Grassmoor Primary School

GRASSMOOR PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 11 th – 14 th February 2002

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GRASSMOOR 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.

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GRASSMOOR 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. Grassmoor Primary School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: North Wingfield Road Grassmoor Chesterfield Derbyshire

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The Governing Body

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Mr John Ford

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 21 st March 2000 Grassmoor Primary School - 4

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities 16493 Mr N Sherman Registered inspector Art and design Information and communication technology English as an additional language Equal Opportunites The school’s results and pupils’ achievements. How well are pupils taught? How well is the school led and managed? What could the school do to improve further? 9224 Mr M Vineall Lay inspector Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development How well does the school work in partnership with parents? 10911 Mrs C Deloughy Team inspector English Geography History 12997 Mrs C Cheong Team inspector Religious education Physical education The Foundation Stage 18027 Mrs S Mawer Team inspector Science Music Pupils with special educational needs. How well does the school care for its pupils?

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

22556 Mr E Morgan Team inspector Mathematics Design and technology. How good are the curricular and other opportunities offered to pupils?

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Lynrose Marketing Old Bungalow Farmhouse Six Mile Bottom Newmarket, Cambs CB8 0TU

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Alexandra House Grassmoor Primary School - 5 33 Kingsway, London WC2B 6SE Grassmoor Primary School - 6

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 6

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

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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS? 11

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

The school is situated in the village of Grassmoor on the outskirts of Chesterfield in Derbyshire and caters for two hundred and ninety-three pupils between the ages of three and eleven. Most pupils are of white ethnicity. Six pupils have English as an additional language, a figure that is average. Sixty-four pupils are known to be eligible for free school meals. This represents 21% of the total number on roll and is around the average. Fifty-one pupils are on the school’s register for special educational needs. This accounts for 16% of the school population and is below the national average. Of these, six pupils have a statement of special educational need, a figure that is around the average. The school has experienced changes in the nature of attainment on entry to the school following housing development in the village. As a result, where pupils previously entered the school with below average levels of

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

attainment, attainment on entry to full-time education is now broadly in line with the national average.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

The school provides a satisfactory quality of education. At Key Stage 2, the results in end of key stage National Curriculum tests have improved greatly over the past three years, with the number of pupils reaching the expected levels in the test being higher than those seen nationally. However, despite this good improvement, by the end of Key Stage 2, standards in English are below the national average. In mathematics, standards are above the national average and in science standards are in line with national expectations. Teaching is satisfactory overall with some good teaching, particularly in one of the Key Stage 1 classes and in the upper part of Key Stage 2. The school provides a broad curriculum. However, in its drive to boost attainment the school has increased the time available for the teaching of English and mathematics to the detriment of some other subjects, such as design and technology and geography, which are not taught in sufficient depth. The leadership and

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

management of the school are satisfactory. The headteacher provides a clear lead for the school’s work, although the role of the senior management team is not effective. The school provides satisfactory value for money.

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What the school does well

• Teaching in the upper part of Key Stage 2 is good. • Pupils make good progress in mathematics at Key Stage 2 and standards are above the national average. • Pupils have good attitudes to learning and relationships at the school are good. • Procedures for monitoring and promoting good behaviour are very good. • Pupils are well cared for and there are good procedures for ensuring their daily welfare. • A very good range of extra-curricular activities is provided and the local community makes a good contribution to pupils’ learning. • Provision for pupils’ moral and social development is good.

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What could be improved

• Standards in English, mathematics and science by the end of Key Stage 1 and standards in English by the end of Key Stage 2. • Standards in design and technology and geography at both key stages and music at Key Stage 2. • The progress of pupils with higher attainments. • The achievements of boys in literacy at Key Stage 2. • The arrangements for supporting pupils with special educational needs. • The time allocated to some subjects of the curriculum. • The effectiveness of the senior management team. • The accommodation. Grassmoor Primary School - 8 The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school has made satisfactory progress since Her Majesty’s Inspectors last inspected it in March 2000. Good progress has continued to be made in raising the numbers of pupils reaching the expected levels in National Curriculum tests by the end of Key Stage 2. Overall, progress in addressing the key issues identified for improvement at the last inspection has been satisfactory. Monitoring of teaching is more regular and the quality of the school development plan is much improved, giving a clearer picture of the school’s planned developments. However, the role of the deputy headteacher has not been sufficiently developed in supporting the school’s overall management of the school. Standards in writing continue to improve, particularly at Key Stage 2, although higher attaining pupils at Key Stage 1 do not make the progress they are capable of in this aspect of their literacy development. The range of resources to support pupils’ learning in information and communication

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

technology is much improved and standards are now in line with national expectations at both key stages. Good improvement has been made on raising the quality of teaching and learning in the Reception class. Despite the school’s sustained and persistent efforts to improve the structure and fabric of its accommodation, the overall quality of this remains poor and restricts pupils’ learning in a number of subjects. The school is sufficiently placed to make continued progress and build on recent improvements.

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STANDARDS

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

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schools

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

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schools

The table above indicates that in the 2001 National Curriculum tests, pupils attained standards that were above the national average in mathematics and in line with the national average in science. In English, standards were below the national average. When the results are compared with similar schools, pupils attained standards that were well above average in mathematics, above average in science and in line with the national average in English.

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schools

The findings of the inspection are that standards are above the national expectations in mathematics and are in line with the national average in science. Pupils make good progress in mathematics. In English, standards are below the national average and standards are lower than those found in mathematics and science because fewer pupils reach the higher levels. Standards of pupils’ presentation of work are unsatisfactory. However, over the past three years, standards in all three subjects have risen faster than those seen in other schools nationally. The school does set targets for improvement in English and mathematics and these are often challenging, are reviewed regularly in the light of pupils’ progress and are based on a good knowledge and understanding of the pupils as individuals. In art and design, history, information and communication technology and physical education, standards are in Grassmoor Primary School - 9

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schools

line with the national expectation. In religious education, standards are in line with the expectations of the locally agreed syllabus. In geography, design and technology and music, standards are below national expectations and pupils do not make the progress of which they are capable of in these two subjects.

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schools

The 2001 results in the end of Key Stage 1 National Curriculum tests indicated that pupils attained standards in reading, writing and mathematics that were below the national average. Whilst the numbers of pupils who reached the expected level was broadly in line with the national average, too few pupils attain the higher levels. The inspection findings are that standards are below the national average in reading, writing and mathematics. Higher- attaining pupils do not make enough progress.

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schools

In the Nursery and Reception classes, children make satisfactory progress and achieve the expectations outlined for them in the Early Learning Goals, the curriculum that is outlined for children of this age. Pupils with special educational needs make satisfactory progress in their learning and those with a high level of need are very well supported towards making progress outlined in their individual educational plans. Those few pupils with English as an additional language make satisfactory progress overall.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Pupils have good attitudes to the school and many participate actively in the many good quality after-school activities.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Good. Most pupils behave well, although a small but significant minority of pupils, who are mainly boys, do not have a sufficient grasp of how their behaviour impacts on the well being of others.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Relationships are good. The severe limitations of the school building impede opportunities to develop pupils’ initiative and independence.

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Aspect Comment

Attendance Satisfactory. Attendance rates are very close to the national average, but the rate of unauthorised absence is higher than average.

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Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

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

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Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

Whilst there is some variation in teaching, the overall quality of the teaching and learning is satisfactory. The teaching in the upper part of Key Stage 2 and in one of the classes at Key Stage 1 is good. The teaching of pupils in the Foundation Stage is satisfactory. The teaching of literacy and numeracy is satisfactory but the school has yet to devise effective strategies Grassmoor Primary School - 10 to ensure that opportunities are properly planned to develop pupils’ literacy skills through other subjects of the curriculum. The teaching of English is satisfactory but not all teachers have sufficient expectations of higher attaining pupils. Overall, teachers’ planning in many subjects is not effective in ensuring that higher-attaining pupils achieve as well as they can. The teaching of mathematics is satisfactory at Key Stage 1 and good at Key Stage 2 where pupils make more gains in their learning. The teaching of information and communication

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Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

technology is satisfactory and pupils in both key stages make satisfactory progress in understanding how computers can be used to support their learning. The management of pupils in both key stages is good and a strong feature of teaching in all classes is the quality of relationships between teachers and pupils, which are good. The teaching of geography and design and technology at both key stages is unsatisfactory as is the teaching of music at Key Stage 2. Pupils with special educational needs are taught and supported satisfactorily.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum The school provides a broad curriculum that is enhanced by a very good range of extra-curricular activities. However, at both key stages some subjects do not have sufficient time allocated to them in order for pupils to explore topics in sufficient depth. In both key stages, some pupils are withdrawn for additional support in English and do not, as a result, have equal access to all subjects of the curriculum.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Pupils with special educational needs are given appropriate support in lessons and make satisfactory progress towards the targets in their individual educational plans.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with English as an additional language Pupils who speak English as an additional language have well developed literacy skills. They have their needs suitably addressed, enabling them to make comparable progress to their classmates.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Provision for pupils’ social and moral development is good. Provision for pupils’ spiritual and cultural development is satisfactory. The limitations and restrictions inherent in the school building severely restrict opportunities to develop pupils’ personal initiative.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils Good. The school cares well for pupils. Assessments of pupils’ academic and personal progress are regularly undertaken but some teachers at Key Stage 1 do not take this sufficiently into account when planning the learning of higher attaining pupils.

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Aspect Comment

How the school works in partnership with parents. Parents have positive views of the school and the school is consistently improving links with parents, with the aim of ensuring that parents can play a full and active part in their children’s education. Grassmoor Primary School - 11

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff Satisfactory. The headteacher has been successful in raising expectations and levels of performance by pupils in end of key stage National Curriculum tests and gives the school a clear educational direction. The role of the senior management team in supporting the leadership and management of the school is not effective. The role of co-ordinators in monitoring teaching and learning is under-developed. How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities The governors are very supportive of the school and are effective in ensuring that their statutory responsibilities are met.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance Procedures to monitor teaching and learning are satisfactory and the results of such work are increasingly used to plan improvements in pupils’ learning. However, insufficient use is made of the information in planning learning for higher attaining pupils at Key Stage 1. The strategic use of resources The school makes good use of its very limited accommodation. Classroom resources are used effectively to support pupils’ learning Whilst the school ensures that the budget is spent carefully in the light of falling numbers, the cost effectiveness of how teachers without a class responsibility undertake their duties have not been effectively evaluated and the principles of ‘best value’ are not, as a result, fully developed. Staffing, accommodation and learning resources. There are a sufficient number of teachers to enable the National Curriculum to be taught. The quality of the accommodation is poor

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Aspect Comment

and impedes pupils’ learning in a number of subjects. Resources are satisfactory overall. There are, however, shortages in the range of resources for design and technology. The library in its current location adds little to the quality of pupils’ learning.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• The way in which the school promotes a sense of achievement. • The caring manner in which staff look after pupils. • The rising standards at the school. • The range of the activities provided for pupils after school. • How the school is led and managed. • The quality of the accommodation. • Some parents would like their children to receive more homework.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

Inspection findings support parents’ positive views of the school. Inspectors also strongly support parents’ views about the quality of the accommodation. Inspection evidence suggests that pupils are given sufficient homework to support their learning and inspectors do not support parents’ views on this issue. Grassmoor Primary School - 12

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

1. The children’s attainment when they start full-time education in the Reception class is average across all areas of learning, although their personal and social skills are a little lower than their other skills. The children, including those with special educational needs, make satisfactory progress in the Nursery and Reception class and, by the time they start in Year 1, the majority have made satisfactory progress towards the Early Learning Goals in all areas of their personal, social and emotional development, communication, language and literacy, mathematical development, knowledge and understanding of the world, physical and creative development. In some areas of their learning, including reading, they exceed expectations.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

2. The end of Key Stage 1 National Curriculum test results over the past three years indicate a mixed pattern of achievement. The 2001 results indicate that standards in reading, writing and mathematics were below the national average and show a marked decline over those of the previous year when standards were above average in all three aspects. When comparisons are made with similar schools, based on the number of pupils who claim free school meals, pupils attained average standards in reading, writing and mathematics.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

3. The inspection findings indicate that pupils’ attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 is below average in English, mathematics and science and closely reflect the results of the 2001 National Curriculum tests. The current cohort of Year 2 pupils has a higher number of pupils identified with special educational needs, and this depresses the overall attainment pupils achieve. Too few higher attaining pupils achieve at a high enough level, and their progress is unsatisfactory.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

4. At the end of Key Stage 2, on the basis of the 2001 National Curriculum tests, standards in English were below the national average. When the results are compared with those of similar schools, standards were average. The results were a good improvement over those of the previous year when standards in English were well below the national average. The pattern of attainment in recent years has been very mixed in English. Recent efforts by the school to boost pupils’ achievements in reading and writing have had a positive impact on the recent progress made by pupils in Years 5 and 6, and more pupils now reach the expected and higher levels in the tests. The findings of the inspection are that standards in English are below the national average and confirm the data from the 2001 tests. Progress in reading and speaking and listening is satisfactory but is unsatisfactory in writing. Whilst standards in the basic

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

skills of spelling and punctuation are satisfactory, progress in writing is hampered by the standards of presentation, which are often unsatisfactory. In too many subjects, pupils do not take sufficient care over how they present their work for a wider audience or appreciate the impact that good presentation has on the reader. Higher-attaining pupils are not sufficiently challenged and they do not achieve as well as they could.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

5. In mathematics, the results of the 2001 end of Key Stage 2 national tests, show that pupils’ attainment is above the national average, and well above average when compared with similar schools. Since 1999, when standards in mathematics were well below the national average, the school has made good progress in raising standards and results have been markedly higher than those seen in English and science. The findings of the inspection are that standards in mathematics are above average. By the Grassmoor Primary School - 13 end of Year 6, pupils have a good understanding of different mathematical strategies for solving problems. Their mental skills are good and many pupils work out calculations in their heads quickly and correctly.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

6. The National Curriculum tests for science in 2001 indicated that pupils attained standards that were in line with the national average. When the results are compared with similar schools, standards were above average. These most recent results indicate a notable improvement over those of the previous year when they were well below the national average. Improvements in the quality of teaching in Key Stage 2 and the more effective use of assessment data in planning pupils’ learning have contributed significantly to the recent strong performance in raising standards in the subject. Progress is currently satisfactory. Inspection findings indicate that standards are in line with the national average. Good attention is paid to ensuring that pupils learn new scientific ideas through practical work and this helps to ensure that pupils make good gains in their learning of scientific vocabulary.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

7. Across the school, standards in numeracy are in line with national expectations and in its drive to lift standards in mathematics and science, for example, the school has carefully thought out ways in which pupils’ learning in one subject can help to re- enforce learning in the other. Pupils use their skills in measuring, estimating and recording their science investigations and this consolidates their learning of mathematical ideas. However, the same progress has not been made in literacy where standards remain below national expectations. At present, too little direct attention has been paid by the school to ensuring that pupils’ literacy skills are developed through other subjects and there is little evidence of pupils practising their writing across the curriculum.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

8. The time and attention that the school has paid over the past two years to raising standards in English, mathematics and science has resulted in a mixed picture of attainment in other subjects. By increasing the time available for the teaching of English and mathematics, for example, there has been less time for the teaching of other subjects. As a result, standards in design and technology, and geography are below national expectations at both key stages. At Key Stage 2, standards are below expectations in music. Standards in information and communication technology are in line with expectations at the end of both key stages. In all other subjects, standards are in line with national expectations and pupils make satisfactory progress. However, in some aspects of some subjects, such as in learning about control and modelling in information and communication technology, or in the development of their composition

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

skills in music, progress is unsatisfactory. Where standards are below national expectations, pupils do not achieve as well as they could and progress is unsatisfactory.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

9. Pupils with special educational needs, including those with statements, make satisfactory progress in meeting their targets in language acquisition, mathematical skills, improved behaviour and enhanced social and personal development. They achieve satisfactorily as a result of the satisfactory or better teaching of literacy and numeracy in most classes that takes account of the targets that pupils have reached in their individual education plans. Pupils also receive good levels of support with their work from the support assistants and part-time special needs teacher. In science and the non-core subjects, where pupils are required to make written responses, the teachers do not always adapt work sufficiently to enable pupils to make the best possible progress. In these lessons, there is usually no additional support for the pupils with special educational needs and, without adapted work, the pupils sometimes fail to

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

Grassmoor Primary School - 14 complete the tasks that have been set for the whole class, which leads to slower than expected progress.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

10. Those pupils who are at the early stages of learning English make satisfactory progress in the continued development of their learning, understanding and use of English. At present, the school is more effective in ensuring that higher attaining pupils at Key Stage 2 make the progress of which they are capable than those at Key Stage 1, where too much of their learning is similar to that planned for other pupils in the class. The National Curriculum data indicates a mixed picture of attainment between the boys and girls. At Key Stage 2, in literacy in particular, girls achieved higher standards than the boys. Inspection evidence did indicate a similar pattern of attainment with evidence suggesting, for example, that girls take far greater care with the presentation of their work than the boys.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

11. The school has worked hard and has been successful in raising the numbers of pupils reaching the expected and higher levels in National Curriculum tests since 1997. The school does set challenging targets in English and mathematics at Key Stage 2. These are regularly reviewed and raised in the light of pupils’ performance during the course of an academic year. These are sufficiently challenging and based on the good knowledge and understanding that teachers have of the academic potential of the pupils.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

12. Pupils’ attitudes to the school are good and they show enthusiasm for most activities, as is clearly demonstrated by the number who attend and the keenness they show for the wide range of extra-curricular activities. In class, pupils are keen to speak and participate and teachers have little difficulty evoking a response. A similar interest and willingness to respond was seen in assemblies. Pupils’ attitudes to work have been maintained since the last inspection.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

13. Behaviour is generally good in class, around the school and in the playground. The exception to this good behaviour was seen in some classes when some pupils, who are primarily boys who sometimes behave in an immature and silly manner. Most teachers quickly deal with such lapses. At the time of the last inspection oppressive behaviour was a problem. Although this occasionally persists, this has largely been eradicated as a result of a concerted effort by the school involving many imaginative methods, such as teaching playground games, training lunchtime supervisors, having a discreet box to leave notes in to the Deputy Head, and involving the members of the School Council as people to approach. Pupils understand the effect of their actions on others and are continually made aware, in class, assembly or in displays, of these responsibilities. Pupils respect property and respect their peers’ feelings. They let other

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

pupils have their say in class and respect the views expressed, with the result that many frank and thoughtful contributions are made. 14. The good relationships are strengths in the school – between pupils and between pupils and all adults. Initiative shown by pupils is satisfactory and pupils enjoy taking responsibility when this is offered. The ultimate example of this is the very successful School Council, now in its third year, where very serious debate takes place on school issues of interest to the pupils. However, the nature of the school building severely restricts pupils’ personal development, as there is a lack of space for pupils to work in an independent manner or to work in small groups to follow their own lines of enquiry.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

15. Attendance is satisfactory and just below the National average with unauthorised absence just above National figures. Some lateness that impacts on the smooth start of the day is evident. Grassmoor Primary School - 15

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

16. When the school was last inspected by HMI in 2000, teaching was judged to be satisfactory overall, although some shortcomings were identified in how children in the Reception class were taught. Evidence from the current inspection indicates that there is variation in the quality of teaching but that overall it is satisfactory. The teaching of children in the Reception class has improved and is now satisfactory. There is a greater proportion of good and very good teaching in the upper part of Key Stage 2 and this has a strong impact on the rate of progress pupils make and the standards they attain. This reflects the increased emphasis placed by the leadership of the school in raising pupils’ achievements in end of Key Stage 2 National Curriculum tests. In the lessons observed during the inspection, the quality of teaching of was very good in 5% of the 56 lessons observed, good in a further 38%, and satisfactory in 48%.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

Unsatisfactory teaching was evident in 9% of lessons. These were largely in Key Stage 2.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

17. The teaching of the basic skills of literacy is good and pupils make effective progress in using these skills in the course of their everyday work. However, teachers do not have high enough expectations of how pupils should present their work and pupils make insufficient gains in their learning of the importance of careful presentation as they move through each of the classes. The school has not yet devised a clear strategy to ensure pupils’ literacy skills are effectively developed through other subjects and there are not enough opportunities for pupils to practise their writing skills through other subjects of the curriculum. The teaching of basic numeracy skills is satisfactory and greater links are made with some other subjects in the promotion of pupils’ understanding of how numeracy plays an important part in their everyday learning. In many classrooms, teachers make good use of various labels, posters, and captions to

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

reinforce pupils’ learning of basic rules of punctuation, common spelling patterns or the rules of number.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

18. The teaching of children in the Foundation Stage is satisfactory overall with strengths in the teaching of reading and writing and knowledge and understanding of the world. Teachers have a satisfactory knowledge and understanding of what interests young children and plan an appropriate mixture of interesting activities for children to help them learn in the Reception class. In the Nursery class, the teacher has a good understanding of the needs and interests of young children, and there is a stronger emphasis on learning through practical and play activities. In both classes, the management of the children is good and all staff actively engage with children in many aspects of their learning. Teachers and teaching assistants collaborate well together, and the teaching assistants make a valuable contribution to children’s learning.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

19. At Key Stage 1 and 2, teachers have a secure knowledge and understanding of most of the subjects that they teach. Since the last inspection, good progress has been made in raising teachers’ confidence and understanding of how information and communication technology can be used to support teaching and the teaching of information and communication technology is satisfactory. There are still, however, some instances where the use of information and communication technology in daily lessons could be more purposeful and effective. The teaching of design and technology and geography in both key stages is hampered by some teachers’ lack of knowledge in teaching the basic skills in these subjects. In music at Key Stage 2, teaching is currently unsatisfactory owing to some teachers’ lack of confidence in the teaching of musical appraisal and composition. The teaching of all other subjects is satisfactory.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

Grassmoor Primary School - 16 20. At Key Stage 1, teaching is satisfactory overall, although better in one class. Classrooms are organised well, despite their limitations in terms of size, and teachers work hard to ensure that displays are bright and attractive in order to enhance the quality of the pupils’ learning environment. Explanations to pupils are clear and this ensures that pupils understand what they have to do in the time set. In all classes, pupils are managed well and the relationship between teachers and pupils are often positive and a strong rapport is very much evident. Where teaching is good rather than satisfactory, lessons tend to be more briskly paced and the challenge for the pupils and teachers’ expectations of them are higher. A shortcoming in teaching is the way in which work for higher attaining pupils is planned. In many lessons, work is not always sufficiently matched to the higher levels as outlined in the National Curriculum. As a

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

result, higher attaining pupils are not sufficiently challenged and do not make the progress of which they are capable. The work that is planned for them in science, for example, is often undemanding and too few pupils are taught to record the results of their investigation work in a variety of ways.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

21. Teaching is satisfactory in Key Stage 2, although there is a greater amount of good and very good teaching in Years 5 and 6. At Key Stage 2, pupils are grouped according to their ability for the teaching of English and mathematics and this is having a strong impact on the rate of pupils’ learning. In Years 3 and 4, there is some variation in the quality of teaching, with some teachers having far more confidence and understanding of the most effective ways to teach some subjects than others. In one very good mathematics lesson, for example, the teacher started the lesson by asking pupils to tell her what they knew about the number 1360. Pupils responded well by using their knowledge and understanding of number to halve the number time and time again, reaching the fact that 85 was one sixteenth of the number. They realised that this was as far as one could securely progress because 85 is an odd number. The teacher

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

made good use of challenging questions and this helped to consolidate pupils’ understanding of the pattern inherent in number and of the various strategies that can be used to mentally solve a range of everyday mathematical problems. In Years 5 and 6, teachers often have high expectations of pupils and the planning of work takes into account more fully the range of attainment of pupils. Teachers often intervene in a thoughtful manner and skilfully ask questions of pupils designed to encourage them further in their thinking and this ensures a greater pace in lessons. Teachers at Key Stage 2 often use information and communication technology in a more creative and effective way than their colleagues at Key Stage 1 and pupils often make greater gains in their understanding of use of computers to support their learning.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

22. Whilst there is a greater proportion of good teaching at Key Stage 2, there is also too much unsatisfactory teaching. This is often due to the weak planning of work which does not move pupils on at a sufficient pace and in turn leads to weaker aspects of managing the behaviour of pupils, who often became restless as a result.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

23. In both key stages, homework is used appropriately to support, consolidate and extend what pupils learn in class. This often takes the form of reading in the Foundation Stage and more challenging work as pupils move through the school. Homework tasks are often geared to literacy and numeracy and there is little use of homework to support pupils’ learning in other subjects. At Key Stage 2, teachers are effective in how they mark pupils’ work as a way of improving their progress. At Key Stage 1, higher attaining pupils could benefit from more constructive comments in their written work.

p.16

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

24. The teaching of pupils with special educational needs is satisfactory overall, with some good and, occasionally, very good practice. The better teaching is found in those Grassmoor Primary School - 17 lessons where pupils receive additional support and the work is matched closely to their identified needs. This happens mainly in literacy and numeracy, where the help is most needed. The current organisation of setting pupils by ability for literacy and numeracy in Key Stage 2 is a positive advantage for the pupils with special educational needs because it makes the most effective use of the support staff and places them where they are most needed. However, in some lessons during the teaching of non- core subjects, such as art and design, pupils are withdrawn for additional support in literacy and numeracy. This restricts the opportunities they have to listen to the introductions to lessons and they do not always produce the same quantity of work on

p.16

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

their return to the class as their peers.

p.17

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

25. The quality of the curriculum lacks breadth and balance. The considerable emphasis given to English and mathematics on the timetable in both key stages, has resulted in reduced time for the other National Curriculum subjects and religious education, and this has adversely affected standards in some subjects. The taught curriculum lacks a degree of rigour and pupils’ knowledge and understanding is too often superficial and does not consistently extend higher attaining pupils.

p.17

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

26. The curriculum provided at the Foundation Stage is broad and appropriately balanced. It is correctly built around the ‘Early Learning Goals’, the curriculum for this age group. Teachers provide a satisfactory range of experiences across all the six areas of learning. The policy document for the Foundation Stage is out-of-date and does not reflect the improved provision in this area. The school is in the process of redrafting this documentation to reflect its current practice.

p.17

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

27. The curriculum includes all subjects of the National Curriculum and religious education based on the requirements of the locally agreed syllabus. The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority guidelines are being adopted to help teachers plan pupils’ learning in subjects other than English and mathematics.

p.17

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

28. The school makes satisfactory provision for pupils with special educational needs. The co-ordinators have identified the need to update the current policy for special educational needs, to reflect the recent changes to the Code of Practice. Pupils’ targets are reviewed regularly to assess not only their progress, but also to make sure that their needs are still being met. The targets in the individual education plans are clear and measurable, for example, ‘being able to read specific pages from a book and answer five questions independently’. The targets are linked well to the English and mathematics curriculum and pupils have benefited from the clear structure of the literacy and numeracy lessons. The annual reviews for pupils who have statements are up-to-date, with appropriate and clear targets. Most teachers and support staff are very aware of the needs of the pupils and make every effort to ensure that they have full

p.17

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

access to the same learning opportunities within the curriculum as the rest of the school. However, there are periods, particularly in the afternoon, when a few of the pupils with special educational needs are withdrawn from lessons for additional support. This support, although valuable, does not always match the focus of the lessons that the pupils are missing. It particularly applies to the group of ten pupils who attend the early intervention programme for three afternoons a week. These pupils are missing some important subjects of the curriculum. Grassmoor Primary School - 18 29. The school has implemented the requirements for the National Literacy and National Numeracy Strategies and the teaching and learning in nearly all the English and mathematics lessons observed is at least satisfactory and often good in upper Key Stage 2. However, the school has not planned systematically for the inclusion of

p.17

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

literacy and numeracy skills in other subjects, such as science, history and geography. The use of information and communication technology to reinforce pupils’ learning across the curriculum is underdeveloped.

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

30. The school provides its pupils with a very good range of extra-curricular activities. All pupils in both key stages take advantage of these opportunities both during the school day and after normal school hours. Sporting activities incorporate the traditional games and include both competitive activities and games for enjoyment. The school clubs and activities cater for a range of interests and include musical activities, board games, such as chess, and those concerned with skill development, such as the computer club. The very good range of extra-curricular activities makes a positive contribution to pupils’ social development. Visits and visitors to the school also enhance pupils' experiences of the world at large.

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

31. The provision made by the school to ensure equality of access and opportunities for all pupils is unsatisfactory. Groups of pupils are withdrawn from lessons for extra tuition in literacy and, as a consequence, they miss teaching in some subjects. The school has also identified the underachievement of boys, particularly in terms of their literacy development, but has not been effective in overcoming the problem. In come classes, notably in Key Stage 1, more able pupils are not being sufficiently challenged and teachers’ expectations are too low.

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

32. The school makes satisfactory provision for developing pupils’ personal, social and health education. The school has recognised the need to develop a personal and social education programme for the whole school and is developing a suitable programme based on ‘Circle Time’ activities. The curriculum satisfactorily promotes pupils’ knowledge and understanding of aspects, such as drug awareness and sex education. Parents are familiarised with the school’s sex education programme and the school nurse has discussed sensitive issues with older pupils. A healthy life style is promoted through the curriculum, for example, in physical education where pupils are made aware of the importance of exercise.

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

33. The school has good links with the community and is increasingly becoming involved in local activities. Good use is made of visits to the locality and of visitors to the school. During the inspection, a visitor presented an illustrated talk about her visits to Egypt and this was particularly well received by pupils and parents. It also enhanced pupils’ knowledge and understanding of Egypt and linked in effectively with their history topic on the ancient Egyptians. Good links also exist with other institutions. The school regularly welcomes teaching students from the local universities to undertake teaching practice at the school and pupils from the receiving secondary school assist with pupils’ reading.

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

34. Provision for pupils’ spiritual and cultural development has been maintained satisfactorily since the previous inspection, but the provision for moral and social has improved and is now good. The pupils are given time during collective worship to reflect quietly on the issues raised, such as the benefits the pupils enjoy in comparison to others less fortunate than themselves, and to join in with a prayer. Quiet areas and seating have been provided in the outside playing areas, which allow pupils to be alone or talk to a friend in a peaceful atmosphere if they so wish. School assemblies are quiet and orderly, with music played as the pupils enter and leave. However, there are Grassmoor Primary School - 19 missed opportunities through the different subjects of the curriculum to extend pupils’ spiritual development.

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

35. Good use is also made of assemblies in raising moral and social issues. For example, one morning the pupils were asked to consider the needs and feelings of the sad and lonely and to reflect on how easy it is to ignore their deprivations. The following day, School Council members enacted a short play about friendships in the playground as a practical example within the pupils’ own lives. A good emphasis is placed on moral behaviour and consideration for others. Pupils have a good understanding of right and wrong. There are many effective strategies in place to foster good behaviour and effort. A variety of group and individual awards are made each week and these and the school rules are displayed prominently in corridors and classrooms. One particularly interesting award, aimed at encouraging good behaviour at lunchtimes, is awarded by the mid-day assistants, two of whom attended an assembly to present certificates. At

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

the same time, the assistants set a specific behaviour target for a quieter lunch hour in the hall. Good opportunities are provided through a range of school clubs and extra- curricular activities and residential and day visits to promote social skills. Pupils’ perform monitorial duties throughout the day, such as collecting registers and dinner money, running a tuck shop and helping with the younger pupils in the playground and escorting them from one building to another.

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

36. Some opportunities are provided for pupils to develop an awareness and appreciation of other cultures. Music is played in assemblies, often utilising the expertise of the school guitar group. Visits are made to theatres, museums and other places of educational interest. Pupils were, for example, taken to the Dome during the Millennium Year. These experiences are providing them with insights into the British way of life and traditions, but not enough opportunities, are being provided for pupils to experience the richness of our multi-cultural society. They seldom, for example, listen to ethnic music or study the work of world famous artists and craftsmen. There is a display of African instruments in one corridor but there is an overall shortage of resources to promote and widen pupils’ cultural awareness.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

37. Procedures for ensuring pupils’ care and welfare are good and have improved since the last inspection. Child Protection issues are well handled and well understood by all staff. Health and safety issues are efficiently handled and monitored and include a close involvement by the Governors. Despite the old and unsuitable buildings and crowded areas, there are no immediate hazards that could constitute a risk to pupils’ day-to-day welfare.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

38. Particular attention has recently been focussed on instigating some very good procedures for monitoring and promoting good behaviour. Many initiatives exist for identifying and noting unacceptable behaviour such as the ‘Lunchtime Book’; and ‘Red and Yellow Cards’. Equally, there are numerous awards for good behaviour and recognition of thoughtful acts. Public displays recognise such marks of merit and public recognition of particularly good behaviour takes place at a weekly assembly. These schemes are understood and liked by pupils and undoubtedly help improve the everyday life of the school. Some bad behaviour is classed as totally unacceptable and carries automatic exclusion, which is used – a temporary exclusion was used this year.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

39. The many procedures for ending bullying have been mentioned and these are also well publicised in displays. Attendance is well monitored using the school’s computer Grassmoor Primary School - 20 systems with regular review and appropriate action taken weekly when needed.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

40. Personal support and guidance for all children is well delivered and is at the base of all the school is trying to achieve. Teachers know the children well and are well aware of their individual strengths and weaknesses. Where problems are identified, there are several initiatives, beyond the normal Special Educational Needs work, to assist, such as the thriving ‘Rainbow Group’ on three afternoons a week. The school is one that is highly caring for its pupils.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

41. Pupils’ pastoral care is given a high profile in the school and outside agencies are used regularly to provide a wide and effective range of services and support. The school has valued recently the support from the health department for its pupils with speech and hearing difficulties. The class teacher and special needs co-ordinators set appropriate targets for the pupils. The assessment and recording processes that are part of the strategies for all pupils are also used in assessing the progress of pupils with special educational needs. The teachers and specialised staff from the local authority sometimes carry out more specific tests to identify pupils who might need additional support and when pupils are showing limited progress or are moving up a stage in the Code of Practice.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

42. The school has continued to build on the good procedures for assessment that were noted at the HMI inspection of the school in 2000. The arrangements are good in English and mathematics and satisfactory in science. However, there is less effective use of assessment information in some other subjects. Regular formal and informal testing is carried out and provides a useful amount of data so that the progress pupils are making can be monitored effectively. From this information pupils are given individual targets to work towards in their writing and reading and are set into ability groups for the literacy and numeracy lessons. The scores from tests are tracked in order to identify where additional support needs to be provided for pupils who are not doing as well as they could be. However, the information that this provides is not always used successfully to guide and inform the learning of higher attaining pupils,

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

particularly at Key Stage 1. 43. Satisfactory progress has been made in some classes in making assessment a more secure part of everyday teaching and learning and in using the information to assist with future planning. In the best teaching, particularly at Key Stage 2, the teachers have a clear knowledge of what pupils can and cannot do. They use the results of their assessments effectively and plan their work successfully to meet the needs of individual pupils. However, these systems are not yet clearly embedded in practice throughout the school. In particular they are not being used enough to challenge the more able pupils in Key Stage 1, and to make sure that work for them extends their learning rather than just reinforcing it. Similarly in lessons other than English and mathematics, and particularly in science, the work for the lower attaining pupils is not adapted enough at times for them to be able to complete it successfully and make

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

enough progress. Marking is thorough in celebrating pupils’ achievements but the comments are not helping pupils to develop further and are not usually linked closely enough to the targets that have been set in English or to the objective of the lesson to be sufficiently useful in measuring progress.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

44. Parents have positive views about the school, appreciating especially the care taken of their children on a day-to-day basis. They also appreciate the ‘Open Door’ policy and the ease of access to all teachers. Grassmoor Primary School - 21 45. A limited number of parents are closely involved in the day to day work of the school, but these few have a strong impact on the work of the school. Many of the Governors are parents; others help in school with reading, classroom support, making teaching artefacts, (including the splendid ‘Story Sacks’ and ‘Play and Learn Sacks’), helping on school visits, or swimming and with some extra-curricular activities. There is no parents’ organisation for fund raising but a nucleus of active parents always responds to requests for help.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

46. The school has, worked hard to try to involve more parents in many ways including community projects, events on curriculum issues and some ‘Keep up with the Kids’ courses. More initiatives are planned, including a ‘Dads and Lads’ event to try and involve more fathers in the education of their children The school has been successful in getting most parents to the termly parents’ consultation sessions.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

47. The parents of children with special educational needs are invited to attend regular meetings to discuss the progress and achievements of their children. The school is very keen to work in partnership with parents and although there is a satisfactory level of involvement overall, it is better at Key Stage 1. Within the pupils’ individual education plans there is a section that describes the kind of support that would be helpful at home, such as helping with specific spellings, reading or learning tables. There are some good links with the parents of pupils with behavioural difficulties and the school works hard with them to achieve a consistency of approach in dealing with their behaviour at home and at school which has had a positive impact on the rate of pupils’ learning.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

48. Communications between school and home are satisfactory. These comprise a half- termly newsletter, letters as needed and some class letters on work being tackled in projects. Reports to parents are satisfactory, if somewhat brief and do not always include targets for improvement. English targets are sent home each half term and parents are invited to a special assembly for meeting targets. Parents expressed satisfaction with end of year reports. As with other areas, parents’ impact on homework and reading is varied, but several parents do make a significant contribution to their children’s’ learning and the school are working to enhance this impact.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

49. The leadership and management of the school are satisfactory. The headteacher has worked hard to improve the quality of education at the school and she provides good leadership and a clear direction to the school’s work. Much of her effort has been centred on raising expectations at the school in order to raise the performance of pupils in end of key stage National Curriculum tests, particularly at Key Stage 2. This has resulted in a marked increase in the numbers of pupils reaching the expected levels in the tests and this progress has been at a higher rate higher than that seen nationally. However, progress in terms of raising standards at Key Stage 1 has been less marked and pupils with higher attainments in particular are not achieving at the level of which they are capable. The headteacher has a clear idea of where improvements to the quality of pupils’ learning could still be made and what needs to be done to achieve

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

50. Some teachers have responded well to the raised expectations of them by the headteacher and they provide a clear lead in driving forward developments in some subjects such as information and communication technology. However, other staff do Grassmoor Primary School - 22 not always demonstrate sufficient leadership in their areas of responsibility. The role of the deputy headteacher is not effective in raising standards, although he has a very good understanding of the pastoral needs of the pupils and works hard to ensure pupils are well cared for and supported by all staff. The deputy headteacher’s responsibilities are not always allocated to ensure that the role can have the biggest impact on the quality of education. For example, part of the role includes monitoring weekly attendance levels and while this is done well it could be more cost effectively undertaken by an administrative assistant. At present, the deputy headteacher does not

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

have a full time class teaching commitment but does support teachers in lessons. However, in light of the school’s financial situation, the cost-effectiveness and implications of this arrangement need to be fully evaluiated by the governors, to ensure that the best value is gained from the management input of the role.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

51. There are co-ordinators in place for all areas of the curriculum. Much recent work has been undertaken by them to review the support materials to assist teachers in planning pupils’ learning. The impact of this work is too recent to have had a significant impact on standards, especially at Key Stage 1. While co-ordinators are supportive of colleagues, there is a need, already identified by the school, to extend the impact and scope of the co-ordinators’ role so that they play a more active part in monitoring teaching and learning and raising standards. The monitoring of teaching and learning does take place but this has largely been in English and mathematics. The school is also making more use of assessment data in planning improvements and in identifying where groups of pupils are under-achieving. For example, the school has rightly identified that over time that boys at Key Stage 2 have not achieved as highly as the

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

girls in literacy. New measures introduced into both key stages to raise the status and importance of writing are starting to impact on the better progress being made by the boys generally. However, while the monitoring of teaching provides useful information as to the effectiveness of teaching, good practice is not always shared. In addition, the monitoring of pupils’ work has not been fully effective in identifying weaknesses, for example in the presentation of some pupils’ work.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

52. The quality of the school development has significantly improved since the last inspection and is a useful document that is regularly evaluated to gauge how much progress is being made. The plan highlights the need to raise standards and achievement generally, but too little attention is paid in the document to how the under- achievement by higher attaining pupils is to be addressed. Other priorities, including raising standards in writing, developing pupils’ literacy skills in other subjects and improving pupils’ progress in using information and communication technology relate well to the school’s immediate and medium term needs.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

53. Governors have significantly improved the role they play in the life and development of the school since the last inspection and they have effectively developed their role in holding the school to account for the quality of education it provides. Many governors are frequent visitors to the school and work alongside and support teachers in certain lessons. This gives them a good awareness of the school’s work as well as to helping to develop positive relationships with many of the staff and pupils. Governors meet regularly and their committee structure helps them to fulfil their statutory responsibilities. Governors articulate a strong commitment to the principles of equality of opportunity and to ensuring that all pupils are fully included in all parts of school life. However, day-to-day practice suggests that this is not always carried through. In attempting to ensure that all pupils make sufficient progress in the development of their

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

literacy and numeracy skills, some pupils receive additional support when they are withdrawn from lessons other than literacy and numeracy. These pupils do not Grassmoor Primary School - 23 therefore get the same access to the other subjects of the curriculum as their classmates and they miss important sessions in other subjects.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

54. The school’s financial procedures are satisfactory. The day-to-day management of the budget has been delegated by the governors to the headteacher who is supported well in this task by the school secretary. There has been recent pressure on the budget during a period where the numbers have fallen and the school has had to use its accrued reserve to maintain its staffing levels. However, both the headteacher and the governors are keenly aware that this was a short-term situation and plans are in place to re-formulate the staffing structure and profile to bring these more in line with the overall budget during the forthcoming financial year. Governors do keep a close overview on the school’s spending, and guidelines and procedures are in place to help ensure that the best value principles are observed when making spending decisions. The Governing Body has evaluated, for example, the quality of various support

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

packages offered by the local education authority to determine the value for money they offer. Nonetheless, the school does not have sufficiently rigorous procedures to help it gauge the cost effectiveness of spending decisions in terms of the impact on pupils’ learning. For example, while the deputy headteacher provides non-teaching time for co- ordinators, their role and effectiveness in evaluating teaching and learning in their subjects of responsibility is under-developed. In addition to the school’s basic budget, the school receives additional grants, including funding for pupils with special educational needs and to support staff development. These are used well to support pupils’ learning. Staff training is regular and linked to planned whole school developments. Arrangements for the performance management of teachers have been suitably developed but the impact of this work in terms of improving the pace of pupils’

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

learning and the standards they attain has yet to be fully realised, particularly at Key Stage 1.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

55. The management and organisation of the provision for pupils with special educational are satisfactory. The co-ordinators perform their roles satisfactorily and ensure that all pupils with special educational needs receive the support that they need. However, no time has been allocated for co-ordinators to monitor and review the teaching and learning of pupils in order to identify and focus support in the areas of teaching that are less successful. There has been no specific training for the support staff, other than that provided by the teachers in the classroom. Although there is no specific special needs room, a quiet area can usually be found in the library. Resources are adequate to meet the individual needs of pupils in planning appropriate work. The funds available to the school are used appropriately to promote the school’s priorities for special educational needs. Recently a computerised program was purchased for the co-

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

ordinators, to help them manage the process of writing the individual education plans more effectively.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

56. The school has a sufficient number of suitably qualified teachers to match the demands of the National Curriculum. There are eleven full time teachers including the headteacher and deputy, and one part time teacher. Owing to illness of another member of staff, the part-time teacher currently has a full-time class commitment and the Headteacher and the deputy headteacher are filling in for her part-time role. Co- ordinators’ roles are matched as closely as possible to teachers’ qualifications and experience. The school has recently increased the number of teaching assistants to provide additional support to teachers in many of the classes. This increase has included more support for the Reception class to help improve the quality of education for this age group, which was a key issue in the last inspection report. This is having a strong impact on learning. The rest of the teaching assistants support the Nursery

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

class, individual classes or pupils with special needs. Two of them have suitable Grassmoor Primary School - 24 qualifications, two are currently studying to gain a suitable qualification, and three are unqualified. All staff, including teaching assistants, have recently attended training courses to support whole-school issues and promote individual expertise.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

57. The accommodation is poor. Improvement of accommodation was a key issue at the time of the last inspection. The school has improved the playground by better playground markings, a soft play area for the Foundation Stage and the building of a quiet seating area, which won a ‘Partnership for the Environment’ award. The school occupies five separate buildings including two of a temporary nature, one of which is in a poor state of repair. The school has very limited administration accommodation with no permanent staff room as staff share a mobile that is also used to support pupils with special educational needs. The hall is very small for the number of pupils using it and the library is unwelcoming and cold. Also, as the library is in the Key Stage 2 building, pupils from Key Stage 1 cannot use it freely. Only two classrooms have a sink and running water, making it difficult to teach art and design and the practical elements of

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

subjects such as design and technology. There is limited space for the withdrawal of small groups of pupils other than in the basement, which has a very low ceiling and can be entered only by going outside the main building. The accommodation is in a poor state of repair, with window frames needing replacing and rewiring also needed. The school is expecting these repairs to be done shortly. The Governing Body and headteacher have worked tirelessly to seek improvements to the school fabric and continue to do so.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

58. Resources are satisfactory in most subjects. In art, design and technology and music, resources are unsatisfactory, and this has a negative impact on pupils’ attainment and progress in these subjects. Suitable and sufficient storage of equipment is lacking in many parts of the school and in some classroom the furniture is old and worn. At the time of the last inspection resources for the pupils under five were inadequate; they are now satisfactory.

p.24

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

59. In order to improve the quality of pupils’ learning further, the headteacher, governors and staff should:

p.24

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(1) Improve the leadership and management of the school by ensuring that:

p.24

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• the role of the deputy headteacher is more effective; • the role of the co-ordinators is more effective in monitoring teaching and learning.

p.24

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(paragraphs – 50, 51, 55, 94, 101, 103, 109, 114, 120, 16, 132, 149) Grassmoor Primary School - 25 (2) Raise standards in English at the end of both key stages by ensuring

p.24

that:

• Pupils are given sufficiently challenging work that reflects their ages and abilities; • more effective use is made of the school library to support pupils’ literacy development; • pupils’ literacy skills are developed through other subjects; • steps are taken to improve the boys’ performance in literacy to a level that is comparable to that of the girls; • teachers’ expectations of how pupils present their work are raised.

p.25

that:

(paragraphs – 3, 4, 7, 10, 17, 29, 51, 52, 76, 77, 78, 81, 84, 85, 97, 125, 128, 138)

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that:

(3) Raise standards in mathematics and science by the end of Key Stage 1

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by ensuring that:

• higher attaining pupils are suitably challenged; • key skills are promoted through other subjects; • the work planned for pupils is appropriately matched to their age and ability; • greater use is made of assessment information in planning pupils’ subsequent learning.

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by ensuring that:

(paragraphs – 3, 20, 25, 86, 88, 89, 91, 96, 98, 102)

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by ensuring that:

(4) Improve the quality of curriculum planning so that:

p.25

by ensuring that:

• all subjects are allocated an appropriate amount of time; • pupils who are given additional support in literacy and numeracy receive equal access to the full curriculum.

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by ensuring that:

(paragraphs –9, 24, 25, 28, 53, 108, 110, 115, 121)

p.25

by ensuring that:

(5) Raise standards in geography and design and technology at both key

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stages and in music at Key Stage 2 by planning improvements that will:

• raise teachers’ confidence in using a wider range of software to improve pupils’ learning; • ensure that teachers make more effective use of assessment in planning the next steps in pupils’ learning; • improve resources for design and technology; • ensure that information and communication technology is used more effectively in other subjects.

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stages and in music at Key Stage 2 by planning improvements that will:

(paragraphs – 8, 19, 43, 110 – 114, 115 – 119, 133, 134, 136, 137) Grassmoor Primary School - 26 Grassmoor Primary School - 27

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 25

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactor y Poor Very Poor

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

The table gives the number and percentage of lessons observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about teaching. When the total number is substantially less than 100,care should be taken when interpreting these percentages as each lesson represents more than three percentage points.

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery YR – Y6

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 23 271

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 0 64

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Information about the school’s pupils

Special educational needs Nursery YR – Y6

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs - 51

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register - 6

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Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 6

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 21

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 24

p.27

Attendance

School data 5.4 School data 0.9 Grassmoor Primary School - 28 National comparative data 5.6 National comparative data 0.5

p.27

Attendance

Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Grassmoor Primary School - 29

p.28

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

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2001 18 16 34

p.29

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

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

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

Boys 15 16 18 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 13 14 16

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

Percentage of pupils School 82 (89) 88 (89) 100 (89) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (83) 86 (84) 91 (90)

p.29

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

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

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

Boys 14 16 16 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 14 16 16

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

Percentage of pupils School 82 (89) 94 (89) 94 (91) at NC level 2 or above National 85 (84) 89 (88) 89 (88)

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

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

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

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 2001 17 19 36

p.29

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

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

p.29

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

Boys 6 12 12 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 19 16 18

p.29

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

Percentage of pupils School 69 (59) 78 (78) 83 (81) at NC level 4 or above National 75 (75) 71 (72) 87 (85)

p.29

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

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.29

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

Boys 6 11 11 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 16 17 17

p.29

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

Percentage of pupils School 61 (69) 78 (69) 78 (75) at NC level 4 or above National 72 (70) 74 (72) 82 (79)

p.29

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

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Grassmoor Primary School - 30

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage - Black – Caribbean heritage - -

p.30

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – African heritage - Black – African heritage - -

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Any other minority ethnic group - Other minority ethnic groups - -

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

p.30

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 11.6 Financial year 2000/01

p.30

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 23.3

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total income 574 979

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 6 Total expenditure 546 479

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 131 Expenditure per pupil 1 792

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Qualified teachers and support staff: nursery Balance brought forward from previous year 38 726

p.30

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 1 Balance carried forward to next year 67 226

p.30

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 23

p.30

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 1

p.30

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 33

p.30

Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 0

p.30

Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 1

p.30

Recruitment of teachers

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 0

p.30

Recruitment of teachers

Number of vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of a term or more (FTE) 0

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of unfilled vacancies or vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of less than one term (FTE) 0 Grassmoor Primary School - 31 FTE means full-time equivalent. Grassmoor Primary School - 32

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Questionnaire return rate

Percentage of responses in each category

p.32

Questionnaire return rate

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

p.32

Questionnaire return rate

My child is making good progress in school. 56 38 6 0 0

p.32

Questionnaire return rate

Behaviour in the school is good. 33 52 12 0 3

p.32

Questionnaire return rate

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 36 50 14 0 0

p.32

Questionnaire return rate

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 44 41 11 0 4

p.32

Questionnaire return rate

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 60 28 6 6 0

p.32

Questionnaire return rate

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 67 33 0 0 0

p.32

Questionnaire return rate

The school works closely with parents. 31 53 16 0 0

p.32

Questionnaire return rate

The school is well led and managed. 53 39 3 0 5

p.32

Questionnaire return rate

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 44 44 9 0 3

p.32

Questionnaire return rate

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 50 36 6 3 5

p.32

Other issues raised by parents

A significant number of parents expressed great concerns about the nature of the school’s accommodation. Grassmoor Primary School - 33 Grassmoor Primary School - 34

p.32

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

60. The provision for the youngest children has improved since the last inspection when provision for the under-fives was unsatisfactory. It is now satisfactory. The Nursery class provides a good start to children’s education. The children start full-time education with broadly average attainment. They make satisfactory progress in the Nursery and Reception classes and by the time they move to Year 1, the majority of children achieve the Early Learning Goals, in the areas of communication, language and literacy, mathematical development, knowledge and understanding of the world, personal, social and emotional, creative and physical development and a substantial minority will have exceeded the Early Learning Goal in reading.

p.34

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

61. The school has successfully developed the curriculum for children in the Foundation Stage since the previous inspection. An attractive outside play area complements provision well, although this is more easily accessible for children in the Nursery class than for the children in the Reception class. However, these children do use this area at intermittent points of the week. The quality of teaching overall is satisfactory and both teachers make good use of structured play to enrich the quality of children’s learning. The school is making increased use of assessment information to plan the next steps in children’s learning. Children are well managed and the good relationships between the adults and children ensure that the children are made to feel secure in their first few terms at the school. Children who have special educational needs are identified early and are given effective support to ensure that they make comparable progress to their

p.34

Personal, social and emotional development

62. Teaching and learning in this area of the curriculum are satisfactory. Children join the school with a very wide range of personal and social development and overall their personal and social skills are not as strong as their other skills. Well-organised induction procedures ensure that most children start school confidently. Staff develop this sense of confidence and independence well in the Nursery class. They give children very clear instructions about the wide and interesting range of activities available, and allow children plenty of scope to make their own choices. Children confidently use name cards and pockets to put them in to indicate the number who can share particular toys at any one time. In the Reception class, children are given some satisfactory opportunities for free choice and independence, but the teacher sometimes over-directs their activities rather than informing and inspiring them. As a result, the

p.34

Personal, social and emotional development

children sometimes do not concentrate and they gain too little from this independent time. The range of activities given to children is not always sufficiently inspiring or significantly different from that available in the Nursery class and some activities do not push the children’s learning on as well as they could.

p.34

Personal, social and emotional development

63. Teachers in both classes, have high expectations of the children and the children are helped to have positive attitudes to learning and to one another. Children generally behave very well, helped by good reminders from staff to share, take turns and be kind to one another. For example, when children in the Nursery class are selecting musical instruments they want to play, they choose and share, with help, the most popular ones as a matter of course. This happens in the Reception class too, when old toys are Grassmoor Primary School - 35 brought in to show the difference between old and new. Children of all abilities, including those with special educational needs, make satisfactory progress in this area of learning and by the time they enter Year 1, they achieve the Early Learning Goals.

p.34

Personal, social and emotional development

64. Children are beginning to establish effective relationships with adults and other children. Staff generally provide good role-models for the children and work together well, providing good praise and encouragement. Children’s achievements are celebrated and displayed satisfactorily.

p.35

Communication, language and literacy

65. In both classes, adults give good attention to the teaching of communication, language and literacy, and the children make good progress. At the end of the Foundation Stage, children achieve the Early Learning Goals in this aspect of their learning.

p.35

Communication, language and literacy

66. The children make good progress in developing their reading skills and are likely exceed the early learning goals in this aspect of their work by the time they enter Year 1. Quite a few of the reception children are already, half way through the school year, reading simple books and achieving level 1 of the national curriculum. Elements of the national literacy framework are used well by both teaching and non-teaching staff to promote the children’s reading skills. Children are given regular opportunities in small groups to talk about books, and they begin to use picture clues to understand and read the text. They are appropriately encouraged to take books home. The good teaching in this area is having a positive impact upon children’s attainment and progress.

p.35

Communication, language and literacy

67. Children are given satisfactory opportunities to talk and communicate, with good opportunities being provided in role-play situation; for example, a ‘Chinese Restaurant’ in the Nursery class and a ‘Dolls Hospital’ in the Reception class. In the Reception class the teacher promotes speaking and listening well through organising the children to work in pairs; for example, to identify numbers on a card or jointly build simple words using a ‘word wheel’. By the end of the Foundation Stage, most of the children communicate successfully about a range of topics. Teachers provide many good opportunities for children to listen to and enjoy stories by reading a wide range of books such as ‘The Billy Goats Gruff’, acting the story out, with children taking the characters to reinforce the sequence of the story. Children know that the story must start with ‘One day’ or ‘Once upon a time’ and that it needs a happy ending. They are gaining

p.35

Communication, language and literacy

satisfactory knowledge about letter sounds. Teaching and support staff regularly reinforce phonics in their work with children. In the Reception class, many children can identify initial sounds but are not familiar with the letter names, as staff do not stress them. The more able children are starting to be able to build words successfully and beginning to spell words for themselves in their writing.

p.35

Communication, language and literacy

68. Staff try hard to ensure that children are confident writers, willing to have a try to develop their writing skills. To this end, staff provide regular opportunities and encouragement to draw and play at writing in the Nursery class. This is built on in the Reception class to enable children to write for themselves. Teachers have a good system for record keeping and setting individual targets, which is working well and helping to raise standards. Standards of attainment are good for higher-attaining children. Staff provide good, regular opportunities for children to write and practise, using their whiteboards. However, sometimes the gaps between opportunities to write in sentences are too long for skills to be remembered and successfully built on. Also, while adults give good attention to correct letter formation in whole-class sessions, when children write for themselves letters are often incorrectly formed. Consequently,

p.35

Communication, language and literacy

Grassmoor Primary School - 36 some pupils enter Key Stage 1 unable to write with any gaps between their words, and many with letters formed incorrectly.

p.36

Mathematical development

69. The children make satisfactory progress and are on target to reach the Early Learning Goals in their mathematical development by the time they enter Key Stage 1. A substantial minority of children will exceed this standard, especially in the areas of recognition and ordering of numbers and knowledge of shape names. The quality of teaching in this area is satisfactory. A few higher attaining children are beginning to show awareness of number operations such ‘one more’ or ‘two more’ and these children have made good progress over their time in the two classes. Children join in counting rhymes and songs, which they sing with enjoyment, and they learn appropriate mathematical vocabulary for full and half-full when playing with water and sand. They are encouraged appropriately to write numerals and to identify when one number is higher or lower than another. In the Nursery class, children are given good

p.36

Mathematical development

opportunities to sort toys into long and tall categories. Younger children find this difficult to do despite good reminders and encouragement to spread their arms to illustrate ‘long’ and the teacher’s constant reinforcement of the concept with different lengths of creatures.

p.36

Mathematical development

70. Overall, teaching and learning are satisfactory, but often introductions are too long and the pace is too slow, with the teacher doing too much of the work. Sometimes, when working as a whole class, not all of the children are given the opportunity to contribute, so some children lose focus. Nor are children given sufficient practice at an activity, such as ordering numerals, before moving on to another activity. Staff sometimes miss opportunities to challenge children to make the next step in their learning, such as counting on from where they are rather than starting from ‘1’ again. The teachers have evolved a good record keeping system for the children’s achievements but no individual or group targets are set.

p.36

Knowledge and understanding of the world

71. Teaching of knowledge and understanding of the world is good. Children come to school with a fair knowledge of the world around them, and they make good progress. By the time they start in Year 1, children attain the Early Learning Goals. Adults prepare interesting opportunities for this area of learning and children gain good knowledge from it. For example, children heard from a visitor about old toys. They handled them and compared them with new toys that they had been encouraged to bring from home that day. They prepared vegetables for a ‘stir fry’ and tasted it when it was made. Children learn about their immediate surroundings and have a satisfactory knowledge about their school and what it contains. They also discuss their homes and families confidently, but few of the younger children have strong understanding about places that are not local or in the recent past. Opportunities are missed to introduce children to natural

p.36

Knowledge and understanding of the world

72. Information technology is used satisfactorily to raise the children’s awareness of the importance that computers can play to support their learning. In using the mouse, children make gains in their knowledge of words about movements relating to position. They work independently on programs that help counting and the leaning of rhyming words. Even the children who only started in the Nursery class this term make an attempt without adult support.

p.36

Physical development

Grassmoor Primary School - 37 73. Satisfactory progress is made in the development of children’s physical skills. By the time they enter Year 1, most children achieve the Early Learning Goals. The newly enlarged soft outdoor play area outside the Nursery class, with its satisfactory range of wheeled and other play equipment, helps the children’s physical development satisfactorily. Children from the Reception class are taken in small groups to use this good facility. Both classes use the school hall regularly for physical education and dance giving them further opportunities to develop their physical skills.

p.37

Physical development

74. Children have satisfactory control over their bodies and handle small tools such as pencils, crayons, paintbrushes and a computer mouse with satisfactory dexterity. They control their own space when moving around, generally avoiding bumping into one another. In the Nursery class, they are given some good experiences to develop skills in manipulation. For example, they use knives for cutting up vegetables safely and with good success. In the Reception class, children manipulate paint-brushes to paint the story of the Three Billy Goats Gruff. Their manipulation skills are average. The quality of teaching in this area is satisfactory.

p.37

Creative development

75. Children make satisfactory progress in their creative development, and by the time they leave the Reception class they achieve the Early Learning Goals. Teaching is satisfactory overall. In the Nursery class, a good range of opportunities is provided for children to develop their early music skills. They sing many different songs that promote their understanding of sounds and amounts. Each week they all play musical instruments, trying hard to play loudly or softly when the instruction card, a sun shape, is moved up and down by the teacher. Staff provide a satisfactory range of activities for art and craft for pupils to learn how to explore colour, shape and texture. In the Reception class, paint and drawing implements are the only creative materials freely available, and there is little evidence of three-dimensional work. Learning is supported soundly by classroom displays, such as winter patterns, trains made by sticking on

p.37

Creative development

shapes, or painted pictures of toys in a toy shop.

p.37

ENGLISH

76. Although standards in English are improving throughout the school, the 2001 National Curriculum tests show that attainment, at the end of both key stages, remains below the national average. These findings were confirmed during the inspection and are similar to those of the inspection conducted in March 2000. When the 2001 test results are compared with similar schools they show that the pupils’ performance at the end of both key stages is close to the average. Although improvements to standards in writing have been made, particularly in Years 5 and 6, this aspect of the English curriculum remains the weakest and progress throughout the school is unsatisfactory. Progress in reading and speaking and listening is satisfactory, but there are a significant number of pupils, particularly among the higher attaining pupils who could do better, especially in Key Stage 1. Pupils with special educational needs make satisfactory progress, as do

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ENGLISH

the few pupils who have English as an additional language. The performance of girls in Year 6 remains above that of the boys, especially in how they present their work and in reading, but the introduction of more suitable reading material and the raising of teachers’ awareness of the boys’ achievement issue is improving the situation. 77. Most pupils’ speaking and listening skills are satisfactory. They listen carefully to questions and instructions and respond confidently and appropriately. By the time they Grassmoor Primary School - 38 leave Key Stage 1, the majority of pupils speak grammatically, focusing well on essential points, but do not always provide sufficient detail or use a varied and imaginative vocabulary. Pupils in Key Stage 2 make satisfactory progress and by the end of Year 6 most pupils speak fluently in well-constructed sentences, but many still fail to communicate their ideas using lively, exciting, language. The limited use of a

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ENGLISH

wide vocabulary, in both key stages, impacts on standards in writing. Teachers are careful to introduce correct specialist vocabulary but in most classes they do not sufficiently encourage and enthuse pupils to become more adventurous and imaginative in their use of language. Some opportunities are provided for pupils to develop their communication skills through role-play and drama activities, and to engage in discussions where they exchange opinions with others, but not all teachers capitalise on the potential learning opportunities provided by these interactions.

p.38

ENGLISH

78. Overall pupils in Key Stage 1 make satisfactory progress. However, for some, especially the higher attaining pupils where the teachers’ expectations of what they can achieve are often too low, progress is unsatisfactory. The pupils are introduced to a range of graded reading books, which is helping them to recognise many words on sight, especially in the early stages. The higher attaining pupils, however, are not always advanced through the scheme at a fast enough rate and are sometimes reading too many books below their level of ability. The regular teaching the pupils receive in using phonic letter sounds enables them to competently decipher unfamiliar words. They receive regular reading practice in class and discuss the content of the stories and the poetry with their teachers; this helps them with their comprehension skills and to learn how books are structured. Most pupils develop a good understanding

p.38

ENGLISH

of the books they are reading, but find describing characters more difficult. They take their books home regularly and read to their parents, which is beneficial to their progress. The home-to-school diaries are, however, of a flimsy design and soon become tatty and unattractive, which undermines their importance to the pupils. The reading diaries that the school uses are not an effective means of communication between home and school.

p.38

ENGLISH

79. By the time they leave Year 6, most pupils are confident, fluent readers, using appropriate strategies to establish meaning, including phonic and contextual clues. They choose to read a variety of texts, including poetry and non-fiction. Many are developing preferences for favourite authors and higher attaining pupils clearly explain these preferences by comparing different authors. Pupils are able to locate non-fiction books in the library and make notes from texts, with a small minority skimming and scanning in order to do so, but these skills are not sufficiently developed across the curriculum. Some books and photocopied extracts are used in the classroom as reference material, but the library is not developed as a suitable resource area for pupils to research information and discover how to learn independently.

p.38

ENGLISH

80. The school is aware that the pupils achieve lower standards in writing than in other aspects of English and has taken positive steps to address the issue, by dedicating more time to practising writing skills in Key Stage 1 during the Literacy Hour and by providing regular lessons in Key Stage 2, which focus on extended writing. Standards have improved, as a result but there is still too much variation between classes, depending on the effectiveness of the teaching. Most progress is being made by pupils in Years 5 and 6. The system of setting pupils in ability groups in Key Stage 2 is an effective arrangement which helps teachers match the work more closely to the needs of the pupils, but many, especially the higher attaining pupils could do better. Girls are achieving better than the boys, particularly in how they present their work and in the overall content of their writing which is often more imaginative and more tightly

p.38

ENGLISH

structured. Grassmoor Primary School - 39 81. Pupils in Key Stage 1 write for a range of purposes, but seldom write at great length. They retell stories, such as ‘Rumplestiltskin’ or the ‘Three Little Pigs’, write news and instructions, for example on, how to make a finger puppet. One very good method used to stimulate writing is that of, ‘taking the bear home’, where one pupil looks after the teddy for a night or weekend, and writes a report on where he went and what he did. When the pupil reads the contribution to the class the pupils listen well as they feel personally involved as the diary of events progresses. Too much of the written work, however, is less imaginative and the pupils spend too much time practising writing skills without sufficient opportunities to apply them creatively using interesting vocabulary. When pupils, including the higher attaining pupils for example, were asked to describe the character of the witch in the story they were reading, they went little

p.38

ENGLISH

beyond, ‘she has stripy socks’ or ‘she has a small nose’. The teaching focuses well on punctuation so that by the end of Year 2, most pupils use capital letters and full stops correctly and in some cases, question marks. They make good use of their phonic knowledge when attempting to spell unaided. They do this confidently, with a small minority in one class, competently making use of dictionaries. They learn to write using a joined script from an early stage. They do this satisfactorily in handwriting lessons, but at other times they take less care, with a loss of accuracy of form and control

p.39

ENGLISH

82. The pupils’ written work in Key Stage 2 has improved, but some weaknesses remain, with some pupils, especially the higher attaining pupils, not achieving the standards of which they are capable. By Year 6, pupils write in a range of forms for different purposes, such as stories, poems, letters and play scripts. They are taught how to plan and draft a story, by considering the characters and constructing a suitable beginning, middle and end, but there are too few examples of these skills being put into regular practise. Pupils have a satisfactory understanding of grammar, but not enough emphasis is being placed upon the enrichment of their vocabulary so that they do not often use adventurous and interesting language in their written work. There are however, some good examples, where teachers expect more from the pupils. In one Year 3/4 class, for example, pupils provide phrases such as ‘sheep-like’, or suggest

p.39

ENGLISH

excuses for a pirate not wanting to go to sea, because ‘he’ll get his hair wet’ or ‘he smells like a dog’. In Year 6, one teacher stimulated pupils to write a letter complaining about how by biting into a muffin a finger plaster was seen. Pupils subsequently wrote indignant letters, using words such as ‘disgusting’, ‘revolting’ and ‘nauseating’ to describe their feelings and reasons for withdrawing their custom from the retailer. Spelling is one of the stronger features of the writing and punctuation rules are usually correctly applied, including the use of paragraphs. Handwriting is usually joined but not always neat and legible with many pupils writing without sufficient care and attention so that it becomes untidy and inconsistent in size and form. The policy of allowing pupils to choose to write in ink or pencil does not enhance the presentation of their work, or provide adequate preparation for the future. Pupils have the opportunity to present

p.39

ENGLISH

some of their work using the computer as they become familiar with word processing skills.

p.39

ENGLISH

83. Pupils’ attitudes in lessons are mainly good. They participate eagerly in class discussions; settle quickly to their individual tasks maintaining high levels of concentration. A majority behave very well in class. They form good relationships with their teachers and classmates that enable them to work well in small groups and discuss ideas sensibly with a partner. They have good attitudes to reading, with many reading every day at home, not only their own books, but also fiction and non-fiction borrowed from Chesterfield Library. They do not all, however, take sufficient pride in their written work and this results in poor presentation. Grassmoor Primary School - 40 84. The quality of teaching during the inspection week was mainly satisfactory in Key Stage 1 and good in Key Stage 2, but over time it is judged as satisfactory, with the best teaching occurring in Years 5 and 6. Teaching varies between classes. The best

p.39

ENGLISH

lessons are characterised by good questioning techniques, move at a good pace, are well planned and sequenced, with the work well matched to the differing abilities of the pupils. Some teachers’ expectations however, are too low, especially for the higher attaining pupils. When the teachers’ expectations are high, however, pupils’ rise well to the occasion, enjoy the challenge and give of their best. A good system of setting targets for individual pupils has been established which some teachers effectively follow up when marking, not only making encouraging comments but also referring to the targets and making suggestions for further improvement. In some classes however, pupils are praised indiscriminately when they are not producing of their best. This often leads to poor presentation and lower achievement. In one Year 5/6 lesson observed, pupils were studying and creating compound and complex sentences.

p.40

ENGLISH

Throughout the lesson the teacher insisted on pupils using precise and interesting vocabulary and well-constructed sentences, ensuring good learning and progress by the pupils.

p.40

ENGLISH

85. The acting co-ordinator for literacy is enthusiastic and conscientious. There are good assessment procedures in place, but they are not being used effectively enough to guide curriculum planning especially in order to provide more challenging studies for the higher attaining pupils. The curriculum is enhanced by visits from theatre groups and the organisation of an annual book fair. Resources are generally satisfactory, but the library facilities are not given a high enough priority. As a result the library is unattractive and does not provide a stimulating environment where pupils can develop their independent study and research skills. .

p.40

MATHEMATICS

86. By the end of Year 2, standards are below national expectations. The results of the 2001 national tests are below the national average and average compared with similar schools. There are no marked differences in the performance of girls and boys, but teachers do not sufficiently challenge the more able pupils who do not make as much progress as they should. Pupils make satisfactory progress, including the significant number of pupils in Year 2 who have been identified with special educational needs.

p.40

MATHEMATICS

87. By the end of Year 6, pupils attain standards that are above national expectations. The school’s performance in the 2001 national tests was above the national average and well above average in comparison with similar schools. This represents a significant improvement since the last inspection when attainment in mathematics was slightly below the national average. Standards in Key Stage 2 have risen steadily over the last four years and there are no significant differences in the performance of boys and girls. All pupils, including those with special educational needs, are making good progress.

p.40

MATHEMATICS

88. By the age of seven, pupils have a satisfactory knowledge of place value to 100 but very few pupils understand place value in numbers to 1000. Virtually all pupils choose the appropriate operation when solving addition and subtraction problems. The more able pupils use well developed mental strategies when adding or subtracting two digit numbers to 20 and beyond, and they use these skills when undertaking calculations involving money. However, even the more able pupils have a limited ability to solve problems involving multiplication beyond the two times table nor can they solve simple problems involving division. Their understanding of fractions is also limited. Some of the higher-attaining pupils know that two halves make one whole but do not understand that Grassmoor Primary School - 41 four quarters make one whole. They do not recognise simple equivalent fractions nor do they have a basic understanding of decimal notation. Pupils in Year 2 recognise and

p.40

MATHEMATICS

name some two and three-dimensional shapes. Higher attaining pupils know that regular two-dimensional shapes are named according to the number of sides but very few pupils recognise that the number of angles and sides are the same. Higher attaining pupils can draw lines of reflective symmetry but cannot recognise right angles in triangles and squares.

p.41

MATHEMATICS

89. Pupils in Key Stage 1 have satisfactory measuring skills and all can draw lines of appropriate lengths with a satisfactory degree of accuracy. More able pupils know that the mass of an object can be measured in grams and kilograms but they are less secure in recognising how volume is measured. Pupils can sort objects using more than one criterion and most can record their results in simple lists. More able pupils can construct bar charts and pictographs. These pupils can interpret the information presented to them. Pupils in Years 1 and 2 have too few opportunities to apply their mathematical knowledge to problems and the presentation of the work lacks attention to detail that sometimes leads to errors.

p.41

MATHEMATICS

90. Key Stage 2 pupils make good progress and by the age of 11, they have well-developed mathematical strategies. They have good mental abilities and can work out calculations in their heads quickly and correctly. Most pupils use their good understanding of place value to multiply and divide whole numbers and use all four mathematical operations with decimals to two places. They can reduce fractions to their simplest form and understand the relationship between fractions, ratio and percentages. By the end of Key Stage 2, pupils can confidently name and draw a wide range of two and three- dimensional shapes and draw and measure angles to the nearest degree. They measure length, volume and mass accurately and have a good knowledge of the rough imperial equivalents of metric measurements. Pupils know the properties of quadrilaterals and can calculate perimeter and area. Most pupils can collect data in the

p.41

MATHEMATICS

form of a frequency table and understand the use of the terms, mean, median and mode to describe data and can interpret line graphs. Pupils have limited opportunities to develop their own strategies for solving problems and the presentation of their work lacks appropriate attention to detail.

p.41

MATHEMATICS

91. In Key Stage 1, teaching is satisfactory overall and in Key Stage 2 it is good. However, in Key Stage 1 the quality of teaching seen during the inspection varied from unsatisfactory to good. The demands made on the higher-attaining pupils in Year 2 are too low and the work is not sufficiently challenging. In some instances the work is not well matched to pupils’ ability and this restricts their progress. The quality of teaching in Key Stage 2 is always at least good and in some lessons seen during the inspection was very good. The work is challenging and well matched to pupils’ ability and prior attainment. Where the quality of teaching is very good lessons are well planned and the learning objectives clear. Teachers use a very good range of teaching strategies that effectively help pupils to learn. Support staff are very well used and very good relationships are evident in the classroom.

p.41

MATHEMATICS

92. Teachers are familiar with the National Numeracy Strategy and the three-part lesson structure is soundly established. Oral and mental sessions are mostly used to consolidate learning and to develop pupils’ thinking. In some instances in Years 1 and 2 these sessions lack pace and fail to involve all pupils. In these instances the use of the summary session at the end of the lesson to assess pupils’ understanding is not a strong feature and useful opportunities are missed for pupils to evaluate what they have learned. In Key Stage 2, teachers use a good mathematical vocabulary and encourage pupils to use the correct terminology in their explanations. The mental sessions are Grassmoor Primary School - 42 delivered with enthusiasm and teachers’ questioning is well directed at pupils of differing ability. In these instances pupils respond enthusiastically and make good progress.

p.41

MATHEMATICS

93. In all classes, pupils’ ability to use information and communications technology to reinforce their mathematical learning is underdeveloped. Where pupils use the technology the tasks are often too simplistic and rarely challenge pupils sufficiently. Pupils use their numeracy skills to a satisfactory degree to help learning in other subjects such and drawing graphs and making accurate measurements in science.

p.42

MATHEMATICS

94. Teachers keep records of pupils’ achievements to track their progress and set targets for pupils. The school has given considerable emphasis recently to improving standards in mathematics. This has been successfully accomplished in Key Stage 2 where standards have improved substantially since the last inspection. The raising of standards in Key Stage 1 continues to be an issue and the leadership and management have not been effective in addressing this issue. At present, the role of the co-ordinator in monitoring and evaluating teaching and learning is not fully effective.

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SCIENCE

95. By the age of 11, National Curriculum tests results in 2001 show that pupils’ attainment is in line with national averages and above the average for similar schools. The rate and trend of improvement over the last three years has been above that found nationally. The inspection findings show that pupils’ attainment is at an average level for 11-year- olds and that they are achieving soundly in relation to their ability levels when they started school. The progress that pupils make in developing their skills, knowledge and understanding in science over time has been satisfactory. However, there are occasions now when pupils are making good progress within lessons, especially in upper Key Stage 2, where the teaching is good. The upward trend in challenging more of the pupils to achieve the higher Level 5 is also continuing.

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SCIENCE

96. By the end of Year 2, pupils’ attainment, based on teachers’ assessment in 2001, was in line with national averages and well above average in comparison with similar schools. The number of pupils reaching the higher Level 3 was below the national average, but in line with the average for similar schools. Inspection findings show that standards of attainment are below average. In the current Year 2, almost one in four of the pupils is on the register for special educational needs. Nevertheless, the most significant reason for the below average standards is the lack of challenge in the planning and teaching which is needed to enable more pupils to reach the higher Level 3. Although the majority of pupils make satisfactory progress, the higher attaining pupils do not achieve as well as they could given their ability levels when they started school and their progress over time is unsatisfactory.

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SCIENCE

97. By the age of seven, the average and lower attaining pupils’ skills in carrying out investigations are satisfactory as are their recording skills. In a lesson observed they tested a variety of materials for their elasticity and recorded the results on a chart. Afterwards they talked about the differences and similarities between the materials with a reasonable understanding of how bending, twisting and squashing changed them. Recent work in gymnastics on changing the shape of their bodies has helped the pupils to make relevant observations in their work on materials. Higher attaining pupils are at the very early stages of knowing why some materials like rubber bands are particularly suitable for specific purposes, but most pupils’ understanding of the physical properties of materials is insecure. In a recent experiment on melting lollipops, pupils were Grassmoor Primary School - 43 confused about the purpose of the experiment and most were unable to explain the

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SCIENCE

results. They are not being taught at a high enough level the skills they require to develop their scientific ideas. This is needed to enable them to evaluate and consider whether a test is fair or not. Most pupils are not confident in explaining their ideas or using the correct scientific vocabulary and teachers do not sufficiently emphasise this. The higher attaining pupils are not given enough opportunities to record their findings in a variety of ways and this hinders their progress in deciding for themselves appropriate methods for undertaking their work.

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SCIENCE

98. Most pupils in Key Stage 1 know how to keep healthy and they discuss the kinds of foods that are good for them and those that are not. They draw and label the different ways to exercise from the ideas discussed with the teacher and make a few of their own suggestions. They are familiar with the basic conditions needed to grow healthy plants, but the more able pupils are uncertain about the function of the roots in the growth of plants. By the end of Year 2, pupils are aware of the uses of electricity in the home and have had satisfactory experience of building up a simple electrical circuit using a bulb, battery and wire, although they do not understand how a switch can be used to break a circuit. Some topics are covered too superficially to ensure understanding. For example, although the pupils rode scooters in the playground and wrote about how they moved, the vehicles were not tested in a variety of situations and

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SCIENCE

no measurements were made. The teaching did not capitalise on the opportunity to provide more opportunities for higher-attaining pupils to be challenged.

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SCIENCE

99. By the end of Year 6, pupils have the opportunity to work practically on the different aspects of science and are developing a sound base of scientific ideas and enquiry skills. The development of this knowledge and understanding is accelerated towards the end of Key Stage 2 where the teaching is generally stronger. The experiments chosen by teachers in Years 5 and 6 provide worthwhile opportunities for all pupils to explore their own questions and use the correct scientific vocabulary to devise a fair test. This was seen in a Year 5 and 6 lesson when pupils chose their own materials and changed one variable to carry out a fair test on how quickly solids dissolve. They made a reasonable prediction beforehand, and explained the process clearly. Afterwards they recorded their conclusions, which are beginning to be related to their own secure scientific knowledge and understanding. The more able pupils in another

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SCIENCE

experiment on testing the effect of air on different sizes of paper considered alternative interpretations in their conclusions if the weather had been different. A weakness in the good provision for developing pupils’ investigative skills is the lack of opportunities for them to plan and carry out their own investigations. At the moment the teachers plan most of the experiments beforehand. This limits the development of pupils as independent learners and in promoting their skills of initiative and personal responsibility.

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SCIENCE

100. Pupils have a firm understanding of life processes and wherever possible work is linked with health and environmental issues and using the school grounds. In their topic of ‘What lives in the earth,’ pupils carry out a detailed study of different areas of the school grounds to identify the mini-beasts. When they investigated the life in the pond, they also tidied the area to encourage a greater range of wild life and plants. Pupils also have a sound understanding of physical processes. They make different circuits and change the number and type of components. Teachers use some interesting activities to get pupils interested in their work. For example, in their work on the solar system they prepared a short video for the younger pupils on what they have learned and made up their own quiz. Grassmoor Primary School - 44 101. The written recording of work at Key Stage 1 is a weaker aspect of provision and

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SCIENCE

improvements are needed in order to raise standards further in science, especially for higher attaining pupils, but also to help to improve the writing skills of pupils in their English. The development of pupils’ numeracy and information and control technology skills is similarly restricted by the lack of the recording of work. The key skills of literacy are promoted well at Key Stage 2 for the more able and average pupils. However, the presentation and handwriting from the lower attaining pupils and those with special educational needs is sometimes poor and there are too many examples of unfinished work from these pupils. This is because some teachers do not adapt the work sufficiently for pupils of different abilities to complete their experiments so that they can draw their own conclusions. In some classes, teachers provide a simplified plan for the experiment, which enables the pupils to achieve the same success in completing their

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SCIENCE

work as the rest of the class. Numeracy skills are being used soundly in science with a good focus in the topic on light and sound. Here pupils, in their study of light, measure the angles and distance of the shadows and draw line graphs of the results. Information and control technology is beginning to be more widely used, but is still underdeveloped, especially in the lower Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 1 classes.

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SCIENCE

102. The overall quality of teaching at both key stages is satisfactory, and during the inspection some good teaching was observed, especially in upper Key Stage 2. Teachers are technically competent in their knowledge and understanding of the subject. In the better lessons they use successful methods in the introductory session and challenging questioning skills to help pupils to learn important skills and make good progress. Lessons that are more practically based are well planned and provide a good interest level for the pupils which motivates then to learn well. However, evaluation of pupils’ previous work indicates that teachers’ use of assessment to plan suitable work for pupils of all abilities is less well developed in some classes. At Key Stage 1, this is evident in work that is often too easy for higher attaining pupils. There are some good examples of marking, but the practice is inconsistent and most pupils do not

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SCIENCE

understand how well they have done and what is needed to improve further. A strength of the teaching is the good relationships, which help the pupils to develop a strong work ethic.

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SCIENCE

103. A science club for Year 6 pupils is run by the co-ordinator. Its purpose is to help raise standards in science and to prepare the pupils for the national tests. It is successfully achieving its aim. Homework in science is not frequently used to support pupils’ learning, although pupils in Year 6 recently researched the work of famous scientists at home. This is an area for further development for the school to consider in its commitment to continue raising standards. There has been a stronger focus in extending the curriculum for science through visiting speakers and visits to places of scientific interest such as ‘The Dome’ to help raise pupils’ understanding of the impact that science has on their daily lives.

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SCIENCE

104. The leadership and management of the subject are satisfactory. The subject is led by a knowledgeable and enthusiastic co-ordinator who sets a good example of effective practice in her own teaching. Although teaching has been monitored and pupils’ work examined, the co-ordinator is more familiar with the practice in Key Stage 2, where she is based, than in Key Stage 1. Science is a key area for development this year and the emphasis is on improving standards further, especially at Key Stage 1. Under the capable leadership of the co-ordinator, the school is well placed to continue the upward trend of improvements.

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ART AND DESIGN

Grassmoor Primary School - 45 105. Standards of attainment are in line with national expectations at the end of both key stages as they were at the time of the last inspection. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and at the early stages of learning English, make satisfactory progress in the development of their artistic skills and they produce a reasonable standard of work as they move through each of the classes. In Key Stage 2 in particular, pupils’ art work is often publicly celebrated in the way that their work is attractively displayed. This helps to raise the status of the subject as well as enhancing the quality of the learning environment and overall accommodation.

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ART AND DESIGN

106. By the end of Key Stage 1, pupils have developed a satisfactory understanding of colour. Pupils are given regular opportunities to paint and they know that other colours can be generated from mixing paints together. Most pupils apply paint evenly. However, the limitations of the classroom accommodation with none of the Key Stage 1 classrooms having a sink, for example, limit the opportunities for pupils’ personal development in the form of sorting, organising and washing their own materials for the work they are asked to do. Pupils have a developing understanding of the importance of pattern in design work although greater variation could be provided for them in this aspect of their work by providing them with more opportunities to use information and communication technology to support their learning. Pupils’ drawing skills are appropriately developed. Weaknesses in attainment include pupils’ understanding of

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ART AND DESIGN

the works, styles and techniques of different artists and craftspeople and pupils demonstrate little perception of how the methods of different artists could be used to stimulate their own artwork.

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ART AND DESIGN

107. Pupils make greater progress in their understanding of the art work sometimes seen in other cultures by the time they leave Key Stage 2. Pupils have explored the work of the Impressionists and used the techniques observed to produce their own images. In developing their perception of pattern, pupils learn how Aborigines use symbols to create pattern in their art work. Pupils develop their understanding of concepts such as ‘perspective’ by painting street scenes. Teachers organise good opportunities for pupils to develop their understanding of ‘tone’ ‘line’ and ‘shade’ through encouraging them to draw everyday natural objects and by studying the work and images of well known artists. The lack of space in classrooms as well as suitable practical bays precludes opportunities for pupils to develop their skills and understanding of how malleable materials such as clay or mod-roc can be used to create works of art. By the end of

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ART AND DESIGN

Year 6, pupils develop their understanding of printing by sketching designs, preparing stencils and using rollers to prepare prints based on that initial design. While pupils do use sketchbooks to draft their ideas, their understanding of the importance of this preparatory work in developing their skills and ideas is weak.

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ART AND DESIGN

108. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory in both key stages. The subject is taught in all classes but at Key Stage 1, some pupils only get a minimum amount of time and this limits their ability to develop their understanding and skills of the themes and topics they are studying in more depth. In addition, some pupils are withdrawn from some art lessons for additional literacy support while their classmates are being taught art and design and this is an equal opportunities issue. These pupils are further limited in their progress, as the time they have to learn and apply their skills is restricted. Teachers have a satisfactory knowledge and understanding of the subject and in lessons demonstrate skills and techniques well enabling pupils to have a good understanding of what they are expected to complete by the end of a session. At present, little use is made of homework to extend pupils’ learning.

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ART AND DESIGN

Grassmoor Primary School - 46 109. The management and overall co-ordination of the subject is satisfactory. The subject co-ordinator supports her colleagues well and keeps samples of pupils’ work to show the progression that pupils make in the development of their skills in many areas of the curriculum. This provides a useful benchmark for teachers to see the standards that pupils are capable of attaining in each year group. However, there is no planned programme for the co-ordinator to monitor teaching and leaning in other classes and this limits the impact that she has on developments in the subject across the school. Classroom based resources are satisfactory but the lack of space and classroom based practical areas proves a severe limitation on the standards and progress that pupils are able to make.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

110. Attainment at the end of both key stages is below national expectations. No judgements were made about standards in the subject at the time of the last inspection. The subject has not been given sufficient prominence on the timetable and, consequently, the pupils’ skills and understanding have not been developed consistently and sequentially. The recently appointed subject co-ordinator has begun to ensure that pupils in both key stages undertake design and technology projects but, at present, pupils are unable to benefit fully from these initiatives because of their previous lack of experience. Pupils in both key stages, including those with special educational needs and with English as an additional language, make unsatisfactory progress in developing a range of design and technology skills and there are gaps in their knowledge and understanding.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

111. Pupils in Key Stage 1 have had some experience of making things that include constructing model vehicles from card and straws. They learn how to reinforce corners for added strength and to fix axles and wheels. In their cross-curricular work based on the Great Fire of London, they used a limited range of materials to make model houses. Opportunities to consolidate or to extend their skills in joining and assembling materials are limited, mainly because only a limited range of materials is available for them to use. There are not enough opportunities for pupils to test, evaluate and improve their models and, in their projects, all the models were virtually identical, suggesting that the more innovative ideas of more able pupils were not used to the best effect. Pupils’ design skills and their understanding of the design process in making artefacts are unsatisfactory.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

112. Pupils are given better opportunities to evaluate their finished products in Key Stage 2, as is evident from the work of pupils in Years 3 and 4, who have investigated bridge construction. These pupils have examined the structure of different bridges from photographs and a visitor to the school has talked to them about bridge design. The teaching in these classes encouraged pupils to consider the best materials for their design and they experimented to determine the best use of paper, whether fluted or cylindrical, in its capacity to support weight. Prior to designing their bridge, pupils had made good efforts at researching and used the knowledge gained from examining structures of well known bridges, such as suspension bridges, as a basis for their work. The teaching also ensured suitable opportunities for pupils to test their models. Teaching encourages pupils to consider how fitting the design is for the purpose. Pupils

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

in Years 5 and 6 have undertaken a project to design and make biscuits. The good teaching evident from pupils’ work enabled them initially to examine commercial products and how they were packaged. Pupils experimented with four basic recipes of their own choosing and evaluated their finished biscuits in terms of texture, flavour and visual characteristics. They made modifications to their recipes as necessary. This Grassmoor Primary School - 47 effectively developed pupils’ design and making skills, and introduced them to the importance of the finished product and the commercial implications.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

113. No lessons were seen during the inspection but a scrutiny of pupils’ work and teachers’ planning and discussions with pupils and teachers indicated that the teaching of design and technology has been inconsistent and unsatisfactory, and pupils’ skills and knowledge of the subject have not been developed consistently and progressively. Pupils have not worked with a sufficient range of materials and components in order to select the materials best suited for a purpose, or a suitable range of tools. Another gap in pupils’ experience is in the way in which models can be controlled. The use of information and communication technology to support pupils’ learning is underdeveloped.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

114. The recently appointed curriculum co-ordinator has initiated some improvements in the design and technology curriculum and the relatively few projects seen during the inspection indicated that a good beginning has been made with a view to improving standards. Particularly good examples of progress were seen in Key Stage 2. The school is well aware that the subject is at present underdeveloped and design and technology has been identified as a priority for curriculum development.

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GEOGRAPHY

115. Standards of attainment in geography at the end of both key stages are below the national expectation. Geography has not had a high recent priority in the school and pupils, including those with special educational needs and those who have English as an additional language, are making unsatisfactory progress. No judgements were made about standards at the time of the last inspection. Not all pupils are receiving equal opportunities to access the subject as they sometimes miss lessons to join a withdrawal group to support their learning in literacy or numeracy. 116. Year 2 pupils have had too few geographical experiences to provide them with the skills, knowledge and understanding that they should have. They have been taken for walks around Grassmoor to observe the traffic on busy roads and are able to discuss issues, such as car parking and safe places to cross. They keep records of the weather using a key and are able to discuss the basic elements. They have little

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GEOGRAPHY

understanding, however, of maps and plans or awareness of localities beyond their own. Their understanding of how to use a map to locate the countries of the United Kingdom is weak. Pupils’ understanding of the fact that the world reaches over and beyond their immediate locality is also unsatisfactory. 117. Year 6 pupils are similarly limited in their experience of geographical studies and skills. They understand and describe the water cycle, but are uncertain how rivers are formed and are not confident of the vocabulary used to describe them, such as meander, estuary and erosion. The pupils have conducted a personal study recording the usage of water in their own homes for a week as a homework task. This not only provided them with useful insights into water utilisation but also developed their independent study skills very well. Much of their general geographical knowledge, however, is fragmentary. They name the countries of the British Isles and some of the countries of

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GEOGRAPHY

Europe but are less secure when identifying the continents. They have gained some notion of the influence of physical features of a place on the lives of people who live there, such as clothing and housing, from their comparative studies of Chembokoli and Britain, but their knowledge and understanding are limited. They display rudimentary knowledge of maps, recognising seas and oceans, but do not understand how colours Grassmoor Primary School - 48 are used to represent different land levels. They have not covered a range of topics in sufficient depth to give them secure knowledge. 118. The pupils display satisfactory attitudes towards their geography lessons but do not all show interest and enthusiasm. Some of the pupils interviewed, required much prompting in order to remember the topics they have covered and could recall little of the content. Work in the pupils’ books is not always well presented and some pupils

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GEOGRAPHY

take little pride in the finished product. 119. No lessons were seen during the inspection. Scrutiny of pupils’ work and teachers’ planning and discussions with pupils and teachers indicate that the quality of teaching and learning over time is unsatisfactory. Most teachers display a lack of breadth in their knowledge and understanding of the subject, and the work in the pupils’ books is very basic. Some work goes unmarked and there are few critical comments suggesting improvements either in content or in presentation. Expectations are low and pupils are not performing as well as they should. 120. The co-ordinator has no time to monitor the teaching and learning in the classrooms and her influence over the development of the subject is restricted. Much time and emphasis has been spent in the past on Literacy and Numeracy in the school and geography has not been given sufficient attention. The curriculum is enhanced by visits

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GEOGRAPHY

to such places as the park, Bakewell and the annual camp. Last year the pupils thoroughly enjoyed and benefited from a visit from a group who presented a practical demonstration of an ordnance survey air balloon.

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HISTORY

121. Standards in history are in line with national expectations at the end of both key stages. No judgements were made about standards at the last inspection. Most pupils make satisfactory progress as they move through the school, but some higher attaining pupils, particularly at Key Stage 1, could achieve more. Pupils with special educational needs and those with English as an additional language also make satisfactory progress, but they do not always have equal access to the full curriculum, as they are sometimes withdrawn from lessons for special tuition. 122. Pupils in Key Stage 1 have developed a satisfactory understanding of the differences between their own lives and some of the people from the past. They have no difficulty in recognising the toys and discussing the games children would have played in Victorian times. They have some knowledge of famous people in history, such as Florence Nightingale and Samuel Pepys. They have benefited from listening to the memories of

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HISTORY

a lady visitor and have gained a useful insight into life during World War 2. They satisfactorily demonstrate their understanding of the cause and details of the Great Fire of London and the effects it had on the plague, by acting out short scenes of the main events. They take great pleasure in correctly recalling the appropriate dates. The pupils have painted pictures recording scenes from the fire, which have enhanced their learning. 123. Pupils at the end of Key Stage 2 use time lines to help them place the topics they have studied, and in the main they have a satisfactory understanding of time, although they are confused about the chronology of the Ancient Civilizations of Greece and Egypt. They recall basic facts about the Tudor period and the Victorian Era. They have gained a satisfactory insight into how information about the past is gained from primary and secondary sources, and talk, for example, about inscriptions in tombs and the paintings

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HISTORY

on Greek pots. Teachers make good links with other subjects in order to bring pupils’ learning to life. For example, in one Year 5/6 lesson, pupils made notes from different Grassmoor Primary School - 49 versions of the Biblical story of Joseph in order to demonstrate the diversity between reports of the same events. Some teachers make good use of history lessons to help the pupils learn how to research for information from a range of sources. In one Year 3/4 lesson, for example, pupils viewed a video, scrutinised fact sheets and accessed the Internet to discover how the Ancient Egyptians mummified bodies and the burial rituals they performed. Experiences such as these help pupils recall the facts at a later date, but, in general, not enough is recorded in the pupils’ books to enable them to check their own progress and to help them remember what they have learned. 124. Pupils enjoy their lessons and speak enthusiastically of the visits they have made to

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HISTORY

museums and other places of historical interest. They listen well in class and most contribute to the discussions. A majority try hard with their individual tasks, and concentrate well. They behave well in the main. 125. The teaching and learning of history are satisfactory. Most teachers have a satisfactory knowledge and understanding to teach the subject, but sometimes overemphasise giving pupils facts and knowledge and do not always focus sufficiently on the teaching of historical skills. In most of the lessons seen, teachers led the discussions well using a variety of questioning techniques. They maintain good relationships with the pupils and their class management and organisation is good. They do not often, however, vary the individual tasks in order to match the different abilities of the pupils in the class. On some occasions, the pupils merely copy facts into their books, which means a substantial majority are insufficiently challenged. The quality of marking varies, with

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HISTORY

some teachers seldom writing comments which suggest improvements in content or presentation. 126. The planning of the curriculum is not fully effective. The topics to be studied are planned, but there is no clear progression for the teaching of historical skills. The co- ordinator has no non-contact time to monitor the teaching and learning. Teachers carry out assessments at the end of each topic but this is not organised or recorded in a consistent way through the school, and has little influence on future planning. 127. The history curriculum is effectively enhanced by educational visits to places of interest, such as Chesterfield Museum, Hardwick Hall and Elvaston Castle where they gain first hand experience of being Victorians for a day. Pupils also benefit from visits from outside speakers, for example, an Egyptologist who presented a talk and slide show to a large number of pupils after school one afternoon. The school possesses a

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HISTORY

satisfactory range of books, but no artefact resources to support the topics.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

128. Standards in information and communication technology are in line with the national expectations by the end of both key stages. This marks a good improvement since the last inspection in 2000 when standards were below those expected for seven- and eleven-year-olds. The co-ordinator offers clear leadership and she has been effective in ensuring that teachers have improved their knowledge and understanding of how computers can be used to support their teaching. The overall quality of teaching is satisfactory. Resources have also been boosted, largely as a result of the additional grants given to the school for this purpose. Despite the restrictions in space, many classrooms have three computers with a range of appropriate software and enabling pupils to access the Internet to support their studies. Whilst all pupils, including those with special educational needs and those at the early stages of learning English, make

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

satisfactory progress, there are occasions, particularly at Key Stage 1, when computers are left unused and opportunities are missed for pupils to use computers to enhance their learning. Grassmoor Primary School - 50 129. By the end of Year 2, pupils use computers to support their learning in various ways. In history, for example, they use a word-processor to write imaginary accounts of how the Fire of London originated. They save and retrieve their work and print out a hard copy of their efforts without the assistance of an adult. Teachers ensure that pupils use a programmable toy and by doing so pupils develop their learning of how such devices can be controlled by the means of simple instructions. Pupils know that the Internet can be used to find out information from around the world and understand what is meant by a ‘web page’. Pupils are less confident in using compact disc software to research

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

information and in their ability to use open-ended graphing programs to record numbers and then translate that information into charts or graphs. Teaching places insufficient emphasis on these aspects of the curriculum and pupils’ learning is hampered as a result.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

130. In many classes at Key Stage 2, teachers ensure that information and communication technology is used more frequently to support pupils’ studies. In art and design lessons, pupils use an art package to explore pattern and shape and by using the ‘undo’ features found in such software, successfully develop their learning of how computers can be used to devise, amend and redraft ideas. Pupils are given opportunities to use a word-processor to devise stories and accounts and then add suitable graphics or clip-art to embellish them. Pupils are given good opportunities and are taught to use the Internet as part of their everyday work but, at present, opportunities for them to use other digital devices, such as cameras or scanners, are too few. Teachers are improving the opportunities for pupils to use software, such as spreadsheets or ‘Logo’, as part of their learning but this work is at an early stage of

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

development. At the moment, teachers do not provide sufficient scope for pupils to develop their understanding of how to use sensor and control equipment and this limits their learning of how to control and programme electronic devices. Pupils have a secure understanding of and can explain how information and communication technology is increasingly impacting on their everyday lives. They know, for example, that electronic chips control many everyday devices, such as videos and compact disc players, and that television images are transmitted across the world using satellite dishes that orbit the Earth.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

131. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. Teachers have satisfactory subject knowledge and use this to plan work that pupils find interesting and stimulating. Work is carefully chosen to reinforce everyday activities and the good adult to pupil ratio enables pupils to be given additional assistance on a one-to-one basis during the course of lessons. The quality of this support is good, with all adults explaining clearly how to use the various tools within software and this effectively ensures that pupils understand the particular features of the software that they are using. Some teachers are very aware of and make good use of software to consolidate learning in other subjects. In one very good Year 3 and 4 mathematics lesson, for example, as part of studying angles, pupils used a piece of geography software that encouraged them to work out the degree of turn needed to travel from one country in Europe to another if

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

flying a plane. Pupils worked very enthusiastically and also developed their perception of the countries and capital cities of Europe. Weaker features of teaching include insufficient use of day-to-day assessment information to plan the next steps in pupils’ learning and in making sure that where possible, information and communication technology is a regular feature of daily teaching. In one Year 1 and 2 art and design lesson, for example, pupils were creating patterns of their own on to paper. The three computers that were in the classroom were left idle and a missed opportunity to use a simple art package to reinforce pupils’ learning of how such software can generate, move or rotate simple patterns was missed. Grassmoor Primary School - 51 132. The part-time co-ordinator manages the subject effectively. She has worked hard since the last inspection to improve planned provision in the subject. She has produced a

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

detailed information and communication technology development plan that highlights clearly what needs to be achieved to raise the level of pupils’ performance still further. A carefully planned programme of staff development has taken place and this has helped to raise the level of staff confidence in integrating computers into the course of their everyday teaching. The co-ordinator is also aware of the need to ensure consistency in how teachers assess pupils’ progress in order to use this information to build upon and plan the next steps in pupils’ learning.

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MUSIC

133. Standards in music at the end of Year 2 are in line with national expectations overall, although attainment in the appraisal of music, is below expectations. Progress over time is satisfactory in all of the elements of music with the exception of appraisal, which is unsatisfactory. At the end of Year 6, standards are below expected levels in all aspects of music other than singing, which is in line with expectations. Progress, apart from in singing, is unsatisfactory over time.

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MUSIC

134. The profile of music is rather low in the school at the moment, apart from singing and some opportunities for a few pupils to play instruments. The management of the subject is unsatisfactory because the co-ordinator is not sufficiently aware of the developments that are needed to raise standards and improve provision. For example, there are no guidelines to support the teachers in their planning and teaching of the appraisal of music and a very limited range of tapes and cassettes are available to use in the lesson. Therefore for several years the appraisal aspect of music has not been taught progressively through the school and because of this pupils’ knowledge and understanding, by the time they reach Year 6 are very limited. The quantity and range of instruments to support composition at Key Stage 2 are insufficient and no monitoring or action has been taken to improve the situation. Several staff lack confidence and

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MUSIC

technical ability in their teaching of composition, but they have received little support or training to improve their subject knowledge. Nevertheless the teachers have taught some composition at Key Stage 2, in spite of these limitations, but the pupils over time have not made enough progress to reach acceptable standards. The curriculum at Key Stage 2 is not broad and balanced.

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MUSIC

135. In Years 1 and 2, pupils have learned a reasonable range of songs and when they sing unaccompanied they nearly all pitch their notes correctly. Most of them know the words of the songs and, although diction is sometimes not clear, pupils enjoy their singing and are particularly enthusiastic when they can add some actions. In one lesson they moved their hands up and down, mostly correctly, with the changing pitch of the song and recognised the difference between the high and low sounds on the chime bars. Teachers try wherever possible to link music to other subjects, with pupils currently learning a Samuel Pepys round as part of their history topic on ‘The Great Fire of London’. They are still at the early stages of maintaining their own part securely in round singing. In their composition, pupils create simple patterns of sounds on the chime bars and keep to a steady pulse when accompanying a song. They recognise

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MUSIC

the different sounds made by some percussion instruments and can name most of them correctly. The opportunity that pupils have for appraising their own work and that of others is underdeveloped. Although they listen to music in assemblies and express their ideas occasionally in dance and movement, pupils do not have sufficient experience, understanding or the correct vocabulary to discuss the mood and effect of Grassmoor Primary School - 52 the music they hear. They also have few opportunities to discuss improvements to their own compositions and those of their friends.

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MUSIC

136. By the end of Year 6, pupils continue to develop their singing, which is mostly done in the weekly hymn practice or as a member of the choir. This limits the range of songs chosen and rarely includes those from different countries and cultures, which would help to widen the pupils’ musical awareness and appreciation. Although pupils often sing in rounds, they only occasionally extend their singing to two parts. The singing in assemblies and hymn practice is tuneful and with a good awareness of the dynamics and rhythm. The choir sometimes has the opportunity to perform at concerts during the year and to join other schools for special events. In composition, the Year 5 and 6 pupils were practising a series of different rhythmic patterns in groups in their lessons, ready for a performance. A few of the pupils who are learning instruments have a basic understanding of rhythmic notation but, overall, pupils’ compositional skills are

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MUSIC

underdeveloped. Most pupils find it very difficult to maintain their own rhythmic pattern and keep in time. They are still in the early stages of developing the skills of how parts fit together in composition to achieve an overall effect. Pupils also have very little awareness of the structure of music to help them improve their compositions. The teachers in these sessions provided a good balance between instructions and valuing and using the pupils’ own ideas. This approach gives the pupils the opportunity to show initiative and take responsibility for their own learning. Most pupils are not yet at the stage of being able to describe, compare or evaluate different kinds of music or to make improvements to their own work. In the lessons in Years 3 and 4, after listening to several contrasting pieces of music, the pupils were unable to make any meaningful comments or comparisons or even to use the appropriate language to describe the

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MUSIC

music they heard. 137. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory at Key Stage 1. It is unsatisfactory at Key Stage 2 because of the weakness in planning, inadequate resources and a lack of confidence in the teaching of appraisal and composition over time. More opportunities are needed in the teaching for pupils to learn the important skills in these weaker areas of provision and to practise them as they move through the school, in order to raise their standards of attainment and rate of progress. Assessment procedures have been introduced, but there is no evidence that they are being used to measure progress or helping in the planning of suitable work as the pupils move through the school.

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MUSIC

138. Few opportunities have been taken to introduce information and control technology into the music curriculum. Sporadically, the older pupils have used a ‘Compose’ program to extend their ideas in composition. In singing sessions, literacy skills are extended well by projecting the words of the songs on to a large screen for everyone to see. Occasionally, older pupils develop the ideas of a poem or story from their literacy lessons further by adding an accompaniment on the musical instruments.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

139. At both key stages, standards of attainment are in line with national expectations. Pupils make satisfactory progress across the school. These standards are supported well by the good range of extra-curricular sporting and competitive opportunities that the school provides. Indoor physical education is hampered by the limited size of the school hall.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

140. Little direct reference was made to the subject in the previous inspection report so it is not possible to make comparisons. During the week of the inspection it was possible to see only a limited range of the component parts of the physical education curriculum, namely the indoor parts of the physical education syllabus. Consequently, the overall Grassmoor Primary School - 53 judgement on the quality of the teaching, attainment and progress of pupils is made on the lessons seen and the accompanying planning, discussion with pupils and teachers, and an examination of teachers’ planning.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

141. Pupils in Years 1 and 2 classes are taught satisfactorily overall, with some very good teaching observed in one class. By the end of Key Stage 1, pupils have a secure understanding of the need to ‘warm up’ and ‘cool down’ and of the effects of exercise on their bodies. They are able to develop their ideas for ‘twisting’ and ‘wide’ movements well while on the floor, but find it more difficult when using the large apparatus, despite good reminders from the teacher and the very good use she makes of modelling movements and ideas. Pupils climb and jump with safety and satisfactory control. They dance a Welsh country-dance to a satisfactory standard. In the dance lesson observed the teacher used all the time available for the lesson well. Most pupils joined in with enthusiasm and energy but some do not always listen well to the instructions of the teacher. They shout out the number of steps, and this slowed down their mastery of the

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

142. At Key Stage 2, pupils make satisfactory progress overall although, in a Year 3/4 lesson send during the inspection the very poor behaviour of a significant minority of pupils hampered other pupils’ concentration and slowed the pace of their learning. In spite of the interruptions, many pupils made satisfactory progress in the lesson with a minority of pupils demonstrating a high level of skill. By the end of Key Stage 2, pupils build a gymnastic sequence and modify their movements as a result of evaluating their own and others’ efforts when asked. They work in pairs and in small groups to create a dance, such as the Year 5/6 classes’ ‘journey in space’. Here they match their movements to the differing parts of the music satisfactorily and remembered their sequences well despite being given little opportunity to acquire or develop their skills. By the time pupils leave the school around 80% of them achieve the national standards

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

143. Across the school, pupils with special educational needs and those with English as an additional language take part fully in physical education activities and are making progress in line with their peers. Physical education lessons support the speaking and listening element of the English national curriculum well as pupils are given opportunities to discuss and evaluate the work of their peers in lessons.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

144. At both key stages, the quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. Lessons have a clear structure and well defined learning objectives. They are well planned, often using as their base a scheme written by the local education authority. However, teachers do not always ensure sufficient warm-up and cool-down time. Sometimes teachers forget to remind pupils why these activities are important and therefore pupils are not sure how to prevent injuries. Teachers usually set the right tone for lessons by changing into appropriate clothing and in their preparedness to demonstrate. Some teachers place good emphasis on evaluation by pupils of themselves and their classmates. When this is used well it leads to improvement in performance and pupils’ better awareness of their own strengths and areas for development. In the best lesson observed, very good subject knowledge, coupled with high expectations, a very good pace and very good

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

relationships, ensured that time was used very effectively and pupils’ learning was good.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

145. The range and quality of the curriculum are good. The school makes good use of outside specialists to teach sports, such as tennis and cricket. The long-term planning covers all the required areas and returns to them regularly so that skills can systematically be extended and developed. Eight different extra-curricular sporting Grassmoor Primary School - 54 activities for Key Stage 2 pupils make a strong contribution to the life of the school and to pupils’ social development. About a hundred pupils regularly take part. The school also takes part in a good range of sporting activities with other schools, such as netball tournaments and swimming galas. Also good is the daily adult-led session of playground games at morning playtime which involves different classes of pupils each day. The school has a good half-termly system for assessment and record keeping. The school field is a good size but the hall is too small for the number of pupils in the

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

classes and this restricts their movement and learning. Storage of equipment is unsatisfactory. Resources are satisfactory but the limited budget for the subject means that it all is spent on replacing worn-out equipment rather than improving the range the school has.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

146. Pupils of all abilities, including those with special educational needs and with English as a additional language, make satisfactory progress in both key stages and by the end of Year 2 and Year 6 pupils’ attainment is in line with the expectations of the locally agreed syllabus.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

147. By the time they are seven, most pupils recognise that the behaviour and attitudes of Christians are based on the teaching of Jesus. They know the importance of the main Christian festivals, such as Christmas and Easter, and many pupils can explain the major events of those festivals. They can explain that Jesus ‘died on a cross’ and that, as a result of this a cross, became a symbol of the Christian church. Pupils also have good knowledge and understanding of the symbols of the Sikh religion and are clearly interested in the subject. They can explain some of the similarities and differences between a church and a Sikh temple. Through listening to well chosen stories from a wide range of sources and religious traditions, pupils show satisfactory and sometimes good awareness that people may have beliefs that differ from their own. Teachers also use stories well to help develop pupils’ moral values. A good example of this seen at

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

the time of the inspection was the use of the story of ‘Dogger’, a toy dog, lost and then found and saved by the little boy’s elder sister through her kindness and sacrifice.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

148. At Key Stage 2, pupils build on their knowledge of two religions through the study of a wider range of world faiths. By the time they are eleven, pupils have developed a satisfactory understanding of the richness and diversity of religion and religious concepts through their studies. They recognise that some ideas and practices, such as prayer and worship, are shared by many faiths but are expressed differently. Through discussion, pupils show their ability to form thoughtful views on religious issues, such as what Jesus meant when he said symbolic things about himself. This type of lesson gives support to the English curriculum by making good use of speaking and listening and of note taking. It also contributes to the pupils’ spiritual development. Pupils have satisfactory knowledge of the Christian faith and its beliefs. They know some of the major events and the significance of those events. They know some stories mainly

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

from The New Testament of the Bible, such as the ‘loaves and the fishes’, and some understand the underlying message of such stories. They also know some stories from other religious traditions, but this is the weaker aspect of their attainment generally. In all, pupils are developing a satisfactory awareness of the values and beliefs at the heart of the different traditions.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

149. At both key stages, the quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory with some good teaching observed at Key Stage 1. Lessons follow a recently rewritten long-term plan that draws on the locally agreed syllabus satisfactorily but also uses materials from Grassmoor Primary School - 55 Government documents. A satisfactory assessment system is also in place but too little use is made of it in planning future work. The subject makes a satisfactory contribution to pupils’ spiritual and cultural development. Teachers use visits, visitors and artefacts well to bring the subject to life and help pupils’ interest and understanding. Stories are also well used. Some teachers use discussions in small groups, but the behaviour of a small minority of pupils stops this being the success it should be. In most lessons, relationships are good and contributions and ideas from pupils are sensitively encouraged and valued. Scrutiny of pupils’ work, however, shows that

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

teachers do not always develop fully what they plan in lessons, and timetables indicate considerable variation in time for lessons with the same age group, content and planning. There is little difference in the achievements of the two age groups in the classes. In some classes at Key Stage 2, recording and discussion is unbalanced, with too little being recorded and the challenge for pupils and expectation of their understanding not high enough. The policy for the subject is out of date. Little monitoring of teaching takes place.

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