Elson Junior School

ELSON JUNIOR SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: May 20 th – 23 rd 2002

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ELSON JUNIOR 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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ELSON JUNIOR 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. Elson Junior School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Exmouth Road Gosport Hampshire Postcode: PO12 4EX

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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: Reverend P Wadsworth

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: March 2 nd – 5 th 1998 Elson Junior School - 4

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

22870 Hilary Bonser Registered inspector Religious education. The school’s results and achievements; Teaching and learning; Leadership and management. 11575 Catherine Fish Lay inspector Attitudes, values and personal development; Care and welfare of pupils; Partnership with parents. 12367 Tony Green Team inspector Information and communication technology; science geography; special educational needs. English as an additional language 24891 Jackie Johnson Team inspector Mathematics; design and technology; music; physical education Personal, spiritual, moral, social and cultural education. 13122 Stephanie Matthews Team inspector English; art and design; history; equal opportunities. Curriculum learning opportunities.

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Serco QAA Ltd Herringston Barn Herringston Dorchester Dorset DT2 9PU

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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 Elson Junior School - 5

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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

Elson Junior School is a community school that draws its pupils from the surrounding neighbourhood. The school is larger than average in size, with 348 boys and girls from 7 to 11 years of age. Pupils’ attainments on entry into the school at Year 3 are now broadly average and have risen gradually from below average since the last inspection. There are 28 per cent of pupils on the register for special educational needs, which is above the national average. A significant minority of these has behavioural difficulties. Two per cent of pupils have, or are awaiting, statements of special educational need, which is about average. Most pupils come from similar backgrounds, which are often disadvantaged. However, this is not reflected in the number of those known to be eligible for free school meals, which is below average. Very few pupils come from ethnic minority groups and none are at an early stage of speaking

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

English as an additional language. There has been a high turnover of teachers in the last two years, with difficulties in recruiting suitable replacements. Over half of the current teachers have been appointed in the last year. A new headteacher took up her post in January, following a term when the deputy headteacher acted in that capacity.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

Elson Junior School provides a sound education for its pupils and has a number of good features. Although standards in English, mathematics and science are below average, pupils achieve satisfactorily in relation to their previous attainment by the end of Year 6. Teaching is satisfactory overall, but in nearly half of lessons pupils are well taught and so make good progress. Most pupils behave well and are keen to learn. The headteacher, governors and staff work together well as a team and are fully committed to improving standards for all pupils. The school provides satisfactory value for money.

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What the school does well

§ The headteacher, ably supported by her deputy, provides strong leadership and a clear sense of direction for the school, working closely with staff and governors to overcome weaknesses and provide a well planned programme for improvement. § The school cares well for its pupils. Together with the good relationships between all members of the school community, including parents, this contributes well to pupils’ positive attitudes towards school and their good attendance. § The school promotes pupils’ personal and social development well, successfully encouraging most of them to behave well, to get on well together and to work hard. § A good range of extra-curricular activities and good links with the community and neighbouring schools helps to provide interesting and relevant activities for pupils that motivate them well. § Learning support assistants give effective support for pupils’ learning.

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What could be improved

• Raise standards in English, mathematics, science and information and communication technology, which are below average. • Reduce the inconsistencies in teaching and learning to raise its quality towards the level of the best practice in the school. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school was last inspected in March 1998. It has made satisfactory improvement overall since that time. The particular weaknesses noted then, including those in leadership and management have been addressed well. With improvements in the teaching of reading, schemes of work to promote continuity in pupils’ learning and better provision for pupils with special educational needs, standards initially rose steadily to average in English, mathematics and science. This was acknowledged by a School Achievement Award. However, the high number of staff changes in the last two years has hindered further developments. These have disrupted pupils’ learning in some classes and contributed to the Elson Junior School - 7 school’s performance in the national tests falling back to some extent since 2000. However, under the new headteacher, a comprehensive programme has already been initiated to reverse this trend. There is

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

a strong, shared commitment in the school to raise standards and the quality of teaching and learning, backed by effective action. With the staffing situation becoming more stable, the school is well placed to make further improvements.

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STANDARDS

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

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Performance in:

1999 2000 2001 2001 English C D D E mathematics C C D E science D D C D

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Key

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

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Key

The comparisons with similar schools, which are based on the proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, give a misleading picture of the performance of this group of pupils. They achieved satisfactorily, when comparing their results with those of their Year 2 tests, which were also below average. Standards improved in English, mathematics and science after the last inspection, but have since fallen back slightly. Overall, however, the results in the three subjects together have improved in line with the national trend.

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Key

Pupils’ work and lesson observations show that standards at the end of the current Year 6 are below average in English, mathematics and science. Although the number of pupils reaching the expected level 4 is broadly average in mathematics and science and in the reading aspect of English, relatively few are reaching the higher level 5. Nevertheless, this again represents satisfactory achievement for pupils of all levels of attainment, in comparison with their results at the end of Year 2. However, the school is unlikely to meet the challenging targets set for this year group.

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Key

Since the last inspection, standards in reading have improved and are now average. In writing, they are below average because pupils do not have sufficient opportunities to practise their skills in different forms of writing and because some teachers do not have high enough expectations of the amount and quality of their work. Standards in information and communication technology are also below average, mainly because there are not enough computers to provide the necessary opportunities for pupils to develop their skills fully. Overall, boys and girls achieve satisfactorily in relation to their prior attainment on entry to the school, although inspection evidence shows that their rate of progress is more rapid in some classes than others, reflecting differences in the quality of teaching.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Good; pupils enjoy coming to school; most are enthusiastic, eager to learn and work hard. Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Satisfactory overall; most pupils behave well both in lessons and at play. A small number have difficulty in controlling their behaviour. Personal development and relationships Good; pupils get on well together and with the adults in the school. They act responsibly when given jobs to do around the school. Attendance Good; above the national average. Elson Junior School - 8 Most pupils co-operate together very well, show interest in their work and respect for others. Where teachers do not manage pupils effectively, the misbehaviour of a small minority of pupils interrupts the flow of lessons. The attitudes and behaviour of pupils were good or better in nearly three-quarters of lessons.

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Teaching of pupils in: Years 3 – 6

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

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Teaching of pupils in: Years 3 – 6

There are inconsistencies in the quality of teaching with some unsatisfactory lessons seen and some that were very good. The inconsistencies largely result from the rapid turnover of teachers and difficulties over recruitment. However, they lead to variations in the rate of pupils’ learning, so that they achieve satisfactorily overall, rather than well, as they move through the school. Of the lessons that were not satisfactory, half were taught by temporary, short-term supply teachers. They do not reflect the overall satisfactory quality of teaching of permanent staff in the school. Teaching is satisfactory overall across the core subjects of English, mathematics and science, as well as in information and communication technology. Basic literacy and numeracy skills are taught satisfactorily. Teaching was good in the lessons seen in religious education and music and satisfactory overall in design and technology, art and design and physical education. Not enough teaching was seen

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Teaching of pupils in: Years 3 – 6

to make overall judgements in other subjects. Teaching is satisfactory overall in Years 4, 5 and 6, but with considerable variations in lessons. In Year 3, which is the only year group with a full complement of permanent teachers at present, the quality of teaching is almost always good or better and so pupils achieve well. The school meets the needs of its pupils satisfactorily. In well-taught lessons across the school, teachers use skilful questioning to involve all pupils and use a good variety of methods and resources to give pupils well matched, challenging and interesting activities. As a result, boys and girls of all levels of attainment concentrate well, work hard and make good gains in their learning. In less effective lessons, teachers do not expect enough of pupils and often give them all the same task, so that their learning is slower and less focused.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum Satisfactory overall; some inconsistencies in the use of the national literacy and numeracy strategies. Provision for pupils with special educational needs Satisfactory; this has improved since the last inspection. Most have clear achievable targets and receive effective support from learning support assistants. Provision for pupils with English as an additional language Satisfactory; the school provides appropriate support as needed.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Satisfactory overall; good for personal and social development; satisfactory for spiritual, moral and cultural development.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils Well; staff provide good support for their personal development, especially through regular ‘circle times’ and pupils’ involvement in the school and class councils. Elson Junior School - 9 Good links with the community and good extra- curricular activities, including a wide range of visits and visitors are used well to motivate and interest pupils. The school works in increasingly good partnership with parents.

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and manage- ment by the headteacher and other key staff Good overall; very good leadership by the headteacher, very well supported by the deputy headteacher and good teamwork between all staff. How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Satisfactory; they take an increasingly active and effective part in the management of the school. The school’s evaluation of its performance Satisfactory overall; strengths and weaknesses are analysed well. A well-planned programme for monitoring, supporting and improving teaching and learning is now in place. The strategic use of resources Good; available funds are used well to support the school’s priorities. A good number of support staff contribute well to pupils’ learning.

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Aspect Comment

The headteacher has already established a clear sense of purpose and direction for the school focused on raising standards and improving the quality of teaching and learning. The school works well to apply principles of best value when making decisions. There is an adequate number of teachers, but high turnover and recruitment difficulties have had a negative effect on standards and achievement. The situation is now improving. Good resources and accommodation are also generally used well to promote pupils’ learning.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• Their children enjoy coming to school. • Their children make good progress. • The school expects children to work hard and do their best. • The school is approachable and responsive to their views and concerns. • The information they receive about how well their children are doing. • The amount of homework given. • The range of activities outside lessons. • How closely the school works with parents.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

Inspectors agree that the children like coming to school and that the school is approachable. However, progress is judged to be satisfactory, and some expectations set for pupils should be higher. A good range of activities is available outside lessons, especially when trips, visits and visitors are taken into account. The school is rapidly improving the ways in which it works with parents. There are appropriate opportunities for parents to meet with teachers and reports are satisfactory. The use of homework is sound. Elson Junior School - 10

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

1. Results in the 2001 National Curriculum tests at the end of Year 6, based on average points, were below average in English and mathematics and average in science, in comparison with all schools nationally. Compared to schools of a similar context, they were well below average in English and mathematics and below average in science. However, these comparisons with similar schools, which are based on the proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, should be interpreted with caution as they give a misleading indication of pupils’ achievements. Research carried out by the school indicates that more pupils are eligible for free school meals than those who claim them. Over the last three years, the overall performance of boys and girls is not significantly different from the national picture.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

2. The school received a School Achievement Award for improved results from 1997 to 2000. However, in the last two years, these have fallen back to some extent in English and mathematics to below average. Nevertheless, in 2001, this still represented satisfactory achievement for that particular group of pupils, as their performance at the end of Year 2 had also been below average. A high turnover of teachers in the last two years, exacerbated by recruitment difficulties, has contributed to this drop, as it has led to disruptions in the continuity and quality of pupils’ learning in some classes and year groups. In addition, audit figures show an overall increase in the proportion of pupils with special educational needs in the last two years to above average, partly resulting from a considerable turnover of pupils in Years 5 and 6. In the current Year 6, for example, a quarter of the pupils have joined the school since Year 3.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

3. Pupils’ attainments on entry to the school in Year 3, based on Year 2 test results, have gradually improved from below average, at the time of the last report, to broadly average. There are some fluctuations from year to year, related to differences in the proportion of pupils with special educational needs. Overall, boys and girls achieve satisfactorily in relation to their prior attainment on entry to the school, although inspection evidence shows that their rate of progress is more rapid in some classes than others, reflecting differences in the quality of teaching.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

4. Pupils’ work and lesson observations show that standards at the end of Year 6 are below average in English, mathematics and science. Although the number of pupils reaching the expected level 4 is broadly average in mathematics and in the reading aspect of English, relatively few are reaching the higher level 5. Standards in science are lower than last year, largely because in this group of pupils, relatively few are working at the higher level 5. Nevertheless, this represents satisfactory achievement for pupils of all levels of attainment, in comparisons with their results at the end of Year 2. Further improvements in their standards and achievements have been impeded by the staffing difficulties of the last two years. Although the new headteacher has already put in place a number of effective measures to raise standards and improve the quality of teaching and learning, it is too soon to see the impact of these on

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

performance. The school is not likely to meet the statutory targets that were set for Year 6.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

5. Nevertheless, in addition to these most recent measures, there are a number of factors that are beginning to improve the rate of progress made by pupils. The school has begun to focus this year on raising standards in writing. Initiatives, such as the additional literacy strategy and booster classes are used increasingly well to help pupils in need of extra support. Pupils’ attitudes to school are good and most are keen to learn and work hard. The good quality of teaching in nearly half of the lessons seen helps many pupils to make good and at times very good progress in lessons. However, there has not yet been enough time for this to impact fully on their overall achievements.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

6. In English, pupils achieve satisfactorily overall at the end of Year 6 in relation to their prior attainment. Standards in speaking and listening are average. Teachers provide a good number of Elson Junior School - 11 opportunities across the curriculum for pupils to practise their speaking and listening skills and some give good emphasis to increasing their vocabulary. Standards in reading are average and there has been good improvement in this area from the below average standards at the time of the last inspection. This is partly because pupils are taught a good range of ways for tackling unfamiliar words. Many boys and girls are enthusiastic readers, although some have difficulty in understanding fully what they read. Standards in writing are below average. Although pupils make sound, and sometimes good, progress in their learning in lessons, they do not yet apply this consistently to their own writing. It is clear from the work in pupils’ books that the

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

expectations of teachers of the amount and quality of pupils’ writing are inconsistent across the school. Writing tasks are often not matched well enough to pupils’ levels of attainment. Teachers do not make enough use of opportunities in other subjects for pupils to practise writing in a variety of forms.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

7. Standards in mathematics are below average by the end of Year 6 in all aspects of the subject. Pupils achieve satisfactorily in relation to their previous attainment. However, work planned is not always challenging enough, especially for higher attaining pupils. In some classes, teachers do not make enough use of opportunities to develop pupils’ strategies for mental calculations. Although pupils in Years 5 and 6 are usually taught in groups from across the year, according to their level of attainment, teachers do not take enough account of pupils’ differing needs within these groups. Pupils have satisfactory opportunities to apply their numeracy skills in other subjects, but not enough use is made of information and communication technology to support pupils’ developing mathematical skills.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

8. Standards in science have improved most rapidly since the last inspection. This year they have fallen back slightly from last year to below average at the end of Year 6. This is because, although pupils’ basic knowledge, understanding and skills are sound, there is little evidence of pupils working at the higher level 5. Most pupils achieve satisfactorily, although they do not always have enough opportunities to apply their ideas to everyday contexts or test their reasons with systematic observations.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

9. In religious education, standards are in line with expectations of the locally agreed syllabus at the end of Year 6. Pupils achieve satisfactorily overall. They reflect well on their own experiences, helping them understand better the ideas and beliefs of others. They have a good knowledge of Christianity, but some teachers do not have high enough expectations of pupils’ knowledge of other world religions.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

10. Standards in information and communication technology are below average at the end of Year 6, and pupils’ achievement is unsatisfactory. The main reason for this is that there are too few computers for the number of pupils to provide enough opportunities for them to develop their skills in, for example, the use of sensors or multi-media presentations or to apply them in other subjects. The school plans to remedy this when a computer suite is built and equipped over the summer.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

11. By the end of Year 6, standards are average in art and design, geography, history, design and technology and music and pupils achieve satisfactorily. In physical education, not enough lessons were seen across the range of required elements to make an overall judgement.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

12. Pupils with special educational needs achieve satisfactorily and make sound gains in their learning, relative to their prior attainment and the targets set. This is a good improvement since the last inspection, when their achievements were described as unsatisfactory. They make good progress towards their individual targets when supported by the learning support and special needs assistants, especially in literacy and numeracy lessons. However, targets are not transferred to other areas of the curriculum and so work is not always well matched to their specific needs. Most pupils whose targets are linked to behaviour rather than academic progress make good progress towards these. Although higher attaining pupils achieve satisfactorily overall, they are not challenged consistently in lessons, especially in their written work. No significant differences in the achievements of boys and girls were noted during the

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

13. Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development are good overall. There are still a minority of pupils who are easily distracted and sometimes disrupt the learning of others. The position described is similar to that at the time of the previous inspection. Attendance remains good.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

14. Parents say that their children like coming to school and this is reflected in their approach to what the school offers them. Most pupils are eager to take part in the extra activities provided and are enthusiastic to be involved in the life of the school. In nearly all lessons seen, the pupils’ attitudes and behaviour were satisfactory and in nearly three-quarters they were good. Their attitudes to learning are often better than the quality of teaching they receive, showing that the pupils are eager to learn. Most pupils have a positive approach to their learning, listening well both to each other and to the teacher. This enables them to settle to the tasks set quickly. For example, in a Year 3 religious education lesson, the pupils were able to work at a brisk pace to write about the four things they would like in their ‘Perfect World’. This was because they had listened well during the ‘brain-storming’ sessions, and to what they had to do and were well

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

motivated. On the few occasions when attitudes were unsatisfactory, these related to a lack of management of pupils by the teachers involved, who did not engage and hold the pupils’ interest through imaginative teaching.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

15. Behaviour is satisfactory overall. The behaviour of a few pupils is a concern raised by parents. Whilst the majority of pupils behave well, there are a small number of pupils who experience great difficulty in controlling their behaviour. These pupils receive sound support through individual behaviour plans. Pupils enjoy the ‘Well Done Time’ each week and strive hard to earn it. Generally, the pupils’ have a good knowledge of the school’s policy on behaviour, including the rewards and sanctions, and most respond positively to its use. However, it is not always used effectively by teachers. Where pupils are sure about a teacher’s approach to and expectation of behaviour they behave well, but these same pupils are less well behaved when a teacher does not set out and use clear and consistently high expectations and control. A minority of pupils do not yet take responsibility for their own behaviour, indulging in silliness if

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

not directly supervised. The number of fixed term exclusions, due usually to defiance or the use of foul language, has risen since last year because the school is implementing its behaviour policy more rigorously. However, the frequency of fixed term exclusions appears now to be declining, with only two so far this term. Although bullying is not a major concern, the school is aware that sometimes pupils are reluctant to bring it to its attention. Circle time is used well to promote an open community in which pupils feel safe to express their concerns. Pupils spoken to feel this gives them a good opportunity to talk about problems.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

16. Most pupils with special educational needs have good attitudes to class, group and individual activities. Most are willing to practise aspects of their learning that have been identified as part of their individual education plans and try hard to meet targets set to help them improve their behaviour. They usually listen well in lessons and respond well to appropriate questions. Their behaviour when withdrawn for small group or individual work is generally good. They are fully integrated and socialise well.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

17. Pupils respond well to opportunities for taking responsibility, for example, for returning the registers and lunch box trolleys. They distribute books and equipment in class. Older pupils move the overhead projector into and out of the hall, and act as lunchtime monitors. Younger pupils are beginning to use their initiative in some classes, such as finding a dictionary to help with spelling. The school has had both class and school councils for about a year. These are beginning to have a positive effect in developing the pupils’ sense of living and learning together in a community. Because there is time set aside for issues to be discussed in class and then taken to the school council by the elected representatives, all pupils have the opportunity to make their feelings and views known. A water fountain was installed as a result of the school council; the current focus is how litter should be dealt with. During the school council session

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

seen, the girls generally showed more mature attitudes and approaches to the topics under discussion than most of the boys. Around the school, pupils are generally courteous, polite and Elson Junior School - 13 trustworthy; there is no graffiti around school, indicating a good level of respect for property.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

18. Relationships across the whole school community are good. There have been many changes in staffing and this means that pupils are still adjusting to new faces, but already good levels of trust and mutual support are developing. Pupils are generally respectful of each other and of the staff. Most teachers insist that pupils listen to each other and respect what they say; the need to respect others is a frequent theme in assemblies. In lessons, the pupils make positive comments when asked to appraise each other.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

19. Attendance at school is good. Parents say their children like school and this is reflected in the levels of attendance. The school knows there are a very few pupils whose attendance is not as good as it should be and keeps an eye on them. Most pupils arrive at school on time; those who are persistently late are monitored by the education welfare officer.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

20. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory overall, as at the time of the last inspection, although very few of the current teachers were in post at that time. The quality of teaching was satisfactory or better in nearly nine-tenths of the lessons seen. It was good or better in nearly half of them, with some that were very good. Although just over a tenth of the lessons seen were unsatisfactory, with one that was poor, half of these lessons were taught by temporary, short– term supply teachers. It does not reflect the overall satisfactory quality of teaching of permanent staff in the school. This is evident from scrutiny of pupils’ past work, as well as from lesson observations. Nevertheless, there are variations and inconsistencies in the quality of teaching, as a result of the rapid turnover of teachers and difficulties over recruitment. These lead, in turn, to variations in the rate of pupils’ learning, which mean that they achieve satisfactorily overall

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

rather than well as they move through the school. The new headteacher has begun to address this, through a well-planned programme of monitoring and support of teaching, although it is too soon to see the full impact of this.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

21. Teaching is satisfactory overall across the core subjects of English, mathematics and science, as well as in information and communication technology. It was good, overall, in the lessons seen in religious education and music and satisfactory in design and technology, art and design and physical education. Not enough teaching was seen to make overall judgements in design and technology, history and geography. Teaching is satisfactory overall in Years 4, 5 and 6, but with considerable variations in lessons, ranging from unsatisfactory to very good. This is reflected in differences in the pupils' rates of learning from class to class. In Year 3, which is the only year group with a full complement of permanent teachers at present, the quality of teaching is almost consistently good or better, with no unsatisfactory teaching seen. As a result, these pupils achieve well. This is because, in general, in this year group, as in some other classes,

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

teachers have higher expectations of the quality and amount of pupils' work. They set challenging work for pupils and manage and motivate them effectively.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

22. Basic literacy and numeracy skills are taught satisfactorily overall. While good and very good examples were seen of teaching in these areas, there are inconsistencies in the effectiveness with which teachers implement the literacy and numeracy strategies to improve pupils’ learning. Reasons for this include the staffing difficulties that have led to a situation where a number of the current teachers have not had the benefit of the original literacy and numeracy training and await suitable courses. The school works hard to support them, although the lack of suitable candidates this year to fill the English manager’s post has hindered school based training. There have been improvements in the teaching of reading since the last inspection, using a more structured and consistent approach, with the result that standards in reading are now broadly average. In the best examples, teachers use questioning and intervention well to extend

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

pupils’ skills, as in a well taught literacy lesson in Year 3. With well matched questioning, and the use of stimulating resources, the teacher helped pupils to extend their vocabulary, make effective use of thesauri and improve their understanding of onomatopoeia, so that they were able to use this successfully in their own work. By contrast, in an unsatisfactory numeracy lesson in Year 6, questions were not matched to pupils’ needs and sometimes confused them. Elson Junior School - 14 Opportunities were lost to encourage pupils to explore different strategies for working out timetable problems.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

23. The teaching of pupils with special educational needs is satisfactory. This has contributed to the improvements in pupils’ achievements from unsatisfactory to satisfactory, since the last inspection. When supported by learning support or special needs assistants, mainly in literacy and numeracy, their work is general well matched and they make good progress in lessons. However, when adult support is not available, work is not always appropriately matched and progress is only satisfactory. For example, many pupils have targets for spelling, but few are given word lists of the key vocabulary required in a lesson to support their learning. However, in a very good Year 3 science lesson, the teacher ensured that all pupils had a list of the key words needed to write about materials. There is some variation in the quality and use of individual education plans. In some classes, the targets are very specific and measurable and

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

regularly reviewed, which helps pupils to make good progress towards them, but less so in others. They make a positive impact on pupils’ learning, partly by giving good feedback to teachers about pupils’ progress, in the form of formal and informal notes. Teachers in Year 5 who take set groups for literacy and numeracy that contain pupils not normally in their class, were seen to have a good knowledge of the pupils with special educational needs.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

24. In many lessons, there are some strong features that contribute to the positive attitudes pupils have towards their learning. Most teachers have a good knowledge of individual pupils that they use sensitively to support them and to promote their personal development. Teachers listen to and value pupils’ ideas, helping them to develop their confidence in expressing them. This reflects the aims of the school well. Many good examples of this were seen in lessons across the school, including particularly good examples in Year 5 religious education lessons about death and loss. It means that most pupils are keen to share their ideas, irrespective of their level of attainment, learn readily from their mistakes and work co-operatively together very well. Teachers make good use of visits and visitors, such as the Shakespeare theatre group and local clergy to extend pupils’ learning and to make it interesting and relevant. They brief and deploy

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

their learning support assistants well, enabling them to contribute effectively to pupils’ learning.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

25. Many good examples were seen of teachers using effective questioning techniques to both consolidate and extend pupils’ learning, ensuring, for example, that boys and girls of all levels of attainment were equally involved. In many lessons, teachers used a good range of strategies to keep up a brisk pace and sense of urgency, for example, by using time targets effectively. As a result, pupils listened well and worked hard. The impact of such features on pupils’ rate of learning was illustrated in a very well taught literacy lesson for pupils in Year 3. First the teacher shared the main learning objective with pupils, making sure that they knew exactly what he would be looking for in their work. This helped to keep them well focused on the task in hand. He made very good use of a well-chosen text, to extend pupils’ understanding of rhyming couplets. With well matched, skilful questioning, he helped pupils of all levels of attainment to

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

make very good advances in their learning about, for example, how punctuation can be used to enhance the rhythm, modelling this very well. He used a good variety of strategies, such as deliberate errors, to keep pupils fully involved and on their toes. Their subsequent poems showed how well this helped them to apply what they had learnt to their own writing.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

26. However, there are several aspects of teaching, where there were inconsistencies between teachers, which often made the difference between good and very good lessons and those that were satisfactory or less than satisfactory. In the best lessons, teachers have high expectations of amount, quality and presentation of pupils’ work which are reflected in the good planning and the challenging activities set for pupils of differing levels of attainment. Some teachers make good use of assessment information to focus and adjust their planning in the light of pupils’ responses. This helps them to build effectively on previous learning. However, there is considerable variation in teachers’ expectations and the effectiveness with which work is matched to pupils’ differing levels of attainment. Too often the same task is given to all pupils, even when pupils have been challenged well in preceding oral work by well matched questioning.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

This was evident in some lessons and in pupils’ past work. This is one reason why pupils’ achievement over time is satisfactory rather than good, in spite of them making good progress Elson Junior School - 15 within some lessons. For example, older pupils are usually grouped according to prior attainment, for literacy and numeracy, but often no account is taken of pupils’ differing needs within those groups, with all being given the same task.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

27. All teachers follow the procedures in the new behaviour policy. However, the effectiveness with which they manage pupils’ behaviour varies considerably. In the majority of classes, teachers manage their pupils in a consistent and positive way. This is based on good relationships and mutual respect that are clearly evident. They help pupils to meet their high expectations of behaviour and attitudes to work by creating a calm and purposeful atmosphere in lessons, underpinned by good classroom management, and by providing well-matched work. In these lessons, pupils listen well and settle quickly and sensibly to group activities, showing how well they can concentrate. In less effective and unsatisfactory lessons, teachers rely on too narrow a range of management strategies and are less successful in managing the challenging behaviour of a small minority of pupils. Frequent interruptions to rebuke pupils slow the pace of the lesson.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

This results in pupils becoming restless and inattentive and limits their learning.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

28. In some lessons, although teachers had clear objectives in their planning, they did not explain these clearly to pupils or encourage them to evaluate their work against these at the end of the lesson, to help them know how well they were doing. Some teachers intervened and questioned pupils effectively to move their learning on in lessons, as they were working with groups or individuals. However, in their books, marking is inconsistent. There are few comments to help pupils to know precisely how to improve the content of their work. Untidy work or errors are sometimes not corrected or commented on, indicating that teachers’ expectations are not high enough. Although individual targets are agreed with pupils, little evidence was seen of teachers making effective use of them in lessons to help pupils focus on their specific areas for improvement.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

29. Teachers help pupils to develop their information and communication technology skills satisfactorily through their direct teaching of the subject. However, few examples were seen of information and communication technology being used effectively to support the learning objectives in other subjects. Satisfactory use is made of computers to reinforce the literacy skills of pupils with special educational needs, using specifically designed programs to support them.

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STUDENTS?

30. The curriculum provided by the school is satisfactory overall and meets the requirements of the National Curriculum. It now has breadth and balance and it contains the full range of subjects. Since the last inspection the curriculum has improved satisfactorily both in its content and in the way that it is planned. The school provides pupils with sound opportunities for learning and good opportunities for personal development through planned classroom activities and after school clubs and events. Subject managers have produced clear schemes of work and the literacy and numeracy strategies have been introduced satisfactorily. All subjects have an adequate allocation of time and extra time is provided for the development of skills such as handwriting and spelling.

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STUDENTS?

31. Curriculum planning is now satisfactory. The school bases its planning on national guidelines but adapts these plans appropriately to the school’s particular requirements; for example there is an increased focus on local issues explored through a variety of subjects. The coverage of core and foundation subjects is well balanced. In some year groups, there is a clear topic focus that is supported by work across several subjects. For example, in Year 4 work on Ancient Egypt is developed through subjects such as art, English and geography. This gives pupils a good learning experience and helps them improve their understanding of the topic. However, subjects such as history or geography are affected in some year groups by the way these topics are timetabled. There are sometimes long periods of time in which pupils do not study these subjects and this means that their overall achievement in these subjects is only

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STUDENTS?

satisfactory, in spite of good learning in some lessons. Elson Junior School - 16 32. The planning of the literacy and numeracy hours make sound provision for the teaching of literacy and numeracy skills. The effectiveness of the national strategies in promoting continuity in pupils’ learning has been hindered by the high turnover of teachers. Planning of lessons takes place across the year groups and this ensures that appropriate skills are developed. The school allocates enough time to the development of information communication technology but its use is not fully developed in all subjects at present because of limited access to computers. The school meets the requirements of the locally agreed syllabus for religious education.

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STUDENTS?

33. Provision for pupils’ personal, social education and health education is good. Pupils are made aware of issues affecting their well being in a planned programme for personal, social and health education and within the curriculum as a whole. Social, moral and health issues are discussed and the policies and programmes are in place to ensure an appropriate provision of health, sex and drugs education. For example during the inspection pupils were able to discuss the possible dangers of roads, railways and play areas with a police liaison officer as part of a Keeping Safe lesson.

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STUDENTS?

34. The provision for equality of access and opportunity is satisfactory. Most teachers are careful to take account of any imbalance in numbers between boys and girls in their classes, for example, when grouping pupils and to involve them all in questioning. All aspects of school life are open to boys and girls, irrespective of their level of attainment, background or culture. Teachers often use their good knowledge of individual pupils to meet their differing personal needs well. Pupils are grouped by prior attainment for English and mathematics in Years 5 and 6. In other subjects, pupils work in a variety of appropriate groupings. Pupils with special educational needs are well supported when learning support assistants are available in the classroom. However, in lessons where all pupils are attempting the same task and using the same resources, the highest attaining pupils are not always being offered sufficient challenge or lower

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STUDENTS?

35. Provision for pupils with special educational needs is satisfactory and contributes towards the sound progress they make overall. The school’s implementation of the Code of Practice is meeting the needs of the pupils on the special needs register and generally ensures equal access to the curriculum. The special educational needs co-ordinator is ensuring that the new Code of Practice will be fully implemented by September 2002 and that all staff are becoming familiar with the new requirements. Individual education plans now relate to these. Although there are still some inconsistencies in the quality of individual education plans and the effectiveness with which they are used to support pupils, the co-ordinator is working closely with teachers to address this. Overall there has been a good improvement in this area since the previous inspection.

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STUDENTS?

36. There are good links with the local secondary school. This ensures that pupils progress easily into work in Year 7. Staff share information and occasionally teachers visit departments in the other school. Pupils meet their new teachers and visit the secondary school as part of a planned induction process. The school now works closely with the neighbouring infant school and with other schools in the area. Careful planning and preparation helps pupils who arrive at different times in the year to settle in well. The school is clearly affected by a noticeable turnover of pupils.

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STUDENTS?

37. The community is also used well to support the curriculum particularly in the area of personal development. The contribution of the police liaison officer, for example, allowed pupils to listen to their classmates’ experiences and share their own in discussion with him. The local vicar, as Chair of the Governors enhances the good links with the local churches. He is in school frequently and regularly takes classes for religious education. A local Guide pack has a hut in the grounds. The grounds are also used by disabled people for sport. Visits are made to local attractions, such as the Mary Rose, that support the work being done by pupils. Additionally, the choir has sung at church festivals and pupils are invited to local concerts, such as those given by the Royal Marines. All of these activities enrich pupils’ learning opportunities Elson Junior School - 17 38. The programme of extra curricular activities provided by the school is good. It includes sport,

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STUDENTS?

music and a new newspaper group. During the inspection would be journalists were looking for scoops and photographs for their first edition. Many pupils join in after school and lunchtime activities on a regular basis. Individuals learn to play a variety of musical instruments and many are involved in the choir and recorder group. During the inspection football training with players from the local football club was very popular with boys and girls. The recently introduced lunchtime activity, led by pupils from Year 6, is also very popular. Pupils were also eagerly looking forward to the week of activities planned to celebrate the royal jubilee.

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STUDENTS?

39. The provision for pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development overall is satisfactory and has been maintained since the last inspection. The provision for pupils’ spiritual development remains satisfactory. The daily act of worship complies with statutory requirements and makes a good contribution to pupils' spiritual development. Themes are discussed and agreed by the staff as a whole in order to ensure that the pupils experience a balanced and appropriate range of experiences. A good example of this was the assembly on 'Feelings' led by the head teacher and linked well with the school's vision statement 'Living together, learning together'. The themes in whole school assemblies are followed up well in year group assemblies later in the week and local clergy are regular visitors to the school. The school makes effective use of recorded music to set the tone of the gatherings or to enhance reflection when pupils

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STUDENTS?

enter and leave the school hall and all gatherings include a time for reflection and a prayer. Assemblies generally enable the pupils to reflect on a wide range of issues in a calm and positive atmosphere, allowing them to consider their own responses. Religious education lessons make a very good contribution to pupils spiritual development overall. Pupils learn about other world religions and consider major issues like death in a supportive environment. Year 5 lessons on this theme were good examples of this. Planned experiences to enhance spiritual development across the curriculum areas, while satisfactory, are not fully exploited.

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STUDENTS?

40. The provision for pupils’ moral development is satisfactory and has been maintained since the last inspection. All staff ensure in their day-to-day dealings with the pupils that they are aware of appropriate and inappropriate behaviour and the effect these have on the people around them. Teachers use planned circle time effectively to support this. Staff are appropriate role models for their pupils and most treat pupils sensitively and with respect, encouraging in them an appreciation of the importance of honesty, fairness and respect for truth. During curriculum time pupils have the opportunity to examine issues of rights and responsibilities, as for example, in history when examining the use of slaves to build the Egyptian Pyramids and in literacy examining issues of morality related to advertising with respect to persuasive writing. This support of pupils' moral development through planned experiences across the curriculum is

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STUDENTS?

41. The provision for pupils’ social development is good and has improved since the last inspection. Pupils are given planned opportunities to work collaboratively together in various combinations of groups as appropriate. Groups of Year 6 pupils, for example, compose short pieces of music in ternary form and pupils in Year 3 play mathematics games in pairs. Pupils of all ages throughout the school are given responsibilities in class and around the school, helping in day- to-day organisation and this fosters well their sense of responsibility to others. Older pupils are encouraged to care for the younger pupils in the school. Year 6 pupils organise games during wet play times for younger pupils, for example. Class councils, which feed into the school council, support pupils' social development very well. Pupils discuss a range of issues and even the youngest pupils show good listening skills. In Year 3, at the instigation of one pupil, the

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STUDENTS?

class debated the provision of individual drinks on the classroom tables and voted sensibly at the end. Pupils in Year 6 are given the opportunity to benefit from a visit to a residential centre and this contributes well to their social development.

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STUDENTS?

42. Provision for cultural development is satisfactory, as it was at the time of the last inspection. Knowledge of local culture is built up through studies of the local area to support work in history and geography and provision for the wider culture is supported adequately through literature and other curriculum areas. A number of theatre groups visit throughout the year, as for example at the time of the inspection, performing The Tempest. A range of visitors, from various cultural Elson Junior School - 18 backgrounds, who share their interests and expertise also make significant contributions as do visits to appropriate places of interest. These include musical workshops from around the world, a visit to the Mary Rose, a talk on St Lucia and a visit to 'Search for a Victorian Christmas. Teachers on the staff from other countries are also raising pupils’ awareness of the diversity and richness of other cultural traditions.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

43. The school has made some improvements in the monitoring and promotion of personal development and behaviour. These are now good overall. Generally, the staff in school work hard to create a supportive environment and, in regard to personal development, they enjoy good levels of success. The pupils feel safe in school and have very positive views about how well the school supports them; this is shown by the good relationships they have with staff. Some Year 6 pupils said that it was nice to come to school, because it was somewhere where they can get problems sorted out, in circle time, for example, because staff and fellow pupils are interested in them and prepared to listen. This good personal support for individual pupils of all races and backgrounds enables them to concentrate fully in their lessons, because they feel secure and valued.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

44. The school has good policies and procedures to ensure pupils’ health, safety and well-being. Child protection procedures are secure and staff know to whom to report concerns. The school takes its involvement in these issues very seriously, ensuring that they attend relevant meetings when necessary. All accidents, and the actions taken as a result of these, are well recorded and the appropriate communication made to parents. Fire drills take place regularly and alarms, appliances and equipment are tested as required.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

45. There are good procedures for monitoring and promoting attendance. Although attendance at school is good, the school keeps a careful watch for any developing patterns of absence and on the attendance of any pupil known to be a less regular attender. The school is fortunate to have fortnightly support from an education welfare officer who tackles, amongst other areas, persistent lateness. Registers are correctly marked and attendance is reported as required. To promote attendance further, the school is to embark on a first day contact initiative to establish where the pupils are if no notification of absence has been received.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

46. There has been a recent review of the school’s behaviour policy undertaken by the headteacher and her deputy. The policy includes the actions relating to any form of bullying. It is based on courtesy, consideration for others and respect for property. It has been shared well with parents and pupils, although it is too soon to judge its effectiveness. Expectations of standards of behaviour, rewards and sanctions are displayed in classrooms. The recording of behaviour, including any form of bullying, is good, with each class having a log in which details are written. Year group leaders monitor the detention books, and the deputy head teacher and headteacher monitor all behaviour records. The school is currently trying to ensure a more consistent approach to managing behaviour; the many changes of staff have hampered this to some extent. External training is planned for the start of the new academic year when a full complement of

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

permanent staff should be in place. Currently, the support assistants feel that the behaviour policy falls down when the head teacher and the special educational needs co-ordinator are not available to deal with the most disruptive behaviour.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

47. The school promotes pupils’ personal development well through activities such as circle time and class and school councils, in which all pupils have a chance to have their say. Although there are no formal procedures to monitor the pupils’ personal development, the staff do know the pupils well; this is clear from the details they give when talking about the pupils and in the support given by many in classes. This is particularly commendable when the length of service of some staff is short. The school acknowledges good personal development in its weekly celebration assembly with awards for ‘Child of the Week’ for each class. In each class there is a ‘Well Done’ log in which anyone can record anything nice about a child. Comments made are often both appreciative and gracious. Elson Junior School - 19 48. The arrangements for the assessment and identification of pupils with special educational needs

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

are satisfactory. This is an improvement since the previous report when the monitoring and review of progress of pupils with special educational needs was a key issue. Teachers and learning support assistants generally know their pupils well. Year 2 national test results and other assessments from the infant school or pupils’ previous schools are used appropriately to target initial support for their needs. Records are developing into well-maintained working documents. The special needs co-ordinator and the manager for assessment are working together to develop systems to track pupils’ progress against specific objectives and targets. The monitoring and support for the one pupil, at present, with a statement of special educational needs is good. The annual reviews show good progress and outline future targets. Liaison with outside agencies and external support staff is good.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

49. Procedures for monitoring and supporting pupils’ academic progress are satisfactory. Since the time of the previous report, there has been a good improvement in assessment procedures, which now provide a satisfactory overview of pupils’ progress and achievements as they move through the school. There are now sound procedures for assessing pupils’ progress in mathematics and English through annual standardised tests in reading and spelling, as well as the optional national tests at the end of Years 3,4 and 5. In mathematics these are supplemented well by additional, regular ongoing assessments.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

50. The rapid turnover of teachers in the last two years has led to some aspects of the good assessment policy not being implemented consistently across the school. In English, for example, in some, but not all year groups, teachers make a detailed assessment of an agreed writing task to inform their target setting. There have been no recent opportunities for teachers to moderate examples of pupils’ work together, comparing it to national standards. This is partly why some teachers do not have high enough expectations of pupils’ work. Detailed assessments are made at the end of each topic in science, but as yet there is no common approach for assessing pupils’ progress in other subjects. Subject managers are currently addressing this through their action plans.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

51. The school makes satisfactory use of all of the information from these procedures to raise standards and pupils' achievement. Test results were analysed last summer, for example, to identify areas of weakness in the curriculum, such as writing. As a result, additional curriculum time has been given to this area this year in all classes. However, while good examples were seen in some year groups of planning being adjusted to take account of weakness identified in pupils’ learning, as in mathematics in Year 5, this good practice and the issues arising are not always shared across the school. This is one reason why, in some classes, the work set is not challenging enough. Class teachers make good use of the information from annual tests to set end of year targets for pupils in terms of their expected National Curriculum levels, as well as half-yearly individual curricular targets in English and mathematics. This contributes to their

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

satisfactory achievements, as the information is also used appropriately to identify individuals or groups of pupils in need of additional help. This is provided, for example, through booster classes or the additional literacy strategy. However, the curriculum targets are not generally specific enough and the effectiveness with which teachers use them in lessons to move on pupils’ learning is inconsistent.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

52. The school, under its new headteacher, is working hard to develop and foster relationships between home and school, which are now good. This is an improvement since the previous report. From the questionnaire and the meeting prior to the inspection parents indicate that overall their views of the school are positive. They are particularly pleased that their children like school, a fact borne out during the inspection. Inspectors agree that the school is approachable. Parents like the high expectations set for their children, they feel that the progress their children make is good. Whilst progress is a good feature in some classes, overall this aspect is judged to be satisfactory. Expectations on the whole are not high enough. Although parents feel that there are not enough extra- curricular activities, these are judged to be good. Parents also expressed concerns about the closeness with which the school works with them, the amount of

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

Elson Junior School - 20 homework set and the information they receive, particularly about their children’s progress. These concerns are covered either in the following paragraphs or elsewhere in the report.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

53. General information provided for parents is good. There is a good range of letters, including newsletters that keep parents informed about all aspects of school life, from term and event dates, (and the dreaded hair lice), to staff changes and school improvement. More targeted information is sent by year groups. This includes information - ‘Curriculink’ -about what the pupils are learning each half term, giving parents sufficient details to help if they want to. Of particular use is the early indication of trips that may require financial support. Letters are usually sent out on a Wednesday so parents know when to expect them.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

54. The school sends parents a report on their children’s progress at the end of the academic year. In English and mathematics this follows on from a mid year report. In both reports pupils are given a grade against a series of targets relating to the subject being reported on. Whilst these give parents an idea of what their children know, understand and are able to do, it does not focus specifically on that pupil’s strengths and weaknesses. Targets are set in English and mathematics in the mid year report, but these are too broad and do not target where individual children need to focus to improve. The end of year reports give brief follow-up details of how children have moved on in English and mathematics. All other subjects are reported on through the grade against targets system, except in science where there are brief written comments. The general comments in reports show that teachers have a good knowledge of their pupils’

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

personal development. Whilst the overall quality of annual reports is satisfactory, specific targets are not set, nor do parents receive any information about how their child is doing when compared with other pupils of the same age nationally.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

55. The school tries hard to work closely with parents. This is particularly true in the case of concerns about behaviour where the school tries to involve parents at an early stage. Parents have three opportunities a year to talk formally with teachers about their children. Attendance at these meetings is good with about two thirds of parents taking up these opportunities. The school tries to contact those parents who do not attend, and will consult with them over the telephone if necessary. The school encourages parents to contact the school at any time if they have concerns. The parents at the meeting and those spoken to during the inspection say that they are made to feel welcome and that problems are resolved as quickly as possible. One of the first actions of the new head teacher was to consult with parents through a comprehensive questionnaire. There was a good return to this, giving the school a good picture of what they are

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

doing well and where parents feel they need to improve. A good quality analysis and explanation was sent to parents, acknowledging where there is need for improvement. These have already fed into the school’s strategic plan. This is good evidence of the school striving to involve its parents in its development and has contributed to the increasing confidence all sections of the community have in the school.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

56. Liaison with parents of pupils with special educational needs is sound. They are aware of the point of contact in the school and are informed of the targets on their child’s individual educational plans. However, these are not always signed by parents and teachers to show that they agree with and understand the targets set. Parents of pupils with statements are kept fully informed and are given good opportunities to be involved in reviewing the targets set for their children.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

57. In the ‘Curriculink’ letter sent home each half term, parents’ help in school is sought. Only a few parents have volunteered to support in school, but these parents’ efforts are much appreciated. Parents may help with for example, pupils’ sewing or by painting the changing rooms. Some parents have received training in helping to support individual children’s reading, giving them very regular help over several weeks. This is seen to have a good effect on those pupils’ reading. Some parents are happy and willing to help their children at home with both reading and written tasks, however, they are also involved in IMPACT maths, but not all parents support their children fully, particularly in the development of reading skills. Most parents sign the home- school agreement. The school benefits from the efforts of the ‘Friends of Elson’ who organise social and fund raising events for parents and pupils. The money raised is used to provide extra

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

Elson Junior School - 21 activities and resources for the pupils; they have also helped meet the cost of upgrading the changing room facilities around the pool so that all pupils can benefit from regular lessons over several months of the year.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

58. The overall leadership and management of the school is good and has improved considerably since the last inspection. There has been a good response to the key issues, including the weaknesses in leadership and management identified in the previous report. A structured approach to the teaching of reading, completed schemes of work to promote continuity in learning and the satisfactory introduction of the national literacy and numeracy strategies all contributed to the steady rise in standards in reading, mathematics and science in the first three years following the last inspection. Further improvement has been hindered by the high turnover of teachers in the last two years and the difficulties in recruiting suitably qualified permanent replacements. The resulting staff changes and inconsistencies in the quality of teaching have had an adverse impact on pupils’ learning in some classes. This, in turn, has led

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

59. Since taking up her post in January, the new headteacher has already addressed the remaining issues from the previous report very effectively and initiated a number of other improvements. She provides very good leadership. By involving parents, governors, staff and pupils in a thorough review of the school’s vision statement and aims, she has created a strong sense of common purpose and direction. As one parent commented at the pre-inspection meeting, ‘We all know where we’re going now!’ This is also very evident in talking to staff and governors.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

60. This review was underpinned by a comprehensive evaluation of all aspects of school life, led by the headteacher, in which all members of the school community were involved. The outcomes of this were used very well, together with careful analysis of available data, as the basis for the very well thought out school strategic plan and to determine the immediate priorities for the school improvement plan. This has provided a very useful tool for development, with a clear, measurable agenda for improving standards, achievement, teaching and learning. It is costed well and closely linked to the planned provision for in-service training. This is a good improvement since the last inspection. Teachers and governors are very aware of the priorities and fully committed to them, as they were involved in deciding them. The behaviour policy has been reviewed and clear procedures put into place so that pupils, staff and parents know exactly

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

61. The headteacher’s role in creating a positive climate for change, in motivating staff, gaining the confidence of parents and securing the commitment of all to school improvement has been a critical factor in the considerable improvements since her appointment. This is reflected in the very positive response of the staff to this, in their mutual support, hard work and good teamwork, in spite of the relatively short length of time that most teachers have been in the school. This contributes well to the shared commitment to raise standards for all groups of pupils and the determination to maintain the good level of care and support for them. Teachers’ good knowledge of pupils, the way they value pupils as individuals and recognise their achievements are good examples of how these aims are seen in practice daily. This makes a strong contribution to the positive attitudes of the pupils and to the way that the school encourages

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

62. The headteacher works in close partnership with the very effective deputy headteacher and with the full support of all staff to manage the smooth day-to-day running of the school and the pastoral care of pupils effectively. The contribution of other staff with key responsibilities is satisfactory overall; several of the roles have been re-allocated due to staff changes and these subject managers have not been in post long enough for their impact to be seen. They have audited their subject areas as part of the school self-evaluation and identified appropriate priorities.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

63. The special educational needs co-ordinator was new to the post in January. However, she has Elson Junior School - 22 quickly developed a very good understanding of the strengths and areas for development in special educational needs provision and is making a positive impact on the provision. In the short time in her role, she has ensured that the key issues from the previous report have been addressed. She has led a number of training sessions for teachers and learning support and special needs assistants, which is raising the skills and knowledge of staff. Teaching assistants feel well supported and are positive about their roles when supporting pupil’s academic progress. They are given good guidance by the special educational needs co-ordinator and other staff and attend appropriate school and local authority training courses to update their skills and knowledge. However, some are less sure of their role and the strategies to use, when dealing

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

with behaviour issues. The responsible governor for special educational needs has a good knowledge of special needs in the school and reports to the governing body on a regular basis.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

64. The determination and capacity of the school to raise standards is seen in the way that the headteacher is putting into place good systems to support a rigorous approach to all aspects of monitoring and evaluation, which are satisfactory overall at present. Little monitoring of teaching had taken place previously. Through her own observations of all teachers last term, as well as those of the deputy, the headteacher has already begun to address variations in the quality of teaching. The subsequent discussions and action points agreed with teachers are already contributing well to this, together with the good use of external monitoring by local education authority inspectors. Opportunities for managers to monitor teaching and learning in their subjects and for peer observations are now to be included in the programme.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

65. The systems for performance management are in place, but the focused use of the process to support school development has been delayed to later this term by the changes in teaching staff. Learning support assistants are to be included from September. The school is making appropriate use of initiatives, such as the additional literacy strategy, as well as schemes such as Investors in People to provide further support for school improvement. The headteacher manages the additional bureaucratic demands, arising from implementation of national initiatives such as these effectively. She does this, for example, through the use of information and communication technology and by prioritising and delegating appropriately, so that these do not detract from the benefit to pupils.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

66. Increasingly good use is being made of performance data to track progress of individual pupils, through appropriate information systems. This is a good improvement from the time of the last report. Results from an improved range of assessment procedures within the school are used to identify those pupils in need of additional support, for example, through booster classes. Data is also used well to set challenging school targets in English and mathematics and for teachers to set end of year numerical targets for each pupil in their class and to monitor their progress towards these. As yet, this process has not been extended to science.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

67. Governors are committed and very supportive of the school and carry out their statutory duties satisfactorily, overall. There were a large number of new governors this year and this opportunity has been used to restructure the committees and to clarify roles and responsibilities, working closely with the new headteacher. A few governors work regularly in school, including the Chair of Governors. This, together with their involvement in the self evaluation of the school and the review of its aims, helps to inform their clear view of the strengths and weaknesses of the school and of what is needed to continue to take the school forward. It is also enabling them to develop some aspects of their role, such as strategic planning and monitoring and evaluation, in a more structured and pro-active way.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

68. The quality of financial planning and management is good and the knowledgeable, efficient administrative officer makes a good contribution to this. The school strategic plan has been used well this year to determine the best use of the funds available to the school to support the priorities for school improvement. This has been helped by perceptive questions from the governors’ finance committee, which places them in a good position to evaluate the effectiveness of spending decisions. Good use is also made of specific grants, for example, to improve the number of learning support assistants in classes. The budget surplus last year was planned to cover costs of securing the swimming pool and to provide some additional funds for Elson Junior School - 23 the incoming headteacher. Principles of best value are applied well and contribute to the improved cost effectiveness of the school. The school ensures through competitive tendering

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

that it obtains best value for money when purchasing resources and services. The headteacher compares the school’s performance with that of other schools both nationally and locally to ensure that targets are realistically challenging. This year, parents have been consulted through a questionnaire about various aspects of school life and pupils are consulted though the school and class councils. This has resulted, for example, in more parents helping in school on a voluntary basis and in the provision of a water fountain. All of these factors are contributing to improvements in the cost effectiveness of the school.

p.23

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

69. There is an appropriate number of teachers, of whom two thirds have been appointed in the last year. As a result of recruitment difficulties, a third are temporary teachers, including two overseas-trained teachers. New teachers are given very good guidance about the policies and practices in the school, planning for each subject and the school’s strategies for behaviour management. The two overseas-trained teachers, for example, speak very highly of the quality of support they have been given, especially by the senior management team and their year leader. In spite of this, the high turnover of teachers and difficulty of recruiting suitably qualified and experienced staff has impacted adversely on pupils’ learning in some, but not all, of the classes and has contributed to the drop in performance over the last two years. The headteacher and governing body are working closely and effectively together to tackle the

p.23

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

staffing difficulties by, for example, allocating additional funds for recruitment and retention purposes. The staffing situation is becoming more stable, with none of the permanent teachers leaving this term and all but one permanent appointments made for September, to date, to replace temporary posts.

p.23

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

70. The school is making satisfactory use of new technology. Efficient office systems are linked to computerised programs, which are being updated by the local education authority to allow for greater compatibility and ease of use. Staff and pupils use electronic mail, although this is not fully developed for pupils’ use. The use of new technology in classrooms is hampered by variations in teacher knowledge and skills and an unsatisfactory ratio of computers to pupils. However, this will be addressed when the new suite is in operation. The library computer is used well by pupils to borrow and return books and to monitor the use of books in the school

p.23

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

71. The school now allocates additional funds to employ a higher than average number of learning support staff, addressing the deficiencies noted in the last inspection. They provide increasingly effective support for pupils’ learning, including those with special educational needs. The school administrative assistants and librarian provide helpful, efficient support. The school is well supported at lunchtimes by the mealtime assistants. The site manager and cleaning staff maintain the buildings well.

p.23

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

72. There are a good number of well-used resources in all subjects except for information and communication technology, mathematics, geography and physical education. They are satisfactory in the latter three subjects. However, in information and communication technology, the number of computers does not meet the national average and so impacts adversely on the amount of use and time pupils receive for computer work and consequently on the standards reached. The school library is well stocked and books are of good quality. It is well maintained by the school’s librarian and makes a good contribution to pupils’ general eagerness to read and for the generally good library skills achieved by Year 6.

p.23

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

73. Accommodation is good overall. The school enjoys the benefit of several specialist areas, such as for food technology and music. The large library area is being redesigned to make the books more easily accessible to pupils. There are also plans to create a computer suite out of existing unused space to address the deficiencies in provision for information and communication technology. Areas outside the classrooms are used well for class activities and for small group and individual support work. The lack of doors between classrooms and shared areas, together with thin walls means that some classes are disturbed by sound from adjacent areas. The extensive outside accommodation includes an adventure playground, an environmental area, currently being redeveloped to extend the curriculum, and a swimming pool that supports the Elson Junior School - 24 school’s provision for physical education well. The buildings are clean and well maintained.

p.23

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

However, there is a litter problem outside, for which the school is encouraging pupils to take responsibility. Elson Junior School - 25

p.24

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

In the context of the school’s strengths, the governors, headteacher and staff should address the following matters in their action plan in order to raise standards and the quality of education further:

p.25

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

a) Raise standards in English, mathematics, science and information and communication technology, which are below average at the end of Year 6 by*:

p.25

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

§ implementing the national literacy and numeracy strategies consistently well in all classes; § ensuring that teachers set tasks that are appropriately challenging and matched to pupils’ differing levels of attainment; § sharing existing good practice and fully implementing the planned training in these subjects so that all staff have the necessary skills, knowledge and confidence to promote pupils’ learning effectively; § making more use of opportunities in other subjects for pupils to practise their skills in different forms of writing and for extended writing; § making more consistent and effective use of the first and final parts of mathematics lessons to develop pupils’ mental strategies; § ensuring that pupils have the opportunity to apply their scientific knowledge to practical situations and that teachers stress the skills of scientific investigation; § implementing plans to improve resources for information and communication technology so that

p.25

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

pupils can develop all aspects of their skills to an appropriate level; § providing more opportunities for pupils to use information and communications technology to support their learning across the curriculum.

p.25

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(See paragraphs 4, 8, 10, 22, 29, 32, 73, 79, 87-8, 90, 93, 96, 107, 118, 125-6 and 143.)

p.25

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

b) Reduce the inconsistencies in teaching and learning to raise its quality towards the level of the best practice in the school by:*

p.25

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

§ continuing to implement the comprehensive programme of monitoring and support; § ensuring greater consistency in the effective management of pupils’ behaviour in class and the strategies used to achieve this; § ensuring that teachers have equally high expectations of the amount and quality of pupils’ work, which are reflected in appropriately challenging activities; § improving the quality of marking and making more effective use of target setting to help pupils improve their work.

p.25

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(See paragraphs 2, 15, 20-4, 26-8, 47, 51, 58, 80-1, 88, 90, 97 and 138.)

p.25

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

In addition to the above, the following point for development should be considered for inclusion in the action plan:-

p.25

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• provide training where necessary to increase staff expertise in teaching physical education. (see paragraph 133)

p.25

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

* The school has already identified these areas for development. Elson Junior School - 26

p.25

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

p.26

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

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

p.26

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

p.26

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactor y Poor Very Poor

p.26

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

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 one percentage point.

p.26

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 348

p.26

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 26

p.26

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs (5 pending) Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 99

p.26

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

English as an additional language No of pupils

p.26

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 1

p.26

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

p.26

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 13

p.26

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 20

p.26

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

School data 5.0 School data 0.3 Elson Junior School - 27 National comparative data 5.6 National comparative data 0.5

p.26

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Elson Junior School - 28 Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6) Year Boys Girls Total

p.27

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 2001 49 37 86

p.28

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

p.28

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Boys 29 30 41 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 31 26 36

p.28

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Percentage of pupils School 70 (75) 65 (75) 90 (90) at NC level 4 or above National 75 (75) 71 (72) 87 (85)

p.28

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.28

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Boys 27 37 32 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 27 28 30

p.28

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Percentage of pupils School 64 (58) 76 (66) 73 (76) at NC level 4 or above National 72 (70) 74 (72) 82 (79)

p.28

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year.

p.28

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

p.28

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Black – Caribbean heritage 0 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0

p.28

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Black – African heritage 1 Black – African heritage 0 0

p.28

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

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

p.28

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

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. Elson Junior School - 29 Teachers and classes Financial information

p.28

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 11 Financial year 2000/01

p.29

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 32

p.29

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Education support staff: Y[ ] – Y[ ] Total income 718,443

p.29

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Total number of education support staff 12 Total expenditure 712,026

p.29

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Total aggregate hours worked per week 165 Expenditure per pupil 2,047

p.29

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Balance brought forward from previous year 41,874

p.29

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Balance carried forward to next year 48,291

p.29

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 14

p.29

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 13

p.29

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 0

p.29

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of a term or more (FTE) 2.4

p.29

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of unfilled vacancies or vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of less than one term (FTE) 1

p.29

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

FTE means full-time equivalent. Elson Junior School - 30

p.29

Percentage of responses in each category

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

p.30

Percentage of responses in each category

My child is making good progress in school. 25 58 9 5 3

p.30

Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 11 63 15 4 7

p.30

Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 22 49 16 9 3

p.30

Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 20 52 19 8 1

p.30

Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 35 53 8 4 0

p.30

Percentage of responses in each category

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 37 54 3 2 4

p.30

Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 18 49 23 7 2

p.30

Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 16 59 8 3 13

p.30

Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 26 55 12 4 3

p.30

Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 17 44 25 8 5 Elson Junior School - 31

p.30

ENGLISH

74. Lesson observations and scrutiny of past and current work show that standards overall at the end of Year 6 are below average, as they were in the 2001 national tests. They are average in speaking and listening and in reading but below average in writing. This represents an improvement on standards at the time of the last report when pupils’ reading skills were found to be unsatisfactory. However, most boys and girls of all levels of attainment are achieving satisfactorily in relation to their individual performance in the Year 2 national tests.

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ENGLISH

75. A number of factors have contributed to improvements in the subject since the last inspection. The literacy strategy has been introduced in a satisfactory way, but it is not yet as effective as it might be in promoting pupils’ literacy skills, because it is not implemented consistently in all classes. This is because some teachers are inexperienced and have not been trained in teaching the national literacy strategy. However, it has helped to provide a much more structured approach to the teaching of reading, for example, which has contributed to the improved standards. Pupils with special educational needs now make satisfactory progress towards their targets. Their needs are identified at an early stage and class teachers and learning support assistants work together increasingly well to help them to participate fully in lessons. Assessment information is used appropriately to identify other lower attaining pupils in

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ENGLISH

need of additional support, for example, through the use of initiatives such as the additional literacy strategy and booster classes. Even though staffing difficulties in the last two years have contributed to some falling back in performance, through inconsistencies in the quality of teaching, standards are beginning to rise again, especially in Year 3.

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ENGLISH

76. Standards in speaking and listening are average overall and many pupils have good listening skills. In all year groups, pupils’ skills are developed well through discussion activities and individual pupils speak confidently to adults and in school assembly. Pupils generate ideas in brain storming sessions and contribute well in discussions; they have opportunities to show these skills in presentations in class when, for example, Year 3 pupils perform humourous poems that they have written. Teachers plan work for the literacy hour that fosters the development of skills in listening and some place a good emphasis on extending pupils’ vocabulary. They make good use of other subject areas, including geography, history and religious education, to help pupils develop their skills. Pupils in Year 6 were able to talk about the storm in Shakespeare’s, ‘The Tempest’, with real confidence, after they had thoroughly

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ENGLISH

enjoyed a performance by a visiting theatre group. Pupils also comment on and review their own and others’ work at the end of some lessons and, where this happens, it adds to their confidence and ability to express themselves clearly. In all classes observed, it was obvious that pupils really enjoyed discussion and brainstorm activities and were keen to contribute their ideas and share them with others.

p.31

ENGLISH

77. Standards in reading across the school are average overall. There are some pupils in all year groups with good reading skills, who choose really challenging books. Some pupils show weaknesses in basic skills and their poor range of vocabulary affects their understanding of what they read. The school uses reading scheme books with lower attaining readers, but all pupils are encouraged to use a good variety of books, chosen from the library, which are appropriate to their level of skills. The literacy programme is promoting higher standards in reading, as pupils benefit from studying a wide range of fiction and non-fiction texts in class, although many require a considerable amount of support. The school has a number of library areas and these are well managed and have good stocks of books. Library facilities are well used and because of this most pupils have good library skills: for example pupils of average attainment understand

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ENGLISH

the classification system for non - fiction books and can explain the use of an index. Pupils have been introduced to a wide range of literature and they can talk about poems and stories read in class. They also have a wide experience of different kinds of writing, for example, advertising material was in use during the inspection to help pupils develop skills in persuasive writing. Pupils are able to use computers to develop their skills in some aspects of reading and Elson Junior School - 32 research, but they have insufficient opportunities to do so. Computers are mostly used for word processing.

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ENGLISH

78. Standards in writing are below average and work is sometimes poorly presented. Most pupils are able to use a joined up script as skills in handwriting are practiced regularly. Pupils also use word processors effectively although they are not used enough for the development of skills in drafting and redrafting of work. The highest attaining pupils write about and illustrate their ideas well and have produced well-structured pieces of extended writing to support their work in other subjects, for example, about aspects of life in Gosport in the last century. In general, however, teachers do not make enough use of opportunities in other subjects for pupils to apply and practise the skills they are learning about, in their own writing. Although some pupils are encouraged to concentrate on the presentation of their work and on spelling and punctuation, many of them in all year groups make too many errors in basic spelling and punctuation,

p.32

ENGLISH

especially in the use of capital letters and paragraphs. The range of written work is satisfactory, with evidence of imaginative work and of writing for a variety of purposes and audiences. Pupils learn how to write different forms of poetry, for example, writing in the Haiku form in Year 4. By Year 5, pupils can produce different forms of persuasive writing and they are often good at inventing advertising slogans. Lower attaining pupils and some of those with special educational needs find difficulty in expressing their ideas clearly on paper and struggle to produce extended pieces of writing of an appropriate standard. However, they can all write simple sentences and attempt pieces of imaginative writing and, because of the skilled help of learning support staff, are often able to make a valuable contribution to work in class.

p.32

ENGLISH

79. The teaching of English is satisfactory overall, although good and very good lessons were also observed. The rapid turnover in teachers in the last two years has led to inconsistencies in the quality of teaching, so that, although pupils learn and progress well in some classes, their rate of learning varies as they move through the school, leading to satisfactory achievement overall. Some teachers have a good understanding of all aspects of the teaching of English and they are able to provide inspiring examples and set interesting tasks that motivate pupils well. However, some have insufficient knowledge of the literacy strategy. In the most successful lessons, teachers had high expectations of the work and behaviour of their pupils and provided work that interested and challenged all pupils so that they used the lesson time well. Less successful lessons lacked rigour and structure and teachers did not have high enough expectations of the

p.32

ENGLISH

amount and quality of pupils’ work or of their behaviour. This meant they learnt less, as they were not fully focused on their work.

p.32

ENGLISH

80. The school is well resourced for English, especially with regard to the availability of books in the library and in the classrooms. Teachers generally use these well, although in some lessons the choice of text was not sufficiently well considered and it was too difficult for the pupils. Planning is sound and teachers plan and share resources across the year groups. Teachers use assessment information appropriately to group and set pupils and to monitor their progress towards their annually predicted targets. However, it is not used consistently to adjust planning or match written tasks, in particular, to pupils’ differing levels of attainment, with teachers frequently giving the same task to all pupils. Not all teachers mark written work regularly and there were few examples of comments to help pupils know how to improve their work. This is one reason why pupils achieve better in reading than they do in writing. In some classes, pupils’

p.32

ENGLISH

work is celebrated in displays of their letters or poems but again this is not consistent across the school and generally there are not enough examples of written work on display. Homework is set regularly and provides appropriate support for class work.

p.32

ENGLISH

81. There was no manager for English in post during the inspection, as a suitably qualified replacement had not then been found for the previous holder who left last July. The improvements since the last inspection indicate that the subject has been managed effectively. The curriculum now has greater depth, with a clear focus on literature that ensures that it makes a good contribution to pupils’ spiritual moral, social and cultural development. Planning ensures continuity and progression in the work that is covered. Resources have been well chosen to support pupils’ learning. Improvement since the last inspection is satisfactory. There has been an improvement in reading standards and pupils now read to adults, often parent volunteers, on Elson Junior School - 33 a regular basis. However, the lack of a manager this year has limited the amount of school based training for new teachers, to promote a more consistent approach.

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MATHEMATICS

82. Test results in the Year 2001 for pupils at the end of Year 6 were below the national average as they were at the time of the last inspection. In the intervening years, standards rose and were in line with national figures in 1999 and 2000, but have dropped again since then. There is partly due to a large changeover of staff since the time of the last inspection, which has had an adverse effect on standards. However, a comparison of the Year 2 and Year 6 national test results of the 2001 group of pupils, indicate that they made satisfactory achievement over time.

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MATHEMATICS

83. The attainment of pupils in the present Year 6 is below average, although they too have achieved satisfactorily in relation to their prior attainment in Year 2. Middle attaining pupils have a sound understanding of number and the four operations and work accurately when dividing three or four-digit numbers by single digit ones, recording remainders accurately. Their understanding of decimals is developing but they do not work as accurately with numbers that have decimal parts. They understand that fractions can be equivalent and find other simple equivalent fractions by doubling. They find areas of rectangles and volumes of simple cuboids but often omit the correct units from the answers. They have an appropriate understanding of data handling but are not secure in calculations of means and often graphs do not have axes appropriately labelled. Higher attaining pupils have an understanding of negative numbers and add simple fractions.

p.33

MATHEMATICS

They draw the nets of square-based pyramids and cuboids. Their understanding of data handling does not extend to total accuracy when interpreting information contained in graphs. Pupils with special educational needs make sound progress with respect to their individual attainment levels.

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MATHEMATICS

84. Pupils' numeracy skills are used satisfactorily in other curriculum areas through, for example, measuring and drawing when constructing paper patterns in the process of making a computer case in design and technology. Examples from other subjects include reference to angles made by light bouncing off a surface in science and the use of time lines in history. However, the school does not support pupils' mathematical development with planned experiences across other areas of the curriculum as effectively as it could.

p.33

MATHEMATICS

85. The quality of teaching overall is satisfactory. It ranges from unsatisfactory to very good and was good or better in two fifths of the lessons seen. In effective lessons, the learning objectives are made clear to the pupils at the start of the lesson, displayed for the lesson and referred to again in the review session at the end. A good example of this was a Year 5 lesson based on mean, mode and median, where the teacher explained the objective clearly, introducing appropriate vocabulary and referred to the objective at relevant times during the session. This helped to keep pupils tightly focused on what they were learning and to obtain a clear understanding of how well they were achieving. However, this good practice is variable across the school.

p.33

MATHEMATICS

86. Best use is not always made of the three-part lesson that is integral to the national numeracy strategy and some of the newly appointed staff have not received the appropriate training. Many teachers do not plan mental arithmetic sessions designed to engage the interest and extend the skills of the range of pupils in the class. Sessions sometimes consist of one-to-one questioning and in a small number of lessons there is no recognisable mental arithmetic session at the start. Similarly, the effectiveness of review sessions at the end of lessons is also variable. Where these aspects of the lesson are well done, pupils are all engaged in enhancing mental arithmetic skills and mental strategies, sometimes through the good use of individual white boards. In a Year 6 lesson, for example, pupils answered questions on time, pitched at appropriately different levels for them, during a brisk mental arithmetic session. This was

p.33

MATHEMATICS

planned well to support work to be done as the main focus of the lesson, based on the topic 'Escape to France Ferries'.

p.33

MATHEMATICS

87. Teachers have sound knowledge and understanding of the key skills required and teach these satisfactorily. However, work is sometimes not well matched to pupils' needs in class lessons. Elson Junior School - 34 This results in the teacher sometimes having to spend a substantial amount of time supporting a group of pupils who cannot tackle the task successfully, while others find it too easy. When pupils in Years 5 and 6 are taught in sets according to prior attainment, teachers often provide the same task for pupils to do and this too is rarely appropriate for the range of needs within the group. Where work is matched well to their needs, pupils work enthusiastically, with a sense of growing independence and learning is good. A good example of this was seen in an effective Year 3 lesson, based on factors. Here, lower attaining pupils worked on a game based around the factor two and middle attainers used two dice to give them a number for which they had to

p.33

MATHEMATICS

find two complementary factors and record them on their factor ladder. Higher attaining pupils worked well on their 'keyhole game' using numbers less than or equal to seventy two.

p.34

MATHEMATICS

88. Teachers' management of pupils is effective in most lessons and good relationships exist within the classroom between the pupils and the pupils and adults. Consequently, pupils respond positively, even in whole class sessions that might be overly long. In lessons where teachers did not manage behaviour effectively, pupils became inattentive and the pace of their learning dropped. Learning support assistants are used effectively and make positive contributions to the pupils' learning by their competent reinforcement of the teacher's objectives. In a Year 6 lesson, for example, the support assistant made use of the classroom clock to help a pupils with calculations based on time.

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MATHEMATICS

89. The quality of teachers' marking is variable across the school. At best, work is well marked with constructive comments to move pupils’ learning on. However, much of the pupils' work is marked spasmodically and in these books work is often untidy and not logically presented. Teachers generally set homework in accordance with the school policy and this supports learning satisfactorily. Teachers generally do not use information and communication technology satisfactorily in the support of the subject.

p.34

MATHEMATICS

90. The curriculum is satisfactory and better established than at the time of the last inspection. The requirements of the National Curriculum are fully met and assessment procedures are now sound. The results of the national tests and non-statutory tests are analysed and the results used appropriately in the grouping and setting of pupils and the tracking of pupils' progress. The recording of planned assessments throughout the year and the way they are used is also inconsistent, as they were at the time of the last inspection. Teachers within some year groups identify areas of weakness in pupils’ performance, although these are not then addressed as whole school issues so that the development of these skills can be supported across the school in order to raise standards. The subject manager has not yet received sufficient training to enable her to take a full part in the monitoring of teaching and learning across the school

p.34

MATHEMATICS

although she is supportive of colleagues, providing one-to-one help. Overall, the school has made satisfactory improvement since the time of the last inspection.

p.34

SCIENCE

91. Results in the Year 6 national tests in 2001 were in line with the national average and show a good improvement since the last inspection. Inspection evidence shows that at the end of Year 6, standards are below average, largely because in this group of pupils, relatively few are working at the higher level 5. This can be partly attributed to the high number of pupils leaving and joining the school during the school year, with more pupils joining the school with special educational needs than are leaving. Together with the high level of staff turnover, this has resulted in a lack of continuity and consistency in teaching and learning. Despite the turbulence, pupils’ achievement is generally satisfactory, and standards in Years 3 to 5 are closer to average.

p.34

SCIENCE

92. Due to the organisation of the timetable, it was not possible to observe any Year 6 lessons during the inspection week. However, from the analysis of pupils’ work and teachers’ planning and assessment files, all aspects of science; life processes and living things, materials and their properties and physical processes, are covered satisfactorily, although there is little evidence of pupils working beyond level 4. Elson Junior School - 35 93. By the end of Year 6, pupils are generally developing satisfactory scientific knowledge, understanding and skills. However, these are not always being transferred to relevant practical contexts where they can suggest ways of applying their ideas to everyday contexts, predict outcomes, test their reasons based on systematic observations and suggest ways to improve their work. Pupils record their work in writing and with drawings. They use their numeracy skills

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SCIENCE

satisfactorily to communicate information through tables, charts and block graphs. For example, Year 6 plot shadow lengths onto graphs and measure the angles of reflected light. Year 5, plot graphs of pulse rates before and after exercise and graphs of the changes in temperature as ice melts and hot water cools. Year 4 measure forces in Newtons and Year 3 use grams weights to measure the stretchiness of materials. However, some pupils are unable to complete the numeracy content of a lesson because they are expected to draw the chart, which takes up valuable time, rather than have a ready drawn chart available for completion. The use of literacy to support the subject is generally sound, but work analysis indicates that a number of teachers do not insist that work is well presented. There is little evidence of information and communication technology being used to support the subject.

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SCIENCE

94. In their study of life processes and living things, pupils are able to name the major organs of the body; the main parts of a flower and can describe conditions basic to animals and humans correctly. They use appropriate, simple terminology related to the position and function of major organs of the body. They describe animal habitats satisfactorily, for example in hedgerows or a badger set, but this is based on worksheets rather than first hand experience from the school’s environment. In their study of materials and their properties, pupils sort objects confidently by texture, colour, shape, flexibility and hardness. Pupils know that certain materials change when heated and cooled and use flow diagrams well to show the links between different aspects of irreversible and reversible changes. In their work on physical processes, pupils have a satisfactory understanding of how sound and light travels and a satisfactory understanding of

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SCIENCE

simple electrical circuits. They are less secure when discussing the balance of forces or why sound changes in pitch.

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SCIENCE

95. The quality of teaching is satisfactory overall, but with considerable variations, which are reflected in different rates of learning in different classes. In a half of lessons observed teaching was very good. In one lesson observed teaching was unsatisfactory and in one lesson it was poor. Although no lessons were observed in Year 6, analysis of pupils’ work indicates that teaching is at least satisfactory. The progress of pupils with special educational needs is satisfactory overall. Where they are supported by learning support assistants or are set well- matched work, progress in lessons is good but when they are given inappropriate work or are not supported, progress is unsatisfactory. For example, in a very good Year 5 lesson, about the life cycle of humans and animals, the teacher ensured that the learning support assistant and a parent volunteer were well informed about the tasks. This helped them to give very good support

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SCIENCE

to lower attaining pupils, whilst he extended the higher attainers. He used questions very well during the introduction, which appropriately targeted all pupils. His questions motivated them to answer and their answers were valued and often used as further teaching points. Worksheets were interesting and motivated the pupils. As a result, they made very good progress. However, in an unsatisfactory Year 4 lesson, lower attaining pupils were not sure of the task, the limited number of books available for research and the lack of challenge in the worksheet resulted in pupils making unsatisfactory progress.

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SCIENCE

96. The majority of teachers have at least a sound understanding of what they teach and generally manage the pupils well. However, in some of the lessons observed, teachers did not always stress the need for careful observations and accurate and ‘fair’ testing. For example, in the Year 4 lessons observed, pupils had to lift different items ranging from a feather to a bucket of water, in order to test muscle power and observe how muscles worked. The teachers did not stress the need to lift the objects in the same way, by the same person, to the same height, in order to ensure that the test was fair. However, in a very good Year 3 lesson on the properties of materials and their ability to let light through, the teacher made skilful use of questions and pupils’ answers for this purpose. This meant that pupils were very aware of the need to keep the torch at the same distance from the material and the material the same distance from the

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SCIENCE

screen. This lesson also contributed well to numeracy, with pupils measuring the distance the Elson Junior School - 36 torch was held from the material and recording their answers on a Venn diagram. The teacher also ensured that pupils had a list of the key vocabulary for the lesson but not all teachers do this, especially to support the lower attainers or poorer spellers. Only in a minority of lessons observed did teachers share the learning objectives with the pupils and review them at the end, so that they knew exactly what was to be learnt, why and how much they had learnt.

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SCIENCE

97. Where teachers manage pupils well and give them interesting tasks that are matched to their needs, pupils respond enthusiastically and work hard, particularly when there is a practical and investigative component to the lesson. They are keen to share their knowledge and understanding with each other. They are generally co-operative when working in groups and want to learn more. Boys and girls work well together and make similar progress. However, in a poor Year 4 lesson, about how muscles work, pupils’ attitudes were also poor. Few were motivated by the task because of the long introduction by the teacher, which failed to engage the pupils, and the inappropriate use of a worksheet that was too easy for the higher attaining pupils and too difficult for the lower attaining pupils.

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SCIENCE

98. The subject manager has only been in post for a few weeks and has not had time to monitor teaching and learning or to work alongside colleagues. However, she already has a clear understanding of the strengths and areas for development in the subject. The scheme of work is comprehensive and shows clearly the learning outcomes for the higher, middle and lower attainers but these are not always transferred to teachers’ weekly and daily planning. Assessment sheets are comprehensive but have been identified by the manager as too cumbersome and in need of refining to be more ‘user-friendly’ for teachers. Good use has been made of external support from the local education authority advisor to help bring about improvements in the subject since the last inspection. Resources have improved since the previous inspection and are good. They also include the spacious school grounds, the wild area and the pond. However, the use of the school grounds is under developed, which is recognised

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SCIENCE

as an area for development by the subject manager.

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ART AND DESIGN

99. Standards in Year 6 are now average and pupils, including those with special educational needs, achieve satisfactorily overall. The schemes of work and planning for the subject are now good and because of this, there has been a good improvement in standards and achievement since the last inspection.

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ART AND DESIGN

100. Only two lessons were observed during the inspection, both in Year 4. However, all pupils have art journals, which are a useful record of their progress in art and it is clear that standards are satisfactory in all year groups. The quality of work in these journals, observed in classrooms and displayed around the school indicates that pupils achieve well in several aspects of art, including collage, drawing, painting and the mixing of colours. Pupils use their journals as sketchbooks, to try out ideas and develop new techniques but they also use them to review their work and write about it. In this way, art and design makes a useful contribution to the development of literacy. Pupils have the opportunity to develop techniques in painting, drawing, printing, and work in clay. The activities are linked well to other subjects; for example during the inspection, Year 4 were developing skills in observational drawing to support work in history.

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ART AND DESIGN

They were learning to look closely at Egyptian figures, such as the sphinx and to use chalk, charcoal and pencil.

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ART AND DESIGN

101. All pupils, including those with special educational needs develop skills in practical tasks and knowledge of the work of famous and local artists because they are well supported. Prior to the inspection pupils had concentrated on studies of cats - inspired by the work of a local artist. The drama room and the classrooms have impressive displays of models of cats made using plastic bottles and papier-mâché. Pupils’ work is generally well displayed although not all classrooms have displays of art work. Pupils in Year 6 have produced interesting watercolour pictures related to their work on, ‘The Tempest’, in English. Average and higher attaining pupils can speak with confidence about artists such as Monet and show that they understand watercolour Elson Junior School - 37 and clay work techniques. However, pupils with below average attainment find it difficult to recall earlier work or any detail about famous artists.

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ART AND DESIGN

102. Pupils are encouraged to share, evaluate and discuss their work and because of this they have positive attitudes to the subject. This is reflected in the willingness of pupils to attempt quite challenging activities in art and to persist when their first attempts do not seem quite correct. Teachers encourage them to avoid rubbing out and this helps them to learn new techniques and to be more creative. They are also encouraged to consider perspective and to think about how a drawing fits into the page and this makes some contribution to the development of numeracy skills. Teaching was satisfactory in the lessons observed. Teachers seen were confident in explaining new skills and demonstrated how to achieve specific effects in shading and crosshatching.

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ART AND DESIGN

103. Planning documents and pupils’ work indicate that that there is good focus on the work of artists and on the teaching of skills in drawing and painting. Three-dimensional and textile related work is now taught particularly effectively. Art is studied in a way that promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well, for example in a careful study of portraits and of art from a variety of cultures, past and present.

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ART AND DESIGN

104. The management of the subject is good. It ensures that art is well resourced; basic materials and equipment are readily accessible and that pupils make use of some art related computer software. The quality of support for teachers and the enthusiasm and knowledge of the art manager have raised attainment in the subject and ensured that all pupils are able to enjoy and value creative work.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

105. The attainment of pupils in Year 6 is average and has been maintained since the last inspection. Pupils, including those with special educational needs achieve satisfactorily over time, although the most marked progress is made by pupils in some of the Year 3 and 4 classes. This is partly because the youngest pupils in the school are taught the process of plan, do and review well. In Year 3, for example, pupils plan, construct, test and evaluate their 'marble mazes'. They express individuality in their designs, as seen in the pencil cases they produce, first tie dying the fabric in various designs before constructing cases employing different methods of fastenings. Pupils make some use their literacy skills in writing instructions appropriately for the construction of their cases and of their skills in information and communication technology in the production of self-portraits with a short word processed explanation underneath this. They

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

understand that through a variety of methods, parts can be made to move, as in the Year 3 class book, where pupils added interest to their pictures through the use of split pins, opening flaps and levers. They experience working with an appropriate range of materials and use relevant tools adequately.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

106. Pupils in Year 4 extend their individual design skills satisfactorily in the process of completing their strip laminated cats and their individual battery powered lamps. There are plans for the coming year to introduce an element of computer control to extend this latter task, although the use of information and communication technology to support the subject is generally at an early stage. These younger pupils evaluate a range of commercially produced items, for example, various kinds of bread as well as making and evaluating their own.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

107. Older pupils develop an understanding of mechanisms through the construction of simple vehicles with wheels and axles and the use of cams as in the production of Year 5's Jack-in-the- boxes. Pupils' design skills are enhanced well through the examination and evaluation of a number of items and tools borrowed from a design centre. However, the needlework skills of a significant minority of pupils in Year 6 are below the expected standard. Pupils have a sound understanding of the importance of package design and graphics to the appeal of everyday products. They put this to good use in the in the design, production and packaging of Christmas cakes, produced by Year 6 pupils each year, as gifts for their families. Pupils use their design and construction skills well in support of other curriculum areas. In Year 4, for example, pupils Elson Junior School - 38 design banners and taste and evaluate rice dishes as part of a Caribbean Day related to their

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

work in geography based around St Lucia. This aspect is capable of further development, however. The development of pupils' skills overall is supported well by the plentiful supply of tools and the spacious area for food technology.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

108. In the lessons observed, the quality of teaching was satisfactory overall, with some that was good, producing appropriate learning on the part of the pupils. Each was suitably planned and organised and pupils responded satisfactorily to the tasks set. Teachers make use of planning and evaluation sheets but these are not structured sufficiently to encourage pupils to be progressively more analytical in the appraisal of their own designs as their skills increase.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

109. The subject manager has been in post since before the last inspection and the various subject aspects are well organised, as are resources for each year group. This, together with the year group planning, has helped to provide satisfactory continuity of learning for pupils during the large number of staff changes. The curriculum provision is sound as it was at the time of the last inspection and class teachers have now been provided with suggested areas for assessment to be used at the end of each unit of work. This process is not yet consistently established across the school, so does not ensure at present that planning is finely tuned to the needs of the whole range of pupils. This, however is an improvement since the last inspection. The role of the subject co-ordinator in the monitoring of teaching and learning and the support of colleagues within the classroom is under-developed. The subject has made satisfactory improvement since

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GEOGRAPHY

110. Due to the way the subject is time-tabled over the year, it was only possible to observe a small amount of teaching during the inspection week, which was in Year 6. Therefore, judgements are based on the limited number of lessons observed, an analysis of pupils’ work, wall displays, teachers’ planning documents and discussions with pupils and teachers. By Year 6, standards of attainment in geography are broadly average and pupils, including those with special educational needs, achieve satisfactorily.

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GEOGRAPHY

111. Work scrutiny and discussion with pupils indicate that by Year 6, pupils have a sound knowledge of the different countries of the European Union and of the different climatic zones of the world, for example in St. Lucia and on the Nile Delta. They know the factors that contribute to particular climates. They can compare and contrast climate, food, work and homes of a contrasting area with Gosport. They soundly recall their comparisons between life in St. Lucia and life in Britain. However, Year 6 pupils are less secure in their use of large-scale maps, mapping symbols and grid references. Pupils have also used atlases and maps appropriately to support their history topic on Ancient Egypt. Year 5 pupils contrast Gosport with the village of Wickham, Year 4 pupils contrast St. Lucia with Gosport and Year 3 pupils look at the development of Elson. The use of enquiry is not developed sufficiently in the subject but the

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GEOGRAPHY

manager is aware of this and has identified it as an area for development. However, Year 6 have studied the development of local housing and their impact on the community. Planners involved in the scheme have visited the school to discuss the impact of change on the community.

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GEOGRAPHY

112. Not enough teaching was seen to make an overall judgement on it. However, the analysis of pupils’ work and the long and medium term planning indicates that teaching is satisfactory overall and has been maintained since the previous inspection. In one lesson observed in Year 6, teaching was good. Pupils were well managed by the teacher and the task, to research countries of the European Community, engaged and motivated the pupils well. In part of another lesson observed, also in Year 6, teaching was satisfactory. Discussions with pupils show that they have good attitudes and an enthusiasm for the subject. This is an improvement since the previous inspection, when the attitudes of a significant minority were judged to be unsatisfactory.

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GEOGRAPHY

113. There are satisfactory opportunities for pupils to use their mathematical skills in the subject. For example, as part of their topic on the European Community, Year 6 pupils were asked to Elson Junior School - 39 imagine they are visiting Cherbourg and to work out the total cost of items bought on the ship in sterling, the cost in Euros and the cost after discount is given. Year 4 pupils look at large and small-scale maps and measure distances from London to a number of major cities. The use of information and communication technology is underdeveloped. Year 6 pupils were observed using the Internet to research information about the European Union and Year 5 pupils began writing e-mails to a school in Queensland, Australia. Unfortunately, geographical opportunities were missed, as few pupils were able to say in which town and state the school was situated and what the climatic conditions were like, though many knew about the time difference

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GEOGRAPHY

between Britain and Australia. Not enough focused use is made of opportunities such as this to improve pupils’ literacy skills. The marking of work in pupils’ books varies and indicates that not all teachers insist on high standards of presentation.

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GEOGRAPHY

114. The subject is led satisfactorily. The subject manager has a good knowledge of the strengths and areas for development. She has not yet had the opportunity to monitor teaching or to work alongside colleagues to help improve their quality of teaching and pupils’ learning. With the good support from the local advisor for geography, she is developing the policy and scheme of work to include more skills and enquiry-based activities for learning. An appropriate amount of time is allocated to geography in each year group. However, Year 5 pupils do not do any geographical work in depth until the end of the summer term. This represents a long gap to consolidate and learn new skills and knowledge in the subject from Year 4 to Year 5 and is one reason why pupils achieve satisfactorily rather than well.

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HISTORY

115. Only one lesson was observed during the inspection, but discussions with pupils and teachers and careful scrutiny of pupils’ work suggest standards are average by the end of Year 6, with pupils acquiring a satisfactory knowledge of all aspects of the history that they have studied. In Year 6, average and higher attaining pupils understand about research methods and the difference between fact and opinion. Although they are less clear about primary and secondary sources of evidence, they can explain how written evidence might be biased. They can also explain why a Tudor warship can provide valuable evidence about the past. Achievement is sound because pupils are given work that really interests them and which, whenever it is possible, has a local context, for example work on the Mary Rose and Priddy’s Hard. However, many pupils find difficulty in writing about the past because they have poor skills in literacy.

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HISTORY

116. Learning is effective in that most pupils can write about, illustrate or talk about their studies in history with confidence and with real enthusiasm. They all develop some awareness of chronology and change over time. Pupils’ written work shows that they have a secure foundation of knowledge about life in the past and about how historians find out about it. In Year 4 they know that history can be found in written records, pictures and objects that have been found in ancient sites. Study of Ancient Egypt includes the geography of Egypt and a focus on art. Because of this cross- curricular approach, pupils gain a greater depth of understanding.

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HISTORY

117. Discussions with pupils and scrutiny of their work show that they enjoy their work in history. Creative work related to topics in history is often good. The hallways and classrooms are peopled with life size models of Ancient Egyptians and Tudor queens and this work has clearly made a vivid impression on all pupils. Pupils have also produced interesting portraits of key figures in Tudor history. They make good gains in learning when given the opportunity for research using evidence from visits, a wide variety of books and other sources, including the Internet. However, in the lesson observed they were confined to photocopied sheets that failed to provide real opportunities for research. In the same lesson, a game of chance based on the Nile floods was very useful in helping pupils understand the way in which Egypt depended on the river while also make a useful contribution to skills in numeracy. Pupils are not given enough

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HISTORY

opportunities to practise their skills in different forms of writing in a focused way.

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HISTORY

118. Although not enough teaching was seen to make an overall judgement about its quality, there is evidence that teachers are knowledgeable and enthusiastic about history and the range of topics covered is comprehensive. Because the approach used encourages discussion, group Elson Junior School - 40 and paired work and includes visits to local historical sites history makes a good contribution to pupils’ spiritual, moral, cultural and social education. Pupils are usually given interesting tasks but work is not always marked or commented on. Planning is effective, especially in ensuring links with other subjects such as art and English. When support is available, pupils with special educational needs make secure gains in knowledge but tasks and resources are not always well matched to their specific requirements. This also affects the progress of the higher attaining pupils who are not always given tasks that provide enough challenge. Teachers do not yet make

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HISTORY

sufficient use of information and communication technology to help pupils develop their historical skills. Resources are good and the school uses books from the school library service, visits to museums and artefacts to help pupils to gain an understanding of what it may have been like to live in past times.

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HISTORY

119. The sound management of the subject has ensured that satisfactory improvement has been made since the last inspection because staff in year teams share in the development of resources and teaching strategies for the benefit of all pupils.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

120. During the inspection week, it was only possible to observe two lessons of direct teaching of information and communication technology, although pupils were observed working on computers in groups or in pairs. Therefore, judgements are based on a limited number of whole class lessons, observations of groups, the scrutiny of pupils’ work and displays, teachers’ planning and assessment records and discussion with pupils and teachers.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

121. By Year 6, standards are below average and pupils’ achievement is unsatisfactory. This represents a decline since the previous inspection when standards were judged to be in line with expectations. The decline is mainly due to the limited number of computers available to pupils, which is well below the national average and a lack of programs to support some areas of the curriculum. Two banks of computers for Years 3 and 4 and Years 5 and 6 are positioned outside classrooms. This makes their use difficult for classes whose teachers have insufficient subject knowledge or, in a few cases, where unsatisfactory behaviour management means that teachers are not confident enough to allow groups of pupils to work independently outside the classroom. There are not enough computers to base any in classrooms. However, plans are in place for a new computer suite and an upgrading of programs, which will address these issues from the

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

122. By Year 6, pupils confidently log-on and close down the computer, manipulate screen icons using the mouse, select items from an on-screen menu, use the ‘drag and drop’ features of a program and print their work. They are prepared to experiment should anything go wrong. They write simple stories and change the size, style and colour of fonts. They have satisfactory keyboard skills and are able to find letters and numbers on the QWERTY keyboard. They know that information can be obtained from television, radio, videotape, audiotape, the Internet and CD-ROMs. However, due to a lack of suitable programs, Year 6 pupils have had few opportunities to create multimedia presentations combining text, graphics and music, amend databases or use sensors or explore the effects of changing variable in a computer model. In the work scrutiny there was little evidence of all pupils regularly using e-mail, the Internet and

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

external control devises although Year 5 pupils were observed writing simple e-mails to a school in Australia and Year 6 pupils were observed using the Internet to research information about the European Union. Unfortunately, Year 5 pupils had little time to complete and send their e-mails and many of the Year 6 pupils observed were not sure of the strategies required to refine and narrow their search. Year 5 pupils are beginning to learn how to use an electronic microscope connected to a computer.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

123. The quality of direct teaching is satisfactory overall and results in satisfactory learning. In the two lessons observed teaching and learning was good. Most teachers manage pupils effectively, with the result that their pupils behave very well when working independently of them and work well together. Pupils have very good attitudes towards the subject and show growing confidence and interest. They are eager to learn new skills and happy to experiment and learn from their Elson Junior School - 41 mistakes. In many lessons, pupils work well in pairs or groups of three. Most ensure that they take turns to use the mouse and keyboard but in a minority of lessons some pupils do not share equally the use of the hardware, which was not monitored by the teacher.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

124. However, not all teachers are confident in the teaching of subject and computer skills and so, in a few classes, pupils do not receive sufficient teacher input or computer use. In the two good lessons observed, teachers displayed good subject knowledge and were able to explain the objectives of the program with confidence. By good use of questioning and demonstration pupils were quickly able to use the program independently. For example, in the Year 4 lesson, the teacher demonstrated how to combine a photograph of pupils’ design and technology models of a cat with text describing how to make the cat. The teacher’s clear exposition and good use of humour motivated the pupils to work independently on the task. In a Year 6 lesson, the teacher’s good subject knowledge of how to use a spelling and grammar check, and her quick response to pupils’ questions about the program, ensured that time was well used. Pupils were

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

quickly using the spell-check and thesaurus themselves to correct spellings and find alternate words to enhance a text about the main events in the life of Shakespeare. Higher attaining and lower attaining pupils are often set the same task, which does not consider the needs of different ability groups, especially the higher attainers and those who bring skills from home. For example, one pupil’s subject knowledge and knowledge of the internal workings of the computer was very high but he was working on a relatively simple word-processing task. Throughout the school, pupils confidently use the computer in the library to borrow and return books. The co- ordinator and librarian plan to place pupils’ book reviews on to the library computer so that pupils can share with each other their opinions about the books available.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

125. There is very little evidence of computer-generated work in pupils’ books or on display around the school to celebrate pupils’ achievements. Sound use is made of information technology to support basic skills in English. For example, pupils in Year 6 word processed play scripts based on Shakespeare’s ‘The Tempest’ and Year 3 pupils combined word-processed text and photographs, when describing design and technology work. An initial teacher training student was observed giving Year 3 pupils good support as they wrote an informal letter to a relative describing a pencil case that they had made. They were also observed using a program to add suffixes and prefixes to words. The use of information and communication technology to support other subject areas of the curriculum is underdeveloped and has declined since the previous inspection, when it was judged to be used ‘very well’. Little evidence was seen of teachers using

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

it to support mathematics, science and physical education. Some use is made in other subjects, for example, the use of the Internet to research information about Europe for geography and to draw simple pictures using an art package. Although the number of computers to pupils has decreased since the previous inspection, the overall quality of computers has improved. A technician from the local secondary school gives good support and maintains them on a weekly basis.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

126. The new co-ordinator is knowledgeable and enthusiastic and has identified clearly the strengths of the subject and the areas for development. However, he has had few opportunities to monitor teaching and learning. He is aware of the need to raise staff confidence and knowledge in the teaching of the subject, which will be addressed when a national training initiative is completed by the end of the school year. He has established good links with the local authority advisor for information and communication technology and is reviewing the policy, scheme of work and assessment procedures for tracking pupils’ attainment and progress. He has been involved in the planning of the new suite and is well placed to lead the subject forward.

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MUSIC

127. The attainment of pupils in Year 6 is average, as it was at the time of the last inspection. Pupils, including those with special educational needs make satisfactory achievement over time. However, all the pupils in the school receive half of their lessons from a music specialist and in these lessons pupils make very good progress as they are taught very well. These lessons are followed up by class teachers the next week. Elson Junior School - 42 128. By the end of Year 6, pupils have a sound knowledge of musical terms and compose short pieces of music within given structures. In a Year 6 lesson, for example, pupils composed and played pieces on glockenspiels and xylophones in ternary form. Higher attaining pupils had composed, appropriately, more complex phrases. Pupils’ use of written notation to record their work is limited. Pupils sing together satisfactorily, using appropriate expression and timing, as

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MUSIC

in the singing assembly led by the subject manager for music and accompanied by a member of staff on the piano. However, the pupils’ enthusiasm for singing was linked to their approval of certain hymns and songs rather than a joy of singing for its own sake. Their development in listening and appraising is in the early stages of development. Prior to the appointment of a new subject manager in January, this aspect of the curriculum was not covered adequately. This has now been rectified, but is not yet securely established as part of the curriculum. This is why, despite some very good teaching, pupils’ achievement overall is satisfactory at present.

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MUSIC

129. In the lessons seen the quality of teaching was good overall and ranged from satisfactory to very good. This is similar to that noted during the last inspection. In the most effective lessons the teacher's subject knowledge was very good and lessons contained a high level of challenge to which the pupils responded very well. This, combined with very effective pupil management skills and a distinctive sense of humour on the part of the teacher, resulted in very good learning for the pupils. Class teachers’ follow up such lessons, taught by the specialist, appropriately but do not always have secure enough subject knowledge to extend pupils further. Teachers overall plan and prepare for lessons efficiently and this enables them to make good use of the specialist music room. The good size space and the proximity of musical instruments are well used by teachers and pupils generally enjoy the lessons, working well together in small groups.

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MUSIC

In well-taught lessons, teachers’ questioning of the pupils is perceptive and enables pupils to improve the quality of their own performance. In a Year 4 lesson, for example, the teacher's' persistent questioning and illustration on the piano enabled one pupil to count in his group more effectively, for example.

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MUSIC

130. The curriculum, with the recent introduction of the listening and appraising unit, is now satisfactory and complies with National Curriculum requirements. The curriculum is enhanced well by the provision of keyboard and guitar lessons for a small number of pupils and by two extra curricular choirs, which are attended enthusiastically. A recent workshop, on music across the world, has helped to raise the awareness of the multicultural aspect of music, but in general this is an area that is not sufficiently developed. Carol services are held in a local church each year. The subject manager, although new to post, has a clear understanding of the stage of development of the subject and of future developments. She has identified learning objectives for each year group and indicated how these can be used as part of the assessment procedures. However, this is not yet securely established across the school. The subject

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MUSIC

manager has not yet had the opportunity to monitor of teaching and learning within the classroom. Accommodation and resources are good in general, although there a limited range of instruments to support multicultural aspects of pupils' musical development. The use of information and communication technology to support learning is underdeveloped.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

131. During the inspection there was insufficient evidence to make an overall judgement about pupils' standards at the end of Year 6 across all the required aspects of the subject. However, pupils’ skills in gymnastics at the end of Year 6 are below average and pupils of all levels of attainment achieve unsatisfactorily. The standards in this aspect of the subject have not been maintained since the last inspection, when they were deemed to be in line those expected. Pupils work together satisfactorily in pairs or small groups, as in Year 6, when they developed short sequences based around balance and travel. However, their use of space and levels is limited and their body movements lack precision and definition.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

132. Pupils in Year 4 achieve satisfactorily in dance and with continued steady progress are in line to reach average standards by the end of Year 6. They listen carefully to music and plan appropriate responses satisfactorily. In one lesson, for example, as part of a taped lesson based around the Egyptians, pupils used their body parts appropriately, moving in role as Elson Junior School - 43 pharaohs or pyramid builders to different pieces of music. However, in activities that require whole class responses pupils do not always show sufficient awareness of other pupils around them. Ball skills are satisfactory in Year 3 and pupils respond well to each other in team games, as in the Year 3 lesson where pupils played a version of a cricket game. No judgement on the standards of athletics or swimming can be made as no lessons were observed in these aspects of the subject during the inspection. The school has its own outdoor swimming pool

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

and lessons take place in the last half of the summer term and the first half of the autumn term.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

133. The quality of teaching ranges from unsatisfactory to good but is satisfactory overall, as at the time of the last inspection. Teachers' management of pupils in both indoor and outdoor activities is satisfactory and, at times, good. This and the good relationships displayed in the majority of lessons encourage positive responses from the pupils. In a Year 5 lesson, for example, the pupils worked purposefully at developing movements that illustrated inflation and deflation and were keen to show their completed work to the teacher. In a Year 3 lesson, pupils collaborated well in pairs, producing star shapes. However, lessons generally lacked challenge for the range of pupils within each class and teachers did not question the pupils sufficiently to enable them to develop their own ideas, to recognise good practice and to develop the quality of their own responses. This showed unsatisfactory subject knowledge on the part of some teachers, which

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

is why, in some lessons, pupils do not learn as well as they should. This lack of expertise was particularly evident in gymnastics lessons. Some effective links are made with other curriculum areas such as history, as, for example, in the dance lesson based on the Egyptians, and this enhances learning in the both areas well. No examples of the support of the subject by information and communication technology were observed. Although there is a school dress code for physical education lessons, some pupils wear kit that is inappropriate for movement.

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134. The planned curriculum meets requirements and all aspects of the subject are taught. However, the recently appointed subject manager is on long-term sickness leave and no monitoring of planning, teaching or learning takes place. The large staff turnover since the last inspection has also meant that planning and assessment to ensure pupils develop their skills progressively are still not secure. Pupils have the opportunity to take part in a satisfactory range of extra curricular activities and there are limited opportunities for physical activities in the Year 6 residential visit. These support the learning of pupils satisfactorily. Recent after-school sessions held by members of Portsmouth Football Club were very well attended and helped to raise the profile of the subject within the school. The school has very good facilities for physical education that provide good learning opportunities. They include an adequately sized hall, an adventure

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playground, ample hard and grassed areas and an out-door swimming pool. Overall, however, there has not been as much improvement in the subject as might be expected since the last inspection.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

135. Evidence from lessons seen during the inspection, together with discussions with staff and pupils, scrutiny of planning, displays and previous work indicate that standards are broadly in line with the expectations of the locally agreed syllabus at the end of Year 6. Boys and girls, including those with special educational needs, achieve satisfactorily in relation to their prior attainment. Standards are similar to those described in the previous report. In the lessons seen, the quality of teaching was good overall.

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136. By the end of Year 6, pupils have a good knowledge of Christian traditions and beliefs. They know many of the stories from the Old and New Testaments and can explain accurately, for example, the events of Easter and their significance to Christians; with some higher attaining pupils including considerable, relevant detail. Pupils visit the two local churches regularly for Easter, Christmas and Harvest celebrations as well as to study their features. The local vicar, who is also the Chair of Governors, is a familiar and welcome visitor in school, frequently leading assemblies and religious education lessons. Good examples were seen in lessons for Year 5 pupils, of how well this extended their understanding of the Christian view of death. Such close links make a valuable contribution to pupils’ learning. Elson Junior School - 44 137. Year 6 pupils can draw out a few similarities and differences between different religions, as in

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prayer customs in Christianity and Islam. In general, however, they have only a superficial knowledge of the beliefs and practices of Islam, Hinduism and Judaism and confuse the religions to which some of these belong. As yet, pupils have not had the opportunity to extend their experience through visits to places of worship of other religions that they study. Scrutiny of past work shows that one reason for this is that there is little difference in the depth to which these topics are taught as pupils move through the school or in teachers’ expectations of the outcomes their work. Another is that the same task is usually given to the whole class, so that there is little opportunity for average and higher attaining pupils to extend their knowledge and understanding further. This is partly because assessment is underdeveloped in the subject and consequently teachers do not always take sufficient account of pupils’ previous learning.

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138. This means that standards and achievement in the aspect of investigating religious traditions, although satisfactory overall, are not as high as in the aspect of exploring and responding to human experience. In this, pupils achieve well as a result of good teaching and frequent opportunities throughout the school to develop and express their ideas. Weekly circle times also support this effectively. A key feature in this are the good relationships between pupils and teachers, so that pupils of all levels of attainment are confident in sharing their ideas and feelings, secure in the knowledge that both teachers and their peers will value and respect what they have to say. As a result, pupils, including those with special educational needs, make good progress in understanding and expressing their thoughts and emotions as they move through the school. It helps them to respect the values, views and beliefs of others and to form

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their own. Good examples were seen of this in all the lessons observed.

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139. Another strength in all lessons was the way that teachers modelled good listening skills very well and used carefully structured and targeted questions to help pupils to clarify their ideas and feelings. For example, in this way, in a Year 3 lesson, the teacher successfully helped pupils to articulate and extend their initial ideas and to give reasons for their views about what they would include in a perfect world. One pupil, for example, explained his suggestion of ‘land’ further with, ‘because otherwise plants can’t grow and the world wouldn’t look as nice without them’. In Year 4, in previous work, teachers increased pupils’ understanding of the importance of special places in different faiths by helping them to reflect on their own experiences. One pupil wrote, for example, ‘My bedroom is my special place because when I need some peace and quiet I go up there’.

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140. A very well taught lesson for Year 5 pupils about death and feelings of loss illustrated several of the good features seen in other lessons. The teacher used a good variety of well chosen activities that immediately engaged and then maintained pupils’ interest. His very good and very positive management of pupils helped them to meet his high expectation of their concentration and behaviour. Building on a previous work about feelings of loss, the teacher led a discussion about ways of dealing with grief and religious customs associated with death very skilfully and sensitively. The openness with which he shared some of own experiences and his very good role modelling of mutual respect set a calm, secure and reflective atmosphere that encouraged pupils to listen well to each other and to offer very thoughtful, personal responses. This was enhanced by his very effective use of a lighted candle and quiet music as he read a passage

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from Hindu sacred writings that is used to commemorate the dead and explained other associated customs. This added very well to pupils’ understanding and respect for the customs and beliefs of others. His questioning was targeted well to extend pupils of all levels of attainment. Higher attainers, for example, offered interesting and appropriate interpretations about the meaning of some quite complex Japanese haikus. The impact of this very good teaching was seen in the high quality of the very moving poems that pupils then wrote to express their ideas about grief and loss. Through such opportunities, the subject makes a very good contribution to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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141. Pupils’ learning was enhanced in all the lessons seen by opportunities such as this to discuss their views in small groups and as a class. Teachers often thoughtfully set pupils’ learning in interesting contexts that are relevant to them. This contributes well to their positive attitudes towards the subject. Teachers brief and deploy learning support assistants well in lessons, so Elson Junior School - 45 that their skilled support helps pupils with special educational needs to participate fully in lessons.

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142. There is, however, some inconsistency in the use that teachers make of opportunities in the subject to reinforce or extend pupils’ literacy skills. Some good examples were seen, as in a Year 3 lesson, where the teacher reinforced pupils’ knowledge of basic punctuation when setting their written task. Some teachers use the subject well to give pupils extra opportunities for extended writing or writing in a variety of forms. In Year 5, for example, during work on the theme of death and loss, pupils wrote poems, obituaries and letters of sympathy. However, past work in many classes shows that written recording is often little more than an undemanding worksheet given to the whole class and does not match the quality of the oral work evident in lessons. Teachers do not yet make enough use of information and communication technology to increase pupils’ knowledge and understanding of world religions.

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143. The subject manager, who was appointed in September, has carefully reviewed the curriculum to ensure that it covers the requirements of the locally agreed syllabus. She has recognised the need to develop assessment procedures in the subject and has begun to address this in her current action plan. Assemblies often include themes that support topics in religious education lessons and teachers make good links with these.

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