Southridge First School

SOUTHRIDGE FIRST SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 5 th – 7 th February 2001

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SOUTHRIDGE FIRST SCHOOL

Short 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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SOUTHRIDGE FIRST 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. Southridge First School i

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Cranleigh Place Beaumont Park Whitley Bay Tyne and Wear

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The Governing Body

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Mrs J Doxford

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: March 1997 Southridge First School ii

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Team members

23031 Ian Knight Registered inspector 11468 Judith Menes Lay inspector 27477 Josephine Mitchell Team inspector

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Team members

Westminster Education Consultants Old Garden House The Lanterns Bridge Lane London SW11 3AD

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Team members

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

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Team members

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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Team members

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Southridge First School iii

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 1

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Southridge First School is a large school with 298 pupils aged from four to nine on roll. Almost all pupils are of European origin. Twenty-seven pupils are on the special needs register; none have statements. These proportions are both smaller than would normally be expected. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is below average. The school has been assessed as an Investor in People and is a partner in School Centred Initial Teacher Training. There is a wide range of attainment on entry to the school, but an examination of early assessment information indicates that overall it is average.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

This is a very good school. Pupils achieve very well because of very good teaching based on a very good curriculum. In particular, test standards are high compared with all schools and with similar schools, and standards observed in the school confirm this picture. When attainment is considered in the context of pupils’ average attainment on entry, this gives rise to a judgement of very good achievement. Teaching is very good because of high expectations and genuine mutual respect. These are supported by good leadership and management within a very positive ethos of teamwork. The school has made very good progress from the already high standards at the time of the last inspection. When these very positive judgements are considered in the light of the low cost per pupil, then it is clear that the school offers very good value for money.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

• Academic standards are very high throughout the school. • Teaching is very good because the staff have high expectations and really respect their pupils. • Pupils have very good attitudes and behave very well in school.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

This is a very effective school with no areas of significant weakness. Nevertheless, the school should consider including the following point in its action plan. • School development planning, although satisfactory, could be sharpened through the further analysis of data. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan. Southridge First School 2

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school was last inspected in March 1997. Since then, standards have continued to rise and pupils are achieving better. Teaching is much improved: the proportion of teaching that is at least very good has doubled and unsatisfactory teaching has been eliminated. Most of the key issues have been thoroughly addressed: teaching in English and mathematics is better; improved child protection procedures are well understood by staff, and the consultation process for strategic planning has been widened. Financial planning has been well monitored so that the school is no longer in deficit. Written reports are improved, although some parents still do not like the format of some consultation meetings. Taken together, these judgements indicate that the school has made very good progress since the previous inspection.

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STANDARDS

The table shows the standards achieved by 7 year olds based on National Curriculum test results.

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Performance all schools similar schools

in: 1998 1999 2000 2000 reading A A* A A writing A A* A* A mathematics A A A* A

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Key

well above average A above average B average C below average D well below average E

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Key

Test results over the last few years show that high standards are being maintained and improved upon. A grade of A* indicates that the school was in the top five per cent nationally. Interim tests taken as pupils start Year 1 show that they make very good progress in the reception classes. This very good progress continues in Key Stage 1 and leads to the standards reported above. Observations in lessons and a scrutiny of completed work confirm these high standards in English and mathematics. The previous inspection reported above average standards in Key Stage 1, and standards at least in line with expectations in Key Stage 2 in all subjects. Judgements are not made in all subjects in a short inspection, but standards actually observed in the school are better than average. An analysis of the gains pupils make in Key Stage 2 shows that the very good progress observed lower down the school continues, so that standards as they leave the school are also high.

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Key

This represents very good achievement by all pupils, based on the very good teaching they receive. However, not all pupils in Key Stage 2 join their writing as a matter of course despite its being taught. Southridge First School 3

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Very good. Pupils take an active interest in their studies and work very well in lessons, even when the teacher is working with another group elsewhere. Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Very good. Pupils’ good behaviour is a major factor in their very good achievement as teachers do not need to spend time maintaining order. Personal development and relationships Very good. Pupils get on very well with each other and their teachers. They work in groups well, showing pleasure in each other’s successes. Attendance Well above average

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Teaching of pupils: aged up to 5 years aged 5-7 years aged 7-9 years

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

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Teaching of pupils: aged up to 5 years aged 5-7 years aged 7-9 years

Inspectors judged the teaching to be very good or better in forty-eight percent of lessons. All teaching observed was at least satisfactory. Ninety per cent was at least good, with ten per cent judged excellent, an unusually high proportion. The teaching of both English and mathematics is very good. As a matter of course, teachers reinforce literacy and numeracy skills in other subjects, for example, by emphasising vocabulary specific to subjects. Teachers take care to meet the needs of all their pupils. Strengths in teaching are many and include very high expectations of what pupils will be able to do and of their behaviour. In addition, teachers really respect their pupils, listen closely to what they say and use their responses very well. Lessons are well planned and organised. In a minority of otherwise good lessons, the pace flags if whole-class sections are too long. Pupils’ very good attitudes, coupled with this very good teaching, mean that pupils learn very well throughout the

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Teaching of pupils: aged up to 5 years aged 5-7 years aged 7-9 years

school. They make very good progress and work diligently Southridge First School 4

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum Very good in the Foundation Stage and in Key Stages 1 and 2. The national strategies for literacy and numeracy are very well used to enhance progress. National guidance is used to support the other subjects very effectively. The range of extra-curricular activities is wide. Provision for pupils with special educational needs Very good provision, including that for gifted and talented pupils, ensures that pupils on the register make the same very good progress as their peers.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Good overall, especially for moral and social development, through teachers’ very good relationships with classes and consistent behaviour management. However, some pupils are withdrawn from acts of collective worship to receive additional support for literacy. This support is of high quality, but the withdrawal means that the provision for collective worship does not meet statutory requirements. How well the school cares for its pupils Good procedures for child protection and general well being.

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and manage-ment by the headteacher and other key staff Good. The staff share the headteacher’s vision of excellence for the school. However, the deputy headteacher is based in the classroom full time and consequently has little time to carry out her managerial duties.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Good. The governors know the school well and are supportive of it.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance The school collects high quality data on pupils’ performance. Its use of this data in target setting is sound and developing. The systems for the monitoring of teaching are effective and have been a factor in the improved teaching observed. The strategic use of resources The school development plan has appropriate and well-founded priorities within it, but the success criteria by which its effectiveness can be judged remain insufficiently focused. The school’s use of staff is very good and has, for example, made the best use of the available staff and limited space for the overlarge classes in Year 2.

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Aspect Comment

All staff work very hard and successfully to maintain a stimulating environment through high quality display. The school applies the principles of best value very effectively. Southridge First School 5

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• Their children like school and make good progress. • All of the staff are very professional and hard working. • Behaviour is good. • The teaching is good. • They would like better information on their children’s progress: in particular they feel the consultation evening in the autumn term is not useful. • Some parents of Year 2 pupils are concerned about the large classes and the organisation of support for these classes. • Some feel the school is not always welcoming to parents.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

The inspection team agreed with parents’ positive views. They felt that written reports are satisfactory, but that arrangements for seeing teachers privately at the autumn term consultation meeting could be streamlined. The team found that best use is made of the support and extra staff in Year 2, although parents could have been better informed beforehand. The team found no evidence to suggest that parents are not welcome in school. Southridge First School 6

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

Academic standards are very high throughout the school.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

1. Pupils attain very well in this school. The available test data for the end of Key Stage 1 indicate this in the strongest terms: the performance in writing and mathematics put the school in the top five percent nationally in 2000, and well above average in reading. Standards are this high because teachers’ high expectations drive well above average numbers of pupils to gain the highest levels. The proportions gaining at the expected levels or higher were very high. Every child gained such a level in reading and writing (against national averages of eighty-four per cent and eighty-five per cent respectively), and ninety-eight percent gained it in mathematics, compared with the national average of ninety percent. The school is set in an area of high social class, and it might be suggested that high standards should be the norm in such schools. However, when the school is compared only to those schools nationally with a similar intake, standards remain well above average in

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

reading, writing and mathematics. Again, the proportions gaining at least the expected Level 2 in reading and writing are very high – that is, in the top five per cent for such schools. In mathematics, they are above average. Mathematics appears lower, but in fact the difference is equivalent to only one child failing to achieve the expected level. The proportions gaining the higher level are uniformly well above average for similar schools. There are no tests in the other ‘core’ subject of science, but teachers’ assessments tell a similar story: no pupil failed to achieve at least the expected level, and this represents very high performance, again placing the school in the top five per cent nationally. The proportion gaining the higher level was well above average. This picture is also repeated when the comparison is restricted to only those schools with a similarly advantaged intake.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

2. Test results are, of course, only part of the story. In particular, they give little information on pupils’ starting points, and consequently need to be placed in context for this particular school. In addition, they do not give any information about Key Stage 2 as pupils leave this first school prior to Year 6 when the next national tests are completed. Furthermore, they give no indication of standards in other subjects of the curriculum. Inspection evidence is wider in nature and is able to fill some of these gaps. For example, inspection evidence is consistent with an increase in standards since the last inspection as discussed below.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

3. The school carries out baseline testing of children as they enter Reception, and again as they leave Reception to begin the rigours of National Curriculum study. The inspection team studied these results closely and came to the conclusion that pupils enter the school with broadly average attainment across all of the areas tested. This was surprising since standards seen in a scrutiny of work and in classes were higher. However, it is explained by the fact that teaching in Reception (as well as throughout the school) is very good and consequently children gain new knowledge and skills much more quickly than might be expected. When the records for pupils currently in Year 1 are examined, the emerging picture of very good progress is confirmed. Their gains in their time in Reception are significantly higher than the Southridge First School 7 national or local average, being particularly spectacular in reading. Consequently, children are given

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

a flying start in the Reception classes and it is a tall order for teachers in the rest of the school to maintain this momentum. Nevertheless they do, as evidenced by the Key Stage 1 results discussed above.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

4. In Key Stage 2, the school uses national optional tests to track individuals’ performance in aspects of English and mathematics. These show that the impressive progress observed in Reception and Key Stage 1 continues apace in Key Stage 2. The high standards are maintained and improved upon. Although there are no nationally published comparisons for the end of Year 4, an analysis of the gains made in the two years of Key Stage 2 show that, on average, pupils make more progress than expected in reading, writing and mathematics, with particularly impressive gains in mathematics. All pupils had moved on to at least Level 3, and significant numbers had already gained Level 4 – the expected level for pupils fully two years older. This might not be surprising given the high standards already reported at the end of Key Stage 1. However, the proportion of pupils gaining Level 4 is significantly higher than would be predicted based on the same pupils’ Key

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

Stage 1 results. In mathematics, the Key Stage 1 results would suggest that about twenty-seven per cent would achieve Level 4 two years later. The actual proportion gaining at least that level was sixty-one per cent. This proportion is particularly impressive as the proportion gaining at least Level 4 in the mathematics tests at the end of Year 6 nationally in the same year was sixty-nine percent. Standards nationally are lower in writing, and, based on Key Stage 1 results, the predicted proportion of pupils gaining Level 4 would be about ten per cent, whereas the actual proportion gaining it was twenty-five percent. In reading, the predicted proportion for boys gaining Level 4 based on the Key Stage 1 results two years earlier would be about thirty per cent; the actual figure was forty-six per cent. Although girls made only the expected gains, this still equates to high standards.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

5. This analysis of the wealth of data available makes a compelling case for the assertion that standards are high, but the analysis so far depends on historic figures and does not consider standards in subjects other than the ‘core’. During the inspection, the team examined completed work of a sample of pupils in English and mathematics and observed lessons across the curriculum, during which judgements were made about the attainment in the subject being taught.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

6. The scrutiny of completed work confirmed the high standards in the school. In the scrutiny of English, the most able Reception children already use dictionaries and write independently in single sentences. Their lower attaining peers write letters correctly and are beginning to use their knowledge of phonics for initial sounds in words. In Year 1, pupils consistently use full stops and the use of capital letters is becoming consistent. They write in a series of phrases or sentences. In Year 2, the structure of stories is developed using imaginative vocabulary. Stories are retold using the word processor and well presented. Year 3 pupils show further progression as they begin to use commas within more complex sentences. They are writing in a variety of styles including: playscripts, with both dialogue and stage directions; letters with correctly positioned addresses; notes, and instructions such as recipes. Some good use of adjectives was seen in writing that

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

effectively conveyed Southridge First School 8 atmosphere and meaning. By Year 4, pupils are writing well-structured stories and beginning to use paragraphs. They write well for a variety of purposes. They take dictation accurately, with correct spelling and punctuation. The highest attainers make effective use of simile and paragraphs are correctly used. However, although joined-up writing is taught, it was not always evident in pupils’ work.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

7. In mathematics, similar high standards were seen. Reception children count reliably. They have made clear progress in their understanding of numbers up to ten and of the associated number bonds through the use of concrete examples. For example, they solve word problems like ‘Two children are playing in the rain; how many wellingtons do they need?’ In Year 1, pupils continue to make rapid progress as they begin to apply their knowledge to new problems and to understand the concept of place value. They are able to sort two- and three-dimensional shapes by their properties, though not yet by name. Year 2 pupils consolidate their understanding of addition as they work towards adding two-digit numbers by separating the tens and units. They also begin to work on multiplication and division through concrete examples. They can draw accurate mirror images of shapes and measure to the nearest centimetre. By Year 3, pupils can solve money

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

problems with pounds and pence and are beginning to use the vocabulary of time. By drawing rectangles to carry out multiplication they gain an understanding that the order of a multiplication is immaterial. Year 4 pupils have been introduced to the standard addition algorithm, with good foundations being laid for the standard method for multiplication. They have completed work on co- ordinates in all four quadrants, with good understanding of negative co-ordinates. They also understand simple fractions, can decide which of two fractions is larger, and know the equivalence of fractions, decimals and percentages.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

8. Although judgements are not made about standards in all subjects in a short inspection, the levels at which pupils are working in each lesson are judged. Standards were at the expected level or above in all lessons observed; in over two-thirds, standards were above what might be expected at this time of the year, including a fifth in which they were well above expectations. These figures represent high standards and very good achievement. For example, children in Reception were investigating how materials change. This was linked to their current topic of bears and the story of Goldilocks, with the focus on making porridge. The children could remember previous experiments when they had melted chocolate and knew that, when it was heated, it became soft and, on cooling, it became hard. They also knew the vocabulary of solid and liquid and even of a ‘reversible change’. When the teacher demonstrated making porridge, she emphasised the vocabulary here,

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

too, so that pupils understood words like ‘rough’, ‘crumbly’ and ‘stirring’. The children were able to make some predictions as to what would happen when the mixture was cooked in the microwave. Through a discussion on whether we can retrieve the original oats and milk, children learned and understood the vocabulary of an irreversible change and understood how it differed from a reversible change. In this lesson, high expectations of what children could recall and learn led them to achieve levels well beyond what would be expected, whilst still retaining a good early years environment. In a Year 1 science lesson, pupils investigated which materials were magnetic. They carried out the experiment sensibly and recorded their findings. Most recorded their findings by drawing; higher attaining pupils also wrote what they had found. In discussion, pupils could identify which of the materials were magnetic and which were not. They were also able to generalise their

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

findings when they realised that all of the magnetic items were made of metal. They also began to predict the results of their experiments. In a Year 2 music lesson, pupils sang in tune with the Southridge First School 9 teacher in the scale of C. They were able to repeat short musical phrases tunefully. They showed their understanding of pitch through hand movements up and down during the phrases. They also knew musical vocabulary like ‘octave’, ‘tuned’ and ‘untuned’. The last, being a new word, was investigated for meaning through the current literacy focus on prefixes, thereby reinforcing their English, too. They recognised a variety of instruments and were able to make sensible suggestions as to which instruments could be used in a class piece about the Three Billy Goats Gruff in the style of ‘Peter and the Wolf’. In a Year 3 music lesson, pupils knew the difference between the beat of a

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

piece and its rhythm. They had been investigating the pentatonic scale, and some pupils remembered this vocabulary and knew it consisted of five notes. They could tunefully sing the scale. In this lesson, they wrote a class song on the theme of dragons. Again, useful links with literacy were made as pupils wrote lyrics. They thought very deeply about these and suggested some very sophisticated phrases, for example, ‘Dangerous and spouting red-hot fire’. Pupils in a Year 4 lesson on information and communication technology were carrying out supervised Internet searches on the Victorians. They were able to log on and use the search engine to obtain pictures of Queen Victoria. As only a small number could use the class machines at a time, the rest of the class had a very useful activity comparing the advantages and disadvantages of using Internet resources with those of reference books. They were able to suggest good and bad aspects of both – a skill more

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

usually expected of pupils some two years older.

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Teaching is very good because the staff have high expectations and really respect their

9. Teaching throughout the school is very good and is the chief reason that pupils do so well. The teaching observed was invariably at least satisfactory, with ninety per cent being at least good. Of this nearly half was judged to be very good or excellent, with ten per cent of all teaching being excellent – an unusually high proportion. In the best lessons, teachers are very skilful, plan well and motivate their pupils. They use questioning very effectively and lessons proceed with a brisk pace.

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Teaching is very good because the staff have high expectations and really respect their

10. However, the most notable features that make the teaching so very successful are the teachers’ very high expectations of what pupils can do and how they should behave, and the tangible respect that teachers have for their pupils. High expectations would be predicted in successful schools like this one; the level of respect that teachers have for their classes is unusually high. This manifests itself in the way that teachers treat pupils as individuals and listen closely to what they have to say. All responses are received and considered equally, regardless of whether they fit the teacher’s plans!

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Teaching is very good because the staff have high expectations and really respect their

11. In a very good Reception lesson with a literacy focus, the teacher showed clear high expectations as she shared the story of Goldilocks with the class. One focus in this lesson was the writing of speech. Children had already met the idea of speech bubbles in previous work. They noted that in this book there were no speech bubbles. By the end of the lesson, they confidently recognised speech marks in the text as a flag that speech was being reported. The teacher made very good links with basic phonics as well as promoting children’s understanding of books. She showed high expectations again in discussing the story, expecting children to be able to answer questions like, ‘What do the two names on the front of the book mean?’, ‘Who can see the new character in our story?’, ‘If you were writing a character’s name, what would you need?’. She also Southridge First School 10 had high expectations of children’s comprehension of the story and empathy with the characters,

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Teaching is very good because the staff have high expectations and really respect their

‘How do you think Baby Bear felt?’ The teacher’s respect for these children was apparent in her sense of pleasure as they answered correctly, and in the very good relationships in the class which meant that children’s behaviour was invisibly maintained. As a result the lesson moved at a brisk pace.

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Teaching is very good because the staff have high expectations and really respect their

12. In a very good mathematics lesson in Year 2, the teacher’s respect for the pupils was almost tangible. His high expectations were very clear during the initial mental mathematics session. In this quick-fire section, he asked questions which were challenging and was not content with just the answer: pupils had to explain their thought processes. One boy, for example, having done 23+23 mentally was able to explain, ‘Two plus two is four, so twenty plus twenty is forty, and three plus three is six’. A particularly notable feature of this lesson was the way the teacher’s respect for the pupils showed itself in the way he carefully listened to what pupils had to say. The lesson’s thrust had been about making mental calculation easier by using pairs of numbers that make ten or using doubles. In the final plenary session, he set the example 15 + 15 + 5 and asked pupils how they would go about solving it. The teacher’s expectation was, of course, that pupils would double the

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Teaching is very good because the staff have high expectations and really respect their

fifteen. However, when one boy said that there were three tens there, the teacher did not dismiss this out of hand, but asked him to explain further. His explanation was that ‘there are two tens in the fifteens and also five plus five makes a ten’. By listening and valuing what the pupil had to say, the teacher had allowed him to make a good contribution and reinforce his and others’ understanding.

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Teaching is very good because the staff have high expectations and really respect their

13. In an excellent lesson for a small group of Year 3 pupils with particular problems with literacy, the teacher very effectively built pupils’ self-esteem. For example, the pupils wrote the vowels and sang a rhyme to reinforce their knowledge to excellent encouragement and praise. As they moved on to the other letters, a pupil wanted to write ‘consonants’ too. The teacher gave them very good support in this so that they succeeded. Later in the lesson, the teacher introduced the rules for adding ‘-ing’ to words like pat and rest. The group were challenged to work out the rule about doubling a consonant and then challenged further to find more words that follow these rules. The teacher varied the task to suit individual pupils’ needs with the overall effect that all of them made very good progress in their learning and understanding. In addition, and perhaps more importantly, they experienced genuine success and had their self-esteem raised.

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Pupils have very good attitudes and behave very well in school

14. The teachers’ efforts to maintain good relationships with their classes result in lessons in which there is a genuine sense of shared pleasure in one another’s company. This naturally leads to the pupils really wanting to please their teacher and so they behave well and work hard. This has the additional effect that teachers do not need to spend much time maintaining order and can get on with the real job in hand – to teach. The ease with which teachers maintain behaviour means that lessons move at a brisk pace and learning is enhanced. It is not just the teaching staff who maintain good relationships with pupils; all staff who deal with them do so, so that, for example, lunchtime is a pleasant social occasion. If, as happened during the inspection, the weather is too bad for pupils to play outside, they are supervised in Southridge First School 11 class with games. Many pupils would become fractious after playtime in such circumstances, but

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Pupils have very good attitudes and behave very well in school

very little such behaviour was observed. In each lesson observed, inspectors make judgements about pupils’ attitudes and behaviour in that lesson. In no lesson were they judged less than good; in over half, they were very good. This picture is similar throughout the school.

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Pupils have very good attitudes and behave very well in school

15. In a very good reception lesson focusing on mathematical development, children sat smartly on the carpet as they listened attentively to the teacher and each other. They were very aware of each other when some had to pick their way through the assembled class to visit the toilet. The teacher encouraged these very good attitudes through her high expectations of the pace of the lesson, which, in turn, fed off the children’s eagerness to learn. When they worked more independently, groups took turns very sensibly, for example, a group playing a bingo game knew the rules and played together amicably. Four girls in the home corner re-enacted the story of Goldilocks very enthusiastically.

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Pupils have very good attitudes and behave very well in school

16. In a good Year 1 dance lesson, the teacher’s imaginative use of music and very good, atmospheric descriptions carried the pupils with her. As they lay with eyes closed, she very effectively described a magic cloud and the experience of ‘waking up in an amazing land’. The pupils were immersed in character and concentrating hard as they started exploring the land. They continued to be imaginatively engaged, thanks to the teacher’s expressive manner in describing a ‘huge, enormous’ barrier. This led to pupils moving their bodies in a variety of expressive ways with no evidence of self-consciousness. As a result of the teacher’s evident enthusiasm, the pupils entered wholeheartedly into the spirit of the dance, which was later performed to music. Their excitement meant that behaviour was very good throughout the lesson with the result that they all gained much from the lesson, learning and progressing well.

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Pupils have very good attitudes and behave very well in school

17. In an excellent Year 4 mathematics lesson, pupils were immediately engaged by the quick-fire and challenging mental section. This continued as they moved from the carpet area back to their tables very smoothly and with a minimum of fuss. In this lesson, the most able pupils were challenged well and so did not mark time. This maintained their drive and enthusiasm as they acted as the teacher for some very challenging problems for their peers. Through this, the pupils’ independence in working was very effectively promoted.

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Pupils have very good attitudes and behave very well in school

18. In many lessons for older pupils, they were independent in their use of the toilets. These are close by the classrooms and pupils went out as required without needing to ask the teacher first. This was done very sensibly and with a minimum of fuss. This had several effects: it built their self- esteem, underlining their level of maturity, and also ensured that the rhythm and pace of the lesson were undisturbed.

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Pupils have very good attitudes and behave very well in school

19. Some classes further build self-esteem for pupils through the use of ‘Think Books’. These are used for pupils to speak confidentially to the teacher about a variety of topics. They were not scrutinised as part of the inspection as they are confidential to the pupil and teacher, but some pupils had written openly of the use they had made of the books. Pupils obviously valued the dialogue they allowed and some had written very movingly about how their use had helped them in times of trial, such as the death of a grandparent. The use of such books is not yet widespread in the school, but could usefully be extended as it helps to maintain and enhance the very good relationships in the school. Southridge First School 12

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School development planning, although satisfactory, could be sharpened through the

20. The school development plan is a satisfactory document with well-founded priorities and tasks. However, some of the success criteria in it are not easily measurable in terms of the gains expected from the implementation of a target. For example, one simply states that standards should be maintained and improved, but offers no indication of what level of improvement would be appropriate, given the investment of time and money. This is partly because the school’s analysis of data is in a relatively early stage of its development. Large amounts of good quality data have been collected in the school, but rigorous analysis of, for example, the gains made by the different gender groups over time, has not taken place. Thus, although realistic targets can be set based on teachers’ professional knowledge, there is scope for further rigour in both target setting and development- planning.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

21. This is a very effective school with no areas of significant weakness requiring urgent attention. Nevertheless, the governors, headteacher and staff should consider including the following minor point in their action plan.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• Make rigorous analyses of the high quality data already in the school with a view to sharpening the focus of strategic planning, especially in terms of the criteria for success. Southridge First School 13

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Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

10 38 41 10 0 0 0 The table gives the percentage of teaching observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about lessons.

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Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery YR – Y4

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) N/A 298 Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals N/A 5 FTE means full-time equivalent.

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Special educational needs Nursery YR – Y4

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs N/A 0 Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register N/A 27

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pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 9

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pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 18 Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 8

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% %

School data 2. 39 School data 0 Southridge First School 14 National comparative data 5. 2 National comparative data 0. 5 Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Southridge First School 15

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 Year Boys Girls Total for the latest reporting year 2000 29 24 53

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National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

Numbers of pupils at Boys 29 29 29 NC level 2 and above Girls 24 24 23 Total 53 53 52 Percentage of pupils School 100 (98) 100 (98) 98 (100) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (82) 85 (83) 90 (87)

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Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

Numbers of pupils at Boys 29 29 29 NC level 2 and above Girls 24 24 24 Total 53 53 53 Percentage of pupils School 100 (98) 100 (100) 100 (100) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (82) 88 (86) 88 (87) Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year.

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Permanent

Black – Caribbean heritage 0 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0

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Permanent

Black – African heritage 0 Black – African heritage 0 0

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Permanent

Black – other 1 Black – other 0 0 Indian 0 Indian 0 0 Pakistani 0 Pakistani 0 0 Bangladeshi 2 Bangladeshi 0 0 Chinese 4 Chinese 0 0 White 228 White 0 0 Any other minority ethnic group 1 Other minority ethnic groups 0 0

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Permanent

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. Southridge First School 16

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YR – Y4

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 12 Financial year 1999/2000

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YR – Y4

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 26. 9

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YR – Y4

Total number of education support staff 4 Expenditure per pupil 1529. 00

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YR – Y4

Total aggregate hours worked per week 64 Balance brought forward from previous year 16171. 00

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YR – Y4

Balance carried forward to next year 26222. 00

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nursery

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) N/A

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nursery

Number of pupils per qualified teacher N/A

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nursery

Total number of education support staff N/A

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nursery

Total aggregate hours worked per week N/A

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nursery

Number of pupils per FTE adult N/A FTE means full-time equivalent. Southridge First School 17

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Questionnaire return rate

Number of questionnaires sent out 296 Number of questionnaires returned 111

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know

My child is making good progress in school. 59 35 3 0 3 Behaviour in the school is good. 54 43 0 0 3

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know

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 39 55 5 1 0

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know

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 29 45 15 9 2

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know

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 58 27 10 5 1

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know

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 64 31 1 0 5

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know

The school works closely with parents. 31 50 8 7 4

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know

The school is well led and managed. 52 34 7 3 5

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know

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 58 32 5 0 5

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know

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 61 28 4 3 5

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Other matters raised by parents

Some parents would like better information on their children’s progress: in particular they feel the consultation evening in the autumn term is not useful. The team examined pupils’ annual reports and the arrangements for the consultation evenings. They found that reports are satisfactory, but that the arrangements for seeing teachers privately in the autumn term could be streamlined. Some parents of Year 2 pupils are concerned about the large classes and the organisation of support for these classes. The team found that best use is made of the support and accommodation for these pupils, although information for parents beforehand could have been better. Some feel the school is not always welcoming to parents but the team found no evidence to confirm this.

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