Yorkley Primary School

YORKLEY PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 21 to 23 January 2002

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YORKLEY PRIMARY 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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YORKLEY 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. Yorkley Primary School i

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Lydney Road Yorkley Nr Lydney Gloucestershire

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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: Dr Alan Castle

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: May 1997 Yorkley Primary School ii

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Team members

21095 Lynn Adair Registered inspector 19557 Liz Halls Lay inspector 13122 Stephanie Matthews 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 Yorkley Primary 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

Yorkley Primary is a smaller than average sized, community school for boys and girls aged four to eleven years old. It has 162 full time children on roll drawn mainly from the immediate locality, and with a small but significant number coming from a much wider area than the village in which the school is situated. Attainment on entry is below that expected of children of the same age nationally, although their social circumstances are generally similar. Forty children in the school have special educational needs, almost one quarter of those on roll, a figure which is broadly average. However, five children have statements of special educational need, which constitutes an above average proportion of children on roll. Three of these children have hearing impairment for which they receive specialist support. There is no significant ethnic minority, and no children have English as an additional language. The

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

number of children taking up free school meals has reduced over the last 4 years and currently just over 8 per cent of children partake, which is a slightly below average figure.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

Yorkley Primary is a good school. Children achieve well during their time in the school so that from a below average starting point, they attain standards which are broadly similar to those found nationally by the time they leave. The good quality of educational provision in the school, children’s very positive approach to work, and the very strong support they receive from their parents all make a significant contribution to the standards obtained. The school is well led and well managed and makes good use of its resources to secure good value for money.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

• Improvements to provision and consistently good teaching in English are helping children to make good progress in their acquisition of language skills. • Very good promotion of children’s moral and social development creates a positive ethos in the school where all are valued. Most children respond well to this in terms of their good attitudes, relationships and behaviour and it has a very positive impact on their approach to work. • Very effective provision for children with special educational needs with a strong focus on inclusion enables these children to make good progress. • The headteacher, staff and governors work together well to provide a clear direction to the work of the school. They demonstrate a strong, shared commitment to its continued improvement. • Parents hold very positive views about the school, which creates a strong partnership and, through their effective support, helps children to flourish both academically and

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

• The quality of curriculum planning to provide sufficient challenge for the full range of age and ability among children in each class. • The use of information and communication technology (ICT) in the classroom to improve standards and support learning more effectively. • The development of outdoor facilities for the Reception Class children to enable them to have a broader range of learning experiences on a regular basis. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school was last inspected in May 1997 and since that time improvement has been good. The school has maintained its strengths and has also made good progress in overcoming many of the issues identified in the previous report. The role of co-ordinators has been significantly strengthened and they are now effectively involved in managing and leading developments in their areas of responsibility. School improvement planning is also considerably improved. Close links with the budget are identified and the school is much more evaluative about how effectively resources are used. New national initiatives have been implemented successfully with consequential improvement to standards, which have improved over the last four years. The effective implementation of the National Literacy Strategy has helped a great deal to improve English work, which was a key issue in the last inspection. However, in ICT, improvements have been made to provision, and national

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

training undertaken by teachers but their impact has yet to be seen to best effect in the classroom. A more consistent approach to curriculum planning now ensures that the curriculum is well covered, although there is still a need for greater precision in teachers’ planning to cater for the full range of ages and attainment in each class.

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STANDARDS

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

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in:

1999 2000 2001 2001 English B B C C Mathematics D C C C Science C C B 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

Children enter the school with lower than expected levels of attainment in basic skills but achieve well during their time in school. In the Foundation Stage 2 , children make good gains in their learning in basic skills, but standards observed during the inspection are still slightly below what is expected of reception age children. The overall trend in pupil performance in

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Key

1 Comparison with similar schools is based on those having free school meals entitlement of more than 8% and up to 20% of pupils. 2 Foundation Stage refers to children in a school aged between three and the end of the reception year. In the case of Yorkley Primary these are children in the reception class Yorkley Primary School 3 both Key Stage 1 3 and 2 4 since the last inspection is one of improvement, with some variation due partly to the small size of each cohort accounting for a significant percentage of children, and also to the differences in the ability spread in each group. The much improved provision in English has had a good impact on improving children’s language skills across the school, especially those with special educational needs. However, national test results of seven year olds are generally below the national average and similar schools in spite of improved results. The good learning that was seen during the inspection bodes well

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Key

for future results. Standards seen were more in line with those expected of six and seven year olds. The table above shows that by the end of Year 6, results in 2001 national tests were broadly in line with national averages and similar schools in English and mathematics, demonstrating good achievement from the time they entered the school. Targets, which had been set in relation to the proportion of children attaining the expected Level 4 for Year 6 children in these subjects, were broadly met. Some good results were achieved in science, particularly in the proportion of children attaining the higher Level 5. Standards seen during the inspection generally reflect the results in English and mathematics. In science, although current Year 6 children have a sound knowledge and understanding of key scientific concepts, their investigative skills are not so good. Across the school, standards in ICT are

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Key

below those expected nationally, and the skills the children do have are not used well to support learning in other subjects.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Good. Children are very keen to come to school. They enjoy their learning and usually concentrate well. Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Good overall. Behaviour is very good at play times. In lessons most children behave well, although a very small number of Year 3 children can sometimes be distracting to others with their off- task behaviour. Personal development and relationships Good. Constructive and mutually supportive relationships between children, and between children and adults. Older children work well with the school’s younger children. Across the school, more opportunities could be given to enable them to demonstrate a higher level of initiative during lessons. Attendance Good overall. Very good rates of attendance. Most children arrive punctually, although the staggered start of day means that a small number in Key Stage 2 regularly arrive during registration.

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

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

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

The quality of teaching is good overall, with only one lesson seen that was of unsatisfactory quality and about half was of good quality. In Key Stage 1, all the teaching is consistently

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

3 Key Stage 1 refers to those children in Years 1 and 2 at Yorkley Primary 4 Key Stage 2 refers to those children in Years 3 to 6 at Yorkley Primary Yorkley Primary School 4 good which is helping the children in Years 1 and 2 to learn well and make consistently good gains in their knowledge, skills and understanding. Teachers across the school are good at teaching basic skills in literacy and numeracy. Lessons in literacy are particularly well structured and teachers place a good emphasis on the teaching of reading skills. The way in which teaching assistants are deployed to support children in lessons in small groups, or in withdrawal sessions is a significant strength of the school. This particularly helps those with special needs to learn well. Most teachers manage children’s behaviour well and there is a high level of mutual respect. This leads to a productive work environment where children learn well through good concentrated efforts. On occasion, a very small number of

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

Year 3 children’s off-task behaviour is not dealt with effectively enough, and some time is consequently wasted by these children. An area for improvement in teaching occurs in planning. There is a lack of identification of different expectations for learning for different children, particularly those who are of different ages and abilities in mixed age classes in Key Stage 2. This means that higher attaining children are not always given sufficiently demanding work to attain higher standards.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum Good overall. Curriculum planning is broad and well balanced and is much improved since the last inspection. However, it is still not precise enough about what different groups of children in each class are expected to learn, especially to extend the range of opportunities for more able children. The National Literacy Strategy has been implemented effectively and this has helped to raise standards in English. Information and communication technology is not planned well enough to support learning. Accommodation shortfalls create some constraints to outdoor learning in the Reception Class. Provision for pupils with special educational needs Very good. Significant strengths in the school’s provision for children with special educational needs. A high focus is placed on ensuring their inclusion, with some notable features for those with hearing impairment. Provision for pupils’

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Aspect Comment

personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Good. The promotion of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development makes a strong contribution to pupils’ personal development. Very good promotion of respect for each other, and the emphasis on co-operation, collaboration and inclusion are significant strengths. There are some missed opportunities for raising children’s awareness of the multi-cultural dimension. How well the school cares for its pupils Good. All staff know individual children well and this provides effective support for them. Children are well cared for and work in a safe and secure environment. Yorkley Primary School 5

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff Good. The headteacher and staff work as an effective team to manage change, secure improvement and provide a clear educational direction to the school’s work.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Good. Governors are effective in exercising their roles to gain a good understanding of strengths and weaknesses of school.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance Good. Priorities are well established. Good use is made of performance information to monitor and analyse standards, and to set targets with greater precision. There is good involvement of staff in the monitoring and evaluation process in order to identify where improvement is needed. The strategic use of resources Good. Sound consideration is made of the principles of best value, with prudent use of a large contingency to ensure that staffing levels might be maintained. Financial planning is closely linked to considerably better school improvement planning to show the benefits and impact on children’s learning.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• Children like school. • Children are making good progress. • Teaching is good. • Parents feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or concerns. • Their children are expected to work hard and achieve their best. • The school is helping their children to become mature and responsible. • The variability in the quality and amount of work that children are expected to do at home. • The variability in the quality of information received about how their children are getting on.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

The inspection team agrees with parents’ positive comments. Although the expectations for homework are clearly expressed in the school’s policy, and overall the quality of homework is satisfactory, inspectors endorse parents’ concerns about the variability in quality. This would benefit from closer monitoring to identify where the lack of consistency exists. However, inspectors disagreed with parents’ comments about information. Here there was greater consistency in practice. Yorkley Primary School 6

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Improvements to provision and consistently good teaching in English are helping

children to make good progress in their acquisition of language skills.

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Improvements to provision and consistently good teaching in English are helping

1. In the last inspection, the primary key issue was related to development of work in English. The school has worked hard to improve provision in the subject since that time to good effect and with consequential improvement to the quality of teaching and learning. This has improved standards. Results have risen in national tests in English at the end of each key stage since the last inspection (with some variation year to year, due to the small size of each cohort and the different range of ability in each cohort). Pupils now leave the school with results in English that broadly match those of most 11 year olds nationally.

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Improvements to provision and consistently good teaching in English are helping

2. When the current children entered the Reception Class, their attainment was lower than expected of children of this age in basic language skills. Most have made good progress in developing these skills as a result of the good teaching, although a slightly larger proportion than expected are unlikely to achieve all the early learning goals 5 in Communication, Language and Literacy by the end of the Reception year. This is seen particularly in children’s communication skills where most are happy to listen to stories and recall key parts of a story, for example about the ‘ Three Billy Goats Gruff’ , but few actually initiate a conversation employing a more extended vocabulary. A significant number still use simple words or phrases in their conversations with each other in the role-play areas. Adults in the Reception Class place a good emphasis on this aspect of the curriculum, and their interactions with children help the children to communicate more effectively. Children are

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Improvements to provision and consistently good teaching in English are helping

encouraged to talk and share their views and ideas. For example, when talking about a book a significant number of children were able to describe that a fairy tale finished with ‘… and they lived happily ever after’ after reinforcement from the teacher . One higher attaining child was encouraged to describe why some of the script was different and did so well. In other areas of learning children are encouraged to talk about their work, for example when painting ‘ The Three Billy Goats Gruff’ , and this helps to develop and extend their vocabulary well. Progress in reading is very good and a large number are on course to achieve the early learning goals. Many can recognise initial letters and sound them out. Phonics are taught well and good use is made of shared class books with large text to draw children’s attention to different types of books and how they are structured. They enjoy looking at and reading

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Improvements to provision and consistently good teaching in English are helping

books by themselves and especially with an adult. This is helping children to recognise simple words, and adults strongly encourage them to ‘have a go’ at reading unknown words. In spite of a similar emphasis in writing, standards are more variable. A small number of pupils copy words with reasonable control to form recognisable letters and make good attempts to write more independently. Most still rely on the adults for recording purposes and letters are not always well formed.

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Improvements to provision and consistently good teaching in English are helping

3. In Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2, pupils make good progress in English. Aided by effective teaching, they reach standards in speaking and listening, reading and writing which are broadly in line with those achieved nationally by the time they leave. Teachers provide good opportunities to develop pupils’ speaking and listening skills across the curriculum, particularly to explain about their work at the end of lessons. This was seen to good effect in science lessons in Key Stage 1, where teachers also used the opportunity to test pupils’ understanding through their effective questioning, listening carefully to pupils’ responses before adding a follow up question. Some good discussion took place in a Year 4 and 5 history lesson about the Vikings, where pupils were encouraged to discuss why monasteries

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Improvements to provision and consistently good teaching in English are helping

5 The Early Learning Goals establish the expectations for most children to reach at the end of the Foundation Stage. Yorkley Primary School 7 were attacked. A small number of pupils also posed well-formed, articulate questions about why soldiers were sited in particular places, showing good attainment. In reading, pupils use a range of strategies to read with increasing accuracy, fluency and understanding as they move through each key stage. Basic phonic skills are well taught in Key Stage 1, and language work is extended further in Key Stage 2. All lessons are well organised so that all pupils are well supported by adults in small group reading sessions. This keeps pupils concentrating on tasks, and they learn at a good rate in their understanding of books and application of language skills to extract key information from books. An early intervention project group was observed in Year 1. This gives specific pupils a good ‘boost’ by focusing

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Improvements to provision and consistently good teaching in English are helping

on their particular needs. Most pupils in Key Stage 1 and 2 have a sound understanding of fiction and non-fiction books. In dictionary work in Year 1, effective explanation of alphabetical order and good questioning ensures that the majority of pupils know that dictionaries are arranged alphabetically and that words and a definition can be found quickly. Some higher attainers are able to find words and compare their definitions showing good achievement.

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Improvements to provision and consistently good teaching in English are helping

4. In writing, a significant number of pupils in Year 2 still have standards that are below what is expected nationally overall in terms of legibility and grammatical structure. However, progress by most pupils since September is good and a significantly larger number of pupils than last year are producing pieces of more legible, well-structured writing demonstrating good achievement. Teachers are skilled in introducing new grammatical concepts and encouraging pupils to apply their skills in writing. This, together with a good emphasis across the school by teachers on increasing the range and number of opportunities for writing in different styles, means that standards in writing are improving and are broadly average by the end of Key Stage 2. Pupils are more enthused by writing experiences and are encouraged by teachers to use more adventurous vocabulary. A good focus on oracy is enabling pupils to articulate their ideas, which they are then helped to record. In Year 2, for

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Improvements to provision and consistently good teaching in English are helping

example some good work was noted in describing correct sequencing when grooming a dog. In Year 4 and 5, pupils ‘brainstormed’ the sorts of adjectives they could use in descriptive writing and were effectively involved in using a higher level of vocabulary in their writing, using words such as: ‘hibernate – deciduous – nocturnal’ quite readily. Some good attainment was seen in Year 4 written work. One higher attaining pupil, for example, employed very good imagery in some high quality work: ‘Inside the ship John stirred. ‘Ugggg’ he groaned. ‘I’ve got a stinking headache’ he murmured in a very distant tone of voice.’

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Improvements to provision and consistently good teaching in English are helping

5. Outside support has been used effectively to help to audit, review and improve provision. The school has responded well to this advice. Through its own efforts and together with the effective implementation of the National Literacy Strategy, improvements have been made. For example, the school has updated its guidance for teachers to provide clearer strategies for teaching and learning in English. It has used the National Literacy Strategy framework and guidance to provide a clearer definition of what children will learn. One of the most significant factors, which contribute to the higher standards attained in English, is the teachers’ effectiveness in teaching basic skills. Teachers’ knowledge of the National Literacy framework is very good. Lessons are well structured, with a good balance of word, sentence and text level work. Key learning points are made clear to pupils so that they are aware of what they are expected to learn. Questioning is effective in drawing pupils’

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Improvements to provision and consistently good teaching in English are helping

attention to, for example, punctuation in text and what it means in terms of reading aloud. The school has developed guided reading sessions outside of the ‘literacy hour’ to provide a clearer focus for this aspect of English and this, together with the parents’ support at home with reading, has resulted in some high achievement by pupils. The subject is effectively led and managed. Regular monitoring of teaching and Yorkley Primary School 8 learning has taken place to identify good practice and where improvement is needed. Pupil performance data is rigorously analysed. The English co-ordinator and headteacher work closely together in these respects. Both have a good understanding of the subject’s strengths and where further improvement could be made, for example in extended writing opportunities for older pupils.

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of their good attitudes, relationships and behaviour and it has a very positive impact

6. All staff take a real interest in pupils and this strongly encourages pupils’ positive approach to work. Pupils are keen to come to school and learn and parents who responded to the questionnaire confirmed that all their children liked school. The school’s youngest children confidently leave their parents at the start of day and are keen to enter the classroom to find out what is going to happen that day and to begin their early morning activities. Across the school, pupils’ interest in learning is evident in lessons, particularly where there is an element of challenge. When set to work on their own, pupils quickly become engrossed in tasks and work for sustained periods with good concentration, so that work is almost always completed in the time allowed. This was seen to good effect in a Year 1 science lesson where the teacher set time targets for completion of work and the pupils responded with focused attention and application. Year 6 pupils are helped to gain a

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of their good attitudes, relationships and behaviour and it has a very positive impact

positive approach to work through completing a file designed as part of an Education Business Partnership scheme. Pupils are encouraged to record their achievements both in and out of school and create a file that they can share with staff at the secondary school on transfer.

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of their good attitudes, relationships and behaviour and it has a very positive impact

7. Pupils’ behaviour is good, and more frequently very good at playtimes. They are very helpful when talking to visitors about their work, and are extremely courteous to adults and each other when moving around the school, often holding doors open uninvited. Pupils’ usually good behaviour ensures that they work in a calm and positive atmosphere and this results in high levels of productivity and focused activity. Just occasionally, pupils have to be reminded about the high expectations the school has set, but both teaching and non- teaching staff ensure that the school’s code of conduct is implemented consistently.

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of their good attitudes, relationships and behaviour and it has a very positive impact

8. Pupils get on well with each other and adults. There is a good level of mutual respect. The school gives good opportunities for pupils to develop their social skills. Groups are organised to encourage a high level of co-operation and good collaboration was noted in pupils’ responses. The school’s youngest children in the Reception Class are establishing very positive relationships and this is giving them greater confidence to explore and investigate the range of activities provided. Year 6 pupils are able to forge very positive relationships with younger pupils when undertaking ‘wet playtime duties’. The Reception children were enthralled with their monitors who were particularly inventive in keeping these children engaged and interested in the games they played. Pupils across the school value each other’s contributions in discussions and when shared in plenaries at the end of lessons. This acts as an incentive to others to contribute their views.

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of their good attitudes, relationships and behaviour and it has a very positive impact

9. Pupils’ positive attitudes, good behaviour and high quality of the relationships are key factors in contributing to pupils achieving well. Yorkley Primary School 9

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Very effective provision for children with special educational needs with a strong

focus on inclusion enables these children to make good progress.

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Very effective provision for children with special educational needs with a strong

10. Pupils with special educational needs are supported very effectively through a programme of either in-class or withdrawal arrangements. These help them to achieve well and consequently they make good progress during their time in school. Pupils’ individual needs are considered carefully, staff evaluating their social, academic and physical needs. The school has earned itself a good reputation in the area for providing particularly good provision for pupils with hearing impairment and currently supports three such pupils. They take a full part in the life of the school and contribute to the quality of the learning environment in lessons and at other times. For example, a ‘signing’ club has been established for any pupils who are interested. Their skills were put to good use in an assembly during the inspection when older pupils ‘signed’ a hymn for the rest of the school. Other pupils watched carefully and even the Reception Class children attempted to join in.

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Very effective provision for children with special educational needs with a strong

11. The timetable of organisation for support is well thought-out and ensures a careful balance of inclusion and withdrawal for individuals and for groups of pupils. The timetable creates minimal disruption to learning. Good levels of adult support and their effective deployment in and out of lessons are key factors that aid learning well. This support ensures pupils are able to access the full curriculum while still addressing very specific and individual learning needs. Those staff supporting pupils with hearing impairment make sure that the pupils are not disadvantaged in class lessons. For example, in Year 1 the teaching assistant ‘signs’ for the child during introductions and plenaries, and voice boxes are well utilised. Support staff are well briefed and clear about their roles in each lesson. They are effectively involved in the planning for pupils with special needs. When deployed to support

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Very effective provision for children with special educational needs with a strong

learning with small groups, they keep pupils focused on their work and are readily available for help. However, they do ensure that their intervention is timely so that they do not do the work for the pupils and ensure that they are allowed to put in their best efforts. This was seen in a Year 2 science lesson where good questioning encouraged the pupils to think more deeply for themselves about fair testing, although the teaching assistants were on hand to provide key vocabulary to aid explanations when pupils were frustrated by their own lack of ability in this area.

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Very effective provision for children with special educational needs with a strong

12. All pupils with special educational needs have targets set for them related to their specific needs and these are recorded from an early stage of intervention. Pupils’ targets for learning and support are precise and measurable. They are well known and understood by both the class teacher and support staff. Targets are shared with home and specific activities are noted. The special needs co-ordinator organises regular reviews of pupils’ progress towards the targets in their individual education plans and is also very involved in developing programmes of work in conjunction with support staff and class teachers. Detailed records of pupils’ progress and next steps in learning ensure well-matched provision. Good use is made of ICT to make the process efficient and have the ability to generate reports more readily. Very good links have been established with outside agencies. The school regularly draws on the skills of specialist agency staff to improve their

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Very effective provision for children with special educational needs with a strong

13. The special educational needs co-ordinator provides very effective leadership and management of provision. All documentation is very well organised and there is a very good awareness of strengths in provision and where development is needed. The co-ordinator is very well prepared to implement new national requirements in special needs and has already given staff guidance about these. The co-ordinator and governor with Yorkley Primary School 10 responsibility for special needs have a well-established and productive partnership which incorporates a very effective structure for overseeing provision and managing developments. Good facilities are available for withdrawal in a room which has been refurbished with funding from parents.

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to the work of the school. They demonstrate a strong, shared commitment to its

14. The headteacher provides strong leadership of the school and works closely with staff and governors to form an effective, collaborative team to manage change. This has brought about improvement since the last inspection and has meant that good progress has been made in addressing most of the key issues identified in the previous report. Changes brought about by new national initiatives, such as the introduction of the National Literacy Strategy have been managed well, with improved standards as a result. The headteacher has been effective in making use of a range of pupil performance data, as well as external advice and support agencies, to become much more self-evaluative about the school’s strengths and weaknesses since the last inspection. This has involved creating better structures for monitoring the quality of provision and developing a more proactive approach to addressing any shortfalls in practice. The school improvement planning process is much

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to the work of the school. They demonstrate a strong, shared commitment to its

improved since the last inspection. It now provides a useful tool for identifying priorities for improvement, associated resource implications, and is regularly monitored to make sure that resources are used to best effect.

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to the work of the school. They demonstrate a strong, shared commitment to its

15. The headteacher shares the workload in relation to the demands of the curriculum and in shaping the direction of the school, with the small number of staff employed at the school. The role of co-ordinators has been significantly strengthened and enhanced so that staff also provide a strong lead to developments in their areas of responsibility. They play a key role in monitoring and evaluating strengths and areas requiring development.

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to the work of the school. They demonstrate a strong, shared commitment to its

16. Staff are very ably supported by governors, who are very active and conscientious in fulfilling their roles. They are well organised and have a broad range of expertise and experience which benefit the school. Governors visit the school regularly, either to help in lessons on a general support level or to gather information about specific issues, such as finding out about provision for pupils with special educational needs. They have gained a good understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses through such involvement, and are aware of the challenges that the school faces at a local and national level. They are able to make an effective contribution to identifying the priorities for the school, and in helping the school to plan for and take effective action.

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to the work of the school. They demonstrate a strong, shared commitment to its

17. There is a real sense of shared commitment between staff and governors to continued improvement with a key focus on getting the very best out of pupils.

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partnership and, through their effective support, helps children to flourish both

18. Teachers’ knowledge of individual pupils is very good and is assisted by the small size of the school population. This, together with the very good and supportive relationship with parents, creates a real family atmosphere in which pupils are nurtured and are able to flourish both academically and socially. The school ensures that pupils have as safe an environment as possible in which to work. Policies and procedures have been developed to Yorkley Primary School 11 underpin the school’s work, and are well explained to parents. This helps them to play an equally full and helpful role in the support and welfare of pupils and they are made aware of the expectations the school has in each key area of its work. Parents are kept well informed about different activities in the school and have regular opportunities on a formal and informal basis to talk about their children’s progress.

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partnership and, through their effective support, helps children to flourish both

19. Parents have strong links with the school and think very highly of it, as seen in their positive responses to the questionnaire and in their comments at the parents’ meeting. They are keen to be involved in their children’s learning at home and in school. This contributes significantly to the good progress which children make in their learning. Parents’ level of commitment is demonstrated through their willingness to offer direct assistance in lessons on a regular and voluntary basis. Many of the support staff are parents, and a large proportion of the governing body are either current or previous parents of pupils at the school. All are welcomed into classrooms where their help is valued by teaching staff. This means parents are very aware of what their children are learning and what is happening each day. It also provides an opportunity for parents to talk informally about their children

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partnership and, through their effective support, helps children to flourish both

with the teacher. This sharing relationship helps pupils not only in their academic development but also to feel very secure and confident about approaching any member of staff with any concerns they have.

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partnership and, through their effective support, helps children to flourish both

20. The school constantly seeks ways in which to involve parents in their children’s learning. A new project has recently been introduced to support family learning, targeted initially at families in the Reception Class and Year 1. This demonstrates the school’s commitment to working in partnership with parents and maintaining strong links.

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The quality of curriculum planning to provide sufficient challenge for the full range of

age and ability among children in each class.

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The quality of curriculum planning to provide sufficient challenge for the full range of

21. Long-term planning provides a sound framework for teachers and is suitably based on national guidance for each subject and for the Foundation Stage. Medium-term plans are based on teaching for each half term and are satisfactory overall. They show coverage of a breadth of experiences, broad learning objectives and how activities are structured over each half term on a week-by-week basis. This is a much improved situation since the previous inspection where coverage was not assured. The medium-term plans also provide helpful information about how learning broadly develops over each half term.

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The quality of curriculum planning to provide sufficient challenge for the full range of

22. However, the information about learning contained in medium-term plans does not identify how work is adapted for different groups of pupils, for example those of different ages in the mixed-age classes, or different levels of ability in all classes. Neither is such information found in teachers’ weekly plans to ensure a progression of knowledge, skills and understanding in all subjects. More precision is found in English about what different groups of pupils are expected to learn and means that work is pitched at a more suitable level on most occasions to provide appropriate work and help pupils make good progress. Most lessons are carefully planned and sessions are well structured with broad objectives for learning clearly stated. However, learning intentions are not so clearly defined in terms of expected outcomes for different groups of pupils. In mathematics, for example, page numbers are often used rather than what pupils are expected to learn. This makes it

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The quality of curriculum planning to provide sufficient challenge for the full range of

difficult to assess learning and what pupils need to learn next. Work is often not sufficiently adapted in group activities to cater for the wide range of attainment in each class. Older and higher attaining pupils in mixed-age classes are often given the same task, rather than a greater challenge which would give them an incentive to strive for higher standards. Yorkley Primary School 12 Insufficient extension work is planned into some sessions and expectations are sometimes too low for these higher attaining pupils, for example in a history session in Year 5 and 6 where pupils simply copied from prepared notes rather than recording work about embalming more independently.

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The use of ICT in the classroom to improve standards and support learning more

23. Standards in ICT are below average at the end of each key stage. Since the last inspection, the school has made satisfactory progress towards the key issue. This has been achieved through improved provision with the installation of new equipment, and staff are currently undergoing national training to improve their confidence and expertise in teaching ICT skills. However, ICT development at a national level has moved on at a rapid rate which means that there is still much work to do. The subject co-ordinator has effectively led improvement of the curriculum in light of national developments, and there is a newly introduced scheme of work. However, in spite of the co-ordinator’s enthusiasm for the subject, the lack of effectively planned opportunities to use ICT at a more meaningful level in lessons by individual teachers means that pupils do not have enough opportunity to develop their skills sufficiently.

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The use of ICT in the classroom to improve standards and support learning more

24. There are some examples where ICT is used appropriately. Children in the Reception Class have used a floor robot to control movement in different directions. In Year 1 and 2, a dictionary program was used to reinforce learning on the same theme in literacy. By the end of Key Stage 1, pupils are able to use the mouse and keyboard competently to load, save and print their work. They can select their desired options, for example to choose particular sounds to create words, or for simple word processing. By the end of Key Stage 2, pupils know how to log on to their computer, and open and close down software packages. They have experience of word processing, and can use key edit features. There is also some evidence of word-processed work combined with graphics to present written pieces, although the level of skill demonstrated in this area is not high. Pupils’ ICT skills in both Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 are under-developed in handling information. Some simple data

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The use of ICT in the classroom to improve standards and support learning more

representation is carried out in Key Stage 1, for example to represent birthdays. However, pupils have little other experience. Older pupils have little awareness of how to interrogate data in spreadsheets, and have yet to design their own datafiles or use more complex databases. A few younger pupils have used a ‘logo’ program to create shapes, but older pupils have little more advanced experience of creating procedures, controlling models or using sensors to monitor external events.

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The use of ICT in the classroom to improve standards and support learning more

25. There is little evidence of regular opportunities for pupils to apply their information technology skills at a challenging and meaningful level in most lessons in all key stages. For example, in Year 3, pupils were working on silent letters on the computer which had no links whatsoever with the main theme on extracting key words. The teacher missed a good opportunity to employ the skill of highlighting text which was related to their group work. Opportunities are missed to plan and organise effectively for the subject and to use ICT to support learning on a regular basis. Pupils were observed working with ICT in some lessons, but tasks in both key stages were not set at a high level of expectation in terms of skill. The newly installed Internet facility has yet to be used productively. Consequently, pupils do not develop their skills from year to year to a high enough level by regular access

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The use of ICT in the classroom to improve standards and support learning more

to the computer. They do not have the practice they need to achieve better standards. Many have skills that are developed through use of computers at home, but the school does not build as effectively as it could on these experiences. Yorkley Primary School 13

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The development of outdoor facilities for the Reception Class children to enable

them to have a broader range of learning experiences on a regular basis.

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The development of outdoor facilities for the Reception Class children to enable

26. The quality and range of learning opportunities provided for children in the Foundation Stage are good overall. Provision gives appropriate attention to the nationally recommended areas of learning for the school’s youngest children to try to ensure a good start in the foundation years. Children receive a good quality and well-balanced range of experiences indoors through well-organised and thoughtfully planned activities. However, the location of the Reception Class on the mezzanine floor creates some constraints to teaching and learning outdoors. Children do not have direct access to a secure designated area containing outdoor facilities. Planning for the purposeful use of an outdoor area has yet to be incorporated into the Reception Class’s daily plans. The teacher attempts to compensate for this shortfall in accommodation through more formally planned opportunities for physical activity, such as use of a parachute in the hall. However, she is unable to make use of

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The development of outdoor facilities for the Reception Class children to enable

outdoor space on a more frequent basis so that children are enabled to learn and increase their skills in each area of learning by working on a larger, more active scale than is possible indoors.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

27. In order to maintain the upward trend in improved standards, the governing body, headteacher and staff need to:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

∗ improve curriculum planning so that precisely defined intentions for learning are clearly identified in termly and weekly plans, which takes into account the full range of ages and attainment of children in each class and provides them with appropriate challenge;

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

∗ raise standards in ICT by improving teachers’ planning for ICT to support learning, and to ensure children have regular access to computers to practise and apply their skills;

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

∗ find ways to develop outdoor provision for children in the Foundation Stage so that they have access to outdoor learning facilities which will help them to work on a larger, more active scale in each area of learning on a more frequent basis.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

28. It is acknowledged that the school has plans to address the issues identified above as part of their school improvement process. Yorkley Primary School 14

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of lessons observed 26 Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 9

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Poor

Number 0 1 12 12 1 0 0 Percentage 0 4 46 46 4 0 0 The table gives the number and percentage of lessons observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about teaching. Care should be taken when interpreting these percentages as each lesson represents almost four percentage points.

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Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery YR-Y6

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 0 162 Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 0 13 FTE means full-time equivalent.

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Special educational needs Nursery YR-Y6

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 0 5 Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 0 40

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pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 0

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pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 10 Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 3

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% %

School data 4 School data 0.3 National comparative data 5.6 National comparative data 0.5 Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Yorkley Primary School 15

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

Year Boys Girls Total Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year: 2001 14 11 25

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National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

Boys 7 9 12 Girls 9 9 10 Numbers of pupils at NC Level 2 and above Total 16 18 22 School 64(89) 72 (89) 88(100) Percentage of pupils at NC Level 2 or above National 84(83) 86(84) 91(90)

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Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

Boys 7 12 13 Girls 9 10 10 Numbers of pupils at NC Level 2 and above Total 16 22 23 School 64(94) 88 (100) 92 (100) Percentage of pupils at NC Level 2 or above National 85(84) 89(88) 89(88) Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year.

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

Year Boys Girls Total Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year: 2001 10 11 21

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National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

Boys N/A N/A N/A Girls N/A N/A N/A Numbers of pupils at NC Level 4 and above Total 15 13 18 School 71(84) 62(87) 86(87) Percentage of pupils at NC Level 4 or above National 75(75) 71(72) 87(85)

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Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

Boys N/A N/A N/A Girls N/A N/A N/A Numbers of pupils at NC Level 4 and above Total 16 14 17 School 76(84) 67(81) 81(90) Percentage of pupils at NC Level 4 or above National 72(70) 74(72) 82(79) Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. As the number of boys in the year group is ten, only the total figure of boys and girls is required. Yorkley Primary School 16

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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 0 Black – other 0 0 Indian 0 Indian 0 0 Pakistani 0 Pakistani 0 0 Bangladeshi 0 Bangladeshi 0 0 Chinese 0 Chinese 0 0 White 131 White 0 0 Any other minority ethnic group 3 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.

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YR – Y6

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 7.1 Financial year 2000-2001

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YR – Y6

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 22.8

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YR – Y6

Total number of education support staff 8 Total expenditure 296563.00

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YR – Y6

Total aggregate hours worked per week 144 Expenditure per pupil 1991.00

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Nursery

Balance brought forward from previous year 30025.00

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Nursery

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 0 Balance carried forward to next year 42514.00

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Nursery

Number of pupils per qualified teacher Total number of education support staff Total aggregate hours worked per week Number of pupils per FTE adult FTE means full-time equivalent. Yorkley Primary School 17

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Recruitment of teachers

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

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Recruitment of teachers

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

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Recruitment of teachers

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 0

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of a term or more (FTE) Number of unfilled vacancies or vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of less than one term (FTE) FTE means full-time equivalent. Yorkley Primary School 18

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Questionnaire return rate

Number of questionnaires sent out 162 Number of questionnaires returned 43

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know

My child is making good progress in school. 42 56 2 0 0

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know

Behaviour in the school is good. 40 45 2 0 9

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know

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 44 21 23 7 5

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know

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 35 42 19 2 2

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know

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 63 28 7 2 0

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know

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 44 51 2 0 2

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know

The school works closely with parents. 35 51 7 0 7

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know

The school is well led and managed. 42 44 7 0 7

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know

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 53 47 0 0 0

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know

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 24 62 5 5 5

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