Middlefield Community Primary School

SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 25 th -28 th February 2002

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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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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. Middlefield Community Primary School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Type of school: Nursery, Infant and Junior

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The governing body

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 9 th February 2000 Middlefield Community Primary School - 4

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

28076 Mr D Byrne Registered inspector Science The schools’ results and pupils’ achievements. How well are pupils taught? How well is the school led and managed? What should the school do to improve further? 15181 Mrs M Hackney Lay inspector Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development. How well does the school care for its pupils? How well does the school work in partnership with parents? 3227 Mr D Hughes Team inspector Art and design Geography History 17543 Mr R Coupe Team inspector Mathematics Religious education 10068 Mrs A Wilkinson- Tilbrook Special educational needs Design and technology 10911 Ms C Deloughry Team Inspector Foundation Stage Physical education 31807 Mr D Carpenter Team Inspector Equal Opportunities English 25352 Mrs G Taujanskas Team inspector Music Information and communication technology How good are the curricular and other opportunities offered to the pupils?

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Lynrose Marketing Limited Bungalow Farmhouse Six Mile Bottom Newmarket Suffolk 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 33 Kingsway Middlefield Community Primary School - 5 London WC2B 6SE Middlefield Community 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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AREAS OF THE CURRICULUM, SUBJECTS AND COURSES 34

Middlefield Community Primary School - 7

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Middlefield school is situated in the urban district of Speke in Merseyside and has 381 pupils on roll aged between 4 and 11 years. In September 2001, the nature of the school altered significantly when over 200 new pupils joined the school as a result of the closure of a nearby primary school. The school serves an area with very high levels of social and economic disadvantage. The percentage of pupils eligible for free school meals (70%) is very high and the percentage of pupils with special educational needs (40%) is well above average. The school includes a Resourced Unit for 18 pupils with statements of special educational needs for emotional and behavioural disabilities. There are no minority ethnic pupils and no pupil requires support for English as an additional language. The school receives a number of grants. Funds are provided through the Excellence in Cities initiative (EIC), and the school is

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

part of an Education Action Zone (EAZ). A private firm that is part of the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) manages the buildings and site. The school is moving to purpose built accommodation in September 2002.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

The school provides pupils with a satisfactory quality of education. The school is settling down very well after major disruptions arising from the changes in the nature of the school in September 2001 and pupils are making satisfactory progress overall. However, standards in many subjects are below national expectations. An active and hardworking head teacher and senior management team are managing the school well so that pupils can learn despite the very challenging behaviour of many pupils. The quality of teaching is good in the Foundation Stage and Years 1 and 2 and satisfactory in Years 3 to 6. Throughout the school there is a strength in the way that teachers and support staff manage pupils. The current direction of the school provides a good basis for future improvement and the school provides satisfactory value for money.

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What the school does well

• The quality of teaching for children in the Foundation Stage and in Key Stage 1 is good. Literacy is taught well throughout the school. • Good care and support is provided for pupils and there are good procedures for ensuring pupils’ safety and welfare and for promoting good behaviour and attendance. • The ‘Quiet Place’ provides excellent support for pupils with emotional and behavioural difficulties. • The procedures for assessing pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics are good. • The school integrates pupils with emotional and behavioural difficulties well. • The head teacher and senior management team provide the school with clear vision and commitment. The leadership of the headteacher is good. • The school has effectively managed the integration of the pupils from the closed school.

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What could be improved

• Standards across the school but particularly in information and communication technology, music and religious education. • The provision for Acts of Collective Worship and for religious education. • The procedures for subject co-ordinators to check on the quality of teaching and learning in subjects other than English, mathematics and science. • The levels of attendance and punctuality. • The academic progress of pupils in the Resourced Unit. • The management of some aspects of provision for pupils with special educational needs. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan. Middlefield Community Primary School - 8

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The nature of this school has changed so significantly since the last inspection that it is not possible to make comparisons with the findings of the previous inspection.

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STANDARDS

Because the nature of the school has changed so significantly since September 2001, it is not possible to make comparisons between existing standards and those in the past. There is no data available to enable comparisons of standards in this school to be made against the performance of similar schools or with all schools nationally.

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STANDARDS

A high proportion of pupils have poor linguistic skills. This factor, coupled with a very high proportion of pupils with special educational needs for emotional and behavioural difficulties acts as a barrier to the progress pupils make and the level of attainment they achieved. The inspection evidence indicates that when children start school in the Nursery class, their attainment is very low for their age. A high proportion of children start school with learning difficulties in English. In the Nursery and Reception classes, children make good progress but despite this, the majority of children do not achieve the Early Learning Goals in personal, social and emotional development, communication, language and literacy, mathematical development, knowledge and understanding of the world and in their creative and physical development by the time they start in Year 1.

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STANDARDS

In Years 1 to 6, pupils are currently making satisfactory progress in most subjects and the majority of pupils are doing as well as they can. Overall, however, standards attained by pupils are below average for their age. This is mainly because many pupils, particularly those from the closed school have gaps in their education and across the school there is a high percentage of pupils with learning and emotional and behavioural difficulties. Many pupils also have a very limited knowledge and understanding of the world outside their immediate locality and this reduces their overall general knowledge.

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STANDARDS

By the end of Year 2, pupils’ attainment in all subjects except art and design and physical education is below the national expectations for their age. In art and design physical education, pupils achieve standards that are in line with national expectations.

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STANDARDS

In Years 3 to 6, inspection evidence indicates that many pupils with special educational needs for emotional and behavioural disabilities have poor attitudes towards school and this adversely affects their rate of learning. This is particularly noticeable in Years 5 and 6. The attainment of pupils in the current Year 6 class is well below national expectations in English, mathematics and science. In almost all other subjects attainment is below the national expectations for their age except in information and communication technology where it is well below the national expectations and in art and design where attainment is close to the expectations for their age.

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STANDARDS

Pupils with special educational needs make satisfactory progress overall. Pupils in the Resourced Unit do very well in improving their behaviour but their progress in improving their academic knowledge and understanding is unsatisfactory. Middlefield Community Primary School - 9

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Satisfactory overall. Pupils in the Foundation Stage and Year 1 to 4 have particularly positive views of school and enjoy learning. In Years 5 and Year 6, a significant number of pupils lack enthusiasm for learning and display an apathetic and detached manner and this reduces their capacity to learn. Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Behaviour is satisfactory overall and often good in the Reception classes and in Years 1 to 4. In Years 5 and 6, many pupils can be rather boisterous and naughty. Behaviour in the playground and during lunchtime is mostly satisfactory but a small number of older boys can be truculent and unco-operative with others. The behaviour of pupils in the emotional and behavioural disabilities unit is very good. Personal development and relationships Satisfactory overall with strengths in the quality of relationships between staff and pupils. Many pupils find it hard to take

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Aspect Comment

responsibility for their own actions or to use their initiative. Attendance Unsatisfactory. The levels of attendance are very low. Many pupils come to school late each morning. There have been no exclusions since September 2001.

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Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

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

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Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

Teachers are working very hard to successfully establish amongst pupils a sense of pride in their work. Since September 2001, teaching and support staff have worked very closely together to gain the trust of a high proportion of new pupils many of whom have emotional and behavioural difficulties. Enormous strides have been made in the last term to establish well-organised classroom routines and acceptable behaviour. The hard work of all staff in building relationships amongst pupils is starting to improve standards in most subjects but there is still a significant number of pupils whose poor attitudes have a negative impact on their learning.

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Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

In the Reception classes, pupils are provided with a wide range of stimulating and well- planned activities that enable the children to learn at a good rate in lessons. In Years 1 to 6, although there are a high proportion of pupils with challenging behaviour, teachers manage behaviour well enough for pupils to learn at a satisfactory rate. Good teamwork between teachers and classroom support staff enable good levels of integration of pupils with special educational needs into lessons. Literacy and English are currently taught well across the school and pupils are making good progress in improving their standards of reading and writing. Numeracy and mathematics are taught satisfactorily and pupils make satisfactory progress in improving their knowledge and understanding of mathematics. In science and most other subjects the quality of teaching is satisfactory overall. Whilst teachers have a satisfactory knowledge of most subjects of the National Curriculum, there are weaknesses in

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Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

Middlefield Community Primary School - 10 the knowledge and understanding of many teachers in aspects of information and communication technology, music and religious education. These weaknesses influence the quality of teaching and impact on the standards attained by pupils in these subjects. The provision for pupils with special educational needs is satisfactory overall. Relationships between teachers and pupils are generally good and this contributes to a favourable atmosphere for all pupils to learn during lessons. In Year 6, teachers do a good job dealing with the very challenging behaviour of a very high proportion of the pupils but, nevertheless, the learning of these older pupils is affected by the need for teachers to constantly manage behaviour.

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Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

Teachers know pupils well and this information is used to ensure that the needs of all pupils are planned for. Throughout the school, however, teachers do not make enough use of marking to establish high expectations and set targets for pupils to do better. Although resources are generally used well, a lack of resources for information and communication technology and a need for staff training, reduce the use of computers by teachers to support learning. Throughout the school, the majority of pupils work hard during lessons, but at times teachers accept standards of presentation in pupils’ books that are too low.

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Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

Teaching and support staff manage the pupils attending the unit for emotional and behavioural disabilities very well and the pupils’ behaviour improves significantly as a result. There is, however, too little attention given to ensuring that the pupils in the unit make satisfactory academic progress.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum Unsatisfactory. Although each subject of the National Curriculum is taught, a lot of time is given to teaching English and mathematics and this has squeezed the amount of time available to teach other subjects. The provision for acts of collective worship is unsatisfactory and does not meet statutory requirements. Provision for pupils with special educational needs Satisfactory overall. Support in the classroom is satisfactory overall. The individual education plans are very recently devised and many lack precision and detail. Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Satisfactory overall.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils The school makes good provision for pupils’ welfare. Good procedures are in place to promote good behaviour and to reduce bullying, although at times, some pupil can be mildly aggressive. Good procedures are in place for assessing how well pupils are doing in English, mathematics and science but the procedures for assessing attainment in other subjects are unsatisfactory.

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Aspect Comment

Overall, the parents have satisfactory views about the school. The quality of communication with parents is satisfactory and there is a very good quality school prospectus. Information provided for parents of children in the Nursery class is very good. Procedures for maintaining contact with the parents of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register do not Middlefield Community Primary School - 11 ensure that parents are always informed of details of the children’s progress and targets for improvement.

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff Satisfactory overall. The head teacher and senior management team provide the school with clear educational direction and this has enabled the large influx of new pupils and changes in staff to settle down quickly. Improvements in the behaviour and attitudes of pupils have been secured and now the school is developing effective strategies to raise standards. How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Satisfactory overall. Despite many changes recently in the personnel of the governing body, financial management is good and procedures for monitoring standards are satisfactory overall. Governors need to be less reliant on the head teacher for information. The school’s evaluation of its performance The governing body makes satisfactory use of assessment data to gauge how well pupils are performing. Procedures to keep abreast of standards in subject other than English, mathematics

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Aspect Comment

and science need improving so that areas for improvement are identified. The strategic use of resources Resources are used to provide appropriate levels of support for pupils in lessons. Funds from Excellence in Cities and support from the Education Action Zone are effectively directed to help pupils. Special educational needs funds are directed appropriately to help pupils who need support.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• The quality of teaching and the progress their children make. • The way staff make them feel welcomed. • The quality of management and the efforts made to involve parents in school. • The way the school helps their children to become independent. • The information about the amount of homework. • The quality of information provided about their children’s progress • The range of extra-curricular activities

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

Inspection evidence supports the parents’ positive views and some of the aspects that parents would like to see improved. The pupils are making satisfactory progress and the staff work hard to make parents feel welcome and get involved in the education of their children. The approach to homework does lack consistency and the policy is not clear to parents. It is not possible to make a secure judgement about the quality of information given to parents because of the newness of the nature of the school, although in some respects it is good for example, with parents in the Nursery and Reception classes and the high standards of the school prospectus. The range of extra-curricular activities is satisfactory and the school plans to extend these in the future. Middlefield Community Primary School - 12

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

1. The nature of the school has changed so significantly since September 2001, with more than 200 pupils joining the school, that it is not possible to make any comparison between existing standards and those in the past. Many of the new pupils joining the school in September 2001 have significant gaps in their learning in many subjects and across the school a high proportion of pupils have poor linguistic skills and special educational needs for emotional and behavioural difficulties. These factors coupled with the pupils very limited experiences outside their immediate locality act as a barrier to the progress pupils make and the attainment that they achieve in comparison with national expectations for their age. Recent initiatives to successfully integrate the pupils from the closed school are successfully improving progress and levels of achievement. A positive contribution is made by the Education

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

Action Zone and the Excellence in Cities initiatives.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

2. Inspection evidence indicates that when children start school in the Nursery class, a high proportion have very low attainment in each area of their development namely, personal, social and emotional development, communication, language and literacy, mathematical development, knowledge and understanding of the world, and creative and physical development. By the end of the Reception class, although the children have made good progress in their educational and personal development the vast majority still do not achieve the Early Learning Goals expected for their age.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

3. In Key Stages 1 and 2, inspection evidence indicates that the majority of pupils are making satisfactory progress overall. In English, good teaching is promoting good progress. In information and communication technology, music and religious education, weaknesses in access to the curriculum contribute to unsatisfactory progress. The pupils with special educational needs who have learning difficulties and those who have emotional and behavioural difficulties make satisfactory progress overall, although in Years 5 and 6, many pupils are disaffected with school and this adversely affects their rate of progress.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

4. Inspection evidence indicates that the vast majority of pupils at the end of both Year 2 and Year 6 achieve standards that are below the national expectations for their age in almost all subjects. The exceptions are art and design, where pupils at the end of both key stages are working at levels that match national expectations, and in physical education, where pupils in Year 2 are doing as well as expected for their age. In the core subjects of English, mathematics and science, pupils’ attainment is below national expectations by the end of Year 2 and well below national expectations by the end of Year 6. In design and technology, geography, history, music, and religious education, pupils are achieving standards at the end of both key stages that are below national expectations. In information and communication technology, attainment is well below the national expectations across the school. In physical education, pupils

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

at the end of Year 6 have poor levels of co-ordination and do not achieve standards expected for their age. Inspection evidence is that there is no difference between the achievement or progress of boys and girls.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

5. So many pupils in the school have Learning Difficulties in English, that attainment in each aspect of the subject is weak. Speaking skills are weak across the school. The majority of pupils have very limited vocabulary and their speech lacks clarity. Despite regular opportunities provided by class teachers for pupils to speak, many pupils are Middlefield Community Primary School - 13 reluctant to speak in front of others and find it difficult to express themselves. In a Year 6 lesson where pupils learned about poems in a Tanka style, pupils’ enthusiasm was unable to be communicated because of their lack of vocabulary. In reading, a high proportion of pupils struggle to cope with texts that are at the expected levels for their age. Higher attaining pupils in Years 1 and 2 employ a good range of skills to read new and challenging words but most pupils find it hard to do this. Many pupils in Years 1 and 2, rely heavily upon the support of adults and lack the confidence to read

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

unfamiliar words. In Years 3 to 6, pupils make satisfactory progress in their reading but a high proportion of pupils lack confidence and still require a lot of adult support. Some higher attaining pupils have developed good reading habits and benefit from the support of the school librarian when using the school library. Despite the difficulties many pupils have with reading, the majority enjoy books and are making good progress in reading in lessons. Standards in writing are below average throughout the school. Teachers are working hard to improve standards but often the finished product is marred by poor presentation and reflects the poor levels of linguistic ability of many pupils. Pupils lack the confidence to produce extended pieces of writing without a lot of adult support and when pupils do write on their own, the work is often poorly punctuated and spelt.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

6. In mathematics and numeracy standards are well below average for pupils by the end of Year 6 because a significant number of pupils from the closed school did not acquire a wide enough range of knowledge and skills prior to their introduction to the National Numeracy Strategy. Although pupils are now making satisfactory progress, there is a lot of catching up to do before they start to achieve standards that are as good as they should be. Pupils lack the confidence to work on their own and need a lot of adult support whenever they are asked to solve mathematical problems on their own. The pupils’ poor linguistic skills hamper their progress. Pupils’ use of technical language in mathematics is very narrow with many pupils having difficulty in explaining how they arrive at their answers. In Key Stage 1, pupils are making satisfactory progress from the low level of attainment when they started school but by

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

the end of Year 2, they do not achieve the standards expected for their age.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

7. Attainment in science is below national expectations by the end of Year 2 and Year 6. The pupils’ very narrow knowledge and understanding of the world around them and their limited experience of life outside the immediate locality are key factors in the low attainment combined with the low levels of linguistic abilities. Pupils’ general knowledge is poor and most pupils have difficulties using vocabulary to describe basic scientific processes and ideas. Most pupils find it difficult to work on their own without adult support and lack confidence to make decisions and use their initiative. Pupils’ are currently learning at a satisfactory rate and progress is starting to pick up as a result of improved subject management and teaching.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

8. Standards in art and design are in line with national expectations for the pupils’ ages across the school. Pupils learn an appropriate range of art techniques including painting, printing, sketching and collage and are learning to appreciate the work of great artists such as Picasso and Gainsborough. Attainment is below national expectations across the school in design and technology, geography, history, and music. In physical education pupils’ attainment is in line with national expectations by the end of Year 2, but below national expectations by the end of Year 6. In information and communication technology standards are well below national expectations at the end of both key stages. In music, poor curriculum coverage reduces pupils’ attainment and similarly, in information and communication technology, a combination of unsatisfactory resources and weaknesses in the knowledge and understanding of

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

teachers contribute to lack of coverage of the curriculum. Attainment in religious Middlefield Community Primary School - 14 education is low as a result of the curriculum not complying with the locally agreed syllabus.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

9. Throughout the school, the high proportion of pupils with special educational needs for learning difficulties make satisfactory progress and at times, good progress. The progress of pupils with emotional and behavioural difficulties varies significantly between classes. Inspection evidence is that overall all pupils are currently learning at a satisfactory rate. Between Years 1 to 4, pupils’ progress is satisfactory. Past gaps in the knowledge and understanding of pupils from the closed school reduce the progress that they make and in Years 5 and 6, many of the new pupils, representing over half of each class, have poor attitudes to learning and, despite the good efforts of staff, many pupils do not apply themselves as well as they could. This depresses the progress that they make.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

10. Pupils in the Resourced Unit are integrated well into lessons throughout the school and make very good progress in managing their personal, social and emotional development, but the systems for ensuring that these pupils make sufficient academic progress are unsatisfactory and their academic progress could be better and is unsatisfactory overall.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

11. Pupils’ attitudes to school are satisfactory, and most of the younger pupils have positive attitudes towards learning. In the Foundation Stage pupils settle well and most are interested and eager to learn. In Key Stage 1 most pupils are keen to learn and join in activities enthusiastically. A good example of this was seen in a Year 1 numeracy lesson when pupils enthusiastically took turns to follow the teacher’s directions and step around the coloured circles on the floor. Pupils with special educational needs work very well in the Resourced Unit and have good attitudes that enable them to make good progress in their personal development. Many older pupils in Years 5 and 6 are reluctant learners and are sometimes apathetic and disruptive during lessons and this affects their achievements and the progress of others. Even when teaching is good there are some older pupils who remain disinterested with

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

poor concentration skills. Pupils have limited ability to work independently and to take responsibility for their own learning and this has a negative effect on their personal development. Since the recent large increase in the number on roll most pupils are beginning to settle well into established routines but there are some who show a lack of trust and respect for adults and towards one another. The majority of parents agree that their children like school.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

12. Pupils know the school rules and most respond well to the behaviour policy. There are some older pupils, mainly boys, who have little self-discipline. This often results in noisy and impolite conduct during lessons, in the playground and whilst moving around the school. Most pupils listen well to their teachers and willingly answer questions, although many pupils throughout the school have a narrow vocabulary and low attainment which inhibit their ability to express themselves clearly. The school generally is an orderly environment in which to learn. This is due to the hard work and commitment of all staff who act as good role models. Since the recent extensive changes in the character of the school, most pupils are responding well to the good quality behaviour management strategies that are consistently applied. Pupils with behavioural and emotional difficulties respond very well to individual therapeutic

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

sessions in the Quiet Place. This has a very positive effect on their sense of well being and their reintegration into lessons and is contributes to improving progress. Middlefield Community Primary School - 15 13. Behaviour is satisfactory. Parents are almost unanimous in their view that the school is helping children to become mature and responsible. Pupils respond well to the school’s good and well-organised system of reward and recognition of success and achievement. They know the difference between right and wrong. In the playground and during lunchtime most pupils behave well although there are some, mainly older boys, whose behaviour is often rough and boisterous. Some parents have expressed concerns about bullying mainly in the form of name-calling. The inspection confirms that although there are incidents of bullying and inappropriate behaviour between some pupils, these are promptly and effectively dealt with by staff. Most pupils have a

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

clear understanding of the impact of their actions on others, and this is developed well during lessons, personal and social education and the Thought for the Day. For pupils who have difficulties managing their own behaviour, the contribution of the Quiet Place is outstanding and enables a significant number of pupils to participate in school life with appropriate behaviour.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

14. Relationships amongst pupils and between staff and pupils are satisfactory, and make a firm contribution to pupils’ personal and academic progress. Pupils with special educational needs are well integrated into all activities. All adults in the school listen well to pupils and this develops the close relationships. For example during registration a pupil in Year 3 confidently handed a letter to her teacher that requested help with a relationship problem between a group of pupils. This was received with much warmth and understanding leading to discussion and personal support later in the day. During lessons most pupils share resources sensibly and co-operatively, although at times some pupils are aggressive and argumentative when working in groups and have difficulty in sharing resources willingly.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

15. Pupils’ personal development is satisfactory and good classroom routines are now well established. At the moment not enough opportunities are provided for developing pupils’ skills of working on their own and taking responsibility for their learning although in all classes pupils help as monitors and those in Year 6 deliver registers and lunchboxes. The emphasis on integrating the new pupils into the school and establishing acceptable codes of behaviour has taken priority in recent months. At present the lack of pupils’ involvement in decision-making limits their personal development. For older pupils in particular, this misses important opportunities to help raise their self-esteem, self-discipline and confidence.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

16. Attendance is unsatisfactory and at 90.6 per cent during the Autumn Term 2001 is below the national average of 93.9 per cent. Unauthorised absence is very high at 4.6 per cent compared to the national average of 0.5 per cent. Punctuality is a major problem and a large number of pupils are regularly late in the morning. This often has a very negative effect on progress and on pupils’ attitude towards school. Registration and lessons start on time, but latecomers in all classes often disrupt an efficient start to the day. There have been no exclusions since September 2001.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

17. Teaching and support staff have a shared commitment to providing the best possible quality of teaching and opportunities for learning for all pupils. Teachers are determined to meet the challenge brought about by the significant change in nature of the school since September 2001. Everyone is totally committed to the concept of inclusion. Although there is a need to improve the quality of teaching and learning in some subjects, this is recognised by staff and a good staff development programme has started to tackle areas of weakness for example, in information and communication technology. The contribution of staff from the Education Action Zone Middlefield Community Primary School - 16 and the Excellence in Cities initiatives is adding to the picture of improving teaching and learning across the school. Teachers funded by the Education Action Zone to support pupils in Year 6 are making a positive contribution to the progress the pupils

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

make and especially for the high proportion with emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

18. The quality of teaching and learning in the school is good in the Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 and satisfactory in Key Stage 2. In the lessons observed during the inspection, however, many good examples of teaching were seen. During the inspection, the quality of teaching was satisfactory or better in 92% of lessons observed. Of the 72 lessons observed during the inspection, one per cent was excellent, six per cent were very good, thirty eight per cent were good and forty seven per cent were satisfactory. Eight per cent of lessons were unsatisfactory. This was because pupils in these lessons did not make sufficient progress due to the disruptions of misbehaving pupils. There are particular strengths in the teaching of pupils in Foundation Stage and in Years 1 to 4. A strong team spirit has been successfully built between the new teachers and education support staff. Whilst teachers generally have a secure knowledge and understanding of most subjects of

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

the National Curriculum, there are weaknesses in their knowledge of some subjects, most notably in particular information and communication technology, music and religious education.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

19. Teaching and learning in the Nursery and Reception classes are good overall although at times children would benefit from more direct support and teaching from adults. Good planning ensures that the Foundation Stage curriculum is taught well by providing children with a wide range of appropriate and well-organised activities. Children develop good attitudes to learning and develop the ability to listen, concentrate and persevere with tasks. A good relationship between the class teacher and the qualified Nursery staff ensures that each aspect of the Foundation Stage curriculum is taught well. A good range of activities successfully promotes the children’s personal, social and emotional development and ensures good progress in improving their communication, language and literacy skills. Early writing skills are developed well through a well-structured programme involving children “writing” invitations, shopping lists and letters in the well organised writing area and office.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

Early reading is promoted though access to books and a good use of the National Literacy Strategy in the Reception class. The teaching of mathematical development is very good overall, especially during whole class mental mathematical sessions. Good use is made of role play activities to bring learning to life, for example, when a small group of children prepared equal measures of food for the Three Bears. Teachers work very hard to improve the limited knowledge and understanding of the world of many children. Children are given a wide range of well organised and planned activities involving them in exploring new materials such as dough, and giving them good access to educational materials such as construction kits. Good access is given for children to use the computer. A wide range of exciting and stimulating activities is provided to support the children’s physical development although a deficiency in large outdoor equipment makes it difficult for teachers to provided

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

opportunities for children to fully develop their climbing, sliding and balancing skills. Creative development is taught well with some particularly good teaching of painting, singing and music making. Pupils are given many good opportunities to develop their imagination for example when acting in the “ bakers shop” but at times the play activities are not structured well enough for children to learn as well as they could.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

20. In Key Stages 1 and 2, teachers plan lessons adequately for each subject and this ensures that in the majority of lessons, pupils learn at a satisfactory rate or better. The needs of pupils with special educational needs are recognised and met although the needs of higher attaining pupils are not always planned for. Teachers generally Middlefield Community Primary School - 17 have clear objectives for each lesson that are shared with their pupils. The majority of lessons are well managed so that behaviour is good and there are few disruptions to learning. In some classes, there is a high proportion of pupils with special educational needs who have emotional and behavioural difficulties and teachers and support staff have to work very hard to involve pupils in lessons so that they can learn. In Years 5 and 6, the best efforts of staff to enthuse and inspire pupils to learn are not always successful because over half of the pupils, mostly from the closed school, have poor

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

attitudes to learning. Although there are occasions when the basic skills of literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology are used to support learning in all subjects, this is often incidental and as yet teachers are not consistently planning enough opportunities for pupils to apply these basic skills to their learning across the curriculum. Expectations for pupils to develop their computer skills are too low at the moment because the resources are unsatisfactory and this depresses the standards and progress of pupils across the school in developing information technology skills.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

21. Despite the high percentage of pupils in the school with emotional and behavioural difficulties, relationships between teachers and pupils during lessons are satisfactory overall and often good. The very challenging behaviour of boys in Years 5 and 6 is well managed. Teachers and support staff work together very effectively so that the pupils are generally well behaved and can participate in lessons. Very good links between teachers and the staff of the “Quiet Place” offer a good route for pupils struggling with personal and emotional difficulties to manage their own behaviour.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

22. The quality of marking is satisfactory overall although the school’s policy for marking is not yet fully implemented and teachers do not always make enough use of marking to establish high expectations and set targets for pupils to do better. The recently increased expectations for pupils to supplement their school work with work at home are welcomed by pupils and parents and some teachers make good use of homework to improve the performance of pupils.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

23. The teaching of literacy and English is good. Teachers have a secure knowledge and understanding of the National Literacy Strategy and they enthuse pupils with the good use of texts and books. The school’s strategies for teaching reading are beginning to have an impact upon the levels of interest shown by pupils in books. Good use is made of group reading activities in literacy lessons and the school librarian enables pupils to use the library. In writing, whilst the quality of teaching is currently satisfactory, there are variations in expectations across the school and too often not enough attention is given to standards of presentation and expectations for pupils to produce extended pieces of writing. In mathematics and numeracy the quality of teaching is satsifactory. The wide range of needs of pupils is generally well planned for so that pupils are usually challenged sufficiently. Not enough attention, however, is

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

given to promoting pupils’ skills of independence or of planning for developing the skills of literacy, numeracy or information and communication technology across the curriculum. .

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

24. In science, teachers have a satisfactory knowledge and understanding of the requirements of the National Curriculum but most teachers are unsure how to deal with the teaching of scientific investigations and do not make enough use of science to apply basic skills of literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology. In other subjects teachers have a secure knowledge and understanding of art and design, geography, history, and physical education and as a result pupils make satisfactory progress in these subjects. In information and communication technology, music and religious education weaknesses in teachers’ subject knowledge adversely affect the quality of teaching and the progress of pupils. Good Middlefield Community Primary School - 18 initiatives are being implemented to improve these weaknesses but the impact on standards is not yet being fully felt. Although teaching observed during the inspection

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

was satisfactory or better, weaknesses in the planned curriculum impact adversely upon the progress being made by pupils.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

25. Recent improvements in the use of assessment data from English and mathematics are starting to improve the overall provision for the wide range of abilities in each class. In most lessons, teachers plan to meet the needs of pupils of all levels of ability so that pupils can work at the level of which they are capable.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

26. Provision for pupils with special educational needs is satisfactory overall. There is a strong commitment of reintegration throughout the school and staff work hard to ensure a high level of success. Classroom assistants provide very effective support; they have good knowledge of the curriculum and demonstrate very good skills in keeping pupils involved in the task. They show sensitivity when dealing with pupils with particular problems and encourage a supportive and considerate attitude amongst all the pupils.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

27. In most classes pupils have positive attitudes to their work but often find it difficult to respond in large groups. In the best lessons teachers target questions effectively to enable all pupils to contribute. Where progress is unsatisfactory classroom assistants spend long periods of time listening to the teacher with no clear support role. When working in small groups work is not always sufficiently targeted to pupils’ level of ability. For example, time is spent on work sheets with pupils writing out words, incorrectly spelled that they cannot read. Spellings are not corrected and there is insufficient interaction between the classroom assistant and the pupils to ensure that they make good progress

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28. The curriculum is currently unsatisfactory because not enough time is given to information and communication technology and music, the provision for religious education does not meet statutory requirements and the requirements for Acts of Collective Worship are currently not being met.

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PUPILS?

29. Since the start of the new school year, the curriculum has been reviewed to adapt it to the extra demands brought about by the large increase in pupil numbers. The school currently provides a generally broad curriculum for its pupils, with a small range of learning opportunities offered outside the formal curriculum. The curriculum for children in the Foundation Stage is good, and relates appropriately to the Early Learning Goals. The school meets the statutory requirements in relation to the curriculum in Key Stages 1 and 2.

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PUPILS?

30. The school has rightly prioritised raising standards in literacy and numeracy and has allocated substantial amounts of time in order to boost standards. However, the amount of time devoted to these subjects has resulted in a narrow curriculum for the non-core subjects of music and information and communication technology and as a result pupils make too little progress in these subjects. In information and communication technology there is also too little equipment for the successful implementation of the curriculum.

p.18

PUPILS?

31. Suitable policy documents and schemes of work based on the national guidance, are in place for most subjects and these are helpful to teachers’ planning,. In religious Middlefield Community Primary School - 19 education, the locally agreed syllabus is not effectively taught and this has led to gaps in pupils’ knowledge and understanding of religious education. The school has successfully implemented the National Numeracy and Literacy Strategies and these are having a positive impact on pupils’ learning, and helping to raise standards overall. Some examples were seen during the inspection of pupils’ literacy and numeracy skills being used across the curriculum, but this is not as widespread as it could be in all classes and is not consistently planned for. Pupils’ skills in information and communication technology are not effectively developed and used in other subjects. Classes receive varying amounts of music teaching. The new scheme of work is not

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PUPILS?

being taught effectively, because of teachers’ lack of confidence and the time allocated to the subject across the school has not been effectively monitored.

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PUPILS?

32. Currently the teaching time available in the school day meets recommended minimum times in Key Stage 1 and is above the minimum level for pupils in Key Stage 2. All subjects of the curriculum are taught but there is little monitoring of the effectiveness of the whole curriculum. This results in widely differing time allocations for subjects in different classes and year groups.

p.19

PUPILS?

33. The formal curriculum is enhanced with visits and visitors throughout the year. These opportunities make an important contribution to extending pupils’ narrow experience of the wider world. Pupils in Year 6 benefit from attending a residential visit each year and this supports the pupils’ personal development as well as aspects of their social and physical development. Pupils in other classes benefit from a small range of day visits to support various subjects for example, pupils visited Speke Hall to extend their history work. The poor socio-economic circumstances of many families, however, restrict the opportunities for educational visits and as a result the range of use of such visits is less than usually found in primary schools.

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PUPILS?

34. Provision for pupils with special educational needs is satisfactory overall and this ensures that all pupils with special educational needs are included in all aspects of the curriculum. Individual education plans meet statutory requirements in their format. They are very new as a result of the sudden expansion of numbers arriving from the closed school, many of whom did not have suitable individual education plans. At the moment, there are some weaknesses in the level of detail for pupils with learning difficulties and this makes it difficult to effectively track their progress. Pupils with emotional and behavioural difficulties are identified and given effective support for their personal difficulties so that they have the opportunity to learn. Access to the Quiet Place provides excellent support for many pupils and contributes to the pupils being able to participate in the fully in the curriculum provided. Overall the school has a good

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PUPILS?

vision of inclusion for all pupils and aims to provide pupils with the support they need to access the curriculum effectively.

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PUPILS?

35. Provision for extra-curricular activities is satisfactory. A significant number of parents have expressed concerns that the school provides only a narrow range of activities outside of lessons. At present the school’s provision for pupils to attend after-school clubs and activities is not as wide as in many schools but the school has rightly prioritised resolving the problems of the large influx of new pupils. The school has identified that when the school has settled down, the range of extra-curricular activities will be expanded. The Learning Mentor is currently organising an after school reading club for targeted pupils from Years 3 to 6. Pupils in Year 6 attend booster classes prior to end of key stage National Curriculum tests. The football club is run with the help of a member of Liverpool Football Club and is open to boys and girls, but only boys are currently attending. A successful Breakfast Club is held every morning

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PUPILS?

and attended by a large number of pupils. The links with the Children’s University are continuing and this year this initiative is providing the opportunity for pupils to attend Middlefield Community Primary School - 20 sessions in French, music and sport and this makes a good contribution to the curriculum. A small number of pupils attend additional music tuition for clarinet and brass. Arrangements are underway for pupils in Year 6 to go on a residential visit this year.

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PUPILS?

36. Provision for pupils’ personal, social and health education is satisfactory. The school has achieved the Liverpool Healthy Schools Award in recognition of its provision of a wide range of health and social eductaion. At present, personal and social education are taught through areas of the curriculum. The school recognises the need to review its policy following the recent increase in the school population. In some classes pupils take part in regular circle time to discuss social and moral behaviour and relationships but not all classes benefit from this. The previous satisfactory arrangements prior to the amalgamation for Year 6 pupils to receive sex education are to continue. Planning is currently taking place for a sex education policy to be produced by the co-ordinator and governors with the help of parents. Satisfactory arrangements are made for pupils to learn about the dangers of drugs through the

p.20

PUPILS?

Healthy Schools initiative and through the science curriculum.

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PUPILS?

37. The school’s links with the community and other schools are satisfactory. The Education Action Zone makes a valuable contribution to the raising of standards across the school. Opportunities are provided for extending pupils’ experiences through links with the community including local commerce. Pupils take part in a number of sports projects and competitive activities with Liverpool Academy and Sportslinx. Pupils’ social development is extended well through opportunities such as trips to the theatre with pupils from other schools. Pupils in Year 6 are currently taking part in a schools’ project organised by the Economic and Social Research Council. The project uses role-play to help pupils to overcome social and behavioural obstacles to learning so that they feel valued and part of the school community. The school welcomes visitors from the community to talk to pupils about specific topics and this enriches the curriculum well, for example, two senior citizens have talked to

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PUPILS?

pupils about their wartime experiences. The Parents’ Centre and the Reach Out programme, based in the school, is attended by some members of the community. Pupils have benefited from the good support of a business link who provided school sweatshirts with the new name and logo for all pupils. The school’s link with the Speke Comprehensive School is satisfactory. Appropriate arrangements are made for pupils in Year 6 and parents to visit and take part in activity days prior to their transfer into secondary education.

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PUPILS?

38. The school makes satisfactory provision for the pupils’ spiritual, moral and social development and all pupils are fully included and integrated into all aspects of school life. Overall spiritual development is satisfactory. An outstanding contribution is made through the Quiet Place, a room established to provide a range of therapeutic measures to support pupils experiencing emotional and other particular personal difficulties. This enables them to participate in all aspects of school life. Some good provision is made for spirituality in lessons. For instance, in the Nursery class, the teachers encourage the children to observe how new growth develops from carrot tops, and they create excitement when goldfish are introduced into the lesson. Teachers also respond well to spontaneous unexpected occasions in lessons, such as in Year 1 when a shaft of sunlight suddenly appeared in the classroom, but on the

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PUPILS?

whole there are too few planned opportunities across the curriculum to consistently promote pupils’ spiritual development.

p.20

PUPILS?

39. Satisfactory provision is made to promote pupils’ moral development that is enhanced through the school’s Behaviour and Discipline policy. Its application has led to steady improvement to way in which most pupils respond to teachers and each other Middlefield Community Primary School - 21 throughout the school. The regular use of the “Thought for the Day,” in class, provides some good opportunities for pupils to reflect on attitudes and moral values. In some lessons pupils are encouraged to write about emotions and feelings, such as “How do you feel when you wake up in the dark?” Staff show themselves to be good role models for pupils, helping them to develop good relationships.

p.20

PUPILS?

40. Social development provision is also satisfactory. When pupils are provided with tasks around the school, such as delivering registers, they take their responsibilities seriously and carry them out efficiently. However, pupils are insufficiently involved in helping with the regular routine day to day activities of the school and many are slow to show initiative. Pupils are encouraged to be kind and friendly to one another. Consequently, other than a small core of unsociable pupils, they play well together outside. In class they listen to one another’s responses and work collaboratively. They are comfortable with invited strangers to the school. Appropriate social development is encouraged through after-school, extra- curricular activities such as football and rugby, through educational visits to Speke Hall and local museums and through pupils’ involvement with The Children’s University. However many valuable

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opportunities are lost because of the school’s policy which curtails whole school, or group assemblies.

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41. Provision for pupils’ cultural development within the statutory curriculum is satisfactory but there are limited opportunities for pupils to extend their knowledge and understanding of cultures outside their own, very localised experiences. Many pupils have very few opportunities to experience the world outside of their immediate locality. Although the school attempts to improve pupils’ knowledge and understanding of a broader culture, limited funds restrict what can be done. The Education Action Zone contributes some significant help by for example, involving pupils in theatre performances, but generally the need for the pupils to explore the local and regional environment, cannot be met in the current financial environment. The restricted experiences of a high proportion of the pupils, have a significant impact upon the attainment and progress of pupils across the school. Older pupils learn short French

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PUPILS?

phrases and words. Through their history and geography lessons pupils learn about their own culture and that of others. In art they learn about European artists and about art of the Aborigines, the Mexicans and the Chinese. In religious education, pupils gain a growing awareness of the faiths, traditions and practices of other peoples, for example they are taught about Diwali, The Festival of Light and the Chinese New Year. However, planned opportunities for listening to the music of other cultures are under developed.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS

42. The provision for pupils’ safety, care and welfare is good. Pupils with special educational needs receive good support in the Resourced Unit and this enables them to take full advantage of all educational opportunities. Staff know pupils well and are sensitive to pupils’ needs and work very hard to ensure that all pupils are included in all aspects of school life. This makes a positive contribution to the rate of progress pupils make and is starting to raise standards. Careful attention is paid to the induction of pupils and good support has been provided for the large number of pupils who were recently transferred to the school. In the Foundation Stage children are well cared for in the Nursery and Reception classes and this helps them to settle quickly in a safe and secure learning environment. A learning mentor provides good support for groups of pupils with behavioural difficulties and by providing a counselling help-line

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS

for parents, gives support to parents who need help in supporting their children to come to school. The Quiet Place is an excellent provision for pupils with disruptive or Middlefield Community Primary School - 22 withdrawn behaviour problems and those facing personal and family crisis. Fully trained therapists support pupils individually by providing an extremely calming and imaginative environment that enables pupils to cope with their personal and emotional difficulties and therefore participate in school life.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS

43. Procedures for the monitoring of Health and Safety issues are satisfactory and the Site Manager effectively implements the school’s policy. An annual risk assessment of the site takes place and issues of concern are well recorded and followed up. Aspects of fire safety and electrical equipment are checked regularly. Staff are vigilant in ensuring that potential safety hazards are recorded, and the Site Manager supports the school well by undertaking a range of small maintenance tasks around the school. The site suffers from regular vandalism and there have been a number of recent burglaries. Pupils are satisfactorily supervised in the playground by a sufficient number of staff but at times, pupils playing behind the Portakabins are out of sight of staff. The provision for First Aid is good with several qualified First Aiders on site. An accident record is kept and parents are informed where necessary about any

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS

accidents or bumps their children have. Regular fire drills are held when the building is evacuated.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS

44. Procedures for Child Protection are good and meet requirements. Pupils giving cause for concern are well monitored and issues recorded. This area of pupils’ welfare takes a high priority in the school. All staff, including lunchtime supervisors, are fully conversant with procedures through training sessions and a meeting to update all new staff is currently planned. All pupils have access to all outside support agencies. Administrative staff work hard to keep pupils’ personal records up-to-date.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS

45. Although attendance has been well below the national average since the school was expanded in September 2001, the school is implementing good procedures to monitor and promote good attendance and punctuality. Staff work very hard to encourage pupils to attend regularly and to arrive on time by using a good range of rewards and verbal praise. The establishment of the Breakfast Club has had a very positive effect on the attendance of some pupils and had a positive impact on their behaviour and attitude to work. The local education authority Pupil Attendance and Welfare Service works very closely with the school and provides good support in monitoring unauthorised absence, making home visits and contacting parents. The learning mentor spends a considerable amount of time each morning checking the registers, meeting late-comers and recording a large number of names in the late book. The impact of the good procedures has yet to be fully felt as insufficient time has elapsed

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS

46. The school has good procedures for monitoring and promoting good behaviour and these contribute effectively in supporting pupils’ personal development. The learning mentor has a key role. She is responsible for the lunch time club which provides a rewarding environment for pupils who have worked hard and behaved well in class. Pupils receive stickers and stamps that, when they have completed a reward card, they exchange for cinema tickets for their family. The breakfast club also promotes good behaviour and ensures that children are ready to learn at the start of the day. It is open to children of all ages; is well organised and very popular with the pupils. The ‘Quiet Place’ is an exceptional facility within the school designed to support the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual development of children. The therapeutic service helps children to deal with disturbances in their school and home lives and

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS

aims to prevent the development of socially unacceptable behaviour. It is a safe and secure haven for pupils in which a team of therapists work effectively to build pupils’ confidence and self esteem so that pupils are able to learn. There is a very clear Middlefield Community Primary School - 23 structure for supporting parents and staff and in monitoring and evaluating pupils’ progress in managing their own behaviour.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS

47. The school plans to send reports to parents annually at the end of the school year. These will contain pupils’ achievements in all the subjects of the curriculum, the progress they make and their attitudes to learning. Targets for literacy and numeracy are shared with parents and there are regular planned opportunities for them to discuss their child’s progress with teachers. Home/school books are used effectively for pupils who have difficulty managing their behaviour and there are effective procedures in place to deal with any bullying or oppressive behaviour should it arise.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS

48. Overall procedures for assessing and recording pupils’ attainment and progress are good in English, mathematics and science but unsatisfactory in other subjects. The Assessment Co-ordinator has worked hard to develop and implement assessment strategies across the school. Baseline assessment in the Foundation Stage is thorough and detailed and results are recorded in order to track the progress of pupils as they move through the school. Currently the school analyses the national test results in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Year 2 and in English, mathematics and science at the end of Year 6. Formal and informal assessments are carried out at the end of each half term in English, mathematics and science for each year group with the exception of Year 1. Good systems have been introduced this year to assist in tracking individual pupils’ progress and these provide predictions and targets for groups of children expected to achieve level 2 at the end of Year 2 and

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS

level 4 at the end of Year 6. The tracking procedures also enable the school to provide an overview of pupils’ progress and identify any weaknesses in the teaching and learning so that action may be taken to rectify emerging weaknesses.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS

49. Teachers use the assessment information for English and mathematics to measure pupils’ past performance against their present performance so that targets can be set for pupils to do better. The targets are then shared with pupils and parents so that parents can support their children’s learning at home. The assessment of the other subjects of the curriculum is in an initial stage of development and is not consistent across the school. The school has purchased a useful commercial package of assessment materials together with training for all staff so that the assessment of all subjects is manageable and useful.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS

50. Individual education plans for pupils identified as having special educational needs have been revised since the school expanded. Although the individual education plans meet requirements, the majority are currently not written with enough clarity or detail to ensure that pupils’ learning needs are always targeted effectively and that their rate of progress is suitably monitored. The staff are still adjusting to the doubling of numbers of pupils with special educational needs arriving from the closed school. With the exception of pupils in the Resourced Unit, few parents have been given the opportunity to become involved in the review of their child’s educational needs or the progress made towards their targets.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS

51. Procedures for reviewing pupils’ statements of special educational needs are unsatisfactory. Fourteen pupils at the school currently have statements of special educational needs. Of these the placement identified on the statement for nine of the pupils is not the name and type of the school that the child presently attends. Some pupils are unable to access the support that is named on the statement, for example, speech and language therapy or support from the Local Education Authority special education support service. Not all of the children with statements have short-term targets set to support their learning and behaviour. Reviews have not been carried out annually, in one case a Year 6 pupil has not had an annual review of his statement Middlefield Community Primary School - 24 since 1998 when the recommendation was that he should return to a school that now no longer exists. Transition reviews on Year 6 pupils that were planned for Autumn

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS

Term have not yet taken place and the allocation of time from the Educational Psychology Service is unsatisfactory for a school with such a high percentage of pupils with challenging behaviour.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

52. The school has a satisfactory partnership with parents. The majority of parents are satisfied with the work of the school and feel that the expansion of the school has gone well. Most parents feel that the school works closely with them and they feel comfortable about approaching the staff with questions or a problem. The school welcomes parents and there is a clear open door policy. During the inspection many parents were seen bringing children into school and taking them into classrooms. A small number of parents and their children were seen choosing books together at the Book Fair in the school library. Staff are readily available to talk to parents at the beginning and end of the school day. The Parents’ Centre attracts a small number of parents, grandparents and members of the community who take the opportunity to learn new skills and gain qualifications. The Parents’ Centre Update newsletter is

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

circulated around the community and provides good information about the courses that are available to them so that parents can become more involved in their children’s education.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

53. Some parents provide valuable support for their children’s learning at home and this makes a good contribution to their progress and achievements. There are also many other parents who are unable to do so. Pupils take home reading books for the weekend and parents are encouraged to listen to reading and some parents help by writing their comments in the reading record booklet. Procedures for homework are at present inconsistent and dependent upon the arrangements made by individual class teachers. The family numeracy and literacy sessions and computer courses organised on a class-by-class basis by the co-ordinator of the Parent School Partnership are well attended and parents and pupils enjoy playing learning games together. A very small number of parents help regularly in classrooms but more help is available when pupils are taken out on visits.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

54. The quality of information for parents is satisfactory, but a significant number of parents would like more information about their children’s progress. Contrary to the recommendations of the Code of Practice parents of pupils with special educational needs are not currently invited to be involved in the school-based assessment of their child. They are not invited to contribute to their child’s individual education plan and therefore they do not always understand the purpose of any intervention or programme of action.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

55. A meeting for new parents was held prior to the expansion of the school and every new parent received a helpful ‘Welcome’ booklet. The school proposes to continue its former practice of regular consultation evenings in the summer term. Parents of pupils identified with specific behavioural problems are provided with a home/school book to assist them in managing behaviour at home. Parents are reminded regularly of the importance of good attendance and punctuality and the effect this has on children’s progress. Good information is provided for parents of pupils who spend time in the Quiet Place and parents are requested to sign a consent form. The co- ordinator of the Quiet Place works hard to encourage parents to meet with her before and after the series of sessions to discuss progress. Parents receive a helpful pack Middlefield Community Primary School - 25 of information including lists of diets, suggestions for activities, relaxation tapes and

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

56. The school prospectus, recently revised in conjunction with the Education Action Zone, is very good and provides readers with a good overview of the school’s aims and also provides essential information about the day-to-day running and purpose of the school. Middlefield Foundation Stage Newsletter is also of a good quality and provides interesting and useful information for parents about the Nursery and Reception class activities and topics to be taught for the term. At present parents receive a variety of letters from class teachers to inform them of activities and organisation as the need arises. Insufficient information is provided for the parents of pupils in Years 1 to 6 about the topics their children are learning to assist parents in helping their children at home. In all classes parents are provided with good information each term about their children’s targets for literacy and numeracy.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

Parents assist the school by signing a copy and returning it to the class teacher. The school plans to issue reports to parents towards the end of the academic year.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

57. The leadership and management of the school are satisfactory overall. The leadership provided by the head teacher is good. There is clear vision and sense of purpose to the expanded school that is transmitted to staff and pupils and contributes to an improving quality of education in the school. The head teacher ensures that satisfactory provision is made for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and educational inclusion is a strong feature of all management decisions and all school policies and actions. The effective school improvement plan accurately identifies what the school needs to do in order to achieve standards that are as high as they can be. Since September 2001, the school has rightly concentrated on managing the challenges arising from the large influx of pupils (over 200) from the closed school, many of whom have emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

58. The major disruptions caused by the challenging behaviour of many pupils who joined the school in September 2001 have been well managed and the disruption to the education of pupils has been minimised by adopting a well-structured and sensibly prioritised set of targets. The head teacher is now in the process of establishing effective procedures for improving the low level of attainment of pupils. These strategies include establishing amongst pupils a sense of pride in themselves and their school and setting high standards for behaviour and the way pupils treat one another. Enormous efforts are being made to bring together everyone who has an interest in the pupils’ education including parents, representatives of the local education authority and special educational needs support services, personnel from the Education Action Zone and pupil therapists so that there is a concerted whole school approach to the way the pupils are supported.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

59. All staff, many of whom are new to the school, have a strong commitment to improvement and change. Although there has not yet been sufficient time for initiatives to reach fruition, there is a growing sense of an improvement in the rate of progress amongst pupils. There is an effective senior management team structure, which is competently and effectively moving the school forward through difficult circumstances. The challenge of integrating the large number of pupils joining the school is being successfully met and the future challenge of relocating pupils and staff to a new building for the start of the new school year whilst maintaining an acceptable quality of education is also being effectively managed. Middlefield Community Primary School - 26 60. The head teacher and senior management team provide a clear educational direction and vision for the school’s future. Since September 2001, when the school was

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

formed, very good strategies have been implemented to integrate the new pupils and to manage the high levels of challenging behaviour so that pupils enjoy learning. Good procedures have been established to monitor and evaluate the attainment and progress of pupils in English, mathematics and science but the school recognises the need to improve ways of monitoring pupils’ progress in other subjects. Many of the subject co-ordinators are new to their posts, and are just starting to identify, through subject audits reflected in action plans, what needs to be done to get the best out of teachers and pupils in their subjects. Co-ordinators have made a good start in managing their subjects but it is too early to measure an improvement in standards. Although all staff have a high level of commitment to their co-ordinator roles, the school lacks a clear policy that identifies the way in which co-ordinators check upon

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

the quality of teaching and learning across the school.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

61. The role of the governing body is satisfactory overall. There have been many changes to its membership in the last term but through a well-structured committee system, all statutory requirements are met. The financial management of the school is good overall and sensible decisions have been made to build up a large surplus to enable the move to the new school building to occur smoothly. The needs for additional resources and furniture and costs of establishing effective staffing arrangements can be met. The governing body, however, is heavily reliant upon the guidance and advice of the head teacher regarding how well the school is doing and in this aspect of their role, governors need to be more involved. The head teacher has a good working relationship with the governing body and is using the recently established performance management systems to monitor the quality of teaching and learning so

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

that best value for money can be achieved. The school has developed good systems to monitor the progress of pupils in English, mathematics and science as they move through the school, but the very recent nature of the systems, reduces their use for monitoring at the moment. The head teacher and governing body are establishing an effective framework for checking that the school gets the best value from its income. The school provides satisfactory value for money.

p.26

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

62. The school receives funds from the Excellence in Cities initiative and resources from the school’s involvement in an Education Action Zone. In both cases, the funds are making a significant contribution to the quality of education provided for pupils by increasing staffing and resources. The resources and funds for pupils with special educational needs, are spent satisfactorily overall, to benefit the high percentage of pupils with learning and emotional and behavioural difficulties but the management of special educational needs has weaknesses overall. Although there is a team of three staff managing special educational needs, there is no regular allocation of time given to them to co-ordinate special educational needs across the school. This results in a lack of opportunity to support and advise teachers, and insufficient training for support assistants or liaison with parents. There is a special educational needs policy and the

p.26

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

staff are aware of the need to update this in order to comply with the new Code of Practice. The chair of governors has an overview of special needs throughout the school but currently there is no governor with specific responsibility for this important area.

p.26

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

63. There are good numbers of adequately qualified teaching staff to meet the needs of the National Curriculum. Classroom support assistants are mostly qualified and provide good support in the classrooms. Some newly appointed classroom support assistants are yet to receive training and this prevents them from making the best Middlefield Community Primary School - 27 contribution to lessons. Both teaching and support staff work very hard together to provide the best for their pupils.

p.26

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

64. Resources are adequate in most subjects, and good in English in the provision of books for guided reading in Key Stage 1. The provision of computers and associated hardware such as printers is unsatisfactory. Some classes have access to only one computer and at best some classes have two and this limits pupils’ learning. The co- ordinator for information and communication technology has been successful in securing the temporary loan of equipment available from the Education Action Zone to extend the range of resources available. At times, older pupils have access to laptop computers to support their work and when this access is available they make satisfactory progress. Much hard work has been done by co-ordinators and other staff to audit, sort, organise and catalogue resources following the re- deployment of resources to Middlefield from the closed school.

p.27

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

65. The accommodation is adequate but in need of refurbishment and repair. The school has good disability access with toilet and shower facilities for wheelchair users and a ramp entrance to the Early Years’ department. At the start of the next academic year, the all pupils and staff will be relocated to a purpose built school. Middlefield Community Primary School - 28

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1. Raise the attainment of pupils across the school by:

• consistently planning opportunities for pupils to develop the basic skills of literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology across the curriculum (paragraphs 23, 30, 109,119, 164) • developing and implementing a policy for promoting the highest possible standards of speaking (paragraphs 5, 103) • establishing high expectations for pupils’ independent work (paras 15, 23, 24, 118, 124, 141) • making better use of marking and target setting to increase pupils’ self knowledge of their learning (paragraphs 22, 119, 124) • finding ways to extend pupils’ knowledge of the world beyond their immediate locality. (paragraphs 1, 120, 150, 158)

p.28

religious education by:

• improving the range of resources in information and communication technology and carrying out the planned staff training.( (paragraphs 64, 159-165, • providing more opportunities for pupils to perform music and by increasing the knowledge and understanding of music amongst teachers. (paragraphs 29, 167) • ensuring that the curriculum for religious education matches the requirements of the Locally Agreed Syllabus. (paragraphs 28, 179-183)

p.28

and learning in subjects other than English, mathematics and science by

• developing and implementing guidelines for the way in which subject co-ordinators monitor teaching and learning across the school • ensuring that effective systems are in place for assessing and recording pupils’ progress in all subjects. (paragraphs 60, 133, 143, 150, 158, 165, 172, 183)

p.28

4. Increase the academic progress of pupils in the Resourced unit by:

• making better use of pupils’ individual education plans to support pupils’ learning when they are integrated • improving the quality of pupils’ academic progress records. (paragraphs 66-79)

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5. The management of aspects of special educational needs

• ensuring that the procedures meet the statutory requirement for reviewing the statements of special educational needs • ensuring that the procedures for the involving parents of pupils identified in the school special educational needs register comply with the Code of Practice. • providing key staff with time to perform their duties. (paragraphs 10, 50, 51, 54, 62)

p.28

6. Improve the levels of attendance and punctuality by:

• pursuing the continuing good procedures for monitoring attendance and encouraging punctuality. • developing and implementing strategies for rewarding good attendance and punctuality. (paragraphs 16, 45)

p.28

7. Ensure that the school complies with statutory requirements for the provision of

Acts of Collective Worship (paragraph 28) Middlefield Community Primary School - 29

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BEHAVIOURAL DIFFICULTIES

66. The unit for pupils with emotional and behaviour difficulties is resourced for 18 pupils. Its main purpose is to support the reintegration of pupils with emotional and behavioural difficulties into mainstream classes and the life of the school. Currently 15 pupils are on the roll aged from four to ten years with one pupil fully integrated since September and one pupil currently being educated at home. Fourteen pupils are being integrated into a mainstream class for some period of the day. The amount of time pupils attend mainstream lessons varies from one hour per week to full time reintegration and includes opportunities for playtimes with mainstream class. Staff from the unit accompany children at playtime and pupils return to the unit immediately if their behaviour become dangerous or aggressive. Considerable consultation occurs with parents, pupils and class teachers.

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BEHAVIOURAL DIFFICULTIES

67. The work of the unit staff is very effectively supplemented and supported by the ‘Quiet Place’. This exceptionally effective resource within the school provides a specific programme of guidance designed to support children who experience difficulties with their emotions and behaviour. A range of therapies enables pupils to build confidence and self esteem and helps them to deal with their emotions. The centre also supports staff and parents very effectively in the management of their children.

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BEHAVIOURAL DIFFICULTIES

68. The Learning Mentor has a key role in supporting pupils with emotional and behaviour difficulties. She provides a range of clubs and activities together with a mentoring and counselling role that impact positively on pupils’ behaviour and attitudes to school. The provision for pupils within the unit for emotional and behaviour difficulties is satisfactory overall however, the close links with these additional support facilities ensures that provision overall is good.

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BEHAVIOURAL DIFFICULTIES

69. Adults in the unit work hard to promote an atmosphere of physical and emotional security and provide a very positive start to the school day for the pupils. Children enter in a calm and orderly manner and settle quickly and happily to the range of activities that are available. The staff encourage pupils to share and take turns and the strategies that they use are highly successful. During the inspection there were many instances where pupils’ behaviour was exemplary as they worked and played together.

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BEHAVIOURAL DIFFICULTIES

70. The ‘Thought for the Day’ before lessons provides a moment of reflection in which pupils sit and quietly think about how they can be more caring and considerate to others. They are reminded of their responsibilities to themselves and to one another and of why it is important to behave well. On the rare occasions that a pupil becomes involved in an argument with another child the teacher skilfully manages the situation and within minutes pupils have apologised to each other. Relationships are very good and there is a strong emphasis on the importance and value of attending mainstream lessons. Mainstream integration is managed very well. Pupils make guided choices as to which lessons they visit and they develop a very positive attitude to integration. For example, one pupil listened to all the ‘special’ things the group would do in the unit when he suddenly realised he should be in his mainstream class and went happily to

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BEHAVIOURAL DIFFICULTIES

71. Each of the pupils in the unit has an individual education plan. This identifies clear and specific targets in literacy and numeracy but the behaviour targets are far too vague and lack sufficient detail in order for them to be useful to either the teacher or the pupil. Middlefield Community Primary School - 30 72. All pupils are encouraged to participate in all decision-making processes including initially selecting which lessons they will attend and the setting of their own learning and behaviour targets. Once pupils have agreed their targets they record these and place them on display. Teachers in the unit make reference to these each morning encouraging pupils to take responsibility for their own learning and behaviour. However, when pupils are integrated into their mainstream class for literacy sessions the class teacher does not always have access to the individual education plan and as a result teaching is not always focused sufficiently to meet their particular needs or

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BEHAVIOURAL DIFFICULTIES

to enable their progress to be monitored effectively.

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BEHAVIOURAL DIFFICULTIES

73. There are strong links with parents. They are welcomed into the unit at the start of the day and issues of concern are shared with unit manager. Special educational needs diaries are kept on each of the pupils, which contain useful information from home, health and social services, and any important events that have occurred in the child’s life. Parents are asked to contribute to their child’s individual education plan and are encouraged to take an active role in setting targets and helping to implement them. Parents are regularly invited to review meetings and there is a daily exchange of information through the home/school books that help families to understand their child’s experiences at school.

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BEHAVIOURAL DIFFICULTIES

74. Teaching in the unit observed during the inspection was mainly satisfactory with some good teaching at the start of the day. Very effective behaviour management, good organisation and short tasks enable pupils to remain focused. When pupils first enter the unit they often have very poor peer relationships, difficulty in trusting others and are frequently hostile to other children. Staff work closely with pupils to diffuse potentially explosive behaviour, disputes and arguments. Classroom rules are made explicit and pupiils are frequently reminded of them in a quiet and sensitive manner. Pupils are always expected to apologise for misdemeanours and where aggressive or dangerous behaviour occurs there is a review of what has taken place and pupils are expected to account for their behaviour. There is clear emphasis on pupils taking responsibility for their own behaviour and they learn to manage anger and frustration

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BEHAVIOURAL DIFFICULTIES

effectively. For example, even when pupils have looked forward to play time and it is cancelled they return to the activity without complaining.

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BEHAVIOURAL DIFFICULTIES

75. Pupils do not always make as much progress academically as they could. There is a serious lack of challenge in many of the planned activities. Too many ‘independent’ literacy and numeracy activities are not sufficiently matched to pupils’ ability. Teachers’ expectations are too low and time is not always well used. Pupils sit waiting for their turn to read to a classroom assistant or spend time drawing and colouring in simple work sheets. This has a negative impact on their learning and as a result pupils do not attain standards of which they are capable.

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BEHAVIOURAL DIFFICULTIES

76. The arrangements for ‘cross curricular activities’ in the afternoon are unsatisfactory and do not include enough access to all the subjects in the National Curriculum. During the inspection activities consisted mainly of plastic construction toys, jigsaws, playing hangman and sketching a portrait. This programme results in pupils missing many important areas of learning and does not enable older pupils to acquire the necessary skills, understanding and knowledge in each of the subjects of the curriculum.

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BEHAVIOURAL DIFFICULTIES

77. The curriculum that is planned for pupils in the unit is narrowly based and does not include all the subjects of the National Curriculum. Religious education is not taught on a regular basis and there is no Act of Collective Worship. The ‘Thought for the day’ is effective in supporting pupils’ moral, social and spiritual development, however, not all pupils attend as this occurs after pupils who are reintegrated have left the unit. There is no planning to indicate that any subjects other than literacy and numeracy Middlefield Community Primary School - 31 will be regularly taught. Physical education is restricted to ‘use of the hall’ in the autumn term and ‘outdoor play’ in the summer; and during the inspection there were no lessons planned. Planning of the wider curriculum is a serious weakness within the unit and there is no medium or short term planning to show how most subjects will be covered.

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BEHAVIOURAL DIFFICULTIES

78. There is currently very little monitoring of pupils’ attainment and progress across the curriculum and, apart from a review of the pupils’ individual education plans, assessment procedures have not yet been developed. As yet there is no monitoring and evaluating of the subjects taught and the quality of teaching in the unit. The manager of the unit is aware of the weaknesses in curriculum and assessment and plans to address this in the near future. A significant weakness in provision is that many of the statements for pupils with severe difficulties have not been reviewed in accordance with requirements. The procedures adopted by the local education authority to ensure that each pupil’s statement is reviewed annually are ineffective.

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BEHAVIOURAL DIFFICULTIES

79. Overall the Resourced Unit for pupils with emotional and behavioural difficulties provides satisfactory value for money. Middlefield Community Primary School - 32

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 37

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactor y Poor Very Poor

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

The table gives the percentage of teaching observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about lessons.

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery YR – Y6

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 26 355

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of full-time pupils eligible for free school meals 0 270

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Special educational needs Nursery YR – Y6

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 0 10

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 2 152

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

English as an additional language No of pupils

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 0

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission N/A

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving N/A

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

National comparative data 5.2 National comparative data 0.5

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Middlefield Community Primary School - 33

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage 0 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – African heritage o Black – African heritage 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Any other minority ethnic group 0 Other minority ethnic groups

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

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– Y6

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 18 Financial year 2000-2001

p.33

– Y6

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 21.16

p.33

– Y6

Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total expenditure 894105

p.33

– Y6

Total number of education support staff 11.0 Expenditure per pupil 2346

p.33

– Y6

Total aggregate hours worked per week 402 Balance brought forward from previous year N/A

p.33

– Y6

Balance carried forward to next year 105388

p.33

staff: nursery

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 1

p.33

staff: nursery

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 26

p.33

staff: nursery

Total number of education support staff 1

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staff: nursery

Total aggregate hours worked per week 25 Middlefield Community Primary School - 34 Number of pupils per FTE adult 13

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Questionnaire return rate

Percentage of responses in each category

p.34

Questionnaire return rate

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

p.34

Questionnaire return rate

My child is making good progress in school. 60 30 3 3 4

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Questionnaire return rate

Behaviour in the school is good. 42 42 11 0 5

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Questionnaire return rate

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 41 28 11 7 13

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Questionnaire return rate

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 37 32 20 7 4

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Questionnaire return rate

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 69 27 4 0 0

p.34

Questionnaire return rate

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 54 39 3 1 3

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Questionnaire return rate

The school works closely with parents. 45 44 4 3 4

p.34

Questionnaire return rate

The school is well led and managed. 44 45 6 1 4

p.34

Questionnaire return rate

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 65 30 2 1 2

p.34

Questionnaire return rate

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 32 32 20 7 9 Middlefield Community Primary School - 35

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

80. The education children receive in the Foundation Stage is good. When the children enter the Nursery class their attainment, in all the areas of learning, is very low. Although good teaching, particularly in the Reception classes, helps the children to make good progress, most will still not have achieved the Early Learning Goals by the time they move to Year 1. Children with special educational needs are identified as early as possible so that they are fully included and make satisfactory progress.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

81. The teachers and classroom assistants work very well together as a team and they have recently adopted new assessment and recording procedures, which, when fully implemented will provide an excellent means of informing their planning so that the skills can be taught in a step by step manner.

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Personal, social and emotional development

82. Children’s personal and social skills are very limited when they enter the Nursery class and few attain the Early Learning Goals by the time they enter Year 1. They seldom seek out others to share their experiences and find it difficult to share resources, take turns and to concentrate on tasks for any length of time. Good teaching promotes good progress in improving their personal, social and emotional development. There is a good balance between whole class and small group activities and activities that are directed and self-chosen. The children gradually learn to work more independently, but there are times when the children would benefit from more adult intervention to help them play more purposefully together when involved in self-initiated activities. Adults do not always take full advantage of incidental opportunities for promoting children’s social development. In the Nursery class, for

p.35

Personal, social and emotional development

example, valuable opportunities are missed during snack time for children to practise good manners, learn to serve one another with food and exchange thoughts and experiences.

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Personal, social and emotional development

83. The children are expected to follow the established routines in the Nursery class, such as wearing labels for activities and they respond well, confidently choosing where they wish to play. They are able to deal with their own personal hygiene and a majority are able to dress and undress themselves unaided. They sometimes display high levels of independence. One child for example, fell in the mud during outdoor play, and spontaneously and without fuss, went to the cloakroom to wash. On another occasion a child collected a cloth and wiped up some spilt milk for a classmate. The children in the Reception classes respond well to the good, stimulating teaching, by sitting quietly as a class, listening eagerly to their teachers and they learn well in small supervised groups. Many, however, still have difficulty in concentrating for more than a short period without adult support. They participate eagerly and efficiently when

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Personal, social and emotional development

tidying the classroom and most learn how to share materials and take turns by the time they enter Year 1. They respond very positively to the “Thought for the Day” sessions and this is having a very positive impact on their understanding of what is right and wrong. Middlefield Community Primary School - 36

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Communication, language and literacy

84. Most children enter the Nursery class with very poor language and communication skills. Some often communicate through gestures and others only have a vocabulary of a few words. They make good progress in this area but most achieve well below the expected Early Learning Goals when they leave the Reception classes. Teaching is good overall in both classes.

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Communication, language and literacy

85. Spoken language is promoted well in the Reception class but valuable opportunities for adults to engage in conversation with the children in the Nursery class are being missed. The children in both classes are presented with a wide range of stimulating activities to instigate imaginative play and dialogue, but too often there is insufficient input from the teacher to inspire and encourage conversation about what the children are doing. When an adult is actively involved with the group the children become engaged in the discussion, and widen their vocabularies. A good example occurred when the children, following an interesting introduction from the classroom assistant, were presented with two goldfish as new classroom pets. They became very animated, offering suggestions for how the fish would need to be looked after. This was a good opportunity for language development that was used well. The teachers in

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Communication, language and literacy

the Reception class ask open ended questions which require more than a one-word response, for example, when recounting and sequencing stories, such as Jaspers’ Beanstalk and comparing it to Jack and the Beanstalk. The teacher follows this up well by using the puppet theatre and helps the children form logical and meaningful sentences to communicate the events in the story. Good use is made of role-play, for example when the children enacted the story of the Gingerbread man. The children first played out the story on their own, with great excitement, before making valuable gains in language acquisition when supported by the classroom assistant.

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Communication, language and literacy

86. Good attitudes are being promoted towards learning to read in both the Nursery class and Reception classes. There are attractive displays of books in each classroom. The children enjoy listening to stories and like to join in with the sequences they recognise. They handle books confidently and most soon learn that print conveys meaning and is read from left to right. Their descriptions of what is happening in the books is, however, very limited by their lack of language skills. The older children are able to identify the title, author and illustrator on the cover of the book and one child was able to explain what “retold by” meant. Good reading skills and strategies are taught well in Reception during the Literacy Hour, where some children are recognising a small number of basic words on sight and can identify a number of phonic sounds correctly.

p.36

Communication, language and literacy

87. Nursery children make marks on paper during their play in order to “write” invitations, shopping lists and letters and there is a well organised writing area and office, which encourages them to do so. A small minority begin to print some letters legibly. These activities prepare them well for writing in the Reception class, where most learn to write their names and are able to trace or copy writing written by the teacher. The children write captions to their pictures, instructions on how to bake biscuits, and a list of tools they will need to complete a collage. A small minority of higher attainers make very good progress and are beginning to write short sentences unaided, attempting to spell the words by applying their phonic knowledge. The teachers provide positive encouragement to the children by always marking their books and commenting on their efforts. Middlefield Community Primary School - 37

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Mathematical Development

88. Although good progress is made in this area of learning only a small minority of children attain the Early Learning Goals by the time they enter Year 1. The teachers provide a very good range of mathematical experiences and the quality of teaching is very good. Very good use is made of a variety of games, rhymes and resources, which interest the children and are helping them to learn.

p.37

Mathematical Development

89. Children in the Nursery class are developing a satisfactory understanding of volume and capacity by playing with sand and water, using floating toys and different sized containers. They handle a range of 2 and 3 dimensional shapes and are beginning to recognise and name the basic ones of circle and square. Most are able to identify a range of colours correctly and can count to five, with some children going beyond this. There are times during the daily routines when opportunities are missed to extend children’s mathematical understanding through discussion and counting.

p.37

Mathematical Development

90. Reception children are responding well to their daily Numeracy lessons, where they learn to recognise, match and write numbers with the teacher. In one session, children competently count on to fifteen from different number bases. They are able to sort objects into groups and match them to digits up to 10 and have enormous fun reading and copying phone numbers, using a digital telephone. The teaching and learning are very good during the whole class mental mathematical sessions, which the teachers manage very well. The lessons move at a very good pace, are stimulating and the concepts and vocabulary to be learned are constantly reinforced. The small group guided sessions, led by the teacher or classroom assistants are equally valuable, but many of the children find it difficult to work purposefully when unsupervised for more than a short period and tend to lose concentration and become distracted. Good use is made of role-play, for example, when a small group

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Mathematical Development

of children prepare a party for the Three Bears ensuring each has the correct utensils and an equal share of the food.

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Knowledge and Understanding of the World

91. Children join the Nursery class with a very limited understanding of the world in which they live. The good teaching and the very good range of experiences they receive throughout the Foundation Stage help them to make good progress, but most are achieving well below the Early Learning Goals when they enter Year1.

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Knowledge and Understanding of the World

92. The Nursery children are introduced to the seasons of the year and have contributed to an attractive winter display with paintings and booklets illustrating suitable clothing for cold weather. They gain insight into the natural world by planting bulbs and turnip and carrot tops and watching them grow. They now have goldfish to look after, which will help them to understand and care for living things. There are maps and globes for children to investigate and a bright display of artefacts and collage work celebrating the Chinese New year, so, although most of the children are unable to provide their own address when asked, they are beginning to learn that a wider world exists. Carefully selected non-fiction books support these displays well. The children’s early experiences are developed through activities and discussions in Reception, where they have ready access to a range of construction materials, floor mats and jigsaw

p.37

Knowledge and Understanding of the World

puzzles There are discovery areas where they can use their senses and experiment with magnets, torches and magnifying glasses. Much excitement and interest was generated in the Nursery class when the children made gingerbread men during the inspection week. This experience was extended very well in Reception when dough was subjected to various temperatures, for example on the radiator, in the fridge and in the oven. Children were asked to predict the effects of these treatments and were Middlefield Community Primary School - 38 subsequently helped to check their predictions against the results, which were mainly accurate.

p.37

Knowledge and Understanding of the World

93. Children have access to the computer and are able to use the mouse confidently. Most of the older ones can operate the tape recorder and Coomber listening centre successfully, but the Nursery children require more direct supervision in order to gain maximum benefit from this resource.

p.38

Physical Development

94. Most children make good progress in this area of learning but only a small minority will attain the Early Learning Goals by the time they leave the Foundation Stage. The teaching is satisfactory and opportunities for physical development are good.

p.38

Physical Development

95. There is a good outside hard and soft play area with an attractive wooden “colonnade”, which the children thoroughly enjoy. All the children in the Foundation Stage benefit from this resource and it is well used every day, when the weather allows. There is a good range of toys available for the children, such as carts, pushchairs, balls, and beanbags, but there is no large apparatus for climbing, sliding or balancing. This deficiency is overcome to some extent in the Reception classes when children use the hall for a physical education lesson once a week. Outdoor activities are rotated during the week, which ensures children encounter a range of experiences. Most of the time they play freely and successfully learn how to use the space and control their movements safely, but on some occasions, they are helped to acquire particular skills, which is beneficial to their development.

p.38

Physical Development

96. Children handle play-doh well, using tools and cutting it into shapes, making ”cakes” in the Nursery class and letters and numbers in Reception. Many find cutting with scissors difficult, and still need help in learning how to hold pencils and crayons. They manipulate inset shapes, post box and jigsaw puzzle pieces well. They enjoy building and talking about the towers and models they make, using bricks and construction toys. They handle these well.

p.38

Creative Development

97. Although the children make good progress in this area, few will attain the Early Learning Goals by the end of their Reception year. The quality of teaching is good overall. Teachers provide a range of materials and experiences for the children and allow them good opportunities to make choices. In the Nursery class teachers do not always supply enough effective intervention when children need help to improve their skills, and opportunities to develop language and vocabulary are not sufficiently utilised.

p.38

Creative Development

98. Children are shown how to use paint in different ways, applying it with sponges, blocks, brushes or their hands and feet. Nursery children create paper plate ducks, decorating them with paint, straws, pipe cleaners and tissue paper. They have also drawn self-portraits using felt pen and created a class gallery. Their pencil drawings are developing well. There is an attractive display of curtained window frames in one Reception class where the children have used various materials and have drawn the view from inside the room.

p.38

Creative Development

99. Opportunities for role-play are good, but there is not always a satisfactory balance between structured and experimental play, so that it sometimes lacks sufficient purpose. This occurs at different times in the home corners, the bakers’ shop and when children are dressing up. On some occasions the adults make good Middlefield Community Primary School - 39 constructive use of these resources to extend the children’s vocabularies and to encourage and develop their imaginations. Children enjoy making musical sounds and there is a well-resourced trolley of instruments for them to experiment with during their imaginative play. A group of Nursery children have attempted to write crochet notes in response to being shown some musical notation. All the children are learning to sing simple rhymes and songs from memory, and most enjoy doing so. Children in the Nursery class also benefit from listening to classical musical as they arrive in

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ENGLISH

100. As the nature of the school has changed so significantly since September 2001, it is not relevant to compare the school’s current standards with the results of the annual national standardised tests for pupils aged seven and eleven, or with those of pupils at similar schools. A very high proportion of pupils have very poor linguistic skills and a limited knowledge and understanding of the world around them, and these factors are a major barrier to the level of attainment many pupils achieve.

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ENGLISH

101. The inspection evidence is that pupils’ overall attainment is well below national expectations at the end of Year 2 and Year 6 although pupils are making satisfactory progress overall. The school is implementing the National Literacy Strategy well and this is having a significant impact on the work being done by pupils in both key stages. Pupils in Year 1 and 2 have well below average skills for their age but the good quality teaching is having a positive effect on the progress being made. Pupils in Year 2 are also achieving well in relation to their prior attainment. Good quality teaching is also having a positive effect on the work of pupils in Key Stage 2 where progress is satisfactory even though standards are often well below average. Following the recent changes that have affected the school it is apparent that teachers are very committed to raising standards and improving the quality of learning for all pupils. The

p.39

ENGLISH

commitment for improvement and change amongst staff has not yet had sufficient time to reach fruition but there is a growing sense of an improvement in the rate of progress amongst pupils.

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ENGLISH

102. Throughout the school pupils’ listening skills are variable. Most pupils listen attentively to their teachers but do not always show the same degree of respect when listening to their fellow pupils. Some listen passively but do not pay enough attention and are subsequently unable to process or act on instructions, which causes delays in the running of lessons. A small but significant minority of pupils, mainly amongst the older age groups, have very poor listening skills and their unwillingness to listen causes disruption despite the best efforts of the teaching and support staff.

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103. Pupils’ speaking skills are very weak. Most pupils have a very limited vocabulary and their speech frequently lacks clarity. Teachers are working hard to improve pupils’ skills in speaking and listening and are endeavouring to bring about improvements in all areas of the curriculum. In a Year 1 religious education lesson the teacher laid considerable emphasis on correct speech and received a positive response from the pupils in her class as they spoke about objects that had a special significance for them. All teachers provide regular opportunities for their pupils to participate in class discussions, but many are reluctant to volunteer. In one Year 6 lesson where the teacher was dealing with poems in the Tanka style she clearly enthused her pupils but lack of vocabulary made it difficult for them to express their enthusiasm.

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104. Inspection evidence indicates that pupils’ attainment in reading is below average and sometimes well below average throughout the school. Pupils in Years 1 and 2 are Middlefield Community Primary School - 40 becoming familiar with the conventions of books and reading and they enjoy the stories that are read to them. When sharing Big Books they listen attentively but often, even in Year 2, struggle to read the words. By using good questions teachers encourage their pupils to respond to the text of the Big Books and they are making good progress in this area of their reading development. In their own reading higher attaining pupils in Key Stage 1 are able to employ a range of reading strategies when faced with unfamiliar words and they are beginning to read with a degree of expression. Many pupils rely heavily on the support of adults and are reluctant to address any new or less familiar words.

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105. Older pupils are making satisfactory progress but inspection evidence indicates that even the higher attaining pupils, including those in Year 6, are struggling to read at a higher level. In their individual reading the older pupils employ a wider range of reading strategies and some are able to read with a good deal of expression. The vast majority need reading support and are clearly lacking in confidence. Some pupils have developed a more extensive reading habit and are able to identify and name favourite authors, with the Harry Potter stories figuring prominently in the present choices. Pupils in Year 6 use the school library and are supported by the assistance of the school librarian in making their selection of books and, in some instances, the participation of their parents. In class older pupils use a dictionary or a thesaurus and are clearly stimulated by the discovery of a rich vein of new words and expressions.

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106. Inspection evidence also indicates that standards in writing are below average, and frequently well below average, throughout the school. Teachers are making the improvement of writing a major priority for all age groups and the work of higher attaining pupils is showing signs of considerable improvement. Many pupils are now writing with increased confidence to construct logically sequenced stories and accounts and are beginning to broaden the genre in which they can write. The finished product is often marred by very poor presentational skills and by the poor quality of the expression used. Higher attaining pupils are using the range of punctuation appropriate to their age group but the work of the vast majority lacks consistency and accuracy in the use of punctuation. For many pupils writing tends to be short and reflects limited concentration skills and the very slow way in which they approach their writing tasks. Finished work is often dependent on adult support and

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encouragement. Pupils in Year 6 were keen on the short format of Tanka poetry and the higher attaining pupils were able to transfer this enthusiasm to writing in a lengthier context as well. Pupils of all ages tend to work better at routine exercises than they do at imaginative writing and often find it difficult to transfer skills from one area of their work to another. In the workbooks produced by pupils in Year 4, for example, few of them transferred skills in using punctuation from successfully completed exercises into pieces of extended writing. Very limited use is made of information and communication technology as a means of supporting written work or of improving presentational skills.

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107. The teaching of English is good throughout the school and basic skills are taught well. Pupils’ learning does not always match the quality of the teaching. Teachers work assiduously at motivating their classes and they use praise and encouragement frequently throughout their lessons. In some lessons seen during the inspection a small number of pupils were too tired to respond adequately to the demands being made of them. In others, usually involving pupils in Years 5 and 6, the best efforts of teachers and support staff were not sufficient to counteract the very difficult and challenging behaviour of many pupils. In discussion some Year 6 pupils expressed their frustration at the behaviour of the minority that is creating barriers to learning for the majority. In Key Stage 1 teachers are developing high expectations and pupils are responding with enthusiasm. In Key Stage 2 the high level of challenging behaviour is

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Middlefield Community Primary School - 41 mostly well managed although in Year 6, poor attitudes of many pupils reduces the progress they make.. Teachers know their pupils well, spending a great deal of time on promoting social skills and relationships, and the great majority responds with a desire to make good progress in their learning.

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ENGLISH

108. The quality of marking is satisfactory overall. Good examples were found in the marking of work in all year groups. In these cases there is a clear link between individual targets and the advice given to pupils as to how they might improve their work. Work is often undated and lacks a title and this makes it more difficult to measure progress over time. Where marking is not as good there is insufficient follow-up to check if pupils follow the advice given with the result that the same advice may be given on a number of occasions and may be ignored by the pupils concerned.

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ENGLISH

109. The school has a comprehensive literacy action plan and has implemented a number of initiatives designed to improve performance. Pupils in Key Stages 1 and 2 are allocated additional literacy time with a view to raising standards in literacy and across the curriculum. Support staff are closely involved in planning and delivery of the National Literacy Strategy and early monitoring suggests that pupils are responding well to the extra support being given. Booster classes are provided for pupils who may be progressing towards levels 4 and 5 in the National Tests and monitoring evidence also suggests that these classes are having a beneficial impact on standards. Although pupils’ literacy skills are promoted across the curriculum, this is usually incidental and there is not enough thought given to planning links so that all opportunities to promote literacy are taken.

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ENGLISH

110. Effective assessment procedures have been introduced to assess pupils’ attainment and progress and the co-ordinator is working hard to use the information to monitor the quality of teaching and learning. The major changes occurring since September 2001 mean that the impact of the good assessment procedures on standards is only just starting to impact upon pupils’ progress. Resources for English are good at Key Stage 1 and satisfactory at Key Stage 2. The co-ordinator has a very good overview of the status of the subject and is in the process of renewing and up-dating resources. The school is fortunate in having a trained support assistant to run the library, a facility that is becoming increasingly popular with pupils and parents. The school is due to move into new buildings later this year and will have a much expanded library facility from which to promote the extension of reading habits amongst the pupils.

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ENGLISH

111. Teachers are clearly focused on the need to raise standards and, as the changes in the nature of the school are assimilated, a cohesive literacy team is emerging.

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MATHEMATICS

112. The nature of the school has changed very significantly since September 2001. It is not relevant to compare current standards with those obtained through the annual national standardised tests for pupils aged seven and eleven, or with those of pupils at similar schools. Inspection findings show that when pupils leave the school at the age of eleven, their attainment is well below the national average. Pupils in Key Stage 1, at the age the age of seven, achieve standards of attainment that are below the national average. However, in spite of the current low standards, all pupils including those with special educational needs and those associated with the Resourced Unit make satisfactory progress. Middlefield Community Primary School - 42 113. Pupils enter Year 1 with very low numeracy skills and an above average number of pupils have special educational needs. The integration and unification of very large

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MATHEMATICS

numbers of pupils, from two schools, has been a difficult process in this developing school. Nevertheless, the hard work of the school and staff is resulting in moving the subject forward and standards have started to rise. Positive measures taken include the generally effective and consistent practice of agreed measures to successfully improve behaviour throughout the school. The importance of raising numeracy skills has been given a high priority in the school’s development plan. Year 6 pupils are arranged into discrete ability groups, enabling them to be taught in smaller classes. Appropriate planning is shared between year group teachers and meets the requirements of the National Curriculum. Good assessment procedures have been established; targets for improvement are shared with pupils and procedures for monitoring teaching and the curriculum are in place.

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MATHEMATICS

114. Standards are well below average for pupils at the end of Year 6, because a significant number of pupils, prior to their introduction to the National Numeracy Strategy, have not acquired a wide enough range of mathematical knowledge and skills to build upon. They are now in a process of catching up as the school seeks to help them to achieve as well as they should. However, there remains a core of pupils who are reluctant learners and do not always respond in lessons, despite the best efforts of the teachers.

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MATHEMATICS

115. By the end of Year 6, pupils have a basic grasp of processes required to find answers in computation, but when asked to apply these and use them with other skills they have been taught, they have difficulty in recalling and applying them into real life situations, or when they occur out of context. For example, most are confused with the distinction between perimeter and area and when studying the rotation of shapes, hardly any could name or describe the qualities of the triangles they using.

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MATHEMATICS

116. About a quarter of the pupils can regularly add and subtract numbers up to 10,000, but others often make mistakes with sums of this difficulty. All pupils can solve multiplication and division of three digits by one digit, and about a third are confident when multiplying by two digits, but only a few can divide, say 624 by 12 or 13. Several pupils though, enjoy simple algebraic problems such as when using brackets to solve 24 + (3x12) – 15. They recognise that fractions are equal parts of a whole and that fractions of different denominators can be of equivalent value. Through addition and subtraction of decimals to two decimal places, pupils are able to solve simple money problems. However, when discussing decimals several are not secure in the place value of tenths and hundredths. Pupils can produce block and line graphs, but their interpretation and the use they make of this kind of data are very simplistic. Their

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MATHEMATICS

understanding of shape, space and measures enables them to have and use a basic knowledge of standard units of length and weight but pupils display limited knowledge when talking about capacity. Pupils’ general linguistic skills are not very well- developed. Their use of technical language in mathematics is very narrow and they have difficulty in describing a variety of processes they use to arrive at answers.

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MATHEMATICS

117. Attainment for seven year olds is below average. The programmes of study are taught from the age of five and closely follow the National Numeracy Strategy. Since September 2001,when the school experienced the great increase to the number of pupils admitted to the infant department, teachers have successfully worked hard to ensure that children are achieving satisfactorily. By the age of seven, most pupils have established a sound understanding of place value, knowing that 64 is made up of 60 and 4. In mental arithmetic they can add on in multiples of 2,5,8,9 and10. They identify odds and evens and understand the difference between cardinal and ordinal numbers. Their use of mathematical vocabulary, although weak, is improving and Middlefield Community Primary School - 43 pupils talk about longer, shorter, heavier, lighter and so on. A good range of activities enables pupils to estimate the weight of objects and then to measure them using

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MATHEMATICS

standard and non-standard measures. Pupils can measure triangles in centimetres, naming the longest side and shortest side. They identify 2-dimensional shapes such as hexagon, rectangle, pentagon, triangle and square, but they are less familiar with three-dimensional shapes. Block graphs about favourite things, for example, are completed satisfactorily and they respond to simple questions about them. The extent of their learning now enables them to solve simple problems, such as “If spend 4p and 12p, how much have I spent altogether?” The higher attainers can work out the change from 20p by counting on from 16p .

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MATHEMATICS

118. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory overall but not enough thought is given to demanding that pupils learn to work on their own. Teachers’ planning is satisfactory and ensures that there is equality of curriculum coverage between parallel classes because of the way teachers closely work together. This was shown to work well in Year 2, where a temporary supply teacher received good help, guidance and support from the teacher of the other Year 2 class. Teachers’ sound knowledge and understanding of the subject are evident in the way they deliver lessons. They set tasks at an appropriate level of difficulty and in general, management of pupils is satisfactory. However, whilst most pupils respond appropriately to their teachers in class by working hard in lessons, there is a significant number of very challenging pupils, who are belligerent, unwilling to learn and sometimes disruptive. This is particularly true of pupils in Years 5 and 6. Some

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MATHEMATICS

teachers find it difficult to fully maintain the strategies generally used to obtain acceptable behaviour and response from their pupils. The best lessons are characterised by very good relationships, such as in Year 4 lesson, when the teacher created very good relationships in a calm purposeful atmosphere, as she successfully extended pupils’ subtraction skills. There was a good pace throughout the lesson; pupils rose to the high challenge offered, and because of this they sustained concentration throughout the lesson. Pupils concentrate well when activities are put into a meaningful context for them. For example in a good Year 2 lesson observed, when pupils were provided with real money to develop their understanding of money problems through practical shopping activities. Pupils with special educational needs are very often provided with good support from the teaching assistants. When this is available they make good progress in lessons.

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MATHEMATICS

However teachers are not very good at using information and communication technology to support learning in class, and very often, whilst computers are accessible in class they are seldom switched on.

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MATHEMATICS

119. The management of the subject is good and the co-ordinator has worked hard to unite the staff in providing good quality teaching and an enriched curriculum for pupils. The co-ordinator has worked hard to provide appropriate support for teachers and to develop the subject, but the procedures have not yet been in place long enough to have had the fullest impact on raising standards. The National Numeracy Strategy is fully implemented and effectively used. However, there are too few opportunities for pupils to apply and practise their numeracy skills in subjects across the curriculum. Although numeracy skills are promoted across the curriculum, this often happens incidentally and there is not enough thought given to planning links so that all opportunities to promote numeracy are taken. Teachers’ planning is always satisfactory and carefully monitored. All teachers have been observed teaching mathematics, partly to observe teaching quality, but also to ensure that the curriculum

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MATHEMATICS

is appropriately delivered. Procedures for monitoring and recording the progress pupils make are good. They lead to the setting of individual learning targets, which are shared with pupils, although they are not visited regularly enough to ensure pupils’ progress towards achievement. The quality of teachers’ marking is inconsistent and Middlefield Community Primary School - 44 varies from being good, to little more than an acknowledgement of completed work. The better marking is useful in guiding pupils, developing their learning, and helping them to make better progress. The management of resources is good. They are sufficient, easily accessible and are helpful in supporting learning in lessons.

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SCIENCE

120. The nature of the school has changed very significantly since September 2001. It is not possible, therefore, to compare current standards with those obtained through the annual national standardised tests for pupils aged seven and eleven, or with those of pupils at similar schools. A very high proportion of pupils have very low levels of linguistic skills and a limited general knowledge of the world around them, and these factors are a major barrier to the level of attainment many pupils achieve. Inspection evidence is that pupils are making satisfactory progress overall in developing their knowledge and understanding of science but unsatisfactory progress in their ability to perform scientific investigations on their own. The above average proportion of pupils with special educational needs make progress that is in line with other pupils. However, those pupils with emotional and behaviour difficulties attending the unit,

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SCIENCE

when integrated into mainstream classes, do not have sufficient opportunities to develop the necessary knowledge, understanding and skills to ensure that make they make the progress of which they are capable.

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SCIENCE

121. Inspection evidence is that pupils attain standards that are below national expectations at the end of both Years 2 and 6. Many pupils struggle to express what they mean using appropriate vocabulary and scientific words and most pupils have a very limited knowledge and understanding of the world other then their immediate environment. These deficiencies adversely affect the progress made by pupils and the standards they achieve.

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SCIENCE

122. The rate of learning in science varies across the school and depends upon the quality of teaching. In Years 1, 2, 3 and 4 pupils acquire knowledge at a satisfactory rate but higher attaining pupils are not always challenged enough and therefore do not learn as well as they could. In Years 5 and 6, the rate of learning dips because a very high proportion of pupils in these classes have emotional and behavioural difficulties and those from the closed school have gaps in their knowledge and understanding. The teachers in Years 5 and 6 are, however are rising to the challenge of meeting the diverse needs of the pupils and are establishing good classroom procedures to increase pupils’ work rate. It will be some time, however, before the attainment at the end of Years 2 and 6 improves because of the time needed to effectively implement the science scheme and to develop strategies for the effective teaching and learning

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SCIENCE

123. Across the school, pupils have a limited understanding of the basic ideas associated with physical sciences. Pupils’ knowledge and understanding of basic ideas related to force, movement, light and sound are weak. Pupils in Year 2 know that a force is a push or pull but by the end of Year 6 pupils struggle with the more advanced ideas about friction and gravity usually known by eleven year olds. This is because until recently the school has lacked a coherently planned and systematically taught science curriculum and pupils do not have a sound basis of knowledge and understanding on which to build. In other aspects of science, pupils have a secure knowledge and understanding of the properties of materials for their age and know basic ideas about plants and animals and the processes within them that ensure their survival. However, many pupils are unsure of key scientific vocabulary and this holds

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SCIENCE

Middlefield Community Primary School - 45 back their ability to say what they think. Pupils’ ability to perform their own independent investigations and experiments is lower than it should and could be.

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SCIENCE

124. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory overall. Whilst most teachers have a satisfactory knowledge and understanding of science appropriate for the age range that they teach, their expectations for pupils to plan and record their work with reasonable independence are too low. Across the school there is lack of a clear approach that guides teachers and pupils about how pupils should record their work. This results in the quality of pupils’ recorded work often being poor and pupils themselves tend not to value what they do. Improvements are occurring in the monitoring of science teaching and the subject co-ordinators are setting higher expectations. Lessons are planned with a clear purpose, pupils are expected to learn and use scientific vocabulary and the national guidelines for science are being followed across the school. Teachers are working hard to ensure that pupils behave appropriately and good use is made of praise and encouragement to reward desirable

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SCIENCE

attitudes. The challenging behaviour of pupils is generally well managed although where pupils’ attitudes are poor for example, in Year 6, the rate of learning dips. There is a commitment by staff to using science for promoting literacy and numeracy skills and the use of information and communication technology in science but weaknesses in resources for information and communication technology and a lack of a clear policy guiding teachers currently means that the application of such basic skills is usually incidental rather than planned.

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SCIENCE

125. The recently appointed subject co-ordinator has made a good start in her new post. She has identified many weaknesses in the subject’s provision and has started to act by attending training and devising a clear action plan, set in a realistic but challenging timescale, to improve pupils’ progress and standards. Positive steps are being taken to raise the profile of science in the school including the planned launch of a science club for pupils. Procedures for assessing and tracking pupils’ attainment and progress are good but they are very recent and it is too soon to see the impact on standards. The positive impact of the new co-ordinator coupled with the commitment of staff to raise standards places the subject in a good position for further improvement.

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ART AND DESIGN

126. Standards at the end of both key stages are in line with the national expectations and all pupils, including those with special educational needs, make satisfactory progress in relation to their prior attainment. The pupils with special educational needs make progress that is in line with other pupils. The pupils with emotional and behaviour difficulties attending the unit do not have sufficient opportunities to develop the necessary knowledge, understanding and skills to ensure that make they make the progress of which they are capable.

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ART AND DESIGN

127. Pupils in both key stages learn an appropriate range of art techniques including painting, printing, sketching and collage. They gain an appreciation of the work of famous artists, such as Picasso, Gainsborough and Jan Van Eyck, and a developing awareness of the style and techniques used to achieve different effects. Samples of work and effective displays around the school reflect increasing progression and creativity in the work as seen in the detailed display in Key Stage 2 of Aboriginal art. Throughout the school, pupils enjoy art and design and most work confidently, explaining and using an interesting variety of materials, tools and techniques. Middlefield Community Primary School - 46 128. In both Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2, pupils are offered a satisfactory range of experiences, The teaching builds progressively on pupils' knowledge, understanding and skills. Pupils' artwork on display in the classroom and around the school

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ART AND DESIGN

demonstrates their increasing skills in exploring texture, colour and pattern as seen in the Key Stage 1 work on 'Mexican masks' and the Key Stage 2 study of the 'Bayeux Tapestry'. In Years 1 and 2, pupils draw portraits of themselves and of their friends from observation using pencil, crayons and chalk. By Year 2, most pupils develop satisfactory skills in compiling shade charts using black and white crayons to depict light and shadow scenes. Their work is often based on the style of a famous artist. For example, pupils in Key Stage 1 study the work of Andy Warhol and produce their own versions of his work.

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ART AND DESIGN

129. By the end of Key Stage 2, most pupils have satisfactory drawing skills. Teachers encourage pupils to make good use of their sketch books to practise making different types of marks with different grades of pencil, and show pupils how to refine their skills so that the quality of their work is improved, as seen in their work on still drawings. As they move through the key stage pupils learn a range of shading techniques and show a sound understanding as to how colour can be used effectively to create feelings of warmth or coldness, illustrated so clearly in the display using colours such as blue, silver and white for coldness, and red, yellow and brown for warmth. Older pupils are developing a secure understanding of perspective through their detailed work linked to Speke Hall and their completed work shows that they have looked carefully at the pattern and texture of the building.

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ART AND DESIGN

130. Pupils of all ages have regular opportunities to work with pastels and paints, and by the end of Key Stage 2, most pupils have a good appreciation of how to blend colours to achieve the particular effects and shades they want.

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ART AND DESIGN

131. Although some year groups have experience of using clay to make plaques and small decorated tiles, and paper and card to make masks, the aspect of three-dimensional work is the weaker element of pupils' learning in art and design. Currently there are not enough opportunities for pupils to work with textiles, or for them to create sculptures. Clay work tends to be restricted to small pieces, and pupils have few opportunities to work on larger projects. This is an area of development that has been recognised by the school and is in the process of being addressed.

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ART AND DESIGN

132. The pupils enjoy their work in art and design and show a desire to work well together in groups and are ready to help one another in the set tasks. The attitude to work that the majority of pupils have is good, but there are occasions particularly at the upper end of Key Stage 2 when the quality of learning that takes place relies too heavily on the quality of teaching and some pupils are passive learners rather than accepting that they have an important contribution to make to their own learning.

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ART AND DESIGN

133. The quality of teaching is satisfactory overall and some good examples of teaching were seen in both key stages during the inspection. Teachers are very effective in raising pupils' self-esteem and confidence through the judicious use of praise and encouragement, and attractive displays of pupils' work show the pupils that their work is valued and celebrated. Most lessons are resourced appropriately and planned effectively to enable pupils to explore and develop ideas and to evaluate their work. Teachers' secure subject knowledge and expertise are reflected in the clear teaching of skills and techniques that develop pupils' knowledge and understanding of art. Not enough use is being made of computers to support and enhance pupils' learning in this subject. In the main, most teachers have established a satisfactory working relationship, which enables some pupils to display a mature attitude to their work.

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ART AND DESIGN

Middlefield Community Primary School - 47 134. The subject is well led by a well qualified and enthusiastic co-ordinator who has a good whole-school overview of the relative strengths and weaknesses in relation to teaching, learning, standards, and curriculum provision. The subject is not a current area of development in the school, and so little has yet been done in the way of monitoring teaching and learning through classroom observations. The school has not yet implemented formal assessment procedures in art and design, which would enable the careful and accurate tracking of pupils' progress and attainment as they move through the school. Nevertheless, because teachers know their pupils so well, interested pupils are identified and are encouraged to extend their learning in the subject. The school is resourced to a satisfactory level in art and design, and the subject receives an appropriate amount of curriculum time in each key stage.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

135. Pupils’ attainment in design and technology at the end of both key stages is currently below national expectations. There is a lack of coverage of the curriculum. This is due mainly to the increased time that is given to literacy and numeracy and the limited time allocated to design and technology. The nature of the school has changed very significantly since September 2001 and it is not possible, therefore, to compare current standards with any previous inspection.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

136. A very high proportion of pupils have very poor linguistic skills and a limited knowledge and understanding of the world around them, and these factors are a major barrier to the level of attainment many pupils achieve. Arrangements for inclusion of all pupils are in place and boys and girls work happily together.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

137. Since September 2001, the school has adopted national guidelines for planning the curriculum and the co-ordinator is in the process of adapting these to cope with the needs of the pupils. In the last term, there have been some opportunities for pupils to work with different types of materials, such as paper, card, wood and plastic and a wide range of different textiles and materials. Appropriate planning is now in place and once this is fully implemented there should be full coverage of the National Curriculum in all classes. In Year 1 there is an appropriate focus on food technology that is linked to health education as pupils learn why it is important to eat healthy food as they make ‘juicy fruit salad’. Year 2 pupils have completed a very attractive display of their work including photographs and designs. They have painted a design on paper and made a clay model using a range of modelling tools including an extruder.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

138. In Key Stage 2 younger pupils make boxes from card and have developed Japanese origami books. Year 4 pupils have used a range of fabrics to make money containers but there has been a very limited emphasis on the design element of the subject. Older pupils have studied the making of bread and have followed different recipes as well as writing their own and have produced an attractive display of their work. Pupils in Year 6 have just begun a project on slippers and are learning about different materials used for different purposes. However, currently pupils have little understanding of the link between planning and making. 139. The quality of teaching is satisfactory overall and this ensures that pupils, including those with special educational needs, make satisfactory progress in the subject. Pupils with emotional and behaviour difficulties, when integrated into mainstream classes, make similar progress to their peers.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

140. In Key Stage 2, investigations into the purpose of the product are appropriately planned and teachers build well on pupils’ previous learning. There is a calm and ordered start to lessons and the good relationships between adults and children and Middlefield Community Primary School - 48 effective questioning ensures pupils make progress. Pupils with special educational needs are very well integrated into the class and classroom assistants support their learning effectively. The good use of time keeps pupils focused on their work but sometimes insufficient guidance on carrying out the task they are engaged in means that some pupils are not successful in the task. There is limited emphasis on designing, selecting appropriate materials and evaluating finished items. Where teaching is unsatisfactory teachers demonstrate limited subject knowledge. They encourage pupils to develop an understanding of the function of the article that they

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

are studying but there is a very limited product analysis. Where teachers do not manage pupils effectively there is excessive noise and disruption in the classroom and this has a negative impact on pupils’ learning. Classroom assistants spend too much time listening to the teacher and do not contribute as much to the lesson as they could.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

141. Pupils’ attitudes to design and technology are satisfactory overall and younger pupils in Key Stage 2 enjoy the subject and are keen to learn. They work co-operatively in pairs sharing ideas and suggestions and pupils with special educational needs are well supported by their peers. In some lessons older pupils demonstrate little commitment to the subject and fail to listen to the teacher or to one another. There is little detailed planning of their work and they lack independence in learning. Their behaviour is often unsatisfactory and pupils do not co-operate or work well together in groups. There is considerable movement around the classroom and pupils show little commitment to the task. This has a negative impact on pupils’ achievement and progress in the subject.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

142. There are satisfactory opportunities for teachers to assess pupils’ work at the end of each unit in the programme of study. There are key questions and evaluations of the finished product. However, there is no consistent assessment across the school and the lack of focus on evaluation means that there is limited opportunity for pupils to assess their own work.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

143. The co-ordinator has drawn up an effective assessment booklet for pupils in Year 1. This is designed to guide pupils through the planning, making and evaluation stages and to record their achievement in each area.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

144. The co-ordinator is recently in post and is currently familiarising herself with the role. She has produced an action plan for the subject and is fully aware of the way design and technology can be developed and used to support other subjects across the curriculum. She monitors teachers’ planning, samples of pupils’ work and displays around the school and this enables any gaps in the curriculum to be identified. However, the lack of any monitoring of teaching and learning means that the co- ordinator has had no opportunity to disseminate good practice or to tackle any weaknesses in teaching or the curriculum. Middlefield Community Primary School - 49

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GEOGRAPHY

145. Pupils' attainment in geography is below national expectations at the end of both key stages but as a result of satisfactory teaching and good planning there is evidence that pupils, including those with special educational needs are making satisfactory progress throughout the school. Arrangements for inclusion of all pupils are in place. The low levels of general knowledge of a high proportion of pupils and their limited experience of life outside their locality adversely affects the awareness that many pupils have of geographical ideas and the levels of skills needed to find geographical information.

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GEOGRAPHY

146. The school has prioritised the need to boost standards in English and Mathematics as a result of the impact of the arrival of so many pupils from the closed school and this has reduced the time given to geography in the curriculum. There is insufficient breadth and depth in the current curriculum for pupils to gain suitable knowledge of people and places, or to develop geographical skills through independent enquiry. The quality and quantity of written work in pupils' books are unsatisfactory due to limitations in the pupils' literacy skills, and the overuse of worksheets by some teachers. Not enough opportunities are provided for pupils to use information and communication technology to support their learning.

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GEOGRAPHY

147. In Key Stage 1, the limited written evidence of the study of geography indicates that pupils have studied the local environment around the school and carried out a traffic survey culminating in a graph compiled by the pupils. Very few pupils in their written work display a detailed knowledge of geographical features of their own locality. In some classes the teaching fails to focus significantly on the development of geographical vocabulary and skills so that pupils do not do as well as they could. Some pupils show an appropriate awareness and understanding of other places as part of their study of Mexico. Some are increasing their knowledge of places around the globe in their study of postcards from abroad and their work linked to Barnaby Bear.

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GEOGRAPHY

148. By the end of Key Stage 2, most pupils describe how a river is formed and name the main features and characteristics of rivers and streams. Their understanding of how rivers are formed is reasonably secure. Pupils' knowledge of the location of continents, countries, cities, towns and rivers is unsatisfactory. Too few pupils use geographical language appropriately in their written work linked to their study of different weather conditions in holiday resorts around the world. Only a small number of pupils are able to express their ideas about their favourite holiday spots effectively and with clarity because of their limited vocabulary and limited experiences. Some pupils have an appropriate appreciation of where water comes from, what is done with it and how it is used in our everyday life. Pupils are very interested in the plans for their new school and in one Year 4 lesson were compiling appropriate lists of

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GEOGRAPHY

suggestions as to what they would like to see included in the new building.

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GEOGRAPHY

149. The behaviour of the majority of pupils in lessons is satisfactory and sometimes very good. Some pupils have good attitudes to their work and have established good relationships with their peers and the adults in their classroom. In group work most pupils are willing to share resources and to help others.

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GEOGRAPHY

150. The overall quality of teaching geography is satisfactory with the planning and management of pupils being good overall. In most lessons the teachers display a sound knowledge and understanding of geography. The effectiveness of teaching methods and the appropriate use of time, support staff and resources contributes significantly to the satisfactory progress that the pupils make in their learning as they Middlefield Community Primary School - 50 move through the school. The marking of pupils' work, however, is inconsistent and often does not include comments that help the pupils develop their learning.

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GEOGRAPHY

151. The co-ordinator is recently appointed. She is well organised and provides good leadership in the subject. Effective procedures have been established to ensure effective improvement and development in the future. The role of the co-ordinator in monitoring and evaluating the quality of teaching and learning is currently unsatisfactory and there is a need to establish an effective way of assessing and recording pupils’ attainment and progress.

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HISTORY

152. Pupils' attainment in history is below the national expectation at the end of both key stages. However, inspection evidence indicates that pupils are making satisfactory progress throughout the school. This is due, in the main, to the determination and willingness of the staff to work effectively as a team to ensure that the needs of all pupils, including those with special educational needs, are catered for in a consistent and commendable manner. The nature of the school has changed very significantly since September 2001 and it is not possible, therefore, to compare current standards with any previous inspection. Arrangements for inclusion of all pupils are in place and boys and girls work happily together.

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HISTORY

153. By the end of Key Stage 1, the pupils have some knowledge of famous people and events from the past, such as Guy Fawkes and the Fire of London. By the age of seven, pupils have some understanding of chronology and how things change over time as seen in their study of toys through the ages. Some pupils study their own lives and the lives of their family and identify similarities and difference between various periods in an appropriate manner, as witnessed in their work linked to the study of ways of life at different times in history. Some are showing an adequate understanding of why people acted as they did in the past. Overall however, their knowledge and development of historical skills are below what is expected for pupils of this age.

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HISTORY

154. In Key Stage 2, the pupils study topics such as the Ancient Egyptians and Romans, the Tudors and the Victorians, but by the end of the key stage, too few are able to record their learning with clarity and accuracy. This is because the information is not always researched by the pupils themselves but copied from worksheets. Some teachers are helping pupils to deepen their historical understanding by encouraging the notion of the need to look for historical evidence. This practice is not widely used throughout the school. Pupils in a Year 5 class were studying a census return and what could be learnt from it. Some pupils were able to extract relevant data from the census form and record their findings in an appropriate manner.

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HISTORY

155. Pupils' behaviour overall is satisfactory and many show positive attitudes to their work. Some pupils are inquisitive and want to find out things for themselves, but the opportunities for independent research are very limited. Although some pupils are eager and willing to discuss their work, very few are able to outline their thoughts in a confident and clear manner because of their limited vocabulary.

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HISTORY

156. The planned curriculum is appropriate but it has only been in place for a short time. Past gaps in the curriculum, especially for those pupils from the closed school, have resulted in many pupils having gaps in their knowledge and understanding of history. Middlefield Community Primary School - 51 157. The quality of teaching and learning across the school is satisfactory overall. Teachers are interested in the subject and strive to inspire pupils to want to know more about their past. Most of the tasks set are appropriately matched to pupils' interests and ability. Appropriate use is made of questioning to sustain pupils' interest in their work. Most teachers have satisfactory classroom management and organisation skills. There are examples of good displays featuring recently acquired artefacts and illustrations relating to toys in Victorian times and life in Roman Britain, but not enough emphasis is placed on displaying pupils' work. Insufficient use is

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HISTORY

made of information and communication technology in both key stages to support pupils' learning. The history curriculum is, on occasions, enriched by educational visits to local museums and by visits from grandparents who talk about their childhood experiences but the opportunities are too infrequent.

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HISTORY

158. The subject is efficiently led by a recently appointed co-ordinator who is working hard to develop the subject throughout the school. She is knowledgeable and gives staff good support in developing their skills and confidence in the teaching of history. The scheme of work is now based on national guidance given to schools, but the full impact of this on pupils' learning has yet to be felt to a significant degree. Because of the recent disruptions to the school, the co-ordinator has not yet had time to develop a clear and systematic approach to the monitoring and evaluation of the quality of teaching or the rate of pupils' learning as they move through the school. The co- ordinator is aware of the need to develop more effective system of assessment, which would ensure that assessment would influence future planning to a more significant degree. Marking of pupils' work is inconsistent and too rarely includes

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HISTORY

comments that can help the pupils to improve on their work. The level of resourcing in history is satisfactory.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

159. Attainment in information and communication technology is well below the standards expected nationally by the age of seven and eleven. The nature of the school has changed very significantly since September 2001 and it is not possible, therefore, to compare current standards with any previous inspection. Arrangements for inclusion of all pupils are in place and boys and girls work happily together.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

160. Inspection evidence shows that pupils of all abilities currently make unsatisfactory progress overall. This is due to a number of factors, including the lack of hardware, which is limited to one or at most two computers in each class, insufficient time allocated in the curriculum along with lack of planning to use technology across the curriculum to support learning in other subjects. There is a suitable scheme of work in place, using the nationally approved guidance, which the school is trialling. This scheme has only been in place since the recent schools’ amalgamation. It gives staff good support for their planning, but the majority of staff do not plan in sufficient detail and it is not clear how they will teach key skills to their classes. Staff have variable levels of confidence and subject knowledge overall. They have received very little training although this is planned for immediately after the inspection. These factors

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

taken together adversely affect the quality of pupils’ learning.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

161. Pupils start in Year 1 with well-below average skills. In Key Stage 1 they learn to use the mouse and keyboard, although lack of practice means that pupils are slow in using the keyboard. Pupils begin to communicate their writing on the computer, learning initial word processing skills. They write short pieces such as their news. In some classes this is illustrated with art work. Pupils also usefully learn about using technology in other ways. For example, they use a digital camera to record work in Middlefield Community Primary School - 52 design and technology making fruit salad, and print out the images of the class eating it. They begin to use drawing and painting programs. For example, in Year 1 pupils draw fruits using a paint program as part their work in food technology on fruit. However, pupils cannot save their work and have little idea of how to retrieve their work. Overall, very little work is planned which develops and makes use of information

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

technology skills in other subjects. This means pupils have little chance to improve their skills and to link using the computer with other work. Overall too little time is allocated in this subject to enable pupils to become proficient in these skills.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

162. In Key Stage 2 pupils extend their skills slowly. They learn a wider range of skills, using the computer to support their learning in a limited number of ways. For example in Year 6 pupils use programs effectively to extend their number skills in a mathematics lesson. They enjoy the complex challenges and the ease with which they can find out their mistakes and move on to the next challenge. This helps to keep them motivated in mathematics. Pupils learn more about using instructions and giving commands. They choose options from the menus, and, using the mouse and screen icons, open their work and save it. Although some pupils who have access to computers outside school are confident, most pupils who do not have computers at home find this difficult. They clearly have had little practice in the past and have to think carefully about the ways to complete the tasks set. Pupils are interested in their

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

work. They demonstrate some aspects of their work confidently when asked. For example, pupils clearly describe the processes of clipping art work with the text to produce the finished result. Pupils sometimes carry out their own research for some subjects using CD-Roms and suitable programs. However, access to the Internet is limited and many pupils have little idea how to use email facilities unless these are available at home.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

163. Behaviour was good in the lessons observed. Where older pupils used laptops in a class lesson they worked well in pairs, sharing and co-operating pleasantly. Pupils are keen to learn and proud of what they have done.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

164. Teaching is currently unsatisfactory because of the lack of subject knowledge of most teachers. Teachers use the scheme of work from which to plan lessons, but their planning lacks detail of how skills will be practised and built up appropriately. There is no detail of how more competent pupils will be stretched and challenged. Teachers occasionally make use of information and communication technology in other lessons. In Key Stage 1 this is mainly to support learning in mathematics and to use word processing skills. The Year 6 teaching observed in the inspection showed very good knowledge and technical skills. This is used to provide interesting and exciting lessons. Overall, teachers miss many opportunities to use pupils’ information and communication technology skills to support their learning for example, in charts in mathematics and geography, in story and instructional writing and in history to

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

research and record work in interesting ways.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

165. The co-ordinator is knowledgeable and experienced, and has spent a considerable amount of time reorganising hardware and resources since the amalgamation. This has taken substantial time and energy. However, the co-ordinator has no regular opportunity to influence standards through monitoring the teaching and learning in the school. This limits the improvement in the subject and is unsatisfactory overall. Middlefield Community Primary School - 53

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MUSIC

166. The standards which pupils achieve by the end of both Year 2 and 6 are below the national expectations. Pupils enter Year 1 with lower than average standards. Pupils’ progress is variable across the school, but unsatisfactory in some aspects of the music curriculum overall. The nature of the school has changed very significantly since September 2001 and it is not possible, therefore, to compare current standards with any previous inspection. Arrangements for inclusion of all pupils are in place and boys and girls work happily together.

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MUSIC

167. Pupils in both key stages have few planned regular opportunities to sing. There are no regular assemblies to give pupils a chance to sing songs and hymns. There is no regular hymn or song practice for classes. Timetables do not show opportunities for pupils to sing together in a class lesson although this is specified in the scheme of work as part of ongoing skills practice. This means that pupils lack opportunities to extend and build on their singing skills in lessons and consequently pupils lack enthusiasm for singing. Younger pupils are learning to tap and clap a rhythm and begin to learn about the difference between rhythm and beat. A significant number of pupils, even in upper juniors, find it difficult to copy a rhythmic pattern correctly, or to clap a beat consistently. There are too few opportunities for pupils to extend their skills through more challenging tasks in lessons which have too slow a pace.

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MUSIC

168. Pupils lack experience of listening to and appraising music. This leads to pupils being inattentive and lacking interest. Overall, the varied progress which pupils make is linked to the quality of teaching and the lack of musical knowledge and expertise of the staff, along with the current lack of focus on standards in the subject.

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MUSIC

169. Pupils’ behaviour is satisfactory in their lessons but at Key Stage 2 behaviour is just satisfactory. Attitudes are good overall, particularly for the younger pupils but this wanes in the older classes where concentration is also more limited.

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MUSIC

170. Teaching was just satisfactory in the lessons observed but there are weaknesses. Teachers’ have a lack of clear subject knowledge or confidence in teaching music. Planning has not been sufficiently linked to the requirements of the National Curriculum. Teachers plan using a new scheme but there has been little staff training in this, as the school concentrates on raising standards in core subjects. This results in activities sometimes being poorly matched to the objectives or not sufficiently well matched to the needs of the pupils. Some staff manage to teach effectively using the their good general teaching skills, but others lack confidence. Planning does not cover enough of the National Curriculum requirements, with too little emphasis on ongoing skills in singing. Teachers list the objectives from the scheme in their medium term planning. This is monitored by the co-ordinator but it gives too little information about

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MUSIC

what will be taught . This limits pupils’ progress overall.

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MUSIC

171. A few extra-curricular activities are available on a regular basis. Some chances are available for pupils to use their singing skills, such as in the choir, which meets from time to time, for part of the year to support the Christmas concerts and activities. This provides good opportunities for those pupils who choose to participate over a short period of time. The visiting music teacher offers instrumental tuition. The school participates from time to time in local festivals and sometimes has visiting theatre and music events. This broadens pupils’ musical experience. However, little is planned in the near future, as the school has only had a short period in which to plan the curriculum in the newly organised school, and pupils do not benefit from regular visits and visitors to support the music curriculum. Middlefield Community Primary School - 54 172. There has been little opportunity to promote and improve the music curriculum in the

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MUSIC

school since the amalgamation. There is no regular time allocated for the management of this subject, so no opportunities are available for the newly- appointed co-ordinator to monitor standards in teaching and learning, and influence them. This is unsatisfactory. However, understandably, the school has focused on the core subjects in order to raise standards and this had led to very limited attention to music. The co-ordinator has worked hard to audit resources in the school and has purchased a new scheme recently, to link with the nationally approved scheme of work, which is now being trialled in school.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

173. Attainment in physical education is line with the national expectation at the end of Key Stage 1, but is below national expectations at the end of Key Stage 2. The nature of the school has changed very significantly since September 2001 and it is not possible, therefore, to compare current standards with any previous inspection. Progress in lessons in Key Stage 1 is good and satisfactory in Key Stage 2. Pupils with special educational needs including those with emotional and behavioural disorders make satisfactory progress. Arrangements for inclusion of all pupils are in place and boys and girls work happily together.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

174. By the end of Key Stage 1 pupils have a good understanding of how to exercise safely and the value of warming up and cooling down exercises. They are able to vary their movements imaginatively, for example when travelling around “islands” of mats. They choose to, run, jump, roll, crawl and spin in order to move in different ways, balancing and using the space well. They are able to work in pairs and as a team, practising basic skills using balls, beanbags with control and coordination. For example, they throw and catch with an satisfactory degree of accuracy and are able to dribble a large ball around a marker. Pupils are beginning to develop the ability to perform a combination of movements. In Year 1 for example pupils carefully followed instructions in preparation for a dance sequence and after suitable practise were able to perform a pattern of movements requiring them to step and bend in different

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

directions. The pupils enjoy their lessons, and confidently demonstrate their actions to the rest of the class.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

175. Attainment by the end of Key Stage 2 is below national expectations. Many pupils in Year 6 have poor co-ordination and lack the necessary skills to complete some exercises when practising their football skills, for example skip kicks and passing to a partner. They are benefiting from specialist coaching from members of the Academy sports outreach, attached to Liverpool Football Club, but many have problems in following instructions and do not progress in the lessons, as much as they should. In a Year 5 lesson seen during the inspection, pupils were encouraged to develop their skills in running, dribbling, dodging and passing the ball, but although small minority completed these actions an overall lack of enthusiasm limited the pupils’ progress. Pupils in Year 3 find basketball ball skills difficult, they throw accurately to a partner, but when catching or passing the ball around their bodies they are less secure.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Swimming is regular part of the Key Stage 2 curriculum and most pupils in Year 6 should be able to swim 25 meters by the time they leave the school.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

176. The pupils in Key Stage 1 enjoy their physical education lessons. They listen carefully to instructions and pay attention to demonstrations. They try hard and behave well. They are enthusiastic when working in a team and are keen to win. Some of the Key Stage 2 pupils, especially the older ones do not always behave well in the lessons and this limits their progress. When working with the specialist coaches their attitudes Middlefield Community Primary School - 55 become more positive and good learning occurs as they benefit from the high quality demonstration of skills. In other lessons however, they are less enthusiastic and they do not work sufficiently hard to improve their performance.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

177. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory in Key Stage 2 and good in Key Stage 1. The lessons are well planned, with skills being introduced and practised sequentially. Teachers in Key Stage 1 have a high expectation of behaviour, provide clear instructions and make good use of pupil demonstrations. In Key Stage 2 however, the teacher pupil relationships are less positive and the teachers do not provide opportunities for pupils to demonstrate and evaluate their skills or those of others. This means that the skills are not being practised and improved.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

178. The coordinator is knowledgeable and enthusiastic, and has devised a scheme of work, which covers the entire physical education curriculum well. She is keen to extend the extra curricular opportunities in the future. Resources for the subject are good, but the hall is underused and insufficient time is being allocated to physical education.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

179. The curriculum does not comply with the requirements of the Locally Agreed Syllabus because it does not contain some of the directed programmes of study. As a result, standards in religious education are below the expectations of the Locally Agreed Syllabus by the end of both Year 2 and Year 6 and progress is unsatisfactory for all pupils including those with special educational needs. The nature of the school has changed very significantly since September 2001 and it is not possible, therefore, to compare current standards with any previous inspection.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

180. In Key Stage 1, pupils become aware of God as a supreme being. They know Christians worship God by praying. They know they go to church on special occasions such as when they are christened or when getting married. They gain additional knowledge on this theme through their visit to a local church. Pupils learn and understand stories from the Old Testament, such as Moses receiving the ten commandments. They learn New Testament stories about Jesus and what He did and said. There is very little evidence of pupils’ work from Year 2, but pupils in Year 1 are making good progress in lessons. They have a growing awareness of the need to handle special things with respect as part of their preparation for handling religious books and artefacts.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

181. The range of topics increases in the Key Stage 2 but learning is unsatisfactory because not enough time is given to religious education. In general, pupils extend their learning of Christianity through the study of Christian symbols such as the cross, the fish and the alpha and omega signs. In Year 3, by studying New Testament stories they are able to apply their understanding and link what they learn into aspects of every day life. They show this by writing their own explanations to the title “If Jesus came to earth today He……” Pupils gain understanding of other faiths through their studies of Judaism, Hinduism, and Islam. However whilst they know stories about Gods such as Rama and Sita, and can identify such holy books as the Bible, the Qu’ran and the Torah, very few pupils can recall any in-depth knowledge of the world’s great faiths.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

182. Teaching overall is unsatisfactory because of the lack of time given to the subject and the weaknesses in the curriculum. During the inspection, however teaching was never less than satisfactory, and one outstanding lesson about special objects Middlefield Community Primary School - 56 thoughts and feelings was seen in Year 1. It was particularly good because the teacher was well-prepared and made very good use of resources to support her teaching. She incorporated pupils’ previous learning, and by adding an element of excitement, pupils listened with great attention. As a result, they were willing to share their own special feelings and thoughts. The teacher also made excellent use of an unexpected incident in the lesson, when a shaft of sunlight created a wonderful opportunity for pupils to be spiritually uplifted, as they experimented and explored when trying to contain it in their hands. Sometimes, evidence of good teaching is

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

observed through good display, for example, in Year 5, where it offered good support for pupils learning about Islam. However, in general, the range and quality of the work that teachers demand of pupils is only of moderate challenge. Some teachers are not confident in the teaching of religious education, and their lessons are restricted by over reliance on the use worksheets. These often require only simple answers and minimum thought from the pupils. Marking is very basic and does very little to encourage pupils to develop and extend the quality of their work.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

183. Subject leadership is unsatisfactory because whilst the subject leader has a clear understanding of what is required to raise standards, she has not been provided with the appropriate time to develop it. She is particularly aware of how to incorporate the necessary missing elements of the Agreed Syllabus into the school’s preferred scheme. She is aware too, of the benefit that should arise through the introduction and implementation of curriculum monitoring and useful assessment procedures. Resources on the whole are satisfactory with the exception of religious artefacts and religious images, which are insufficient to support teachers in lessons.

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