Kirk Langley CofE Primary School

SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 24 th – 26 th June 2002

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SCHOOL

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

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SCHOOL

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Moor Lane Kirk Langley Ashbourne Derbyshire

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The governing body

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Mr J Beswarick

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: June 1996 Kirk Langley C of E Primary School

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Colin Henderson Registered inspector Mathematics Science Information and communication technology Geography History Physical education Equal opportunities How high are standards? Pupils’ results and achievements How well are pupils taught? How well is the school led and managed?

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Geoff Humphrey Lay inspector How high are standards? Attitudes, values and personal development How well does the school care for its pupils? How well does the school work in partnership with parents? Trudy Cotton Team inspector English Art and design Design and technology Religious education Foundation Stage Special educational needs How good are the curricular and other activities?

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

TWA Inspections Ltd 5 Lakeside Werrington Peterborough PE4 6QZ

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

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

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Kirk Langley C of E Primary School

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 6

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

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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS? 10

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Kirk Langley Church of England Primary School is situated in an attractive rural village setting close to the city of Derby. It is a small village school that currently has 62 pupils on roll (34 boys and 28 girls). This is similar to the last inspection. Most pupils come from a mixture of private and rented housing in the local village, an area of widely varying socio-economic backgrounds. Almost all pupils are of white, United Kingdom ethnic background. There are no pupils for whom English is an additional language. Eleven per cent of pupils are on the school’s register of special educational needs, which is below the national average. Three per cent have Statements of Special Educational Need, which is above average. Seven per cent of pupils are entitled to free school meals, which is below average. Children enter the reception class with a wide range of attainment. It varies considerably from year to year and is average overall. The

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

Kirk Langley is a friendly and harmonious school that is valued by parents and serves its community well. Teachers successfully encourage pupils to have good attitudes to learning. Pupils behave very well and relationships throughout the school are very good. Pupils make good progress overall in their learning, promoted by good teaching. They generally achieve nationally expected standards, particularly in literacy and numeracy. The headteacher works closely with the staff and governors. They have been successful in maintaining a caring, supportive approach and in improving the building and resources. The school is managed soundly, although aspects of subject co-ordination and evaluating standards are not fully developed. The school has improved its facilities and copes well with the limitations of its accommodation. Its overall effectiveness is satisfactory and it gives sound value for money.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What the school does well • Pupils have good attitudes to school. They are enthusiastic and keen to learn. • Pupils behave very well in lessons and around the school. • Teaching is good throughout the school. • Staff know their pupils well and provide good quality care and support. • The arrangements for supporting pupils’ personal development are good. They promote very good relationships and a sense of community throughout the school. • The school provides well for pupils with special educational needs. • The school has a very effective partnership with parents.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What could be improved • The use of assessment information in some subjects to ensure that pupils’ skills and knowledge build consistently on prior learning. • The role of subject co-ordinators. • Procedures to monitor teaching and its impact on pupils’ learning. • Pupils’ knowledge and understanding of what they need to improve. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school has made sound progress since the last inspection in June 1996. It has made progress on all the key issues, although some aspects have been less effectively developed. It has improved curriculum planning and assessment procedures, especially in literacy and numeracy. It has developed schemes of work for all subjects, although monitoring and evaluation procedures have not improved sufficiently to ensure that pupils make consistently good progress in all subjects. The improved school development plan gives a clearer direction to the work of the school. Pupils have maintained average standards, although there has been some variation due to differences in the range of ability in the small year groups. There have been good improvements in the building, which have enhanced the range of learning opportunities, particularly for children in the reception class. The school has maintained pupils’ attitudes

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

and behaviour and the quality of teaching at the good standard reported previously. Kirk Langley C of E Primary School

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STANDARDS

As the number of Year 6 pupils taking the national tests in 2001 was less than 20, no table of results is published. Results vary from year to year due to differences in pupils’ ability in the small numbers taking the tests. The results of the national tests for Year 6 pupils over the last four years show an improving trend in line with the national trend. Standards in English have improved from well below average to average levels. The school achieved its challenging targets in 2001 of 86 per cent of pupils attaining Level 4 or above in English and in mathematics. The school has used additional literacy and numeracy activities effectively to support individual pupils. It is likely to be close to achieving its 2002 targets of 69 per cent in English and 77 per cent in mathematics, although accurate target setting is difficult with small numbers of pupils taking the tests.

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STANDARDS

Inspection evidence shows most children enter the reception class with average levels of attainment. They make good progress and all are likely to achieve their early learning goals by the time they enter Year 1. Some more able children are likely to exceed some of their goals, especially in personal, social and emotional development. Pupils attain standards at the end of Year 2 that are in line with the national average in English, mathematics and science. Year 6 pupils attain average standards in English and mathematics. The school has implemented its literacy and numeracy strategies successfully and they are improving pupils’ skills. Year 6 pupils attain standards in science that are just below average. The current small group of Year 6 pupils has a higher proportion of pupils with special educational needs than in previous years. The school has not developed its science scheme of work fully, together with assessment

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STANDARDS

procedures, to ensure that pupils’ skills and knowledge build consistently on prior learning. Infant pupils make good progress overall in their learning. They maintain this in Years 3 and 4, supported by good teaching. Years 5 and 6 pupils make sound progress overall. However, progress has been good in the second half of the school year, as teachers’ expectations were consistently higher than previously. Pupils attain nationally expected standards in other subjects. Standards have been maintained overall since the last inspection. They have improved in information and communication technology and design and technology. Pupils with special educational needs receive good quality support from teaching and support staff. This enables them to be included fully in learning activities and to make good progress.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Attitudes to the school Pupils’ attitudes are good. They enjoy school and show interest and enthusiasm towards their learning. They take pride in what they achieve.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Behaviour is very good. Pupils are polite and courteous and have a good understanding of the impact that their actions can have on others.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Personal development and relationships Relationships between all members of the school community are very good. Pupils demonstrate respect for the feelings and beliefs of others and have well-developed social and moral values.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Attendance Attendance is satisfactory and in line with the national average. Pupils arrive in good time for the start of the school day.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

The high standards of behaviour and pupils’ positive attitudes are strengths of the school and support pupils’ learning. The very good relationships contribute to pupils’ enjoyment of school. Kirk Langley C of E Primary School

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

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

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

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

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

Teaching is good throughout the school. It was good in 15 of the 23 lessons observed. It was very good in a further two lessons. There was no unsatisfactory teaching observed during the inspection. An analysis of the work of Years 5 and 6 pupils shows that teaching was sound overall in the first term of this school year. Teachers did not have consistently high enough expectations of the amount and quality of pupils’ work. This led to considerable variation in the standards achieved. Teaching has been consistently good since then and pupils are attaining higher standards. Teaching is good in English and mathematics. Teachers develop pupils’ literacy and numeracy skills effectively. They extend these skills further by requiring pupils to use them to support work in a broad range of other subjects, for example history, geography and science. Teaching is good in information and communication technology where teachers’

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

good subject knowledge develops pupils’ skills successfully.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

The quality and range of the curriculum Satisfactory for the Foundation Stage and for infants and juniors. A good programme of extra-curricular activities enhances the range of activities. Curriculum planning has improved, although pupils’ skills and knowledge in some subjects, for example science and geography, do not always build on prior learning.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Good. The school makes good use of learning support teachers and support staff to provide good help and guidance to pupils. This enables them to make good progress towards their learning targets.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development The school makes good overall provision for the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of its pupils. The school provides very good opportunities for pupils to develop a strong moral code, and good guidance for their social development. Spiritual and cultural guidance is satisfactory. How well the school cares for its pupils The support and guidance provided for pupils are very good. In such a small school teachers and support staff are able to get to know and understand their pupils very well. The procedures for monitoring pupils’ personal development and academic performance are good.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

How well the school works in partnership with parents The school has very good links with parents. They work closely with the teachers to support their children’s learning. Many help in school regularly and contribute well to improving pupils’ skills.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

The school’s caring approach and its very good partnership with parents and the community are important factors in encouraging pupils’ positive approach. An active and supportive friends’ association helps the school to improve resources and facilities for pupils’ learning. Kirk Langley C of E Primary School

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff Sound overall. The headteacher provides good leadership in creating a caring, harmonious school community and maintaining high standards of behaviour and enthusiastic attitudes. Opportunities for staff with subject responsibilities to contribute fully to managing their subjects are not developed fully.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Governors work closely with the headteacher and staff to support the school and fulfil their duties and responsibilities. They monitor and evaluate the school’s performance soundly, although some aspects are not developed enough to focus strongly on school improvement.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The school’s evaluation of its performance Sound overall. The headteacher uses an increasing range of assessment information to track pupils’ attainment. The school has developed some procedures to evaluate teaching and its impact on pupils’ learning, but they are not sufficiently rigorous.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The strategic use of resources Good. The governors work closely with the headteacher to ensure that the school uses funds efficiently and targets them on development priorities. They monitor spending levels closely and apply the principles of best value effectively.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The number, experience and expertise of teaching and support staff enable class sizes to be small and the curriculum to be taught competently. Learning resources are good and have improved since the last inspection, for example in information and communication technology and library provision. Some of the outdoor resources for children in the Foundation Stage are insufficient. The accommodation has been significantly improved recently to enhance the range of learning opportunities, particularly for younger pupils.

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved • Children are happy to come to school. • Very pleased with the standards achieved. • Behaviour is good and children are taught good manners. • Staff are very approachable and because it is a small school they are quick to respond to any problems. • Relationships between home and school are very positive. • Children are well prepared for secondary school. • Some felt that they would like more information on the progress their child was making.

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

These are parental responses from 36 returned questionnaires (58 per cent) and from the 11 parents who attended the pre-inspection meeting. Inspectors agree with the positive views expressed by parents. Inspectors judge that the quality of information provided for parents, particularly in relation to pupils’ progress, is good overall. However, the amount and detail of information provided in some of the annual progress reports are not enough to give a clear understanding on the attainment of individual pupils in each subject. Kirk Langley C of E Primary School

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

1. Children enter the reception class with varied levels of skills and knowledge. The school assesses their ability on entry. Results show that attainment varies from year to year due to the small numbers of children. It is broadly average overall. Teaching and support staff form an effective team and have very good relationships with the children. They provide good support and encourage children’s active involvement in all the expected areas of learning. Good teaching helps children to achieve their early learning goals 1 in all six areas of learning by the time they start Year 1. The good use of teacher-guided activities helps children to develop their basic skills well, especially in communication, language and literacy and mathematical development. Staff do not always provide enough opportunities for children to initiate activities or make their own choice from a range of different learning

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

2. Pupils attain average standards in English, mathematics and science at the end of Year 2. They are above average in reading. The school has maintained standards at the level reported in the last inspection. The results of the national tests for Year 2 pupils vary considerably due to the range of ability in the small numbers of pupils taking the tests. The trend in these results shows that pupils attained average standards overall over the last three years in reading and writing compared nationally and with similar schools. They attained below average standards in mathematics. Inspection findings reflect these average results in writing. Standards have improved on the test results in reading and mathematics. The 2001 teachers’ assessments in science showed that pupils attained standards at the end of Year 2 that were below the national average. Inspection evidence shows that standards are improving.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

3. Pupils attain average standards in English and mathematics by the end of Year 6. These are similar to those reported previously. Pupils attain just below average standards in science by the end of Year 6. These are below those reported in the last inspection. Inspection evidence reflects the average standards overall that the small groups of Year 6 pupils have attained in national tests in the last three years in English and mathematics compared with schools nationally and with similar schools. Test results show an improving trend, particularly in English where they have improved from well below average to average levels. The school achieved its challenging target of 86 per cent of pupils attaining Level 4 or above in English and in mathematics. The school has implemented its strategies for literacy and numeracy successfully. These strategies, together with good teaching and the school’s effective use of such initiatives as ‘Bradford Reading’ and

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

‘Springboard Numeracy’, are helping pupils to improve their reading, writing and number skills. The school is likely to be close to achieving its 2002 targets of 69 per cent in English and 77 per cent in mathematics. Although test results show boys achieving better than girls, inspection evidence found they achieved equally well. Standards in science are improving throughout the school. They reflect the average standards attained in national test results for Year 6 pupils over the last three years. Standards attained by the current Year 6 are limited by a higher than usual proportion of pupils with special educational needs. Good teaching, supported by an improved scheme of work, is improving pupils’ scientific skills and knowledge. The school does not ensure that teaching always builds consistently on prior learning to ensure sound progress, especially for more able pupils.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

1 Early learning goals are expectations for most children to reach by the end of the Foundation Stage. They refer to achievements children make in six areas of learning; communication, language and literacy; mathematical development; personal, social and emotional development; knowledge and understanding of the world; physical and creative development. Kirk Langley C of E Primary School 4. Pupils attain nationally expected standards by the end of Year 2 and Year 6 in all other subjects. Standards have improved in information and communication technology resulting mainly from improved resources and good specialist teaching. Standards have improved in design and technology as teachers use national guidance effectively and extend pupils’ skills in a good range of other subjects. The school has maintained standards since the last inspection in other subjects. Pupils develop and apply their skills

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

and knowledge soundly in lessons, for example in music and history. However, they do not always build on prior learning and this limits the progress made and standards attained. Infant pupils make good progress overall and achieve well. Good teaching, especially in literacy and numeracy, enhanced by pupils’ consistently positive attitudes, promote good learning. Younger junior pupils continue to extend and apply their skills well in literacy and numeracy. They make good progress overall. The progress made by older junior pupils has improved and it is now good. They are achieving considerably better standards than those achieved earlier in the year. Teachers have consistently higher expectations and have improved pupils’ attitudes and concentration, reflecting some of the parents’ comments.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

5. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress. Teachers plan learning activities to match these pupils’ needs and to enable them to be fully included in class lessons. The school makes good use of the expertise of learning support teachers and very effective support assistants to enable pupils to focus closely on their learning targets. It has established a good programme to provide early support once it has identified an individual pupil’s needs. It uses pupils’ targets well to provide a clear focus to learning, especially in small group and individual support activities. The targets are not always reflected in class lessons to ensure pupils maintain their good progress. Teachers use the good resources for literacy and numeracy to challenge more able pupils to extend their skills and knowledge, for example in reading and in using ‘challenge’ activities in mathematics. However, more able pupils do not always get enough challenge in some

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

other subjects, for example extending their investigation skills in science.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

6. Pupils’ attitudes to school are good. They enjoy school and demonstrate interest and enthusiasm towards their learning. They take pride in their work and are keen to share their achievements with others. Parents who attended the pre-inspection meeting and returned questionnaires confirmed that their children enjoy school, are well behaved, and have positive attitudes towards their learning. They also felt that the school encouraged pupils to develop good social and moral values and prepared them well for the next phase in their education.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

7. Children entering the reception class settle quickly into school routines. They respond well to the example set by older pupils in the same class with regard to the basic disciplines of holding up their hands to answer a question, waiting patiently for their turn and developing good listening skills. A very good example was observed in a physical education lesson on ball control, where children in the reception class worked alongside Years 1 and 2 pupils. They were fully included in all the activities and made a good contribution to the lesson.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

8. Pupils in Years 1 and 2 work hard and demonstrate the ability to concentrate on complex tasks and co-operate well with each other. Very good examples of sustained concentration and co-operative working took place during small group information and communication technology sessions. Pupils were very focused and supported each other while they tackled very challenging tasks. In a science lesson on the life cycle of animals, Year 2 pupils worked hard to complete a set task before the end of the lesson. Kirk Langley C of E Primary School 9. In the Years 3 and 4 class, pupils from both years co-operate well together and demonstrate high levels of interest in their work. In geography lesson, for example, pupils showed good interest and motivation when, on examining a large-scale map, they were able to identify specific features of the landscape that they could remember from an earlier field trip. As pupils progress through the school their enthusiasm and interest for their

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

learning continue to develop. In the Years 5 and 6 class there were some very good examples of high levels of commitment and interest. In a science lesson on habitats, pupils listened attentively and were keen to participate and respond to questions.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

10. Behaviour in lessons and around the school is very good. Pupils are polite and courteous to each other and towards adults. They have a good understanding of the impact that their actions can have on others. Staff treat pupils with respect and consideration. This is reflected in the confidence and trust that pupils have in their relationships with others. Relationships between all members of the school community are very good. Pupils demonstrate respect for the feelings and beliefs of others and have well-developed social and moral values. There were no incidents of bullying or harassment during the inspection. During discussion with inspectors pupils confirmed that they have the confidence to report any unacceptable behaviour with the conviction that the school will deal with it appropriately.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

11. Both girls and boys, those who have been identified as having special educational needs, are fully included in the life and work of the school. The way in which pupils work together and support each other in mixed year groups is a good example of the educational inclusion of pupils with diverse needs and different levels of attainment. No pupils have been excluded from the school during the last 12 months.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

12. The school provides some opportunities that enable pupils to develop the ability to show initiative and take responsibility, either for their learning or the day-to-day operation of school routines. Pupils respond well to these opportunities, such as being class monitors to assist with the preparation and cleaning up before and after lessons, or, in the case of older pupils, helping new children settle into school. However, staffing difficulties in the first term mean that current Year 6 pupils do not get the usual range of opportunities to develop their ability to act independently or to contribute to the organisation of areas like the school library. Pupils do not have enough opportunities to make choices or contribute to school policy and development of its environment.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

13. Attendance is satisfactory and in line with the national average. Pupils arrive in good time for the start of the school day. The good learning attitudes and behaviour have been maintained since the last inspection. This makes a positive contribution towards the achievement of pupils. When they leave the school pupils have well-developed social and moral values that will guide them well in their future education.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

14. Teaching is good. It is good for children in the Foundation Stage and for infant and junior pupils. It has been maintained at the good standard reported in the previous inspection and confirms parents’ positive views about teaching quality. Teaching was good in 15 out of the 23 lessons observed during the inspection. It was very good in two lessons and sound in a further six lessons. There was no unsatisfactory teaching. An analysis of pupils’ work in Years 5 and 6 pupils shows that teaching was sound overall early in the school year, although there was some evidence of unsatisfactory teaching. Teachers did not always have high enough expectations of pupils’ work, especially in the amount and standards achieved. This did not ensure that Years 5 and 6 pupils made consistent progress in their learning. This has improved and pupils make good progress throughout the school, particularly in literacy and numeracy.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

Kirk Langley C of E Primary School 15. Teaching is good in English and mathematics. Teachers use the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies effectively to give a clear focus to pupils’ learning. They extend pupils’ skills further by requiring them to use these skills to support work in a broad range of other subjects, for example history, geography and science. Teaching is good in science, physical education, history and geography. Teachers develop pupils’ skills and knowledge successfully in lessons, although their skills are not always built on prior learning. Teaching in religious education and information and communication technology is good, supported by teachers’ good subject knowledge. It is sound in art and design and music.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

16. Teaching in the Foundation Stage is good. This is especially so in teacher-guided activities, where expertise with teaching reading, writing and mathematics builds successfully upon children’s previous experiences and understanding. Relationships are very good, with teaching and support staff working well together to encourage children to work confidently and to ‘have a go’ with new experiences. Teachers have yet to establish fully the range of learning activities that children initiate themselves and to link this to their planning and ongoing assessment.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

17. Teachers have very good relationships with their classes. They know and manage pupils very successfully. Most teachers use interesting methods to inspire pupils and gain their attention. They encourage pupils to sustain their interest and concentration. Pupils respond positively and are keen to succeed. For example, in a practical science investigation into the habitats of different creatures and in an art and design lesson linked to a local visit, the teachers stimulated pupils’ enthusiasm to learn. They were excited and interested in what they were trying to do. With good class management, teachers successfully focused pupils’ enthusiasm into ensuring that they achieved their learning objective for the lesson. Teachers have good subject knowledge, for example in information and communication technology and English. They use it very effectively to improve the quality of pupils’ work, for example in extending their understanding of similes

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

and metaphors and in searching a database.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

18. Teachers plan their lessons in detail throughout the school. They share their lesson objectives with their pupils so that they know what they are trying to achieve. This gives a good focus to each lesson and enables teachers to assess and monitor pupils’ progress towards these objectives. Teachers identify clear objectives in literacy and numeracy for the different ages and abilities in mixed-age classes. For example, in a numeracy session, the teacher had identified separate Years 3 and 4 objectives for the mental mathematical activities as well as the group work. This gives a clear structure to the lesson. It enabled the teacher to use questions well to focus, during the end of lesson feedback activity, on how successful pupils had been in meeting these objectives. Teachers consistently use these learning objectives to give clear focus to their teaching. They do not always ensure that different objectives are matched closely to the range of abilities in subjects other than

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

literacy and numeracy. For example, in an art and design lesson, the teacher used the learning objective to focus closely on investigating the qualities of different materials and using them imaginatively in collage work. She gave clear direction to enable pupils to develop their knowledge successfully, although did not enable the older or more able pupils to evaluate and extend their own artistic ideas fully.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

19. Where teachers use questions well to challenge pupils to extend their answers, this promotes higher standards. For example, in a Years 1 and 2 science lesson, the teacher asked a Year 2 pupil to look again at her description of the life cycle of a cat. She questioned the pupil on the detail of her initial answer and encouraged her to look again at her information. This enabled further key features to be identified, for example that the kitten cannot see immediately after being born. However, an analysis of pupils’ work shows that teachers do not always enable pupils to know what they need to do to improve their work. Most mark conscientiously and give praise and encouragement through verbal Kirk Langley C of E Primary School and written comments. Some use questions or prompts, for example ‘You could use …’, to identify ways to raise standards, although there was no evidence of these being acted

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

upon by pupils. Teachers do not consistently challenge pupils to evaluate their work and help them to become aware of what specific aspects they need to improve.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

20. Teaching for pupils with special educational needs is good. Teachers plan guided group work and independent work carefully in literacy and numeracy to meet pupils’ special educational needs. Teachers work closely with support staff to give effective individual and group support. This enables pupils with special educational needs to be included fully, especially in small group activities. They benefit from good individual guidance to help them to extend their skills and knowledge, for example when applying addition and subtraction strategies to larger numbers. The teaching in other subjects varies with the availability of support and how closely teachers match the activities to the full range of needs within the class.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

21. Teachers are making increasing use of pupils’ improving skills in information and communication technology to support work in other subjects. They work closely with the specialist support teacher to help pupils to apply and extend the key skills, which they have been taught. The support teacher improves pupils’ knowledge and understanding of how to use different sources of information, for example the Internet. The class teacher then requires pupils to use these skills to improve their work in science and history. Teachers use homework well to enhance pupils’ knowledge, especially in literacy and numeracy. This confirmed the views of most parents – 94 per cent of the parents’ questionnaires felt that the school gives the right amount of homework.

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PUPILS?

22. The school provides a satisfactory, broadly balanced and relevant curriculum. The school teaches all subjects of the National Curriculum along with religious education, where it follows the locally agreed syllabus.

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PUPILS?

23. Since the previous inspection, the school has responded fully to the key issues related to the curriculum. All subjects have policies and schemes of work, which teachers use in a more consistent way to guide their planning. Medium and short-term planning is more detailed, particularly in numeracy and literacy, where there is a clearer focus on what is to be taught and learned in class lessons and in independent group work. Although space is still limited, accommodation has been extended and improved. The new library has enhanced curriculum opportunities and provides space as a learning resource.

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PUPILS?

24. In science and creative subjects, such as art, drama and music, some aspects of the curriculum are not consistently developed. Teachers provide too few opportunities in science, especially for more able pupils, for personal scientific enquiry and the chance to explore ideas and draw conclusions. There are also some gaps in planning for creative and aesthetic experiences in the curriculum in the upper juniors. This is because the school has focused on improving standards and behaviour in Years 5 and 6 during an unsettled time in the early part of the year.

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PUPILS?

25. In subjects, such as science, art, geography and music, the school has developed new policies and schemes of work, which follow national subject guidelines. Long-term planning for these subjects is linked either to a two-year or four-year rolling programme, enabling the requirements of mixed-year classes to be met. However, pupils’ progress is not always clear, because knowledge and skills are not built upon and developed in a progressive way year on year. Kirk Langley C of E Primary School 26. Subject co-ordinators, in general, have a sound overview of curriculum coverage and planning, but have yet to play a full role in monitoring and evaluating the quality of teaching and learning in their subject. This does not ensure there are no gaps in learning and that pupils always make the best possible progress.

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PUPILS?

27. The school has worked hard to establish effective strategies for teaching the basic skills in literacy and numeracy. It has also introduced a range of initiatives, such as additional and early literacy lessons and ‘Better Reading’. These are successful in providing a boost for pupils achieving ‘nearly average’ levels with their basic skills. Pupils are withdrawn from lessons for this work, in small groups outside the classroom. Much of this extra support is relevant and enables pupils to make good progress with their learning. Nevertheless, pupils can miss out on the work going on in the classroom and so this system and its use of curriculum time need more careful monitoring.

p.15

PUPILS?

28. Planning in the Foundation Stage reflects the early learning goals and provides an appropriate range of experiences for younger children. The good staff team successfully manages the areas of experience for children in reception year, within a group of Year 1 and Year 2 pupils. By the end of reception year, children capable of doing so, work within the National Curriculum. As yet, planning for what is to be taught and learned, when children make choices from the range of learning activities, is not clear enough.

p.15

PUPILS?

29. The provision for pupils with statements for their special educational needs is good. They have regular support in class lessons and make good progress with their learning, particularly those with statements of educational need. The school makes good use of the specialist support and guidance from the local education authority’s support services. Effective support for pupils with emotional and behavioural difficulties is resulting in pupils’ improved behaviour and attitudes towards their work. The school provides good additional support in small groups for pupils with weaknesses in literacy and numeracy.

p.15

PUPILS?

30. The school encourages all groups to work in harmony and participate fully in school life. The number of boys and girls varies in the small classes within school, but boys and girls are just as keen to contribute in lessons. New reading resources, chosen with boys in mind, are motivating less confident and competent readers. The school has not identified any gifted and talented pupils. Those already achieving at the higher levels are not challenged consistently to maintain above expected standards.

p.15

PUPILS?

31. There is very good provision for a wide range of out of school activities, visits and visitors to school. The local environment provides a richness for learning. Pupils act as National Trust Guardians and make visits to Chatsworth House and Kedleston Hall to enhance learning in history, science and literacy. They take part in out-of-school activities, such as sports, chess and athletics clubs. Visits to Derby Cathedral and a Hindu temple also widen pupils’ experiences and provide good scope for learning about other ways of life.

p.15

PUPILS?

32. The school makes appropriate provision for pupils’ physical, health and social development through specific weekly lessons and through the science curriculum. It has a programme including healthy living, sex education, drugs misuse and citizenship. Circle time provides the opportunity for pupils to reflect and to discuss important issues and events.

p.15

PUPILS?

33. The school’s links with the community are good. There are strong links with the ‘Small School Foundation’, which provides a shared sense of purpose. In a similar way the church and school have a good partnership, with pupils sharing important Christian festivals and showing an interest in the local community. Pupils are encouraged to become involved with charities, such as the National Trust and Children in Need. They learn about the wider community through visits from speakers from local industries, who enhance learning in design and food technology. Kirk Langley C of E Primary School 34. Relations with partner institutions are also good. Transition arrangements with the main high schools are well established and teachers’ links with ‘Beacon schools’ provide different and new perspectives on teaching and learning. The school welcomes students from the local college and university and offers good opportunities to support their training.

p.15

PUPILS?

35. The school’s arrangements for promoting pupils’ personal development are good overall. It provides satisfactorily for the spiritual development of its pupils. It develops spiritual awareness through assemblies, religious education, services at the village Anglican Church and opportunities to reflect on human feelings and emotions. There are insufficient opportunities for pupils to develop independent enquiry skills and take more responsibility for their own learning. This does not enable them to explore, in greater depth, the spiritual dimension of the curriculum by considering their responses and feelings and begin to understand what animates themselves and others.

p.16

PUPILS?

36. The school provides very well for the moral development of its pupils. There is a clear moral code that is promoted consistently through all aspects of school life. The school fosters values through the supportive and caring relationships that exist between staff and pupils. In school assemblies, and in many areas of the curriculum, teachers take opportunities to reinforce the differences between right and wrong and to emphasise the importance of truth and fairness.

p.16

PUPILS?

37. The school provides well for the social development of its pupils. They are taught to work successfully as a member of a team and to show respect for other people and their property. Pupils learn to relate well to others and to develop their own social skills and personal qualities. There are insufficient opportunities provided for pupils to exercise leadership and take independent responsibility for their actions and learning.

p.16

PUPILS?

38. The provision for the cultural development of pupils is satisfactory. There are good opportunities for pupils to explore the values and traditions of their own culture through music, literature and visits to places of historic and cultural interest, for example Chatsworth House. However, there are limited opportunities, apart from the study of other world religions, for pupils to consider the values and traditions of the diversity of cultures that exist in our modern society. This does not ensure that they are adequately prepared for life in a multi-cultural society.

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

39. The support and guidance provided for pupils are very good. In such a small school teachers and support staff get to know and understand their pupils very well. The school actively promotes equality of opportunity. This ensures that all pupils, irrespective of ability, gender or ethnicity, receive appropriate personal support, care and guidance. The procedures for monitoring pupils’ personal development and academic performance are good. Parents, who attended the pre-inspection meeting and returned questionnaires, felt that the school knew their children well. It provided good standards of care, which helped them to develop into mature individuals with good social and moral values.

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

40. Health and safety procedures are rigorous and include good arrangements for the provision of first aid. Personal hygiene practice in the school is good with hand washing after practical activities, before lunch and after visiting the toilet, an established part of normal school routines. The headteacher is the designated child protection officer. Child protection procedures are effective. All members of staff are alert to the needs of pupils and aware of the guidelines for dealing with any sensitive issues. The school maintains close links with social services and other relevant outside agencies. Kirk Langley C of E Primary School 41. The policies and procedures for promoting and monitoring standards of behaviour are good. The implementation of behaviour and discipline policies is consistent throughout the school. Incidents of unacceptable behaviour, such as bullying, are dealt with promptly and

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

in an effective and sensitive way. The procedures for promoting and monitoring attendance are good. There are no routine visits from the education welfare service and it is for the school to initiate contact when there is a need.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

42. The school uses optional national tests for each year group to support the results of the national tests for pupils at the end of Year 2 and Year 6. The school uses these ongoing assessment procedures effectively to track individual pupils in mixed-age classes. The clarity of information helps with predictions of future achievement. It also helps teachers to identify strengths and weaknesses, although this information is not used consistently, for example in science.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

43. Teachers assess what children know and can do when they start school. Through ongoing assessment in lessons, teachers build up clear pictures of the children as learners. Whilst the early learning goals are used to assess achievement, teachers make less use of the more detailed ‘stepping stones 2 ’, as a progressive path to guide learning.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

44. The careful monitoring and assessment of work in Year 5 and Year 6 has helped the school to set relevant short term targets for pupils. This has checked falling standards from earlier in the year and improved pupils’ progress. However, the school has not developed assessment procedures consistently to evaluate how well pupils are achieving and identify what they need to improve. In contrast, the school’s assessment and provision for pupils with special educational needs are good.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

45. Assessment procedures in other subjects, such as history and art, are at the early stages. Planning is linked to national guidelines in these subjects, although assessment procedures are not built consistently into units of work to assess pupils’ skills and knowledge. Teachers’ everyday assessments of what pupils have learned are not always helping to guide the next step in lessons, especially in some subjects such as history and geography.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

46. Parents have positive views about the school. Those who attended the pre-inspection meeting and returned questionnaires confirmed that their children are happy to come to school and were very pleased with the standards that they achieved. They considered that behaviour is good and that their children are taught good manners. They felt that the relationships between home and school were very positive and that staff were very approachable and, because it is a small school, quick to respond to any problems. Overall, they believe their children are well prepared for secondary school. The inspectors agree with these positive views.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

47. A minority of parents felt that they would like more information on the progress their children were making. The inspectors judge that the quality of information provided for parents, particularly in relation to pupils’ progress, is good overall. However, the amount and detail of information provided in some of the annual progress reports are not enough to give a clear understanding on the attainment of individual pupils in each subject.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

48. Overall, the effectiveness of the school’s links with parents is very good. The school works hard to maintain a close working partnership with them. The home-school agreement clearly defines the expectations arising from the relationship between school, parent and pupil. Parents work very closely with the school and support the well-established

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

2 Stepping stones are more detailed stages in children’s development in the six areas of learning in the Foundation Stage. Kirk Langley C of E Primary School homework programme. A significant number of parents help in school on a regular basis; for example, one parent manages the school library and another has been formally trained for teaching the ‘Push on Writing’ programme. Several parents participate in the ‘Better Reading Partnership’ and come into school regularly to hear individual readers.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

49. There is a very good induction programme for new parents when their children start in the reception class. The school provides good information on the content of the curriculum, particularly in relation to literacy and numeracy. There is very good daily contact between teachers and parents. In addition there are regular ‘open evenings’ and more formal consultation opportunities, by appointment, when teachers review the progress and attainment of individual pupils. The school keeps parents of pupils with special educational needs well informed about their progress towards their learning targets. Teachers take prompt action to identify needs and involve parents effectively in reviewing their children’s progress.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

50. The annual progress reports meet statutory requirements. The general section of the report does provide an overview of progress, with some targets for future development, and a brief pupil self-assessment statement. However, the subject summary paragraphs do not provide enough information on what each individual pupil has achieved and what they know and understand about the subject.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

51. The ‘Friends of Kirk Langley School’ is a very active association that organises many social and fund raising events that involve both parents and the wider community. The association has been very successful in raising funds for the school. It provides much practical support, for example decorating and equipping the new school library for which the association earned a special millennium award. Overall, the partnership between the school and parents has been well maintained since the last inspection and the contribution that parents make to their children’s learning, both at school and at home, is very good.

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

52. The school is soundly led and managed overall. The headteacher works closely with the staff, governing body and parents to establish a strong shared commitment to enable pupils to succeed. She continues to provide clear direction, as reported previously, in creating a caring, supportive and harmonious school community. She gives good leadership in maintaining high standards in pupils’ behaviour and their positive attitudes towards each other and their learning. These are significant factors in encouraging pupils to achieve well. Parents value the good leadership of the headteacher. She has been particularly influential in working with the governing body to improve aspects of the building and the opportunities for learning, for example the Foundation Stage and the library. The staff share a clear mission statement, outlined clearly in the school ‘s information booklet for parents. They work well to ensure that it reflects in the school’s work, particularly in

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

relation to a happy, caring, family atmosphere and pupils’ personal development.

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

53. The headteacher, supported by the adviser from the local education authority, has monitored and evaluated some teaching. She has taken effective action to improve its quality, for example the consistency of teaching in Years 5 and 6. However, the school has not provided enough opportunities for staff, especially those with subject responsibilities, to work together to formally monitor and evaluate teaching. Although informal communications are good, subject co-ordinators do not evaluate teaching rigorously and its impact on pupils’ learning in classes other than their own. The headteacher’s teaching commitment and the governors’ decision to use funds from the budget to maintain small classes restrict the time she has closely to monitor and evaluate teaching and learning. The headteacher is using an increasing range of assessment information to track standards of attainment. This is being used to identify areas for

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

improvement and to inform planning in literacy and numeracy. The school is not using this Kirk Langley C of E Primary School information consistently to inform individual pupils about what they need to focus on to raise standards of attainment.

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

54. The school has made sound progress overall since the last inspection. It has made good progress on improving curriculum planning and developing schemes of work. It has used the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies effectively to ensure that pupils’ skills and knowledge develop consistently. It has used national subject guidance to improve the schemes of work in other subjects. It has not developed assessment procedures fully in other subjects to ensure that pupils always build their skills and knowledge on prior learning. School development planning has improved. There are good action plans for literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology. The school has identified other priorities and has linked them closely to funds. This is giving a clearer direction to the work of the school. It is not closely linked to the evaluation of assessment information to ensure that the action plans are targeted on areas of weakness. This does

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

not ensure that teaching and learning are rigorously focused on improving standards. The school has improved aspects of the accommodation, especially for the Foundation Stage. The limited space and range of facilities restrict the development of some practical activities, although the staff work hard to get round these difficulties. Standards of teaching and pupils’ attitudes and behaviour remain good. Pupils’ attainment overall has been maintained at an average level.

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

55. The role and contribution of the governing body have improved since the last inspection. Governors continue to work closely with the school. They have established an effective committee structure to fulfil the range of governors’ duties and responsibilities well. Governors have been particularly supportive of the school during recent building improvements. They are kept well informed by detailed reports from the headteacher and the adviser from the local education authority. They have a sound understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for development. Some governors visit school to observe lessons and report back to other governors. However, this programme of visits is not developed enough nor closely linked to development priorities to contribute sufficiently to school improvement.

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

56. The management of the provision for pupils with special educational needs is good. The headteacher, in her role as co-ordinator, enables pupils to be assessed quickly to identify specific needs. She maintains good contact with support agencies from the local education authority to provide very good quality, specialist guidance. The school has used its funding successfully to target pupils’ needs and to monitor their progress. The monitoring of some of the groups withdrawn for extra literacy and numeracy support is not rigorous enough to evaluate its impact fully.

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

57. The school has established sound procedures to ensure that finances are monitored and targeted on development priorities. They use their specific funds, for example Standards Fund and Small School Funds, to provide additional support for pupils’ learning and some specialist teaching in information and communication technology. The governors enhance these funds from the overall school budget to maintain small class sizes. These contribute to raising standards, although the school does not rigorously evaluate their impact on pupils’ learning or on staff development. Governors have a good understanding of financial aspects and apply the principles of best value to good effect. The school benefits from significant funds raised by the friends association. It uses them well to enhance learning opportunities for pupils, for example by improving the accommodation. The school makes sound use of new technology to support learning and to ensure efficient

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

58. There are sufficient and appropriately qualified teachers to ensure that the National Curriculum and religious education syllabus are effectively taught and that class sizes are not too large. Support staff, including the midday supervisors, are experienced and Kirk Langley C of E Primary School appropriately trained and qualified. There are good procedures for supporting newly qualified teachers, although there are none in the school at the present time, and for assisting teachers who are new to the school. The school provides places for trainee teachers and work experience opportunities for pupils from local secondary schools.

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

59. The performance management procedures are satisfactory, but the annual appraisal process does not currently include the regular monitoring of teaching practice across the school. There are good professional development opportunities for all staff. Everyone has received training on the use of computers to support the use of information and communication technology across the curriculum. There are clearly defined training needs, which include courses for all teachers on the use of assessment management software in the autumn term.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

60. The standard and quality of accommodation for the number of pupils are satisfactory. The largest classroom is used for assemblies and indoor physical education, which requires careful planning and organisation. However, the available space is well managed and supports the full teaching of the National Curriculum. Lunch is also served in the largest classroom, but there are other classrooms where pupils can eat their meals. There is no dedicated outdoor play and recreational area for children in the reception class. The hard surfaced play areas are zoned to ensure that ball games and other activity-based pursuits are kept separate from the quiet areas. Overall, with the addition of a new classroom, library and learning resource area, accommodation has much improved since the last inspection.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

61. The interior of the building is cleaned and maintained to a satisfactory standard. However, the largest classroom, located in the oldest part of the original school building, is in need of some refurbishment and redecoration. Classroom displays promote interest in the curriculum and celebrate pupils’ achievements, but only a very small part of the display area is used to promote spiritual and cultural awareness. Externally the buildings are well maintained. There is adequate hard surfaced area for outdoor physical education and recreational use. The only grassed area currently available for athletics and other sporting activities is a local public park some five minutes walking distance from the school. A field adjacent to the school has been acquired for development as a future sports and athletics facility.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

62. The school provides good learning resources that fully support teaching of the National Curriculum. The library stock provides good support for the wider curriculum and literacy programmes. There are sufficient computers to ensure that all pupils have good access. Although the school lacks a central storage facility, learning resources are generally accessible. A weakness in the provision of learning resources is the small number of wheeled toys and climbing equipment for children in reception class. These resources are shared between several local schools and are only available for one term in every three. This is an unsatisfactory provision for the development of children’s motor skills and to provide the experience of outdoor activities recommended by the Foundation Stage curriculum. Kirk Langley C of E Primary School

p.20

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

63. In order to continue to raise pupils’ attainment and the quality of education, the governors, headteacher and staff should:

p.21

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(1) improve teachers’ use of assessment information by: • extending the good procedures used in English and mathematics to other subjects; • ensuring that pupils’ skills and knowledge build consistently on prior learning; (paragraphs 3- 4, 15, 25, 42, 44-45, 106, 112-113, 125 and 130)

p.21

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(2) extend the role of subject co-ordinators to improve their knowledge of how their subjects are taught and the standards achieved; (paragraphs 26, 53, 97, 112, 119, 124, 130, 134 and 150)

p.21

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(3) extend the procedures to monitor and evaluate teaching, planning and standards attained by pupils to recognise strengths and identify areas for improvement; (paragraphs 26, 53, 55, 59 and 105)

p.21

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(4) improve pupils’ knowledge and understanding of what they need to improve in order to raise the standards of their work. (paragraphs 19, 44, 53 and 125) Kirk Langley C of E Primary School

p.21

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 19

p.22

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very poor

p.22

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Percentage 0 9 65 26 0 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 more than four percentage points.

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 62

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 4

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 2

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 12

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 0

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 0

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 5

p.22

Attendance

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. Kirk Langley C of E Primary School

p.22

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 5 7 12

p.23

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

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

p.23

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

Percentage of pupils School 100 (91) 100 (91) 75 (73) at NC Level 2 or above National 84 (83) 86 (84) 91 (90)

p.23

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

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.23

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

Percentage of pupils School 92 (91) 75 (73) 75 (55) at NC Level 2 or above National 85 (84) 89 (88) 89 (88)

p.23

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

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. As the school has fewer than 11 boys or girls in the year group, the table omits totals for boys and girls.

p.23

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 4 3 7

p.23

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

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

p.23

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

Percentage of pupils School 86 (80) 86 (60) 86 (80) at NC Level 4 or above National 75 (75) 71 (72) 87 (85)

p.23

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

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.23

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

Percentage of pupils School 57 (60) 71 (60) 71 (60) 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 school has fewer than 11 boys or girls in the year group, the table omits totals for boys and girls. Kirk Langley C of E Primary School

p.23

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage 0 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0

p.24

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – African heritage 0 Black – African heritage 0 0

p.24

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Any other minority ethnic group 0 Other minority ethnic groups 0 0 This table refers to pupils of compulsory school age only. This table gives the number of exclusions of pupils of compulsory school age, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded.

p.24

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 3.5 Financial year 2000/01

p.24

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 19

p.24

Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total income 171,056

p.24

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 2 Total expenditure 176,881

p.24

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 42 Expenditure per pupil 2,899

p.24

Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance brought forward from previous year 7,914

p.24

Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance carried forward to next year 2,090 FTE means full-time equivalent.

p.24

Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 3.5

p.24

Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 4.5

p.24

Recruitment of teachers

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 0

p.24

Recruitment of teachers

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

p.24

Recruitment of teachers

Number of unfilled vacancies or vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of less than one term (FTE) 0 FTE means full-time equivalent. Kirk Langley C of E Primary School

p.24

Results of the survey of parents and carers

Percentage of responses in each category

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

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

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child is making good progress in school. 39 47 8 6 0

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

Behaviour in the school is good. 36 47 17 0 0

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 22 72 3 3 0

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 33 39 28 0 0

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 64 31 3 2 0

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 62 34 4 0 0

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school works closely with parents. 53 36 11 0 0

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is well led and managed. 75 18 0 3 4

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 47 44 3 3 3

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 56 36 8 0 0 Kirk Langley C of E Primary School PART D: THE STANDARDS AND QUALITY OF TEACHING IN AREAS OF THE CURRICULUM, SUBJECTS AND COURSES

p.25

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

64. The Foundation Stage consists of a reception year class working within a mixed Year 1 and Year 2 class. At the time of the inspection, there were six children in reception year, one of whom is under five. Children enjoy coming to school and settle in happily. There is a good partnership with parents who are keen to foster the links between learning at home and in school. With this successful start to school, children are keen to learn and make good progress with their learning.

p.26

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

65. The staff team has worked very hard to ensure that the Foundation Stage curriculum is appropriate for the needs of younger children. Activities clearly reflect the six areas of learning and planning follows the guidance of the early learning goals. Both teacher- guided and child-chosen activities are provided for. Whilst planning shows clearly what is to be taught and learned when teachers take the lead, it is not clear enough to guide learning when children make choices. The range of experiences planned for in the Foundation Stage enables more able children to work at a higher level within the National Curriculum. This is evident in the good teaching of the basic skills in literacy, which enables children to make a successful start with their reading. However, the length of some literacy lessons, which are then followed by guided reading, are too long for younger children to maintain concentration and learn effectively.

p.26

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

66. Children start school at four years of age and assessment on entry shows that their attainment in all areas of experience is broadly average. Children make good progress with their learning and are expected to achieve the early learning goals in all areas of experience. Staff have a clear understanding of how young children grow and learn and so they quickly identify any special educational needs.

p.26

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

67. Although the accommodation in this small school has been improved, space for the Foundation Stage within the Year 1 and Year 2 is limited. Children have access to a shared playground for outdoor experiences. There are some opportunities to use large toys early in the school year, but these are not developed consistently.

p.26

Personal, social and emotional development

68. Teaching is good and this enables children to make good progress. Children settle well and are happy in school. They are likely to reach the early learning goals by the end of the Foundation Stage.

p.26

Personal, social and emotional development

69. The staff team manages the Foundation Stage well. Younger children are encouraged to join in with the different age groups and do so with growing confidence. They begin to understand right from wrong and take responsibility for their own actions. This is evident when they take care of their ‘home reading’ corner and have it ready for reading time. They show concern for living things and the world around them. An instance is in role- play, when two children took an ‘injured’ dog to the ‘pets’ hospital’ to ensure its well being. Less confident children are encouraged to join in and are given time to respond when working in larger mixed-age groups. It is because their responses are valued that children grow in confidence and are willing to ‘have a go’ with new experiences. Relationships between the staff team and children are very good and this makes for a happy learning environment. Kirk Langley C of E Primary School

p.26

Communication, language and literacy

70. Children make very good progress with their literacy skills and good progress with their communication and language skills. By the end of the Foundation Stage all will achieve the early learning goals, because teaching is good.

p.27

Communication, language and literacy

71. Teachers have high expectations of children’s reading. There is a clear focus on exploring and enjoying books and learning to read simple words. Children sharing a book about animals make good guesses at unknown words and use the illustrations and initial letters of words for clues. ‘It doesn’t say I like the pony, because it begins with a ‘d’ for donkey.’ All children read and write their names and recognise and link sounds to letters of the alphabet.

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Communication, language and literacy

72. Children are making good progress with their writing skills. They are gaining greater control over the size and shape of letters. They experiment with their early writing skills when taking notes, making lists and writing out prescriptions in the role-play activities. Most are beginning to make links with the spoken and written word.

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Communication, language and literacy

73. In teacher-guided time, pupils are encouraged to talk about their learning and to answer questions. There is a wide range of ability. One or two children still talk to each other only, whilst others are confident speakers who join in and explain their ideas clearly. For instance, they organise and give instructions on how to program a mechanical toy to a small group .

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Mathematical development

74. Teaching is good and by the end of the Foundation Stage all children achieve the early learning goals in mathematics. They make good progress with number. Most count to 10 and above confidently as they fish for longer and shorter pieces of string in the fishing pond. They catch toy spiders and try to count the total number of legs and use ‘more’ and ‘less’ when comparing two numbers. The large majority of children are beginning to write numbers correctly, but still use marks on paper as a tally when they count.

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Mathematical development

75. In practical activities children use the names or regular two- and three-dimensional shapes accurately. They experiment with shapes in information and communication technology lessons. Here effective teaching helps children to achieve well as they experiment with programming a moveable toy. They describe the toy’s journey and guess how many spaces it needs to move to reach its destination. They are learning how to use everyday words to indicate position.

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

76. Teaching is good and the children make good progress in developing their knowledge and understanding of the world in which they live. Most achieve their goals in this area of learning.

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

77. Children find out how living things grow in their study of plants. They begin to recognise that all living things need food and water to survive. This learning is enhanced by work in art, which reflects the shape and texture of leaves, roots and flowers. Children learn about their senses by experimenting with foam spray. They are eager to describe the touch and smell of the material. With encouragement from teachers, they draw from their own experiences and begin to make comparisons with other materials.

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

78. Teachers make good use of the local environment and changes in seasons and weather to find out about the passing of time. Children develop their skills well in information and communication technology under the guidance of a visiting specialist teacher. Kirk Langley C of E Primary School

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Physical development

79. Most children are likely to reach the early learning goals for physical development by the end of the Foundation Stage. Teaching is sound and on occasions good.

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Physical development

80. Reception children have access to the school playground and so learn to move and travel confidently in a larger space. They adjust speed to change directions and experiment successfully with different ways of moving. Children use small apparatus to develop their throwing and control skills successfully. Most persevere with repeating actions and following instructions. The limited use of the hall space and the lack of frequent opportunities to use large toys restrict opportunities for developing co-ordination and moving by climbing, sliding and swinging. There is plenty of scope within the classroom to handle tools, objects and workable materials with growing dexterity.

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Creative development

81. Teaching is sound. The small amount of classroom space limits the range of creative experiences available during the day. The chance to choose to explore a range of different media, such as paint, collage and clay, is mainly in teacher-guided activities. Nevertheless, children learn how to print using their hands and experiment freely with different colours and textures. They develop new skills and techniques enabling them to produce bolder as well as lighter images.

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Creative development

82. Often reception year children work alongside those in Year 1 and Year 2, for instance during music time. With such a wide range of skills in this age range, it is difficult to match the activity to help all groups to make progress. Younger children enjoy handling instruments and listening to the sounds they make. They have good social skills, which enable them to work in a large group and take turns. They also join in readily with number songs and learn to put numbers in order and understand ‘one less’.

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Creative development

83. The role-play area is well used and enjoyed by the children where they play imaginatively. For example, during the inspection it served as ‘an animal hospital’ with one or two ‘lions’ paying a visit.

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ENGLISH

84. Pupils attain standards that are in line with the national average at the end of Year 2. They are above average in reading. Pupils attain average standards overall at the end of Year 6, although standards in writing are just below average. The current Year 6 contains a higher proportion of pupils with special educational needs than in previous years. Standards are similar to those reported in the last inspection. Throughout the school, effective teaching of the basic skills in reading and the opportunity for individual pupils to choose and to explore books are enabling them to achieve well. Pupils’ skills in speaking and listening are average throughout the school.

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ENGLISH

85. In the past year the progress of Years 5 and 6 pupils has been affected by staff changes. Clear evidence from pupils’ previous work, particularly in Year 5, shows that for the first part of the year progress was less than expected. A concentrated effort by the school to raise standards and to improve behaviour since then has paid dividends, with pupils showing a keener interest in their work and achieving better results.

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ENGLISH

86. Since the last inspection the school has improved its use of information and communication technology in English. Pupils’ learning is moving on because they make greater use of the computer to draft and edit writing and they develop skills in researching and recording information. In the previous report, limited space affected the pupils’ work at Kirk Langley C of E Primary School times. The new library has helped to alleviate this. It provides a valuable learning resource for research and a place for study by small groups.

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ENGLISH

87. The school provides the opportunity for all pupils to work and learn together successfully. It has a higher than average number of pupils with statements for special educational needs. They are set clear targets for their learning, receive good support and make good progress. Class sizes vary in this small school, along with the number of boys and girls in each. By the end of the junior classes, there is no marked difference between their attainment in English. A good range of reading resources for less capable readers is motivating less confident boys to read. Although teachers plan for different levels of ability in independent work in the literacy hour, the highest attaining pupils are not always being challenged enough. For instance, they get too few opportunities to make personal choices about the form their writing is to take and to produce longer pieces of original work.

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ENGLISH

88. Teachers have modified the National Literacy Strategy well to meet the needs of their pupils in mixed-age classes. They teach guided group reading time separately and match work and reading books more finely to individual needs. This in turn ensures pupils are reading at an appropriate level and have the time to explore and to practise their reading. Initiatives, such as ‘Bradford Reading’, and a ‘Push on Writing’, along with national literacy support resources, are working well. They are enabling more pupils to achieve average levels by providing extra help for pupils identified as nearly reaching these levels.

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ENGLISH

89. In each year group, pupils attain average standards in speaking and listening. In the mixed-age classes in the infants, pupils listen carefully and contribute confidently in lessons. Teachers encourage all age groups to join in and so younger and less capable pupils are fully included and their contributions are valued. By Year 2, the vast majority of pupils ask and answer questions using well-constructed sentences. More able pupils explain how they like ‘Show and Tell Time’, where they act as experts and describe in detail their interest in Vikings and ‘olden times’. However, in all year groups across the school, a small minority of pupils is reticent to contribute. Teachers have worked hard with their questioning to encourage the flow of talk in discussions.

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ENGLISH

90. In Years 3 and 4 pupils work well together to discuss and put forward their own opinions. After sharing a story from a different culture, a competent speaker argues that, ‘if the family is too poor to buy water they will not be able to afford to go to hospital’. In class discussions in Year 5 and Year 6, the more able speakers tend to take the lead. In Year 5, few pupils initiate talk or go on to explain ‘why’ and ‘how’ or use imaginative and descriptive language. Informal discussions with pupils in Years 5 and 6 show a more positive picture. Pupils explain clearly why they enjoy reading certain books and empathise with the main character in Midnight Fox . Teachers use questions effectively to develop speaking skills. The school provides some drama and role-play activities in the middle part of the school year. However, the range of other planned opportunities to extend speaking and listening skills is not developed fully.

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ENGLISH

91. By the end of Year 2, standards in reading are above average. Pupils read accurately, fluently and with understanding. They enjoy reading and regularly share books at home and in school. Younger pupils learn how to recall words by sight and link letters with their sounds. More able Year 2 readers make choices of the type of books they like to read, which include fiction and non-fiction books. Less capable readers have a positive approach to reading. They tend to depend on ‘spelling words out’ to the detriment of other skills, such as using the whole sentence to make a good guess. The good start with reading in the infants is built upon progressively in Year 3 and Year 4. Pupils start to read at a deeper level of meaning and read quickly and accurately when searching for information. Pupils with special educational needs have specific support for their difficulties with reading and writing and work from appropriate levels of text. Despite the

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ENGLISH

dip in progress in Years 5 and 6 earlier in the year, reading is average by the end of the Kirk Langley C of E Primary School juniors. This is because pupils’ behaviour and interest in lessons have improved and they concentrate more fully on their learning. Pupils capable of reading at a higher level do so in a mature and expressive way. They make comparisons between authors and understand characterisation and plot in greater depth. For example, some pupils explained why characters in James Bond stories were ‘cardboard cut-outs’. Year 5 pupils use their information and communication technology skills well in literacy lessons, for example to use a program to support their reading development.

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ENGLISH

92. The school has worked hard to raise standards in writing by widening its range and purpose and focusing on modelling and improving work. Teachers have a good understanding of how to structure and develop narrative. This is reflected in the pupils’ work on settings and plot. Effective use of assessments of older pupils’ written work is providing a picture of strengths and weaknesses. At present there is not enough time and opportunity to think ideas through and to develop longer pieces of original work in English.

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ENGLISH

93. In the infant class, younger pupils experiment with their early writing skills and make good progress as they gain control over letter shape and size. They begin to join sentences together and retell traditional stories as well as creating their own. Some interesting work in Years 3 and 4 links writing to a purpose effectively. Pupils show an understanding of other written forms, as they write a report about a visit to Eyam and compose well- structured letters of thanks to Chatsworth House. In general, however, the benefits of developing and using writing in other subjects are missed. By Years 5 and 6, pupils rise to the challenge of a stimulating lesson in poetry and use their senses to describe mood and feeling: ‘The sweet looked like a new born raindrop gleaming like a gold jewel; it has the touch of a small, smooth-veined pebble’. The pupils have made better progress in the last two terms of the school year. Previous to this, an analysis of pupils’ work showed that a

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ENGLISH

significant number of pupils lacked pride in their work and many pieces were short or unfinished.

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ENGLISH

94. Teachers develop spelling rules and patterns in a consistent way. However, there is limited evidence to show that pupils apply these rules consistently in their work. Standards vary from class to class and in general are just about average. There is a similar pattern to the development of handwriting.

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ENGLISH

95. Pupils behave well in lessons and are keen to learn. They co-operate well in mixed year classes, although older, more confident pupils tend to take the lead. This, on occasions, limits the opportunities for others to develop their ideas clearly.

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ENGLISH

96. Teaching in English is good and this is helping to improve achievement. In some of the very good lessons seen, the expertise of the teacher and the high expectations and challenging work stretched all ability groups. Teachers and learning support assistants work well together and provide specific support for pupils with difficulties with reading and writing. Marking varies, but is usually positive and at best helps develop skills, for example in spelling.

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ENGLISH

97. The subject co-ordinator has worked hard to put into place a structure for improving and developing writing. She has the expertise and commitment to guide the subject forward and to raise standards. A full role in monitoring and evaluating the quality of teaching and learning has yet to be developed. Kirk Langley C of E Primary School

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MATHEMATICS

98. Pupils attain standards at the end of Year 2 and Year 6 that meet the national average. Standards have been maintained since the last inspection. There is some yearly variation in attainment, dependent upon the range of ability and number of pupils in the small year groups. For example, last year there were only seven pupils in Year 6 and there are 14 pupils in the current year group. Although the number of pupils taking the national tests is small, inspectors confirm that attainment reflects the average standards overall achieved in recent national tests in mathematics. The proportion of pupils achieving the nationally expected Level 4 in the current small group of Year 6 pupils is broadly average. The current Year 6 contains a higher than usual proportion of pupils with special educational needs and of lower attainment. However, the school has made good use of national support resources in mathematics to raise pupils’ confidence and improve their standards.

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MATHEMATICS

The proportion of Year 6 pupils achieving above expected standards is close to the national average. In the very small group of Year 2 pupils, almost all pupils achieve the nationally expected Level 2. The proportion achieving above that level is in line with the national average. Inspection evidence shows that Year 2 pupils are attaining higher standards than achieved in the national tests for seven-year-olds over the last three years. The key factors in enabling pupils to achieve and maintain these average levels are: • pupils’ positive, enthusiastic attitudes to mathematics; • teachers make effective use of national subject guidance through the National Numeracy Strategy. It is supported by a good commercial scheme of work, to ensure that all required aspects of mathematics are covered fully; • good teaching and good use of support staff ensure that all pupils are fully included in the range of activities.

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MATHEMATICS

99. Pupils make good progress overall in developing their skills and knowledge. They make good progress in the infants and in the early years of the juniors. They make sound progress overall in Years 5 and 6. An analysis of pupils’ work shows that many older junior pupils have been making good progress recently. The fact that teachers did not have consistently high enough expectations of the quality and amount of pupils’ work limited their progress in the first term of the school year. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress in their learning. They benefit from good individual support given by teaching and learning support staff. This enables them to be included fully in all learning activities and understand what they are expected to do.

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MATHEMATICS

100. Year 2 pupils have secure number skills, knowledge and understanding. They accurately recall addition and subtraction facts to 10 and use them successfully to add sums of money. Some accurately total sums of money and then subtract from 50 pence to see how much change they would receive. Most are using doubling and halving strategies to solve problems, although few lower attaining pupils understand these clearly to use them with consistent accuracy. More able pupils are extending their addition and subtraction skills well to add two-digit numbers correctly, for example 36 + 29. They are beginning to develop their knowledge and use of multiplying and dividing by 2, 5 and 10. All pupils have a good knowledge of time and accurately name and use some other measures, for example grams and kilograms. Evidence from pupils’ workbooks show that they have a sound knowledge of other mathematical aspects, for example their knowledge of common

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MATHEMATICS

two- and three-dimensional shapes and drawing and interpreting bar charts and pictograms.

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MATHEMATICS

101. Most Years 3 and 4 pupils extend their number skills effectively, for example using multiples of 10 accurately to work out 90 x 4. Many Year 3 pupils show secure multiplication knowledge, for example when multiplying by 2, 4, 5 or 10. Some more able use their understanding of the links between multiplication and division to extend their number work, for example dividing accurately by 5 and 10. Many Year 4 pupils extend their number knowledge successfully. They show an increasing understanding of place Kirk Langley C of E Primary School value to write down carefully and work out addition sums involving hundreds, tens and units. Many Year 4 pupils use their knowledge of multiples of 10 to halve and double numbers up to and above 100, for example doubling 60. Some have a good understanding of simple fractions, for example ½ and ¼. Many build on their secure knowledge of the different properties of common shapes by applying their knowledge

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MATHEMATICS

effectively. For example, they correctly name different shapes from their number of edges or angles. Lower attaining Years 3 and 4 pupils benefit from good guidance from support staff who use the national ‘Springboard’ support resources well to extend pupils’ knowledge and understanding, for example the place value of digits in larger numbers. This enables them to become more confident in their number work and to participate more fully in class activities.

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MATHEMATICS

102. Years 5 and 6 pupils continue to develop their number skills effectively. They make good progress in using a range of different strategies, for example to work out more difficult multiplication and division problems, including decimals. Most Year 6 pupils have secure multiplication and division facts up to 10 x 10. More able pupils are challenged well to apply their knowledge to solve number patterns, such as the Fibonnacci sequence. Some use ‘jottings’ to show how they worked out their answers. This is not done consistently or clearly enough to help pupils identify where they made mistakes. Most accurately name three-dimensional shapes, for example a triangular prism or a square-based pyramid, by their properties. They use tally charts well to gather information and produce a pie chart. They describe and interpret the data accurately, although some do not fully understand such terms as ‘median’ and ‘mode’. The small numbers of more able Years 5 and 6 pupils

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MATHEMATICS

achieve well. Teachers make good use of ‘refresh’ and ‘challenge’ activities in the new scheme of work to enable these pupils to apply their skills and knowledge well and achieve above average standards. This was not evident consistently in all classes. Pupils with special educational needs achieve well. Teaching and support staff support them very successfully. This enables them to be fully included in all activities. However, on occasions, they achieve little in the lesson, as the learning activity is not closely matched to their learning needs, for example in solving more difficult fraction problems.

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MATHEMATICS

103. Teaching is good. Teachers use the National Numeracy Strategy well to provide a clear focus to pupils’ learning. They plan in detail and clearly identify learning objectives. They share these objectives with their pupils so that they know what they are trying to achieve. Teachers use a good range of methods to encourage pupils’ enthusiastic involvement. For example, in a Years 5 and 6 lesson, the teacher introduced the lesson by encouraging pupils to visualise in their minds a square pyramid, made from plasticene. She used questions well to check that pupils knew how many vertices and edges the shape should have. She then extended their ‘vision’ by adding a cube below it. This required pupils to maintain their concentration to ensure that their ‘vision’ remained clear in their mind. When asked to ‘cut’ the shape and draw its cross-section on their white-board, pupils responded enthusiastically. This led to a detailed discussion on the different shapes and

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MATHEMATICS

any symmetrical patterns. Teachers have good class control and they manage their pupils very well to ensure that they stay focused on their learning. Where teachers maintain a brisk pace, pupils work hard throughout the lesson and are keen to achieve what is expected of them in the time. Some teachers make good use of time reminders to ensure that pupils remain focused. This is not consistent in all lessons. Where teachers do not maintain a brisk enough pace and do not provide regular reminders of what they expect pupils to achieve, pupils do not always achieve as much as they could. For example, in a junior lesson, the teacher did not indicate to pupils what she expected them to achieve during the time allocated to their group activity. They settled well but, after 10 minutes, some pupils’ concentration began to waver and their pace of work slowed noticeably. This limited the amount achieved.

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MATHEMATICS

104. Teachers generally use questions well to encourage pupils to contribute their ideas and to suggest different ways of working out a mathematical problem. They carefully select Kirk Langley C of E Primary School individual pupils to ensure that they are included fully. However, teachers do not always use questions well to ensure that they challenge more able pupils to apply their knowledge and achieve above average standards. For example, in whole class introductions, teachers do not consistently challenge more able pupils to contribute different strategies or try to explain why a particular answer is incorrect. Most teachers use homework effectively to promote pupils’ number skills. They use good constructive marking, although do not always check to see if the pupils have noted and acted upon their comments or questions. An analysis of work in Years 5 and 6 from early in the school year shows that

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MATHEMATICS

teachers’ expectations were not consistently high enough. The standards of pupils’ work, presentation and the amount they achieved were noticeably lower than in later work. Pupils were not challenged enough to extend their skills and this limited the standards attained. More recent work shows that teachers have consistently higher expectations and pupils are responding well and attaining higher standards.

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MATHEMATICS

105. The school has improved its resources for mathematics since the last inspection. Teachers are making more use of information and communication technology to support work in mathematics, for example in data handling. The headteacher collects and analyses a good range of assessment information in mathematics, for example test results, to identify what pupils know well and areas for improvement. This is used effectively to inform teaching plans. The school has not used this information consistently to indicate to individual pupils what they need to focus on in order to improve the quality of their work. The headteacher and the numeracy advisory teacher from the local education authority have observed some numeracy lessons. They have identified strengths in the teaching and areas for development. However, staffing and other management issues have restricted the opportunities for the headteacher, in her role as subject co-ordinator, to

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MATHEMATICS

evaluate teaching and learning rigorously. The school does not provide enough opportunities for teachers to share good practice and evaluate its impact on raising standards.

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SCIENCE

106. Pupils attain standards at the end of Year 2 that meet the national average and are similar to those reported in the last inspection. Pupils attain standards at the end of Year 6 that are just below average. They are below those reported previously. The current small group of Year 6 pupils has a higher proportion of pupils with special educational needs than in previous years. Teacher assessments for Year 2 pupils over the last three years show that standards overall were below the national average. The current very small group of Year 2 pupils is attaining average standards. Inspection evidence confirms that standards are improving in science. Pupils attain standards in other years that are in line with those expected for their age. Good teaching, together with a more structured scheme of work, enables all pupils, including those with special educational needs, to make sound progress in all aspects of their learning in science. They develop their investigative skills

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SCIENCE

soundly, although these skills are not always built on prior knowledge and understanding to ensure consistently good progress. The school has not established assessment procedures, linked closely to specific learning objectives. This does not help teachers to plan, in a two-year curriculum topic cycle, to ensure that pupils always extend their previously learned skills and knowledge fully. Some more able pupils are not challenged consistently to extend their scientific enquiry skills and achieve above average standards.

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SCIENCE

107. Most Year 2 pupils show a good knowledge and understanding of the life cycles of humans and animals. They know that they grow, reproduce and that humans and some other animals, for example cats, feed their own babies. They use specific terms accurately, for example ‘larva’, when describing life cycles. They know that there are different types of light sources and carry out an investigation effectively to predict then test if light can be seen through different materials. They use their writing skills well to describe their findings. They do not try to use their knowledge to explain their results and Kirk Langley C of E Primary School achieve above average standards. Year 2 pupils know how to make a simple electrical circuit and how a switch can be included to stop the power going round the circuit. They know that some materials go hard when heated, for example clay, and some melt, for example cheese. Pupils use their literacy skills very successfully to describe their

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SCIENCE

investigations. For example, a more able pupil wrote at length to describe the results of her ‘growing plants’ investigation. She describes accurately that plants need water and light but does not extend her knowledge to try to explain why some plants grow more than others do – ‘because they will!’ Lower attaining pupils and those with special educational needs are included fully in the range of activities. They are supported well by teaching and support staff and record their results with more drawings than writing to enable them to complete their investigations.

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SCIENCE

108. Most Years 3 and 4 pupils develop their skills and knowledge soundly. For example, they reinforce their knowledge on what plants need to grow before extending their knowledge of the main parts of a plant and their functions. They use an investigation writing framework successfully to develop their enquiry skills. They use prompt questions, for example ‘What do I want to find out?’ and ‘How do I find out?’, to give a good direction to their work. They record their results clearly using drawings, tables and written descriptions. There was limited evidence of pupils using their knowledge consistently to give reasons for their results. For example, when being asked to explain ‘Why do we need plants?’ a more able pupil wrote ‘because we would not have any nice plants!’ Years 3 and 4 pupils’ plants die from a lack of water. They know that some materials change back again after heating and cooling, for example butter and wax. An analysis of pupils’ work showed that they make

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SCIENCE

sound progress and achieve higher standards as they move through the school. Some time is needed to reinforce pupils’ understanding of work covered previously, although this limits progress if pupils, especially more able, spend too long on reinforcement rather than applying their skills and knowledge.

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SCIENCE

109. Most Years 5 and 6 pupils know and describe different animal habitats. They use terms such as ‘mammals’ and ‘invertebrates’ accurately and show a secure understanding of how animals adapt to their environment, for example their body shape. Some more able Year 6 pupils use specific terms, for example ‘predator’, when describing aspects of food chains. Most Year 6 pupils have a sound knowledge of how to carry out scientific investigations, although some lower attaining pupils and those with special educational needs are not fully clear about linking results to test out predictions. Most know how to carry out a fair test, for example, explaining that they only changed the material in a sound muffling experiment. They record their results in various ways, including graphs, tables and written descriptions. They use their drawing skills effectively to record the reflection and refraction of light. Few Year 6 pupils use their knowledge and understanding, for

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SCIENCE

example, to explain how shadows change as the light sources move. They do not always use scientific terms accurately to describe their results, for example when describing the effect of a lack of ‘air’ on a burning candle. Where more able pupils are challenged well to explain their results, for example in an evaporation investigation, they give clear reasons for the salt grains being left. This enables them to achieve good standards. There was little evidence of more able pupils being challenged to develop their own ideas on carrying out a scientific investigation. Most of the pupils’ work in books, and discussions with pupils, showed that investigations are mainly organised and directed by the teacher. This ensures good coverage of all required aspects, but does not always extend pupils’ enquiry skills enough.

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SCIENCE

110. Teaching in the two lessons observed was good. Teachers use good methods to gain pupils’ interest and attention and to involve them effectively in scientific enquiry. In a good Years 5 and 6 lesson, the teacher provided each group of pupils with a tray of leaf litter to investigate animal habitats. The pupils used microscopes and observation trays enthusiastically to find different creatures and study their characteristics carefully to see how they had adapted to their habitat. They excitedly ‘discovered’ a range of insects and Kirk Langley C of E Primary School other creatures such spiders, centipedes and snails. The teacher used questions successfully, such as ‘Has it got many different body parts?’ to encourage pupils to study their animals closely. This results in pupils increasing their knowledge of how their creatures had adapted to their woodland habitat, for example their long thin bodies, their

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SCIENCE

colour or the number of their legs. Teachers maintain a good pace to lessons. They remind pupils what they expect them to achieve in the time and regularly point out how much time they have left. This enables pupils to stay focused on what they are doing and realise what they have to have completed before the end of lesson feedback session.

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SCIENCE

111. Teachers have very good relationships with their pupils. They know them very well and encourage each individual to focus on what they are doing and how they are presenting their work. For example, in a good Years 1 and 2 lesson, the teacher moved around each pupil during the lesson to check on how well they were achieving. She used prompts and questions, for example ‘What could you have written here?’, to encourage pupils to identify ways in which they could improve the quality of their written work. Teachers use the end of lesson feedback activity effectively to share findings and discuss what they have learned. They do not always look to challenge pupils to apply their scientific knowledge and understanding and explain ‘Why?’ For example, Year 2 pupils read their detailed descriptions of animal life cycles, for example an owl. They discussed changes in their bodies as they grow, for example their increased feathers. The teacher did not challenge

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SCIENCE

pupils to explain how some of these changes, for example the owl’s eyes, were suited for its life. Teachers use pupils’ information and communication technology skills well to support learning in science. For example, during a Years 5 and 6 lesson, the support teacher worked with groups of pupils to locate information from the Internet on animal habitats. They used their research skills very well to locate various web sites and download information on different creatures, for example squirrels.

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SCIENCE

112. The headteacher, in her role as subject co-ordinator, has looked at pupils’ books, reports and the results of national and end of year tests. She has not monitored teaching and its impact on learning in science. The school has used national subject guidance to improve the overall coverage of the science curriculum, especially the development of pupils’ scientific enquiry skills. It has developed a sound two-year topic cycle for mixed-age classes. This ensures that pupils develop their skills and knowledge in all required aspects. Teachers do not identify which specific key skills are being assessed in the topics. This does not always enable the next class teacher to build securely on what has been learned previously. Resources for science are good and the school makes good use of the local area to enhance learning opportunities, for example through visits to Kedleston Park.

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ART AND DESIGN

113. By the end of Year 2 and Year 6, pupils achieve similar standards to those found nationally. The findings of this inspection reflect those of the previous report. Whilst standards are average in art, pupils are not developing their skills in a consistent way. Now the national guidelines for art are in place, learning should develop in a more progressive way. However, assessment of the knowledge, skills and techniques pupils have learned is not firmly in place and so teachers are not able to identify strengths and weaknesses.

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ART AND DESIGN

114. Inspectors only observed one junior lesson. Inspection evidence was gained by looking at pupils’ work in sketchbooks and on display, teachers’ planning and by talking to staff and pupils.

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ART AND DESIGN

115. In the infants, pupils express their ideas and feelings successfully through drawing, painting and collage. They experiment with mixing and using colours and develop new knowledge about printing by experimenting with different techniques, including printing by Kirk Langley C of E Primary School hand. By Year 2, pupils begin to develop greater accuracy and detail in their drawings. This is evident in the good progress made with observational drawings of plants and flowers.

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ART AND DESIGN

116. In the juniors, imaginative work with painting and collage linked to the theme of ‘Journeys’ is of a good standard. Pupils draw effectively from Aboriginal art and representations of ‘dream-time’ and also their own journeys to places of local interest. These ideas are built upon successfully in a lesson in Years 3 and 4, which encouraged pupils to explore the visual and tactile qualities of materials to depict the fields, streams and woodlands observed on their walk.

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ART AND DESIGN

117. Work in sketchbooks provides good scope for experimenting with ideas and techniques and before developing a completed piece of work. For instance, work includes exploring abstract patterns to improve work with line and shape or experimenting with colour with pastels, crayons and paint. In general, however, the range of experiences provided does not show enough opportunities for pupils to develop their skills enough in work with textiles and malleable materials, such as clay.

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ART AND DESIGN

118. In the one lesson observed teaching was sound. Pupils were keen to try out new ideas and create something new by themselves.

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ART AND DESIGN

119. The headteacher is managing the subject temporarily. The role of subject manager in monitoring teaching and learning has yet to be fully developed.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

120. Pupils attain standards in design and technology at the end of Year 2 and Year 6 that are similar to those found nationally. Discussions with pupils and scrutiny of previous work have helped to form judgements, as no design and technology lessons were observed during the inspection.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

121. The subject has improved since the last inspection. There are clear guidelines for teachers to follow and planning now identifies the key knowledge and skills needed to support progression. Opportunities to develop ideas and skills are linked more effectively across all subjects of the curriculum. Pupils are making sound progress with their making skills, but expectations of the quality of designing and evaluating work could be higher, particularly for pupils in the juniors. Designs in sketchbooks are not as precise and accurate as they could be.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

122. In the infant classes, the subject is linked well to other subjects. For instance, pupils study buildings in history and make their own models. Evidence shows that, in Years 3 and 4, links with industry and visiting speakers from a national bakery enhanced learning in food technology. Pupils handled a range of different types of bread and made decisions about which type was best for the sandwiches they were to produce. Pupils experiment with cogs and pulleys in working with moveable toys before moving on to designing controllable vehicles in Years 5 and 6. Planning also shows effective work with designing and making musical instruments.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

123. No teaching was observed during the inspection. Teachers are using national guidelines effectively to guide their lesson planning. There is satisfactory coverage of the curriculum for work in mixed-age classes. Assessment procedures are not fully in place to help teachers identify strengths and weaknesses and gaps in skill development.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

124. The subject is managed satisfactorily, although the role of the subject co-ordinator in monitoring and evaluating teaching and learning is not developed effectively. Kirk Langley C of E Primary School

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GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY

125. Only one geography lesson was observed during the inspection. Further evidence was gained from an analysis of pupils’ work in books, folders and on display around the school and by talking to staff and pupils. Pupils attain standards in history and geography that are in line with national expectations at the end of Year 2 and Year 6. Standards have been maintained at the level reported in the last inspection. Pupils’ historical and geographical knowledge, for example of past events and famous people and of the local environment, is sound and often good, especially for junior pupils. However, pupils’ skills are not developed consistently, for example in mapwork and enquiry skills. They are taught effectively within different topics, for example the study of ‘Eyam village’ and ‘improving their local environment’. However, teachers do not build consistently on prior learning and enable pupils to extend their use, for example in mapwork. The co-ordinator has used

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GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY

national subject guidance well to develop a two-year curriculum topic plan to meet the requirements for mixed-age classes. It does not identify key skills and learning objectives against which pupils are assessed to check that they are making progress consistently.

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GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY

126. Infant pupils know some of the differences between their lives in Kirk Langley and those of children living on the Scottish island of Struay. They support their knowledge effectively by linking it with other subjects, for example to create an art collage of some of the differences. Infant pupils show a good understanding of the historical and geographical features in their local area, for example the local church and the environmental benefits of Kedleston Park. Year 2 pupils know about famous people in British history, for example Guy Fawkes. They are developing a satisfactory understanding of how things have changed over time within their village.

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GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY

127. Many Years 3 and 4 pupils use their geographical enquiry skills effectively to investigate environmental issues then explain their views clearly about how may affect their local area. They have a good understanding of how changes to their environment can improve the lives of local people. Pupils worked together very well to look carefully at some of the traffic dangers in the village. For example, they gathered information on the increasing speed of traffic travelling through the village. They used stopwatches to time cars over a specific distance. They then used their numeracy skills to work out car speeds. Pupils used their writing skills well to send letters to the local council about road markings. They drew up a petition and sent it to the government expressing their concerns about the increasing dangers from traffic. Pupils were delighted that their campaign was successful and resulted in new road markings and some traffic calming measures being introduced.

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GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY

128. The school makes very good use of visits to enhance pupils’ learning in history and geography. For example, many junior pupils have a sound knowledge of life in the Tudor times. They used their visit to Tamworth Castle to improve their understanding of some of the main differences in the lives of rich and poor people at that time. The visit to Derby Cathedral extended older junior pupils’ knowledge of famous people in the history of the local area, for example Bess of Hardwick Hall and how Bonnie Prince Charlie had stayed in Derby for many years. Junior pupils had used a recent visit to the village of Eyam to gain a good understanding of how the Great Plague had come to the area and how it had affected people’s lives. Groups of pupils worked together to use their literacy and drawing skills very effectively to produce detailed booklets about their visit to Eyam. Many applied their mapping skills well to include sketch-maps of Eyam village, for example using a key

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GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY

to illustrate local historical and geographical features, such as land use. They used a good range of resources, such as the death register and old photographs and drawings, to show how things have changed in the village, for example the range and style of houses. Pupils clearly enjoy their visits and enthusiastically talk about their follow-up work. They develop a good range of geographical and historical skills and knowledge and produce some good work. An analysis of pupils’ work shows that similar skills are developed in different year groups. For example, older and more able pupils do not consistently use more advanced Kirk Langley C of E Primary School mapping skills than those used by younger or lower attaining pupils. This does not ensure that pupils always extend their skills and knowledge within individual units of work.

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GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY

129. Teaching was very good in the one lesson observed. An analysis of pupils’ work shows that it is good overall. Teachers use interesting methods to capture pupils’ interest. This promotes an enthusiastic approach and pupils clearly enjoy their work, especially when they learn more about the area in which they live. For example, the teacher used a recent field trip to extend Years 3 and 4 pupils’ mapping skills. They located the places visited accurately on a map and used their knowledge of signs and symbols to describe some of the main topographical features, for example hills and rivers. Teachers extend pupils’ literacy and numeracy skills successfully to complete detailed topic booklets. They use pupils’ information and communication technology skills well to support work in both history and geography, for example by getting information from the Internet on history topics such as the Tudors.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

130. Pupils attain standards that are in line with those expected nationally at the end of Year 2 and Year 6. Standards have improved considerably since the last inspection. The key factors promoting this improvement are: • the school has improved resources significantly to help pupils to develop their skills in all required aspects; • teachers have improved their own subject knowledge and confidence through staff training sessions; • the school has used some of its Small Schools Funding very effectively to work with other local small schools and employs a specialist information and communication technology support teacher. He works, in rotation, in each school to promote pupils’ basic skills. He advises teachers on how pupils can apply and extend these skills well during the time when he is working in the other local schools; • the school has used national subject guidance to improve the range of opportunities

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

offered to pupils; • pupils’ enjoyment and enthusiastic approach when working on the computers. Areas for development to enable pupils to continue to raise standards include: • enabling the subject co-ordinator to monitor and evaluate how class teachers are extending pupils’ skills consistently in a wide range of subjects; • extending the use of the good assessment procedures, developed by the specialist support teacher, to help class teachers to evaluate pupils’ attainment and ensure that their skills and knowledge build well on prior learning.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

131. Infant pupils develop their data handling skills successfully to collect information, enter it into the database and produce pictograms and bar charts. Most Year 2 pupils open the program and add headings and dates to the table of results. They use their knowledge of the program successfully, some with help, to transfer the table of results into graphs. They add a key to explain what the different colours or symbols represent. Pupils are confident in using the program and use their skills soundly to produce some good results. Infant pupils develop their literacy skills soundly through using word processing. They show sound keyboard and mouse control skills and build successfully on the confident start given to using information and communication in reception year. Both infant and junior pupils use the digital camera to record aspects of their work, for example on school visits. Years 3 and 4 pupils continue to build on these skills soundly, for example to extend their

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

data handling skills. Most know and use specific terms such as ‘files’, ‘folders’ and ‘fields’. They quickly learn how to use the ‘sort’ facility. They use it well to search for specific information, for example listing data by gender to see who is the tallest boy and girl in the class. Kirk Langley C of E Primary School 132. Years 5 and 6 pupils support their work in literacy very successfully by using a new literacy program to extend their skills, for example referring to the text in answering questions and using the program’s tools well to check grammar and punctuation. Older junior pupils use their improving word processing skills to produce some good descriptive work on ‘Bonfire Night’ and to illustrate favourite proverbs and their meanings. They include graphics and use a good range of fonts of differing sizes, styles and colours. An analysis of teaching plans and discussions with staff and pupils show that they develop their skills soundly

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

overall in all required aspects. For example, they extended their knowledge and use of control technology when using a computer program to control the movements of their working models, made in design and technology. When individual or small groups of pupils benefit from direct specialist teaching, they make good progress in their learning, for example in searching for information or in handling data. They make sound progress in the opportunities provided by class teachers for them to apply their newly learned skills. Teachers make good use of more able pupils to work with those of lower attainment to support and advise them on extending their knowledge and skills.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

133. Teaching in the small number of lessons observed was good. It was very good where the teacher’s very good subject knowledge enabled the work to be closely matched to pupils’ age and ability. The work of the specialist support teacher makes a considerable impact on the standards attained. He works closely with the class teachers to plan in detail and ensure that work links with the pupils’ work in class. For example, pupils’ skills in handling information were very well extended when, guided by the support teacher, they created their own database following their visit to Kedleston Hall. Teachers use questions well to clarify pupils’ thinking. For example, ‘What do we need to find out about?’ helps pupils to think carefully about how to search a database. On occasions, teachers provide pupils with the correct question rather than challenging pupils to try out their own ideas first. Teachers use computer programs soundly to support pupils with special educational

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

needs, especially in literacy and numeracy for example, by promoting their spelling and basic counting skills. Teachers manage their classes very effectively. They organise their pupils to take turns in working on the computers to apply their skills, for example when researching from information on CD Roms or from the Internet to support their work in history and science. The support teacher completes detailed individual assessments on pupils’ skills and knowledge. Good teamwork between the support teacher and the class teachers enables these to be used effectively to continue to develop work and to focus on individual weaknesses. These are not used consistently by teachers to continue to assess pupils’ progress during the time when the support teacher is not in school and to inform the teaching plans.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

134. The subject co-ordinator has a good understanding of the strengths and areas for development for information and communication technology. She liaises closely with her colleagues to keep informed about how they are developing pupils’ skills. She has not had opportunities to monitor teaching and evaluate its impact on promoting pupils’ skills consistently.

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MUSIC

135. Pupils attain standards in music that are in line with nationally expected levels throughout the school. Since the previous inspection, the school has maintained standards. It has been through unsettled times of late and has placed a focus firmly on raising standards in literacy and numeracy. Some creative and expressive subjects on the curriculum have not been priorities for school development. The rich input of musical experiences is less evident in the daily life of the school. However, pupils are excited by the forthcoming opportunity of performing Dahl’s Jack and the Beanstalk .

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MUSIC

136. Inspectors only observed one infant lesson in music. Further evidence was gained from talking to staff and pupils. Kirk Langley C of E Primary School 137. In the infants, pupils in the mixed reception, Year 1 and Year 2 class work well together. They learn how to handle untuned instruments, come in on cue and are aware of others as performers. Effective teaching links experimentation with sounds to ‘weather patterns’. Pupils are keen to explore soft and loud sounds and follow simple repeating patterns of falling rain, swirling wind and crashing thunder. In this lesson, and other musical experiences throughout the school, the pitch of work could provide more challenge for older and more capable musicians in mixed year groups.

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MUSIC

138. In everyday musical experiences, such as in assembly, pupils sing tunefully and follow accompanied pieces accurately, although during the inspection the singing lacked lustre. One or two older pupils are not taking the lead when they could do so to provide a good example of enthusiastic singing for the younger pupils. Pupils interested in learning how to play an instrument have the opportunity to learn to play recorders or a brass instrument. Recorder groups are organised to give more competent players the chance to work at a higher level of challenge and less confident players the time to develop their skills appropriately.

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MUSIC

139. In the lesson observed, teaching was satisfactory. Teachers join in enthusiastically and lessons are appropriately resourced. They use national guidelines well to plan their lessons and give a clear focus to learning. Procedures to assess pupils’ skills are in the early stages of development.

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MUSIC

140. The subject manager has recently taken on the role, alongside existing co-ordination for a range of other subjects. The school is aware that music presently has a low profile. The purchase of a commercial scheme is aimed at supporting teachers who have less expertise and confidence when teaching music.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

141. Pupils attain standards that are in line with those expected nationally by the end of Year 2 and Year 6. Standards have been maintained at a similar level to that reported previously. The school uses local community facilities and some flexible timetable arrangements, especially in the winter months, to ensure that pupils’ skills develop in all aspects. The range of activities is enhanced well by extra-curricular activities, for example football, athletics and sports clubs. This enables the school to offer a good range of activities, including swimming and some outdoor and adventurous activities for the older pupils through a residential visit. During the inspection, inspectors only observed one infant and one junior lesson. The focus was on athletics and games skills. Further evidence was gained from observing sporting clubs and talking to staff and pupils.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

142. Infant pupils know that exercise makes the heart go faster and helps the body to keep fit. They notice how the heart rate increases during their warm-up activity. Many show good co-ordination and balance when hopping and when controlling a bouncing ball. They have a sound technique, watching the ball carefully when controlling it with their hand. They all have a very enthusiastic approach and clearly enjoy physical activities. They work hard to try to improve their ball control skills, particularly when controlling the ball with their feet. Some pupils evaluate how successful they have been, although they do not suggest ways in which they could improve their performance. Junior pupils have a good understanding of the effects of exercise on the body. For example, a more able Year 6 pupil explained that the heart will beat faster to pump more blood and carry more oxygen to the muscles. Older junior pupils show sound athletic skills. Many demonstrate good skills, for example

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

when throwing the javelin, although some do not use the correct technique and this limits their success. Most have a sound running style and demonstrate the difference in technique between sprinting and jogging. They work hard in all the different athletic activities and are very keen to improve their performance from the previous lesson. Kirk Langley C of E Primary School 143. Teaching is good. Teachers have good subject knowledge and use it well to improve pupils’ performance. For example, the teacher’s good awareness of the correct techniques for starting a sprint race and completing a standing long jump helped pupils to prepare carefully when competing in those activities. Teachers organise their lessons well, providing a good range of activities to help pupils to practise their skills. They change the activities regularly to enable pupils to practise different skills. This generally maintains

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

a good pace to lessons although, occasionally, teachers spend too long explaining or demonstrating the different activities. This restricts the time pupils have to practise and improve their skills.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

144. The headteacher manages the subject soundly. She has organised the teaching arrangements well to enable the school to make best use of its limited indoor and outdoor facilities. Difficulties over the planned use of an adjoining field have required the school to continue to use the village sports field. The time needed for pupils to walk to this facility and carry their equipment limits the time for activities. The headteacher has made good use of local coaching organisations to offer more games opportunities in football, basketball, hockey and kwik-cricket. The school participates in competitive sports with other local small schools, for example in seven-a-side football, indoor athletics and the Amber Valley cross-country competition. The school has a good range of equipment, which it uses well to improve pupils’ skills.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

145. By the end of Years 2 and 6, pupils reach similar levels to those expected in the locally agreed syllabus. The school has maintained standards at the level reported previously, although there have been improvements in some aspects of religious education since the last inspection. Pupils now are more aware of other faiths and beliefs and draw from first- hand experiences, such as a visit to a Hindu temple. In a Years 3 and 4 lesson, for instance, pupils reflected on the rules that enabled people to live together in harmony. They considered the importance of the ‘Ten Commandments’ to Christians and the ‘Pillars of Faith’ to Muslims and in doing so, show respect for the opinions of others.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

146. Planning also has improved. This is because the school follows the guidance of the locally agreed syllabus closely and there is now planned progression of skills and concepts. Pupils also have the chance to relate this learning to their own lives to help them to make more informed decisions.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

147. There are close links with the local church and pupils enjoy learning about and celebrating Christian festivals. Visits to Derby Cathedral are linked to the study of special places and buildings, where pupils learn about Christian symbolism and worship in the wider community. Collective worship also provides a moral or religious theme for pupils to reflect on, as well as a time for quiet thought and prayer.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

148. The vast majority of pupils are keen to learn. They enjoy listening to stories and myths about ‘the Creation’ and respond well as a whole school in assemblies. In some lessons, pupils with special educational needs have specific work planned to help them to be included effectively and work alongside their classmates.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

149. In the small number of lessons observed, teaching was generally good. Teachers have good knowledge of Christianity and other world religions. They use it effectively to extend pupils’ knowledge and understanding. They follow the guidelines of the locally agreed syllabus to ensure balance in the content of their teaching. The school has not established assessment procedures fully, other than through teachers’ marking, which in the main provides positive comments. Kirk Langley C of E Primary School 150. This is a small school and the subject co-ordinator works hard at managing religious education and co-ordinating other subjects. She gives clear guidance over what is to be taught and learned in religious education in each year group. As yet, however, the monitoring role of the subject manager is not fully developed. She does not have opportunities to monitor and evaluate the quality of teaching and standards achieved in

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