Northway Primary School

NORTHWAY COMMUNITY PRIMARY SCHOOL

Inspection number: 246421 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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NORTHWAY COMMUNITY PRIMARY SCHOOL

Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the School Inspections Act 1996, the school must provide a copy of this report and/or its summary free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. Northway Community Primary School - 4

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Dodds Lane Maghull Merseyside

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The governing body

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Mrs N Crowder

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 19 January 1998 Northway Community Primary School - 5

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Aspect responsibilities

22380 Penny Parrish Registered inspector Foundation stage Art and design Music What sort of school is it? How high are standards? a) The school’s results and achievements How well are pupils taught? What should the school do to improve further? 8922 Brenda McIntosh Lay inspector How high are standards? b) Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development How well does the school care for its pupils? How well does the school work in partnership with parents? 20297 Jeremy Evans Team inspector Educational inclusion Mathematics Physical education Science How good are the curricular and other opportunities offered to pupils?

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Aspect responsibilities

4074 Roger Gill Team inspector English History How well is the school led and managed?

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Aspect responsibilities

22831 Clive Lewis Team inspector Design and technology Information and communication technology Religious education 7994 Pamela Weston Team inspector Special educational needs Resourced provision for dyslexic pupils Geography Northway Community Primary School - 6 The inspection contractor was:

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Aspect responsibilities

Demeter House Station Road Cambridge CB1 2RS

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Aspect responsibilities

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

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Aspect responsibilities

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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Aspect responsibilities

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Northway Community Primary School - 7

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 7

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

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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS? 11

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Northway is a larger than average community primary school, situated in a residential area north of Liverpool. The school is housed in two separate infant and junior buildings set in spacious and attractive grounds. There are 348 pupils on roll between the ages of three and 11, including 60 children who attend part-time in the Nursery. The attainments of children starting the Nursery are a little above average overall, with strengths in personal and social development. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, at eight per cent, is lower than average. The overall percentage of pupils with special educational needs is below average, at 17 per cent, but the proportion with Statements of Special Educational Needs is above average, at four per cent, because the school has a resourced base for 12 pupils with dyslexia. Almost all pupils are of white British ethnic background and none speaks

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

English as an additional language. Unforeseen circumstances have led to frequent changes of headteacher in recent years. The situation is now resolved: the school has a new headteacher and a new deputy headteacher has been appointed for September 2003.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

Northway is a good school. In strong partnership with the staff team and governors, the new headteacher is providing decisive leadership, building on the good overall standards of education established in the school. Standards are higher than average because teaching is good and consequently pupils achieve well. The school is popular within the locality and has very few spare places. Expenditure is average and the school provides good value for money.

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What the school does well

• The Nursery gives children a very good start to school. • By Year 6, standards are above average in English and well above average in mathematics and science. • The quality of teaching is good, overall, and very good in the Nursery, in Year 6 and in the resourced base for pupils with dyslexia. • The curriculum is good and pupils enjoy learning. Provision for the pupils’ personal, social and health education is very good. • The school provides very well for pupils with special educational needs, who make good, and sometimes very good, progress. • The new headteacher has a clear understanding of how to maintain and raise standards even further. The staff team is strong, indicating good potential for further improvement in the school’s provision.

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What could be improved

• Inconsistencies in the quality of teaching and learning between some classes. • Procedures for assessing pupils’ progress and making effective use of assessment information to set targets and plan further learning, particularly in English in Years 1 to 3. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

Since the school was last inspected in January 1998, the school has made good improvement. Standards have risen to above average, the quality of teaching has improved to good and the quality of the curriculum is now good, meeting statutory requirements in all subjects. The school has raised the attainment of the higher-attaining pupils well by Year 6 in English, mathematics and science through providing more challenging and demanding work, and setting targets high. There is still work to be done to improve the reading and writing of higher-attaining pupils by Year 2 and to challenge fully the most able pupils in subjects such as history and geography. The governing body has improved its involvement in the plans for taking the school forward and now has systematic procedures for monitoring the school’s development through its committee structure. Although the school provides good information for

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

parents, overall, there are still some omissions within the statutory information required. The establishment of the resourced base for dyslexic pupils has added significantly to the school’s provision since the last inspection. Northway Community Primary School - 9

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STANDARDS

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

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Key

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

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Key

Standards by the end of Year 6 are above average in English and well above average in mathematics and science, maintaining the test results of 2002. English results are affected by the difficulties of the pupils in the school’s resourced base for dyslexia in fully reaching the level of attainment set for their age group. This is reflected in comparisons with similar schools, where results are below average in English but average in mathematics and above average in science. The school sets suitably challenging targets for Year 6, with high numbers expected to reach the higher levels, and comes close to achieving them. Standards are lower overall in Year 2 than test results indicated in 2002, due mainly to the high proportion of pupils with special educational needs in the year group. Standards at the end of Year 2 are above average in mathematics and science and in speaking and listening, but average in reading and writing.

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Key

Some of the higher-attaining pupils in Year 2 could achieve a little more in reading and writing, but targets set for improvement lack clarity; consequently, the teaching and learning are not clearly focused at the higher levels. In other subjects, pupils reach national expectations in both Year 2 and Year 6, except in physical education, where attainment is above average. By the end of Reception, children have maintained above average standards in their personal development and have made good progress in all other areas of learning; most exceed all the nationally set goals by the time they transfer to Year 1. Most pupils, both girls and boys, achieve well throughout the school. The children in the Nursery, the pupils in Year 6 and those linked to the dyslexia base achieve very well due to the consistently high standards of teaching.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Good. Pupils try hard and are keen to succeed in their work. They enjoy learning because teachers set tasks that are relevant and interesting.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Good, overall. Pupils are confident and friendly and the school is an orderly community. Most pupils behave well in lessons but occasionally disruption is caused when pupils talk at the wrong time in lessons. Behaviour in the playground and at lunchtimes is good.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Good. Relationships are good, making a significant contribution to pupils’ progress and the pleasant atmosphere in school. Pupils take on responsibilities willingly and carry out their duties well.

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Aspect Comment

Attendance Satisfactory. Pupils like coming to school. Attendance has improved from below average in the last year because fewer families are taking holidays in term-time. Northway Community Primary School - 10

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Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

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

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Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

The quality of teaching and learning is good, overall, with consistently very good teaching and learning in the Nursery, Year 6 and the base for dyslexic pupils. For the children in the Reception classes, teaching is never less than good and sometimes very good. The children are keen to find out about the world around them. The teaching throughout the school generally meets pupils’ needs well, including those of pupils with special educational needs. In mathematics throughout the school and in English in Years 4 to 6, teaching is almost always good and sometimes very good; consequently, pupils achieve very well and have a confident approach to applying their skills. In English in Years 1 to 3, teaching is satisfactory overall, although sometimes good; it is not so well matched to pupils’ needs and provides less challenge and pupils do not always sustain a full interest in their work. In science, teaching is good

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Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

in Years 1 to 4 and very good in Years 5 and 6, resulting in high standards in national tests. Pupils benefit from the frequent investigative work. In physical education, teaching is good throughout the school, leading to above average attainment, and pupils thoroughly enjoying the good challenge set in lessons. In information and communication technology (ICT) throughout the school, and religious education in Years 1 and 2, teaching is good but has not yet impacted fully on overall standards, which are average. In all other subjects, teaching is satisfactory and recent improvements in the curriculum indicate that standards are rising. Literacy and numeracy teaching incorporates national guidance well but few opportunities are found for pupils to improve their skills through finding information for themselves in subjects such as history and geography.

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Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

While teaching and learning are mostly good or very good, inspection evidence is that inconsistencies occur and three unsatisfactory lessons were observed. The new headteacher has put plans in place to build on the very good practice that exists in some classes. Where teaching is very good, the main strength is the very good subject knowledge of the teacher, enabling the pupils’ thinking to be extended very well, ensuring that they are fully challenged. Where teaching is weak, teachers have problems with managing the class successfully and with setting a suitable pace for learning.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum Good. The curriculum is broad and balanced and provides pupils with a good range of interesting and generally challenging tasks for learning. The curriculum for personal, social and health education is very good.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Very good. Provision is well thought out and meets the pupils’ specific needs very well through clear plans, adapted tasks and extra support. The base for pupils with dyslexia provides very well for them and manages their learning in mainstream classes very well.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Good. The school is successful in ensuring that pupils learn to value themselves and others, and understand how their actions affect others. The School Council develops a good sense of responsibility and community in the pupils taking part. The school’s policy for good behaviour is positive and applied consistently. Weekly whole-class discussion times develop pupils’ personal and social skills very well. Arrangements for helping pupils to find out about their own and other cultures of the world are good and have been strengthened since the last inspection. Northway Community Primary School - 11 [ How well the school cares for its pupils Good. The school takes good care of its pupils through a range of effective procedures. Very good procedures promote good attendance by most pupils. The checking and tracking of pupils’ progress and the use

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Aspect Comment

of information gained to plan for future learning are satisfactory, overall, but inconsistent across different classes and subjects.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school works in partnership with parents The school has a good partnership with parents; it keeps them well informed and helps them to be involved in their children’s learning and the work of the school. It does not yet consult them formally on their views of the school.

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff Good. The new headteacher provides clear educational direction for the work of the school, supported fully by an experienced and enthusiastic senior management team. Co-ordinators fulfil their roles well on a day-to- day basis and the school has a very good commitment to maintain and improve its current standards.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Satisfactorily. The governing body is strongly committed to the school and well aware of its strengths. It is appropriately involved in setting plans for improvement and has suitable systems for keeping a close watch on developments. There is a small group of experienced governors but many are newly appointed and need more time to develop their skills.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance Satisfactory. The school is clear about its main strengths and areas for improvement. Governors and senior staff compare the school’s performance with others locally and nationally to identify strengths and areas for development. The new headteacher has extended checking systems well but not enough time has elapsed for the effects to be fully evident.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources Good. The school makes good use of its financial resources and plans carefully for the future. A well-considered school improvement plan guides expenditure well. The headteacher and governing body are prudent in meeting the school’s priorities through achieving best value from available funds.

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Aspect Comment

There is a good match between the needs of the pupils and the staff team appointed to the school. The well-kept buildings and spacious grounds provide suitable and pleasant accommodation. Resources for lessons are good overall and very good for the pupils with special educational needs.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• The school is well led and managed. Staff are friendly and approachable. • Their children like school and are helped to become mature and responsible. • Teaching is good and the pupils are expected to work hard to achieve their best. As a result, they make good progress. • The range of activities available outside lessons. • The school’s provision for homework.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

Most parents value the school highly and hold very positive views. The inspection team agrees with the parents’ positive views. Provision for homework is good: this is planned and organised well and adds Northway Community Primary School - 12 good value to the pupils’ learning. The range of activities available outside lessons is satisfactory and similar to those made available in most primary schools. Northway Community Primary School - 13

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

1. Inspection evidence is that by the end of Year 6, standards are good.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

• In English, standards are above average. • In mathematics and science, standards are well above average.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

2. The attainment of the pupils in Year 6 matches the results achieved in national tests in 2002. This represents good achievement and progress, even from the starting point that is a little above average for most pupils as they begin school in the Nursery. Compared to results in schools with pupils from a similar social background, Northway’s test results in 2002 were above average in science, average in mathematics and below average in English. The results in English reflect the higher than average number of pupils with Statements of Special Educational Needs in the year group due to the school’s specially resourced provision for pupils with dyslexia. All pupils with special educational needs achieve well and those with dyslexia achieve very well, even though they do not reach average standards for their age in English. In mathematics and science, their results are in line with those of other pupils because the teaching by staff linked to the base and

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

in the mainstream classes for pupils in Year 6 is of high quality. It is a credit to the school that the pupils with dyslexia achieve at a similar level to most other pupils in mathematics and science.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

3. Since the last inspection, standards for pupils in Year 6 have made good improvement. Very good teaching in Year 6 means that pupils make the most of their skills and achieve good results. The rate of improvement in statutory test results since 1998 has kept pace with the national trend overall. The school sets itself challenging targets, particularly at the above average level of attainment, and these are generally met. The last inspection found a need for improvement in the school’s provision for higher-attaining pupils and subsequent results in Year 6 show very good improvement for these pupils. Much of the credit for this rests with the teachers in Years 4, 5 and 6, who are skilled at using assessment techniques effectively and setting teaching and learning targets to match the pupils’ needs.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

4. Inspection evidence is that by the end of Year 2, attainment is:

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

• above average in mathematics; • average in reading and writing.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

5. This is lower than the results generally achieved over the past three years, which have shown good improvement since the last inspection. The dip in standards this year is because of the higher that usual number of pupils who are low-attaining or who have special educational needs. In addition, target-setting procedures for reading and writing are not as effective as they should be and this is limiting the attainment of higher-attaining pupils in particular. Lower-attaining pupils and those with special educational needs receive good support and achieve well. Attainment in science by the end of Year 2 is above average, broadly matching that achieved last year.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

6. In other subjects, attainment by the end of both Year 2 and Year 6 meets national expectations, except in physical education, where standards are higher than average at the end of both Year 2 and Year 6. This reflects the success of staff training and improved resources for physical education throughout the school. Since the last inspection, staff training and much improved resources have raised standards in ICT to be in line with national expectations. Attainment in design and technology also matches national expectations because the curriculum has been improved. The above average attainment in music noted in the last inspection has slipped to average due to changes in staffing, although recent improvements in the curriculum have put it back on course for improved attainment. Singing in Year 2 is of higher quality than usual for pupils of this age and those who choose to join the choir in Years 3 to 6 also sing well.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

Improvements to the curriculum have been made in all subjects and standards are set to rise year on year. Northway Community Primary School - 14 7. Assessments made as children start school in the Nursery indicate that their attainments are a little above average, with strengths in personal, social and emotional development. Through a lively and interesting curriculum that shows a very good understanding of the children’s needs, and teaching of good quality, the children’s skills are built upon rapidly and consolidated well. By the end of the Reception year, the children have achieved well in all areas of learning and most exceed the goals set nationally for the age group. The children are very well prepared for their start to Year 1. Good speaking and listening skills are developed early and maintained throughout the school, under-pinning the teaching and learning effectively in all subjects.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

8. Girls tend to attain better than boys in English, but the difference is less than the national picture. The school is seeking to provide a wider range of reading material and of writing tasks, likely to capture the interest of boys, in order to improve their attainment in English. In mathematics, boys tend to achieve more than girls up to Year 2, but attainment is broadly equal by Year 6. The local education authority has systems in place to monitor the attainment of girls and boys to help to identify underachievement. The monitoring systems have recently been improved and training is in hand to enable staff to set up a computerised system to improve the efficiency of tracking pupils’ progress and setting new targets.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

9. Pupils’ attitudes to school and learning are good and make a positive contribution to their good achievement. Pupils say that they like coming to school because they get on well with their teachers, learning is often fun and they make good friends. Pupils respond eagerly to the opportunities provided, especially where lessons are made exciting and stimulating. In a lesson in mathematics, for example, pupils in Year 6 were highly motivated by their task of investigating common multiples of 8 and 12 and confidently applied their knowledge of number facts to carry out the investigation. Pupils in Year 1 were eager to show visitors their ‘Good Maths’ achievement stickers because they were clearly proud of their successes. At the end of a science lesson on forces, pupils in Year 2 spontaneously exclaimed, “That was fun!” and others quickly added, “Yes, learning is fun!” Most pupils readily answer questions and contribute to

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

class discussions with sensible ideas. The children in the Nursery and the Reception classes come to school confidently and happily and settle quickly into the routines of the day. They are keen to join in activities and find out about new things.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

10. Behaviour in lessons and around the school is good. Pupils are polite and caring towards others, generally concentrate well and carry out their tasks with diligence. Occasionally, there are minor disruptions in lessons when pupils continue to talk whilst the teacher is explaining things or become too noisy during group activities. Movement around school and between the buildings is orderly and sensible, with older pupils setting good examples for the younger ones. Lunchtimes are pleasant social occasions and pupils chat happily with each other over lunch in a friendly and mature way. In the playground, pupils play well together, making good use of the extensive grounds and the good range of play equipment that is available. The pupils understand what is expected of them and how their actions can affect others. No examples of aggressive behaviour or bullying were seen during the inspection. Parents and pupils say that occasional incidents are

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

dealt with promptly and successfully. Although no pupils were excluded last year, there have been two fixed term exclusions during the current year as a result of unacceptable behaviour that compromised the safety of others.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

11. The pupils’ personal development is good and begins effectively in the Nursery class, as when, for example, they learn to select and tidy away resources and choose activities independently. Pupils are keen to assume responsibility and carry out their class jobs sensibly. Pupils in Year 6 have more specific responsibilities, such as distributing registers, acting as librarians and assisting with the supervision of younger children by escorting them back to their own building after lunch. The School Council members consider their work to be very important in helping to make improvements to the school and know they are representing the views of others. Relationships are good and are the key to the friendly and pleasant atmosphere in school. Pupils show respect and have regard for ideas and opinions of others. They care for others who might be sad or unhappy by comforting and reassuring them. In lessons, pupils are at ease with their

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

teachers and say that adults react in a helpful encouraging way if pupils get something wrong. Northway Community Primary School - 15 Pupils with special educational needs, in both the mainstream and the resourced base, make good gains in confidence because they are helped effectively to succeed with their work. Their self-esteem is affirmed by the sensitive support and reassurance they

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

receive from staff. Pupils co-operate well together in group, class and individual activities. For example, a group of pupils in Year 6 worked very well together in a music lesson, composing imaginative and tuneful sounds to represent a volcano.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

12. The overall attendance level for the school has improved in the last year from a below average level and is now satisfactory. The school has actively discouraged holidays in term-time and parents have responded well. Most pupils arrive at school punctually and this ensures that lessons get off to a prompt start.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

13. The quality of teaching is good overall: most of the lessons seen were good or very good. However, teaching is not uniformly good. In a significant minority of lessons teaching was satisfactory and three (of 69 lessons seen) were unsatisfactory. Nonetheless, since the last inspection, when teaching was judged to be satisfactory overall, there has been good improvement. This has been achieved largely through good implementation of the National Strategies for Literacy and Numeracy and the introduction of national schemes of work as the basis for improved planning in all subjects. Teaching is consistently of very good quality in the Nursery, in Year 6 and in the base for pupils with dyslexia. Consequently, pupils in these classes make very good progress. A good proportion of the teaching in Year 2 is of very good quality.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

14. The quality of teaching and learning in the Nursery is very good, as it was at the time of the last inspection. The teacher’s very good understanding of the needs of the children means that their personal, social and emotional development in particular is very good. The children are led very deftly towards developing self-assurance, confidence and independence. They develop strong interest in finding out and talking about the world around them because the opportunities for learning are made irresistible. The day’s activities proceed at a good pace: the children are very well managed and no learning time is wasted. In the Reception classes, teaching is never less than good and is sometimes very good, as the teachers extend the good start that the children have made in the Nursery. The good teaching means that the children’s skills in all areas of learning develop to a higher level than expected for the age group. Since the last inspection, the

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

staff from the Nursery and Reception classes have worked more strongly as a team. Joint planning and review meetings are held to make sure all the steps of learning towards the Early Learning Goals set nationally are included at an appropriate level to meet the children’s needs. Day-to-day assessments are thorough so that staff are well informed on the children’s learning needs. The balance is good between activities directed by adults and those chosen by the children, to enable them to learn through constructive play.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

15. The National Strategies for Literacy and Numeracy account for the significant improvements in teaching and learning that have helped raise standards in English and mathematics since the last inspection. The teaching in mathematics is particularly strong through the school, being rarely less than good and with one in three lessons of very good quality. Teachers have adopted the suggested lesson structures and teaching methods of the National Numeracy Strategy to good, and sometimes very good, effect. This is because teachers generally have secure subject knowledge and are confident in meeting the requirements of the curriculum. The school’s arrangement for teaching pupils in classes, or sets, according to their previous attainment means that the challenge and pace of learning can be well matched to pupils’ needs.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

16. In English, while the quality of teaching is good overall and examples were seen of very good teaching, it also includes instances of unsatisfactory teaching. Teachers were most successful in promoting the range of needs within their class when they had a good knowledge and understanding of the requirements of the curriculum for each stage of learning. Where the teacher’s understanding of the facets of different levels of learning was less secure, pupils made progress more slowly. This limits the progress of the higher-attaining pupils in Years 1 to 3 in Northway Community Primary School - 16 particular. Assessment and tracking systems have been improved recently to help teachers identify successfully the pupils’ learning needs and to set the required skills as targets. Where the systems are used well, pupils make good gains in their learning. The teachers in Year 6, for example, generally mark pupils’ work thoroughly and add comments that help to focus the pupils

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

on their next steps and let them know when targets are achieved. In the younger classes, the list of targets is sometimes too long to give a really clear lead to teaching and learning. 17. In science, the quality of teaching and learning is good and, combined with a thoroughly planned curriculum that provides very well for investigative learning, ensures that pupils generally achieve very well and reach well above average standards by the end of Year 6. In physical education, teaching is good because the teachers’ knowledge and understanding of the subject are good. Staff have benefitted from a good training programme and the support of a national games initiative. Consequently, pupils are reaching above average standards. In ICT, the quality of teaching is good, showing significant improvement since the last inspection. However, the computer suite, installed in 2000, is a comparatively recent acquisition and its impact on overall

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

standards is not yet fully apparent. Teachers are incorporating opportunities for the development of ICT skills satisfactorily but increasingly well into lessons in other subjects. In art and design, design and technology, geography, history and music, the quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory overall. In religious education, teaching is good in Years 1 and 2 and satisfactory in Years 3 to 6; the good subject knowledge of the teachers in the infant classes leads to good learning for pupils.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

18. Planning for lessons is good and has improved well over the past year. Co-ordinators have worked hard to improve the quality of the curriculum, to enhance the pupils’ learning opportunities. In subjects such as music, changes are recent but likely to improve standards year on year. The teachers are aware of the key skills to be taught in each subject and give these appropriate priority. For example, investigation skills provide the basis of teaching in science. In art and design, drawing is practised frequently. Methods for teaching and learning are suitably varied and most teachers balance class teaching with individual and group teaching well. Suitable opportunities are provided for discussion to extend pupils’ understanding, although in the weaker lessons, teachers’ questions tend to be simple and do not always challenge the pupils’ thinking fully.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

19. Lessons are generally well prepared, organised and managed. Most tasks set are interesting and engage the pupils well. Where tasks are insufficiently challenging or where class management is weak, teaching and learning time is lost because pupils become restless and teachers need to spend too much time managing their unsettled behaviour. In design and technology, a lesson was unsatisfactory because class management was weak and a high proportion of the teaching time was taken up dealing with silly behaviour.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

20. Good relationships exist between staff and pupils and consequently learning generally takes place in an atmosphere of friendliness and co-operation. Pupils develop a good level of confidence in their own abilities and this helps most to achieve well, in activities ranging from writing to computer use, and increases their willingness to undertake work as part of a group, for example, to compose music or devise dance movements. Homework provided appropriately increases in quantity through the school. It is generally well organised, marked regularly and provides pupils with a good opportunity to extend their learning through extra practice at home. Home/school liaison books for recording parents’ and teachers’ comments on pupils’ reading practice are well used to augment pupils’ work in school.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

21. Where necessary, teachers and teaching assistants provide extra help for pupils with special educational needs. Teaching assistants are well deployed and have a good understanding of pupils’ individual learning needs. They are familiar with their groups and work well with them, usually making a significant difference to pupils’ learning during lessons. This was apparent in a science lesson in Year 2, when well-targeted questions and timely intervention enabled pupils to make good progress when investigating the forces of push and pull. A pupil spontaneously exclaimed, “That was fun!” On the whole, good care is taken by staff to ensure that work is matched to individual needs and that pupils build on their previous learning. On occasion, work is of a more general nature and has not been adjusted to meet the specific needs of the individual pupil. When this occurs, the pupil is fully supported by the teaching assistant and is helped to

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

Northway Community Primary School - 17 succeed. The daily individual lessons arranged for dyslexic pupils are matched very well to their needs and provide a valuable opportunity for teaching and learning.

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TO PUPILS?

22. The curriculum is of good quality, breadth and balance, and has improved significantly since the last inspection. The very good provision for the children in the Nursery has been maintained and provision for the children in the Reception classes has been improved to a similar standard. In Years 1 to 6, the adoption of national strategies in literacy and numeracy and national schemes of work in other subjects has improved the quality of both planning systems and the curriculum. There are particular strengths in the provision for mathematics, science, personal, social and health education and in the provision for pupils with special educational needs. Suitable opportunities are provided for pupils to develop their literacy and numeracy across the curriculum, although limited use is made of reading to find out more, for example, in history. Some good work is achieved through combining skills in ICT with subjects such as English, mathematics and

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TO PUPILS?

23. Issues identified for improvement in the last inspection have been suitably resolved. These include improvements in the curriculum in art and design and in ICT, and in the opportunities provided for higher-attaining pupils in English, mathematics and science. The school has successfully focused over the past year on improving the continuity of planning through the school. Subject co-ordinators and other staff with management responsibilities now monitor the quality of the curriculum regularly and effectively. Steps are quickly taken to make improvements if shortcomings are identified. Statutory requirements are fully met, including those for the teaching of religious education and for providing a daily act of collective worship.

p.17

TO PUPILS?

24. The curriculum is enriched by a satisfactory range of activities outside lessons, such as educational visits and after-school clubs. Pupils in Year 6, for example, recently enjoyed a weekend’s residential stay at an outdoor education centre. After-school activities, including sports, music and French, provide valuable learning opportunities for pupils who choose to take part.

p.17

TO PUPILS?

25. Links with the community and partner institutions are good and have a positive impact on pupils’ learning. There are well-established links with the local church and chapels, which the pupils visit. Educational visits and specialist visitors are regularly organised to broaden pupils’ experiences. The school choir and orchestra regularly take part in a wide range of musical performances in the community. The school works very closely with other primary and high schools within the local cluster group. This allows the staff to share their expertise on a range of issues to the benefit of the children. Recently pupils in Years 3 and 4 took part in a ‘canal clean up’ carrying out a survey on litter and cleaning up areas of the canal banks. Good links with the receiving secondary schools ensure that the pupils are well prepared for transfer. Students from the local high school have worked with Year 5 pupils on a project which ended as a dance

p.17

TO PUPILS?

production performed at the high school. The Nursery and Reception staff have good contacts with local playgroups through conferences and early years training organised by the local education authority. The school provides training placements for student teachers from the local college.

p.17

TO PUPILS?

26. The school takes steps to ensure that all pupils, whatever their needs, have access to a full and challenging curriculum. All pupils are happily included in learning, irrespective of their gender, capability or ethnic background. Provision for the pupils with special educational needs is very good and these pupils benefit from the strong commitment that the school has to inclusion. Since the last inspection, a resourced base for pupils with dyslexia has been established, extending the expertise within the school significantly. Pupils with special educational needs are clearly identified and provision meets fully the requirements set out nationally. The grouping of pupils according to their previous attainment in literacy and numeracy lessons allows teachers to plan the curriculum to suit pupils' own level and pace, while also providing appropriate challenge and encouragement. Within other subjects, teachers make sure that the curriculum is adapted to

p.17

TO PUPILS?

suit pupils' needs. A good example of this was seen in a geography lesson in Year 5, when Northway Community Primary School - 18 pupils with special educational needs were not asked to draw their own map but were given a ready made map of the Merseyside Travel Region. This enabled them to spend more time on the more important task of labelling key areas and listing services available.

p.17

TO PUPILS?

27. The school makes very good provision for pupils' personal, social and health education through regular and frequent lessons in every class. These include, for example, very good class discussion times where pupils sit in a circle and take turns to speak about different issues. Lessons in subjects such as English, science and religious education supplement pupils’ understanding well on personal, social and health issues. An appropriate programme of sex education and provision to raise awareness of the misuse of drugs are provided for older pupils. Specific topics are arranged, such as when the school recently took part in a government-

p.18

TO PUPILS?

funded drug awareness initiative. The School Council provides direct experience of citizenship. Schemes of work for both personal, social and health education and for citizenship are firmly in place throughout the school, supported well by enthusiastic co-ordinators.

p.18

TO PUPILS?

28. The school’s provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral and cultural development is good and very good for their social development. This reflects improvements in the provision for social and cultural education since the last inspection. For their spiritual development, the school provides pupils with opportunities to develop knowledge and insight into values and beliefs, enabling them to reflect on their own experiences and those of others. Through the religious education programme, assembly themes and the personal and social education curriculum, pupils develop a sense of respect for themselves and empathy with others through, for example, discussing current events such as the war in Iraq. Lessons in subjects such as science, music and art and design provide pupils with an awareness of the ‘awe and wonder’ of life. The children in the Reception class, for example, were amazed to see the roots of a sunflower plant when it was carefully removed from

p.18

TO PUPILS?

29. Good provision is made for pupils’ moral development through a strong, positive, whole-school ethos and a clear moral code for good behaviour, promoted consistently by all staff. The programme of themes for school assemblies, the arrangements for ‘Golden Time’ reward activities and sensitive discussion of issues during ‘Circle Time’ activities allow pupils time to reflect and consider their behaviour. Pupils are encouraged to take responsibility for their own actions and to understand the consequences of actions taken beyond the confines of the school. Stories presented for study within English lessons and the study of famous people in history provide pupils with opportunities to discuss the consequences of the actions and attitudes of others.

p.18

TO PUPILS?

30. The provision for pupils’ cultural development is good and better than at the last inspection when, although satisfactory overall, shortcomings were noted. Pupils are encouraged to appreciate their own cultural traditions through taking part in a range of local events and visiting sites of historical and cultural interest. They are given regular opportunities to develop an understanding of the diversity of other cultures through, for example, stories from other cultures in English lessons, studies of art from different countries, a range of music from across the world that is played in school assemblies and through the study of different religions of the world. The school takes opportunities to supplement the planned curriculum and extend the pupils’ experiences through the contribution of visitors. For example, the school secures funding to support the appointment of a Romanian teacher to the staff for six months each year. Pupils experience music workshops

p.18

TO PUPILS?

that include a range of instruments, for example from other cultures.

p.18

TO PUPILS?

31. Provision for pupils’ social development is very good. From the time they enter the school, pupils are encouraged to work co-operatively, take responsibility for their work and for others and to be as independent as possible. Responsibilities increase appropriately as pupils get older. For example, older pupils take care of younger pupils during lunchtime in the junior hall. Pupils are involved in an appropriate range of local community activities, such as the local Music Day. They are invited to contribute to a wide range of charitable causes, some of which are undertaken on the initiative of the pupils, such as the sponsored car-washing to support an asthma charity. The School Council has representatives nominated and elected by class members and plays a significant role in supporting the pupils’ social and moral development, allowing pupils to reflect on their own contribution to society and to the world of work.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

32. The level of care provided for pupils is good, as at the last inspection. Staff are caring and supportive, creating a friendly atmosphere and a secure environment for learning. The school’s provision for the welfare, health and safety of pupils is good. Regular checks of the building and grounds are undertaken so that any hazards or defects can be immediately rectified. However, whole-school risk assessment is not yet formalised. There is due regard for the security of pupils and first aid procedures are good. A suitable number of staff are qualified in first aid and able to deal quickly with accidents or illness when they occur. The arrangements for child protection are good. Staff meetings are used to maintain awareness and to discuss any concerns that may arise about a pupil’s well-being. The school has a policy for the safe use of the Internet, which has been shared with parents and pupils.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

33. Procedures for monitoring and assisting pupils’ personal development are good. The programme of personal, social and health education is very good and contributes effectively to the welfare of pupils, dealing with issues such as drugs awareness and adopting a healthy lifestyle. Pupils have opportunities to speak about their feelings or concerns, enabling them to consider issues of importance and to develop their confidence in dealing with situations which may put them at risk. The school recognises and celebrates pupils’ efforts and achievements. During a celebration assembly, staff showed obvious pleasure in the pupils’ achievements and warmly congratulated them as they passed to collect their certificates.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

34. Pupils with special educational needs, both in the mainstream school and in the resourced base for pupils with dyslexia, are well supported by their teachers and other staff. All support is well planned to take very good account of the necessary provision outlined in the pupils’ Statements of Special Educational Needs and their individual programmes of work. Good systems are in place for the early identification of any barriers to learning that prevent a pupil from participating fully in the school’s activities. The school makes good use of a range of visiting specialists when necessary. There are effective and consistent procedures for reviewing the progress of pupils with special educational needs, which are known to staff and ably implemented by the special needs co-ordinator in collaboration with class teachers. Careful and detailed records are kept, pupils’ targets are reviewed regularly and when necessary further advice is sought from the relevant

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

agencies. All pupils experience equal opportunities in a very caring environment.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

35. The procedures for promoting pupils’ good behaviour are effective. The good behaviour policy is based on positive principles with a clear system of rewards and sanctions. ‘Golden Time’, a time of free choice, provides an effective reward, helping to promote good behaviour further and to encourage self-discipline. Pupils are overwhelmingly of the opinion that “it really works” in helping them to try hard and to behave well because they enjoy the free choice of activities each week. If the behaviour of a pupil causes concern, the school works closely with parents to resolve the problem. Pupils and parents do not perceive bullying as an issue and they feel that if incidents do occur, teachers deal with them quickly and fairly.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

36. The arrangements for monitoring and promoting attendance are now very good. During the current year, the school has been successful in improving the overall levels of attendance and raising the profile of attendance with parents and children. The computerised registration system enables attendance data to be quickly retrieved and is used effectively in the analysis of individual and group attendance. The number of families taking holidays during term-time has fallen. Parents understand their responsibility to inform the school of the reasons for absences and usually do so on the first day. The reasons for absence are promptly recorded and any unexplained absence is quickly followed up. The school works closely with an education welfare officer to pursue any absences or cases of regular lateness that give cause for concern.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

37. The procedures for checking and recording pupils’ attainment and progress are satisfactory overall and good in English, mathematics and science. Systems have been recently introduced in most other subjects, but in subjects such as music and physical education, systems are still at the planning stage. All staff have an assessment file for their class which is well kept and regularly updated and provides useful information on the pupils’ attainments. The use made of assessment information is satisfactory overall and this is an improvement since the last inspection. The Northway Community Primary School - 20 school uses the available assessment information, including the results of statutory and non- statutory tests, to check pupils’ progress over time and to identify individuals and groups of pupils who would benefit from closer instruction, often in smaller groups. Teachers have recently begun

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

to set individual targets for pupils in reading and writing and these are proving to be an efficient guide to teaching plans where they are used well.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

38. The school has maintained the good links with parents reported at the time of the last inspection. This has a positive impact on the work of the school and the standards pupils achieve. The large majority of parents who expressed a view prior to and during the inspection were very supportive of the work of the school and valued the good educational opportunities provided. Parents firmly agree that the school is well led, staff are approachable, teaching is good and that their children like school and make good progress.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

39. The quality and range of information provided for parents is good. Even before their children join the Nursery class, good relationships are established with parents through well-planned meetings and home visits. A very useful induction pack for new parents gives lots of information about the Nursery and how parents can help their children to prepare for school. Parents are full of praise for the sensitive and supportive arrangements that enable their children to settle quickly and happily into the routines of the Nursery and the Reception classes. Once their child is established at school, parents are kept very well informed about the day-to day life of the school through various letters and the well-presented newsletters. The school prospectus and governors’ annual report contain much useful information about the school and its activities but they do not contain all the detail needed to meet statutory requirements. The school is now aware of these

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

omissions, which include the need to present national average test results, information on the school’s progress with the action plan linked to its last inspection and pupil attendance data. Parents are offered suitable opportunities to attend meetings with class teachers to discuss their children’s work and progress. Pupils’ annual progress reports are of good quality overall but sometimes the targets suggested for future learning are vague and not always written in a way that parents find easy to understand and useful for helping their child at home.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

40. The parents of pupils with special educational needs are fully involved and consulted on the provision the school makes for their children. Daily communications between parents and the staff of the resourced base for dyslexic pupils are very good. Parents speak highly of the homework diary and record book that is used effectively to keep them very well informed about their child’s progress. Parents who live at a distance from school and whose children travel by taxi service particularly appreciate this daily contact with their child’s teacher.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

41. Parental involvement at home and at school has a good influence on their children’s education and the standards they achieve. A number of parents help regularly in class and others are happy to help with specific activities such as making toast each morning playtime for the pupils in Years 1 and 2, or accompanying their children on educational visits out of school or to the weekly swimming lessons. They support the school strongly through the Parents’ and Teachers’ Association and help to raise considerable amounts of money. Meetings for parents that provide information about their children’s progress and events where the children are directly involved are very well attended. Initiatives such as the reading morning and the science afternoon are popular and give parents the opportunity to work with their children in class. The ‘Parents as Educators’ course enables parents to earn a qualification and gives them the knowledge to support their

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

children’s learning at home. Parents of Nursery children value the opportunity to work with their children at the start of each session. A good number of parents have received certificates for their involvement in listening to their children read at home and contributing to the reading diaries.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

42. The school is well led by the headteacher, ably supported by a keen and experienced senior management team. The new headteacher has adopted a thorough approach and brings a clear sense of direction to helping the school overcome difficulties that have resulted from the changes Northway Community Primary School - 21 in leadership since the last inspection in 1998. The school has improved its academic standards since 1998 owing to the strong teaching, particularly in Year 2 and Year 6. Monitoring the quality of teaching in all classes and keeping track of pupils’ progress have not advanced at such a good pace. These have been tackled well in the last few terms. There are now some good practices in place that need more time and further work before they are fully effective. The headteacher’s good skills in management are matched by an ability to lead that helps governors, parents and staff feel

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

valued and involved. Parents agree strongly, and with justification, that the school is well led and managed. Governors and staff welcome the headteacher’s drive to ensure that everyone in the school, both children and adults, has the best opportunity to learn.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

43. The school now has a well-conceived three-year plan for further improvement, which has moved on well from the satisfactory plan in place at the time of the last inspection. In 1998, senior staff and subject co-ordinators did not regularly make judgements about pupils’ achievements and consequently governors were not in a good position to decide how well the school was doing. The school is now in a good position to know its own strengths and precisely what needs to be done in the future. The areas identified for development are very good in that they match closely the relative weaknesses that have been determined, for example, by thorough scrutiny of teachers’ plans and pupils’ work. Moreover, the phasing of items over three years means that progress can be managed at a sensible pace, allowing for plenty of reflection and involvement from all interested parties, including pupils, who have a strong voice through their School’s Council.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

44. A new governing body has been appointed since 1998, which is becoming well informed about the school’s strengths and how it needs to improve. It is currently inducting several new members, who have yet to learn about the school in depth. Nevertheless, there is a small group of knowledgeable and well informed governors, including the chair, vice-chair and chair of finance, who support the school well and challenge it to improve where necessary. Governors review the school’s improvement plan regularly and make sure that they are informed well about school matters. Some governors attend the annual staff training days that are designed to plan for the school’s future. However, it is the regular and informal day-to-day contact that gives several governors very detailed knowledge of school life. For example, they keep a close eye on how improved areas for play in Years 1 and 2 have an effect on pupils’ skills in communication. There

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

is, however, no formal system of visits for all governors to find out about the school. The governing body acknowledges this weakness and has plans to tackle this.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

45. The monitoring of the quality of teaching is satisfactory, with good elements, for example, in the way that the national system of Performance Management is implemented. Newly appointed staff are very well inducted; their teaching is very helpfully evaluated and pointers are provided for improvement. It is the direct monitoring of teaching in all classes, beyond the Performance Management scheme, that has not been undertaken systematically for a number of years. Although the new headteacher has taken action to strengthen the quality of teaching through a good system for devising plans for each class, there are still inconsistencies in the quality of teaching across the school. The school is aware of this and has produced a comprehensive plan to monitor and evaluate the teaching of all subjects, but it is too soon for the governors and senior staff to see the results of this. Data emanating from national tests are used to check the school’s

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

performance and to set future targets. The new headteacher has recently introduced useful methods with which to analyse more precisely pupils’ progress and show teachers what they need to do to improve pupils’ learning. Techniques for assessing how well pupils improve as they move through the school lack refinement. For example, computer programs are not yet used to make the job easier. There are good plans in hand to make this system more streamlined.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

46. The school is committed to providing successfully for all pupils, whatever their age, gender, ethnic background or specific needs. Racial harmony is suitably promoted through the school’s good provision for the pupils’ personal, social and cultural education. The co-ordinator for the pupils with special educational needs manages the school’s provision very well. The pupils’ Individual Education Plans are of very good quality and include helpful ideas for teaching assistants, strategies for inclusion in class teaching plans and suggested achievement criteria. Targets set are frequently practised, reinforcing the pupils’ learning needs very well. The work of teaching assistants is very carefully timetabled and provides for consistently good support for individuals or groups of pupils. The school has, since the last inspection, established facilities to cater for junior-age pupils with dyslexia from other schools in Sefton. There is a very well equipped base in

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

Northway Community Primary School - 22 which they learn on occasions, but more often they are very well supported in classes in a way that helps them to make very good progress.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

47. The needs of the higher-attaining pupils and those with gifts and talents are catered for well in many cases. For example, the number of pupils achieving at the higher level in national tests in Year 6 has improved well since the last inspection. No systematic approach is used, however, to identify specifically gifted and talented pupils. There is no guarantee that they are achieving as well as they could. The school recognises this weakness. It has appointed a co-ordinator and is at the early stages of implementing a plan to solve this problem.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

48. The governors, in co-operation with the headteacher and the secretary, manage the budget well and make good use of any grants given to assist the school’s development. Efficient administrative systems are in place. Taking into account the extra costs of the resourced base for dyslexic pupils, overall expenditure is broadly average. The school makes sure that money is spent wisely by always researching how to spend it and by choosing the goods and services that represent the best value for the school. Since many governors are new to the governing body, they are not yet able to judge how effectively the school’s budget is being used to maintain and raise standards throughout the curriculum. This limits the governing body’s ability to challenge the school to do better. However, the school plans to tackle this weakness through its system of induction and visits to the school.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

49. The supply of resources for lessons is generally good. Resources for pupils with special educational needs are very good, not least in the base for pupils with dyslexia. Teachers and their assistants are generally well deployed to make the best of their individual talents. Staff new to the school, and trainee teachers, feel very well supported by the thorough and warmly implemented induction procedures, which help them settle quickly into school routines. The schools’ buildings are well maintained and have many good features, except that access to classes is often through other classrooms. Nevertheless, pupils and staff manage this drawback well, showing politeness and consideration for others. The school grounds are spacious, well kept and used successfully for pupils’ learning.

p.22

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

50. To raise further the standards of work and attainment of pupils, the headteacher, governors and staff should:

p.22

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(1) *Monitor the quality of teaching and learning to build on the good and very good teaching, improve that which is satisfactory and eliminate any which is unsatisfactory. ( paragraphs 13 – 21, 42, 45, 85, 91, 105)

p.22

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(2) *Improve the use of assessment as a basis for planning and for setting targets for learning by: • simplifying and clarifying the target setting procedures in English; ( paragraphs 5, 37, 84) • providing training to help teachers to be fully skilled and confident in assessing pupils’ development at all levels, particularly in writing; ( paragraph 16) • providing useful systems for subjects where they do not yet exist: music, physical education and religious education. ( paragraphs 37, 125, 130, 134)

p.22

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

In addition to the preceding areas for improvement, the following less important areas for development should be included in the action plan:

p.22

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• The range of books available to satisfy the very good and voracious readers. ( paragraph 80)

p.22

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• More frequent opportunities for pupils to practise their reading skills through research- based tasks in subjects such as history and geography. ( paragraphs 112, 117) Northway Community Primary School - 23 • The provision of all statutory information required to be included in the school prospectus and the governors’ annual report to parents. ( paragraph 43)

p.22

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• The establishment of formalised risk assessment procedures. (paragraph 32)

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

* Issues already included within the school’s improvement plan.

p.23

THE RESOURCED PROVISION FOR PUPILS WITH DYSLEXIA

51. The specialist resourced base, established since the last inspection, co-ordinates very good arrangements for 12 pupils in Years 3 to 6 with a special educational needs statement for dyslexia. All pupils are fully integrated within the mainstream school for the majority of their work, ensuring full access to the good curriculum available to all pupils. Very good individual teaching on a daily basis within the base and support where necessary within mainstream class lessons means that the pupils make very good progress.

p.23

THE RESOURCED PROVISION FOR PUPILS WITH DYSLEXIA

52. The teachers and teaching assistants appointed to the base are well trained and play an important part in the pupils’ very good achievement. Parents speak very highly of the very good organisation of the provision and the way in which their children have progressed very well since joining the base, usually from another school in the local education authority. Teachers are well informed about the needs of the pupils and are sensitive to their needs while also giving them scope and enough challenge to find out for themselves. Very experienced teaching assistants provide very productive individual in-class support and facilitate work in groups, enabling the pupils to access the mainstream curriculum. All pupils receive intensive one-to-one teaching of very good quality for approximately half an hour each day within the base. Teaching focuses on mathematics as well as the pupils’ special literacy needs. The staff are very experienced and

p.23

THE RESOURCED PROVISION FOR PUPILS WITH DYSLEXIA

confident and use structured teaching materials and methods specifically designed to meet the needs of pupils with dyslexia; this means that learning proceeds at a very good pace.

p.23

THE RESOURCED PROVISION FOR PUPILS WITH DYSLEXIA

53. Pupils settle in very happily and gain self-confidence and self-esteem, which help them to achieve as well as they are able. They try hard in all subjects and work well, with other pupils or independently. They are encouraged to talk about their views and to reflect on their work and behaviour. In a lesson in mathematics, a pupil said that he enjoyed the subject because “the teacher makes lessons fun most of the time”. Relationships are very good between staff and pupils and among pupils. The pupils accept the routines of school; they take responsibility for themselves and others and confidently join in all activities, including after school drama and music clubs.

p.23

THE RESOURCED PROVISION FOR PUPILS WITH DYSLEXIA

54. On admission to the base, pupils’ attainment is generally below average when measured against national expectations for their age, particularly in literacy. Nonetheless, by Year 6, pupils have made significant gains and some are attaining, or working just below, the standard expected for their age in mathematics and science. All pupils make very good progress against their personal targets and achieve very well. Their work shows sustained effort and some of the older pupils’ work represents a considerable achievement. Staff in the base have very good working relationships with the local health and education authorities and receive very good support. Help from the educational psychologist has been especially valued by staff, as has support from the local education authority’s teaching support service.

p.23

THE RESOURCED PROVISION FOR PUPILS WITH DYSLEXIA

55. Very good links with parents enhance the work of the base and the pupils. Before their children start at the base, parents are invited into school to meet staff and other parents, enabling them to establish good relationships from the start and discuss any worries with staff or other parents. They are kept fully informed of their children’s activities and achievements through the shared ‘yellow book’ that is sent home regularly. Parents value highly the work of the base in supporting their children’s learning; this was apparent at the parents meeting before the inspection and in letters received at the school. Northway Community Primary School - 24 56. The base is very well led and very efficiently managed. The teacher in charge receives effective support from the headteacher, who shares the management of the base and its pupils, providing clear educational direction for its work. Northway Community Primary School - 25

p.23

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 38

p.25

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactor y Poor Very Poor

p.25

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

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

p.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) 30 288

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals n/a 23

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 11

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 0 49

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 0

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 11

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 2

p.25

Attendance

National comparative data 5.4 National comparative data 0.5

p.25

Attendance

Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Northway Community Primary School - 26

p.25

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

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2002 23 22 45

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 21 22 22 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 21 21 22

p.26

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

Percentage of pupils School 93 (93) 96 (100) 98 (100) 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 21 22 19 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 21 22 20

p.26

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

Percentage of pupils School 93 (100) 98 (100) 87 (100) 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)

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 2002 22 28 50

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 16 19 21 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 25 23 26

p.26

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

Percentage of pupils School 82 (82) 84 (69) 94 (94) 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 18 19 22 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 25 24 26

p.26

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

Percentage of pupils School 86 (n/a) 86 (n/a) 96 (n/a) at NC level 4 or above National 73 (72) 74 (74) 82 (82)

p.26

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

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Northway Community Primary School - 27 [

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

White – any other White background 0 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Mixed – any other mixed background 6 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Asian or Asian British - Pakistani 0 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Asian or Asian British – Bangladeshi 0 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black or Black British – Caribbean 0 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

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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.

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 11.35 Financial year 2001/02

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 19.1

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total income 709,876

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 6 Total expenditure 686,355

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 103 Expenditure per pupil 2,192

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Qualified teachers and support staff: nursery Balance brought forward from previous year 16,740

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 1 Balance carried forward to next year 40,261

p.27

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 30

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 2

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 69

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Teachers and classes Financial information

FTE means full-time equivalent. Northway Community Primary School - 28 Northway Community Primary School - 29

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Recruitment of teachers

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

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 6

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Recruitment of teachers

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 1

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Recruitment of teachers

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

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Recruitment of teachers

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

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Recruitment of teachers

FTE means full-time equivalent. Northway Community Primary School - 30

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Percentage of responses in each category

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

p.30

Percentage of responses in each category

My child is making good progress in school. 59 37 3 0 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 50 44 2 1 3

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 40 42 13 3 2

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Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 46 42 8 3 1

p.30

Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 68 29 1 1 1

p.30

Percentage of responses in each category

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 63 34 1 0 2

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 44 43 9 1 3

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 56 41 1 1 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 53 43 2 1 1

p.30

Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 39 34 13 3 11 Northway Community Primary School - 31

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

57. The high standard of provision has been successfully maintained in the Nursery since the last inspection and good improvement has been made in the two Reception classes. The quality of teaching and learning is good overall and very good in the Nursery. The Nursery teacher gives particularly thoughtful attention to developing the children's personal, social and emotional development as well as their communication and language skills.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

58. Assessments made early in the first term show that children start the Nursery with attainments that are average overall, but with strengths in the key areas of speaking and listening and personal and social development. The children are given a flying start to their education in the Nursery and this good progress is successfully extended within the Reception classes. As a result, the children achieve well, and by the end of the Reception class, most exceed the goals set nationally in all areas of learning, with the strengths maintained in personal development and speaking skills. The children with special educational needs receive good help and guidance from the staff team and consequently make similar progress to other children.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

59. The children benefit from the successful team approach to planning the curriculum, which makes very good use of the shared expertise of the teachers to provide learning activities of very good quality. The Nursery teacher, who acts as co-ordinator, has limited opportunities to observe teaching and learning in the other two classes, however, and to some extent this limits the potential for capitalising on the very good team planning. Resources for learning are good and teaching areas are well organised, ensuring that the day runs smoothly and efficiently. The outdoor area is used daily, but while children have healthy access to working outdoors, limitations on staffing mean that access is restricted to a short time each day. Very good use is made of this opportunity but children in the Reception classes, in particular, need extra space for some of their activities, such as investigational and experimental work with musical instruments.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

Innovative co-operation between staff in the three classes is necessary to extend the use of the outdoor space and thoughts are just beginning on how this might be put into practice.

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Personal, social and emotional development

60. Teaching of very good quality means that the children achieve standards that are well above average. They develop confidence, independence and social maturity that is well above average for their age. When they start in the Nursery, the children settle quickly. They are helped by the good preparation arranged in advance, which includes visits to the Nursery and the teacher visiting them at home. This good contact with families supports the children very well and continues throughout their time in the Nursery, where parents and carers are encouraged to share the first activity of the session with their children.

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Personal, social and emotional development

61. The very good relationships between the children and the teaching team are evident in the calm and confident way the children settle each day, in both the Nursery and the Reception classes. There is a good balance between supporting the children and allowing their independence to develop. Staff are adept at choosing the right option and combining their efforts to help children to develop their skills.

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Personal, social and emotional development

62. Staff have high expectations for the children and encourage them successfully to take care of their own personal needs; for example, children in the Nursery choose an appropriate time to collect their own named milk carton and sit with others at the snack table to eat their fruit. In the Reception classes, children collect their own work book and return it after use, or give out small whiteboards for class lessons. In the Nursery, the children learn how to plan their day, putting their photograph next to the picture of the activity they want to join on the class ‘bus’. This helps the children to learn to occupy themselves well, to make sensible choices and sometimes to face disappointments. For example, if there is no space for their picture, the activity is full. The very interesting range of activities motivates the children to learn very well, and there are good opportunities for them to reflect at the end of the session and to discuss what they have achieved.

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Personal, social and emotional development

Northway Community Primary School - 32 The Nursery and Reception classes are very well organised, which helps to develop the children’s independence through well-established routines. 63. The staff in both the Nursery and the Reception classes provide very good role models for the children. They are calm and organised and treat the children with respect and courtesy. This leads to warm and trusting relationships and helps the children to behave in a friendly manner to each other. Children speak with confidence to one another as well as to adults. They share their thoughts very openly, as when, for example, the teacher asks about a character in a story, “Is that a nice way to speak to someone?” The children are able to verbalise their thoughts because they feel comfortable in the company of adults and other children. Their well-developed language skills support their personal, social and emotional development well, helping them to verbalise

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Personal, social and emotional development

their thoughts and feelings. A child in the Nursery, explaining that his model helicopter had crashed was quick to reassure with “No-one was hurt!” In Reception, a child making a model spaceship to travel to the sun was able, after deep thought, to imagine how the passengers might feel on take-off: “Scared!” For most children, their ability to socialise with other children and develop co-operative play is well developed and they are very well prepared for their transfer to the Reception classes and, eventually, Year 1.

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Personal, social and emotional development

64. The children with special educational needs are fully included in all activities and those with behavioural difficulties are sensitively managed. The teachers generally check the children’s personal development well, and records of individual progress are suitably detailed to enable all staff to share an understanding of the children’s development.

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Communication, language and literacy

65. By the end of Reception, the attainment of most children is above the level expected because the children achieve well. The quality of teaching is good overall and, for developing the children’s speaking and listening skills, provision in the Nursery in particular is very good. Teachers and teaching assistants pay careful attention to developing the skills of communication through the stimulating range of activities that they plan for the children and the careful and sometimes prolific discussion that they generate. Every opportunity is taken to pose questions to encourage the children to think and to explain and, consequently, the children make good progress in their learning. The children’s very good social skills mean that discussion is extended between children as they complete their work, for example, when sharing construction activities. In this way, their language for thinking as well as speaking is extended very well. Children remember

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Communication, language and literacy

previous learning projects with pleasure and are keen to recall them, such as the spider investigation in the Nursery and the seed planting in the Reception classes.

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Communication, language and literacy

66. Imaginative role-play encourages the children to act out make-believe situations and invent dialogue, for example, between two princesses in the dark castle in the Nursery or between two assistants in the garden centre in Reception. Questioning by the staff helps the children to think and talk about what they see and hear. The teaching team is quick to see when children need guidance to focus and extend their thinking. Adults use a wide vocabulary that helps to promote the children’s learning and they work in successful co-operation to extend children’s communication, language and literacy skills.

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Communication, language and literacy

67. The children develop a good interest in books and select books that they want to share with adults. Many children in the Nursery are already able to write their names with clarity and careful letter formation. In the Nursery, there are regular opportunities for the children to begin to communicate in written form through early marks and symbols of words, often within play activities. The writing table, however, is not as popular, as is often the case, perhaps because relatively few imaginative writing projects are organised to generate, for example, letters and invitations. Nonetheless, some good writing projects are provided, and the children enjoyed writing exciting notes about spiders in silver pen on black paper. In Reception, the children extend their writing skills to a reasonably independent level by the end of the year. Teachers and teaching assistants show great patience and persistence in helping them to build their words

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Communication, language and literacy

through using their good knowledge of letter sounds. They especially enjoy imaginative tasks such as making ‘zig-zag’ books about zoo animals or writing about a giant, with sentences such as, ‘My dragon can fli. He brez fire at enimiz.’

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Mathematical development

Northway Community Primary School - 33 68. Attainment exceeds the level expected nationally by the end of the Foundation Stage. The children achieve well and make good progress. In the Nursery, many instances were noted of children counting to ten and beyond. They know a range of number rhymes and enjoy acting them out. In Reception, higher-attaining pupils are confident counting to high numbers and count to 25 with ease, and well beyond with occasional support from an adult. Teachers challenge the children well. A teacher in Reception, for example, counted from 62 to 65 and waited for volunteers to supply the next numbers – which they did! When the class prepared a pumpkin for soup, all 311 seeds were counted. Most children are confident in adding or taking away one or two, and higher attainers can do more, and write down their ‘number sentence’ or sum. From their earliest days in the Nursery, the children use mathematical language increasingly well to

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Mathematical development

describe shape, position and relative quantity. Children learn useful mathematical phrases such as ‘taller than’ and ‘shorter than’ when comparing their sunflower plants. The children enjoy all activities related to mathematics and were observed to count spontaneously in many situations.

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Mathematical development

69. The quality of teaching is good and promotes a thorough grounding in the basic skills of mathematics. Imaginative teaching techniques are used to produce very good learning, for example, when number cards are revealed slowly to allow children in Reception to deduce the number through seeing only part. This captures the children’s attention and helps them to become very familiar with number shapes. Many opportunities are found to practise counting each day. In the Nursery, register time provides daily opportunities for practising counting and learning the days of the week. The story of the Hungry Caterpillar provides further practice in counting and remembering the sequence of the days of the week. A ‘garden centre’ provides practice in using money in Reception. Tasks are suitably practical and include an appropriate challenge, and expectations are high. The learning atmosphere, in both the Nursery and the Reception classes,

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Mathematical development

is good, being both relaxed and challenging.

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

70. The curriculum provided is imaginative and stimulates the children’s interest well through a very good range of interesting and enjoyable activities. As a result, children achieve well, make very good progress and generally exceed the expectations set nationally by the end of Reception.

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

71. The children come into the Nursery class with a varied range of experiences of the world around them. Teachers and teaching assistants build skilfully on what they know so that learning is very good in both the Nursery and the Reception classes. They talk about how things have changed over time through studying artefacts such as old bottles and irons in the Nursery and reflecting back, in Reception, to when they were babies and growing up. In the Nursery, the children make good use of the computer and control the mouse with increasing skill as they learn to operate on- screen keys. The children with a computer at home make very rapid progress and quickly learn the features of new programs. The children learn how to represent direction as they draw clear and detailed maps that show, for example, the journey of Jack in the story of Jack and the Beanstalk. The children show a keen interest in finding out about the way that seeds grow and

p.33

Knowledge and understanding of the world

that plants change over a quite a short period of time. The roots of young plants are carefully examined to find out what they look like. A child with special educational needs enjoyed explaining the importance of the roots and the stem to the survival of the plant. The children remembered well the book shared with their teacher that explained the hazards faced by plants, such as clumsy feet and aphids. One child suggested bringing a ladybird into school to help the young plants, but “with small holes in the box so it gets air but can’t get out”. When the sunflower and nasturtium seeds grew, they were planted outside to be enjoyed at playtimes each day. The pumpkin brought into the Reception class to make soup was examined very carefully, and all seeds counted, before being cooked. In the Nursery, the children washing-up after making soda-bread noticed how the water changed colour more and more when additional dirty utensils

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

72. The children are quite soon adept at using their construction skills competently to make models. Discussions on shapes in mathematics extend their awareness of the materials made available. In the Nursery, a book of photographs of interesting buildings, such as the Eiffel Tower, provided a good basis for discussion. The children drew thoughtful conclusions because the teaching assistant posed pertinent questions such as "Well, what do you think...?" rather than giving the Northway Community Primary School - 34 children answers. In the Reception class, a variety of reclaimed materials made available for rocket models was supplemented by cut out cardboard triangles of varying dimensions to provide rocket fins, successfully extending the decisions to be taken and the quality of models achieved. Consequently, the children are attaining a good knowledge and understanding of the world and learning to think things through to a logical conclusion. They are very well prepared for their future

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Physical development

73. Attainment is above average for children of this age. Teaching and learning are good, overall. The children's physical skills are developed well in the Nursery as they use space indoors and outdoors safely and creatively. The children are given opportunities to develop their finer physical skills as they cut paper, use pens and pencils to form letters correctly and learn to control the computer mouse competently. The wide variety of resources is carefully organised by the teacher in the Nursery to ensure that they can all be used safely. The children show good control of the wheeled toys as they move around the outdoor space, which gives further scope for the children to develop their understanding of direction. When the children listen to ‘Carnival of the Animals’ in the hall, they show confidence in trying out a range of movements. For example, they enjoy trying to plod slowly, with heavy footsteps, like an elephant might move. In the Reception classes, the

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Physical development

children change appropriately in readiness for physical development lessons in the hall. In a lesson focused on co-operative catching, throwing and batting skills, the children moved with careful attention to one another's safety and showed good awareness of space. There was opportunity for them to work co-operatively in pairs with bats and balls and most did this sensibly. The children showed good skills for their age in controlling the apparatus and co-ordinating their movements. The children's finer physical skills are developed in the Reception classes through a varied range of activities, such as cutting and gluing to complete models of spacecraft, and making paper flowers, folding and sticking to create their own work in the style of Kandinsky. By the time they join Year 1, most children have exceeded the expected level in their physical development.

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Creative development

74. By the time they join Year 1, most children have achieved above the expected level in their creative development. The children have many opportunities given to them to develop creative skills well. In the Nursery class the children select their own materials in order to create their own pictures. Teaching is good and the learning is moving forward constantly as the teacher involves the children in discussion about their choices. For all children, progress is good and activities are never too closely directed to allow the children to respond to their own feelings and choices. In the Reception classes, prints of works by famous artists are introduced to the children to enhance their creative skills. The children achieve many examples of confident, vibrant work, such as the paintings of large flowers, building on their work on concentric circles in the style of Kandinsky. The teacher values their efforts and the children show pleasure and pride in pointing

p.34

Creative development

75. The children in both the Nursery and the Reception classes join with infant classes for some assembly times, which gives them a chance to enjoy singing together. They also have a further time together in the school hall when they move to music or sing action songs with instrumental accompaniment. The children enjoy these times and sing and dance with enthusiasm.

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Creative development

76. Children have the chance to use their imagination in a role play area in each class, with the ‘dark castle’ proving very popular in the Nursery, complete with dressing up clothes for kings, queens and princesses. The children’s social skills are well developed and they play co-operatively together much sooner than usual, for example, falling into ‘storybook style’ dialogue with each other very easily. The good range of dressing-up clothes and other resources encourage lively participation.

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ENGLISH

77. By the end of Year 6, standards are above average and pupils achieve well, continuing the trend of the past four years. Good improvement is indicated from the average standards reported in the Northway Community Primary School - 35 last inspection. The good improvement is the result of the introduction of the National Literacy Strategy, leading to good teaching overall, with very good teaching in Year 6.

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ENGLISH

78. For the pupils at the end of Year 2, standards are currently average in both reading and writing. Although attainment reached well above average levels in reading and writing in 2001, and above average in reading in 2002, current standards have dropped back a little in both reading and writing. This is due to a higher proportion of pupils this year who find learning difficult, which means that pupils are achieving well to reach the national average. In the last inspection, those capable of higher attainment were not doing as well as they might. This has been successfully resolved by Year 6 but in writing remains an area for development, in particular at the end of Year 2, where standards compared to those in similar schools are below average. Nevertheless, there has been good improvement overall since the last inspection when standards in writing by the end of Year 2 were said to be below average.

p.35

ENGLISH

79. The pupils’ ability to speak with clarity and enthusiasm and to listen thoughtfully to their teachers and friends is good, maintaining standards reported in the last inspection. In Year 2, pupils speak and listen well when responding to the content of the lesson. Pupils with special educational needs are prompted well by teaching assistants and make similar progress to that of the rest of the class. Higher-attaining pupils speak with fluency and good expression, such as when telling a story from a series of pictures, capturing the attention of their audience well. The school provides good opportunities to practise speaking skills through, for example, developing pupils’ interview techniques with visitors who come into school to talk with pupils about their experiences. In this way, by Year 6, pupils have maintained their above average performance. However, pupils’ ability to talk about how well they have done in the lesson and how close they

p.35

ENGLISH

have got to their individual or group targets is not so well developed in some lessons because enough time is not always set aside for this kind of self-evaluation.

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ENGLISH

80. Reading is given a high profile throughout the school and this has a positive effect on pupils’ achievements. It is taught well by the use of a variety of well tried methods including the approach that focuses on the sounding out of parts within words. Pupils enjoy the various methods employed by the school to ensure that standards are maintained year by year. For example, they work well with the teachers on a common text that they discuss. Teachers and their assistants listen to them read individually so that pupils can practise reading with understanding and expression. Parents are well involved in this process. Pupils take books home regularly and communication between home and school is well established by the use of a reading diary. Pupils who have difficulty in learning to read have additional regular support designed to help them catch up, particularly in their ability to recognise the correct sounds in

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ENGLISH

words. Pupils talk well about what they are reading but are less knowledgeable about different authors or how to use books to find out information within other lessons, such as history. Funds have been spent wisely on increasing the school’s stock of books but the range is not yet wide enough to satisfy the very good and voracious readers. One very able reader in Year 6, for example, declared a passion for fantasy fiction but could find very little on the school book shelves and had to satisfy this interest with books from home.

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ENGLISH

81. It is in writing that the best achievements are made by the end of Year 6. Pupils make good progress from the end of Year 2, particularly those capable of high attainment. This is linked to very sharply focused teaching in both Year 4 and Year 6. In these classes, the drive to raise standards is strong and pupils respond very well. The co-ordinator’s very good knowledge has led to a good range of writing opportunities throughout the school. This results in pupils experimenting with sentence construction and enjoying putting their thoughts into writing. In Year 4, for example, pupils produced some very powerful writing about being lost in space. Many demonstrated a facility to mix short and long sentences for effect and were adept at using question and exclamation marks and direct speech to add variety and interest for the reader. By the end of Year 6, some pupils show a high level of sophistication in their writing. For example,

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ENGLISH

one pupil, when thinking about the removal of a rundown mansion, wrote a sparse but extremely clear description: ‘Instead, in its place, was a polished, revamped, red brick house.’ Another produced a moving poem contrasting the feelings experienced by sailors on-board a warship in the Gulf with the bubbly atmosphere on a cruise ship in the Caribbean. Pupils who find writing difficult are also inspired to write well. In Year 4, one pupil wrote about a landscape, ‘It looked clear, all there was the twinkle off the rocks.’ Northway Community Primary School - 36 82. Handwriting and spelling are good aspects of writing. Pupils generally try hard to present their work well. Their achievements in handwriting are accelerated from Year 4 onwards. Computers are used well for word processing to supplement pupils’ learning and sometimes to publish their work in visually exciting ways. In spelling, pupils benefit from being placed in special groups for

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ENGLISH

83. Although the teaching of English is generally good and sometimes very good, occasionally, teaching has weaknesses and is sometimes unsatisfactory. In these lessons, not enough is expected of the pupils; the pace of learning is slow and some groups of pupils make too little progress. Teaching is sometimes weak in Year 1 and in the early stages of the juniors. The quality of teaching improves rapidly in Year 4 and by the time pupils are in Year 6 their learning is brisk and productive. Teachers in some classes, such as Year 6, mark pupils’ work very well, giving a very clear idea of how improvements can be made. In other classes this element is often missing. This is often true in Year 2 where pupils lack the specific advice to do better. Pupils with special educational needs are supported well throughout the school and very well in the case of those with dyslexia.

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ENGLISH

84. The school has introduced a good system of giving pupils targets to help them achieve at a higher level. Many pupils make good use of these personal prompts. However, some pupils in Years 1 and 2 find it hard to cope with the long lists and can get confused about which targets they should be tackling. Teachers in Years 1 and 2 are not yet fully confident in assessing pupils’ development in the context of these targets, particularly in writing.

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ENGLISH

85. The subject is well led and managed. Standards have improved well, overall, and a useful system of checking pupils’ attainments and setting targets for further improvements is in place. The co- ordinator has been particularly successful, in partnership with the headteacher, at evaluating pupils’ written work and identifying areas for improvement. However, lessons are not yet monitored regularly enough to judge the quality of teaching and learning and this means that weaknesses can sometimes exist for too long.

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MATHEMATICS

86. Standards by the end of Year 2 are above average and, by the end of Year 6, well above average, showing good improvement since the last inspection. All pupils, including higher-attaining pupils and those recognised as having special educational needs, achieve well and most pupils in Year 6 achieve very well. Compared with those of schools in similar social contexts, results are above average. In the current Year 2 group, there is a relatively high number of pupils with special educational needs and this explains the fall from the consistently well above average standards of the past three years. The good, and sometimes very good, quality of teaching combined with a good curriculum accounts for the high standards achieved. The system of arranging pupils into sets according to their previous attainment works very well and ensures that pupils are properly challenged, whatever their needs.

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MATHEMATICS

87. By Year 2, pupils are becoming very confident with mathematics. They reach good standards in their number work, and are able to complete gaps in number sequences such as 17, ?, 13, ?, ?, 7, and quickly identify missing shapes in given sequences. Pupils make very good progress in learning to tell the time, using traditional and digital methods. Most children, for example, quickly learnt how to set the clock hands to show the time at a quarter to and a quarter past the hour. They went on to record given times digitally and to show the time correctly on the clock face at five-minute intervals. Past work shows that they have covered all parts of the required curriculum in depth and have developed a good understanding. They have improved their degree of accuracy and their presentation, whilst tackling progressively harder work.

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MATHEMATICS

88. By Year 6, pupils of all capabilities show high levels of confidence in lessons. The highest- attaining pupils have a very good knowledge of multiplication facts, and apply this impressively, for example, when finding common multiples and investigating the relationships between them. They demonstrate very good agility when calculating mentally a sequence of common multiples, such as 56, 112, 224, 448, 996 and so on. The lower-attaining pupils tackle suitably challenging work Northway Community Primary School - 37 requiring them, for example, to identify the properties of two-dimensional shapes. They use mathematical vocabulary well and correctly apply terms such as ‘obtuse’, ‘acute’ and ‘parallel’. A review of past work reveals that the required curriculum is presented at a challenging level. Pupils’ progress is supported by regular homework, which provides extra practice. Constructive marking by teachers encourages pupils to think carefully when correcting their mistakes. Pupils

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MATHEMATICS

of all ages and abilities have very positive attitudes to the subject, reporting that they “love maths” and that “lessons are fun”.

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MATHEMATICS

89. The quality of teaching is good, overall, but ranges from satisfactory to very good. There is no unsatisfactory teaching. The common factors that distinguish the best quality lessons are the high quality of relationships between staff and pupils, the high expectations of teachers and their very good knowledge of the subject. These factors combine to create a very productive environment for learning, where pupils feel confident, know they are expected to do well, and have challenging examples clearly explained. This was the case in two very good lessons for pupils in Years 5 and 6, where pupils in different sets made very good progress. In one less effective, though nevertheless satisfactory, lesson pupils made less progress when working individually because their teacher accepted a slower work rate from them and established a less purposeful working atmosphere. Generally, the grouping of pupils on the basis of their previous attainment

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MATHEMATICS

helps teachers to provide and maintain a suitable level of challenge and pace for pupils with different needs.

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MATHEMATICS

90. The National Numeracy Strategy, introduced since the last inspection, is well established and contributes well to the high standards achieved by the end of Year 6. In most lessons, teachers make very effective use of the suggested teaching methods and lesson structure. Pupils use their numeracy skills well to support their learning in other subjects, such as in science when pupils measured quantities and analysed data to enable them to reach valid conclusions.

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MATHEMATICS

91. Management of the subject is effective, enhanced by a strong commitment amongst staff to help pupils to achieve high standards. Limited monitoring of the teaching and learning in lessons means that inconsistencies in quality through the school are yet to be resolved to enable further improvements in standards. Pupils are regularly assessed, and the information is used well to ensure that plans for teaching meet their needs, for example, by allocating them to suitable class sets. Resources are good in quantity and quality, and used to good effect in lessons. Suitable links are made with ICT through work that teaches pupils to calculate on spreadsheets, for example. Computer programs are not used sufficiently to extend the pupils’ learning on a day-to- day basis to an even higher level. The school has rightly identified this as an area for development.

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SCIENCE

92. Standards are above average by the end of Year 2 and well above average by the end of Year 6, showing good improvement since the last inspection. The good curriculum combined with good teaching, overall, and very good teaching in Year 6 accounts for the high standards. The findings of the inspection reflect the well above average results in national tests in 2002 for Year 6. In Year 2, inaccuracies in the assessments of recently appointed temporary staff invalidated the results. This problem has been rectified and Teachers’ Assessments are now accurate.

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SCIENCE

93. Pupils in the joint Year 1 and 2 class made very good progress as they investigated how forces can cause things to speed up, slow down and change direction. In small groups, pupils worked with well-briefed adults, who posed challenging questions as they experimented with a good range of objects, such as toy vehicles, balls and bean bags, working both indoors and outside. A review of past work shows that pupils have experienced very thorough coverage of the curriculum at a good level, and that they have had good opportunities to develop their investigative skills. For example, pupils investigated the properties of different fabrics to discover which was the most suitable to make a waterproof coat for Barnaby Bear. Pupils use their numeracy and literacy skills well, such as when measuring the amount of water to use in the experiment and when explaining their findings by recording results and writing conclusions.

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SCIENCE

Northway Community Primary School - 38 94. In a lesson in Year 6, pupils demonstrated a high level of understanding as they explained why the human heart rate varies according to the amount of oxygen required by the body. They were able to examine data presented in graphical form and draw conclusions from their results at a very good level for their age. Past work shows consistently high standards and notably strong investigative skills. Pupils have covered all the required sections of the curriculum in depth and have clearly made very good progress. Accurate, constructive and challenging marking by teachers accelerates their progress. Useful links are made with other subjects. In a science lesson in Year 4, for example, pupils used their learning in physical education to explain why the classroom temperature increased when the pupils returned after physical exercise. Relatively little use is made of ICT in science lessons and this is an area for development.

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SCIENCE

95. Teaching is of good quality overall. It varies from satisfactory to very good, being particularly strong at the top end of the school. In Year 6, the teacher’s very high expectations of what pupils can achieve, combined with her very good subject knowledge, result in rapid progress, high standards and good achievement for all pupils. Where teaching is less effective, though never less than satisfactory, the teacher’s expectations are lower and time is sometimes lost during lessons owing to shortcomings in the teacher’s management of the pupils. In Years 1 and 2, the best teaching features high expectations of behaviour and very effective briefing and deployment of additional adults who teach pupils in small groups. This enables a very good pace of learning through plenty of opportunities for first-hand experience, such as the work in Years 1 and 2 on finding out about forces. Where teaching is less effective, pupils are given too few opportunities to

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SCIENCE

develop their investigative skills through relevant practical activities.

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SCIENCE

96. The co-ordinator manages the subject well and high priority is given to the subject. There has been a successful recent review of pupils’ work by the co-ordinator to check standards. The school is aware that inconsistencies in the quality of teaching in science exist in some classes and the new headteacher has put in place appropriate plans for monitoring teaching and learning in lessons. The staff teams work well together in planning for teaching the subject. Recently improved assessment systems are effective and carried out at the end of each study unit. If there is any doubt about a pupil’s level of attainment, further assessment tasks are set. Resources are good, overall, but there is a shortage of ICT programs to enhance pupils’ learning through technological records and investigations in the subject.

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ART AND DESIGN

97. Attainment is in line with national expectations by the end of Year 2 and Year 6. The pupils’ achievement is satisfactory overall with some evidence of good achievement in drawing. The broadly average standards reported in the last inspection have been consolidated and extended well. Pupils’ drawing skills have improved and sketchbooks are now in use for recording knowledge and understanding and to provide a basis for further work. The pupils study the work of a satisfactory range of artists, resolving a weakness noted in the last inspection. The curriculum has been extended to include ICT based topics that enable pupils to create artwork through computer programs.

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ART AND DESIGN

98. A review of work in all year groups indicates that the quality of teaching is satisfactory, overall, throughout the school. A suitable range of skills and techniques is planned, in accordance with the school’s recently updated scheme of work. Work completed by pupils in Years 1 and 2 indicates that drawing skills build on the good skills established by the end of Reception. Clear shape and form are achieved in the pupils’ work on spring flowers. Confident paintings replicate the mask of Tutankhamun, showing bold creativity and suitable control of paint. Teachers discuss work well with pupils before the task begins and this prepares them well for the choices they will need to make. This was seen in a first lesson on constructing three-dimensional sculptures from reclaimed materials when pupils, as a result, approached their work with confidence and enjoyment.

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ART AND DESIGN

99. By Years 5 and 6, pencil work has significantly improved and pupils are using techniques to represent shading density well with both graphite and coloured pencil. Work on drawings of the cross-section of a range of fruits and vegetables showed good attention to detail and the use of techniques to represent texture as well as depth of colour, light and shade. Good preparation and Northway Community Primary School - 39 high expectations by the teacher in Year 5 helped pupils to make good progress. Pupils worked with confidence to achieve a good representation of their chosen red pepper, for example, or kiwi fruit. The next step, to represent their drawing in another medium such as paint or textiles, together with photographs of similar previous work, is of a suitable standard for the pupils’ ages. Recent work in Years 5 and 6 shows that pupils can use their observational drawing skills in the

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ART AND DESIGN

style of William Morris to produce both single samples and repeating patterns. Recent paintings of still life compositions show an appropriate ability to mix paints in a subtle blend of tints and shades, although the work has not been taken forward to completion, for example, with finishing techniques to highlight the lines evident in the composition. From Year 1 to Year 6, pupils produce computer-based work showing good creativity and confidence. In Year 6, for example, pupils successfully transferred their work in the style of William Morris to the computer and accomplished skilful stylised drawings which were then adapted to form a repeating pattern that might be used to produce wallpaper.

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ART AND DESIGN

100. Pupils show enthusiasm for their work and their good level of confidence enables them to make individual choices about designing their work. They are suitably aware of the work of well-known artists. Pupils in Year 6 can name popular artists and describe something of their style of work, having studied a satisfactory range through the school. The subject contributes well to the pupils’ personal, social and cultural development. Pupils with special educational needs are given extra discussion time with the teacher where necessary and generally make similar progress to most others. 101. Management of the subject is satisfactory. The co-ordinator is taking standards forward through improvements to the curriculum, resources and guidance available to staff. A useful portfolio of work has been kept in the past to identify suitable standards for each age group but this is now in need of updating. An assessment system has recently been introduced in an attempt to track

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ART AND DESIGN

pupils’ progress and provide a basis for more specific future plans. Resources are satisfactory and have improved since the last inspection when there were insufficient examples available on the work of other artists.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

102. Attainment at the end of Years 2 and 6 meets national expectations. Pupils throughout the school undertake an appropriate range of activities in which they design, make and evaluate products at a suitable level for their age. This is a clear improvement since the last inspection when attainment at the end of Year 6 was below national expectations and progress in Years 3 to 6 was unsatisfactory. As a result of changes to the curriculum, pupils throughout the school are now making satisfactory progress.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

103. Pupils in Year 1 design models, for example, of space-rockets and make them from reclaimed materials. They learn to use a variety of ways of joining materials, some of which allow movement, such as in ‘pop-up’ cards and paper windmills. In Year 2, pupils develop their design skills for model playground equipment, considering questions such as “What will it look like?”, “What will I need?” and “How will I make it?” Pupils in Years 3 and 4 investigate the workings of a range of torches, leading them to understand that torches are made from a variety of materials suited for the purpose and designed with the needs of the user in mind. Pupils discuss the circumstances in which each type of light might be used and relate this to particular features of the design. They demonstrate a satisfactory understanding of the way electrical circuits can be used with simple switches to provide working results. Pupils in Years 5 and 6 study the workings

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

of cams and use them to make moving toys. They have designed and made a variety of musical instruments to a satisfactory standard.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

104. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory overall throughout the school. Several examples of good teaching were seen, but also an instance which was unsatisfactory. Good teaching was based on the teacher’s good subject knowledge and a well-paced and prepared lesson where expectations of what the pupils could achieve was high. Learning time was used efficiently and pupils made good progress. Most pupils show interest in the task set and respond well to the teacher’s questions and directions, making appropriate suggestions and clearly enjoying what they are doing. In the unsatisfactory lesson observed, appropriate preparations were made but the teacher’s class management skills were weak. Pupils became too noisy to Northway Community Primary School - 40 hear the teacher easily and learning time was lost as the teacher spent time on discipline problems.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

105. The management of the subject is satisfactory. The co-ordinator has worked to raise standards through the adoption of the national programme of work for the subject and recently introduced a useful assessment system to judge pupils’ learning within each unit of work. Opportunities are needed to monitor the quality of teaching and learning in lessons.

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GEOGRAPHY

106. Attainment by the end of Years 2 and 6 meets the nationally expected standards and pupils’ achievement is satisfactory. This matches the findings at the last inspection when attainment for pupils by the end of Year 6 was judged to be consistent with national expectations. No judgement was possible for pupils in Year 2 in the last inspection. Satisfactory improvements have been achieved since then, particularly in the planning for teaching and in improving the quality of work of the older pupils. The national guidance for the subject has been incorporated into the existing arrangements, ensuring that pupils’ knowledge, skills and understanding are built on sequentially as they move through the school. All pupils, including those with special educational needs, make at least satisfactory progress, with good progress where teaching is good. Northway Community Primary School - 41 107. By Year 2, pupils are able to make simple plans, for instance of their route to school, and

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GEOGRAPHY

describe features seen on their journey. Higher-attaining pupils plot the route from Chester to Manchester Airport, identifying major roads. They are beginning to show awareness of places beyond their own locality, such as places they have visited when on holiday. They are able to identify specific features of, for example, towns, the countryside and the seaside. Their work is closely linked to other subject areas, such as literacy. For example, pupils write postcards home after an imaginary visit to Dublin with the teddy bear ‘Barnaby’.

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GEOGRAPHY

108. By Year 6, pupils are comparing the physical and man-made features of various localities and explaining some of the differences. They consider natural hazards such as storms and volcanoes and compare these with man-made hazards. Their research into disasters such as the Indian earthquake in 2001 makes a good contribution to their spiritual, social and cultural development as they consider the plight of the people of the region and, for example, the resulting loss of a great national heritage. Pupils have followed the course of a river, noting land features through which it travelled and how it fits into the water cycle. There are few examples of pupils reading to find out more information. However, there is growing use of the Internet to research information, for example, about Southport. When compiling graphs to show the types and weight of litter found around school, pupils in Year 4 use ICT effectively to display their work. Older pupils use

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GEOGRAPHY

Ordnance Survey maps well to locate the Mersey Travel region. Higher-attaining pupils in these lessons are able to choose two places on the map and write about how to get from one to the other using the most suitable methods of travelling, including the Mersey Ferry.

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GEOGRAPHY

109. Teaching is satisfactory, overall, and sometimes good. Where teaching was good, the teacher had good subject knowledge and a thorough understanding of what the pupils should know and understand. Learning objectives were made clear to the pupils, and the teacher had high expectations of their behaviour and their ability to express their thoughts clearly, using correct geographical language. Occasionally, teachers set tasks that were not clearly explained and understood by the pupils. An example of this was when pupils in Year 4 were asked to contrast an imaginary place with their own local environment; they found this task too abstract. However, the teacher recognised the problem and lesson plans were changed for a similar lesson given to another class. A review of pupils’ work shows that marking could do more to extend the pupils’ geographical understanding and that sometimes similar work is set for all ability levels. On other

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GEOGRAPHY

occasions, work is well matched to the various ability levels within a class. A good example of this was when the teacher challenged higher-attaining pupils in Year 2 to produce their own questionnaire to use when completing a survey of Southport. This was then used as a teaching document during the lesson.

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GEOGRAPHY

110. Pupils’ attitudes to learning are good. They listen and try hard to respond to the teachers’ questions and work well together in pairs or groups. Enrichment activities include out of school visits and investigations of places locally and further afield. Throughout the school, pupils with special educational needs are well supported within lessons and this enables them to achieve well. When pupils are withdrawn from class for individual or small group teaching they rejoin their class without fuss and settle quickly.

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GEOGRAPHY

111. The subject is co-ordinated well on a day-to-day basis but more development is needed of assessment and monitoring procedures. Good progress has been made in supplementing and improving the curriculum. Assessment procedures have been recently introduced but are not fully integrated into the planning system, although they are used well in some lessons. Monitoring of teaching and pupils’ work has yet to be developed.

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HISTORY

112. Pupils’ attainment in history is in line with national expectations at the end of Years 2 and 6. Pupils make sound progress in the subject. This is similar to the last inspection, but in 1998 judgements were tentative because there was not enough evidence available. Now pupils meet the nationally expected level in a comprehensive and assured way. The curriculum has improved well since the time of the last inspection. Northway Community Primary School - 42 113. By the end of Year 2, pupils understand the concept of the past through studies of their own family tree. They understand where they fit into their family history, what significant things have happened to them and in what order. They know a great deal about the recent past through listening well to grandparents and great grandparents who have been invited into school to talk to them. They can find out interesting historical facts, from books and the Internet, about famous

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HISTORY

people such as Tutankhamun, and write or draw about them in a way that fascinates them months later. Pupils have visited Ellesmere Port Museum to study narrow boats and learnt about the kind of homes created on-board. These have been successfully compared by the pupils to their own homes. In all this work, most pupils achieve satisfactorily. Pupils with special educational needs achieve similar standards, which represent good achievement for them. Those capable of higher attainment do not do as well as they could. They have gained a good level of factual knowledge, but have not yet begun to explain why events took place and to use books and other sources of information, in any depth, to answer questions about the past.

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HISTORY

114. By the end of Year 6, pupils have a satisfactory knowledge of the periods they have studied, for example, the Victorian era with special reference to Southport as a local town that expanded rapidly in those times. Their achievement is enhanced by visits to places of interest and a variety of other techniques designed to make learning more interesting. For example, pupils were encouraged to think about Ann Boleyn’s feelings when writing a fictitious entry in her diary. They also produced a heart-felt letter home from on-board a ship in the English fleet fighting the Armada. Despite these good aspects, higher-attaining pupils, in particular, are restricted in the way that they learn. Too often work is planned for those who are average-attaining and lacks challenge in respect of explaining events, researching from different sources and collating evidence. This lack of opportunity is compounded by the fact that pupils are often expected to

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HISTORY

work in the same exercise book that they use for geography and religious education. This tends to confuse pupils so that when talking about their work they get muddled about what they have learnt.

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HISTORY

115. The quality of teaching is satisfactory throughout the school. Pupils learn reasonably well and show good levels of interest in what they have done, particularly in connection with the visits that they make and the special events in school, such as the Viking Saga experience. Pupils’ work is marked regularly, but in some classes they do not receive hints on how to improve their work. Teachers have just begun to assess pupils’ work at the end of a topic, but the results of these assessments are not yet used to set more demanding tasks for higher-attaining pupils, for example.

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HISTORY

116. The subject is enthusiastically led. This has ensured the improvement since the last inspection. The co-ordinator has created a good interest in the subject and how it can be developed. Resources for learning are good and the range of extra activities to promote a wider interest in history is good. Assessment is at an early stage and it is too soon to see the results from the system implemented recently. Teaching is not monitored directly, although the school is aware of this shortcoming and has a plan to tackle this weakness.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

117. Attainment meets national expectations at the end of both Years 2 and 6. There have been good improvements since the last inspection, when standards for pupils in Year 6 were below expectations and an issue for development. Improvements have been due to significant developments in the range and quality of equipment, training undertaken by all teaching staff, the adoption of the national scheme of work and the introduction of a whole-school assessment system. Pupils use the Internet to research topics and send e-mails and there is satisfactory use of ICT within other subjects, such as English, mathematics and art and design.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

118. Pupils in Year 1 learn to collect data from different sources in order to construct pictograms showing the different ways of travelling to holiday destinations. Good teaching means that they are confident in working on the computer and ready to enter and store information on a simple database. In Year 2, most pupils are able to ‘log on’ to computer programs independently and enter data into a program. They use computer generated tally charts and pictograms to answer simple mathematical questions. In Year 3, pupils write and improve a first draft of an e-mail using Northway Community Primary School - 43 basic editing skills to delete and insert text, and using the capitals key appropriately. Pupils in Year 6 identify and enter formulae into a spreadsheet. They understand the function of a ‘formula’ in a spreadsheet and can use one appropriately to total a range of scores; they understand that

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

the total will change automatically as numbers are altered. In investigating the question “Are boys taller than girls?” they are able to enter given data into a spreadsheet and

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

insert formulae to calculate average heights. To illustrate their work, they independently access, select and insert pictures from a picture bank. Additional ICT equipment, such as ‘floor turtles’ which can be programmed, sensor equipment and digital cameras are used effectively.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

119. The quality of teaching and learning in most lessons observed was good. Occasionally, it was very good and sometimes, satisfactory. Teachers are confident in the subject and organise interesting tasks for pupils to practise their skills. Consequently, pupils are keen to work with the computers, co-operate in pairs willingly and, in most cases, work at a suitably independent level for their age. Lower-attaining pupils and those with special educational needs are helped to achieve well through the support of teaching assistants. Where teaching is good, higher-attaining pupils are challenged by extension activities, such as when pupils in Year 6 were challenged to design a spreadsheet to calculate the perimeter of a rectangle. Teachers make good use of the school’s computer suite to undertake whole-class lessons both in ICT and in other subjects, such as mathematics. There are times, however, when the suite is out of use for quite long periods.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

120. The subject is managed well owing to the good subject knowledge and enthusiasm of the co- ordinator, which have supported the good improvements in standards since the last inspection. National grants have been used well to purchase new computers and to provide training in the use of the new equipment. Assessment systems are suitable but have yet to impact fully on standards.

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MUSIC

121. Attainment matches national expectations in both Years 2 and 6. Pupils are achieving satisfactorily. The above average standards reported at the time of the last inspection are no longer evident owing to staffing changes. None the less, the curriculum has been recently improved and standards are rising again.

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MUSIC

122. Pupils’ singing in Year 2 is of above average quality. In music lessons and infant assemblies, pupils sing tunefully, with clear diction, accurate rhythm and good control of timing. Throughout the school, pupils use tuned and untuned percussion instruments to compose music, often working within small groups. Recorded music is played in assemblies and music lessons to enable pupils to develop an appreciation of its qualities. Those who choose to do so improve their singing by joining the choir, and learn to play a descant recorder and brass, string or wind instruments.

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MUSIC

123. The quality of teaching is satisfactory overall and good in Year 2 and Year 6. In a lesson observed in Year 2, groups of pupils made good progress in composing music to accompany a seaside poem. Pupils enjoyed the challenge and managed to control the sounds of the percussion instruments increasingly well. With the teacher’s support, they were able to sequence the sounds to match the order of the poem. Pupils in the class of Year 1 and 2 pupils made less progress because they were allowed only a short time to practise and little time to experiment with the instruments. In both classes, pupils concentrated well and made a good effort owing to the teachers’ enthusiasm and encouragement. Some of the pupils with special educational needs required extra help in reading the text and completing the task, which was suitably provided by the teacher, supported by a student teacher working in school, and they

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MUSIC

124. In a lesson observed in Year 6, pupils made a good start to a project that links music compositions to a variety of starting points, such as extremes of weather conditions. The lesson was well organised and controlled, instructions were clear and a suitable time was allowed for individual practice. As a result, pupils co-operated well in small groups, showed confidence in their own skills and a good interest in improving their work. In a good example at the end of the Northway Community Primary School - 44 lesson, a group of three pupils performed an imaginative and tuneful repeat pattern to represent the sounds of a volcano erupting. Helpful comments from the rest of the class encouraged pupils to review their own performance. The pupils’ use of technical terms is hesitant. Good support was provided for developing this skill in a lesson in Year 5, where the teacher displayed a list of musical terms to help pupils to describe more accurately the differences between contrasting

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MUSIC

compositions. Pupils with special educational needs receive extra help as necessary from the teacher to enable them to complete their work to a suitable standard for their age. 125. The subject is managed well on day-to-day basis, with good support provided for teachers. The co-ordinator has a good understanding of the requirements of the curriculum and supports colleagues well through researching and organising resources that provide an interesting programme of work through the school. Opportunities are provided for pupils to take part in local musical events and these supplement the learning well of the pupils who choose to take part. There was little evidence of teachers using ICT to extend or support pupils’ learning and little work is recorded for review. An assessment system is at the planning stage but is not yet available for class use.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

126. Attainment is above average in both Year 2 and Year 6. This maintains the standards identified in the last inspection for pupils in Year 6 and represents good improvement for pupils in Year 2. All pupils are suitably challenged and achieve well. Pupils with special educational needs are fully included in all activities and make good progress. Improvements in provision since the last inspection are the result of a staff training initiative that has improved confidence in teaching.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

127. From Year 1, pupils show good co-ordination and control as they move in their games lesson. Good teaching, enabled by good subject knowledge, means that suitable and challenging tasks are set to improve the pupils’ skills well. Most pupils quickly learn good control of large balls as they pat-bounce them along the playground. Higher-attaining pupils keep the balls in good control as they move around cones marking out a course on the playground. Similarly, pupils in Year 2 made very good progress in learning to control a ball with their feet, refining their abilities rapidly when challenged to dribble a football through increasingly narrow gaps. Higher-attaining pupils were able to pass the ball skilfully to another pupil, remembering the training session with visitors from Everton football club. Where teaching is very good throughout, pupils exercise well, remaining active and improving skills constantly within a well-managed lesson. Weak

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

organisation in an otherwise good lesson meant that, for the extension activity, pupils spent time queuing to practise skills, with some never having a turn to practise. Pupils work very well together, and the high priority given by the teachers to the quality of relationships clearly helps to establish a purposeful atmosphere in which pupils are secure and confident.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

128. In Year 3, a good proportion of pupils demonstrated very well co-ordinated, expressive dance movement in response to music on the theme of movement in the wind. In Year 6, pupils made very good progress as they worked to devise a dance routine to Chris Rea’s song ‘On the Beach’. Very good teaching and good class management enabled the learning to proceed at a good pace; the teacher’s high expectations and good subject skills meant that pupils put great effort and imagination into their work and achieved very well. School records for swimming show that most pupils reach the 25 metres target set nationally and a good proportion exceed 100 metres.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

129. Teaching is of good quality, overall, and sometimes very good. Teachers generally have good subject knowledge and challenge pupils well. Where teaching is satisfactory rather than good, class management is weaker. This means that the lesson time available is not fully utilised, either because the teacher is distracted by unsettled behaviour or because not enough apparatus is made available for a whole class. Where teaching is very good, the organisation, planning and high expectations of teachers illustrate the benefits of the staff training. Games skills in particular have improved as a result of the school’s involvement in a national sport improvement project.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

130. The joint co-ordinators are enthusiastic and well informed, and their efforts have clearly helped to improve standards of teaching and learning. Resources are of good quality and have recently been enhanced by pupils raising money through sponsored activities. There is no system for assessing pupils’ skills and the school has identified this as a point for development. The curriculum covers Northway Community Primary School - 45 all the required areas of learning and is enhanced by after-school clubs, visitors to school and the residential activity weekend arranged for pupils in Year 6. Northway Community Primary School - 46

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

131. Attainment by the end of Year 2 and Year 6 is in line with the expectations of the locally agreed syllabus and pupils make satisfactory progress.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

132. The curriculum is suitably balanced between learning about the practices and beliefs of different world religions and considering the feeling of belonging to a faith community. In addition to hearing stories from the Bible and other religious books, pupils in Years 1 and 2 show that they understand something of the concept of ‘belonging’ by comments such as “You’re part of your family”, “We belong to school”, “Your second name shows you belong to a family”, and “You can wear a badge to show you belong to the school/Beavers/Brownies”. They consider the types of special clothing a member of a group might wear and the traditions they follow. They try to identify who and what is important within their own lives. Pupils in Years 3 and 4 have researched the religious places in the area and asked questions of visitors about beliefs, customs and symbolism. Pupils in Years 5 and 6 know stories from the Old and New Testaments, and

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

understand some of the links with Judaism, such as when Moses and the Israelites crossed the Red Sea. In discussion, pupils remember some of the key features of Sikhism and Islam. They learn about the famous people working to support others, such as through the life story of Mother Theresa. Good links are made to the literacy curriculum with their written accounts of the life of John the Baptist and newspaper-style reports of Jesus changing water to wine.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

133. The quality of teaching and learning is good, overall, for pupils in Years 1 and 2, and satisfactory for pupils in Years 3 to 6. In the younger classes, teachers demonstrate good subject knowledge. Throughout the school, teachers use questioning well to test pupils’ understanding and recollection, sensitively encouraging all pupils to offer their own ideas and contributions to discussions . Learning is enhanced through activities such as teaching pupils a dance to celebrate Divali and the making of Diva lamps.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

134. Management of the subject is satisfactory overall. The co-ordinator is well qualified to lead the subject but has been hampered by long-term absence due to illness. As a result, monitoring of planning for the subject has been limited and there has been no checking of pupils’ learning or the quality of teaching in lessons over the past year. No systems for assessment are established. A satisfactory range of resources and artefacts from a range of world religions is available to support teaching and learning.

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