Eastfield Primary School

EASTFIELD PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 7 th - 10 th October 2002

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EASTFIELD 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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EASTFIELD 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. Eastfield Primary School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Type of school: Infant and Junior School

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Colliery Road Willenhall Road Wolverhampton West Midlands

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The governing body

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 1 st November 2000 Eastfield Primary School - 4

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities 2592 Mr R Cheetham Registered inspector Mathematics, information and communication technology, physical education, the Foundation Stage What sort of school is it? The school's results and pupils’ achievements. How well are pupils taught? How good are the curricular and other opportunities offered to pupils? How well is the school led and managed? What should the school do to improve further? 19436 Mr M O'Malley Lay inspector Pupils' attitudes, values and personal development. How well does the school work in partnership with its parents? 21142 Mrs P McGraw Team inspector English, art and design, music, religious education, special educational needs, educational inclusion including race equality How well does the school care for its pupils?

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

28071 Mr A Williams Team inspector Science, design and technology, geography, history, English as an additional language How good are the curricular and other opportunities offered to pupils?

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Leicestershire County Council Education Department County Hall Glenfield Leicester LE3 8RF Eastfield Primary School - 5 Any concerns or complaints about the inspection or the report should be raised with the inspection contractor. Complaints that are not satisfactorily resolved by the contractor should be raised with OFSTED by writing to:

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Eastfield Primary School - 6

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 7

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

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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS? 12

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Eastfield Primary School serves an area of significant social and economic deprivation near the centre of Wolverhampton. The school has 174 pupils on roll. This is smaller than average and is less than at the previous inspection. Children start in Reception in either the September or January of the year of their fifth birthday. Most pupils’ attainment on entry has been well below that that generally found with particular weaknesses in their speaking, listening and social skills. In the last three years this attainment has improved slightly but remains below that generally found. Most pupils have a White UK heritage and minority have Mixed Caribbean, Black Caribbean or Indian backgrounds. Sixteen per cent of pupils speak English as an additional language and this is higher than most schools but none are at an early stage of learning the language. Sixty nine per cent of pupils are entitled to free

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

school meals. This is well above the national average and has increased significantly since the previous inspection. Thirty four per cent of pupils have special educational needs and this is well above the national average. Pupils’ special educational needs include specific and emotional and behavioural difficulties. One pupil has a statement of special educational need. Nearly all of the teaching staff have been appointed in the last three years. The school is part of an Excellence in Cities Action Zone that effectively supports community and business links. The school has surplus accommodation and classrooms are being converted for other uses such as a computer suite and a library. There are ambitious plans to develop other areas as an Art centre and a nursery for children up to three years of age. In 2000, the school received awards for achievement from the Department for Education and Skills and from Wolverhampton Local Education Authority

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

Eastfield Primary School provides a sound education for its pupils and provides satisfactory value for money. Most pupils make at least satisfactory and often good progress from their low starting points and most teaching is good. In the Foundation Stage (the Reception class), children make good progress and reach average standards in mathematics. Year 2 pupils’ standards of attainment are average in mathematics and science but below average in English. In the current Year 6 class, there is a high proportion of pupils with special educational needs and standards are below average in English, mathematics and science. Most pupils with special educational needs make satisfactory progress towards their individual targets. Pupils learning English as an additional language make satisfactory progress. The headteacher and deputy headteacher provide good leadership and the school includes all its pupils satisfactorily in the education it offers.

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What the school does well

• Provides well for children in the Foundation Stage • Teaches its pupils well and enables them often to make good progress • Encourages pupils to have good attitudes to learning • Is well led • Manages pupils’ behaviour and promotes their personal and social development well • Supports pupils’ moral development very well

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What could be improved

• Year 6 pupils’ standards of attainment in English, mathematics and science • The role of most subject co-ordinators in raising pupils’ attainment • The governors’ effectiveness in school improvement and monitoring progress • Pupils’ rates of attendance The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan. Eastfield Primary School - 8

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school was last inspected in November 2000. Since then it has made good progress in most respects and has a satisfactory capacity to improve further. The school has improved Year 2 pupils’ standards of attainment in English, mathematics and science. Although the current Year 6 standards are below average, the school successfully raised Year 6 standards in the two previous years. There is now a higher proportion of good quality teaching and the headteacher and senior staff monitor teaching well. After initially monitoring the school’s progress satisfactorily, governors did not build on this and have made unsatisfactory progress on this Key Issue from the previous inspection.

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STANDARDS

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

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Key

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

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Key

E* means in the lowest 5% of schools nationally, A* means the highest 5% nationally In the period from 2000 to 2002, Year 2 pupils’ standards in reading, writing and mathematics improved but remained well below (very low in reading) the national average. In 2002 when compared with schools with a similar proportion of pupils entitled to free school meals, standards were well below average in reading but above average in writing and mathematics. In science, pupils’ standards were well below the national average. Over the same period, Year 6 pupils’ standards improved in all three subjects by 2002. They remained well below the national average in English but rose very significantly in science and mathematics and were average. When compared with similar schools in 2002, standards were above average in English and well above average in mathematics and science. The school exceeded its targets for Year 6 pupils’ attainment in English and

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Key

mathematics. This improvement came about because the school made the teaching of writing a main priority, implemented the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies well and improved the quality of science teaching.

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Key

At this very early stage in the current academic year, the general trend of improvement in Year 2 pupils’ standards continues. Children make good progress in the Foundation Stage. By the start of Year 1, a minority will have achieved the early learning goals (the expected level of attainment). Most will have done so in mathematics but will still need to achieve the final parts of other aspects. In Years 1 and 2, pupils make good progress in English but reach below average standards because of their low starting points. They make good progress and reach average standards in mathematics, science, design and technology, information and communication technology (ICT), geography and history. They make satisfactory progress and reach average standards in the remaining subjects. In Years 3 to 5, pupils continue to make mostly satisfactory and sometimes good progress but this slows by Year 6. This is partly because a few pupils’ unsatisfactory behaviour slows their progress

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Key

significantly and that of others to a lesser extent and because the work set for higher attaining Year 6 pupils does not ask enough of them. This year’s lower attainment is also Eastfield Primary School - 9 because just over half the present Year 6 pupils have special educational needs and Year 6 standards in English, mathematics and science are below average. The school is making unsatisfactory progress towards its 2003 targets in English and mathematics because these were set too high. Standards of literacy and numeracy are below average. The standards in most other subjects are below average and most pupils have made unsatisfactory progress over time because the subjects have not been a main school priority for improvement. There are exceptions such as in music where pupils make satisfactory progress and reach average standards and in ICT where pupils are now making good progress. However, they

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Key

reach below average standards because they have not had the use of the computer suite until recently and their skills’ development is not improved by regular access to computers at home. Pupils with special educational needs make satisfactory progress towards their individual targets.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Most pupils have good attitudes to school and learning. Many take part in activities after school. A minority find it difficult to keep their concentration and are easily distracted.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Most pupils behave well in class and around the school. A minority (mostly older pupils) have challenging behaviour.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Relationships are good, even with pupils whose behaviour is testing. Pupils want to take on responsibilities and most carry them out dependably.

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Aspect Comment

Attendance Attendance is poor and a minority of pupils are often late. Most pupils want to be involved and do well. A minority of pupils in Years 5 and 6 have significant problems with working or behaving consistently. There are a few instances of bullying but these are dealt with effectively. Last year the school excluded a higher than average proportion of pupils for a fixed period to safeguard pupils’ safety and progress.

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Reception Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

Quality of teaching Very good Good Good Inspectors make judgements about teaching in the range: excellent; very good; good; satisfactory; unsatisfactory; poor; very poor. ‘Satisfactory’ means that the teaching is adequate and strengths outweigh weaknesses. All staff work hard to help pupils to concentrate for increasing periods of time and to take a pride in their work. Most plan and assess pupils’ progress well. Teaching in the Foundation Stage is very good because it is very well planned and enables all pupils to learn basic skills well by practising them in a variety of exciting and challenging activities. Pupils feel increasingly confident and learn to mix with one another well. In Years 1 and 2, good teaching is based on good subject knowledge, thorough preparation, bright classrooms and equipment that engage pupils’ interests. Most pupils concentrate on their work and benefit from the effective support of other adults such as a learning mentor or nursery nurse.

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Reception Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

Teachers in Years 3 to 5 also plan well to meet their pupils’ needs but Year 6 planning should set more challenging work for higher attaining pupils. Most teachers are good at pointing out when pupils behave well and this improves overall standards of behaviour. Teachers in Years 5 and 6 have not had training in this technique. In a few lessons when they do not apply it consistently, pupils’ behaviour worsens and progress slows. Learning mentors are a significant support to maintaining a positive climate for learning. Most pupils Eastfield Primary School - 10 are learning to apply themselves well but a minority have difficulties with sustaining this over time. The skills of literacy are taught satisfactorily and those of numeracy are taught well. The school meets the complex and diverse needs of its pupils well.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

The quality and range of the curriculum The school’s curriculum is satisfactory and meets statutory requirements. Pupils benefit from a good range of extra activities. The Foundation Stage provides a rich variety of learning activities. .

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils with special educational needs The school provides satisfactorily for these pupils. Learning mentors make an increasingly strong contribution to helping pupils concentrate and develop good attitudes to learning.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils with English as an additional language This is unsatisfactory in providing specialist language support. However, the school provides general support for improving the progress of pupils of Black Caribbean heritage in line with Local Education Authority guidance.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development This is good overall with a particular strength in pupils’ moral development. The school provides a very good moral framework for pupils to learn within and reflect on. Provision for pupils’ social development is good and it is satisfactory for their spiritual and cultural development.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

How well the school cares for its pupils The school takes satisfactory care of its pupils. Its procedures for monitoring and promoting good behaviour are effective but those for attendance are unsatisfactory. Staff use their assessments of pupils’ progress to support their lesson plans well. The school analyses and uses pupils’ assessment data unsatisfactorily. The school works hard to involve parents in their children’s learning but there is a low response and links are ineffective. The school has successfully concentrated on improving the provision for English, mathematics and science and the school has useful planning guidance for all other subjects. However, most of these have not had enough attention and the pupils’ skills in most subjects have not been taught well enough. Increased opportunities for residential and local visits improve pupils’ personal development and widen their horizons. Eastfield Primary School - 11

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff The headteacher, effectively supported by the deputy headteacher leads the school well. They have worked with a relatively new staff to improve the school’s ethos and put important structures in place so that the management of the school is satisfactory in most respects.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities This is unsatisfactory. Governors do not play a strong enough role in helping senior staff make plans or in checking that they carry them out.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance This is good. The headteacher checks on the progress of the school improvement plan and is supported by other staff. Senior staff monitor the quality of teaching and support improvements.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources This is good. Senior staff involve all teaching staff in a good process of school improvement planning. The headteacher manages the budget well to meet the school’s priorities. The school has good accommodation, satisfactory resources and satisfactory staffing levels to meet curriculum needs. It applies the principles of best value satisfactorily. Through its improvement plan, the school has a clear sense of direction. Although staff have delegated responsibilities for managing subjects, most responsibilities are new and are not having enough impact on the quality of teaching and learning. The school inducts new teaching staff well and has a strong sense of teamwork.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• Their children like school • There is good teaching • They get good information about their children’s progress • They can come to the school with suggestions or complaints • Children are expected to do their best • The school is well led • The work children are given to do at home • The activities outside lessons

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

Based on a low rate of return, most parents are satisfied with what the school provides. The inspection team agrees with those aspects that please parents most. The team finds that the school now makes satisfactory arrangements for homework and provides a good range of activities outside of lessons. Eastfield Primary School - 12

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Year 2 Recent trends

1. Since 1998, the trend in Year 2 pupils’ attainment in reading has slightly improved although it was either well below or very low when compared to the national average. In 2002, it matched the average of schools with a similar proportion of pupils entitled to free school meals (similar schools) and the proportion of pupils attaining more highly increased significantly. From 1998 to 2001, there was a slight decline in pupils’ writing attainment and the results were very low compared with the national average. In 2002, the school reversed the trend and results improved very significantly to above the average of similar schools but well below the national average. In mathematics, pupils’ results steadily improved from a very low point so that by 2002, they were below the average of similar schools and well below the national average. In science in 2002, the results were well below average. The

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Year 2 Recent trends

improvement in English and mathematics standards over this period is the result of the school’s successful implementation of the National Strategies for Literacy and particularly Numeracy, its focus on improving writing and because the school made improvement in these subjects its main priority. Similar progress was not made in science because this had a lower priority.

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Year 6 Recent trends

2. From 1998 to 2002, Year 6 pupils’ standards in English, mathematics and science improved in all three subjects. In 2002, although the results were well below the national average in English, they were average in mathematics and science. The results were above the average of similar schools in English and well above this in mathematics and science. The school exceeded its 2002 targets for both English and mathematics. This general improvement came about because the school focused its efforts on raising Year 6 attainment through good analysis of the weaknesses in previous pupils’ test results and on successful implementation of the National Numeracy and Literacy Strategies. It also put a lot of effort into improving the quality of pupils’ writing.

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The Reception class (the Foundation Stage)

3. For the last three years, children’s attainment on entry to Reception has been gradually improving from well below that generally found to below that generally found. There remain particular weaknesses in communication, language and literacy and in personal, social and emotional development. During their time in Reception, children make very good progress in their mathematical development and in their personal, social and emotional development. They make good progress in their knowledge and understanding of the world, their creative development and their communication, language and literacy development. They make satisfactory progress in their physical development. By the start of Year 1, a minority will achieve the early learning goals (the level normally expected) but most will need to achieve the final parts of them. Most children will have achieved the early learning goals in mathematical development. In communication, language and literacy a few children

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The Reception class (the Foundation Stage)

make slow progress because they have some form of speech impediment or immature speech. This overall good progress is due to some very good teaching and a rich curriculum to which children respond very well. Eastfield Primary School - 13

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The current pupils in Year 2 and Year 6 (seven and 11 year olds)

4. At this early stage in the academic year, the general trend of improvement in Year 2 pupils’ standards continues. In Years 1 and 2, pupils make good progress in English but reach below average standards because of their low starting points. They make good progress in speaking and listening because teachers provide many chances for discussion, often in ability groups. These opportunities and rate of progress continue in Years 3 and 4 but progress slows in Years 5 and 6. Here there a fewer discussion periods because a minority of pupils are disruptive and this does not allow everyone to take part in an extended dialogue. Most pupils’ standards in reading are improving because teachers consistently show them how to make detailed improvements. Most pupils make good progress in reading but standards are below average by Year 6 because higher attaining pupils are not given sufficiently challenging work and are

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The current pupils in Year 2 and Year 6 (seven and 11 year olds)

making slow progress. Pupils’ overall standards of handwriting are below average. Although pupils try hard and make progress in handwriting lessons, most teachers do not expect similar standards in their general work. In writing, most pupils are making good progress because it remains a school area for improvement. Teachers make accurate assessments, set work accordingly and give pupils close support. This is most noticeable in Years 1 and 2 where there is more adult support. Teachers give good opportunities to write in other subjects as well as in English lessons so that pupils have good reasons for writing. In Year 6, standards are below average because the teachers’ expectations of what higher attaining pupils can achieve are too low.

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The current pupils in Year 2 and Year 6 (seven and 11 year olds)

5. In mathematics, standards are average in Year 2 and pupils make good progress. Standards are below average in Year 6 and pupils in Years 3 to 6 make satisfactory progress overall. Pupils are making good progress in their numeracy skills because they practise them very regularly. By Year 6, most pupils have some knowledge of their times tables and higher attaining pupils can recall number facts quickly. Pupils’ skills of using mathematics more widely in other subjects are unsatisfactory because this is not emphasised enough although data-handling lessons using the computers is helping to improve progress. The school is making unsatisfactory progress towards its 2003 Year 6 English and mathematics targets because they were wrongly set and are too challenging.

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The current pupils in Year 2 and Year 6 (seven and 11 year olds)

6. In science, pupils' progress is improving because of better lesson planning and improved teaching. Most pupils are making good progress. Year 2 pupils now reach average standards but Year 6 pupils’ standards are below average. Year 2 pupils can make accurate predictions about electrical circuits. Year 6 pupils can use filtration to separate a sand and water mix but cannot work out how to separate a substance dissolved in water. Pupils are not making enough use of ICT in their science work.

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The current pupils in Year 2 and Year 6 (seven and 11 year olds)

7. By Year 2, pupils make good progress and reach average standards in design and technology, ICT, geography and history and make satisfactory progress and reach average standards in art and design, music, physical education and religious education. The satisfactory or good progress is the result of detailed lesson planning, good quality resources and good levels of staffing that ensure pupils are well supported. 8. The Year 6 standards in subjects other than English, mathematics and science are below average and pupils have made slow progress over time. This is partly because these subjects have not been a main school priority for improvement and subject skills have not been taught in the right sequence. This is changing as the teachers make better use of guidance to help them plan. There are exceptions. In music, pupils make satisfactory progress and reach average standards and in ICT, Eastfield Primary School - 14

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The current pupils in Year 2 and Year 6 (seven and 11 year olds)

pupils make good progress but reach below average standards. This is because they have not had use of the computer suite until recently and their skills’ development has not been improved by regular access to home computers. In the remaining subjects, pupils in Years 3 to 5 are now making mostly satisfactory and sometimes good progress but this slows to mostly unsatisfactory progress by Year 6. The satisfactory or good progress largely stems from effective pupil management. Teachers are adept at consistently praising pupils for doing things well. They make a particular point of thanking pupils who are trying hard to improve their levels of concentration or who are making some progress towards their individual behaviour targets. Pupils respond well and lessons continue at the right pace. In Year 5 and more particularly Year 6, there is a higher proportion of pupils with emotional and behavioural difficulties. When not managed well, a few pupils’ unsatisfactory

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The current pupils in Year 2 and Year 6 (seven and 11 year olds)

behaviour slows their progress significantly and that of others to a lesser extent. Another reason for the slower progress is because the work set for higher attaining Year 6 pupils does not ask enough of them. Although there is some additional staffing in Years 3 to 6, this is not at the same level as that in Years 1 and 2. When teachers have additional support in Years 5 and 6, individual pupils’ needs are better met and they make better progress. 9. Pupils with special educational needs in Reception and in Years 1 and 2 make good progress towards their individual targets. This is because they are keen to learn and take full advantage of the opportunities and additional support offered by the learning mentor and classroom support staff. Pupils with special educational needs in Years 3 to 6 make satisfactory progress. Teachers generally plan work, which meets their needs. Additional support for a few pupils in Year 4 is not effective and they make

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The current pupils in Year 2 and Year 6 (seven and 11 year olds)

slow progress. The learning mentor makes a significant contribution to pupils’ progress in all classes. However, because the overall level of classroom support is lower than in Years 1 and 2, pupils’ work and behaviour targets are less frequently monitored and supported and consequently they make slower progress. Pupils with English as an additional language make satisfactory progress in speaking and listening. This is particularly so when staff give additional support, for instance when helping pupils by explaining questions in science lessons, which gives pupils confidence to answer.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

10. Most pupils enjoy learning and have good attitudes to school. They behave well in lessons and around the school: their personal development is good and there are good relationships among pupils and staff. The high standards noted at the previous inspection have been maintained and this helps pupils learn well. Most pupils are keen to come to school and many take part in activities outside class. They are willing to learn and respond well to good teaching. They are interested and fully involved in their lessons. Pupils are keen to ask and answer questions. The majority listen attentively and get on with the tasks set. They work hard and are keen to improve. However, a minority of pupils find it hard to concentrate, are easily distracted and work slowly. 11. Pupils are friendly and polite. They know what standard of behaviour is expected and respond well. They take good care of equipment, such as when working on

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

computers. However, the behaviour of a small minority is unsatisfactory. These pupils lack self-discipline, and their behaviour deteriorates if the work is not varied enough or if teachers do not manage them well. A few pupils are boisterous, and a minority behave badly at playtime and in the dining room, but this is managed well by the teachers and learning mentors. There has been a little bullying and one incidence of racism but such these are effectively dealt with. Last year there were six fixed period exclusions, which is high when compared with other primary schools. Eastfield Primary School - 15 However, five of these were for very short periods, and all were for appropriate reasons.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

12. Most pupils respect one another’s views, co-operate and share ideas. For example, the youngest pupils worked well together as they prepared for the bear hunt. Pupils are well mannered and considerate. Most pupils respect the teachers and are keen to please. They grow in confidence in response to the praise and encouragement they receive. The majority settle to both group and independent work quickly, but a significant minority find it difficult to work without the support of an adult, and are easily distracted. Most pupils are sensitive to the needs of others and know about the impact they can have. For example in a Year 3 religious education lesson on faithfulness, pupils talked about their ideas, confident that others would listen carefully. Pupils respect differences such as when Year 4 pupils, learning about Hinduism, were interested in comparisons with their beliefs and experiences. When

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

given the opportunity, most pupils can think through problems for themselves, for instance as part of ICT investigations. Pupils work independently or in small groups but there are too few opportunities for them to take responsibility for their own learning particularly in Years 5 and 6. Older pupils help responsibly with school routines such as looking after the book club and escorting visitors. Younger pupils take responsibility as lunch box monitors and collecting registers.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

13. Attendance is poor. Last year, attendance was well below the national average. Nearly a quarter of the pupils attended for less than 90 per cent of the time, which was a significant interruption to their learning. Unauthorised absence improved last year but was still well above the national average. Punctuality is poor. On average this term, 13 per cent of pupils have been late. The teachers work well to minimise disruption so that registration and lessons start promptly.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

14. The quality of teaching is good and this is an improvement since the previous inspection. Eleven per cent of teaching is unsatisfactory, 17 per cent is satisfactory, 52 per cent is good and 20 per cent is very good. There is some good teaching in all classes. Most consistently good or better teaching is in the Foundation Stage, and in Years 1 to 4. There are a few weaker lessons in Years 5 and 6. Literacy and numeracy skills are taught well.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

15. In the Foundation Stage, the temporary teacher and the nursery nurse have quickly forged a very effective working partnership. They have re-organised the classroom together and planned the term’s work so that all pupils have a good range of activities across the areas of learning. Teaching is lively and imaginative and stimulates children to think for themselves. Staff place a lot of stress on teaching speaking and listening and on making decisions with others in mind. This is designed to help the weaker aspects of pupils’ attainment and works very well. Children feel confident in expressing their ideas and make good progress in sharing tasks and equipment. Staff regularly remind pupils of what they are learning and where it fits into what they already know and can do. For instance, they routinely count the children in the group or describe to the others what they have done. A good example of this was a boy explaining the colours and symbols on his bear hunt

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

map that they would all follow later. Staff build up a sense of anticipation with the children to increase their motivation and self-confidence for tackling new work. Teaching is very good in all the areas of learning. Even in physical development where children do not have direct access to an outdoor area, the teacher compensates for this. Eastfield Primary School - 16 16. In Years 1 and 2, most lessons are taught well and teachers are well supported by additional staff. Each has a planned role for every part of the well-structured lessons. For instance, when the teacher is working with the whole class, additional staff sit with small groups of pupils and re-phrase questions and encourage them to answer. In the next part of the lessons, staff work with groups (set by ability) to ask specific questions, to remind pupils of their targets, to encourage concentration and to build confidence in their learning. This works well. Pupils learn to work well together,

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

listen to others, modify their behaviour and gain confidence from trying out their ideas in small groups. At the end of most lessons, teachers use the time well to go over the main learning points by recalling the lesson aims and discussing with pupils what they have achieved. This helps the teachers to assess what pupils have learned and it also encourages them to reflect on their progress and to be a little clearer about what to do next. Teachers manage pupils’ behaviour well by saying what they expect, praising good behaviour and providing good levels of attractive resources that capture pupils’ interest. They introduce a variety of activities into lessons to maintain concentration. These include role-play as in a Year 2 history lesson when pupils played out a scene in a Crimean War hospital.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

17. Teachers in Years 3 to 6 also plan well to meet their pupils’ needs but most Year 6 lesson plans do not ask enough of the higher attaining pupils. Lesson planning often draws well on the previous assessments of pupils’ work and this is helping to improve the school’s teaching of skills in the subjects that have not received enough attention until recently. A good example of this is the teaching of ICT where teachers use previous assessments of pupils’ skills to start a new module of work. As in Years 1 and 2, lessons have a good structure with clear introductions to the whole class, followed by work in ability groups and a period at the lesson’s end for recapping on what has been learned. Teachers are mostly good at managing pupils’ behaviour by pointing out when pupils behave well. There are a few pupils in Years 5 and 6 with particularly difficult behaviour. Teachers in these classes have not had training in

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

positively managing pupils’ behaviour that other teachers have and do not apply the strategies consistently. In a few lessons, pupils’ behaviour worsens and progress slows. Learning mentors are a significant support in maintaining a positive climate for learning. Most pupils are learning to apply themselves well but a minority have difficulties with sustaining this. Teachers tell pupils how well they have done when they mark their work and are beginning to make good use of targets for groups of pupils in literacy. This is better than the previous inspection when teachers did not give clear guidance to pupils on how to improve.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

18. Pupils with English as an additional language are taught soundly. Additional, general support allows pupils full access to lessons but they do not receive language teaching because their precise language needs are unclear. Where additional help is not available teachers work with individuals when necessary. Pupils with special educational needs in Reception and Years 1 and 2 are taught well. Work is well matched to pupils’ needs and teachers challenge them to do better. Teachers work effectively with the learning mentor and support staff to ensure pupils play a full part in all activities, in particular those that involve reading and writing. In Years 3 to 6, the teaching of pupils with special educational needs is satisfactory. A temporary teacher works with small groups of pupils, mainly from Year 4, to provide extra practice in literacy and numeracy skills. There is not enough discussion or practical

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

work and lessons are unsatisfactory. In the best lessons, pupils are challenged to work hard. Teachers praise them for making small steps towards their targets. Where pupils are not given sufficient encouragement, behaviour is managed unsatisfactorily or in a few lessons where there is no additional classroom support, teaching is unsatisfactory. Eastfield Primary School - 17

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PUPILS?

19. The school provides a broad curriculum, which meets the requirements of the National Curriculum, the national guidance for the Foundation Stage and the Locally Agreed Syllabus for religious education. The Foundation Stage curriculum is good. Children have access to an exciting, broad curriculum, which is well balanced across the six areas of learning. Staff concentrate on developing communication, language and literacy skills and children’s personal, social and emotional development. Lesson planning is good and takes account of the Foundation Stage guidance and the National Curriculum to which a minority of children progress. In Years 1 - 6 the national initiatives of literacy and numeracy have been carefully implemented and this has improved teaching. The school has allocated more time to teaching English, mathematics and science and this is helping to raise standards. A good balance of literacy skills is taught but there is a weakness in teaching letter sounds in Years 5

p.17

PUPILS?

and 6. Teachers identify in which other subjects they will teach literacy skills and this is improving pupils’ writing. Pupils have extra practice in numeracy skills and a minority of older pupils benefit from additional literacy and numeracy lessons. Until recently, the concentration on English, mathematics and science resulted in unsatisfactory arrangements for the teaching of most other subjects. Partly as a result, Year 6 standards of attainment in them are lower than they should be. For instance, most subjects were taught for slightly less time than average to allow for the school’s other priorities. Pupils made slow progress in developing the subject skills until recently when new schemes of work and additional training and resources in subjects like ICT started to improve it.

p.17

PUPILS?

20. The school’s provision for pupils with special educational needs is satisfactory, as it was at the time of the previous inspection. The headteacher acts as special educational needs co-ordinator to cover long term staff absence. Pupils’ special educational needs are identified at an early stage and throughout Reception and Years 1 and 2, staff help them make good progress. In Years 3 to 6, teachers continue to build on earlier work but there are fewer support staff to help pupils in class or to monitor their progress. The school reports delays in assessing and meeting the needs of these pupils and this has slowed the arrangements for additional support. Two learning mentors provide significant support and monitor how well pupils do in relation to their behaviour and learning targets. However, in Years 5 and 6 the school’s behaviour management procedures are not consistently used and a small minority of pupils make slow progress. Most of the specialist

p.17

PUPILS?

language support for pupils learning English as an additional language is not targeted on specific pupils partly because their need for such support is unclear. The school uses staff from Wolverhampton’s multi-cultural education service to provide pupils with general support. Pupils gain in confidence when they work in the smaller groups with support staff and they are willing to work hard.

p.17

PUPILS?

21. Pupils are treated equally and have access to the full curriculum. Pupils in Years 2 to 6 have an equal chance to benefit from school clubs and visits because the school subsidises them. The school celebrates the cultural diversity of its pupils through various events noted below. Pupils’ successes and respect for others are valued and celebrated regularly. Support staff work well with pupils whose attitudes or behaviour could prevent them from learning.

p.17

PUPILS?

22. The school’s extra-curricular provision is good. This has improved significantly since the previous inspection because the school rightly wants to widen its pupils’ horizons. Pupils have visited Rhyl, and made residential visits to Woodlands and Beau Desert where outdoor and adventurous activities for physical education take place. School visitors have included Zip, a travelling theatre group performing a Caribbean story, a Eastfield Primary School - 18 musician playing and teaching steel pans and Gazebo, a drama group developing pupils’ speaking and listening skills. Activities at the end of the day are well supported by staff and pupils and include football, netball, rugby, singing and cooking.

p.17

PUPILS?

23. There is good provision for pupils’ personal, health and social education. The school has a good policy and scheme of work from which teachers plan their weekly lessons. These are well organised and help to develop pupils’ awareness of one another, build relationships and improve pupil behaviour. Pupils are taught sex education and drug awareness education as part of their science lessons, with a special emphasis in Year 6. The work is well supported by the school nursing service.

p.18

PUPILS?

24. There are good links with the community, which contribute to pupils’ learning. Pupils visit the local church as part of their studies in religious education, and the vicar regularly leads assemblies. Staff use the East Park area for studies in geography and design and technology. There are good links with the business community and the police work with the pupils on themes such as drugs awareness and personal safety. The pupils take part in the Wolverhampton music festival and the primary schools’ cross-country and football tournaments.

p.18

PUPILS?

25. There are good links with partner institutions. Mother and toddler groups meet regularly in an extra classroom and plan their sessions with the Nursery School. Staff work closely with both the Nursery and Secondary schools and has good arrangements to help pupils transfer. As a member of the Excellence in Cities Action Zone, the school makes good use of joint staff training, shared facilities, and collective initiatives such as “Business in the Community” and the after school Youth Club. The learning mentors are an important part of this provision.

p.18

PUPILS?

26. Overall provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good and promotes pupils’ personal development well. The school provides satisfactorily for pupils’ spiritual development. Assemblies make a good contribution especially when staff tell stories drawn from their own experience for instance, about being brave. Pupils listen intently as they think through the implications for themselves. Pupils routinely have the opportunity to reflect quietly or say a short prayer. All teaching staff are involved in the assemblies that promote a sense of school community. Religious education lessons make a satisfactory contribution to pupils' spiritual development. A good example of this was when Year 2 pupils were learning about the Torah. They respectfully discussed their ideas about the rules of Judaism and considered the values and beliefs of different faiths. In a Year 6 discussion,

p.18

PUPILS?

pupils listened intently and reflected quietly on the experiences of people with disabilities. Relationships were strong enough for pupils to talk about their family experiences and how they coped with difficulties.

p.18

PUPILS?

27. Provision for pupils’ moral development is very good. The timing of assemblies, at the start of each day is important in setting a calm learning atmosphere. Pupils consider issues about bravery by being asked to see situations from a wider point of view such as that of very young children. The school gives a very good lead on teaching right from wrong based on its behaviour policy. Pupils are encouraged to take on responsibilities. In Reception, children are frequently asked to make choices and to volunteer to do things for others. Most staff consistently carry out the school’s policy to encourage good behaviour. Most staff are quick to notice pupils who behave well or those who try hard to modify their behaviour in line with their individual targets. A good example of this was in a Year 4 ICT lesson when the teacher skilfully made a passing remark to show he had seen one boy’s efforts to pay

p.18

PUPILS?

Eastfield Primary School - 19 attention. This had a very positive effect on the rest of the pupils. However, Years 5 and 6 teaching does not always use the good behaviour of a minority to encourage better behaviour from the class as a whole. Learning mentors consistently use merited praise and reward small improvements in behaviour. They discuss any deterioration with pupils and remind them of the continuing need to improve. These interventions work well and help pupils to come to terms with the choices they make.

p.19

PUPILS?

28. Provision for pupils’ social development is good and has improved with the introduction of off site activities. These enable staff and pupils to see one another in different ways and give pupils the chance to explore social relationships. The after school clubs encourage pupils to mix with others, to form new friendships and to appreciate one another differently. For instance, the sports clubs allow pupils to succeed in areas that classroom lessons may not. Most staff give up their time to lead these activities. This sets a good example and shows their commitment to putting the school aims into practice. Staff often choose to group pupils in different ways to help them learn. For instance, in ICT lessons, teachers pair less and more able pupils for part of the time so that they can learn from one another. In a Year 5 discussion, pupils talked about the social rules for schools and families and explored

p.19

PUPILS?

how individuals could influence things for the better.

p.19

PUPILS?

29. Provision for pupils’ cultural development is satisfactory and the school has increased resources to reflect Britain’s cultural diversity. Visits to local places of interest (such as the Hindu temple or the art gallery) or farther afield; invite comparisons with pupils’ day-to-day experience. Through subjects such as art and design, geography, religious education and music, pupils learn about the lives and traditions of others. For instance in art and design, pupils use Aboriginal artwork for creating designs. During the summer term, the school holds a Caribbean Week using its community links well to feature design work and cookery. In the Creative Arts week pupils contribute to designs around the school to improve their cultural environment. This is enhanced further by wall displays of work by famous artists.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

30. The school monitors and promotes pupils’ personal development well. There are satisfactory arrangements for child protection and pupils’ general care. The school provides satisfactory support and guidance for its pupils. The language needs of most pupils learning English as an additional language are not accurately assessed. The school assesses pupils’ special educational needs at an early stage but reports delays in assessments by other agencies until recently. Teachers use their assessments of what pupils have learned to guide their planning well. The school does not use its assessment information well enough to check on the progress of groups of pupils. Procedures for monitoring and improving attendance are unsatisfactory but there are effective measures to monitor and promote good behaviour.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

31. The school does not make full use of the information on pupils’ performance in standardised tests. For example, any differences in performance of different groups of pupils are not routinely analysed. Furthermore, the targets in English and mathematics set for the current Year 6 pupils were based on their performance in Year 2 tests. These targets were set too high because the school’s initial analysis of its pupils’ performance data was weak and targets were not closely monitored and adjusted in the light of further assessments. As a result, the targets remain too high and the school’s progress towards them is unsatisfactory. Eastfield Primary School - 20 32. In lessons, teachers routinely assess what pupils know, can do and understand especially during their first few weeks in school. They use this information effectively to plan pupils’ future learning. Teachers in Reception and in Years 1 and 2 use their

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

assessments of pupils’ learning to good effect. They decide where extra help is needed and deploy support staff effectively. This is particularly so in the case of pupils with special educational needs. They make good progress towards their targets and teachers keep detailed records to show when these have been achieved. In Years 3 to 6 teachers continue to make regular assessments of pupils’ progress. Pupils with special educational needs make satisfactory progress. They do not make as good progress as younger pupils because they receive less adult support and there are fewer opportunities to monitor and review progress towards their targets. No pupils are at an early stage of learning English as an additional language but the school is not accurate in the way it assesses their language needs and does not identify where specialist support would be the greatest help. Instead it aims to raise the attainment of Black Caribbean pupils by providing extra general support.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

33. In most subjects, teachers use national guidelines as a basis for regular assessments and record pupils’ progress at the end of units of work. They make good use of the information to build on what pupils have learned. For example, a group in Year 4 did not understand commas in lists. The teacher noted this in his lesson plans and followed it up the next day. In physical education and religious education the school does not have systems to record pupils’ progress.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

34. The staff know pupils very well, provide a caring atmosphere and teach personal and social education to contribute well to pupils’ overall development. There are clear communications with parents who are encouraged to raise any concerns. This helps staff note developments and identify problems. The leaning mentors give good additional support to specific pupils. Pupils’ confidence and self-esteem are promoted through good relationships and every aspect of school life. The health and safety policy has been reviewed recently, improvements are being introduced and staff make sure that pupils learn safely.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

35. Teachers monitor attendance and the learning mentor consistently supports them. Staff follow up all unexplained absence with telephone calls or home visits. The school does not track patterns of absence in enough detail and the education social worker only follows up the absence of a few of the poorest attenders. Although there are rewards for improvement in attendance, not enough is being done to promote the importance of good attendance and the governors are not well enough informed about attendance trends. There are good procedures for monitoring lateness and punctuality but they have only been fully implemented this term.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

36. The behaviour policy emphasises a positive approach and pupils know what is expected. They have a say in classroom rules and so have a stake in keeping them. Most staff expect high standards and reinforce good behaviour by consistently encouraging it. The learning mentors give good guidance and support to pupils with behaviour problems. There are good systems for monitoring unsatisfactory behaviour. However, a few staff do not use consistently effective methods for managing unsatisfactory behaviour because they have not been trained. The school is quick to involve parents when there are problems, but there is not enough support from a significant minority of parents. There have been some bullying and a racist incident in the past, but the school has addressed these quickly and effectively. The school effectively discourages oppressive behaviour and promotes good relationships. Eastfield Primary School - 21

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

37. A comparatively small number of parents completed the questionnaire and none attended the meeting with inspectors before the inspection. A small number of parents spoken to during the inspection were pleased with the school. Parents are satisfied with the school’s provision. In particular they are pleased with the teaching and are satisfied that their children are making good progress. They think the school is well led and they are comfortable about coming to school with questions or problems. A few parents have reservations about the amount of homework set and the range of activities outside lessons. The inspection confirms parents’ positive views. Homework is set regularly and there is a good range of extra-curricular activity.

p.21

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

38. The school is committed to building an effective partnership with parents and it provides good quality information for them. The school prospectus and governors’ report provide a good summary of school matters and frequent, welcoming newsletters keep parents up to date. Pupils take home certificates and letters noting their achievements. The arrangements for keeping parents informed on their child’s progress are good. There are termly meetings with class teachers and recent school attempts to encourage attendance have lifted this to 50 per cent. There are satisfactory procedures for keeping parents of pupils with special educational needs informed about progress, and parents of pupils with statements of special educational need are invited to annual reviews. The school keeps parents of pupils who have English as an additional language informed of their general progress but does not report on their progress in learning the language. The school secretary is

p.21

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

able to help with some translations. Despite these efforts, the contribution of many parents to their children’s education is unsatisfactory and it is difficult for the school to build effective links.

p.21

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

39. Parents are not sufficiently involved in the work of the school and their children’s learning. There are good arrangements for introducing parents and their children to the Reception class and parents sign the home school agreement. The policy for homework has been reviewed and homework is set regularly. Parents are sent a plan so they know what to expect but a minority do not encourage their children to complete their work. There is not enough done to keep parents informed about what is being taught. In the past, the school has arranged meetings on such things as literacy but few parents attended. Many parents support their children at school productions and sports day. Although parents encourage their children to take part in activities after school, a minority of pupils do not attend regularly. A small number of parents help with organising social activities and raising funds and a few help in

p.21

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

school. The school has tried to collect parents’ views through a questionnaire but most did not complete it. In partnership with the Nursery School, there are family learning and adult education classes and a minority of parents take part. The school organised an after school family club, but few parents turned up. It plans to try again shortly. Parents are encouraged to raise any concerns and keep the school informed about their children. Staff are readily accessible and the school is quick to involve parents if there are problems. However, a minority of parents do not support the school enough in addressing these and their children’s education is affected. The school gone some way to involving parents in solving the poor attendance problem and recognises the need to do more. Eastfield Primary School - 22

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

40. The headteacher has led the school well since the previous inspection when leadership was satisfactory. He works closely with the deputy headteacher and senior staff and together they manage the school satisfactorily. However, the co- ordination of many subjects is unsatisfactory. The governors but do not play a strong enough role in helping senior staff make plans or checking that how well they are carrying them out. The senior staff’s good monitoring and evaluation arrangements are guided by a useful policy. The school’s process for school improvement planning is good. The headteacher manages the budget well to meet the school’s priorities. The school has good accommodation, satisfactory resources and staffing levels to meet curriculum needs. It applies the principles of best value satisfactorily.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

41. Since his appointment three years ago, the headteacher has worked well with a mostly new staff to secure their commitment for improving the school. He has chosen the right priorities from a large number of things that needed to be done and has seen many through successfully. The main drive behind the school’s development is its improvement plan to which all teaching staff contribute. It is a comprehensive document that ensures the school aims are well reflected in its work. Most staff manage pupils’ behaviour well and use various strategies to ensure that they have the opportunity to learn. The headteacher and deputy headteacher give an effective lead to other staff and provide them with consistent support. The co- ordinators of the school’s priority subjects (English, mathematics, science and ICT) have worked hard to raise standards and improve pupils’ progress. In this they have been mostly successful. The national Strategies for Literacy and Numeracy have

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

been introduced well. The same is not true of the co-ordination of most of the remaining subjects. This is partly because staff are new to the roles or because the subjects have not been given enough prominence. The school has recognised this and all co-ordinators have action plans for improving their subjects. The school has introduced teachers’ performance management satisfactorily but it is not closely linked to their professional development.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

42. Against a background of teacher recruitment difficulties, the school has overcome a number of short-term problems with the help of the Local Education Authority. Newly trained staff have been introduced well to the school and make a good contribution to the quality of teaching improvement. They now carry out additional responsibilities conscientiously and add to the staff’s commitment and capacity to improve. Senior staff monitor the quality of teaching and support improvements in the school’s high priority subjects well and this has helped to improve teaching quality. The school recognises that not enough is done to improve teaching in the low priority subjects. Although there have been improvements to the way the school collects and records information on pupils’ progress, it does not do enough to analyse it. The school has taken determined action to meet its targets and last year exceeded its Year 6 English

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

and mathematics targets. It is making unsatisfactory progress towards its current Year 6 targets because the predictions were too high. It is making good progress towards meeting many of its targets in the school improvement plan. The headteacher works with the deputy headteacher to check this progress regularly.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

43. The headteacher budgets carefully bearing in mind that forecasting is made more difficult by the fluctuations in numbers of children transferring from the Nursery School. School priorities are carefully matched to funding and finances are now on a sounder footing than in the past. There has been careful strategic investment in achieving school priorities like the computer suite and new classroom furniture. The school is aware that some shortages remain in ICT and physical education and is planning improvements. The school makes satisfactory use of new technology as part of the curriculum and in school management. It has spent the grants for Eastfield Primary School - 23 improving ICT provision satisfactorily. However, it should make better use of computers in analysing pupils’ progress and attendance.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

44. The school has a satisfactory programme of school maintenance and refurbishment. However, short term urgent demands on this budget such as boiler repairs have slowed the programme and much of the outside of the building needs painting. The school uses its extra accommodation well with rooms for literacy, the library, ICT and for joint use with the Nursery School. Working with a number of agencies, the school plans building improvements to benefit its pupils and the community in the form of an Art Centre and a Nursery for children aged up to three. Plans are at an early stage, the co-ordination of the projects has not been finalised but governors are not closely involved enough in this strategic planning. They help to set and monitor the budget and have committees to deal with school governance. They receive significant support from the headteacher in the form of well-written reports and at meetings

p.23

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

when they are brought up to date with recent developments. However, they do not seek their own information by asking searching questions about school decisions nor make a strong contribution to setting and monitoring the school’s priorities. Many understandably find it difficult to come into school during the working day to see the school at work. However, a minority are able to do so and are beginning to make more of these opportunities by interviewing staff or looking at provision. A minority of governors’ meetings are poorly attended and this slows the business of the governing body.

p.23

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

45. The school benefits from some additional staff. The two established learning mentors have a strong influence in supporting pupils who have barriers to their learning. Another has been allocated to the school by the Zone on a part time basis and has not had time to make a similar impact. The school gets generous support for pupils learning English as an additional language but the management of this support is unsatisfactory because it is not well targeted. The co-ordination of special educational needs provision is satisfactory and additional staff in Years 1 and 2 help pupils make good progress.

p.23

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

46. The school takes advantage of local authority arrangements to get the best value for some of its services such as major purchases. The headteacher works with governors to help them see how the school’s performance compares with similar and local schools. Staff weighed various options before ordering new computer equipment to make the best use of some older, refurbished machines. It tries to improve what it does by seeking new ways of involving parents in their children’s education such as an open week. Through its links with the Education Action Zone, the school consults with other schools serving the local area to find solutions to problems they have in common such as poor attendance. Eastfield Primary School - 24

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

47. In order to make further improvements, the school should:

p.24

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(1) Raise Year 6 pupils’ standards of attainment in English, mathematics and science by * : • Improving the management of a minority of pupils’ challenging behaviour • Setting more challenging work for higher attaining pupils • Making better use of assessment information Paragraphs: 4, 5, 17, 30, 31, 42, 55, 61, 62, 66, and 67

p.24

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(2) Ensure that most subject co-ordinators help teachers to raise pupils’ attainment by * : • Providing further guidance and training • Monitoring pupils’ progress • Improving resources and their use Paragraphs: 8, 17, 40, 41, and 43

p.24

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(3) Improve the governors’ effectiveness in school improvement and monitoring progress by: • Increasing their participation in choosing school priorities • Regularly monitoring the progress of the school improvement plan • Taking a strategic lead in major school initiatives such as the Art Centre and the Nursery Paragraphs: 40, 44

p.24

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(4) Improve pupils’ rates of attendance by: • Promoting good attendance through more active involvement of learning mentors and local agencies • Monitoring and analysing the trends by increased use of computers Paragraphs: 36, 43

p.24

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

* Indicates that the school has already recognised the need to improve these aspects. Eastfield Primary School - 25

p.24

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 16

p.25

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

p.25

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Percentage 0 20 52 17 11 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 two percentage points.

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery YR – Y6

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 0 174

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 0 120 FTE means full-time equivalent.

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Special educational needs Nursery YR – Y6

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 0 1

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 0 65

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 30

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 21

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 19

p.25

Attendance

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. Eastfield Primary School - 26

p.25

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

Year Boys Girls Total Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2002 10 18 28

p.26

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

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

p.26

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

Boys 4 6 6 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 13 17 18

p.26

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

Percentage of pupils School 61 (60) 82 (57) 86 (87) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (84) 86 (86) 90 (91)

p.26

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

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.26

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

Boys 4 6 5 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 13 18 14

p.26

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

Percentage of pupils School 61 (60) 86 (83) 68 (67) at NC level 2 or above National 85 (85) 89 (89) 89 (89)

p.26

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

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

p.26

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

Year Boys Girls Total Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 2002 14 6 20

p.26

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

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

p.26

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

Boys 8 13 12 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 5 6 5

p.26

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

Percentage of pupils School 65 (58) 95 (67) 85 (81) at NC level 4 or above National 75 (75) 73 (71) 86 (87)

p.26

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

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.26

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

Boys 7 9 11 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 5 4 5

p.26

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

Percentage of pupils School 60 (69) 65 (75) 80 (81) at NC level 4 or above National 73 (72) 74 (74) 82 (82) Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Eastfield Primary School - 27

p.26

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Categories used in the Annual School Census No of pupils on roll Number of fixed period exclusions Number of permanent exclusions

p.27

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

White – any other White background 0 0 0

p.27

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Mixed – any other mixed background 0 0 0

p.27

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Asian or Asian British - Pakistani 0 0 0

p.27

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Asian or Asian British – Bangladeshi 0 0 0

p.27

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

p.27

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black or Black British – Caribbean 17 1 1

p.27

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

p.27

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

The table refers to pupils of compulsory school age only. It gives the number of exclusions, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded. Eastfield Primary School - 28

p.27

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 8.4 Financial year 2002/3

p.28

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 19

p.28

Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total income 451,916

p.28

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 5 Total expenditure 438,068

p.28

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 151 Expenditure per pupil 2,355

p.28

Teachers and classes Financial information

Qualified teachers and support staff: nursery Balance brought forward from previous year 14,395

p.28

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 0 Balance carried forward to next year 13,845

p.28

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 0

p.28

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 0

p.28

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per FTE adult 0 FTE means full-time equivalent.

p.28

Recruitment of teachers

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

p.28

Recruitment of teachers

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

p.28

Recruitment of teachers

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 0

p.28

Recruitment of teachers

Number of vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of a term or more (FTE) 2

p.28

Recruitment of teachers

Number of unfilled vacancies or vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of less than one term (FTE) 0 FTE means full-time equivalent. Eastfield Primary School - 29

p.28

Results of the survey of parents and carers

Percentage of responses in each category

p.29

Results of the survey of parents and carers

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

p.29

Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child is making good progress in school. 60 31 9 0 0

p.29

Results of the survey of parents and carers

Behaviour in the school is good. 35 44 18 0 3

p.29

Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 20 26 43 11 0

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 63 23 11 3 0

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 66 26 6 3 0

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 74 14 9 0 3

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school works closely with parents. 34 51 9 0 6

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is well led and managed. 71 21 0 6 3

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 57 29 9 4 0

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 31 17 31 9 11 Eastfield Primary School - 30

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

48. Provision in the Foundation Stage is good. It is well led, provides very good teaching in each of the areas of learning and a very interesting range of activities. The staff in the Reception class work very well together. Children start in the Reception class in the September or January of the year of their fifth birthday. They make satisfactory progress in physical development and make very good progress in personal, social and emotional development and in mathematics. Most make good progress in the remaining three areas of learning. A minority will achieve the early learning goals. Most will reach the levels expected of them in mathematics by the time they start Year 1 but will be working towards the final parts of other aspects

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Personal, social and emotional development

49. Staff organise the activities in Reception very well and routinely teach most of the areas of learning within a single activity. This helps children to make connections with what they have learned in a different context and this contributes to the very good progress children make in this area of learning. Staff regularly encourage the children to make informed choices so that they think about what they are doing and learning. A good example of this was when children were making sandwiches. They needed to decide where to sit, which utensil to use, which filling they preferred and into which shape they planned to cut the sandwiches. As a result, they make very good progress in taking responsibility, co-operating and taking turns. They learn the skills of organising themselves because after cutting the sandwiches, they bagged them, labelled them with their names and stored them safely. One child hesitated,

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Personal, social and emotional development

unable to find a pencil. He was about to ask the teacher, then spotted one and completed the task independently. They learn quickly to look after their own belongings and to help others. Staff have high expectations of children’s behaviour and provide good role models for the children to copy. Children feel increasingly self confident because staff encourage them to try things out and explain to the others how they did them. One child made a map of the imaginary trail they were all to follow to hunt a bear and explained it well to the others. The trail led to the bear’s den and as the bear (the school caretaker) emerged, the children learned to cope with their fantasies, fears and reality.

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Communication, language and literacy

50. From their low starting points, children make good progress in reading, writing, speaking and listening. They can follow and join in the actions of a story such as The Bear Hunt and enjoy repeating them. Staff introduce words such as twirling , whirling, squelching , across and through to widen pupils’ narrow descriptive vocabulary. To aid their understanding, they get the children to match actions to the words. A minority have immature speech and a few have speech impediments. Staff are alert to these difficulties and put parents in touch with speech therapists but in one or two cases, parents decline the support. Most children can communicate simply, respond to instructions and ask questions. Staff are particularly skilled in supporting pupils with speech difficulties by encouraging them to speak in class and supporting them by rephrasing what they have said. Afterwards, staff go over the words again with

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Communication, language and literacy

the child to reinforce the learning. Children experience a wide range of relevant literacy activities. For instance, children write lists of expedition equipment for the bear hunt or add their names to a checklist to show they have completed a task. Staff accept children’s first writing attempts and then move onto making letter shapes with them. They use the letter sounds they have learned in their reading such as the Eastfield Primary School - 31 syllables and the hard consonants such as b or d . Some higher attaining pupils are beginning to use letter sounds to spell words or copy examples written by staff. Most children have satisfactory pencil control. A role-play area on the theme of Goldilocks and the three bears helps to develop children’s imagination. Once they have the basic idea, they quickly go on to recreate the story in their own ways and perform these confidently to others.

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Mathematical development

51. Most children can count up to twelve by numbering the children in the group as a matter of repeated routine. The teacher took advantage of the slightly late arrival on one child to ask what was the difference between 11 and 12 and one child was able to see the connection. Most can reliably name numbers and put them in order. A few can understand the relationship between four and fourth, for example. Children competed a survey of class choices for either jam or cheese sandwiches by marking their preferences on a tally chart. A few higher attaining children could see which was the most popular. Staff take care to develop the children’s mathematical language. They introduce words like full and empty while children play with the water tray and encourage them to describe the properties of shapes or the relative size of objects. They ask children to place one piece of bread on top of another and to put

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Mathematical development

the lunch boxes beside the table. Children learn to relate numbers on a chart to the sequence of the main points of a story. The children in charge of the theatre booking office issued tickets to correspond to numbered seats for the performance.

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

52. Children are making satisfactory progress in using the mouse to move images around the computer screen. This aspect of provision has only recently been introduced because of a previous shortage of equipment and needs further updating if children are to make better progress. Children work together well to mix the ingredients of porridge and then cook it. Staff encourage the skills of observation during the process so that children may notice the changes. A few could describe them and most can recognise them. They can describe the texture and colours of play dough. Most can recognise some of the changes to their classroom in recent weeks. In rehearsing the story of Goldilocks, children are developing a good idea of the sequence of events and quickly spot alterations. The bear hunt gave children the opportunity to use geographical language such as direction and to relate their movements to a map. They could compare different parts of their journey such as

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

going through mud or a snowstorm to symbols on the map. The bear’s den was quickly spotted by a few, but skirted suspiciously by most.

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Physical development

53. The lack of routine access to an outdoor play area limits provision. Staff compensate for this by holding short activity periods after play times and intend to increase the time children can have in the hall. In the playground sessions, for example children learn to walk along a pathway keeping within boundaries. The current arrangements provide limited opportunities for personal exploration of spaces and the teacher plans dance activities to support this development further. In the classroom, pupils move about with a good regard for others although enthusiasm very occasionally overcomes good sense. Children can move small equipment about competently and share games equipment in the playground. When they use equipment such as modelling materials and paintbrushes, they progress well in handling very small items such as buttons or marbles. Eastfield Primary School - 32

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Creative development

54. Children can explore the properties of paint by mixing colours and making different effects by using different brushes and brush strokes. They have good opportunities to listen to different musical instruments and join in with favourite songs. They enjoy repeating familiar ones with gusto almost, as on the bear hunt to re-assure themselves that, “We’re not afraid!” Their facial expressions of feigned delight and distaste during role-play let them show their emotions in a controlled way. In describing their experiences, they relive them and in their planning, they create their future actions. Staff skilfully build up anticipation through preparation for the bear hunt e.g. sandwiches and drinks, items of special clothing and equipment such as binoculars and cameras. Staff join in with the activities and use the opportunities to develop skills in other areas of learning such as speaking and listening.

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ENGLISH

55. The school has improved the subject satisfactorily since the previous inspection when pupils’ standards of attainment were low. Since then, standards in Years 2 and 6 improved considerably and in 2002, the school exceeded its Year 6 target. In the current Year 2, standards are average but are below average in Year 6. Pupils in Years 1 to 4 make good progress but this slows to satisfactory progress in Years 5 and 6. This is because some lessons move at a slower pace and opportunities for discussions are curtailed. In Year 6, high attaining pupils make slow progress because not enough is asked of them. Lower attainment in Year 6 is also due to more than half of the pupils have special educational needs mostly relating to reading and writing. The quality of teaching is good or better in Years 1 to 4 and satisfactory overall in Years 5 and 6. The co-ordinator leads the subject satisfactorily and has

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ENGLISH

implemented the National Literacy Strategy well but standards of literacy are below average because of most pupils’ low starting points. In Years 1 and 2, pupils with special educational needs are well supported and they make good progress. In Years 3 to 6 there are fewer support staff to help them achieve their targets and progress is satisfactory. Pupils learning English as an additional language make satisfactory progress in speaking and listening.

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ENGLISH

56. By Year 6, although a significant minority of pupils reach average standards in speaking and listening, most do not but this is still an improvement from the previous inspection. Years 1 to 4 teachers plan lots of discussion opportunities. Working in ability groups enables pupils to share their knowledge and learn from others. Activities funded through the Action Zone also help pupils to develop their speaking and listening. A group called Gazebo developed role-play and imaginative language with Year 2. Year 4 pupils discussed the need for commas and helped each other to put them into a text. In Years 5 and 6 there are fewer opportunities for speaking because a minority of pupils are disruptive and this reduces the chance for all to speak.

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ENGLISH

57. Most pupils’ standards in reading are improving because teachers consistently show them how to make detailed improvements. Most pupils make good progress but standards are below average by Year 6. Younger pupils build words up well. They use pictures to help them with words they do not know and re-read passages to make sense. A Year 2 pupil read, “Kipper balloon flew,” and then corrected it, without prompting to, “Kipper’s balloon flew.” Year 2 pupils talk about their books enthusiastically and show that they have understood. Teachers help pupils to develop their skills by talking about a story and comparing it with others. They encourage pupils to read in class and at home. By the time they leave the school a significant minority of pupils do not read as fluently as they should, nor talk confidently about their reading preferences. During literacy lessons, pupils read with the teacher. They copy the teacher’s expression and talk about what they are

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ENGLISH

Eastfield Primary School - 33 reading. Year 3 pupils read characters’ speech in different tones. They listen well to one another and comment on how effectively they read. One pupil said that some sentences would only make sense if they were spoken in a particular way. He said, “You wouldn’t whisper, “Hey watch out!” and added that the clue lay in the exclamation mark. Pupils with special educational needs make satisfactory progress towards the small steps in their plans. High attainers make satisfactory progress in Years 1 to 4. For instance, they know how to use commas accurately to help them read aloud. In Years 5 and 6, they make slow progress because they are not given sufficiently challenging work. For instance, Year 6 pupils quickly read and completed a worksheet, which was also set for those of average ability.

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ENGLISH

58. Standards in writing have improved significantly but remain below average. Most pupils make good progress, except for high attainers in Year 6 who make slow progress because their work is not challenging enough. A higher proportion of all pupils are making good progress because teachers identify precisely what pupils need to do to improve and set work to make sure they do this. This is particularly noticeable in Years 1 and 2 where there is more adult support. Pupils know that different types of writing have to be done in different ways. For instance in Year 2, high attainers use connectives to begin their writing of instructions. Teachers give good opportunities to write in other subjects as well as English so that pupils have a good reason for their writing. Year 4 pupils wrote an account of their residential visit to share with Year 3 pupils who will make this visit next year. In literacy lessons,

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ENGLISH

teachers read examples of good writing to show pupils how to make their work more interesting and accurate. Year 2 pupils check their work for capital letters and full stops and to see if they can change a word for a better one. Staff emphasise the need to write in sentences and they read sentences with pupils with special educational needs so that they spot their mistakes. Most pupils in Years 4 to 6 use punctuation accurately because they have targets for writing on display. Teachers make sure that pupils know that writing is for someone else to read. For example, the Year 2 teacher followed pupils’ written instructions for making bread. Teachers encourage pupils to read others’ work and some, as in Year 4 display it prominently to recognise quality of content and presentation. Pupils’ handwriting is good in specific handwriting lessons but they do not write neatly in other lessons and teachers do not insist on this.

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ENGLISH

59. In Years 1 and 2, there is some very good teaching. Pupils are clear about what is expected and work to deadlines. The pace is brisk and pupils are eager to work co- operatively and contribute eagerly to class discussion. All teachers plan lessons well and are clear about what they want pupils to learn. Basic skills are taught effectively. They match stimulating activities to pupils’ needs and effectively balance their work with the whole class and work in groups. Most pupils behave well, concentrate hard and enjoy positive relationships. Teachers question pupils to see how well they have learned. They make notes on pupils’ progress and amend their plans if necessary. All classes have group targets for literacy that are monitored regularly and in the younger pupils ’ classes teachers display this progress on classroom charts. This is helping to improve progress although targets are not yet discussed with pupils to

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ENGLISH

increase their involvement. Most classes use computers to develop reading and letter recognition skills. Pupils enjoy English and many initially complete regular homework.

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ENGLISH

60. The co-ordinator supports other teachers well and has a clear understanding of how to raise standards. She has a sound view of overall standards and quality of teaching because she observes lessons, checks planning and pupils’ work. However, the school does not analyse assessment information to identify areas for development with specific groups of pupils. Resources for literacy lessons are Eastfield Primary School - 34 plentiful but some of the well-used reading books need replacing. The attractive new library is nearing completion but not currently in use. The range and quality of library books are very limited.

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MATHEMATICS

61. The school has made good progress in this subject since the previous inspection and pupils’ standards of attainment and progress have improved. Standards are now average in Year 2 and pupils make good progress. Standards are below average in Year 6 and pupils in Years 3 to 6 make satisfactory progress from their low starting points. The school has successfully introduced daily mathematics lessons as part of the National Numeracy Strategy. Most teaching is good and the subject is well led.

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MATHEMATICS

62. Pupils are making good progress in their numeracy skills because they regularly practise them in the daily mathematics lessons and at other times in the school day. Year 2 pupils have an understanding of place value and higher attaining pupils can add and subtract reliably up to 100. Most can count in groups of ten and higher attainers can see that numbers can be added in any order and always reach the same total. Most Year 2 pupils can recognise and name two-dimensional shapes. Most can use non-standard measures for working out the length of objects. However, their general skills in using and applying their mathematical knowledge such as estimating are below average. By Year 6, most pupils have some knowledge of their times tables and higher attaining pupils have quick recall. Most pupils can complete addition and subtraction sums to two places of decimals and know the names and some of the properties of two and three-dimensional shapes.

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MATHEMATICS

Most can measure length with reasonable accuracy. Their skills of using mathematics more widely in other subjects is unsatisfactory although the increased use of the computer suite for data handling lessons is improving this.

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MATHEMATICS

63. Numeracy lessons are well planned and show clearly what pupils are to learn. During them teachers give pupils satisfactory opportunities to explain how they worked out their answers. In a Year 3 lesson, the teacher used the end of it well to recap with pupils what they had learned. At the end of a Year 1 lesson, the teacher challenged higher attainers by setting them problems to extend their earlier work on subtraction. Pupils not only gave correct answers but also explained their reasoning. Older pupils do not get enough chance to do this because a few of them are too impatient when others are slow to answer. Teachers generally set pupils work at three different levels to cater for pupils learning needs. This works well in most classes and ensures that pupils understand what they have to do and the teachers’ comments show them how to improve. This builds confidence and encourages concentration. In Year 6, the work is not set at different levels and higher attaining

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MATHEMATICS

pupils make slow progress. Teachers make accurate assessments of what pupils have learned during a lesson and use this to plan later ones. They also use records of pupils’ progress well when they begin a new unit of work so that they can quickly revise the main points before moving on to new work.

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MATHEMATICS

64. Most teachers consistently point out to pupils when they are doing well or making even slight improvements in paying attention or persevering. This positive tone in most lessons gives pupils a feeling of achievement and encourages them to try harder. For instance in a Year 2 lesson, the learning mentor working with a small group used a list of individual targets and noted with them what had been achieved. Most classes are now setting and displaying targets for groups to achieve but this has only started recently and is not having an impact on pupils’ progress. Most teachers use resources well to brighten the classroom and increase pupils’ motivation. This works well and two Year 1 pupils worked well together sorting shapes by counting the sides and corners. The teaching of a small group of Year 4 Eastfield Primary School - 35 pupils is unsatisfactory because not enough use is made of equipment and the pace

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MATHEMATICS

is too slow. The remaining Year 4 pupils respond well to lively teaching and clear explanations. This ensures a quick pace to lessons so that different tasks can be completed to match pupils’ short attention spans. However, in an otherwise satisfactory lesson in Year 5, the inattention of a few pupils slowed the pace but the support of a learning mentor made sure that only a little time was lost.

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MATHEMATICS

65. The subject co-ordinator has established important features of the mathematics curriculum through monitoring and supporting planning guidance and staff training. In this she has had the benefit of the subject being a main school priority and has had the support of senior staff to monitor and support the quality of teaching. She is aware that resources need updating and those held centrally need to be better organised. Her action plan also points out the areas for improvement such as problem solving and the wider use of ICT. Her role in the use of test data is limited and should be extended so that she has a more detailed view of pupils’ progress.

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SCIENCE

66. The school has made good progress in this subject since the previous inspection and Year 2 standards of attainment and pupils’ progress overall have improved. Year 2 pupils now make good progress and reach average standards. Year 6 pupils’ standards are below average, however most pupils in Years 3 to 6 are making good progress because of good teaching and better lesson planning. Pupils with special educational needs or with English as an additional language make satisfactory progress and this improves when extra adult support is available. The co-ordinator provides good leadership and teachers use their assessments of pupils’ work well to guide their lesson planning.

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SCIENCE

67. Year 1 pupils know the importance of carrying out a fair experiment and used this when they placed snails the same distance from a variety of foods to check which food the snails preferred. Year 2 pupils can place bulbs in a circuit and accurately predict if the circuit will allow them to light. Year 3 pupils use their skills of predicting well to decide which materials would be suitable for covering an umbrella. They then check their predictions by conducting a fair test. Year 4 pupils know how muscles in the body control movement. Year 6 pupils can separate sand and water by sieving and filtering but cannot work out how to separate a mixture containing a substance dissolved in water.

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SCIENCE

68. Teachers plan their lessons well and teach them at a suitable pace. They explain carefully what pupils are to do and learn and use additional help in the classroom well. For instance in a Year 1 lesson, the learning support assistant helped pupils to describe what they saw to extend their vocabulary. The school is rightly trying to get pupils to understand scientific ideas better by carrying out investigations rather than simply being told. Teachers are also trying to improve pupils’ use of scientific language. They routinely introduce the key words at the start of the lesson and encourage pupils to refer to their science words spelling books. Teachers help to develop pupils’ literacy skills in science well. For instance the Year 1 teacher read, “The Tiger who came to Dinner,” as an introduction to the lesson on animals needing food. Teachers ask pupils a good range of questions to develop their speaking skills

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SCIENCE

as well as to check their understanding. They also ask pupils to write about their experiments to practise report writing. They get pupils to practise their mathematical skills when measuring weight or length as part of their experiments. However, teachers do not use ICT sufficiently in their science work. In an unsatisfactory lesson, incidents of challenging behaviour were not dealt with effectively. The pace of the lesson slowed, pupils became restless and learning opportunities were lost. In most other lessons, teachers manage pupils’ behaviour positively, especially when Eastfield Primary School - 36 additional support is available and the pace of the lesson and pupils’ progress is maintained.

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SCIENCE

69. Improved progress, some improved standards and better quality teaching are because the co-ordinator leads the subject well. Pupils’ work, teachers’ planning and their classroom teaching are all monitored. The strengths and weaknesses of pupils’ test answers are analysed together with the information from lesson observations. All are relayed to teachers to improve areas of weakness. Levels of resources are satisfactory but there are not enough reference books.

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ART AND DESIGN

70. There was very little teaching of art and design during the inspection week. Evidence from one lesson and other inspection evidence shows that Year 2 standards are average and progress is satisfactory. In Years 3 to 6, progress is unsatisfactory and Year 6 standards are below average. Assessment of pupils’ progress is unsatisfactory. The subject co-ordinator has been in post only a few weeks and her work is not influencing standards.

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ART AND DESIGN

71. Year 1 pupils are enthusiastic and work with care and confidence. They make satisfactory progress in developing their observational skills. Pupils can blend and smudge pastels to gain the right texture and tone. They have a sound range of art and design skills using a variety of different materials. Pupils can create marks to show what it feels like after touching a range of materials. One pupil said he needed to do criss-cross marks after touching a piece of rough net. Pupils can evaluate their work and improve it. A group of pupils were beginning to assess their work and decided to start again after comparing it with that of a particularly talented pupil. Their skills and techniques are developing, building on the firm foundation created in the reception class. Links with other subjects are not developed well enough.

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ART AND DESIGN

72. Pupils in Years 3 to 6 are offered a limited range of experiences. The school’s priority of raising literacy and numeracy standards has left too little time to develop art and design. Consequently there have been too few opportunities for pupils to develop their skills and knowledge. Pupils study the work of artists from a variety of cultures and times, for example, Picasso, William Morris and work of American folk artists. Some can recall work that they particularly enjoyed linked to other subjects, for example, portraits of Henry VIII and his wives. Displays of pupils’ work show limited development in design skills over four years. For example, there is little skills’ progression on an aboriginal animals display produced by pupils from different year groups. Pupils do not have sufficient opportunity to experiment with different pens and pencils in their sketchbooks and the quality of designs show little progress from

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ART AND DESIGN

73. Leadership in art and design is unsatisfactory. The co-ordinator sees teachers’ plans, but does not look at pupils’ work systematically. Although teachers now follow a recommended scheme of work to plan their lessons, too little has been done in the past to develop pupils’ art and design skills. The co-ordinator has a good knowledge of the art and design curriculum and generates enthusiasm for special projects and displays among the staff. She has noted where additional resources are needed in the action plan, such as more computer programs. Eastfield Primary School - 37

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

74. Pupils make good progress and reach average standards in Year 2. By Year 6, they make unsatisfactory progress and reach below average standards. This slow progress in years 3 to 6 is largely because concentrating on improving literacy and numeracy has left little time to develop design and technology skills. Pupils with special educational needs and those with English as an additional language make satisfactory progress when support is available. The quality of teaching is good overall in Years 1 and 2 and satisfactory in Years 3 to 6. Pupils have good attitudes to the subject and additional staff work well to make sure that all pupils are involved in lessons. Teachers now use information on pupils’ progress well to plan their lessons. The co-ordinator is new in post and his efforts are not yet influencing practice.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

75. Year 2 pupils know how to select materials from a limited range. They can cut out accurately and know how to join pieces of felt as when they made finger puppets. When making a model winding gear to lift a spider from a well, the teacher led them to recall their literacy story about Wilbur’s Web. This encouraged them to discuss working with tools and the different use of mechanisms. In the after school cookery club, pupils practised their weighing and estimating skills when adding the banana bread ingredients. When constructing packaging for products, Year 3 pupils use their drawing and cutting skills well and developed their ICT skills well when they experimented with different sizes of font. Older pupils do not achieve highly enough because they have not developed the skills over time and because teachers have emphasised the making part of the subject at the expense of the design aspect.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

Pupils in Years 5 and 6 do not routinely record work in designing items and in evaluating products after making them and this element of teaching is unsatisfactory.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

76. In one very good Year 3 lesson, pupils were told what they were expected to learn, encouraged to practise keywords and skills and shown how to improve. The teacher had high expectations for the pupils’ behaviour and concentration and they responded well. In another lesson, additional adult support was well used, and pupils could practise their skills prior to cutting out the material. However, teachers do not give pupils enough opportunities to evaluate their work and improve it, and higher attaining pupils are not given work that sufficiently challenges them.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

77. The co-ordinator has audited resources and drawn up a realistic set of priorities. However, previous co-ordination has failed to ensure that teaching of subject skills in every class was done thoroughly. This has now improved and teachers have a scheme of work from which to plan their lessons and can see the progression of skills that is necessary. Teachers are now assessing pupils’ progress and using this to make their lesson plans more specific.

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GEOGRAPHY

78. During the inspection it was only possible to inspect one lesson and from this and other inspection evidence it is clear that pupils in Year 2 make good progress and reach average standards. By Year 6, pupils make unsatisfactory progress and reach below average standards. Pupils with special educational needs and those who have English is an additional language make satisfactory progress. Teaching in Years 1 and 2 is good and is satisfactory in Years 3 to 6.

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GEOGRAPHY

79. Year 2 pupils have a sound knowledge of various places and of some of the differences between them. They understand that they can have different climates and show this when they pack special clothes for Barnaby Bear to take on his travels. They know some of the physical features of the seaside, such as the beach and cliffs Eastfield Primary School - 38 and have carried out a traffic survey comparing traffic on the Isle of Stuary to Eastfield. This work makes a satisfactory contribution to pupils’ mathematics skills when they use block graphs to display the information. By Year 6, pupils know where water comes from, how it is stored and about its many uses . They can find places on a map of the United Kingdom, and know which direction to take to travel to London. However, they are unable to use ordnance survey maps or map keys with confidence. They know Europe and Africa are continents and are made of groups of

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GEOGRAPHY

countries. Pupils do not know about the effect of humans on the environment such as pollution. The range of trips teachers’ plan to Rhyl, Woodlands and Beau Desert make a good contribution to pupils’ learning, interest and attitude towards the subject.

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GEOGRAPHY

80. The good Year 1 lesson that was inspected was planned well and made good use of the resources. The teacher used a good range of questioning skills and pupils responded to them showing they were making good progress. However, the teacher did not help higher attaining pupils to extend their geographical language.

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GEOGRAPHY

81. Currently leadership is unsatisfactory. The recently appointed co-ordinator monitors teachers’ plans but she does not look at pupils’ work or observe teaching. Geography has not been a school priority and so the co-ordinator has chosen sensible areas for development, including her own training needs. The school now uses the nationally recommended scheme of work from which teachers plan their lessons. This helps teachers to develop pupils’ skills systematically. Teachers assess pupils’ work soundly after each topic to help them plan further work.

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HISTORY

82. Year 2 pupils make good progress and reach average standards. By Year 6, pupils make unsatisfactory progress and reach below average standards. This unsatisfactory progress in Years 3 to 6 is because until recently, teachers have not taught the pupils the subject skills and concepts systematically. Pupils with special educational needs and those who have English an additional language make satisfactory progress when given additional support. The quality of teaching is good in Years 1 and 2 and satisfactory in Years 3 to 6.

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HISTORY

83. Pupils in Year 2 have a sound awareness of the past, and of the lives of famous people such as Florence Nightingale. They can compare the lives of people from the past with present day celebrities such as David Beckham. By Year 6, pupils have unsatisfactory skills of historical enquiry. Although they use computers satisfactorily to search the Internet for information about World War II they are unable to make links between the periods of history they have studied. Their writing about people’s lives during World War II lacks empathy, although higher attaining pupils can talk sensitively about the subject. Pupils in Years 3 and 4 now make satisfactory progress. They know about the Romans and the Ancient Egyptians and have a satisfactory understanding of chronology. Year 5 pupils used a class visit to the Black Country Museum to study the Victorians and are developing a good knowledge of their everyday life. The teacher used pupils’ recollections of the visit well to

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HISTORY

compare schooling in Victorian times to their current experiences.

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HISTORY

84. Teachers plan most lessons well and pupils respond enthusiastically. For instance, in a good Year 4 lesson, time was used well, and the teacher’s enthusiasm and subject knowledge encouraged pupils to make good progress. His good lesson organisation made clear to pupils what was expected of them and he used praise well to encourage pupils to concentrate and try to improve. The Year 5 lesson was satisfactory. The teacher questioned pupils well but did not ask enough of higher attaining pupils. On the other hand, the learning mentor worked well with a small Eastfield Primary School - 39 group of low attaining pupils and encouraged them to concentrate and complete their work. In an unsatisfactory lesson in Year 6, time was not well used, teacher’s expectations of pupils were not high enough and more able pupils had too little extra to do. The challenging behaviour of a minority of pupils wasted some time but this

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HISTORY

did not go on for too long because the learning mentor worked well with a few pupils and got them to concentrate on their work.

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HISTORY

85. Subject co-ordination is unsatisfactory. With the school concentrating on raising standards in other subjects, historical skills have not been consistently taught in every class. The nationally recommended scheme of work from which teachers plan is soundly adapted to pupils’ needs and ensures they do not repeat work. The recently appointed co-ordinator regularly sees teachers’ plans but does not look at samples of pupils’ work. Teachers assess pupils’ work after each topic and use this to plan further work. The co-ordinator’s action plan has sensible and manageable priorities. Staff make good use of visits to places such as Wightwick Manor to extend pupils’ learning opportunities and these contribute well to pupils’ cultural development.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

86. ICT is a school priority and staff have used national initiatives to improve the resources and staff expertise. Pupils in Years 1 and 2 make good progress and reach average standards. In Years 3 to 6, pupils are now making good progress but reach below average standards. This is because lessons in the computer suite are now giving pupils greater access to machines whereas previously they made slow progress, were not taught well enough and had a limited curriculum. An additional factor is that many pupils do not have a computer at home to improve their skills. The subject is now well led and has a clear programme to improve basic skills and teach ICT more effectively in other subjects.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

87. Years 2 pupils are familiar with controlling the mouse to draw lines of differing thickness. They can draw and link different shapes and use the cursor to select colours and fill or erase areas of their work. They can amend their work and save it for future use. Pupils in Years 3 to 6 are beginning to get information from the Internet but have not started using email routinely, for instance to contact other schools. Year 4 pupils are learning word processing skills by using a spellchecker and deleting and inserting text. Year 5 pupils are building databases by completing spreadsheets using the Excel program. Year 6 are doing similar work that is slightly more advanced because they have not covered this work previously.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

88. Pupils are still enjoying the novelty of the computer suite and teachers lead lessons confidently using the interactive whiteboard (a computer generated screen that allows pupils to see a larger version of what is on their monitors so that the teacher can demonstrate various techniques). There are enough machines for pupils to work in pairs and take turns. This they mostly do well and older pupils are beginning to solve problems for themselves as they gain more confidence. A few become frustrated if they do not master basic steps quickly and do not try further without additional help.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

89. Teaching is mostly good. Staff are using national guidance well to make detailed weekly plans that demand a lot of pupils with little computing experience. Teachers are quick to spot this and give additional advice but a little work taught at a lower level initially could be as effective in promoting learning. Staff are well trained, have good subject knowledge and give clear instructions. Most pupils respond well and make good progress. A few pupils in larger classes need more support with basic keyboard skills and make slow progress. Teachers often follow their introduction and Eastfield Primary School - 40 demonstration with questions before pupils start to practise. In this way, they assess what pupils have understood, where they need to give support or where to extend the activity. The best lessons have a good balance between pupils’ practice and the teacher going over points with which they are having difficulty. Staff manage pupils’

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

behaviour well by looking for what they do well or for pupils who are trying hard to meet the targets in their individual plans. Teachers make good use of questions to stimulate pupils’ thinking rather than simply providing the answers for them. A good example of this was in a Year 5 class when pupils could not fit data into the cells on the spreadsheet. The teacher asked the class how they could solve this. One pupil offered an explanation and then demonstrated it on the interactive whiteboard.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

90. The subject co-ordinator has arranged staff training and introduced new equipment well. This and the use of national guidance for teachers’ planning has significantly improved the quality of ICT provision and pupils’ progress from low starting points. Staff use assessment sheets well to record pupils’ progress and these are the basis of improved lesson planning. The co-ordinator monitors this planning and examines samples of pupils’ work to have a view of standards of attainment. She has started a useful system of tracking the progress of a sample of pupils in each year group that clearly shows standards are rising and pupils are making good progress. It also usefully makes clear those aspects of the subject on which they need more practice. She is overcoming the shortage of some equipment by making arrangements for pupils to have lessons with their teacher at the local secondary school. She has

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

sought and is following advice from the Local Education Authority on the best way to improve pupils’ previous poor progress and low starting points.

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MUSIC

91. Pupils’ standards of attainment in Years 2 and 6 are average. Most pupils, including those with special educational needs and English as an additional language, make satisfactory progress. Pupils enjoy the subject and both teaching and subject co- ordination are satisfactory.

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MUSIC

92. Pupils sing with enthusiasm. Their singing is tuneful, accurate and expressive. Teachers make sure that songs have good rhythm and melody and pupils are eager to perform. In lessons, teachers give pupils guidance and encouragement to help them improve their performance. Year 1 pupils know that sounds can be high or low, long or short, loud or quiet. They know that there are differences in pitch but are just beginning to understand and use musical terminology. They can add percussion to a simple story and consider carefully the type of sounds, which suggest sadness or anger. They really enjoy using instruments to make rhythms and this helps them to make progress.

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MUSIC

93. Year 3 pupils enjoy singing and learn how dynamics, pitch and timbre can be combined. They learn to use symbols to represent sounds and understand how different moods and effects can be created by the elements of music. One pupil describes this as being like a story when you retell it using expression. They evaluate their own and others’ performance and say how improvements can be made.

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MUSIC

94. Teaching is satisfactory overall. Teachers have clear expectations of pupils’ listening, performance and behaviour. Pupils usually respond well. A good-sized music room, with a piano, is used by most classes, as there is space to use instruments and work in groups. Teachers make and record assessments at the end of units of work and pupils are encouraged to evaluate their individual and group performance during each lesson. In a Year 3 lesson, the teaching ensured that Eastfield Primary School - 41 pupils could hold a rhythm in a group performance. Pupils talk about their performance and try hard to improve the work of their group.

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MUSIC

95. The subject co-ordinator is a skilled music teacher who provides satisfactory support to her colleagues. She makes effective links between music and other subjects and encourages her colleagues to adopt a similar approach. In one lesson, she used the science topic on sound to investigate how instruments can make different sounds. By the end of the lesson pupils could make general statements about high and low sounds. The co-ordinator monitors planning but there are no plans for her to observe teaching. A scheme of work designed for non-specialists has been purchased. However, staff have not had training to implement the scheme and not all teach music on a weekly basis. Resources have been purchased to support the scheme, but there are too few instruments of sufficient quality for classes to share and for pupils to make a choice. The school does not provide instrumental tuition. There is a singing club after school where a small but enthusiastic group of pupils practise

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MUSIC

songs to perform in assembly, in school productions and in community performances with local schools.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

96. During the inspection, it was not possible to see the full range of the physical education curriculum and the findings are based on lessons in Years 2, 3 and 6 and other inspection evidence. The quality of teaching is mostly good but the assessment of pupils’ progress over time is unsatisfactory. Management of the subject is unsatisfactory because the co-ordinator is new in post and has had little opportunity to influence pupils’ progress. The range of out of school activities is good and the school encourages boys and girls to take part equally.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

97. Year 2 pupils’ movement skills are average and most are developing control and fine movements satisfactorily. Year 3 pupils’ catching, throwing and games skills are below average. They make slow progress in finding space to receive a pass or in choosing someone to pass to. Year 6 pupils’ games skills are average and most of these pupils have benefited from coaching in the after school games clubs. They make satisfactory progress in ball control and girls are making good progress marking opponents and blocking passes. Pupils make at least satisfactory progress in lessons but have made unsatisfactory progress over time because teachers have not built up pupils’ skills in sequence. The school reports that Year 6 standards of swimming are average.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

98. Pupils are enthusiastic about physical education and younger pupils co-operate well in pair work and groups. A good example of this was a Year 2 movement and drama lesson when pupils discussed ways of holding a fixed position as part of a short sequence. Most pupils behave well and take responsibility for putting out equipment and tidying away safely. Year 3 pupils organised themselves well into groups to defend a target while others tried to knock it down with a ball. However, they could not pass the ball to outwit the defenders and had few ideas about working as a team. A few Year 6 boys were reluctant to practise skills such as trapping or passing a football and wanted to concentrate on playing. Staff handled this attitude well and ensured that all pupils practised safely before the games part of the lesson. Most other Year 6 pupils worked well in groups and responded promptly to the staff’s

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

99. In the lessons where teachers are supported by other staff, the quality of teaching is good. They work together well to offer coaching points and to encourage individual pupils to keep trying. An example of this was in a good Year 6 lesson when mixed teams of boys and girls began passing and moving sequences after discussing this Eastfield Primary School - 42 improvement with the teacher. In the Year 3 lesson, pupils’ ball and team skills were below average and the teacher was hard pressed to help all of them sufficiently. Lessons have a satisfactory structure and there are some opportunities for pupils to begin to reflect on their progress. Staff are enthusiastic and ensure that pupils understand the basics of fair play. They make good use of the school’s limited equipment but are constrained by the current lack of vaulting equipment to challenge older pupils in gymnastics.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

100. The co-ordinator has introduced better policy and planning advice to support teachers’ work. However, staff training has not followed this up. There is monitoring of medium term plans, but no sampling of weekly plans to check where staff may need support. The co-ordinator has audited resources but has not had finance allocated to make improvements. She has kept her good subject knowledge up to date and has a satisfactory action plan for further improvements.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

101. Year 2 pupils reach standards that are in line with the Locally Agreed Syllabus and make satisfactory progress. Year 6 standards are below average and pupils make slow progress in Years 5 and 6. This is because religious education is not taught regularly enough and the behaviour of a minority limits opportunities for all pupils to express their ideas. Assemblies make a positive contribution to religious education. Pupils listen and respond well as they reflect on the theme of the week. The school’s aims and values are taught satisfactorily through the subject. The quality of pupils’ learning in Years 1 to 4 is satisfactory. They know of the different denominations of Christian faiths in the locality, and of the other faiths celebrated in Wolverhampton. Teachers plan opportunities for pupils to use their own experiences and to reflect on the beliefs of others.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

102. By Year 2, pupils have an understanding of the influence of behaviour, values and attitudes towards others and relate this to Judaism and Christianity. They understand that people of different religions celebrate different festivals, worship special people and have codes of behaviour. They can compare their knowledge of the Ten Commandments with the Torah’s rules and link these rules to their own experience. When asked to write their rules on a scroll, pupils took great care to think of ones that would have the most impact on others. One pupil said,” If you’re not kind to others, then you’re nasty to God.” They know that Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus at Christmas and can identify many of the events relating to the Easter story.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

103. By Year 6, pupils have not sufficiently extended their knowledge to consider implications of religion for their lives, beliefs and ways of thinking. In Years 3 and 4 pupils are prepared to listen and behaviour is managed well. In Year 3, pupils retold personal experiences while the class listened and gave sensitive, emotional responses, recalling similar events in their lives. During a Year 6 lesson, pupils’ discussions became disjointed as a few interrupted the flow and the lesson was curtailed. It resumed the next day when pupils’ brought in the mementoes from festivals celebrated by their faith and they wrote of their experiences.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

104. Pupils generally respond positively to religious education, especially when they can take part in discussions and can reflect on what they have heard. In most classes, religious education has a positive impact on behaviour and the development of speaking and listening skills. There are effective links with other subjects. In the summer, the school’s arts week features Caribbean festivals and pupils bring in artefacts to support the celebration. Pupils visit the local church and the Hindu temple as part of their religious education studies. Eastfield Primary School - 43 105. Teaching is satisfactory overall. The better features include the use of good resources to interest pupils, such as the Torah. Where teachers share a genuine interest in the pupils’ ideas and feelings, they are motivated and develop their sense of self-worth. The use of a variety of approaches such as, whole class discussion,

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

paired work and the opportunity for individual reflection effectively promote understanding. Teachers recap with the pupils things they have learned before starting new work and this helps all pupils to learn. Where teaching is less effective, the pace is slow and behaviour is not well managed so the learning needs of the majority are not met.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

106. The co-ordination of religious education is unsatisfactory. The school’s decision to emphasise literacy and numeracy, means that too little time is given to develop religious education in Years 3 to 6. The school has reviewed lesson planning guidance to ensure that the scheme of work has sufficient breadth but there are no assessment procedures of pupils’ progress. The new co-ordinator, in post for only a few weeks has a tremendous enthusiasm for the subject and is planning to give teachers more support. This and the plans to develop assessment are giving her a good base for helping teachers to understand what they need to do to raise attainment.

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