St Dunstan's Cheam CofE Primary School

ENGLAND PRIMARY SCHOOL

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

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ENGLAND PRIMARY SCHOOL

Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the School Inspections Act 1996, the school must provide a copy of this report and/or its summary free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. St Dunstan’s Cheam CE Primary School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Anne Boleyn’s Walk Cheam Sutton Surrey Postcode: SM3 8DF

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Mr Brian Stevens

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 12-16 January 1998 St Dunstan’s Cheam CE Primary School - 4

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Aspect responsibilities

10992 David Welsh Registered inspector Physical education What sort of school is it? How high are standards? a) The school’s results and achievements How well are pupils taught? What should the school do to improve further? 9769 Margaret Morrissey Lay inspector How high are standards? b) 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? 11769 James Bishop Team inspector Science Music 22942 Jacqueline Cousins Team inspector Information and communication technology Art and design Design and technology 20875 James Howard Team inspector Mathematics How good are the curricular and other opportunities offered to pupils? 27738 Christina Kadir Team inspector Foundation Stage Educational inclusion English as an additional language 20534 Nichola Perry Team inspector English Special educational needs 17811 Catherine Shirley Team inspector Geography

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Aspect responsibilities

History How well is the school led and managed? St Dunstan’s Cheam CE Primary School - 5 The inspection contractor was:

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Aspect responsibilities

Demeter House Station Road Cambridge CB1 2RS

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Aspect responsibilities

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

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Aspect responsibilities

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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Aspect responsibilities

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE St Dunstan’s Cheam CE Primary School - 6

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 7

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? 11

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

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AREAS OF THE CURRICULUM, SUBJECTS AND COURSES 26

St Dunstan’s Cheam CE Primary School - 7

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

It is larger than most. It has 432 boys and girls aged from four to eleven in 14 classes, including 60 pupils of reception age who attend full-time. In addition, there are 52 children in the nursery who attend part-time. Since the last inspection, the criteria for admission have changed and more pupils from the immediate vicinity of the school now attend. The school is situated in South Cheam, an area from which nearly a third of the pupils attend. Other pupils come from a wider area. The school enjoys close links with the parish church. Employment in the area is higher than in many parts of the country. Fewer than two per cent of pupils are currently eligible for free school meals, well below the national average. The mother tongue of six pupils is not English, a proportion that is higher than most schools. None is in the early stages of learning English. Sixteen per cent of pupils are on the register for special educational

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

needs, below the national average. Nearly two per cent have a statement, considerably more than recorded at the previous inspection. The main categories of special educational need are speech or communication difficulties, specific learning difficulties, emotional and behavioural disorders and hearing impairment. The number of pupils who are admitted to the school other than at the usual time of admission or who leave other than at the normal time of transfer is less than the average when compared to most schools. Attainment on entry is generally above the national average although the range of ability covers the whole spectrum.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

This is a very good school where teaching and learning, achievements, attitudes and the well being of every pupil matter. It does well by its pupils, whatever their background or special needs. Because of the good teaching and the extensive opportunities for learning, pupils make good progress, many reaching well above the standards expected of pupils in Year 6 by the time they leave. As a result of the very strong leadership and management, all staff are committed to pursuing the very best for pupils. This creates a very good climate for learning and leads to high standards of behaviour. Pupils enjoy school and develop a wide range of skills. The school uses its resources very well in helping pupils to learn. It gives good value for money.

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What the school does well

• Standards in English, mathematics and science are well above average. • Pupils do particularly well in music, swimming and gymnastics. • Pupils’ personal development and relationships are excellent. • Children get off to a very good start in the Nursery. • The programme of extra-curricular activities is excellent. • Strong leadership cultivates effective teamwork by all staff and a climate for learning.

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What could be improved

• The accommodation and resources in the Reception classes (identified by the school). • Those elements of teaching which are not consistently good (identified by the school). The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school was last inspected in January 1998. Since then it has built on its strengths and improved in many areas. The high standards reported in the previous inspection have been maintained and attainment in other subjects, such as information and communication technology (ICT) and design and technology has risen. Systems for tracking pupils’ progress throughout the school have been devised and implemented. The key issues raised in the last inspection have been resolved. The school is focused on further improvement and well placed to bring this about. St Dunstan’s Cheam CE Primary School - 8

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STANDARDS

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

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Key

English A* A A A well above average above average A B Mathematics A* A A B average below average C D Science A C B C well below average E

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Key

The evidence from the inspection confirms that pupils achieve well in relation to their attainment on entry. Children in the Foundation Stage make good progress towards the Early Learning Goals in personal, social and emotional development, communication, language and literacy, mathematical development, knowledge and understanding of the world, physical development and creative development. Pupils make good progress in Years 1 to 6.

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Key

National Curriculum test results for Year 6 in 2002 are shown above. In English and mathematics, these were well above average for all schools nationally and in science they were above average. Nearly all pupils attained the expected level and close to half the pupils attained the higher level in English, mathematics and science.

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Key

In the National Curriculum tests in 2002 for Year 2, nearly all pupils attained the expected level in reading, writing, mathematics and science. Close to half the pupils attained the higher level in reading, mathematics and science. Just under one fifth attained the higher level in writing and so writing continues to be a focus of the school’s work.

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Key

The school sets itself challenging targets in English and mathematics in the National Curriculum tests at the end of Year 6. Since 1998, it has met or exceeded its targets on six occasions and just failed to meet them on others. Where the target has not been achieved, it has been to the extent of the equivalent of one or two pupils not reaching the standards expected and there are good reasons for that. Since the last inspection, overall results in the test for pupils in Year 6 have risen in line with the national trend.

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Key

Attainment is generally above average in all subjects except design and technology where it is in line with levels expected. It is particularly high in music, swimming and gymnastics.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Pupils enjoy school. They are very keen to learn and most attend extra- curricular activities.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Pupils’ behaviour is very good in classrooms and around the school. They know what is expected of them. There have been no recent exclusions.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Relationships are excellent. Pupils have a genuine respect and affection for their teachers and for each other. They are keen to take on responsibility. St Dunstan’s Cheam CE Primary School - 9 Attendance Well above average when compared with schools nationally. Nearly all pupils arrive on time for lessons, which start punctually.

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Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

Quality of teaching Good Good 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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Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

Teaching is good overall. In the lessons observed, about three in ten were either very good or excellent, four in ten good and about a quarter satisfactory. Just two lessons were unsatisfactory. This is an improvement on the findings reported in the previous inspection.

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Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

In the Nursery, teaching is of very high quality, enabling the children to make very good progress. The teacher and other adults work very well together to support children’s learning during lessons. In the Reception classes, children achieve well as a result of the good teaching overall but opportunities for self-directed learning are more limited.

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Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

Pupils learn well in Years 1 to 6 because of the quality of teaching. Very good or excellent teaching was observed in each year group. Nevertheless, despite the emphasis the school has placed on improving teaching through its programme of monitoring and support, it is not yet consistently good in every class or in all year groups. Pupils with special educational needs and those who are learning English as an additional language make good progress throughout the school because of the support they receive from teachers and teaching assistants, who work very well together.

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Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

Teachers manage their classes well and they have a very good rapport with their pupils. As a consequence, most lessons flow and little time is wasted. In most lessons, teachers show good subject knowledge and understanding in the way they ask questions to extend pupils’ thinking. They teach the basic skills of literacy and numeracy well, not only in English and mathematics lessons, but also in other subjects such as ICT, design and technology and physical education. Numeracy skills are well taught and pupils become skilled in calculating mentally.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum Children in the Nursery and Reception classes benefit from a stimulating curriculum that encompasses the Early Learning Goals. In Years 1 to 6, the curriculum, which meets statutory requirements, is much enhanced by a wide range of interesting experiences including visitors, visits and many lunchtime and after school activities.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Pupils’ needs are carefully identified. Plans of action are well thought out and regularly reviewed. Teachers liaise closely with parents.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with English as an additional language Pupils who are learning English as an additional language make good progress throughout the school because of the support they receive from teachers and teaching assistants.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development The school is very good at helping pupils to develop as well-rounded people. Pupils learn to distinguish right from wrong. They work and play very well together and they develop the ability to contribute as responsible members of the community. St Dunstan’s Cheam CE Primary School - 10 How well the school cares for its pupils The staff provide a very high quality of care for all pupils, attending closely to their health, welfare and academic progress.

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Aspect Comment

Parents are very positive in their support of the school. They are kept well informed about their children’s progress and any difficulties are discussed with them fully at an early stage. Communications between the school and parents are regular and informative.

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff The headteacher provides outstanding leadership. She has a clear vision for the school and this is effectively shared with all members of staff. She is very well supported by the senior management team and curriculum coordinators who ensure that the vision is put into practice.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Governors fulfil their responsibilities very well and are most knowledgeable about the school. They take a close interest in its development and ensure that best value is pursued in all aspects of the school’s work.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance The school is most effective in the way it analyses its results and reviews its work in order to build on what it does well and to pursue improvement. Action plans for school development help to ensure that improvements occur.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources The school makes very good use of its resources, pursuing best value in its spending decisions.

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Aspect Comment

The school is appropriately staffed to provide pupils with a very good education. The accommodation is attractive and functions well. Resources for teaching are good. The school makes effective use of its links with the community and its local environment to enhance the quality of education it provides.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• The teaching is good. • Their children like school. • The school expects their children to work hard and achieve his or her best. • Behaviour in the school is good. • The school is helping their children to become mature and responsible. • The school is well led and managed. • Their children getting the right amount of homework.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

Parents think very highly of the school and the inspection team found their confidence to be well justified. Nearly all parents returned the questionnaire before the inspection and fifteen per cent of those responses expressed some dissatisfaction with the amount of homework set. The school has a policy for homework, which is in line with that recommended by the DfES, but for Years 3 to 6 in particular, it is not specific enough to ensure a consistency of approach or to inform parents what to expect. St Dunstan’s Cheam CE Primary School - 11

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

1. By the end of Year 6 in 2002, pupils attained standards well above the national average in the National Curriculum tests in English and mathematics and above average in science. When compared with schools in a similar context, standards were well above average in English, above average in mathematics and average in science. Nearly all pupils attained the nationally expected Level 4 and about half the pupils attained the higher Level 5 in all three subjects. The school failed to meet its targets in English and mathematics in 2002 but these were very challenging, the targets being 95 per cent in English and 94 per cent in mathematics. School records show that those pupils who did not attain their target levels missed by only a mark or two. Since 1998, the school has most often met its challenging targets in English and mathematics. Its results have improved in line with the national trend.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

2. By the end of Year 2 in 2002, pupils attained standards in the National Curriculum Tests that were well above the national average in reading, writing and mathematics. When compared with schools in a similar context, standards were well above average in writing and above average in reading and mathematics. Nearly all pupils attained the nationally expected Level 2 in reading, writing and mathematics. Over four in every ten pupils attained the higher Level 3 in reading and mathematics.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

3. All groups of pupils are achieving well as a result of the good teaching overall, the longer than average school day and the wide range of extra-curricular activities. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress in their learning throughout the school. All achieve in line with their abilities and many achieve in line with national expectations. Pupils who speak English as an additional language (EAL) are included in all aspects of the curriculum and make good progress. Currently there are only six pupils with EAL and all are on the more advanced stages of English language acquisition. They are effectively bi-lingual. The school tracks progress of all pupils, including by ethnicity. There are no significant differences between the attainment of boys and girls or pupils from different groups.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

4. Children achieve very well in the Nursery as a result of the very good teaching and interesting curriculum. Children in the reception classes make good progress. When they enter school, many of the children attain standards above the national average. They make good progress in personal, social and emotional development, communication, language and literacy, mathematical development, knowledge and understanding of the world, physical development and creative development. By the end of the reception year, many of the children are on track to attain beyond the Early Learning Goals in all areas of learning.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

5. The high standards reported at the last inspection in English, mathematics, geography, history, music and physical education have been maintained. There have been significant improvements in science, design and technology, ICT, music and physical education.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

6. Pupils make good progress in English. Pupils attain levels well above average at the end of Year 2 and Year 6. Throughout the school, speaking and listening skills are well above average, with many pupils able to communicate articulately in a variety of situations. Pupils listen very well to their teachers and their peers. They read extremely well. Most pupils express a strong interest in books and the written word. Standards in writing are also well above average throughout the school. Pupils write for a wide range of purposes, including extended writing in other subjects, such as history, but this is not consistent across the school. Standards of presentation and spelling are consistently high across the school.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

7. Pupils make good progress throughout the school in mathematics. By the end of Years 2 and 6, pupils attain levels well above the national average. Pupils are confident with number and standards of mental mathematics are good. They have a good mathematical vocabulary. The St Dunstan’s Cheam CE Primary School - 12 implementation of the National Numeracy Strategy, the use of booster classes (government initiatives to raise standards) and the use of setting classes in Year 6 are helping to improve attainment. 8. Pupils make good progress throughout the school in science. By the end of Years 2 and 6, standards in science are well above average. Pupils achieve well throughout the school. They have more opportunities to carry out scientific enquiry but pupils still lack confidence to predict outcomes in their investigations and to evaluate experiments. Also, in some classes, pupils do not have enough opportunities to record their work in sufficient detail and quantity.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

9. In ICT, many pupils attain standards above those expected at the end of Year 2 and in Year 6. Pupils use desktop publishing packages very well but a relative weakness is their use of spreadsheets to work out complex calculations.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

10. Attainment in music is high. By the end of Year 6, pupils have developed knowledge, skills and understanding much higher than those expected. Singing and instrumental performance are of very high quality and are particular strengths. There have been major improvements in composition as a result of improved teaching.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

11. By the end of Year 6, attainment in art and design, geography, history and physical education is above the levels expected. Pupils are developing good skills in painting, collage and sculpture. They have a good grasp of geographical vocabulary and the range of maps available for specific uses. They have a good understanding of chronology and they know many historical facts. Strengths within physical education are swimming and gymnastics, where attainment is well above average. Attainment in design and technology is in line with that expected.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

12. The school is successful in achieving its aim to encourage a spirit of co-operation and mutual respect in which everyone’s contribution is valued within its Christian foundation. Pupils are happy to come to school; they are keen to learn and are positive both in their attitudes and in establishing respect for others. They are keen to fulfil their role in the school community. Attendance is very good, above the national average with no unauthorised absence.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

13. Pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school is very good. They understand the school’s rules and absorb the values transmitted to them by teachers, who are good role-models. There have been no exclusions in the last year. Even the youngest children are quickly developing very good behaviour habits. When praised for walking to assembly quietly a Year 1 pupil said, “This is the school rule; everyone knows the rules”. This was confirmed in conversation with Year 6 pupils, who feel the rules are fair and who have no experience of any oppressive behaviour.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

14. Relationships across the school are excellent; pupils have a genuine respect and affection for their teachers, which is reciprocated. This creates an environment of care and security where work and learning progress. All feel safe and secure and pupils are genuinely happy in the school; those in Year 6 were unanimous in saying, “The school is a second home and everyone is a second family – we would love a secondary school here so we do not have to leave”.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

15. All pupils, to a degree dictated by age, have good opportunities to develop personal skills through their life in the school. This increases by Year 6 when pupils work with Reception and Year 1 children; there is also shared reading plus a range of other responsibilities, which contribute to school life. From Year 2 onwards two pupils from each year are school councillors: the quality of the democratically functioning council is high and still evolving. At the Foundation Stage and in Years 1 and 2, pupils act as Class Leaders; older pupils have a House system and elect their own House Captains: all have a significant number of responsible jobs to carry out.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

16. Pupils have very positive attitudes to their learning and demonstrate that they are very accepting of other pupils’ difficulties. They are very supportive of one another and care for each other. Pupils’ listening skills are well developed and they pay good attention to their teachers and listen attentively to each other in group or whole class discussions. St Dunstan’s Cheam CE Primary School - 13

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

17. Teaching has improved since the previous inspection as a result of the various strategies, including performance management, employed by the headteacher and senior management team. Although it is still good overall, far more lessons in this inspection were judged to be good, very good and excellent. In the lessons observed, about three lessons in ten were very good or excellent, about four in ten good, and about one quarter satisfactory. Only two lessons were unsatisfactory, each in a different year group. Teaching in the nursery is very good, giving the children a positive start to their education. Very good or excellent teaching was seen in all age groups. Children achieve very well in the Nursery and well in the Reception classes. Pupils of all abilities make good progress from Year 1 through to Year 6.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

18. The quality of teaching and learning for pupils with special educational needs is good. Teachers know their pupils very well and maintain high expectations of them at all times, which has a positive impact on learning. Individual difficulties are identified early so that pupils continue to make progress and their needs are not a barrier to their learning. Activities are generally well planned and show some differentiation, although in some cases this is not always sufficiently detailed. Resources are usually appropriate to the activities. However, in some classes there is too much emphasis on the use of published worksheets, which is unsatisfactory because they do not extend learning sufficiently. Pupils are well supported in lessons and there is good liaison between support staff and teachers, which ensures that all pupils have good access to learning. All pupils have appropriate educational targets and these are reviewed termly or earlier, as

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

appropriate. The school meets the needs of pupils with more complex or severe difficulties well whilst ensuring that the learning and attainment of other pupils are not unfairly affected.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

19. Teachers are very much aware of the different learning needs pupils have, including those who are learning English as an additional language. Where necessary, they draw on the local education authority’s support services.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

20. Teaching in the nursery is very good overall. In the reception classes, it is good overall but it is not consistent across both classes. Throughout the Foundation Stage, planning is based on the Early Learning Goals in the six areas of learning. Planning is very good in the Nursery and ensures that children have opportunities to select activities as well as to engage in activities with an adult. Children in the Reception classes have fewer opportunities to choose an activity and to develop skills of independent learning. They are asked to complete too many worksheets. Teachers and other adults work well together, thereby acting as good role models.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

21. Teaching in English is based on the National Literacy Strategy and is good overall. Teachers have good subject knowledge and planning is based on clear learning objectives, which are shared with pupils in most classes. In some classes, teachers are not consistently revising learning objectives at the end of lessons to assess whether pupils have been successful in their learning. Activities are generally well matched to pupils’ prior learning but on occasions, work is not appropriately planned to meet the needs of all pupils, with some tasks not well matched to pupils’ levels of attainment. In some classes, there is excessive use of published worksheets, which prevents pupils from developing their writing skills and fails to provide appropriate challenge to their learning. English lessons are well used to develop writing in other subjects, such as history and design technology but this is not replicated in other lessons. The school is aware of

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

this and has plans to further develop literacy skills, and particularly pupils’ writing skills in other subjects.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

22. In mathematics, teaching is good overall and this is an improvement upon the findings reported at the last inspection. Teaching is based upon the National Numeracy Strategy and successfully develops pupils’ skills and confidence in working with number. Pupils’ mathematical vocabulary is developed well so they are able to use it with accuracy and understanding. Numeracy skills are developed in other subjects, such as science and physical education. Minor weaknesses include a lack of pace in lessons and insufficient challenge for a few pupils.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

23. Teaching in science is good overall. In Years 1 and 2, learning is limited by the excessive use of printed worksheets, which denies pupils the opportunity to develop skills in recording and St Dunstan’s Cheam CE Primary School - 14 presenting their work in the most appropriate format. In Years 3 to 6, particular strengths are teachers’ subject knowledge and the positive management of pupils. Planning is very good and resources are used well. However generally, the lessons are too long, resulting in a reduced pace and diminishing application and concentration by pupils. Tasks are not always sufficiently well matched to challenge all pupils.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

24. Pupils achieve well in ICT, as a result of the good teaching overall. Teachers use ICT well to promote learning in nearly all subjects. Most teachers have good subject knowledge and they use the interactive white board effectively to enhance pupils’ understanding of new tasks.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

25. Teaching in music is very good overall because a high proportion of teachers have very good subject expertise. Many pupils benefit from lessons in which they learn a musical instrument and the teaching is these lessons is consistently good. Teachers’ enthusiasm for the subject and their positive relationships with pupils ensures pupils make very good progress.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

26. Teaching in art and design, geography, history and physical education is good overall, enabling pupils to achieve well in these subjects. In design and technology, teaching is sound overall and this is an improvement on the findings reported in the last inspection. Pupils’ have been taught the skills to make models well but their ability to plan and to evaluate have not been given as much emphasis.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

27. In the best lessons particular strengths were noted: • Teachers’ planning is very detailed. It clearly shows activities related to the abilities of the pupils. The objectives of the lessons are shared with pupils; for example, in a Year 2 mathematics lesson, “We are going to learn how to work out what the missing number or symbol is”. Pupils responded enthusiastically and concentrated well on what they were told next. • Teachers review the learning from the previous lesson, such as in a Year 6 music lesson, when the teacher asked pupils, “What are dynamics ?” and “Who can tell me what forte and fortissimo mean?” • Lessons move at a good pace. Pupils are asked to complete a task in a limited amount of time, such as when pupils in Year 5 use computers to complete a picture in a Peruvian style using the painting tools in an art program. • Teachers ensure that pupils have a good understanding of the task; for example, in a

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

Year 2 lesson pupils were asked to indicate, by the showing of a raised thumb, whether they had understood what they had to do when they were given the task of completing some number sentences. The teacher was able to ensure that all pupils could complete the task by helping those who indicated they were not quite sure. This principle of using the thumb was also used at the end of the lesson to indicate how well the pupils had met the learning objective. This not only informed the teacher about how well the pupils thought they had done but also helped pupils to come to a better understanding of their own learning. • Teachers use all subjects to further pupils’ understanding in English and mathematics. In a Year 3 physical education lesson, the words, roll, stretch, yawn, stamp and jump were displayed on the wall to help pupils devise a sequence of movements to music. They were asked to read them first. In another physical education lesson, pupils used

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

tapes to measure the distance of a jump or a throw and stopwatches were used to time runners. • Teachers have high expectations, such as at the beginning of a Year 5 lesson, the teacher demanded that pupils listened to her and acted on her instructions immediately. This had the desired effect and the remainder of the lesson proceeded without any interruptions from pupils at all.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

28. Where lessons were unsatisfactory, time was not used well and pupils did not learn enough in the time available. The management of pupils was unsatisfactory and teaching failed to engage the pupils’ interest. St Dunstan’s Cheam CE Primary School - 15 29. The improvement of teaching and learning continues to be a main focus for the school as there is still a lack of consistency in implementing the teaching and learning policy. Teaching is not yet consistently good in every class or in all year groups. St Dunstan’s Cheam CE Primary School - 16

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TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

30. The curriculum is broad and balanced and meets all the requirements for the teaching of the National Curriculum. The high standards reported at the time of the last inspection have been maintained and developed. The school has successfully introduced the national frameworks for the teaching of literacy and numeracy. Teachers make very good use of the structures of the frameworks to provide effective teaching in these key areas. The overall quality of planning is good and schemes of work in all subjects clearly identify what should be taught at particular times in a pupil’s time in the school. This ensures that knowledge is developed systematically. Some teachers make appropriate links between subjects, so that new learning in one subject consolidates previous learning in another. Pupils’ work in science and design and technology, for example, provides opportunities for accurate measurement and recording. ICT is used to support

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TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

learning across the curriculum and research skills are developed through work in history. However, potential links are not always clearly identified. As a result, some teachers use these opportunities but others do not. A further minor weakness in an otherwise very strong curriculum concerns the use of time. Some timetabled lessons are too long. While the best teachers sensibly adapt their planning, others do not. In some lessons the activity is stretched out to fill the available time with the result that pupils make less progress than they should.

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TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

31. The school has a policy for homework, which broadly meets the recommendations of the Department for Education and Skills. Pupils throughout the school benefit from taking work home. However, comments from some parents indicate that there are inappropriate quantities of homework set, particularly in Years 3 to 6. The school’s policy is not specific enough to ensure a consistency of approach or to inform parents what to expect.

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TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

32. The curriculum is very well focused on the requirements of the National Curriculum. The school promotes healthy and safe living through a programme for personal, social and health education, in circle time and across the curriculum. There are good relationships with a range of outside agencies to secure pupils’ welfare and personal development. Sex education and drugs awareness are appropriately taught. Citizenship is promoted well through the School Council.

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TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

33. The school offers pupils a rich and varied curriculum. In addition to the National Curriculum subjects and religious education, pupils also have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument. Music plays an important part in the life of the school. Pupils value the opportunities to join the school choir and orchestra. Pupils’ interest in learning is stimulated by a range of educational visits. These have included the Science Museum, Hampton Court, Southwark Cathedral and the British Museum.

p.16

TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

34. The school provides an excellent range of extra-curricular activities. These are enjoyed by pupils and valued by parents. These include choir, netball, chess, environmental studies and soccer. Learning outside the normal school day is well catered for. In addition to clubs promoting sport and music there are clubs for writing and French. A particular feature of clubs is the emphasis on improving performance. As a result, extra-curricular activities play an important role in the high standards achieved. Teams compete against other schools in swimming, football, netball, cricket, athletics and chess. This provides valuable opportunities for pupils’ social development and their success raises the profile of the school in the local community.

p.16

TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

35. The school offers all pupils equal access to the curriculum. Teachers generally plan to take account of the range of ability of their pupils, and to ensure that all are able to access the curriculum according to their needs. They make good use of the in-class support provided for pupils with special educational needs and those learning English as an additional language.

p.16

TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

36. Provision for pupils with special educational needs is good. The school generally adopts an inclusive approach; there are opportunities for pupils to work in both ability and mixed ability groups and no pupils are disapplied from the National Curriculum. While support is mainly within the classroom, a significant number of pupils are regularly withdrawn for support either on an individual basis or in small groups. This is a potential barrier to learning alongside other pupils and the school must be cautious that this does not in any way prevent pupils from receiving their St Dunstan’s Cheam CE Primary School - 17 full entitlement to the National Curriculum when they miss whole or parts of lessons. Otherwise, pupils with special educational needs are fully included in all aspects of the curriculum as are all other pupils. They have full access to all activities within the school, including educational visits and residential trips. No pupil is barred from any form of involvement

p.16

TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

in activities as a result of their difficulties.

p.17

TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

37. The ethos of the school is one of inclusion. There is a recognition and celebration of the uniqueness of individuals within a well-integrated school community. Value is attached to pupils’ cultural traditions in order to raise children’s self-esteem and confidence . The curriculum content and resources reflect the diversity of cultures within the school and the wider society. Pupils learn about both European and non-European cultures through subjects such as art, music, history and geography, and develop respect for one another. The school’s philosophy of warmly including everyone it works with extends to its wish to include the wider community. It is an educationally inclusive school.

p.17

TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

38. The school has very good links with the community, which contribute to pupils’ learning. There are very close links with the local church and good use is made of the locality to extend pupils’ experiences and knowledge. A range of visitors comes to the school to speak to pupils on a variety of subjects. Parents make a significant contribution; many help in school and others talk to the pupils about their experiences.

p.17

TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

39. The school has developed excellent links with partner institutions. The close links established with local secondary schools help to ease pupils’ transfer at eleven. The school is a member of a local ‘cluster group’ of schools. Good use has been made of Beacon schools to develop the skills and expertise of individual teachers (Beacon schools receive additional government funding to share their expertise and good practice with other schools in their locality). Close links with Roseberry School in Epsom have resulted in a range of very attractive murals in the school’s music room. The school receives a range of students undergoing training including teaching.

p.17

TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

40. The provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is very good overall and is an evolving strength of the school. This judgement is an improvement on the findings of the last inspection, and has happened mainly as the result of the headteacher’s holistic and enthusiastic approach to the personal development of her pupils. The school works really hard to promote positive attitudes and behaviour amongst its pupils. The vast majority are developing a clear sense of personal responsibility. The headteacher and staff provide extremely good role models and their responses to pupils are a significant factor in promoting excellent relationships seen throughout the school.

p.17

TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

41. Provision for developing pupils’ spiritual awareness is very good. The school’s strong Christian ethos provides its pupils with an effective insight into its values and beliefs. Acts of collective worship are a daily feature of the life of the school and are clearly Christian in character and consistently meet statutory requirements. They are used to celebrate pupils’ successes and birthdays, and to share what they have learned. A notable feature is the high standard of singing of hymns, which creates a sincere atmosphere and a real sense of fellowship and community during worship. Opportunities for prayer and reflection are regularly used and put to considerable effect in promoting their spiritual awareness and self-knowledge. An example of this was evident in an act of worship when a story was told about the Zimbabwean cricketer Henry Olongo. During prayers, the pupils were invited to reflect upon his bravery and courage when he made a public

p.17

TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

protest, which later cost him his place in the national team. The lunchtime Worship Club also enhances pupils’ spiritual experiences and encourages them to explore and develop what animates themselves and others, using activities such as dance and drama. Curriculum subjects similarly contribute by promoting the feature of pupils reflecting upon whether their learning has been satisfactory at the end of some lessons, and science lessons actively promote enquiry by challenging the pupils’ curiosity to ask ‘why’, ‘how’ and ‘what’?

p.17

TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

42. The very good provision for pupils’ moral development is founded on the very high expectations that the staff have of them. Staff consistently show respect for the pupils and make them aware of what is acceptable and help them to develop an appropriate idea of what is right and wrong. The school has a very positive approach to the management of behaviour, whilst also being St Dunstan’s Cheam CE Primary School - 18 successful in building pupils’ self-esteem and respect for others. The moral code in the school is firmly established in the daily life of the school. Pupils believe that the School Rules are very fair and they feel especially safe in the school. Practices such as Year 6 House Captains looking after Reception class pupils at lunchtimes further promote the school’s set of moral values. Pupils are expected to be aware of the consequences of their actions. This is emphasised strongly when, for example, police officers make their annual visit to Year 6 classes to contribute

p.17

TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

to the pupils’ preparations for their transfer to secondary schools.

p.18

TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

43. The school makes very good provision for pupils’ social development. It creates a strong sense of identity as a very caring community in which everyone is respected and very well supported. Pupils are democratically elected in each year group from Year 2 onwards to the school council, which began at the start of the current academic year. They are proud to represent their class. They discuss a wide variety of issues, including the school’s racial equality policy, and they recommend some of the charities the school will support. The school’s very good range of extra- curricular activities also offers pupils many opportunities to develop social skills. Features such as the Chilling/ Chatting Zone on the Year 4 veranda provide a quiet place for those pupils who need to be away from the busy life of playtimes. Residential visits, such as the three-day excursion by Year 5 to Dalesdown, are a further opportunity. They enjoy the opportunities to

p.18

TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

participate in inter-house and inter-school competitions. The local community supports the school in many ways and is invited to the annual Helpers’ and Friends’ and Community Tea Parties, where the pupils entertain them. A particular strength of the school is the way in which pupils are routinely taught in groups and this significantly enhances their general ability to work collaboratively.

p.18

TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

44. There is very good provision for pupils’ cultural development. Because of very good quality of music and art in the school, these subjects in particular enhance pupils’ cultural awareness and knowledge. In art, for example, pupils study famous artists, such as Picasso, Van Gogh and Seurat. They use a painting from Peru as the inspiration for a collage. Year 3 pupils visit the Tate Britain Art Gallery. There are opportunities through the curriculum to learn about the cultural and faith traditions of Britain’s multicultural population. In a Year 4 class, the pupils have made, and attractively displayed, Caribbean carnival masks. As the result of their studies, the school sent a box of books to a Sri Lankan school via the charity Child Aid Lanka. Western culture is promoted through subjects, such as history and literacy. Pupils are made aware of the legacy of ancient civilisations such as Greece and Rome, and of British culture through visitors such as the

p.18

TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

storywriter, Gervase Phinn. The co-ordinator for English as an Additional Language has arranged for visits to the school from people originating from cultures other than European. Such activities successfully broaden pupils’ horizons, but this aspect of the provision needs further development to prepare the pupils more fully for life in multicultural Britain.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

45. The school cares very well for the health, safety, and personal welfare of its pupils. This is an improvement upon the findings reported at the last inspection. Appropriate emphasis is given by teachers and all the staff to provide an establishment where pupils’ personal welfare is a priority and is supported by a healthy and safe environment.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

46. Pastoral care is provided by each class teacher and supported by the head teacher. Pupils are well known to all staff as individuals. Children are well supported and prepared for entry into the school; again, as they leave to continue their education in secondary school, personal care is very good.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

47. The school does not take educational inclusion for granted. It considers carefully the needs of all pupils, including the small numbers of socially and economically disadvantaged children as well as pupils from different ethnic minority groups. The school is working effectively towards raising the achievement of all pupils. The school is a safe and supportive place in which pupils can develop their confidence and learn. St Dunstan’s Cheam CE Primary School - 19 48. Child protection procedures are very good. The school has an agreed policy that is well known to the staff. The designated officer has good working relationships with all relevant support agencies and overall this provides good protection for all pupils. St Dunstan’s Cheam CE Primary School - 20 49. Health and safety provision is very good, monitored by the head teacher and the governors’ premises committee; the comprehensive health and safety policy fully meets statutory

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

requirements. Risk assessment is up to date and all equipment is well maintained with recorded checks. During the inspection no new health and safety concerns were noted to be a danger to pupils. There are clear notices to support procedures for fire evacuation; fire drills are taken regularly and logged. First aid provision is very good; training is up to date, current first aid certificates are held by a designated officer and other staff. Pupils understand who will help them and how this will happen. All serious accidents and head injuries are reported to parents and recorded.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

50. Procedures for monitoring and promoting behaviour are very good. The school’s code of behaviour is understood and effectively and consistently used by teachers within the school policy. The school has very good procedures in place to eliminate bullying and other forms of oppressive behaviour; these are used well in personal, social and health education lessons and across the curriculum. Procedures for monitoring attendance are very good and well known to staff. Registers are correctly and systematically marked and monitored for absence and punctuality.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

51. Procedures for monitoring and promoting pupils’ academic progress are very good. Class teachers know their pupils well and keep appropriate records of how well pupils progress. Marking of pupils’ work is not yet consistent throughout the school but where it is very good, teachers write comments to help pupils to improve. From Reception onwards, pupils are encouraged to write a self-review of their progress in each subject. The school’s systems for tracking pupils’ progress are good and developing well. They provide information to teachers so that individual pupils can be appropriately challenged and supported.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

52. The school has good systems for identifying pupils’ needs and external agencies are notified and involved as required. This is an improvement upon the findings reported at the last inspection. The headteacher, SEN co-ordinator and class teachers monitor pupils’ academic progress regularly and identify those requiring additional support. Some pupils attend specific initiatives as appropriate, such as the ELS programme to raise standards in Literacy. Individual Education Plans (IEP) are very well maintained and include appropriate targets, usually no more than three, which are generally linked to targets for literacy and numeracy. Sometimes there is also a target to help pupils manage their behaviour. The school works effectively with a wide range of external agencies, including special schools where appropriate. Arrangements for monitoring attendance for pupils with special educational needs are the same as for all other pupils and are very good.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

53. Parents are very positive in their support of the school and are correct in their views that the school has high expectations of their children. The only slight concerns were with the information provided, homework and the range of extra-curricular activities. The inspection findings show homework provision to be good except for the inconsistencies previously mentioned, the information provided very good and the range of extra-curricular activities to be exceptional. Parents at the pre-inspection meeting agreed that the school develops the whole child, provides a holistic education and that pupils quickly grow in confidence when they enter the school.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

54. Parents returning the questionnaire and those attending the pre-inspection agree the school promotes very good attitudes amongst pupils and that they are keen to come to school. They value the respectful attitudes shown to them by the school; the head teacher deals well with their concerns and staff are dedicated, good teachers. They feel the school has improved since the last inspection and are happy to have their children in such a good school where they are happy, well cared for and progress well.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

55. Overall, the quality and quantity of information provided for parents are very good. The school prospectus, school policies, curriculum and consultation evenings, newsletters, telephone calls and full end of year reports all provide good information for parents and give some insight into the work of the school. St Dunstan’s Cheam CE Primary School - 21 56. Opportunities provided for parental involvement in the school are very good. The high parental involvement in the school enriches the curriculum and supports pupils’ progress. Nearly all of parents have signed Home School Agreements and respond well to these, as they do to any request from the school for support. There are many parents who work in the school giving very good support in lessons and ex-parent volunteers help run the library. Parent Teachers and Friends of the School Association are a very active group who work hard with the support of all

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

parents in the school to raise funds, make a substantial contribution to the school’s resources and provide interesting events to bring the parents, pupils and the community together.

p.21

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

57. The school works closely with parents of pupils with special educational needs. Parents are kept well informed about their children’s progress and any difficulties are discussed with them fully at an early stage. They are involved in reviews of their children’s IEP and annual reviews wherever possible.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

58. The leadership and management of the school are very good overall. The headteacher is an excellent leader who has a strong sense of mission and ensures pupils achieve good standards and experience good teaching throughout the school. The Governing Body, headteacher and other key staff share a clear vision of what they mean by a good school and work very well together to achieve their aims. The aims underpin all the work of the staff and governors and are reflected in the decisions made by the school. The headteacher and staff are clearly focused on the development of an inclusive school.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

59. In the last inspection, one of the key issues focused on the need for the school to improve the effectiveness of the senior management team. The school has appointed good staff to strengthen the senior team, identifying clearly that additional expertise in curriculum development was particularly needed. The management role of the deputy headteacher has been clarified and progress in implementing his specific responsibility for assessment throughout the school has been satisfactory. The school has devised and implemented effective systems for monitoring and evaluating its performance and for diagnosing its strengths and weaknesses. It makes very good use of ICT in administration generally, and particularly, to assist in this process.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

60. The Governing Body is very well informed and governors have an excellent grasp of the strengths and weaknesses of the school. It works closely with staff to monitor and evaluate all aspects of the school. It provides a useful sounding board, offering an external perspective on how well the school is performing, but also drawing on LEA advice to provide an external view of the school from a professional standpoint. Governors provide strong support for planned school improvement strategies, not only liaising with the headteacher but also through individual governors’ links with subject leaders. The school budget is managed very well and the current carry forward of just under three per cent is appropriate. The governing body ensures that financial resources, including specific grants and additional funding, are allocated in accordance with the school’s educational priorities and that best value is pursued in all aspects of the school’s work. It fulfils

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

all statutory requirements and operates very efficiently through its system of committees.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

61. The induction of new staff and their continuing professional development have a high priority. The headteacher is good at delegating appropriate responsibilities and supporting staff so they are able to perform their leadership roles well. She effectively builds on the strengths of individuals, enables staff to support each other in their management roles and perceptively identifies where further support and guidance is required. As a result of clear job descriptions and policies, all subjects are well led. There is excellent leadership from the musical co-ordinator and the leadership shown by those responsible for English, mathematics and early years is very good, as the standards in the school demonstrate.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

62. Leadership and management of special educational needs are good. The co-ordinators show understanding and are experienced in working with pupils who have special educational needs. Support staff are well managed and have access to a good range of training. Management of all procedures, including arrangement of reviews and annual reviews, and the paperwork, is up to St Dunstan’s Cheam CE Primary School - 22 date and effectively organised. The revised code of practice has been fully adopted and all staff are aware of terminology relating to pupils’ level of need. The SEN policy reflects the changes and a register of SEN is still maintained so that school staff are kept informed of any changes as they occur. Funding provided by the local authority is well used by the school to employ an appropriate number of support staff who access pupils to the curriculum. The governing body is kept fully informed on matters relating to SEN through regular liaison with the headteacher and

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

63. The number of teachers and teaching assistants is sufficient to ensure the pupils receive good support in all subjects. The range of expertise amongst staff ensures that pupils benefit from the broad curriculum and extra-curricular activities, in which all teachers participate. The school accommodation is very good and provides a high quality learning environment for children. This has been achieved by strong financial management and very good use of the money available from a range of sources. Resources for teaching are good and the school also makes effective use of its links with the community and its local environment to enhance the quality of education it provides. It implements very well the four principles of best value, through its use of data, its methods of consulting everyone connected to the school, its challenging aims and its targeted use of its budget. The school provides good value for money.

p.22

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(1) Improve the accommodation and resources in the Reception classes by: providing a secure and safe outdoor environment providing additional resources to ensure all the early learning goals can be achieved (identified by the school)

p.22

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(2) improve those elements of teaching which are not consistently good by: planning to meet the needs of the full ability range using time more efficiently decreasing the use of worksheets improving pupils’ knowledge of their own learning (identified by the school)

p.22

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(paragraphs 17-29, 89-91,101,106,111,116,128,132,137)

p.22

Other minor issues

Attainment (paragraphs 8, 9, 87, 89, 95, 105, 111, 114, 127, 135) Use of time (paragraph 30) Homework (paragraph 31) St Dunstan’s Cheam CE Primary School - 23

p.22

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 42

p.23

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactor y Poor Very Poor

p.23

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

The table gives the number and percentage of lessons observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about teaching. Care should be taken when interpreting these percentages as each lesson represents more than one percentage point.

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery YR – Y6

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 26 432

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 0 6

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Special educational needs Nursery YR – Y6

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 0 6

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 4 67

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 6

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 16

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 16

p.23

Attendance

National comparative data 5.4 National comparative data 0.5

p.23

Attendance

Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. St Dunstan’s Cheam CE Primary School - 24

p.23

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 34 26 60

p.24

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

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

p.24

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

Boys 33 32 33 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 25 25 26

p.24

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

Percentage of pupils School 98 (100) 95 (100) 98 (100) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (84) 86 (86) 90 (91)

p.24

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

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.24

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

Boys 32 33 34 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 25 25 26

p.24

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

Percentage of pupils School 95 (100) 97 (100) 100 (100) at NC level 2 or above National 85 (85) 89 (89) 89 (89)

p.24

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

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

p.24

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 33 29 62

p.24

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

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

p.24

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

Boys 27 28 32 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 29 26 29

p.24

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

Percentage of pupils School 90 (94) 87 (89) 98 (97) at NC level 4 or above National 75 (75) 73 (71) 86 (87)

p.24

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

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.24

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

Boys 28 26 33 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 29 27 29

p.24

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

Percentage of pupils School 92 (97) 85 (97) 100 (100) at NC level 4 or above National 73 (72) 74 (74) 82 (82)

p.24

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

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. St Dunstan’s Cheam CE Primary School - 25

p.24

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.25

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

White – any other White background 7 0 0

p.25

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Mixed – any other mixed background 6 0 0

p.25

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Asian or Asian British - Pakistani 4 0 0

p.25

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Asian or Asian British – Bangladeshi 0 0 0

p.25

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Asian or Asian British – any other Asian background 6 0 0

p.25

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black or Black British – Caribbean 3 0 0

p.25

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

p.25

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

The table refers to pupils of compulsory school age only. It gives the number of exclusions, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded.

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 17 Financial year 2002-2003

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 25.41

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total income 915506

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 11 Total expenditure 928688

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 177.5 Expenditure per pupil 2027.70

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Qualified teachers and support staff: nursery Balance brought forward from previous year 39884

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 1 Balance carried forward to next year 26702

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 26

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 1

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 32.5

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per FTE adult 13 St Dunstan’s Cheam CE Primary School - 26 FTE means full-time equivalent.

p.25

Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 4.8

p.26

Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 5.2

p.26

Recruitment of teachers

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 0

p.26

Recruitment of teachers

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

p.26

Recruitment of teachers

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

p.26

Recruitment of teachers

FTE means full-time equivalent. St Dunstan’s Cheam CE Primary School - 27

p.26

Percentage of responses in each category

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

p.27

Percentage of responses in each category

My child is making good progress in school. 58 37 4 1 0

p.27

Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 60 37 1 0 1

p.27

Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 38 42 13 2 5

p.27

Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 45 46 4 3 1

p.27

Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 64 31 3 1 1

p.27

Percentage of responses in each category

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 70 28 1 1 0

p.27

Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 45 49 3 2 1

p.27

Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 68 39 0 1 1

p.27

Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 67 30 0 0 2

p.27

Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 54 30 4 0 12 St Dunstan’s Cheam CE Primary School - 28

p.27

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

65. The provision for children at the Foundation Stage, in the morning and afternoon nursery classes is very good and in the two reception classes it is good overall. At the time of the last inspection curricular provision for this age group was judged to be good; the hard work and commitment of staff have ensured that good standards of provision have been maintained.

p.28

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

66. The curriculum is based on the Early Learning Goals in the six areas of learning: personal, social and emotional development, knowledge and understanding of the world, communication language and literacy, mathematics development, physical development and creative development.

p.28

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

67. In their planning teachers allow time for activities initiated by the children, especially in the nursery. However, in the reception classes opportunities for self-directed learning are at times more limited and children are asked to complete worksheets as evidence of learning having taken place. Teachers make use of alternative ways of collecting evidence, such as staff working with the children during practical activities and recording their observations of what progress individual children are making.

p.28

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

68. The outdoor learning experiences are more restricted. There is a lack of opportunity for easy access to outdoor activities as there is no secure fence and only a limited range of outdoor equipment. Teachers compensate by taking children to the nursery playground for several timetabled sessions each week. The recently built infant hall does also provide additional opportunity for physical education activities, singing, drama and dance. However, the current arrangement is not satisfactory as it restricts children’s opportunities for decision making, cooperative and collaborative outdoor play and access to large outdoor equipment for the development of large motor skills.

p.28

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

69. The accommodation is good overall, apart from the constraints concerning outdoor activities pointed out in the above paragraph. Classrooms are bright and welcoming with a good range of resources. The learning environment in the nursery is excellent; and it ranges from good to satisfactory in reception classes. Children are working in a stimulating environment that provides opportunities for learning in all of the six areas of the Foundation Stage.

p.28

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

70. Staff have planned carefully the main lesson activities; class teachers and support staff interact well with the children to build on the knowledge and understanding children bring to school. They keep careful records about each child and use these to shape planning and set targets for new learning experiences. As a result all children are making very good progress in the nursery and good progress overall in reception classes. Attainment on entry to the nursery is above average for the majority of children, despite the fact that the proportion of children with special needs has increased in recent years. Baseline Assessment data indicate that attainment on entry to reception is above average for the majority of children. However it also shows that below average attainment has been as high as 33 per cent in 2001/02. Lesson observation during the inspection confirms that attainment in all areas of learning is above average for the majority of children.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

71. Children with special needs are included in all activities and support given in class is very effective. As a result, all of these children make good progress.

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Personal, social and emotional development

72. The children’s personal, social and emotional development is promoted very well. The staff are very skilful at settling children into the routines of the school day and their learning environment. Children respond in a positive manner to the high expectations of the adults who work with them. They are able to work well in small groups, cooperating and even collaborating at times, for example whilst building a skyscraper with pieces of wood in the playground. Nursery and St Dunstan’s Cheam CE Primary School - 29 reception children socialise with each other during fruit and milk times. They are developing their ability to be polite, to listen and care for each other. Because of the skills of staff and the time they devote to this area of learning, all children are likely to obtain all the Early Learning Goals for this area of learning by the end of the reception year.

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Communication, language and literacy

73. The staff use every opportunity to focus on the development of speaking and listening skills; this is clearly having an impact on the ability of children to respond to the good teaching they experience. Standards of oral English are high; children respond to their teachers’ questioning really well. They answer in complete sentences; for example, during a shared writing session in the nursery children talked knowledgeably about the day when their pets came to visit the school, remembering and discussing in considerable detail the characteristics of the visiting dogs, cats and other pets. Children in the reception class read simple texts with confidence and talk with enthusiasm about the books they are reading.

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Communication, language and literacy

74. In reception classes, most children are well on the way to developing their writing skills. Even the youngest ones are beginning to write, drawing on their phonic skills to help them to spell words. More able children are already capable of writing complete sentences unaided; for example, writing captions and labels in their toy project book. In the nursery, children dictate sentences for their teacher to scribe under each photo for their ‘Pets’ visiting day’ book.

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Communication, language and literacy

75. The adults are good role models in using language effectively to communicate with children. They have high expectations and praise children for their efforts, making them and their contributions feel valued. Children in nursery and reception classes experience a linguistic rich environment. Everything is labelled and children already have an understanding of what the different labels communicate. The selection of books available to the children is good. There is a need for more consistency across the two reception classes to ensure that the high standards of display, labelling and organisation of the learning environment are achieved in both classes. Teaching in the nursery is very good at all times. Children in reception are benefiting from the literacy framework being taught. Teaching ranges from satisfactory to very good, and is good overall. However, most literacy activities are teacher directed and there is only limited opportunity for

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Communication, language and literacy

purposeful child initiated writing. Children make good progress in all areas of literacy development and attainment is above the average expected of the majority of children at the end of the Foundation Stage.

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Mathematical development

76. Teaching in the nursery is very good and staff are adept at recognising the mathematical knowledge children bring with them to school. Every opportunity is used to reinforce knowledge and understanding about numbers in the world around us and to move learning on through very good questioning by staff; for example, when sharing sweets a child brought from home, when counting frogs and singing number rhymes. Teaching in reception classes is good overall and during mental mathematics activities children demonstrate their understanding of numbers to 20. They know, ‘one more and one less’ of a given number. In both nursery and reception classes, children understand the language and meaning of measuring. In the nursery, children talk about how tall they are and who is taller, tallest, shorter, and shortest and even notice they have grown over one term. In reception, they compare two quantities and are capable of making sensible

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Mathematical development

estimates during water play. Good questioning by the teacher enables children to discover the need for standardisation when using non-standard measures for measuring toys.

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Mathematical development

77. Activities are well matched to children’s level of understanding and children are making good progress during lessons. The majority of children attain standards above those expected for their age. All children, including those with special needs, are enabled to achieve their learning potential.

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

St Dunstan’s Cheam CE Primary School - 30 78. Most children on entering nursery school have had the benefit of a good range of experiences provided in their home environment. Most children enter reception classes with good general knowledge about the world around them. The good teaching strategies of both teaching and support staff build on what the children already know about their environment and technology. Children know their own school environment well and confidently move around the school. Nursery children take the register to the school office while unobtrusively observed by staff. They talk about their exploration of pond life with confidence and with knowledge gained from firsthand experience and careful observation. For example, very good questioning by nursery staff results in engaging children’s enthusiasm and higher order thinking skills, apparent from responses such as, ‘tadpoles need air to breathe’, ‘snails keep the water clean’ and ‘tadpoles come from

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

frogspawn’. Children in both the nursery and reception classes are mostly very confident in using the computer and have already developed good mouse and keyboard skills; however, the use of ICT is not consistently planned for and implemented throughout lessons.

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

79. All children make good progress during lessons and attainment for the majority of children is above average for their age.

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Physical development

80. Nursery children have very good access to teacher directed and self-initiated physical activities. Physical development is well planned and supported by a good range of resources. In reception classes, opportunities are more restricted because of the limitations already described in the opening paragraphs of this section. Sound teaching provides children with structured opportunities to develop their physical skills. However, teachers in reception need to recognise the need for more flexible and open-ended planning of physical education lessons for the youngest children, to allow for a variety of different responses and to encourage maximum activity during lessons, uninterrupted by constant changeovers. Children do have other opportunities for developing their large motor skills, such as playing and climbing on nursery equipment and responding to music during dance and movement lessons in the new infant hall. Children develop

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Physical development

their physical skills whilst using materials such as play-dough, handling writing and painting tools, and cutting and gluing collage materials. The majority of children are confident and have good control over their bodies, in both fine and gross motor skills. They are achieving above average for their age in most aspects of physical development.

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Creative development

81. Staff ensure that children have very good opportunities for being creative. Children in the nursery and in reception classes have the opportunity to explore different media and materials and develop their knowledge of texture, colour and shape. Nursery and reception children enjoy making collages, painting and drawing around favourite topics and stories such as ‘The Rainbow Fish’, ‘Peter and the Wolf’ and ‘Toys’. Nursery and reception children know and perform a good range of songs with enthusiasm, diction and considerable competence.

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Creative development

82. Teaching in the creative area is good, as is learning. The majority of children are achieving results above average for their age in all areas of the creative curriculum.

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ENGLISH

83. By the end of Year 2 and Year 6, pupils attain standards that are well above those expected in speaking and listening, reading and writing. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and those who learn English as an additional language, make good progress. A significant number of pupils are making very good progress. This maintains the position at the previous inspection. It also confirms the standards attained in the National Curriculum tests. Results in the tests over the past five years indicate that standards have been consistently high. Some differences have been noted between the performance of girls and boys; however, no significant variations were observed during the inspection. St Dunstan’s Cheam CE Primary School - 31 84. Standards in speaking and listening throughout the school are outstanding and are well above those found in most schools. Pupils enter the school with above average skills in language and

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ENGLISH

communication and, as a result of good quality teaching, make good progress in all year groups, resulting in the very high standards achieved. Teachers have become expert at developing pupils’ speaking and listening skills through well-planned activities, supported by clearly focused learning objectives. In all lessons, pupils respond to their teachers’ questioning positively and engage willingly in quality dialogue whilst working in pairs, small groups and whole class discussions. Many pupils are extremely articulate and use interesting language and complex sentences to express their ideas clearly, confidently and succinctly. Pupils in all year groups are able to listen well to each other and their teachers. Where a few pupils call out inappropriately in some lessons, teachers use their well-developed classroom management skills to help pupils change this.

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ENGLISH

85. The school has developed excellent strategies for the teaching of reading and, as a result, standards are well above those expected nationally at the end of Year 2 and Year 6, with increasing numbers of pupils attaining the higher levels in both age groups. Overall pupils, including those with special educational needs, consistently make very good progress in their reading. Higher attaining and average ability pupils read very well indeed. They are accurate and fluent, use expression effectively, often making good attempts at self-correcting, and show clear understanding of the plot. They also use punctuation well, which demonstrates their developing understanding of its function and use in reading and writing. Lower ability pupils are able to read simple texts, using the context of the story and pictures to help them with decoding. However, they sometimes lack confidence in tackling new or unfamiliar words. Almost all pupils make use

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ENGLISH

of their developing knowledge of phonics and blends to help themselves with unfamiliar words. Most pupils express a liking for reading and take books home regularly. Reading records are well maintained and show that parents are encouraged to contribute to their children’s learning. However, these are mainly used to record the books that pupils are reading and are not providing a sufficiently evaluative record of pupils’ progress in reading.

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ENGLISH

86. The school library has been refurbished and restocked since the previous inspection and all books are catalogued electronically. The range of fiction and non-fiction books both within the library and those used in classrooms is very good. Library staff are excellent; they know the stock well and ensure that quality and quantity are both appropriate and plentiful. Whilst few pupils make regular use of a library out of school many make good use of the excellent stock of books maintained in the school library.

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ENGLISH

87. Standards in writing are above those expected nationally by Year 2 and by Year 6. Progress is consistently good and often very good, even when taking into account, pupils’ above average attainment on entry to the school. Numbers of pupils achieving the higher levels, however, are lower than those achieved in reading. By the end of Year 2, higher attaining and average ability pupils are communicating meaning effectively in their writing. They are encouraged to write independently. They can write and explain their ideas in a logical sequence and show an increased awareness of more complex punctuation, such as question marks, exclamation marks and speech marks. Lower ability pupils are making progress in ordering their ideas and some are using full stops and capital letters correctly, often spelling simple words accurately. By the end of Year 6, most pupils’ writing shows maturity and a thorough knowledge of the use of language to

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ENGLISH

communicate and express feelings, ideas and emotions. Pupils write for a range of purposes including lists, instructions, letters, accounts and story telling. Other areas of the curriculum such as history, design technology and religious education are used within English lessons to provide opportunities for extended writing which further contributes to the high standards in writing across the school. In some classes the overuse of worksheets, particularly published worksheets, is restricting pupils’ development in creative writing and this is unsatisfactory.

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ENGLISH

88. Overall standards in handwriting and presentation are high across the school and are contributing to the high standards in pupils’ writing. There is a clear sense of a whole-school approach developing. Letters are correctly formed, pen and pencil grips are generally appropriate. Most pupils are developing a neat, cursive style of writing enabling them to write freely and at speed when necessary. St Dunstan’s Cheam CE Primary School - 32 89. There is no consistency across the school in the use of books or folders for the recording of work; for example, in one class pupils have up to seven books or folders for their English work. This is preventing both teachers and pupils from recognising progress over time or identifying specific areas for improvement. Where able writers are required to record work in small, wide-lined books designed for less competent writers the standard of these pupils’ work is devalued and their ability

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ENGLISH

to write an appropriate amount on one page is restricted. These aspects of English are holding down standards and need to be improved. St Dunstan’s Cheam CE Primary School - 33 90. The quality of teaching observed in lessons was good overall, with examples of very good and excellent teaching. This contributes to the high standards being achieved. The school has worked hard on developing teachers’ planning which follows the National Literacy Strategy format in almost all classes. Learning objectives are clear and tasks to match pupils’ levels of attainment are identified, although in some cases this provision is very basic and often relates only to the use of support staff. In some classes, the level of work is not sufficiently evident in pupils’ tasks because there is no annotation to provide a context for what support has been given. Too much use of worksheets does not enable pupils to make the best possible progress in their

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ENGLISH

91. Teachers have very good subject knowledge overall; some demonstrate excellent subject knowledge and offer pupils a very high quality learning experience. Teachers are clear about what they want pupils to learn and generally base learning objectives on what pupils already know and can do. This results in pupils being given activities, which challenge or extend their learning. In some lessons teachers bring learning objectives alive in the way they share these with pupils and revisit them during the plenary where pupils are given good opportunities to evaluate their own work and progress. However, plenaries do not always consolidate or extend pupils’ learning sufficiently. Many teachers are particularly skilled in questioning pupils so as to challenge them. The pace of lessons is generally good but occasionally lessons lose pace and, where this happens, pupils’ interest and motivation diminishes, which results in outcomes of a lower

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ENGLISH

standard than normal and higher attaining pupils are less well challenged. Occasionally teachers’ expectations are not high enough and teachers fail to consistently model an appropriate style of handwriting whilst teaching. Teachers with high expectations consistently require pupils to provide dates and titles for each piece of work, to put it into context. Relationships in classrooms are outstanding which enables pupils to work very well collaboratively.

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ENGLISH

92. The English curriculum includes a wide range of extra-curricular activities, which further enhance and enrich pupils’ learning. Drama has now been developed through, for example, role-play in lessons and assemblies. This is an improvement since the previous inspection. Support staff work well with SEN pupils, which generally enables them to participate in lessons effectively. Some pupils are identified as requiring additional support for their literacy, either in groups or individually; however, pupils are often removed from the classroom for this, which denies them access to teaching and learning alongside other pupils and sometimes, is less challenging.

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ENGLISH

93. Homework is used effectively to support and extend pupils’ learning. All pupils, including those with special educational needs, have appropriate targets for improving their literacy skills but there was little evidence of these being used in lessons or to support teachers’ planning. Discussions with pupils in lessons revealed that most know what their targets are. The marking of pupils’ work is developing but still inconsistent; in some classes teachers are establishing an effective dialogue through evaluative comments and identifying what pupils have to do to improve. The school has developed very good procedures for developing pupils’ basic literacy skills. Pupils are given some good opportunities to use their writing skills in other subjects during English lessons and ICT is used effectively to help pupils acquire literacy skills.

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ENGLISH

94. The leadership and management of English are very good and this is an improvement on the findings recorded in the previous inspection. The subject leader has a clear understanding of what needs to be done in order to maintain and continue to improve standards, particularly in writing, across the school.

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MATHEMATICS

95. Standards are well above those expected at the end of Years 2 and 6. This reflects the most recent national test results. Since 1999 results have been consistently at this high level. Since the time of the last inspection there have been improvements in the provision for mathematics; the very effective implementation of the National Numeracy Strategy has given a clearer focus to lessons and the overall quality of teaching has risen. ‘Setting’, whereby pupils are taught in groups based on their prior attainment, has been introduced in Year 6. This has allowed teachers to focus more effectively on pupils’ individual needs. Together, with Booster classes , which are St Dunstan’s Cheam CE Primary School - 34 run for pupils whose current attainment is below average, this allows pupils to make good progress. Pupils benefit from the smaller ‘booster’ classes. This is further improving standards.

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MATHEMATICS

The previous report identified weaknesses in pupils’ investigative mathematics. The school has sought to rectify this and there is evidence of improvement in this area. However, occasionally investigative work is too teacher directed, providing pupils with little opportunity to use their knowledge to devise their own ways of solving problems.

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MATHEMATICS

96. Generally, pupils enter the school with above average attainment. Throughout the school progress is good. Pupils with special educational needs and those with English as an additional language also progress well. These pupils are well supported by classroom assistants and class teachers are sensitive to the needs of the range of ability within their classes and plan accordingly.

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MATHEMATICS

97. Pupils receive a well-balanced mathematics curriculum that provides coverage of all the required strands of the National Curriculum. An appropriate emphasis is placed on the development of numeracy, and some opportunities are taken to consolidate knowledge through work in other subjects. Science work provides scope for accurate measurement and design and technology reinforces pupils’ knowledge of angles. Specific computer programs (ICT) are used to reinforce mathematical concepts. However, these links are not always systematically planned. Consequently, whilst some teachers are alert to the possibilities to reinforce mathematical understanding, other opportunities are missed.

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MATHEMATICS

98. The standard of mental mathematics is good. The school places great emphasis on this and it forms an important part of every lesson. Standards in numeracy are high because pupils are encouraged to think mathematically. Teachers encourage pupils to know number facts ‘by heart’, and pupils are able to employ a range of appropriate strategies to solve problems.

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MATHEMATICS

99. By the time they leave the school, pupils of average ability are confident with number. The good rate of progress is attributable to the consistency of the teaching, and to the planning of the curriculum, which ensures that knowledge is developed systematically. Pupils’ skills and confidence are developed in working with number. Pupils have a good mathematical vocabulary, which they use well to describe what they are doing. They have a good understanding of place value and older pupils know their multiplication tables. Pupils learn to make sensible estimates and to check the reasonableness of their answer. They understand area and volume, and calculate them accurately. Pupils can create and interpret data in a variety of graphs.

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MATHEMATICS

100. Pupils’ positive attitudes to learning are very good and a further factor in the good progress achieved. Pupils enjoy the subject and work with enthusiasm. The majority sustain concentration appropriate for their age, and older pupils demonstrate very high levels of perseverance and concentration. Pupils form very good relationships and work well co-operatively and collaboratively. They treat equipment with care and share resources sensibly. The standard of presentation is good and teachers set high standards in this area. The very good standard of presentation prevents unnecessary errors, such as misreading carelessly formed figures. Pupils’ positive attitudes also result in their producing an impressive quantity of work. Consequently, a significant amount of ground is covered in the available time. This also contributes to the good progress and high standards that are achieved

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MATHEMATICS

101. The quality of teaching is good overall. This marks another significant improvement since the last inspection when it was judged to be satisfactory. Teachers plan work carefully and pitch their teaching appropriately for the range of prior attainment in their class. Good use is made of classroom assistants to support lower attaining pupils. Teachers know the pupils in their classes well and prepare thoroughly a range of suitable activities to allow all pupils to make good progress. The quality of teaching has a direct bearing on the good rate of progress that is achieved. Teachers have a very good knowledge and understanding of both the subject and the requirements of the National Curriculum. They explain clearly, question pupils effectively, set a brisk pace and encourage efficient thinking. They are skilful in introducing and reinforcing mathematical vocabulary, so that pupils are able to use it with accuracy and understanding.

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MATHEMATICS

Teachers’ expectations are realistic, and work is set that motivates and enthuses the pupils. The National Numeracy Strategy is providing a clear structure for the systematic development of St Dunstan’s Cheam CE Primary School - 35 knowledge and understanding and teachers implement it well. Teachers use questioning skilfully to gauge and deepen understanding. Their very good organisation and classroom management contributes to the effectiveness of the teaching. This was illustrated in an excellent Year 6 lesson. Although the teacher was working with one group, she remained alert to the needs of others. Consequently, she was able to intervene appropriately when clarification was necessary. All lessons contain some good direct teaching, and teachers strike an appropriate balance between mental and written mathematics. Lessons have a clear purpose and objective. Teachers mark work carefully, and make it clear to pupils how their work could be improved.

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MATHEMATICS

Teachers make good use of resources, such as measuring equipment, number lines and calculators, and teach pupils to use them correctly and appropriately. Although no unsatisfactory teaching was seen, a few lessons were less effective. This was either because the pace of the lesson was too slow, thus failing to move pupils’ learning forward sufficiently, or there was minimal challenge for the most able pupils.

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MATHEMATICS

102. Leadership and management are very good. The co-ordinators are playing an important role in the continuing development of the subject. The effectiveness of teaching has been evaluated through lesson observations and an analysis of work and teachers’ planning is monitored on a regular basis. Careful analysis of test papers has identified strengths and weaknesses and the curriculum has been modified to address areas for development. Systems for monitoring pupils’ progress are very good and information is used very well to plan for the future. This represents an improvement since the time of the last inspection. Overall, the school has made very good improvements since the time of the last inspection and is well placed to develop further.

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SCIENCE

103. The standards attained by pupils at the end of Years 2 and 6 are well above average. This confirms the high standards attained in teachers’ assessment and the national tests and is an improvement on the findings recorded in the last inspection. It also reflects the attention the school has given to improving the attainment of the above average pupils. From Years 1 to 6, pupils, including those from minority ethnic backgrounds, those with special educational needs, and those for whom English is an additional language, make good progress. The inspection found no significant differences in the attainment of boys and girls.

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SCIENCE

104. Pupils develop a good understanding of the main elements of the subject. They know the difference between solids, liquids and gases and that some changes in materials are reversible, whilst others are not. They make particularly good progress in the study of life processes and living things, which is supported well by the school’s own pond area and the extra-curricular activities such as the Environment and Young Investigators’ Clubs. Across the school the pupils now make better progress in scientific enquiry, which is an improvement on the findings of the last inspection. They recognise the importance of collecting evidence to answer questions and to develop scientific ideas. This was evident from a display showing different classifications of trees, the result of visit by a Year 5 class to a farm. A positive development in Years 1 and 2 is the interactive display that is changed weekly and to which pupils are encouraged to respond by, for

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SCIENCE

example, classifying animate or inanimate objects.

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SCIENCE

105. Older pupils have a good understanding of micro-organisms as a result of their investigations into mould forming on stale bread and then making links with the SARS virus, and also to diseases in Victorian times. This makes good links with their learning in history. Overall, science makes a satisfactory contribution to pupils’ competence in literacy and numeracy; listening skills are enhanced when following instructions and practical applications for mathematics are supported by interpretation of graphs. Pupils have frequent opportunities to engage in investigations but their abilities to predict possible outcomes or to evaluate their experiments are not yet strong enough. The recording of work and giving results in sufficient detail are not done well enough and, as a result, the reinforcement of literacy skills and opportunities for extended writing are missed. The excessive use of worksheets by younger pupils also prevents them from developing their recording

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SCIENCE

and presentation skills. This restricts pupils’ progress, particularly for the higher attaining pupils. St Dunstan’s Cheam CE Primary School - 36 106. The quality of teaching and learning is good overall. Lesson planning, subject knowledge, positive management of pupils and careful selection of relevant resources to demonstrate teaching points are particular strengths. The good relationships, high expectations and clearly defined instructions motivate pupils effectively and ensure that they understand what is expected of them and has a positive impact upon their learning. In lessons, when time limits are set for the completion of tasks, the pupils respond well by showing greater application and effort, which is evident in the amount of work they produce. In some lessons, tasks are not always matched to pupils’ levels of attainment and therefore provide some pupils with insufficient challenge in their

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SCIENCE

learning. ICT is not used enough to record results or to seek scientific knowledge.

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SCIENCE

107. The science curriculum has been appropriately developed, although the use of ICT is not yet fully in place. However, the organisation of the timetable for pupils in Years 3 to 6, where classes have a whole afternoon each week for science lessons, is having a detrimental effect on the quality of teaching and learning. The pace in learning is reduced significantly as a result of pupils losing their motivation and concentration. This is because the lessons are far too long and not all teachers manage this time effectively to sustain pupils’ interest. The school is aware of this issue and has plans to review the situation. Effective and consistent use of homework to support and promote learning at school is currently not used to the pupils’ maximum advantage. Despite this feature, most pupils enjoy science and this contributes positively to their learning and their attitudes towards the subject.

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SCIENCE

108. Leadership and management are good. The action plan effectively and appropriately identifies most of the school’s priorities for the development of science and raising standards. The co- ordinators have implemented a range of initiatives, such as curriculum planning, assessment, the use of performance data, pupil tracking procedures and the development of portfolios. These improvements have already begun to enhance the ability of teachers to provide pupils with sufficiently challenging and interesting tasks. Monitoring of the subject is developing, but the examination of pupils’ work, especially in their exercise books, is not yet rigorous enough.

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ART AND DESIGN

109. Standards are above national expectations in Year 2 and 6 as a result of effective teaching and extra-curricular activities. This is a significant improvement since the previous inspection ,when standards were found merely to meet national expectations. Pupils of all abilities, including those with special educational needs and those from different ethnic origins, make good progress in their learning. Work shows that all pupils are involved well in a good range of activities, using a variety of media.

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ART AND DESIGN

110. In Years 2 and 6, standards are above those expected in painting, collage and sculpture. The majority of pupils make good progress in their learning. Teaching is good overall. In the best lessons there are many strengths. The majority of pupils use a variety of materials effectively to create beautiful pieces of art as a result of teachers’ high expectations. A significant strength of pupils’ knowledge is in how they use paint. In Year 5, pupils produce delightful watercolours of their personal Coat of Arms. A considerable number of more able Year 3 pupils apply watercolours particularly effectively when they paint beautiful line patterns. Good teaching methods are used when the majority of Year 4 pupils learn to apply paint particularly effectively to create pictures in the style of the famous artist Joan Miró. Basic skills of painting are well taught. For instance, paintings of animals in the jungle allow many Year 2 pupils to learn how to mix

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ART AND DESIGN

colours well. Teachers’ knowledge and understanding are good, which means that develop effective observation skills. This is seen when Year 3 pupils produce realistic images of people moving. Collage is used effectively to make models of volcanoes. Good use of resources enables pupils to learn about history and create designs for Ancient Egyptian coffins. Sculptural work is of a good standard. Most Year 4 pupils design and make three-dimensional masks effectively, using papier mâché. Many Year 6 pupils who are more able artists work at above average levels. For example, they select materials with particular qualities so that their hat has features that stand out from the basic form. Almost all Year 2 pupils create sculptures well in the style of Picasso. Pupils like art and enjoy all the activities due to the teachers’ positive attitudes to the subject. Effective management skills of teachers mean that pupils behave well and co-

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ART AND DESIGN

St Dunstan’s Cheam CE Primary School - 37 operate effectively. Good opportunities for social development include group and paired activities. ICT skills are used well. This was seen when nearly all Year 5 pupils created part of a picture effectively using a computer ‘mouse’ and painted effects in the style of poor artists from Peru. Pupils have good opportunities for reflection and spiritual development when the teacher asks pupils to say what they think is good in others’ work. Pupils who speak English as an additional language are included well in all activities, receive good support and so make effective progress.

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ART AND DESIGN

111. Less effective teaching does not develop pupils’ use of shading well to add depth and detail to their sketches. This means that standards of sketching throughout the school meet national expectations but do not exceed them. There are sketchbooks for pupils to experiment with their initial ideas but they are not used to produce written evaluations of their pictures or others. Therefore, there are few opportunities for pupils to use literacy skills in art activities. Numeracy skills are occasionally used effectively when pupils measure the size of materials. Teachers’ use of assessment is satisfactory. However, teachers do not always give pupils specific comments about how they could improve their work.

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ART AND DESIGN

112. The leadership and management of art are good. Since the last inspection there have been significant improvements, particularly in standards. The subject co-ordinators have produced an effective action plan to develop this area. These subject managers monitor and evaluate the subject well through teachers’ planning, analysis of pupils’ work and observations of displayed work. The art club has been developed for younger and older children. Much of the national scheme of work has been adopted to support the schools’ own planning. Assessment activities are now undertaken at the end of the year.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

113. Only two lessons were observed during the inspection but the school presented a good range of pupils’ work and discussions were held with the subject co-ordinators and pupils. Standards are on track to meet national expectations at the end of Years 2 and 6. This is a considerable improvement upon the findings reported at the last inspection. All pupils are suitably included in the curriculum, including those with special educational needs and those who learn English as an additional language. Pupils make satisfactory progress, with no difference between the standards achieved by boys and girls. Pupils enter the school with expected levels of knowledge and understanding in design, making and evaluation and most pupils make satisfactory progress. Therefore, they leave the school with average levels of knowledge in the subject.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

114. Standards of work seen indicate that the quality of teaching is satisfactory. Most pupils work at average standards in their planning and designing skills. Basic skills of planning are effectively taught when Year 5 pupils produce detailed labelled diagrams of the toy they are making using cams and wheels. However, in Year 6, few pupils work at above average levels and a significant number produce rather basic plans for their model fairground rides, with few labels.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

115. A significant strength of pupils’ work is in their making skills. Many products are made to above average standards. The best teaching includes the effective use of methods to develop good quality products. For example, most Year 6 pupils create high quality models of fruit juice packaging. The majority of Year 2 pupils make effective Christmas stocking bags, using paper well, owing to teachers’ high expectations. Some more able Year 6 pupils work at above average levels when they use a range tools and materials with a significant degree of precision. This is seen when they measure and cut wood accurately to make models of their fairground rides and so numeracy skills are used effectively. Resources are used well when most Year 5 pupils make model vehicles using wheels and axles to allow movement effectively. Fabric is used well when pupils make safety armbands in Year 5, and those in Year 2 create Christmas stockings

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

successfully. Pupils enjoy this subject because of teachers’ enthusiasm. They talk about the fun they have working together to make model lighthouses. ICT is used well to support pupils’ learning in this subject. Year 6 pupils use computers to experiment and create nets for their packaging. There are good links with other subjects when pupils in Year 6 design and make a page for a Website. Pupils who are learning to speak English as an additional language are included and supported effectively in lessons so that they make satisfactory progress. St Dunstan’s Cheam CE Primary School - 38 116. Less successful teaching does not form effective links with English, which means that the pupils’ evaluations of products do not use literacy skills well. For instance, a more able Year 6 pupil produced a rather basic evaluation of her slippers. One pupil said, “I would probably change the way I used the material because it went wrong.” However, good evaluations use literacy skills

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

effectively in Year 5. This was seen when a more able Year 5 pupil wrote, “The aspect of the project I found the most difficult was the sewing. I would consider that my project

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

has been successful. If I made another armband I would cover the whole thing in fluorescent strip.” Overall standards of evaluation are average. Teachers’ use of assessment is satisfactory but marking does not often explain to pupils how they could improve their work.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

117. The leadership and management are good overall and the co-ordinators have achieved effective improvements since the last inspection. Improvements include the incorporation of national guidance to support the school’s programme of work. Monitoring of the teachers’ planning by the co-ordinators has assisted the school to raise the profile of this subject. However, the co- ordinators have not monitored the quality of teaching with an emphasis on pupils’ planning and evaluations. This subject makes a good contribution to pupils’ social development when they work together in pairs and groups. It also makes a positive contribution to pupils’ spiritual development when they reflect on their experiences and are amazed by the way materials can be combined.

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GEOGRAPHY

118. The above average standards of attainment in geography at the end of Years 2 and 6 have been sustained since the school’s last inspection. Pupils make good progress throughout the school and in some lessons, they make significant progress. Their attitudes towards learning in geography are very positive.

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GEOGRAPHY

119. By the end of Year 6, pupils have a good grasp of geographical vocabulary and are able to use it accurately to describe a variety of locations and explain the reasons why there are significant differences between them. They build on their knowledge of geographical terms by referring to earlier learning. For example, their knowledge of the term ‘third world’ to describe an under- developed country helped them realise that the UK is considered a ‘first world’ country. They understand the types and scales of maps they employed and some of the specific uses to which they can be out.

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GEOGRAPHY

120. As they move through the school, pupils are systematically developing good map-reading skills. For example, by the end of Year 2, the majority of pupils demonstrate a secure understanding of the use of keys, which they constructed as part of their design of a garden. The local studies, including the use of the school site, are successfully introduced to support pupils’ learning at various stages in their school career. The older pupils have a good knowledge of the range of land uses and the potential pressures on it, in a variety of locations, which both their fieldwork in the local environment and their studies of other parts of the world have helped to develop. In Years 1 and 2, fieldwork on the school site introduced pupils to the variety of uses to which the building is put and many pupils were able to record some of their findings on the school plan provided by the teacher.

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GEOGRAPHY

121. Although too few lessons were observed to make possible a secure judgement of the quality of teaching overall, those seen showed that teachers have a good understanding of the subject. Strengths in teaching include the clear and purposeful introductions to lessons and effective use of the plenary to emphasise the learning intention, precise explanations and good organisation of lessons. Where teaching was very good, the task had been matched carefully to the individual needs of pupils and extra resources or support made available. The teacher also modelled the construction of a map key very effectively so pupils had a good understanding of the task they undertook. The work scrutiny also showed that teachers introduce maps regularly to support work in a range of subjects, particularly in history. St Dunstan’s Cheam CE Primary School - 39

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HISTORY

122. In history, the pupils’ standards of attainment at the end of Years 2 and 6 are above those expected nationally and the school has successfully sustained these at this level since the last inspection. The pupils make good progress in their learning across the school and they display a real enthusiasm for the subject, even where the teaching is less strong. In one lesson in particular the pupils sustained a very high level of engagement on a variety of tasks for over an hour and the buzz of interest was evident even as they left the classroom.

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HISTORY

123. By the time they reach the end of their career in the juniors, pupils have absorbed many historical facts. They are able to readily recall key aspects from their studies in Year 6 and from earlier work, as far back as Year 3, when they studied the culture of Ancient Greece. There is a good understanding of the chronology within periods of study such as the Tudors and how different periods relate to one another. They are able to identify key events and key people and their studies of the Tudors in particular highlight this strength. Younger pupils are taught to look at how life has changed and how we know by learning about specific events, listening to stories about famous people and studying a range of artefacts. Pupils towards the top of the school are able to give reasons for some events and draw out comparisons and differences between the present and specific periods in the past, within the home and in relation to other aspects of life.

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HISTORY

The impact of the local studies they have undertaken throughout both key stages is very strong and pupils can link what they see with specific periods in history.

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HISTORY

124. Too few lessons were observed during the inspection for an overall judgement to be made on the quality of teaching. There was a wide variation in that seen but some overall strengths in the teaching were the good subject knowledge, the enthusiastic delivery and the range of teaching and learning strategies employed. For example, teachers encouraged pupils to work together, to take decisions, to research specific aspects using books and the internet, and incorporated drama as a means of emphasising key points. Where teaching was strongest, the teacher also built effectively on earlier learning by expecting pupils to use the knowledge they already had. Challenging questions were posed that extended pupils’ understanding. A variety of tasks was planned so pupils of all abilities were actively engaged and able to work independently of the teacher when necessary. Weaknesses included the use of stories pupils had encountered

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HISTORY

before, such as ‘Daedalus and Icarus’ and ‘Theseus’. The lesson proceeded at a slow pace and although some pupils were able to consolidate previous learning there was very little or no new learning for most of the pupils in the class.

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HISTORY

125. Aspects identified for development in the action plan for history rightly focus on continuing improvements to planning, extending the use of ICT and increasing opportunities for pupils to engage in more enquiry-based work. This should overcome the excessive use of worksheets on some occasions when pupils could easily pose their own questions for research and take more decisions about how they might present their work.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

126. Standards in Year 2 and 6 are above those expected nationally. This is because the school provides good quality teaching and effective extra-curricular activities, which result in many pupils working at above average levels of attainment. This is a very significant improvement since the last inspection, when standards were below national expectations. Boys and girls achieve similar standards. Pupils who have special educational needs make good progress owing to the effective support by teachers and classroom assistants. Pupils make good progress in their learning as the majority of pupils enter school with average levels of knowledge of ICT.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

127. In Year 1, most pupils are confident in the use of the mouse and keyboard. The majority of pupils make effective use of a word processing program to make eye-catching posters for Pet Week. More able pupils change the colour and size of writing effectively. Some average Year 1 pupils work at levels above those expected for their age. They can open and save their work as well as alter the colour of headlines. Most Year 1 pupils know how to ‘log on’ and ‘log off’ the school’s St Dunstan’s Cheam CE Primary School - 40 network, and they are accurate in loading programs from the ‘menu’. The majority of Year 1 pupils design their own model town on the computer making choices for themselves. Pupils apply their literacy skills successfully in ICT. The majority of pupils in Year 2 show above average skills in combining text and graphics. For example, in Year 2 pupils type and add images to create a glossary of the human body. Little evidence was seen of pupils recording their work in

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

tables or making graphs. A significant strength of older pupils’ knowledge is in the use of desktop publishing packages. In Year 6, nearly all pupils know how to add to texts and so work at expected levels for their age. For example, they create a newspaper report about The Jarrow March. All Year 6 pupils successfully create an identification card using different lettering and images effectively. More able and average Year 6 pupils work at levels beyond those expected for their age when they cut and paste images from the Internet into their work. Most Year 6 pupils have e-mailed other classes in the school. More able pupils talk about how to make a Christmas web site, effectively adding hyper links. Year 6 pupils recall having controlled a device on the computer to create shapes from repeating patterns. Only a few Year 5 and 6 pupils could recall having made predictions about the consequences of their decisions using ICT. Numeracy skills

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

are well utilized. This is seen when the majority of Year 6 pupils use bar graphs and pie charts effectively to display information such as the number of vehicles which pass in a ten-minute period. Older pupils do not often use spreadsheets to work out complex calculations.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

128. Teaching is good overall, which means that pupils achieve well. Teachers effectively use ICT to support learning in other subjects. For instance, Year 5 pupils make presentations about male and female costumes when they study the Tudors in history. The best teaching has many effective features. Teaching methods are good when learning objectives are displayed and shared so that pupils are clear about the focus for learning. Teachers’ effective revision of the previous lesson means that pupils learn to link their knowledge. Teachers’ good teacher subject knowledge and effective use of the interactive white board ensures that new programs are introduced well. For example, in a Year 3 lesson, the teacher demonstrated very effectively how to use a music program so that pupils learned how to compose tunes with a variety of melodies. The teacher’s high expectations allowed pupils to create long and interesting tunes. Basic skills

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

are well taught when Year 1 pupils learn to open saved work on the network. Good teaching gives pupils valuable opportunities to self-evaluate their learning at the end of lessons, which also develops pupils’ spiritual awareness. This was seen when a Year 5 teacher asked, “Which parts of the picture do you feel proud of?” Teachers’ good management skills provide effective ways for pupils to develop socially. This is seen when pupils share computers, concentrate on activities and behave well. Pupils who speak English as an additional language make good progress because of teachers’ emphasis on explaining key vocabulary, which ensures that they play a full part in lessons. Homework often develops pupils’ understanding of the subject as they use the Internet to research topics. Less effective teaching includes planning and questioning that do not consistently challenge more able pupils, with the result that only a limited number of pupils work

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

129. The leadership and management of information and communication technology are good. Two co- ordinators are enthusiastically developing the subject through a very good action plan. Very effective improvements include the school’s network of computers, laptops and programs. Monitoring of pupils’ learning is good. An impressive feature is a file with detailed information of pupils’ attainment throughout the school, although there are currently no examples of pupils working on activities at the higher level 5. Assessment activities are now planned for the end of every unit. There is an ‘Internet Access Policy’ and this has been shared with parents.

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MUSIC

130. By the end of Year 6, standards in music are outstanding and this is an improvement on the findings reported at the last inspection. This is largely due to good teaching throughout the school, the quality and range of learning opportunities, which include the provision of a wide variety of extra-curricular activities, and effective use of first class learning resources and accommodation. This is largely due to the subject co-ordinator’s highly effective leadership. St Dunstan’s Cheam CE Primary School - 41 131. Whilst rather more pupils than usual start at the school with prior musical experience, the school’s very good quality of teaching and learning increases their knowledge, skills and understanding to attain standards much higher than those expected nationally by the end of Year 2 and Year 6. Major improvements in the teaching and learning of composition throughout the school have made a significant contribution towards the high standards. The singing and the

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MUSIC

performance of the school’s orchestra are particular strengths. Junior aged pupils sing with enthusiasm and skill, matching the dynamics of their voices to the requirements of different songs and hymns. They also hold their own line when singing rounds or in harmony and produce a very good overall sound. Younger pupils also sing well, showing good control of pitch, dynamics and rhythm. Pupils make good progress in Years 1 and 2 and very good progress in Years 3 to 6. Pupils with special educational needs and those for whom English is an additional language make good progress as they move through the school because much of the work in lessons is carried out in groups where pupils support each other well. The vast majority of pupils really enjoy music and as a result concentrate hard. They behave particularly well in lessons and during extra- curricular activities. 132. The quality of teaching and learning throughout the school is very good, overall. Excellent subject

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MUSIC

knowledge is used to challenge and extend pupils’ creative abilities. Pupils respond with enthusiasm and all those teachers who have significant expertise manage to evoke a sense of sheer pleasure of music making from the pupils. One Year 5 boy, who had just played in a lunchtime orchestra concert stated, “I really enjoyed that, much more than being with my friends playing outside”. Teachers work hard to ensure that pupils listen carefully to what they hear. In a very good Year 6 lesson, pupils were asked to recognise the bass line in a piece of music. Having created a quiet and reflective atmosphere, the teacher commented, “Excellent listeners, ready to be musicians and to listen to the sounds.” This ambience then enabled her to effectively promote the lesson’s learning objective. Having chosen three different examples of music on CD’s, including “Summer Loving” from the musical “Grease”, her enthusiasm encouraged a boy to

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MUSIC

then sing the bass line in front of the whole class. In lessons where pupils achieved well, there was good planning with appropriate time allocated for the various activities. Tasks were demanding and motivating. In a good and innovative Year 2 lesson, where the class were learning to rehearse and play with others, a choir sang Baa, Baa Black Sheep and was accompanied by pupils playing xylophones, tambourines and time beaters. All showed consistently very good behaviour and positive attitudes towards their learning. However, in a less well executed lesson, poor class management by the teacher led to some evidence of pupils revealing minor disrespect for their instruments as they practised on xylophones and chime bars. Examination of longer term planning revealed that the work set for the pupils consistently builds with increasing pace on previous learning. It also develops their abilities to appreciate a wide variety of music including

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MUSIC

some from other cultures. In addition, it encourages pupils to perform and evaluate their work and that of others, so that they know how to improve. Computers are not yet used regularly to enhance the curriculum. When used in a Year 3 lesson with a recently acquired program called “Compose”, they contributed considerably to the pupils’ learning about composition.

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MUSIC

133. Leadership and management are excellent. Assessment has been developed considerably in recent years and is beginning to inform and influence planning to a greater extent. However, recording is mainly as informal notes and requires some improvement to establish a whole-school format to track the development of pupils. The current selection of instruments available would benefit from the acquisition of more from other cultures. The subject is enriched by regular peripatetic music tuition, the choir, percussion and recorder groups and strong links with the parish church, especially during annual church festivals. The orchestra, choir and dancers make an annual trip to the Fairfield Hall, Croydon, to perform in the Sutton Schools Music Festival, and the school in general benefits from a wide range of visitors such as the group, “Just Trombones”, who perform to them. Music makes a very good contribution to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and

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MUSIC

cultural development; for example, in the way that pupils are encouraged to reflect upon their feelings when listening to music during acts of school worship. Pupils have very good opportunities to collaborate when performing.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

St Dunstan’s Cheam CE Primary School - 42 134. It was not possible to see all elements of physical education in all year groups. Therefore judgements have been made from lesson observations, discussions with teachers and pupils and from school records. Attainment overall is above that expected of pupils at the end of Year 6, and there are particular strengths, such as swimming and gymnastics, which are well above. Standards overall, have been maintained and improved when compared to those reported at the last inspection.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

135. Attainment in swimming is well above the levels expected. All pupils in Year 6 are on track to swim the minimum 25 metres in a recognised stroke and about half the pupils have attained further awards, such as swimming 200 metres and personal survival. Many pupils achieve well in gymnastics, mainly as a result of the additional tuition received through extra-curricular activities. Pupils work very well together and they perform confidently. Too few, however, perform with sufficient control and poise throughout the sequences because this is not sufficiently emphasised by all teachers. Pupils perform well when they are taught specific dances but they perform less well when they are expected to explore and create their own movements to music. Many pupils benefit from additional coaching in a wide range of games provided through extra-curricular activities at lunchtimes and after school. As a result, a significant proportion of pupils attain

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

levels above those expected. Attainment in athletics is average by Year 6. Pupils’ attitudes to learning are excellent and they show great maturity when working in pairs at events such as running, jumping and throwing. They measure times and distances with precision and record their data carefully. However, they are not as proficient at analysing strengths and weaknesses in their own and others’ performances, particularly in dance and gymnastics. Pupils have a good understanding of the effects of exercise on the body and can explain why there is a need to warm up before exercise and a need to cool down afterwards. Pupils make good progress overall and in some aspects they make very good progress. The extra-curricular activities significantly help pupils to achieve well and in gymnastics, very well. Pupils’ attitudes are excellent and the proportion of pupils attending extra-curricular activities is high.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

136. By the end of Year 2, most pupils attain levels that are typical for their age in dance and games. A significant proportion attain above the level expected in gymnastics, mostly as a result of the additional tuition they receive from extra-curricular activities. Pupils already know the basic elements of why exercise is good for the body and can report on some of the effects it has, such as a faster pulse and where muscles are stretching or feeling tired.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

137. Teaching is satisfactory overall in Years 1 and 2 and good overall in Years 3 to 6. In the lessons observed, it ranged from satisfactory to very good. In the best lessons, teachers are confident in their knowledge of the subject. They plan well, make clear the objectives of the lesson and use effective strategies to achieve them. There is a very good balance between activity and the use of exemplars and discussion, which enables the lesson to proceed at a fast pace with all pupils engaged in activity for most of the lesson. Teachers look for quality and control in pupils’ movements and skills. Pupils are expected to change their clothing rapidly at the beginning and end of lessons; where apparatus is assembled, it is in place in moments rather than minutes, with pupils ensuring that safety procedures are adhered to. Relationships are excellent and teachers’ management of pupils is very good enabling lessons to proceed without any correction

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

of pupils’ behaviour. Where lessons are merely satisfactory, teachers do not expect enough of pupils, parts of the lesson move at too slow a pace and pupils are not involved enough in evaluating their own skills or those of others. Pupils who are unable to participate in activities are not given tasks to involve them in the learning of the class.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

138. Leadership is good. The range of activities, including the extra-curricular activities, is excellent and the school has recently adopted a new scheme of work, which is being used in all classes. There are plans to review its effectiveness. Lesson planning is monitored and a portfolio is in place to help teachers with their assessment procedures but monitoring through observation of lessons is less well advanced and teaching in general would benefit from a programme of lesson observations because of the lack of consistently good teaching.

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