Wendell Park Primary School

WENDELL PARK PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 7 th – 10 th July 2003

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WENDELL PARK PRIMARY SCHOOL

Full inspection carried out under Section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Type of school: Nursery, infant and junior

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Cobbold Road Shepherd’s Bush London

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The governing body

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Ms J Sheehan

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 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.

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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. Wendell Park Primary School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities 22199 Mrs J Wotherspoon Registered inspector Mathematics Information and communication technology Art and design What sort of school is it? The school’s results and pupils’ achievements How well are pupils taught? What should the school do to improve further? 9007 Mr R Salasnik 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? 16038 Mrs J Bavin Team inspector Geography Physical education Foundation Stage Special educational needs How well is the school led and managed?

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

15678 Mrs J Radford Team inspector English Music Religious education Educational inclusion, including race equality English as an additional language 3855 Mr D Langton Team inspector Science Design and technology History How good are the curricular and other opportunities offered to pupils?

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

The inspection contractor was: 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: The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Wendell Park Primary School - 4

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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

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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS? 9

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

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OTHER SPECIFIED FEATURES 24

Provision for pupils who speak English as an additional language

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT

Wendell Park Primary is a larger than average school that serves a community of pupils from a broad mix of social, cultural and ethnic backgrounds. The latest census information for the school’s immediate locality indicates an area of below average social and economic circumstances. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals (50 per cent) is well above the national average. Three hundred and twenty one boys and girls aged from three to eleven years include over half who speak English as an additional language. This figure has trebled since the last inspection. In all, about 30 different languages are spoken by pupils at the school. Forty-eight pupils are at the early stages of learning English. Pupils start school in the nursery after their third birthday and transfer to reception classes after their fourth birthday. A higher than average proportion of pupils has special educational needs, which include

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT

emotional and behavioural needs as well as moderate learning needs. Five pupils have statements of special educational need. The mobility rate is above average with many pupils starting or leaving school at different times and in different year groups. Many new arrivals to the school speak little English. The school currently caters for 80 refugees, mainly from Somalia. Attainment on entry varies considerably from year to year. The current group of pupils in the reception class have above average attainment but records of previous groups of pupils show a below average profile of attainment. The nature of the intake is changing and nearly half the pupils in reception did not transfer from the school’s nursery. The school is growing and numbers are rising. Considerable changes in staffing in the last two years have stabilised. As part of the ‘Excellence in Cities’ initiative the school receives additional funding to broaden

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT

This is a good school with the capacity to improve further. The headteacher gives strong leadership that has directed many improvements in a relatively short space of time. His vision is shared and supported by staff, governors and the wider school community. Standards are rising and pupils achieve well. They know they are at school to learn and the majority rise to the challenges presented by the good teaching. The drive for improving academic achievement is balanced well with an ethos in which each individual is valued for their contribution to the school. The school gives good value for money.

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT

What the school does well • Children make a good start to their education in the Foundation Stage • Pupils achieve well in Years 3 to 6 • All pupils have a rich and stimulating range of learning experiences • The school’s positive ethos promotes pupils’ personal development strongly • Staff foster harmonious relationships between pupils and encourage their very good attitudes to school life • The headteacher has high expectations of the school’s community and gives a strong lead in the example he sets • Funding is directed very effectively towards the school’s priorities for improvement

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT

What could be improved • Standards in English and mathematics in Years 1 and 2 • The consistency in teachers’ planning for different groups of pupils • The use of assessment information in foundation subjects • Procedures for improving attendance The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT

HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT

The school was last inspected in 1997 when it was judged to be an improving school with many strengths. Since then it has made a good level of improvement. The key issues have been addressed well although further work is needed to refine assessment practices and the use that teachers make of the information when planning activities. This is good in English and mathematics but underdeveloped in Wendell Park Primary School - 6 many other subjects. Teaching has improved and standards are rising. The school has a good capacity to improve further.

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT

The table below 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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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT

Performance in: all schools similar schools Key

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT

English D C E C well above average above average A B mathematics B C E B average below average C D science C C E C well below average E

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT

The school’s results dipped dramatically in 2002 having risen in the previous two years. Over half of the 2002 group of pupils had special educational needs. Currently, Year 6 pupils are attaining average standards in English and mathematics and above average in science. The latest unpublished results have improved significantly and are similar to the results of 2001. They are close to the school’s targets. In Year 2, results were below the national average in reading and writing and well below in mathematics in 2002. However, they were above those of similar schools. They have declined further this year in reading and writing. In mathematics and science an average proportion of pupils attains the expected level but few pupils attain higher levels. Pupils’ achievement is satisfactory in Years 1 and 2 but has been affected in the past by staffing changes. It is good in Years 3 to 6. Standards in other subjects are

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT

broadly in line with expectations for pupils’ ages. However, standards are below expectations in geography by the end of Year 6, but above them in music. Children in the Foundation Stage achieve well in all areas of learning although pupils in the reception classes need more planned outdoor learning experiences.

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT

Attitudes to the school Very good. Pupils are keen to take part in what the school offers. They are enthusiastic in most lessons.

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Good. Behaviour in most lessons is good although it slips on occasions when teaching has weaknesses. Movement around the school is orderly and calm. Behaviour at play, at lunch and in assembly is very good. A few pupils with behavioural difficulties continue to challenge the school’s authority, but the number of exclusions is falling.

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT

Personal development and relationships Very good. Pupils willingly take on small responsibilities to help their teachers and each other. They get on well together. Pupils say that bullying is rare but always dealt with promptly and effectively. Pupils show a high level of respect for one another’s feelings.

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT

Attendance Unsatisfactory. Attendance rates are below the national figures. The punctuality of some pupils is a concern. Wendell Park Primary School - 7 TEACHING AND LEARNING

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT

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

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT

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

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT

The quality of teaching is good overall and has improved significantly since the last inspection. It is good in English, mathematics and science, but stronger in Years 3 to 6 than in Years 1 and 2. Teaching is good in the Foundation Stage. Examples of good and very good teaching were seen in almost all year groups and subjects. The skills of literacy and numeracy are taught well both in English and mathematics lessons and when reinforced in other subjects. Sound lesson planning identifies what teachers expect pupils to learn. However, teachers do not consistently use what they know about the pupils’ achievements to plan activities at different levels to closely match pupils’ needs. Teachers use effective methods such as ‘chatter boxing’ and ‘model mapping’ to involve pupils in reflecting on their own learning. Good marking of pupils’ work, with some exemplary practice, successfully helps pupils to

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT

know what to improve. Teachers have a good range of positive strategies for dealing successfully with pupils who may have challenging behaviour. The school’s strong ethos underpins the good working relationships in classes. Teachers value the pupils’ contributions to lessons. Pupils present their work well, and work at a good pace, reflecting teachers’ high expectations.

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT

Aspect Comment The quality and range of the curriculum Very good. The curriculum is enriched with a wide range of activities that add much to pupils’ experiences. The reception children do not have enough opportunities to learn using the outdoor area. Provision for pupils with special educational needs Good. Highly specialised part-time provision successfully supports the pupils with most significant needs. Work is not always sufficiently adapted to ensure more than satisfactory progress for pupils with more moderate needs in classes. Provision for pupils with English as an additional language Good. There is good provision for pupils’ personal development in small teaching groups but learning materials do not always meet pupils’ diverse needs in lessons. Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural, development Very good. This provision is an integral part of the school’s positive ethos

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT

where every individual is valued. The school’s consistent approach to giving pupils opportunities for reflection, and responsibility within a framework that promotes strong moral values is very effective.

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT

How well the school cares for its pupils Good. The school looks after pupils well on a day-to-day basis. Assessment is good in English and mathematics but underdeveloped in many other subjects.

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT

Aspect Comment Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff Good. The headteacher gives the school a strong lead. The deputy headteacher and the members of the new senior management team ably support him. The roles of subject co-ordinators are at various stages of development. Staff work together as a cohesive team and Wendell Park Primary School - 8 support each other well. Aspect Comment How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Satisfactory. The governors are led well and, as a group, are beginning to develop their understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. Governors’ role in monitoring the school’s progress is still improving. The school’s evaluation of its performance Good. Analysis of the school’s performance has led to a comprehensive plan for further improvement. The strategic use of resources Very good financial planning underpins proposed developments. Specific grants are used effectively for their intended purpose. The

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT

school has a good awareness of the principles of best value.

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT

Staffing levels are satisfactory. While there is a good number of teaching staff at the school, the level of support staff for general classroom support is low, especially in Years 1 and 2. Support staff make a good contribution to the general smooth running of the school. The good accommodation is spacious and well kept. It is used efficiently. Learning resources are satisfactory.

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT

PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT

What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved • Their children like school • The school expects pupils to work hard and they are making good progress • The teaching is good • The school helps pupils develop into mature and responsible people • The staff are approachable when parents have queries or problems • The pupils behave well • The school is led and managed well • The school works closely with parents and keeps them well informed about their children’s progress • The work that pupils are given to do at home • The range of activities outside lessons

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT

Parents who responded to the inspection questionnaire expressed very positive views of the school. Many at the parents’ meeting recognised the school’s improvement in recent times. Inspectors endorse these positive views. They judge homework to be satisfactory, and pupils have access to a very good range of activities beyond lessons. However, inspectors agree there are few after-school clubs. Wendell Park Primary School - 9

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

1. Results in National Curriculum tests in English, mathematics and science at the end of Year 6 dipped markedly in 2002 following previously rising results. They were well below the national average in all three subjects although in line with those of schools in similar circumstances. This was not unexpected because over half of this year group of pupils had special educational needs. Over time, there has been an inconsistent pattern of results across the three subjects and in the results of boys and girls. The results of 2003 have improved greatly in all three subjects. An increasing proportion of pupils attained levels above those expected for their age. Standards of work seen during inspection reflect these improved results and represent good achievement since the tests at the end of Year 2. A factor affecting achievement is the proportion of pupils who join or leave the school at various times. The school’s own data on pupils’

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

performance shows that those pupils who have been at the school throughout Years 3 to 6, about two-thirds of the pupils, have made good progress.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

2. At the end of Year 2, National Curriculum test results were below the national average in reading and writing and well below average in mathematics in 2002. They were well above the results of similar schools in reading and writing and in line with them in mathematics. Over time, results in Year 2 have fluctuated slightly but have generally been around the average. Teachers assessed pupils’ levels of science knowledge and understanding as below average in 2002. Figures for 2003 have improved in mathematics and science but fallen further in reading and writing. These pupils have suffered from instability in staffing over recent years which has affected their achievement. Since the last inspection, an increasing proportion of pupils has joined the school speaking little English, both in the nursery and in other year groups.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

3. Currently, the nursery and reception children attain standards above those expected for their ages. They achieve well in response to the good provision and most are on course to meet the early learning goals by the end of the reception year. Few children are identified as having special educational needs. The profile of attainment is changing and, in the past, children have entered the school with below average skills in communication, language and literacy, and mathematics.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

4. By the end of Year 2, standards are below average in English and mathematics, and average in science. Pupils achieve satisfactorily. Their speaking and listening skills are average because they have good opportunities to talk to each other and to answer questions. They listen carefully. Many pupils still need support with their reading although higher attaining pupils read fluently and accurately. Few pupils write well. Many lower attaining pupils struggle to write more than a few sentences. Spelling and punctuation are below average. In mathematics, pupils apply their knowledge of number to simple problems and are learning a range of strategies for addition and subtraction. However, too much use of commercial worksheets that require boxes to be filled limits opportunities for them to develop their skills in recording calculations. Pupils are developing a sound knowledge and understanding of science by making

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

predictions and through carrying out simple experiments. They are developing a satisfactory vocabulary to explain what they know.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

5. By Year 6, standards are average in English and mathematics, and above average in science. Pupils achieve well. Standards of speaking and listening are above average. Wendell Park Primary School - 10 Pupils talk confidently, listen well and ask relevant questions. Most read with a sound understanding in order to glean information from a text. Higher attaining pupils write effectively using a range of styles and with an awareness of the reader. Their work is neat and well punctuated. Spelling is less confident among lower attaining pupils whose work is sometimes untidy, in contrast to that of their peers. Pupils carry out complex calculations in mathematics and use a range of strategies. Many are quick and mentally agile, with a sound recall of number facts. They are confident to explain their methods and are able to correct their own errors. Increasing opportunities to use what they know and apply it to solving problems contribute to their good achievement. Pupils

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

work logically and systematically in science when planning and carrying out experiments. They follow a structured approach to recording their findings and understand the importance of making a test fair.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

6. Standards in information and communication technology (ICT) are rising and are close to the levels expected for pupils’ ages at seven and eleven. This is a great improvement since the last inspection when standards were well below expectations. Pupils are achieving well in aspects of the subject such as desktop publishing. Improvements in the availability of resources coupled with regular visits to Kingwood Centre is helping pupils to have more experiences than at the time of the last inspection.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

7. Standards in other subjects are broadly average and pupils achieve soundly except in geography where standards are below expected levels by Year 6 and pupils have not achieved as much as they should. There has been an improvement in standards in design and technology and religious education since the last inspection. Standards in music are above average by Year 6.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

8. Overall, pupils with special educational needs make good progress in their learning. Teaching is good and they benefit from small group work with the special educational needs co-ordinator and other specialists. However, on occasions learning is satisfactory rather than good because of a lack of support staff in lessons and because work has not been modified enough to meet pupils’ needs throughout the lesson.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

9. Although many pupils who speak English as an additional language have a low level of attainment when they enter the school, they usually achieve as well as other groups of pupils. They are supported well by teachers and classroom assistants, and have good opportunities to develop their literacy and numeracy skills. There are many among the highest attaining pupils by Year 6.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

10. Pupils’ attitudes to the school and their personal development and relationships are very good. Behaviour is good. These all have a significant, positive impact on pupils’ learning. The positive situation reported at the last inspection has been strengthened further. Parents who attended the pre-inspection meeting and answered the questionnaire expressed this view. Attendance is unsatisfactory as it is below the national average.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

11. Most pupils are eager to come to school. They have very good attitudes to their work, which are demonstrated by the interest they show in most lessons as well as their ability to listen to their teachers. Pupils are keen to contribute in lessons and at other times, as when a pupil read out work he had done at home on Japan and China.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

12. Pupils are very interested and involved in a wide variety of activities such as the school council which has two elected representatives per class from Year 2 and above. Pupils Wendell Park Primary School - 11 from the older classes serve as chairman, vice chairman and secretary and undertake their duties responsibly. During the inspection, members of the council went to the borough’s computer learning centre to produce their first newsletter using computers. Pupils spoken to felt that the people appointed by the headteacher as the head boy, head girl and head prefect were good choices. The three ‘head’ pupils in turn are involved in appointing the other prefects, who are proficient in the way they perform their duties. These include helping in assembly by operating equipment, holding doors open for all classes, and acting as dinnertime monitors for younger pupils.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

13. Pupils behave well in classes, as they move around the school, including when unsupervised, and in the playground. They are friendly and courteous to each other and to all adults, holding doors open and responding pleasantly to ‘thank-you’ with ‘you’re welcome’. Many pupils engaged inspectors in friendly conversation and answered inspectors’ questions politely. They are proud of their school and, for example, a group of friends from different classes all claimed to have the best teacher. Instances of unsatisfactory behaviour were due to a minority of pupils whose actions affected the learning of the rest of the class. It was noticeable that in some lessons the learning of the class was significantly different when such pupils were not present or were being supported by specialist or learning support staff, often not in the classroom. Boys and girls were seen playing together in ways that challenge traditional stereotypes. For

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

example, a boy skipping with girls and a girl playing football with boys. Pupils of all ethnic groups play and socialise together. Parents at the pre-inspection meeting had commented very positively on the integration of pupils, and inspectors endorse their views. The number of exclusions has fallen from eight in the last year to three this year as pupils respond to the school’s positive approach to improving behaviour. There have been no permanent exclusions in the last two years.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

14. Personal development and relationships are very good. Pupils are given the opportunity to think of the consequences of their actions as, for example in a Years 3 and 4 lesson when pupils were asked whether they would stop to help somebody if they were in a hurry to get somewhere. Pupils were able to give reasons for their decision. In most lessons seen, pupils worked together effectively in pairs or groups. Frequently pupils were told to ‘chatterbox’ together – discussing the matter in pairs. This term and activity was used consistently to good effect throughout the school. Pupils help new arrivals to settle in, especially those who do not yet speak English. Pupils were seen helping these new arrivals in lessons and talking and playing with them in the playground. Pupils with special educational needs are very well included in the life of the school. Consequently, the vast majority behave extremely well and share the same very

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

positive attitudes to school as their peers. They appreciate the help they receive in small separate sessions. This is demonstrated by how impressively hard they persevere at work that is difficult for them.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

15. Pupils’ attendance is well below the national average and has only slightly improved in the past few years. Unauthorised absences are in line with national figures. School data shows that the largest group of authorised absences is due to a large number of pupils being absent for religious observances, an amount which is close to the difference between school and national figures.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

16. The quality of teaching is good overall and has improved significantly since the last inspection when only eight out of ten lessons were satisfactory or better. In this inspection, in two-thirds of lessons teaching was good or better. Good and very good teaching was seen in almost all year groups. There were examples of good teaching in Wendell Park Primary School - 12 most subjects and in the specialist teaching of pupils with special educational needs and those who speak English as an additional language. Taking account of pupils’ past and current work as well as the lessons seen, teaching is good in the Foundation Stage and Years 3 to 6, and satisfactory in Years 1 and 2.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

17. Teaching in the Foundation Stage (nursery and reception classes) is good. The new team works well together to plan a good range of interesting activities that help the children to make links between different aspects of their learning. However, more could be made of planned opportunities to learn through outdoor activities, especially in the reception classes at times when the space is available because it is not being used by other pupils. Staff record children’s achievements against the planned learning objectives on a day-to-day basis and over time. They know their children well and so are able to support children with special educational needs and challenge those who are more able through questions that take account of their learning needs. The very good system for assessing what children achieve in an activity by checking their progress against what adults expect them to learn is not used consistently.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

Opportunities are missed to check on children’s learning when they are working independently. Expectations of children’s learning are not always explicit for different groups of children who have different learning needs and this is an area for development.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

18. The good balance of activities that adults lead and children choose in the Foundation Stage fosters independence, good concentration and perseverance. Staff have consistent approaches to managing the children and share high expectations of their behaviour. Routines are well established and so the children feel happy and secure. They settle quickly to school life. Basic skills in literacy, speaking and listening and mathematics are taught well. All adults provide a good model for speaking and listening and talk constantly with the children to help them develop their vocabulary. This is particularly effective for those learning English as an additional language. Staff are successful in promoting a love of books and interest in writing.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

19. Teaching is good in English, mathematics and science, but in all three subjects it is stronger in Years 3 to 6 than in Years 1 and 2. In English, group work is well structured to give pupils, particularly the older ones, opportunities for independent learning. In mathematics, the teaching has a good focus on the structured teaching of mental strategies for calculations and pupils’ confidence is improving. Teachers regularly ask pupils to explain their methods to reinforce their learning and the good emphasis on mathematical vocabulary is especially helpful for those pupils learning English as an additional language. In science lessons, the increasing focus on experimental and investigative science is helping to develop pupils’ thinking skills.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

20. Because of the contribution of specialist teaching of staff from Kingwood City Learning Centre, teaching is good in ICT. Sessions are well planned and prepared to use the good resources that are now available in school, enabling pupils to have a broader range of experiences than was previously possible. Teachers capitalise on opportunities to use ICT in other subjects, though the new computers in classrooms were used rarely during the inspection. Teaching in music is good in Years 3 to 6 where pupils have specialist teaching. Teachers have high expectations of pupils’ performance and of their understanding of specialist musical vocabulary. Teaching is satisfactory in all other subjects.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

21. Pupils with English as an additional language are generally taught well. Specialist teaching in withdrawal lessons is mostly good, and sometimes it is very good. This is because the work and the teaching methods are well matched to pupils’ needs. Wendell Park Primary School - 13 However, at times, class teachers do not plan tasks that are sufficiently adapted or give pupils structured resources to help them with their written work.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

22. The teaching of pupils with special educational needs is good overall because of specialist teaching and provision. Additionally, when teaching in mainstream classes is good, teachers have either planned specifically to meet the needs of different groups of pupils or they include them well through direct whole-class teaching. The quality of support they receive in small specialist groups is very good because these sessions are planned carefully to meet pupils’ specific needs. However, the quality of planning in mainstream classes to meet the needs of pupils with special educational needs is variable. Class teachers are relatively new to writing targets on individual education plans. Consequently, while some are clear, specific and measurable others are broad and so harder to evaluate. The co-ordinator for special educational needs has already rightly identified the quality and use of these as necessary areas for development.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

23. Teachers mark pupils’ work conscientiously and the quality is generally good. There is some exemplary practice which not only offers comments that clearly tell pupils what to improve, but also asks additional questions to make pupils think further. In Year 3, this results in a very purposeful dialogue between teacher and pupil. All pupils have targets in English and mathematics that are reviewed regularly, which helps them to know what they need to improve. Teachers often tell pupils what they are expected to learn at the start of the lesson and nearly always return to the learning objectives at the end of a lesson in order to review what pupils have learnt. Opportunities for ‘chatter boxing’ in pairs and pupils’ self-review are successful in reinforcing learning and giving pupils a sense of achievement.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

24. Although lesson planning is generally sound in that teachers are clear about what they want pupils to learn, not all lessons are planned to offer pupils tasks that are pitched at different levels to match their different learning needs. There is limited evidence of lesson plans being amended from day-to-day as a result of ongoing assessment of pupils’ learning. There is scope for teachers to use assessment information more consistently to make greater adaptations to activities for pupils of different abilities when planning lessons.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

25. The management of pupils is consistently good. Teachers have a good range of positive strategies for dealing with pupils who may have challenging behaviour and, in the main, are successful in minimising any potential disruption to learning. The school’s strong ethos underpins the good working relationships seen in classes. Teachers value the pupils’ contributions to lessons and praise is used effectively to raise pupils’ self- esteem and confidence. Most pupils behave well and work hard in response to well- established routines and expectations. A good level of interest and enthusiasm for learning and good levels of concentration are features of most lessons. Pupils take pride in their work which, by Year 6, is well presented and neat. There is a good amount of recorded work in English, mathematics and science which shows the progress pupils are making. Homework is used satisfactorily to reinforce the skills practised at

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PUPILS?

26. The school gives pupils a rich and stimulating range of learning experiences and provides a very good curriculum overall. It is appropriately broad and balanced, inclusive and very relevant for the needs of its pupils. A well-considered two-year programme to provide for classes containing pupils of more than one year group is well Wendell Park Primary School - 14 enriched through a variety of carefully planned additional opportunities. The school has a strong commitment to the arts that is celebrated annually in the ‘arts week’ that contributes much to pupils’ personal development. The increased provision of visits and visitors, and clubs for pupils further contributes to a very good improvement since the previous inspection which judged curriculum enrichment to be weak. Provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is very good. Moral and social developments were strengths in the last inspection. Spiritual and cultural development

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PUPILS?

were weak and patchy; both these aspects have improved significantly and are now very good.

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PUPILS?

27. Other previously identified weaknesses in religious education, design and technology and ICT have been addressed successfully. The previous inspection reported that the systematic planning of the curriculum was underdeveloped. This has been addressed well and there is now a carefully structured curriculum plan which sets out what will be taught in each subject in each term. Policies and schemes of work based on the latest national guidance are now firmly in place and helping to raise standards. The school’s over-arching curricular map is based on teaching skills and topics, as well as knowledge. The National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies are fully in place and are helping to raise standards, together with support schemes such as the additional literacy strategy.

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PUPILS?

28. The school meets all statutory requirements, including provision to promote race equality, drugs awareness, sex education and collective worship. The curriculum is reviewed regularly but there are no governors assigned to support individual subjects, other than for special educational needs. The school rightly devotes a generous proportion of time to developing pupils’ language skills, not only providing for reading recovery schemes, and identifying gifted and talented pupils, but also managing to give above average attention to subjects other than the core English, mathematics and science. Additional features such as the Easter school and booster classes, for example in science, have contributed significantly to improved standards.

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PUPILS?

29. The curriculum provided for children in the Foundation Stage is good. Children in the nursery and reception classes enjoy a good range of learning opportunities based on the early learning goals and ‘stepping stones’ provided in national guidelines. However, the school does not plan fully for children to learn using outside accommodation as much as possible and this prevents learning opportunities being even better.

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PUPILS?

30. The curriculum for pupils in Years 1 to 6 is broad, generally well balanced, and appropriate. Pupils work a longer than average school day, and time is used effectively. The time allowance for science is slightly below average, and that for art and design significantly more than for design and technology, history and geography. Time spent on these three subjects is below average and contributes to the weaknesses in standards in geography. Guidance from the headteacher on how teachers organise timetables ensures consistency of breadth, balance and delivery. Small slots of time for guided and individual reading, spelling, writing and handwriting are used very effectively.

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PUPILS?

31. The school successfully meets the learning requirements of pupils with statements of special educational needs. These include pupils’ access to highly specialised part-time provision from therapists and counsellors. The school uses its good knowledge of pupils to bring them together in small groups, such as focus groups for raising self- esteem or programmes directed by speech and language therapists. These are very effective and contribute to the very impressive achievements of some of the pupils with the most significant needs. However, when pupils’ needs are more moderate and entail Wendell Park Primary School - 15 being met by the class teacher, work is not always sufficiently adapted to ensure more than satisfactory progress.

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PUPILS?

32. Good provision for pupils with English as an additional language ensures that pupils have access to the curriculum. Support from the specialist teacher and additional opportunities such as the reading recovery programme help pupils to gain confidence to take part in lessons. The school’s strong emphasis on paired talk in lessons is also helpful for these pupils.

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PUPILS?

33. The effectiveness of the school’s strategy for developing literacy and numeracy skills is good, overall. Empathetic writing was observed during the inspection in history, religious education and science lessons, such as pupils’ first person accounts of the life of a water droplet, or the diary entries of Queen Boudicca. Short, daily reading sessions are supportive in developing pupils’ reading and reading comprehension skills. The school uses its library well to teach retrieval skills but opportunities for pupils to research information independently are less well developed. Recording of data in science, such as bar graphs of results, and taking of measurements in experiments, help to develop numeracy skills.

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PUPILS?

34. The school’s provision for extra-curricular activities is good but includes only a small number of lunchtime and after school clubs. Work is well supported by visits and visitors, such as the Dramarama group observed working very effectively with Year 5 pupils on a production of Shakespeare’s ‘The Tempest’. Classes of pupils take turns to visit the Kingwood Centre for high quality work in ICT, and a residential trip is organised for Year 6 pupils to Pyke House enhancing social, physical and history provision. Following an audit of pupils’ choices, clubs for pottery and art for pupils from Year 2 upwards have been established, in some cases for pupils and parents. Players from Queen’s Park Rangers Football Club have given coaching to pupils; tennis coaching has been arranged, but provision for physical sporting activities overall is less well developed. The choir sings to a high standard and has performed at the Hammersmith

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PUPILS?

and Fulham Schools Music Festival. Provision for recorder groups, and individual instrumental tuition are currently underdeveloped. Inspection findings differ from the views of almost two out of ten parents who feel that the school’s provision for activities outside lessons is inadequate.

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PUPILS?

35. The school strives to ensure that all pupils have equal access to the wide range of learning opportunities on offer irrespective of their prior attainment, gender or background. Policies for race equality and equal opportunities are firmly embedded in the school’s ethos. Boys and girls of all ages and cultures take part in activities in harmony.

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PUPILS?

36. The planning of activities for more able pupils was a key issue for improvement in the last inspection. Since that time the school has become involved in the ‘Excellence in Cities’ initiative and there is now a comprehensive policy on gifted and talented pupils that includes guidelines for teaching and support staff on identification of pupils, and provision and assessment. The school works in partnership with two other schools in offering courses in accelerated learning and thinking skills, and the ‘maths academy’ it has set up for Year 6 pupils provides challenging activities for those who have been identified as higher attaining pupils in that area of the curriculum. Classroom teachers know who their gifted and talented pupils are, but not all teachers make enough use of this information to plan work that is sufficiently demanding in the different lessons.

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PUPILS?

37. The enrichment programme is very well planned to enable pupils of all years and all levels of attainment to explore new areas of learning. Another successful venture is the Wendell Park Primary School - 16 end-of-year production of one of Shakespeare’s plays in which Year 5 pupils are directed by members of an outside theatre group. A rehearsal of this year’s play, ‘The Tempest’, was memorable, not only for the impressive acting skills of the main characters, but also for the imaginative way in which the large cast created the episode of the shipwreck in the opening part of the play. The school is fully committed to race equality and encourages everyone in the school community to have a positive self- image, so that they develop their full potential. It actively promotes the personal development of the large number of pupils with English as an additional language, and especially those who come into the school at different stages in their school life at an

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PUPILS?

early stage of learning English. Pupils are encouraged to become full and active participants in all areas of school life, taking responsibility as prefects and monitors and representing the school in debating contests such as the Children’s Parliament.

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PUPILS?

38. Provision for pupils’ personal, social and health education (PSHE) is good. There is a new co-ordinator for the subject, and the formal and consistent teaching of PSHE has been put in place since the last inspection. Regular timetabled sessions for circle time use techniques such as drama and role-play to successfully address issues such as resolving conflict, and the need for pupils to take responsibility for their own actions. A good example was seen in a lesson in Year 4. Pupils discuss feelings, ideas, beliefs and ethics. They have wide responsibilities within the school through the school council and as prefects, and assist in the smooth running of the school. The school belongs to the ‘national fruit scheme’ for healthy eating, and healthy living is emphasised in food technology lessons.

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PUPILS?

39. The beliefs of many faiths are taught in lessons and are featured on many wall displays in both general areas and classrooms, in most positive ways. A brief moment of reflection is held at the end of assemblies and a prayer is said while pupils are encouraged to think about the message for the day. In the main, assembly themes reflect Christian messages but other faiths are also featured. Parents commented on how much they themselves learn about other faiths when they attend assemblies. Spiritual development is particularly evident in music and art and design, both of which permeate the school and contribute to the very good provision.

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PUPILS?

40. The school’s high moral code is familiar to the whole school, and staff lead by example. Pupils particularly value the fact that the rules are applied universally and, in their opinion, fairly. The school has worked hard on this through the various systems and strategies to encourage good behaviour. A strong sense of Wendell Park working together as a community permeates the school. This is reflected in the very good displays throughout the school and in the assemblies celebrating whole-school achievements. It also features in a familiar exchange between the headteacher and pupils that ‘Wendell Park is a place where children learn’. A high degree of collaboration is common in lessons as pairs or groups of pupils work together. Collecting monies for a variety of charities, mostly for children’s or animal needs, remind pupils of the need to think of others. Pupils have participated in the Hammersmith and Fulham Children’s

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PUPILS?

Parliament for the last two years. This led to two pupils talking alongside the Mayor of London about the need for more city farms in London. Older pupils care for younger ones through the playground ‘buddy’ system. Over nine out of ten parents believe that the school is helping their children become mature and responsible. Inspectors endorse this view in judging provision for social and moral development as very good.

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PUPILS?

41. A wide range of music and art in the school from different periods of history, genres and parts of the world contributes significantly to pupils’ cultural development and is featured in posters around the school and in performances of music, drama and displays of pupils’ own art. For example, music is played as pupils come into class Wendell Park Primary School - 17 registration and assemblies. The choir sang and a steel band played in an assembly in front of parents. Musicians featured on posters ranged from Mozart to the Beatles and Ladysmith Black Mambazo. Amongst performers who have visited the school have been Brazilian salsa dancers, African drummers and a Thai orchestra. A wide range of artistic styles is represented in pupils’ work which includes projects supported by local visiting artists. The inclusion of French for pupils in Year 6 this year further extends pupils’ cultural awareness. Provision is very good.

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PUPILS?

42. The school’s links with the local community are satisfactory. The local community police officer addresses all classes, and representatives of the fire and nursing services visit regularly. The school takes part in the local borough’s athletics tournament, and a recent visit by Year 6 pupils to Brunel University is an example of the school’s efforts to extend this area of provision for pupils’ curriculum development. The headteacher is aware of the need to do more to strengthen relationships with local businesses.

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PUPILS?

43. There are good links with other schools for accelerated learning skills, through the ‘Excellence in Cities’ scheme. Teachers from other schools visit to observe good practice, and the school is a generous provider for teacher training. Induction days are held for Year 6 pupils to visit their next schools and Year 7 teachers visit Wendell Park.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

44. The school’s procedures for welfare, safety and child protection and those for monitoring and supporting pupils’ personal development are good. Monitoring and promoting good behaviour are excellent. These build upon the positive judgements in the last report that the school’s pastoral care was a strength. While procedures for monitoring attendance are effective, procedures for improving attendance are unsatisfactory. Monitoring of pupils’ academic performance is satisfactory.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

45. Positive behaviour is embedded in the whole life of the school. The behaviour policy is deliberately named ‘Promoting Positive Behaviour’ to emphasise the school’s approach. Introduced in the current academic year it has already played a very positive role in creating an orderly community conducive to learning. It is praised by staff, parents and pupils. A parents’ guide is being prepared for distribution at the beginning of the next academic year. The policy focuses on the ‘4 Cs’ – ‘Caring, Co-operating, Concentrating, Celebrating’. All staff apply rewards and sanctions universally. Rewards, both for good work and good behaviour, include stickers, gold stars and certificates of various values, ‘merit’ for five gold stars up to ‘platinum’ for 25. Two pupils from each class are nominated as ‘star workers’ and praised at a weekly assembly and in newsletters to parents. A behaviour grid identifies inappropriate behaviour according to

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

five levels of increasing seriousness each with an associated sanction. The learning mentor has played an important role in reducing the number of exclusions by working directly with those pupils who have the most challenging behaviour, both in one-to-one sessions and also in classes. She also runs lunchtime clubs to help pupils build positive relationships. Teachers identify pupils who need help, and personal targets are tailored for each pupil in consultation with them and their parents.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

46. Procedures for promoting and monitoring oppressive behaviour are good and it is a measure of the school’s success that no incidents were seen during the inspection. Pupils said there were few such occurrences, but that incidents are reported, recorded and dealt with appropriately. Wendell Park Primary School - 18 47. The school has a good health and safety policy and there are good welfare procedures in place. A number of staff are trained first-aiders. Appropriate procedures for dealing with the medical needs of pupils, illnesses and accidents are followed carefully, with incidents being recorded and reported correctly. Parents are kept well informed. The headteacher and deputy headteacher are the child protection officers and staff know what to report to them. The school’s policy is satisfactory. The school has good links with the relevant social services agencies.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

48. The school monitors attendance well but the procedures for improving attendance need strengthening to become effective. The figures have remained fairly static over the past few years, whilst national averages have increased. Registers are filled in correctly and quickly returned to the office. Each morning the learning mentor registers late arrivals immediately after school begins and makes phone calls on the first day of unreported absences. This has improved the attendance of some persistent absentees. More serious cases are reported to the education welfare officer. The school has identified reasons for absences, noting that a high proportion in the current academic year were for religious observances.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

49. At the time of the last inspection, assessment was a key issue for improvement, but now the school has good systems for assessing pupils’ overall attainment and progress; they are very good in English and mathematics. These include optional assessment tests in Years 3, 4 and 5, national assessment tests at the end of Years 2 and 6 and work samples, ongoing record-keeping and the annual reports for parents. The quality of information on what pupils know, understand and can do is good in English, mathematics and science. In other subjects of the curriculum, assessment is informal and less effective.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

50. Procedures for monitoring and supporting pupils’ academic progress are satisfactory overall with strengths in English, mathematics and science. The wealth of information which the school provides on the attainment of all pupils is a strength, and this information is used well by the school to monitor the progress of different groups of pupils, to identify any underachievement and to set individual targets for improvement, with the emphasis on literacy and numeracy. The effective use of this information in the planning of lessons is at the heart of the school’s quest for higher standards. In the lessons seen during the inspection there were examples of good planning, with the result that pupils made good progress because the lesson objectives were very clear and work was closely matched to pupils’ individual needs. However, not all teachers are confident in using the assessment information that is available to them to guide

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

their lesson planning. The school is aware of this and has identified the use of assessment as an area for further development.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

51. Pupils with special educational needs get good support overall for meeting their learning targets. The co-ordinator for special educational needs provision has a good understanding of those pupils with the most significant and complex needs. She knows the pupils very well. However, class teachers have only recently become fully involved in writing and monitoring individual education plans. Most staff understand their pupils’ needs but these are not always well reflected in lesson planning.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

52. Staff in the nursery and reception classes have very sensible, useful and comprehensive procedures for recording children’s achievements on a day-to-day basis and over time. They use these well to develop their knowledge and understanding of each child. This means that they adjust questions and explanations well when they are teaching the whole class and so successfully include all children in a good rate of learning. There is a very good system for assessing what children achieve in an activity Wendell Park Primary School - 19 by checking their progress against different planned learning objectives. However, some objectives are not worded very clearly so the benefit of the exercise is sometimes diminished. Although there is a useful pro forma for adults to record new learning or significant achievement for individual children, these are not used consistently.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

53. The arrangements for monitoring and assessing pupils at an early stage of English language acquisition are very thorough. The specialist teacher keeps detailed records of pupils’ progress in lessons, and pupils’ work is assessed every half term through work samples. The formal assessment for the local education authority is carried out efficiently according to set criteria. Monitoring and assessment of these pupils within main school classes is satisfactory but teachers do not use the information consistently when planning tasks for pupils.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

54. The parents’ views of the school are that it is very good. The effectiveness of the school’s links with parents and the quality of information provided for parents, especially about their children’s progress, are good. The contribution of parents to their children’s learning at school and home is satisfactory. This is a big improvement on the last inspection report when parental links were unsatisfactory. An example is the good links between parents and the staff in the Foundation Stage. In addition to access to staff on a day-to-day basis, there are good links through home-school reading books. Furthermore the ‘homework’ books in the reception classes provide very good information for parents and an opportunity to make an important contribution to their children’s learning.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

55. Those parents who attended the pre-inspection meeting and filled in the questionnaires expressed very high levels of support for the school and satisfaction in the education provided to their children. The school also surveys parents but the returns have been low. The major areas of concern raised by parents were about homework, with some thinking it was too much and others too little, and the amount of extra-curricular activity provided, with some wanting more and others praising the provision. Inspectors do not agree that these are areas of concern.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

56. Very good weekly newsletters are informative, and clearly laid out. The school gives advance notice of events and repeats important information in succeeding weeks. Each class sends out to parents a letter with useful curriculum information at the beginning of each half term. The home-school agreement is under review. Pupils’ annual reports describe in great detail what the class has done or the pupil can do. The better ones also say what the pupil knows and understands, listing skills learnt and suggestions for future developments. Pupils’ attainment levels in English, mathematics and science are given and they are graded on their attitude to learning. In English and mathematics the report is usefully sub-divided into different skills. Reports are individual to each pupil and contain a box for the pupil to evaluate their own progress. Termly parents’ meetings with their child’s teacher help to update parents on their child’s

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

progress and provide a good opportunity to raise any concerns. Parents of pupils with special educational needs usually contribute to discussions about progress on individual education plans and the next steps for their child’s learning at these termly meetings. It is a strength of the school’s provision that pupils’ targets are reviewed this often.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

57. Few parents help out in the school. The headteacher is considering the best way to tap into and use this potential resource. An active friends’ association set up this year has Wendell Park Primary School - 20 already raised over £800, used to purchase a stereo system and playground equipment. Parents are invited into assemblies regularly and a group of Somalian mothers cooked traditional dishes for the school fair. Parents feel that staff are approachable and easily contacted if they have a concern and report a good level of satisfaction in the way the school deals with matters. Parents who do not speak English get assistance from staff or friends who speak their language. However, the school has identified the provision of translations in different languages as an area for improvement.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

58. The headteacher is a strong and charismatic leader. He has successfully shared his aspiration of total commitment to high quality learning for everyone with pupils, staff, parents and governors in a very short space of time. This means that the whole school is buzzing with enthusiasm and justifiable pride in its recent and considerable achievements. His vision includes empowering pupils and members of staff by ensuring that they understand how they learn and reach high standards. His success lies in both challenging and supporting his staff and so creating a new team who want to provide the best possible education for the pupils. He is ably supported by the deputy headteacher and the chair of governors who have tremendous loyalty to him and the school. The new senior management team are well organised and playing a full and active role in accelerating learning, supporting colleagues and taking the school

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

59. The school’s shared determination to promote school improvement means that since the last inspection there has been particularly significant improvement in:

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

• the overall quality of teaching • standards in information and communication technology • the quality of the curriculum, especially enrichment activities

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

• provision for pupils’ spiritual and cultural development • the school’s links with parents and carers.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

• standards in English, mathematics and science between Years 3 and 6 • the quality of provision and teaching for children in the nursery and reception classes • the rate of progress made by children in nursery and reception and pupils between Years 3 and 6 for whom English is an additional language • the rate of progress for children with special educational needs in nursery and reception and pupils between Years 3 and 6 • pupils’ behaviour and attitudes to learning • ensuring that all subjects have long-term plans reflecting the National Curriculum • provision for pupils’ moral and social development.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

61. Additionally, the governing body has increased its understanding of the school. It now meets its statutory requirements well. The chair of governors has a good understanding of the school’s needs and is making a significant contribution to the development of the governing body. An example of the governors’ growing confidence and strength was evident in their decision on two occasions not to appoint a new headteacher while they waited for the ‘right’ candidate. While governors are increasing their involvement with the school they are accurately identifying its strengths. However, not all governors equally understand the areas for development, although they are Wendell Park Primary School - 21 learning fast. Their faith in the headteacher is well founded and they are in a good position to continue to develop their role.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

62. The headteacher’s very skilful teaching enables him to lead with strength and credibility. He uses every opportunity to set an example of high quality teaching and this has been a major feature in the overall improvement of teaching in the school. This supports the school’s well-organised system for linking teachers’ professional development with whole-school goals, while taking account of individual teachers’ development needs. The senior management team have made a good start to monitoring teaching. Therefore, they have a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses within subject areas. In order to avoid overloading and alienating staff during a period of enormous staffing changes in the school, the headteacher has delegated responsibilities carefully and gradually. Consequently, many subject co-ordinators are new to their roles. Most have made a good start to addressing any areas of previous

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

weakness and determining necessary future developments. The newly appointed Foundation Stage co-ordinator has made a strong start to her very recent role under the guidance of the headteacher. She ensures that the team of teachers and nursery nurses work closely together and has rapidly introduced further helpful procedures for tracking children’s progress through compiling children’s portfolios of work. Entirely appropriately and successfully, the school has concentrated on first raising standards in English, mathematics, science and ICT.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

63. The school has many detailed policies setting out its commitment to high quality provision for all pupils and staff. These are not just a paper exercise. On the contrary, they have provided a very important and necessary vehicle for changing the culture of the school and establishing a new and effective team very rapidly. The school benefits from the deputy headteacher having responsibility for the provision for pupils with special educational needs. She has reduced her teaching responsibilities over the last two years and she is now in a good position to plan for the development of the school’s provision by leading with experience and enthusiasm. She has rightly identified that, while individual education plans for supporting pupils with special educational needs and tracing their progress are satisfactory, they are areas for continued development. She and the headteacher have also recognised the importance of increasing the

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

number of classroom support staff for pupils with special educational needs.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

64. The school places great emphasis upon welcoming and valuing all pupils regardless of their abilities, age, ethnicity, gender or social circumstances. This is very apparent in its policies and in the daily life of the school. There is a very high profile for the ‘Four Cs at Wendell Park’, ‘Caring, Co-operating, Concentrating, Celebrating’ . These permeate the daily life of the school because of the headteacher’s determination and the formidable extent to which he has taken pupils, staff, parents and governors with him.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

65. The headteacher, deputy headteacher and senior managers have developed very good systems for tracking pupils’ progress over time in the core subjects of English, mathematics and science. They know that the next step is to extract information, analyse it to identify strengths and weaknesses in pupils’ learning and use the information to raise standards. Understandably, in spite of the school’s impressive improvement, not all areas for development have yet been addressed fully. For example, the school improvement plan, devised in consultation with staff and governors, identifies the need to develop the procedures for assessing what pupils know, understand and can do with greater consistency and ensuring that the information is always used well. Wendell Park Primary School - 22 66. Following a period of high staff turnover, the school’s staff is now fairly stable with few teachers leaving. In the main, the school successfully avoids the need for supply staff

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

and has no trouble recruiting staff. Two newly qualified teachers and a further two who have just completed their newly qualified period have received good support and guidance. The school’s strategy for appraisal and the procedures for induction of new staff are good. Historically, there have been few learning support assistants employed at the school, although more have been recruited in the last few years to work with pupils with special educational needs. The numbers of general support staff are low and insufficient to provide the support required in some classes; this is particularly the case in Years 1 and 2.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

67. Accommodation is good. The large building is well used, with a number of previously unused classrooms having being renovated and brought into good use. Extra space is rented out to local education authority specialist staff, with the school also benefiting from their expertise. Both the external and internal fabric of the building is in very good condition and is well maintained by the site manager who is extremely professional and committed to the success of the school. He deals immediately with any potential health and safety issues. No graffiti was seen and the very small amounts of litter were picked up quickly. The school has made good improvement to the outside space for children in the nursery since the last inspection. It is now an attractive and stimulating area that contributes well to children’s learning. The lack of a designated, and therefore easily accessible, outside space for children in the reception classes remains an issue. This

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

means that learning opportunities across all areas of learning are constrained.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

68. Resources for learning are almost all satisfactory and in the Foundation Stage, English, ICT, music and physical education are good. Systems for the linking of resources to units of work are improving. The new computer suite provides better equipment for pupils than before, though there are plans for further development of ICT hardware and software. The library is attractive and well organised although the book stock is relatively small.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

69. Financial planning by the headteacher and the finance committee of the governing body is very good, and directed well at achieving the school’s priorities. The school improvement plan is a comprehensive document, formulated as a result of corporate effort, with the raising of standards rightly viewed as the school’s over-riding priority. The headteacher has a good grasp of the budget and consults regularly with the chair of governors to see that it stays on line.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

70. The school makes very good use of its resources. School and governors actively seek to obtain the best value for the finances allocated to them and the concepts of compare, challenge, consult, compete are well understood, though the element of consultation is undervalued. For example, three separate presentations were made to the school before it was decided where to obtain computers for the new ICT suite. The decision to lease such equipment is good. Governors monitor the results of their spending to ensure that money has been well spent. Specific grants, for example the Standards Fund and money provided from the school’s ‘Excellence in Cities’ status, are very well managed and used for their intended purposes. The appointment of a specialist teacher for pupils for whom English is an additional language has raised the achievement of these pupils. The appointment of a learning mentor is raising standards

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

of behaviour. Provision is made for identified gifted and talented pupils. Specialist rooms within the school are well used and this is an improvement since the previous inspection. Funds for pupils with special educational needs are well used to provide good individual and small group support outside the classroom. Wendell Park Primary School - 23 71. The senior administrative officer has a good knowledge of the school’s finances, gives good support to the headteacher and operates efficient systems for day-to-day management, thus freeing teachers of time-consuming activities, such as collecting money for lunches and outings. All recommendations from the latest audit report have been addressed. The local authority’s finance officer visits regularly to give support, and the school keeps within the recommended annual carry-forward percentage figures. The school makes good use of ICT for storing and analysing data, and for formal

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

assessment purposes. Taking into account the overall effectiveness of the school, all contextual factors and the school’s funding, the school gives good value for money.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

72. The school has a detailed improvement plan that is soundly based on evidence from its own monitoring procedures and includes aspects of the areas for development listed below. It is essential that the school continues to pursue the areas identified for development but the following should assume high priority:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(1) raising standards in English and mathematics in Years 1 and 2; (paragraphs 2,4,19,93,94,100,101)

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(2) improving the consistency in teachers’ planning for different groups of pupils; (paragraphs 8,21,22,24,31,51,76,83,104,105)

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(3) strengthening the use of assessment information when planning activities, particularly in the foundation subjects; (paragraphs 17,49,50,52,53,78,124,131,133,143,148,159,164)

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(4) improving procedures for raising the attendance rate. (paragraphs 15,48)

p.23

In addition, governors should consider the following issues:

• implementing the proposed improvements to provision for geography; (paragraphs 7,30,133)

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In addition, governors should consider the following issues:

• reviewing the planning and use of outdoor learning opportunities for reception children. (paragraphs 29,67,83)

p.23

Provision for pupils who speak English as an additional language

73. There are 178 pupils who do not speak English as a mother tongue, of whom 48 are at an early stage of English language acquisition, and are supported through the Ethnic Minorities Achievement Grant (EMAG). There are 80 pupils who are refugees, predominantly from Somalia, with an increasing number of Slavic refugees. The main home languages are Somali, Arabic, Bengali, Farsi and Serbo-Croat. A part-time teacher works for three days a week, and two support staff for a total of 12 hours a week to support pupils.

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Provision for pupils who speak English as an additional language

74. Although many pupils have a low level of attainment when they enter the school, they usually achieve as well as other groups of pupils at the ages of seven and eleven. This is because they have good opportunities to develop their literacy and numeracy skills. Wendell Park Primary School - 24 For example, some Year 6 pupils gained Level 4 in mathematics and science, despite having been in the school for only a short time. Pupils coming into the school with little or no knowledge of English make good progress in understanding and expressing themselves in English as a result of effective support.

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Provision for pupils who speak English as an additional language

75. Most pupils with English as an additional language have very positive attitudes to school in response to the good support they receive. For example, when pupils with very little or no knowledge of English enter the school, they are paired up with pupils speaking a similar language under a ‘buddy’ scheme. This enables them to settle well to school life and gain the confidence to make good progress overall. They have very good relationships with their teachers and fellow pupils. They enjoy the range of activities that the school provides, especially such whole-school events as ‘arts week’ and presentations in drama and music, and they appreciate the opportunities to make friends with children from many different cultural backgrounds.

p.24

Provision for pupils who speak English as an additional language

76. Pupils are generally well taught. Work in whole-class lessons for pupils beyond the very early stage of English language acquisition is usually planned in conjunction with the specialist teacher, who also offers class teachers examples of work at an appropriate level of difficulty. Specialist teaching in withdrawal lessons is mostly good, and sometimes it is very good. This is because work and teaching methods are well matched to need. For example, in a Year 5 small-group session, pupils made good progress in learning to write clear simple sentences as a conclusion to a story. This was because the lesson had been carefully planned to give them plenty of practice in writing structured sentences of good quality. In correcting sentences drawn from their own previous writing they were able to focus on simple grammatical errors, such as the omission of ‘the’ and ‘a’ before a noun and the absence of auxiliary verbs. Pupils

p.24

Provision for pupils who speak English as an additional language

were lively and enthusiastic and so the lesson went with a swing. Meticulous marking and target setting also has a positive impact on pupils’ progress. Effective whole-class lessons, such as one on writing techniques in Year 6, are characterised by well- planned, challenging tasks to extend pupils’ vocabulary, and a focus on self-evaluation that results in perceptive comments from pupils on ways to improve their work. However, there are examples of lessons in which pupils’ progress is hampered because the tasks are not sufficiently well planned, and pupils lack the necessary resources, such as structured writing frames, which would enable them to produce well-constructed sentences.

p.24

Provision for pupils who speak English as an additional language

77. The curriculum is accessible to all pupils and the school also provides a wide range of additional opportunities to help pupils to gain the confidence to take an active part in lessons and prepare for examinations. For example, the reading recovery programme enables pupils in Year 1 to become proficient in basic reading and comprehension skills. Work in withdrawal sessions usually focuses on the core subjects of English, mathematics and science, but it also includes practical activities such as cookery and drama. There are booster classes to prepare for national assessment tests, and the specialist teacher is available to read questions on the mathematics and science papers.

p.24

Provision for pupils who speak English as an additional language

78. The arrangements for monitoring and assessing pupils at a very early stage of English language acquisition are very thorough. The specialist teacher keeps detailed records of pupils’ progress in lessons, and pupils’ work is assessed every half term through work samples. The formal assessment for the local education authority is carried out efficiently according to set criteria. Monitoring and assessment within main school classes is satisfactory. All staff are familiar with the school’s systems for identifying pupils in need of extra help, and most class teachers make use of the target-setting scheme and school assessment procedures to monitor pupils with English as an Wendell Park Primary School - 25 additional language and allow them access to the whole curriculum. However, the practice is not yet carried out consistently across the school, and the assessment system itself needs further refinement to identify specific groups of underachievers and

p.24

Provision for pupils who speak English as an additional language

the nature of their difficulties. There are very good relationships between the school and the local education services, and this close co-operation enables the school to be in the vanguard of initiatives to raise standards and promote pupils’ personal and social development.

p.25

Provision for pupils who speak English as an additional language

79. The school has a good partnership with parents of pupils with English as an additional language. Meetings are arranged with parents when their children enter the school, in order to gather essential information and to familiarise parents with school procedures. The school has good ways of providing information for parents on school matters and about their children’s progress. However, it has identified the provision of translations into different languages as an area for improvement. The school is seeking ways to further involve parents in the life of the school; recently, a group of Somalian mothers cooked traditional dishes for the school fair.

p.25

Provision for pupils who speak English as an additional language

80. Management of the support for pupils with English as an additional language is good. The good links between the specialist teacher and the school staff promote a whole- school approach to the planning of work, with a strong commitment to improvement. The learning support assistant sits in on withdrawal sessions to gain experience in effective ways of supporting pupils. Daily routines for extra support and small group withdrawal teaching run smoothly because of good co-ordination. The specific grant for ethnic minorities achievement is well used for its designated purposes, and pupils also benefit from support provided through other sources of funding, such as the reading recovery programme. However, because of an increase in the numbers of pupils coming into the school needing intensive help, the school has identified the need for a higher level of support. In addition, the use of dual language resources needs further

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Provision for pupils who speak English as an additional language

development. Wendell Park Primary School - 26

p.25

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 46

p.26

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactor y Poor Very Poor

p.26

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.26

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery YR – Y6

p.26

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 47 274

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 0 160

p.26

Information about the school’s pupils

Special educational needs Nursery YR – Y6

p.26

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 0 5

p.26

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 4 66

p.26

Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

p.26

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 178

p.26

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

p.26

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 22

p.26

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 30

p.26

Attendance

School data 6.5 School data 0.5 Wendell Park Primary School - 27 National comparative data 5.4 National comparative data 0.5

p.26

Attendance

Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Wendell Park Primary School - 28

p.27

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 22 22 44

p.28

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

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

p.28

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

Boys 17 17 17 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 21 21 21

p.28

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

Percentage of pupils School 86 (95) 86 (89) 86 (97) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (84) 86 (86) 90 (91)

p.28

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

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

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

Boys 17 17 17 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 21 21 21

p.28

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

Percentage of pupils School 86 (89) 86 (97) 86 (97) at NC level 2 or above National 85 (85) 89 (89) 89 (89)

p.28

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

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

p.28

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 11 17 28

p.28

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

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

p.28

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

Boys 3 6 9 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 12 13 12

p.28

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

Percentage of pupils School 54 (84) 68 (74) 75 (90) at NC level 4 or above National 75 (75) 73 (71) 86 (87)

p.28

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

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.28

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

Boys 3 5 9 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 10 13 13

p.28

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

Percentage of pupils School 46 (81) 64 (74) 79 (90) at NC level 4 or above National 73 (72) 74 (74) 82 (82)

p.28

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

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Wendell Park Primary School - 29

p.28

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.29

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

White – any other White background 13 0 0

p.29

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Mixed – any other mixed background 9 0 0

p.29

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Asian or Asian British - Pakistani 12 0 0

p.29

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Asian or Asian British – Bangladeshi 10 0 0

p.29

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Asian or Asian British – any other Asian background 5 0 0

p.29

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black or Black British – Caribbean 22 5 0

p.29

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black or Black British – any other Black background 8 0 0

p.29

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

The table gives the number of exclusions, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded.

p.29

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 14.4 Financial year 2002-3

p.29

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 25

p.29

Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total income 1,067,595

p.29

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 9 Total expenditure 1,028,993

p.29

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 184 Expenditure per pupil 3,200

p.29

Teachers and classes Financial information

Qualified teachers and support staff: nursery Balance brought forward from previous year 24,269

p.29

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 2 Balance carried forward to next year 38,602

p.29

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 25

p.29

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 2 Wendell Park Primary School - 30 Total aggregate hours worked per week 65

p.29

Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 6

p.30

Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 8

p.30

Recruitment of teachers

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 1

p.30

Recruitment of teachers

Number of vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of a term or more (FTE) 1

p.30

Recruitment of teachers

Number of unfilled vacancies or vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of less than one term (FTE) 0

p.30

Results of the survey of parents and carers

Percentage of responses in each category

p.30

Results of the survey of parents and carers

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

p.30

Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child is making good progress in school. 63 28 5 1 3

p.30

Results of the survey of parents and carers

Behaviour in the school is good. 58 35 3 1 3

p.30

Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 46 33 10 4 7

p.30

Results of the survey of parents and carers

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 68 20 10 1 1

p.30

Results of the survey of parents and carers

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 75 19 4 0 2

p.30

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 66 27 4 0 3

p.30

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school works closely with parents. 62 29 6 1 3 Wendell Park Primary School - 31 The school is well led and managed. 80 17 1 0 1

p.30

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 66 26 4 1 4

p.31

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 45 24 15 4 12

p.31

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

81. Provision for children in the nursery and reception classes is good. Over recent years, most children have joined the school with skills, knowledge and understanding below expected levels for their age. This is changing. Most children who joined either a nursery or reception class during the last two years were working above expected levels of attainment in some elements of the areas of learning at the beginning of their first term. At the time of the inspection, almost half the children in the reception classes had joined from private nurseries and not the school’s nursery. There are no children with significant special educational needs in the early years, although staff have identified some children who need extra support in some areas of their development. There were no identified gifted or talented children in the Foundation Stage this year. Girls, boys, children for whom English is an additional language and children with areas

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

of special educational needs all achieve well because the curriculum and teaching are good. Consequently, the vast majority of children begin the National Curriculum with increased strengths that exceed expectations for their age in some elements of their learning.

p.31

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

82. The teaching for personal and social development, communication, language and literacy, mathematical development, and knowledge and understanding of the world is good. Teaching of creative development is satisfactory overall. The main strengths in teaching are:

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

• staff have high expectations of children resulting in good direct teaching of basic skills • all staff are very successful in promoting an interest in books and writing • children who are developing English as an additional language benefit from good quality support and so quickly gain in confidence and achieve well • children identified as having special educational needs are included well through teachers’ questioning in whole-class sessions • good teamwork between teachers and nursery nurses means that children receive consistent messages, feel secure and are ready to learn • staff plan together to help children make links in their learning through interesting topics or themes

p.31

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

• consistently planning clear learning intentions for different groups of children according to their needs and including activities where children work without direct adult support Wendell Park Primary School - 32 • increasing planning for all areas of learning through outdoor activities, especially in the reception classes when the space is available because it is not being used by other pupils

p.31

Personal, social and emotional development

84. Teaching offers children many good opportunities in this area of learning and, as a result, progress is good and they exceed the expectations of the early learning goals overall. Teachers and nursery nurses provide consistent routines and expectations that help children to settle quickly. They set a consistently good example and so children relate well to each other. Understandably, children for whom English is an additional language sometimes take longer than their peers to watch thoughtfully before participating in activities in their first few weeks. However, they make good progress and soon gain confidence. This was evident during the inspection when children in the nursery worked alongside each other, abiding by the rule of ‘one tool per child in the sand pit’, and appealing to adults for justice when rules were transgressed! In reception classes, children developing English had the same good level of confidence

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Personal, social and emotional development

as others to volunteer answers in whole-class sessions and to ask inspectors for help with the computer. Throughout the early years there are strengths in children’s independence, concentration and perseverance because teachers have high expectations and give children sufficient time to work without direct adult intervention.

p.32

Communication, language and literacy

85. Staff set a consistently good example in speaking and listening. Consequently, all children acquire a wide vocabulary and, knowing that they will be listened to, are prepared to develop their ideas verbally. Staff teach basic reading, spelling and handwriting skills consistently well. In lessons, all children listen closely because teachers and nursery nurses have a good understanding of their needs and use books and subjects that interest them. Children of all ages enjoy looking at books, understand how they work and are keen to read and tell stories from pictures. All staff place a suitably high emphasis upon linking letters and sounds, so the nursery children’s knowledge of them is well above expectations for their age. Similarly, in the reception classes, children’s reading skills are well above expectations. Because adults often scribe children’s ideas as they lead discussions, children are interested in writing and

p.32

Communication, language and literacy

forming their own letters, words and sentences. By the end of the reception classes, they automatically write their names on work and enjoy labelling diagrams and compiling their own books, such as ‘sunflower diaries’. This high level of interest is supported further through the reception classes’ use of homework books. These contain short written descriptions of work in school with ideas for children to respond to. Consequently, parents are reading these with their children and helping them to write a brief response. This is a very powerful tool for children’s learning as well as a very good record of how well they are doing for staff and parents.

p.32

Mathematical development

86. As the result of good teaching, children make good progress and are likely to exceed the expectations of the early learning goals by the time they join Year 1. Nursery and reception class staff have high expectations of children’s learning and ensure that lessons are full of practical activities, such as using their hand span as a way of measuring. This means that children throughout the early years not only use a wide mathematical vocabulary well, but also have a secure understanding of mathematical ideas. Teachers and nursery nurses skilfully use questions that have more than one answer, such as, ‘ What can you tell me about this shape? How is it different from this Wendell Park Primary School - 33 one?’ This enables them to extend the learning equally well for children who are at different stages in their understanding. The majority of children have a good understanding of number. They use objects or marks on paper to solve problems of

p.32

Mathematical development

addition and subtraction. This area of learning is supported effectively with computer programs and singing number rhymes. The lack of easy access to an outside space for reception class children means that this area of learning is not enhanced by outside activities. However, the good teaching limits the potentially negative impact of this.

p.33

Knowledge and understanding of the world

87. Children make good progress and, by the time they start Year 1, exceed the expectations of most of the early learning goals. Teaching is good because staff use suitably interesting topics to link various activities and so enhance children’s learning. Children in the nursery classes develop a very good awareness of the natural world through growing and tending a wide variety of plants. They are highly interested in the progress of carrots, beans, strawberries and herbs, helped by the realisation that they will eat the produce! In the reception classes, children gain very detailed knowledge of mini-beasts and make mature distinctions between them. The impressive security of their factual knowledge was demonstrated during the inspection when one child told an inspector that he was a ‘bee’, pointed out the ‘sting’ on his costume and explained that he would not sting anyone today, ‘ because I do not want to die’.

p.33

Knowledge and understanding of the world

88. The strengths in teaching about the natural world also support children’s understanding of the passing of time. No specific lessons addressing differences ‘in the past’ were seen during the inspection. However, children’s verbal reasoning skills, their acute powers of observation and photographic evidence of work on seasons indicate that their understanding at least meets expected levels. Children use the computer mouse to ‘click and drag’ with the level of skill associated with their age. This element of their learning does not exceed expectations because children usually work at the computer independently so there is less direct adult teaching or planning to develop these skills than in other areas.

p.33

Creative development

89. Teaching in this area of learning is satisfactory and children make reasonable progress. There are strengths in teachers’ and nursery nurses’ understanding of the importance of children learning through using their imaginations. This means that they often use this as a tool when they are teaching, for example encouraging children to move as mini-beasts in movement sessions or role-playing a mini-beast to answer questions that relate to early scientific knowledge. Teachers and nursery nurses successfully teach children to use an interesting range of art materials and techniques, such as tie-dying, weaving and painting in the style of Jackson Pollock. While children use a wide variety of materials such as fabric, paints, and crayons, opportunities to express their own ideas and make their own choices are satisfactory rather than good because they are not consistently well planned. When children work independently with

p.33

Creative development

creative materials, there are not always planned, clear learning intentions designed to extend individual children. Additionally, they do not have consistently good access to a variety of musical instruments or art materials for independent work.

p.33

Physical development

90. Teaching in this area of learning is satisfactory with strengths in the teaching of fine movement skills. Members of staff effectively help children to develop safe control of tools such as scissors, glue sticks, paintbrushes and pencils. Because of this and the Wendell Park Primary School - 34 good range of activities that so successfully encourage children to write, children in the nursery and reception classes achieve good levels of precision in manipulating small objects. Nursery children use watering cans with strength and maturity as they use one hand to hold the handle and the other to steady the long spout and avoid spilling. Children in the reception classes are using pencils carefully and with good control when they write. Nevertheless, in sessions in the hall, throwing skills reach expected levels of attainment as they try to knock over skittles with reasonable direction and force. They do not have easy access to outside space other than at break-times

p.33

Physical development

alongside older pupils. This inevitably constrains teaching in this area of learning and, during the inspection, it was not possible to see children using balancing and climbing skills in taught sessions.

p.34

ENGLISH

91. In the 2002 National Curriculum tests for seven-year-olds, the pupils’ standards were below the national average, although they were above average for schools with pupils of similar backgrounds. Pupils did as well in English as in mathematics and science. Since the previous inspection, the rate of improvement in the results has matched the national trend. Results in this year’s tests indicate a further decline in standards of reading and writing. A significant number of pupils in this year group has special educational needs. However, pupils’ progress has been affected by staffing changes in the recent past.

p.34

ENGLISH

92. In the 2002 National Curriculum tests for eleven-year-olds, the pupils’ standards were well below the national average, but average when compared with similar schools. The school’s results dipped dramatically in 2002, having risen in the previous two years. However, half of this group of pupils had special educational needs. The latest unpublished results for the current Year 6 pupils show a significant improvement, and are similar to the results of 2001. This is the result of the good teaching that pupils received at key points in their progress through the school, and pupils’ own very positive attitudes to the subject.

p.34

ENGLISH

93. On the evidence of work seen during the inspection, overall standards in Year 2 are below average. Nevertheless, pupils now achieve in a satisfactory way. In Year 6, pupils achieve well and attain standards that are average, with a sizeable amount of work that is above average. The progress of different groups of pupils, such as those identified as gifted and talented, pupils with special educational needs and pupils with English as an additional language, is broadly in line with that of their peers. There is no significant difference between the achievement of boys and girls.

p.34

ENGLISH

94. In Year 2, the standards of speaking and listening are average. In most of their lessons, not just in English, pupils have good opportunities to talk to each other, and they are keen to answer questions and to contribute to discussions. This is especially true of those pupils coming into the school with very little knowledge of English. Pupils generally listen carefully to their teacher and classmates, and put their ideas across with a reasonable degree of clarity. Standards of reading and writing are below average. Although there are examples of accurate, fluent and expressive reading by higher attaining pupils, there are many pupils who still need support to decode unfamiliar words and to read with understanding. The writing of lower attaining pupils reflects the problems encountered in reading. It contains many spelling errors that reveal a limited knowledge of basic spelling patterns. Pupils understand the purpose of

p.34

ENGLISH

different styles of writing, such as letter formats, but they often find it difficult to write more than a few sentences. This is sometimes because teachers do not give them a structure for their piece of writing. Middle attaining pupils can write legibly and produce Wendell Park Primary School - 35 stories with realistic dialogue that have a beginning, middle and an end. However, standards of basic punctuation and spelling are below average. The work of higher attaining pupils shows that they have a good understanding of sequencing and contrast of character in narrative writing, and that they can write for a wide variety of purposes. However, there are only a few pupils attaining the higher level. Most pupils in Year 2 started from a low base at the beginning of the year, but they have made steady progress that has been well supported by constructive marking and helpful suggestions for improvement. Spelling is a general weakness, but there is not a whole-school

p.34

ENGLISH

approach to accuracy in spelling through the regular use of spelling notebooks.

p.35

ENGLISH

95. In Year 6, standards of speaking and listening are above average. Pupils talk with assurance, as was evident in the pupil interviews, and they can ask relevant questions when listening to their teachers, visitors to the school and each other. Standards of reading and writing are average overall, and there are examples of standards that are above average. Most pupils, including those with English as an additional language, are able to find and make good use of information. Year 6 pupils gleaned a large amount of information from one reading of a text, and could use it well in writing a summary of the passage. Higher attaining pupils made good use of evidence to justify their conclusions on the way in which the Charge of the Light Brigade happened and, in their writing on the witches’ charm in ‘Macbeth’, they showed a good understanding of the effect of Shakespeare’s choice of words. They write effectively in a variety of styles, ranging

p.35

ENGLISH

from contributions to a teenage magazine, to brief summary notes, formal letters, poems and extended narrative prose. Handwriting is neat, clear and cursive. Middle attaining pupils produce attractive formal invitations that are improved upon as a result of drafting. However, they do not always write in complete sentences and some answers to comprehension questions do not contain enough detail. The writing of lower attaining pupils and pupils with special educational needs is sometimes spoilt by untidiness and carelessness in spelling because it is done too hastily. However, a letter from the Crimean battlefield was well planned to bring out the anxieties of the writer, and pupils know how to change a story into a play script and include appropriate stage directions.

p.35

ENGLISH

96. The quality of teaching is good overall and, on occasion, it is very good. It is better in Years 3 to 6 where it is good, than in Years 1 and 2 where it is satisfactory. The quality of learning is usually good because pupils have very positive attitudes and respond well to effective teaching. Pupils behave well, and most show a very good level of interest and a well-developed sense of personal responsibility for presenting their work neatly and attractively. This reflects the way in which most teachers motivate their pupils through challenging tasks, well-planned lessons and good use of praise. For example, most pupils respond very positively to the opportunities for well-structured group work, and older pupils appreciate the challenge of independent learning. In the most effective lessons, expectations are high, and activities are very well planned with strict time targets and appropriate resources to support learning. The final review of progress is

p.35

ENGLISH

an essential ingredient of the lesson, as it enables pupils to weigh up the strengths and weaknesses of their work and make suggestions for improvement. This was well illustrated in a Year 6 lesson where pupils were learning how to construct a summary and write it within the requisite amount of words. After listening to the drafts produced by each group, pupils were able to agree on the criteria for an effective summary and apply this knowledge in a critique of their own work. A major strength is the quality of the marking. Comments recognise pupils’ progress towards their current targets, and give new targets for improvement. National Curriculum levels are used where appropriate. In lessons that are satisfactory rather than good, it is often because the writing task has not been planned effectively and so there is insufficient challenge for the higher attaining pupils, while pupils with a low level of writing skills do not have

p.35

ENGLISH

Wendell Park Primary School - 36 enough structured guidance to enable them to complete their tasks successfully. However, the strengths of the teaching outweigh the weaknesses.

p.36

ENGLISH

97. The headteacher has responsibility for the subject and leadership is very good with a strong commitment to high standards. Information about pupils’ previous achievements is used very well to set challenging targets for older pupils and to monitor progress as pupils move through the school, but more work is needed to refine assessment procedures and make use of the information in lesson planning. Teachers have good opportunities for professional development through in-service training in areas such as assessment and promoting writing skills. The monitoring programme is well developed and teachers are given helpful advice on how to improve their practice. A whole-school approach to curriculum planning has resulted in a clear structure to lessons, but not all teachers adapt the activities effectively to match the different needs of their pupils. The regular guided reading sessions have helped to raise standards of reading as pupils

p.36

ENGLISH

read aloud and listen to each other to anticipate what happens next in the story. After a recent dip in attainment in Year 6, standards have risen again because of good teaching and, although the level of attainment in the current Year 2 is below average, pupils in Year 1 achieve soundly. Overall, the level of improvement has been satisfactory since the last inspection, and there is a good capacity for further improvement. The subject makes a very good contribution to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development through the opportunities provided for creativity in writing and drama, reflective discussion and the wide range of books available in the classrooms and the school library.

p.36

MATHEMATICS

98. National Curriculum test results at the end of Year 2 have matched the national average for successive years until 2002 when the figures dropped significantly to be well below average, although they remained in line with those of similar schools. This group of pupils contained a significant number with special educational needs. Results this year are better, though likely to be below the national figures. Although just over nine out of ten pupils attained the expected standard, few pupils attained higher levels. Standards seen during the inspection were below average.

p.36

MATHEMATICS

99. The results of tests at the end of Year 6 dropped significantly in 2002 to well below the national average after a rise in results in the previous two years. Comparisons with similar schools were satisfactory. That group of pupils contained a high proportion, over half, of pupils identified as having special educational needs. Results this year have improved significantly and are likely to be close to the national average and above those of similar schools. Almost a third of pupils attained the higher level, Level 5. Standards seen in pupils’ work were broadly average.

p.36

MATHEMATICS

100. Pupils’ achievement is satisfactory in Years 1 and 2. The youngest pupils with special educational needs are not always supported as well as they need to be and higher attaining pupils do not have enough challenge. This is partly because of the lack of additional support staff in lessons and also because there is too little difference in the work that teachers give to pupils of different abilities. In Years 3 to 6, pupils’ achievement is good. There is no significant difference in the achievement of pupils of different abilities because, in the main, teachers cater well for their needs by adapting tasks. Those who speak English as an additional language are achieving as well as their peers once they have grasped the language of mathematics. By the age of eleven, many of these pupils are among the highest attainers. Wendell Park Primary School - 37 101. By Year 2, pupils apply their knowledge of number to simple problems and are learning

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MATHEMATICS

a range of strategies for addition and subtraction, for example for adding nine and eleven to any number. They are beginning to be confident in separating tens and units in two-digit numbers in preparation for more difficult addition at a later stage. However, they do much of their work on commercial worksheets that require boxes to be filled and this limits opportunities for developing independent recording skills.

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MATHEMATICS

102. By Year 6, pupils carry out quite complex calculations using a range of strategies. Many pupils are quick and mentally agile, for example when doubling and halving numbers up to thousands. Pupils’ work is neatly presented and calculations, such as the expanded and standard methods for multiplication and division, are well set out. They are confident to explain their methods because this is a key feature of the teaching, and are able to recognise and correct their own errors. Because the teacher handles pupils’ errors sensitively, they are able to say ‘I know where I went wrong’ and to learn from their mistakes and from those of other pupils. Their understanding is soundly developed across a range of mathematical knowledge and skills. For example, they can interpret information and combine information from two sources to complete a graph. They have a clear understanding of the need for accurate labelling when presenting data.

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MATHEMATICS

103. The quality of teaching is good overall and is having a positive impact on pupils’ learning. It is stronger in Years 3 to 6 than in Years 1 and 2. Teachers follow the numeracy strategy closely and there is a good focus on teaching pupils strategies for carrying out mental calculations. As a result, pupils are developing the confidence to explain these strategies and to use them well. Pupils work at a good pace in response to teachers’ expectations and this gives them plenty of opportunities to practise strategies and to deepen their skills. Pupils’ mathematics skills are used well in other subjects, such as science when taking measurements and recording information in tables and charts, and ICT for drawing graphs and using databases.

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MATHEMATICS

104. In many classes, teachers provide tasks at different levels to match pupils’ different learning needs. In the very best examples, teachers’ questioning is varied to meet pupils’ learning needs. However, at times, the difference between the tasks is only slight and more able pupils are expected to complete the work set for average pupils before being given an extension task. This means that they have too little time to spend on the more challenging work, thus limiting their learning. Where available, learning support staff give good support to pupils with special educational needs to ensure that they stay on task, complete activities and make good progress. However, there is often no additional adult support in Years 1 and 2 and teachers struggle to meet the pupils’ requests for help. This was particularly the case in the lesson seen in Year 1.

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MATHEMATICS

105. Pupils’ past work frequently shows that, too often, all pupils do the same work and there is too little adaptation within the planned tasks to take account of their learning needs. This unsatisfactory feature is more noticeable in the work of pupils in Years 1 and 2. More thought is needed about how teachers can use what they know about pupils’ strengths and weaknesses to cater for wide differences in abilities during whole- class sessions and in the independent tasks given to pupils.

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MATHEMATICS

106. Many teachers are skilled at introducing new learning to pupils in a step-by-step approach which is demonstrated clearly on the board. However, in one lesson in Years 3 and 4, the lack of clarity in the teacher’s explanation of a new method of calculating subtraction led pupils to be confused and prevented them from applying the strategy efficiently. In the main, good explanations, with a clear focus on learning key vocabulary, ensure that pupils, including those whose first language is not English, can understand and learn new terminology. The technique of ‘chatter boxing’ is effective in Wendell Park Primary School - 38 enabling pairs of pupils to rehearse and check out their answers before putting up their hand. It has a positive impact on increasing the level of pupils’ participation during whole-class sections of the lesson as well as on strengthening pupils’ understanding.

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MATHEMATICS

107. In all classes, adults and pupils enjoy good relationships. Well-established routines and expectations underpin a positive learning environment, and good management of pupils leads to good behaviour and a keen response from the majority. Pupils show good levels of concentration and keen interest and enthusiasm in most lessons. Just occasionally, pupils lack perseverance and higher attaining pupils become frustrated by learning a method for a calculation that they can already solve mentally.

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MATHEMATICS

108. The quality of teachers’ marking of pupils’ work is good, but stronger in Years 3 to 6. Some marking, such as in Year 5, is very good at identifying pupils’ errors and demonstrating methods for pupils to try again. Exemplary marking in Year 3 encourages a dialogue with pupils because the teacher asks a challenging question to which pupils respond. They have targets for learning key skills and number facts and respond positively to the incentives for achieving them. In this way, pupils are clear about what they are doing well and what to improve. Teachers plan regular and relevant homework that reinforces pupils’ skills.

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MATHEMATICS

109. Assessment procedures are very good. The school uses a regular programme of testing to track pupils’ attainment and the progress they make. The school analyses pupils’ results to identify what needs to improve. For example, at present, there is a whole-school emphasis on applying strategies to solving problems and on investigative work which has been a focus for staff training. However, the school is aware of the need to increase the rigour of analysis to identify specific strengths and weaknesses of individuals and groups of pupils. Assessment information is used well to set targets for pupils and to identify those who may need additional support or additional challenge. However, more use could be made of assessment information on a daily basis to sharpen teachers’ planning of different activities for pupils, particularly, though not exclusively, in Years 1 and 2.

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MATHEMATICS

110. The temporary co-ordinator has built soundly on the work of her predecessor and gives good leadership and support for colleagues. The headteacher monitors teaching regularly, and samples of pupils’ work are checked. This has led to the formulation of a satisfactory subject action plan with relevant action to raise standards and with clear targets for improvement.

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MATHEMATICS

111. The school has made good progress since the last inspection. The National Numeracy Strategy is fully in place and assessment procedures are very good. The subject has a high profile around the school with many displays of mathematics investigations and challenges. A small number of older pupils identified as gifted and talented in mathematics participate in the ‘maths academy’ set up by the school with funding from ‘Excellence in Cities’. This is held at the school and taught by a member of Wendell Park staff. Teaching has improved and good systems are in place for the subject to improve further.

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SCIENCE

112. Standards of attainment are average at the end of Year 2, and above average at the end of Year 6. This is a much better picture than last year and an overall good improvement since the previous inspection. Year 2 pupils attained standards below the national average in 2002 in the national tests but above standards found in similar schools. In the 2002 standardised tests at the end of Year 6, attainment was well below Wendell Park Primary School - 39 average. This is because there was an unusually high proportion (over 50 per cent) of pupils with special educational needs in the class. Nevertheless, attainment was in line with that found in similar schools. Unvalidated results of this year’s tests confirm that standards are above average, with all pupils attaining the expected Level 4. Omitting last year, there has been a continuing trend of improvement, and good achievement in science over the last four years. The school has data which shows that a significant

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SCIENCE

number of pupils advanced from the average Level 2 in the 1999 tests to the above average Level 5 in 2003 and, overall, approximately 40 per cent of pupils achieved this higher level. In Years 1 and 2, pupils achieve satisfactorily; in Years 3 to 6 they achieve well. This is due largely to the better teaching in these older classes, improved language skills and greater pupil motivation. Pupils with special educational needs, those for whom English is an additional language and identified gifted and talented pupils achieve as well as their peers within the classroom.

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SCIENCE

113. In Years 1 and 2, pupils learn from experiments that pushing and pulling are forces which can make things change direction and that a vehicle will travel faster and further down a steeper slope on a smooth surface than on a rough surface. They categorise materials into different properties, such as ‘rough’, ‘smooth’ and ‘waterproof’. They acquire appropriate scientific vocabulary, such as ‘evaporate’, ‘freeze’, ‘vapour’ and ‘plastic’, and record data effectively making good use of their numeracy skills. They make improving predictions such as whether certain objects are magnetic or not. In a review lesson at the end of a topic, they showed sound knowledge of how materials may change through heating, cooling or melting; one pupil explaining how soft bread, when heated and toasted becomes hard. They identify changing materials, such as chocolate and ice, and record appropriate statements such as ‘Glass is made from

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SCIENCE

sand, paper from wood’. Pupils in Year 2 are now beginning to be taught science as a separate subject, rather than as part of general topic work, with a separate exercise book for recording their work. This is good practice.

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SCIENCE

114. In Years 3 and 4, pupils separate solids, choosing, for example, to use a magnet to separate ice from paper clips and a colander to separate peas from water, showing awareness of problems created by the size of particles. They have a good understanding of the properties of solids and liquids and how to separate them. Good quality worksheets are used effectively but, at times, teachers rely too much on teaching by this method, and higher attaining pupils are insufficiently challenged. In Years 5 and 6, there is less reliance on worksheets. Pupils label their own drawings of a flowering plant, and develop their literacy skills through writing. They consider their work logically, in terms of task, resources, predictions, methods, conclusion and evaluation. They show good understanding of germination, pollination, reproduction and dispersal in their work on plant life cycles. In earlier work, they showed understanding of

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SCIENCE

the concept of a fair test when considering if the thickness of a wire affects the brightness of a bulb.

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SCIENCE

115. The teaching observed in Years 1 and 2 was satisfactory; in Years 3 to 6 it was good overall. Teachers adopt imaginative methods to strengthen learning, for example they take pupils on a ‘light hunt’ round the school to identify different light sources, and use both classroom and playground as resources for identifying different types of materials. They make good use of ‘model maps’ which promote clear thinking, classification and acquisition of vocabulary. The method of ‘chatter boxing’ where pupils discuss work in pairs is effective in assisting recall of earlier work and in promoting speaking and learning skills. Teaching is most effective where planning provides for pupils of differing levels of attainment; weaker pupils are well supported by adults, and higher attainers are sufficiently challenged. This is more apparent in Years 3 to 6, but some teachers do not make sufficient use of what they know about pupils well enough or consistently

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SCIENCE

Wendell Park Primary School - 40 enough to modify their planning. The method of handing out closed envelopes containing group tasks stimulates interest and enthusiasm; pupils cannot wait to open them and start their tasks. In Years 1 and 2, a recording sheet headed ‘What I know about grouping and changing materials’ allowed pupils to choose whether they wrote a list, drew a diagram or used a model map. Most chose to draw. The teacher missed the opportunity to challenge higher attaining pupils to write a few complete sentences.

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SCIENCE

116. Teachers generally manage pupils well but, within Years 3 to 6, there is greater pace and challenge and better planning for pupils of differing levels of attainment than in Years 1 and 2. Pupils’ work is generally well presented. They show good attitudes towards the subject. The presentation of written work in the Year 6 class is especially worthy of mention. Teachers’ marking in Years 3 to 4 is especially good where the teacher has asked a further question of the pupil – to extend their thinking further – which is then answered by the pupil, and prompts further response from the teacher. This dialogue is most constructive and is an effective way to raise standards. Such excellent practice, however, is used inconsistently. From formal assessments at the end of each term, predictions are made and targets set across the whole school. From this, the need was identified for in-service training for teachers on investigative and

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SCIENCE

117. The new headteacher has spent considerable time in planning the structure of the science curriculum in units of work linked to the latest national guidance. A special feature has been the strengthening of pupils’ practical investigative skills – an area of weakness identified previously. This structured approach to science investigations can be seen across the school, and is helping pupils to think logically and is improving standards. Increasingly, since the previous inspection, use is being made of ICT to support the subject as observed in a Year 6 lesson where pupils learned to sequence correctly the life cycle of a bean seed. The subject strongly supports the development of pupils’ literacy and numeracy skills through the writing of explanations, and empathy writing such as ‘My life as a water droplet’, and the recording of data, and contributes well to their spiritual, moral and social development. The subject features strongly in

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SCIENCE

displays around the school. The subject co-ordinator manages the subject well, and has a good awareness of what needs improving. Resources are satisfactory but in need of better organisation and identification. The co-ordinator recognises this and has plans to purchase new resources to be allocated into topic boxes.

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ART AND DESIGN

118. Good improvements to the provision for art and design since the last inspection are helping to raise standards. Pupils’ achievement is satisfactory, but with strengths in Years 3 to 6 in the range of work experienced. The wide range of work on display shows standards that are in line with expectations at the ages of seven and eleven, with many examples of good individual work. However, pupils’ drawing skills are not well developed. There are no significant differences in the work of pupils from different ethnic groups or of boys and girls.

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ART AND DESIGN

119. All pupils are given good experience of a broad range of techniques and use a wide variety of media in their work. Collage, printing, painting and sculpture are all represented well in the range of work on display and in the school portfolio. There is a good balance of individual and group work in both two and three dimensions. The work of famous artists features strongly in the well-planned curriculum as a starting point for Wendell Park Primary School - 41 pupils’ own work. However, there is little evidence of textile work, and observational drawing skills do not have a high profile and are less well developed than other techniques. Teachers do not give pupils enough practice of drawing and observing, although some of the self-portraits in charcoal are well executed with shading and blending to create depth in the image.

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ART AND DESIGN

120. In discussion, a sample of pupils from Year 6 had a sound knowledge of artists, techniques and media and, in lessons, pupils learnt to use correct artistic vocabulary. Pupils in Years 5 and 6 show their understanding of how to create an effective montage in the style of Hockney. However, in the lessons seen, the gentle pace of working meant that pupils did not get as far towards completing the piece as expected. In Year 3, pupils have used satisfactory colour mixing skills to paint flowers in the style of Georgia O’Keefe, and Year 6 string prints create an interpretation of the floral designs of William Morris.

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ART AND DESIGN

121. Good use is made of computer packages in art and design. Computer-generated artwork shows good attention to, and a good understanding of, the artists’ style. For example, in Year 2, pupils have worked in the style of Jackson Pollock, and Years 1 and 2 pupils successfully captured the style of Monet’s water lilies by careful use of the ‘spray’ tool. Older pupils, using Mondrian as a stimulus, clearly show in their own work their understanding of his use of colour.

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ART AND DESIGN

122. Year 2 figures on a display based on Noel Coward’s ‘The Two Nuns’ are not well drawn. By contrast, pupils’ well-made figures of Plasticine dressed in brightly coloured clothes made a good three-dimensional representation of the same piece. Part of the reason for the success of the pupils’ work was the teacher’s careful attention, in the lesson seen, to demonstrating how to model the Plasticine.

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ART AND DESIGN

123. Teaching and learning are satisfactory with good elements. This is a big improvement on the last inspection when teaching was unsatisfactory in half the lessons seen. Most teachers have a satisfactory knowledge of skills and techniques in art and design and benefit from the informal advice of the co-ordinator. Good organisation and management is a common feature and teachers introduce lessons by ensuring that pupils understand what they will learn. Where the teaching is good, there is a good focus on teaching specific skills, and teachers help pupils to evaluate their work as it progresses. This important component is missing from lessons where teaching is satisfactory.

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ART AND DESIGN

124. Pupils in Years 3 to 6 do not have sketchbooks in which to try out their ideas, record experiences and practise their skills. This means that pupils do not build up a collection of ideas and examples of techniques to use as a resource or to show evidence of their learning over time. There are no formal procedures for assessing the development of pupils’ artistic skills and this is an area for development. Teachers are aware of pupils who show artistic talent but rarely make any adaptations to their planning to take account of these pupils or of those who may need more support. In practice, all pupils participate well in practical lessons.

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ART AND DESIGN

125. The new curriculum plan sets out clearly the expectations for each unit of work and the skills to practise each term. This is an improvement since the last inspection which criticised the absence of a coherent plan for developing pupils’ skills, knowledge and understanding. Good links are made with other subjects where appropriate. For example, in Year 4, pupils explore ideas from Ancient Egypt as a basis for their own work. A very good programme of curriculum enrichment in ‘the arts’ contributes significantly to pupils’ experiences and to their personal development. The annual arts Wendell Park Primary School - 42 week, inaugurated last academic year, is a comprehensive programme of integrated experiences in art, music, dance and drama which includes visits to galleries and workshops with visiting performers. It culminates in a whole-school exhibition and celebration of pupils’ artwork that is much appreciated by parents. An after-school club

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ART AND DESIGN

for pupils who are gifted and talented in art and design is funded through ‘Excellence in Cities’ and adds further to the experience of these pupils.

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ART AND DESIGN

126. Leadership and management are satisfactory. The new co-ordinator has begun to tackle her role with enthusiasm and commitment. She gives a good lead to other staff through the informal support she provides. She monitors the quality of pupils’ work informally through displays and has begun to collect samples for a school portfolio, but she does not monitor the quality of teaching. The well-organised art room is spacious and provides a useful teaching area for large work and for storing work in progress.

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ART AND DESIGN

127. Art and design enjoys an increasingly high profile within the school and contributes significantly to the displays of pupils’ work which have been painstakingly prepared by teachers. It adds to the vibrant and stimulating environment, makes a strong statement about the value of pupils’ achievements and sets high expectations for pupils to meet.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

128. During the inspection, it was not possible to observe any lessons. Judgements are based on observations of pupils’ work and teachers’ planning, and from discussions with teachers and pupils. Standards of attainment at the end of Year 2 and Year 6 are broadly in line with those expected nationally. This is an improvement since the previous inspection which judged standards at the end of Year 2 to be below average. Most pupils, including those with special educational needs and those for whom English is an additional language, achieve satisfactorily

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

129. In Years 1 and 2, pupils design and make vehicles using recycled materials, cutting out wheels of card and learning, through experience and correction, how to ensure the smooth turning of a straw axle, fixing it to a chassis with masking tape, or by some other method. They embellish and evaluate the finished product, and record their findings. In group work, they design a garment based on Joseph’s coat of many colours using a wide variety of materials of different texture and colour, though the provision for individual design is inconsistent between classes, with some pupils working from the same basic template provided by the teacher. In earlier work, they have visited a playground before designing and making their own swings and roundabouts.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

130. Pupils in Years 3 and 4 make ‘pop-up’ books using lever mechanisms, involving articulated movements with card slides and paper fasteners. The project is well recorded in a booklet, including the storyboard used, materials and tools required and a glossary of terms. In their project on designing packaging, they develop mathematical skills, constructing geometrical ‘nets’ when considering the design and purpose of their boxes. Pupils in Years 5 and 6 construct shelters from straws and other materials, and have earlier made Tudor houses from recycled materials to support their work in history. These are well designed with appropriate half-timbered appearance, steep roofs, a variety of roof heights, leaded windows, overhanging first floors and are suitably embellished with studded plank door effect decorations. They have also made, using a mould and papier-mâché, high quality facemasks such as those used for masked balls

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

131. No judgement can be made on teaching and learning but teachers’ planning for pupils of different levels of attainment is inconsistent. The quality of formal assessment of the Wendell Park Primary School - 43 subject is insufficient, and there is no portfolio of pupils’ levelled work to guide teachers’ assessment of pupils. The use of ICT to support the subject is unsatisfactory at present, as the school has not yet had time to provide software and training for teaching the subject because the new ICT suite has only recently been completed.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

132. The subject is well led by the headteacher. Planning, using the latest national guidance, together with in-service training for teachers, have improved since the last inspection and ensures the progressive teaching of skills. There are good cross-curricular links with subjects such as history and English. The subject leader has monitored planning but not, as yet, any teaching. Since the previous inspection, pupils have been taught to think and plan more precisely. They prepare drawing and designs, which they later modify, consider the methods they will use in construction, the materials they will need, evaluate the product and suggest ways for self-improvement. Better use is now made of the large, practical, specialist room for art and technology, and accommodation is good. The subject has a strong focus around the school, with many three-dimensional models displayed. Good attention is paid to ensuring that pupils acquire appropriate

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

vocabulary such as ‘axle’, ‘chassis’ and ‘evaluation’. Paired and group work strongly supports pupils’ social development. Pupils across all age groups make good use of the school’s food technology room to produce items such as sandwiches, cookies and bread. They record results and analyse preferences but there is no coherent record of pupils’ progress, as their work is not stored in a systematic way. Resources are satisfactory but lack clear organisation.

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GEOGRAPHY

133. Seven-year-olds reach the standards expected for their age in geography and make satisfactory progress in the subject. Satisfactory standards and achievement are maintained during Years 3 and 4, begin to decline during Year 5 and are unsatisfactory at the end of Year 6. This represents a decline in standards for pupils in Year 6 since the last inspection and is due to:

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GEOGRAPHY

• the organisation of the curriculum which means that older pupils do not study geography until the end of Year 6; • teachers not consistently using information about what pupils know, understand and can do to plan for the development of skills and deeper understanding from lesson to lesson and year to year.

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GEOGRAPHY

134. Because all pupils share the same geography curriculum, all pupils follow the same pattern of attainment and progress; there are no significant differences between groups of pupils.

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GEOGRAPHY

135. By the end of Year 2, most boys and girls have a sound knowledge and understanding of their own locality. They describe their journey to school, identifying features of the area such as churches and post-boxes. They recognise and name different styles of houses, compare the volume of traffic on different roads and begin to express their opinions about different locations. For example, one pupil writes that she does not like quiet streets because they are ‘ not interesting’ . These are basic skills in the subject and they make a sound contribution to pupils’ social and cultural development. ‘Barnaby Bear’ is used well to extend pupils’ understanding of other parts of the world, its weather and landscape, such as the mountains and fjords of Norway. During the inspection, pupils were fascinated to learn that it could sometimes be light during the night-time in Norway. Teachers make good links between geography and mathematics

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GEOGRAPHY

and ICT when they use computer programs to place features on a map and describe their position. Wendell Park Primary School - 44 136. During Years 3 and 4, pupils increase the range of materials they use to answer geographical questions to include ordnance survey maps, aerial photographs and CD- Roms. This means that they make reasonable progress in their knowledge of locations on the world map and in their understanding of differences in climate around the world. However, by the end of Year 6, pupils’ observations after a visit to Chiswick Park, comparing it with the school’s immediate locality, are limited and superficial. For example, ‘there’s more grass’. In discussion, pupils do not use geographical vocabulary confidently, but describe an estuary as the ‘bottom’ of the river, for example.

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GEOGRAPHY

137. During the inspection, only two lessons were observed. One was good and one unsatisfactory. However, judgements are also based on an analysis of pupils’ work and discussions with pupils and staff. The quality of geography teaching throughout the school is satisfactory overall. The quality of marking varies in its usefulness. The best marking identifies what pupils have achieved in the subject, such as ‘ you can read and use reference grids’ . However, while marking for older pupils is often individual and encouraging, it does not reliably draw pupils’ attention to the geographical aspects of their work. There are insufficient opportunities for older pupils to use their writing skills and develop their ideas on paper in the subject. These shortcomings arise from insufficient attention being paid to what pupils already know. When teaching is good, resources are well chosen, the lesson proceeds at a brisk pace and so all pupils

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GEOGRAPHY

138. Raising standards in English, mathematics, science and ICT has understandably taken precedence in the school and there has been insufficient attention paid to geography as yet. The leadership and management of the subject are currently unsatisfactory because the co-ordinator is new to the role and there has been insufficient time for her to have an influence on the subject. However, appropriate plans are already in place to improve the curriculum, develop teaching and raise standards throughout the school.

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HISTORY

139. Attainment in history at the end of Year 2 and Year 6 is in line with expectations. This is a satisfactory improvement since the previous inspection. Most pupils are achieving satisfactorily across the school, and pupils with special educational needs and those for whom English is an additional language achieve similar standards. Since the previous inspection, the latest national guidance and schemes of work have been introduced and these are helping to raise standards. During the inspection, history was being taught only in Years 3 and 4. Judgements for other age groups are based on discussions with teachers and pupils, and from scrutiny of pupils’ work and teachers’ planning.

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HISTORY

140. Pupils in Years 1 and 2 look at things which happened long ago and understand the different concepts of ‘ not very new’ and ‘ very old’ . They identify the characteristics of old and new toys, developing vocabulary such as ‘ragged’, ‘tatty’ and ‘broken’ in comparison with ‘shiny’, ‘new’ and ‘clean’. Those spoken to showed good recall of the work done. They compare houses from Victorian times with those of today. They acquire simple awareness of sequencing through creating a timeline of annual holidays including festivals such as Easter and Hallowe’en.

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HISTORY

141. Following a cinema visit to see a film on life in Ancient Egypt, pupils in Years 3 and 4 learn about the life, burials, tombs and customs of this early civilisation. They discuss what people had buried with them and why, gaining concept of the after-life. They select artefacts, adopting the role of archaeologists and pose appropriate historical questions Wendell Park Primary School - 45 such as ‘Who made it?’ ‘Is it real gold?’ ‘Was it worn by a pharaoh?’ They show good awareness of time as in a Year 3 lesson when the teacher whisks them away on an imaginary time machine before reflecting on what artefacts we might put in coffins today – such as a computer. Years 5 and 6 pupils show good awareness of chronology through the use of timelines. In their study of Queen Victoria, they learn to distinguish aspects of life then and now, looking at differences between rich and poor, social reform and children at work. They write empathically as a sailor on Drake’s ship, and

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HISTORY

142. No overall judgement can be made about teaching and learning but, in the two lessons seen, both from Years 3 and 4, teaching was imaginative, stimulating and lessons well prepared, though planning for pupils of different levels of attainment was inconsistent. Teachers were confident with their subject knowledge, managed pupils well and the pupils’ positive attitudes towards learning contributed significantly to their progress – they enjoy history. Presentation of work is generally of a good standard. In one plenary session, the introduction of a ‘real’ archaeologist (the headteacher in role-play as Howard Carter) was very effective in reinforcing pupils’ learning. Pupils across the school show a good awareness of chronology through the use of timelines.

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HISTORY

143. Leadership of the subject is currently unsatisfactory. This is because the new subject co-ordinator has been in post only since the beginning of term and has yet to monitor planning and teaching, and to organise resources into topic boxes. Assessment of the pupils’ work is unsatisfactory. It is inconsistent in quality and in the recording of information. There are no portfolios of pupils’ work to enable teachers to make informed judgements about standards. Insufficient use is made of assessment to identify ways to improve the subject. The good use of visitors, and visits to places such as Leighton House and the residential trip to Pyke House enhance pupils’ learning but there is too little focus on the subject, and few displays around the school. Cross-curricular links with other subjects are good. The subject contributes well to developing literacy skills, and to pupils’ social, moral and cultural development. However, there is over-reliance

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HISTORY

on worksheets by some teachers, which inhibits the development of pupils’ writing skills, especially those of higher attainers. Opportunities to develop pupils’ understanding of history through individual research in the library or through the use of ICT are underdeveloped. Resources are satisfactory and well supplemented through the loan of artefacts from the school library service.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

144. Standards are in line with expectations for pupils’ ages at the end of Year 2 and Year 6. However, some aspects of the subject are stronger than others because of pupils’ past experiences and the current availability of equipment. Pupils’ achievement is satisfactory and, with the recent upgrade to the computer suite and the provision of two computers in each class, set to improve further. This reflects a very good improvement since the last inspection when standards were well below expected levels, pupils made unsatisfactory progress and there were weaknesses in provision because of inadequate resources and teachers’ weak subject knowledge.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

145. There are strengths in pupils’ ability in wordprocessing and in other forms of sharing and exchanging information such as desktop publishing. Pupils achieve well in these aspects of the curriculum, in part due to opportunities to attend the Kingwood City Learning Centre, which is run by the local education authority with funding from ‘Excellence in Cities’. The very good use of this local facility enriches the school’s provision and gives pupils access to specialised equipment. For example, during the inspection, pupils in Year 5 worked on editing a video of their peers rehearsing ‘The Wendell Park Primary School - 46 Tempest’. They selected clips and added sound and titles to the film which had to be less than two minutes long. This was a new experience for pupils and they were suitably engaged and enthusiastic as they made very good progress in learning a new technique. Pupils in Year 6 have designed web pages for the website, created

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

PowerPoint presentations and produced the front page of a newspaper. The latter required pupils to use a range of skills, including moving between programs to access information and pictures to successfully combine them into a new format. Pupils in Years 1 and 2 have used art packages effectively to create designs in the style of Pollock and Monet.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

146. Pupils in Year 2 make ‘robots that go in different directions by pressing the buttons’ using a sequence of instructions. There are weaknesses in the oldest pupils’ ability to develop the skills to monitor and control events, such as changes in temperature in a science experiment, as this stems from the lack of equipment. Achievement is satisfactory in all other aspects of the curriculum with no significant differences in the achievement of boys and girls from different ethnic groups, or of different abilities.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

147. Teaching and learning are good overall taking account of the contribution made by the specialist teaching at Kingwood. One lesson seen during the inspection was unsatisfactory because the resources given to the pupils were too difficult and prevented them from achieving the teacher’s objectives for the lesson. Teachers make good use of the new resources in the suite and make good links with other curriculum areas. For example, around the school, there are numerous examples of work using art packages. Pupils in Years 3 and 4 have taken a photo of themselves, scanned it into the computer and used it as part of a repeating pattern to create a design for wallpaper. Data handling programs are used effectively in contrast to the previous inspection. For example, in Year 5, a good display of pupils’ science experiment on dissolving substances is presented in tables and graphs using ICT. However, the new computers

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

in classrooms are not yet used effectively; their use is not planned for in lessons.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

148. Leadership and management are good. The subject has a high profile and has been the focus for staff training to increase staff confidence. The co-ordinator monitors standards informally by collecting samples of pupils’ work. There are no formal procedures for assessing pupils’ developing skills and for subsequently adapting tasks for pupils’ different needs. This is an area for development.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

149. Although resources have improved considerably since the last inspection and are now good, there are still areas for development such as resources for ‘controlling and monitoring events’ and an Internet connection that works more quickly. These are planned for the near future. The new suite is a good resource, although the room becomes very hot and airless. A drawback is that where classes are large, not all pupils can use a computer at the same time. This presents a challenge to the teacher to provide pupils with a suitably appropriate alternative activity for half of the lesson. Although the computers are set up to prevent pupils from gaining access to inappropriate sites, the school does not have a policy on Internet use. The school has just invested in two interactive whiteboards which were used successfully by teachers during inspection as a tool for teaching.

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MUSIC

150. At the age of seven, pupils attain the standards in music that are expected of that age group. Standards have been maintained since the last inspection and pupils are making satisfactory progress. By the age of eleven, most pupils are attaining standards that are above average. This is because they benefit from regular specialist teaching throughout Wendell Park Primary School - 47 Years 3 to 6, in addition to the lessons taken by class teachers. Although standards have dipped slightly since the last inspection when they were judged to be very good, pupils are achieving well, and they perform confidently to fellow pupils, parents and visitors to the school, and also to a wider audience in local music festivals.

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MUSIC

151. By the end of Year 2, most pupils know how musical instruments need to be handled and they recognise how sounds have to be arranged. They sing with enthusiasm in assemblies and listen appreciatively to music from different periods and cultural backgrounds. By the end of Year 6, the majority of pupils sing tunefully and clearly. They have a good knowledge of musical terminology and they are familiar with the works of composers representing a wide range of musical traditions. They can improvise melody and rhythm with confidence and can polish and improve their own work both in singing and ensemble playing.

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MUSIC

152. Most pupils of all levels of attainment enjoy their music lessons. As a result, their attitudes and behaviour are usually very good. Pupils of all ages settle down to their tasks quickly and work very well in groups. They listen attentively to other people’s performances and are quick to show appreciation of achievement.

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MUSIC

153. Teaching and learning are satisfactory in Years 1 and 2, and good in Years 3 to 6. The reason for the difference in quality is that the older pupils have the advantage of specialist teaching. The strengths of the teaching lie in the very good knowledge and understanding of the subject shown by the specialist teachers, the effective use of resources and the constructive relationships that give pupils the confidence to take part in musical activities and to enjoy them. These strengths were well demonstrated in two lessons involving the use of tuned and un-tuned instruments. Pupils in Year 3 made very good gains in learning, as they worked in small groups to create melodies that would fit the jingles they had written in the previous lesson. Pupils in Year 5 also achieved well in playing a piece of music with a complex rhythm. The teachers’ subject expertise and their high expectations of pupils’ performance and understanding of

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MUSIC

specialist musical vocabulary had a positive impact on pupils’ achievement. Most pupils in both classes had a good grasp of the values of different notes and they were able to work together confidently and successfully. There were over 20 pupils of all levels of attainment in the Year 5 ensemble, but they played together very effectively because the teacher had ensured that everyone had an appropriate instrument from the good quality collection that the school has built up over the years. The group performed with a keen sense of rhythm and unity, even though pupils had not played the piece for two weeks.

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MUSIC

154. The headteacher is responsible for the subject at the present time. He provides very good leadership and management because he is a dedicated and accomplished musician who believes that music has an important part to play in enabling pupils to develop as creative beings. Consequently, music has a high status in the school, and pupils often benefit from hearing music while they are preparing work, or in a few moments of quiet reflection at the beginning and end of lessons and in assemblies. Key improvements have been put in place to meet the school’s targets for the subject and more are planned. For example, the choir is well trained, and singing practice takes place regularly in assemblies. Teachers have received in-service training for the introduction of a new music programme which is aimed at enabling non-specialists to teach the subject with confidence. Pupils will have access to instrumental tuition at the

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MUSIC

beginning of the new school year. The school has recently received recognition of its work in developing pupils’ interest in music by being chosen to be an after-school music centre for beginners. It will be one of four such centres in the local education authority and will be supported through the DfES music standards fund. Wendell Park Primary School - 48 155. Music makes a very good contribution to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development through the many opportunities it offers for creativity and personal response to music of widely different traditions, through self-discipline in performance, and through working in harmony together.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

156. During the inspection, gymnastics lessons were observed in Years 2 and 5, and athletics lessons were seen in Years 4 and 6. Standards were at expected levels in these lessons. This indicates that the school has successfully sustained the satisfactory standards found at the time of the last inspection. Teachers’ planning for physical education ensures that all areas of the subject receive adequate attention throughout the year and pupils enjoy additional opportunities to dance in special arts events. However, currently, swimming is not available to pupils as the nearby pool is being refurbished.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

157. One of the lessons seen was good and the other three were satisfactory, indicating that the quality of teaching overall is sound. In all lessons, the teachers provided suitable warm-up exercises, preparing pupils safely for the exercise to follow. Teachers pay good attention to safety issues and work hard to manage pupils’ behaviour when they are excited by the activity. Pupils and teachers were dressed suitably, although in two lessons a pupil managed to start the lesson wearing a hooped earring in spite of the teachers’ earlier direction to remove these. Teachers reliably stress the skills and techniques they want pupils to develop, whether refining a sequence of movements or throwing a javelin. This results in pupils understanding what they are striving for and making reasonable progress in their performance. Teachers have secure subject knowledge so they help pupils to develop the range and quality of their movements and

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

skills. For example, younger pupils increased the fluency and interest of a sequence of three movements on apparatus, finishing with a controlled balance. However, teachers’ use of appraisal to evaluate pupils’ performance is satisfactory rather than good because it is used more frequently at the end of the lesson than during it. There were no support assistants in any of the physical education lessons so opportunities for adults to intervene and challenge pupils were limited.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

158. The learning mentor provides a lunchtime badminton and table-tennis club but there are currently no sports teams and pupils do not participate in competitive events with other schools. Therefore, the subject relies on teachers’ strategies in lessons to contribute to pupils’ social development. Because of the emphasis placed upon enhancing the quality of pupils’ relationships and self-esteem throughout the school, teachers’ skills compensate for the lack of team game events.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

159. Class teachers make informal use of national guidance to assess whether most pupils have met the objectives for a unit of work. Nevertheless, there is not enough guidance on progress in acquiring skills from year to year to help teachers, and they do not consistently record and use what they know to modify their planning from lesson to lesson. The co-ordination of the subject is sound. There is a sensible action plan with the overriding aim to raise standards and with suitable targets to support this goal.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

160. The attainment of pupils at the ages of seven and eleven meets the requirements of the locally agreed syllabus. Pupils generally achieve in a satisfactory way because they are interested in the subject, and because teachers have a clear scheme of work to follow. Wendell Park Primary School - 49 Standards have risen since the time of the last inspection when they were below average, and pupils’ progress was judged to be unsatisfactory.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

161. At the age of seven, most pupils have a sound knowledge and understanding of the basic beliefs and teachings of Christianity, and of other major world religions such as Islam and Hinduism. For example, pupils know the story of Jesus’ life and can recount some of the parables he told. They also understand the importance of Ramadan for Muslims and recognise the different objects that are used in Hindu worship. Attitudes to the subject are good. Pupils are usually attentive listeners and are ready to offer their ideas in discussion. Pupils in Years 1 and 2, for instance, talked in a lively and informative way about their recent visit to the Hindu temple at Neasden. Work on display in classrooms and around the school shows that pupils can use pictures and captions effectively in posters designed to focus the attention of the beholder. However, the standard of written work in exercise books is below average. This is partly

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

because there is a lack of consistency in the setting of assignments so pupils are not recording their knowledge and understanding on a regular basis or for a variety of purposes. Expectations of good presentation are not high enough so tasks are sometimes done too hastily or left incomplete.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

162. By the age of eleven, most pupils have become familiar with the main beliefs and practices of Judaism and Sikhism. They have deepened their knowledge and understanding of the religions studied in earlier years and they have acquired a basic knowledge of Buddhism. They understand the importance of symbols in religious life and can express moral teachings, such as the Ten Commandments, in the modern idiom. They work constructively in pairs and groups, as was evident in a lesson during which pupils in Years 3 and 4 used books and their own notes to produce examples of similarities and differences in Buddhism and Sikhism. Pupils’ writing is of an average standard and generally well presented. However, there are too many examples of undemanding tasks, such as straightforward copying, and not enough tasks that challenge pupils, especially those who have been identified as gifted and talented, to think things out for themselves. Above average attaining pupils make effective use of

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

model maps to record information, and their writing shows a clear understanding of the early history of Sikhism. Despite careless spelling, pupils whose attainment is below average can express their knowledge with reasonable clarity, as in a description of the way that colours are used symbolically to denote the different seasons of the Christian year.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

163. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory overall. In the most effective lessons, the teachers create good opportunities for speaking and listening, which pupils use successfully in developing fluency and widening their vocabulary. This was well illustrated in a lesson on Hinduism where pupils were able to examine different artefacts and talk about their purpose in worship. Pupils at an early stage of English language acquisition were well catered for through carefully chosen questions that they were able to answer successfully. The teacher also made good use of the end-of- lesson review to find out what the pupils had learnt and what they had enjoyed most during the recent sessions. However, in one lesson, pupils made unsatisfactory progress. This was because the teacher did not make effective use of the available guidance in planning the lesson, with the result that the focus was on art rather than

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

religious education. The teacher’s insecure subject knowledge and the lack of appropriate resources also had a negative impact on pupils’ learning.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

164. Satisfactory improvement has been made since the last inspection. Standards have risen in the quality of work and in teaching and learning, even though the subject has not been in the forefront of the school’s development plans, and despite the fact that Wendell Park Primary School - 50 assessment is currently carried out on an informal basis. However, the recent inauguration of the new locally agreed syllabus has raised the status of the subject. This is because the planned programme of in-service training will enable teachers to raise their expectations and develop their subject expertise. It will also enable the co- ordinator to put in place a more rigorous programme of monitoring and assessment. The subject makes a good contribution to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, not only through the range of opportunities for discussion and reflection offered in the programmes of study, but also through morning assemblies, visits to

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

places of worship and talks given by visitors from the local community.

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