Summary
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- Inspectorssingle source
Foundation Stage
- URN verified
100241
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Strengths
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- The planning, the match of work to ability, the management of pupils and the excellent way they are motivated was of a consistently very high quality when delivered by any member of the ethnic minority achievement team. p.34
- The needs of these pupils are identified early and there are excellent assessment procedures ensuring that they are provided with an appropriate level of support that is of a high quality. p.8
- The excellent support provided by the EMAS team ensures that pupils from ethnic minorities and those who are learning English as an additional language frequently make very good progress. p.20
- In an excellent Year 1 lesson the planning ensured that all pupils had opportunities to make good progress. p.44
- This was because of the excellent skills and very high expectations of the teacher operating within the very good planning for next step learning. p.44
Concerns
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- The accommodation is satisfactory but the ‘cubicle’ design of the classrooms creates some limitations, for example room to display pupils’ work is limited, there is inadequate lighting in some and in others, space limitations make it difficult to conduct adventurous design and technology projects. p.21
- Also their progress has been affected by weak and inconsistent teaching in the past. p.33
- There, behaviour was poor and impeded learning with several boys and girls lacking the self-discipline to listen and refine their performance. p.46
- The accommodation is satisfactory overall although the classrooms for Year 6 pupils are inadequate and the computer suite is too cramped. p.9
- Where standards are below average, it is often due to too little time being devoted to the subject, uneven coverage or the lack of teacher expertise. p.11
Next steps
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- Standards in English and mathematics, particularly in the juniors. p.5
- Standards of science, physical education and religious education in the juniors and geography and design and technology in the infants. p.5
- The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan. p.5
- The school was last inspected in November 1997 and has made good improvements since that time. p.6
- National Curriculum test results in mathematics and science have improved at the end of Year 6 and, in the case of science, the proportion of pupils attaining the higher Level 5 is better than is seen nationally. p.6
- There is now a strong management team in place that is providing effective leadership. p.6
- The school improvement plan identifies key areas for improvement and is linked effectively to the school budget which is monitored well by the school. p.6
- Structures are in place that identify where teaching could be better and teachers are provided with good support to help them improve. p.6
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Anatomy of the report
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- Pages
- 47
- Words of findings
- 22,150
- longer than usual (typical 1049)
- Reading level
- Hard
- Flesch 47, typical 45
- Average sentence
- 19 words
- Next steps
- 8
- typical 5
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Full report text
SHACKLEWELL PRIMARY SCHOOL
Dates of inspection: 11 th – 15 th November 2002
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SHACKLEWELL PRIMARY SCHOOL
Full inspection carried out under Section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 Shacklewell Primary School - 2
p.1
INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
School address: Shacklewell Row Hackney London
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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
Appropriate authority: The governing body
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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
Date of previous inspection: 10 th November 1997
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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
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.
p.2
INFORMATION ABOUT THE 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. Shacklewell Primary School - 3
p.2
INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM
Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities
p.3
INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM
21069 Mr P Edwards Registered inspector Foundation Stage Information and communication technology English as an additional language What sort of school is it? The school’s results and pupils’ achievements How well are pupils taught? How well is the school led and managed? What should the school do to improve further? 9799 Ms S Smith Lay inspector Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development How well does the school care for its pupils? How well does the school work in partnership with parents? 30398 Mr C Scola Team inspector English Art and design 14319 Mr M Brown Team inspector Design and technology History Geography 28170 Mr I Chearman Team inspector Mathematics Music Religious education How good are the curricular and other opportunities offered to pupils? 22948 Ms M Vallis Team inspector Educational inclusion, including race equality Special educational needs Science Physical education
p.3
INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM
Bench Marque Limited National Westminster Bank Chambers Victoria Street Burnham-on-Sea Somerset TA8 1AN
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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM
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:
p.3
INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM
The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division
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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM
Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Shacklewell Primary School - 4
p.3
PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 5
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
p.4
HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS? 10
The school’s results and pupils’ achievements Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development
p.4
INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
Shacklewell Primary School is situated in the London borough of Hackney. It caters for pupils between the ages of three and eleven. There are currently 421 pupils on roll, including 59 in the nursery, 30 of whom are part time. The school is very large when compared with other primary schools. There are high levels of pupil mobility, 83 pupils joining and 70 pupils leaving at times other than the usual admission or transfer dates.
p.5
INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
Almost 80 per cent of the pupils are from either from Black, Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Turkish or Chinese backgrounds and 25 are refugee pupils from Turkey. The remaining 20 per cent are from white ethnic backgrounds. Over 260 pupils speak English as an additional language and 133 are at an early stage of learning English. These figures are much higher than average. There are 103 pupils on the school’s special needs register. This is 25 per cent of the school population and is broadly average. There are three pupils with a statement of special educational needs; this is less than that usually found in a school of this size. One hundred and eighty nine pupils are eligible for free school meals, which is 45 per cent of the school’s population. This is well above average. On entry to compulsory education, the pupils’ attainment is broadly average. The school is popular with parents but there has been a high
p.5
INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
turnover in staff, due in part to a significant number gaining promotion to other schools. The inspection of this school included a detailed inspection of its provision for pupils for whom English is an additional language. The school is part of the Excellence in Cities programme.
p.5
HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS
This is an effective school that provides good value for money. In the National Curriculum tests at age eleven, the school achieves standards that are average in English, above average in mathematics and well above average in science when compared with similar schools. The high proportion of pupils who are learning English as an additional language and those with special educational needs achieve well due to the quality of support. More able pupils could do better in the juniors and need more challenging work. The headteacher, well supported by the senior management team, provides strong leadership and manages the school effectively; under this management, the capacity for further improvement is good. Teaching is satisfactory overall but is affected by the high proportion of temporary teachers.
p.5
What the school does well
• The children are given a good start to their education in the nursery. • The pupils achieve test results that are above the national average in science at age eleven. • Standards in music are above average at age seven and eleven. • Pupils who are learning English as an additional language are provided with high quality support, enabling them to make very good progress throughout the school. • Pupils with special educational needs make good progress due to the early identification of their needs and the quality of support provided by teaching and support staff. • The headteacher provides very good leadership and is well supported by the deputy headteacher. • The school has a very friendly atmosphere. It provides the pupils with a supportive and safe environment where the ethnic and cultural diversity is recognised and valued. • The provision for the pupils’ moral, social and cultural development is good.
p.5
What the school does well
• The Sustainability Project provides the pupils with a valuable insight into how they can care for their environment. • The efficiency of the administrative staff helps with the smooth running of the school .
p.5
What could be improved
• Standards in English and mathematics, particularly in the juniors. • Standards of science, physical education and religious education in the juniors and geography and design and technology in the infants. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan. Shacklewell Primary School - 6
p.5
HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION
The school was last inspected in November 1997 and has made good improvements since that time. National Curriculum test results in mathematics and science have improved at the end of Year 6 and, in the case of science, the proportion of pupils attaining the higher Level 5 is better than is seen nationally. There is now a strong management team in place that is providing effective leadership. The school improvement plan identifies key areas for improvement and is linked effectively to the school budget which is monitored well by the school. Structures are in place that identify where teaching could be better and teachers are provided with good support to help them improve. The school recognises that teaching needs to be more challenging to ensure the pupils make better progress. All subjects of the National Curriculum are taught but the school needs to ensure co-ordinators monitor the quality of teaching and learning in their subjects.
p.6
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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STANDARDS
Performance in: all schools similar schools Key
p.6
STANDARDS
English E E E C well above average above average A B mathematics E* E D B average below average C D science E E B A well below average very low E E*
p.6
STANDARDS
By the time they enter Year 1, most children, as a result of good teaching, have achieved the early learning goals in all areas of learning. A few children, who are learning English as an additional language, do not achieve the early learning goals for communication, language and literacy even though they make significant progress.
p.6
STANDARDS
The 2002 national test results in English show the pupils’ attainment is well below the national average. In mathematics, it is below average and in science it is above average. When compared with similar schools, the pupils’ attainment is average in English, above average in mathematics and well above average in science. These results show a good improvement over the last four years, with a significant improvement in mathematics and science since the previous year. The results show the proportion of pupils achieving the average Level 4 and above in these two subjects are better than is seen nationally. The proportion of pupils attaining the average Level 4 in English is lower than is seen nationally, due mainly to the high proportion of pupils who are at an early stage of learning English as an additional language. There is little difference in the attainment between girls and boys in English and science but
p.6
STANDARDS
the girls do slightly better in mathematics. The 2002 National Curriculum test results show the pupils’ attainment at the end of Year 2 is well below the national average in reading and mathematics and below average in writing. When compared with similar schools, their attainment is above average in reading, well above average in writing and average in mathematics. These results show a slight decline over the previous years but are affected by the increasing number of refugee children and the number of pupils who speak English as an additional language.
p.6
STANDARDS
Inspection evidence shows that by the ages of seven and eleven, the pupils’ attainment is below average in reading, writing and mathematics. They achieve well in the infants but could do better in the juniors if given more challenging work. In science, they achieve broadly average standards by the ages of seven Shacklewell Primary School - 7 and eleven and could do better in the juniors if the subject was taught more regularly and systematically in Years 3, 4 and 5.
p.6
STANDARDS
Pupils with special educational needs make good progress and achieve well. Pupils who are learning English as an additional language frequently make very good progress and achieve well, particularly in their acquisition of English. This is due to the high quality of provision they receive from the EMAS teachers and support staff.
p.7
PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES
Attitudes to the school Good. Most pupils enjoy school and have positive attitudes towards work.
p.7
PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES
Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Good overall. With a few exceptions, the pupils behave well in lessons and in the playground.
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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES
Personal development and relationships Good. Teachers and support staff work hard to develop the positive relationships that exist between pupils and between staff and pupils.
p.7
PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES
Attendance Unsatisfactory. Too many pupils take unauthorised absences although it has improved significantly since the start of this academic year.
p.7
PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES
Records show that recently introduced recording of attendance and monitoring by the learning mentors is having a positive impact on attendance by some pupils.
p.7
TEACHING AND LEARNING
Teaching of pupils in: Nursery and reception Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6
p.7
TEACHING AND LEARNING
Quality of teaching Good Good Satisfactory Inspectors make judgements about teaching in the range: excellent; very good; good; satisfactory; unsatisfactory; poor; very poor. ‘Satisfactory’ means that the teaching is adequate and strengths outweigh weaknesses.
p.7
TEACHING AND LEARNING
The quality of teaching is satisfactory overall. In the nursery the teaching is always good or better and the teachers provide the pupils with a stimulating environment that enables them to learn well. In the reception classes, the teaching is usually satisfactory or better and the good work started in the nursery is developed appropriately, ensuring most pupils attain the standards of which they are capable. Teaching in Key Stage 1 is good overall with most work being well matched to the pupils’ ability. The quality of teaching in Key Stage 2 is more variable, ranging from excellent to unsatisfactory. Where teaching is unsatisfactory, it is usually due to teachers not following the agreed procedures for behaviour management and a lack of subject expertise by overseas trained teachers. The literacy and numeracy strategies have generally been implemented satisfactorily but in some less effective lessons there is a
p.7
TEACHING AND LEARNING
lack of challenge for the more able pupils who do not achieve the standards of which they are capable. The high turnover of staff also results in a lack of familiarity with the required coverage and in science, for example, too little work is covered in Years 3, 4 and 5. In the best lessons, the teachers demonstrate strong subject knowledge, challenge the pupils well and encourage them through their own enthusiasm. Music is very well taught throughout the school and enables the pupils to make significant progress in their singing and playing. The teachers are very well supported by enthusiastic and capable support staff. Together with ethnic minority achievement staff (EMAS), and special educational needs staff, they provide a high level of support for the pupils. Shacklewell Primary School - 8
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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL
The quality and range of the curriculum Satisfactory. All subjects of the National Curriculum are taught regularly. However, some subjects such as science, geography, design and technology and religious education are not given sufficient coverage.
p.8
OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL
Provision for pupils with special educational needs Good. The pupils are provided with very effective support enabling them to make good progress overall.
p.8
OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL
Provision for pupils with English as an additional language Very good. The needs of these pupils are identified early and there are excellent assessment procedures ensuring that they are provided with an appropriate level of support that is of a high quality.
p.8
OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL
Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Good overall. The provision for spiritual, moral and social development is good and there is very good provision for cultural development.
p.8
OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL
How well the school cares for its pupils Pastoral care is a strength of the school. Good steps are taken to ensure the pupils’ health and safety. There is a caring and family ethos in the school that is effective in supporting the pupils. Assessment procedures in English, mathematics and science are good but they are at an early stage of development in other areas.
p.8
OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL
There are very good links with parents and they find the school welcoming and approachable.
p.8
HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED
Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff Good overall. The headteacher is a very effective leader and is well supported by the deputy headteacher and the senior management team. However, the role of some subject co-ordinators is unsatisfactory, although they are being supported well by senior staff.
p.8
HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED
How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities The governors are well informed and support the school effectively. They fully meet their statutory requirements.
p.8
HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED
The school’s evaluation of its performance Good. The school evaluates the national test results carefully and has appropriate plans to raise standards in literacy, numeracy and science. It is effective in monitoring the achievements of boys and girls and of the pupils from ethnic minorities.
p.8
HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED
The strategic use of resources Good. Funding for EMAS and special educational needs is used very effectively. The school is doing the best it can to recruit and retain staff, but difficulties within the borough results in an unacceptably high level of Shacklewell Primary School - 9 temporary teachers. The principles of best value are implemented well in order to make the best use of funding.
p.8
HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED
The accommodation is satisfactory overall although the classrooms for Year 6 pupils are inadequate and the computer suite is too cramped. Resources are adequate but the wait for safety checks on physical education equipment results in pupils not having access to larger apparatus for gymnastics.
p.9
PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL
What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved • Their children like school and the behaviour is good. • The children are making good progress and the school expects them to work hard and do their best. • The quality of support given to pupils with special educational needs and to those pupils who are learning English as an additional language. • They feel confident and comfortable about approaching the school if they have an issue or problem. • The school is well led and managed and the quality of teaching is good. • The homework provision. • Information about how their children are progressing. • The range of out-of-school activities. • The closeness with which the school works with parents.
p.9
PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL
The inspection team generally agrees with the parents’ positive views although the quality of teaching is not as effective in the juniors. The provision for homework varies and is affected by the number of temporary teachers. The inspection team does not agree with other areas raised by parents. There is a good range of out-of-school activities, reports to parents are informative and the school welcomes the involvement of parents in their children’s learning. Shacklewell Primary School - 10
p.9
The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
58. The children enter the nursery with below average levels of attainment but by the time they enter Year 1, most pupils are on course to achieve the early learning goals in all areas of learning. The children are provided with a rich and varied curriculum in the nursery and skills learned here are built on effectively in the reception classes. They achieve better in the nursery because of the more effective teaching from experienced staff and the rich learning environment. Progress throughout the Foundation Stage is good overall. Children who are learning English as an additional language make rapid progress in their acquisition of learning English due to the very good support provided for them although a small number do not achieve the early learning goals in communication, language and literacy.
p.10
The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
59. The 2002 test results in English show the pupils’ attainment is well below the national average at the end of Year 6. In mathematics, it is below average and in science it is above average. When compared with similar schools, the pupils’ attainment is average in English, above average in mathematics and well above average in science. These results show a good improvement over the last four years, with a significant improvement in mathematics and science since the previous year. The results show that the proportion of pupils achieving the average Level 4 and above is better than is seen nationally. The proportion of pupils attaining the average Level 4 in English is lower than is seen nationally, due mainly to the high proportion of pupils who are at an early stage of learning English as an additional language and the increasing number of pupils with special educational needs. There is little difference in
p.10
The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
the attainment between girls and boys in English and science but the girls do slightly better in mathematics.
p.10
The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
60. The 2002 National Curriculum test results show the pupils’ attainment is well below the national average in reading and mathematics and below average in writing at the end of Year 2. When compared with similar schools, their attainment is above average in reading, well above average in writing and average in mathematics. These results show a slight decline over the previous years but are affected by the increasing number of refugee children and the number of pupils who speak English as an additional language. Compared with the national attainment, boys are attaining better results than the girls in all three areas.
p.10
The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
61. Inspection evidence shows that by the end of Year 2 and Year 6 the pupils’ attainment in reading, writing and speaking is below average. Listening skills are average. Overall, the pupils make good progress in the infants and satisfactory progress in the juniors. There is a very high turnover of pupils in the school and the high number entering the school who are learning English as an additional language affects the overall attainment. However, these pupils make very good progress due to the high quality teaching and the very good support they receive. In both reading and writing the more able pupils do not achieve the standards of which they are capable in the juniors, due in part to the lack of challenge in the work they are given but also due to the very high turnover of teaching staff. The pupils’ progress in reading is good in the infants where the skilled teaching of letter sounds and patterns enables them to read
p.10
The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
simple texts themselves. Progress is generally satisfactory in the juniors, although progress is affected by the limited range of interesting and exciting fiction books. Although standards in writing are below average by the end of Year 2, they are Shacklewell Primary School - 11 improving due to better teaching and the quality of support received by many pupils. Many pupils write familiar words correctly and compose simple sentences. By the end of Year 6, standards in writing are below average and few pupils use a sufficiently wide range of vocabulary within their writing. However, standards are getting better due to improved teaching of writing but there is room for further improvement. Due to the good emphasis placed on developing listening skills, the pupils’ attainment in this aspect is average by the end of Year 2 and good by the end of Year 6. Speaking skills are below average by the end of both the infant and the juniors due to their limited
p.10
The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
vocabulary with which they can express themselves.
p.11
The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
62. By the end of Year 2, most pupils are achieving standards that are broadly average in number, algebra and shape. Overall, pupils of all abilities achieve well due to the good planning by the teachers which ensures that pupils of all abilities are challenged sufficiently. By the end of Year 6, the pupils’ attainment is below the national average. This is due to a number of factors: the significant number of pupils entering the school with special educational needs; the high proportion of pupils who are learning English as an additional language; the high turnover of teaching staff; and the lack of challenge in the work given to the most able pupils. Whilst the pupils develop good strategies for mental calculations, there are too few opportunities for them to develop their mathematical skills in other subjects and they do not make the progress of which they are capable.
p.11
The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
63. In science, inspection findings show that standards are broadly average at the end of both key stages. Progress is good in the infants due to the quality of teaching and the well-planned curriculum. Progress is uneven in Years 3, 4 and 5 and insufficient emphasis is devoted to the subject. However, the pupils make good progress in Year 6, despite the unsatisfactory accommodation for teaching science, and this is due to the good teaching and increased opportunities for investigative work.
p.11
The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
64. Standards achieved in art and design and information and communication technology (ICT), physical education and religious education are broadly average by the age of seven. They are below average in design and technology, geography and history and above average in music. By the age of eleven, standards in art and design, ICT, geography and history are broadly average. They are below average in design and technology, physical education and religious education and above average in music. The school employs a specialist music assistant and her skills ensure that all pupils throughout the school make significant progress and achieve well. Where standards are below average, it is often due to too little time being devoted to the subject, uneven coverage or the lack of teacher expertise. The school needs to ensure history and geography skills are taught through literacy and numeracy to ensure sufficient time is
p.11
The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
devoted to these subjects. Standards, and the pupils’ achievement, are affected by the significant turnover in teaching staff, particularly in the juniors. Staff who support pupils with special educational needs and those who are learning English as an additional language make a significant impact on the achievement of these pupils.
p.11
The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
65. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress against the targets set in their individual education plans. Progress is best where targets are clearly defined, achievable but sufficiently challenging. Some targets lack precision, although the school makes strenuous efforts to train new staff in compiling individual education plans. Pupils make good progress because special educational needs is well managed and well funded. Resources for meeting the needs of pupils are well chosen and support staff are well deployed. Pupils’ progress could be even better with the appointment of a full-time special educational needs co-ordinator who has planned time to meet with all support staff. Learning mentors make a significant Shacklewell Primary School - 12 contribution to the pupils’ achievements, ensuring that poor attendance is followed up and through their support of pupils with emotional and behavioural problems.
p.11
Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development
66. The children in the Foundation Stage behave well and quickly settle to the school’s routines as a result of the well-organised and wide range of interesting activities. The children enjoy work and have a positive attitude towards school. They are given good opportunities to take responsibility for their learning, making sensible choices when selecting the activities in which they participate. Through the role-play sessions they quickly learn to co-operate with their peers.
p.12
Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development
67. The attitudes, behaviour and personal development of the pupils in the rest of the school are good. This is secured because of the high level of support the school provides to meet individual need. Attendance is unsatisfactory, but improving. The school has extremely well developed systems in place to support refugees and they integrate quickly.
p.12
Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development
68. Standards of behaviour and relationships are good, although for some, emotions are close to the surface and difficult to control. Nonetheless, with a few exceptions, the pupils get on well with each other and they say that they feel secure. Effective classroom rules and a clear behaviour management policy ensure the right balance between rules and guidance. Shortcomings in behaviour are addressed swiftly. Parents support the behaviour policy and the number of temporary exclusions has reduced since the previous inspection. During the present school year there have been three occasions when it has been necessary to send a pupil home to cool emotions. The school always provides a full explanation about the reason for the exclusion and it invites parents to attend re-admissions meetings.
p.12
Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development
69. The good personal development of the pupils is made possible by a high level of commitment by all adults to support emotional and educational needs. Each pupil is fully supported. The work of the education minority action team ensures excellent support for pupils who are new to the school, many of whom speak little, if any, English. The parents of these pupils express appreciation for the way their children are made to feel welcome. The disruptions to family life are supported sensitively by all adults in the school. Racial equality policy and practices of the highest order ensure a fully inclusive environment where diverse cultures, faiths and religions are respected.
p.12
Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development
70. The pupils are becoming effective citizens and they have numerous opportunities to experience trust and to undertake responsibilities. There are both formal – the school council - and informal consultation arrangements to ensure that pupils’ views are taken into account. Pupils going through emotional difficulties are supported by learning mentors, and intensive tuition from the educational minority action team ensures that language difficulties are overcome quickly.
p.12
Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development
71. Attendance is unsatisfactory, principally because the amount of unauthorised absence has not been reduced sufficiently. In some classes it is three times the national average. The attendance figure for the school has improved significantly since September because the redrafted attendance policy is being administered rigorously. Despite the introduction of a breakfast club, the late arrival of pupils in the mornings disrupts the commencement of some lessons. Shacklewell Primary School - 13
p.12
HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?
72. The quality of teaching is satisfactory overall. During the inspection, four per cent of the teaching was excellent, 17 per cent was very good, 40 per cent was good and 35 per cent was satisfactory. Four per cent was unsatisfactory. There are differences in teaching, with the overall quality being good in the Foundation Stage and the infants and satisfactory in the juniors. However, there is some excellent and very good teaching in the juniors and also some unsatisfactory teaching.
p.13
HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?
73. In the Foundation Stage, the teaching is always satisfactory or better. In the nursery, where it is frequently good, the teachers provide the children with a wide range of activities that enable them to make good progress in all areas of the early years’ curriculum. The teachers, together with nursery education officers and other support staff, ensure that most children make good progress through their planning and detailed assessment information of how well the children are achieving. Teaching is often good in the reception classes, but where it is only satisfactory, it lacks the vibrancy that is seen elsewhere in the Foundation Stage classes.
p.13
HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?
74. The quality of teaching is good overall in the infants. Most staff plan lessons well and provide the pupils with work that is challenging, particularly in the core subjects of English, mathematics and science. There has been less movement of staff in the infants and this shows in the way that lessons build on the pupils’ previous learning. In the best lessons, introductory sessions are brisk and lively and the teachers capture the pupils’ interest through their enthusiasm, ensuring they achieve well. Teaching is less effective in subjects such as religious education, history, geography and design and technology, where too little time is devoted to these subjects.
p.13
HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?
75. The quality of teaching in the juniors varies from excellent to unsatisfactory and is satisfactory overall. In the best lessons, activities proceed at a brisk pace and every learning opportunity is maximised. For example, in an excellent Year 3 literacy lesson, the learning objectives were explained clearly to the pupils, questioning was purposeful and activities were challenging. The lesson carried the pupils along at a rapid pace, ensuring they made excellent progress in their ability to use writing frames. A significant number of teachers are relatively new to the school and not familiar with the National Curriculum. This results in the pace of lessons being somewhat slow and there is often a lack of challenge for the more able pupils as the teachers are not sure what these pupils can achieve. This is particularly so in English and mathematics. However, these staff are enthusiastic and the school is doing its
p.13
HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?
best to provide them with opportunities to improve their expertise. The small number of unsatisfactory lessons are usually due to teachers new to the school not using the agreed procedures for managing difficult behaviour and a lack of understanding of the National Curriculum standards. The national literacy and numeracy strategies have been implemented satisfactorily, but there is room for improvement. Some teachers spend too long on aspects of mathematics and there is a lack of pace in the introductory sessions. There are good examples of the use of homework to extend the pupils’ learning in class, although the provision is inconsistent throughout the school.
p.13
HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?
76. The teaching of ICT is generally satisfactory throughout the school and the pupils make satisfactory progress. However, there are variations, usually due to the confidence of the teachers. Where the teachers have good subject knowledge the pupils make significant gains in their learning. For example, in a very good Year 6 lesson the teacher had a clear understanding of what the pupils were to learn and his strong subject knowledge ensured that most pupils made good progress in using the Shacklewell Primary School - 14 Internet to plan an air journey and to calculate the costs. Some teachers do not have this confidence and pupils become restless when they are not given activities that challenge them. The teaching of music is a particular strength. The school employs a music specialist who teaches pupils throughout the school. Her very high level of skill, subject knowledge and enthusiasm ensures the overwhelming majority of pupils –
p.13
HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?
who thoroughly enjoy the music sessions – make significant progress and attain standards that are frequently above average.
p.14
HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?
77. Pupils who are learning English as an additional language make very good progress throughout the school. This is due to the high quality of teaching provided by the EMAS teachers and support staff. They have an excellent understanding of the needs of these pupils, assess their progress meticulously and provide work that is challenging and well matched to their needs. The support provided for these pupils, both in lessons and when they are withdrawn for additional activities, ensures they make rapid gains in their understanding of English and enables them to take a full part in the National Curriculum.
p.14
HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?
78. Pupils with special educational needs learn well. This is because they usually try hard and respond well to good opportunities for improvement. Those who find learning difficult appreciate the extra support they receive in class from efficient support staff. They benefit particularly well when teachers have planned work in small steps to meet their learning needs or when they are working in groups with more able pupils. Pupils who have been identified with emotional or behavioural difficulties do not always learn as well as they could because they find patterns of behaviour difficult to break. However, the clearly understood and well implemented behaviour policy, combined with the stability and skill of support staff, including learning mentors, help to ensure that the majority of these pupils make progress.
p.14
PUPILS?
79. The children in the Foundation Stage are provided with a good curriculum that meets their needs effectively. The children in the nursery classes are given good opportunities to take part in structured and ‘free choice’ activities that include all the areas recommended. Children in the reception classes are provided with a more structured curriculum that leads sensitively towards the National Curriculum. However, they need more opportunities to participate in outside activities on a daily basis.
p.14
PUPILS?
80. The school provides a satisfactory, broadly based curriculum that includes all the subjects of the National Curriculum and religious education. The curriculum meets the statutory requirements for all subjects. Comprehensive schemes of work are in place. The school rightly gives a high priority to literacy and numeracy and, as a result, has been successful in raising standards. However this has been at the expense of non-core subjects, particularly design and technology and religious education. Music is a strength in quality and in planning. Planning for religious education has been improved to meet the requirements of the Hackney Agreed Syllabus.
p.14
PUPILS?
81. A key issue at the last inspection was to improve assessment linked to the planning of pupils’ work in the National Literacy Strategy and improve access to the curriculum for pupils with English as an additional language. This has been achieved and a good improvement made. The curriculum is now well matched to these pupils’ needs. The teachers plan thoroughly for literacy and numeracy using the national literacy and Shacklewell Primary School - 15 numeracy strategies. Year groups usually collaborate in their weekly and daily planning. This means that pupils get consistent input to match their needs as learners. This consistency of planning is still not in place for some foundation subjects, for example in design and technology for the younger pupils, and in geography and religious education for older pupils. In numeracy and literacy, subject co-ordinators collect samples of pupils’ work and scrutinise books to check for the
p.14
PUPILS?
consistency of pupils’ experience against curriculum requirements. However in non- core subjects they do not often do so. Consequently, the next step of assessing the standard of work is not taken, in order to set targets for different groups of pupils, or to address gaps in curriculum coverage.
p.15
PUPILS?
82. There is good provision for pupils who have special educational needs and those for whom English is an additional language. They have access to the full curriculum and are helped to benefit from it by careful planning and the good use of learning support assistants. At the last inspection a key issue for action was to improve provision and challenge for the more able and the gifted and talented. Planning and practice is still in need of improvement to meet their specific learning needs so that they do not underachieve. The school makes good and improving provision for pupils with special educational needs, all of whom have full and equal access to the curriculum. The majority of pupils share all lessons with their peers, with work usually planned well for their learning or physical needs. Sometimes, small groups of pupils are taught for short sessions to work on specific skills, such as letter sounds. Support staff are well
p.15
PUPILS?
trained in this work and the school is careful to minimise these sessions and ensure that withdrawal for specialist teaching is not always from the same lesson. Very positive sessions, for example social skills groups at lunchtimes, help pupils handle strong emotions and minimise disruption because of poor behaviour. Pupils with physical disabilities are very well supported to join in all activities, including physical education, and adaptations to the building have helped to make this possible. A very positive initiative that is having a very clear impact on learning is the increasingly close liaison between the special educational needs and EMAS teams. Bringing small groups together for highly structured work is benefiting both groups of pupils significantly especially in Year 6, with the positive effect apparent back in the classroom. This flexible approach to the curriculum for these pupils has not only
p.15
PUPILS?
improved their attitudes and learning but has enabled the sharing of skills between staff.
p.15
PUPILS?
83. The school’s arrangements for personal, social and health education is good, and supported by effective policies. Much of the sex education is taught through the science curriculum. At the time of the inspection, plans were well in hand to introduce a structured programme for citizenship. The school council is well embedded and pupils value the opportunity to take on responsibility and, for example, are proud of their input into playground improvements. A good range of extra-curricular activities enhances the curriculum. The breakfast club is of particular value to pupils and the watch club is proud of its leading role in the school’s environmental work. This has been recognised for its quality in receiving a national award for the school’s environmental garden.
p.15
PUPILS?
84. One of the school’s strengths is its co-operation with, and the very good use it makes of, the local community. The ‘A Space’ after school project provides many pupils with additional opportunities for learning and personal development. There are satisfactory links with the schools to which the pupils transfer. Visitors give good support to pupils’ cultural development. The English class for parents helps them to understand the school’s work and add to pupils’ learning. Many curriculum initiatives are funded by Shacklewell Primary School - 16 local businesses, one of which is a major upgrading of playground space to provide better play areas and improved physical education facilities for pupils.
p.15
PUPILS?
85. The planning for the national literacy and numeracy strategies are firmly in place but the school still has some way to go. Firstly, teachers’ skills in aspects of the strategy such as pace, discussion and questioning in lessons need to be improved. Secondly, the very important cross-curricular links that help pupils to consolidate their skills by experience in other subjects is not clearly planned, or the outcomes of teaching evaluated.
p.16
PUPILS?
86. The provision for pupils' personal development, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, is good. The school aspires to give priority to supporting pupils' personal development, and this purpose pervades all aspects of school life.
p.16
PUPILS?
87. The school makes good provision for pupils' spiritual development. This is particularly significant in assemblies, when carefully chosen music is played at the beginning and end to provide an atmosphere that encourages reflection, contemplation and spiritual awareness. During assemblies, teachers ask pupils to close their eyes and to think about a spiritual matter. This might be, for example, memories which are important to them, the way animals are cared for or the change from darkness to light. In the latter case, the teacher explained to the pupils the importance of singing to bring light into their lives, and then sang a song to them; the pupils then joined in and clapped a rhythm as accompaniment. On occasions, a prayer, poem or story is read or a candle is lit, and pupils reflect quietly and thoughtfully. Spiritual development is supported appropriately in lessons, for example in music when pupils gain great
p.16
PUPILS?
pleasure in playing instruments, in religious education when opportunities are taken for pupils to learn why the Bible is valued by Christians and why Muslims keep Ramadan, or in science when pupils marvel at the lighting of a bulb when an electric circuit is completed. In 'circle time', pupils are encouraged to share their thoughts with others and to listen to the thoughts of others. The school has recently constructed a 'quiet garden' to provide pupils with opportunities for quietness and reflection. A notice at the entrance entreats them to 'Touch, smell, talk to and care for the plants…' and to 'Sit quietly and talk, read or draw’.
p.16
PUPILS?
88. Provision for moral development is good. Teachers take every opportunity to teach pupils the difference between right and wrong and to model appropriate behaviour, for example by treating pupils with courtesy and respect. Systems for praise and reward encourage and motivate pupils in their moral behaviour. Signs around the school are politely worded, for example 'Thank you for walking'. In a Year 5 classroom, pupils write notes to record when classmates are helpful or caring, and these are displayed prominently on the wall. In a Year 4 class, pupils are awarded 'smiley cards' for being considerate, kind or helpful towards others. Teachers have high expectations of standards of pupils' behaviour, and work consistently to achieve them. The quality of relationships is good in lessons and around the school, and pupils are considerate, helpful and supportive of each other. Playground partners, who are specially selected
p.16
PUPILS?
and trained senior pupils, seek out and support pupils who may be lonely, angry or upset.
p.16
PUPILS?
89. The school successfully practises its policy for encouraging good social behaviour. Teachers continually stress the importance of good behaviour and caring for others, and this is especially apparent throughout lessons and during morning and afternoon registration sessions. Welcome signs adorn the entrance to some classrooms, class rules are prominently displayed, and a wide range of awards is offered to encourage good behaviour. Examples of these range from praise by adults to the presentation of Shacklewell Primary School - 17 certificates. They also include letters or telephone calls home to report on good achievement, the giving of stickers for good work or behaviour, recognition of achievement in assemblies or visits to the headteacher or deputy headteacher to show good work. 'Smiley cards' are awarded for good behaviour, such as taking turns, being co-operative, honesty, thoughtfulness and being polite. Charts on
p.16
PUPILS?
classroom walls show how pupils have achieved in both academic and personal aspects. In the playground, the provision of board games and outdoor play equipment, an idea which originated in the school council, enables pupils to participate in social activities during their playtimes. Attention to issues of sustainable development within the curriculum, and practical involvement in activities such as school visits, supporting the RSPCA and recycling programmes enable pupils to further develop their social skills and their understanding of social issues.
p.17
PUPILS?
90. Provision for pupils' cultural development is very good. The school celebrates the multicultural composition of its intake and operates as a harmonious and well- integrated community where respect and understanding for differing cultural traditions are the norm. Attractive and prominent displays map the countries of origin of heroes and heroines around the world, along with examples of writing in other languages. Other displays portray 'Black Scientists and Inventors through History', 'Heroes in Black History' and examples of Islamic art, carefully drawn and coloured by the pupils. The visit of an African storyteller and musician to celebrate ‘Black History Month’ gave pupils the opportunity to dance to African music and drumming, whilst a visiting theatre group enabled them to enact a play concerned with refugees. Families of new pupils from local ethnic communities are well served with information about the
p.17
PUPILS?
school; the Shacklewell Welcome Book and Video, which has been borrowed extensively and is produced in the main local languages, provides attractively illustrated information about the school and its activities. Pupils' knowledge of their own and other cultures is furthered by attention to different cultures in their studies of history, geography, religious education, music and art and design.
p.17
HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?
91. The school has good arrangements to ensure safety and care. Statutory responsibilities are fully met. The pupils’ personal development benefits from a very high level of support by specialists; they support the work of class teachers and this is also good. The procedures to promote good attendance are also good and their good management is showing positive results but there is still too high a level of unauthorised absence.
p.17
HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?
92. There are good systems in place to ensure the school’s safety and child protection responsibilities are fully met. Child protection arrangements include a full understanding of the latest code of practice regarding disclosure. Full use is made of the area social services support team. Health and safety checks, medication, first aid and fire evacuation arrangements are secure. Further training in first-aid procedures is planned to increase the number of adults who can provide support. The arrangements the school has to admit pupils with unusual medical conditions or physical disabilities are good.
p.17
HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?
93. The good policies the school has to promote acceptable behaviour work effectively for the majority of pupils. The arrangements it has to eliminate oppressive behaviour are also effective. However, there are some pupils who find it hard to conform to normally acceptable standards and there are occasional outbursts of tantrums and violence. These are handled skilfully by teachers and support staff. The pupils fully understand the school rules and believe that they are fair. Shacklewell Primary School - 18 94. The school has recently produced a very good policy to set out attendance management procedures and the results are to be seen in improvements which have, in recent weeks, brought attendance close to the average for primary schools. The level of unauthorised absence has been reduced in some classes but the overall average figure masks wide variations, and despite first day contact arrangements by
p.17
HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?
mentors and the assistance of the education welfare officer, the whereabouts of too many children is not accounted for. The school and education welfare officer acknowledge that there is a potential for a child to be ‘at risk’ because of this and are making every effort to improve the situation.
p.18
HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?
95. Attendance data and admissions records are analysed and updated regularly. Admissions records are kept in compliance with the regulations but the maintenance of contact information is difficult. The annual reports of pupils with poor attendance clearly state that their education has suffered.
p.18
HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?
96. The procedures for assessing the achievements of the children in the Foundation Stage are good. The school completes initial assessments when children join the reception class. These are discussed with parents at the October parent evening. The teacher then uses this information very effectively to set detailed and individual targets in literacy and numeracy. These are reviewed every half term and new targets are set. Detailed records of each child are updated regularly so that, at the end of each term, the teacher is able to measure the progress the children are making.
p.18
HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?
97. The provision the school makes for the assessment and support of the pupils with special needs is good and the school fully complies with recommendations of the Code of Practice. Procedures for the identification and assessment of the pupils with special educational needs are good. Individual education plans are in place for those pupils who are on the school’s special educational needs register and these are regularly reviewed. They are of very good quality and contain clearly stated and measurable targets for each pupil’s progress. The school makes good provision to meet the needs of a small number of pupils with a statement of special educational needs. All of the requirements which are the school’s responsibility are in place. However, the statutory provision for speech and language therapy is not met because of staff shortages within the health authority.
p.18
HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?
98. The provision the school makes for the assessment and support for pupils who are learning English as an additional language is excellent. The admission process immediately identifies any pupil who requires support. That pupil is then thoroughly assessed to find out exactly what level of support is required. Fluency levels are formally reviewed twice a year with class teachers. There is also constant ongoing daily assessment from the teacher or support worker to monitor and review progress. There are very good links with the special educational needs team and some overlap of support if required. A highly effective database has been set up which enables the ethnic minority achievement team to track the progress of any pupil or group of pupils. From this, the level of support is adjusted accordingly.
p.18
HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?
99. Assessment procedures in English, mathematics and science are good. Each pupil has a record of achievement that contains samples of their work and results of tests and formal assessments as they move through the school. The school has very recently used this to create its own database, using the ethnic minority achievement model, so that the pupils’ academic records can be held centrally. This enables the school to have immediate access to assessment records of any group of pupils. For example, when the school wanted to look at the achievement of Caribbean boys who Shacklewell Primary School - 19 had only been at the school for two years, they were able to call up relevant information in order to track and monitor the progress these particular pupils had made This information is used by teachers to plan work that is directly related to each pupil’s ability and challenges them at the most appropriate level. The pupils’
p.18
HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?
performance in national tests is reviewed carefully and action to improve each pupil’s performance is carefully planned. From this, and the teacher’s detailed knowledge of each pupil’s progress, an individual target is set. This is then reviewed with the teacher each half term. However this depends very much on the skills of the teacher and at the moment, because of the high levels of staff mobility, this is not always consistently applied throughout the school. Over the last two years despite these staffing difficulties, the school has made good progress in developing this aspect of its work and this is reflected in the pupils’ achievements. Procedures for assessing the pupils’ attainment in religious education, ICT and the foundation subjects are not so well developed and the school is aware that this is an area for development.
p.19
HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?
100. The school also places a high priority on the importance of celebrating each pupil’s non-academic achievements. There are many occasions when this occurs both informally and in assemblies when achievement is formally recognised and celebrated. All classes have regular personal, social and health education sessions and a specified time during which there is an emphasis on developing tolerance and an understanding of themselves and others.
p.19
HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?
101. The parents express their satisfaction with the school and there are very effective links between school and those parents of pupils who have linguistic, cultural or learning difficulties. The work of the staff who support refugee pupils is of particularly high quality. There is a good stream of information about routine matters and formal reports are helpful in the information they contain. Relatively few parents help with their children’s learning, either in school or at home.
p.19
HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?
102. The annual reports parents receive about their children’s progress are good. They have examples of what has been learned in all subject areas of the curriculum together with future targets. There is a very good supporting pastoral commentary and this confirms that the school understands each individual’s social and emotional needs. The school brochure and the governors’ annual report are helpful in the information they contain, including information regarding safety and care management, as well as the admission arrangements for pupils with physical disabilities or other medical problems.
p.19
HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?
103. Good arrangements exist to permit informal discussion with the teachers and there are regular formal review meetings. The parents of children who arrive in the school speaking little or no English are kept fully informed about the progress their children are making and the school also provides language tuition for their parents. This ensures that there is speedy integration.
p.19
HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?
104. The parents who met the registered inspector, or who wrote to him, expressed satisfaction about most aspects of school life. They particularly valued the environmental work carried out by their children in school. But they would like to see able children challenged more, especially in their English and mathematics lessons, and they feel that the allocation of homework should be more consistent. They appreciate the work the school does to promote multicultural awareness but they feel that this is sometimes at the expense of the British tradition and more could be done to celebrate national events and seasonal festivals, such as Easter and Harvest Shacklewell Primary School - 20 Festival. They would also like to see improved opportunities for their children to develop their computing skills. The school, including the governors, recognises that it would be useful to engage more parents in their children’s learning and there have
p.19
HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?
been recent discussions to try to achieve this.
p.20
HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?
105. The headteacher and deputy headteacher have only been in post a short time. However, the headteacher demonstrates very good leadership and manages the school effectively and is well supported by the deputy headteacher and senior staff. Issues highlighted in the previous inspection have generally been addressed effectively, although the school recognises more needs to be done to ensure the most able pupils make the progress of which they are capable. The headteacher has a clear vision of how this will be achieved. Standards in National Curriculum tests in mathematics and science at the end of Year 6 have improved due to the hard work of staff. Whilst the school struggles with the difficulties of recruiting and retaining permanent staff, this has not been allowed to cloud the issue of raising standards. A significant strength of the school is the good morale amongst all staff that helps to provide a good learning environment for the pupils. Many of the subjects have co-
p.20
HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?
ordinators who are new to their posts and in some instances are being covered by temporary staff. The senior management team are supporting these colleagues well and ensuring that co-ordination of subjects is generally effective. However, co- ordinators need to take a greater lead in monitoring the quality of teaching and learning in their subjects.
p.20
HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?
106. The governors are regular visitors to the school and have a very good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the school. They are effective in fulfilling their responsibilities and work hard to support the school. Individual governors have responsibility for special educational needs and there is a second governing body meeting each term to monitor standards, the school improvement plan and the curriculum. However, the Governing Body is considering adding a formal curriculum meeting to ensure that the foundation subjects, in particular, are monitored more frequently. The governors appraise the work of the headteacher and have set targets for improvement. They fulfil very effectively their role in holding the school to account for the quality of education it provides.
p.20
HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?
107. The school improvement plan is a good document that takes account of the previous report and demonstrates a clear vision for raising standards. Achievable goals have been set, timescales are realistic and methods of monitoring progress towards the goals are clear. Specific grants awarded to the school are used well and linked to expenditure outlined in the school improvement plan. However, the success of some goals is dependent upon the school being able to recruit appropriate staff – it is unrealistic to expect the senior management team and the small number of permanent staff to achieve them all by themselves.
p.20
HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?
108. The special educational needs co-ordinator is temporary and part-time. His influence extends well beyond the two days he is within school because of his good management and efficient systems. Staff have been trained well to implement programmes of work and support pupils within the classroom or playground and feel well supported themselves. However, in a school with such a large and varied special educational needs population, it is unrealistic to expect systems to run smoothly over time without a full-time special educational needs co-ordinator. The excellent support provided by the EMAS team ensures that pupils from ethnic minorities and those who are learning English as an additional language frequently make very good progress. Shacklewell Primary School - 21 Support teachers and staff are managed very effectively and their high level of knowledge and understanding of the needs of these pupils is a significant strength of
p.20
HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?
109. The school has two learning mentors employed through the Excellence in Cities programme and their involvement with initiatives such as the breakfast club support for pupils with behavioural and emotional difficulties is valued by colleagues and pupils and has a good impact on the achievement of these pupils.
p.21
HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?
110. The governing body and senior management understand and operate the principles of best value and they link purchasing and spending decisions to the educational priorities they have set. The day-to-day financial control of expenditure is good. The school has accrued a significant underspend. However, much of this is targeted for planned expenditure on improvements to the accommodation and grounds.
p.21
HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?
111. Teacher recruitment makes it difficult to ensure a full match of qualified staff to fully meet the needs of the curriculum. The lack of continuity in teacher numbers results in a lack of challenge for the most able pupils because some subject co-ordinators are engaged on short-term employment terms and this affects the continuity of planning. The deployment of support staff ensures that individual pupil support needs are met very well. During a time of considerable changes in the teaching staff, the support staff have been a significant influence and have provided the pupils with much needed stability. Resources for teaching are generally adequate but there is some difficulty in gaining access to centrally stored equipment because classrooms are not closely linked.
p.21
HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?
112. The accommodation is satisfactory but the ‘cubicle’ design of the classrooms creates some limitations, for example room to display pupils’ work is limited, there is inadequate lighting in some and in others, space limitations make it difficult to conduct adventurous design and technology projects. Two large halls provide sufficient space for assemblies and physical education lessons. The Year 6 classrooms are in a prefabricated building and they are a far from ideal learning environment, with little wall space to mount displays and no worktops or running water. The ICT suite is too small to accommodate a full class, particularly of the older pupils.
p.21
HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?
113. There is a reasonable amount of hard play provision for the pupils to let off steam at playtimes and there is an environmental study area, of which the school is justifiably proud. Some physical education equipment is not used at present due to safety reasons and there are no playing fields. Areas outside most classrooms provide good space for support staff to work with small groups of pupils and these are used effectively. Displays in the hall and the entrance of the school have imaginative work illustrating projects, particularly to celebrate the inventions of black people and pupils’ role models. A ‘language tree’ and a display of work by the refugee support service are a source of justifiable pride. Shacklewell Primary School - 22
p.21
WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?
114. The headteacher, governors and staff should now:
p.22
WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?
(1) raise standards in English and mathematics by:
p.22
WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?
• ensuring work is sufficiently challenging, particularly for the more able pupils; • ensuring teachers take the opportunity to develop literacy and numeracy skills in other subjects. (Paragraphs 2-5, 18, 28, 68–84)
p.22
WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?
(2) raise standards in science, geography and history in the infants, physical education and religious education in the juniors and design and technology throughout the school by:
p.22
WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?
• ensuring staff follow the agreed schemes of work and national guidelines; • ensuring teachers devote sufficient time to the subjects; • using the opportunity to teach aspects of the subjects through literacy and numeracy; • developing assessment procedures and making effective use of them; • developing the role the co-ordinators play in monitoring their subjects; • expediting the process for safety checks on physical education apparatus; • providing the pupils with more opportunities to take part in physical education in the juniors. (Paragraphs 6, 7, 17, 18, 23, 24, 42, 48, 56, 85–90, 102–113, 124–133)
p.22
WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?
In addition, the school should consider the following for inclusion in its action plan:
p.22
WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?
(A) planning to ensure ICT is used systematically to improve learning in other subjects;
p.22
WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?
(B) improving the attendance. Shacklewell Primary School - 23
p.22
Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection
Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 32
p.23
Summary of teaching observed during the inspection
Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactor y Poor Very Poor
p.23
Summary of teaching observed during the inspection
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.23
Information about the school’s pupils
Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery YR– Y6
p.23
Information about the school’s pupils
Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 44 362
p.23
Information about the school’s pupils
Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 189
p.23
Information about the school’s pupils
Special educational needs Nursery YR – Y6
p.23
Information about the school’s pupils
Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 0 3
p.23
Information about the school’s pupils
Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 3 100
p.23
Information about the school’s pupils
English as an additional language No of pupils
p.23
Information about the school’s pupils
Number of pupils with English as an additional language 267
p.23
Information about the school’s pupils
Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils
p.23
Information about the school’s pupils
Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 83
p.23
Information about the school’s pupils
Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 70
p.23
Attendance
School data 7.6 School data 0.6 Shacklewell Primary School - 24 National comparative data 5.4 National comparative data 0.5
p.23
Attendance
Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Shacklewell Primary School - 25
p.24
Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)
Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2002 21 30 51
p.25
Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)
National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics
p.25
Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)
Boys 18 19 17 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 22 23 24
p.25
Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)
Percentage of pupils School 78 (79) 82 (79) 80 (86) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (84) 86 (86) 90 (91)
p.25
Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)
Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science
p.25
Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)
Boys 19 17 19 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 24 26 27
p.25
Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)
Percentage of pupils School 84 (79) 84 (86) 90 (86) at NC level 2 or above National 85 (85) 89 (89) 89 (89)
p.25
Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)
Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year.
p.25
Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)
Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 2002 26 19 45
p.25
Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)
National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science
p.25
Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)
Boys 16 19 25 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 15 16 17
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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)
Percentage of pupils School 69 (64) 78 (55) 93 (73) at NC level 4 or above National 75 (75) 73 (71) 86 (87)
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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)
Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science
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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)
Boys N/A N/A N/A Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls N/A N/A N/A
p.25
Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)
Percentage of pupils School N/A N/A N/A at NC level 4 or above National 73 (72) 74 (74) 82 (82)
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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)
Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Shacklewell Primary School - 26
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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year
Categories used in the Annual School Census No of pupils on roll Number of fixed period exclusions Number of permanent exclusions
p.26
Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year
White – any other White background 52 0 0
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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year
Mixed – any other mixed background 0 0 0
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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year
Asian or Asian British - Pakistani 2 0 0
p.26
Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year
Asian or Asian British – Bangladeshi 17 0 0
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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year
Asian or Asian British – any other Asian background 0 0 0
p.26
Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year
Black or Black British – Caribbean 77 0 0
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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year
Black or Black British – any other Black background 1 0 0
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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year
The table refers to pupils of compulsory school age only. It gives the number of exclusions, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded.
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Teachers and classes Financial information
Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 19.2 Financial year 2001/2002
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Teachers and classes Financial information
Number of pupils per qualified teacher 18.8
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Teachers and classes Financial information
Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total income 1,462,001
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Teachers and classes Financial information
Total number of education support staff 5 Total expenditure 1,479,484
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Teachers and classes Financial information
Total aggregate hours worked per week 300 Expenditure per pupil 3,259
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Teachers and classes Financial information
Qualified teachers and support staff: nursery Balance brought forward from previous year 156,000
p.26
Teachers and classes Financial information
Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 2 Balance carried forward to next year 138,517
p.26
Teachers and classes Financial information
Number of pupils per qualified teacher 22
p.26
Teachers and classes Financial information
Total number of education support staff 10
p.26
Teachers and classes Financial information
Total aggregate hours worked per week 300 Shacklewell Primary School - 27 Number of pupils per FTE adult 11
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Recruitment of teachers
Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 15
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Recruitment of teachers
Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 3
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Recruitment of teachers
Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 13
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Recruitment of teachers
Number of vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of a term or more (FTE) 13
p.27
Recruitment of teachers
Number of unfilled vacancies or vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of less than one term (FTE) 0
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Recruitment of teachers
FTE means full-time equivalent. Shacklewell Primary School - 28
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Results of the survey of parents and carers
Percentage of responses in each category
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Results of the survey of parents and carers
Strongly agree Tend to agree Tend to disagree Strongly disagree Don’t know
p.28
Results of the survey of parents and carers
My child is making good progress in school. 52 38 6 0 4
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Results of the survey of parents and carers
Behaviour in the school is good. 42 42 5 0 11
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Results of the survey of parents and carers
My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 34 40 9 5 12
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Results of the survey of parents and carers
I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 48 38 9 2 3
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Results of the survey of parents and carers
I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 57 36 3 1 3
p.28
Results of the survey of parents and carers
The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 57 34 2 0 8
p.28
Results of the survey of parents and carers
The school works closely with parents. 44 34 11 3 9
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Results of the survey of parents and carers
The school is well led and managed. 44 40 2 1 14
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Results of the survey of parents and carers
The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 46 43 3 0 8
p.28
Results of the survey of parents and carers
The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 33 33 8 4 22 Shacklewell Primary School - 29
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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE
58. The school makes good provision for the children in the Foundation Stage, maintaining what was seen at the time of the previous inspection. The children enter the nursery when they are aged three and attend part time either morning or afternoon until January when they attend full time. Nursery children have a free choice of individual and group activities. The reception children have directed sessions of language and mathematics that provide them with a good introduction to the national literacy and numeracy strategies that they follow in future years. Most of the children enter the nursery with an overall attainment below that expected for their age and a significant number are at a very early stage of learning English as an additional language. They make good progress, so that the overall attainment of the children entering their reception year is broadly average. A small number will have exceeded
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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE
these standards in all areas. The quality of teaching is always at least satisfactory and often good. The teaching is better in the nursery, where the expertise of the staff is used very effectively to make learning exciting. The teachers and the assistants meet together regularly to ensure continuity. Each child is allocated to a teacher or assistant and these ‘key workers’ have responsibility for assessing and recording the progress of individual children.
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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE
59. Assessment strategies are securely in place and enable teachers to monitor the children’s progress. The children with special educational needs and those who are learning English as an additional language are quickly identified and detailed individual education programmes are implemented.
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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE
60. The areas in which the children are taught are well organised. A variety of suitable activities develop the children’s language, mathematical, creative and physical ability. The wide range of free-choice activities change each day and are related to specific learning objectives. The enclosed outside area is used well to consolidate not only physical skills but also all other areas of learning for the children in the nursery. The children in the reception class do not have access to the same quality of outside resources and the school is considering how best to improve this.
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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE
61. Good relationships are quickly developed between parents, teachers and children. Parents are made very welcome. They bring in their children in the morning and stay with them until they feel they are settled.
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Personal, social and emotional development
62. The children enter the school with below average standards of personal and social development. They make very good progress so that, by the time they enter Year 1, most are achieving standards expected for their age. The children are quickly introduced to routines and high expectations of mutual respect are established. The children know that they are expected to share equipment sensibly and most are beginning to do this without fuss. In group or whole-class sessions they know that they must follow instructions and wait for their turn to answer. At snack times they hand out drinks and fruit and know to say ‘please’ or ‘thank you’. They usually play together well in the role-play area, on climbing frames and with mobile toys. They help each other build rail tracks and roads and chat amicably during play in sand and water trays. Throughout the day, the children are continually encouraged by the supportive
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Personal, social and emotional development
Shacklewell Primary School - 30 attitude of teachers, nursery nurses and EMAS staff. Those who are reticent are gently encouraged to take part. The children know they are valued and their self- esteem is raised as a result.
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Communication, language and literacy
63. The vast majority of children enter the school with communication skills that are below those expected for their age. A significant minority have skills that are well below average due to them being at an early stage of learning English. The children make good progress overall because of the good teaching and those at an early stage of learning English make significant progress. By the time they enter Year 1, are on course to achieve the early learning goals. Most are able to hold conversations and are beginning to use extended sentences. The safe and stimulating environment, the expectations of the teachers and their caring attitudes enable most children to gain in confidence and acquire a wider vocabulary, especially in the nursery, where the teaching is particularly effective. The ethnic minority achievement support staff provide valuable support and enable young children to make rapid gains in the
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Communication, language and literacy
acquisition of English, although a small number do not achieve the level expected for children of this age. The children’s cultural heritage is recognised in a variety of ways, for instance at the end of the day, the staff encourage them to say ‘goodbye’ in Turkish. Shy children, by skilful gentle persuasion, are helped to make connections and build relationships with their peers. ‘Talk’ is encouraged whenever possible, for example as the nursery nurse persuaded the children to discuss what they could see when making bubbles. Every opportunity is taken to widen vocabulary through stories, rhymes and discussions in a lively way. For example, the teacher brought to life the story of the Billy Goats Gruff by using appropriate resources to maintain the children’s interest and enthusiasm. The children understand the connections between pictures and text. They are introduced to reading books and take them home, and in literacy
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Communication, language and literacy
sessions they enjoy big books and are eager to talk about the pictures. They begin to recognise and join in with repetitive phrases. As they enter the reception year the children have more direct teaching which is satisfactory overall. They begin to make deeper connections between pictures and text. Most of the children recognise their own names and a few are able to write them. The children begin to record work, first with pictures and then by copy and free writing. At the time of the inspection most of the children were on course to achieve the early learning goals for language.
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Mathematical development
64. The children enter the school with very limited mathematical knowledge and understanding, consequently every opportunity is taken to build mathematical learning into the free choice activities that take place each day. They make good progress overall and most are on course to achieve the early learning goals by the time they enter Year 1. Through number games, rhymes, matching, sorting and sequencing they begin to understand the value of numbers. They become aware of quantities of high and low through outside activities and understand full and empty, big and little, as a result of using specific equipment in the sand and water trays. When sorting plastic animals they begin to understand sets of colours and ‘bigger’ and ‘smaller’. The staff question the children effectively, asking questions such as ‘Is this a big circle or a little circle?’ Direct teaching in the reception year, which is generally satisfactory, further
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Mathematical development
develops understanding of number. Most children develop a sound concept of the value of numbers up to ten. Children in both the reception and nursery classes are provided with good support. Children who are learning English as an additional language are provided with activities that enable them to develop their mathematical vocabulary. Working in, and buying things from the shop develops the children Shacklewell Primary School - 31 understanding of money. When cutting out squares, triangles and rectangles, they are encouraged to use the correct mathematical terms. The overwhelming majority of children are on line to achieve the early learning goals for mathematical development.
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Knowledge and understanding of the world
65. The children enter the nursery with a limited knowledge of the world around them. Consequently teachers provide a good range of everyday and wider experiences for them to enjoy. Teaching is good in both the nursery and the reception classes in this aspect. The children enjoy role-play activities and are provided with good opportunities to enact various parts at the health centre and to prepare meals for one another. Children who are learning English as an additional language are given very good support as they prepare a family album, identifying their relatives using English names and developing an understanding of different parts of the body, such as arms and legs. Others enjoy the wild animal table, playing with a variety of creatures and telling one another stories. The children’s knowledge of wildlife is enhanced effectively through observing the giant African snails that reside in the classroom! All enjoy
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Knowledge and understanding of the world
computer work and even the very youngest children quickly become adept at using the mouse and relating its movements to the images on the screen. They use programs effectively to develop their language and numeracy skills. Their concentration span increases as the children move into the reception classes and they were seen to concentrate on tasks for quite long periods. Older pupils are able to select from a menu and change programs. Visitors are welcomed into the school and in this way the children learn about the work of local people and that of organisations such as the RSPCA. Children in the reception classes are provided with an appropriate introduction to scientific concepts, looking at shadows and the different sources of light. By the time they enter Year 1, the children are beginning to develop sound concepts for later work, and their knowledge and understanding is what is expected for their age.
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Physical development
66. When they enter the nursery the majority of the children have the range of gross motor skills expected for their age. Teachers develop these skills well and overall teaching is good in both the nursery and reception classes. There are regular, daily opportunities for outside play when the children can run freely and climb with increasing confidence. As they pedal around on mobile toys or push prams, the children have an increasing awareness of space and of each other and become more adventurous, attempting to carry passengers on their bikes. They take turns well, understanding the safety rules and generally wait until apparatus is clear before they attempt to use it. In indoor lessons too they are beginning to be aware of safety and know that they must not run or be silly. Children in the reception classes need more opportunities to develop physical skills in an outside area on a regular basis. Small
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Physical development
motor skills are practised in creative work. Initially many children have difficulty holding pencils and using scissors but, over time, they are becoming more skilful. By the time they enter Year 1, most of the children are on line to achieve the early learning goals set for physical development.
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Creative development
67. This is an area where teachers provide good opportunities for the children to independently develop their creative skills and teaching is good overall. Most of the children have few opportunities to develop these skills and ideas before they come to school, consequently a wide variety of activities are presented to them. Painting Shacklewell Primary School - 32 tables are always ready for the children to create pictures and patterns using a wide variety of techniques and they are free to develop their own ideas. Illustrations of their work adorn the wall, pictures are named and the children know that their work is valued. Many children choose to cut and stick materials and they are effectively supported in their efforts by the staff. By conversations and questions they help the children develop ideas and practise cutting, colouring and sticking. There are many opportunities for role-play, not only in the ‘home corner’ but also in the outside area.
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Creative development
There are good opportunities for the pupils to develop their musical skills in class but these are enhanced significantly through the weekly visit of a music specialist who teaches all classes. Her high level of expertise enables the children to achieve well and achieve good standards in this aspect. Overall, creative abilities are developed well and most of the children are on line to achieve the early learning goals by the time they enter Year 1.
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ENGLISH
68. In the current Year 6, the pupils’ standards are below average and are similar to what was seen at the time of the previous inspection. Their attainment when they were in Year 2 was also very low. In the past, frequent changes of staff and weak teaching have affected their progress. Also, many pupils join and leave the school between Year 1 and Year 6. However, the high proportion of pupils who enter the school at various times speaking little or no English make very good progress because of the excellent support they receive from the ethnic minority achievement service. Pupils who have been identified as having particular learning difficulties receive good support and make good progress. Standards have improved over the past two years because of school initiatives to improve the teaching of English, and particularly writing.
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ENGLISH
69. Pupils’ attainment in the present Year 2 is below average. However a very high proportion of these pupils are learning English as an additional language and have made very good progress since they entered the school. All pupils make better progress in the infants because there have been fewer changes of teachers and because of the excellent support they receive to help them learn English. Also, infant pupils, who have been in the school for a shorter time, have benefited more from recent improvements to the way literacy is now taught.
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ENGLISH
70. Infant pupils attain the expected standard in listening, but not so in speaking. By the age of seven, most of the pupils pay close attention to instructions and listen carefully when texts are read to them. Most take part in group and class discussions in which they listen and respond to the ideas of other pupils. Although the pupils are eager to contribute to discussion work, their speaking skills are often hampered by a lack of an adequate vocabulary with which to express themselves.
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ENGLISH
71. By the end of the juniors, the pupils’ listening skills are well developed. In lessons, nearly all the pupils listen carefully to instructions and to the contributions of other pupils. The school also ensures that a range of highly stimulating speakers visit the school and talk on subjects that interest the pupils. These have included Caribbean poets, West African storytellers and staff from the RSPCA. Speaking and listening skills are particularly developed in literacy lessons, where pupils listen to and discuss a wide range of texts. Those pupils who are learning English as an additional language make very good progress because of the very effective support they receive from both teachers and classroom assistants. All pupils make steady progress in speaking skills by, for example, performing extracts of A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Globe Theatre or presenting class assemblies. The more skilled teachers give the
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ENGLISH
pupils many opportunities to discuss their ideas in small groups in order to refine and Shacklewell Primary School - 33 clarify them before writing them down. However, a considerable number of pupils do not attain the expected standard by the end of this stage.
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ENGLISH
72. When they enter school standards in reading are well below average, but all infant pupils make good progress in their reading. This is because the school has made the teaching of reading a very high priority and has recently increased the range and interest level of reading books considerably. Also, the support pupils who are learning English as an additional language receive is very effective and these pupils make very good progress. There is close monitoring of reading progress and parents are encouraged to become involved in supporting their children’s reading at home. Teaching and support from classroom learning assistants is well planned and effective. There is great emphasis on ensuring that all pupils have a clear understanding of the way in which letters, and groups of letters, represent sounds. Pupils now read an appropriate range of texts that includes information books as well as stories and poems. They understand that authors of stories use plot, characters
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ENGLISH
and description to hold the reader’s attention. They make predictions about the outcome of the stories they read based on what they know about the characters and the settings in them. However very few pupils reach the higher Level 3 standard in their reading.
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ENGLISH
73. By the end of the juniors, attainment in reading is below the national average. The most able pupils in Year 6 are able to discuss their preferences for particular authors, such as Tolkien, Rowling, Wilson and Dahl. However, in many classes across the school the most able readers are insufficiently challenged. Also their progress has been affected by weak and inconsistent teaching in the past. The school’s own library has only a limited range of interesting and exciting fiction books. The pupils’ reference skills are underdeveloped, although the school has recognised this and is arranging a regular programme of visits to the local library. However those pupils who have joined the school at any time between reception and Year 6 and who have received support because English was not their first language make very good progress because of the consistently high standard of teaching they receive in small groups. For example,
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ENGLISH
one older pupil who had entered Year 3 speaking no English could remember every single adult from the ethnic minority achievement team who had helped her. In three years she had made excellent progress and was now an average reader for her age. Those pupils who have some other special difficulty in their learning also make better progress because of more consistent support from skilled classroom assistants.
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ENGLISH
74. The standards attained in writing at the end of Year 2 are below average, but they are rising because of the initiatives the school has recently introduced to improve the teaching of writing. Also the pupils in the infants have benefited from fewer changes of teachers. A very high proportion of pupils - around two thirds in the current Year 2 - receive extra support from very skilled teaching assistants and specialist teachers because English is not their first language and because of this they make very good progress. Younger pupils form most letters correctly and the most able pupils spell some common words accurately. By the end of Year 2, many of the pupils write familiar words correctly and around a third compose a sequence of sentences in longer pieces of work. The most able pupils, for example, write some clear instructions for making puppets. Most pupils use full stops and capital letters in their
p.33
ENGLISH
independent writing. However, their spelling and their use of standard grammar is below average. 75. The standards in writing attained by pupils at the end of Year 6 are below average. Most pupils have made satisfactory progress but this progress has been inconsistent and is dependent on the stability and quality of the teaching that the pupils have received. The pupils who receive help because English is not their first language Shacklewell Primary School - 34 make very good progress because of very skilled, consistent and effective support from specialist teaching assistants and teachers. However, the evidence from lessons, and from an analysis of pupils’ work, indicates that standards are beginning to rise. This is because of recent improvements to the way writing is taught across the school. There is now an increased emphasis on using a wider range of writing. This is beginning to be linked to other areas of the curriculum, such as when Year 5
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ENGLISH
pupils write character descriptions based on Tudor portraits linking art and history or make links with geography in Year 4 when writing about volcanoes. Most of the pupils attempt a wide range of types of writing that include stories, letters, biographies, play- scripts and diaries. In all classes there is a good emphasis on the composition and appreciation of poetry. In Year 3, for example, in some work linked to a geography visit, a pupil writes, ‘The City River, never ever stops, I do not like the surroundings, of the bluey grey rot’. By the end of Year 6 most pupils have an adequate understanding of some aspects of grammar. For example they know how to use verbs, adjectives, similes and metaphors and many successfully use speech marks and other forms of punctuation. But many pupils are limited in their use of a wide range of effective vocabulary and in using complex sentence structure.
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ENGLISH
76. The quality of teaching seen during the inspection varied considerably from excellent to satisfactory and is satisfactory overall. The planning, the match of work to ability, the management of pupils and the excellent way they are motivated was of a consistently very high quality when delivered by any member of the ethnic minority achievement team. The way pupils who have some identified learning difficulty are taught is also very effective. Teaching in the infants is generally good with some particularly good teaching in Year 1. In the juniors, teaching is satisfactory overall. Although there is some very high quality teaching, there is a greater range of experience among the teachers, some of whom are not as confident when delivering the National Literacy Strategy. However, the support these teachers receive from the subject leader and their colleagues has helped them considerably. A strength of the
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ENGLISH
teaching right across the school is the way the pupils’ own languages and heritage are celebrated. The high quality displays on ‘Black Heroes and Heroines’ and the written accounts in different languages are a testimony to this. In several classes in the juniors there are weaknesses in the teachers’ planning to meet the needs of the higher attaining pupils. Evidence in their work over time shows they are often expected to do no more than average pupils and their progress could be better. Many of the improvements to the writing curriculum have been recently introduced and have not yet taken full effect. For example, other subjects are only just beginning to be used to support the breadth of writing that the pupils need to experience as part of their literacy lessons. Although individual targets are being set this practice is not yet consistent across the school. Reading records of individual progress, particularly of
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ENGLISH
the more able junior pupils, are not as thoroughly checked as they are in the infants.
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ENGLISH
77. The English co-ordinator has a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of how English is taught across the school. She has supported individual teachers in order to make sure that their planning takes account of the learning objectives. She has ensured that extra teaching is targeted towards particular groups of pupils to raise standards. She has recognised the importance of increasing staff expertise, particularly for those teachers who are new to the National Literacy Strategy and supported this with a wide range of appropriate training. She has identified and introduced a range of reading material to improve the reading curriculum. There are good assessment procedures in place and the staff make effective use of the information to plan appropriate work for most pupils. However, the information needs to be used more effectively to plan more challenging work for the most able pupils in
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ENGLISH
the juniors. Shacklewell Primary School - 35
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MATHEMATICS
78. Standards are in line with national expectations at the end of Year 2 and below at the end of Year 6. Compared to schools in similar contexts these pupils do well. Younger pupils make good progress and achieve well whilst older pupils make satisfactory gains in learning. Considering the problems it faces with pupil mobility and the high turnover of teaching staff, the school makes good provision for its pupils to learn effectively. This is because the senior management team adopt good strategies to maximise learning. For instance, the effective training for overseas teachers on short- term contracts in the National Numeracy Strategy ensures that their teaching is largely effective. They, along with permanent members of staff, provide a mathematics structure that builds on previous knowledge sequentially, so that pupils are secure in the steps of learning.
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MATHEMATICS
79. At the last inspection the arrangements for assessment were unsatisfactory. This is now a strength in teaching, so that the majority of pupils are set an appropriate level of challenge. The curriculum is very well matched to the needs of those pupils with English as an additional language, who make very good progress. Pupils with special educational needs are well provided for and make good progress. The level of challenge for the most able pupils at the last inspection was unsatisfactory. It is now satisfactory for the infant pupils, but still not good enough for the juniors. In discussions with older, more able pupils and scrutiny of their work, this was confirmed.
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MATHEMATICS
80. Infant pupils complete a good quantity of work. The work seen during the inspection was of a higher quality than the previous work in their books. They have sound skills in calculation and are able to use simple strategies such as doubling and halving to solve problems. Many can count in twos, fives and tens to a satisfactory level. Some are already familiar with the idea of place value for tens and units to 100 and partitioning numbers to add. The more able pupils solve money problems to £5.00. There is good organisation of planning by teachers. They work as a team to ensure that all abilities get the appropriate next step in learning. By the time they are aged eleven, junior pupils have a good balance in their mathematical experience. Year 6 pupils are developing sound strategies for mental calculation because teachers give them opportunities to compare theirs with others and so refine for the best methods.
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MATHEMATICS
They use doubles or triples to approximate a solution with remainders, or multiply by tens and hundreds. They solve money or measure problems with sound thinking strategies. Polygons are classified for common properties with good understanding. Fractions and decimals are studied, leading to equivalent fractions and percentages. Most remember the Year 5 work they are extending at this level. Although teachers’ teamwork is not as good as in the infants, teachers use sound skills and their good knowledge of the National Numeracy Strategy to maintain satisfactory learning for most pupils.
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MATHEMATICS
81. Numeracy lessons are usually divided into satisfactory time allocations. The National Numeracy Strategy is not yet fully implemented. This is because the challenge to all pupils during discussion, and the challenge to higher attaining pupils in the independent task, are not secure in half of the junior teaching seen. In an unsatisfactory lesson the more able pupils were marking time in a discussion on fractions and the questioning was solely aimed at the middle group. They stopped learning because the teacher talked for too long when their interest had gone. In their work on fractions, assessment was not used well by the teacher. The tasks set did not match different abilities, and learning levels were poor. By contrast, a very good Shacklewell Primary School - 36 lesson on reflective symmetry did challenge all pupils. Targets for learning were expertly shared with pupils. It drew on their previous learning and gave them the
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MATHEMATICS
confidence to jump into the unknown again, in this very secure and rich learning environment. These targets were effectively reviewed at the end and pupils’ knowledge of their own learning was good. The teacher’s very good questioning controlled the excitement and pleasure the pupils had in their learning, to maintain a good pace and leave plenty of time for the task of identifying symmetries in polygons. All were challenged. The most able were solving a more difficult problem. Like other learning groups, they were discussing and exchanging ideas because the teacher encouraged and organised this collaborative learning very well. Her high expectations of all abilities ensured that all knew what they had learned in the review section and they took pride and pleasure in reporting their learning to others. This very skilled and inclusive teaching gave very good opportunities for pupils to learn from each other.
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MATHEMATICS
The pace and excitement in learning was maintained throughout to produce very good progress. Lessons have a warm up session and most have an appropriate section at the end of each lesson when the pupils’ learning is reviewed and consolidated. The use of ICT is largely absent in planning and teaching and the benefit of this powerful aid to learning is lost.
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MATHEMATICS
82. Overall, the quality of teaching and learning is good in the infants and satisfactory in the juniors. The better teaching is as a result of work being more challenging, particularly for the more able pupils. Rarely does teachers’ lack of subject knowledge confuse pupils. Most teachers employ a good variety of teaching techniques to maintain pupils’ interest. Pupils are usually well behaved and keen to learn. They work well in groups and show respect for each other and the teacher. Where teaching is very good the mental sessions are lively and exciting and have a sense of urgency that encourages rapid thinking so that all participate fully. In the less successful lessons the questioning is unchallenging to all abilities, and does not allow pupils to make extended statements outlining their discoveries and achievements so that others learn with them. This effective leading of discussion is an area where some
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MATHEMATICS
teachers can improve their skills for more effective learning, particularly in their questioning skills and in pace.
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MATHEMATICS
83. The cross-curricular use of pupils’ mathematical skills in solving real life problems in other subjects, such as map work in geography or graphs and tables in science, is underdeveloped. This means that opportunities that consolidate and extend learning are frequently lost to pupils. Teachers’ wall display is colourful and is good in reinforcing essential mathematical vocabulary. Pupils’ work is displayed in a corridor, such as work on conversion graphs for imperial and metric measure with the use of wordprocessing. However, many classrooms do not include pupils’ work, for instance their work in problem solving, or interactive puzzles, to stimulate interest and give pupils pride in their efforts.
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MATHEMATICS
84. The subject co-ordinator, in post since September, is providing good leadership to raise standards. Planning across the school is good, other than for cross-curricular links. This, and assessment, are in the action plan for improvement. An extensive system of assessment is currently being put in place that monitors individual pupils and tracks the progress of groups. However, pupils are often uncertain of their group targets based on assessment. This target setting, shared with pupils, is only just going into place and the co-ordinator’s plans for development clearly focus on raising standards. This will assist teachers in locating areas for improvement in teaching and provision, and to incorporate them in planning strategies to improve pupils’ performance. There has been focused monitoring of teaching through classroom Shacklewell Primary School - 37 observation to identify areas for improvement and share the best practice to improve
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SCIENCE
85. Science is a subject that is showing some pleasing signs of improvement. The standards of pupils in Year 6 have risen dramatically over the past year with the 2002 National Curriculum test results showing pupils to be above the national average including the number of pupils achieving the higher Level 5. These results are well above the average for similar schools. Teachers’ assessment shows performance of Year 2 pupils to be broadly average. The trend over recent years has been well below the national trend for science but with a significant rise over the last year. These results reflect the effective teaching pupils have received combined with their hard work and sufficient time given to the subject. However, pupils are making very uneven progress in science because of the number of teachers they encounter and the lack of coverage of the curriculum in Years 3, 4 and 5.
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SCIENCE
86. Standards of work seen during the inspection show pupils to be broadly in line with the national average in Year 2 and Year 6. This reflects the position at the time of the previous inspection. By the end of Year 2, pupils have had good opportunities to cover a range of scientific topics. Careful questioning reminds pupils in Year 1 of what they already know and leads them on well to further learning. Most pupils, including those with English as an additional language, name a range of materials and identify the most suitable to wear for the time of the year. More able pupils classify animals in a variety of ways, including movement and diet. Other pupils complete their work with good support and simplified recording. Challenging work in Year 2 and time for experimentation motivates pupils and stimulates discussion. Pairing pupils of different abilities together keeps all pupils on task and consolidates learning for the most able
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SCIENCE
as they discuss with their partner how to wire a circuit. This discussion and the display of key words develops the language skills of all pupils but especially those who are learning English as an additional language so that they, and pupils with special educational needs, make the same good progress as their peers.
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SCIENCE
87. There is insufficient coverage of the curriculum for pupils in Years 3, 4 and 5 so progress slows down considerably for these pupils and is unsatisfactory over time. Teaching is also less effective for pupils in these years which contributes to less enthusiasm for the subject. However, work is usually recorded carefully, although there is little of it and it is too teacher-directed. More able pupils in Year 3 had a rare opportunity to use ICT in science when they wordprocessed their experiment to test the strength of carrier bags made of different materials. They carefully recorded their predictions and all stages of the experiment before drawing a conclusion. Pupils in Year 4 classify animals according to their skeleton. Little work is recorded, however, and units are not always used when measuring so opportunities for developing numeracy are lost. Too few opportunities for experimentation lead to boredom, and
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SCIENCE
lack of focused questioning means that the ability to predict or hypothesise is underdeveloped. Lack of coverage and challenge continue to play a part in unsatisfactory progress in Year 5. Pupils identify solids, liquids and gasses but attainment is constrained for the more able by copying teachers’ directed work. There is sometimes too little support to help the recording of pupils with special educational needs or who are learning English as an additional language, although they are generally well supported to complete all activities.
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SCIENCE
88. The standards reached and progress made by boys and girls of all abilities in Year 6 is highly commendable, and happens for a number of reasons: sufficient time is spent Shacklewell Primary School - 38 on the subject; some teaching is very good and prepares pupils well for national tests; pupils respond positively, especially to increased opportunities for investigation; and there is very good support for pupils with special educational needs and those who are learning English as an additional language. Pupils carry out and understand fair testing. For example, they ensure that wires are the same length and batteries the same power when investigating which materials are good conductors of electricity. They predict that longer wires will mean dimmer lights and too much power will burn out the filament in the bulb. They understand force, measuring in Newtons, and explain the effect of gravity and friction on different forms of transport.
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SCIENCE
89. Teaching and learning are satisfactory overall, which is the same judgement as that made at the time of the previous inspection. Very good teaching was seen in Years 2 and 6 with a range of good and satisfactory lessons seen elsewhere, although in a lower junior class teaching and learning were unsatisfactory. The very good lessons had common features. Pupils did not have to wait too long before they started investigating for themselves. Teachers were confident and well prepared and grouped pupils of different ability together which benefited them all and contributed to good discussion. Very good questioning helped pupils make predictions and extended the understanding of all pupils. There was a real sense of achievement when pupils in Year 2 completed their circuits with the smiles on their faces reflecting the brightness of the bulbs. ‘You’d need another battery then the bulbs would get hotter and brighter’
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SCIENCE
said one pupil. Pupils in Year 6 recognised a number of methods to separate materials. One pupil wondered aloud if the material closest to a solid is a solute and the one closest to a liquid is a solvent and was set the task of finding out. Pupils with English as an additional language made equally good progress because of good motivation and support for vocabulary. Some pupils with behavioural problems made less progress during this lesson because they wanted to bring a playground dispute into the classroom. Where teaching is satisfactory or less than satisfactory there is too much theory and too few opportunities for exploration. In one lesson, pupils spent too long watching a video and in another they became restless because they spent too long recalling previous learning that was difficult because questioning was not clearly focused.
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SCIENCE
90. Leadership and management of the subject are satisfactory. The co-ordinator is not a subject specialist but has experience of leading science. He carries out monitoring of teachers’ planning but has had no opportunities to observe teaching. Although there is a satisfactory curriculum for science in place insufficient time has been spent teaching it so that coverage of the curriculum in some years is unsatisfactory. Many changes of staff have also contributed to gaps in learning for pupils, especially in Years 3 to 5. Resources are sufficient and sensibly stored in topic boxes but some, especially books, leaflets and posters, are in need of upgrading. The use of ICT is still unsatisfactory. Assessment for pupils in Years 1, 2 and 6 is satisfactory but is underdeveloped in other years and might highlight areas, such as extended writing and investigation, which are under-represented in those years. An excellent display of
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SCIENCE
the work and achievement of black scientists contributes well to cultural development. The very well developed school grounds provide good support for learning about habitats and living things.
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ART AND DESIGN
91. Standards in both the infants and the juniors are in line with national expectations and all pupils make at least satisfactory progress throughout the school. This is a similar situation to that found at the last inspection. There has been an increasing emphasis on studying some of the works of great artists and this is an improvement since the Shacklewell Primary School - 39 last inspection. Judgements are based on the small amount of teaching observed during the inspection, the displays of pupils’ work, their sketchbooks, discussions with pupils and teachers and a scrutiny of the teachers’ planning.
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ART AND DESIGN
92. Infant pupils produce colourful pictures and paintings, which demonstrate their understanding of colour mixing and their skills of observation. Year 1 pupils use a range of drawing media and collage techniques to create portraits inspired by the work of Picasso and da Vinci. In Year 2, the pupils make good links with their work on transport in history, making close observational drawings in charcoal of bicycles. They link their work in geography on food with still-life pictures of fruit using pencils, pastels, chalks and crayons. In their study of the works of the famous artist Van Gogh, they produce their own attractive paintings of sunflowers. They understand the idea of self-portraits and their well-displayed work shows great attention to detail. The pupils’ drawing skills are satisfactory and they observe carefully when making drawings, trying to create a sense of perspective in their work.
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ART AND DESIGN
93. Junior pupils continue to develop their knowledge of the work and style of famous artists. They look at art from other countries and traditions to extend their cultural development. For example, Year 3 pupils use fine paintbrushes to copy Islamic patterns and Year 6 pupils link their history work on Ancient Benin to use colour to portray moods and feelings. In Year 4 the pupils visit the Geffrye Museum to look at the design and function of chairs in the everyday environment and draw a chair in the style of Van Gogh using textured paint and pastels. Inspired by the work of Andy Warhol, Year 5 pupils produce some excellent portraits using digital cameras, key words and felt tip pens. Year 6 pupils study the work of Barbara Hepworth when they visit the Victoria and Albert Museum and use this as a stimulus for their own three- dimensional work. They make good use of their information technology skills to
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ART AND DESIGN
present their work from various perspectives. The pupils’ experience of working with clay and textiles is somewhat limited although there is an attractive display of pots in the library and some tie-dying work done with a local artist.
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ART AND DESIGN
94. The scheme of work is based on national guidelines and it ensures that the pupils are taught a range of skills and given the opportunity to use these with different media. The co-ordinator manages the subject very effectively and gives good support to her colleagues by checking their plans to ensure that the pupils are developing artistic skills consistently through suitable activities and ensuring that appropriate resources are available for the work that is planned. Teaching in both the infants and juniors is good. The teachers plan interesting work, often linked to other areas of the curriculum. There is a good level of expertise amongst the staff that supports the standards achieved by the pupils. The school provides and values opportunities to provide for the creative development of the pupils. This is reflected in a wide range of attractively displayed work throughout the school. Recently an artist came into the
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ART AND DESIGN
school and worked with the pupils and parents. The pupils produce work in the styles of various artists, for example Monet and Kandinski, and the art and design curriculum is very effectively supported by a range of visits to major art museums. No formal assessment procedures are in place.
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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY
95. Standards at the end of Year 2 and Year 6 are below national expectations and are not as good as those seen at the time of the previous inspection. Judgements are based on evidence from the observation of one lesson, from scrutiny of planning and pupils' work in their books and displayed in the school, from photographic evidence and from discussions with teachers and pupils. Although the subject is currently Shacklewell Primary School - 40 timetabled half-termly, aspects of it are integrated into other areas of the curriculum, such as science and art and design.
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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY
96. In Year 1, pupils draw plans and make models of houses and flats from cardboard. They use scissors and glue in constructing them, and then paint the finished products. They also enjoy making moving pictures from card on which they draw pictures and then cut and assemble to produce the moving image.
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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY
97. Year 2 pupils, with assistance, make sock puppets of a satisfactory standard, which are effectively displayed on the wall of the classroom. They use a range of different materials, and learn to employ key skills such as sewing, cutting, sticking and decorating.
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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY
98. In Year 3 pupils show satisfactory skills in designing and making packaging for sweets, chocolates and perfume; they were able to consult an instructive visual aid made by the teacher to show examples of disassembled packaging based on a range of regular shapes. In a good lesson, which was thoroughly planned and organised, the teacher demonstrated good subject knowledge. She shared the objectives with the class, introduced new vocabulary skilfully and used pupils to help her to demonstrate what the class was to do. With effective support from the learning support assistants and the teacher, all pupils, including those with special educational needs and those for whom English is an additional language, achieved well.
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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY
99. In Year 5, pupils learned about how biscuits are made and packaged. They conducted a useful survey of fellow pupils' opinions on the most important characteristics of a biscuit, and graphed the results. Next, they designed their ideal biscuit, making detailed lists of ingredients, and drew well-labelled diagrams of them with clear cross- sections. They also drew innovative designs of the packaging they might use, having already evaluated commercially produced packaging. Written feedback from the teacher in pupils' books was constructive and supportive, and was helpful in enabling them to evaluate the materials.
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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY
100. In Year 6, links are made with science when pupils design and make a circuit board game. However, a number of these are still incomplete, and pupils' work in their books lacks attention to the materials used and the process of making the boards.
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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY
101. The co-ordinator has been responsible for the subject for two terms and does not at present monitor planning or teaching; there are no assessment and recording arrangements for the subject. The scheme of work, which is based on national guidelines, has been in use for over two years; the subject policy is due for revision in 2003. The co-ordinator has had discussions with the headteacher about provision for school-based training. The subject is well resourced with tools, equipment and materials.
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GEOGRAPHY
102. Standards of pupils' work in geography are average overall. By the end of Year 2, standards are below average; this is partly due to insufficient timetabling for the subject. By the end of Year 6, standards are average. This represents an improvement since the last inspection, when they were judged to be below national expectations overall. Judgements are based on evidence from the four lessons observed, scrutiny of samples of pupils' work in their books and displayed around the Shacklewell Primary School - 41 school, and discussions with teachers and pupils about their work. Most pupils, including those with special educational needs and those for whom English is an additional language, make satisfactory progress over time.
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GEOGRAPHY
103. In Years 1 and 2, pupils make a study of the locality of the school and examine the types of houses in which people live. They draw pictures of homes and buildings in the local area and use vocabulary such as 'terraced' and 'detached'. However, the quality of much of the drawings and written work is poor, the focus on geographical learning is limited and there is little evidence of other areas of geographical work in pupils' books or around the school.
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GEOGRAPHY
104. Pupils in Year 3 make a place study of Epidaurus in Greece, and are able to locate it on a map. They use coloured photographs to discover about its environment and the people who live there, and more able pupils develop their skills in reading maps to collect information about it. However, some pupils with limited reading abilities are unable to understand the written tasks set for them.
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GEOGRAPHY
105. In Year 4, pupils make a study of the river Nile and learn much about irrigation and cultivation from watching a video. Most of them know that the Nile is the longest river in Africa, that it provides Egypt with its main source of water and that, for some of its course, it flows through desert landscapes. In their written work, pupils show that they understand the importance of the Nile floods to agriculture and in supporting human life, and the problems of excessive flooding. They locate and mark Egypt on an outline map of the world on which they have coloured and named the continents; more able pupils draw good maps of Egypt, marking on them key places. Pupils discover the contrasts between the Nile of Ancient Egypt and that of today, examining photographic evidence carefully and showing good skills in the use of photographs as sources of information. However, in a number of instances, pupils' work in their books is
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GEOGRAPHY
incomplete and maps are not fixed into them.
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GEOGRAPHY
106. Year 6 pupils make a study of modern Nigeria through a case study of Benin, which they compare with Hackney. The more able pupils know about Benin's climate and position, and are aware of its human problems such as high infant mortality and lack of clean water supplies. However, although pupils use atlases, opportunities are often missed to enable them to develop and apply their skills in map work.
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GEOGRAPHY
107. Where teaching is good, lessons are thoroughly planned, with clear geographical learning objectives related to the National Curriculum Programmes of Study, which are shared with the pupils. In a good Year 3 lesson, the teacher introduced and explained key geographical vocabulary, and pupils were expected to use it in their work. Tasks were set at appropriate levels to match the needs of all the pupils in the class, and were explained clearly to them. The teacher demonstrated good subject knowledge and provided well-targeted support for individual pupils, making effective use of learning resources and deploying good class management skills. Pupils with English as an additional language benefited from additional support from a learning support assistant who had been well briefed by the teacher. The discussion at the end of the lesson revisited the learning objectives, and provided a valuable forum for
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GEOGRAPHY
sharing of learning and clarifying areas in which pupils may still be having some difficulties.
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GEOGRAPHY
108. The co-ordinator, who has been in post for four years, is also the co-ordinator for history. She has a particular interest in education for sustainable development and the school has been awarded funds to develop the school grounds. There is currently only limited monitoring of teachers' planning in geography, and there is no monitoring Shacklewell Primary School - 42 of geography teaching. The current schemes of work are being revised, but are as yet incomplete. However, they should provide a sound basis for development. Some school-based training has taken place, and there are plans for more in the future. The subject is well resourced and every class has a world map and a globe of the world. Geographical field visits are made to contrasting environments, such as the Year 2 visit to Kew village, the Year 3 visit to the River Lee and the Year 4 residential visit to Kench Hill in Kent. These enable pupils to widen their knowledge and experience of
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GEOGRAPHY
different places. Assessment procedures are unsatisfactory and the school recognises the need for development to ensure the subject is given adequate coverage.
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HISTORY
109. Standards of pupils' attainment at the end of Year 2 are below average; this is partly due to insufficient time on the timetable for teaching the subject. Standards are average at the end of Year 6, and are satisfactory overall, as they were judged to be at the last inspection. All pupils, including those with special educational needs and those for whom English is an additional language, make satisfactory progress. Judgements are based on examination of teachers' planning, observations of three lessons, analysis of pupils' work and interviews with teachers and pupils.
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HISTORY
110. In Year 1, pupils develop a sense of old and new by using photographs, books and old prints as sources of evidence to investigate differences in clothing and materials between the past and the present. They become aware of chronology and construct a simple timeline, with help, by sticking pictures in a chronological sequence. In Year 2 they improve their skills in interpreting old photographs and investigate the differences between transport in the past and the present. More able pupils write knowledgeably about the lives of significant people in Black History, such as Harriet Tubman, and illustrate their work well. However, other pupils show limited understanding of history in their written work, which is sometimes of a poor standard.
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HISTORY
111. Pupils in Year 3 make a study of Ancient Greece, and write good descriptions of Greek market places and the houses of rich Greeks. They link their studies in history with work in art and design, and make pictures of attractively decorated Greek vases. In Year 4, pupils write detailed illustrated accounts of the pyramids of Ancient Egypt, and show understanding of their structure, contents and purposes. They learn about Egyptian gods and the rulers of Egypt, show skill in constructing timelines, and make colourful and detailed drawings of Egyptian coffins. Year 5 pupils show considerable interest in the Tudor period following a visit to the Globe Theatre, which they record fully. Pupils made attractive collages to show the clothes of rich Tudors, and are able to further develop their skills in using pictures and photographs to learn about life in Tudor times. In their written work they demonstrate their knowledge of Henry Tudor,
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HISTORY
and they make good illustrations of the Golden Hind. Other historical studies are linked with the geography topic on Benin in Year 6; pupils investigate the history of Ancient Benin, and are knowledgeable about its lifestyles and how it was ruled. However, some of this work is unstructured, and is at times unchallenging, particularly for the more able pupils.
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HISTORY
112. The standard of teaching is satisfactory overall. Teachers demonstrate sound subject knowledge and make effective use of resources, such as books and photographs, to enable pupils to develop their skills of historical enquiry. They make considerable efforts to display pupils' work effectively, and provide good support in lessons for pupils of all abilities as well as those for whom English is an additional language. Discussions towards the end of lessons are used well to consolidate pupils' learning Shacklewell Primary School - 43 and to provide a good forum for the sharing of historical knowledge and vocabulary. In a Year 5 class, the teacher provided helpful written feedback in pupils' books to guide them in their historical thinking.
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HISTORY
113. The co-ordinator, who is also the co-ordinator for geography, has been in post for four years. The scheme of work is complete and satisfactory. The subject is taught in units of half a term, with some links to geography, for example the studies of Benin and Egypt. The subject is well resourced with books, maps, pictures and videos, and resources are usefully stored in topic boxes assembled by the co-ordinator. Whilst there is currently some monitoring of planning, there is as yet no monitoring of teaching. The curriculum is enriched by a good programme of out-of-school visits to places of historical interest, including Dover Castle, the Museum of London and the British Museum.
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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)
114. Standards in ICT at the ages of seven and eleven are in line with national expectations and this represents a good improvement over what was seen at the time of the previous inspection when little use was made of ICT. Most pupils, including those with special educational needs and those who are learning English as an additional language, make satisfactory progress as a result of the regular teaching, although this varies between classes according to the confidence and knowledge of the teachers.
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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)
115. By the end of Year 2, most pupils are familiar with the basic skills of entering text and simple editing procedures. They know that work can be saved and accessed at a later point and most can carry out these procedures independently. The pupils have satisfactory keyboard skills and open and close programs with little adult intervention. The pupils make effective use of a variety of programs. They use drawing and painting programs to produce pictures and demonstrate secure skills in using various brush styles, changing colours and erasing. More effective use could be made of programmable toys to develop the pupils’ skills in estimation, turning and distance.
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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)
116. By the end of Year 6, the pupils create a range of documents and demonstrate satisfactory wordprocessing skills. They access the Internet and CD-Roms to search for information and do so with limited adult intervention. For example, they find information about the Tudor period and improve their knowledge of health, education and sport in this historical period. The pupils are beginning to use a good range of programs to support their learning in other subjects. There are satisfactory links with literacy, with the pupils writing stories and letters using their wordprocessing skills. The pupils’ ability to use spreadsheets for managing and analysing data is underdeveloped and the pupils need the opportunity to practise with appropriate programs.
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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)
117. The quality of teaching is satisfactory overall although there are examples of some very good teaching. The teachers have developed their subject knowledge satisfactorily, but the high turnover of staff has resulted in many who are new to school not being familiar with the scheme of work. This results in some pupils, particularly the more able, not making the progress of which they are capable. However, most lessons are planned satisfactorily with clear learning objectives. In the best lessons, the teachers demonstrate very good subject knowledge and are confident in using computers for teaching other subjects. However, the school recognises that the use of computers for developing skills in other subjects is an area for development. Computer skills are taught regularly in the computer suite and this is helping to ensure the pupils make good progress. There are computers in each of the Shacklewell Primary School - 44
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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)
classes and this enables the pupils to practise skills at other times. Assessment procedures are in place but these need to be developed further to enable the pupils to build on what has been taught previously.
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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)
118. Resources for ICT are adequate. There is a satisfactory number of computers within the computer suite and in the classrooms, together with a range of computer programs that cover all aspects of the curriculum. However, the computer suite is an awkward shape and too cramped for classes, particularly for the older pupils. The school has identified the need to purchase additional equipment to develop control technology. The management of the subject is satisfactory; the temporary co- ordinator has a clear understanding of how to develop the subject.
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MUSIC
119. Standards in music are above typical levels by the end of Year 2 and Year 6. This is a good improvement since the last inspection when standards were in line with national expectations. The music specialist teaches music to all pupils in the school and lessons are well planned allowing the pupils to experience a rich music curriculum. She is well supported by teachers and those with skills in the teaching of music provide good additional input to learning. The overall quality of teaching is very good.
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MUSIC
120. Infant pupils are able to sing songs with the use of appropriate actions to follow simple melodies and rhythms. They have good ability to sing rounds in two parts with good timing and pace. They are able to pick up tunes, pitch them correctly and clap, drum, or shake to a changing rhythm. They do this with appropriate songs such as ‘Pease Pudding Hot’ and ‘Banawa’ with great enthusiasm. Rhymes are used very effectively to hold the attention of the younger pupils to ensure that they achieve the learning objectives in the lesson. Expectations of pupils are high. The learning objectives are carefully planned and good ongoing assessment secures progression in pupils’ learning. In an excellent Year 1 lesson the planning ensured that all pupils had opportunities to make good progress. They sang the chorus of ‘I’m a Rock Star’ with good rhythm and pitch and took turns in performing on the drum and were able to
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MUSIC
identify fast, slow and middle levels of rhythm. Very good questioning, modelling of challenges to pupils, and very high expectations of all, produced very good progress.
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MUSIC
121. Pupils in the juniors show good concentration when practising and rehearsing their part in class performances. This is the result of the teacher’s very good planning, and knowledge of all pupils’ next step learning needs. As in the infants, the teachers’ strategies make the lesson very inclusive of all abilities. They develop an awareness of their own contribution, and that of others. The singing across all year groups is of good quality. By the end of Year 6 pupils are able to construct their own compositions in a group using xylophones, drums and varied percussion instruments to express their own experiences and mood. In a very good Year 6 lesson they showed good skills and understanding, using melody, rhythmic patterns and chords to create good compositions about a tough day in school using a ‘Blues’ context. The lesson moved at a very good pace, all abilities were challenged so that they achieved their potential.
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MUSIC
This was because of the excellent skills and very high expectations of the teacher operating within the very good planning for next step learning. This gives pupils confidence and they work very well together to produce a high standard of work. They respond to the teacher’s very good use of praise with pride, shared pleasure and appreciation of others’ achievements with spontaneous applause.
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MUSIC
122. Pupils’ enjoyment of music is evident in their enthusiasm in lessons. Good opportunities are given to pupils to perform for different audiences, in playing a variety Shacklewell Primary School - 45 of instruments, by singing in choirs, such as the Hackney Festival of Voices, and school performances for parents. In the school concert pupils showed good learning by improvising and retaining rhythmic patterns. The more able extend this with individual performances of high quality using voices, drums and xylophones. Pupils with English as an additional language and those with special educational needs achieve at a high level because of the very good relationships in the school, music drawn from many traditions and cultures and the efforts of teachers to ensure that they are fully involved in learning.
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MUSIC
123. Good links are made with other areas of the curriculum, for example in history on their project on black inventors and performers, in English by developing listening skills, or by inviting visitors such as Tony Ogogo for enriching art and dance within a focus on drums. However, the school is not yet effectively using computer programs to give pupils experience in composition and recording, using pattern and notation. Music from different cultures is used well to enrich school assemblies. It is a powerful force in the school in promoting pupils’ personal, social and cultural development. There is as yet no system of ongoing assessment that will inform on pupils’ individual progress, identify areas for improvement, or to set extended learning targets for the more able. Other than this, the music specialist is very effectively supported by the school’s management so that this excellent provision is of maximum benefit to the
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PHYSICAL EDUCATION
124. Standards of attainment are in line with national expectations for pupils in Year 2 and similar to those seen during the previous inspection. It was not possible to make a clear judgement about standards in Year 6 because no lessons were timetabled during the inspection. However, standards currently are likely to be below the national average. This is because of a number of factors, most of which are beyond the school’s control. There is insufficient challenge for gymnastics because large equipment cannot be used until the backlog of health and safety checks have been carried out; there is no provision for outdoor and adventurous activities or orienteering; accommodation restricts provision for athletics and large team games and standards in swimming are below national expectations. There is only one physical education lesson for pupils each week although after-school games clubs are well attended.
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PHYSICAL EDUCATION
125. Boys and girls in Years 1 and 2 thoroughly enjoy their lessons because they are planned well. They understand the importance of warming up gradually and identify safety features such as looking where they are going and being aware of others around them. Literacy and numeracy are reinforced as pupils ‘draw' named letters and shapes with streamers as they move at different speeds and levels. Many pupils pay good regard to the rhythm of the music as they run, bounce, hop, jump and change direction during a series of moves. Very good discussion helped pupils with English as an additional language understand these movements. Pupils watch each other closely and refine their movements as a result. Very good opportunities to evaluate each other’s work whilst watching demonstrations helps all pupils improve their standards. Pupils with special educational needs achieve well because they receive very good support. Pupils with physical disabilities take a full part in lessons,
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PHYSICAL EDUCATION
sometimes working on programmes of work suggested by the physiotherapist but fully integrated with their peers.
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PHYSICAL EDUCATION
126. Attainment levels are below expectations for junior aged pupils. Teaching is not so good and occasionally poor behaviour limits progress. However, generally pupils maintain their enthusiasm, as was seen when Year 3 pupils moved smoothly Shacklewell Primary School - 46 between arched and curved shapes, and freezing on command into very strong positions. Social skills develop well as pupils make use of community facilities during swimming and learn to behave well in public. They enter and leave the water safely and cross the pool confidently. All pupils put their heads under water and glide with their face down. Some pupils follow instructions to cross the pool using leg kicks only but it is likely that a number of pupils will not swim the expected 25 metres during their time at primary school. The school reports that pupils achieved well at an athletics meeting in the summer but there are limited opportunities for sport and athletics
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PHYSICAL EDUCATION
which restrict all pupils, especially the more able. Some pupils have benefited from coaches who visit the school and pupils are encouraged to attend training in the local area.
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PHYSICAL EDUCATION
127. Teaching and learning are satisfactory overall. They range from very good in the infants to unsatisfactory in the lower juniors. The range of teaching and learning is similar to that seen at the previous inspection. A common strength is the teachers’ very good use of pupils to demonstrate. This concentrates their attention and reinforces good practice. Teachers also develop pupils’ language skills well as they refer repeatedly to subject specific vocabulary and ask pupils to evaluate each other. In the very good lesson challenge was high and the pupils knew exactly what was expected of them because instructions were very clear. Learning improved as pupils achieving well were put to work with those who were not quite so successful. An excellent ending to the lesson enabled pupils of all abilities to demonstrate the very good learning that had taken place. Management of pupils was good in all lessons
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PHYSICAL EDUCATION
apart from the unsatisfactory lesson. There, behaviour was poor and impeded learning with several boys and girls lacking the self-discipline to listen and refine their performance. Pupils with special educational needs make the same and sometimes better progress than their peers because they receive good support.
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PHYSICAL EDUCATION
128. The subject is being managed by a temporary co-ordinator who is well supported by senior managers who are aware of the limitations of the subject. Assessment is still unsatisfactory because nothing is recorded, although oral assessment within lessons is a strength. A very new but appropriate scheme of work has just been implemented which should help all staff including those at the school on a temporary basis, to deliver a broad curriculum. At present all pupils receive one physical education lesson a week which is insufficient to deliver the curriculum and also insufficient to provide physical outlet and mental stimulation. Resources are in need of upgrading and opportunities for competitive sport increased. Planning for more use of the school’s good health and fitness trail would increase opportunities for outdoor and adventurous activities. The school has made a successful bid to be part of the Zone Parc
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PHYSICAL EDUCATION
inspirational play initiative that will see the playground transformed. This should promote positive physical and mental activities and support many areas of the school curriculum
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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
129. Very few lessons in religious education could be seen during this inspection, and none in Year 6. From the evidence gained from these lessons, scrutiny of pupils’ work, and from talking to pupils and teachers, standards are judged to be satisfactory by the age of seven and below average by the age of eleven. At the last inspection, standards were below expectations in both the infants and the juniors so the infants have improved, but when inspectors talked to Year 6 pupils their knowledge was sketchy and insecure. This includes pupils who are learning English as an additional language, the more able pupils and those with special educational needs. The school Shacklewell Primary School - 47 has a sound planned curriculum that meets the requirements of the Hackney Agreed Syllabus ‘Living Faiths’.
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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
130. Older pupils are not consistently taught the curriculum and so their knowledge and understanding is patchy. Inspectors scrutinised pupils’ books for this term and found no completed work to match the required content. The little seen was of poor quality, except for Year 3. There was no evidence presented of pupils’ attainments from the previous year and nothing kept by the co-ordinator to guide teachers’ judgements on their expectations of standards as pupils’ progress from year to year. This was in stark contrast to the good lesson seen during the inspection. The school’s focus on raising standards in literacy has meant that this subject has been neglected. The school has not worked to use the subject, through extended writing for example, to consolidate learning in both subjects and cover both subject requirements.
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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
131. Infant pupils talk about Christian festivals such as Easter and Christmas and relate them to the stories in the Bible of Jesus’ birth and death. They know about festivals such as Diwali and Hanukkah and have satisfactory understanding of symbolic objects for religious belief. In a satisfactory lesson in Year 2 pupils were able to see symbolic objects such as the Menorah as the teacher led a discussion on the meaning of these, to give pupils of all abilities and backgrounds sound instruction. In a very good lesson in Year 1 pupils were inspired to appreciate and wonder at the human feelings, such as love, that are beyond words. Through very skilful questioning and discussion, the teachers drew on their experiences and by effective storytelling inspired them to understand giving as an act of love.
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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
132. Older pupils in Year 3, where the subject is strongest, study the Bible as a book of learning, finding out that it is many books and shared with the Jewish tradition. In this high quality lesson the teacher shares targets for learning and assesses all abilities so that they learn effectively. They have previously learned about Diwali, Rangoli patterns, made divas, and learned about the story of Rama and Sita. Very good questioning allows them to give extended contributions so that they are guided to learn from each other. Pupils demonstrate very good relationships as they spontaneously applaud their classmates’ reading of good quality work. A practising Muslim talked to pupils in a Year 5 class about the Qur’an, prayer, the five pillars, festivals, and the beliefs of Islam. They listened in awe, engrossed as the guest, expertly and imaginatively, described the Muslim path to finding Allah and of joint
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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
prophets with other faiths. One pupil is able to show others his knowledge of the Arabic alphabet. Discussions with Year 6 pupils show that they do not have secure knowledge of comparative systems of belief or symbolic objects and that although they enjoy the subject, little time is spent on it. They do not recall visiting places of worship other than a synagogue or visitors to the school sharing patterns of belief and tradition, such as Hindu food or Diwali celebrations. They have limited recollection of the Year 5 curriculum.
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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
133. Pupils have good spiritual awareness and this is because assemblies offer good opportunities for pupils to reflect on life’s questions and uncertainties through themes such as Black History. Music and singing often inspire pupils. The new co-ordinator for this subject has been in place for six weeks and is keen to improve standards. She understands the importance of finding more time for religious education by teaching it through other subjects. She has, as yet, had no opportunity to monitor teaching and learning and assessment procedures are underdeveloped.
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