Devonshire Road Primary School

DEVONSHIRE ROAD PRIMARY SCHOOL

Reporting inspector: Jean-Pierre Kirkland

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DEVONSHIRE ROAD PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 16 th – 17 th September 2002

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DEVONSHIRE ROAD PRIMARY SCHOOL

Short 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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DEVONSHIRE 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. Devonshire Road Primary School - 1

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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 Barbara Porter

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: October 1997 Devonshire Road Primary School - 2

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Team members

4483 Jean-Pierre Kirkland Registered inspector 9928 Alan Dobson Lay inspector 11528 Michael Wainwright Team inspector 10120 Phillip Crookall Team inspector

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Team members

PPI Group Ltd 7 Hill Street Bristol BS1 5RW

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Team members

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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Team members

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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Team members

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Devonshire Road Primary School - 3

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 4 - 8

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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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

The school is situated about two miles west of Bolton town centre and has over 400 pupils on roll, making it significantly larger than the average primary school. It is a two-form entry school with 14 classes. A substantial number of pupils, over 30 per cent, come from ethnic minority backgrounds. Many, about ten per cent, have English as an addition to their own language, the principal ones being Punjabi, Gujerati, Farsi and Serbo-Croat. About one third of these pupils are at an early stage of language acquisition. Included in this is a small number of refugee pupils. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties is approximately similar to the national average at about 20 per cent. Most of these pupils have specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, but the school also has a small minority who have emotional and behavioural difficulties, autism and other problems. Eight pupils have statements of

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

specific need, which is higher than the national average. The area the school serves is a mixture of local authority and housing association and private properties for rent, as well as owner occupied housing. The proportion of pupils entitled to free school meals is over 20 per cent. Attainment on entry to the school covers a wide range of ability; however, it is usually below what is expected from children of this age, although there are variations year on year. A significant number of pupils enter and leave at times other than the normal starting or leaving dates.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

This is a very good and effective school. Pupils’ achievements are very good. National test results are well above those found in similar schools and above the national average. There is good teaching overall, with many instances of very good practice. The school is very effectively led and managed, with very good teamwork involving all staff and governors. The school provides very good value for money.

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What the school does well

• Pupils achieve very well, with above average standards reached in Year 6. • Very good levels of teamwork by staff stem from very effective leadership and management. • Staff make their teaching interesting by drawing on information from a wide range of sources. • Behaviour is managed very well throughout the school. • Parents receive a very good range of information about their children and about the school.

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What could be improved

• The quality of writing in areas of the curriculum other than English, especially writing in a creative manner. • The mental arithmetic sessions at the start of numeracy lessons. • The overall quality of provision in information and communication technology (ICT). 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

There has been good overall improvement since the previous inspection in 1997. Standards have risen throughout the school and pupils’ achievements are significantly better. Overall, teaching has improved as has the quality of leadership and management. The key issues from the previous inspection have been put into place in full with very good support by the governing body. The curriculum is now taught in a more imaginative manner, with particular strengths in English, science and music. Provision for pupils with learning difficulties and those who have specific language problems has also improved, resulting in the very good achievement of all pupils. The school has recently acquired a new ICT suite, but as yet, this subject is not supporting learning as well as it might. There is good capacity for further improvement. Devonshire Road Primary School - 5

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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

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

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Key

Results in the 2001 national tests are above average overall but well above average when compared to those in similar schools with a like proportion of pupils entitled to free school meals. Since children enter the school with levels that are below those expected, and in some cases with levels well below those expected, overall achievement is very good. The more recent results, for which there is no national comparison as yet, are not as high as for 2001, but still represent very good achievement when compared to the levels of attainment on entry to the school seven years earlier. Inspectors found a similar situation with the current Year 6 pupils. They are still making very good progress given their starting points in reception, but standards, although above average in English and science, and broadly average in mathematics, are not as high as those recorded in 2001.

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Key

The national test results at the end of Year 2 in 2001 showed that pupils attained standards that were average in reading, below average in writing and well below average in mathematics. When compared to results in similar schools, results were above average in reading and writing but below average in mathematics. Teacher assessments in science showed standards to be broadly average. Since the attainment levels of most children are below those expected when they enter the school, and a significant minority has difficulties with language development, achievement is at least satisfactory, with many pupils making good progress. The rate of progress improves overall beyond Year 2 as many of the pupils with the initial language problems begin to overcome these and develop greater confidence in the use of English. Pupils’ work shows steady and consistent improvement from reception through to Year 6.

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Key

The targets set by the school are realistic year on year, being based on very good knowledge of pupils’ capabilities. Targets are sufficiently challenging and are achieved annually. Over time, the school’s results have improved significantly and, for pupils in Year 6, they are much better than when the school was previously inspected.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Good. Pupils like their school and work hard.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Very good. The school has clear and high expectations of good behaviour and achieves this. There were three exclusions for short periods of time last year.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Good. All pupils, irrespective of their backgrounds, get on well with each other in a calm and orderly manner. Devonshire Road Primary School - 6 Attendance Close to the national average. Pupils arrive for lessons on time. Devonshire Road Primary School - 7

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Teaching of pupils in: Reception Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

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

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Teaching of pupils in: Reception Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

Teaching is good overall, although most of the best teaching was observed in Years 3 to 6. Although satisfactory in Years 1 and 2 overall, there are examples of good and very good teaching as well. Children make a satisfactory start to their education in the reception classes. For all of the reception children, the inspection took place on their first full day in school and it was too soon to make detailed judgements about their learning. Children settle in well in their classes and begin to use language and counting appropriately.

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Teaching of pupils in: Reception Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

Elsewhere in the school, the best teaching is characterised by:

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Teaching of pupils in: Reception Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

• very well prepared lessons covering a wide range of topics and drawing on a wide range of sources of information – for example, history teaching using mathematics and geography to help pupils learn more effectively; • high challenges, where staff fire rapid and relevant questions at the pupils who are challenged to think before answering; • using resources very effectively to aid learning – for example in music, providing all pupils with the opportunity of playing an instrument during the lesson; • very good support for those pupils who need it, either because they have learning difficulties, or because they are at an early stage of language development. Their rate of learning improves significantly due to the very good support they receive.

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Teaching of pupils in: Reception Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

No teaching was less than satisfactory and therefore there are no major areas of weakness. The satisfactory lessons are generally a little slower in pace and there is sometimes too much time spent in listening rather than doing. The overall quality of teaching, however, has improved since the previous inspection and there is effective learning throughout the school. Teaching and learning in literacy are good overall, with some examples of very good practice. Not all teachers extend pupils’ literacy skills sufficiently highly in other subjects, such as history, geography or religious education. In numeracy, the mental arithmetic at the start of sessions is not always used to best advantage, so that these activities are too brief or not all pupils have an opportunity to contribute. However, the rest of the lessons are good, with work very well matched to pupils’ capabilities so that they are effectively challenged and learn

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Teaching of pupils in: Reception Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

well. Staff manage those pupils who have difficulty behaving or concentrating very well and this is a further strength of the teaching. Appropriate amounts of homework are set and these enhance learning adequately. Devonshire Road Primary School - 8

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum Good. The school fully meets statutory requirements and has a broad and balanced curriculum, with especially good provision in music. Provision in ICT is in its early stages of development.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Very good. Support is very effective in helping pupils move towards achieving their targets.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with English as an additional language Very good. There is full and effective support for the pupils most in need of help and those with language difficulties are helped effectively to overcome their problems.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Good. A particular strength is in the provision for social development. This starts at an early age in reception and continues throughout the school. All pupils are encouraged to mix with each other, to share and to co-operate.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils Good. There are good child protection and health and safety procedures in operation throughout the school. Staff know their pupils well and ensure they are looked after well.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school works in partnership with parents Very good. This is a strength of the school; parents receive very good levels of informative materials on a regular basis. Annual pupil reports are also very good.

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff Very good. Staff work together as a strong team with a clear lead from senior management. This leads to clearly defined responsibilities in all areas with appropriate action being taken to drive up standards.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Very good. Governors are part of the team. They know and understand their school very well and are keen to work on the areas identified for improvement. They fulfil their statutory duties effectively.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance Very good. The school has a clear view of its strengths and areas in need of improvement. This is reflected in a very good school improvement plan which takes full account of obtaining the best value for money in all aspects of spending.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources Good. Staff use resources very effectively, although the use of ICT to enhance learning is in its early stages. Devonshire Road Primary School - 9

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• Progress is very good and standards are high. • Teaching is very good. • The school is well led and managed. • Problems are resolved with a minimum of fuss. • Pupils are enabled to become mature and sensible. • Communication between school and home. • Homework. • Extra-curricular activities.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

The response to the parents’ meeting and to the questionnaire was low considering the large number of pupils at the school. Inspectors looked carefully at the areas that a few parents had drawn to their attention. Inspectors agree with the parents’ positive views of the school. Homework and extra-curricular activities were judged to be satisfactory overall and similar to what most other schools provide. Inspectors disagreed with parents over communications between the school and home. These were judged to be of very good quality, such as newsletters and information regarding forthcoming events. Three parents’ evenings per year provide parents with regular opportunities to discuss issues with staff and the annual reports sent home on children’s progress were also judged to be very good. Devonshire Road Primary School - 10

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

Pupils achieve very well, with above average standards reached in Year 6.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

1. Pupils make very good progress throughout the school and overall achievements are very good when pupils reach Year 6. Attainment on entry to the school is generally below average. An average proportion of pupils are identified as having learning difficulties, although for some years, this figure is above the national average. There is also a significant proportion, about a quarter, who have English as an additional language. Of these, a small minority is at a very early stage in learning English. During their initial years, such factors slow down the progress that pupils are able to make, despite the very good levels of support provided by the school. However, progress is good overall, but accelerates later as pupils develop more confidence. All pupils - whether they display learning difficulties, have language problems at first, or are in the higher attaining bracket - make very good progress over time and achieve very well. Standards have continued to rise since

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

the previous inspection. In English, mathematics and science, on the basis of inspection evidence, overall standards are above average nationally and well above the standards reached by pupils from similar backgrounds. In music and history, standards were also observed to be above average by Year 5 and Year 6.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

2. In all aspects of English, achievements are very good. Pupils develop good listening skills, enhanced in other subject areas such as music, when they listen carefully to the pulse and rhythm of melodies. They learn to speak clearly and with good levels of articulation. They express their views assertively, stating quite specifically which are their favourite subjects or what they like most about their school. In lessons, they are eager to answer questions, often replying in full sentences. Reading develops well, with higher attaining pupils in Year 6 learning to enjoy Shakespeare, for example. Writing also develops very well, with joined up script being encouraged prior to the end of Year 2. Punctuation is generally good and letters are accurately formed. When given opportunities in extended literacy sessions, pupils in Years 5 and 6 write good quality stories.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

3. Mathematical and scientific understanding also develops well, although progress in mathematics has not been as good as in science or English. Nevertheless, achievement is still good, given the low numeracy levels of pupils when they join the school. By Year 6, the pupils perform better in the national tests than their counterparts in similar schools and achievement has been good. Pupils are particularly good at solving problems and doing sums, which are tackled in classes with enthusiasm. Also, especially in Year 6, pupils record their experiments in science in great detail, laying out their work neatly and imaginatively.

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Very good levels of teamwork by staff stem from very effective leadership and

4. A great strength of the school is its work as a whole team. Motivated by very effective leadership and management, involving the governing body, staff pull together towards a common aim and purpose. Focusing on raising and sustaining high standards and progress, the school improvement plan has clear priorities for development. Priorities are identified firstly by class teachers, fed into senior management and then discussed with governors. Planning of the curriculum is undertaken by teams of staff, so that there is clear progression in pupils’ learning. Work is matched effectively to meet pupils’ needs. Whenever appropriate, the curriculum is modified for individuals or groups to ensure that it is challenging without being too hard or too easy.

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Very good levels of teamwork by staff stem from very effective leadership and

5. The headteacher and deputy head, supported by a strong senior management team and the governors, have set clear targets for improving the performance of teachers. There is regular and effective observation of lessons and staff discuss ways of improving their teaching techniques. Staff with subject responsibilities work hard to ensure that standards are sustained and raised in their respective areas. Government guidelines on the curriculum have been adopted and adapted Devonshire Road Primary School - 11 (amended to suit the needs of the pupils). Learning is thus effective and under constant review. Any issues where changes might be made are first discussed between year teams, then taken to senior management. If improvements are needed, for example in resources, these are highlighted in the school improvement plan and appropriate action taken. As a result, inspectors found a very well resourced school, with adequate materials and equipment enhancing learning in all areas.

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Very good levels of teamwork by staff stem from very effective leadership and

6. The governing body is not only very supportive of the school and its work, but it is also very aware of the strengths and areas for improvement. Many governors attend courses regularly so that they may do their respective jobs more effectively. They liaise frequently with staff, offering support, while ensuring that new initiatives are fully implemented. This has resulted, for example, in the full implementation of the new requirements for children with learning difficulties and other special educational needs. It also means that parents are kept fully aware of new developments in this field through newsletters, the prospectus and the governors’ annual report to its parents.

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Staff make their teaching interesting by drawing on information from a wide range of

7. Teaching is good throughout the school and has improved since the previous inspection. Over a third of lessons were very good or better and over two thirds at least good. As a result, learning is good across the school, with many examples of very good learning in some lessons. Very good learning takes place in music, in some literacy and numeracy lessons, as well as in some history lessons. Pupils’ work shows steady progression over time in the development of the skills of writing, mathematics, analysis in science and investigation in history. Staff generally have good subject knowledge. They use this effectively to teach pupils a wide range of important vocabulary as well as to make constant reference to learning in other subject areas.

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Staff make their teaching interesting by drawing on information from a wide range of

8. Staff are very good at bringing together materials from a range of subjects to make learning more interesting for their pupils. In history when studying the ancient Greeks in Year 6, pupils soon understood the need for a navy when they examined the geography of the country with its many inlets and islands. They rapidly understood the significance of the greatness of the Greek civilisation as they worked out on a time line that the Greeks were at their height 3,500 years ago. Learning in numeracy is further enhanced as pupils in Years 4 and 5 learn to count accurately in music as they play instruments or join in singing. Staff teaching Year 3 pupils make good relevant connections on healthy eating in both science and personal and social education lessons. Language, especially spelling, were very well reinforced when pupils used a lesson in ICT to label diagrams. In a Year 2 literacy lesson, when planning how to write a letter, pupils were encouraged

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Staff make their teaching interesting by drawing on information from a wide range of

to draw on their mathematical knowledge of sequencing to drive home the point. Good integrated activities in reception classes fuse learning from pictures of currant buns with counting and speaking.

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Staff make their teaching interesting by drawing on information from a wide range of

9. In other lessons, staff display lists of key words on the board and point to them when they are used in explanations or when summarising the learning at the end of the lesson. This constant reinforcement of language is particularly beneficial to those pupils whose first language is not English. It helps them with word recognition and pronunciation. The rate of improvement for those pupils at an early stage of language development is significantly increased as a result. Other pupils are made aware of quite sophisticated vocabulary earlier than is expected for their age. Pupils in Year 6 have begun to grasp the meaning of words such as ‘thrice’ when studying Shakespeare. Pupils in Year 4 know, understand and can explain technical terms in music, such as ‘ostinato’, ‘pulse’ and ‘dynamics’.

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Staff make their teaching interesting by drawing on information from a wide range of

Behaviour is managed very well throughout the school.

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Staff make their teaching interesting by drawing on information from a wide range of

10. Behaviour throughout the school is very good. Children in the reception classes who have only just joined the school settle down well in their lessons and play harmoniously together in the playground. Careful induction procedures have helped greatly to smooth the transition into the school from nursery or straight from home. In other classes, pupils are given firm guidance and clear expectations from the teacher. In a Year 5 literacy lesson, for example, the teacher ensured Devonshire Road Primary School - 12 all pupils sat up straight and listened appropriately, and that they understood the requirements of writing neatly and underlining headings. When pupils are given very clear instructions about what to do – ‘come out and choose an instrument and stand in front of the class’ – they are clear about expectations, do as they are told and are ready to learn more effectively. When Year 1 pupils went

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Staff make their teaching interesting by drawing on information from a wide range of

around the school to investigate their five senses, due to good control by the teacher, they practised good restraint and self-control, keeping on task as a result. In a Year 1 ICT lesson, praise was used effectively to sustain pupils’ attention and maintain good levels of control. The school admits a number of pupils each year with emotional and behavioural difficulties, and in classes where these pupils were present, there was minimum disruption. In fact, many of the other pupils showed great tolerance and respect, understanding the problem, but not letting this distract them from their learning.

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Staff make their teaching interesting by drawing on information from a wide range of

11. Support staff play a very important part in classroom management. They have clear roles and follow the lead from the teacher. Often, they explain clearly to pupils what is being said, emphasising important points which may not always be understood first time. In small groups, classroom assistants work with individuals to simplify or modify the task, or just to de-mystify the language complexities. Pupils are kept on task and progress is improved. In other areas of school life, pupils are well behaved. They enter and leave the hall before and after assemblies in an orderly fashion. At the start of the day, pupils are sensible when lining up and entering the school, which they do in an orderly and calm manner. They conduct themselves sensibly around the school, not running or shouting. They treat musical instruments, classroom resources and other equipment with care and respect. As a result, there is a positive learning environment created and very little

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Staff make their teaching interesting by drawing on information from a wide range of

time is wasted on correcting poorer behaviour.

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Parents receive a very good range of information about their children and about the

12. Despite a few parents’ concerns, the overall quality of information reaching parents was judged to be very good. Parents are kept fully informed of their children’s progress through termly opportunities to come and meet staff formally. Informally, teachers and support staff are always available at the start and end of the day. Reports going home annually to parents are also of very good quality. They contain information on what has been learnt and what needs to be done in order to improve. Reports fully meet requirements and in fact go further. Very good clear targets show pupils exactly where they need to focus their attention to improve their work. For example, a Year 5 target allows parents to monitor progress against the target of ‘making handwriting joined, clear and forming letters of consistent size’. The school also provides parents with the results of the additional optional tests annually, in addition to the standard tests at the end of Years 2 and 6.

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Parents receive a very good range of information about their children and about the

Poor attendance is commented upon; parents and pupils are given space to respond to the reports, which also contain good quality summaries by the class teacher and headteacher. Well- informed parents are thus in a strong position to help their children learn more effectively.

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Parents receive a very good range of information about their children and about the

13. The school prospectus is of very good quality, being clearly written and easy to understand. For example, there are clear procedures for explaining absence, or on how parents can help their children in their work. The setting arrangements in numeracy and literacy are clearly explained. A further section gives very clear information on how teaching is organised. Similarly, the governors’ annual report to parents is clear and is written in a manner making it easy to read. Parents are provided with clear home-school agreements and there is an excellent document to remind parents about school routines and expectations. The welcome pack contains very good guidance, especially for children coming into the reception classes for the first time. Overall, parents are very well informed about the school and a productive dialogue is encouraged at all times. Some pupils commented favourably on the way their parents helped them learn, particularly with regard to

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Parents receive a very good range of information about their children and about the

reading. Parents are left in no doubt about the expectations and routines of the school and how they can help in the process.

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The quality of writing in areas of the curriculum other than English, especially writing

14. In many of the pupils’ folders and books, there is a preponderance of worksheets and very little evidence of imaginative or creative writing in subjects across the curriculum. The school has used time in literacy, or extended that time, to help develop writing and this has been effective in raising standards. However, these opportunities are not extended in subjects other than English, where worksheets demand only one-word answers, or short phrases in many cases. Pupils are not writing up their experiments in detail in many science lessons; there is little descriptive writing in history or geography or religious education. This currently restricts the creativity of pupils.

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The quality of writing in areas of the curriculum other than English, especially writing

The mental arithmetic sessions at the start of numeracy lessons.

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The quality of writing in areas of the curriculum other than English, especially writing

15. Standards in mathematics are not as high as they are in English and science by the end of Year 6. Although the national test results did show some improvement for higher attaining pupils in 2002, pupils’ attainment lags behind their attainment in the other two main subjects. Inspectors found that coverage of the work was good and that no area was being neglected. However, in some lessons, there was a lack of ‘spark’, especially at the start of the session. The National Numeracy Strategy expects staff to focus on raising awareness through brisk and stimulating mental sessions for around ten minutes. Inspectors found that the practice was not as good as it should be. Some staff were only spending a couple of minutes on this activity; others were not involving the majority of pupils in the session. As a result, not all pupils were fired up for further learning when it came to the more practical sessions following on. Sometimes resources such as number

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The quality of writing in areas of the curriculum other than English, especially writing

fans or individual whiteboards were not put to best use so as to include all the pupils in the session. Currently, a significant number of pupils are not full participants in this important section of the lesson and they are not as alert or keen later in the lessons. This dampens overall enthusiasm and learning. Several pupils commented that they did not find mathematics lessons particularly interesting, which is contrary to what pupils are saying in many other schools.

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The quality of writing in areas of the curriculum other than English, especially writing

The overall quality of provision in ICT.

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The quality of writing in areas of the curriculum other than English, especially writing

16. The school has recently acquired a new ICT suite and is now beginning to use this facility. There has been some staff training, but so far it has not been sufficiently appropriate to meet all needs. Inspectors found very little evidence from work undertaken last year of ICT being used to enhance learning. Areas where this might have occurred in science and geography, for example, included plotting co-ordinates on maps, or reproducing graphs. These were all hand-drawn. There is little evidence of pupils using the Internet for researching topic work. There is no use of word processing in the books to enhance presentation. The school improvement plan makes it clear that this is an area for development and the new teaching plans and areas of study, which are just beginning to be taught, meet the requirements laid down by law. New resources, such as software, are on order. There are plans to improve staff expertise. Currently, however, the school is some way

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The quality of writing in areas of the curriculum other than English, especially writing

behind the standards in the majority of schools nationally in its provision and pupils’ standards, especially of basic ICT skills, are not as good as they should be.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(i) Ensure that all staff provide pupils with more regular and frequent opportunities, where appropriate, to write creatively and imaginatively in subjects other than English, relying less heavily on worksheets (paragraph 14) .

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(ii) Where appropriate, extend the mental arithmetic session at the start of the numeracy lessons so that:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• all pupils are fully involved; • resources are used more effectively.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(paragraph 15) Devonshire Road Primary School - 14 (iii) Use ICT more effectively to enhance learning in all subjects where relevant by:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• ensuring that lesson planning incorporates the use of ICT across the curriculum; • providing more opportunities for staff training.

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The current school improvement plan already contains details of proposed action to improve

numeracy and ICT. Devonshire Road Primary School - 15

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 10

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactor y Poor Very Poor

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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 four percentage points.

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 405

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 82

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 8

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 84

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Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 102

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 38

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 27

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Attendance

School data 6.0 School data 0.2 Devonshire Road Primary School - 16 National comparative data 5.6 National comparative data 0.5

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Attendance

Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Devonshire Road Primary School - 17

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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 23 35 58

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

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

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

Boys 20 19 23 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 30 24 30

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

Percentage of pupils School 86 (80) 74 (71) 91 (88) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (83) 86 (84) 91 (90)

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

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

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

Boys 19 23 19 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 28 31 25

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

Percentage of pupils School 81 (70) 93 (75) 76 (75) at NC level 2 or above National 85 (84) 89 (88) 89 (88)

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

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

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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 25 37 62

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

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

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

Boys 18 19 23 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 33 27 36

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

Percentage of pupils School 82 (79) 74 (67) 95 (73) at NC level 4 or above National 75 (75) 71 (72) 87 (85)

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

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

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

Boys 13 17 21 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 27 28 31

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

Percentage of pupils School 65 (63) 73 (61) 84 (67) at NC level 4 or above National 72 (70) 74 (72) 82 (79)

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

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Devonshire Road Primary School - 18

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

White – any other White background 16 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Mixed – any other mixed background 0 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Asian or Asian British - Pakistani 46 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Asian or Asian British – Bangladeshi 0 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black or Black British – Caribbean 2 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black or Black British – any other Black background 3 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 17.4 Financial year 2001/2002

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 23.3

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total income 789,493

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 13.0 Total expenditure 773,529

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 263 Expenditure per pupil 1,920

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Teachers and classes Financial information

FTE means full-time equivalent. Balance brought forward from previous year 27,136

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance carried forward to next year 43,100

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 2.0

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 3.0

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Recruitment of teachers

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 0

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of a term or more (FTE) 0 Devonshire Road Primary School - 19 Number of unfilled vacancies or vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of less than one term (FTE) 0 FTE means full-time equivalent.

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Percentage of responses in each category

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

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child is making good progress in school. 60 23 10 7 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 33 50 12 0 5

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 35 37 18 10 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 52 25 13 10 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 60 30 10 0 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. 68 23 8 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 42 35 20 3 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 50 38 10 2 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 48 42 10 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 17 30 20 18 15

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