory overall, but here too there is a significant proportion of

p.14

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

lessons in which teaching is good. This is true in a range of subjects. Teaching is good in Years 1 and 2 in English, mathematics and science. It is good in physical education throughout the school. In other subjects, it is satisfactory.

p.14

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

11. The quality of teaching was a key area identified for improvement at the last inspection. This has been successfully resolved in the interim, as demonstrated by the improved quality of the teaching seen. In particular, the school has looked at the way in which pupils are managed and the best ways to interest and motivate them. Behaviour in class is good and is due to the consistent way in which teachers relate to the pupils. Requirements of standards of behaviour are made very clear and reminders such as ‘I would like you to make eye contact with me’ or ‘I want to see good body language please’ are common and effective. Teachers and other staff provide good role models in the respect they show for pupils and for each other. All this work creates an easy, friendly atmosphere in which pupils are relaxed and encouraged to learn.

p.14

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

12. There is a high number of pupils at the school with special educational needs, and their good progress is closely linked to the good provision that they receive. Teachers have received good quality training and a recent language development course has led to high levels of awareness about these pupils’ needs, and to a rise in literacy standards. Teachers plan well for each individual pupil so that full inclusion in lessons can be secure. There is particularly good inclusion in literacy lessons where the good support is effectively targeted to ensure that individual needs are fully met. The quality of teaching for pupils with special educational needs across all subjects is Waite End Primary School - 15 therefore good. Teachers are well informed and they write the good individual education plans for the pupils in their class. They are well supported in this by the special needs co-ordinator who

p.14

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

provides good leadership. High-quality training for teachers and learning-support assistants is a major feature of the provision. Pupils’ progress is effectively monitored by teachers on a regular basis, and the co-ordinator has clear oversight of the provision as a whole. The major strength in the provision is the small targets that teachers set. These help pupils to make the small gains to success on a regular daily basis.

p.15

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

13. Time and effort have also been productively spent on thinking about the way in which pupils learn best. This includes the learning styles of boys and girls. As a result, good thought is put into creating lessons in which pupils with different learning styles can be involved. There is good use made, for example, of music to assist pupils to concentrate, of physical involvement with learning, for instance creating a living Venn diagram in mathematics, and of opportunities for pupils to engage in drama activities. Pupils are successfully given opportunities to think things through, for example by talking for a short time to a partner. This enables them to answer the teachers’ questions more readily. Listening skills are encouraged through activities such as that seen in a Year 1 class where pupils were asked to talk with a partner about their last holiday. The partner was then required to report on what they had been told. The current organisation of the school day

p.15

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

in which pupils are engaged in a variety of subjects in each half-day also adds to the variety of teaching styles experienced. The overall effect of this initiative is positive. Pupils remain on task for good lengths of time, concentrate well, enjoy their work and are keen to succeed. All this has a positive effect on their learning and means that pupils systematically gain knowledge, skills and understanding in all subjects.

p.15

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

14. Teachers make good use of the school’s resources. They ensure that pupils have practical experience of learning, for example using number cards to ensure that all pupils are active in mathematics lessons. There is imaginative use of resources in many lessons and this inspires pupils’ interest. Adults are well deployed to the benefit of the pupils. Teachers make good used of the good skills of teaching assistants, not only in the teaching of pupils with special educational needs, but also to assist those who are learning English to make secure progress and to provide valuable extra attention for all.

p.15

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

15. All lessons are conscientiously planned but the quality of the teachers’ planning is variable. Lessons are not always planned with the full range of different levels of attainment in mind. As a result, there are lessons where all pupils are expected to learn the same thing and to do the same activity. Although higher-attaining pupils are often stretched by the teachers’ questioning, this lack of prior thinking and identification of an expected level of outcome means that sometimes these pupils do not learn as much as they could. Lower-attaining pupils are not as significantly affected because the teaching assistants with whom they frequently work are very skilled at adapting activities or giving extra support to enable the pupils to learn successfully. The way that teachers use assessment to plan lessons is unsatisfactory overall, particularly in Years 3 to 6. Although they assess pupils on a day-to-day basis and, in the main, know the pupils well, the lack of challenge for

p.15

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

the potentially higher-attaining pupils means that they are not using their knowledge as well as they might.

p.15

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

16. Since the introduction of the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies, the school has placed good emphasis on the teaching of basic skills. Good attention is paid to extending pupils’ vocabulary and, in all lessons, teachers use subject-specific vocabulary well. Even the youngest pupils are taught to use correct terminology, for example identifying ‘phonemes’ in words. This gives pupils an increasing vocabulary with which to think and talk about their work. The effect of the emphasis on language is good, but this remains an area where pupils’ need is great. Spelling and handwriting are taught systematically, but standards remain below average. This is in part because teachers do not have high enough expectations of the way pupils use these skills in all of their work. Presentation is poor, but is seldom criticised. In addition, teachers set a poor role model by the lack of neatness of their own handwriting when they write in pupils’ books.

p.15

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

Waite End Primary School - 16 17. In many lessons, teachers make good efforts to ensure that pupils are aware of their own learning. In the best lessons, teachers make clear what is to be learned and why this learning is necessary. The ends of lessons are also used well to allow pupils to review what they have learned. Marking is largely used to identify learning for assessment purposes or for praising effort. It is, however, not used sufficiently well by teachers in identifying how pupils can improve their work. The school has begun to set individual targets for pupils in their literacy and numeracy books. Although this is a positive initiative, it is not yet useful to many pupils because the targets are expressed in language that the pupils do not readily understand, and many are not able to say how they will know when they have achieved their target.

p.16

PUPILS?

18. The quality and range of opportunities for learning provided by the school are good for children in the reception year and satisfactory for pupils in Years 1 and 2 and in Years 3 to 6. However, statutory requirements are not met in relation to the school’s provision for ICT. Children in the reception year are provided with a broad curriculum that covers each of the areas of learning identified for children of this age. Combined with thoughtful teaching, this ensures that the vast majority of children make good progress and achieve well in all aspects of their development.

p.16

PUPILS?

19. The curriculum in Years 1 and 2 and in Years 3 to 6 is appropriately broad and balanced, and a suitable provision is made for the majority of subjects. However, the school’s current provision for ICT is inadequate, partly as a result of the unreliability of the equipment in the computer suite. Not only is the required curriculum not being delivered in relation to the subject itself but, apart from some limited examples such as in history in Years 5 and 6, very little use is being made of ICT in other subjects. In design and technology, whilst standards overall are broadly in line with those expected, the range of planning and designing undertaken by the pupils in their work is limited. The provision for physical education, however, goes beyond the quality expected and this is contributing to the higher standards being achieved in the subject. The length of the school day is adequate and the time allocations for individual subjects are satisfactory.

p.16

PUPILS?

20. Appropriate and relevant policies and schemes of work are in place for all subjects and they contain detailed information to provide for the full coverage of these subjects. The plans that exist, if fully implemented, should ensure a steady and progressive development of each subject through the school. The school has adopted the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies. Numeracy has been generally securely implemented, with an appropriate use of mental activities in lessons and some use of mathematics in other subjects of the curriculum, such as science and design and technology. The use of mathematics is not, however, systematically planned in these subjects and so links are not fully exploited. In literacy, satisfactory opportunities are provided for pupils to develop their reading and writing skills, both within English itself and to some extent in other curriculum subjects, such as history. As with mathematics, because there is no systematic

p.16

PUPILS?

planning, opportunities to further enhance pupils’ literacy skills are sometimes missed in a number of subjects, such as geography and religious education.

p.16

PUPILS?

21. Teachers produce a suitable range of curriculum planning that generally helps to ensure the appropriate development of pupils’ knowledge and skills as they move through the school. Planning makes some allowance for the various needs of pupils, especially the lower-attaining pupils, in the core subjects of English, mathematics and science. Less allowance is sometimes made for higher-attaining pupils and, as a result, they are presented with work that is not challenging enough for them. The school makes very good overall provision for the equality of pupils’ access to the whole curriculum, with the staff making sure that all pupils are involved, as Waite End Primary School - 17 far as possible, in a full range of activities. Good provision is made for pupils’ personal, social and health education, with aspects of sex and drugs education being suitably covered. The importance of healthy eating is also regularly emphasised to pupils.

p.16

PUPILS?

22. Provision for pupils with special educational needs at the school is good. There are many good procedures which guide practice, enabling pupils to make good progress towards achieving their targets. Full inclusion of all pupils is a real strength. Additional support by the special educational needs co-ordinator and teaching assistants is of a high quality and enables pupils to work alongside their peers in all aspects of their schoolwork. Good resources and learning approaches are used daily to make sure that pupils enjoy their work and they usually achieve well. There are good links with the local authority support services and with community schools. Good levels of training for staff ensure that individual needs are effectively met in most lessons.

p.17

PUPILS?

23. Provision for gifted and talented pupils is satisfactory overall. This is a new area in the school and procedures are developing appropriately to identify pupils with particular talents in different areas of learning. As yet, provision to extend their skills further is limited, but suitable plans are in place to offer additional and extended opportunities for these pupils. Occasionally, class teachers do not plan lessons with sufficient differences in the activities to ensure that pupils of different abilities achieve as well as they could.

p.17

PUPILS?

24. The provision for pupils with English as an additional language is satisfactory. The achievements of such pupils are carefully checked and the school does all it can to give extra support where necessary; for example, the headteacher gives extra support for reading, and extra classroom support for written tasks is allocated when possible. This enables pupils to make sound progress.

p.17

PUPILS?

25. The school provides a very good range of extracurricular activities, including hockey, cricket, gymnastics, art, dance, poetry and computers. Many of these activities are available to pupils from reception to Year 6. They are particularly well supported by staff and pupils and, in some cases, by parents also. The school welcomes many visitors, including the police, members of the medical profession, local clergy, artists and poets and actors dressed in historical costume, as well as drama and music groups. A wide range of educational visits is arranged to places such as Manor Farm, the Nuffield Theatre, Hambledon and the sea-life centre. These activities make a significant contribution to pupils’ personal and social development, as well as to their learning in various subjects.

p.17

PUPILS?

26. There is a very effective partnership with the community and this is a strong feature of the school. The school greatly values the regular and substantial voluntary commitment made by parents, governors and members of the community who are involved with children’s learning in the classroom. Examples of this contribution include listening to reading, helping with after-school clubs and, as was seen in the inspection week, working together on a quilt. Local companies donate prizes for good attendance and for good work and effort, and play an important part in helping pupils to strive for personal and educational goals. Out of school visits and trips are planned to enrich the curriculum: these include visits to the Portsmouth City Museum, Gosport Museum, to the Nuffield Theatre and to a local garden nursery as part of science. Local clergy regularly visit to share assemblies and to work with pupils. Older pupils attend a residential course

p.17

PUPILS?

for a week and are offered a wide range of educational and adventure activities. Children remaining at school during that week are offered activities based upon visits in their local area. The school has adopted ‘Love Russia’ as their overseas charity, and the collection raised at the Christmas service was sent to the charity to help with their work in supporting a children’s orphanage.

p.17

PUPILS?

27. The school has good links with local pre-school groups and this assists the reception class children to make a smooth and easy entry into the school. Parents spoken to during the inspection said how much they valued the information and home visits they received before their children started school. There are satisfactory links with the local comprehensive schools. Pupils are encouraged Waite End Primary School - 18 to visit the comprehensive school before they transfer, and teachers from the school visit to talk to pupils and parents. Pupils spoken to during the inspection said they were confident about moving on to the next stage in their education. There are also good musical and sporting links with schools in the area. Links that are aimed at sharing expertise are also in place. As part of the efforts to raise standards in English, for example, the school has entered into a long-term arrangement with

p.17

PUPILS?

a local infant school to share their expertise.

p.18

PUPILS?

28. Provision for the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils is very good. Very effective procedures are in place to promote pupils’ personal development. This is an improvement since the last inspection.

p.18

PUPILS?

29. Provision for spiritual development is good. Opportunities for reflection are offered in school assemblies on a daily basis. In lessons, pupils are offered opportunities to talk about their feelings of sadness and joy as they discuss the fact that people belong to different faiths as part of their religious education studies. They learn about the ‘specialness’ and importance of artefacts as they visit different local churches and temples. In art and design, pupils’ spirituality is fostered through the beauty of fabrics and textiles from different cultures, for example pupils in Year 3 showed high levels of wonder as they explored the fabrics of a sari, a sarong and Turkish scarves. They gasped in awe as the teacher displayed the beautiful fabrics for them to study. They were able to talk about the amazing patterns and colours as they sketched and copied them. 30. Provision for moral development is very good. Pupils quickly learn right from wrong and the

p.18

PUPILS?

school successfully develops pupils’ understanding throughout the school day. Pupils are, for example, encouraged to help each other, work together, keep their school clean and tidy and to be truthful at all times. Very good personal and social education groups and lessons encourage pupils to share their concerns and talk about their feelings. In one such session, for example, pupils in Years 5 and 6 were able to use drama very effectively to express their concerns and worries about bullying. By acting out these feelings, pupils were able to talk openly about ways of resolving conflict and working together to solve their problems confidently. These activities enable pupils to think carefully about the consequences of their own actions and the actions of others.

p.18

PUPILS?

31. Provision for social development is also very good and a significant strength of the school. The improvement in pupils’ behaviour has been a high priority in the school over the past few years. Personal and social education lessons and ‘circle times’ (a structured opportunity for pupils to discuss issues with their teacher and their peers), have been introduced successfully and are helping to promote a socially aware community in which pupils relate very well to each other and to adults. In lessons, pupils are encouraged to work co-operatively and share their learning experiences. In a design and technology lesson in Year 1, for instance, pupils worked in pairs to discuss the benefits of different packaging. They showed a sensible approach to the task, helping each other to draw conclusions. In literacy lessons, pupils are regularly required to discuss their work in small groups and produce collaborative answers. They are encouraged to work well

p.18

PUPILS?

together in physical education and the success of the school sports teams is helping to raise self- esteem across the school.

p.18

PUPILS?

32. Provision for cultural development is good. Pupils are encouraged to develop good understanding of their own culture, for example they take part in many Christian celebrations throughout the year. They celebrate through harvest festivals, Christmas concerts, local ‘fayres’ and the recent Jubilee celebrations. Good use is made of the local area in geography, history, music and art and design to promote understanding of local cultural experiences. Pupils have benefited from a visit by a local cellist and harpist. Pupils have been involved in pantomime visits and classical concerts to promote their awareness of a wide range of different cultures. Multi-cultural experiences are also used effectively to promote a wider understanding of modern society in Britain. Pupils study many different faiths and customs as part of their religious education lessons. In Year 6, for instance, pupils have used drama to enhance their understanding of different religions and cultures,

p.18

PUPILS?

such as Hinduism and Judaism. Whole-school experiences, such as the visit of an African dancer Waite End Primary School - 19 and a gospel choir, enrich provision for all pupils and enable them to develop a good appreciation of the diversity of cultures that are different from their own.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

33. The pastoral care provided by the school is very good and has been effectively maintained since the last inspection. There is a high level of commitment to pupils’ well being and their educational and personal support is good. There are very good procedures for promoting good behaviour, which are governed by the school’s ‘Golden Rules’. There are good procedures for monitoring pupils’ regular attendance at school. Attendance figures are placed on the computer daily and are regularly monitored by the headteacher. The Educational Welfare Officer is used to investigate cases of long-term absence, or persistent lateness. Parents at their pre-inspection meeting and those spoken to during the inspection knew what to do to report absence.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

34. The school has very good procedures for child protection. The headteacher is the responsible person. All members of staff are well aware of their responsibilities in this area and appropriate support agencies regularly visit the school. The school places a high priority on welfare and support as a vital element in pupils’ learning and parents very much value these aspects of their children’s education. The school follows the local education authority guidelines for health and safety to maintain statutory requirements, and governors and teachers carry out regular assessments of risk. There are good procedures and facilities for first aid and all the lunchtime staff have received first-aid training. The accident book is up to date and there are regular fire drills. When asked, pupils knew what to do in the event of a fire. Although there is very good attention to the personal needs of the majority of pupils, the school lacks appropriate facilities for

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

disabled pupils should any be admitted to the school. There are no special toilet facilities and no arrangements for these pupils to access the upper part of the building.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

35. Procedures for monitoring personal development are very good overall. The good personal support and guidance provided by the headteacher, class teachers, teaching assistants and all adults in the school are well matched to the particular needs of the pupils. The school places great importance on giving good opportunities for pupils to talk about, and reflect upon, important issues in their lives. These effectively enhance pupils’ self-confidence and promote their personal development. Pupils spoken to during the inspection said with confidence how they would deal with an incident of bullying, and they spoke with pride of personal goals achieved whilst they had been pupils at the school. Older pupils act as mentors for younger children who are new to the school, and classroom ‘buddies’ are encouraged to help children who may lack confidence. There are very good relationships between adults, who act as very good role models, and the pupils.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

36. There are very good procedures for promoting and monitoring good behaviour. The lunchtime supervisors play an important part in implementing consistent and appropriate strategies to support and manage pupils’ behaviour. One successful initiative has been the ‘special table’ award where pupils invite guests to join them for lunch. Parents are given a written invitation to the assemblies where pupils are awarded certificates for good work or good behaviour. Activities such as ‘circle time’ are used to help pupils to talk about their feelings and worries, and pupils in Y6 have a message box into which they can put notes of any problems they may be encountering at school or at home. As a result of the very good efforts put in over the last few years, there has been a great reduction in challenging behaviour and the half-termly reward event particularly celebrates this success.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

37. Pupils with special educational needs are well supported in their work in the school by the special educational needs co-ordinator. They are helped to achieve the targets set in their individual education plans. There is very good support provided by teaching assistants and all school staff, who are also helped by an external team of specialists and advisers. Waite End Primary School - 20 38. Procedures for assessing pupils’ attainment and progress are satisfactory overall. In the core subjects of English, mathematics and science they are good. Assessments are undertaken at the end of suitable topics of work and teachers keep detailed records of pupils’ current attainment. Samples and records of pupils’ work are also retained in pupils’ ‘snapshot’ books, providing further evidence of their attainment. The information is not used consistently well, however, to provide pupils with work that is suited to their present needs. Suitable provision is often made for

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

pupils with special educational needs, but less allowance is usually made for the needs of higher- attaining pupils, who are often presented with activities similar to those of other pupils. Procedures for monitoring pupils’ progress through the school are satisfactory. Extensive records are kept, pupils’ progress is plotted and targets for improvement are set in English and mathematics. Pupils do not, however, usually contribute to their targets and many pupils are uncertain about the targets set for them or how to achieve them.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

39. In the subjects of the curriculum other than English, mathematics and science, assessment is unsatisfactory. Opportunities for informal assessments are listed in teachers’ planning and general evaluations are sometimes produced at the end of units of work. At present, however, practice is inconsistent. Where they exist, these evaluations do not provide enough information about the performance of individual pupils, to identify either their current attainment or the progress they have made. Few other records are kept. The information is inadequate to help in the planning of work suited to pupils’ particular needs. At present, however, the school is trialling a new assessment procedure in physical education. Regular assessments are undertaken, pupils’ strengths and weaknesses are identified and appropriate records are kept, and this is making a contribution to the higher standards being achieved in the subject. It is the school’s intention to

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

apply this procedure to other subjects in due course.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

40. Parents hold very good opinions of the work of the school, and those spoken to during the inspection said they had seen very good improvements in behaviour and educational attainment over recent years. Parents particularly value the ‘open door’ policy and parent workshops that the school provides, although the school reports that the latter are not always well attended. Parents think the school deals with their complaints well and that staff always make time to see them. They feel welcome in school. Parents appreciate the termly parent consultations, which the school arranges at different times in order that working parents can attend. Parents also say how much they valued both the home visits made before their children started school and the induction information they received at this time. They also like the celebration assemblies and seasonal celebrations such as the Carol Service and Harvest Thanksgiving service. The overwhelmingly

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

positive response to the inspection questionnaire shows that the school has the support of all the different communities it serves.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

41. The information provided for parents is good and well received. There are regular newsletters and curriculum information at the beginning of term. The annual governors report to parents is clear, however some minor omissions in the report were brought to the attention of the school. Some parents thought that the two reports they receive on their children’s progress are difficult to understand. In this the team agrees with parents; although comprehensive, these reports sometimes contain educational jargon. Similarly, the school prospectus, although containing a good amount of information, is sometimes difficult to understand.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

42. The links forged with parents are effective. The school encourages parental support in pupils’ learning, and a number of parents and members of the local community come in to hear reading and to help with administration tasks and after-school activities. Those spoken to during the inspection felt very strongly that the school greatly valued their input. The support that parents give to their children at homes is satisfactory but variable between families. Many parents support their children well, for example by supervising homework. Others find giving this support difficult. Waite End Primary School - 21 The school has begun a very good project in which parents of younger pupils come to school for a short time, one day a week, in order to hear their child read. These sessions are well attended and provide good opportunity for the school to assist parents in knowing how to help their children at

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

home. In this way the impact on standards of the parents’ contribution is rising. The school has found it difficult to get parents to join in the official parent/teacher association, although the parents who are involved have successfully organized a range of fundraising and family social events to support and widen the range of activities the school is able to offer. Parents are very supportive when asked for physical help, such as the recent ‘DIG IT’ day when they helped the school staff to clear up the grounds. Parents also helped to create the quiet playing and shady sitting areas in the school fields. Parents come in to help with musical events and on school trips. These types of contributions are greatly valued by the school.

p.21

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

43. Parents of pupils with special educational needs spoke highly of the good efforts of the school to improve educational, emotional and behavioural problems. Parents value the information they receive about the progress of their children, although not all are involved in setting targets. Parents are particularly pleased that their children are included in all aspects of school life and feel this has great importance in improving the quality of life for their children.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

44. The overall leadership and management of the school are both good and have enabled the school to develop and improve despite the turbulence it has experienced over recent years. The headteacher provides very good leadership. She has a clear vision for the way in which the school should develop and for the type of education that will be provided for the pupils. She has successfully communicated this vision to staff and has begun to build a team which work together towards this end. Her initiatives have been managed well. In this work, the headteacher has been helped and supported by the deputy headteacher who has undertaken his role well. The stated aims of the school to work together with parents to help pupils to be responsible and considerate and to attain high standards are clearly seen in the work the school does. Sensible priorities have been identified by which the improvement of behaviour and attitudes was seen to be necessary to

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

underpin improvements in learning, and the work undertaken to achieve this end has been very successful. The improvement of teachers’ general teaching skills has also been successful and is now having an impact on standards. The current school improvement plan has led the work of improvement well, being a document that clearly identifies targets and ways in which the improvements will be promoted.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

45. The delegation of responsibility to other members of staff in their role of subject co-ordinators has been gradually introduced and is satisfactory overall. Co-ordinators are, for example, now responsible for the planning and assessment in their subjects. Co-ordinators are at different stages of development of their roles. Leadership in English, physical education and in music is good. Leadership in other subjects, while satisfactory, is in need of further development. In physical education, for example, the co-ordinator has provided staff with demonstration lessons and has worked alongside them in order to raise standards. As a result, standards are now above average. This has been an example of the good management of the school. The headteacher leads this subject and has set out to provide a good model for the development of leadership in other subjects. As identified earlier in the report, leadership of the provision for pupils with special

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

educational needs is good. Strategies for performance management of staff are now fully in place, and a strength is the inclusion of teaching assistants. Newly qualified teachers are well supported, having a mentor, regular non-contact time and a well thought out plan for in-service training. The whole school staff work together well as a team. Lunchtime staff make significant contributions to the good behaviour seen and all other staff contribute positively in their separate capacities to the effective education provided. Waite End Primary School - 22 46. The way in which the school checks on the quality of its work is currently unsatisfactory overall, although there are examples of good practice. The headteacher is very aware of the strengths and weaknesses of the school through her monitoring of individual staff members. Performance management is well linked to this knowledge. Over the last year, a number of different strategies

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

for checking the work of the school have been discussed and developed. Data from assessments is now collected and in English is being used to identify areas for further improvement. Data is not used as well in mathematics. The current system of data management is rather complex, in part because old systems have not been dropped as new ones have been introduced, and would benefit from simplification. There is an expectation that planning will be checked by co-ordinators and that the work of a small number of target pupils will be regularly reviewed. Neither of these systems is currently being undertaken by all co-ordinators. This had been identified by the headteacher, and a new timetable for monitoring had been drawn up prior to the inspection to ensure that the activities happen as they should.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

47. The governing body has played a satisfactory part in enabling the new developments and for the most part has fulfilled their statutory duties well. They are a supportive group of people who work hard to help the school to improve. They have, for example, recognised the impact that behaviour has on the school and have supported projects such as the development of a work room for staff that is in view of the pupils so that good role models of working were very visible. Considerable finances have been spent, on employing a non-class based special needs co-ordinator in order to establish successful inclusion and to help other staff get to a position where they successfully manage pupils with much less support. The governors question co-ordinators on a regular basis about their work and provide extra resources or support as necessary. The difficulties with the running of the ICT suite have been well attended to, and the failure to provide the full range of the

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

curriculum has been a matter of concern and action. Although the subject is not meeting statutory requirements, it is not as a result of inactivity by the school’s staff or governors but the inability of experts to rectify the problems. Although the governors are both supportive and questioning, the latter aspect of their work is not as well organised as it might be. There is no programme for visiting the school and no clearly identified agenda for the visits when they occur. The headteacher and staff provide regular reports for governors but the lack of rigour in the visiting programme means that the governors are very dependent on this as a source information.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

48. The school’s finances have been appropriately managed. Money is spent in promoting the actions identified in the school improvement plan and has actively assisted the school to improve in the way that it has. Over the period of instability for the school, particularly over the time in which numbers have been reducing, the governors have been working with a single year’s financial plan. It is now acknowledged that it is necessary to draw up a longer plan in order to plan future expenditure sensibly. Specific grants have been spent efficiently, as for example that for the raising of attainment in English for Year 1 pupils. Results show that the spending brought about improvement. Day-to-day finances are well managed and the matters identified in the last audit report have been rectified. The school office is managed efficiently, and the way in which the office staff deal with parents and visitors creates a positive first impression of the school. The

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

governors and the headteacher have made a good start in considering the value that the school is providing. They have compared the results gained by the school in relation to others in similar circumstances and spend their money carefully. The effectiveness of the individual spending decisions is not yet closely monitored for the effect they have on the raising of standards. There are too few clear criteria for judging the effectiveness of spending decisions built into the original decisions and this makes it difficult for the governors to judge whether money has been spent in the best way possible.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

49. Resources for learning are satisfactory overall. English, mathematics, science and music are well resourced. The library is well stocked in an attractive room. An important weakness is in ICT where the computer suite has not been installed correctly and is not regularly available. This is not the school’s fault as several actions have been taken but have been unsuccessful in remedying this, but it remains an underused resource and inhibits the delivery of the National Curriculum for Waite End Primary School - 23 the subject. In addition, the decision to house all the school’s computers in one room inhibits their use to support learning in other subjects. The school’s accommodation is good overall with a large hall, library, spacious grounds and reasonably sized classrooms to allow the curriculum to be taught effectively. Recent internal redecorations and stimulating displays provide a good environment

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

and this supports pupils’ learning well. There are good facilities for netball, hockey and athletics and this assists pupils to make good progress in physical education. The caretaker and his staff make significant contributions by maintaining the cleanliness of the school to a high standard. The school does not, however, have sufficient facilities for disabled pupils. Waite End Primary School - 24

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

50. In order to further improve the education provided by the school, the headteacher, staff and governors should:

p.24

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(1) Raise standards especially in English, mathematics, science and information and communication technology by: • improving the progress made by potentially higher-attaining pupils by ensuring that all planning clearly identifies what they will learn over each unit of work and in each lesson; • ensuring that marking clearly identifies for pupils where they have been successful and how they could improve their work, and that targets set for pupils are in language that they can easily understand; • identifying in the planning of each unit of work in other subjects how English and mathematics and ICT skills will be used, consolidated and extended; • continuing to work to improve basic skills including spelling and handwriting and mental mathematics. (paragraphs 2, 3, 15-17, 19-21, 23, 64, 65, 69-72, 81, 91, 94, 98)

p.24

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

In information and communication technology by: • ensuring that pupils have access to the full curriculum; • increasing the number of computers easily available to pupils working in their classrooms. (paragraphs 4, 19, 49, 65, 93, 98, 100-103)

p.24

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(2) Improve the way the school checks its work and the progress made by pupils by: • providing subject co-ordinators with time, support and training to help them fulfil their role; • implementing the proposed strategy and timetable drawn up for monitoring work; • developing the use of assessment in all subjects; • formalising the way in which the governors check the school’s work and the impact that major spending decisions have on standards attained. (paragraphs 38, 39, 45-48, 74, 81, 86, 91, 95, 99)

p.24

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(3) Improve the presentation of pupils’ work by: • ensuring that all staff hold high expectations of this and give a good example to pupils in the way that they mark and comment on pupils’ work and by the quality of their handwriting. (paragraphs 16, 65, 71, 79, 85, 94, 98)

p.24

Other issues that should be considered by the school:

• Continue to seek to improve the accommodation with respect to disabled pupils. (paragraphs 34, 49) Waite End Primary School - 25

p.24

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of lessons observed 48 Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 29

p.25

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor Number 0 5 25 18 0 0 0 Percentage 0 10 52 38 0 0 0 The table gives the number and percentage of lessons observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about teaching. Care should be taken when interpreting these percentages as each lesson represents more than two percentage points.

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils on the school’s roll YR – Y6 Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 175 Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 49 FTE means full-time equivalent.

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Special educational needs YR – Y6 Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 4 Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 73

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils Number of pupils with English as an additional language 1

p.25

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 13 Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 12

p.25

Authorised absence Unauthorised absence

% % School data 5.7 School data 0.5 National comparative data 5.2 National comparative data 0.5 Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Waite End Primary School - 26

p.25

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)

Year Boys Girls Total Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2001 16 13 29

p.26

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

Numbers of pupils at NC Boys 12 8 13 level 2 and above Girls 11 7 12 Total 23 15 25 Percentage of pupils School 79 (75) 52 (75) 86 (96) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (83) 86 (84) 91 (90)

p.26

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

Numbers of pupils at NC Boys 10 13 14 level 2 and above Girls 9 13 12 Total 19 26 26 Percentage of pupils School 66 (79) 90 (96) 90 (96) at NC level 2 or above National 85 (84) 89 (88) 89 (88) Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year.

p.26

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)

Year Boys Girls Total Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 2001 12 13 25

p.26

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

Numbers of pupils at NC Boys 7 7 11 level 4 and above Girls 9 7 11 Total 16 14 22 Percentage of pupils School 64 (46) 56 (50) 88 (61) at NC level 4 or above National 75 (75) 71 (72) 87 (85)

p.26

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

Numbers of pupils at NC Boys 7 9 9 level 4 and above Girls 10 10 8 Total 17 19 17 Percentage of pupils School 68 (64) 68 (46) 68 (57) at NC level 4 or above National 72 (70) 74 (72) 82 (79) Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Waite End Primary School - 27

p.26

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage 0 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0 Black – African heritage 0 Black – African heritage 0 0 Black – other 0 Black – other 0 0 Indian 0 Indian 0 0 Pakistani 0 Pakistani 0 0 Bangladeshi 0 Bangladeshi 0 0 Chinese 0 Chinese 0 0 White 168 White 2 0 Any other minority ethnic group 0 Other minority ethnic groups 0 0 This table refers to pupils of compulsory school age only. This table gives the number of exclusions of pupils of compulsory school age, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded.

p.27

Qualified teachers and classes: YR –Y6

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 10.2 Financial year 2001-2002 Number of pupils per qualified teacher 17:1 Average class size 22 £ Education support staff: YR –Y6 Total income 566,778 Total number of education support staff 9 Total expenditure 578,246 Total aggregate hours worked per week 201.5 Expenditure per pupil 3,304 FTE means full-time equivalent Balance brought forward from previous year 29,737

p.27

Qualified teachers and classes: YR –Y6

Balance carried forward to next year 18,269

p.27

Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 6 Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 5

p.27

Recruitment of teachers

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 0 Number of vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of a term or more (FTE) 0 Number of unfilled vacancies or vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of less than one term (FTE) Waite End Primary School - 28 FTE means full-time equivalent. Waite End Primary School - 29

p.27

Percentage of responses in each category

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

p.29

Percentage of responses in each category

My child is making good progress in school. 60 38 2 0 0

p.29

Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 53 39 6 0 2

p.29

Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 48 45 5 1 1

p.29

Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 55 34 6 3 0

p.29

Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 82 16 1 0 1

p.29

Percentage of responses in each category

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 69 30 1 0 0

p.29

Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 53 40 5 1 1

p.29

Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 70 28 1 1 0

p.29

Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 68 30 1 0 1

p.29

Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 66 28 3 0 3 Waite End Primary School - 30

p.29

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

51. Provision for children in the Foundation Stage in the reception class is good and provides children with a good start to their school life. When they enter the reception class, standards are below those expected for children of this age, particularly in communication language and literacy, knowledge and understanding of the world and in mathematical development. By the time they leave the reception class and enter Year 1, almost all children have achieved the Early Learning Goals (the national goals set for children of this age) in all areas of their learning. They achieve well in all areas of learning during their reception year. This is due to good teaching and support and to the good curriculum provision on offer. Accommodation for the reception class is satisfactory, although the outdoor play area is small for the number of children. Resources are also satisfactory and are well used to promote learning.

p.30

Personal, social and emotional development

52. Provision for children’s personal, social and emotional development is very good. The children enter the reception class with somewhat below average skills in this area. They achieve very well in the class and most have attained or exceeded the Early Learning Goals for this area by the time they end their reception year. The quality of teaching and learning in this aspect is very good. Staff develop children’s behaviour and personal skills very well. Children are valued and quickly learn to take a full and active part in classroom activities. Behaviour management systems work very well and enable children to control their own behaviour. Children have positive attitudes and settle well to their work. They work with others and share resources, for example they push each other on trucks and bikes, taking turns to ride. They queue up for their turn on the slide and they play collaboratively in the class ‘boat’. Staff provide good role models. They are always polite and

p.30

Personal, social and emotional development

friendly to the children and this encourages a very positive ethos within the classroom.

p.30

Communication, language and literacy

53. Provision for communication, language and literacy is improving and is good. Staff provide many good opportunities for children to communicate their ideas and develop their language and literacy skills. The quality of teaching in this area is good and leads to good gains in learning. This enables children to achieve well and has resulted in the current group’s attaining standards in line with those expected by the end of the reception year. Children listen well to stories and instructions. Exciting stories are used in literacy lessons to promote interest and involvement. The use of puppets to support the development of communication is a real strength. Good questioning carefully fosters children’s observation skills and the value placed on their contributions and answers is very good. In one lesson, for example, children were absorbed by the story of ‘Mr Grumpy’s Outing’. They showed high levels of interest and enthusiasm as the story progressed.

p.30

Communication, language and literacy

The good emphasis on sharing the text with the teacher encouraged full participation. The story was used well to promote understanding of letter sounds, observation skills and ‘turn-taking’ in conversation. The good group activities planned enabled children to work at their own level and achieve their tasks. The support of teaching assistants and the nursery nurse are real strengths in the provision. Children’s writing is developing well. They are encouraged to express their thoughts while adults scribe for them and they quickly become keen to put their own thoughts on paper. Children are well taught to write by themselves, for example, they have each made a very good ‘little book’ about Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Children are encouraged to take books home and read with their parents on a regular basis. This is helping to raise standards in literacy.

p.30

Mathematical development

Waite End Primary School - 31 54. Provision for mathematical development is good with well-taught, well-organised numeracy lessons a real strength of the provision. These have helped children to achieve well in this area of learning and to attain standards in line with those expected by the end of their reception year. In one lesson, for example, children enjoyed playing with three-dimensional shapes as they learned the correct mathematical name for them. They benefited from good questioning that enabled staff to ensure clear understanding. The good use of resources and different group activities allowed children to achieve as well as they could. Children enjoy working with numbers. The highest- attaining children are able to use cubes to complete simple addition to ten. They count in twos and write their numbers to ten accurately. Almost all children can count to ten and beyond and recognise groups of objects quickly. Children also enjoy making patterns and successfully

p.31

Mathematical development

complete simple repeating patterns with two-dimensional shapes.

p.31

Knowledge and understanding of the world

55. Provision for the development of children’s knowledge and understanding of the world is good. The current group of children are attaining the expected standards at the end of their reception year. This is from a low starting point; hence progress is good. Teaching is good. Staff encourage children to talk about their own interests and experiences. They provide exciting opportunities for children to develop a greater understanding of the world, for example, at the time of the inspection, there was a large ‘play boat’ in the classroom. Children were learning about ‘time’ as they found out what time the ‘boat’ was open for rides. They used ‘money’ to pay for trips and learned about floating and sinking as part of the experience. There is good evidence of a wide range of science- based activities, such as labelling parts of plants. Children know what the stem, leaf and roots of a plant are for. This is good for their age. Visits to a local farm and visitors to the school, such as a

p.31

Knowledge and understanding of the world

policeman and a nurse, enhance this area of learning and promote wider knowledge of life beyond their own direct experience. The children are given satisfactory opportunity to use computers, for example playing simple games or creating a word bank linked to the story they had read in their literacy lesson, using a simple word-processing program. They make good progress in their lessons in the school ICT suite. ICT skills, however, could be further exploited if the children had access to a computer in their class base.

p.31

Physical development

56. Provision for physical development is good. Children enjoy all forms of physical activity and benefit from the good resources as they develop their skills. On entry into reception, most children have achieved appropriate standards in physical development. In the reception class, they practise and consolidate their climbing, running and jumping skills and develop the ability to work co- operatively. During the inspection, they were observed working carefully with a parachute, having very high levels of enjoyment as they worked collaboratively to keep balls in the parachute as they shook it. Children listened carefully and showed that they could follow instructions well. The children are taught to use pencils, scissors and other small equipment and are given plenty of activities to help them develop pencil control. As a result of this teaching and practice, the children can, for example, colour in within an outline, cut around a shape and form letters with appropriate

p.31

Physical development

control. Good teaching has led to good achievement and skill. The children are set to attain the national goals by the end of their reception year.

p.31

Creative development

57. Provision for creative development is good. Children enjoy all forms of creative activities. They paint recognisable people and animals and talk enthusiastically about their pictures. They enjoy making music and successfully explore sounds in a variety of ways. They play a range of untuned percussion instruments, recognising repeated patterns as they successfully vary the dynamics of their playing. They benefit from good teaching. In music, for example, the teacher captured their enthusiasm for the work and quickly moved them from task to task, developing good understanding and skill. Imaginative play is successfully fostered through role-play, currently in the Waite End Primary School - 32 class ‘boat’. Most children achieve the Early Learning Goals for creative development well, by the end of the reception year.

p.31

ENGLISH

58. The present Year 6 class has a higher than usual number of special educational needs pupils. As a result, standards are below average in speaking and listening and well below average in reading and writing, which is similar to the national tests in 2001. In spite of this, standards have improved since the last inspection. Standards are continuing to rise gradually and this is more evident in Years 3 and 4, but they are still not rising as fast as they could. The rise in standards is a result of a carefully structured curriculum, influenced by the National Literacy Strategy and improvements in the quality of teaching. Overall, achievement is now satisfactory in English throughout the school. Low standards in Years 5 and 6 are influenced by some poor achievement in previous years.

p.32

ENGLISH

59. Standards in the Year 2 national tests in 2001 were well below average in reading and very low in writing. Standards have improved significantly amongst the current Year 2 group because the quality of teaching has improved. The inspection judgement is that the standards are average in reading, writing and speaking and listening, although there are still not enough pupils reaching the higher level 3. This means that pupils have achieved well in Years 1 and 2. Standards have risen since the last inspection. Throughout the school, pupils with special educational needs are well supported and achieve well. This is because of their well-chosen literacy targets and the good quality of the special needs teaching assistants.

p.32

ENGLISH

60. Standards in speaking and listening are average at the end of Year 2 and below average at the end of Year 6. Throughout the school, pupils listen attentively to their teachers and to each other. This is because teachers insist on a high standard of listening. In Year 2, they respond to a variety of instructions, statements and questions, and their ability to respond in clear speech, using Standard English, is average for their age. Through a concerted effort by teachers and a good focus on the development of vocabulary, pupils’ speaking is improving. A good example of this was pupils in Year 1 sitting in the ‘magic chair’ to retell the main points of the story of ‘The Rainbow Fish’. Additionally, merit awards were given for the use of such words as ‘discovered’ and ‘wavered’, which motivated pupils well to extend their vocabulary. Pupils in Years 3 to 6 are encouraged to speak clearly and there is an increase in their breadth of vocabulary as they move

p.32

ENGLISH

towards the top of the school. Drama has been used well to act as a stimulus for writing. All teachers regularly use good strategies for promoting speaking and listening. For example, discussion with another pupil is a regular occurrence, particularly when there are limited responses to a teacher’s question. This gives pupils confidence in ordering their thoughts and answering questions more clearly.

p.32

ENGLISH

61. Pupils make good gains in their confidence in speaking in the last part of lessons in literacy and other subjects. Here, pupils tell the class about what they have learned. A good example of discussion being promoted was in a Year 4 lesson, where pupils were discussing the ‘for’ and ‘against’ points for different animals, such as ‘cats are best’. In this lesson, pupils learnt to express their points of view persuasively and began to develop an appreciation of the need to present a balanced view when giving the facts, so that the audience could decide for themselves. Particularly good links are made in physical education lessons for the development of speaking and listening. Pupils are asked in groups to watch closely and evaluate aspects which are good and a point for development. This provides a good opportunity to speak in a formal way, using evaluative language. Oral parts of lessons in literacy are used well by teachers for pupils to develop and

p.32

ENGLISH

understand both technical vocabulary and the use of formal speech. In spite of all these good Waite End Primary School - 33 strategies being implemented by teachers, they have not yet had a impact on sufficient numbers of pupils to bring standards of speaking and listening overall to an average level in Year 6. This is partly a result of the use of a limited vocabulary in simple sentence form by a significant number of special educational needs pupils.

p.32

ENGLISH

62. The pupils’ standards in reading are average at the end of Year 2 and well below average at the end of Year 6. An important reason for this is that there is a well above average number of pupils in the lower-attaining groups in Year 6. All pupils are taught an appropriate variety of reading skills early in their school life. These include an appropriate focus on learning letter names and sounds, using these to build words and pictures to help make sense of the words. Over recent years, the school has encouraged pupils to select books from the library to take home to read rather than giving them books from a structured ‘scheme’. This has been the source of concern by parents who found helping their child read a library book difficult. After giving good consideration to these concerns, the school is now appropriately reintroducing the taking home of ‘reading scheme’ books and, to support this, has introduced sessions in which parents of younger

p.33

ENGLISH

pupils are invited to come into school one morning per week to read with their child. These sessions are very well attended and are most enjoyable and profitable occasions.

p.33

ENGLISH

63. When pupils start to read, there is a good balance of using initial sounds as well as whole word recognition to help make sense of the words. In Year 1, most pupils are reading independently both fiction and non-fiction books, and higher-attaining pupils read with confidence and some expression. In Year 2, pupils are mainly fluent and accurate in their reading and have developed preferences for different authors such as Chris Powling and Mick Inkpen. They know about differences between fiction and non-fiction books and have a broad understanding of the use of an index to find information. In Year 3, whilst the higher-attaining pupils have knowledge of glossary, contents and index and can use the school library classification to find books, this is not well established with average and lower-attaining pupils. Year 4 pupils change their books in the school library regularly and read a suitably wide variety of books. They show good understanding of what

p.33

ENGLISH

they are reading and are able to predict, understand and enjoy humour. Higher-attaining pupils refer to the text to explain their views and character comments and to find information. In Years 5 and 6, all pupils have good attitudes to reading because of the good support and enthusiasm for reading by the teacher. Pupils in Year 6 report that their teacher goes to a great deal of trouble to discuss their preferences and guides them well in choosing books. They report that they particularly enjoy the dramatisation of the stories being read to them in class by the teacher, which helps to promote their good enthusiasm for reading. Higher-attaining pupils are challenged well. For example, ‘Lord of the Rings’ had just been read by such a pupil. A significant number of lower-attaining pupils including those with special educational needs, although motivated and interested in reading, have not yet reached the average standard for their age.

p.33

ENGLISH

64. Standards in writing are average at the end of Year 2 and well below average at the end of Year 6. The school has identified a weakness in writing and spelling and some effective strategies have been put in place. These include learning spelling rules and editing work to compile pupils’ own spelling lists. These are not yet having a full impact on standards and overall standards in spelling are below average. There are several reasons for this. Although there is regular attention to teaching spelling rules and strategies and to the teaching of handwriting, the skills learned in these sessions are not yet seen in pupils’ written work. Teachers’ overall expectations are not high enough and they do not consistently model good careful presentation themselves. This gives the message to pupils that it is all right to present work carelessly and therefore they do not take sufficient care in their own presentation. As a result, there is too much crossing out, careless

p.33

ENGLISH

spelling and often a mixture of joined and unjoined handwriting, and some older pupils do not join their writing at all. Opportunities to write for a variety of purposes and styles throughout the school are good. For example, pupils write poems, accounts, letters and play scripts. Opportunities to write in other subjects are variable. For example, writing is appropriately used in history, but not in geography, which relies too heavily on photocopied material to fill in answers. An appropriate school focus on the development of extended writing has been established well in Year 3 and Waite End Primary School - 34 there are good examples of pupils writing ‘Adventure Stories’ in chapters. This writing is valued and displayed well in the classroom. Extended writing lessons in Year 6 also indicated that pupils are being taught well how to plan and structure a longer piece of writing.

p.33

ENGLISH

65. The quality of teaching is good in Years 1 and 2 and, although varying from satisfactory to good in Years 3 to 6, is satisfactory overall. Teachers plan in varying ways and identify what the learning for the lessons will be. These aims are generally discussed with the pupils at the start of the lesson. This gets the lesson off to a brisk start and helps pupils to pay attention to what they are learning, resulting in a good level of concentration. Because of this, their response is good in all lessons and they are motivated to learn. A good range of questions is asked by the teachers, sometimes directed at particular pupils to hold their attention. A wide range of teaching methods is used, which helps to successfully involve all pupils in their learning. Examples include paired discussion, pupil evaluation and the use of whiteboards for individual answers in whole-class sessions. The management of pupils is consistently good, enabling lessons to run smoothly without

p.34

ENGLISH

interruption and pupils to learn well. Marking is carried out consistently and is often encouraging, but very often does not sufficiently help pupils to know how to improve. Additionally, teachers’ handwriting and presentation is not of a high enough standard to present a good model for pupils. Teachers’ expectations of presentation and handwriting are not rigorous or high enough in Years 3 to 6 and many common spellings are left uncorrected. Teaching assistants are of a high quality and are used well by the teachers to support pupils with special educational needs. A good level of communication exists between teachers and teaching assistants and this helps pupils learn well. Because of this, pupils are fully integrated into lessons and are able to learn as well as others in the class. Regular links are not planned for the use of ICT.

p.34

ENGLISH

66. The leadership of the subject is good. All documentation is up to date and there is a good focus on careful tracking of individual pupils and classes. Identification of weakness is well documented and, in the main, appropriate strategies have been put in place. There is still a need for a more rigorous approach to monitoring presentation, handwriting and spelling standards in pupils’ work.

p.34

MATHEMATICS

67. Standards in mathematics are average at the end of Year 2 and well below average at the end of Year 6. Thoughtful, consistent teaching means that pupils in Years 1 and 2 are gradually and systematically gaining the skills that they require to work with numbers both mentally and on paper. By Year 2, most pupils are able to add and subtract numbers up to twenty, and they are able to answer questions that require them to do this in a practical context, for example saying how much money there is left in a purse after some of it is spent. They still lack some speed when calculating mentally and this is an aspect of their work that needs to be further developed. Pupils know how to measure, for example measuring things in their classroom with some accuracy. They can use a ruler and a tape measure to do this and can then say which is the longest of a number of items. They are less sure of telling the time. They can recognise and name some two and three-

p.34

MATHEMATICS

dimensional shapes, being able to describe these in terms of simple properties, for example the number of sides or faces. Pupils have secure mathematical language that enables them to talk about their work, but their confidence and fluency in doing this is another aspect for further development.

p.34

MATHEMATICS

68. By Year 6, pupils are confident in dealing with numbers to 1000. The higher-attaining add, subtract, multiply ands divide and are able to extend these skills to decimals. The large group of pupils who do not reach average standards find doing these computations difficult because they do not have good mental skills. Although these pupils know how to do written calculations, they are very slow and often inaccurate in giving answers. Pupils also have difficulty in deciding how to do a problem that requires them to select a method of calculation. Pupils are generally more secure in aspects of mathematics that require them to deal with shapes. They are able to describe shapes using correct vocabulary, and are aware of aspects such as symmetry when giving these Waite End Primary School - 35 descriptions. Pupils are able to name types of angles and to draw them with reasonable accuracy. They are aware of different ways of presenting data, for example line or bar graphs, and higher-

p.34

MATHEMATICS

attaining pupils are able to discuss the relative merits of different types of presentation in terms of their ease of use.

p.35

MATHEMATICS

69. Throughout the school, pupils with special educational needs are very well supported by teaching assistants, and this enables pupils to achieve well and to reach standards that are becoming increasingly good for their levels of ability. In a Year 6 mathematics lesson, for example, pupils with special educational needs were assisted, by careful questioning, to work out a number sequence created by making a repeated pattern with shapes. This not only improved the pupils’ understanding of shape, but also gave them the satisfaction of working out the problem successfully. Teachers also are well aware of the need to explain carefully so that all pupils understand as much as possible. They then regularly follow this up by checking with the lower- attaining groups that they understand what they have to do before they begin an activity. Such strategies are successful in raising standards. A good deal of thought is now being given to

p.35

MATHEMATICS

provision for ‘able’ pupils. This is a relatively recent initiative and, as yet, has not had time to make impact. The school is being more successful in raising some pupils’ attainment to higher levels, but some aspects, such as the consistency of planning, still need improvement, so that all pupils, particularly the higher attainers can do as well as they are able.

p.35

MATHEMATICS

70. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory overall. It is, however, good in Years 1 and 2. In these year groups, there is a consistency of approach that begins with the planning of work. This planning shows clearly what pupils of different levels of attainment will learn in a lesson. This assists teachers to have precise expectations of the pupils and ensures that each makes gains in his or her learning that are appropriate to their prior attainment. In a Year 1 lesson, for example, pupils were learning about time; the lower-attaining pupils, including some with special educational needs, worked with the teacher to secure an understanding of reading ‘o’clock’ and ‘half past’ on analogue clocks, while the higher-attaining pupils played a game to promote understanding on the concept of ‘an hour later’. There is not the same standard and consistency in the planning in Years 3 to 6. In these year groups, planning does not always show what pupils of different

p.35

MATHEMATICS

attainments will learn. This is reflected in the books seen. In some lessons the main difference between the books of pupils of different levels of attainment is the amount and accuracy of the work completed. This means that some of the higher-attaining pupils do not achieve as well as they might.

p.35

MATHEMATICS

71. Throughout the school, pupils are taught mathematical language and are expected to use it with accuracy. Teachers rightly insist that terms are used properly and that pupils are aware of the importance of this vocabulary. The effectiveness of this is beginning to be apparent in pupils’ levels of understanding of what they do. There is not, however, the same high expectation of the way in which pupils record their work. Work is badly presented and is often very scruffy. This plays an important part in the levels of inaccuracy seen, particularly amongst the older pupils. It also has the effect of reducing the pupils’ expectations of themselves and has an overall negative impact on standards. In addition, the quality of teachers’ marking is inconsistent. The marking of books for pupils in Years 1 and 2 is used well to assist teachers to track the progress that pupils are making. It does not, however, provide pupils with a clear evaluation of their work. In Years 3

p.35

MATHEMATICS

to 6 marking is unsatisfactory. Teachers do not provide pupils with clear evaluations and do not give clear information as to how they could further improve what they do. In all classes, more attention needs to be given to the quality and neatness of teachers’ handwriting because it too often provides an unsatisfactory model for pupils.

p.35

MATHEMATICS

72. The school has a good number of resources to assist teachers to give pupils the type of practical, ‘hands on’ approach that they need, and teachers use these well to ensure that all pupils are fully included in each part of the lesson. This interactive approach means that pupils are generally interested in the work they are doing and concentrate well. This actively promotes learning. The effect of the work teachers have done in considering the way that different pupils learn is Waite End Primary School - 36 apparent in the variety of methods used. In a Year 4 lesson, for example, pupils were, in the course of the lesson, given opportunity to work alone, in pairs and as part of the class group. They had opportunity to move about to be part of a demonstration of the concept of Venn diagrams. They were encouraged to talk about their work and to record on paper. In most classes, good use is made of practical activities to consolidate verbal input and there is suitable recorded

p.35

MATHEMATICS

mathematics to follow up these approaches. The problems with the use of the school’s computer suite has meant that there has been little systematic use of this as a resource to assist learning in mathematics. Although pupils have opportunities to undertake mathematical activities in connection with other subjects, for example in science and design technology, planning of these subjects does not yet show these links sufficiently clearly to ensure that they are fully exploited.

p.36

MATHEMATICS

73. Throughout the school, pupils are very well managed in lessons. The generally very good behaviour management is evident in mathematics lessons. This leads to classes that are calm and in which pupils are able to learn. In many lessons, the teachers’ enthusiasm for learning is evident and well communicated to the pupils. A Year 6 group, for example, was set an interesting and challenging activity concerned with shape. The activity itself and the way in which the teacher supported it, encouraged very good thinking and a level of interest that meant that pupils were reluctant to finish at the end of the lesson. The effect of such teaching is evident in the number of pupils who identify mathematics as a subject they like to learn. 74. Overall, the subject has received satisfactory leadership. The improvement seen is a result of a clear focus on the raising of standards actively promoted by the headteacher and as a result of the

p.36

MATHEMATICS

general improvement in the understanding of effective teaching methods. Monitoring of the subject has, however, been unsatisfactory and has failed to identify the inconsistencies in planning and the poor presentation of work. Assessment in mathematics is satisfactory. A number of potentially useful ways of checking the progress made by pupils are in place but too little analysis of the information has been made to enable these to have full impact on the education provided. Some data has been collected from mid and end-of-year assessments but this has not been systematically used to target improvements.

p.36

SCIENCE

75. Standards in science are average at the end of Year 2 and well below average at the end of Year 6. Given the below average attainment they had when they entered Year 1, Year 2 pupils have achieved well. Some variation between year groups remains, with the current Year 6 having well below average attainment, but with attainment being closer to average in Years 3 to 5. Standards in Year 6 are affected by two things: firstly the pupils’ lack of background knowledge caused by a lack of achievement in the past and secondly the standard of their written English that detracts from the quality and speed of their written work in science. Year 6 pupils are now making satisfactory progress and, in common with those in Years 3 to 5, have achieved in a satisfactory way over the last two years. Despite being well below average, standards in the national tests have improved by fifty percent since the time of the last inspection.

p.36

SCIENCE

76. Throughout the school, there has been a good emphasis on practical work and learning through experience. As a result, by the end of Year 2, pupils successfully undertake experiments on a number of aspects of their work, for example on forces, sound and the identification of different creatures. They can talk about what they have done in simple terms but, despite good use of scientific vocabulary by teachers, a number of the pupils have problems finding the appropriate scientific vocabulary to explain their work. For example, although they can assemble an electrical circuit using batteries, wires and bulbs, they find it difficult to explain clearly what will happen if a break occurs in that circuit. By the end of Year 6, pupils have had good opportunity to carry out a range of experiments and investigations. They can successfully use suitable equipment and make accurate observations. Pupils have been given too little experience of selecting equipment and

p.36

SCIENCE

planning investigations for themselves, and this restricts their attainment. The written record they make of their work is marred by poor presentation that frequently makes it difficult to understand. Waite End Primary School - 37 Whilst many pupils successfully explain their work, understanding and using the correct scientific language, a very significant minority continue to find this aspect of the work difficult. They have difficulties, at times, in answering clearly questions that are asked, and this is having a very important detrimental effect on their understanding because they are unable to fully clarify their thinking.

p.36

SCIENCE

77. Year 2 pupils have had opportunity to study all the different aspects of the required curriculum and have gained a satisfactory breadth of knowledge. Many can, for example, successfully name the main external features of both the body and a flowering plant and most can explain the items needed to sustain life. They recognise and name common materials, such as metal, plastic and wood and they successfully describe some of their properties and uses. Year 6 pupils have satisfactory scientific knowledge in some aspects of science, but there remain gaps in this. A majority of pupils are, for example, confident in explaining many of the life processes of humans, as well as discussing the importance of the skeleton and the role of the heart in the circulation of the blood. A significant number, however, are less confident in similarly describing the functions of the various parts of a plant, such as stigma and stamen. Many pupils successfully name a variety

p.37

SCIENCE

of materials, describe their various properties and can explain the differences between solids, liquids and gases. Pupils know that materials can be made into mixtures and many readily describe how materials can be separated through processes such as filtration. They are less confident in explaining the processes surrounding dissolving and evaporation. Pupils in Years 3 to 5 have significantly fewer gaps in their knowledge.

p.37

SCIENCE

78. The overall quality of teaching and learning is good in Years 1 and 2 and satisfactory in Years 3 to 6. Lessons are generally well planned, with teachers throughout the school, especially in Years 1 and 2, making suitable use of practical activities. This provision is helping pupils to increase their understanding of aspects of their work. The teachers are also particularly careful to use and emphasise the correct scientific terminology, which is correctly targeting an area of weakness in pupils’ learning. The school has an appropriate scheme of work, based on National Curriculum guidelines, and good resources are readily provided to support the work. Planning ensures that all aspects of work are suitably covered, with the planning for practical activities being thorough, especially in Years 1 and 2. Planning, however, does not always make appropriate allowance for the provision of work to suit the needs of all pupils. On occasions, pupils are all presented with the

p.37

SCIENCE

same activities and higher-attaining pupils, particularly those in Years 3 to 6, are not challenged to improve their work even further. Most teachers have good subject knowledge and provide clear instructions and helpful demonstrations of the work that is to be undertaken. The pupils show considerable interest in the subject, displaying consistently good attitudes and enjoying the practical work in particular, and the excitement generated by the ‘wonders of science’ contributes towards their spiritual development.

p.37

SCIENCE

79. Where teaching is good, in Years 1 and 2, teachers’ subject knowledge is good, expectations are high, pupils are provided with some independence in carrying out their activities, and plenary sessions are used most thoughtfully; as a result, pupils make good progress. Teachers throughout the school are enthusiastic and this means that the pupils are also enthusiastic. Most pupils work hard, concentrate well and are keen to find answers to the problems set. The teachers and teaching assistants provide help and suitable support when necessary. The pupils’ behaviour is good, they work well with other pupils in carrying out activities and they are very aware of safety procedures. A significant number of pupils, however, take inadequate care with the presentation of their work and many books are untidy. Good arrangements are now made for assessing the pupils’ work, with adequate evidence being kept to identify pupils’ current attainment and the

p.37

SCIENCE

progress they have made. However, the information is not always used well enough to provide suitable future work for all pupils, particularly the higher-attaining. Most teachers mark pupils’ work regularly, but few comments of support and advice are added, either to help the pupils develop their work further or to encourage them to improve its appearance. Waite End Primary School - 38 80. Teachers provide well thought out support for pupils with special educational needs. Pupils with special educational needs make sound progress as a result. Concepts and activities are carefully explained and teaching assistants are well deployed in supporting pupils who have a need. Teaching assistants are careful to explain what is required and have themselves good knowledge of scientific vocabulary with which to do this. In a Year 6 lesson, for example, the teaching ensured that the pupils understood the nature of a survey of life in different parts of the school

p.37

SCIENCE

ground. This helped the pupils gain the concept that different animals and plants are associated with different conditions, even in a small area.

p.38

SCIENCE

81. Leadership in science is satisfactory. The co-ordinator is keen and interested and she supports her colleagues whenever possible. However, she currently has little opportunity to see samples of pupils’ work, or to observe lessons taking place, to see for herself the standards being achieved, and this is unsatisfactory. The written work undertaken by the pupils, such as that relating to reporting on practical activities, provides only limited support to the school’s initiative in literacy. Counting and measuring activities, in various aspects of the subject, give some support to the school’s work in numeracy. ICT is currently little used to enhance the work in science.

p.38

ART AND DESIGN

82. Standards in art and design are broadly in line with those expected of pupils at the end of Year 2 and Year 6. Throughout the school, pupils, including those with special educational needs, have achieved in a satisfactory way. At the time of the school’s last inspection, no judgement was made on standards and so no comparison is possible.

p.38

ART AND DESIGN

83. By the end of Year 2, there is clear evidence that observation skills are developing well. Pupils show good line and shape in their drawings of shells and sea creatures. Drawings of daffodils, using pastels, show that pupils have carefully observed the different parts of the flower. Dimensions and colour are good. In a lesson in Year 2, pupils showed good tactile sense as they explored three-dimensional shells and created their likeness in clay. They benefited from careful questioning as they observed and studied their shell, creating a good likeness. Their evaluations of their own work and the work of others were helpful and supportive.

p.38

ART AND DESIGN

84. By the end of Year 6, there is evidence that pupils develop different techniques in a systematic way, for example they have practised and improved shading techniques in Year 4 as they undertake observational drawings of objects. In Year 5, pupils have used viewfinders to focus their attention and observation skills. Pupils in Year 6 have created some good likenesses of the work of the artist Monet, although they were unable to talk about the artist himself or describe his style of painting. In Year 3, pupils were observed developing their awareness of pattern and colour through observation of different fabrics. The very good range of materials from many cultures helped pupils to develop their artistic skills and fostered a sense of wonder and spirituality in learning.

p.38

ART AND DESIGN

85. The quality of teaching and learning in art and design is always satisfactory, with some strengths. Teachers make good provision of resources and manage lessons well. A good variety of activities is taught, but lesson planning is sometimes too limited to enable development of skills to take place. For example, teachers encourage pupils to sketch a range of observations as they prepare to draw, paint or make a likeness. However, the development of sketching skills is weak and the purpose of sketching is unclear. This leads to untidy work and lack of impact on the standards that are eventually achieved.

p.38

ART AND DESIGN

86. Leadership of art and design is satisfactory overall. The co-ordinator is experienced and has ensured that a good, broad and balanced curriculum is in place. However, the current lack of use of information and communication technology is a weakness in the provision. Not enough monitoring has taken place to raise standards further and opportunities for assessment are Waite End Primary School - 39 unsatisfactory. The recent introduction of three-dimensional clay work is an important addition to the provision and is very popular with pupils. Efforts are rightly being made to ensure that the kiln is effectively used to support this aspect of art and design.

p.38

DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

87. Standards in design and technology are broadly in line with expectations by the end of Year 2 and Year 6. Standards in the ‘making’ aspect of the subject are average and pupils achieve in an appropriate way. Standards in design, however, are below average and pupils do not achieve well enough in this aspect of the subject.

p.39

DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

88. By the end of Year 2, pupils develop their design and technology skills by working with paper and card to make different characters. They use processes such as pressing, folding, cutting and pleating to create a range of effects. They make houses out of paper, using a fold to create a hinge for opening windows and doors. They use simple tools appropriately to assemble, join and combine materials. In one lesson, pupils in Year 1 were observed evaluating packaging as they tried to find the most suitable bag in which to pack and carry a picnic. They were able to offer valid reasons for their choices, such as the need for space and strength. They achieve standards in line with those expected for pupils of the same age. By the end of Year 6, pupils make a wider range of models as they develop their technology skills. They use papier mâché to make balloon masks in Year 4, with a good finish and dimensions. Pupils in Year 3 have followed a modern

p.39

DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

theme, creating effective models of different parts of the body using card and paper. Older pupils have looked at the safety features of different tools, undertaking group presentations and ensuring good knowledge of the health and safety aspects of the subject. During the inspection, pupils in Year 4 were observed designing and making commercially appealing packages for jam tarts. They achieved well as they offered opinions and used tools accurately and safely to shape and fix card and paper.

p.39

DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

89. Standards in design are weak across the school. Not enough attention is paid to pupils’ generating ideas for products for themselves. There are too few opportunities to plan what they have to do and communicate this information to others in a range of ways.

p.39

DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

90. The quality of teaching and learning in design and technology is satisfactory, but there are some weaknesses. Teachers offer appropriate support and guidance, but the range of teaching styles is limited. There are too few opportunities for pupils to work as part of a team and communicate findings to others. Insufficient planning of lessons leads to lack of ongoing improvement in skill. Teachers manage pupils very well and this enables pupils to show interest and respond positively in lessons. Resources are used appropriately to encourage interest and help pupils to be creative in their model making. Good attention is paid to health and safety, such as when pupils are cooking and using simple tools. Teaching assistants are used well to promote learning.

p.39

DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

91. The design and technology curriculum is narrow. The lack of sufficient design and the lack of opportunity to use computers as part of the design process are weaknesses, and this has a negative impact on standards. Appropriate priorities have been established by the subject leader and plans are rightly in place to develop monitoring systems to ensure that all aspects of the subject are planned and taught. Good accommodation enables pupils to have access to ample space and storage for their models, and the access to a food technology area is a strength of the provision that promotes learning in this aspect of the subject. Assessment opportunities are unsatisfactory and do not provide an adequate picture of each pupil’s achievements.

p.39

GEOGRAPHY

Waite End Primary School - 40 92. Only one geography lesson was seen during the inspection week due to the timetabling of the subject being blocked into different times of the year for most year groups. Therefore judgements are based on an analysis of pupils’ work, wall displays, teachers’ planning and discussions with teachers and pupils. Standards of attainment in geography are in line with the expectations at the end of Year 2 and the end of Year 6. Year 6 pupils, although they do not have average skills in recording what they know in writing, have a satisfactory breadth of knowledge and grasp of geographical skills such as map reading and geographical enquiry. No judgement was made at the time of the last inspection. Achievement for all pupils, including those with special educational needs, is satisfactory.

p.40

GEOGRAPHY

93. By the end of Year 2, pupils have studied the Isle of Struay and the locality of Waterlooville town. They have learned to use maps to locate seaside towns and to use secondary sources to look at features of the landscape. They have experience of following ‘Barnaby Bear’ to holiday locations and locate these on the map. They are competent in making traffic surveys and use block graphs to record their findings. When undertaking their local study, they learned about different types of homes, for example house, flat and caravan, and contrast these with such homes as igloo and castle. During Years 3 to 6, they study the local area in greater depth, for example where the settlement of Hambledon is in relation to other places. Plans with greater detail are drawn and maps of different scales are used competently by pupils. A deeper study of Waterlooville results in pupils’ being able to use frequency tables of types of shops and bar charts to record findings. The

p.40

GEOGRAPHY

Internet is used to give maps of different scales of the local area, but overall there is too little use of ICT to support learning in geography. In a ‘river’ study, pupils investigated how rivers are made and learned a range of suitable subject vocabulary, such as ‘estuary’, ‘gorge’ and ‘source’. A wider study of rivers helps pupils to identify river outflows worldwide. Study of a contrasting area in the Himalayas enables pupils to have sound knowledge of different ecosystems.

p.40

GEOGRAPHY

94. In the one lesson seen, the teaching was good. In this lesson, learning objectives were shared which helped the pupils to understand what they were going to learn. The teacher made good use of resources, in this instance a sand tray and water to trace the river flow. Geographical vocabulary was used well, enabling pupils to benefit and learn well. Work scrutiny and this lesson indicated a lack of work planned to match different levels of ability, and this means that potentially higher-attaining pupils do not always make the progress of which they are capable. Pupils with special educational needs are, however, enabled to complete the same work and learn well because of the very good support of teaching assistants. Pupils’ response to geography in this lesson was good. They enjoyed the work, worked well with others and supported each other where necessary. They shared resources amicably. The presentation of work in pupils’ books

p.40

GEOGRAPHY

varies and indicates that not all teachers insist on high standards of written work. Additionally there is an over-reliance on worksheets, and opportunities are lost to develop pupils’ written skills.

p.40

GEOGRAPHY

95. The subject has not been identified as a focus for development and the co-ordinator has kept the paper work up to date and has renewed resources in a satisfactory manner. No arrangements have yet been made for assessing and recording pupils’ attainment, but this is scheduled for the autumn term.

p.40

HISTORY

96. Standards by the end of both Year 2 and Year 6 are in line with national expectations. Pupils, including those with special educational needs, make satisfactory gains in their historical knowledge and understanding and their achievement is satisfactory. At the time of the school’s last inspection, no judgement was made on standards and so no comparison is possible. By the end of Year 2, pupils know suitable details about the past. Through looking at pictures and photographs, handling historical items, and by sequencing items such as kitchen utensils and events, such as those in their own lives, pupils are developing a sound understanding of time. Most pupils are also confident in using historical words, such as ‘old’, ‘new’ and ‘long ago’. Pupils in Waite End Primary School - 41 Year 2 have a sound knowledge of a number of people, such as Florence Nightingale and Samuel Pepys, and they know interesting facts about important past events, such as the Great Fire of

p.40

HISTORY

97. By the end of Year 6, pupils know relevant information about a range of periods. They have a clear understanding of the Ancient Greeks, Aztecs and Romans, as well as the Tudor and Victorian periods of British history. Pupils in Years 5 and 6 are particularly knowledgeable about many aspects of Ancient Greek history, relating, for example, to different sources of evidence that are found and the rivalry between Athens and Sparta. Many pupils through Years 3 to 6 are confident in identifying some of the changes that have taken place throughout history and can place the periods they study in time order. Although their written work does not show the same level of attainment as their discussions, standards are average overall.

p.41

HISTORY

98. The overall quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. The school has an appropriate scheme of work and all areas of the National Curriculum are suitably covered. Lessons are generally well planned, although planning does not clearly show what pupils of different attainments will gain in a lesson and sometimes potentially higher-attaining pupils do not learn as much as they might. There are appropriate expectations held for the majority concerning learning in history, but expectations of the standard of written work are too low. Throughout the school, many pupils do not present their work well enough, with few taking adequate care with the presentation of their writing and drawing, and this detracts from their ability to refer back to previous work. Teachers successfully use photographs, artefacts and visits to provide an appropriate range of information for pupils and this enables them to gain knowledge steadily. These methods successfully foster the pupils’

p.41

HISTORY

interest and encourage them to try hard. Pupils study historical items, books and pictures with enthusiasm, settle well to the variety of tasks provided and work at appropriate speed. Teachers increase their interest further by linking subjects together, such as when pupils in Years 5 and 6 produced Greek pots in art and design. They generally make suitable use of writing activities to further develop pupils’ English. There is some use of ICT to help pupils’ research in history, however technical problems have limited this. Teachers try to promote deeper historical thinking by asking a range of questions. In some lessons, however, answers are accepted from the same pupils and others have limited opportunities to contribute, thus reducing their commitment and their learning. A number of teachers do not mark pupils’ books regularly enough and few comments of advice and encouragement are added. Teachers take the opportunity, however, to encourage

p.41

HISTORY

99. Leadership is satisfactory. The co-ordinator is well informed about the subject, but she currently has little opportunity to study samples of pupils’ work or to observe classroom practice, to see for herself the standards being achieved. Assessment procedures are unsatisfactory. Assessment opportunities are listed in planning, but the amount of information recorded varies between teachers and it is presently inadequate to identify the pupils’ current attainment.

p.41

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

100. Standards in information and communication technology (ICT) are below average in both Year 2 and Year 6 and are lower than at the time of the last inspection. Pupils, including those with special educational needs, do not achieve as well as they could. This is in large part due to the well-documented problems that the school has experienced with its computers since they were networked over a year ago. Since this time, there have been innumerable problems that have made the use of the suite at best difficult and at worst impossible. Prompt action has been taken to try to improve the situation but difficulties remain. As a result, pupils have not covered all the required curriculum and statutory requirements have not been met.

p.41

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

101. Pupils in Year 2 have undertaken a number of activities on the computer including using a simple word processor to write work, to edit it correcting mistakes, to draw and to ‘paint’. In lessons, it is Waite End Primary School - 42 clear that they have not had sufficient experience to be able to do this easily and without help. Many are, for example, unable to use the backspace key with skill and therefore when they try to erase a mistake are prone to deleting whole chunks of text. There are areas of the curriculum, for example use of the computer for control, of which they have had very little experience. The same situation exists for older pupils. Year 5 pupils, for example, were working on a PowerPoint presentation of some work about Greece. They had no difficulty in understanding and following instructions as to how to do this, but their lack of experience meant that they were slow and also

p.41

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

were unable, without help, to correct mistakes such as removing bullet points that had appeared in places in which they did not want them. By Year 6, pupils have had experience of word processing, of using the computer to research, for example finding information about the water cycle, and of using a spreadsheet to cost the purchase of groceries; they have appropriate understanding of theses aspects. They have not adequately covered those parts of the curriculum that are associated with controlling and monitoring outside events.

p.42

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

102. The quality of teaching and learning in the lessons seen was satisfactory overall. Teachers have recently received training and now have appropriate knowledge of how to teach ICT and this is evident in the way in which they teach lessons. There is good use of the technical vocabulary associated with the subject and even the youngest age pupils are encouraged to use this in discussing work. Teachers approach difficulties they encounter while using the machines well and are well armed with alternative activities for the lessons. The quality of learning is, however, sometimes affected by the difficulties in giving pupils appropriate levels of work. For example, in a Year 3 lesson in which pupils were combining text and pictures, although the pupils were ready to accept the concept being taught, their lack of basic skill hampered the speed of their learning. Assessment in the subject is unsatisfactory. Planning of lessons is taken from a commercially

p.42

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

available scheme and has not yet been sufficiently adapted to the situation in which the school finds itself. There is no formal assessment of pupil’ attainment. As a result, planning lacks a clear identification of what pupils of different levels of attainment will learn either at the end of a unit of work or in a lesson. It also fails to take into account that pupils have very different levels of experience, dependent on the access they have to computers at home.

p.42

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

103. As well as the technical difficulties described, the school has a below average number of computers per pupil. This means that all the computers are situated in the ICT suite and pupils do not have easy access to them when they are studying other subjects. Although teachers have done their best to ensure that work targeted at the learning of ICT skills has a link with learning in other subjects, the curriculum requirements for the use of computers to support learning in other subjects are not met. Waite End Primary School - 43

p.42

MUSIC

104. The evidence against which to judge standards in music was limited because only two lessons were observed during the inspection. Evidence from these, from a whole-school singing session and from informal discussions with pupils indicates that standards in music at the end of Year 2 are average, but that they are below average at the end of Year 6. Pupils achieve in a satisfactory way. This situation reflects the way that music has developed in the school over the last two years. Evidence shows that, prior to this, music had a very low profile in the school and that teacher confidence and expertise were low. Good efforts have been made to rectify this and standards are gradually rising.

p.43

MUSIC

105. Part of the effort made to raise standards in music has been by improving teachers’ subject knowledge. Teachers have had opportunity to observe and work with a specialist teacher. Lessons have been carefully planned and structured. As a result, pupils in Year 2 know and can sing a number of songs with reasonable control over pitch and dynamics. They know how to play correctly a range of tuned and untuned percussion instruments and to use these to provide a rhythm while singing. They begin to understand about how a song is made up through activities such as taking direction from the teacher to start in different places in the song. This knowledge is further developed through the making up and performing of their own verses for the song.

p.43

MUSIC

106. Year 6 pupils, however, have gaps in their knowledge associated with the teaching they received in the past. They too have benefited by better teaching over the last year. They now have an acceptable musical vocabulary with which to describe the work they have done, for example describing a particular type of singing they had been learning or the work they had just done on the twelve-bar blues. They play some tuned percussion instruments appropriately and are beginning to be able to play them together, reading simple musical notation in order to do this. Their limited opportunities in the past, however, mean that they have very little knowledge of instruments and find it difficult to name those they hear playing. They have restricted experience of different types of music or of different composers, being unable to recall very few names or types of music. Because there was no opportunity to hear older pupils sing or to see the quality of their work in

p.43

MUSIC

composition, evaluations of overall attainment or achievement in these aspects are not possible.

p.43

MUSIC

107. All the music teaching seen during the inspection was by a specialist teacher bought in by the school for the dual purpose of raising standards in music and to provide training for teachers. In the lessons seen, teaching and learning in music was good and enabled pupils to gain suitable skills and knowledge in the subject. The lessons were well planned and organised and there was a good mix of different types of music making, for example playing, singing and listening to music. As no teaching by the school staff was seen, it is not possible to make an overall judgement about the quality of teaching and learning in music.

p.43

MUSIC

108. The leadership of the subject has been good. Sensible decisions have been made as to how to improve the quality of the education provided and standards have risen as a result. The music making in the school has begun to play a substantial part in the social and cultural life of the school. Pupils now attend local musical events with other local schools as well as singing for groups in the community. This has assisted the school in its work to improve the standing of the school and in raising pupils’ self esteem.

p.43

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

109. Standards are above average at the end of Year 2 and Year 6. Achievement is good through the school. A key factor in promoting this is the good co-ordination of the subject. Inspection judgements are that pupils attain above average standards in gymnastics, dance and games. Records indicate that above average numbers of pupils reach the required national standard in swimming. No judgement was made about physical education in the last inspection. Waite End Primary School - 44 110. In Year 1, throwing, catching, rolling and general control of a ball is above average. This was seen in a lesson where pupils were thinking about ‘whether it is easier to control a ball held in the hand when you move slowly or quickly?’ Pupils demonstrated above average accuracy when throwing and catching. In Year 2, pupils demonstrate good knowledge of levels, direction and speed in their dance sequences. This was particularly effective when creating an Aboriginal dance ‘In the

p.43

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Beginning’, where pupils were interpreting their ideas and responses to music in a Creation dance. Good numbers of girls in particular made sensitive and well-controlled performances. Athletics and games skills develop well through well-planned, vigorous lessons where expectations of pupils are high. By explosive running over short distances, for example, they learn to understand the role of the arms, legs and head in order to improve their performance. In Years 5 and 6, pupils were showing above average skills and understanding of the game of cricket. They had good recollection of cricket fielding positions, a good over-arm style of bowling was evident in a good number of pupils and batting skills were generally showing good levels of hand eye co-ordination and accuracy.

p.44

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

111. Teaching is good for all pupils who learn well, including those with special educational needs. Lessons are appropriately planned for a suitable lesson format, which includes warming up and cooling down activities. Good in-service training for teachers has been led by the co-ordinator, including demonstration lessons. This is the main factor in the teachers’ knowledge of the subject being good, and teachers’ expectations of what pupils can achieve being high. Consequently, pupils learn well. A good range of teaching methods is used, including a good focus on developing pupils’ evaluation skills. Being able to evaluate each other’s work gives good support, both to pupils’ understanding of how to improve their work and to improving speaking and listening skills. Because of the variety of activities and teaching styles, together with challenging pace to lessons, pupils enjoy their lessons, are well behaved and respond well. Skills are taught well and are

p.44

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

acquired systematically by pupils, and a good range of resources are used to add interest to lessons. Control of pupils is good and this allows lessons to run smoothly without interruptions, thus enabling pupils to learn well.

p.44

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

112. Since the last inspection, physical education has been an area for co-ordination development. Leadership is good. Good monitoring of the subject has taken place, together with good in-service training and demonstration lessons. This good support for teachers is the key reason that standards are now above average.

p.44

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

113. Standards at the end of both Year 2 and Year 6 are in line with the expectations of the locally agreed syllabus. Pupils’ achievement is satisfactory. During the inspection no lessons were seen in Years 1 and 2. Judgements are based, therefore, on discussions with pupils and a study of their previous work. At the time of the last inspection no judgement was made on standards.

p.44

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

114. By the end of Year 2, pupils are aware of two major world faiths, Christianity and Hinduism. They are able to relate some of the stories of famous religious figures, such as Jesus and Vishnu. They understand that there are similarities and differences between the faiths, for example that different faiths have their own version of the creation story. Pupils understand that religions have various ceremonies and special occasions, and they can, for instance, explain the importance of Diwali and Holi to Hindus, as well as saying why Christmas is important to Christians. Pupils are aware of the need for caring, both for people and the environment. By the end of Year 6, pupils are familiar with a number of world religions, successfully discussing the Christian, Hindu, Islamic and Jewish faiths. Whilst most pupils are confident in identifying the features of each religion, a small number of pupils are occasionally confused on some aspects, such as the different religious

p.44

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

buildings. Most, however, readily name important figures in these religions, such as Mohammed and Moses. They confidently identify and discuss similarities and differences between religions, Waite End Primary School - 45 such as in clothing, food and ceremonies. Pupils know that all religions have distinctive traditions and lifestyles; for example, they can identify the importance of the Five Pillars of Wisdom to Moslems. Pupils are aware of the need for love and care in their dealings with others and they recognise the importance of sharing.

p.44

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

115. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory overall, with good examples also being observed during the inspection. The school closely follows the locally agreed syllabus and all areas of work are adequately covered. Lessons are generally well planned, and thought-provoking ideas are often presented to pupils. In a Year 6 lesson, for example, the teacher discussed with the pupils why in some faiths images of God are seen, while they are forbidden in others. This has the effect of stretching the thinking of the higher-attaining pupils well, while providing clear information for lower-attaining pupils. What is to be learned in a lesson, however, is not always made clear to the pupils. When this happens, time is lost at the beginning of lessons while pupils struggle to understand where the lesson is leading.

p.45

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

116. Teachers have sound subject knowledge and, through clear instruction and a careful use of questioning to involve them all, pupils, including those with special educational needs, are able to make satisfactory gains in their knowledge and understanding. There is careful use of the correct terminology used in different faiths and most pupils show confidence in using the appropriate terms. Teachers provide a variety of tasks for pupils and make good use of appropriate resources to involve pupils and to make them think for themselves. They often make particularly good use of pupils to demonstrate for others, or to take part in simple drama activities. As a result, most pupils find the subject interesting and many provide a variety of thoughtful answers and observations. Pupils’ attitudes and behaviour are usually good and sometimes very good and they relate well to both their teachers and to each other. Pupils do not usually take enough care with the presentation

p.45

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

of their work, however, and teachers, when marking, rarely provide comments giving advice on how to improve work. Few opportunities for writing activities are provided for pupils and so religious education provides only limited support for the school’s initiative in literacy. The school currently makes little use of ICT to enhance pupils’ learning.

p.45

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

117. The school is successful in developing pupils’ understanding of different faiths and visiting speakers and trips to religious buildings play a significant part in this provision. The work undertaken successfully supports all aspects of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Assessment procedures are currently unsatisfactory and little information is available to judge either pupils’ current understanding or to identify the progress they have made. The co-ordinator is knowledgeable. However, at present he has few opportunities to study samples of work or to observe teachers and pupils at work in the classrooms, to see for himself the standards being achieved.

p.45