Church Road Primary School

CHURCH ROAD PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 7 - 10 October 2002

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CHURCH ROAD PRIMARY SCHOOL

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

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CHURCH ROAD 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. Church Road Primary School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Captains Clough Road BOLTON

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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 Norma Cook J.P.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 17/11/1997 Church Road Primary School - 4

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Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

25470 Jean Morley Registered inspector English What sort of school is it? How high are standards? a) The school’s results and achievements How well is the school led and managed? What should the school do to improve further? 8990 David Tytler 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? 30724 Delia Hiscock Team inspector Science Art and design How well are pupils taught?

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Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

20444 David Hughes Team inspector Mathematics Design and technology Physical education Special educational needs 3930 Roy Pitcher Team inspector Geography History Religious education How good are the curricular and other opportunities open to pupils? 12232 Diane Atkinson Team inspector Information and communication technology Music The foundation stage Educational inclusion English as an additional language Church Road Primary School - 5 The inspection contractor was:

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Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Cambridge Education Associates Ltd Demeter House Station Road Cambridge CB1 2RS

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Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

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

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Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Church Road Primary School - 6

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 7

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

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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS? 11

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Church Road Primary School is situated on the outskirts of Bolton and caters for pupils aged three to 11. It has 439 pupils who attend full-time and a further 36 who attend part-time in the nursery. Almost all pupils are white and from British backgrounds and there are none for whom English is an additional language. Eleven per cent of pupils are eligible for free school meals: a below average proportion. Twenty per cent of pupils have special educational needs and two per cent have statements of special need: both proportions are close to the average nationally. Pupils’ special needs relate to learning, behaviour, communication and physical impairment. Staff turnover has been high over the past two years: of a total of 19 teachers, ten have left the school and eight have joined. The current headteacher took up the post in September 2001. Pupil turnover is of more modest proportions. Sixteen joined and

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

32 pupils left in the last school year: ten per cent of the school population. Attainment on entry to the school is broadly in line with that expected, although sometimes a little below that level.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

This school provides a satisfactory and improving quality of education for its pupils. The quality of teaching is good overall, but this is a recent improvement and its full impact has not yet fed through to the school’s national test results. Currently, standards are below average in English, mathematics, science and information and communication technology (ICT), although in the recent past they have been less good than they are now. The leadership and management of the headteacher and his deputy are sound. They have successfully built a strong team spirit in the school and a unified commitment to improvement. Responsibilities have been delegated very wisely: the work of key staff and subject co- ordinators is impressive and a strength of the school. There are shortcomings, however, in school development planning and in laying down clear expectations for pupils’ behaviour in and around school.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

These undermine the effectiveness of the good teaching. Most pupils are now making satisfactory progress and as such, the school offers sound value for money.

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What the school does well

• The overall quality of teaching is good, as is the work of classroom support staff. This is beginning to have an impact on standards. • The work of the assessment, curriculum and Early Years co-ordinators, and of those who co- ordinate key subjects is strong and already proving effective. • The curriculum – including extra-curricular activities – provides a rich and varied diet for pupils. • Provision for pupils with special educational needs is good and this enables them to make good progress.

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What could be improved

• Standards in English, mathematics, science and ICT. • The amount of lesson-time that teachers need to spend establishing the quality of behaviour, courtesy and attitudes to work that should be firmly in place before pupils enter their classrooms. • The School Development Plan: its emphasis on raising standards, the use that it makes of co- ordinator’s action plans, links with spending decisions and the level to which governors are involved in its production, implementation and evaluation of the action taken. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school was last inspected in November 1997. Since then – and prior to the appointment of the current headteacher 13 months ago - it has been through a period of instability, with many staff changes. Documentation shows that standards, the quality of teaching, pupils’ behaviour and financial management had all deteriorated significantly from the levels of 1997. For example, an external local inspection of the quality of teaching in the school in 2000 reported a high level of unsatisfactory teaching. All these areas are now improving. Furthermore, the school has dealt satisfactorily with almost all of the key issues raised in the 1997 report although it still does not check well enough on the effect of its spending decisions. There are many new teachers and classroom support staff and the Church Road Primary School - 8 quality of teaching is better now than it was five years ago and very significantly better than in 2000. The

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

weak elements in behaviour highlighted in the last report still pertain and, although there have been improvements over the last year, the managers of the school have not yet done enough to address them. In addition, there is still work to do to raise standards. Due to the difficulties faced since the last inspection, improvement since 1997 has been barely satisfactory overall. Improvement in the last year has been good and the school is now well placed to address the issues it faces, not least because there is a clear whole school commitment to do so.

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

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Key

The table shows that, in 2001, Year 6 pupils achieved standards in English, mathematics and science that were below average when compared with all schools nationally. When compared with similar schools, standards in mathematics were below average while those in English and science were well below. In 2002, the proportion of pupils who achieved the national standard (Level 4) in English and in science was similar to that in 2001 but there was a nine per cent drop in mathematics. However, there was an increase in the proportion achieving the higher level, Level 5, in both English and mathematics. In 2001, Year 2 pupils’ attainment was below the national standard in mathematics and well below it in reading and writing. When compared with similar schools the results were all well below average and, in writing, were in the lowest five per cent of schools nationally. Results in 2002 are better in all three

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Key

areas, but still below the national average. Up to 2001, the trend of improvement in the school was below the national trend. These data are not currently available for 2002. Inspectors find that standards remain below expectations for pupils at the end of Years 2 and 6. They are broadly as expected for children at the end of the reception class. In ICT, Year 2 pupils achieve the expected standard, while those in Year 6 fall short of it. Attainment is above that expected in art for the younger pupils and in history and physical education for the older pupils. The school fell about ten per cent short of the targets it set for English and mathematics in 2002 and, given the current rate of progress, Year 6 pupils are likely to fall short of the very challenging targets set for the 2003 tests. Most pupils are now making good progress, due to good teaching but this is not enough to make up for the problems of the past and to enable the

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Key

Year 6 pupils to catch up to average levels by the time they leave the school. Younger pupils are on line to do so.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Sound, overall. Most pupils have satisfactory attitudes and are keen to learn, though a minority have unsatisfactory attitudes.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Satisfactory. Most pupils behave satisfactorily, but some do not. Noisy behaviour by a minority of pupils out of classrooms is not controlled well enough. As a result, a few pupils are not ready to settle to their work and do not benefit fully from the good quality work of their teachers. Church Road Primary School - 9 Personal development and relationships Relationships between pupils and most teachers are good. Those between pupils are satisfactory. Pupils’ personal development is unsatisfactory because they are not able to shoulder responsibility well enough.

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Aspect Comment

Attendance Attendance is satisfactory. Some pupils are frequently late. The time taken for pupils to get from the playground to their classroom is too long.

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Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

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

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Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

The overall quality of teaching in the school is good. It is consistently very good in the nursery and good overall in lessons in the reception classes and in Years 2 to 6. It is least effective in Year 1, where too little has been done to support the teachers working with these young pupils. When teaching in Year 1 and other year groups is less than good, it is because teachers have to spend too much time in settling restless children, who then spend too long sitting on the carpet. Nevertheless, the teachers’ skills eventually ensure that pupils settle to their learning, often from a less than orderly arrival. Basic literacy and numeracy skills are invariably taught well in English and mathematics lessons. Reading and writing skills are not always developed well in other subjects. Teachers plan well, and are skilled at assessing how well pupils have learned and where their misconceptions lie. The work of

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Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

classroom support staff makes a significant and positive contribution to the quality of teaching in the school. In particular, they provide consistently good support to pupils with special educational needs (SEN), enabling them to achieve well. There is limited provision for gifted or talented pupils. Pupils in the nursery and reception classes learn well. So, too, do pupils in Years 2, 3, 5 and 6 and most of the pupils in Year 4. The slowness of pupils’ movement from the playground to the classroom means that whole classes often arrive late for lessons and valuable time is lost. Inspectors judge that, over the period of a week, this is likely to amount to one full session and this wasted time has a negative impact on standards.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum Good. The curriculum has improved as a result of the high quality work of co-ordinators and the curriculum manager. ICT remains unsatisfactory: there are too few computers and pupils have inadequate, irregular access to them to support their work across the curriculum.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Good. Clear records are kept of individual pupils’ progress. The co- ordinator manages the area well and the work of support staff enhances pupils’ learning.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Satisfactory, overall, and for pupils’ spiritual, moral and cultural development. Provision for their social development is not good enough because, in the school as a whole, children are not shown how to work and get on together well enough.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils Satisfactory. The school has addressed the health and safety concerns raised by parents. The curriculum is being unified and enhanced by a Church Road Primary School - 10 new, high quality assessment programme. Most parents are supportive of the school and are becoming increasingly involved with their children’s learning at home.

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff Satisfactory overall but with clear strengths and weaknesses. The headteacher and his deputy work well together and use the strengths of key members of staff well. There is still much to be done: improving pupils’ general conduct, raising standards and establishing a good quality blueprint for the further development of the school are the three key priorities.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Sound. Governors’ involvement in the school is actively encouraged by the headteacher. They are keen to become more involved and are beginning to understand the strengths and weakness of the school and to be able to help shape its direction.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance Sound. The school has an accurate perception of what it does well and where it needs to improve.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources The school makes satisfactory use of resources and good use of the high quality work of teaching assistants.

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Aspect Comment

Staffing is generous. Accommodation is adequate and the good classroom refurbishment programme is making a significant difference. The outdoor play area for the youngest children is unsatisfactory. Resources are sound. The school does not yet apply the principles of best value.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• their child likes school, is expected to work hard and makes good progress; • the quality of teaching is good; • the school is approachable; • their child is helped to become mature and responsible. • the amount of homework their child receives; • the information they receive about how their child is getting on; • the working partnership between home and school.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

Inspectors agree with most of the positive views of parents. They do not agree, however, that the school does enough to help pupils to become mature and responsible. The homework pupils receive is satisfactory overall. The school is eager to work with parents and welcomes their contributions. It tries hard to keep parents informed about how their child is getting on but there is room for improvement in the quality of the end of year reports. Church Road Primary School - 11

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

1. The staff instability experienced by the school in the period between the inspections of 1997 and 2001 – many staff leaving and joining – has coincided with a fall in standards. Documented and verbal evidence from the LEA clearly shows this to be the case. So too does national data: while standards matched national averages at the time of the last inspection, all subsequent test data (i.e. from 1998 to 2001) show standards that are below, well below or very low when compared with national averages. In 2001, in comparison with both national averages and with the average performance of schools similar to Church Road, Year 6 pupils’ attainment fell short of expectations, sometimes well short. (See details in the summary of this report.) Girls outperformed boys in all areas tested, particularly in English. The percentages of boys and girls achieving Level 4 in English, mathematics and science respectively are 62 and 86; 67 and 75; and

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

2. Under new leadership, the proportion of Year 2 pupils achieving Level 2 in the 2002 tests rose in all three areas tested: reading, writing and mathematics. So, too, did the proportion of Year 6 pupils achieving the higher level, Level 5, in English and mathematics. Nevertheless, at the age of eleven, standards remained below those nationally. Pupils currently in Year 6 are making rapid progress but from a low baseline and it is unlikely that the 2003 test results will show significant improvement on those of the current year. Year 5 pupils, however, are already working at the same level as those who are a full year older, so, if their rate of progress continues, it is likely that the Year 6 results in 2004 will be significantly better. Given the circumstances surrounding the life of this school, and to be fair to the current headteacher and staff, it is only fair to assess improvement in standards against their lowest ebb. To make comparisons solely against the

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

(broadly satisfactory) standards reported at the time of the last inspection would be to discount the improvements that this new ‘team’ has made. Improvements in standards since the arrival of the current headteacher have been satisfactory and inspectors judge that the trend continues to be an upward one. Much, however, remains to be achieved as in English, mathematics and science, standards currently remain below average, albeit by less than the recent test results suggest.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

3. So, standards are improving, albeit at a modest rate. There were two key factors that made possible the improvements seen in 2002: • one was the overall good quality of teaching in the school; • the other was the impact of the work of the assessment co-ordinator, who has worked with staff to develop their use of assessment and to help them to set targets to help pupils towards a better understanding of how they are doing. There are a further two factors, however, that prevented the two features above from achieving their full potential: • one was the restless behaviour of pupils, which has not been tackled at whole school level; • the other was the lack of a school development plan that placed the kind of emphasis on raising standards likely to drive them upwards at the best possible rate. These two factors still pertain and are key issues for the school to address.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

4. Children achieve well in the nursery and reception classes. By the end of the reception year, most children have achieved the early learning goals in all areas of learning. Although there is some fluctuation from year to year, they enter Year 1 broadly in line with national expectations overall, and with the advantage of confidence and interest in their work. Their speaking and listening skills are very well developed and nearly all are working at least at the initial level of the National Curriculum – a little ahead of what is expected. The achievements of pupils in Years 1 to 6 are now satisfactory, though the difficulties experienced by the school has led to underachievement over the longer term by pupils in Year 6. Church Road Primary School - 12 5. The standards that pupils achieve in literacy and numeracy are below expectations. While pupils have some good opportunities in several subjects of the curriculum to practise and consolidate

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

the literacy skills they have been taught, there is room to extend this good practice. Opportunities for pupils to develop numeracy skills are satisfactory and are in evidence, for example in graphs in science and measurement in design and technology. Across the school pupils do not present their work well enough.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

6. The school does set challenging targets. It fell short of meeting them in 2002 and, although current Year 6 pupils are making good progress. It is unlikely given the low baseline from which they are working, that they will be met in 2003. To that extent, the targets for the current school year are unrealistically high.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

7. The achievements of pupils with special educational needs are good. Pupils with such needs receive effective support in lessons often learning in small groups that ensures they make good and well monitored progress. This is a marked improvement since the last inspection where pupils with special educational needs were found to make unsatisfactory progress. Pupils enjoy their work and respect and value the work of others in the class or group. All statutory requirements are well met. There is currently limited provision for gifted and talented pupils.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

8. Standards in ICT meet national expectations in Year 2 but fall short of them in Year 6. The pupil to computer ratio is not good enough and, combined with differences between classes in access to, and use of, the computer suite, low standards result.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

9. Standards in art for pupils in Years 1 and 2 and in history and physical education for pupils in Years 3 to 6 are above those expected for pupils of a similar age. There was insufficient evidence for inspectors to make a judgement on standards in physical education in Years 1 and 2 or in design and technology in Years 1 to 6. In music, the quality of some work was good but an overall judgement was not possible because the work seen during the inspection did not cover the breadth of the music curriculum. Standards in other subjects are as expected of primary aged pupils.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

10. The attitudes and behaviour of the pupils remain satisfactory as they were at the time of the last inspection. However, they are currently a concern of the school. The behaviour of most pupils in most classes and outside lessons is satisfactory with the majority understanding that they are in school to learn. In a number of lessons during the inspection, their behaviour was good or very good, underpinning positive attitudes, which led to effective learning. Against this positive finding, however, the underlying restlessness of a significant minority of pupils interrupted the learning of the majority in some classes as teachers had to spend too long in settling pupils. This was particularly evident, although not exclusively so, in Years 1 and 4.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

11. The school recognises the need to develop a whole school approach to behaviour management, which can be applied consistently by all staff throughout the school day. Pupils do not yet fully understand the need to behave calmly around the school so that they enter their classrooms ready to learn. In particular, the two large staircases attract unruly and noisy behaviour from pupils. Parents are generally happy about the level of behaviour and feel that the headteacher promotes an ethos of sensible and responsible behaviour. Lunchtime behaviour is beginning to improve and there have been no exclusions in the last 12 months.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

12. There is much good practice in the school based on mutual respect between pupils and adults. There are consistently very good attitudes and behaviour in the nursery as a result of the good teaching. Children realise the need to do well, take care in their efforts and understand what is expected of them. They develop confidence, control their own actions and enjoy new discoveries. In a reception mathematics lesson pupils were interested and engaged by the imaginative way the teacher demonstrated that simply because a parcel was bigger it was not necessarily heavier.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

13. In a Year 3 mathematics lesson, pupils responded well to the teacher’s high expectations of behaviour and work. They had positive attitudes and were well behaved throughout. As a result Church Road Primary School - 13 they made good gains in understanding symmetry and how to investigate lines of symmetry. Similarly high standards were found in a science lesson in the other Year 3 class when pupils examined their own teeth thoroughly and with great delight. Pupils in a Year 6 lesson showed commitment to their work and were enthusiastic learners, which enabled them to make very good progress in their lesson.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

14. Pupils showed positive attitudes in a well-planned Year 4 ICT lesson which combined learning in history with acquiring new research skills. Their sustained interest enabled them to make good gains in their knowledge and understanding in both subjects. The positive attitudes displayed by all pupils in a very good Year 2 music lesson resulted in a dramatic improvement in their performance skills, particularly in singing.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

15. There are now more opportunities for pupils to work productively together as they did in a very good Year 5 dance lesson taken by an accomplished performance artist. Examples were also seen when pupils were confident to express their ideas and views to others in the class, who listened carefully and appreciatively. In a very well led and managed Year 3 circle time discussion, pupils thought carefully about what they had achieved during the course of the morning and in a very successful Year 4 class assembly, pupils responded well to the teacher’s sensitive approach and listened to each other carefully.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

16. In many lessons the satisfactory attitudes and behaviour were a direct result of the teachers’ behaviour management skills. In others, the restlessness, silly behaviour and lack of concentration evident in a significant minority of pupils seriously slowed the pace of the lesson and hampered the progress made by others. The unsatisfactory behaviour in these lessons was sometimes, but not always, linked to weaknesses in the behaviour management skills of the teachers. Not enough has been done in the school as a whole to establish known parameters for pupils.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

17. Whilst most pupils are enthusiastic, this enthusiasm is not always channelled into productive learning. In an English lesson, for example, pupils showed evidence of selfishness and lack of maturity, grabbing whiteboards and pens when they were told they would need them. As the lesson progressed the bubbling restlessness slowed down the pace of learning. The interest of pupils was hard-earned and maintaining their attention was a constant issue.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

18. Pupils help their teachers in a variety of ways and Year 6 pupils are asked to volunteer for specific tasks and explain why they particularly want that job. Many help in monitoring behaviour in the playground and on the stairs. Whilst they take these responsibilities seriously and perform them to the best of their ability, more adult support is required.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

19. Attendance is slightly above the national average and the rate of authorised absence matches the national figure. Teaching and learning, however, are impeded by the lateness of some pupils at the start of the school day and by the length of time it takes to bring children into school.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

20. During the inspection 72 lessons were seen. The quality of teaching in these lessons is shown in the table in Part C of the report.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

21. The quality of teaching is good overall. Considerable improvement has occurred since May 2000 when monitoring by local education advisers judged that a high proportion of the lessons seen were unsatisfactory. This indicates clearly that the quality of teaching deteriorated during the three years after the last inspection when approximately 15 per cent was unsatisfactory. This legacy is seen in the pattern of low standards over the past five years.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

22. There is good teaching in the Foundation Stage: in the nursery it is consistently very good. In Years 1 and 2 it is satisfactory overall: teaching is good in Year 2 but has not done enough to help Year 1 pupils to settle. It is good in Years 3 to 6. As a result the rate of pupils’ progress is gaining some momentum. Of particular note is the very effective teamwork in the Foundation Church Road Primary School - 14 Stage and the sensitive understanding of how young children learn best. This gets them off to a strong start. New teachers coming into the school have reduced the level of unsatisfactory teaching. Despite the high calibre of these teachers, their work and that of all teachers is made more difficult than it should be because too little work has been undertaken by managers of the school to establish better behaviour from pupils in the school as a whole. As a result, overall, the

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

quality of teaching is higher than the quality of pupils’ learning.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

23. A lot of emphasis has been placed on ensuring that literacy, numeracy and science are taught well. In general, pupils work in ability groups in their classes so that work can be more easily matched to their needs, particularly in the daily literacy and numeracy sessions. In addition, numeracy skills are further practised in science, through line graphs in Year 6, for example. Literacy skills are practised in lessons other than English but this would benefit from more structured planning to ensure that the opportunities on offer match what the school feels would be ideal.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

24. The teaching and learning for pupils with special needs is good throughout the school. They participate in clearly planned lessons and Individual Education Plans are soundly constructed and used to both monitor and prescribe for future individual need. Teaching assistants support pupils with special educational needs effectively. They provide appropriate activities to meet individual needs and to enhance learning whether they are working in classrooms or in withdrawal groups. This is a significant improvement since the last inspection. However, on occasions in science, the school fails to challenge the most able pupils.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

25. The effect of good teaching is not yet evident in test results at the end of Years 2 and 6. The generally increasing rate of pupils’ progress in English, mathematics and science, indicates that better teaching is bringing about measurable improvements. This is seen for instance, in pupils’ developing skills and understanding of scientific enquiry. With thorough training and the influx of new staff, teachers have built up a good level of knowledge of how best to teach basic literacy and numeracy skills, such as phonics and mental arithmetic. The quality of teaching is often at its best when the subject is the teacher’s own area of expertise. This is the case in English, mathematics, science, art, physical education and history and demonstrates the strengths in teachers’ curriculum knowledge and teaching skill overall.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

26. A good number of key strengths characterise the teaching. Teachers plan consistently well across the school and skilfully check pupils’ assumptions and misconceptions. They make sure that pupils know exactly what they are expected to learn in each lesson. Additionally, the end of lessons is regularly punctuated by a crisp drawing together of teaching points to check on how well pupils have learned. Teachers in Years 3 to 6 are particularly effective in the way that they subtly fire pupils’ interest encouraging them to want to do more and go further without realising that it is work: the enthusiasm of boys for the poem ‘Charge of the Light Brigade’ was testament to this. It is also because teachers make thorough use of the information in core subjects. Teaching assistants help to create classroom settings to support the increased range of practical learning activities for all pupils. This is making children increasingly interested but also aware

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

that they are expected to work hard. Teachers use resources well to support their explanations and to make it easier for pupils to understand more clearly. For example, small whiteboards and felt pens bring an immediate participation in learning.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

27. The unsatisfactory teaching seen during the inspection occurred mainly, but not exclusively, in Year 1. Much is due to negative behaviour of a significant minority of unsettled pupils following lunchtime and playtimes. Learning is adversely affected as teachers have to work hard to deliver the lesson and in the process, children spend too long on the carpet. This brings more difficulties as teaching is laboured and children lose concentration and interest. In addition, where teachers have changed classes at the start of the school year, there has been too little management support to prepare teachers for the particular skills needed to teach another age group.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

28. Praising pupils for their work is very much part of the school’s ethos and teachers take every opportunity to ensure that pupils feel that their work is important. However, despite robust teacher expectations that pupils will learn successfully, the quality of the teaching does not balance with the quality of learning. The exception to this is in the Foundation Stage where Church Road Primary School - 15 children learn consistently well. There are several key reasons for this discrepancy. With the onset of new management in the school, there has been much school emphasis on improving the quality of teaching and this has reaped substantial benefits that have harnessed expertise and teamwork. Most pupils want to learn and show keen interest in new ideas and facts, but the behaviour of a significant minority is a common factor in less successful learning. This shows itself in poor concentration and a somewhat negative attitude to learning. As well as this, pupils’

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

talk demonstrates better understanding and thought than that reflected in their recorded work. This is partly because teachers are more skilful at engaging pupils’ in discussion than in using their completed work to establish what has been learned. This partly reflects inconsistencies in the quality of marking, which is not always good enough. Some loss of learning also occurs because a considerable number of lessons start late: procedures for establishing a climate conducive to learning as pupils enter the classrooms from the playground are not good enough, nor is their tardy time of arrival in the classroom. Added to this, in lessons that are reasonably sound overall, pupils often achieve less than was planned because they spend too long on the carpet, become restless and so lose concentration. Pupils in a significant number of classes are not good at working independently of their teacher: their work-rate is too slow as they spend too

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TO PUPILS?

29. The school has a broad and relevant curriculum. It provides equal opportunities for all pupils, including those with special educational needs, for whom the provision is good. There is no special provision for gifted and talented pupils. Planning includes good quality guidance for teaching the pupils in the Foundation Stage, and for covering the subjects of the National Curriculum and the requirements of the locally agreed syllabus for religious education.

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TO PUPILS?

30. The curriculum for the children in nursery and reception classes (the Foundation Stage) is good. It follows the national guidance and provides a very good balance of experiences across the six areas of learning. These are thoroughly covered with realistic links made between them. This ensures that children make good progress towards the nationality recommended early learning goals, which lead naturally into the early stages of the National Curriculum. The principles of learning through first hand experience, investigation and play are very carefully planned for and successfully underpin teaching and learning in both age groups. There is clear guidance for all adults participating in activities, which ensures that the focus and learning intentions are similar and shared. In the reception classes, as the year progresses, the children are increasingly involved in a modified form of the literacy and numeracy hours. Children are encouraged to enjoy

p.15

TO PUPILS?

learning and take an increasing part in group activities. The provision prepares them well for the next stage of their education.

p.15

TO PUPILS?

31. Over the past year, the curriculum for Years 1 to 6 has been reorganised and improved. The curriculum manager, the assessment co-ordinator and the subject co-ordinators have worked very hard and effectively to produce action plans and assessment schedules which are having good effects. Learning is generally balanced across all elements of all subjects and there is an appropriate emphasis on developing the basic skills in English and mathematics. Although the school has a computer suite, the provision for ICT in Years 3-6 is not yet satisfactory. There are no computers in each classroom to encourage pupils to use ICT across the curriculum. The time allocated for each subject is appropriate and matches the development plans of the curriculum manager and co-ordinators. No specific provision is yet made for gifted and talented pupils, but teachers know their pupils well and successful informal methods were often seen, particularly in

p.15

TO PUPILS?

literacy and numeracy. The school has adopted the national strategies for literacy and numeracy effectively, ensuring that teaching of English and mathematics is securely based on the recommended national framework. Planning sometimes ensures consolidation of pupils’ reading and writing in other subjects but this is not systematically planned. A good example was seen when history and English were linked in Year 6 in a project about Victorian England.

p.15

TO PUPILS?

32. Provision for meeting pupils’ individual special needs is good. Pupils with special educational needs are not disenfranchised from the full curriculum offered to all pupils in the school. Statutory Church Road Primary School - 16 requirements for pupils with special educational needs are met satisfactorily. Teacher planning and Individual Education Plans are precise and well used to enhance and monitor individual learning needs. These are regularly reviewed and updated to ensure continued good and appropriate progress. Higher attaining pupils are not catered for in the same precise way, but the level of challenge is appropriate in most subjects. An exception is science, where they are not challenged enough.

p.15

TO PUPILS?

33. The curriculum for personal, social, health and citizenship education is satisfactory. A prolific range of ideas is supporting the policy, but its implementation is still at an early stage of development. The nationally recommended citizenship curriculum has been fitted into the existing curricula, in particular into religious education. It develops skills of communication and social co-operation. ‘People who help us’, ‘Living in a diverse world’ and ‘In the media’ are three of the twelve topics which have been selected to help pupils’ understanding of society. A large ‘Life Skills’ caravan had been at the school during the week before the inspection. Appropriate sex education and drug awareness lessons are taught in Year 6. Intensive ‘Focus Weeks’ in science and art were held last year and a ‘book’ week and local heritage centre are to be featured shortly.

p.16

TO PUPILS?

34. There is a very good range of extra-curricular activities. These include gymnastics, seasonal sports, computer, art and recorder clubs and a dance club is about to start. Pupils have good links with the local secondary school and with the local community. They benefit from sporting and environmental links and also share dance and drama with other schools. They can also receive music tuition by members of the local secondary school band.

p.16

TO PUPILS?

35. The school makes satisfactory provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, reflecting the similar nature of the school’s work at the time of the previous inspection.

p.16

TO PUPILS?

36. The provision for pupils’ spiritual development is satisfactory overall. There have been limited improvements in this important aspect of pupils’ development. In lessons where pupils gain an insight into the exciting nature of investigative science and grapple with big ideas, they become aware of a greater dimension in their lives. In art and history, for example, pupils encounter moments of personal reflection. However, although the arrangements for collective worship meet statutory requirements, there are many missed opportunities to promote a sense of calm for prayer or to awaken children’s imagination. Despite these sometimes happy occasions, the central school messages in the school’s aims are not consolidated at these times of togetherness. The few pupils who have a different family religion or set of beliefs are nurtured equally well in the school.

p.16

TO PUPILS?

37. The provision for pupils’ moral development is sound. Pupils do understand that if they make mistakes or do something wrong, they do not lose their value as individuals. Teachers and support staff are good role models overall. They promote a sense of moral responsibility through care for others that extends beyond the school to those less fortunate and to involvement in the local environment. However, teachers struggle to develop the core messages of right and wrong, despite the general responsive and happy nature of most children. Children in the Foundation Stage have a strong start to their understanding of boundaries but there are few times when the rest of the pupils are taught the difference between right and wrong, even though there is a well planned, consistent approach to rewards and sanctions. This is because the school has yet to underpin the moral messages in a whole school framework for moral development. Recently

p.16

TO PUPILS?

introduced plans to develop citizenship are likely to go someway towards meeting this need.

p.16

TO PUPILS?

38. The provision for pupils’ social development is unsatisfactory. Whilst the efforts made over the past year are commendable, the current provision does not develop pupils’ social skills enough. The school has worked hard to develop plans which promote skills of citizenship across the school and to develop better behaviour of those pupils who are find it difficult to work and play well together. One of the positive features seen in the school is the consistent way that all adults value children’s views. This is a strong foundation for future work. A fair proportion of pupils, however, do not settle well into their learning as they start their lessons. The school recognises that there is a long way to go and that there is the need to develop a clear model of courtesy, respect and expectation. Teachers and support staff provide good role models but at the end of Church Road Primary School - 17

p.16

TO PUPILS?

Year 2, not enough pupils know that taking turns to speak and listen is essential. There are elements of selfish behaviour with school resources and genuine opportunities for pupils to work together are too few.

p.17

TO PUPILS?

39. Provision for pupils’ cultural development is satisfactory. The school makes very good use of the local area, of literature and of the work of artists-in-school as performers and crafts-people. This significantly raises pupils’ understanding of their culture and traditions. The school made huge efforts to take everyone to the theatre and the planned heritage centre already has some delightful items and school photos from as far back as 1926. Pupils’ understanding of other cultures is sound and is supported by a good range of literature around the school and in the stories teachers use in lessons. Religious education successfully promotes pupils’ awareness and knowledge of the meanings and values of other faiths. While satisfactory overall, few resources were seen during the inspection which would prepare pupils to live in multi-cultural Britain, either to reflect the vibrant traditions and heritage of pupils from different ethnicities in the school or that

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

40. The school continues to provide a satisfactory level of care, which ensures the health, safety and well being of pupils. It acted swiftly to meet the health and safety concerns raised by parents before the inspection. More permanent arrangements are planned for the immediate future.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

41. Good procedures for recording, monitoring and promoting good attendance are applied consistently and good use is made of the educational welfare officer to follow up causes for concern. The school does not do enough to ensure that all pupils know precisely what is expected of them and that behaviour routines are applied consistently in classrooms, assemblies and around the school. Year 6 pupils are invited to play a part in monitoring and maintaining levels of behaviour in the playground and on the stairs. However, they are not given enough adult help to carry out these duties. As a result, this role does not contribute meaningfully to the conduct of the younger pupils or to their own personal development.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

42. Whilst there are clear and useful policies to support pastoral care and anti-bullying, they are not being applied consistently across the school. The status of the recently devised policy on behaviour is equally unclear. It builds on previous good practice and on two days staff training 18 months ago but not all teachers are comfortable with this approach. These good draft policies now need to be discussed by the staff, agreed and then implemented throughout the school.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

43. More positively, the school’s ‘Golden Rules’ are displayed in classes and discussed by pupils. Good work and effort are rewarded when each class teacher chooses two stars to receive their certificates in the weekly celebration assembly. These awards are valued and taken seriously by pupils, as was seen during the inspection. The headteacher has made every effort to involve midday supervisors in the day-to-day running of the school and this has ensured some consistency in behaviour at lunch times, but some pupils are still too excitable when they rejoin their classes after lunch and are difficult to settle. The school plans to reintroduce Playground Friends to give further support to younger pupils.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

44. Child protection procedures are satisfactory. The general well being of pupils is supported by two trained first aiders, backed up by other staff who have received training in how to deal with emergencies. The school also maintains effective links with outside agencies to meet the specific needs of individual pupils. The deputy headteacher, who has been suitably trained, is the named person for child protection. Whilst all adults in the school are aware of the arrangements, they have not received any recent training, though this is planned for the future.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

45. Pupils with special educational needs are well catered for and included in all aspects of school life. They are regularly assessed to ensure that that programmes of work remain suitable for them and the school seeks assistance from other agencies when it is needed to enable individual pupils to reach their personal academic potential. Church Road Primary School - 18 46. The recently introduced profiles are beginning to build a good picture of pupils’ academic and personal development over their time in school. Their personal development is reported satisfactorily to parents in the annual reports on their children’s progress.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

47. Since the last inspection, the school has made very good progress in developing effective systems to assess and record pupils’ progress. A comprehensive assessment system has been introduced, which is already showing signs of being influential in raising standards. The action plan generated by analysis of assessment data is being implemented well.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

48. Common assessment methods are being used in English, mathematics and science; every subject co-ordinator and class teacher now uses sharp targets to enable pupils to evaluate their own work and so raise their level of performance. End of unit tests ensure that every pupil’s progress is recorded. The school builds up a considerable amount of information about each pupil. This is beginning to help teachers to predict future achievement and to spot any lowering of expected standards. It is a central feature of the schools’ current development and all the staff are meeting the requirements diligently. They are sharing the information with pupils and showing them which skills and knowledge they will need to raise their attainment to a higher National Curriculum level. The impact of this work has yet to show in the school’s results.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

49. The school continues to have a satisfactory partnership with parents and receives generous financial support from them through the active parent teacher association. A growing number are becoming actively involved in their children’s education by supporting reading at home and helping in classrooms. Others help with school events and trips. The early years co-ordinator establishes strong, positive relationships with parents as their children join the school.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

50. The quality of information to parents is satisfactory and they have adequate information about the progress their child is making. The school operates an open door policy and parents have easy access to the head, deputy and class teachers at the start and end of the school day. Two formal consultation evenings are held each year when they can discuss their children’s progress. Many parents feel that more time should be provided at the second meeting for these discussions. Parents do, however, welcome the termly information on what is to be taught.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

51. Parents of pupils with special educational needs are well informed of their children’s progress and are fully involved in both the identification and review of special educational needs and in the monitoring of individual pupils’ progress.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

52. The governors’ annual report and the school prospectus, which meet statutory requirements, are clear, readable and comprehensive. A separate pack for the parents of pupils entering the nursery has a welcoming feel to it, is useful, clear and informative.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

53. Replies to the inspection questionnaire and comments at the parents’ meeting show that parents are supportive of most aspects of the school’s work. In particular, parents are confident that the school listens and deals with problems, informing them of the outcome. Communications between them and the school, including regular newsletters, have improved over the last 12 months. However, three concerns were raised: the amount of homework their children receive, the information provided on how their children are getting on and the working partnership between them and the school. Inspectors decided, however, that homework is satisfactory overall. The school is keen to work with parents and involve them in their children’s education. Inspectors agree that the computer generated reports, which are not popular with parents, are very brief, although those for older children do contain targets for improvement in English, maths and

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

science. The school recognises, however, that reports need to be improved if they are to give parents a clear view of what their children know and can do. Parents can ask to discuss the reports with teachers, but very few do so. Church Road Primary School - 19

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

54. Overall, the combined work of the headteacher and key staff, including some co-ordinators, is good. The leadership and management from the assessment co-ordinator, the curriculum manager and the Foundation Stage co-ordinator are very good, as is the work of key subject co- ordinators: English, mathematics, science and ICT. There are positive elements to the leadership and management of the school provided by the headteacher and his deputy and there are also some weaknesses. This makes their contribution sound overall. The quality of their individual contribution is difficult to judge: since the appointment of the headteacher they have worked very closely together and, in their own words, ‘did what we saw needed to be done’ without formally designating individual responsibilities. This has not been a good arrangement.

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

55. On the positive side: • The team spirit they have fostered has galvanised the staff and generated in them a unified determination to make Church Road Primary a better school. This is amply demonstrated through their commitment to their work and through the quality of their teaching, which, particularly in English, mathematics and science, is often of a higher quality than national test results would suggest. • Together, they have recognised the considerable expertise amongst the staff. They have skilfully matched individuals to tasks, provided initial guidance and then allowed the teacher to take ownership of the task and to develop it fully. Delegation of this quality is serving the school very well. For example, the assessment co-ordinator oversees a very efficient system of assessment and tracking: what she has been able to achieve in one year is outstanding. The Foundation Stage co-ordinator oversees very good provision for the children in the nursery

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

and reception classes and the work and organisation of the SEN co-ordinator is enabling pupils with special needs to make good progress. The curriculum manager and those who co-ordinate English, mathematics, science and ICT – and some other subjects – already have a clear and realistic understanding of what needs to be done to raise standards. Each has produced an appropriate plan of action. • The financial standing of the school was not at all clear when the headteacher was appointed last year. Putting school finances on a sound footing was a key priority, which, with the help of a LEA adviser, the headteacher has tackled very successfully.

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

56. On the negative side: • The current School Development Plan (SDP) is incomplete. It does not expound a clear vision of where the school needs to go next, or how it should get there. This is partly because it does not incorporate the valuable action plans that its key staff members have produced. For example, there is scant mention of the need to raise standards although co- ordinators in English, mathematics, science and ICT know what could be done, what resources are needed, how much cost will be involved and what would constitute success. There is no costing built into the current plan, no timescale for the actions identified to aid the efficient management of the workload, and insufficient precision about who is responsible for doing what, and by when. However, the headteacher is fully aware of this shortfall and is about to amend it. So much good quality work has been produced in such a short time by

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

senior managers and subject co-ordinators that neither the headteacher nor his deputy are currently as familiar with its content as they should be. • Reference has already been made to the quality of pupils’ behaviour. Although pupils’ behaviour in classrooms is invariable good, the headteacher has not done enough to establish good behaviour in other areas of the school. Too many – albeit a small minority - do not respond well to known expectations: for example to stand still when the whistle goes at the end of a break; and they are noisy when moving around the school, particularly on the staircases. There are times when they enter classrooms in a state of mind not conducive to learning. This makes effective teaching unnecessarily difficult. • Twenty-one teachers make up the equivalent of 19 full time staff. With 15 classes, an additional four teachers is generous. Two of the four, the headteacher and the deputy

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

headteacher, do no teaching. Given the generous non-teaching time already afforded both to other senior managers in the school and to the special educational needs co-ordinator, and taking account of the low standards the school attains and the weaknesses in the behaviour Church Road Primary School - 20 of pupils, then the non-teaching role of the headteacher and his deputy no longer represents the best use of their expertise or good value for money. This apart, however, staff are experienced and knowledgeable.

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

57. The headteacher and his deputy monitor the quality of teaching satisfactorily. They know where the strengths lie and now recognise the need to support the staff constructively by dealing with the restlessness of some pupils, which, at the moment, pervades the school and adds to the classroom challenges that teachers face.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

58. The system to assess and improve teachers’ performance operates satisfactorily. Last year, the school elected not to use evidence of pupils’ progress as a measure of the teachers’ effectiveness. However, it now has the data that will support such action and is ready to move in that direction. This will be a positive move towards raising standards.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

59. The special educational needs co-ordinator leads this aspect of the school’s work well. She ensures that individual needs are accurately identified and that appropriate provision is made for pupils displaying such needs. She enables specialist intervention and oversees statutory responsibilities. Pupils benefit from the school’s close partnership with the LEA and its specialist support services.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

60. Governors are now taking a more active role in the functioning of the school than they have done in the past and their work is now broadly satisfactory. Encouraged and informed by the headteacher they have learned much about the strengths and weaknesses of the school and are now reaching the stage of being able to offer support and advice to the school in terms of its future development. Whilst the role of governors in setting and monitoring the budget has hitherto been limited, the finance committee is becoming increasingly involved in planning and overseeing expenditure. The school does not yet apply the principles of best value when considering expenditure. Its use of new technology in administration and in teaching and learning is satisfactory and improving.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

61. Staffing is adequate now. Over the past two years the many changes in staff have made it difficult for the school to move forward and raise standards. Accommodation is sound. The school building is old. Wooden floors and high ceilings do not provide the best learning environment. The carpets and lowered ceilings that have been put into some classrooms have made a positive difference and this programme of improvement will be continued as funds allow. There is no school field and the outside play area for children in the nursery and reception classes is not satisfactory. Resources are satisfactory for most areas of the curriculum. However, in ICT the computer-pupil ratio is much too low. The two halls in the school are inadequate in size and both are used for the storage of equipment, such as dining tables and have pillars at one side. The playgrounds are poorly surfaced, and contain small walls dividing one area from another. There is

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

no ICT music software. All these features have some negative impact on the standards pupils achieve.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

62. One of the first priorities of the headteacher was to put the school finances on a sound basis and this he has done very successfully with the help of the local authority advisor. The recommendations of a recent auditor’s report have either been followed or in the process of implementation. Educational priorities are supported by the budget and plans are well in hand to monitor expenditure and to include costs in the school development plan.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

63. More work, however, remains to be done to meet the key issue of the last report concerning the introduction of procedures to check and decide the cost effectiveness of spending decisions. Co- ordinators and class teachers have for the first time been given their own budgets and there are plans to refine these arrangements so that spending better supports school improvement.

p.20

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

64. Working together the governors, headteacher and staff should: Church Road Primary School - 21 (1) Raise standards in English, mathematics, science and ICT in all year groups:

p.20

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

In English by: • completing a thorough audit of pupils’ writing opportunities across the curriculum and implementing any changes necessary; (para. 79)

p.21

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

In mathematics by: • implementing the plans for the development of the subject devised by the co-ordinator; (para. 88)

p.21

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

In science by: • making teachers more aware of what pupils of all abilities in their class can achieve, so that they can provide them with the best level of challenge; (para. 90)

p.21

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

In ICT by: • increasing the number of computers available; • ensuring that access to computers is equal across all classes; • purchasing software and peripherals to ensure that ICT is integrated into the full curriculum; (para. 115-117)

p.21

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

In all subjects by: • improving the presentation of pupils’ work; (para. 79) • working towards a better match between the quality of teaching and learning; (para. 22) • raising the quality of all marking to that of the best. (para. 80) (2) Improve pupils’ behaviour, courtesy, attitudes to work and punctuality to lessons by ensuring that pupils know exactly what is expected of them. (paras. 10, 11, 16, 19, 56)

p.21

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(3) Produce and implement a fully costed School Development Plan that establishes clear criteria for the strategic development of the school in the short, medium and long term. Fully evaluate its impact, including the value of spending decisions. (para. 56)

p.21

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• Undertake a review of the deployment of the teaching staff to secure improved value for money. (para. 56) Church Road Primary School - 22

p.21

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 41

p.22

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactor y Poor Very Poor

p.22

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.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery YR– Y6

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 18 439

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 0 53

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Special educational needs Nursery YR– Y6

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 0 9

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 2 78

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 0

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

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

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 32

p.22

Attendance

National comparative data 5.6 National comparative data 0.5 Church Road Primary School - 23 Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Church Road Primary School - 24

p.22

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 2001 40 30 70

p.24

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

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

p.24

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

Boys 23 27 34 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 26 26 28

p.24

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

Percentage of pupils School 70 (90) 76 (90) 89 (90) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (83) 86 (84) 91 (90)

p.24

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

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.24

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

Boys 25 33 23 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 26 27 25

p.24

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

Percentage of pupils School 73 (88) 86 (85) 69 (82) at NC level 2 or above National 85 (84) 89 (88) 89 (88)

p.24

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

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

p.24

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

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 2001 39 28 67

p.24

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

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

p.24

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

Boys 24 26 31 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 24 21 24

p.24

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

Percentage of pupils School 72 (61) 71 (61) 82 (83) at NC level 4 or above National 75 (75) 71 (72) 87 (85)

p.24

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

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.24

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

Boys 27 27 33 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 25 21 24

p.24

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

Percentage of pupils School 78 (75) 71 (70) 84 (81) at NC level 4 or above National 72 (70) 74 (72) 82 (79)

p.24

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

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Church Road Primary School - 25

p.24

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

p.25

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

White – any other White background 0 0 0

p.25

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Mixed – any other mixed background 0 0 0

p.25

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Asian or Asian British - Pakistani 0 0 0

p.25

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Asian or Asian British – Bangladeshi 0 0 0

p.25

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

p.25

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black or Black British – Caribbean 3 0 0

p.25

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black or Black British – any other Black background 2 0 0

p.25

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 16.0 Financial year 2001-2002

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 27.4

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR– Y6 Total income 1028087

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 12.0 Total expenditure 1070087

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 305 Expenditure per pupil 2216

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Qualified teachers and support staff: nursery Balance brought forward from previous year 63073

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 1.0 Balance carried forward to next year 21073

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 18.0

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 2.0

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 60

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per FTE adult 6.0 Church Road Primary School - 26 FTE means full-time equivalent.

p.25

Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 10

p.26

Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 8

p.26

Recruitment of teachers

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 0

p.26

Recruitment of teachers

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

p.26

Recruitment of teachers

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

p.26

Recruitment of teachers

FTE means full-time equivalent. Church Road Primary School - 27

p.26

Percentage of responses in each category

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

p.27

Percentage of responses in each category

My child is making good progress in school. 49 42 5 1 3

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Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 25 61 6 4 4

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 33 35 22 4 6

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Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 37 43 16 3 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 70 25 4 1 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 58 38 0 1 3

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 32 51 15 1 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 46 42 4 0 9

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 46 46 5 3 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 42 35 9 3 11 Church Road Primary School - 28

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

65. Children start their nursery experience when they turn three. As a result of the consistently very good teaching and stimulating and well-designed activities all children make good progress. The adults work very well together and relationships are very good. The staff are excellent role models for the children. They establish a warm, caring and stress free environment in which children build strong and very positive relationships. These children are making good progress through the early stages of development leading towards the early learning goals. Around half of the nursery children move on to the reception classes.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

66. The move from nursery to the two reception classes is carefully managed and the similar approach to learning with caring staff ensures that children settle quickly into mainstream school. By the end of the reception year, most children have achieved the early learning goals in personal, social and emotional, creative and physical development and knowledge and understanding of the world. Their speaking and listening skills are very well developed and nearly all are working at least at the first National Curriculum level. There is a wide spread in children's reading, writing and mathematical skills with about a third having easily achieved the early learning goals and working on the early stages of the National Curriculum. Of the remainder, many are close to achieving these goals, confident when working with an adult but less sure when working independently. Thus, although there is some fluctuation from year to year, they enter Year 1

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

broadly in line with national expectations overall, and with the advantage of confidence and interest in their work. This year the standards achieved may well be higher. Achievement is good.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

67. Since the last inspection the school has made considerable improvements in provision for this age range. It has: • appointed a very well qualified and effective co-ordinator who has, with the team of staff, completely reviewed and re-planned the curriculum linking the two age groups closely; • improved the quality of the teaching, significantly; • set up good professional training for all staff; • set in motion plans for a new base for the nursery and an enclosed outdoor play area for this age group; • reviewed the current outdoor provision so that in the short term, it provides a better context for physical development.

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Personal, social and emotional development

68. Teaching is nearly always good and frequently very good. Staff in both nursery and reception, skilfully plan activities to promote children's personal, social and emotional development. Nursery children quickly learn to listen carefully at carpet time, watching the adults intently. They respond appropriately and this allows the adult to explore many different experiences with them. These routines continue to be very successfully developed in the reception classes. Throughout the two years, children are helped to make their own choice of activity at appropriate times. They do this sensibly, persevering with their chosen task, sharing resources and often collaborating in their play, for example in the shop or the bears' cottage. From their first days in nursery, they learn to handle resources carefully and as they mature they are expected to tidy away equipment and respond quickly to set routines. This enables staff to move easily from one interesting activity to

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Personal, social and emotional development

another. The children are eager to take part and willing to try new experiences, often delighting in their accomplishments. The few who are anxious about joining in are helped sensitively, and gradually participate. Across the Foundation Stage, every aspect of learning, play and endeavour is enhanced by the very high quality of the language that adults use as they question effectively and extend children's ideas. In the reception class, the children learn to dress themselves for physical education. At all times, staff observe, watch and listen carefully and are able to spot when individuals need particular support or need a greater challenge. All activities are monitored carefully and information shared with the adult team. Church Road Primary School - 29

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Communication, language and literacy

69. Teaching is good. Children use spoken language particularly well because the adults plan the rich language environment so effectively. They organise activities very skilfully so that speaking and listening are stimulated. As a result, over the two years children's spoken language becomes a very significant factor in enabling learning to develop as they participate successfully in many different situations. Reading and writing opportunities are developed in a range of contexts, such as, for example, the ‘builder's writing box’ that is taken out side at playtime by the reception children. Adults find many opportunities in which to demonstrate writing and reading in a relaxed way so that children see these quite formal activities as a natural part of the world around them and are happy to mimic this behaviour. Thus it is evident from the work at the end of the reception year that all the elements that make a reader and writer suddenly begin to bear fruit as

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Communication, language and literacy

children are moving quickly towards achieving the early learning goals. Carpet time is an opportunity for children to share ideas, to enjoy playing with sounds and letters and a time to recall how to write these correctly. Reception children were happy to offer ideas about what Father Bear might have said and to help the adult with suggestions about how to write these words. They love to be chosen to demonstrate how to write the letter ‘o’, for example. As the reception year progresses, children increasingly incorporate letters and familiar common words in their writing in role-play areas. In both age groups they love stories and benefit from exploring these in many different ways. They moved and danced to illustrate the story of Goldilocks. These young children quickly learn to handle books carefully, sharing them with friends. Staff carefully monitor children's skills, noting understanding or points for further development, matched

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Mathematical development

70. The teaching is good and therefore children see all aspects of mathematics as fun. Throughout the nursery and reception children see and hear adults talking about numbers and using mathematical language about shape and size. Nursery children enjoy looking at patterns and choosing and threading beads to match what they see. In reception, they have been thinking about big, medium and small things as they explored the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, making porridge, matching beds to bears, painting bears and playing in the bears' cottage. This led naturally to thinking about heavy and light. The beautifully wrapped `birthday presents’ intrigued the children. They are encouraged to count and are beginning to order numbers up to 20. A few are already confident in reciting numbers up to 10 by themselves. Staff help children think about ‘how many’ articles are needed in every day situations such as those that crop up in

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Mathematical development

the classroom or at snack time. This understanding is effectively developed through the manipulation of real objects and through constant discussion. Children counted eyes and ears and other features when they made clay heads. There are also opportunities to write numbers and begin to record in various ways. This approach leads naturally to familiarity with the format of the numeracy hour by the end of the reception year. Activities are carefully monitored. Notes made reflecting the quality of an individual's understanding and suggesting guidance for future action. The emphasis on a practical approach gives a truer perception of children's mathematical understanding than pencil and paper activities can do for children of this age.

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

71. Many of the three year olds in nursery have very limited experience of the world around them when they first arrive. The teaching is of a high order; new and varied vocabulary is introduced and repeated sufficiently frequently for children to begin to use it themselves. Discussion with staff helps children to focus their observations, think about what might happen and why. Cooking is a good context in which to develop enquiring minds. Children see adults writing and reading recipes. Staff provide a very rich range of experiences that incorporate exploring scientific ideas about water, animals and insects or exploring circuits when, for example, they made a light come on in the lighthouse. Activities based around a story such as the ‘Lighthouse Keeper's Lunch’ often enable staff to link events in children's own life with something new or introduce exciting and meaningful investigations. Church Road Primary School - 30

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

72. All children in the nursery have regular experiences of using the computer. The one to one teaching helps them to develop confident control of the mouse and an understanding of pointing and dragging so that they can soon operate independently. The reception children, during a regular session in the computer suite, demonstrated just how secure and confident they were as they searched through pictures of rooms in a house to find where the cat had hidden a ‘real’ mouse. Staff are adept at achieving a balance between allowing time for individual exploration and adult-directed activities which introduce new ways of doing things. Thus children are encouraged to use construction kits but also at times, to work to a common purpose during which they are introduced to new techniques. Thus drawing figures, cutting off a limb and joining it on again with a split pin generated a lot of interest because they found the part would move.

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Physical development

73. Teaching is good. Outdoor space is not ideal for the nursery but it is well fenced off. All the surface is tarmac so mats have to be placed under balancing, climbing and crawling apparatus. Staff ensure that wheeled toys, bat, balls, racquets and technical equipment provides a stimulus for imaginative play as well as developing hand eye co-ordination. Children enjoy their outdoor play and are constantly challenged by adults who help them create scenarios that encourage collaborative play and develop a sense of space. A spider in the crawling tunnel quickly resulted in much discussion, the use of magnifying glasses and plenty of careful observation before it managed to escape the limelight. Outdoor movement and stimulation are far more difficult for the reception staff to teach, as there are no natural barriers to the car park/playground. Staff have been creative in making the most of the small patch of earth, trees and bushes. Children always

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Physical development

take the ‘writing box for gardeners’ out with them. Besides small shovels there are pads and pens to foster writing for a purpose. The reception children have regular access to the hall where they delight in dance and when observed, demonstrated a high degree of control over their bodies, reflecting the story of Goldilocks told to a background of music. Snack time with thoughtfully chosen food and drink enables an adult to draw children into a cosy talk about what they like, healthy food, teeth and other health matters.

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Creative development

74. Staff have a wide range of talents and personal interests which are used to particularly good effect, thus helping children to develop an imaginative and creative response to what they see around them. The high quality teaching means that children are often enabled to produce a painting or respond to music with a maturity well beyond their years. Children are encouraged to look at objects carefully, talk about colour, texture and pattern and experiment with a very wide range of media to achieve their own effects. After just five weeks in the nursery, children select, name and handle musical instruments with respect. They play them well, taking a lead from an adult. By the time they enter reception, some children can play a range of percussion instruments as they accompany their classmates' singing. The skill with which they followed the rhythm was noteworthy. The Foundation Stage bases, both nursery and reception are rich with

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Creative development

colour and visual stimulation, but there is also plenty of room found for interesting and every developing role-play areas. Here adults join children. The adult presence is significant in moving the play to a higher level and in generating more opportunities for children to use language imaginatively.

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ENGLISH

75. In the 2001 national tests, Year 6 pupils achieved standards that were below average compared with all schools nationally and well below average when compared with similar schools. This comparative information is not yet available for the 2002 test results but the results themselves were broadly similar to those in 2001. Current standards in Year 6 remain below average but pupils in Years 5 and 4 are performing at levels closer to those expected. This bodes well for future years. Currently, however, as explained in detail in the standards section of this report, the school has not recovered from the dip in performance brought about by staffing changes, and standards are lower than they were judged to be in the 1997 inspection. Church Road Primary School - 31 76. In Year 2, test results show that standards have been below the national averages in both reading and writing. They are still below average but are rising. However, the restlessness amongst

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ENGLISH

pupils sometimes prevents them from benefiting as much from their lessons as they should. This is particularly true for Year 1 pupils who, at the time of the inspection, had not adapted well following the move from the reception classes. However, the school is fully aware of this problem and is putting in extra support staff to address it.

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ENGLISH

77. Standards in speaking are satisfactory. Children get off to a good start in the nursery and reception classes and make steady progress throughout the school. Opportunities for pupils to speak in front of the class are available on a regular basis and other events such as class assemblies provide a larger audience. Pupils are familiar with the technical language from the subjects they learn about. Outside that they have a satisfactorily broad – but not extensive – vocabulary. Listening skills are variable. Across the school as a whole they are less than satisfactory although in the Foundation Stage, children are good listeners.

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ENGLISH

78. Reading standards are below average in Years 1 and 2 but they improve in subsequent years so that by Year 6 they are close to national expectations. Almost all pupils take books home regularly and most read to a parent on a regular basis. This support from home supports the good efforts of the school. Pupils read to their teachers on a regular basis and most sessions are of good quality. Most pupils know how to access information in non-fiction books and how to use a dictionary, contents page and index. Older pupils know the function of – and how to use - a thesaurus and a glossary.

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ENGLISH

79. Writing standards are below average. The school has dealt successfully with the issue of the last report relating to the overuse of worksheets. It has also made efforts to provide more opportunities for writing in other subjects. However, there is more to be done: • Firstly, there is no systematic plan to ensure that the skills learned in literacy lessons can be practised and consolidated in lessons other than English. An audit of the writing that pupils produce highlights – in some cases – that writing opportunities are not spread across a range subjects. • Secondly, the presentation of pupils’ work is not good enough and there is no common policy that sets out, for the whole school, the expectations of how work should be presented. • Thirdly, in literacy lessons, pupils are often expected to write independently while their teacher is working with another group of pupils elsewhere in the classroom. As yet, pupils in

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ENGLISH

all classes are not good at doing this: their restless behaviour militates against it. They sometimes waste time because there are no clear expectations of how much work they should complete.

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ENGLISH

80. The quality of teaching was good overall but ranged from excellent to unsatisfactory. All lessons followed the literacy hour model, were well planned and provided an appropriate level of challenge for the range of ability in the class. All teachers have the subject knowledge to teach basic literacy skills well. The factor that was particularly influential in the minority of lessons that were less than good was the restless behaviour of pupils. This slowed the pace of the lessons; this was particularly evident in the quantity of work produced by pupils when they were working independently of their teacher. In the lessons that were very good and excellent, pupils behaved very well. Teachers devised interesting tasks and engaged their pupils fully. This allowed them to benefit significantly from the high quality work of their teachers. Classroom support staff are used extensively in literacy lessons and their work makes a valuable contribution to pupils’ progress.

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ENGLISH

The quality of teachers’ marking is variable. At best it offers advice to pupils as to what to concentrate on in their next pieces of work and follows this up. At worst, although no work is left unmarked, a cursory tick makes no positive contribution to pupils’ progress.

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ENGLISH

81. When teaching is good or better, pupils make progress that matches this quality. When teaching is less than good, pupils often fail to make the progress they might. Overall, however, progress in English is good and improving standards are gradually appearing in improved test results. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress throughout the school because they invariably have the support of their teacher or another adult in group-work. Although there is no specific provision for gifted and talented pupils, there is no lack of challenge for the more able, particularly in Year 6. Church Road Primary School - 32 82. The subject co-ordinator is a relatively recent appointment. Despite this, she has undertaken a lot of work and has a clear view of how she can lead the school towards higher standards. A carefully administered audit of writing opportunities is likely to add further action to that currently

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ENGLISH

envisaged. Her action plan has yet to be incorporated into the school's development plan. Resources in English are adequate to allow the subject to be taught well.

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MATHEMATICS

83. Results of the National Curriculum tests taken by pupils in Year 2 in 2001 show that pupils’ achievements were well below the national average and, when compared with similar schools, below the national average. This represents a decline in standards since the last inspection when standards were in line with national expectations. While still falling short of national figures, the number of pupils achieving the expected level in 2002 increased. Over time, after a marked fall in 1997, standards have risen more or less in line with national trends with a slight fall in 2001. Although data are not available for the current year, it seems likely that this position will continue for the current year.

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MATHEMATICS

84. Results of the tests taken by Year 6 pupils in 2001 were below average when compared with schools nationally and well below average when compared with similar schools. The trend of improvement was below national rates. In 2002 the proportion of pupils achieving the national expectation (Level 4) dropped by some nine per cent. Evidence collected during the week of the inspection indicates that standards remain below average and are likely to remain static this year. Standards, therefore, are not high enough.

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MATHEMATICS

85. Overall the quality of teaching of mathematics is good. This represents an improvement since the last inspection when teaching was judged to be satisfactory overall. Only one lesson was judged to be unsatisfactory during the inspection and 75 per cent of lessons seen were judged to be good or very good. Teachers plan their lessons well to a format suggested by the National Numeracy Strategy. Teachers set clear objectives for the lesson with work matched to individual pupils’ needs, use teaching assistants well to support less able pupils, present pupils with appropriate mathematical language and create a stimulating atmosphere in which to work. In the less successful lessons, teachers fail to establish clear parameters for behaviour and disruption by a small group of pupils inhibits the learning of others. In these lessons the amount of time spent in creating a suitable atmosphere for learning and the proportions of time allocated to each

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MATHEMATICS

part of the lesson are often inappropriate. The co-ordinator is promoting a common format for teachers’ planning throughout the school and this should improve continuity of learning.

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MATHEMATICS

86. Within the school, lessons are planned on the lines suggested by the National Numeracy Strategy where pupils benefit from practice in mental calculation at the start of lessons and consolidate the main learning of the lesson in a plenary session at the end. This ensures a broader cover of the subject than at the last inspection, for example, with the inclusion of shape and measure and of data handling. This introduction of the national strategy has improved pupils’ ability to calculate and much of the current work now seen within the school is in line with national expectations. Some pupils in Year 6, however, are likely to have ‘missed out’ of the very recent improvements in teaching and curriculum developments, and gaps remain in their learning.

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MATHEMATICS

87. Pupils generally enjoy their mathematics lessons and co-operate well together. In the less successful lessons, however, when good behaviour patterns have not been established, they fail to understand the task before them and tend to stray off task. By the time pupils are in Year 2, they can count and manipulate numbers to 100, recognise and define simple two-dimensional and three-dimensional shapes such as squares and cubes, weigh in kilos and tell the time to half and quarter hours. They can sequence events in time. By the end of Year 6, and often within Year 5, pupils have further developed their mathematical abilities to include the understanding of line and bar graphs, the handling and conversion of data, understanding and conversion of percentage and fraction into decimal notation and recognition of proper and improper fractions. They can perform basis mathematical calculations (+ x – and ÷ ) with at least three figure numbers. They

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MATHEMATICS

Church Road Primary School - 33 understand that there are differing methods to complete calculations and can explain their own methods.

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MATHEMATICS

88. The co-ordinator has good subject knowledge, leads the subject well, and provides clear guidance for teachers. She has introduced recent developments in the subject and has identified a need for further training of teachers in mathematics. The co-ordinator provides for clear recording and tracking of individual pupils’ progress and ensures that records and assessment are closely linked to planning. The existing plans for the subject are likely to eliminate inconsistencies in practice and planning across the school and thereby promote improved standards. There is a satisfactory range of resources across the school to ensure the teaching and learning of the full curriculum.

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SCIENCE

89. Pupils’ standards are below the national average at the end of Year 6 and inspection findings concur with teacher assessments at the end of Year 2 indicating that standards are also below average. The school has addressed the previously identified need to develop practical investigative science across the school. This has been led successfully by the talented subject co-ordinator and has lifted standards, particularly in this aspect of the subject, so that it is now close to average. Improvements in the subject have steadily climbed since September 2000, energised by the science week that sparked a whole school enthusiasm and joint understanding of good teaching of scientific enquiry. However, test results for 2002 (as yet unconfirmed) are likely to show a similar pattern of below average attainment to that of 2001 with the likelihood of little improvement for the current Year 6. This is because these pupils have not had the

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SCIENCE

opportunity to benefit from the improved provision as they have moved from Years 3 to 6.

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SCIENCE

90. The quality of teaching ranges from satisfactory to very good and is good overall. In the best lessons, pupils are encouraged to behave as scientists and to think scientifically. For example, Year 5 pupils are required to engage in speculation about the position of the earth at different seasons of the year, prompted by a series of incisively challenging questions which provoke wonder and the need to find more out by using the internet and a CD-ROM. Pupils’ understanding is deepened and curiosity is kindled as a result of the practical activities in this lesson which capitalised rapidly on the enthusiasm by following up with numerical comparisons of data about sunrise and sunset in Bolton and in Australia where someone known is holidaying. From Years 2 to 6, pupils are given regular opportunities to explain their findings after investigating well-prepared topics. As a result, they achieve well overall but with increased momentum in Years 3, 4, 5 and 6

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SCIENCE

where they begin to deal with scientific terms and words such as ‘causes’, ‘changes’ and ‘conclusions’ which show their growing understanding of the links between ideas such as ‘solutions’ and ‘dissolving’. The consistent hands-on approach across the school is accelerating progress because pupils make connections between what they see and any misconceptions they have held. As they record their findings, pupils have to grapple with their thoughts to put them into their own words. In an example seen, a Year 3 pupil wrote, ‘Sandy water took up more water because sand has got little holes in it so it soaks it up’. Sometimes, however, more able pupils could be further challenged as they learn, rather than given extension work that does not necessarily deepen their understanding.

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SCIENCE

91. Achievement in Years 1 and 2 is satisfactory overall, though pupils in Year 2 achieve better because the pace of teaching is faster and pupils respond well to real-life observations as the teachers sustain their interest by skilfully shifting their attention to the next learning step. Although teachers check pupils’ understanding by getting them involved in the practical investigations, the considerable efforts made by teachers to enable pupils’ understanding is not always seen in the efforts made by pupils. Where teaching is relatively ordinary, the pace of lessons is hampered by the behaviour of a few pupils who cannot settle and who, despite showing interest in the subject, show negative attitudes to their learning as a whole. Strong classroom support in Year 4 successfully lifts pupils’ achievement and ensures that all pupils achieve well in the subject, given their learning needs. Teachers use resources well to develop pupils’

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SCIENCE

understanding and creatively use everyday objects to demonstrate or explain. Church Road Primary School - 34 92. There are growing links with literacy and numeracy. Where these are good, pupils write their findings in a range of ways. Graphs develop pupils’ understanding of emerging patterns in data about scientific phenomena they have observed. Teachers take this further, showing pupils how to compare and contrast data as they deal with increasingly complex information. Occasionally ICT is used to transform and present complex data but pupils have too few skills in using this technology.

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SCIENCE

93. Children with special educational needs are well supported through extra explanation and questioning by well-briefed and sensitive support staff when teachers explore new ideas with a class. The emphasis on hands-on investigation benefits these pupils as it does with all the others.

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SCIENCE

94. The science curriculum as a whole has significantly improved since the previous inspection and ensures that learning steps are incremental and challenging for all pupils. Assessment of pupils’ work is already very well rooted in the detailed whole school system and should reap great benefits as the information gathers into patterns for teachers to act upon. The very good teamwork across the school has galvanised a purposeful on-going debate about the best way to teach ideas in imaginative ways. The specific intentions of lessons are explained to pupils and are then used to check how much has been learned. This brings pupils closer to evaluating it for themselves and teachers have a practical overview of how much pupils have learned. Although teachers check for understanding through discussion, the considerable efforts made by teachers is not always seen in the efforts made by pupils. The very best marking relays a higher

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SCIENCE

expectation by encouraging pupils to go further. Pupils’ achievement is inconsistent across the school. This is partly a result of a lack of clear targets set out for each element of the subject for each year group.

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ART AND DESIGN

95. Standards are above national expectations at the end of Year 2 and this indicates good improvement since the previous inspection. Standards are average at the end of Year 6. However, the standard of painting is above that achieved by most pupils of this age.

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ART AND DESIGN

96. The school’s portfolio of children’s work indicates that Years 1 and 2 pupils achieve particularly well because the quality of teaching is generally good overall and the range of opportunities forge very good early links between the work of a variety of artists and children’s observational skills. Use of the nationally recommended guidance for the subject has broadened experiences, also ensuring that steps in learning are incremental. This is evident in the qualities of self-portraits and figures in Years 1 to 3. Year 1 pupils’ interpretation of Degas’ ballet dancers in pencil and crayon are a good example of the best teaching, where pupils’ attention is focused on line and movement. The activities that teachers plan deepen pupils’ understanding of portraiture and artists’ styles, so much so that pupils explore their own interpretation from an early start. This can be seen in the exquisite water colourings of natural objects by Year 2 pupils who also use

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ART AND DESIGN

subtle brush skills as they represent the folds in a piece of velvet in paint. Children with special needs show keen observational awareness that is mirrored in their fine paintwork. Teachers use resources particularly well to get most pupils to see nuances of shape, line and tone in two- dimensional and three-dimensional objects, such as pinecones and iris flowers.

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ART AND DESIGN

97. Pupils in Years 3 to 6 make satisfactory progress overall but achievement is enhanced by some better teaching in individual classes in each year group. Where teaching is good, pupils explore mark-marking, colour blending and pastel techniques as they are working to create a desired effect or purely to see the overlapping of colour. In a Year 3 class, this pre-sketchbook work develops good working habits. Year 4 pupils combine features of design in the style of the artist Escher, as they draw upon the mathematical dimension of pattern, repeated effects and movement, producing dynamic pictures of their own.

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ART AND DESIGN

98. Some variations in the quality of teaching are apparent in work collections of pupils from Years 3 to 6 and are reflected in average drawing skills at the end of Year 6. Good early teaching of pencil skills has not been consistently built on so pupils have not achieved as well as they might. Church Road Primary School - 35 Occasionally, teachers have over-restricted a choice of pencil and range of brushes and this hinders pupils’ use of tools and self-selection. As one child commented, she would be able to paint the detail to match what she wanted to do if she had a finer brush. These pupils demonstrate greater maturity than that for which they are credited. Many of these drawings are slightly higher than average in skill because of the whole school approach that fosters observation. Evidence from discussions shows that pupils know many artists and can talk about their features of their work, including Picasso and Matisse. Pupils show great interest in the

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ART AND DESIGN

subject and can explain the styles of different work, which is mainly, but not exclusively, in the European tradition.

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ART AND DESIGN

99. The quality of teaching overall is good, despite some unsettled behaviour, mainly in Year 1 and Year 4. Although this reduces the pace of learning somewhat, pupils are interested and are able to explore features of making portraits, for example. Support staff make a strong contribution to pupils’ progress by guiding pupils towards greater independence. Teachers have good subject knowledge and effectively ensure that pupils see notable qualities of different artistic styles. The subject successfully promotes different cultures in Britain and around the world. Visits from local artists also enhance pupils’ work and this is seen particularly in the quality of painting. ICT is not well integrated into the subject. It is too soon to judge the impact of the new subject co-ordinator who has recently taken responsibility for the subject.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

100. No lessons were observed being taught to those pupils in Years 1-2 during the course of the inspection and only one lesson in Years 3-6 was seen. No judgement on attainment is possible, therefore.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

101. By the end of Year 6, pupils understand the design sequence, that design precedes construction and that the properties of materials affect their use, for example, that the fabric to make the soles of shoes differs from that to make the uppers. Pupils understand that a decision with regard to construction techniques must be made before building commences, for example, that the method of joining the parts of a musical instrument must be planned, wet glue cannot be used in a shaker where the contents might stick to it, or the strings of an instrument be insecure and become loose when the instrument is played.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

102. In Years 3 – 6 pupils work well together making corporate decisions and co-operating with each other. They enjoy lessons and participate with enthusiasm and take pride in their work. The annual Easter Egg craft competition enables pupils to work independently and display their work to others.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

103. There is not enough attention paid to ensuring the consistent development of skill in the pupils and overall planning of the subject lacks clarity and rigor. There are no dedicated rooms for technology or food technology and resources are kept centrally. Resources are adequate to meet the demands of the National Curriculum. In the absence of the co-ordinator during the inspection, inspectors were unable to determine how the subject is monitored or in which direction the subject might develop in the future.

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GEOGRAPHY

104. From observations of lessons, the scrutiny of pupils’ work in books and on display, and discussions, it is clear that Years 2 and 6 pupils attain standards, which are in line with national expectations and their progress is always at least satisfactory and often good. By following the nationally suggested schemes of work within the National Curriculum, pupils gain a balanced knowledge of geographical concepts and environmental issues. By the end of Year 2, they are beginning to understand the notion of ‘place’ and identify some geographical features of Bolton. They ask relevant questions and use basic geographical skills of observation and enquiry. In particular, it was noted how they could compare and contrast Bolton with an imaginary Scottish island about which they had been reading in literacy. The pupils were keen and quick to answer Church Road Primary School - 36 questions and draw conclusions about life in a small fishing village in comparison with a large

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GEOGRAPHY

industrial town. Much of their work is based on life within their experience and they are given the opportunity to have a broader view of Britain and the world, Altogether it provides a very good starting point for their studies in Years 3 to 6.

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GEOGRAPHY

105. By the end of Year 6, pupils are generally competent in their use of geographical vocabulary and skills such as map reading. The dominant focus is on themes such as water, rivers, the mountain environment and coast, based on regional world-wide case studies. At present, however, the school does not have enough specific case study material to make the situations sufficiently real for the pupils to enter into other people’s life styles and problems. There has been no subject co-ordinator for two years and now the present co-ordinator has the task of rectifying these deficiencies within her current action plan. This is likely to enable the pupils to engage in research more successfully, as they use material such as ‘Save the Children’ case studies, computer and library resources. The curriculum is in place but there are few enriching artefacts, maps and video materials which focus sharply on crucial geographical factors throughout their

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GEOGRAPHY

neighbourhood, the country and the world. The school is much poorer than most schools in these respects and it inevitably restricts standards, and lessens the likelihood of pupils identifying with geographical aspects of life.

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GEOGRAPHY

106. Pupils respond well to the good teaching. Oral work is generally good but there is an uncertainty about what is required in the standards and style of presentation of written work. They make earnest attempts to link and compare provisions such as water in Africa and Britain. There are relatively few opportunities for sustained individual and small group co-operative work. Although every aspect of the school’s provision is inclusive and the pupils with special educational needs make good progress, the level of challenge for the gifted and talented could be raised significantly. The application of the new rigorous school assessment policy will facilitate this. Some field work is done, but the range and richness of the work has been less than in many schools. Now the close links between the history and geography co-ordinators promises to enrich both subjects as they review the whole school’s provision. They have the curriculum content in place and now, with

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GEOGRAPHY

geography in particular, they are carefully reviewing the resourcing and possible teaching developments which are necessary to raise standards and give pupils cumulative geographical experiences.

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HISTORY

107. From the scrutiny of work and displays, discussion with pupils and staff and lesson observation, it was clear that by the end of Year 2, pupils have gradually gained a sense of the passage of time by studying major historical events and putting them in chronological order. Pupils begin to appreciate the importance of people such as Florence Nightingale, events such as the Great Fire of London and changes which can be seen in toys, homes and seaside holidays. All of these topics closely follow the nationally suggested scheme of work within the National Curriculum. The pupils become quite adept at noticing similarities and differences and looking for the cause and effect of changes and how the differences influence lives through history. Although these are at an elementary level, they are basic building blocks for any future understanding. Standards are satisfactory and pupils make sound progress. The constant restlessness of a few pupils in Year

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HISTORY

1, however, severely hinders progress of many.

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HISTORY

108. During Years 3-6 pupils make good progress, and by the end of Year 6, they are able to make quite good historical judgements. They achieve well and reach standards above those found nationally. They study the impact of the Romans, Saxons and Vikings, the significance of the great ancient civilizations of Egypt, Greece and the Indus Valley, the outcome of the Tudors and Stuarts, life in the Victorian era and that experienced during World War II and since 1948. These raise the pupils’ awareness of cultural change and difference in particular. It was, for example, notable just how shocked Year 6 pupils were when they experienced a Victorian school afternoon. The range of history displays showed that the pupils were able to some degree to project themselves into other periods of time and make reasonable judgements about causal influences. Church Road Primary School - 37 109. The pupils thoroughly enjoy history and generally enter into the spirit of the lessons. Pupils with

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HISTORY

special educational needs are fully involved and make good progress.

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HISTORY

110. The teaching in Years 1-2 is usually satisfactory and in Years 3-6 it is generally good or better. A distinctive feature is the range of ‘hands-on’ work from which pupils benefit richly. Theatre workshops covering Romans, Vikings, Guy Fawkes, the Victorians and World War II and a visit to Smithall Hall where pupils study the Tudors and Stuarts are thoroughly memorable and enriching in many ways. The motivating effects of these resulted in extended writing and investigative work. The topics were often alive to the pupils and resulted in confident oral descriptions. There are virtually no special provisions for the gifted and talented pupils and there are few requirements made in respect of how pupils present their written work.

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HISTORY

111. History, like other subjects, is benefiting from the appointment of a new co-ordinator and a school- wide curriculum and assessment development programme. At present there are too few artefacts, marking is of variable quality, ICT is underused and the pacing of lessons can be characterized by long introductions. The subject action plan is being pursued vigorously, however, and this is already indicating that the use of targeted assessments and improved learning opportunities are beginning to raise standards across Years 1-6.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

112. By the end of Year 2, pupils are working at an appropriate level for their age. At the end of Year 6, the standards achieved are unsatisfactory. Pupils are now making good progress, but from a low level of prior skills, knowledge and understanding.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

113. At the last inspection the following shortcomings were identified; • standards were unsatisfactory at the end of Year 6; • pupils were often unable to work independently; • skill levels were insufficiently linked to the National Curriculum programmes and there was no system of recording progress; • ICT had too little connection with other subjects; • computer hardware and software were inadequate for the size of school, resulting in a lack of ‘hands-on’ time.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

114. At the end of this school year, the current Year 6 will still not reach the required standards because there is a deficit of skills, knowledge and understanding which is hindering their progress, requiring time to be spent on remedial work at a low level. Although the standards at the end of Year 6 are likely to be disappointing, the following improvements have been put in place and are being implemented. They are impacting positively on standards: • there is a satisfactory scheme, policy and assessment procedure and a safety procedure policy for the use of Internet; • the range of software now provides far better coverage; • teaching methods now develop pupils' independence; • the use of the ICT suite is carefully audited, identifying some inequality of use which is being addressed; • the new ICT co-ordinator provides in-depth support and monitors planning and teaching effectively.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

115. When they are taught new skills, pupils pick them up quickly. It is part of their routine to load the program or access the class folder, save, print and close down the computer. In all the lessons seen, pupils were keen and eager to use new programs and learn new skills. They listen and watch the class teacher's guidance on the large screen carefully and remember well what they have been taught. Year 1 grasped the use of the shift key and backspace in the context of writing their names. The higher attainers managed easily without prompting. Years 3 and 4 demonstrated how they could retrieve earlier work, review and improve on first efforts. Year 3 have successfully used the digital camera and imported images of themselves to illustrate text. Year 5 quickly grasped the principle of entering data into a very simple spreadsheet, totalling and averaging the amounts of water used by household appliances. They exceeded the teachers'

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

Church Road Primary School - 38 expectation, working hard and fast. They were delighted when they explored the presentation of this data in graph form. Those pupils who have a computer at home are generally more comfortable with the keyboard, working at greater speed. Year 4 pupils could access information for history using CD-ROMs and Internet, but shared the same problem identified by Year 6 pupils - the text is often quite difficult to read which makes note-taking particularly hard. Year 6 pupils discussed their very limited prior range of experiences of computers. This, together with their lack of familiarity with the keyboard, unfamiliarity with retrieving class files, and lack of regular practice illustrated the extent of the deficit that they carry with them. Thus they are unable to use the computer as an effective tool for speeding and improving communication in other subjects.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

116. The quality of teaching was never less than satisfactory and in half the lessons, good. In the majority of the lessons teachers use the suite well, make good use of prior knowledge and skills, which they build on systematically, matching tasks to the different needs of groups in the class. There is still much to be done to ensure that ICT is integrated into the full curriculum and supports pupils’ learning well in all subjects. Lessons are planned carefully to balance input to the class using the big screen with effective hands on practice and application. They monitor all pupils well, encouraging them to reflect and review what they have done when they are asked for help. This, together with the regular practice of basic computer routines, is increasing pupils' independent learning. Progress in most instances is good within a lesson, as in the suite, nearly all pupils are highly motivated. The technician and other adult helpers are used most effectively. Materials and

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

resources are ready for use on arrival but when a class is timetabled for a mere half-hour slot, all aspects are rushed and it is often difficult for teacher and pupil to feel a sense of achievement. However, in the few classrooms that have a computer, teachers make poor use of them.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

117. The co-ordinator has had a dramatic effect on the quality of provision and the effectiveness with which it is used. She has noted the uneven uptake of timetabled time in the suite and the impact this has had on standards. She effectively supports those teachers who are insecure and has already successfully implemented a series of suggestions made by the LEA advisor, which is further improving standards, and the quality of teaching and learning. The pupil:computer ratio is significantly too low and this is slowing the rate of progress for all pupils.

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MUSIC

118. Relatively few lessons were observed and therefore there was insufficient evidence on which to make a judgement of standards at the end of Years 2 and 6.

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MUSIC

119. In a class from Year 2 and Year 6, the two teachers used their own knowledge, enjoyment and confidence in singing to lead their pupils. Year 2 worked up to exploring short and long sounds and Year 6 had a similar focus at a more sophisticated level, responding to the musical terms `staccato and legato’. First they warmed up with exercises, singing responses to sung instructions and nonsense rhymes - a familiar and enjoyable routine. They had a sweet tone, a good sense of pitch and thus were able to learn a new song quickly. In contrast, a Year 4 class found it extremely difficult to recognise the pitch of a note and replicate it. Lessons tend to follow a double strand of singing followed by work on the structure of music. Pupils in Year 5 and 6 are working on cyclic rhythmic patterns and exploring how these might be combined to form more complex compositions. In two classes, the pupils worked well together in groups of five or six.

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MUSIC

They had to organise their knowledge, decide what they would do, who would do it and work at putting it together. Although time was short, they produced praiseworthy outcomes and appreciated the fact that they would work on these efforts in a following lesson.

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MUSIC

120. The quality of teaching seen was at least satisfactory, often reflecting deep personal knowledge of the subject. The best planning is detailed, identifying different expectations to match the levels of understanding and provides a good structure to sequence the development of the lesson. The challenge presented to classes varies considerably and does not always build effectively on pupils' prior learning. At times, teachers have to concentrate on managing pupils’ behaviour, at the expense of teaching the planned lesson and this results in superficial coverage. Church Road Primary School - 39 121. The scheme of work covers listening to and appreciating music but there was little opportunity to get a flavour of how this is developing. The role of musical appreciation in assembly is missed - a shortcoming noted in the previous inspection. The school relies on special music days, visiting music groups and participation in the Bolton music festival to enrich the curriculum. The last

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MUSIC

inspection, whilst stating that standards were satisfactory, commented favourably on the quality of singing. The choir was a focus for this but has not functioned for a year. Parents regret this. Singing in assembly was barely satisfactory.

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MUSIC

122. The co-ordinator is keen to move things forward again, after a period of absence. She has overseen the replacement of the schemes of work, and has a very good knowledge of the skills amongst the teachers and support staff. This bodes well for the development of the subject leading to improving standards. The recorder club has made a good start and the demand to participate in the percussion club is high. Years 5 and 6 pupils have the opportunity to learn the flute or recorder. There is no ICT music software. There is a strong interest in music amongst the pupils who are extremely appreciative of the talents of their teachers. Church Road Primary School - 40

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

123. No lessons were observed in Years 1 and 2, and so it is not possible to judge standards. By the beginning of Year 3, pupils understand the purpose of exercise, the need for ‘warming up’, and that exercise can take several forms. They understand the relationship between dance and music and can vary their movements in line with musical tempo. They analyse each other’s work and celebrate the success in each other’s performance.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

124. By the end of Year 6, pupils have developed a much wider range of skills. Standards and achievement are both good. They understand the basics of a range of games such as netball, rugby, cricket, handball and football and can demonstrate basic skills such as passing and receiving the ball in these areas. In Year 5, for example, the idea of dance is further developed and pupils understand a variety of dance styles. They can build sequences of movements and recall these in subsequent lessons. Pupils in Year 6 attend swimming lessons and most are likely to meet national targets by the end of that year.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

125. The school offers a wide range of experiences to pupils and provides out of school activities to supplement the National Curriculum. These include cross-country running, cricket, rounders, gymnastics, football, netball, handball and swimming. The school has shown considerable success in sport. Teams have reached the national finals in mixed cricket, won the girls five-a- side football tournament (2001), the north west cricket finals (2002) and the rugby league championship in 2000 and been involved as finalists or semi-finalists in several other competitions over the last three years.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

126. Pupils listen attentively in lessons, strive hard to improve and show enjoyment in their physical education lessons and are keen to take part both in the lessons and in activities after school. Pupils dress appropriately for lessons by changing into suitable clothing and footwear but the school does not provide changing facilities or showers. Pupils work well individually, in pairs and in small groups.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

127. The teaching of physical education is generally good and never less than sound. Teachers plan their lessons well, with clear and shared objectives, good attention to warming up and to relaxation at the end of vigorous activities. This has a positive impact on learning and pupils respond well in most lessons.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

128. The newly appointed co-ordinator manages the subject well and has produced clear plans for development in physical education, a clear improvement since the last inspection.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

129. Resources are adequate to meet the demands of the National Curriculum but there are considerable shortcomings in accommodation. The two halls in the school are inadequate in size and both are used for the storage of equipment such as dining tables and have pillars at one side. The playgrounds are poorly surfaced, and contain small walls dividing one area from another. The school is, however, able to use the adjacent parish hall for gymnastics and dance and use a nearby park for games and sports activities on a grass surface. The provision for extra-curricular activities is very good and such activities are accessible to all pupils.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

130. Throughout the school pupils are now attaining levels which are generally satisfactory and approximate to the levels expected in the LEA’s Agreed Syllabus for religious education. Pupils make sound progress. Pupils show an interest in the subject and have the capacity to understand the key ideas and forms of worship and resultant life styles of people of different faiths.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

131. By the end of Year 2, pupils have studied 12 wide-ranging topics. Eight are from the Judaeo- Christian tradition, two are about Islam, one about the Hindu festivals of Divali and Holi and one thematic study of religious buildings. Of these, four are about Jesus and so they have a good knowledge of biblical stories such as Noah, the Christmas and Easter festivals, Zaccheus, Church Road Primary School - 41 Bartimaeus and the Prodigal Son. The work related to Islam, however, is not taught through memorable stories that the pupils can identify with and dramatise. The pupils do learn about the five Muslim ‘pillars of faith’ but it is not at an appropriate level for them to appreciate. They do, however, recognise the significance of religious and cultural differences.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

132. By the end of Year 6, the pupils have extended and enriched their studies significantly and are well prepared for the transition to the comprehensive school. They grasp the central ideas of the four major faiths which have been introduced in Years 1-2. This raises many complex issues for the teachers regarding both the knowledge and the most appropriate teaching methods to be used. It does, however, develop the pupils’ awareness of the contemporary British multicultural and multi-faith society. It encourages them to be sensitive to the beliefs and feelings of other people. This effectively supports their social and cultural education as well as the spiritual and moral aspects. The use of artefacts brings a degree of reality to the lessons. Hence the pupils responded promptly to Jewish artefacts when being taught about the Torah and scrolls etc.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

133. Too few lessons were observed to make a secure judgement on the quality of teaching. However, some teaching was good, enabling pupils to make good progress. For example, the use of metaphor in religion to pupils in Year 4 was stimulating and worthwhile. In another Year 6 lesson, pupils studied Christian marriage with five different emphases. The pupils worked non-stop and although it showed that they had not learned how to use Bible references yet, it also showed their interest in religious topics to which they could easily relate. Pupils have benefited from the visit of a religious theatre group and visits have been made to various places of worship. Displays are becoming increasingly prominent and teachers have been enriching general teaching techniques with role-play, drama, quizzes etc. Classroom support assistants have proved to be very efficient and their significance goes beyond helping the pupils with special needs.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

134. Until the appointment of the new co-ordinator the subject lost its momentum. Now new energy is being brought to the subject. The new co-ordinator is alert and knows what the weaknesses are and is trying to eradicate them. Excessive copying of written work, poor marking systems, drafting all types of work, inadequate target setting and inadequate challenges for gifted and talented pupils are all being confronted. The need to match the quality of content with skills and learning experiences is recognised but certain fundamental flaws exist. These include the lack of detailed case studies, the inadequate use of ICT and websites as sources of information, providing pupils with the opportunity for reflective reading and thinking and how to enrich statements of faith and practices with human experiences.

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