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Edgewick Community Primary School
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- Inspectorssingle source
Educational Inclusion
- URN verified
103642
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Strengths
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- However, as a result of effective working links and targeted support provided by class teachers, additional specialist teachers and the many highly skilled bi-lingual support assistants, they make good progress. p.13
- Additional support is well planned and the skilful use of additional support staff helps pupils make good progress in learning new words. p.9
- This support is well planned and the skilful use of the bi-lingual assistants to translate from English to the pupils’ home language, allows pupils to make good progress in the mathematics lessons. p.38
- The quality of teaching in one lesson was good, and the teacher's clear explanations enabled pupils to work very well independently and to make very good progress. p.44
- The teachers had very good subject knowledge and taught appropriate skills very well, which again enabled pupils to make very good progress. p.44
Concerns
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- Although she has regular discussions with staff on the impact of actions on pupils’ progress, the lack of monitoring of teaching in classrooms, means that there is insufficient detail to improve further their work. p.25
- This restricts their ability to take part in activities but is also unsafe, for instance when wearing a long tight skirt in a p.46
- However the lack of a clear understanding of governors’ roles and responsibilities in these meetings and the poor attendance at both full governing body and committee meetings, prevents the governing body from being fully effective. p.25
- Their standards are low and they make poor progress. p.15
- The education welfare officer and the welfare officer for minority groups support service make home visits to follow up on the absence of a few pupils with poor attendance. p.22
Next steps
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- The school was previously inspected in June 1997. p.7
- Overall, satisfactory progress has been made in most of the key issues identified within the report. p.7
- It has made satisfactory progress in developing curriculum planning for art and design, design and technology and ICT. p.7
- None of the staff remain who received training following the last inspection to improve their knowledge in these subjects. p.7
- The school has included a new programme of training in its comprehensive long-term improvement plan. p.7
- Good progress has been made in assessing pupils’ progress in the core subjects and setting targets for improvement. p.7
- Classrooms are no longer used as a dining area. p.7
- Even though the staff has completely changed since the previous inspection, the quality of teaching has been maintained at a satisfactory level. p.7
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- 48
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- 22,095
- longer than usual (typical 1049)
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- Fairly hard
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- 17 words
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Full report text
EDGEWICK COMMUNITY PRIMARY SCHOOL
Reporting inspector: Mr P Rayers RgI’s OIN 17851
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EDGEWICK COMMUNITY PRIMARY SCHOOL
Dates of inspection: 4 th – 7 th November 2002
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EDGEWICK COMMUNITY 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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EDGEWICK COMMUNITY 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. Edgewick Community Primary - 3
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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
School address: Cross Road Foleshill Coventry West Midlands
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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
Appropriate authority: The Governing Body
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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
Name of chair of governors: Mr Ian Malins
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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
Date of previous inspection: 30 th June 1997 Edgewick Community Primary - 4
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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM
Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities
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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM
17851 Mr P Rayers Registered inspector Art and design Physical education What sort of school is it? The school’s results and achievements. How well are pupils taught? How well is the school led and managed? What should the school do to improve further? 19436 Mr M O’Malley Lay inspector Educational Inclusion Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development. How well does the school work in partnership with parents? 15360 Mrs E Randall Team inspector English, religious education, special educational needs How well does the school care for its pupils?
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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM
20230 Mrs J Clayphan Team inspector Information and communication technology, music, the Foundation Stage 28071 Mr A Williams Team inspector Science, geography, history, English as an additional language How good are the curricular and other opportunities offered to pupils? 32249 Mr N Grimshaw Team inspector Mathematics, design and technology
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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM
The inspection contractor was: Leicestershire County Council Advice & Inspection Service County Hall Glenfield Leicestershire LE3 8RF Any concerns or complaints about the inspection or the report should be raised with the inspection contractor. Complaints that are not satisfactorily resolved by the contractor should be raised with OFSTED by writing to: The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division
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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM
Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Edgewick Community Primary - 5
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REPORT CONTENTS
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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PART B: COMMENTARY
The school’s results and pupils’ achievements Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development
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HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER
HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS? 21-23
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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN
HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED? 24-26
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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN
WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER? 27
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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN
PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS 28-32
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PART D: THE STANDARDS AND QUALITY OF TEACHING IN
AREAS OF THE CURRICULUM, SUBJECTS AND COURSES 33-50 Edgewick Community Primary - 6
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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
Edgewick Community Primary School is situated in the Foleshill Ward in the City of Coventry. It is an inner city area with a high level of social and economic deprivation. There are 229 pupils on roll that includes 26 full-time equivalent children in the nursery. The school’s intake reflects the rich cultural mix of the area and the major ethnic groupings are Pakistani 33 per cent, Indian 25 per cent, White19 per cent, Bangladeshi eight per cent, Black seven per cent and others eight per cent, of which five per cent are pupils from families seeking asylum. It is an averaged sized primary school and takes 60 per cent of pupils from out of its adjacent areas with similar characteristics to it. Children enter the nursery on a part-time basis either in September or January after their third birthday. Their attainment on entry is very low when compared to general expectations for this age group. A high number, 20 per cent last year, start or leave the school at times other than the
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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
beginning and end of school years. Seventy five per cent of pupils are at varying stages of learning English as an additional language and this is very high when compared nationally. The most frequent home languages are Mirpuri/Urdu, Punjabi and Bengali. Twelve per cent of the pupils are on the school’s list of special educational needs, which is below the national average. Three pupils have statements of special educational needs. Their needs include moderate learning, emotional and behavioural, speech and communication, physical and autistic difficulties. The school has undergone a considerable period of change since the previous inspection and there has been a complete change of senior staff and classroom teachers. Following the appointment of the new headteacher eighteen months ago, significant improvements have been made in the school’s ability to raise standards. It has recently received a national award for improving pupils’ achievement.
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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS
Edgewick Community Primary School now provides a sound education and gives satisfactory value for money. The headteacher provides very good leadership and the school has chosen the right priorities for improvement. However, co-ordinators in some subjects are new to the post and have had little time to influence development. Leadership in these subjects is unsatisfactory. The school has effective procedures to include all pupils in the education it offers. Most teaching is satisfactory or better and is good for the very youngest and the older pupils. Pupils’ standards of attainment in English, mathematics and science (core subjects) are improving but attainment in English and science is not yet high enough. What the school does well The headteacher sets a clear educational direction and with senior staff, leads and manages the school very well Assessment of pupils’ attainment and progress in English, mathematics and science is
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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS
very good Support for pupils with English as an additional language and pupils with special educational needs is good and they make good progress Develops excellent relationships between all pupils and promotes good behaviour and a positive attitude to learning Promotes effective partnerships with parents, the local community and other local schools to support pupils’ learning Edgewick Community Primary - 7 What could be improved Raise standards further in English and science Improve pupils’ progress in physical education, information and communication technology(ICT) and music (for Year 2 and Year 6 pupils) and design and technology and art and design (for Year 2 pupils) The effectiveness of the governing body in directing and contributing to the work of the school Levels of attendance 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 previously inspected in June 1997. Overall, satisfactory progress has been made in most of the key issues identified within the report. It has made satisfactory progress in developing curriculum planning for art and design, design and technology and ICT. None of the staff remain who received training following the last inspection to improve their knowledge in these subjects. The school has included a new programme of training in its comprehensive long-term improvement plan. Good progress has been made in assessing pupils’ progress in the core subjects and setting targets for improvement. Classrooms are no longer used as a dining area. Even though the staff has completely changed since the previous inspection, the quality of teaching has been maintained at a satisfactory level. The present stability in staffing and the quality of leadership means the school has the capacity to continue to improve.
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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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STANDARDS
Performance in: All schools similar schools Key
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STANDARDS
English E* E E E well above average above average A B Mathematics E C E E Average below average C D Science E E* E* E well below average E
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STANDARDS
E* means schools performance is in the lowest 5 per cent .
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STANDARDS
On starting school in the nursery, most children’s attainment is very low when compared to that generally found, particularly in communication, language and literacy. Most children have no knowledge of English. During their time in the nursery and reception class they make good progress in learning to speak English and in personal, social and emotional development. By the time they enter Year 1, even though they have made at least satisfactory progress in all areas and good progress in speaking and listening, mathematical development and personal, social and emotional, they are still well below the attainment expected. From this starting point, pupils make satisfactory progress in reading and writing and good progress in mathematics. In recent years, Year 2 pupils’ standards in reading, writing and mathematics have been very low. Although there was an improvement in 2002, standards in reading and writing were well below the national average and below those of
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STANDARDS
similar schools (those with a similar proportion of pupils entitled to a free school meal). In Edgewick Community Primary - 8 mathematics they were also well below the national average but were in line with those of similar schools. In 2002, science standards were very low when compared to the national average and well below those of similar schools. Since 1998 and up until this year, Year 6 pupils’ standards of attainment in English and mathematics consistently improved. In 2002 they dropped significantly. The table above shows that, when compared nationally and with those of similar schools, standards in English and mathematics were well below average and very low in science. Although pupils did make progress, they did so from a starting point much lower than usual. Over the last four years, the attainment in science has remained very low when compared to the national average and well below those of similar schools.
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STANDARDS
Last year, the school met its target for Year 6 pupils in attainment in English but did not reach its target in mathematics. Current standards of literacy are low but improving. The present Year 6 pupils reach below average standards in English and science but are now making good progress in these subjects. The current standards of numeracy are in line with most 11 year olds, they reach average standards in mathematics and make good progress. A significantly higher proportion of pupils than last year and previous years are making good progress and reaching higher levels in the core subjects. The school is making good progress towards its targets for 2003. Year 2 and Year 6 pupils’ standards are average and they make satisfactory progress in history, geography and religious education. Year 6 pupils’ standards are average and they make satisfactory progress in art and design and design and technology but Year 2 pupils’ standards are below average and they make
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STANDARDS
unsatisfactory progress. Year 2 and Year 6 pupils’ standards are below average and they do not make satisfactory progress in physical education and music. In ICT standards are well below average in Year 2 and below in Year 6 and they do not make satisfactory progress. Pupils who have English as an additional language and those who have special educational needs are well supported and make good progress.
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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES
Attitudes to the school Pupils have good attitudes to school and their learning
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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES
Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school. They work well together and respond well to staff’s expectations of them.
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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES
Personal development and relationships Pupils’ personal development is very good and they have maintained the high standards since the previous inspection. Relationships with one another and with adults are excellent.
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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES
Attendance Attendance is poor and a significant number of pupils are late for the start of lessons in the morning
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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES
Pupils play and work happily together with few tensions of any kind. They are eager to help one another and are genuinely pleased at others’ success. There were many examples of pupils taking the initiative and offering sensitive support to others in their class. At playtimes, pupils share the various play areas considerately. Last year about 100 pupils attended for less than 90 per cent of the time and 32 of these for less than 80 per cent. A similar pattern is emerging this year. Punctuality is unsatisfactory. On average about 10 pupils are late each day. Edgewick Community Primary - 9
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TEACHING AND LEARNING
Teaching of pupils in: Nursery and Reception Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6
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TEACHING AND LEARNING
Quality of teaching Satisfactory Satisfactory Good Inspectors make judgements about teaching in the range: excellent; very good; good; satisfactory; unsatisfactory; poor; very poor. ‘Satisfactory’ means that the teaching is adequate and strengths outweigh weaknesses.
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TEACHING AND LEARNING
In the Foundation Stage, in nearly all areas of learning, teaching is at least satisfactory. In the nursery the majority of teaching is good, particularly the teaching of spoken English and the development of personal, social and emotional skills. Children are given many opportunities to use both English and their home language to access information and to make choices about their learning. In reception, children are sometimes over-directed and have fewer opportunities to become more independent in their learning. In the rest of the school, staff plan well and make sure pupils experience a balance of activities suited to their differing abilities. The teaching of English and mathematics is at least satisfactory and often good. In Years 3 to 6, where most teaching is good or better, teachers have high expectations of pupils and motivate them by ensuring they are actively involved in all stages
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TEACHING AND LEARNING
of their learning. The very few unsatisfactory lessons were in physical education. Teachers’ lack of subject knowledge prevented them from planning sufficient learning opportunities to develop pupils’ skills and this restricted their progress. The teaching of pupils learning English as an additional language and those with special educational needs is always good and they make good progress. Teachers use highly experienced teaching and bi-lingual assistants well to support pupils’ learning.
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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL
The quality and range of the curriculum The school provides a good quality curriculum. The extra curricular activities and links with the community make a very good contribution to pupils’ learning.
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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL
Provision for pupils with special educational needs The provision for these pupils is good. They have access to all activities and support staff are used well to help the pupils make good progress.
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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL
Provision for pupils with English as an additional language The provision for these pupils is good. Additional support is well planned and the skilful use of additional support staff helps pupils make good progress in learning new words.
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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL
Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development This provision is very good overall with strengths in moral, social and cultural development. This promotes high standards of personal development.
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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL
How well the school cares for its pupils The school cares for its pupils well. It monitors their academic performance well and their personal development very well.
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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL
The school promotes an effective partnership with parents. It continues to offer good support and guidance to its pupils and makes very good provision for extra activities. Its effective link with a local Beacon school (a school receiving a national award for excellence) has ensured better coverage of the ICT curriculum and more informed teaching. Progress in this subject is improving accordingly. The school has good procedures for assessing pupils’ stage of development and their subsequent progress in English, mathematics and Edgewick Community Primary - 10 more recently science. It is only just beginning to use similar procedures in other subjects. Procedures for monitoring and supporting pupils’ personal development are very good. The community makes a very good contribution to the life of the school and it works very well with local schools and organisations. Staff are very careful to monitor and eliminate all
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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL
forms of oppressive behaviour and are particularly vigilant over potential issues of racism. There are detailed records of progress pupils’ make in early stages of learning English as an additional language and those with special educational needs. There is not enough done to improve poor attendance.
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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED
Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff The headteacher leads the school very well and is supported by the deputy headteacher and other senior staff in providing good management but co-ordination in subjects other than English, mathematics and science is unsatisfactory.
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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED
How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities The governors are all relatively new to the role and are only just developing systems to keep in closer touch with the school. They are not yet able to fulfil their roles effectively.
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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED
The school’s evaluation of its performance The school monitors and evaluates important aspects of its work, such as the quality of teaching and pupils’ progress in the core subjects well
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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED
The strategic use of resources The school makes very good use of its resources and grants and plans effectively for their use in both the short and medium term. It also makes best use of its limited accommodation.
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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED
The headteacher and senior staff oversee school development and ensure that the school’s aims, such as those promoting all pupils’ involvement in school activities, are well reflected in its work. The delegation of leadership in some subjects is relatively new and subject co- ordinators do not provide satisfactory leadership in their subjects. The provision for pupils learning English as an additional language and those with special educational needs is well managed. There have been many changes to the governing body recently and important positions such as the chairperson have not been filled. The new governors are committed to the school and have some involvement in planning but are not actively involved in helping decide the school priorities. The school is short of additional internal and external space. It makes the best use it can of the space available but a computer suite has had to be spread
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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED
across three teaching areas and a library is now located in what was a small office. The school, under the guidance of the headteacher, applies the principles of best value well. Priorities are identified, challenging targets set and outcomes are monitored and compared with other schools. It has very good levels of teaching and support staff, which are focused on the needs of the pupils. Learning resources are satisfactory except in art and design and music where they are unsa tisfactory.
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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL
What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved Pupils like school Pupils are expected to work hard Pupils make good progress Parents feel comfortable approaching the school with questions or concerns The parents do not have any significant areas they want to be improved Edgewick Community Primary - 11 A comparatively small number of parents returned the questionnaire. They are pleased with the school’s provision. A few parents at the parents’ meeting had reservations about communication and the way behaviour is managed. Parents spoken to during the inspection were very positive about the school. They noted that the teachers were readily accessible and all the pupils and their parents are made welcome in school. The inspection team confirms parents’ positive views. Behaviour is managed well and communication with parents is good. Edgewick Community Primary - 12
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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
1. The Foundation Stage (children in the nursery and aged up to five in the reception class). Most children enter the nursery with levels of attainment that are very low when matched against those generally found. A large majority are learning English as an additional language. A few who speak English, also have poorly developed speech. Many children have very limited experiences of play and social interaction with others of their own age. Pupils who are at the early stages of learning English as an additional language are well supported by Foundation Stage staff, who are able to speak to the children in their home language. During their time in the nursery most children make good progress in learning to speak English and in their personal, social and emotional development. They make satisfactory progress in all other areas although a few make slower progress because of their irregular attendance. Children begin their time in the
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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
reception class with levels of attainment that are well below those expected for their age in all areas of learning. By the time they are ready to start Year 1, most children have made good progress in speaking and listening skills with about three out of five attaining the Early Learning Goals (what most children are expected to achieve by the end of the reception). They make good progress in reading and writing skills but are still well below average. The good progress in personal, social and emotional development mean that most attain what is expected for these areas of learning by the end of the reception year. They make good progress in mathematical development and just over half reach expected standards. Children make satisfactory progress in developing their knowledge and understanding of the world but are still well below that expected for their age. Progress in physical development is unsatisfactory due to the lack of opportunity to
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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
practise their skills in the outdoor play area.
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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
2. Key Stage 1 (pupils aged from five to seven in Years 1 and 2) Recent trends From well below average starting points at the beginning of Year 1, in reading, writing and mathematics, pupils made little progress until 2002 when results in English and mathematics improved and progress was satisfactory. In recent years, pupils’ standards in reading have been very low when compared with the national average and pupils made little progress. In 2002, results improved but were still well below the national average and below those of similar schools. Pupils’ standards in writing were usually well below the national average and were very low in 2001. In 2002 there was again an improvement but attainment remained well below the national average and below that of similar schools. Over the last three years, the improvement in attainment in mathematics has been better than the national trend although still remaining well below
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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
national average. In 2002, there was a significant improvement in attainment and results were below the national average but in line with those of similar schools. There was little difference between girls’ and boys’ attainment until 2002, when boys’ attainment was significantly above girls’ in all areas. This was particularly noticeable in the number of boys who attained level 3 in mathematics, just over 40 per cent. In 2002 assessments in science, standards were very low. The school is reviewing science results as they feel they do not accurately represent pupils’ abilities. The school has completed its own analysis of progress that pupils have made in core subjects. This shows that only just over half the pupils in Year 2 actually started in the school’s reception class. This group of pupils made good progress and almost all attained standards expected of seven year olds, with over a quarter attaining more highly in
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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
Edgewick Community Primary - 13 mathematics. The attainment and progress of pupils who entered the school since the reception class is slower because the school has less time to work with these pupils.
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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
Key Stage 2 (pupils aged from eight to eleven in Years 3 to 6) Recent trends
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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
3. Up until the results in national tests for Year 6 pupils in 2002, there has been a gradual trend of improvement in English and mathematics that was better than the national trend and the school received the Achievement Award from the Department for Education and Skills in recognition of this. In 2002, results in these two subjects dropped significantly and were well below the national average and below those of similar schools. The school’s analysis shows that this group had much lower attainment than is normally found in the school. They also had significantly more pupils with special educational needs than other year groups. However, they made satisfactory progress and although their standards were low, they were appropriate given their prior attainment. The majority of pupils made satisfactory progress in English and mathematics. Over the last four years the attainment in science has remained very low when compared to the
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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
national average and well below those found in similar schools. The school has undertaken an analysis of attainment by gender and ethnicity. While girls attain slightly better results than boys in reading and writing, they attain similar results in mathematics and science. There is no significant difference in attainment between various ethnic groups. Last year, the school met its targets for attainment in English and missed its target for attainment in mathematics by one pupil.
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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
4. Greater stability in both teaching and senior management staffing within the school is helping to improve standards, especially in Years 3 to 6. Many pupils join the school with little or no English and little experience of the world outside of their local community. A number of other children arrive with very poor levels of spoken English. These factors restrict the rates of progress many of these pupils make in English and mathematics. The school now has an effective system of identifying pupils’ learning needs and setting individual and group targets to raise standards in English, mathematics and science in Years 1 to 6. Standards of attainment for pupils who have English as an additional language are below average. However, as a result of effective working links and targeted support provided by class teachers, additional specialist teachers and the many highly skilled bi-lingual support assistants, they make good progress. The recent extra
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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
support and better targeted work for pupils with special educational needs, means that pupils with individual education plans have improved their progress this year and now make good progress. The school has set challenging targets for this year, with considerably more pupils attaining average and higher levels than at any previous time. It is making good progress towards these targets and in mathematics may well exceed them.
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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
5. Although the standards of literacy in Year 2 and Year 6 are low, attainment in English is rising. Teachers use the National Literacy Strategy well and this is helping to raise standards and improve the quality of learning. Year 3 to Year 6 pupils make satisfactory progress in speaking and listening from their very low starting point. They listen well to the teacher but do not always listen to each other and often interrupt. Pupils follow instructions carefully and answer questions clearly, often with appropriate bi-lingual support. They are using a wider range of vocabulary when working in small groups. Many are a little reluctant to speak in larger groups and they do not speak clearly enough. A few higher attaining pupils are beginning to show confidence when speaking to larger audiences and giving relevant details when explaining something. They are Edgewick Community Primary - 14 eager to talk in a variety of situations and to different people. They show by their
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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
questions and answers that they understand instructions and the main points of the discussion.
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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
6. Most pupils are now making good progress in reading from their low starting points but Year 2 standards in reading are below average. They are gaining in confidence and enjoy reading as they are consistently shown how to improve and encouraged to read regularly. Higher attaining pupils read accurately and fluently and use a number of clues, such as pictures and sounds to work out new words. Average attaining pupils also read accurately but do not use sounds enough to build up words and they do not understand enough about what they have read. Year 6 pupils enjoy reading and talk about their book enthusiastically. Most Year 6 pupils make good progress because teachers give them plenty of time to read in groups, read written instructions during lessons and read on their own. Most read fluently and with expression to show understanding. Lower attaining pupils also read with accuracy but without expression.
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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
Higher attaining pupils think about what they have read and give opinions about it.
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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
7. Pupils at the start of Year 1 have levels of writing well below average. They make satisfactory progress but standards are below average at the end of Year 2. They are able to write legibly. Average and higher attaining pupils use capital letters correctly in short sentences. Higher attaining pupils make good attempts to spell new words using letter sounds. Other pupils find this more difficult and their results are often wrong. Most pupils cannot write stories and find it difficult to put their ideas and imagination together. Year 6 pupils’ standards in writing are below average but they are now making good progress. They are being given lots of opportunities to write for a range of purposes and in most subjects. They are beginning to write with an awareness of their audience and construct pieces of writing to catch the imagination of the reader. Although they can write poems and descriptions well, they are unable to write longer,
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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
imaginative pieces to the same level. Most cannot use words expressively in longer stories.
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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
8. Standards of numeracy are average across the school. In mathematics, Year 2 and Year 6 pupils’ standards of attainment are improving and are now average. Year 2 pupils are developing their knowledge of mathematical vocabulary. Most can sequence numbers up to one hundred and higher attaining pupils are beginning to sequence three digit numbers. They recognise patterns and can correctly identify odd and even numbers. Higher attaining pupils can extract information from a simple graph. Year 6 pupils are confident in their use of appropriate vocabulary. For instance, in a lesson on quadrilaterals they used the terms diagonals and adjacent angles correctly. They have secure problem solving skills and are confident to tackle unfamiliar areas. They can use line graphs well and higher attaining pupils can present simple probabilities.
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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
9. In science, most pupils’ standards are below average but following the recent major focus on the subject, progress is accelerating. Year 2 pupils make satisfactory progress and Year 6 pupils make good progress. Year 2 pupils can explain how electricity is used in the home and that it is dangerous. They can name some parts of plants and tell you the difference between living and non-living things. Year 6 pupils can explain about fair testing and using predictions to compare outcomes of their work. The higher attaining pupils are developing good investigative skills and are able to draw conclusions from their observations. A minority of eleven year olds are a little unsure about how the seasons come about and how to separate different materials. Edgewick Community Primary - 15 10. Year 2 pupils make unsatisfactory progress in art and design and standards are below average. Their skills in drawing and painting and some aspects of craft skills
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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
are underdeveloped. Year 6 pupils make satisfactory progress and reach average standards and they are beginning to evaluate and improve their work. In design and technology Year 2 pupils make unsatisfactory progress and reach below average standards. Year 6 pupils make satisfactory progress and reach average standards. The younger pupils have little opportunity to develop their construction, design and evaluation skills. In geography and history progress is satisfactory and pupils attain average standards. In geography, Year 2 pupils know simple facts about places within the local environment. Year 6 pupils can use an atlas to find cities and towns in this country and in Europe. Higher attaining pupils can locate mountains and rivers and understand the importance of water and the rain forest to the environment. In history, Year 2 pupils are beginning to understand chronology and the difference between things they use now compared to those used in the past.
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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
Year 6 pupils are aware of local historical events and their importance to their community. They know about kings and queens but are not always able to describe events from the periods they are studying. In ICT, Year 2 pupils have had little experience of using a computer independently. They were not able to turn one on or off, save or retrieve work. Their standards are low and they make poor progress. Year 6 pupils make good progress but standards are still below average. They have regular access to computers and are given lots of support and guidance to improve their skills. They can use the computer to amend their work, print pictures and have recently learnt how to use simple spreadsheets. However, they have not experienced the full range of ICT applications, for example few have used e-mail or used the internet for research in other subjects. Their keyboard skills are slow. In music, Year 2 and Year 6 pupils make slow progress and reach below average
p.15
The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
standards. They have limited opportunities to develop their skills in music. Year 2 pupils are unable to use untuned instruments to make patterns or rhythms. Year 6 pupils often sing without changing the tone and are not accustomed to listening critically. They cannot compose or develop their ideas within musical structures. In physical education, Year 2 and Year 6 pupils make slow progress and reach below average standards. This is mainly due to the restricted opportunities for pupils to develop skills and receive coaching in how to improve. In religious education, Year 2 and Year 6 pupils’ standards are in line with the Locally Agreed Syllabus and they make satisfactory progress.
p.15
Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development
11. Pupils enjoy learning and have good attitudes to school. They behave well in lessons and around the school. Their personal development is very good and there are excellent relationships between pupils and staff. The high standards noted at the previous inspection have been maintained and this helps pupils learn well. The majority of pupils are keen to come to school and many take part in activities outside class such as the recorder group, Indian Dance, and the Sports Club. They are willing to learn and respond well to good teaching. They are interested and fully involved in their lessons. For example, Year 5 pupils were working on the computers developing their skills in using the ‘paint package.’ They were eager to get on with the tasks set and excited by their ability to create and move shapes. They contributed well to class discussion and pupils of all abilities made good progress with their learning. Pupils are keen to ask and answer questions. The vast majority
p.15
Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development
of pupils listen attentively and get on with the tasks set. They work hard and are keen to improve. A small minority of the younger pupils find it hard to concentrate and they quickly get distracted, but the teachers and support staff manage this effectively. Most pupils with special educational needs and pupils with English as an Edgewick Community Primary - 16 additional language have good attitudes to school. They work hard and help each other. They want to learn and do well. They are interested and involved in their work because teachers match it well to their needs, and staff give them good support.
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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development
12. Pupils know what standard of behaviour is expected of them and respond well. They behave well in lessons and this makes for a calm learning atmosphere. They behave well in the dining room and playground. They are friendly and polite. They take good care of equipment, such as in mathematics and working on the computers. They handle books with care and tidy away neatly and quickly at the end of lessons. There is very little bullying or racism and such incidents are quickly and effectively addressed. 13. Relationships are excellent. Pupils respect one another’s views, cooperate and share ideas. For example, even the youngest pupils work well together as they play in the “home corner”, sharing cooking utensils and offering each other cups to drink. Older pupils are sensitive to the needs of their classmates and often offer to help if the teacher is busy. Pupils are well mannered and considerate. They respect the
p.16
Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development
teachers and are keen to please. Pupils mix well at playtime and lunchtime and older pupils are eager to play alongside and help younger ones. They are aware of the unique cultural diversity within their school and they know, as one said, “We all have to look after each other particularly those pupils who are new”.
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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development
14. Pupils’ personal development is very good. They grow in confidence in response to the praise and encouragement they receive. For example, Year 6 pupils were developing their investigative skills through challenging tasks in classifying and describing the properties of quadrilaterals. They were confident to try these difficult tasks and made good progress with their learning because the teacher and support staff encouraged and praised their efforts.
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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development
15. Pupils settle to both group and independent work quickly. They are aware of their impact on others. For example in art and design, Year 6 pupils made good progress in the use of perspective, because they worked cooperatively and criticised each other’s work constructively. Year 2 pupils listened attentively to each other’s presentations at good work assembly and gave spontaneous applause during their art and design lesson as their colleagues proudly presented their decorated Diva Lamps. Pupils respect differences. During the Year 3 class assembly pupils were listening to the story of The Raja’s Big Ears. They listened attentively as the story was read out in both English and Punjabi. They were enthralled by the beautiful clothing on the Indian puppets, and they all agreed that the Raja should not be embarrassed about his big ears. Pupils think through problems for themselves as part of their investigations in mathematics, science, and ICT. They take
p.16
Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development
responsibility for their own learning through group work, homework, and research. The older pupils help responsibly with the daily routines such as helping in the office, looking after the book club, and running the tuck shop. Younger pupils take responsibility as class monitors, table leaders, and helping with routines such as collecting registers. The pupils in reception develop independence by choosing equipment, clearing away after activities, and putting on their own coats.
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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development
16. Attendance is poor. It is similar to the rate noted at the last inspection and it is very low in comparison with the national average. Unauthorised absence last year was broadly in line with the national average. Last year about 100 pupils attended for less than 90 per cent of the time and 32 of these attended for less than 80 per cent of the time. This was a significant interruption to their education. Last year 23 pupils took holidays during term and about half of these were extended visits abroad to see Edgewick Community Primary - 17 relatives. Between them they missed 114 weeks of school. This is in addition to the time pupils take off school for religious observance which the school, as a multi faith school, rightly respects.
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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development
17. Punctuality is unsatisfactory. On average 10 pupils are late to school each day. The teachers work well to minimize disruption so registration and lessons start promptly.
p.17
HOW WELL PUPILS ARE TAUGHT?
18. In the school as a whole, 16 per cent of lessons are very good or better, 47 per cent of lessons are good, 33 per cent of lessons are satisfactory and four per cent of lessons are unsatisfactory. All of the teaching for the Foundation Stage and most of the teaching for Years 1 and 2 is satisfactory and sometimes it is good, especially in the nursery class. Overall, this is not quite as good as it was at the time of the previous inspection when teaching for these age groups was judged to be consistently good. The school is experiencing a considerable amount of disruption in staffing for these age groups. However, despite the long term illness of a member of staff, the relative inexperience of some recently qualified teachers, the quality of teaching has remained satisfactory and pupils are making satisfactory progress. The headteacher and senior staff are working closely with the present staff to
p.17
HOW WELL PUPILS ARE TAUGHT?
improve further the quality of teaching of younger children. Most of the teaching in Years 3 to 6 is good or better. This is similar to that at the time of the previous inspection although the proportion of lessons judged to be good is higher.
p.17
HOW WELL PUPILS ARE TAUGHT?
19. In the Foundation Stage, teachers’ long term planning fully takes into account the learning needs of different children and the teaching and bi-lingual assistants and specialist teachers ensure children, often with little or no English, are able to understand and follow up activities fully. Weekly planning however, lacks sufficient detail in order to identify what children are to learn from all planned activities. There is a good process for assessing children’s progress but it is not used to update weekly planning based on what children have learnt and need to do next. Teachers and support staff routinely ask children questions about their work. This encourages all children, including those learning English as an additional language, to think about what they are doing and develop their vocabularies and communication skills. For example, in the nursery, the teacher asked the children to explain in their home
p.17
HOW WELL PUPILS ARE TAUGHT?
language as well as in English, why they had chosen to cut out pictures from a magazine to represent the colour red and others to recount the story of Red Riding Hood from their puppet finger show. The words red, grandma and wolf were then used by children in other activities. A boy was heard to say when playing with the garage toys, “Grandma red car fast!” In the reception class, the curriculum is focused mainly on literacy and numeracy and although there are lots of opportunities for children to have fun, there are few occasions when they can make choices about what they do and how they can use the resources. This restricts their knowledge of their own learning and the development of personal and independent skills. Children in both classes have good relationships with all the adults working with them. They know the children well and provide good support in small and large group activities.
p.17
HOW WELL PUPILS ARE TAUGHT?
20. In Years 1 and 2 the teaching of English and mathematics is satisfactory and it is good in Years 3 to 6, with some very good and excellent teaching of older pupils. Teachers plan their work well. They use the national guidance for the teaching of literacy and numeracy well. Work is matched to the abilities of different groups of pupils. Teachers make good use of teaching and bi-lingual assistants to support groups of pupils and this helps them make progress. Although there have been Edgewick Community Primary - 18 many staff changes over the last two years, teachers have been well trained and supported in the National Strategies for Literacy and Numeracy and they all have secure subject knowledge. Teaching Years 3 to 6 motivates pupils by setting a lively pace during all parts of the lesson. They use technical language well and ask challenging questions to reinforce previous knowledge and prepare them for the next
p.17
HOW WELL PUPILS ARE TAUGHT?
step. For instance, in an English lesson, older pupils were asked to explain the difference between auto and bio by quickly giving examples of words they knew that had the same start before beginning on biographies and autobiographies. Good use is also made of the interactive white board during introductions and endings of lessons to give pupils an active involvement in making decisions about what they are going to do next. This was evident in a mathematics lesson where Year 6 pupils were investigating properties of shapes and how to split diagonally and identify intersections. All teachers make good use of assessments of pupils’ work in English, mathematics and science. The information is used to plan future lessons and helps them set targets for individual and groups of pupils. It is particularly effective in mathematics because children are actively involved in this process.
p.18
HOW WELL PUPILS ARE TAUGHT?
21. The majority of teaching in subjects other than English and mathematics in Years 3 to 6 is good or better and generally of a higher quality than in Years 1 and 2, although there are several examples of good teaching throughout the school. The very few examples of unsatisfactory teaching were in physical education and due to a lack of subject knowledge. Where teachers are confident in their subject knowledge, as in some science and art and design lessons, they clearly demonstrate techniques for pupils. This ensures pupils are clear about what they are to do and sets challenges for what they are trying to achieve. The management of pupils’ behaviour is satisfactory in Years 1 and 2 and very good in Years 3 to 6. Here pupils are highly motivated by interesting activities and become actively involved in their own learning. Homework is routinely set for English and mathematics and is helping to improve progress, in particularly of older pupils, where it is well linked to the work
p.18
HOW WELL PUPILS ARE TAUGHT?
22. Pupils with special educational needs are taught well and make satisfactory progress in the Foundation Stage and good progress in Years 1 to 6. Teachers in the Foundation Stage do not always ensure information about children’s progress is used to help planning but most children do make satisfactory progress. In Years 1 to 6 the class teachers plan different levels of work for pupils with various levels of attainment. They have recently put in place a process of regular reviews of progress and effectiveness of planned support with the special needs co-ordinator. The resetting of targets following these meetings, along with the very good use of support staff and teaching assistants, has ensured pupils in Years 1 to 6 make good progress. In some lessons, pupils with special educational needs work alongside more able pupils. For instance, in an ICT lesson in Year 5, pupils were creating shapes using a paint package. This arrangement helped all pupils to understand
p.18
HOW WELL PUPILS ARE TAUGHT?
basic skills thoroughly and make similar progress.
p.18
HOW WELL PUPILS ARE TAUGHT?
23. Pupils who have English as an additional language are taught well. In addition to their class teachers they receive support from specialist teachers and bi-lingual support staff. Additional support is well planned and targeted at individual and groups of pupils to make good progress in lessons. There is an effective working partnership between teachers and adults working to support pupils with English as an additional language. They discuss the progress pupils have made in lessons and plan future support together. Where bi-lingual assistants and some teaching assistants use the same languages that pupils speak at home, they skilfully use simultaneous translations of what the teacher is saying. This supports pupils who Edgewick Community Primary - 19 are at early stages of learning English as an additional language. It not only gives them access to what the teacher is saying but also enables them to be fully involved
p.18
HOW WELL PUPILS ARE TAUGHT?
in the lesson, make good progress and have their ideas translated for others to understand. All teachers speak distinctly and often repeat what they have said in different ways, to help more pupils understand. In many lessons, teachers make a point of introducing new words by repeating them with pupils and writing them on the board for reference. This helps to increase their vocabulary and understanding. Teachers and bi-lingual assistants routinely correct pupils’ spoken language and often select the most common mistakes to share with a wider group of pupils helping them also to make progress.
p.19
PUPILS OR STUDENTS?
24. The school provides a broad, balanced curriculum, which complies with the requirements of the National Curriculum, the national guidance for the Foundation Stage and the Agreed Syllabus for religious education. Since the previous inspection the school has made satisfactory progress in completing the developments in curriculum planning. Planning has been updated, often using the national guidance. Each year group has termly plans and clear objectives are shared with pupils. The curriculum for the Foundation Stage is satisfactory, and balanced across the six areas of learning. There is an emphasis on speaking and listening, mathematical development and personal, social and emotional development. Planning is satisfactory and takes into account national guidance for planning in the Foundation Stage. However, on a weekly basis objectives are not sufficiently detailed in order to identify clearly what the children are to learn from all
p.19
PUPILS OR STUDENTS?
the activities. Provision for the outdoor curriculum in the Foundation Stage is unsatisfactory. The enclosed play area is too far from the reception class and is too small for the nursery and reception children to use together. These factors complicate timetables and reception children have insufficient time allocated to them to practice their physical skills. The national Literacy and Numeracy strategies have been well implemented. The school has emphasised raising standards of English and mathematics but had neglected science, leading to lower standards in this subject. This is now a school priority and standards are rising. Many older pupils work in smaller groups, where they have extra support to practise English, mathematics and science skills.
p.19
PUPILS OR STUDENTS?
25. There is very good extra-curricular provision. There are plenty of opportunities for pupils to broaden their experience and develop interests outside class. These include an Indian music group, recorder classes, and an after school choir. There are weekly classes in Urdu and Punjabi and drama workshops in the holidays. The pupils look after an after school book club. Sports clubs includes football and netball. All pupils from Year 4 upwards have the opportunity to take part in residential trips, which broaden their experience and help them to become independent. The school organises a Year 6 trip to London each year, and three coaches set off for the family trip to the seaside. 26. The school celebrates its cultural diversity and ensures that all pupils benefit according to their needs. Pupils with special educational needs and pupils whose first language is not English are given good support so they have full access to the
p.19
PUPILS OR STUDENTS?
curriculum. The new arrivals programme helps pupils to settle in and gives them additional support so they can quickly learn English. There is a good system for tracking individual progress and where appropriate pupils are given additional support and booster classes. The school has identified gifted and talented pupils but at this stage there is no additional programme of support. Edgewick Community Primary - 20 27. The provision for personal, social and health education is good. The science scheme of work includes drugs and health education, and there is a programme for sex education. There are lessons in personal and social education, which make a good contribution to pupils’ personal development. They include circle time and aspects of citizenship. 28. Links with the community make a very good contribution to pupils’ learning. Pupils take part in the Foleshill Festival and sports day. The dance group has performed in
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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?
the Positive Image and Godiva Sisters festivals. The curriculum is supported with visits to such places as a Roman fort, a village, the Elizabethan Pageant, the museum, and places of worship. Teachers organise trips to the theatre and cinema as part of literacy. Music performers, theatre groups, and leaders of local charities visit the school to help broaden the pupils’ experience. Year 5 and 6 use the AT7 Sports Centre and Year 3 and 4 have swimming lessons at Livingstone Baths. The school maintains good links with the local community through family numeracy and literacy, the Foleshill Women’s Action Group, parental partnership, and other support groups. The school benefits from the Children’s Fund and the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund, which support the breakfast club, counselling, and the coordinator for activities outside school hours. The Indian Community Centre supports the internet project and the bid for the community liaison officer.
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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?
29. There are very good links with partner institutions. Longford Park Primary supports the school’s work in ICT and Foundation Stage assessment. Year 5 pupils from St Elizabeths School share work on drugs education. The Edgewick Dancers performed at the Leigh primary school “Holi” assembly, and the reception classes visit each other for picnics. The partnership centres such as Jaguar Cars, Agco limited, and the transport museum support teaching in history, science and design and technology. There are good links with secondary schools to help pupils transfer, and the pupils work on bridging projects which they take with them to their new school. The local consortium of schools has made a successful bid for an after- school and holiday activities coordinator. 30. The school provides very well for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. This promotes high standards of personal development. The school
p.20
PUPILS OR STUDENTS?
is a very caring community and this is evident in everything it does. Pupils enjoy what the school offers and this has a good effect on their attitudes.
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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?
31. Pupils’ spiritual development is well supported through religious education and assemblies. Teachers give pupils time to sit quietly and think about their feelings when listening to music or prayer. In religious education lessons, teachers encourage pupils to consider their own and others’ views on aspects of life such as worship and beliefs. Pupils respond very well and show great respect for others. In a Year 5 lesson, pupils of the Sikh faith shared aspects of their practices and beliefs with the class. Pupils discussed what they felt was important. The teacher helped pupils to realise that an understanding and respect for the beliefs of others is essential for good relationships. A visit to a Hindu Temple helped pupils to recognise the impact of the beauty inside, when many were amazed by what they saw. There are other opportunities in English where teachers encourage pupils to think about beauty through poetry. Opportunities in other subjects such as music
p.20
PUPILS OR STUDENTS?
and art and design and science are not used well enough. Teachers consistently take into account and praise pupils’ ideas to show that they matter. In turn pupils are encouraged to do the same. In a Year 2 lesson there was spontaneous applause when a group of pupils showed the others the Diva lamps they had made. Edgewick Community Primary - 21 32. The school makes very good provision for pupils’ moral and social development. Teachers regularly reinforce ideas of right and wrong and consideration for others so pupils have a very good understanding of these. Teachers and other adults set a good example by treating pupils with care and courtesy. They have high expectations of behaviour and pupils respond well. There are rules for pupils and teachers which pupils have helped to draw up. This helps pupils to see that everyone has a responsibility to others in the school and results in excellent relationships which provide a good foundation for learning. Teachers help pupils to
p.20
PUPILS OR STUDENTS?
develop a sense of fairness by praising good behaviour and recognising helpfulness and effort. There is a good personal, social, health and citizenship programme to help pupils think about others and themselves and grow into caring people. Teachers consistently remind pupils of the duty to help and care for others. “You shouldn’t be selfish. It hurts people. You should help them,” said one Year 4 pupil. Pupils help willingly when asked to do jobs around the school. They take registers, clear up in classrooms and most take responsibility for their own belongings. Older pupils help in the office and run a book club each week. Most pupils realise that these are ways of contributing to the school community. Pupils raise money for National Children's’ Homes, UNICEF and other charities. There is a good link with a school in India. Recently pupils collected money to help buy a new water tanker for
p.21
PUPILS OR STUDENTS?
them. This helps them to think more about people they can help outside school. In lessons teachers encourage pupils to work together. Pupils help each other well at these times and often thank each other. A good example of this is in Year 4, when “Talk Partners Time,” encourages pupils to share their ideas and work together. A range of visits and activities gives good chances for pupils to work together in different groups. All of these opportunities help pupils understand what others need and give them a very good sense of responsibility.
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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?
33. There are very good opportunities for pupils’ cultural development. There is a wide range of faiths and cultures in the school. Teachers make sure that everyone learns about and respects the customs and practices of these through discussion, assemblies, religious education, visits and celebrations. This was particularly evident when Years 3 and 4 visited a local Hindu temple to celebrate Diwali. Both the members of the Hindu community and the visiting Mayor of Coventry, commented on how informed the pupils were. Pupils visit the theatre, other towns, museums and castles and take part in local festivals. They talk freely about the displays of different cultures around the school. These experiences help them to know about and fully respect ways of life, which are different from their own.
p.21
HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?
34. The school cares well for its pupils and there is good provision for support and guidance. The school has maintained and improved the high standards noted at the last inspection. The staff know the pupils very well and provide a caring atmosphere that contributes greatly towards pupils’ learning. There is good support for pupils with special educational needs and good additional help from outside agencies. Since the previous inspection the school has improved the procedures for monitoring and assessing pupils’ attainment and progress in English, mathematics and science. They now use these well to plan and support pupils’ next steps in learning. This is a significant factor in the school’s attempt to raise standards.
p.21
HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?
35. There are satisfactory arrangements for child protection, but staff have not been trained recently and the personal social and health education programme does not include teaching of all aspects of child protection. There are satisfactory procedures for health and safety. There is satisfactory first aid coverage and staff know pupils with medical conditions. The school systematically checks the premises for hazards, Edgewick Community Primary - 22 and improvements are made where necessary. However, procedures are not audited.
p.21
HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?
36. The procedures for monitoring and improving attendance are unsatisfactory. Teachers monitor attendance and report to the headteacher and clerical assistant. All unexplained absence is followed up with letters and phone calls but attendance patterns are not identified and action taken. The education welfare officer and the welfare officer for minority groups support service make home visits to follow up on the absence of a few pupils with poor attendance. The school has introduced a breakfast club and discourages holidays during term-time. However, although the school development plan includes targets for improving attendance, there is not enough done to improve unsatisfactory and poor attendance. The school has not succeeded in making parents aware of the importance of regular attendance and punctuality or rewarding pupils’ good attendance. There are satisfactory procedures for monitoring lateness and the education welfare officer has planned an “early bird
p.22
HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?
37. There are effective measures to monitor and promote good behaviour. The staff expect high standards and reinforce good behaviour by consistently recognising and encouraging it. The pupils know exactly what is expected. They have a say in classroom rules and so have a stake in keeping them. There is good supervision at break and lunchtime. There are good systems for monitoring unsatisfactory behaviour. The school is quick to involve parents when there are problems. There are very few incidents of bullying or racism and the school addresses these effectively. The school is very effective at discouraging oppressive behaviour and promoting good relationships.
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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?
38. There are very good procedures for assessing pupils’ attainment and progress and taking action to raise standards in English, mathematics and science. Monitoring of pupils' progress in these subjects is very good. Assessments in most other subjects are unsatisfactory because they are at an early stage of development.
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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?
39. Teachers accurately assess pupils’ stage of development on entry to school. The system of continuing assessment in the core subjects is very good. Staff understand pupils’ difficulties and plan work to encourage them and help them to improve. They make notes regularly, keep good records and discuss pupils’ progress so that they know what they want them to learn next. They then organise tasks and adult support for these pupils to help them improve. Teachers also compare their assessments to make sure they are accurate. In the core subjects, this helps most Year 1 and 2 pupils make satisfactory progress and Year 3 to 6 pupils to make good progress. The school uses standardised tests well to check on pupils’ attainment and progress. Teachers use these and their own assessments to decide what is needed to help pupils to improve. They use extra adult support very well and make sure that pupils
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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?
know what they are aiming for. This very good use of information means that they can give very good support from and early stage to help pupils with their learning. In most other subjects teachers do not gather and record enough information to be sure that pupils are making enough progress and this is unsatisfactory.
p.22
HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?
40. Senior staff track pupils’ progress in English, mathematics and science very carefully and keep staff well informed. They then make sure that the teachers organise their groups, know what pupils must do to improve and give them work to help them do this. They also use the information to identify where teachers need to improve. This means that teachers are better equipped to help pupils improve their progress in Edgewick Community Primary - 23 school and can aim for higher attainment. As a result, more pupils are making satisfactory or better progress in English, mathematics and science.
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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?
41. Teachers and bi-lingual support assistants regularly assess the progress of pupils with English as an additional language. They give them good support in class because they know what they need. New arrivals in school are assessed for their English language needs and given as much support as possible to meet those needs. This helps most pupils with English as an additional language to make good progress. The school supports pupils with special educational needs well by identifying their difficulties early and working well on these. Teachers, support staff and the special educational needs co-ordinator regularly check on progress and provide activities to help them improve. Pupils with the greatest need are given a high level of support and care. This helps them to make good progress.
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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?
42. The school monitors and promotes pupils’ personal development very well. Staff know the pupils very well. There are clear communications in school, teachers keep good records, and parents are encouraged to raise concerns. This helps staff note developments and identify problems. There are lessons in personal and social education and a trained counsellor visits weekly. Pupils are supported with their religious commitments such as fasting, and the school celebrates the diversity of pupils’ backgrounds. Pupils’ confidence and self-esteem are promoted through excellent relationships and every aspect of school life.
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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?
43. A comparatively small number of parents completed the questionnaire with a high proportion responding by filling in the don’t knows column. Most are pleased with the school’s provision. In particular they are comfortable approaching the school with questions or problems and they state their children like school. They are pleased that the school expects their children to work hard and they are making good progress. A few parents at the parents’ meeting had reservations about communication and the way behaviour is managed. Parents spoken to during the inspection were very positive about the school. They noted that the teachers were readily accessible and all the pupils and their parents are made welcome in school. The inspection team confirms parents’ positive views. Pupils behaviour is managed well and communication with parents is good.
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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?
44. The school has a good partnership with parents that helps them support their children’s learning. The school has maintained the high standards noted at the previous inspection. The information provided for parents, particularly about pupils’ progress is good. The school prospectus and governors report provide a satisfactory summary of the school’s aims, and provision. The mission statement and school ethos are written in Punjabi and Urdu. Frequent newsletters keep parents well informed about what is going on in school. They are welcoming and well written. Notice boards are used well. The school works effectively to help parents whose first language is not English. Bi-lingual support staff translate at meetings, and staff are quick to identify parents who need help with translation.
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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?
45. The arrangements for keeping parents informed on progress are good. Parents meet with the teachers in the autumn and spring terms and there is an opportunity to discuss end of year reports if parents choose. The end of year reports are good. They are clear about pupil achievement and include targets for improvement and pupils’ own comments. The pupils take home certificates, stickers and prizes for good behaviour. The teachers are readily accessible and the school is quick to Edgewick Community Primary - 24 involve parents if there are problems. There are good procedures for keeping parents of pupils with special educational needs informed about progress, and parents of pupils with statements of special educational needs are invited to take part in annual reviews. Staff from the local Community Centre work with the school in developing its links with parents of pupils learning English as an additional
p.23
HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?
46. Parents’ contribution to their children’s learning is good. The school works closely with parents. There are good arrangements for introducing parents and their children to the nursery and reception class and parents sign the home school agreement. Parents are encouraged to raise concerns and keep the school informed about their children. Parents are sent a homework timetable. Homework is set regularly and most parents encourage their children to complete it. A summary of half termly targets and themes covered is sent home along with suggestions as to how parents might help. There are family literacy and numeracy courses for parents of reception children supported by the local authority community education programme. There have been meetings to explain national tests and to collect parents views, but generally parents do not come to these formal discussions. A number of families need additional support and the school works closely with them and other agencies
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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?
on their behalf. Many parents support their children at school productions, festival celebrations, and fund-raising activities. They encourage their children to take part in activities after school. The school organises an annual family day at the seaside and many parents join the children and their teachers, but few parents help in school.
p.24
HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?
47. The headteacher provides very good leadership and is well supported by the deputy headteacher and senior staff. The governors are strong supporters of the school but do not play an active role in identifying areas of strength and those requiring improvement. This prevents them from effectively overseeing and contributing to the work of the school. The school monitors its progress well and makes good uses of its resources and grants. It applies the principles of best value well.
p.24
HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?
48. The school has undergone a complete change in its senior management team, governing body and teaching staff since the previous inspection, when leadership and management was judged to be a strength of the school. Recruitment has proved difficult and the school has had three acting headteachers since then. The present headteacher was appointed eighteen months ago and the deputy headteacher, only last term. Much has been achieved in a short time. Morale is high, they work well as a team and there is a determination and capacity to improve standards across the school. This is a credit to the present headteacher who provides clear educational direction for the staff. This leadership is a strength of the school.
p.24
HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?
49. The headteacher and senior staff are well informed and motivated. They work well as a team and have clear roles and responsibilities. They know the school well and have selected the right priorities to work on to raise standards. These are clearly communicated to staff, who are playing an increasingly active role in decision making. The long-term plan for improvement is very well structured with tasks well matched to raising standards and resources appropriately allocated. There are clear details of how progress in targeted areas can be measured and these are monitored carefully by the headteacher and senior staff. Recent targets have focused on raising attainment in English, mathematics, science and ICT and this is already having a positive impact on raising standards. Edgewick Community Primary - 25 50. The headteacher is taking responsibility for a number of areas of the curriculum until
p.24
HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?
permanent staff can be appointed. She is seeking to appoint a senior teacher to work with Year 1 and 2 pupils and co-ordinate English across the school. The school works closely with the Local Authority in providing appropriate support for subject co-ordinators and the co-ordination of English, mathematics and science is good. This is beginning to have a positive impact on raising standards in those subjects. As a number of subject co-ordinators are new to the school and responsibilities, they have had little time to influence what goes on in classrooms and the co-ordination of art and design, history, music, physical education and design and technology are unsatisfactory. The headteacher has set up an effective link with a local Beacon School to bridge a gap in the schools’ ICT co-ordination. Performance management is well implemented and there are effective procedures for the induction of new staff and those taking on new areas of responsibility.
p.25
HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?
51. Provision for pupils with special educational needs is well managed and the budget spent wisely. The co-ordinator is well informed and analyses information on the progress of pupils with special educational needs well. She understands their needs and sets targets for improvement with staff. She has a clear action plan and gives support and guidance to colleagues effectively. Although she has regular discussions with staff on the impact of actions on pupils’ progress, the lack of monitoring of teaching in classrooms, means that there is insufficient detail to improve further their work. Provision for English as an additional language is well led by a highly qualified and experienced co-ordinator. Her action plan has clear and sensible priorities. There are good policies in place for new arrivals and for support in the classroom. The headteacher and governors have invested wisely in providing
p.25
HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?
additional bi-lingual support staff and this investment is beginning to have an impact on raising standards
p.25
HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?
52. The school has recently worked closely with a local Beacon School in setting up a very effective system of analysing its data, identifying issues and setting targets for improvement. The school has also invested in a computer system for analysing its information on attainment to support this process. It is now able to focus support for individual and groups of pupils in English, mathematics and science. For example, the targets set for 2002 were precisely matched to the group of pupils and were appropriately challenging even though they were lower than in the previous year and for the current year. The school is making good progress towards its targets for 2003 in English, mathematics and science because of the well-focused support and the very good teaching pupils are receiving. This is improving progress, particularly for the higher attaining pupils.
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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?
53. Governors are aware and proud of the good progress the school has recently made following the long period of disruption since the previous inspection. Most of the governing body are new and eager to develop and use their expertise and knowledge to help the school. Governors set and oversee the school budget satisfactorily. They are organised into groups to handle their routine work such as financial, curriculum and health and safety issues. However the lack of a clear understanding of governors’ roles and responsibilities in these meetings and the poor attendance at both full governing body and committee meetings, prevents the governing body from being fully effective. They do not shape the direction of the school sufficiently well, rely too much on the headteacher for information and do not have a clear view of the school strengths and weaknesses. Edgewick Community Primary - 26 54. The school has a good system for monitoring and improving the quality of teaching
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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?
in English, mathematics and science. Lessons are regularly observed and pupils’ work is analysed and this helps teachers identify what can be improved. Co- ordinators in most other subjects examine teachers’ plans, discuss concerns with staff and in some subjects, collect pieces of work to match against expected levels of attainment. However, they do not have an accurate picture of how well pupils are doing and in which aspects they need improvement. There are plans in place to improve matters and bring practice in line with English, mathematics and science.
p.26
HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?
55. The school has a very good level of staffing. Resources have been used wisely to ensure that teaching, bi-lingual and special educational needs assistants support pupils’ learning across the school. The intervention programme is well managed and support is targeted at those pupils who need it. They work well with teachers and make a very good contribution to pupils’ learning. Resources are satisfactory in most subjects and are good in science and mathematics. They are unsatisfactory in art and design and music. The school has addressed the accommodation issue identified in the last inspection and pupils no longer eat in classrooms. However, accommodation in the school is limited and this creates specific problems in areas for small group teaching, storage of and access to resources such as computers and library books and limited access to a field to develop team game skills. The present
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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?
accommodation also hinders the provision for very young children, as access between the two teaching areas is difficult. The school is constantly looking at ways to improve its use of the present accommodation. For example, the space for a suite of computers within three teaching areas and a central library area in an office space. They also makes good use of facilities outside of school such as the local leisure and sports centre.
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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?
56. During the period prior to the appointment of the new headteacher, spending decisions were often deferred. This lead to a higher than normal carry forward of funds. Decisions on funding are now linked to the school’s strategic plan. The school, through the headteacher, is applying the principles of best value well but the governors need to be more actively involved with this process. The school compares its results with those of similar schools and those nationally. It sets targets for improvement and is now beginning to compare spending levels against other schools and its achievements in these areas. It challenges its practice by examining the quality of its teaching and bringing about improvements. Governors do not yet challenge school spending, such as that on special educational needs and English as an additional language, to see if it is spent effectively. The school consults well
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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?
with its parents through open evenings and workshops, where translators are available to support access to information. It ensures fair competition in its tendering arrangements by contracting through the local education authority. Edgewick Community Primary - 27
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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?
57. In order to further improve the quality of education offered to pupils, the school should:
p.27
WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?
Raise standards in English and science
p.27
WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?
Improve pupils’ progress in physical education, ICT and music (for pupils seven and eleven) and design and technology and art and design (for pupils aged seven)
p.27
WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?
Improve the effectiveness of the governing body
p.27
WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?
In addition to these Key issues, governors may wish to include the following minor issues in their action plan:
p.27
WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?
Provide sufficient opportunities for Reception children to use the outdoor play area to develop their physical skills
p.27
WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?
Improve co-ordination in art and design, history, music, physical education and design and technology. *
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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?
* Indicates that the school currently has plans to deal with this aspect Edgewick Community Primary - 28
p.27
Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection
Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 28
p.28
Summary of teaching observed during the inspection
Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor
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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection
Percentage 4 12 47 33 4 0 0 The table gives the number and percentage of lessons observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about teaching
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Information about the school’s pupils
Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery YR- Y6
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Information about the school’s pupils
Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 26 203
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Information about the school’s pupils
Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 0 82 FTE means full-time equivalent.
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Information about the school’s pupils
Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 0 3
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Information about the school’s pupils
Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 0 24
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Information about the school’s pupils
English as an additional language No of pupils
p.28
Information about the school’s pupils
Number of pupils with English as an additional language 153
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Information about the school’s pupils
Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils
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Information about the school’s pupils
Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 42
p.28
Information about the school’s pupils
Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 39
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Attendance
National comparative data 5.4 National comparative data 0.5 Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Edgewick Community Primary - 29
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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)
Year Boys Girls Total Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2002 17 13 30
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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)
National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics
p.29
Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)
Boys 14 13 15 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 8 7 7
p.29
Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)
Percentage of pupils School 73 (56) 67 (67) 73 (70) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (84) 86 (86) 90 (91)
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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)
Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science
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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)
Boys 9 14 6 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 6 7 0
p.29
Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)
Percentage of pupils School 50 (59) 70 (74) 20 (78) at NC level 2 or above National 85 (85) 89 (89) 89 (89)
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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)
Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year.
p.29
Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)
Year Boys Girls Total Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 2002 16 14 30
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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)
National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science
p.29
Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)
Boys 7 9 10 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 9 7 8
p.29
Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)
Percentage of pupils School 53 (71) 53 (79) 60 (67) at NC level 4 or above National 75 (75) 73 (71) 86 (87)
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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)
Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science
p.29
Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)
Boys N/a N/a N/a Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls N/a N/a N/a
p.29
Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)
Percentage of pupils School N/a (63) N/a (75) N/a (75) at NC level 4 or above National 73 (72) 74 (74) 82 (82) Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Edgewick Community Primary - 30
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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year
Categories used in the Annual School Census No of pupils on roll Number of fixed period exclusions Number of permanent exclusions
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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year
White – any other White background 8 0 0
p.30
Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year
Mixed – any other mixed background 0 0 0
p.30
Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year
Asian or Asian British – Pakistani 67 0 0
p.30
Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year
Asian or Asian British – Bangladeshi 16 0 0
p.30
Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year
Asian or Asian British – any other Asian background 7 0 0
p.30
Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year
Black or Black British – Caribbean 6 0 0
p.30
Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year
Black or Black British – any other Black background 0 0 0
p.30
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. Edgewick Community Primary - 31
p.30
Teachers and classes Financial information
Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 8 Financial year 2001/2002
p.31
Teachers and classes Financial information
Number of pupils per qualified teacher 23
p.31
Teachers and classes Financial information
Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total income 683,988
p.31
Teachers and classes Financial information
Total number of education support staff 8.2 Total expenditure 686,392
p.31
Teachers and classes Financial information
Total aggregate hours worked per week 251 Expenditure per pupil 3,134
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Teachers and classes Financial information
Qualified teachers and support staff: nursery Balance brought forward from previous year 62,637
p.31
Teachers and classes Financial information
Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 1 Balance carried forward to next year 60,233
p.31
Teachers and classes Financial information
Number of pupils per qualified teacher 26
p.31
Teachers and classes Financial information
Total number of education support staff 1.7
p.31
Teachers and classes Financial information
Total aggregate hours worked per week 100
p.31
Teachers and classes Financial information
Number of pupils per FTE adult 13 FTE means full-time equivalent.
p.31
Recruitment of teachers
Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 5
p.31
Recruitment of teachers
Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 5
p.31
Recruitment of teachers
Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 1
p.31
Recruitment of teachers
Number of vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of a term or more (FTE) 1
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Recruitment of teachers
Number of unfilled vacancies or vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of less than one term (FTE) 0 FTE means full-time equivalent. Edgewick Community Primary - 32
p.31
Results of the survey of parents and carers
Percentage of responses in each category
p.32
Results of the survey of parents and carers
Strongly agree Tend to agree Tend to disagree Strongly disagree Don’t know
p.32
Results of the survey of parents and carers
My child is making good progress in school. 40 36 4 2 18
p.32
Results of the survey of parents and carers
Behaviour in the school is good. 28 38 13 0 21
p.32
Results of the survey of parents and carers
My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 38 26 9 9 18
p.32
Results of the survey of parents and carers
I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 34 38 9 9 10
p.32
Results of the survey of parents and carers
I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 49 30 4 4 13
p.32
Results of the survey of parents and carers
The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 43 36 4 2 15
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Results of the survey of parents and carers
The school works closely with parents. 32 34 13 4 17
p.32
Results of the survey of parents and carers
The school is well led and managed. 36 36 6 4 18
p.32
Results of the survey of parents and carers
The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 36 34 4 2 24
p.32
Results of the survey of parents and carers
The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 28 40 4 2 26 Edgewick Community Primary - 33
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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE
58. Satisfactory improvements have been made in the curriculum provided for children in the Foundation Stage since the previous inspection. A nursery class has also been established.
p.33
AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE
59. Children are admitted to the nursery part-time in September and January following their third birthday. The school makes good links with parents and carers. Visits are arranged and parents are encouraged to remain with the children until they feel secure in the school environment. Children enter the nursery with very low levels of attainment, and a majority have no knowledge of English. The majority of children make good progress in learning to speak English, and in developing their personal, social and emotional skills. They make satisfactory progress in mathematics, creative and physical development and in their knowledge and understanding of the world. A few children's progress is unsatisfactory because they attend school irregularly.
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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE
60. Children enter the reception class with levels of attainment that are well below those expected for children of their age in nearly all areas of learning. The majority continue to make good progress in learning to speak English. Their listening skills continue to develop well and so do their personal, social and emotional skills. Their progress in mathematics is also good during their year in reception. In other areas, children make satisfactory progress except in physical development, where the limited access to the outdoor play area restricts their progress. Teaching of all aspects of the Foundation Stage curriculum is satisfactory and in some lessons it is good. There are good assessment procedures, which are used satisfactorily throughout the Foundation Stage. They are updated termly and show clearly which 'Stepping Stone' each child has reached, and the rate of each child's progress.
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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE
However, there is limited evidence that weekly planning is updated in the light of children's short-term progress.
p.33
Personal, social and emotional development
61. By the end of the nursery year children make good progress and many attain the first steps towards the Early Learning Goals in this area. Children are welcomed to the nursery on arrival and their presence appropriately registered, they then go to choose independently from the available activities. Adults work well together as a team and create a warm environment in which children feel secure. Adults talk to the children and are successful in involving them in activities, so that although at the beginning of the year there is little interaction between the children, this starts to develop as time goes on.
p.33
Personal, social and emotional development
62. All children behave well and quickly understand what is expected of them during the sessions. They start to concentrate, some for considerable lengths of time and there is very little flitting between activities.
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Personal, social and emotional development
63. By the end of reception the majority of children continue to make good progress and have achieved the Early Learning Goals. They are interested in activities and confident to try new experiences. They form friendships with each other and have good relationships with adults. There is clear understanding of how to behave in Edgewick Community Primary - 34 class and at playtimes, and behaviour is good. Children show deep interest in differences between themselves such as culture and hugely enjoy of what these cultures have to offer. For example, during the inspection the school was celebrating Diwali, and the children were eager to make Divas (decorative shallow clay candle holders).
p.33
Communication, language and literacy
64. The teaching of communication, language and literacy is satisfactory overall and the teaching of communication is good. By the end of reception a small number of children attain most of the Early Learning Goals for speaking and listening. Attainment in reading and writing is well below the level expected for children of this age but still represents satisfactory progress since the children's arrival in nursery. Only a few children make unsatisfactory progress during their time in the Foundation Stage.
p.34
Communication, language and literacy
65. The majority of children enter nursery with no knowledge of English, and the small number of children who speak English as a first language have poorly developed speech. Great emphasis is placed on teaching children to communicate. Children in nursery have good opportunities to develop their listening and speaking skills throughout each session. Activities are well supported by adults who talk clearly and simply, making comments and asking simple questions that involve children well. However, there is almost no communication between children, even in their home languages. Adults work very hard at stimulating the children and encouraging the briefest answer. Children show good early interest in books and enjoy turning the pages and looking at the illustrations. One child was seen to pretend to read a whole book aloud to himself.
p.34
Communication, language and literacy
66. By the end of reception many children communicate fluently, although not always grammatically, and they listen attentively to their teacher and other adults. They continue to receive carefully focused help in small groups which stimulates them and enables them to hear and use specific vocabulary. Drama is used well as a means of promoting the development of language and the ability to speak to others in role. For example, groups of children re-enacted the story of Rama and Sita, while others practised rangoli patterns and talked about straight lines and the colours they were using. Children enjoy looking at books together and discussing them. Early reading skills start to develop and parents are very supportive in helping children to learn letter sounds. The bi-lingual teacher sends home cards with appropriate sounds translated into several languages. Children practise their writing in a variety of ways.
p.34
Communication, language and literacy
However, there are few opportunities initiated by the teacher to promote early writing skills such as using lists, letters and making little books. Children learn to form their letters correctly and to write their names independently.
p.34
Mathematical development
67. Children enter nursery with little knowledge of mathematics. They are taught well and make good progress. However, only about half the children attain aspects of the Early Learning Goals by the end of their year in reception. The children in reception use everyday situations such as counting the number of children in class and start to recognise numbers with ease. For example, in a lesson the more able children knew how to write 24 and how to change it to 25. Nearly all the children could find five fingers and many could put one away at a time when singing 'Five green Bottles'. They use mathematical language successfully when describing where to place numbers and start to recognise shapes such as circles. Edgewick Community Primary - 35
p.34
Knowledge and understanding of the world
68. Children have very little knowledge about the world when they enter nursery. Teaching is satisfactory throughout the Foundation Stage. Children make satisfactory progress in their learning, however when they leave reception their knowledge is well below that expected for children of this age. Teachers arrange visits, which help to enrich children's experience but they find it difficult to comment about things they have seen. For instance, although children have opportunities to play with the falling leaves and visit the garden in the playground they cannot comment about the changing seasons or recognise the pattern of things around them. During the inspection, activities were satisfactory but unexciting. Children show a growing interest in computers and use programs to develop their ability to match objects correctly and to paint simple pictures. They also use cassette recorders confidently to improve their listening skills.
p.35
Knowledge and understanding of the world
69. Overall, opportunities are limited for children to investigate materials creatively and independently. Children are not always involved in the choice of resources and do not have the opportunity to try out their own ideas or the tools they may need. All children learn about Christmas as part of western culture and have very good opportunities to learn about other cultures too.
p.35
Physical development
70. Children are not used to playing and moving freely when they enter nursery. Teachers and assistants ensure that they have good opportunities in nursery to run, walk, jump and skip. Children start to throw balls and beanbags, and they begin to try to catch them. They learn to control wheeled toys. Teaching is satisfactory in reception but although they attain some aspects of the Early Learning Goals, children do not make the progress in their physical development of which they are capable. This is due to the limited time allocated to them in the outdoor play area. They move with confidence and good co-ordination, and are aware of others when working in the hall. However, opportunities for developing skills with small and large equipment are limited in reception, and this results in below average attainment.
p.35
Physical development
71. Children are taught to use tools such as brushes and scissors in organised lessons and their level of skill develops satisfactorily. However, although they become able to put on coats independently, children do not systematically have the opportunity to learn how to change their clothes before and after physical education lessons.
p.35
Creative development
72. Children enter nursery with poorly developed creative skills. Teaching is satisfactory and children make satisfactory progress but they reach levels well below those expected for children at the end of reception. In the nursery, children use playdough, paint and crayons freely, but displays indicate that opportunities are missed to create large pictures using the children's own contributions. Children in reception paint and draw, but there are insufficient opportunities for them to try freely different colours or textures on both a large and a small scale. This is because these activities are often over controlled by adults. They use playdough and clay to make objects. In both classes children are encouraged to use their imagination in the home corners, but they are not made into the focal point for an activity or a story. Children enjoy singing favourite rhymes but there was little evidence that they have regular access
p.35
Creative development
to a wide variety of instruments with which to experiment. Edgewick Community Primary - 36
p.35
ENGLISH
73. Pupils’ standards of attainment in English and literacy are below average but improving because the National Literacy Strategy is used effectively, teaching is good and the co-ordinator manages the subject well. The school has made satisfactory progress since the last inspection. Pupils in Year 1 and 2 make satisfactory progress. Pupils from Year 3 to 6 make good progress. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress because the school provides well for them. Pupils with English as an additional language make good progress because of the high level of support that teachers and bi-lingual assistants give them. 74. Standards of speaking and listening are below average. Pupils start Year 1 with very low standards of language and make satisfactory progress through the school because teachers, teaching assistants and bi-lingual assistants give them a lot of support. Most listen well to the teacher and answer questions when asked. Year 2
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ENGLISH
pupils do not listen well to each other and often interrupt. Bi-lingual assistants give good support to pupils with English as an additional language so that they can understand and join in. They make good progress in learning new words and try to join in answering questions. Higher attaining pupils speak clearly when talking to the class and can explain their ideas well. Average and lower attaining pupils are not so confident when talking about work and speaking to larger groups. They do not speak clearly enough. Teachers give pupils plenty of opportunities to ask and answer questions and read their work. This helps them to read aloud and explain what they have done. At these times teachers encourage clear speaking and correct vocabulary. In Year 4, pupils were asked to take the parts of different people in the story of Rama and Sita and answer questions put by other pupils. This gave them a
p.36
ENGLISH
good opportunity to think how they would speak as a different person and use wider vocabulary. “Evil, I am evil, really evil and I will have what I want. I don’t care if she is kind and generous, she is mine” one pupil said, taking the part well. This is a good example of using role play to make pupils think and match their vocabulary to a situation. Teachers do not give pupils enough chances for drama and role play like this to help them gain confidence and extend their vocabulary. 75. In Year 2 and Year 6, standards of attainment in reading are below average but are rising because it is taught well. Consequently, most of the pupils in the school make good progress in reading. In Years 1 and 2 pupils enjoy reading and like to talk about their books. Higher attaining pupils read accurately and fluently and use sounds and pictures to help make out unknown words. Average and lower attaining pupils read accurately but do not use sounds enough to help them build words.
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ENGLISH
They do not understand enough about what they have read. Teachers encourage pupils to take books home and this helps those who do read at home. One Year 2 pupil said, “I choose my own books and I read every night at home. I am a brilliant reader”. She was right! Pupils know that books have a contents and index page but have little idea about how to use these because they do not know enough about alphabetical order. 76. In Years 3 to 6, teachers continue to encourage pupils to read at home and give them good opportunities to read in literacy lessons. Most enjoy reading because teachers work well with them in class to help hem understand and think about what they have read. Most read fluently and with expression. Lower attaining pupils read accurately but with little expression to show understanding. Most talk about their books enthusiastically and freely give their opinions of the author. Higher and
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ENGLISH
average attaining pupils are beginning to think more carefully about what they read and explain what they think the author means. “Lizzie Dripping is not her real name” Edgewick Community Primary - 37 said one Year 6 pupil, “it’s just a nickname to show she’s a person who dreams and wants to make everything in her world exciting and special.” 77. In literacy lessons in Years 3 to 6, teachers and other adults spend time with pupils reading and discussing their books. They ask them questions, which make them think more deeply about what they read. This helps them to make good progress in reading with understanding and giving opinions. A good example of this was, when discussing character, one Year 6 pupil commented, “You know, I hate the man who beat the boy. How dare he say a beating is needed, he’s just a bully.” Higher attaining pupils can find books in the library by using colours and numbers. Average
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ENGLISH
and lower attaining pupils cannot do this. Most know and use index and contents pages to find information. They know how to look for key words but lower attaining pupils find this difficult. 78. The school has recently developed the library and Years 3 to 6 pupils are given time to use it. It is still too small to be effective. 79. Pupils start in Year 1 with a low level of ability in writing. Although they make satisfactory progress in Years 1 and 2 and good progress in Years 3 to 6, standards of attainment are still below average. As well as writing in English they write factual accounts in history, descriptions in geography, captions and labels in science and descriptions of how they make things in design and technology. In Year 2, most pupils write legibly and form letters correctly. Teachers help them to practise this. Very few pupils join letters. They know about capital letters and full stops and most
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ENGLISH
use these correctly in short sentences. Lower attaining pupils often forget. Most pupils can write simple descriptions and poems. One pupil in Year 2 wrote, “Growling tiger, eating people, eggs are hatching, roar, roar, roar.” Most find it difficult to write stories although they know they should have a beginning, middle and end. They do not know how to build them up and cannot put their ideas and imagination together well enough. 80. In Years 3 to 6, teachers make pupils think carefully about how to use better words and more complex sentences. They write descriptions, poems and give opinions using interesting vocabulary. In Year 5, when describing characters, one pupil wrote “Bubba is a naïve boy, he is innocent and foolish and does dangerous things”. In Year 6, pupils use phrases such as “perspired venom let’s combine” when writing a witch’s chant. Pupils know that, as one said, words must, “Grab you,” to make
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ENGLISH
someone want to read them. Pupils do not develop their ideas well enough when writing stories and longer imaginative pieces. They do not build these up well enough nor use words as expressively as they do in poems and descriptions. 81. Pupils with English as an additional language know what they want to say and make good progress when they have the support of a bi-lingual assistant. When they are not supported they struggle to organise their writing in English. 82. Teaching is satisfactory overall in Years 1 and 2, and good in Years 3 to 6 with some very good and excellent lessons seen in Year 4 and 6. Teachers plan lessons well and are clear about what they want pupils to learn. They use the National Literacy Strategy effectively. Teachers of younger pupils show them how to use sounds to build up words. Teachers of older pupils make sure that they talk about their reading so that they understand what it is about. They help them find out about ways that
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ENGLISH
authors use to make books interesting. They then make sure that pupils know that they can use these same ways to help their own writing. One pupil summed this up by saying “I like J. K. Rowling. Her stories are exciting and when I’m writing my stories – well I wasn’t very creative but now I know how to get better words in, like bellowing instead of shouting. That JKR for you, makes my writing better!” Edgewick Community Primary - 38 83. Teachers use several ways to help pupils learn. They plan for pupils to work as groups, a class or individually. They ask good questions to make pupils think hard and make sure they involve all pupils. In all lessons, support staff and bi-lingual assistants help those pupils with special educational needs and English as an additional language to understand their work. This support is well planned and helps pupils to learn well and make good progress. Teachers watch and listen to pupils to
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ENGLISH
check their progress and help them to move on. They make detailed records of pupils’ progress. They then make sure that pupils know what to do to improve and set work to help them do it. The notes they make on the guided reading record are particularly useful in helping individual pupils. In all lessons, teachers and other adults praise pupils, which encourages them to improve. 84. Most pupils behave well because teachers make lessons interesting. In Year 4 pupils enjoy talking to their partners about their work. This gives them the chance to help each other. Year 6 pupils discuss people like Alan Shearer when learning how to write autobiographies. In Years 3 to 6 pupils concentrate and work well independently. This helps them to learn well. They know what they have to do to improve because the teachers tell them. Most pupils try hard to do it because they want to learn and be successful.
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ENGLISH
85. The headteacher is managing the subject because there is no literacy co-ordinator. She gives good leadership. She knows what needs to be done because she has gathered as much information as possible about standards and teaching. She has used this to identify weaknesses and set targets for improvement. She and senior staff have begun to track pupils’ progress through the school to make sure that they pick up any problems early. She has used outside help to give teachers a better understanding of teaching literacy. She supports staff well. This is helping to improve progress.
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MATHEMATICS
86. The school has made good progress in this subject since the previous inspection. Work seen shows that pupils’ standards of attainment are now average in Years 2 and 6 and pupils make good progress. The school has successfully introduced the daily mathematics lesson as part of the National Numeracy Strategy. Most teaching of numeracy is good or better and the subject is very well led. 87. The majority of Year 2 pupils are able to recognise number patterns such as odd and even numbers. They can represent information gathered in block graphs but only the higher attaining pupils are confident in interpreting information given to them in the form of block graphs or pictograms. Year 6 pupils have well developed mathematical language. In one lesson the pupils were identifying quadrilaterals using a range of properties and were confidently talking about parallel lines, adjacent sides, dissecting lines and diagonals. They were all having lots of challenging
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MATHEMATICS
discussions. They listen well to each other as well as the teacher. All Year 6 pupils are developing secure investigative skills to solve problems. Most can construct and interpret line graphs. The higher attaining pupils can explain simple probabilities. A minority can use all four operations to two places of decimals, but the majority of the pupils are not yet at this stage. The use of ICT in mathematics, such as handling data, is not sufficiently developed.
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MATHEMATICS
88. All teaching was at least satisfactory and most was good or better. Lessons have a clear structure to ensure pupils are able to use their previous learning in well planned activities. This is followed by an opportunity to discuss what they have learnt and how they will use this learning in future work. This gives pupils confidence to tackle new areas of learning. Lower attaining pupils and pupils who have English as an Edgewick Community Primary - 39 additional language are taught well. In addition to the class teacher these pupils receive good support from classroom support staff. This support is well planned and the skilful use of the bi-lingual assistants to translate from English to the pupils’ home language, allows pupils to make good progress in the mathematics lessons.
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MATHEMATICS
89. Teachers plan well. They have a good subject knowledge and can explain clearly to the pupils what they are to learn in the lesson and where it fits in with what they have learned previously. Staff concentrate on developing the pupils’ mathematical language and this gives pupils confidence to join in class discussions. For example, in a Year 2 lesson the children were talking about irregular and regular pentagons and hexagons, and the number of sides and corners. This built on the language used in previous lessons. The pupils are interested in their work and always behave well. Resources are used very well. A good example of this was in a very good Year 3 lesson where pupils used white boards and “Digiflips” to show their answers with 3 digits to the teacher. The teacher quickly spotted any errors and used pupils’ explanations to correct them. The teacher has also built a “Function Machine” to
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MATHEMATICS
multiply numbers by ten. This grabbed the pupils' interest and ensured that they remained enthusiastic throughout the lesson. Pupils help each other when working in small groups. In the best lessons, teachers set work that challenges all the pupils at their different ability levels, and they respond very well to this. Teachers are well supported in all the mathematics lessons by the teaching and bi-lingual support assistants. They have very good working relationships and are well prepared to help the pupils. This contributes to the good progress these pupils make within the lessons. Homework is set as part of a planned programme and parents support the completion of the work and this contributes to pupils’ progress. Teachers’ marking is up to date and gives pupils positive encouragement. Not all comments gave pupils guidance on how to improve their work.
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MATHEMATICS
90. The curriculum is broad and balanced and meets statutory requirements. Most aspects of the subject are covered very well, although not enough use is made of ICT. There is also limited use of mathematics in other subjects. The school caters well for the mathematical needs of all its pupils. A small number of higher attaining pupils are working well with other primary schools as part of a Local Education Authority initiative. This is improving their progress. The requirements of pupils with special educational needs and those learning English as an additional language are very well met.
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MATHEMATICS
91. The leadership and management of the subject is very good. The co-ordinator has only been in post for a short time but has a clear view of standards and an effective plan of how to improve standards further. There is a detailed analysis of strengths and weaknesses in the pupils’ knowledge and understanding. This has led to training for staff on certain aspects of mathematics, and the identification of particular groups of children for additional support. Teachers planning and the work and progress pupils’ are making is regularly monitored. The subject is well resourced.
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SCIENCE
92. Standards in science for pupils in Year 2 and Year 6 are below average. This is a decline in standards since the last inspection. However, because the appropriate amount of time is now given to the subject and because teaching is improving, Year 2 pupils make satisfactory progress and Year 6 pupils make good progress. Pupils with special educational need and those learning English as an additional language Edgewick Community Primary - 40 make good progress because teaching assistants and bi-lingual assistants are used well to support their learning well.
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SCIENCE
93. Year 2 pupils know how electricity is used in the home, and it is dangerous if not used properly. They can name parts a plant, and they know some of the differences between living and non-living things. Higher attaining pupils in Year 6 now have good investigative skills that they use well when they compare the rates of water absorption in different types of soil. They know about fair testing and use their prediction skills well when they test the best growing conditions for plants. Pupils record the results of their work well. They are learning that in nature, some things depend on others. For instance, pupils know light comes from the sun and the earth’s rotation causes day and night but they are unable to explain the different seasons and its effects on plants. They are unable to explain how to separate materials that are mixed together, for instance using a magnet to separate iron from
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SCIENCE
other materials. Year 5 pupils know that there are different types of drugs available, and some are beneficial and others are harmful and dangerous.
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SCIENCE
94. Teaching is satisfactory for pupils in Years 1 and 2 and good for pupils in Years 3 to 6. Lessons are planned well, and most teachers have a good understanding of the subject. In Years 3 to 6, there is an emphasis on teaching skills of investigation and using scientific language. They regularly tell pupils what they are to learn during lessons and this enables pupils to know what is expected of them. In a good lesson on alcohol and drug abuse, the teacher demonstrated well the amount of alcohol in some drinks. In another good lesson pupils made good progress in learning about diet and care of teeth because the lesson was conducted at a brisk pace, the teacher used a good range of questioning skills and built well on pupils’ previous knowledge. All teachers use additional support in the classroom well and bi-lingual support staff use their language skills well to translate important concepts, allowing
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SCIENCE
all pupils to make good progress in their lessons. Good use is made of additional activities to help pupils learn and make the subject even more interesting, such as “Quantum Theatre,” and “Zoolab,” which introduces pupils to a wide variety of animal and bird life. The school takes part in the annual “Science Week,” organised by the local authority. These events make a good contribution to pupils’ moral development when they learn about caring for animals and care of the environment. Teachers and pupils make good of use the school’s wildlife area when studying bio-diversity
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SCIENCE
95. Leadership of the subject is now good. The subject has a higher profile in the school. Teachers’ subject knowledge has been improved and they now have a good scheme of work and plan their lessons well. There is a good school assessment system in place and this allows teachers to monitor pupils’ progress effectively. Pupils’ test results are analysed and weaknesses identified. Teachers then use this information to help pupils to improve. Teachers’ planning, science displays and pupils’ work are regularly monitored, and this allows the co-ordinator to have a good knowledge of what pupils’ are attaining and the progress they are making. This information is then fed back to teachers and included in an effective plan of future action. For instance, there are plans to increase the use of ICT in science, which is currently unsatisfactory. Science resources are good and stimulate pupils’ interest.
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ART AND DESIGN
96. Although the pupils in Years 3 to 6 reach average standards and make reasonable progress, standards in Years 1 and 2 are below average and they make unsatisfactory progress. The school has successfully implemented a scheme of work since the previous inspection but pupils in Years 1 and 2 do not have sufficient Edgewick Community Primary - 41 opportunity to explore and develop their ideas. This hinders their ability to interpret what they see, feel or think and progress in drawing, painting and craft skills is unsatisfactory. When pupils draw illustrations in their books, they lack detail and their use of colour is often inappropriate. Their cutting and sticking skills, when used in adding paper or material to a picture, are often inaccurate and detract from the finished piece of work.
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ART AND DESIGN
97. Year 6 pupils can identify how their investigations into the use of vanishing points could be used to show movement in their figure drawings. Year 5 pupils looked carefully at fallen leaves and successfully mixed paint to make a palette of colour tones to represent what they had seen. Year 3 pupils could use their observational skills to interpret the picture of ‘The Ambassadors’ by Holbein and then use this knowledge to add detail to their own portraits in oil pastels. Year 6 pupils can talk about Van Gough and explain how they had painted a picture of a sunflower in a similar style. Although all pupils had some knowledge of paintings from other cultures through their work on Diwali, their knowledge of artists especially from non- western cultures was limited. Little three dimensional work was seen during the inspection and pupils were unable to recall anything they had recently completed.
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ART AND DESIGN
98. Teaching is generally satisfactory, with some good teaching in Year 3 and Year 6. The good use of the interactive white board in a Year 3 lesson, enabled pupils to be practically involved when investigating a picture by Holbein. This improved their observational skills but also motivated them to improve their own work and make good progress. During a Year 2, lesson the teacher paid close attention to the teaching of basic art and design skills. She explained clearly how to decorate their Divas and how to use a paintbrush properly. Although pupils had a chance to share their finished work with the rest of the class and receive applause, there was no opportunity for them to discuss their work or identify how they could improve it. This prevented them from making good progress. In a Year 6 lesson, the pupils were given a clear understanding of what the objective was for that lesson was and how it
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ART AND DESIGN
fitted into their overall objective of creating movement in their figure drawings. They tackled perspective using vanishing points for simple mathematical shapes in an enthusiastic and informed way. At the end of the lesson the teacher made good use of pupils’ own comments about their work to ensure that they not only made progress but were clear about how to use what they had learnt at the next stage. Sketchbooks have recently been introduced to enable pupils to collect ideas, practise skills and develop their ideas. At present teachers are unsure how to use them well.
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ART AND DESIGN
99. Resources in the school are limited, especially in the range of materials available to support the full range of planned curriculum activities. A small number of source books are now available but these are limited and a wider and more exciting range of materials for starting points needs to be developed. A recent visit to the local Hindu Temple to experience singing, dancing and a puppet show made a good contribution to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural education. Although there are examples of art around the school, these are mainly of the Indian sub-continent and pupils need to experience a wider range of cultures within art. Although the co-ordinator has a good knowledge and enthusiasm for art and has monitored teachers’ planning, she has had limited opportunity to monitor and influence what is happening in classrooms. She is working with the Local Education Authority adviser to improve
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ART AND DESIGN
how pupils’ work is assessed but at the moment little is actually done and there is no action plan to improve matters. Edgewick Community Primary - 42
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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY
100. Standards of attainment were below avearge at the time of the previous inspection. Although attainment by the end of Year 6 is now average, it is below average at the end of Year 2. Progress has been made in teachers’ planning but the many changes in staffing has hindered the development of teachers’ subject knowledge. The new co-ordinator has worked hard in a short time to devise a clear plan of action and the school is now well placed to speed up the necessary improvements.
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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY
101. Year 6 pupils make satisfactory progress. They have a good understanding of basic design and technology concepts such as the criteria for selecting suitable materials and methods of evaluating their completed work. Their skills in using control technology are unsatisfactory and more opportunities are needed to use ICT. Year 3 pupils are able to plan a design for a package for sweets with the instructions to attract customers, be able to stack on shelves, have a window to view the contents and have a name that will appeal to buyers. Year 2 pupils have built cars from cardboard boxes and circles of cardboard. However, they had not been given sufficient opportunity to design and evaluate their vehicles and they make slow progress.
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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY
102. It was only possible to observe one design and technology lesson during the inspection and the teaching in this Year 3 lesson was good. The planning was detailed and very clear so that the pupils knew what was expected of them. The work on producing packages for sweets built well on some previously challenging work in mathematics on design nets on card to produce three dimensional boxes. The pupils were encouraged to evaluate their designs carefully and the session at the end of the lesson gave good opportunities for the pupils to share their good practice.
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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY
103. Although leadership in the subject is unsatisfactory, the new co-ordinator has made a very positive start. She has produced a detailed action plan to cover priorities for their academic year. She is monitoring teachers’ planning and the progress pupils’ are making in their work. She has produced a timetable of topics to support the curriculum, and has led training for the staff. Assessment sheets to track pupils’ progress are being used in Years 1 and 2 and it is intended that these will be extended to the other year groups during the next term. Resources have been audited and current levels of resources are adequate.
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GEOGRAPHY
104. Standards are similar to that in the previous report. Year 2 pupils make satisfactory progress and reach average standards. By Year 6, pupils make satisfactory progress and reach average standards. Pupils with special educational need and those with English as an additional language make good progress, because of the additional support they receive. The quality of teaching in Years 1 and 2 is satisfactory and good in Years 3 to 6.
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GEOGRAPHY
105. Pupils in Year 2 have a sound knowledge of places and they know simple facts about Coventry such as its canal. They know places in the locality of the school such as local shopping centres. However, pupils in Year 2 do not know London is a capital city. Pupils in Year 6 know about the compass points and direction and know that most of mainland Europe is east of the United Kingdom. They can use atlases to find places such as Coventry on a map and know they live in the Midlands. Higher attaining pupils can to use a key to identify mountains and rivers on a physical map. Edgewick Community Primary - 43 They know about the rainforest and its importance to the environment. They know about the importance of water, and the geographical language associated with a river such as source and estuary. They are beginning to learn about grid references to find places on an ordnance survey map.
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GEOGRAPHY
106. Teachers plan their lessons well. Teachers have clear expectations of pupils’ behaviour and what they are to learn. Pupils respond enthusiastically and make good progress. In a good Year 6 lesson, the teacher used her ICT skills which kept pupils’ interest and allowed the lesson to proceed at a brisk pace. In a Year 3 class, the teacher used an interactive board well to demonstrate changes that occur in a locality over time, and followed this up well with work sheets to reinforce the main points of the lesson. Teachers use the additional adult support well and when bi- lingual assistants are present they used their language skills to allow all pupils to understand the lesson, and this allows pupils to make good progress.
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GEOGRAPHY
107. Leadership of the subject is satisfactory. The co-ordinator has developed and supplemented activities to support the implementation of the nationally recommended scheme of work from which teachers plan their lessons. There are clear priorities in her action plan. Teachers make good use of planned trips to museums, the locality around the school and residential weekends such as in Ludlow, and these make a good contribution to pupils’ cultural development.
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HISTORY
108. Standards of attainment for pupils in Year 2 and Year 6 are average and they make satisfactory progress. Standards are similar to that in the previous report. Pupils with special educational need and those with English as an additional language make good progress because of the good additional support they receive in lessons.
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HISTORY
109. Pupils in Year 2 pupils know days of the week and months of the year and show they are beginning to understand chronology. They know that toys are different today compared with the time their parents were children. Pupils in Year 6 know the legend of Lady Godiva and Peeping Tom and its importance to Coventry. They understand aspects of life from the 60’s including fashion, music and every day life. They know about Kings and Queens such as Elizabeth 1, Henry VIII and Queen Victoria, but a few pupils think Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria reigned at similar times. They do not always know some of significant events of the periods they have studied.
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HISTORY
110. As a result of better planning and teaching, especially for older pupils, progress is improving. Pupils are interested and keen to learn. Teachers make good use of well planned trips to Kenilworth Castle, Lunt Roman Fort and the Victorian Workshop at the Partnership Centre. These visits make a valuable contribution to pupils’ cultural development and bring the subject to life. In a Year 4 lesson, the teacher had different plans for different groups in the class and this enabled each group to make good progress. During a satisfactory lesson in Year 1, the teacher used old toys to explain the differences between the past and present and helped pupils soundly grasp this concept.
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HISTORY
111. Leadership of the subject is unsatisfactory, as there is no permanent co-ordinator in place. It has not been a school priority although it is planned to be so in the future. Resources are adequate and readily available. These are supplemented by using the loan scheme of the Local Education Authority. Edgewick Community Primary - 44
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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)
112. Pupils make unsatisfactory progress and pupils’ attainment in Year 2 is well below average. In Year 6 attainment is below average. Despite their best efforts, the school has not kept up with national development and there has been little improvement since the previous inspection. This is because many staff who were trained in ICT have left and their replacements have not yet had the same level of training.
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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)
113. In Year 2, there were few opportunities to see pupils use computers during the inspection and little evidence of pupils' ICT work. From other evidence it is clear that pupils do not turn computers on or off, nor do they know how to save or retrieve their work. They have some experience of keyboard and mouse skills, writing, painting and drawing with computers but limited awareness of the use of ICT in the community outside school.
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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)
114. In Year 6, although pupils' attainment is below average, enthusiasm is high. Pupils have regular opportunities to use computers this term and with the help given to them by their teachers, and are learning new things quickly. They are confident to produce work such as their autobiographies, amend text, paste pictures and are starting to use spreadsheets. Pupils log on and use the internet for research, and can store, retrieve and print their work independently. They know that ICT is used widely in the community, but were unaware, for example, that it controls traffic lights. They have not used ICT to compose music nor to make things happen by devising a series of instructions. The school does not have an e-mail address. In a lesson in Year 5, pupils developed their skills well using ICT to draw geometrical shapes. Several pairs of pupils discovered how to draw three-dimensional shapes, and also
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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)
how to alter their size. Pupils in Year 4 are developing their editing skills and in a lesson they quickly learned how to change the font and size of letters as well as how to centre work.
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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)
115. Pupils are starting to use their ICT skills to practise and extend their writing. ICT is also being used to collate data in science lessons. Teachers are beginning to use the interactive white-boards to develop pupils' knowledge in a variety of lessons. For example it was used to good effect in an art and design lesson.
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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)
116. Two lessons were observed during the inspection. The quality of teaching in one lesson was good, and the teacher's clear explanations enabled pupils to work very well independently and to make very good progress. In the other lesson teaching was very good. There was very good pace to the lesson. The teachers had very good subject knowledge and taught appropriate skills very well, which again enabled pupils to make very good progress. Teachers are becoming secure in their knowledge and therefore are confident to teach basic skills clearly. This enables pupils to understand easily and to learn quickly. Teachers are enthusiastic and choose interesting tasks to motivate pupils. They concentrate well and make very good progress. Teachers have high expectations of good behaviour and pupils respond instantly so that no time is wasted. Teachers use good strategies to ensure that all pupils have the opportunity to use the computers and this enables pupils to
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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)
experiment and to make good advances in their learning. Support assistants are effective and play a full and valuable part in lessons, so that pupils receive support as soon as they need it. Pupils with special educational needs often work with more able pupils, which at this stage ensures that they understand basic skills thoroughly and make similar progress. Pupils who speak English as an additional language are Edgewick Community Primary - 45 well supported by adults and other pupils so that they understand and make very good progress.
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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)
117. The subject is developing fast. This term the school is sharing the expertise of the co-ordinator from a nearby Beacon school. He is very knowledgeable and well organised, and has devised a logical series of priorities, which are being put into practise to good effect. The confidence and expertise of the staff are being raised, and resources have been improved so that they are now satisfactory. The addition of three interactive white-boards round the school has done much to raise teachers' interest and enthusiasm. Steps are being taken to ensure that pupils have access to a full ICT curriculum that meets their needs. An effective way of assessing and recording pupils' attainment has yet to be put in place.
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MUSIC
118. Improvement since the previous inspection has been unsatisfactory. There is no co- ordinator to lead the subject and most teachers lack sufficient subject knowledge and confidence to develop music within the National Curriculum. Pupils’ attainment is below average and they make unsatisfactory progress.
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MUSIC
119. Pupils' standard of attainment in Year 2 is below average because there are insufficient opportunities for them to develop skills. For example, pupils explore the sounds they can make with untuned instruments and recognise whether their pitch is high or low, but they do not use them to create patterns or short rhythms, nor do they record their work on paper. Pupils enjoy singing and can perform sweetly, but often their tone is shrill and loud. Pupils say that they listen to different kinds of music in assemblies, but were unable to identify any.
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MUSIC
120. In Year 6 pupils skills have not been developed in a structured way over time. Pupils report that they sing in class to a tape. In the Year 3 to 6 singing assembly they joined in well, but did not vary the tone or pitch of their singing. Pupils have used both tuned and untuned instruments, but not often and they have not recorded their compositions. They listen to African and Indian music and also jazz and classical music in assemblies, but they do not listen critically. Pupils do not use ICT at present to develop their musical skills, nor is the subject used to promote literacy or mathematical skills.
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MUSIC
121. Teaching in the lesson observed was satisfactory overall. The pupils were enthused by the tasks and responded well and treated the instruments with care, but the tasks were not extended to challenge pupils to develop their skills further. Support assistants worked well to ensure that pupils understood and then took full part in leading group work. The pace of the lesson was generally good which kept pupils interested and involved.
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MUSIC
122. Leadership in the subject is unsatisfactory. Teachers use a nationally recommended programme of work, but there is no one to help them to develop it appropriately for their pupils. The headteacher sees teachers' planning, but there is no monitoring of lessons at present and there is no assessment to pinpoint and record pupils' progress and attainment. There are not enough instruments to enable pupils to learn to play and accompany songs. Edgewick Community Primary - 46
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PHYSICAL EDUCATION
123. The physical education curriculum has not been a school priority and many of the staff have had little recent training in the subject. There is a scheme of work in place and guidance on planning activities within the curriculum. The school also uses the facilities and coaching staff from the local Swimming Baths and Leisure Centre to support activities of older pupils. However, the school has made unsatisfactory progress since the previous inspection and standards across the school are below average.
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PHYSICAL EDUCATION
124. The pupils in Year 2 have little understanding of how their body works and the impact of exercise on it. They can follow simple instructions such as making patterns in their movements but these are at a very basic level and they do not use different parts of their body, speeds or levels in their work. Although they clap each other when observing others, they are unable to make constructive comments about how to improve their performance. They enjoy running and jumping about but the failure to understand fully what they are doing and how to do it well often leads to frustration and some inappropriate behaviour. Year 4 pupils play small team games with a sense of fair play. However, they have little guidance on how to improve and their skill levels in passing and moving are unsatisfactory. Even though they enjoy playing games, there is a lack of urgency and purpose in what they are doing and
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PHYSICAL EDUCATION
little progress is made. The pupils in Years 5 and 6 spend some of their time for physical education at the local Leisure Centre. This is a very good facility and access to specialist coaches, supports pupils’ skill levels. However, the time spent in getting ready for these sessions is too long and this limits the lessons impact. Teachers who attend these sessions monitor pupils’ performance but only use this information to pick teams and not for assessment. This restricts pupils’ ability to make progress in their performance and pupils’ skill levels in basketball are below that expected.
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PHYSICAL EDUCATION
125. Lessons taught by specialist coaches at the leisure and sports centre were good, although teachers did not support these activities effectively. In the two lessons seen in the school, staff lack the subject knowledge to effectively implement the lesson objectives. The timetable for use of the hall is unsatisfactory. Opportunities are sometimes restricted to one long session a week. This restricts the development of physical skills. As access to the hall is so limited pupils are often over excited and unsure how to behave. This leads to teachers focusing most of their time on controlling behaviour rather than coaching or developing skills. Not all teachers set a good example for the pupils by wearing suitable clothing for lessons. Although most pupils wear appropriate clothing, some do not. This restricts their ability to take part in activities but is also unsafe, for instance when wearing a long tight skirt in a
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PHYSICAL EDUCATION
126. Resources are satisfactory and are used at lunchtimes as well as in lessons. Hall space is restricted by the need to store so much equipment around the edges of it. The new co-ordinator, has only been in post for a few weeks and does not have a strong subject background. She has made a good start and already spoken to staff and identified their training needs. Contact has been made with the Adviser from the Local Education Authority to help prepare a plan of action. This will need to be undertaken as a matter of urgency. Edgewick Community Primary - 47
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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
127. Standards are similar to those in the previous report and pupils continue to make satisfactory progress. This is because teachers plan well from the Coventry Agreed Syllabus and they have a good knowledge of different faiths. Pupils in Year 2 and Year 6 attain average standards. The school effectively links religious education with personal and social education and assemblies. Through this the subject makes a good contribution to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. The school’s aims and values are reflected well in the subject. Pupils are taught the importance of good behaviour and of respecting the beliefs of others.
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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
128. Pupils in Year 2 know about some religious beliefs and people and can identify some objects and practices. They talk animatedly about Guru Nanak and what he asks followers to do. Most know what the Kirpan, Kara and Kachera are and that Kesh is uncut hair. “You have to let your hair grow naturally if you are a Sikh” one Year 2 pupil explained. They talk about what happens at Diwali and Christmas but are un sure of the religious aspect of these. They are beginning to understand that there are some things that are similar in all faiths, such as light as a sign of goodness because teachers help them to compare these. Most know that different faiths have special books and buildings. They can name the Gurdwara, Temple and Church and the Bible and Qu’ran. They are not so good at talking about what different symbols mean in different religions and know little about stories that Jesus told. They can say
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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
what makes them feel “nice” “It’s nice when I help people, it gives me a good feeling,” said one pupil. They are very aware of right and wrong because teachers point this out through discussions and stories. Most lose interest quickly when asked to talk about things that they find interesting or puzzling in life. They cannot do this because teachers do not give them enough opportunities to discuss these aspects.
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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
129. Pupils in Years 3 to 6 continue to learn well about a range of faiths. Teachers encourage them to share their beliefs and practices and use this base well to give pupils more information and the chance to ask questions. Most can talk about the key beliefs of some faiths. Pupils in Year 6 learn about the Sikh festival of Vaisakhi. They show great interest in the ceremony of renewing the flag and the welcome speech. In Year 4 they learn more about Diwali celebrations and can talk about this in more depth because the teacher encourages them to discuss the meaning behind certain practices and symbols such as the diva lamp. Pupils know about special foods and can explain the beliefs on diet in Judaism and Islam. They use the terms kosher, kashrut and halal correctly and know what they mean. Teachers give good opportunities like these for pupils to study several faiths, which helps pupils to make
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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
good progress in learning about religion. Pupils make slower progress in learning from religion because teachers do not use opportunities well enough when they arise. They do not give pupils enough time to think about and discuss important beliefs and relate this to their own experiences. Pupils are not confident when talking of their own feelings about religion. All pupils show great respect for other people’s faiths because teachers set a good example and encourage this.
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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
130. No teaching was seen in Years 1 and 2. In Years 3 to 6 teaching is satisfactory with good teaching in Year 4. Teachers plan well and make lessons interesting. In Year 6, pupils learned well because the teacher used the Sikh flag and music background to gain their interest. This added colour and life to the lesson. In Year 4, the teacher encouraged pupils to take the part of people in the story of Rama and Sita to help them understand more about why things happened. Teachers have good knowledge of different faiths. This helps pupils to learn well about practices and beliefs. All teachers stress the importance of respecting the beliefs and values of others. This Edgewick Community Primary - 48 develops pupils’ attitudes and understanding well and builds very good relationships. They do not spend enough time encouraging pupils to ask questions and suggest answers to experiences and aspects of life that are difficult to understand. This
p.47
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
means that pupils do not learn as much from religion as they should. Teachers often ask pupils questions to find out what they have learned. They do not record this regularly enough. They do not collect enough information to be sure about what pupils know and understand. This means that they are not certain that they are building on what pupils can do.
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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
131. Most pupils behave well in lessons. Lower attaining pupils and those with special educational needs in Year 5 find it difficult to concentrate when the teacher gives too much information at one time. Most work well together and enjoy listening to other pupils talk about their faith and practices. They ask sensible questions which shows they are interested. They respond well when the teacher shows them articles such as the diva lamp and the Sikh flag. They show great respect when they listen. This helps them to learn satisfactorily.
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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
132. The headteacher leads the subject because there is no co-ordinator. Leadership is satisfactory. She has introduced the new Coventry Agreed Syllabus and makes sure that teachers are beginning to work to from this by checking their plans. Although this gives her some information on teaching she is not sure enough about the quality of it. Religious education is not a priority in the school improvement plan this year, so there is no time set aside to monitor teaching. The headteacher checks displays and talks to pupils regularly to find out what they are learning. There is a realistic action plan in place to support teacher’s planning and resourcing this year.
p.48
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