Ferndale Primary School

FERNDALE PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 14 th – 17 th October 2002

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FERNDALE 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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FERNDALE 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. Ferndale Primary School

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Ferndale Avenue Great Barr Birmingham

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 17 th November 1997 Ferndale Primary School

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Phil Mann Registered inspector Physical education Religious education Standards - attainment and progress How well is the school led and managed? Efficiency of the school John Arscott Lay inspector Standards - attitudes, behaviour, personal development Attendance Spiritual, moral, social and cultural and personal development How well does the school care for its pupils? How well does the school work in partnership with parents? Staffing, accommodation and learning resources Doreen Cliff Team inspector Children under five Science Design and technology Christine Richardson Team inspector English Art Special educational needs Monitoring pupils’ academic performance and personal development Educational and personal guidance - assessment Kuldip Rai Team inspector Mathematics Geography History How good are curricular and other opportunities? English as an additional language Inclusion Christine Weaving Team inspector Information and communication technology

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

The inspection contractor was: TWA Inspections Ltd 102 Bath Road Cheltenham GL53 7JX

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

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

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Ferndale Primary School

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 6

Information about the school How good the school is What the school does well What could be improved How the school has improved since its last inspection Standards Pupils’ attitudes and values Teaching and learning Other aspects of the school How well the school is led and managed Parents’ and carers’ views of the school

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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS? 10

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Ferndale Primary School has 423 pupils on roll, aged 3 to 11, and the average class size is 27. It serves a residential area in Great Barr on the fringe of Birmingham. The home circumstances are mixed but some pupils come from deprived backgrounds. An above average number of pupils are in receipt of a free school meal. The original buildings are post war, surrounded by attractive play areas and a playing field. The small swimming pool is shortly to be rebuilt. At the time of the inspection, there were 120 children under five in the reception classes and the part-time nursery. The attainment of children at the start of school in the nursery is well below average. Twenty-seven per cent of pupils have been identified as having special educational needs, of which a good proportion receives specific support as part of the local education authority’s Enhanced Learning Provision. The number of pupils with learning difficulties is well

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

above the national average and there are currently 20 pupils with a Statement of Special Educational Need. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is well above average.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

This is an effective school that is providing a good education for its pupils. The headteacher’s very clear leadership and delegation of responsibilities to senior staff has ensured that a wide range of initiatives to improve the school and raise pupils’ standards has been managed well. The vast majority of teaching is good or better and this is having a positive impact on the achievement of all pupils. Governors play an effective part in school management and together with the headteacher they have witnessed a dramatic change in many things that the school does. Taking into account the circumstances of the school, the standards being achieved and resources available to support teaching and learning, the school provides good value for money.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What the school does well  Standards in information and communication technology and art are above average at 7 and 11 years.  All pupils achieve well because of good teaching and the range of planned learning experiences.  Pupils’ attitudes to learning and the school are very good.  Provision for children under the age of five is very good.  Pupils with learning difficulties make good progress in all they do because of the very effective management of their support.  Staff care for pupils very well, providing good levels of academic and personal care.  The headteacher is an inspirational leader who manages the staff very well for the benefit of all pupils.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What could be improved  Continue to raise standards in English, mathematics and science across the school.  Use all the good systems put in place to monitor the quality of education within the school more rigorously.  Planning for the school’s long-term development. 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

Good improvement has been made on all the key issues identified at the time of the previous inspection. A strong focus has been placed on raising the level of teachers’ expertise across the school. Learning opportunities are now well planned in many lessons and good systems for assessing the achievements of pupils have been implemented in many subjects. All pupils endeavour to produce well-presented work and staff have implemented procedures for involving pupils in self-assessment. The school’s capacity for further improvement is very good. Ferndale Primary School

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

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STANDARDS

Overall, pupils are making good progress related to their prior attainment as they move through the school. Assessments undertaken when children first come into the reception class confirm that achievements are well below the national average expected of five year olds . Standards attained by 11 year olds have been very low in the past and well below the national average in English, mathematics and science. The school provides very good support and educational opportunities for a very large number of pupils with Statements of Special Educational Need as part of the local education authority’s Enhanced Learning Provision. Basic skills of literacy and numeracy are taught well and the good teaching of skills in information and communication technology also supports this. Pupils in both the infants and juniors are also making good progress in art where standards are above average across the school.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Attitudes to the school The vast majority of pupils clearly enjoy school and are very keen to learn.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms The behaviour of pupils is generally good, with many observed instances where it is even better.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Personal development and relationships Most pupils demonstrate that the maturity of their relationships develops very well as they progress through the school.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Attendance The school continues to maintain a very good record of attendance.

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

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

The quality of teaching is good overall. Teaching is at least satisfactory in nearly all lessons and this is a considerable improvement on the findings of the previous inspection. Eight out of ten lessons seen were good or better and over a third were very good. Teaching is good in English, mathematics, religious education, art, history and physical education. The teaching of computer skills is consistently very good. The basic skills of literacy and numeracy are taught very well across the school and this is having a major impact on pupils’ achievements in other subjects such as religious education. Teaching is best in the juniors and for children in the nursery and reception classes. Sometimes teaching is not as well focused in some lessons for infant pupils and consequently the pace of learning is sometimes slower. Ferndale Primary School The effective support provided by learning support practitioners enables all pupils with special educational

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

needs to make good progress and achieve their targets. All staff have developed very positive relationships with pupils. As a result, most pupils respond very well to lessons and work hard to achieve.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

The quality and range of the curriculum The curriculum is broad and balanced. Overall it is well planned to provide pupils with relevant and interesting experiences. However, some pupils do not receive their full entitlement to it when they are withdrawn from lessons for additional enrichment activities. The provision for nursery and reception children is very good.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Provision for pupils with special educational needs, including those who are part of the Enhanced Learning Provision, is very good. The individual needs of each pupil are considered important and are met in a supportive and inclusive environment.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils with English as an additional language Specialist support for newly arrived pupils is good. However, although a number of teachers do not have sufficient experience in teaching pupils learning English as an additional language, all teachers make sure that these pupils are fully included in lessons.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Opportunities for spiritual experience and development are satisfactory, whereas the provision for moral and social development is considered good. The school has significantly improved the opportunities for cultural development, which are now very good.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

How well the school cares for its pupils Procedures for child protection are very good. The pastoral care provided by the school is very good in terms of the quality, the scope, and the general awareness and vigilance of the staff. The school has good systems in place to assess pupils’ attainment and progress. Information gained from any assessments is used effectively to improve curriculum planning. The recently introduced targets in English and mathematics help pupils to assess and monitor their own progress.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

The school is very successful in the involvement of parents and encourages them to participate in all facets of school life. Ferndale Primary School

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff The headteacher provides inspirational leadership to both pupils and staff. He is supported by a very capable deputy and good delegation of responsibilities to key staff has ensured that many improvements have been put into place. There has been a strong focus on raising and recognising the achievements of all pupils by improving the level of staff expertise and quality of teaching overall. Teamwork is a very strong feature of the school. Support and administration staff have all played a vital role in these improvements.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities The governors provide effective support for the work of the school and they effectively monitor its work. They are very clear about the level of success so far and what needs to be further improved. Statutory requirements are fulfilled and they are making a good start in applying the principles of best value in what they do for the school.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The school’s evaluation of its performance Procedures for monitoring the quality of teaching are good and observations are used effectively to improve the quality of teaching in lessons. Coordinators monitor their subjects well but there is a lack of rigour in the monitoring of the overall curriculum. As a result, some pupils do not receive their full entitlement to all the learning opportunities that should be available to them.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The strategic use of resources The current plan for school improvement is good. It provides a clear structure for curriculum and whole school development. However, links between the school budget are not totally explicit and the school’s vision for the future development is not fully coherent. Financial resources are used very effectively to support pupils’ learning and improve the quality of resources and classroom accommodation.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The level of staffing is good and the quality of the accommodation and resources is satisfactory. These combined with the sterling efforts of the site manager all contribute to an environment where learning can flourish.

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

The meeting was attended by 28 parents and 111 returned a questionnaire

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved  Parents feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or problems.  Expectations are high  The school works closely with parents  The school is well led and managed  Behaviour is good  A more consistent and rational use of homework

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

Parents are fully justified in the features they like best about the school. The Inspection team endorses the parents’ views about homework. Inspectors judge that it is well organised for infant pupils but homework provision in the juniors is far too variable and inconsistent. Ferndale Primary School

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

1. Overall, pupils are making good progress related to their prior attainment as they move through the school. Assessments undertaken when children first come into the reception class confirm that achievements are well below the national average for that expected of five year olds. This is particularly so in these children’s communication and early literacy skills. Inspection evidence confirms these low standards. Standards attained by 11 year olds have been very low in the past and well below the national average in English, mathematics and science. The school provides support and educational opportunities for a very large number of pupils with Statements of Special Educational Need as part of the local education authority’s Enhanced Learning Provision. The results for 11 year olds in the 2002 national tests include a good proportion of these pupils and consequently comparisons with national data are not totally representative of the overall achievements

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

made. Even so, results in the 2002 national tests were lower than expected in English and the school has implemented a plan to improve standards further for the current academic year. When these circumstances are taken into account, inspection findings judge that standards of pupils currently in Year 6 are broadly average in English, mathematics and science, reflecting the good improvements made in recent years. The 2002 results were submitted for re-marking during the inspection and the confirmed results were not available for publication in this report.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

2. The table below shows attainment in English, mathematics and science judged by the inspection team and as achieved by pupils in Year 2 and Year 6 in the 2001 tests, compared with all schools nationally and measured by what is known as points scores. These scores take into account the performance of all pupils in the year group.

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Writing

Mathematics Below average Below average Below average Average

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assessment

Well below average Average Well below average Average

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assessment

3. Some objective comparisons could be made based on the 2002 national tests after the inspection but a fuller analysis of the 2001 results indicates that there are some significant differences in the attainment of boys and girls at seven and eleven. This data indicates that girls appear to do better overall than boys at seven except in mathematics. This position is reversed at eleven where boys continue do far better in mathematics and they are also better in English. The school has recognised this fact through its own detailed analyses but has yet to devise strategies to address it. However, observations made during the inspection confirm that these differences are not fully explicit within lessons. There are no significant variations in the attainment of pupils in relation to ethnicity. Ferndale Primary School 4. There has been a trend of steady improvement in standards for eleven year olds in the last

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assessment

few years and this has been especially so in mathematics. The trend for English and science has also been upwards when compared with the 2001 national test results.

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assessment

5. The following table shows standards in subjects other than English, mathematics and science.

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technology

Art and design Above that expected Above that expected Design and technology In line with that expected In line with that expected Geography In line with that expected In line with that expected History In line with that expected In line with that expected Music In line with that expected In line with that expected Physical education In line with that expected In line with that expected Religious education In line with that expected In line with that expected

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technology

6. Children under the age of five make good progress from the time they join the nursery until the end of the reception year. In all classes the quality of learning is particularly enhanced by the contributions made by the learning support practitioners. The majority of children join the nursery with levels of attainment well below those expected nationally in many areas of learning and a significant number of children also have low levels of social development. There is a significant number of children requiring specific support whose needs are quickly identified and they are put on the special educational needs register for learning, emotional, behavioural and physical needs. By the time the children reach the end of the reception year a large proportion will not have attained the early learning goals in all areas of learning. A minority however will have progressed into the National Curriculum. Progress in all areas of learning is good but the quality of reading material is

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technology

limiting the overall achievements of the children in their early literacy development. Children with special educational needs and those with English as an additional language are very well supported and make good progress in these classes.

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technology

7. Pupils in the infant and junior classes are achieving well overall due to good teaching and planning for what is to be taught in most lessons. The headteacher and senior management have worked hard over recent years to improve the level of subject expertise shared amongst the staff. Teachers’ strengths are used to good effect to support a programme of specialist teaching of literacy and numeracy in the juniors. Much of the teaching is now of a high standard in the junior classes and this is a big improvement on the findings of the previous inspection. This good quality of teaching combined with effective levels of support for pupils with special educational needs is ensuring that progress is good in many aspects of learning. The implementation of the literacy and numeracy strategies has been well managed and this has had considerable effect in the raising of pupils’ standards. Pupils of all abilities are making at least satisfactory progress

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technology

in science as they move through the school. An appropriate emphasis is placed on investigative work providing pupils with good opportunities for personal and social development. Good levels of subject expertise amongst the staff are ensuring that lessons provide the appropriate level of challenge in science lessons.

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technology

8. All pupils in the infants and juniors are making good progress in art. All pupils enjoy the subject and gain much enjoyment and cultural development through the creation of interesting sculptures and beautiful pictures. Progress is also good in information and communication technology. Teachers provide a good range of learning experiences for pupils within the new computer suite with the result that progress is rapid and standards Ferndale Primary School are above average at seven and eleven. Pupils in the infants and junior classes are also making good progress in physical education and especially so in dance. The pupils are making satisfactory progress in all other subjects and standards are in line with those expected of seven and eleven year olds.

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technology

9. All pupils with special educational needs, including those who have additional needs recognised through the Enhanced Learning Provision, make good progress towards the targets on their individual educational plans in the classroom and in withdrawal sessions. This is an improvement since the last inspection because of the good teaching they receive and the suitability of their targets. Pupils also make good progress in the development of self-esteem and confidence. The school makes good use of assessment information for target setting on individual education plans, the formation of groups and provision of specific programmes for some pupils. As a result pupils who need additional support are identified as soon as possible and appropriate initiatives introduced. Pupils with special educational needs frequently attain well for their abilities in national tests. The school recognises that the provision for pupils learning English as an additional language

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technology

needs to be improved because a number of teachers have insufficient experience of teaching them. However, despite this, all teachers ensure that these pupils are fully included in lessons, which enables them to make satisfactory progress.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

10. Pupils' very good attitudes to the school have been maintained since the previous inspection. Teachers don’t have to waste time calling for attention, because the class is already attentive and listening keenly. Pupils’ attitudes provide fertile ground for learning to flourish. Most pupils display genuine enthusiasm for the school, and are very keen to be involved in school activities. The vast majority are well motivated, and their overall response to teachers is very good. Pupils from different groups have good attitudes to learning. Their relationships with each other and adults are good. On the whole, pupils concentrate hard and work very productively in lessons. Many pupils display a very well developed sense of responsibility and this is best seen in the way older pupils spontaneously help the younger children at lunchtime and in the playgrounds. Pupils enjoy the learning challenges set by their teachers and solving problems for themselves.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

Pupils are accustomed to organising their own work, and they take delight in shared learning, as well as working on their own. The majority of pupils have a healthy attitude towards learning from their mistakes. The ‘PASS’ review commissioned by the Children’s Fund similarly found that pupils in this school have above average attitudes towards teachers, work and attendance.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

11. The level of good behaviour of pupils has again been maintained since the previous inspection. Pupils’ behaviour in many lessons is very good, and as a result, they make significant progress in these lessons. Most lessons run for a full 60 minutes and for a small number of pupils this strains the self-control of their behaviour. Classroom rules and the school's code of conduct have become a very natural part of most pupils’ daily routine. This is evident in classrooms, from the level of self-discipline exercised by practically all pupils, usually without the need for direction from the teacher. Many of the teachers are very quietly spoken and yet they can all be heard clearly. Teachers rarely need to bring the class to order. Oppressive behaviour, bullying, sexism and racism are very rare occurrences despite the large number of pupils with behavioural difficulties. The incidence of exclusions is very low and has declined significantly since the previous inspection. This

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

indicates that the behaviour management strategies used by the school are successfully preserving the standard of good behaviour without the need to use this weapon of last resort. Ferndale Primary School 12. Pupils respond very well to the very good provision for personal development. Most pupils are very aware of the impact of their actions on others and exercise a high degree of self- control. The majority can reflect on and discuss their behaviour, feelings and experiences, although some pupils have a limited vocabulary and find it difficult to express their views. Pupils display great concern for those less fortunate than themselves and actively support charitable causes. The school has a number of pupils with a range of behavioural disabilities, which the other pupils treat with benign tolerance. Pupils do talk about their own views and beliefs, and the majority are prepared to listen carefully to the views held

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

by others as observed in religious education lessons. When given the opportunity, pupils show initiative and most are willing to carry out routine jobs. Pupils, teachers and other adults within the school relate very well to one another. It is also very common to see pupils helping and supporting one another in the classroom. The school has a significant number of ‘cared for’ pupils in the care of the local authority and the school works hard to fill the gaps in their particular personal development within its very supportive family atmosphere.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

13. Attendance rates are currently very good, and have been consistently maintained since the previous inspection. The level of authorised absences and the percentage of unauthorised absences in the last reported year are both better than the national average. Procedures for registering pupils are good and meet statutory requirements. Lateness to school and for classes is infrequent.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

14. The quality of teaching is good overall. Teaching is at least satisfactory in nearly all lessons and this is a considerable improvement on the findings of the previous inspection. Eight out of ten lessons seen were good or better and over a third were very good. Teaching is very good overall for pupils under five with all lessons seen being at least good and six out of ten lessons very good. At Key Stage 1, teaching is satisfactory overall although in two lessons out of ten seen, it was very good. At Key Stage 2 teaching is good overall. Four out of ten lessons seen were very good and there was just one unsatisfactory lesson. The great majority of parents considered the teaching to be good.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

15. Teaching is good in English, mathematics, religious education, art, history and physical education; and very good in information and communication technology. Teaching of the basic skills is very good and consequently the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies are being taught effectively. In a Year 5 religious education lesson there were good opportunities for the development of literacy skills through effective match of text to the ability of the pupils, and the complexity of questions asked. Information and communication technology is used well across the curriculum. For example in a religious education lesson two pupils searched the internet for extra information on Hinduism, and in mathematics two pupils in Year 3 played a computer game to reinforce addition of two even numbers.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

16. Overall, teachers’ subject knowledge is good. For example in a Year 4 dance lesson, very secure subject knowledge supported by confident use of subject specific vocabulary, supported the pupils’ learning very well. Occasionally teachers miss the opportunity to introduce specific vocabulary to pupils; for example, in a Year 2 information and communication technology lesson where the learning objective was to use the shift key, this term was not used and pupils called it the arrow key causing confusion amongst some pupils.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

17. Lessons contain a good balance between direct teaching, activity by the pupils and time to review what has been learned although in a few cases the time allowed for review is too Ferndale Primary School short. In a science lesson, a good balance of class teaching and group activities sustained interest and enthusiasm. In a literacy lesson tasks were set to promote challenging work at three levels, but all linked to the key learning intentions.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

18. All teachers are skilled at using questions to assess pupils’ understanding and challenge their thinking. Good questioning in a history lesson enabled pupils to find reasons for Anne of Cleves marrying Henry VIII. Very good questioning in a reception lesson revised and consolidated the events of the story ‘Come on Daisy’.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

19. A good range of strategies is used to ensure all pupils are fully included in lessons. Skilful questioning is used to include pupils who speak English as an additional language and ensure all progress in their learning. Practical activities with appropriate resources also encourage this. For example in a Year 5 information and communication technology lesson pupils were making plans of their classrooms using design software and the teacher moved around supporting pupils individually as needed.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

20. All staff ensure that they give equal attention to boys and girls, and pupils from different groups in the classroom. Any new pupils are provided with specialist support by a teacher from the authority’s Rapid Response Team. Currently this support is available one afternoon a week. When it is available, its quality is good as was seen in a lesson with two pupils. The teacher made good use of questions and provided pupils with enhanced opportunities for speaking and listening. He also made good use of their home language as he taught them the names of different parts of the body.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

21. When specialist support is not available, class teachers provide sound support overall to pupils learning English as an additional language. They work hard to explain new ideas in a way that makes sense to all pupils. As a result, pupils make satisfactory progress. However, the school recognises that teachers will benefit from more in-service training to improve their skills in this area, as they do not have sufficient experience of teaching pupils learning English as an additional language.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

22. There were several lessons where pupils were withdrawn for various reasons including peripatetic music lessons. More able pupils missed part of a history lesson to do extension maths and two pupils left a lesson for special educational needs support. Sometimes these withdrawals from lessons have an adverse effect on pupils’ entitlement to the same learning experiences of fellow classmates and important learning is missed.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

23. Teachers have high expectations of what the pupils can achieve and the result is that pupils make good progress. This is particularly so for children in the nursery and reception classes and for pupils in the juniors. In the best lessons, challenges are set for pupils and they respond enthusiastically to these. For example in a Year 3 information and communication technology lesson the pupils were set a challenge to investigate the function of two keys. The pupils worked out that they caused an increase or decrease in the tempo of their musical composition, and they enjoyed the challenge. The level of challenge for some pupils in the infants is not always high with the result that pupils can become restless and off task during the lesson.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

24. Overall, teachers manage pupils very well. A good range of rewards and sanctions is used to motivate pupils, pupils are praised regularly and good behaviour is consistently rewarded. Consequently pupils feel encouraged to persevere with their work and develop very positive attitudes to learning.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

25. Planning is good across the school and very good for children under five. Planning in reception shows progression from the previous day’s activities, builds on learning and Ferndale Primary School reinforces understanding. In the best lessons learning objectives are shared with the pupils, and referred to at the end of the lesson to check pupils’ learning. This was demonstrated effectively in a mathematics lesson in reception where the teacher used children’s completed work to ask for questions and seek answers. This technique provided an opportunity for informal assessment and enabled these children to be fully aware of their own learning.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

26. The school has made good improvements to how it uses assessment to inform future plans. Most teachers use assessment information to ensure that subsequent work is matched to the ability of the pupils. A physical education lesson provided very good opportunities for pupils to appraise the work of others based on video material taken the week before. There are some good examples of teachers writing very helpful comments to take the pupils’ learning forward.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

27. Teachers use time effectively in lessons. In the best lessons the pace is brisk and pupils are given timely reminders to keep on with their work. Teachers use teaching resources such as practical apparatus well to demonstrate teaching points and to assist pupils in understanding new concepts. For instance, in a mathematics lesson for pupils in Year 5, the use of fraction boards helped the pupils to understand the equivalence of fractions. Pupils in Year 4 used a writing frame with a prompt sheet to help them understand one format for a poem; and in a mathematics lesson pupils made good use of a 100 square and mini-whiteboards to learn to take away nine. These pupils enjoyed the practical activity.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

28. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress in mathematics and English, and satisfactory progress in science. The effective support provided by learning support practitioners enables pupils to make progress and achieve their targets. A range of appropriate resources including computers and magnetic writing slopes also supports these pupils.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

29. Teachers and learning support practitioners plan together and take very good account of the targets for pupils with special educational needs in their planning. This is particularly so for pupils in the Enhanced Learning Provision programme. Targets in individual education plans are clear and achievable. Pupils are grouped according to their prior attainment and particular needs in literacy and numeracy. This ensures that tasks are matched well to pupils’ abilities. Pupils have skilled support from experienced and committed teachers and support staff. This is given either on an individual or small group withdrawal basis, as well as by receiving additional care and attention whilst working with the rest of the class. Activities and the adult support in lessons, and in withdrawal sessions, are very well matched to what pupils need. Staff maintain very good records and there is regular, relevant, and high quality sharing of information between all staff, who

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

30. The quality and quantity of homework are inconsistent across the school. Homework for the infants is well organised with weekly expectations for literacy, numeracy and one foundation subject. Most pupils complete the homework because teachers follow up those who do not return it. This pattern in not repeated in Key Stage 2 where it is more variable and in some classes homework is encouraged but not insisted upon. Pupils across the school are encouraged to take reading books home. Ferndale Primary School

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OR STUDENTS?

31. At the time of the previous inspection, the implementation of a planning system was a key issue. The school has made good progress since then and addressed this issue successfully. The arrangements for the implementation and monitoring of long, medium and short term planning are now good. As a result, planning ensures that pupils make consistent progress in their learning as they move through the school.

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OR STUDENTS?

32. The curriculum is satisfactory overall. It is broad and balanced, and meets the statutory requirements of the National Curriculum and religious education. All National Curriculum subjects and religious education, together with personal, social and health education, are taught. Personal and social education is taught through ‘circle time’, and it provides sound opportunities for pupils to develop their listening skills, and to work with each other co- operatively. There is currently no scheme of work for personal, social and health education, but plans for its development are in place. The governors meet their statutory obligation in relation to the curriculum, including sex education and drug education. Sex education and drug education are taught sensitively through science, and personal, social and health education, with good involvement of the parents. The school also involves parents fully in the development of its policies for these areas, following the local education

p.16

OR STUDENTS?

33. All subjects have schemes of work, most of which have been produced with the use of national guidelines. Long term planning, which is supported well by medium and short term planning, gives a very clear overview of the topics to be covered by each year group on a termly basis. There are good arrangements for planning so that pupils in each year group have similar opportunities for learning. The school benefits from specialist teaching in English and mathematics in Years 3 to 6 which impacts positively on pupils’ standards. The weekly lesson time is above the nationally recommended minimum time for the infants, but it is below that for the juniors. The allocation of time to each subject is clearly stated and it takes into account the importance of literacy and numeracy, with a generous amount of time given to them. This squeezes time for most of the foundation subjects, and is not enough to teach all aspects of these subjects in sufficient depth. The school is aware of

p.16

OR STUDENTS?

these shortcomings, and is in the process of reviewing time allocation.

p.16

OR STUDENTS?

34. The school values all pupils equally, whatever their needs, and is committed to providing them with equal access to a broad and balanced curriculum. It is particularly proud of its provision for special educational needs - pupils with moderate learning difficulties and various forms of autism being catered for in the mainstream. There is also good specialist provision for the newly arrived learners of English as an additional language. A member of the authority’s Rapid Response Team, who makes good use of the home language of these pupils to successfully support their learning, supports these pupils effectively. However, the school recognises that the provision for the rest of the pupils learning English as an additional language needs to be improved because a number of teachers have insufficient experience of teaching such pupils. The policy covers all aspects of equal opportunities and all pupils, regardless of gender, ethnicity or social circumstance, have

p.16

OR STUDENTS?

equal access to the curriculum. However, girls achieve significantly lower results than boys in national tests at eleven in English and mathematics. The school is aware of this issue but has yet to devise strategies to address it. Furthermore, the higher attainers are not always given enough challenge, and consequently they do not achieve as well as they should. The school recognises the need to develop appropriate provision for gifted and talented pupils, and has recently appointed a teacher with responsibility for it. A number of pupils are often withdrawn from their normal lessons for specialist support in a range of activities such as instrumental music, enhancement groups and special educational needs. Ferndale Primary School Whilst what they learn is worthwhile, they miss access to aspects of the curriculum. The school recognises this issue and plans to address it.

p.16

OR STUDENTS?

35. Since the school was last inspected the provision for pupils with special educational needs has been extended to include pupils with additional special needs as part of the local authority’s Enhanced Learning Provision. The overall provision is very good because pupils are treated as individuals. Teachers and support staff know their pupils very well and make sure that their individual needs are met. The caring and supportive atmosphere in the school has a major impact upon the progress pupils make in lessons. Pupils with special educational needs are fully included in all aspects of the school’s life. They receive specific support in most lessons and carefully planned programmes support pupils with additional emotional and behavioural or physical needs well. The range of additional therapies and activities is very wide and of great value to the pupils because the programmes are well organised and very well matched to individual pupils’ needs.

p.17

OR STUDENTS?

Significantly, the highly successful ENABLE 1 project has now been extended into ENABLE PLUS and ENABLE NUMERACY. Teachers and learning support practitioners are involved in the preparation and review of individual education plans and statements. There are currently 20 pupils with statements in the school.

p.17

OR STUDENTS?

36. The school has implemented the national strategies for literacy and numeracy effectively. The school closely monitors the impact of these strategies. Consequently, the quality of teaching in both literacy and numeracy is good.

p.17

OR STUDENTS?

37. A very good range of extra-curricular activities enhances the curriculum. This includes football, basketball, netball, tag rugby, karate, choir and provision for learning to play a number of musical instruments. The school participates in local events such as the Sandwell Dance Festival, and is the lead school in the West Bromwich Music Festival. It also takes part in competitive sports locally and nationally, and is proud of its success in these competitions. Pupils in Years 2 to 6 have the opportunity to take part in residential visits, with the take-up for them being very good. Parents are pleased with the range of activities provided outside the school.

p.17

OR STUDENTS?

38. The community makes very good contribution to pupils’ learning, with the school having established very good links with the institutions of higher education, local businesses, the Hamstead Community and the RAF Association. They all provide an enriching experience to pupils. For example, links with local businesses have enabled the whole school to visit the theatre with no cost to the pupils for the last four years. Visitors to the school including the Bishop of Aston, the local MP, live musicians, live theatre groups and West Bromwich Albion Club provide further enrichment to the curriculum. These visitors add an extra dimension to pupils’ understanding of the world around them.

p.17

OR STUDENTS?

39. The school has developed good curriculum links with partner institutions. For instance, the school has developed good links with Shenstone Lodge, a local special school, to provide training for staff and opportunities for the personal development of pupils. Other links include pupils in Year 6 having induction days at receiving schools, and Year 5 pupils having a taster day at Dartmouth High School, which is the main receiving school. Curriculum links also include Years 7 and 8 teachers observing English, music and physical education lessons, and talking to Year 6 pupils and their parents. There are appropriate arrangements for the transfer of pupils’ records. These links ensure that Year 6 pupils’ transfer to the next stage of their education is a smooth one.

p.17

OR STUDENTS?

40. The overall provision for spiritual development is satisfactory. Circle time is often skilfully used to explore many themes, and most of the pupils display an awareness of and can

p.17

OR STUDENTS?

1 ENABLE Project: a Sandwell LEA initiative to support Year 2 pupils who are underachieving in their reading. Ferndale Primary School discuss the faiths of others. The daily act of collective worship complies with statutory requirements and acts of collective worship are broadly Christian in nature. The central theme behind prayers and worship at assemblies is the exploration of meaning, purpose and values. However, there is little integration of the themes at assemblies, in religious education lessons and at circle time, so the impact is less apparent. The school has such a strong caring, family atmosphere that spiritual moments spring up everywhere, but these are not often recognised and explored. For example, at a celebration assembly, the anticipation of the audience, the powerful background music, and the general excitement, all cried out for a moment of reflection, but the spirituality of the moment passed without

p.17

OR STUDENTS?

41. The school's overall provision for pupils' moral development is good, and pupils can determine right from wrong. The school promotes honesty, fairness and tolerance very well, and very many pupils understand the importance of being truthful. Equal opportunities and personal rights are well developed. The care, tolerance and understanding that pupils show towards those with disabilities are a tribute to the strong moral code in this school.

p.18

OR STUDENTS?

42. The good provision for pupils' social development has been maintained since the previous inspection. Adults, of both sexes, at the school provide very good role models for pupils. Pupils are provided with good opportunities to take responsibility for their own actions, this is particularly so during the frequent residential visits arranged by the school. The positive behaviour policy provides good opportunities for pupils to exhibit a sense of self-discipline. Very good relationships within the school make a significant contribution to the school's atmosphere. Pupils are actively involved in setting their school and classroom rules. Older pupils are expected and encouraged to care for the younger ones, and this can be seen in action during playtimes.

p.18

OR STUDENTS?

43. Overall, arrangements for developing pupils' cultural awareness are very good. This is an improvement since the previous inspection. The school has a significant proportion of pupils with roots in other cultures. These pupils are encouraged to share their culture with other pupils. For example, a Muslim pupil showed how a prayer mat was used. Most pupils have a good understanding of their own cultural heritage, and a good range of activities ensures that pupils appreciate the cultural diversity of British society. The school's provision for cultural experiences for pupils is very good. The school works very hard to provide pupils with opportunities to appreciate art, literature and music. Artists, poets and theatre groups are frequent visitors to the school. The school has developed a very strong tradition of annual visits to the theatre by all its pupils.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

44. The procedures for child protection, safety and welfare are very good. What makes this provision so good is that it is properly structured, organised, and most importantly the staff are sincere and totally dedicated. Parents and pupils alike know and value this ethos of care that reaches out to the whole school. Teachers are very aware of the emotional state, physical condition, family circumstances and intellectual capacity of their pupils through detailed records. Compliance with local authority child protection procedures is very well established. A member of staff has been designated child protection co- ordinator. The welfare of pupils on the child protection register is extremely well monitored, and staff awareness of the child protection procedures is very good. The school also helps children to protect themselves and others. The school has an excellent relationship with the local police officer, who even takes the trouble to change into a less

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

intimidating, more casual uniform when visiting the school. The school nurse also has a very close relationship with the school and provides good support. The school has good Ferndale Primary School procedures for meeting the requirements of pupils with special educational needs. The number of pupils at the school with a range of disabilities means that the school has to maintain a very good working relationship with a wide variety of outside agencies.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

45. The school promotes a very good awareness of health and safety and there is a good policy in place to provide guidance for staff. The daily practice of health and safety in the school is in the very capable hands of the site manager. Risk assessments are not only carried out for the school premises, but also every other location used by pupils, including transport and residential centres. Safe working practices are regularly monitored and reviewed by the health and safety governor, designated members of staff and the site manager. Arrangements for dealing with accidents are clearly set out, and many members of staff are qualified to give first aid. This good provision follows the trend in the previous inspection.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

46. The school's procedures for monitoring and improving attendance are very good. The school complies with the statutory recording and reporting of attendance. Attendance monitoring procedures have been improved since the previous inspection, and procedures for following up unauthorised absences on the same day are now very well established. This is supported by a very strong working relationship with the education welfare officer. Maintaining the high standard of attendance continues to be a high priority. Typically, the school offers pupils rewards for various periods of continuous attendance. There are a significant number of pupils who qualify for a full attendance award.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

47. The school is very clear about its intolerance of bullying, and racial and sexual harassment, and has procedures for recording incidents of racism and reporting to the governing body and the local education authority. The arrangements for the assessment of newly arrived pupils are good. They have individual language plans, which include targets, which are clear, specific and measurable. There are shared with the pupils and their class teachers. There is no separate provision for the assessment of other pupils learning English as an additional language, and they are assessed in the same way as other pupils. However, pupils learning English as an additional language are well integrated into the school.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

48. The procedures for promoting and monitoring positive behaviour are very good. A comprehensive behaviour policy, that also includes anti-bullying, is firmly in place, coupled with equally comprehensive strategies for putting these policies into practice. The way the school implements this policy is consistent across the school. The climate within the school is designed to promote good behaviour through self-discipline rather than by teachers’ intervention. The procedures for monitoring and eliminating oppressive behaviour and anger management are very effective. Anti-bullying strategies are very well established and the school maintains very good records of incidents involving misbehaviour. Bullying or anti-social behaviour is picked up so quickly by vigilant staff that these instances rarely develop into significant incidents. However, when trouble does arise it is very firmly dealt with by the school. The success of these policies can be seen in

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

the reduction in the number of exclusions.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

49. Policies for the support and guidance of pupils are effective. The quality of support and guidance given to pupils’ results in significant progress, and the principle of acknowledging and celebrating the achievements of pupils is well established. It is not just the high attainers who receive awards, because the school works very hard at finding good reasons to praise and reward all pupils. The school keeps very detailed personal records of its pupils’ progress, and these records are updated and reviewed regularly. Ferndale Primary School 50. Teachers and learning support practitioners know pupils very well. Assessments of pupils with special educational needs are carried out thoughtfully and staff are aware of pupils’ targets and programmes. The support for pupils with any additional needs is very good. Relationships between pupils and staff are very good so that learning takes place in a

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

purposeful and motivating atmosphere. Staff work together very well to ensure that any information about pupils’ work and progress is shared effectively. The school complies well with the Code of Practice and liaises very effectively with external agencies.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

51. Assessment procedures have improved significantly since the last inspection and the school now has good systems and procedures for assessing pupils’ attainment and progress in English, mathematics and science. In addition to the national tests at the end of Years 2 and 6, pupils have reading and other tests in Years 3, 4 and 5. This builds a good picture of the strengths and weaknesses in teaching and learning and helps the school to decide on priorities for the curriculum and particular group targets; for example, the school identified the need for a clear focus on writing skills. There are now specific groups to support pupils of different abilities and ensure that pupils’ needs are met effectively and standards raised. Additionally, in-service training on aspects of writing is planned. Assessment in information and communication technology is well developed, but in other subjects such as music and art, co-ordinators have plans for the introduction of

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

assessment systems during this academic year. The school’s marking policy encourages constructive comments and points for development and co-ordinators regularly monitor pupils’ books and samples of work to check on standards. Target setting in English and mathematics has been established this term and this is helping pupils to gain valuable insights into their own learning and progress.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

52. Virtually all the parents have very positive views about the school, and parents’ views are both realistic and objective. A significant number of parents returned their questionnaires, indicating the level of interest in and considerable support for the school. Only one issue emerged from the questionnaire; concern over the amount of homework their children receive. The inspectors found that the homework policy is practised more consistently in Key Stage 1 than in Key Stage 2. Practically all the parents are pleased with the attitudes and values promoted by the school and the vast majority support the standards of behaviour. Most parents think that they are kept well informed about what is happening at school, particularly with respect to what their children are learning and how parents can help. Almost all the parents think that pupils of all abilities make very good progress. Suggestions or concerns expressed by parents are considered seriously and parents are

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

particularly impressed with the caring attitude that prevails in the school.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

53. The school is constantly looking for ways to develop the very good relationship with parents. The induction procedures for new pupils and parents are a very friendly snapshot of life at the school. The school also makes detailed arrangements for transferring pupils to secondary schools, including taster days. The quality of information provided for parents continues to be very good. The prospectus and governors' report both comply with statutory requirements. Parents are regularly consulted and informed about what is to be taught to their children, and there is plenty of guidance for parents on how they can help with topics and homework. Parents are also involved in the regular reviews of the behaviour policy. Pupils' annual reports show that teachers have very good knowledge of each child's learning, and include very detailed targets for pupils' improvement. Communications with parents of pupils with special educational needs are very good. The

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

school is committed to the involvement of parents from minority ethnic communities in the education of their children and the life of school generally. The school is able to seek good Ferndale Primary School levels of support from interpreters and translators in the Refugee Support Service to communicate with parents who are less proficient in English.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

54. Parents are kept fully informed and have good opportunities to discuss targets and reviews with the school, which they value and appreciate. Several parents work very successfully in school on the ENABLE reading support project with individual pupils.

p.21

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

55. Parents' involvement has a very considerable impact on the work of the school and continues to be a strength of the school since the last inspection. A very large number of parents also come into school on a regular basis to help the teaching staff. The school encourages these parents to study for further qualifications. Many parents help with sports and extra-curricular activities. The school has a thriving Parents' Association that raises large funds to support and enrich the learning environment. Teachers are available daily for informal conversations, and each term there are opportunities to discuss children' s progress with their parents. The school works very hard to ensure that all the parents know and understand what is being taught at school. Reading and homework diaries are very well used and monitored and as a result make a positive contribution to pupils' progress. Many parents regularly attend ‘Family’ assemblies, enabling them celebrate the

p.21

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

achievements of their children. The home-school agreement works well as a means of establishing a partnership between the school, parents and pupils, and most of the parents have a responsible attitude towards making sure their children attend school regularly. Parents of pupils with special educational needs play an active part in the formal reviews of their children's progress.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

56. The headteacher provides very good leadership for this school and this is having a considerable influence on school improvement. Educational direction is very clear and the school’s aims place great emphasis on raising standards and furthering pupil achievement. The management team holds very high expectations as to what can be achieved by staff and pupils alike. The headteacher, supported by a very capable deputy works very closely with senior managers to strive for excellence, and there is a very considerable shared commitment to school improvement amongst the staff. A very high priority is placed on the inspiration and motivation of staff by the headteacher and as a result the positive team spirit between teachers and support staff is very evident. This in turn is reflected in the very good relationships that exist within the school. Very good leadership is also exemplified by the well-organised upper junior school management meeting held at the

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

beginning of the inspection. In this meeting, issues related to the effective implementation of the new pupil target setting arrangements were discussed and future work planned by the team. The delegation of responsibilities to management staff is very well established with the result that coordination of many subjects such as physical education and art is very good. This represents good improvement on the findings of the previous inspection. The parents’ very positive views about leadership in the school agree with these judgements.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

57. This is a school that thinks critically about how it can improve based on the regular monitoring and evaluation of its performance. The development of teaching is monitored and evaluated well by the headteacher, senior staff and subject co-ordinators. However, some inconsistencies still exist in the quality of teaching and learning between the infants and juniors and the amount of time allocated to some subjects.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

58. The previous inspection identified the development of teachers’ expertise as a key issue and much work has been undertaken in this area. Good teachers are used to influence the work of others and those aspects of teaching that are in need of improvement are Ferndale Primary School addressed well through targeted staff development. Staff development has improved since the previous inspection and training is very well matched to the needs of the school; for example, there has been a strong emphasis on improving the use of different teaching strategies to match the differing learning styles of individual pupils. Performance management provides a good focus for developing individual members of staff, and all the teaching staff have clear performance targets. The induction procedures for new staff are detailed and very effective.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

59. Governors are effective in supporting the work of the school. A strength of the governors' strategy is the many contacts they have established with the school. Many governors have a very good understanding of the school's strengths and areas for improvement, and the governing body works hard with the headteacher and senior staff to shape the school’s strategic direction. The current plan is very detailed but the school’s future vision is not clearly expressed and links with the school budget are not explicit in all areas identified for improvement. Targets for school improvement are, however, monitored throughout the improvement planning cycle, and governors place significant emphasis on setting targets for further improvement. The governing body complies with its statutory duties and legal responsibilities. There is an excellent relationship between the headteacher and the governors and they set targets for the headteacher that have a considerable impact on

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

school improvement. The governors have responded well to the previous inspection and the key issues that were identified.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

60. Special educational needs are managed very well at this school and completely meets the requirements of the new code of practice. The Enhanced Learning Provision is a significant strength of the school and greatly valued by parents of pupils supported by this programme. The special educational needs co-ordinator manages the provision very resourcefully and effectively. Any additional funding for special educational needs is spent prudently and the school uses money from the general budget to supplement the costs of the provision. Money has been spent very effectively on the provision and training of a very skilled and committed team of support staff. The arrangements for the special educational needs co-ordinator to meet with the appropriate governor are very effective. The special educational needs governor is very involved in the life of the school and supports the provision well and as a result the governors are kept very well informed about

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

61. The headteacher, staff and governors make very effective use of resources, grants and other funding to improve the quality of teaching and learning in this school. A very good level of skill is employed by governors and senior staff to ensure that financial resources are used wisely to support school improvement. The efficiency and effectiveness of the financial administration systems are very good, and all the issues raised in the most recent auditor's report have been fully addressed. The senior management team is kept very well informed of the school's financial position through regular and very detailed reports. Very good use is made of new technology to support administration and pupils' learning. Specific grants are used very effectively for their designated purpose to improve the quality of learning. The school monitors the effectiveness of its spending very well. Governors are kept fully informed of the budget status, and the school ensures the outcome of

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

expenditure is matched with the school's current objectives. The large carry forward is due to a capital grant for the refurbishment of the swimming pool.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

62. The principles of best value are applied well to further the opportunities open to the pupils. The school compares its costs with those of other schools and is starting to make good use of benchmarking to make further efficiencies. Competitive tendering is well established. Governors make every effort to obtain good value for money from limited resources and staff are required to justify their use of resources within their subject action plans. Ferndale Primary School 63. The headteacher and the deputy, both provide a lead in the implementation of equal opportunities. They have a clear understanding of issues related to this area and promote equality of opportunity well. As a result, all pupils are well integrated into the school. The deputy head, who is also the special educational needs coordinator, has responsibility for the management of English as an additional language.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

64. The overall number of staff and their range of teaching qualifications are well matched to the present number on roll. There are sufficient numbers of staff to teach the pupils and teaching support staff are plentiful. Such is the good reputation of the school that there is no difficulty recruiting new teachers to maintain staffing levels. Teachers' skills are very well matched to the demands of the curriculum, and staff are very well deployed to maximise the delivery of their expertise and subject knowledge. Teachers and co- ordinators have well written job descriptions, and all staff are very aware of their roles and responsibilities. The learning support practitioners, playground supervisors and administrative staff are particularly well deployed and operate as a well-integrated team. The school is particularly good at using its staff to best effect. For example, the lunchtime supervisors accompany pupils into the classrooms after lunch to provide an element of

p.23

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

65. The accommodation is well matched to the current circumstances of the school, and the accommodation is suitable for the whole age range. The provision for indoor games and sport is adequate. The provision for outdoor activities is good, and includes a traversing wall for climbing and several basketball nets. There is good provision for outdoor play for children in the Foundation Stage. The quality of the indoor accommodation is good, and the outdoor facilities are of very good quality. The large playing field also hosts a small nature reserve with a natural spring. The school environment is stimulating, and the accommodation is generally well maintained.

p.23

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

66. Overall, learning resources are satisfactory and are sufficient to meet the needs of the curriculum. The use and storage of resources is good. This is reflected in the satisfactory quality and condition of resources. Most of the resources are properly matched to gender and cultural diversity but resources to celebrate and promote cultural and linguistic diversity are limited.

p.23

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

67. The range and condition of books in the library and classrooms are satisfactory, although books that are available for children to take home are showing signs of wear and need to be replaced. There is good provision of information and communication technology resources in the classrooms and in the computer suite. Effective use is made of museums, galleries and field and residential centres such as Ingestre Hall, Edgmond Hall and the Old Vicarage Outdoor Pursuits Centre. Ferndale Primary School

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

To further develop the effectiveness of the school and continue to raise standards, the governors, headteacher and staff should:

p.24

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

 continue to raise standards in English, mathematics and science; Paragraphs 1, 2, 81, 85, 89, 90, 96

p.24

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

 review and monitor the allocation of time for each individual subject; Paragraph 33

p.24

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

 monitor the quality of teaching with greater rigor to ensure consistently good teaching across the school; Paragraphs 14, 23, 57, 93, 101, 133

p.24

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

 monitor and review the withdrawal of pupils from lessons for enrichment activities; Paragraphs 22, 34

p.24

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

 review and monitor the quality and quantity of homework for junior pupils; Paragraph 30

p.24

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

 publish a strategic plan for the school that effectively links future developments with the budget. Paragraph 58 Ferndale Primary School

p.24

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

p.25

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 45

p.25

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

p.25

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very poor

p.25

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Percentage 2 35 43 18 2 0 0 The table gives the number and percentage of lessons observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about teaching. Care should be taken when interpreting these percentages as each lesson represents more than one percentage point. Information about the school’s pupils

p.25

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery YR – Y6

p.25

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 28 357

p.25

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 0 85 FTE means full-time equivalent.

p.25

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Special educational needs Nursery YR – Y6

p.25

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 0 20

p.25

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 2 95

p.25

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

English as an additional language No of pupils

p.25

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 10

p.25

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

p.25

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 33

p.25

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 21

p.25

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

National comparative data 5.6 National comparative data 0.5 Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Ferndale Primary School 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 2001 21 23 44

p.25

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

p.26

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Boys 18 16 19 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 21 21 20

p.26

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Percentage of pupils School 89 (84) 84 (80) 89 (90) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (83) 86 (84) 91 (90)

p.26

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.26

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Boys 18 18 19 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 19 18 21

p.26

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Percentage of pupils School 84 (84) 82 (88) 91 (88) at NC level 2 or above National 85 (84) 89 (88) 89 (88)

p.26

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

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

p.26

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

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

p.26

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 2001 33 22 55

p.26

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

p.26

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Boys 24 29 28 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 13 11 19

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Percentage of pupils School 67 (67) 73 (67) 85 (79) at NC level 4 or above National 75 (75) 71 (72) 87 (85)

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Boys 27 30 30 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 14 15 19

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Percentage of pupils School 75 (71) 82 (63) 89 (80) at NC level 4 or above National 72 (70) 74 (72) 82 (79) Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Ferndale Primary School Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

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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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

White – any other White background 0 0 0

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Mixed – any other mixed background 0 0 0

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Asian or Asian British - Pakistani 2 0 0

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Asian or Asian British – Bangladeshi 0 0 0

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

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Black or Black British – Caribbean 21 0 0

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Black or Black British – any other Black background 15 0 0

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

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

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Teachers and classes Financial information

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 18.4 Financial year 2001/2

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 21

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total income 1,103,224.98

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Total number of education support staff 19 Total expenditure 1,082,961.00

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Total aggregate hours worked per week 449 Expenditure per pupil 2,967

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Qualified teachers and support staff: nursery Balance brought forward from previous year 38,367.00

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 1 Balance carried forward to next year 58,631.00

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 72:1

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Total number of education support staff 5

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Total aggregate hours worked per week 66

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of pupils per FTE adult 11:1 FTE means full-time equivalent. Ferndale Primary School Recruitment of teachers

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 4

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 5

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 0

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

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

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of unfilled vacancies or vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of less than one term (FTE) 0 FTE means full-time equivalent. Ferndale Primary School Results of the survey of parents and carers

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Percentage of responses in each category

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

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

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

My child is making good progress in school. 64 34 0 0 2

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Behaviour in the school is good. 50 49 0 0 2

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 43 35 9 2 5

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 53 37 5 0 4

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 82 18 0 0 0

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 73 26 0 0 0

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

The school works closely with parents. 65 34 1 0 0

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

The school is well led and managed. 79 20 1 0 0

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 70 28 1 0 0

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 47 37 4 1 10 Ferndale Primary School

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

68. The quality of learning provided for children in the nursery and the reception classes is very good. This remains the same as at the time of the last inspection. The children make good progress from the time they join the nursery until the end of the reception year. In all classes the quality of learning is particularly enhanced by the contributions made by the learning support practitioners. The majority of children join the nursery with levels of attainment well below those expected nationally. This is particularly evident in the areas of language and literacy, mathematical development and knowledge and understanding of the world. A significant number of children also have low levels of social development. Many children require specific support. Their needs are quickly identified and they are put on the special educational needs register for learning, emotional, behavioural and physical

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

needs. By the time the children reach the end of the reception year there will still be a large proportion who have not attained the early learning goals in all areas of learning, although there will be some who are secure in them. Progress in all areas of learning is good. Pupils with special educational needs and those with English as an additional language are very well supported and make good progress. The Foundation Stage curriculum for nursery and reception age children is fully in place. Joint planning between teachers and support assistants is working very well and contributes to pupils’ developing knowledge and understanding.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

69. There are good induction programmes for parents and children as they enter the nursery and the reception classes. Parents are kept informed of routines and their children’s progress. Opportunities are also provided for parents and toddlers to get to know the school so that when the time comes to join the nursery they feel more confident. However, some children do find it difficult to settle in and work and play with others. They prefer more solitary activities, although the adults in the nursery work very hard to overcome this and encourage children to try the range of opportunities available. There are strong links between the nursery and reception so that when the children make the transfer to full time education they are familiar with the teachers and support assistants.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

70. The teaching and learning observed in all classes was very good. In all classes relationships are very good. The teachers and learning support practitioners work hard to create a very supportive and caring environment in which the children feel valued. A strong feature of the teaching throughout is the consistent use of praise, encouragement and good humour. The learning support practitioners take full responsibility for designated activities and guide the children skilfully through these tasks. Learning is planned through a well-managed and detailed series of topics. For example, in the current topic in the reception classes the children are learning about the five senses and the activities provide a rich range of experiences linked to all areas of learning. Assessments are regularly carried out to monitor the children’s progress. Teachers make use of these assessments to inform daily and future planning. Pupils with special educational needs have very clear

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

individual learning plans in place to support their learning. They achieve well in relation to their abilities. The pupils with English as an additional language are well supported on a day-to-day basis in lessons. They also achieve well.

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Personal, social and emotional development

71. Children in the nursery and reception classes, including those with special educational needs, and those with English as an additional language make good progress developing their personal and social skills. In this area of learning the majority of children will achieve the early learning goals by the time they reach the end of the reception year. In the Ferndale Primary School reception year the children are confident with adults and frequently cooperate with each other in the activities that are provided. In the nursery class the children come in to their family groups each morning and join the teacher or learning support practitioner for the early morning routines. They have a clear understanding of what is expected of them and how they should behave and they are beginning to show care and concern for each other. The children in the nursery make choices from the range of activities available to them and

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Personal, social and emotional development

concentrate on them until they have completed the tasks. In the reception classes the children share equipment, chat about what they are doing and begin to organise themselves. Following teaching sessions and discussions the children set about their activities with a sense of purpose and enjoyment. Visitors immediately feel part of the classes as the children chat happily to them about what they are doing. The adults working with the children have high expectations of behaviour and deal promptly and sensitively with any problems that might occur.

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Personal, social and emotional development

72. In this area of learning the teachers and learning support practitioners create a very good balance between activities where children can exercise choice and activities that are adult directed. Discussion time and assemblies are used to address issues such as friendship, helping one another, persistence and how we behave. The quality of teaching and learning in this area is very good.

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Communication, language and literacy

73. The provision for the development of children’s language and literacy skills is very good. All children, including those with special educational needs and English as an additional language make good progress. However, by the end of the reception year there will be a significant number of children who have not attained the early learning goals in speaking and listening, reading and writing because of their very low levels of linguistic ability when they start school.

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Communication, language and literacy

74. In the nursery and the reception classes the environment is rich in books, words and conversation. Every opportunity is taken to engage the children in using language. In the reception classes they are asked to give reasons for their answers when picking out favourite parts of a shared story. In the nursery children are constantly being asked to describe what they are doing when involved in creative activities such as printing or when helping make a birthday cake for a child in the class. Children are attentive when they are being taught and are eager to respond. Progress is evident in both the nursery and reception classes as children begin to answer questions and converse using sentences. However, there are children in nursery who do not yet have the skills and confidence to use more than one word answers or actions to indicate what they want. The children have imaginary telephone conversations and are encouraged to act out role-play situations

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Communication, language and literacy

using puppets, in the home corner, shop or the hospital to develop speaking and listening skills. The teaching and support of children in small groups mean that those who could be overshadowed by more confident children are fully included. Sensitive questioning is used to target them. By the time the children are in the reception classes most listen carefully to the teachers and each other. They follow instructions and if they are uncertain they ask questions. They are eager to answer questions and will quite naturally begin a conversation with an adult.

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Communication, language and literacy

75. The children enjoy listening to stories in the nursery and are pleased to take library books to be shared at home. In the reception class children enjoyed the shared book ‘Come on Daisy’. They learn that the name of the story is the title and the person who wrote the book is the author. Some can identify that a full stop marks the end of a sentence. The children know the main events in the story and join in reading familiar sections. Although teachers work hard to develop early reading skills many children can only identify the sound the initial letter of their own name makes. They cannot identify other letter sounds, Ferndale Primary School names of letters or work out common words on their own. The lack of a structured reading scheme to help children reinforce the basic skills of reading and practise regularly at home means that progress towards the early learning goals is slow.

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Communication, language and literacy

76. From the time the children enter nursery they have opportunities to pretend to write. They make marks on paper to represent shopping lists and are encouraged to hold pencils in the correct way. In the reception classes there are also many opportunities for the children to write informally. They make notes in the shoe shop and there is always the opportunity for the children to choose to write during their activity sessions. In reception the children can tell the teacher a sentence to write and they trace over this. However, some are not sure that they should start with the first letter of the first word and do not hold the pencil in the correct way or form letters correctly.

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Mathematical development

77. The provision for children’s mathematical development is very good and children are taught well. Teachers and assistants work hard to create an environment that provides the children with a range of mathematical experiences through play and structured activities. There are displays of numbers to help the children count and identify them. They have the opportunity to play with money in the reception shoe shop but cannot yet count simple amounts. From the time they enter the nursery opportunities are found to reinforce simple counting skills in registration groups and through number games. They learn to sort objects by colour and begin to use a computer programme to identify the odd one out. In reception many children are working at the appropriate level to identify simple shapes such as circle, triangle and square and begin to identify these by the number of sides they have. The children make pictures from these shapes cut out of brightly coloured paper. They

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Mathematical development

begin to use appropriate mathematical language to describe size and position such as bigger, smaller and above. The children enjoy trying to describe and identify these shapes in a feely bag and are beginning to sort them into matching groups. In teacher-led activities reception children confidently count in twos and know some numbers up to 100. This was demonstrated when many children joined in with the teacher counting to 30 and beyond. The use of water play in both the nursery and reception is beginning to develop the concept of capacity.

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

78. There is very good provision, including the quality of teaching, to help children develop a knowledge and understanding of their world. There are opportunities for children to experience a wide range of activities related to the planned topic. In the nursery children learn about vegetables and name some of the common ones such as carrots, peas and potatoes. They learn names of new ones such as pepper and broccoli when they use these to print. Later in the week when making collages of a meal they decide whether they would prefer peas or baked beans as an accompanying vegetable. The children also learn the names of different animals when playing with the farm. A group of children work with an adult to make a cake to celebrate a birthday in the class. With the help of good questioning the children are encouraged to observe the changes to the ingredients as they are mixed together. They begin to use the mouse to operate a simple mathematics

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

program on the computer and select colours from simple icons when using a painting program. In reception the children learn about the five senses. They enjoy guessing items of different texture from a feely bag and feeling for things in a bucket of jelly. They go on a walk in the school grounds looking for contrasting textures to feel. Through these activities they begin to make simple scientific observations and learn the appropriate language to describe different textures. Teachers have regard for safety and children learn about how to use equipment properly. The children also learn about important festivals such as Christmas and Diwali. They share stories of Jesus and other Bible stories such as Noah’s Ark. Ferndale Primary School 79. In the nursery and reception the teachers make good use of real experiences to stimulate the children’s interest and learning and this has a direct impact upon the good progress

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

they make and the knowledge they begin to acquire.

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Physical development

80. The majority of children are working towards the levels they are expected to achieve by the end of the reception year. They have access to a secure and well-equipped play area where there are opportunities to climb, balance, jump and develop hand-eye coordination with a range of apparatus. In this area children regularly participate in vigorous activity, develop confidence and begin to learn how to control different parts of their bodies. However, there is only very limited hall time planned for the children to further develop awareness of space, ways of moving and physical control. Whilst the children are taking part in activities within the classroom, the teachers and support staff help them develop their control and coordination skills. In the nursery children use paintbrushes to paint pictures and glue spreaders and cut out shapes to make collages. In reception they were shown how to mark play dough to create the effect of the spines on the hedgehogs they

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Physical development

were making and to use pencil grips when tracing writing. The emphasis on using tools correctly means that the children become confident in using a range of small tools. They successfully use scissors to cut and print using leaves to make effective autumn pictures.

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Creative development

81. The majority of children are working towards achieving the early learning goals by the end of the reception year. The provision for creative development is very good and all children make good progress. In the nursery children paint with confidence and some are using a mixture of colours in their work. They learn how to print using a variety of natural materials. In reception the children also paint and print and enjoy using papier mache to make masks. In the nursery and reception the children make models from ‘junk’ materials. Reception children use cartons and tubes to represent bodies as part of their topic about themselves. The children enjoy singing and have a range of favourite songs and rhymes that they know and join in confidently. In the nursery the children learn to accompany the piano using simple percussion instruments and also follow and join in action songs led by the adults. The role-play areas change their character quite frequently so that imaginative

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Creative development

play can be encouraged and children can take on the characters in a hospital, café or garage. The teachers also plan the creative use of other equipment such as the puppet theatre and construction equipment to stimulate the children’s imagination.

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ENGLISH

82. The findings of the inspection are that the majority of pupils attain standards that are close to those typical of pupils at the age of seven and eleven. Overall, more pupils are attaining at a higher level than previously reported. However, the large number of pupils with special educational needs and who learn English as an additional language in all groups means that the improving standards are not reflected in National Curriculum assessments. Statutory assessment results in 2001 were close to national averages in reading and below in writing for pupils aged seven. When compared with similar schools these results were well above average. Standards in the tests for eleven year olds were below the national averages, and in line with those in similar schools. Few pupils attained at the higher levels. There are, as yet, no comparative figures for 2002, when there were a large number of pupils with special educational needs in the groups. Indications are that results

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ENGLISH

are below national averages for pupils aged seven and eleven. This is against the Ferndale Primary School trend since 1999. Strategies that are contributing towards the raising of standards are:  consistently good, or very good, teaching of pupils of all abilities  good planning by teachers and learning support practitioners  thorough analysis of assessment information during the year to identify strengths and weaknesses in teaching and learning  the use of assessment for the formation of writing and reading groups  good teaching in the ‘booster’ groups  the focus on writing throughout the school  making pupils aware of targets and levels of their work

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ENGLISH

Areas for development, which have been identified by the school include:  more planned opportunities to develop speaking and listening skills  development of the library  more ‘beginning’ reading books for Foundation Stage and books for the library  looking for opportunities to use literacy across the curriculum by better organisation of the time available for literacy.

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ENGLISH

83. All pupils achieve well. Although boys achieve better than girls in statutory assessments, no significant differences were observed during the inspection. Support for pupils who learn English as an additional language enables them to make good progress initially and the majority make satisfactory progress as they move through the school. Pupils with special educational needs work extremely hard and achieve well because of the high quality of teaching and support they receive. Very good use of information from assessments ensures that pupils have suitable work in small groups. Staff are sensitive to their needs and encourage them to concentrate and gain confidence. The adult support they receive helps them to gain skills and to take part in lessons more confidently. The high quality of support and teaching they receive enables lower attaining pupils to benefit from booster groups and higher attaining pupils to improve their skills systematically in

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ENGLISH

small group work. This helps all these groups to raise their attainment in National Curriculum tests.

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ENGLISH

84. Standards in speaking and listening are typical of those expected nationally. Many pupils enter the school with speaking and listening skills that are below those typical of this age and still answer questions with a nod, or one or two words. Teachers work hard to encourage pupils to respond to questions appropriately and extend their vocabulary. For example, pupils in Year 1 are encouraged to look at illustrations and think of words to describe the scene in a story about a whale. In a very good writing lesson, lower attaining pupils made a pictorial story plan for Little Red Riding Hood before they commenced their writing. They extended their thinking as they explained how one picture led to another and skilful questioning by the teacher extended their answers. Pupils learn to take turns in listening to others in the group sessions at the end of the lesson and enjoy acting out the story of the Great Fire of London in their history lesson. Teachers of pupils aged seven to

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ENGLISH

eleven build satisfactorily on the progress pupils have made in the development of language. Some pupils enjoy contributing to lessons, but many are more reticent and answer questions quite briefly. The vocabulary of the majority of pupils in Years 5 and 6 is generally quite limited when they are asked to explain their ideas and opinions or comment upon the books they are reading. For example, pupils do not often use technical and subject specific vocabulary with confidence for example, in music and information and communication technology.

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ENGLISH

85. Attainment in reading is below that typical of pupils aged seven but pupils are making good progress from lower prior attainment. The shortage of suitable early reading books for children in the Foundation Stage to take home to share with their family on a regular basis, and low levels of understanding of language, means many children in Year 1 develop Ferndale Primary School enjoyment of books and reading at a slower rate. They understand the terms title, author and illustrator and know some initial sounds. The excellent ENABLE support from parents gives very good intensive support over short periods and has been extended into ENABLE PLUS very successfully. Pupils in Year 2 build on this progress well. Higher attaining pupils read parts in ‘Puss in Boots’ with great enjoyment and expression. Lower attaining pupils read simple sentences, sometimes with support. The careful labelling of displays

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ENGLISH

and the use of written questions around the school gives pupils additional opportunities to practise their reading and formulate answers to questions. By the age of eleven pupils’ reading is typical of pupils of that age. The number of pupils reading at a higher level is increasing because of the good teaching of basic reading skills over time. Most pupils have a good attitude towards reading and older pupils select books from the library confidently. Guided reading sessions have a clear focus and are used purposefully.

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ENGLISH

86. By the age of seven, pupils’ standards in writing are below what is expected nationally but standards are improving and pupils make good progress. Very structured teaching ensures that pupils learn to improve the formation of letters, write legibly and have regular spelling practice. As they move through the school, pupils use full stops and capital letters more consistently in their writing and appreciate any opportunities to use capital letters for emphasis of speech and exclamation marks. They write a range of letters, stories, poems and instructions but opportunities to write at greater length in other subjects such as religious education are sometimes missed. Pupils in Year 5 understand how to use comparative language in poetry and create interesting openings to stories. In a lively lesson in Year 6 pupils learned how to create a good opening for a suspense story. Pupils learn techniques of re-reading what they have written so that they can make a satisfactory

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ENGLISH

piece of work better. The use of targets and the consistent teaching of spelling and letter formation are helping pupils to develop confidence in their own ability to spell correctly. Many pupils are trying hard with their writing and the school is aware of the need to build on the good practice already established.

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ENGLISH

87. Teaching and learning are consistently good or better and good planning ensures that lessons build on previous learning. Teachers ensure that pupils have tasks they can achieve and build on their strengths. Activities are interesting, challenging and enjoyable. They reinforce many reading and writing skills. The marking of work is prompt and reinforces teachers’ expectations of pupils. Pupils are learning how well they are doing against their targets. Teachers and learning support practitioners work very well together and manage behaviour well. They use an imaginative range of resources very effectively to motivate and interest pupils and usually review what pupils’ have learned in the lesson in the group session well.

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ENGLISH

88. Pupils’ attitudes in English are very good. They are keen to contribute to lessons and are very proud to be chosen to read out what they are to learn in the lesson. They show an increasing ability to work without direct supervision and work well in pairs. The very good relationships between adults and pupils create a pleasant atmosphere for pupils to grow in confidence and develop their skills and understanding.

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ENGLISH

89. The subject is led and managed very well by the co-ordinators who have a clear vision of what needs to be done to raise standards further. The school has implemented the literacy strategy effectively and there is helpful use of information and communication technology in most lessons. Pupils use the library confidently and the co-ordinator has good plans to develop it further. Opportunities for drama and visits to the theatre are used well. Pupils benefit greatly from these. English makes a good contribution to pupils’ personal development because of the opportunities for working together, reflecting upon descriptive language in a wide range of literature and developing independence of thought. Ferndale Primary School

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MATHEMATICS

90. The test results for Year 2 pupils in 2001 were well below the national average for all schools and below average for schools in similar contexts. Year 6 test results were below the national average in comparison with all schools, but were above average when compared with schools in similar contexts. Although test results are not as high as they could be because of the very high proportion of pupils with special educational needs, the trend over time shows a gradual improvement at seven, and good improvement at 11. The school has also done well to achieve its 2001/2002 statutory targets for 11-year-olds. There are three main reasons for the current standards.  the attainment of pupils when they enter the school is well below the national average. This particularly depresses results at seven  the number of pupils with special educational needs is well above the national average  girls achieve significantly lower results than boys, which pulls down the overall

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MATHEMATICS

performance in the school. For example, taking the performance of boys and girls over three years (1999 to 2001), boys achieved significantly higher standards than girls. The school is aware of this issue but has yet to devise strategies to address it.

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MATHEMATICS

91. Inspection findings confirm the improving picture indicated by test results over the last few years, with standards in Year 2 now being just below the national average and those in Year 6 being close to the national average. They also show that standards in both Years 2 and 6 are better than those indicated by the 2001 test results although they are still just below the expected levels at seven. Pupils’ understanding of all aspects of mathematics has improved. However, pupils across the school are still less secure in ‘using and applying mathematics’, and a large number of infants require constant practice in number work. The provision for pupils with special educational needs is very good. As a result, they make good progress. The school recognises that the provision for pupils learning English as an additional language needs to be improved because a number of teachers have insufficient

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MATHEMATICS

experience of teaching them. However, despite that, all teachers ensure that these pupils are fully included in lessons, which enables them to make satisfactory progress. Achievement is satisfactory among the infants, but good among the juniors.

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MATHEMATICS

92. Pupils make satisfactory progress overall in Years 1 and 2. In Year 1, most pupils recognise numbers to 20, and are learning to add two single-digit numbers. The higher attainers show confidence in counting to 100 as they count in 2s, 5s and 10s. Pupils are developing confidence in counting money, with some using 10p coins to count on in 10s. By Year 2, most pupils can read, write and count numbers to 100, and some beyond. They use various signs such as +, - and = to record different operations in number sentences. They extend simple number patterns by counting on in 10s starting from different numbers and back. Pupils are developing satisfactory understanding of place value. Their mental mathematics is satisfactory overall, with teachers providing sufficient opportunities for rapid recall of numbers at the beginning of lessons. Most pupils know the names and properties of common two-dimensional shapes. They solve simple problems involving money, but many

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MATHEMATICS

pupils find it difficult to discuss their work.

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MATHEMATICS

93. Pupils make good progress in Years 3 to 6, which is particularly evident in their understanding of number. By Year 6, the numeracy skills of the higher and average attainers together with their mental calculation and rapid recall are satisfactory. They have a sound understanding of place value, which they use to multiply, divide, add and subtract numbers. They add and subtract numbers with three or four digits, and sometimes those involving decimals. The higher and many average attainers’ understanding of fractions is developing well. However, the lower attainers and a number of average attainers have difficulties in ordering fractions with different denominators, as was seen in a Year 6 lesson. Most pupils have satisfactory understanding of ‘shape, space and measures’. They have Ferndale Primary School carried out a range of work on symmetry, and finding the perimeter and area of simple shapes. Pupils have also carried out a range of work on ‘data handling’, including the

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MATHEMATICS

construction and interpreting of graphs. Their knowledge of ‘using and applying’ mathematics is less developed, with many lacking confidence in explaining how they solve problems. The lower attainers are less secure in mathematics.

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MATHEMATICS

94. The quality of teaching and learning is good overall, ranging from satisfactory to very good. It is satisfactory overall in the infants but best in the juniors where it is good. Where teaching is good or better, teachers’ instructions and explanations are clear, and questions are used effectively to check and extend pupils’ learning. Expectations are generally high, and lessons proceed at a good pace. Through enthusiastic teaching and the use of a range of practical activities, which are well structured, teachers are able to engage pupils’ interest so that they are focused and learn well. Teachers are particularly good at including all pupils in the lesson. This impacts positively on their interest and involvement in their work as a result of which they make good progress. These features were seen in a good Year 3 lesson on ‘what happens when two odd or even numbers are added together?’. The lesson was well

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MATHEMATICS

structured, questions were used effectively to include all pupils, pace was good, and the teacher took pupils carefully through the task of first predicting, and then adding two odd or even numbers to check if their predictions were correct. She then asked pupils to carry out similar work independently. Since most pupils were clear about what they were doing, they made good progress. Only a small number of lessons had weaknesses in teaching. They occurred where lessons lacked pace, teachers had difficulty in sustaining pupils’ interest, and planning did not take sufficient account of the needs of all pupils. Sometimes the introductory part of the lesson was not used well to prepare pupils for independent work later in the lesson. As a result, the pace of pupils’ work slowed down, and in some cases they either got stuck or started making mistakes in their work.

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MATHEMATICS

95. The school has implemented the National Numeracy Strategy effectively, which teachers apply with confidence overall. All teachers follow the three-part lesson structure, although the review part of the lesson is not always used effectively to bring the lesson together. Planning is good overall. Teachers’ explanations and instructions are clear, and they make appropriate use of questions to engage pupils in learning. Some teachers provide good opportunities for pupils to explain and demonstrate their methods on the board. Teachers have overall a good knowledge of the subject, and they manage pupils well. Pupils’ work is marked regularly although marking does not often inform pupils how to improve their work. The school benefits from specialist teaching in Years 3 to 6 which impacts positively on pupils’ standards. The provision for homework to help pupils to consolidate their understanding of mathematics is satisfactory. The contribution of other subjects to

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MATHEMATICS

mathematics is good such as in information and communication technology where pupils are provided with opportunities to process information in simple questionnaires.

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MATHEMATICS

96. The provision for mathematics is good overall, with the curriculum being broad and balanced. The procedures for assessing and monitoring pupils’ attainment and progress are good. Resources are satisfactory, and they are used well. The management of the subject is good, with the coordinator carrying out her role effectively. Although standards have been improved the school has not yet made good use of its monitoring to further raise the standards of pupils in the infants, higher attainers and girls overall. Ferndale Primary School

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SCIENCE

97. Pupils’ work in lessons and books shows that they are attaining the standards expected at ages seven and eleven. However, standards attained in the Year 6 tests have over time been consistently below those expected nationally. The percentages of pupils attaining the higher levels are below those expected nationally and well below when compared with similar schools. The school supports well the pupils who have special educational needs and many of them achieve the expected levels for pupils of a similar age. Teacher assessments at the end of Year 2 also show pupils attaining below average in some areas of the science curriculum. Pupils make satisfactory progress over time; those with special educational needs or English as an additional language make good progress.

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SCIENCE

98. Pupils at the end of Year 2 learn about themselves and how diet can contribute to health. Many identify healthy foods or food groups such as vegetables and fruit. They understand that it is important to try to eat a variety of foods and have used their own food diaries kept over a weekend at home to investigate the different types of food they eat. In a lesson about taste the pupils name things that are sweet, sour and salty, but when investigating these flavours some pupils become confused about using the correct words to describe different foods. They recognise that living things grow and become adult and match pictures of young animals to parents. They begin to understand life cycles by studying that of the frog. The pupils carry out a range of investigations but these are often teacher-led. Pupils have limited opportunities to suggest their own ideas for investigation or ways of using the information from them to solve problems. As a consequence they are not

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SCIENCE

developing secure scientific skills and understanding or the use of appropriate simple scientific language. The children begin to be taught about fair tests. In one lesson the teacher effectively demonstrated the need to make measuring the height of pupils fair. By wearing shoes with different sized heels she was able to show how results could vary.

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SCIENCE

99. Pupils at the end of Year 6 understand many of the factors that influence the places in which animals and plants live and grow. They know that some plants can store water in their leaves in dry climates and that some animals develop thick coats for warmth in colder ones. Pupils devise a simple key using yes and no answers to identify animals from their characteristics. Although the majority of children understand the principle of such a key their basic general knowledge about the characteristics of different animals is limited and inhibits their progress. Pupils can talk about the ways plants disperse their seeds and spread. In their study of materials pupils understand how to separate the contents of soil. They also know about the solar system and that day and night are the result of the earth spinning. Pupils are beginning to use some appropriate scientific language to describe their learning but this remains an area for development. They understand the importance

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SCIENCE

of a fair test when carrying out an investigation but are less secure devising their own ways of questions and investigating them. Pupils in Year 4 have a secure understanding of the function of the skeleton and correctly name some of the main internal organs of the body. They learn how muscles work to control movement.

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SCIENCE

100. The pupils obviously enjoy the subject and are eager to answer questions and share their ideas. The very positive relationships between the pupils, teachers and support assistants means that the pupils are prepared to take risks with their learning knowing that their efforts will be valued. In lessons where the pupils are managed well they begin work promptly and the majority concentrate well on their tasks. The pupils take a pride in their work and present it neatly and carefully. However, where the work was less challenging and the pupils lacked clear direction and intervention for their independent work the behaviour of a significant number of pupils became unsatisfactory. Ferndale Primary School 101. In the lessons seen teaching and learning was always at least satisfactory and was sometimes good or better. Teachers have a secure knowledge of the subject and a clear understanding of what they want pupils to know and understand. In some lessons they

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SCIENCE

were less clear about which skills they wanted them to develop and therefore, pupils made less progress. The teachers recognise that pupils learn best through practical activity and in the best lessons the teachers allow pupils to investigate their own ideas. In lessons about movement pupils discussed their ideas about why muscles changed shape when they raised and lowered their arms. This enabled pupils to think about what was actually happening and to try and express their ideas scientifically. The learning support practitioners work very effectively with pupils with special educational learning and behavioural needs. With skilful questioning and good modelling of pupils’ ideas they enable them to participate fully and work independently. They also support well those pupils for whom English is an additional language by focussing on subject specific language and reinforcing the areas being taught. However, the learning needs of the

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SCIENCE

higher attaining pupils are often not identified in lesson planning and as a consequence they are insufficiently challenged.

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SCIENCE

102. In good lessons the expectations are high and made clear to the pupils and learning is also good. The teachers use questions well to reinforce knowledge and understanding and challenge thinking. There is a good balance between practical activities and those led by the teacher that creates pace and engages all pupils actively in their learning. However, time is not always used effectively. Teachers often allow insufficient time to assess what pupils have learnt and draw conclusions about their work. There is inconsistency across the school in the way pupils’ work is marked. Teachers recognise the effort made by the pupils but infrequently use marking to inform pupils about what they have learnt or to develop their thinking further. There is also an inconsistent use of homework to reinforce learning in the subject as the pupils move through the school.

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SCIENCE

103. The subject coordinator has a secure knowledge of the subject and a clear action plan identifying ways to develop the subject. The school has recently introduced an assessment record to track pupils’ progress across the school. The use of assessments at the end of a unit of work also provides useful information about learning. Teachers sometimes use ongoing assessments effectively during lessons when they ask pupils to reflect upon what they have learnt and if they think they have met the lesson’s learning objective. Currently, the coordinator has limited time to effectively monitor standards and teaching and learning in the subject. Although Year 6 attainment tests are analysed to identify areas for development, such a system for teacher assessments at the end of Year 2 is not yet in place to impact upon standards across the whole school. The subject has an appropriate range of resources and they are well managed by the coordinator. The

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SCIENCE

school grounds with their wild life areas and pond provide a good resource for learning.

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ART AND DESIGN

104. Pupils’ attainment is above national expectations by the ages of seven and eleven because of good teaching. Skills in observational drawing are particularly good. Pupils with special educational needs, including those with specific additional needs or who learn English as an additional language, make good progress. Standards by the end of Year 6 have improved in all the areas mentioned in the last inspection.

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ART AND DESIGN

105. By the age of seven pupils have a wide experience of a range of media and techniques. Pupils in Year 1 add features to paintings of their faces by sticking on pieces of paper. They look very carefully into a mirror to check on hairstyles and colour of eyes. They shine torches to see how this gives light and shade to people’s features and shade the portraits very carefully. Pupils in Year 2 produce very good observational drawings of Ferndale Primary School trees and Tudor houses. They use wax resistant techniques to produce interesting backgrounds for their carefully painted trees.

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ART AND DESIGN

106. Pupils in Year 3 concentrate well to produce lifelike self-portraits and use a digital camera to identify starting positions in dance. They make effective outlines of the moving figures in silver foil and sketch them boldly in their sketchbooks. Unusual viewpoints around the school provide a good focus for sketching fences and trees in Year 4. Their sketches of dreams are translated into pictures with delicate colouring, imaginative shading and very skilful positioning of colours and shapes. They produce very good three-dimensional figures and paintings when at Ingestre Hall. Pupils build on the skills developed in that week in Year 5. They complete a good range of still life drawings and paintings in the style of several artists. Pupils sketch historical artefacts very thoughtfully and with good attention to detail and in Year 6 they make good use of cartoons and the digital camera to

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ART AND DESIGN

107. Teaching and learning are good. Teachers and learning support practitioners encourage pupils to develop their skills and techniques as they move through the school. Lessons are challenging and interesting. There is planned use of art in other subjects. For example, pupils produce high quality plates in their study of Ancient Greece and design patterns or pictures in information and communication technology. Displays around the school show that pupils’ work is valued. The achievements of pupils with special educational needs are rightly displayed very proudly.

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ART AND DESIGN

108. Pupils enjoy their work in art and are developing confidence in their skills. They discuss their work thoughtfully with the teacher and listen to suggestions as to how it could be improved. Pupils are aware of the skills of the artist in mixing for example, warm and cool colours, and try hard to select the right colours to obtain certain shades and effects.

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ART AND DESIGN

109. The subject is led and managed well and there are good guidelines for teachers. All aspects of art are covered over the year. Pupils visit local places of interest and are now ready to visit museums to consider the displays of a wider range of artists. Art and design makes a good contribution to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development through the visits, the opportunities for reflection on artists’ work, and links within the curriculum.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

110. There was limited evidence available during the inspection, and no lessons were planned, upon which to base judgements. Discussions with pupils and examples of finished work show the standards of attainment to be at least satisfactory and meet national expectations by the ages of seven and eleven. At the time of the last inspection design and technology was judged to be well above average. All pupils, including those with special educational needs and English as an additional language make satisfactory progress. The models displayed around the school show development in the skills used by the pupils and an awareness of the purpose of the design.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

111. By the age of seven pupils make vehicles with axles and wheels and simple winding mechanisms. They design a coat of many colours for Joseph and have used a computer program to support this work. Pupils use card, paper and thread successfully and have experience of fastening and joining as well as regular food technology lessons. There is limited evidence of the use of pupils’ planning and evaluation to begin to develop understanding of the whole design process.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

112. In Year 6 pupils make remote control cars and use simple circuitry. In Year 5 they have great pride in the musical instruments, Greek chariots and Christmas models they make. Ferndale Primary School Pupils evaluate a range of biscuits before designing their own Christmas biscuits. Limited evidence is available of the use of the planning and evaluation stages of the design process. Pupils do not find it easy to articulate their thoughts with regard to whether a finished piece of work meets the purpose for which it is designed. However, the models on display show the pupils’ making skills are good.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

113. There is a clear plan of topics drawn from national guidelines for the teaching of design and technology. This provides support for teachers in providing coverage of the design and technology curriculum by including an interesting range of activities. The coordinator has recently taken responsibility for the subject. She has secure subject knowledge and has a clear and appropriate action plan in place for the development of the subject. She has also developed a good range of resources and these are well managed. Each year group has a resource box of basic materials and these are supported with useful guidelines and suggestions for teachers to support the topics and activities identified in the scheme of work. The subject documentation has clear regard for health and safety issues when teaching the subject. Teachers’ planning is monitored and areas for development noted. The strategies for effectively monitoring standards and the quality of learning in this

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

subject are currently underdeveloped. Although assessments of pupils’ progress are made at the end of Year 2 and Year 6 there is as yet no monitoring of pupils’ progress as they move from year to year.

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GEOGRAPHY

114. Owing to the school’s timetabling arrangements for teaching geography, it was possible to see only one lesson. Analysis of pupils’ previous work, school documentation, and discussions with the school staff and a sample of pupils in Years 2 and 6 provided further evidence. This evidence indicates that as at the time of the previous inspection, standards are in line with what is expected of pupils in Years 2 and 6. Pupils’ achievement is satisfactory across the school. Pupils with special educational needs are supported well. As a result, they make good progress. The school recognises that the provision for pupils learning English as an additional language needs to be improved because a number of teachers have insufficient experience of teaching them. However, despite that, all teachers ensure that these pupils are fully included in lessons, which enables them to make satisfactory progress.

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GEOGRAPHY

115. Year 2 pupils are able to talk about some of the physical and human features of the locality of the school. They express views on their locality as they discuss what they like or do not like about it. They use geographical terms for direction confidently when they talk about getting from one place to another. Pupils’ map skills are satisfactory, with most of them being able to locate major towns on a map of the United Kingdom. They know the name of the town and the country they live in, but only the higher attainers have some knowledge about the countries in the United Kingdom.

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GEOGRAPHY

116. By Year 6, most pupils are able to talk about the major physical and human features of their locality in detail and with confidence. They demonstrate good knowledge and understanding of the effect of these features on the lifestyles of its residents. They express views on their locality, and can suggest some improvements to it. Pupils show a sound understanding of geographical vocabulary as they compare and contrast features of their locality with those of Weston-super-Mare which they have studied as a contrasting locality. They demonstrate particularly good understanding of terms related to rivers such as ‘meander’, ‘erosion’ and ‘deposition’ as part of their study of the River Tame. Overall pupils express their understanding of geography better orally than in writing.

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GEOGRAPHY

117. With only one lesson seen, there is insufficient evidence to make a firm judgement on the quality of teaching across the school. However, teaching was good in the one lesson seen. Ferndale Primary School The teacher had planned the lesson well on ‘using primary sources to map a section of the River Tame’. The teacher’s subject knowledge was secure and she linked the lesson successfully to previous work the pupils had undertaken, for example a walk along the river and the use of a range of resources to find out about a journey of a river. She then carefully prepared pupils for the task of drawing a section of the river, using keys and symbols to show its physical and human features. Since the pupils were clear about what they were doing, they made good progress in the lesson. A very positive feature was the support given to the statemented pupil throughout the lesson.

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GEOGRAPHY

118. The curriculum is broad and balanced. Long term planning, which is supported well by medium and short term planning, gives a very clear overview of the topics to be covered by each year group on a termly basis. Resources are satisfactory and they are used well. The arrangements for assessment are underdeveloped. The management of the subject is satisfactory. The school makes good use of visits to residential centres and the local environment for a river study to enhance the geography curriculum.

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HISTORY

119. Standards in history are in line with those expected of pupils in Years 2 and 6 nationally. These standards are similar to those at the time of the previous inspection. Pupils’ achievement is satisfactory across the school. Pupils with special educational needs are supported well. As a result, they make good progress. The school recognises that the provision for pupils learning English as an additional language needs to be improved because a number of teachers have insufficient experience of teaching them. However, despite that, all teachers ensure that these pupils are fully included in lessons, which enables them to make satisfactory progress.

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HISTORY

120. Pupils in Year 2 demonstrate satisfactory understanding and knowledge of aspects of the past beyond living memory as, for example they study the Great Fire of London in 1666. They are aware of Samuel Pepys’ Diary as a source of evidence, and are able to recall events related to the Great Fire. Pupils are learning to compare what people did then and what they do now, using terms related to the passing of time, such as ‘then, now, and in the past’. They begin to recognise reasons for why people in the past acted the way they did. Pupils express their understanding of ‘what it was like when London burned’ through role-play.

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HISTORY

121. Pupils make sound progress in Years 3 to 6. For example, in Year 4, they show a sound understanding of the reasons for Henry VIII getting married a number of times. In Year 5, pupils are able to place the Victorian period within a chronological framework, making appropriate use of dates. They show sound understanding and knowledge of the everyday lives of poor children in that period. By Year 6, pupils demonstrate sound knowledge and understanding of the topics they have studied in the past, for example the Romans, the Tudors and the Victorians. They know that history can be divided into periods of time, and can identify similarities and differences between them. Pupils use technical terms in history, and have a sound sense of chronology. They are able to give some reasons for, and the results of, historical events. In their current work on evacuation of children during World War II, pupils make appropriate use of primary sources of information, a map of the

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HISTORY

United Kingdom, and dates to help them understand the location of historical events in time and place.

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HISTORY

122. The quality of teaching and learning is good overall. Teachers have a good knowledge of the subject, and they plan lessons well. They make good use of questions to elicit responses from pupils, and to build on them. Their teaching and explanations are clear. This helps pupils to understand what they are learning, and to acquire new knowledge and Ferndale Primary School increase their understanding. Where teaching is particularly lively and stimulating, pupils take part in the lesson enthusiastically. This was seen in a good lesson in Year 2 where pupils enjoyed through role-play, the experience of what it was like at the time of the Great Fire of London. The pace of work in lessons is good overall but sometimes it slows down when teachers are not able to sustain pupils’ interest throughout the lesson.

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HISTORY

123. The curriculum is broad and balanced. Long term planning, provides a very clear overview of the topics to be covered by each year group on a termly basis. Resources are good overall and are used well to make lessons interesting. The management of the subject is satisfactory and the coordinator has developed a clear vision for what needs to be done next to further improve the subject. The school makes good use of visits and the local environment to enhance the history curriculum.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

124. Pupils’ standards of attainment are good at the end of Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2. This represents an improvement since the previous inspection when attainment was found to be in line with, and occasionally above, national expectations. The school has installed a new computer suite and every class has a computer. All computers are networked and connected to the Internet. The school has improved other information and communication technology resources including CD ROMs, programmable equipment and a digital camera. The ratio of computers to pupils is close to the average ratio in primary schools of 11:1.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

125. All pupils within the school, including those with special educational needs, are provided with an interesting range of activities and opportunities to develop their skills in word processing, data handling, graphics and control technology as appropriate to their age. There is a comprehensive scheme of work and staff have received the necessary training to teach it. Good links have been established with work done in other subjects such as controlling motorised vehicles made in Year 6 design and technology lessons.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

126. Pupils in the infant classes build on the good work started in the nursery and reception years. These pupils show good control of the mouse and correctly use icons to create a picture. In Year 2 the work is linked to literacy and they make labels using shift and backspace keys. They log on, open the program, save their work in their own folder and log off.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

127. At Key Stage 2 pupils make good progress. In Year 3 the work was linked to music with pupils composing tunes and investigating the effect of icons to change the tempo. The pupils in Year 4 used computers to improve the presentation of text by changing font size, style and colour and inserting text into text boxes by cutting and pasting. They suggested improvements and developments and the more able pupils were effectively challenged. In Year 5 the pupils worked on graphical modelling to manipulate objects and create a plan of their classroom. At Year 6 the pupils practised decision switching in a control program procedure.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

128. Very good teaching ensures pupils make good progress. The quality of teaching was never less than good. In more than half the lessons seen it was very good. All infant and junior classes organise the lessons so that half the class work in the information and communication technology suite with the class teacher while half work in the classroom with a learning support assistant. This enables the class teacher to provide a high level of individual support and their timely intervention ensures good progress. In the great majority of lessons teachers give pupils clear explanations and use questioning well to check understanding. Lessons were well paced and pupils achieved a good amount of work in 30 minutes. Ferndale Primary School 129. Throughout the school pupils enjoy working in the suite. They co-operate well and are well motivated. Pupils persevere and concentrate and take a pride in their work. Year 6 pupils

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

are aware of a variety of uses for information and communication technology outside school including Internet shopping and banking. They are also familiar with the school library computer system, which uses bar codes. Most classes have an information and communication technology board where recent work is displayed. Several pupils use email at home.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

130. A strong feature is the way that information and communication technology is linked to other subjects. Staff training has been provided on numeracy links with information and communication technology. In Year 4 pupils used the computer to edit a poem and in physical education pupils were referring to a video assessment of previous work to improve their performance in physical education. In Year 5 pupils had searched the Internet for information on Dr Barnado to support their history work. All special educational needs pupils have good access to the computer and lap tops are made available to practise spellings.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

131. The subject is very well led by the co-ordinator. There is a detailed five-year development plan and the co-ordinator has developed a comprehensive assessment procedure which is shortly to be implemented across the school. The portfolios of work provide a good record of achievement across the school. The co-ordinator has been released from class to monitor information and communication technology and to observe lessons. She has a good overview of information and communication technology provision throughout the school and has identified appropriate priorities for development. The information and communication technology suite is also used by the Adult Education Service each week and learning support practitioners and parents have had the opportunity to benefit from this. The school is aware of the safety issues around access to the Internet and has an Internet access policy.

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MUSIC

132. Pupils’ standards of attainment are in line with national expectations at the end of Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 and similar to that of the previous inspection. Curriculum coverage is achieved by following the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority guidelines for music. The school offers a curriculum, which is enhanced by opportunities for pupils to perform to their parents and also wider audiences, for example the West Bromwich music festivals. During the inspection assemblies on talents provided the opportunity for pupils to play a clarinet, violins and steel pans. There are good opportunities for pupils to learn an instrument either in lessons from visiting teachers or in the recorder groups; these are provided in extra-curricular activities.

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MUSIC

133. Children under five enjoy singing and know a range of songs and rhymes. Infant pupils sing well showing good control of pitch and rhythm. A Year 2 class illustrated a well known song with sounds made by their voices, and used a tape recorder to record, evaluate and improve on this. They were beginning to use symbols to represent sound, and used this score to recreate the music. Pupils in Year 3 listened to stormy music and then used body percussion to create their own storm music. They built up layers of sound but did not attempt to record this graphically. Pupils in Year 4 were using the pentatonic scale to create their own music on various pitched percussion instruments. Some pupils collaborated well and achieved the lesson objective, but a high proportion did not remain on task and consequently did not make progress. Pupils in Year 6 wrote rhyming couplets to make a football chant and perform this to the class. They understood the importance of

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MUSIC

lyrics, and could identify a range of places where people sing including football matches Ferndale Primary School and in church; and they were able to talk about the appropriate style of singing at different occasions.

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MUSIC

134. In the lessons seen the quality of teaching ranged from unsatisfactory to very good and was good overall. The best lessons were well planned with clear explanations and questioning used to clarify understanding through practical based activity. Behaviour was good because the teachers had high expectations and there was a good pace. Where expectations were not high, behaviour deteriorated and pupils made little progress.

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MUSIC

135. The school is well resourced with a good supply of percussion instruments and some electronic keyboards, but limited time is available for teaching music because of the way some classes alternate music with another subject, thus only allowing the equivalent of 30 minutes each week. There are weaknesses in the management of this subject. In particular there is insufficient detailed guidance to help teachers plan their lessons. As yet there is no assessment of pupils’ work in music and there are no agreed criteria for assessment and that teachers can consistently measure the achievements of pupils. Aspects of the music provision, such as the steel band, make a good contribution to the pupils’ awareness of their own multicultural community.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

136. Standards are in line with national expectations for pupils by the time they are seven and eleven. This is similar to the findings of the previous inspection. Planned opportunities for physical development are well structured across the school and all pupils, including those with special educational needs are making good progress, particularly in dance. The school teaching pool is currently closed and scheduled for refurbishment but provision for swimming is satisfactory at a nearby pool and as a result most pupils are able to swim 25 metres at the end of Key Stage 2.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

137. Teaching is good overall across the school and especially so in dance in the juniors. Teachers’ planning is good and aims and objectives are clearly identified for each lesson. Most teachers demonstrate good subject knowledge and lessons are well managed. Good levels of praise are used to motivate pupils and guidance is provided to help them to improve their skills. This was clearly demonstrated in a Year 6 games lesson to develop the pupils’ understanding of health and fitness through circuit training. In this lesson the pupils were inspired to try their best through good levels of encouragement by the class teacher. Support staff also provided valuable support to those pupils with special educational needs and these pupils succeeded in improving their performance in this lesson. Dance is taught particularly well and this was demonstrated in both the infant and junior classes. A very good lesson for pupils in Year 4 provided all pupils with the

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

opportunity to improve on their interpretation of the music by referring to their own self- assessments. These were made prior to the lesson and based on observations made of their dance captured on video the week before. As a result of this very good use of assessment information by the class teacher, these pupils, including those with special educational needs were able to extend their own performance. The resulting dance phrases created a sense of awe and wonder to all those watching. Good provision for pupils to comment on the work of others further developed the pupils’ personal and social skills. Pupils in the infant class are also developing their gymnastics skills effectively through the regular teaching of skills such as climbing, balancing and swinging. Provision for dance is also good in the infants and in a lesson for pupils in Year 2 the teacher used the music tape effectively to provide extra support and encouragement. This ensured that

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

all pupils tried their best to develop their individual dance patterns and interpret the music with expression. Ferndale Primary School 138. The subject is managed very well and the coordinator has played an effective part in the monitoring of standards and subject development. Resources are organised well and the provision for activities outside lessons is very good. For instance, junior pupils have good opportunities to play a variety of sports after school and compete with pupils in other schools in competitive matches. The school has achieved much success in both local and national competitions and residential trips are organised for each year group in the juniors to a variety of venues as part of its adventurous activity programme. This very good provision for personal and social development is having a very positive impact on how pupils relate to one another in school during lessons and at playtimes. Very good use is

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

made of the school site to provide a Saturday football club organised by several parents. A striking feature is the low level climbing wall for pupils to use during playtimes.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

139. Standards are in line with expectations at both key stages, and pupils’ learning fully meets the requirements of the locally agreed syllabus.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

140. By the age of eleven many pupils are familiar with many customs and several stories that characterise the nominated faiths of Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Sikhism and Hinduism. The co-ordinator has worked hard to review the school’s scheme of work and demonstrates a good understanding of the subject. Teachers are now more confident with the content of the material being taught and lessons are regularly planned over the year. The amount of time allocated for older junior pupils is not sufficient and this has been recognised by the school. Teachers place a strong focus on written work in lessons as seen in lessons for pupils in Year 5 and Year 2. As a result of this, good quality recorded work in the pupils’ books confirms that the subject is becoming firmly embedded within the school’s curriculum. This is also providing good opportunities for the development of literacy skills in religious education lessons.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

141. Teachers plan lessons well and resources are used effectively to motivate pupils and capture their imagination. For instance in a lesson for a class of Year 5 pupils about the Hindu gods, the teacher used figurines to raise the pupils’ awareness of each deity. Tasks were planned very effectively in this lesson to match the abilities of all pupils and support staff provided good levels of care and attention for pupils with special educational needs. This very good planning and support ensured that all pupils contributed effectively to the lesson, developing within them a sense of awe and wonder about the faiths of other people. This good work is further supported across the school by trips to places of worship such as a Sikh gurdwara and a Christian church.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

142. Regular teaching, combined with good opportunities for pupils to reflect on the stories told, are developing the pupils’ understanding that all people are of value. This was demonstrated in a lesson on the characteristics of Sikhism to a class of Year 2 pupils. As a result of this consistent approach to other faiths and the subject overall, the pupils’ attitudes to learning are good at both key stages. The vast majority of pupils listen with interest to teachers, generally making sensitive comments about the stories and issues discussed. The quality of presentation in pupils’ books is good. Written work is completed with care and thoughtfulness.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

143. The curriculum is satisfactory and there is appropriate guidance to inform teachers' planning based on the locally agreed syllabus. Procedures for assessment are currently underdeveloped, with the result that teachers are unable to accurately gauge pupils’ progress over time and measure standards against the locally agreed syllabus. The coordinator has a very clear vision of what needs to be done next such as the implementation of more effective assessments of pupils’ achievements. The quality and Ferndale Primary School range of curriculum resources are satisfactory and there is a good range of artefacts stored effectively in a central area. The range and quality of books in the library are satisfactory but the school does not have a set of children’s Bibles for pupils to refer to in lessons.

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