Henry Fawcett Primary School

HENRY FAWCETT PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 15 th – 18 th January 2001

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HENRY FAWCETT PRIMARY SCHOOL

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

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HENRY FAWCETT PRIMARY SCHOOL

Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the School Inspections Act 1996, the school must provide a copy of this report and/or its summary free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. Henry Fawcett Primary School - 1

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Bowling Green Street Kennington London

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 18 th March 1996 Henry Fawcett Primary School - 2

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responsibilities

20603 A Coyle Registered inspector Foundation Stage Art and design Music How high are the standards? How well are the pupils taught? How well is the school led and managed? What should the school do to improve further? 9646 G Osment Lay inspector How well does the school care of its pupils? How well does the school work in partnership with parents? 24216 M Roberts Team inspector English English as an additional language Geography History 8851 L Kelsey Team inspector Mathematics Information and communication technology Physical education Equal opportunities How good are the curricular, and other opportunities, offered to pupils? Equal opportunities

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responsibilities

10913 M Kelsey Team inspector Science Design and technology Religious education Special educational needs

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responsibilities

PPI Group Ltd 7 Hill Street Bristol BS1 5RW

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responsibilities

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

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responsibilities

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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responsibilities

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Henry Fawcett Primary School - 3

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 4 - 7

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? 8 - 10

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Henry Fawcett Primary School is situated near the Oval cricket ground in Kennington, south-east London, within an education action zone. It serves the surrounding catchment area, which consists of mainly local authority rented properties. The school is slightly bigger than other primary schools and there are currently 286 girls and boys in the school aged between four and eleven years. Children are admitted to the nursery when they are three years old and they transfer to one of the reception classes at the beginning of the term in which they are five. There are currently 26 children in the two reception classes and a full-time equivalent number of 24 in the nursery. Attainment on entry varies, but is well below average overall because children’s language, literacy, personal and social skills are very limited. Sixty-three per cent of pupils of compulsory school age are from ethnic minority backgrounds which is much higher than the national average. Apart from English, the main languages spoken at

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

home are Yoruba, Portuguese, Bengali and French, and 47 per cent of pupils receive support for learning English as an additional language. Fifty-four per cent of pupils are known to be eligible for free school meals, which is well above the national average, and an above average proportion of 35 per cent have been identified on the register of special educational needs. Eleven pupils currently have statements for their needs. There is a high rate of pupil mobility.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

This is a rapidly improving, and recently amalgamated, school in which the teaching and learning is satisfactory overall, with a significant amount of good quality teaching. The very good leadership of the headteacher and strong commitment to improving standards by the senior managers help to ensure satisfactory value for money.

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What the school does well

 Pupils achieve good standards in music and have good relationships with each other.  The significant amount of good teaching is helping to raise standards across the school, especially in English and mathematics. Teaching is often very good in music and, sometimes, excellent.  The provision for pupils with special educational needs is good. The good support is helping pupils to make good progress and develop confidence in their learning.  The school provides well for pupils’ moral and social development.  The good procedures for monitoring pupils’ attendance and behaviour are used well.  The very good leadership provided by the headteacher ensures very clear educational direction for the staff.  The good school development plan contains excellent priorities for future improvements and these are linked well to the very good financial planning.  The school ensures equality of opportunity and inclusive education for all pupils.

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What could be improved

 Standards are well below average in English, mathematics, science, art and design and information and communication technology. They are below the nationally expected level in religious education and physical education.  The curriculum for the children in the Foundation Stage is unsatisfactory and it is not sufficiently balanced at Key Stage 2.  Assessment procedures are not well developed and they are poorly used.  There is too much unsatisfactory, and some poor, teaching and, as a result, pupils’ behaviour is unduly variable, especially at Key Stage 2.  Too few opportunities are provided to increase pupils’ initiative, independence and spiritual development.  The governing body does not act as a critical friend to the school.  Levels of attendance are unsatisfactory and there is very high rate of temporary exclusions. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED

Henry Fawcett Primary School - 5 This is a new school, amalgamated in 1999 from two separate infant and junior schools. Since then, a new headteacher and deputy have been appointed, as well as several new governors. Although there are still significant weaknesses for the staff and governors to address, there have been many improvements over the last year, which have helped to move the school forward. Six key areas have been identified for development; pupils’ progress and attainment, teaching and learning, the curriculum, ethos, premises, and management and organisation. The senior managers and members of staff have worked hard to address all of the priorities contained within these six key areas and are now evaluating their success and identifying the next steps. Of particular note is the strong emphasis the school has given to improving pupils’ behaviour and the action taken to address the low achievement of pupils through the improved provision for special educational needs and

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED

additional literacy support. A new curriculum framework is now in place and new assessment procedures have been introduced. In addition, a staff development strategy has been devised and monitoring procedures are currently being considered. The school’s communication with parents has been improved through the establishment of a community room, the early years’ library, the family literacy project and behaviour workshops, and pupils now wear school uniform. Overall, much has been done so far, but there still remains a great deal to accomplish. The school’s capacity to succeed is very good because the headteacher, deputy and senior managers are all strongly committed to education of the pupils.

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STANDARDS

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

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Key

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

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Key

The above table shows that although pupils attained well below the national average in English by the time they left the school in 2000, they achieved results that were in line with similar schools. In mathematics and science, the results were amongst the lowest five per cent nationally and well below those of similar schools. The inspection evidence largely concurs with these results and finds that, although standards are still too low when compared to the national expectations, they are rising steadily overall. This continuing trend of rising standards is because the quality of teaching is mainly satisfactory and often good. In addition, the school has devised realistic targets for improving pupils’ attainment still further, which it is on line to achieve. From a very low starting point, due to the high number of pupils with special educational needs and a very high number who learn English as an additional language, the pupils increase their knowledge and skills steadily. By the time they reach

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Key

the end of the Foundation Stage, they achieve a few of the stepping stones set out in the early learning goals. At Key Stages 1 and 2, the pupils continue to progress appropriately, even though their lack of language hinders learning. They make good progress in music and achieve good standards by the time they leave the school. Girls generally do better than boys in English, mathematics and science, and pupils with special educational needs make better progress than their peers. Henry Fawcett Primary School - 6

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Satisfactory. Most pupils show interest in their lessons. Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Unsatisfactory overall; there is too much unsatisfactory behaviour at the end of Key Stage 2, which hinders learning. Personal development and relationships Good relationships between pupils, but pupils’ initiative and independence are not developed well. Attendance Unsatisfactory.

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Aspect Comment

Pupils form good relationships with each other, but the levels of attendance are unsatisfactory and there is a very high rate of temporary exclusion due to poor behaviour of some pupils.

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Teaching of pupils: aged up to 6 years aged 6-7 years aged 7-11 years

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

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Teaching of pupils: aged up to 6 years aged 6-7 years aged 7-11 years

The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory overall throughout the school, but it varies from excellent to poor. Of the 79 lessons observed, 88 per cent were satisfactory or better. Forty-one per cent of teaching was good, nine per cent was very good and three per cent was excellent. However, 11 per cent was unsatisfactory and one per cent was poor. Teaching is unsatisfactory overall in the Foundation Stage because planning is unsatisfactory and not clearly focused on the recommended early learning goals and teachers’ knowledge of the new requirements is not secure. The best teaching was observed in music at Key Stages 1 and 2 and pupils learn well in this subject. The teaching of basic literacy and numeracy skills in English and mathematics is satisfactory and the school helps pupils with special educational needs especially well by providing good support for their learning.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum Unsatisfactory overall; the curriculum is broad and the national literacy and numeracy strategies have been implemented well. However, the curriculum for the youngest children in the Foundation Stage is unsatisfactory and it is not sufficiently balanced at Key Stage 2. Provision for pupils with special educational needs Good. The early identification of needs and the good support is helping pupils to make good progress and develop confidence in their learning. Provision for pupils with English as an additional language Satisfactory with good features. The school provides a welcoming and inclusive environment for its pupils.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Good provision for moral and social development; sound cultural development but unsatisfactory provision for pupils’ spiritual development.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils Satisfactory overall; good procedures for monitoring attendance and behaviour, but unsatisfactory assessment procedures are poorly used.

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Aspect Comment

The school works in satisfactory partnership with parents. Statutory requirements are met for all subjects, but the curriculum is not sufficiently balanced at Key Stage 2 and for the children in the Foundation Stage. Henry Fawcett Primary School - 7

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and manage-ment by the headteacher and other key staff Good overall. The headteacher has a very clear vision for the future development of the school. He provides very good leadership and is very well supported by the deputy. The good school development plan, clear delegation to senior managers and excellent priorities for improvement have helped to ensure that there is now a very strong capacity for success.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Unsatisfactory. The governors are keen to improve their roles, but as yet, they do not act as a critical friend to the school or monitor its provision effectively.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance Good. The new chair of governors, headteacher, deputy headteacher and senior managers are well aware of the significant weaknesses in the school and they all work hard to improve provision.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources Good overall. Very good financial planning.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s good accommodation is used well by a suitably qualified and experienced staff, but the resources are limited in some subjects. The very good leadership of the headteacher is leading to a strong commitment to improve amongst the staff and governors. The principles of best value are beginning to be applied effectively.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

 Children enjoy coming to school.  The school is led and managed well by the headteacher.  The school is steadily improving its provision.  Standards of behaviour are perceived to be too variable across the school.  Parents do not have enough information about their children’s progress.  There are too few extra-curricular activities and not enough homework is given.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

The inspectors agree with the positive comments made by parents. The school is rapidly improving because it is very well led and effectively managed. Although the inspectors agree with parents that the standards of behaviour are too variable, they recognise that the school is working hard to improve the situation. The amount of information provided for parents is appropriate and there is a satisfactory range of extra-curricular activities. However, there is no homework policy and, as a result, homework is given inconsistently to pupils. Henry Fawcett Primary School - 8

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

1. Many children start school with very poorly developed skills in personal independence, speaking, listening and mathematics. This is confirmed by the teachers’ informal assessments in the first weeks in the nursery and the entry assessments conducted when children first enter the reception classes, which indicate that standards in these areas are very low compared to those of most four-year-olds. From low beginnings, the majority achieve appropriately and reach some of the early learning goals in all areas of learning by the time they start Year 1.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

2. In English, pupils’ performance in the end of Key Stage 1 National Curriculum tests in 2000 was well below average in reading, writing and spelling. When compared with schools with pupils from similar backgrounds, the results were below expectations. In contrast, in the lessons observed, although standards are still too low, they are improving in reading due to the effective introduction of the National Literacy Strategy. Pupils’ performance at the end of Key Stage 2 in the National Curriculum tests was also well below average. Their performance in relation to other pupils with a similar background is a little better and nearer to expectations. The inspection findings show that these pupils are also benefiting from the structured approach of the literacy hour, although they have a lot work to make up and many are only achieving standards that are well below average in both reading and writing. Spelling is improving,

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

but still remains below the standard expected nationally. Many pupils have made insufficient gains since their Key Stage 1 tests and girls often do better than boys.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

3. In the 2000 national tests for mathematics, standards were very low at the end of both key stages and well below average when compared to similar schools. Standards were amongst the lowest five per cent in the country at the end of Key Stage 2. The inspection findings largely concur with these results, but show that standards are improving in the school, although they remain well below average for pupils at the end of Key Stage 1 and below average for the pupils at the end of Key Stage 2. Girls performed significantly better than boys at Key Stage 1. However, across the school, in some of the younger classes, teachers still do not expect enough of more able and above average pupils, where there is underachievement. Information and communication technology is not used well to support numeracy skills, such as data handling.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

4. In the science results for 2000, the teacher assessments indicated that standards were very low compared with other schools nationally at the end of Key Stage 1. In national tests at the end of Key Stage 2, the percentage of pupils reaching the expected Level 4 was also very low in comparison with the national average and amongst the lowest five per cent in the country. The percentage of pupils reaching the higher Level 5 was well below the national average. Overall, the attainment of boys was below that of girls. In comparison with schools of a similar type, the percentage of pupils reaching the expected levels was well below average and below average for the higher levels. The evidence gathered during the inspection concurs with these results and show attainment to be well below the average at the end of both key stages.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

5. Standards in art and design and information and communication technology are well below the national expectation by the time pupils leave the school; pupils have limited experience in both subjects. The standards achieved by pupils in religious education and physical education are unsatisfactory. However, pupils’ learning is promoted well in music and the subject is used well to link with topics. No judgements can be made regarding the standards achieved in design and technology, geography and history due to insufficient evidence. 1

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

By the end of Key Stage 1, pupils are expected to attain Level 2 in all National Curriculum subjects. Those who achieve Level 3 are therefore attaining above nationally expected levels. By the end of Key Stage 2, pupils are expected to attain Level 4 in all National Curriculum subjects. Those who achieve Level 5 are therefore attaining above nationally expected levels. Henry Fawcett Primary School - 9 6. Pupils’ progress in learning is satisfactory overall in relation to their very low starting point on entry. From the time children enter the nursery, they are taught effectively to build on their skills. Pupils’ academic progress is maintained as they move through Key Stages 1 and 2. It is notably good in music. In addition, the school has devised realistic and challenging targets for improving pupils’ attainment still further, which it is on line to achieve. There is a significant variation in the progress of pupils with

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

special educational needs who do well, and those of other abilities, including those who learn English as an additional language, because the school has made great efforts to raise the standards of these pupils.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

7. Pupils identified as having special educational needs make sound progress in their learning in the Foundation Stage and generally good progress at Key Stages 1 and 2. The school uses a range of school based and national tests to determine pupils’ needs. The class teacher is responsible for the individual planning for pupils on the first stage and the co-ordinator monitors this and maintains responsibility for pupils at Stage 3 of the Code of Practice and above. Individual educational plans contain clear targets identifying areas for improvement. They identify achievable steps. The school has worked hard over the last year to set up systems and procedures to identify need at an early age and places pupils on the register of special educational needs. Once pupils are identified, they receive good support throughout the school. Targets are reviewed regularly and programmes of work are adjusted according to need.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

8. The youngest children in the Foundation Stage have satisfactory attitudes to learning. They are interested in their surroundings and enjoy finding out about new activities. Almost all children leave their parents or carers happily and show a sense of belonging when joining in. In general, however, children lack confidence and social skills. They often play in isolation, silently, and teachers do not encourage learning in this area sufficiently well. The older pupils at Key Stages 1 and 2 come to school with satisfactory attitudes and this partly accounts for the improving standards in literacy and numeracy across the school. The majority of the parents who responded to the questionnaire stated that their children like school. In conversations with pupils, the inspectors found that most of them say that they enjoy coming to school. Many are willing to learn, but in some classes, and particularly amongst the oldest pupils, they do not

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

settle promptly to set tasks. For example, pupils in a Year 5/6 class did not work with any urgency when asked to write and draw a warm up routine to use in a physical education lesson. In the Year 3 class, the pupils were very noisy and completed very little work when writing about education today compared with that in Ancient Greece.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

9. Through the pre-inspection questionnaire, 87 per cent of parents feel that behaviour in the school is good. However, the inspection team judges the pupils’ behaviour to be unsatisfactory overall. When teachers have clear expectations of behaviour and lessons are well planned to meet the needs of all, pupils behave well in classrooms. When teaching is less successful, pupils lose concentration, behave inappropriately and this results in a slower pace of learning. The majority of the pupils move around the school sensibly and respond readily to the requests and instructions of teachers, class-room assistants and lunchtime supervisors. The pupils are generally polite to each other, to teachers and other staff, as well as to visitors. They are trustworthy and treat the resources they use with care. However, there are some exceptions, particularly amongst the oldest boys. There were 77 exclusions from the school during the

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

year prior to the inspection. This is much higher than the national average. The headteacher does not use this sanction lightly; procedures are followed appropriately, but he is using exclusion as part of a range of strategies to improve behaviour in the school. The headteacher canvassed the views of the pupils about behaviour in the school and the majority of them responded that behaviour was not good but that they wanted to improve it within the school.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

10. The personal development of the pupils is satisfactory. The pupils generally form good relationships with fellow pupils and adults, built on tolerance for the work, ideas, beliefs and values of others. All staff in the school are good role models for the pupils in the way that they conduct themselves. Pupils are beginning to work well as individuals or in pairs or small groups. They are learning to be kind to each other, take turns and help their classmates. The pupils have participated successfully in the Lambeth Kwik-Cricket competition and many pupils extend their interests through attending after school clubs. These include football, music and carnival arts. In Year 6, pupils have opportunities to assist in the hall at lunch times and set up equipment for assembly. However, overall, there are too few opportunities provided for the pupils to take responsibility in the life of the school and in their own learning. Pupils do

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

not do enough experiments and investigations in science lessons. There are insufficient opportunities Henry Fawcett Primary School - 10 provided for the pupils to use the library for research or to develop personal study skills through the use of computers in classrooms and in the information communication technology suite.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

11. Pupils with special educational needs are generally happy and secure within their class groups and the smaller support groups. They mostly relate well to their classmates and adults. This gives them the confidence to join in with all school activities. Pupils generally work well in the classroom. The school has worked particularly hard to help children manage and control their own behaviour and records show that many children with behavioural difficulties have made good progress in managing feelings of anger and frustration. Support staff and teachers are skilled in applying behaviour strategies and pupils receive clear guidelines for behaviour and attitudes to work. Pupils usually respond well to this firm, consistent message that they experience throughout the school.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

12. Due to the good procedures that the school has put in place to monitor attendance, the rate of attendance has improved this term but it is still unsatisfactory. There are a number of reasons for this including parents not always informing the school as to the reason for their child’s absence, pupils taken out of school by parents for extended holidays and a significant minority of pupils repeatedly arriving late in the mornings. Some of the children in the nursery are disadvantaged because their parents do not bring them to school at the correct time. This results in disruption at the start of the day and staff are unable to settle the children quickly and promptly focus on the planned activities. Parents are reminded of their responsibility for their children’s punctuality and attendance in the prospectus and newsletters but do not always ensure that their children’s learning is not interrupted by absence or lateness.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

13. The quality of teaching and learning throughout the school is satisfactory overall, because the significant amount of good or better teaching outweighs that which is less than satisfactory. Of the 79 lessons observed, 88 per cent were satisfactory or better. Forty-one per cent of teaching was good, nine per cent was very good and three per cent was excellent. The significant amount of good quality of teaching is a strength of the school. For example, the best teaching was observed in literacy, numeracy and music at both key stages. However, 11 per cent of teaching was unsatisfactory and one per cent was poor. Nevertheless, the school works hard to eliminate all unsatisfactory teaching and the teachers’ willingness to be self-critical is helping the school to move forward well.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

14. The teaching of basic skills in English, mathematics and science is sound throughout the school, although there are too few opportunities for pupils to use their literacy and numeracy skills in other subjects through cross-curricular links. Generally, teachers are enthusiastic in their delivery of lessons. This encourages the pupils to sustain concentration, because the lessons move at a brisk pace and so keep them actively engaged. The recent emphasis on literacy and numeracy has helped to focus teaching and learning well in these areas. For example, the teachers use a good mix of whole-class, group and individual work and ask searching questions to make the pupils think, for instance in a Year 4 mathematics lesson about doubling numbers.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

15. The quality of teaching and learning is unsatisfactory for the children in the Foundation Stage. Teaching is occasionally good in the reception classes, but it is unsatisfactory overall in one fifth of lessons in the nursery and reception. This significant amount of unsatisfactory teaching is mainly because staff do not plan effectively to promote children’s personal, social and language skills. There are two new teachers in the reception classes who, at the time of the inspection, had only been in the school for one week. All adults have a sound knowledge of the age group and help the children to settle quickly. Activities are effectively organised and managed. Teachers have good relationships with the children and high expectations of good behaviour. The classrooms are colourful and attractive and there is a reasonable balance of free choice and teacher-assisted activities. However, planning is unsatisfactory and not clearly

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

focused on the recommended early learning goals for children in the Foundation Stage, because teachers’ knowledge of the new requirements is not secure. This means that there is often no clear focus on what children are to learn in each session and, as a result, progress is limited. For example, a great many children enter the school with little, or no, understanding of English and few social skills, but the curriculum offered to them does not take enough account of these factors. Opportunities are frequently lost to foster speaking skills and encourage more independence. The use of assessment is weak; teachers do not make effective use of the information gathered through informal and formal assessments Henry Fawcett Primary School - 11 conducted when the children first enter the school and there are insufficient links between the home, nursery and reception stages to ensure continuity of learning.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

16. At Key Stage 1, the quality of teaching is satisfactory overall. It is good or better in one half of the lessons, although just under one fifth of lessons are unsatisfactory. This is a significant amount of good teaching, but too much variation in quality points to insecure subject knowledge as noted in art, science and information and communication technology, as well other foundation subjects. Teachers plan and teach basic literacy and numeracy skills effectively, with satisfactory subject knowledge, effective management and good organisation of their classrooms. Generally, they have appropriate expectations of pupils’ capacity to learn and question pupils well. However, teachers’ planning and assessment are unsatisfactory. This is because lesson plans do not always clearly identify the learning objectives for the activities and assessment information is not gathered rigorously or used effectively to plan what pupils

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

will learn next. The good focus on providing well for groups of least able pupils has meant that support staff and resources are used well to enhance learning, especially for pupils with special educational needs who currently make better progress than their peers.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

17. At Key Stage 2, teaching is also satisfactory overall with a significant amount of good and some very good teaching. Almost one half of the lessons seen were good or better, but a tenth were unsatisfactory or poor. Teachers throughout the key stage have sound subject knowledge of English, mathematics and science and plan their work effectively. Their knowledge of the foundation subjects, especially art, information and communication technology, physical education and religious education are not secure and, as a result, pupils’ learning is not assured in these subjects. However, the school makes good use of specialist teachers for music lessons and sports coaching to supplement its provision. In the best lessons, there is a clear focus of what pupils should learn and teachers usually maintain a lively and brisk pace, which ensures that pupils concentrate and keep up a satisfactory level of intellectual and creative effort.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

A good example of this was seen in a literacy lesson about instructions, where the very good choice of text enthused and challenged pupils very well, to build up their knowledge of verbs from instructional texts.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

18. Enthusiasm is a particular characteristic of the staff at the school and, when the teaching is most effective, teachers carry pupils along with their own good humour, energy and enjoyment. This ensures that many pupils strive to achieve well, according to their capabilities. Most staff have a good rapport with their pupils and humour is used well to encourage, support and give confidence to pupils so that they can make a contribution and enjoy their lessons, no matter which group they are in, for instance in literacy and numeracy. The positive ways in which the staff deal with the pupils is reflected in the mainly good relationships noted during the inspection. However, a significant number of boys in the Years 5 and 6 classes display poor behaviour at times and, although teachers work hard to control and motivate them, their disruptive influence on others around them has an unacceptable effect on the quality

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

of teaching and learning. The school recognises the need to continue to monitor pupils’ behaviour carefully and to strive for a consistent approach to the management of pupils by all teachers.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

19. Teachers collect assessment information at both key stages and they often use their day-to-day evaluations to modify planning for future lessons. However, this is inconsistent and insufficiently focused. The school development plan shows they will work on these areas, but, until they do, the use of assessment remains the weakest element of the teaching. This has a clear impact on standards achieved. Facility with the literacy and numeracy frameworks is growing, but the poor use of assessment information restricts progress. This means that some groups of pupils’ learning is too varied; for example, pupils with special educational needs are currently learning at a faster rate than their peers, whilst the potentially higher attaining pupils are making slower progress overall. Although the lessons are usually taught effectively, the pace sometimes flags in specific lessons, such as science, and opportunities are often missed to enhance pupils’ independence in learning. They have too few chances

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

to consider what they know, express opinions and decide how they might improve. This is because teachers do not always share what learning will take place with the pupils. In the cases where this was happening during the inspection, pupils were capable of thinking and deciding for themselves appropriately. Pupils’ work is not marked regularly, with enough use of encouraging and helpful comments to help them improve, and there is no homework policy to ensure a consistent approach.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

20. Pupils with special educational needs receive good teaching when withdrawn for support by the special needs teacher and the team of learning support assistants. For example, during the inspection, a Year 5 Henry Fawcett Primary School - 12 girl with a statement of special educational needs responds very well to individual support from the special educational needs teacher. The work was carefully planned to meet her specific needs and was effective in motivating her so that she concentrated on the varied tasks and experienced success. Similarly, there is good support for pupils with special educational needs within the classroom. For example, in a Year 3 and 4 numeracy lesson, the learning support assistant provided focused, unobtrusive support which enabled the pupil to achieve the objectives which the teacher had set for the class. All teachers and members of support staff provide a good level of support that effectively

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

contributes to pupils’ achievement. The support is flexible and is adjusted depending on individual needs. This makes a positive contribution to the good rate of progress that pupils make in their learning. Pupils work towards their targets within the classroom and in smaller withdrawal groups, depending on the specific needs of individual pupils. Individual and small group support outside the classroom has a specific focus. Pupils with special educational needs are supported for literacy, numeracy, information and communication technology and any other curriculum area depending on their particular need. Pupils have full access to the curriculum. Class teachers have appropriate expectations of pupils; they plan work that closely matches pupils’ needs. They are supported in their work by the special educational needs co- ordinator and the team of support staff. The targets are clearly stated for staff, pupils and parents to

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

understand. Pupils are given good support to achieve their targets and this helps to raise their self- esteem.

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

21. The curriculum is broadly based and meets the needs of the majority of the pupils in the school, especially pupils with special educational needs and those who have English as an additional language. The statutory curriculum is in place and all subjects are taught. However, the quality of the curriculum is unsatisfactory and it is not always sufficiently relevant or challenging enough for certain groups of pupils such as boys or more able pupils in the school. It does not fully meet their interests and abilities and some subjects, such as information and communication technology, geography, history, art and design and physical education are not fully covered. The curriculum for children in the Foundation Stage is unsatisfactory because it is not specifically planned to the recommended early learning goals and, as a result, children are not well prepared for entry to Key Stage 1. Teaching time is close to, but below, the

p.14

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

recommended minimum. When pupils are late for school or activities over-run, this results in additional loss of time and the curriculum is, therefore, unbalanced.

p.14

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

22. The school has recently developed effective strategies for the teaching of literacy and numeracy and basic skills are now taught well. It is better in numeracy sessions because teachers are confident and knowledgeable and less demand is put on pupils’ own personal language skills. As a result, standards are beginning to rise in mathematics. A sound range of extra-curricular activities is offered to pupils and these include football, recorder group, carnival arts, singing, art and music.

p.14

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

23. All pupils are included in all activities. Equal access and opportunities to be involved in lessons is ensured through regular in-class support for pupils with special educational needs and for those with English as an additional language. However, boys are currently not performing as well as expected and not as well as the girls in the school. This under-performance of boys is greater than normally seen in the majority of schools and is more apparent in Key Stage 1. Some pupils miss out on the start of the school day through being late for school. This affects their introduction to the literacy or numeracy sessions, which often occur in the morning. The school is planning to introduce some incentives to encourage pupils to arrive at school earlier and ensure they are included in the school day as much as possible.

p.14

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

24. The school fully meets the requirements of the Code of Practice for pupils identified with special educational needs. There is a register that identifies pupils at each stage. The school reviews the register regularly and pupils are moved up and down the register according to their needs. The school seeks to promote a policy of inclusion and pupils with special educational needs have access to all areas of the curriculum. The provision within and outside the classroom is good. It ensures that all pupils have access to the National Curriculum and religious education. Many pupils attend the extra-curricular clubs and this extends their learning and contributes to personal development.

p.14

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

25. The provision for spiritual development is currently unsatisfactory in the school. Pupils have satisfactory knowledge and understanding of the differences in people, their beliefs and cultures. They reflect on Henry Fawcett Primary School - 13 values taught to them in assembly and circle times. However, during assembly, opportunities to include spiritual awareness and the presence of deity are missed. An example of this was the discussion on friends and family by Key Stage 1 pupils where references to Jesus’ friends, the disciples, were missed. Opportunities for making pupils aware of the wonders of science or the awe of technology are missed in other lessons. Pupils know the differences between right and wrong and the school has worked hard at improving the provision for moral development, which is now good. The provision for social development is good and pupils get on well with each other and their teachers. They join in assemblies

p.14

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

and chatter with each other at lunchtime and playtime. They are happy to share resources and work together in groups. However, there are too few opportunities where the school encourages pupils to take more initiative, such as through a school council or by caring for younger pupils at lunchtime or when new pupils start school. Pupils speak openly to each other about their differences in race, belief and culture and the provision for promoting pupils’ cultural development is sound. The school encourages this aspect through good opportunities to play music from other countries in assemblies and lessons.

p.15

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

26. The school effectively provides for personal and social education. It teaches pupils about sex education and drug abuse, as well as how to have a healthy life style. Links with the local community are developing and a business link has already benefited the school by providing more computer resources for the classes. The school has started to develop relationships with other institutions and provides opportunities for students to practise teaching. This is helping the school by supporting less able pupils, such as in the science lesson seen with the oldest pupils in the school. A representative from the local police force visits the school to help raise pupils’ awareness about the danger of drugs and pupils make good used of the facilities and staff from the Oval Cricket ground. They have also visited art galleries, exhibitions and museums.

p.15

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

27. The school takes satisfactory steps to ensure pupils’ welfare, health and safety. There are good relationships throughout the school and all staff work hard to maintain positive relationships; they know the pupils well and are able to monitor personal development informally. The personal comments that teachers make on the annual reports to parents show that they have good knowledge of the pupils.

p.15

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

28. The low standards throughout the school are partly due to the unsatisfactory arrangements for assessment. The school has recognised this and through education action zone funding is releasing teachers to record performance data that staff can easily access and use to plan. The current use made of any assessment information to inform curriculum planning is poor. The assessment policy is still at the draft stage and an assessment co-ordinator has only recently been appointed. Teachers do not effectively assess the current performance of the pupils or analyse previous assessment results to set targets for individuals and groups of pupils to address identified weaknesses. During English and mathematics lessons, some teachers have introduced literacy and numeracy targets and refer to these when talking to the pupils. However, this is not common practice across the school. Baseline assessment has been

p.15

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

introduced in the nursery but this not being used to project standards at the end of Key Stage 1. The school does not have a marking policy and day-to-day marking is unsatisfactory. Teachers do not provide a useful analysis of what pupils have been doing to help them achieve a better standard of work.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

29. The school has recently produced a health and safety policy and drawn up an action plan to ensure systematic risk assessments take place and are recorded. A number of health and safety concerns were reported to the school during the inspection. There are suitable arrangements in place for first aid and medical support and there are staff with the required first aid qualifications. The pupils are appropriately supervised at break and lunchtimes and playground games have been introduced, which the pupils enjoy. The school has good arrangements in place for child protection issues. The headteacher is the named responsible person and, together with the deputy headteacher, has been trained for this role. There is a good programme for personal and social education, which is delivered through quiet periods known as ‘circle time’, religious education lessons and assemblies. Through the education action zone, an Afro-

p.15

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

Caribbean support agency is helping teachers deliver effective ‘circle times’. Guidance on sex education, drugs and substance misuse is delivered through the science curriculum.

p.15

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

30. There are good procedures in place for the monitoring and improving of attendance. The senior administrative officer checks the attendance registers every day and instances of unexplained absence or lateness are quickly followed up. The school receives visits from the education welfare service. Registers Henry Fawcett Primary School - 14 are marked correctly but registration periods do not always start promptly. A number of pupils are late for the start of the morning and, as a result, lessons do not always begin on time.

p.15

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

31. Since the headteacher took up his post in September 1999, he has introduced a clear behaviour and discipline policy and there are good procedures for monitoring and encouraging good behaviour. The policy includes a system of rewards and sanctions and it is implemented consistently by the majority of the teaching staff to ensure that pupils behave well. Good behaviour and effort are rewarded through praise and stickers and certificates are awarded during weekly assemblies. An anti-bullying policy has also been introduced and, although there is boisterous play at lunch and break times, no incidents of bullying were observed during the inspection. Eighty per cent of parents feel that the school is helping their child become mature and responsible.

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

32. The school has worked hard to build up systems to provide detailed documentation for all pupils with special educational needs. An up-to-date and accurate database of information has been set up which helps the staff to track individual difficulties pupils might encounter, and ensures they receive appropriate support and guidance. All members of staff are committed to pupils in their care. They have information about learning difficulties pupils may have. All pupils receive good attention to pastoral care and this provides an important element in the provision. This all contributes to the good care that pupils receive. Both within the classroom and in support groups, staff are effective in providing a supportive environment where pupils can develop their self-esteem and confidence. This has been an important area of focus for the school and has met with a large measure of success. From an early stage, assessments are

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

used effectively to identify attainment, progress and targets for further development. Informative records of each pupil with special educational needs enable progress to be tracked over time. Some of these systems have recently been developed, but are already proving to be helpful.

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

33. The school has a satisfactory partnership with parents. Although there was a low response to the pre- inspection questionnaire and meeting, many parents and carers indicate that they have positive views of the school. Eighty-seven per cent feel that the school works closely with them and 88 per cent feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or problems. The replies to the pre-inspection questionnaire and meeting show that the parents have more positive views of the school now than they did before the infant and junior schools were amalgamated. The inspection findings support these views.

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

34. The quality of information provided for parents about the progress their children are making is satisfactory. There are formal parent/teacher consultations and the teachers are willing to meet parents at other times. Annual reports to parents are of a satisfactory quality they provide information about what pupils have been learning but there is an inconsistency across the school in that not all teachers give guidance on how pupils could improve their performance in each subject.

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

35. The co-ordinator and the special needs support team work hard to support parents and carers, listening carefully to their views and involving them in all parts of the special needs process. They also listen to the views of children themselves and, wherever possible, involve them in reviewing and planning their own learning. All parents are invited to attend meetings to discuss the progress of their children and the school maintains good links with parents.

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

36. The school does not have a homework policy and some parents feel that there is not enough set to prepare Year 6 pupils for secondary school. Reading books are regularly sent home and the good help that some parents give to their children with reading is a valuable asset to the school. There is an inconsistency across the school in the setting of other homework to help develop pupils’ independent learning skills.

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

37. The school is in an education action zone and funds have been provided for various projects that are proving successful in building the partnership between home and school. An early years library has been created from which parents and young children can borrow books and games, the family literacy project is providing support and training for parents in parenting skills and a community room has been established where parents can meet and share ideas and information. As a number of the children and their families are Portuguese, a teacher has been funded to run classes in Portuguese for parents, children and school staff. Henry Fawcett Primary School - 15 38. Regular newsletters keep parents up to date with the day-to-day life of the school. A great deal of the written information is translated into six languages and the school is also able to provide translations and interpreters for many of the other languages spoken by the school community. The school prospectus is

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

informative and attractive and teachers display their plans for the term outside classrooms so that parents can see what their children will be learning. Parents’ views on behaviour and school uniform were canvassed through questionnaires and their responses were analysed and acted upon. For example most parents voted for a school uniform and one was introduced at the beginning of the academic year. Parents are invited to assemblies and school productions and to share their skills and culture with the pupils. For example, a Bengali father visits to tell Bengali stories and families brought in food to share on an International Day. Working parties of parents are set up by one of the teachers to make resources for the teachers The school has a thriving Parent School Association and parents are supportive of the school through the organised fund raising and social events. All of these factors show that the school

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

makes good efforts to establish a partnership with parents.

p.17

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

39. The leadership of the school by the new headteacher is very good. He is a committed leading professional who has very clear educational vision for raising standards and future developments. He has worked very hard to identify areas for improvement and has made many positive changes over the past year to move the school forward quickly. For example, the aims and values of the school are now appropriately set out in the prospectus and the headteacher is well supported by the new deputy headteacher and a willing senior management team. The school is managed well. Responsibilities have been delegated effectively to the senior managers who meet regularly to discuss any issues that have arisen, or decisions which need to be made. Subject co-ordinators have been increasingly empowered to lead and manage their subject areas, and to contribute to the school development plan, although their roles are not

p.17

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

sufficiently developed in monitoring the quality of teaching and learning across the school. The well- planned introduction of the national literacy and numeracy strategies has been effectively led.

p.17

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

40. The management of provision for pupils with special educational needs is good. The headteacher and the co-ordinator undertake their responsibilities very conscientiously and work closely to maintain the strong stance that the school has taken in this regard. The co-ordinator supports pupils and teachers well throughout the school, is committed to providing the best possible help for all pupils and is aided well by the team of support staff comprising one part-time teacher and a team of learning assistants. The headteacher identified this area as a priority for development when he was appointed and, together with the co-ordinator, has strived to facilitate the current level of provision.

p.17

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

41. Since the amalgamation of the school, the governors have begun to contribute appropriately to the effectiveness of the school. Reports given by the headteacher at governors’ meetings keep them well informed about curriculum development and the standards and quality of education the school achieves. However, the role of the governing body is unsatisfactory overall, because it does not act as critical friend to the school or take an active part in monitoring provision. Nevertheless, individual governors are keen to develop their roles further, improve their knowledge and increase their understanding through training. Some governors offer practical help in a variety of ways. For example, the governor for special educational needs works in the school as a learning support assistant and is knowledgeable about the education of such pupils. The resources for information and communication technology have been

p.17

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

improved recently through governor support and there are now link governors for subject areas.

p.17

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

42. The school is effective in the evaluation and development of its work. The headteacher has observed lessons to monitor the quality of teaching and discussed performance with individual teachers. Any overall strengths and weaknesses are shared with staff and any individual areas for development are highlighted. Staff work and plan well together across year groups and throughout the school, recognising and sharing individual teaching strengths. For example, teachers at Key Stages 1 and 2 share their classes with specialist visiting teachers for music and physical education in order to give pupils the benefit of their expertise. This has a positive effect on raising standards.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

43. The school development plan is detailed and identifies appropriate priorities and strategies that are leading to improvements. Senior staff have written action plans for each of the key areas and these have been carefully costed. There is a need to establish a system for the involvement of the subject co- Henry Fawcett Primary School - 16 ordinators and the governing body in development planning. The full scope of proposed changes has not yet been achieved and the main plan refers only to a single year and there is no outline plan for the future. However, at the time of the inspection this was appropriate, but the headteacher recognises the need for forward planning to enable the school to prioritise over time. Success criteria are established for developments and these are consistently focused on how they will affect pupils’ learning and standards.

p.17

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

44. The school is now satisfactorily staffed after a period of adjustment following the amalgamation. There are sufficient teachers and support staff to meet the demands of the curriculum. Arrangements have been made to ensure the continuity of provision in one class where a teacher is leaving mid-way through the current term. Supply cover is used wisely to release staff for training and for their wider duties in the school. Support staff work closely with teachers and are well deployed. Classroom assistants are used effectively to support children’s learning across the curriculum. Provision of specialist staff to work with children with special educational needs and those learning English as an additional language is good. The caretaking and cleaning staff work hard to maintain a clean and safe environment for the pupils.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

45. The accommodation is good. Much has been done since the amalgamation to upgrade the facilities. A new library has been created as well as a computer suite. The nursery playground has been re-laid with a safe surface and the roof-top playground has also been improved. Other works including renewing the perimeter fence and improving the nursery toilets are due to be undertaken in the very near future. The corridors, classrooms and playgrounds are made attractive by many flowering plants. Good displays of pupils’ work further enhance the accommodation.

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

46. Resources are generally adequate and are well organised and appropriately stored. The teachers’ workroom is the base for the literacy hour materials and the mathematics equipment. This helps staff, as materials are easy to access and return. Resources for special educational needs have had to be built up from scratch and money has been invested wisely to provide an adequate level of good quality resources. Weaker areas of provision are software for the computer suite, the range of art materials and the provision for food technology. In addition, the range and quantity of books in class libraries is limited.

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

47. Financial planning is very good. The governing body has regular meetings to consider the progress of the development plan and they recognise that they have a role to play in the evaluation of spending decisions. The headteacher and finance officer monitor the school budget very effectively and there are good examples where the school gets best value through effective evaluation of costs and quality of services, for example, in the replacement of the photocopier. A great deal of money was spent on information communication technology equipment in the last year, but the school is unable to properly utilise the computers in the ICT suite because of restrictions placed by funding organisations.

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

48. The school is in an education action zone and, although additional funding is being used appropriately in many areas of school life, there has not yet been sufficient impact to raise standards. A project is to be set up within the school to improve the foundation stage and the aim is to use the school as a model of good practice in the local borough. The specific grants to support the achievement of pupils with special educational needs and the achievement of ethnic minority pupils are used well and pupils’ interests are foremost when planning the budget and funding allocation. Further use of the initiative to target support for groups of pupils with similar need, in order to make more efficient use of the budget, has already been identified by the school, building on some current successful practice. Overall, the school provides satisfactory value for money.

p.18

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

49. The headteacher, staff and governors should:

p.18

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(a) raise the standards achieved in English, mathematics, science, art, information and communication technology, physical education and religious education by:

p.18

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

- raising teachers’ expectations of their pupils, generally; Henry Fawcett Primary School - 17 - ensuring that there are sufficient opportunities for pupils to use literacy and numeracy skills across the curriculum; - providing more opportunities for pupils to develop their independence, initiative and spiritual awareness.

p.18

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

- planning more effectively what skills and knowledge pupils are to learn in lessons; - making sure that assessments of pupils’ knowledge are undertaken rigorously and that the information gathered is used effectively to plan future work; - improving teachers’ knowledge of the early learning goals, and foundation subjects, through training; - increasing the consistency of the management of pupils’ behaviour across the school.

p.19

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

- providing an appropriate curriculum for children in the Foundation Stage; - making the curriculum more relevant for pupils at Key Stage 2.

p.19

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(d) extend the management roles of the governing body and subject co-ordinators by:

p.19

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

- strengthening and developing the governing body’s role as a ‘critical friend’; - enabling subject co-ordinators to monitor the teaching and learning more closely.

p.19

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(e) improve the levels of attendance (paragraph 12).

p.19

ENGLISH AS AN ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE

50. The provision for pupils learning English as an additional language is satisfactory overall and has some good features. Pupils make slow but steady progress. Attainment on entry is often low. New language learners arrive in each age group. Little apparent difference is seen in the progress made by the various ethnic groups. However, available data does not contain a very detailed analysis by ethnicity. Pupils vary widely in their level of literacy in their home languages.

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ENGLISH AS AN ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE

51. The support is well organised and targeted appropriately. Staff help pupils access work across the curriculum and year groups, but focus particularly in the literacy, numeracy and science. Sometimes literacy work for the whole class is too hard for the early stage language learners and they benefit little from attendance in these sessions. Valuable time is wasted when teachers sit listening alongside their pupils to lengthy teacher introductions which pupils have little hope of understanding even with support.

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ENGLISH AS AN ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE

52. Pupils are generally taught well. Staff liaise closely with class teachers. They focus on mathematics and science vocabulary and challenge pupils to apply and understand the terms learned, for example, in the work seen on the planets. Good records are kept of pupils’ developing language competence, including information on first languages. The staff use translators and their links with the community to fully support pupils’ needs; they have for example, obtained a copy of ‘Harry Potter’ in Portuguese to assist newly arrived pupils’ understanding of the literacy work in Year 6. Members of staff draw upon adults from the Portuguese and Bengali community to provide some home language story sessions each week. Teachers are also fully involved in promoting Family literacy work. Pupils in the nursery are encouraged to speak and listen, but this work is not sufficiently emphasised. The school Henry Fawcett Primary School - 18

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ENGLISH AS AN ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE

has a very welcoming environment for bilingual pupils. Displays celebrate the language diversity in the school; currently 31 languages are spoken. A school club also develops pupils’ interest in theatre and dance in African culture.

p.20

ENGLISH AS AN ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE

53. Pupils are given clear learning targets. Good resources, including visual aids, are provided to help give pupils access to core subjects. The support is well managed. Staff have systematically tackled all areas identified on the school development plan. The school makes a clear distinction between those who are second language learners and need support and those pupils who have difficulties with English for other reasons. There is good liaison between the co-ordinator for special educational needs and the language staff, with regular meetings taking place. Teachers who take assemblies are carefully to provide visual clues and key word cards so that pupils are able to follow what is going on. The whole atmosphere of the school is welcoming and inclusive towards new language learners. Henry Fawcett Primary School - 19

p.20

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 26

p.21

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

p.21

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

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

p.21

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery YR – Y6

p.21

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 24 262

p.21

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 0 129

p.21

Information about the school’s pupils

Special educational needs Nursery YR – Y6

p.21

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 0 10

p.21

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 6 127

p.21

Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

p.21

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 133

p.21

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

p.21

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 43

p.21

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 28

p.21

Attendance

National comparative data 5.2 National comparative data 0.5

p.21

Attendance

Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Henry Fawcett Primary School - 20

p.21

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2000 23 12 35

p.22

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

p.22

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Boys 12 8 15 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 4 3 6

p.22

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentage of pupils School 46 31 60 at NC level 2 or above National 84 85 90

p.22

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.22

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Boys 9 15 11 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 5 7 5

p.22

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentage of pupils School 40 63 46 at NC level 2 or above National 84 88 88

p.22

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 2000 23 22 45

p.22

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

p.22

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Boys 10 9 9 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 14 6 11

p.22

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentage of pupils School 53 33 44 at NC level 4 or above National 75 72 85

p.22

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.22

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Boys 7 9 8 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 9 9 7

p.22

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentage of pupils School 36 40 33 at NC level 4 or above National 70 72 80

p.22

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage 62 Black – Caribbean heritage 43 1

p.23

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – African heritage 64 Black – African heritage 13 0

p.23

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Any other minority ethnic group 1 Other minority ethnic groups 6 0

p.23

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

p.23

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 15 Financial year 2000

p.23

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 22

p.23

Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total expenditure 902,807

p.23

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 18 Expenditure per pupil 2,804

p.23

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 293 Balance brought forward from previous year 102,928

p.23

Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance carried forward to next year 30,222

p.23

Teachers and classes Financial information

Qualified teachers and support staff: nursery

p.23

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 1

p.23

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 24

p.23

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 1

p.23

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 33

p.23

Teachers and classes Financial information

FTE means full-time equivalent. Henry Fawcett Primary School - 22

p.23

Percentage of responses in each category

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

p.24

Percentage of responses in each category

My child is making good progress in school. 64 31 2 0 2

p.24

Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 38 49 9 2 2

p.24

Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 42 40 11 2 2

p.24

Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 58 22 9 7 2

p.24

Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 64 24 0 0 7

p.24

Percentage of responses in each category

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 62 22 4 0 9

p.24

Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 47 40 2 7 4

p.24

Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 62 29 0 0 7

p.24

Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 49 31 4 0 13

p.24

Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 38 33 11 2 11

p.24

Percentage of responses in each category

NB: Not all parents responded to all questions. Totals may therefore, not add up to 100.

p.24

Other issues raised by parents

Fifteen parents attended a meeting help at the school and seven wrote to the Registered Inspector. The majority of comments were positive, but several parents would like more information on their child’s progress, more homework and more extra-curricular activities. Standards of behaviour were said to be too variable, with some poor. Henry Fawcett Primary School - 23

p.24

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

54. Forty-eight children currently attend the nursery on a part-time basis and there are twenty-six children on roll in the two reception classes who attend full-time. Entry assessments conducted when children first enter the school indicate that attainment on entry is very low, particularly in communication, language, literacy, numeracy and personal development. From low beginnings, many children achieve appropriately and reach some of the early learning goals in all areas of learning by the time they start Year 1. However, the quality of teaching is unsatisfactory overall because one fifth of lessons have significant shortcomings. Nevertheless, all staff work together to provide a calm and secure learning environment. There are two new teachers in the reception classes who, at the time of the inspection, had only been in the school for one week. Support staff are well informed and make a positive contribution to

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

learning in all areas. Children with special educational needs are identified early and are appropriately supported so that they make effective progress. However, the curriculum is not planned effectively to ensure adequate continuity of learning from the nursery until the end of the reception year. Although elements of the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies are included, this approach is not appropriate for many children whose understanding of English is very limited. Assessment procedures are weak; although information is gathered, it is not used sufficiently well enough to plan the next steps in learning by helping the children to build upon their own prior knowledge and experiences.

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Personal, social and emotional development

55. The majority of the children are interested in their surroundings and enjoy finding out about new activities. Teachers quickly establish a feeling of security through daily routines and through their consistent attitudes. Each session starts with a quiet group time which sets a purposeful working atmosphere. Almost all children leave their parents or carers happily and show a sense of belonging when joining in. A satisfactory range of opportunities are planned for children to work together in small and large groups. For example, with adult support, the children co-operate and share equipment when playing with construction toys. Snack time is used effectively to promote sharing and taking turns. All staff set clear boundaries for children’s behaviour and take every opportunity to reinforce good standards. Their ideas and work are valued and positive feedback is given which enhances confidence and self-esteem. Caring staff support children and develop their confidence in exploring the range of

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Personal, social and emotional development

activities provided. In general, however, children lack confidence and social skills. They often play in isolation, silently. The quality of teaching is unsatisfactory because teachers do not encourage learning in this area sufficiently well and, as a result, children are unlikely to achieve the early learning goals by the time they reach Year 1.

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Communication, language and literacy

56. Children are unlikely to achieve the stepping stones contained in the early learning goals by the time they reach the end of the Foundation Stage. This is because many learn English as an additional language and teachers’ planning is not clearly focused on the small steps of learning; lesson objectives are often unclear. Careful choice of attractive story books help to motivate children and all enjoy listening to stories, although many children concentrate only for a short spell. The higher attaining children show reasonable recall and understanding of the story of, ‘Goldilocks’ and, with adult support, they help to tell the story, using the pictures as prompts. However, they are not confident speakers and their vocabulary is poor. They listen attentively to their teacher, but less well to each other. The children are often silent when they first enter the school and not enough is done to encourage them to talk about their experiences

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Communication, language and literacy

and join in with conversations. Elements of the National Literacy Strategy are used to promote the learning of letters and their sounds, but this is not always appropriate, particularly for the youngest children and those who have little knowledge of the English language. A few children recognise some letters of the alphabet, but they do not always have the appropriate vocabulary or experience to make links significantly. When writing, the oldest children make good attempts at writing the initial letter of words. A few higher attainers recognise many letters by sound and shape and can build up regular words such as c-a-n. They recognise two or three high frequency words and the characters from the first Henry Fawcett Primary School - 24 readers. These children are on course to achieve the expectations of the early learning goals by the time they reach the end of the reception year, but the majority of children are unlikely to do so in oral

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Mathematical development

57. Teachers plan appropriately for the development of skills over time through an interesting range of first- hand practical activities. Sound teaching enables the majority of children to achieve effectively. The children practise counting, matching and sorting in class groups and on their own. They join in a range of number rhymes and action songs, using their fingers to count up and down. Purposeful, practical play activities like counting up the number of toy animals are planned effectively to support progress. With help, they count how many staff and children are present at the beginning of each session. Children are beginning to recognise shapes such as circles and squares. Teachers make sound use of number lines to enable children to handle and position numbers practically. Most children are becoming confident in counting and ordering numerals up to ten. The higher attainers can identify one more and one less than a

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Mathematical development

given number. Teachers use questions effectively to extend and consolidate learning, for example, when ordering objects from the smallest to the biggest. Most children have a sound grasp of the concepts of ‘full’ and ‘empty’ through structured activities in sand and water play.

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

58. This area is taught effectively and children make sound progress in their learning throughout the Foundation Stage. Children are appropriately encouraged to learn through rich practical experiences and by direct use of their senses. The teachers use effective questioning techniques to extend the children’s thinking and help them make sense of the world. For example, children consider their journey to school. They are encouraged to use their eyes and ears when thinking about crossing the road. Good opportunities in role-play indoors with the toys reinforce learning effectively. In scientific activities, the children use their sense of smell to help them recognise substances such as porridge. They learn to recognise change over time and are becoming aware of the patterns of nature when looking at pictures of winter scenes. Celebrations of festivals, such as Chinese New Year, introduce children to the wider

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

world of their own and other traditions. Opportunities to investigate construction materials are appropriately provided throughout the Foundation Stage, but activities are sometimes too directed and there is not enough provision for children to select appropriate resources or initiate projects of their own. Computers are used appropriately to support learning. By the time they reach the end of the Foundation Stage, most children are adept at using the mouse to move objects on screen, for instance, to copy a repeated pattern.

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Physical development

59. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory overall and most children are likely to reach the early learning goals by the time they start Year 1. Activities are focused to develop skills over time. For example, the children are learning to control wheeled vehicles successfully and negotiate space with an awareness of others. They respond to instructions quickly, for instance, when stopping and starting. The sound teaching builds effectively on what children can already do. They take part with quiet enthusiasm in physical education lessons in the hall and in daily outdoor play sessions. The youngest children in the nursery move freely with confidence. They experiment with different ways of moving and control their bodies to hop, skip, jump and run in sequence. The oldest children in the reception classes show increasing co-ordination and respond quickly to the teachers’ clear instructions and signals on the

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Physical development

tambourine. They develop their movements to represent large and small movements in time to music. All teachers manage the children effectively and show an appropriate awareness of safety aspects. They use praise to encourage the children and develop their confidence. Opportunities to use children as exemplars to improve the standards of all are missed sometimes, but teachers give clear instructions on how to improve. Children are encouraged to think about what they have done and are becoming aware of their own abilities. Henry Fawcett Primary School - 25

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Creative development

60. By the end of the reception year, children achieve some of the expectations of the early learning goals. The teachers provide a range of interesting resources and imaginative role-play opportunities to increase children’s creativity. Staff intervene sensitively to support and extend children’s ideas so that they make reasonable progress. The good, colourful classroom displays help to promote learning and much relevant work is suitably based on learning, recognising and matching colours. Satisfactory teaching of artistic development enables children to respond to the world around them, for example, when experimenting with different shapes and textures to help them create images of themselves on paper. They concentrate hard to compose their own pictures with paint, but adults sometimes miss opportunities to encourage the children to talk about their own experiences. All children join enthusiastically in a very good range of

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Creative development

songs and rhymes with the specialist teacher. They sing simple songs reasonably confidently from memory and use percussion to accompany themselves. A few children can keep to the beat and provide suitable effects. When learning about untuned percussion instruments, the children enjoy making a variety of sounds with shakers, maracas and wood blocks. The very good teaching of musical activities is a strength of the provision in which children achieve well.

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ENGLISH

61. Pupils’ performance in the end of Key Stage 1 National Curriculum tests in 2000 was well below average in reading, writing and spelling. When compared with schools with pupils from similar backgrounds, pupils’ results were still below expectations. Too many pupils fail to reach the standard expected of most seven-year-olds. In contrast in the lessons observed, although standards are still depressed, there is some evidence to suggest that pupils’ standards are improving in reading since they have been following the literacy hour format. Staff also elected to give extra time to guided and quiet reading in a determined attempt to raise standards. Pupils’ performance at the end of Key Stage 2 in the National Curriculum tests was also well below average in all three areas. Their performance in relation to other pupils with a similar background is a little better and nearer to expectations. These pupils are also benefiting from the

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ENGLISH

structured approach of the literacy hour and the related teaching. It is clear that they have a lot of work to make up and many are still working at a Key Stage 1 level in both reading and writing. Spelling is improving in response to the strategies the pupils are now taught, but still remains below the standard expected nationally. Many pupils have made insufficient gains since their Key Stage 1 tests.

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ENGLISH

62. This year, the evidence from the inspection of pupils’ work shows writing standards in the present Year 2 are still below the national average but are improving slightly. Progress in reading is improving due to the close monitoring by teachers, the careful grouping of pupils and the extra time given to the area. Parents and carers are also encouraged to hear their children read at home. An appropriate system is in place that ensures books go home on a regular basis. At the end of Key Stage 2, standards in written work are still well below average. There is, however, a noticeable improvement in the work in Year 4, where pupils rise to the teacher’s high expectations for presentation and accuracy. Years 5 and 6 are still complacent and do not put maximum effort into presenting their work well or getting it finished. Reading is also improving in Key Stage 2, but so many pupils, especially in Year 5, have come from a

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ENGLISH

very low base that standards remain low compared to the national picture. Teachers monitor progress conscientiously, but pupils are reluctant to take responsibility for their own development. They fill in the minimum amount in their reading records and often lose them. They show too little pride in their reading achievements. Their progress since entering Key Stage 2 is slow; it is not satisfactory, despite a determined effort by teachers to encourage and enthuse the pupils.

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ENGLISH

63. By the end of Key Stage 1, speaking and listening standards are below those expected nationally. Pupils are poor at listening to each other and need constant reminders from staff to wait their turn to speak. Pupils are developing a better attitude to listening in assemblies where teachers make every effort to use visual clues and resources to ensure that pupils’ attention is engaged. Higher attaining pupils are beginning to speak more confidently about aspects of the books and texts they are studying in class. They are keen to discuss the characters and the plot. Other pupils respond to specific teacher questions but are more reluctant to ask their own. In Year 4, pupils listened in a more focused manner and attempted to answer questions about various religions thoughtfully in a shared reading session. In a Year 3 and 4 class, pupils engaged in more extended discussion about the Greek views of their gods, showing

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ENGLISH

they are developing an appreciation of other people’s points of view. Henry Fawcett Primary School - 26 64. Reading standards by the end of Key Stage 1 are below average. Pupils are slow to develop accuracy and show a limited number of strategies for tackling unfamiliar words. Higher attaining pupils use phonic clues and sound out simple words. Lower attaining pupils need a good deal of adult support in putting letter sounds together to form words. Most pupils are secure in their understanding of simple narratives and can begin to make sensible suggestions about what might happen next. Higher attaining pupils are not able to read with much expression, although they are good at spotting humour in the text.

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ENGLISH

65. In Key Stage 2, standards are still below average. However, pupils slowly become more fluent and confident in their reading. Higher attaining pupils begin to inject some expression and interest into their reading aloud. Authors such as J K Rowling are popular with older pupils, but they appear to know a limited range of other authors. No pupil mentioned liking poetry. Too many pupils are still hesitant and slow when reading a simple unfamiliar text. They are often still at a Key Stage 1 level of reading and are not always sure of the meaning when questioned about something they have read. They like non-fiction texts and are developing their ability to skim and scan and find information. Many pupils at Key Stage 2 know the purpose of the contents page and the index in information books. They are less sure as to how to locate books in the library as they have had limited experience in this area. The school has only

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ENGLISH

66. By the end of Key Stage 1, attainment in writing is well below that expected nationally. Due to the Literacy Strategy, pupils are attempting to write for a broader range of purposes. They know, for example, about the differences between writing lists and a letter. Higher attaining pupils are able to retell a story in a few sentences with a distinct beginning, middle and end. Spelling is improving due to the strategies being taught but remains below expected standards. There are too many unfinished pieces of work in pupils’ books and marking does not offer enough advice on how to improve. However, pupils have individual learning targets in their literacy and are broadly aware of areas they are trying to improve. By the end of Key Stage 2, the pupils’ ability to punctuate improves markedly, with higher attaining pupils able to use direct speech marks and other punctuation to emphasise the meaning of what

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ENGLISH

they write. Nevertheless, writing is still not of the expected length. Higher attaining pupils are aware of how language needs to be adapted to various circumstances. They also use synonyms well when rewriting passages from books.

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ENGLISH

67. The overall quality of teaching in both key stages is good. Teachers have worked hard to implement the literacy strategy and to plan in the necessary detail. In most instances, work is well differentiated to suit the needs of the groups in the room. Good liaison with other adults supporting pupils who learn English as an additional language and pupils with special educational needs ensure that individual pupils’ needs are met. Teachers work well in a focused way with the different groups each day. Too frequently they are interrupted by poor behaviour amongst some pupils and this impedes progress and learning; although matters are dealt with effectively, time is wasted. All lessons seen were at least satisfactory and more than half the lessons seen at each key stage were good. Lessons were generally well paced and the teaching points are clearly made. The only overall weakness is in the plenary, or review part of the

p.28

ENGLISH

lessons. Younger pupils were not good at listening in this session and activities are not generally sufficiently brisk and interesting to catch their wavering attention at the end of the hour. A notable exception to this was seen in a Year 2 class where cards were given out and this captured everyone’s attention, especially as they had been differentiated to offer appropriate levels of challenge. Older pupils have not developed a strong work ethic and need constant reminders to get them to work in a timely manner throughout sessions. They are better at listening in the plenary session than younger pupils and are willing to share their ideas and work. Speaking and listening was most effectively developed in Year 1 where the teacher accepted pupil’s best efforts at an answer and then reiterated the answer in good standard English. This was also the case in both classes with Year 4 pupils, they are expected to try to

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ENGLISH

put their ideas succinctly and are praised when they articulate ideas well. Teachers have tried to raise standards of handwriting in a school wide approach, this works well in handwriting books but too few insist that these standards are carried over to other written work. Homework in Key Stage 2 is not used sufficiently to get pupils to complete writing.

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ENGLISH

68. The effective leadership and management of English are developing well. The new co-ordinators have a reasonably strong foundation on which to build. They also have members of staff who offer good models for other colleagues. The school has no portfolio of levelled and moderated written work. Assessment is at an early stage and it is not used sufficiently as a diagnostic tool to help identify what is Henry Fawcett Primary School - 27 holding back progress in writing. Reading records are adequate but pupils are not encouraged to evaluate their own reading sufficiently. Resources are adequate, although class libraries are limited.

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MATHEMATICS

69. In the 2000 national tests, standards were amongst the lowest five per cent in the country and well below average when compared to similar schools. Standards are improving in the school but remain well below average for pupils at the end of Key Stage 1 and below average for the pupils at the end of Key Stage 2. Both boys and girls attained below expectation, but at Key Stage 1 boys performed significantly worse than girls. The numeracy strategy is having an impact on improving standards as teachers expect more of pupils. Junior pupils are now performing closer to nationally expected levels. This is particularly evident for pupils with special educational needs and for those with English as an additional language. However, across the school, in some of the younger classes, teachers still do not expect enough of more able and above average pupils, where there is underachievement. Information and communication technology is

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MATHEMATICS

not used well to support numeracy skills, such as data handling.

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MATHEMATICS

70. By the age of seven, pupils have a sound knowledge of numbers to 20 and can add and subtract. More able pupils can estimate and measure in centimetres and meter units and use mathematical language such as, ‘fewer’, ‘lighter’, ‘longer’, ‘more’ and ‘less’. This work is at a level expected in Year 2. However, they are less secure with place values such as hundreds, tens and units and this shows that pupils are still not achieving the expected higher levels for more able pupils. Standards improve as pupils move through the school. In Year 3, the most able pupils are able to work out the perimeter of a shape and this is above average standards. In both Years 4 and 5, there was evidence that more pupils are reaching national expectation. More able and average pupils in Year 4 understand place value up to a thousand and sequence numbers correctly, as well as recognising odd and even numbers. This is as expected of nine-

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MATHEMATICS

year-olds. In Year 5 and 6, pupils could identify acute, obtuse and right angles and many were starting to use a protractor confidently, although some needed additional support from staff. This work is equivalent to that expected of 11 year olds.

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MATHEMATICS

71. The quality of teaching and learning throughout the school is good and this is why standards are beginning to improve. A few lessons are very good. These are where the teachers had good subject knowledge and set high targets for pupils to achieve. This occurs at both key stages, for example, measuring angles with the protractor in Year 5 and finding lines of symmetry in Year 2. The numeracy lessons are being taught well and pupils are beginning to have a better understanding of number values and the four rules of sums. They have good understanding of properties of shape and can measure objects and angles. Pupils work at a good pace and stay on task concentrating on work given to them. Pupils that are identified as needing support for special educational needs or because they speak English as a second language are included in all lessons and are helped to achieve higher standards by their adult

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MATHEMATICS

assistants. This is making sure that they progress well in their learning and acquire new skills along with the rest of the class.

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MATHEMATICS

72. Teachers regularly mark work but do not always use information gained from this to plan the next lesson for individual pupils. However, teachers evaluate planning sheets and difficulties experienced by pupils are noted and revised at another lesson to ensure pupils understand the work set. The teacher in Year 4 repeated a lesson solely to make sure pupils had a better understanding of how to double numbers. Teachers are regularly testing pupils with standard tests in Year 3, 4, and 5. This is helping teachers to track pupils’ progress and ensure they plan effectively for them.

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MATHEMATICS

73. An able and enthusiastic member of the senior team leads the subject. She has been inspirational in encouraging teachers and building their confidence and subject knowledge through reviewing their planning. New resources have been purchased and these are now adequate to support the curriculum. They are well stored in a central resource room that is easily accessible for staff.

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SCIENCE

74. In 2000, teachers assessed standards at the end of Key Stage 1 as very low compared with other schools nationally for children reaching the expected level 2. The percentage of children reaching the higher level 3 was well below average. In national tests at the end of Key Stage 2, the percentage of pupils reaching the expected level 4 and above was also very low in comparison with the national average and Henry Fawcett Primary School - 28 amongst the lowest five per cent in the country. The percentage of pupils reaching the higher level 5 was well below the national average. Overall, the attainment of boys was below that of girls. In comparison with schools of a similar type, the percentage of pupils reaching the expected levels was well below average and below average for the higher levels. Evidence of attainment gathered during the inspection showed attainment to be well below the average at both key stages.

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SCIENCE

75. In Key Stage 1, the younger pupils are beginning to understand that materials can exist in different forms as they handle a range of objects made from a variety of materials. Their limited vocabulary and lack of experience outside school make it difficult for many of the children to observe closely, describe what they see, or suggest appropriate words to describe what they notice. At the end of Key Stage 1, some pupils can suggest criteria for sorting the collection of objects into groups and can find words to describe the properties of the materials, such as ‘rough’ for a house brick or ‘hard’ for a horseshoe. However, they tend to rely on one-word answers. In one class, fewer than half the class were volunteering answers when well known objects were described to them. They also find it difficult to describe similarities and differences and to suggest why certain materials are used for specific purposes. Many have problems in

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SCIENCE

recording their work and the relatively small amount of recording that they do is mostly limited to making drawings with labels.

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SCIENCE

76. In lower Key Stage 2, pupils’ attainment is closer to the average than in the rest of the school. For example in Year 4, pupils recognise properties of materials such as strength and flexibility. They still experience some problems with vocabulary and many find the recording task difficult and have problems with writing and spelling. However, by the end of one science lesson, all had grasped the key idea and most were able to draw on their previous knowledge and experience to give examples which demonstrated their understanding. Their recording skills show significant progress. In one Year 4 class, the pupils tabulated their results of the tests they had conducted in their notebooks. In the Year 3 and 4 class, pupils recorded their results well, using an information and communication technology (ICT) package to produce a table of results for their experiment. Generally, however, throughout the school,

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SCIENCE

pupils do not make enough use of computers to communicate data or to make systematic observations and measurements.

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SCIENCE

77. In upper Key Stage 2, discussions about the topic of ‘The Earth and Beyond’ revealed that the pupils held many misconceptions about the causes of night and day and how we get our seasons. In Year 5, most pupils know that the earth spins once on its own axis every 24 hours, but find it difficult to articulate how this is related to night and day. Their geographical knowledge does not support their learning in science and many get confused between east and west when describing the direction of the Earth’s rotation. Very few pupils are confident about where the sun appears at mid-day. Pupils in Year 6 do not have a good level of recall and need continual prompting to attain the standards of much younger children. Pupils are clearly grappling with the abstract nature of this topic, but are very interested and, with help from their teachers, can work in a practical situation to move models of the sun,

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SCIENCE

moon and stars to demonstrate aspects of the work. Their use of scientific vocabulary is very weak. As in Year 5, their geographical knowledge is not sufficient to support this work. They do not know the names or locations of many countries around the world which would enable them to locate them on a globe to explain, for example, that when it is day time in Jamaica it is night time in New Guinea.

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SCIENCE

78. Teaching in science is good at Key Stage 1 and sound at Key Stage 2. It is occasionally very good. Teachers provide plenty of practical experiences and the pupils show a better understanding of scientific ideas than when they struggle to record their findings independently. In the best lessons, such as a Year 4 lesson on materials, the work is carefully structured to build progressively on pupils’ developing knowledge, understanding and skills. The learning intentions are made explicit to the class at the start of the lesson and the plenary session is used to check how well these intentions had been achieved. Teachers cater well for the needs of the majority of pupils in their class. All pupils benefit from the high level of practical work, which they enjoy, and this approach is especially beneficial to the less able pupils. Teachers are also careful to select interesting resources which interest the pupils and they devise

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SCIENCE

tasks that motivate the majority of the pupils in their classes. The majority of pupils throughout the school have a good attitude to science, although sometimes in the lessons which were sound rather than good, pupils were slow to settle or did not behave sufficiently well, and this distracted from the main focus of the teaching. Pupils with special educational needs receive good quality support and make good progress. However, the most able pupils are not always sufficiently challenged and this leads to some Henry Fawcett Primary School - 29 underachievement. Assessment procedures are not sufficiently developed and the information gathered is poorly used to help teachers plan their future work.

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SCIENCE

79. The curriculum is broad but there is an imbalance in the way that enquiry skills are covered. Most of the experimental work seen in lessons and in the work sample were illustrative rather than truly investigative, particularly in Key Stage 2. Pupils do not have sufficient opportunities to plan their own investigations and carry out fair tests by controlling variables. There is a whole school curriculum framework which determines content and when it should be taught, and work has begun to put medium term plans in place. This is needed to address the issue of the many gaps that children have in their scientific experience. Science makes a sound contribution to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Pupils are taken on visits to places of interest such as London Zoo and the Science Museum. The visit to the Oasis Nature Garden provided opportunities for pupils to study a range of

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SCIENCE

habitats not available on the school site, including a pond.

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SCIENCE

80. The co-ordinator provides good leadership and management of the subject. She has prepared a subject action plan which is aimed at raising standards throughout the school and has a clear view of what needs to be done for the continued development of the subject. The resources have been audited and supplemented to bring them up to an adequate level. They are well organised and easily accessible by staff. The analysis of past test papers has highlighted some areas of weakness which are now being addressed. The recent national priorities for literacy and numeracy have precluded focused in-service training for science and the co-ordinator has correctly identified a need for this. Inspection findings are that staff need particular help in delivering some of the physical science more effectively and in promoting science enquiry skills. The co-ordinator has not yet been given time to monitor the science

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SCIENCE

curriculum or standards through observation of teaching.

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ART AND DESIGN

81. Standards are well below those expected by the time pupils leave the school. The oldest pupils produce very simple pencil drawings of patterns and scenes. They can identify the works of a few famous artists, such as Monet, and are able to interpret his Impressionist style of painting in their own work. They use chalks, pastels and charcoal effectively to produce interesting portraits of themselves. However, pupils have only limited skills in composition and painting techniques. They are not able to evaluate their work and the work of others effectively in order to improve. Pupils make unsatisfactory progress in their learning overall throughout the school. They are not effectively developing their knowledge and understanding of the use of colour, form or shape at Key Stage 1 and do not build effectively on their basic skills as they move through Key Stage 2. For example, their skills in observational drawing are very limited and

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ART AND DESIGN

they lack understanding of how to use tools in different situations. Progress is particularly slow when pupils lose interest in tasks they consider tedious and become poorly behaved, such as in the lesson seen in Years 5 and 6. Pupils with language needs and those with special educational needs are appropriately supported, but the potentially higher attaining pupils are not given sufficient opportunities to develop their skills.

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ART AND DESIGN

82. The quality of teaching is unsatisfactory because teachers do not have sufficient technical knowledge and the subject has a very low profile. The lessons observed during the inspection were too variable in quality and pupils do not build effectively on their skills in a systematic way. Teachers’ planning is unsatisfactory and does not identify the skills to be learnt. The best teaching is provided by the co-ordinator for the subject who has strong subject knowledge, but her role is not well developed in terms of guiding colleagues. There are some useful art links with topic work, but generally teachers’ plans do not adequately relate to the National Curriculum programmes of study and tasks are often too tightly structured to allow pupils to develop their creative ability. Assessment is not used effectively by teachers when planning their lessons. Opportunities for promoting attainment within the school are very limited as there is no

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ART AND DESIGN

monitoring of the teaching and learning.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

83. There was very little teaching of design and technology during the inspection and a very limited range of evidence in respect of pupils’ past and present work. Consequently, it is not possible to make a firm judgement about standards of attainment, teaching and pupils’ progress from classroom observation. Henry Fawcett Primary School - 30 Evidence gained from teachers' planning, discussions with pupils and staff and scrutiny of documentation indicates that there are significant shortcomings in the provision for this subject.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

84. In the two lessons observed, with Year 3 and 4 pupils, teaching of food technology was good. Pupils were given the opportunity to consider preferences for sandwiches by appraising a variety of fillings. In both classes, the pupils had a good understanding of hygiene rules, but were not used to evaluating products and needed a great deal of help to record their work. Both teachers used a wide range of strategies to ensure that the pupils were fully engaged in their work and asked thought-provoking questions, such as how they could consider healthy options. Evidence from other lessons indicates that some other tasks are less challenging. There are too few opportunities for pupils to work with a range of tools and materials and designing and making skills are not taught in a systematic way.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

85. Some of the textiles work on display in Key Stage 1 is of a satisfactory standard. Pupils have designed glove puppets by drawing their ideas on paper. The finished puppets resemble the designs well and pupils have stitched the edges and decorated the faces by using adhesive to fix eyes and hair from a range of materials. Some of the other tasks undertaken, such as the figures with jointed limbs made using paper fasteners, are weak in the design stage.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

86. A newly appointed teacher has just taken on the responsibility for the subject and has not been in post long enough to evaluate the subject. However, the headteacher has identified a lack of subject expertise as one priority for development. A policy has recently been drafted and there is a long-term curriculum plan. The time allocated to the teaching of design and technology is currently insufficient.

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GEOGRAPHY

87. Due to timetable arrangements only one geography lesson was seen. Evidence was also gathered from looking at the whole school curriculum plan, displays, interviewing the subject co-ordinator and discussion with pupils from Years 2 and 6. A very small sample of work was produced from Key Stage 1, but none from Key Stage 2.

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GEOGRAPHY

88. There is insufficient evidence to make judgements on the standards achieved by pupils or on the standard of the teaching and learning in the subject. Key Stage 2 displays had limited references to geography as the work was primarily historical, with some use of maps from different eras. In the year two lesson seen teaching was good, pupils enjoyed learning about aspects of their local environment but showed very limited awareness of plan views or how to orientate their street plans. This suggests their geographical understanding is not at the level expected nationally.

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GEOGRAPHY

89. Discussions with pupils further reinforced this view. Year 2 pupils were aware they had been learning about the journeys made by a bear called Barnaby. They knew he had travelled to Ireland but were unsure what method of transport would be suitable to get there. Their writing books showed a picture of the suitcase for the bear to take, but they were unable to recall what sort of clothes would be required. They did not think a raincoat would be needed.

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GEOGRAPHY

90. Year 6 pupils could not recall doing work on any other area in the United Kingdom or specifically on another country or area in the world. They were familiar with the idea of maps and know they have lines on them to help you find where you are. They recognised the term co-ordinates when prompted. They could discuss Peru, due to things they had seen on Blue Peter, but had little apparent geographical knowledge gained from the school curriculum.

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GEOGRAPHY

91. The school has a new whole school curriculum plan on which geography appears. It is clear that in the past this area has been taught in a very limited way with pupils failing to build up their geographical skills in a step-by-step approach. The co-ordinator for the subject has only been in post one week. Beyond having looked at this plan and the resources to see they were sufficient, she had, quite understandably, little knowledge of what the school had done in the past. She is, however, aware that a great deal of work is going to be necessary to bring geographical knowledge up to the standard expected nationally.

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HISTORY

Henry Fawcett Primary School - 31 92. Only three history lessons were seen, one in Key Stage 1 and two from Key Stage 2. A very limited sample of work was available for scrutiny. The co-ordinator has been in post only one week.

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HISTORY

93. There is insufficient evidence to make judgements on the standards achieved by pupils or on the standards of the teaching and learning in the subject. Pupils have some experience of studying pictures and photographs relating to the past. They recalled handling a few historical items but were unsure which museums they had visited. They remembered looking at some old household equipment such as mob- caps worn in domestic service in the Victorian period. Concepts of chronology were muddled, with Year 6 unclear of the historical periods they had studied. They are able to recall a good variety of facts about the Egyptians and King Henry VIII, as well as important personalities in Black History. Another strength was in their understanding of some characters in local history and of the local area in Victorian times.

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HISTORY

94. Year 2 pupils know the name Guy Fawkes and that he was a ‘bad’ man. In their books, they have recorded some simple facts about him, but are clearly hampered by their limited standards of written English. Their work is not sufficiently corrected by the teacher and this left some pupils thinking that ‘the King telephoned the police about Guy Fawkes. Pupils have very limited understanding of old and new and of the passage of time.

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HISTORY

95. In the few lessons seen, which were all well planned and linked to the new whole school curriculum, the teaching was at least satisfactory and one lesson was good. In the good lesson pupils showed an awareness of the location of modern Greece and could explain some of the differences between now and ancient times. They are developing a clear understanding of the beliefs of people in ancient times and how these compare with current religious beliefs. They realise that the Greek myths are powerful stories that are still told today. Another good feature of the lesson was the confidence with which pupils used their ICT skills on their individual Net Books to record their historical work. Pupils’ attitudes are positive. They behave well and get on slowly and steadily with their work. The difficulties in written English impedes their speed and progress in recording information and pupils’ overall learning. In a

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HISTORY

lesson on chronology, the pupils’ lack of previous mathematical knowledge of scale also slowed down their learning and progress. However, they remained enthusiastic and tried hard to put information accurately on to a time line.

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HISTORY

96. Presentation in displays is good and is improved by the use of information and communication technology. However, work in Key Stage 1 in pupils’ own books is not well presented. Pupils in both key stages have an insufficient record of their work.

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HISTORY

97. Assessment procedures are lacking and little relevant information is recorded about pupils’ knowledge of people and events and the development of their skills. The work in history is making a contribution to pupils’ cultural development and the language support staff help organise the external visits. The school is very close to the Imperial War Museum, yet this exciting facility is not fully exploited to support pupils’ developing historical knowledge.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

98. Standards are below the expected level at Key Stage 1 and well below at Key Stage 2. This is because very little relevant curriculum is being taught to enough pupils at the school. Many pupils spoke about the fact that they hardly used computers at school and when they did, the tasks were too simple and did not extend their skills. Many pupils have computers at home and regularly access the internet to search web sites and send e-mails. Lessons are planned but often do not happen because of the lack of class computers and the lack of suitable software to teach basic ICT skills in the new suite. In addition, teachers lack confidence to teach new skills, as often the pupils have better skills. As a result, pupils are missing out on important times to use software and are not making progress in learning skills in how to handle and improve or analyse text and data.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

99. A few lessons did take place during the inspection week and there was some pupils’ work on display around the school. At Key Stage 1, pupils have had opportunities to use graphics programs to create pictures. Most can use the mouse confidently and move text or pictures around the screen. This skill is not developed and pupils have few opportunities to edit text on screen, re-size and change fonts or print out work by themselves. As a result, the progress at Key Stage 1 is below expectation. Henry Fawcett Primary School - 32 100. At Key Stage 2, standards are in line with that expected nationally in a Year 3 class where the teacher has secured the use of some portable notepads for every pupil through a government funded initiative. The teacher demonstrated how to use a spreadsheet and the pupils used these skills to enter data in a science lesson later in the week. The older pupils at Key Stage 2 spoke of rare opportunities to use the

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

new suite or computers in the classrooms. For pupils who have English as an additional language, access to ICT is better through the use of some specific software to support literacy skills. By the end of Key Stage 2, too few pupils have reached the expected standards and progress in learning new skills is unsatisfactory.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

101. Teaching and learning are unsatisfactory as teachers lack confidence and subject knowledge to make effective use of the computers in their classroom. They are unsure about how to incorporate teaching skills into other areas of the curriculum. Staff training in this area has been weak and until recently the school has not regarded it as a priority for development. Teachers do not know about pupils’ skills, as there is no formal method in the school to find out what they know, understand and can do. Lack of assessment data does not help teachers to plan suitable tasks to improve pupils’ skills either at school or at home.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

102. The co-ordinator and headteacher are enthusiastic and wish to develop the subject so standards can improve. The school has recently purchased new computers through a government funded initiative to support literacy work. It plans to continue to update hardware and improve software provision. Plans so far have resulted in a computer room with new machines and connections to the internet. However, this facility is currently temperamental at the school. As a result, teachers are unable to use the equipment. There is also no suitable software to support the teaching of basic skills or use these in other subjects of the curriculum. As a result, the computer room is empty for a vast proportion of the day. This means that the school wastes the availability of good resources.

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MUSIC

103. Music is a strength of the school in which standards are higher than expected by the age of eleven. Pupils in Year 6 understand the meaning of tempo and melody. They read simple graphic notation confidently when playing descant recorders and are able to follow a steady beat. The standards attained in singing are good. Pupils are able to follow an ascending and descending tune in melodies and they play simple untuned percussion instruments and appraise their compositions effectively to improve their performances. Younger pupils at Key Stage 1 thoroughly enjoy singing well-known African melodies, such as ‘Mangwene’, and English songs, such as ‘My Old Man’. Songs to celebrate festivals, such as Chinese New Year help the pupils to appreciate themes from across the world in a very positive way. All pupils, including those with special educational needs, make good progress. Throughout the school, pupils develop their musical vocabulary well and most are keen to improve their performances through

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MUSIC

repeated practice. Pupils’ attitudes to learning are generally good; the exception is when a few boys in the oldest Years 5 and 6 groups misbehave and disrupt the learning of others. When this happens, the amount of time it takes for the teacher to deal with these disruptions adversely affects the rate of learning of those who try to listen with interest and sustained concentration.

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MUSIC

104. Teaching is very good at Key Stage 1 and good at Key Stage 2. It is sometimes excellent at Key Stage 1, because the specialist teacher who teaches these youngest pupils and the nursery children has excellent subject knowledge. Teaching is sometimes outstanding when pupils are particularly well managed and a great sense of fun is promoted within a structured ethos. For example, pupils in Year 2 achieved very high standards in singing, ‘because the lesson was exceedingly well led by the specialist teacher, with good support from the class teachers. Lessons have a good structure and are of brisk pace. Percussion instruments are used imaginatively to improve pupils’ performances and the teacher’s demonstrations help to motivate pupils. Effective questioning skills are employed to assess pupils’ knowledge and understanding of musical terms and tasks match the differing needs of all pupils. Good opportunities are

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MUSIC

provided for pupils to perform to an audience, such as in assemblies and in small group activities during lessons. The good assessment procedures are used well to target learning. Resources are good and are used well. The subject is effectively managed by the deputy headteacher and the expertise of the specialist teachers has a very positive effect on the good standards attained. In addition, extra-curricular recorder groups and mini-concerts enable pupils to take part in performances and so extend their skills.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Henry Fawcett Primary School - 33 105. Standards are in line with the national expectation at the end of Key Stage 1 and below the national expectation at the end of Key Stage 2. A particular strength during this key stage is the development of swimming. A good proportion of pupils achieve the required 25 metres by the end of Year 6. There is also good development of cricket for both boys and girls by a specialist coach. In these lessons, the progress in learning is high. This is because of the good subject knowledge and the high expectations of what the pupils can achieve. Overall, the subject does not have a sufficiently high profile within the school and most class teachers do not have sufficiently good knowledge about what should be taught within different age groups.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

106. Progress in learning is sound at Key Stage 1, but unsatisfactory at Key Stage 2, although pupils who have special educational needs and English as an additional language are supported well to make good progress. This helps improve their learning. During Key Stage 2, the lessons taken by specialists, such as professional coaches, are of very good quality. Skills are developed regularly and there are opportunities for individual and group work as well as some competitive games. The classroom teachers do not match this high level of teaching. In the past there has been insufficient professional development to help improve the range of activities. However, this is recognised as a major shortcoming by the school and has been incorporated within a new plan for the subject. To help this, a questionnaire is being circulated to help teachers identify their training needs. The majority of pupils are keen and eager to participate in

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

lessons, although there is a significant number who do not show this level of interest. Too many pupils do not get changed into appropriate clothing and teachers do little to insist that they do. Most teachers are also not changed into suitable clothing. This does not encourage pupils to bring in their kit for PE as the expectation is low and they do not understand the importance of fitness. In discussion with pupils, they want to talk about their achievements and especially about swimming. They have undertaken a range of activities including gymnastics, dance and hockey. Some sports, such as netball, are not undertaken regularly and pupils do not talk about how the skills for specific sports have improved. This would be at a level that might be expected for their age.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

107. Teaching seen during the inspection ranged from poor to very good. Overall it was satisfactory at Key Stage 1 and unsatisfactory at Key Stage 2. Where teaching is better, as seen in a Year 2 dance lesson, then the pupils show good motivation and there is an urgency and pace to the work that is being undertaken. The teacher challenges the class by incisive questioning and links are made to speaking, listening and to feelings and emotion. In consequence, the achievement is good because pupils understand what is trying to be achieved and are able to reinforce skills. When teaching is unsatisfactory, as in a Year 3 lesson, the teacher does not provide sufficient challenge, pupils are confused about what is expected of them and the class organisation is weak. In these cases, the behaviour of pupils is not as good and time is wasted whilst pupils wait for instructions and resources. The tasks they are given are

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

too simple and some pupils show signs of boredom. In this case, the lesson lacked inspiration and did not follow a path that would develop particular skills to a high enough level.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

108. The co-ordinator for the subject has helped to devise the policy with the curriculum co-ordinator. The subject has suffered because there have been a number of changes in recent times and a coherent policy has not had time to be established. The major priorities include ensuring that pupils want to take part in PE lessons and the inadequate resources for the subject are improved. There is only a small range of equipment and this has been purchased recently. Large apparatus can be used for gymnastics. Other facilities and resources are used, such as the local swimming pool. Coaches usually bring in their own equipment for cricket lessons they take. The school does not have the benefit of a grassed area for team games and this also lowers the profile of the subject as perceived by the pupils.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

109. Attainment at the end of both key stages is below the expectations of the Locally Agreed Syllabus. At the end of Key Stage 1, children know some religious stories from the Bible and other faiths. They know about special celebrations and special people associated with Christianity and Hinduism. For example, they have heard the story of Rama and Sita and made simple recordings in pictures and words, but find it difficult to remember how the story is linked to Diwali. At the end of Key Stage 2, pupils extend their knowledge of the Christian faith. However, many are not certain of the main festivals and cannot easily relate to the meaning of Advent or Lent and the connection with the approach of Christmas or Easter. Henry Fawcett Primary School - 34 Most have an awareness of Judaism, Islam, Hinduism and Sikhism, but can describe and explain what they have been taught and experienced only in very simple terms.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

110. In Key Stage 1, pupils’ progress is unsatisfactory in some important areas. Most can talk about the main points taught in the lesson but, because of the lack of time given to the subject, have very few opportunities to relate these ideas to their own lives. There is insufficient time to record their work in an appropriate way and this also affects progress. In Key Stage 2, pupils make unsatisfactory progress overall. They make sound progress in “learning about religion”, but unsatisfactory progress in “learning from religion”. For instance, the majority of pupils in Years 5 and 6 have a basic understanding of the main world faiths. They know that Hindus recognise many gods and goddesses. However, they find it very difficult to reflect on the different religious practices, for example, to explain how religious teachings and values may relate to themselves, or to answer questions such as “How might what we have

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

just learnt help people to live better lives?”

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

111. The quality of teaching is sound overall. Teachers in Key Stage 1 used a carefully selected collection of natural objects, such as seaweed and a hen’s egg, to help explain the concept of the natural world and God the creator. These interested the children. They understood that the egg was very fragile and handled it with great care. In Key Stage 2, teachers gave good explanations and worked hard to foster group discussions, although there was one unsatisfactory lesson in a Year 5 and 6 class where pupils’ unsatisfactory behaviour affected their learning. In a Year 4 class, children were able to use the information gained in a lesson about Sikh family life to make a good contribution to the discussion in a personal, social and health education lesson about values and customs in other countries. They showed a good understanding of different cultures and were able to illustrate their answers with examples of

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

different music, dance and languages. They showed interest and enthusiasm for the idea of “we are all the same although we have differences”. Pupils throughout the school display respectful attitudes towards different beliefs and religious practices, many of which are represented in the school. Assessment is poor in all year groups. The work is not always matched to pupils’ levels of attainment and the higher attaining pupils are insufficiently challenged.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

112. The contribution of the subject to pupils’ moral and cultural development is good. The contribution of the subject to pupils’ spiritual development is sound, but there are some missed opportunities to develop pupils’ spiritual awareness. Insufficient use is made of information communication technology to develop pupils’ work in religious education. 113. The curriculum is broad but is not sufficiently well balanced. Both areas of study are covered, but more emphasis is given to developing pupils’ knowledge and understanding of religions and the skills of inquiry and evaluation are less well developed. In addition, there is a concern over the time allocated to this core subject, which currently receives three per cent of the total teaching time. This is less than the time recommended in the Agreed Syllabus and below the national average. In addition, there are some problems with the way the time is used. The length of lessons varies on the timetable, but many are just

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

half an hour. This limits the teaching because there is insufficient time to develop the themes in sufficient depth and rigour. It also limits the ways that lessons can be followed up and learning reinforced by writing, drawing, drama and similar activities. There is also an issue over time slippage. For example, where a Key Stage 1 lesson followed physical education, the time taken for the class to change reduced the religious education lesson to barely 25 minutes. On this occasion, the teacher was unable to deliver the main learning intention because time ran out. Overall, these curricular factors have a negative impact on progress.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

114. The development planning exercise undertaken with staff soon after the school opened reveals that staff then regarded the subject as having a low profile. Whilst religious education is not currently one of the school’s priorities, the co-ordinator has raised awareness considerably following the launch of the revised syllabus. She also has plans to introduce relevant assessment procedures. A draft policy has been drawn up and resources have been audited and priority needs purchased. Links have been established with a local church and the co-ordinator is anxious to build on this initiative by exploring ways to include more visits, for example to other places of worship, and by including a wider range of visitors. Some of the assemblies also contribute to learning in religious education, as in the Key Stage 2 assembly in inspection week, when the parable of the talents was very well taught.

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