Pinfold Primary School

PINFOLD PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 17 th to 20 th March 2003

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PINFOLD 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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PINFOLD 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. Pinfold Primary School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Type of school: Nursery, infant and junior

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Hattersley Road East Hattersley Hyde

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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 M Morrison

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: February 1998 Pinfold Primary School - 4

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Aspect responsibilities

9479 C A Field Registered inspector Educational Inclusion Information about the school The school’s results and achievements How well are pupils taught? What should the school do to improve further? 14214 G Smith Lay inspector Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development How good are the curricular and other opportunities offered to pupils? How well does the school care for its pupils? How well does the school work in partnership with parents? 1189 S Brown Team inspector English History Music 15414 D R Carrington Team inspector Mathematics Information and communication technology Physical education How well is the school led and managed?

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Aspect responsibilities

20326 P Clark Team Inspector Art and design Design and technology Geography Science 2818 G Warner Team Inspector Provision for pupils with special educational needs Provision for pupils with English as an additional language Provision for children in the Foundation Stage Religious education

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Aspect responsibilities

TRIO Inspections Cherry Trees Wenlock Road Tasley Bridgnorth Shropshire WV16 4QB Pinfold Primary School - 5 Any concerns or complaints about the inspection or the report should be raised with the inspection contractor. Complaints that are not satisfactorily resolved by the contractor should be raised with OFSTED by writing to:

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Aspect responsibilities

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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Aspect responsibilities

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

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 7

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

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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS? 12

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Pinfold Primary school is located in Hattersley, near Hyde in Greater Manchester and serves a very disadvantaged local neighbourhood. Over half of all pupils are eligible for free school meals and this number is rising. There are 205 boys and 176 girls on roll. The school also provides for 69 children who attend part-time in the nursery. The profile of the children’s attainment on entry to nursery is well below average. There are a broadly average proportion of pupils with special educational needs for mainly moderate learning difficulties; seven pupils have statements. Most pupils are from White European backgrounds, however, there are a few pupils from a different heritage. All pupils in school speak English at home. The school is part of an Excellence Cluster and is tapping into a range of initiatives geared towards adding enrichment to pupils’ learning .

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

The school is effective and provides a warm and welcoming environment in which pupils grow as responsible future adults. The ethos is caring and very supportive and values everyone. There is a strong focus on enabling pupils to reach high standards in English, mathematics and science as the rising SATs show. Most pupils achieve well in English, mathematics, science and information and communication technology (ICT). There is some very good achievement in art and design. Teaching is good overall with particular strengths in literacy, numeracy, ICT and art and design. There are inconsistencies in teaching however in some subjects, and the school has yet to set up fully effective procedures for monitoring pupils’ progress and assessing how well they are doing in every year and across the subjects they study. There is good leadership and management and very good, shared determination to strive for improvement. The school provides sound value for money.

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What the school does well

• Very good provision is made for children in the Foundation Stage and for pupils with special educational needs. • Pupils achieve well from their different starting points and reach average standards by eleven years in English, mathematics, science, design and technology, history, ICT, physical education and religious education. • Teaching is good overall and enables most pupils to make good progress during their time at school. • The curriculum is stimulating and exciting with very good enrichment from the links with the community. • Very good provision is made for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. • There are very good procedures for child protection, improving attendance, behaviour and ensuring pupils’ welfare. • The school maintains very good links with parents. • The headteacher provides very clear educational direction and together with the senior management team leads the united staff in working successfully towards still greater effectiveness.

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What could be improved

• Standards are not high enough in geography and music. • The progress pupils make is not consistent, especially that of high attainers, and the systems in place to assess how well pupils are achieving are not sharp enough to pick this up quickly. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan. Pinfold Primary School - 8

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school which comprises the staff and pupils of three amalgamated schools, opened on its present site last September. An inspection of the previous Pinfold Primary School took place in 1998 but it is difficult to make direct comparisons because of the significant changes to the school since then. The school has made sound advance in improving the education for pupils over the past five years as well the upheaval of moving and uniting staff, parents and pupils from separate schools. The school has been accredited with Eco status for its environmental work and an Achievement Award in recognition of its improving standards in 2000. The school has good capacity to continue to improve its effectiveness.

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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 (known as SATs).

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Key

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

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Key

NB Similar schools are those with between 35-50% of pupils eligible for free school meals.

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Key

The standards achieved by Year 6 pupils in the 2002 SATs were average in English and science and below average in mathematics. Standards were well above average in English and science and above average in mathematics, when compared to those in similar schools.

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Key

The standards achieved by Year 2 pupils in the 2002 SATs were average in mathematics, below average in reading and well below average in writing. Standards were well above average in mathematics, above average in reading and average in writing when compared to those in similar schools. Teachers’ assessed standards in science to be well below average overall but well above those seen in similar schools.

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Key

Inspection findings judge standards to be below average in English, religious education and music by the end of Year 2. Standards are average in all other subjects except art and design where they are very high. Standards by the end of Year 6 are average in all subjects except geography and music where they are below average and art and design where they are very high. Children make good progress across the Foundation Stage from a below average start although most will not reach the early learning goals. Very good attention is paid to promoting the prime skills of literacy and numeracy. However, spellings and presentation of work are two areas that would stand improvement across quite a few subjects. The majority of pupils achieve well during their time at school, but progress is inconsistent with dips in some years and peaks in others. Pupils with special educational needs, including those with statements are making good progress because of detailed individual

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Key

education plans that include specific targets for improvement. These are well supported by teaching and support staff and are regularly reviewed. Pupils of differing abilities are too often given the same task to complete across subjects and this is hampering the potential of higher attaining pupils to reach the standards of which they are capable. There is clear acceleration in progress for a significant proportion of pupils of all abilities in Year 6. Pinfold Primary School - 9

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Pupils show positive attitudes to school and are keen to learn.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Behaviour is good. A few pupils have challenging behaviour but teachers are managing this very effectively so that there is limited disruption to lessons. There were thirteen temporary and one permanent exclusion last year, that were fully justified.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Pupils respond well to the school’s provision and their personal development is good. Relationships between pupils and with members of staff are good.

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Aspect Comment

Attendance Attendance is below the national average, as is the level of unauthorised absence. Some pupils are often late and miss out on the start of lessons.

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

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

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

Teaching is good overall. Classrooms are generally productive and purposeful places of learning in which pupils show very good levels of interest and apply themselves well to their studies. Consistently good teaching leads to pupils with special educational needs, including those with statements making good progress. Good teaching in the Foundation Stage ensures that the youngest children in school get off to a firm foundation in their learning and they make good progress. Across the infant and junior phases predominantly good teaching enables pupils to make good progress in literacy and numeracy, however there is inconsistency in the rates of progress being made in some other subjects. For example, the quality of learning in geography and history is impeded by teachers using too many worksheets that limit pupils’ independent research and caps their knowledge. In contrast the use of an artist in residence enhances greatly the teaching and learning in art and

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

design and some outstanding work is on display. The rate of progress from 5 to 11 years is uneven with dips in some years and peaks in others. Learning is best for all pupils in Year 6 because of consistently good teaching. The school has yet to make the best use of the information it gathers to chart pupils’ progress year on year and target advancement as appropriate. The use of assessment to inform lesson planning lacks precision and this results in some pupils not being sufficiently challenged in their studies. The use of homework to assist pupils’ learning is patchy. Pinfold Primary School - 10

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum The curriculum is broad, balanced and relevant. There is very good enrichment from a stimulating range of learning opportunities including visits and visitors, and a highly effective personal, social and health education programme. There are very constructive links with the community and with other schools. Some good work takes place to assist lower attainers with improving literacy and numeracy skills but they miss out on other studies when withdrawn from class and no-one is monitoring the impact of this. Provision for pupils with special educational needs Very good support enables pupils with learning difficulties and emotional and behavioural problems to achieve well.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Pupils’ spiritual and cultural development is good and their moral and social development very successfully fostered. The school pays good attention to widening pupils’ awareness about different beliefs and lifestyles. The pupils become sensible and mature learners who work together well and develop a good set of principles by which to live.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils The school places very strong emphasis on the health, welfare and safety of pupils and is highly effective in its provision. Assessment procedures though generally effective in English and mathematics now need extending to other subjects. Target setting and tracking processes are at an early stage of development.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school works in partnership with parents Parents’ views of the school are positive. They are kept very well informed about the life and development of the school and they provide satisfactory support for their children’s learning at home and at school.

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and manage- ment by the headteacher and other key staff The headteacher provides very good leadership and has built a good team of senior managers who are well prepared for the next phase of the school’s improvement and for developing personal leadership roles. Subject leaders have made a good start in taking stock of the strengths and weaknesses in provision but some are not yet looking critically enough at standards and quality in the subjects for which they have responsibility.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Governors are involved appropriately in shaping the direction of the school and they ensure that all legal requirements are met. They apply the principles of best value soundly.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance The school improvement plan is a good tool for driving forward priority areas. The next step is to refine the systems in place for tracking pupils’ progress during their time in school and to setting targets aimed at maximising their potential.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources The accommodation is a very good resource and there is no shortage in learning resources or staffing. The school makes very good use of new technology to aid administration, teaching and learning. Highly efficient use is made of specific funding to meet the needs of pupils with particular barriers to learning. The school adds clear value to pupils’ education. Standards rise from well below average in nursery to average at eleven. Given the well above average expenditure per pupil, the school provides sound value for money. Pinfold Primary School - 11 Pinfold Primary School - 12

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What pleases parents most What some parents would like to see improved

• Children like school and make good progress • Behaviour is good and pupils are helped to become mature and responsible • Teaching is good and there are high expectations • The school is approachable, well led and managed • Homework is inconsistent • Information about pupils’ progress could be better

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What pleases parents most What some parents would like to see improved

The inspection team agrees with parents’ positive views and agrees that homework provision requires review. The information provided on pupils’ progress is judged to be adequate. Pinfold Primary School - 13

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

• The rising SATs results are testament to the schools’ effective drive to raise standards. • The relative shortcomings in writing standards as shown up in the 2002 SATs for seven year olds are being addressed, though work remains to be done in improving presentation and spellings in all years. • Children receive a very effective education in the Foundation Stage and are enabled to achieve well. • The setting arrangements in place in literacy and numeracy together with other effective strategies are enabling most pupils to achieve well in these basic skills. • Pupils with special educational needs are given well-matched work and the support they need to make good progress, the needs of higher attainers are not as well met. • The very high standards being achieved in art and design are down to very effective provision. • The learning experiences being provided in music and geography are not of a consistently worthwhile

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

quality to ensure that standards are high enough. • Monitoring and evaluation systems need sharper focus on the standards being attained in all years to support fully the drive for improvement.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

1. Pinfold primary has made steady progress overall in improving standards in English, mathematics and science over recent years. The rising SATs results are testament to the good drive to raising standards. This is despite opening as a new school last September and integrating staff and pupils from three different schools. The school’s setting is very challenging with a very high proportion of pupils in receipt of free school meals. Most come from a neighbouring housing estate that has a high level of social and economic deprivation. There is a strong sense of purpose and unity in the school with an ethos very much focused on ensuring that all pupils have the opportunity to reach the highest standards of which they are capable. The achievement award in 2000 is an indicator of the school’s effectiveness in raising standards.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

2. The latest SATs results in 2002, compare very favourably with those attained in similar schools. Overall these results were well above average in Year 6. The school has developed good systems and procedures for ensuring that pupils with special educational needs are given well-matched work and the support they need to make good progress. The setting arrangements in place in literacy and numeracy are enabling most pupils to achieve well in these basic skills. However, there is a need for higher attaining pupils, within the sets, to be given consistently challenging work. In some years and across subjects all pupils are set the same work and this is capping potentially higher standards. The standards in geography and music are not high enough and this is largely because aspects of leadership, management and teaching in these subjects have shortcomings that require attention. Senior managers have set up monitoring systems that have identified strengths and weaknesses in the past, but it is

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

timely to tighten up on these to ensure a rigorous evaluation of what is working best in school to best advantage the continuing drive for raised standards.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

3. Children receive a very effective education in the Foundation Stage and are enabled to achieve well because of very good team work. When the youngest children first enter the nursery class, their achievements in all assessed areas are found to be well below average. By the time they are five years old, they have mage good progress but their skills are below the level expected for their age. Pupils make good progress in all areas defined by the Early Learning Goals. A very small proportion of children currently in reception are likely to reach the Early Learning Goals by the time they are five years old. Children who have special educational needs make good progress in the Foundation Stage because their needs are assessed early and well provided for in the work they are set and the support they are given.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

4. The standards achieved by Year 2 pupils in the 2002 SATs were average in mathematics, below average in reading and well below average in writing. Standards were well above average in mathematics, above average in reading and average in writing when compared to those in similar schools. Teachers’ assessed standards in science to be well below average overall but well above those seen in similar Pinfold Primary School - 14 schools. The standards achieved by Year 6 pupils in the 2002 SATs were average in English and science and below average in mathematics.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

5. Inspection findings judge standards to be below average in English, religious education and music by the end of Year 2. Standards are average in all other subjects except art and design where they are very high. Standards by the end of Year 6 are average in all subjects except geography and music where they are below average and art and design where they are very high.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

6. The majority of pupils achieve well during their time at school, but progress is inconsistent with dips in some years and peaks in others. Pupils make good progress in English, mathematics, science and information and communication technology (ICT). Progress is rapid in art and design and satisfactory in history, design and technology and PE. Pupils make satisfactory progress in geography up to Year 2 but progress is unsatisfactory overall from then on. Pupils’ progress is unsatisfactory in music over time. All pupils make the best rates of progress in Year 6 where learning is accelerated, by consistently good teaching.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

7. Pupils with special educational needs, including those with statements are making good progress because of detailed individual education plans that include specific targets for improvement that are well supported by teaching and support staff and are regularly reviewed. The standards being achieved by pupils with special educational needs are appropriate.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

8. The very high standards being achieved in art and design are down to very effective provision. There is an exceptionally high quality of artwork on display across the school, but especially in the junior phase. The school’s decision to tap into the expertise of an artist who works with junior-age pupils is paying dividends. He inspires and motivates both boys and girls to create high standards of artwork across a range of media that includes paintings and sculpture. The specific gifts of pupils are well promoted, particularly in the large-scale paintings depicting movement currently in production. Teachers are given a very positive role model that encourages them to aim high and the impact can be seen in class artwork too.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

9. In contrast the learning experiences being provided in music and geography are not of a consistently worthwhile quality. Teachers are not confident enough to teach music to a good standard and there is a staff training issue that requires attention. The subject leader for music is currently absent from school and there is no one in the driving seat to enable the subject to move forward. There is currently too little guidance or support in place to assist both teaching and learning in music. The music lessons observed during the inspection showed that staff are wiling to have a go at teaching music, but do not have sufficient knowledge and expertise to ensure that pupils’ music skill skills are developed appropriately. All of this is having a negative impact on standards. Geography presents a slightly different picture. The overall quality of teaching observed during the inspection was satisfactory. However, the scrutiny of

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

pupils’ work in books clearly indicates that work often lacks challenge, and that progress is too slow. There is an over use of work sheets that although effective in testing pupils’ knowledge is limiting the potential for personal research and enquiry. Too many work sheets are being used for pupils to record their new learning in history, geography, science and religious education at the expense of independent work and this requires review.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

10. Throughout the school, there has been a very positive impact on the achievements of pupils from the successful implementation of both the National Literacy and National Numeracy Strategies. Over 70 per cent of pupils attend Saturday booster classes for literacy and numeracy that are having a tangible impact on standards and helping pupils prepare with confidence for the SATs. The school has established learning sets in English and mathematics that group junior age pupils in each year group by ability. The sets are working well overall. The school has made a useful start in setting targets in English and mathematics for groups of junior-age pupils and has set specific targets for individual pupils that policy says should be reviewed and revised in the light of how well they are learning. However, there is inconsistent practice in the way teachers set targets and in the precision with which they are monitored

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

and reviewed. In some years the targets are too vague and are not supporting pupils making good advancement. Some teachers do not refer to targets in marking and so far the subject leaders have not undertaken specific evaluation on the impact of target setting across the school. This is the next step for Pinfold Primary School - 15 managers is to ensure that standards are well targeted for improvement in all years and not just in Year 6.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

11. The school has developed a very good strategy for assisting pupils in building secure numeracy skills. Pupils’ number skills are becoming sharp and most work with speed and accuracy during the numeracy hours throughout the school. The emphasis given to practical mathematics and problem solving is more evident in junior than infant classes however, and this is an area for more focus. There is some good use of numeracy in other subjects, for example in a history lesson in a Year 2 class when pupils successfully placed a number of historical facts in chronological order. Pupils use and apply numbers with reasonable accuracy and show competent mental recall of number facts. Most are developing the necessary skills, knowledge and understanding that are expected for their age.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

12. Good attention is paid to enabling pupils a good range of opportunities to build secure literacy skills. Some highly effective work is taking place by support staff with small groups of pupils who are withdrawn from lessons to receive intensive and personalised programmes of work that help them learn successfully. However, the down side to this is that some pupils miss out on other subjects and the total impact of the approach has yet to be monitored. By the end of Year 2 standards are below average despite good progress and is more a reflection of the base from where most pupils started. Pupils largely develop good reading habits from an early age and enjoy reading for pleasure and for finding things out. Standards overall are broadly average by Year 6. Writing skills in English books are clearly improving because of the good attention the school has given to extending these. Pupils are writing

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

imaginatively and creatively at length and are clearly getting enjoyment from so doing. For example in Year 6, pupils have produced a book of spells following their reading of Shakespeare’s Macbeth . One boy’s spell illustrates the impact that this opportunity has had;

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

A crocodiles tooth and hair of rat, Blood of bird and eye of gnat, Tongue of dragon and wing of bat, Bird’s stomach and lion’s fat.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

13. The school’s approach is enabling good progress in writing overall with clearly accelerated learning in Year 6 that compensates for a dip in Year 5 where the standard of teaching is not good enough to maintain pupils’ consistently good learning. Although the content and range of writing is good across the school, the presentation of work requires more attention. Sometimes it is poorly organised with an over- reliance on worksheets in some subjects such as history and geography that are inhibiting creative work. Spellings are practised in most classes but many pupils are still mis-spelling key vocabulary. Pupils of all ages are attentive listeners and follow instructions well. Younger pupils have less well developed speaking skills. They speak confidently and enthusiastically, but what they say is limited by their vocabulary This is one aspect of literacy that could be better promoted across the infant curriculum.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

14. Most pupils’ achievements in science show an improving picture, with standards at an average level by eleven years. To a large extent, improvements in standards in science have been hampered because of the emphasis given to English and mathematics. A good action plan has been produced for science, which has yet to be fully implemented. The curriculum is well structured and sound attention is being paid to promoting the investigative and experimental aspects of the subject, though there is still room for improvement. In the best learning opportunities the teachers are providing interesting practical activities for pupils to learn by doing and this motivates good involvement and sustained concentration that is helping raise standards. Managers have yet to set targets to support teaching and learning in science and this is a missed opportunity.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

15. The standards achieved in ICT are average in all years. There are promising signs that the standards in ICT are set to rise by the end of Year 6 because of the very good attention paid to teaching skills from an early age. The new ICT suite is time-tabled intensively to enable pupils ample time to develop skills and knowledge, and class based computers are put to generally sound use in fostering cross-curricular use of ICT, though in some subjects there is room for more improvement. Pupils produce good quality work in word processing, graphics and data handling. Older pupils are building good insights into the power of computers to sort, search and interpret data. Pinfold Primary School - 16 16. The school agrees realistic targets with the LEA in English, mathematics and science that it usefully reviews at appropriate intervals. However, the target setting systems in years, classes and at the individual pupil level are not yet rigorous enough to support fully the drive for improvement.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

• Pupils enjoy coming to school and are keen to learn. • Most of the pupils behave well during lessons and at other times, such as during break or lunch time. • Pupils’ personal development is good; they are quick to use their initiative and relish positions of responsibility. • Relationships between pupils and with adults are good • A few pupils are challenging in their behaviour and are very difficult to motivate. • The level of attendance is below the national average. • There are few unauthorised absences. • Some pupils are regularly late and miss the start of their lessons.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

17. Pupils and children of all ages enjoy coming to school and they say that they look forward to taking part in wide range of activities and opportunities available. Most of the pupils behave well during lessons and are polite and friendly towards visitors. Their personal development is good and pupils develop into responsible and considerate young people. Pupils of all ages and abilities get on well with each other and relationships between pupils and with adults are warm and constructive. There has been one permanent exclusion over the last school year and a number of fixed period exclusions; these were all fully justified. Despite a concerted effort on the part of the school, attendance is below the national average, although there are few unauthorised absences.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

18. Almost all the parents who responded to the pre-inspection questionnaire feel that the standard of teaching is good and that their child is expected to work hard during the school day. Many of the pupils spoken to during the inspection agree with their parents and say that they enjoy attending and would certainly recommend this school to their friends. Their enthusiasm is reflected by the fact that three quarters of those in Year 6 attend the extra-curricular club that is held on Saturday mornings. Pupils come along for additional sessions in English and mathematics and also spend an hour on sport or games. Pupils’ response during lessons is good overall but also tends to hinge upon the individual style of their teacher. For example, during lessons where teachers allow their pupils to experiment and to find things out first hand, they respond enthusiastically and become very actively involved. During

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

discussions, Year 6 pupils say they particularly enjoy English, mathematics and drama lessons. They say this is because their teachers make the lessons good fun and that they enjoy being able to express themselves. During other lessons, however, some teachers sometimes control the activities too tightly; they plan exactly what their pupils will be doing and leave the pupils no scope for their own variation and input. Pupils can then become frustrated because there are few opportunities for them to make suggestions or to use their initiative.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

19. Pupils, including those with special educational needs are usually well behaved during lessons and at other times of the school day. They are good company and are very friendly and curious about visitors. During lessons, most of the pupils, including children in the Foundation Stage, settle down quickly and do their best. Some pupils, usually those with emotional and behavioural problems however, sometimes appear unenthusiastic and challenge the authority of their teacher. The work of support staff is extremely beneficial in such instances. Withdrawal for one to one work with the inclusion coordinator or learning mentor is successfully helping pupils with challenging behaviours learn to manage their behaviour more successfully. Relationships between pupils and with adults are good and pupils readily help each other during lessons and playtimes. This is a testament to the school’s very successful

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

policy of social and educational inclusion. Lunchtimes are very well organised and pupils eat their lunch quickly and with the minimum of fuss. Pupils say that although bullying does occasionally occur, members of staff resolve any such problems quickly and effectively.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

20. Pupils respond very well towards the school’s provision for their personal development. The school plans a very wide range of extra curricular activities and pupils are constantly encouraged to undertake new experiences. Pupils’ moral and social awareness is very good and their spiritual and cultural development is good. Over time, pupils form their own set of moral values and beliefs and increasingly appreciate how their actions impact upon others. As they move through the school, they learn to understand intangible concepts such as the value of friendship and how particular situations make them Pinfold Primary School - 18 feel happy or sad. They enjoy taking part in the many extra-curricular clubs and the gardening club grows vegetables that are then sold during Harvest Festival in order to raise money for charity. When asked to undertake particular roles or responsibilities, pupils willingly seize the opportunity. For

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

example, Year 6 pupils may become monitors and they help reception children during the lunchtime break. They also run the tuck shop and raise money for local, national and international charities, such as Operation Christmas Child. Nominated pupils from Years 3 to 6 are voted onto the school’s Eco- council and they undertake various environmental projects using the profits generated by the sale of the break time snacks.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

21. Pupils learn about their own culture and increasingly appreciate the diversity of other ways of life and traditions. Within religious education, pupils learn about the customs and symbols that are used by different faiths and, for example, the significance of the Sukkoth in Judaism. Although there are few pupils from ethnic minorities, pupils develop a clear ability to appreciate their own culture, as well as understanding other people’s values and beliefs.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

22. Despite a concerted effort on the part of the school, attendance is below the national average. The school, however, is committed to following up each and every absence and this diligence is reflected in the low number of unauthorised absences.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

• Teaching is good overall. • Pupils learn effectively during their time at school but progress is uneven. • There are strengths in the teaching of English, mathematics, science, ICT and art and design and weaknesses in music and geography. • Classrooms are generally productive and purposeful places in which pupils show very good levels of interest and apply themselves well to their studies. • Teaching of pupils with special educational needs including statements, is good and is having a beneficial impact on the progress these pupils. • Teaching of higher attainers is not good enough to ensure that they make consistently good progress across years and subjects. • Managers have yet to monitor teaching across the school to identify the best practice that could be usefully shared.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

23. During the week of inspection teaching was of satisfactory or better quality in 94 per cent of lessons. Teaching quality was good in 54 per cent of lessons, very good in 12 per cent and in one per cent excellent. It was unsatisfactory in three per cent and poor in three per cent. The quality of teaching is judged to be good overall. The work in pupils’ books revealed good quality teaching on the whole and added positively to the team’s overall judgements. The good teaching leads to pupils achieving well from a below average base. Learning is best for all pupils in Year 6 because of consistently good teaching. The quality of learning from 5 to 11 years is uneven with dips in some years and peaks in others. Temporary teaching in Year 4 largely accounts for the poor learning environment observed during the inspection week. A lack of challenge and pace were the key shortcomings observed in the three

p.18

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

unsatisfactory lessons in Year 5. An unsatisfactory music lesson in Year 1 was predominantly due to the low level nature of the activity due to insecure subject expertise.

p.18

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

24. Teaching is more often good than satisfactory in nursery, reception and Years 2, 3 and 6. Classrooms are generally productive and purposeful places of learning in which pupils show very good levels of interest and apply themselves well to their studies. The investment in staff development has been productive and this is reflected in the generally good levels of subject knowledge and confidence to teach the National Curriculum and religious education that teachers have. The only shaky area is music and although staff show enthusiasm for teaching the subject, they lack the necessary skills and knowledge to ensure that standards reach the appropriate levels. Staff morale is very positive – staff are hardworking and committed. The school will always be a challenging place to teach in because of its social setting but teachers are determined to give of their best to the pupils and this is a major reason why so many

p.18

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

pupils achieve as well as they do. Pinfold Primary School - 19 25. The teaching of children in the Foundation Stage is good overall. Teaching ranges from very good to satisfactory. There is very good team work in the nursery that enables the youngest children in school to get off to a secure start in their education. Activities are well chosen to make learning fun as well as productive. As children move into reception the quality of teaching builds further on their learning and they progress at a good rate. Planning, based mainly on the Early Learning Goals, is well focused on individual learning in the later part of the Foundation Stage. Teaching overall is confident and lessons are well structured to engage the children's interest, and make learning enjoyable. Good attention is paid to promoting the children's self-esteem and self-worth whilst they are effectively guided onto the National Curriculum programmes of study when ready.

p.18

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

26. Teaching is good overall in the infant and junior phases and this leads to most pupils achieving well over their time in school. There are strengths in the teaching of English, mathematics, science, ICT and art and design. Teaching is satisfactory in all other subjects except in geography where teaching is unsatisfactory in the junior phase and in music where it is unsatisfactory across the school. There is inconsistency in the quality of teaching between subjects, for example, the quality of learning in geography and history is impeded by teachers using too many worksheets that limit pupils’ independent research and caps their knowledge. In contrast, the use of an artist in residence enhances greatly the teaching and learning in art and design and some outstanding work is on display. Teaching and learning in basic skills is a positive feature, as is the good attention paid to pupils’ personal development and

p.19

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

behaviour management. Literacy and numeracy hours are well established in all classes and are effective in helping pupils develop basic skills securely. Some teaching, although satisfactory for most pupils, is not enabling the few higher attaining pupils to reach their potential. This is because lesson planning is too general and does not state explicitly what the different groups of pupils in the class or set should learn. All teaching suffers from this shortcoming but in the best lessons the actual practice observed supplemented the weakness in the written planning. Teachers’ assessment of the learning therefore is also too general and is not providing reliable information for targeting future work. So, targets for attainment are often vague, not supported well by marking of work and the pupils do not always know how well things are progressing.

p.19

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

27. The monitoring of teaching across the school to identify strengths and weaknesses has been useful in the past. It ha recently focussed on English and mathematics which have been subject to good evaluation of teaching and learning and this has led to sustained improvements. Some subject leaders have yet to have opportunities to see others teach the subject they lead on. The features which make the best quality teaching in the school are currently insufficiently shared. Homework consists mostly of reading and spelling but practice is variable. The headteacher recognises the need to make requirements more explicit to teachers, pupils and parents .

p.19

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

28. Teaching of the pupils with special educational needs including statements, is good and is having a beneficial impact on the progress these pupils make in meeting their individual targets. Teaching and support staff have a very good understanding of the needs of pupils with limited English language. Work is well planned, and through effective support these pupils make good progress. Additional provision secured through Excellence in Cities funding for example, is proving very effective as additional teachers and support staff are working beneficially with target groups of pupils to help them catch up on learning they have missed in the past. Special needs pupils are taught very effectively whether in a withdrawal group or in their classes. There is a carefully balanced mixture of withdrawal and in class learning being developed for meeting needs effectively. This is because the pupils’ individual education plans are drawn

p.19

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

up thoughtfully with input from people who are involved in giving different levels of support. The special educational needs coordinator (SENCO) is also the nursery class teacher and identifies the needs at an early stage. She continues to ensure needs are met in the Foundation Stage classes. The inclusion coordinator (INCO) shares the responsibility for meeting needs through her very effective work with pupils in infant and junior classes. In turn she receives help in making this very good level of provision from support teachers working with infant class pupils and learning mentors working with junior aged pupils. Class teachers are closely involved in drawing up the pupils’ individual education plans and so are aware of needing to acknowledge the targets in their planning. This is done successfully but rather inconsistently throughout the school. Classroom assistants are well briefed in order to give successful

p.19

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

empathetic support in most classes. Outside agency support such as that from the educational psychologist is readily given because the school makes a positive response to the advice being given. As a result of the joint efforts of this support team pupils are skilfully taught with care and thought. Pinfold Primary School - 20

p.19

STUDENTS?

• The curriculum is broad and balanced with particular strengths in art and design, mathematics, ICT and physical education. French is a positive feature in Year 6. • The curriculum for Foundation Stage is very well balanced and is of particularly high quality. • Provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is very good overall; pupils are well prepared to take their place in a multi-culturally rich and ethnically diverse world. • The provision of learning opportunities for pupils with special educational needs, including those with statements, is diverse and very effective. • Strategies for teaching literacy are effective, and very effective for numeracy; they are having a beneficial impact upon the standard of pupils’ work. • Provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is very good. • The range of extra curricular activities is very good. • Links with the local community are very good and are used very well to support and extend pupils’

p.20

STUDENTS?

learning and their personal development. • The Excellence Cluster fosters very good links with other primary and secondary schools; these are used very well to promote pupils’ learning and to prepare pupils for their transition at the end of Year 6. • There is no monitoring of work lower attaining pupils miss when they are withdrawn from their class for small group work in literacy and numeracy. • Although there is a register of those with gifts and talents, the work provided during lessons does not always fully meet their needs and this leads to inconsistent provision and progress. • There are shortcomings in the music curriculum.

p.20

STUDENTS?

29. The quality of the curriculum and the range of learning opportunities are good for pupils of all ages and is especially rich in art and design, mathematics, ICT and physical education. The teaching of French to Year 6 pupils is a positive feature. There are, however, shortcomings in the music curriculum. The statutory requirements of the National Curriculum are religious education are met. The curriculum is highly enriched by the provision of a very good range of additional activities and opportunities.

p.20

STUDENTS?

30. The curriculum caters for the needs and aptitudes of all pupils and is especially relevant for children in the Foundation Stage. Teachers are alert to cross-curricular themes, reinforcing common aspects of particular subjects, as and when they overlap. For example, during a Citizenship lesson in Year 6 that dealt with the possible extinction of various species of whale, pupils considered the subtle way in which particular words could be used to convey the author’s true feelings.

p.20

STUDENTS?

31. Provision for pupils with special educational needs is very good and this helps them to make consistently good progress during their time in school. These pupils who have identified special needs, are given every opportunity to take part in all of the school’s activities. No one is disapplied from taking the SATs. The high quality of support that is given to pupils with learning difficulties in both group withdrawal and in classes, means that specific literacy and numeracy needs are well attended to. Sometimes the withdrawal is at the expense of missed learning in other subjects and this is not being monitored closely enough. The children in the Foundation Stage classes have a good start to their education whether they have special needs or not. However, if the children have special needs they are identified at an early stage and systematic responses are put into place in order to meet needs appropriately. This results in pupils being involved in all activities from the earliest possible time. This

p.20

STUDENTS?

continues as an on-going theme throughout the rest of the pupils’ time in the school. Pupils with special needs often give input into some of the outstanding work in art and design in the school. Much of the work is produced in small groups in which special needs pupils are successfully involved. The wide range of extra-curricular activities is open to special needs pupils and many of them take the opportunity to participate in them. Many talk particularly enthusiastically of the pleasure gained from taking part in the Saturday club activities.

p.20

STUDENTS?

32. The school has been successful in its implementation of the literacy and numeracy hours and this is reflected in the improvements in the standard of work seen over recent years. All pupils, irrespective of gender and ethnicity are provided with equal access to the various learning opportunities and are equally Pinfold Primary School - 21 encouraged to access the wide range of enrichment activities provided. Some lower attaining pupils, however, are regularly withdrawn from their classes for specific activities such as reading and mathematics. This means that they miss out on what is being taught to the rest of their class and nobody is monitoring the impact of their cumulative absence from their original class. Although pupils who are have gifts and talents in particular areas are identified, the work set during lessons does not always fully meet their individual needs.

p.20

STUDENTS?

33. The curriculum for pupils’ personal, social, health and citizenship education (PSHE), including Citizenship, is very good. The co-ordinator is relatively new to the post and she has reviewed the way in which this aspect of the curriculum is organised. Sex and drug education are appropriately taught and there is good involvement of external specialists, including the school nurse. Class assemblies have been introduced and training for circle time provided for all the teachers and support staff involved. Common themes are used that link the work that is undertaken during PSHE lessons and during assembly. This reinforcement is proving to be very effective and is making a significant contribution to the pupils’ personal development.

p.21

STUDENTS?

34. Provision for pupils’ personal development, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, is very good. Although provision is not formally identified when teachers plan their lessons, the school holds a very strong set of values and these permeate every aspect of school life. Pupils respond very well. They learn how to become responsible and confident citizens and develop into friendly and sociable young people.

p.21

STUDENTS?

35. Provision for pupils’ spiritual and cultural development is good. The daily acts of collective worship are of high quality and pupils may, for example, be asked to reflect upon the day or week’s theme and to apply it to their own circumstances. For example, one of the themes during inspection week for the junior pupils explored the fact that beauty is more than skin deep. Regular opportunities for reflection are woven into the fabric of the school day and pupils are encouraged to develop their own values and beliefs. Pupils’ spiritual development is also promoted very well during lessons, particularly through art and design, personal and social education and religious education. Although assemblies are predominantly Christian, pupils also learn about the other main religions of the world and this equips pupils very well for living in a multi-cultural and multi-ethnic society. Pupils, however, are not sufficiently

p.21

STUDENTS?

encouraged to appreciate music and there are insufficient opportunities for them to compose, refine and practise their own compositions.

p.21

STUDENTS?

36. Provision for moral and social development is very good. The school has a very clear set of values that focus upon honesty and respect for others. The school code of conduct is prominently displayed in each classroom and is fundamental to the way in which the school promotes social and moral development. Pupils have a clear understanding of the difference between right and wrong. They value the system of rewards and sanctions and readily accept the school’s code of conduct. A mentor has recently been appointed and she plays a very important part in providing personal support for pupils, thereby helping them to learn. Pupils may be referred for a wide range of reasons and she supports their personal development very well.

p.21

STUDENTS?

37. Pupils of all ages undertake various responsibilities within their classroom. Through their role as monitors Year 6 pupils, for example, help mid-day supervisors to look after the infants during the lunch- time break. Particular pupils from Year 6 also run the school tuck shop and any profits are put towards funding the work of the Eco-council. All members of staff foster pupils’ self esteem well and address pupils with the respect and consideration they deserve. Teachers provide pupils with regular opportunities to work together within the classroom and pupils are regularly encouraged to help and support each other. This helps pupils to become accustomed to considering each other’s needs and helps to maintain the constructive and mutually supportive atmosphere within the school.

p.21

STUDENTS?

38. The school is an active member of an Excellence Cluster and it enjoys very good links with other secondary and primary schools. These links are used very effectively; for example, class representatives serving on the Eco-council have regular meetings with their equivalents from other schools and discuss environmental projects. Year 7 pupils from Alder High School recently provided an anti-smoking drama workshop and teachers have visited in order to teach aspects of Citizenship. Pupils Pinfold Primary School - 22 who have been identified as being gifted or talented benefit from additional opportunities, such as being invited to attend science or technology master classes at Alder or Longdendale High Schools.

p.21

STUDENTS?

39. Links with the community are very good and these are put to good use. For example, the gardening club uses nearby horticultural facilities to grow vegetables that have been sold to raise money for charity. The Police run a ‘Respect’ project and Year 6 pupils attend a half-day ‘Crucial Crew’ event that helps them to understand and deal with various hazardous situations. There are well-established links with the local initial teacher training consortium.

p.22

STUDENTS?

40. Provision for extra-curricular activities is very good. Pupils can take part in a very wide range of activities and uptake is high. For example, Saturday morning ‘booster’ classes for Year 6 pupils are attended by almost three quarters of the year group. Younger pupils can attend clubs that include sport, art and information and communication technology; pupils enjoy attending and the uptake is high.

p.22

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

• Pupils are very well looked after during the school day and child protection procedures are very good. • Procedures to monitor and promote attendance are very good. • Procedures for monitoring and promoting good behaviour are very good, as are procedures for eliminating bullying and other anti-social behaviours. • Procedures for monitoring pupils’ personal development are effective. • The school’s system for assessment is satisfactory overall and has the potential to be a powerful tool in the raising of standards.

p.22

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

41. All members of staff share a wholehearted and sincere commitment to pupils’ welfare. They work closely as a team in order to ensure that the pupils are very well looked after during the school day. The standard of personal support and guidance provided is very good and the time that pupils spend at school is happy and enjoyable. Children joining the reception class are gradually and sensitively introduced to school routines and this helps them to settle in quickly. All members of staff are familiar with child protection procedures and arrangements are very good. Routine health and safety procedures are in place and they comply fully with current legislation and with local authority guidelines.

p.22

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

42. The school provides a high level of care for its pupils. Many of the staff take a leading role in identifying needs accurately. They plan to meet the needs with care and thought. They look for activities that will interest and support special needs pupils in developing their knowledge and understanding of what they are doing. Support staff are deployed efficiently to give appropriate support in classes. The SENCO and INCO have formed a good working relationship that ensures the on-going provision that meets pupils’ needs effectively. They work closely with class teachers and outside agencies at arriving at precisely targeted individual education plans. As these are arrived at so co-operatively the learning is well managed. Pupils with statements of special educational needs are very well provided for through the effective procedures to monitor and review their progress.

p.22

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

43. Although procedures for the monitoring of pupils’ personal development are largely informal, they are effective. Relationships between pupils and members of staff are good and teachers are sensitive to pupils’ ‘ups and downs’. This helps to ensure that any emerging personal or academic problems are identified and addressed at an early stage. The newly appointed learning mentor works with individual pupils who are experiencing particular difficulty and she help to deal with any issues that are preventing the pupil from learning effectively.

p.22

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

44. The school’s procedures for monitoring and promoting behaviour are very effective, as are those for eliminating bullying and other oppressive behaviour. Such incidents are rare and, if they occur, pupils say they are dealt with in a constructive manner that ensures that they do not recur. The school has a very successful policy of social and educational inclusion and pupils from all cultural backgrounds get along well.

p.22

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

45. Procedures for monitoring and promoting attendance are very good. The school constantly emphasises the importance of regular attendance and discourages parents from booking extended holidays during Pinfold Primary School - 23 the term. Each and every absence is rigorously followed up and this is reflected in a level of unauthorised absence that is well below the national average.

p.22

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

46. The school has worked successfully to develop its system of assessment. Procedures in English and mathematics are largely effective and teachers use an appropriate range of assessments to gauge the progress that pupils are making. Work is taking place in other subjects to produce useful systems to assess the development of skills and knowledge. Work is well advanced in ICT and physical education but nonetheless, remains a priority for completion in most other subjects.

p.23

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

47. Comprehensive data is being gathered in English and mathematics that is used to set targets for individual pupils. Progress towards these targets is re-assessed regularly during the year to ensure that pupils remain on track. Teachers set down the specific skills and knowledge to be learned by pupils in their books. At present, marking does not always make reference to these targets, which is a shortcoming. Furthermore, the planning of work for higher attaining pupils is not always precise enough in identifying appropriate skills and knowledge for them to achieve. On the other hand, the school uses the results of its assessments of children in the nursery and reception class well in planning the next small steps of their work. Similarly, pupils with special educational needs benefit from an effective assessment process that ensures their targets are precise and well chosen and regularly reviewed and

p.23

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

revised. Because there are inconsistencies in the system of assessment, it forms a key issue for this inspection. However, the school has some good practice on which to build.

p.23

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

• Parents’ views are positive; they have few concerns. • The school keeps parents very well informed about the day-to-day life of the school and how they can support their children in their learning. • The school tries very hard to involve parents as much as possible in their children’s education. • Links with parents are very effective and are supported very well by the work of the newly appointed learning mentor.

p.23

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

48. Following its amalgamation with one school and the closure of one other, this school is working very hard to work with parents and to overcome any remaining concerns and reservations. To this end, the school is meeting considerable success and parents are warming to this open and welcoming approach. Around one fifth of parents returned their pre-inspection questionnaire and analysis of their responses shows that they are pleased with many areas of the school’s work. There are only two areas of concern; around one is six is dissatisfied with the arrangements for homework and a similar number feel that they are not kept well informed about the progress that their child is making. Inspectors agree with parents’ positive views and agree that arrangements for homework require review. Inspectors, however, feel that parents are kept very well informed about the progress their child is making and about the day-to-day life

p.23

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

49. Links with parents are very effective and, through initiatives such as the family literacy project and computer workshops, the school is providing good opportunities for parents to learn about the work their children are doing. A newly appointed learning mentor provides very good liaison and she undertakes home visits as and when they are necessary. Parents of pre-school children are invited to attend the ‘Surestart’ play group and are able to borrow toys and get to know the school. This helps the children and their parents to get to know the school before enrolment. The ‘Friends’ organisation arranges social and fund-raising events such as children’s discos and ice-skating in the school hall.

p.23

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

50. The quality of information provided is very good and some of the higher attaining pupils write the ‘Pinfold Press’. Parents also receive advance notice of the work that is to be undertaken and teachers provide hints and tips as to how they can help at home. Pupils’ annual reports include clear information about what pupils can and cannot do and give a good idea as to how their child is getting on. Some of the targets, however, are not sufficiently specific and this makes it more difficult to assess whether or not each pupil has been successful in meeting them. Pinfold Primary School - 24

p.23

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

• The headteacher leads and manages the school very well. • The partnership with the very effective deputy headteacher and senior management team is strong. • Senior managers are well prepared for the challenges that greater involvement in strategic management will bring. • Subject leaders are working effectively to manage their subjects but some are not yet looking critically enough at subject performance. • Governors are involved soundly in focusing the direction of the school. • The principles of best value are applied soundly. • The school improvement plan is good and assists well the process of improvement. • Systems for tracking pupils’ progress and setting targets are ripe for enhancement. • All resources, including finance, are used properly in the interest of the pupils. • The school gives sound and secure value for money.

p.24

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

51. The headteacher leads the school with conspicuous success. He has very good leadership skills and has worked most successfully to create a united staff team. He has led the staff most effectively through a period of much change. The school has settled well into its new accommodation with expanded numbers of pupils. Staff share high morale, firm conviction and good expectations amongst all pupils who attend the school. The headteacher works in a strong partnership with the deputy headteacher in the management of the school. The deputy headteacher also gives very good leadership, whether in whole school issues or in her own sphere of influence in music, physical education, out of hours learning and the Foundation Stage.

p.24

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

52. Senior managers form a strong team too. They have increasing awareness of school performance that is rooted in good communications through the school and personal alertness to issues arising day by day. Senior managers are working well to bring greater consistency to systems and procedures in school, though they accept that their monitoring and evaluation role could be greater still. They are ready to extend their work in this way and have the necessary acumen to analyse rigorously how well the school is doing.

p.24

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

53. Subject leaders generally bring good management skills to their work to ensure that subjects are resourced properly, have an appropriate curriculum and that staff are well versed in the necessary subject knowledge in all but music. They give sound leadership by charting priorities for future improvement. At present a few subject leaders are not yet looking critically enough at standards and quality in the subjects for which they have responsibility. However, they have the potential to be good leaders when their roles and responsibilities are extended to greater involvement in monitoring and evaluation of teaching, learning and standards in all classes in school. There is very good determination to bring improvement, reflect the school’s values and aims in their work and meet the school’s well- chosen priorities. The potential of these middle managers is good.

p.24

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

54. There is an effective partnership established by the school’s SENCO and INCO in order to ensure the seamless provision that meets the special needs of pupils effectively. They work closely with class teachers and support staff. They give thoughtful leadership to establishing precisely targeted and manageable individual education plans. They work closely at resourcing the work of special needs pupils appropriately. They have implemented the reviewed Code of Practice so that its emphasis underpins the very good provision that is made throughout the school to meet the pupils’ needs. The INCO deploys the support staff so that support is maximised to good effect. Reviews of provision are competently made on a regular basis so that changes in needs are clearly identified and support and resources are revised appropriately.

p.24

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

55. Governors are interested, involved and supportive in their work. They talk with pride of the school’s strengths and success and are informed carefully by the headteacher of what aspects are needy of improvement. Governors are involved as expected in planning the priorities of the school so they reflect the good educational direction in place. They also ensure that all statutory requirements are met. They Pinfold Primary School - 25 are increasingly applying the principles of best value to their work to check that the school is doing the best it can on all fronts. Best value principles are therefore applied soundly.

p.24

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

56. The process of school improvement planning is good. It involves all staff and governors, as well as senior managers, in pinpointing the over-reaching priorities of the school. These are very well chosen and are very firmly tied to the budget to ensure that funding and resources match need. All adults in school work well to meet these priorities. The system of performance management is closely allied to the core priorities of the school and each teacher is set common targets that reflect these central issues as well as personal goals to ensure that professional development is successful. The shared commitment to improvement is very good.

p.25

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

57. The school has made a positive start to the establishment of a system to track pupils’ progress during their time in school and to set targets to ensure they make steady and good progress in learning. However, further work is necessary to make the system rigorous and consistent across the school and in all subjects. School managers accept that assessment, target setting and tracking can be strengthened and have identified priorities for the process of improvement.

p.25

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

58. The new accommodation is of very good quality and is being used well to create a bright, cheerful and inspiring place to work. There are no major shortages of learning resources. Indeed, in ICT they are of very good quality and are testament to the very effective work of the subject leaders to improve the subject. The school has a very good provision of staff. They work well in the interests of the pupils, whether as teachers, support staff, administrative officers, lunchtime assistants, caterers, caretakers or cleaners. The school makes very good use of new technology to make its administration, teaching and learning systems efficient and effective.

p.25

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

59. Very efficient use is made of additional funding to meet the needs of pupils with particular needs. At the end of the 2001-2 financial year, the school had reserves of over 14 per cent of its budget. This high proportion was earmarked for the equipping of the ICT suite and the library in order to provide good learning opportunities for the pupils. This money has now been spent on its intended purpose and the new resources are very good and are used intensively. The school has worked well to implement the recommendations of its recent financial audit. In the main the recommendations were of a minor nature and in some cases were due to circumstances outside the school’s control. However, the staff concerned are clearly determined that systems for financial management and control will be tight.

p.25

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

60. It is evident that the school adds value to pupils’ education. Whilst pupils are in school they make good progress and their attainment improves from well below average at the start of school to average overall at the age of eleven. Because a well above average amount is spent on the education of each pupil, sound and secure value for money is given by the school. Pinfold Primary School - 26

p.25

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

61. In their work to further raise standards and improve the quality of education at the school, the governors, headteacher and staff should:

p.26

1. Improve standards in geography and music

By: Identifying the exact strengths and weaknesses in provision and putting in place staff training as required. Establishing policy and guidance to assist good teaching and learning. Insisting that the subject leaders set out a clear action plan to drive forward improvement and embark on a rigorous programme of evaluation and review. Establishing assessment systems that can be used to inform curriculum planning. Additonally; In music give more emphasis to improving singing, widening opportunities for composition and appreciating a range of genre. In geography review the use of work sheets to ensure that those used are assisting pupils in making good progress in their knowledge, skills and understanding. Also ensure that there are wider opportunities for pupils to use independent research and enquiry skills. Paragraphs 2, 6, 9, 23, 24, 26, 29, 85, 115, 117, 118, 130, 133, 134, 135

p.26

2. Improve monitoring, evaluation and assessment systems

By: Tightening up the school’s monitoring and evaluation systems at all management levels to ensure rigorous evaluation of what is working to best advantage the drive for raised standards.

p.26

2. Improve monitoring, evaluation and assessment systems

Building on the useful start made in developing a target setting and tracking system that pinpoints promptly the rate of progress, any under-achievement, learning spurts and gaps in learning in equal measure in all classes.

p.26

2. Improve monitoring, evaluation and assessment systems

Sharpening the focus of lesson observation to check up on how well different pupils are learning, particularly high attainers, so that the best features can be more widely promoted and shortcomings eradicated.

p.26

2. Improve monitoring, evaluation and assessment systems

Ensuring that teachers consistently set suitably challenging work for the range of pupils they teach whether in class lessons or learning sets, and make better use of assessment, to inform the pace at which lessons take place and the planning of future work.

p.26

2. Improve monitoring, evaluation and assessment systems

Ensuring that the marking of pupils’ work not only celebrates effort, but also states clearly how improvement may be made.

p.26

2. Improve monitoring, evaluation and assessment systems

Insisting that close attention is paid to neat presentation and accurate spellings.

p.26

2. Improve monitoring, evaluation and assessment systems

Widening the use of target setting to involve pupils more in assessing how well they are doing and in knowing how to improve their work.

p.26

2. Improve monitoring, evaluation and assessment systems

Paragraphs 2, 10, 27, 47, 57, 87, 88, 91, 92, 95, 98, 100, 102, 103, 114, 118, 119, 124, 136, 141, 146 . Pinfold Primary School - 27

p.26

Minor issues for governors to include in the action plan are:

Checking out what the impact is of missed lessons for those pupils who are regularly withdrawn from their class for basic skills support.

p.27

Minor issues for governors to include in the action plan are:

Pressing ahead with the good work to improve attendance and punctuality.

p.27

Minor issues for governors to include in the action plan are:

Paragraphs 45 Pinfold Primary School - 28

p.27

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

p.28

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 30

p.28

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

p.28

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactor y Poor Very Poor

p.28

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

The table gives the number and percentage of lessons observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about teaching.

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery YR – Y6

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 35 381

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 0 204

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Special educational needs Nursery YR – Y6

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 0 7

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 4 84

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

English as an additional language No of pupils

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 0

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 12

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 20

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

National comparative data 5.6 National comparative data 0.5 Pinfold Primary School - 29 Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Pinfold Primary School - 30 Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year2) Year Boys Girls Total

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2002 20 17 37

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Boys 18 16 19 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 16 14 17

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Percentage of pupils School 92 (91) 81 (82) 97 (95) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (84) 86 (86) 90 (91)

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Boys 18 19 19 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 15 17 17

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Percentage of pupils School 89 (89) 97 (91) 97 (98) at NC level 2 or above National 85 (85) 89 (89) 89 (89)

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

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

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

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

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 2002 15 28 43

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Boys 10 10 11 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 22 21 25

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Percentage of pupils School 74 (69) 72 (80) 84 (91) at NC level 4 or above National 75 (75) 73 (71) 86 (87)

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Boys 10 10- 11 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 22 21 25

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Percentage of pupils School 74 (69) 72 (80) 84 (86) at NC level 4 or above National 73 (72) 74 (74) 82 (82)

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Pinfold Primary School - 31 Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

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

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

White – any other White background 0 0 0

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Mixed – any other mixed background 0 0 0

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Asian or Asian British - Pakistani 0 0 0

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Asian or Asian British – Bangladeshi 0 0 0

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

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

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Black or Black British – Caribbean 2 0 0

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

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

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

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

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Teachers and classes Financial information

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 18 Financial year 2001/2002

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 23

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total income 876,380

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Total number of education support staff 14 Total expenditure 818,824

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Total aggregate hours worked per week 380 Expenditure per pupil 2,527

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Qualified teachers and support staff: nursery Balance brought forward from previous year 66,649

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 1 Balance carried forward to next year 124,205

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 35

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Total number of education support staff 2

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Total aggregate hours worked per week 70 Pinfold Primary School - 32 Number of pupils per FTE adult 10

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 5

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

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

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 1

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of a term or more (FTE) 1

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

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

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

FTE means full-time equivalent. Pinfold Primary School - 33

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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. 72 26 1 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 54 38 5 1 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 47 33 16 1 3

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Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 61 22 14 3 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 71 22 3 3 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 72 26 1 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 61 24 12 1 3

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 59 33 7 0 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 55 36 3 3 4

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 47 37 11 1 4

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Percentage of responses in each category

NB Rows may not total 100% due to rounding Pinfold Primary School - 34

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

• Children make good progress from a base that is well below average in all areas of learning • Very effective provision is made in the Foundation Stage and the school gives the children a good start to their education. • Teaching is consistently good with a number of very good features. • The Foundation Stage is led by the nursery class teacher who has the effective support of a hard working, committed team of teachers and support staff.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

62. The children enter the nursery class in the school with a well below average level of attainment in all areas of learning. This is particularly the case in the areas of personal, social and emotional development and communication, language and literacy. As a result of the hard work and commitment of all of the staff in the Foundation Stage classes the children make good progress. Their attainment rises to below average level as the children move confidently along the pathway to the early learning goals. However, only a very small proportion of children are likely to reach them before moving into Year 1 classes. Parents are welcomed into the school by all staff at the start and end of the school day. This builds parents’ confidence in their approaches to the school. Through this the children are being well supported in developing their own personal skills. The welcoming atmosphere transfers to them so that

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

they develop good relationships with one another as well as all adults who work with them. Children start in the school’s nursery class on a part time morning or afternoon basis before they become four years old. At the time of the inspection there were thirty-five children attending the morning nursery class and thirty-four in the afternoon. There were fifty-one children attending full time in the school’s two reception classes.

p.34

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

63. Boys and girls are given an equally good start to their education at Pinfold Primary School. The Foundation Stage classes are all housed together in one area of the school. This effectively enables the staff to work closely together so that the learning for the school’s youngest children is a seamless process. Children’s learning is planned to the same format in all classes with the nursery teacher leading the work of the Foundation Stage. She is being very thoughtfully supported by the deputy headteacher as one of the reception class teachers as well as by all other staff. The clear planning system is efficiently supported by the perceptive evaluations that all staff make of the children’s progress. The school’s assessment of the children’s attainment is based upon the system that is used by all local schools. This is completed in the reception classes to review the initial assessments made in the nursery class. The staff follow the assessments up by careful on-going evaluations which underpin

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

the good progress that the children make before they move into Year 1 classes.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

64. These evaluations ensure that there are many good features in the teaching in all of the Foundation Stage classes. Teaching is never less than good and often of very good quality. Teachers plan imaginatively and have very good support given to them by nursery nurses and other support staff. The team effort is an extremely important factor in the successful work in the Foundation Stage. Staff are clear about the contributions that they are expected to make to the children’s learning. This helps them to always act as good role models for the children many of whom bring limited skills with them into school. There are very good relationships established. The effective interaction between children and adults is assisted well by these supportive relationships. Perceptive questioning enhances the chances that the children are given to develop their communication skills. The children have to give careful thought

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

to the way that they respond because many of the adults’ questions are open ended ones. This helps the children to explain their thoughts successfully. Work is completed at a good pace in all Foundation Stage classes. The pace of teaching successfully impacts on the rate of the learning of the children. The good amount completed in the sample of the children’s work confirms the good rate of learning and progress being made by the children. All of the areas of learning in the Foundation Stage curriculum are given a suitable amount of attention. Pinfold Primary School - 35

p.34

Personal, social and emotional development

65. Many children have very limited social skills when they begin in the school’s nursery class. They have had few experiences that help them to share with one another and to care for the things that they work with. The school has chosen an appropriate initial priority in making this area of learning a major focus of the children’s learning. The children come into the nursery class at the beginning of the morning and afternoon sessions to a rich range of opportunities to learn together. Most work together happily at a number of table top and floor activities. Very few want to work on something on their own but when they do so they receive sympathetic support from adults in order that they do so comfortably. Independence and inter-dependence are planned for carefully and supported by all staff through the provision of well- organised activities. Occasionally children have difficulty in sharing with one another when they become

p.35

Personal, social and emotional development

involved in their learning. The nursery teacher and support staff skilfully negotiate with the children in order to resolve problems and assist the children’s personal and social development. Whatever the activity, the children are absorbed and show good levels of concentration. Many of the skills learnt at the beginning of sessions are re-enforced throughout the day when they spend times such as snack time together. Children’s table manners are polite. Conversations are sensibly held with one another as well as adults. Adults ensure that the children are developing their language skills effectively. Children show their learning is developing well when they say “I like her because she let’s me share.” The children clear up and help to tidy the tables before they move into another group of activities.

p.35

Personal, social and emotional development

66. The children have already grown in confidence by the time that they move into the reception classes. Good relationships between the children clearly welcome the support given. They show concern and support for one another when they help with buttons and zips when they are about to move into their play area. More formally they begin their circle time together by sharing a smile and a handshake. In one circle time observed by inspectors, the class teacher acted as a good role model by remembering something that had made her happy when she was younger. This encouraged all children to make a similar contribution with confidence even though some of their language is still limited. Things remembered were obviously genuine as they included things such as playing with my rattle and giving someone a present. The class teacher’s very careful questioning encouraged the extension of the children’s vocabulary and speaking skills. This pacy support ensured that both boys and girls were

p.35

Personal, social and emotional development

interested in one another’s contributions. The special themes chosen by staff further encourages the children’s personal development effectively. During the inspection week the theme was “Babies.” During a visit by a mother and baby the children demonstrated their high interest level when they interacted with imagination in their role-play in the Baby clinic . Everyone treats the dolls, who are the babies, with care and attention. They take on roles as parents and health visitors and make sensible decisions about how the baby should be given less milk in order to make her more healthy. They listen to one another thoughtfully and take very sensible actions. There is a continuous level of progress being made so that the children are being well prepared for their later work in Year 1 classes. Although they have not all achieved the early learning goals in this area of learning they are moving along the stepping stones

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Personal, social and emotional development

appropriately. The well considered support given by all staff helps the children to make good progress from the well below level of attainment that is their starting point.

p.35

Communication, language and literacy

67. All staff give an appropriate amount of time and effort into developing the children’s communication, language and literacy skills. When the children enter nursery their skills are very limited. Their communication skills are well below average. When the children come into the nursery class they are greeted by all of the adults who work conscientiously with them from that moment on. As well as a lack of language knowledge, a significant number of the children have speech defects which do not help them to communicate clearly. Adults help to overcome these difficulties by giving the children intensive one- to-one or small group support. In these effectively created situations the children find it comfortable to express themselves, knowing that the adults will be listening carefully and prompting them to answer questions successfully. When the children arrive many move into the role-play area and begin to make

p.35

Communication, language and literacy

breakfast for one another. Immediately the class teacher intervenes and ensures that discussions are well focused but remain animated so that they become prolonged and more meaningful to the children. Others work on the computer where the nursery nurse initiates a carefully structured conversation with them and gets a positive response about what the children are doing. Children’s accurate use of Pinfold Primary School - 36 language is equally carefully structured when they share a big story book with their class teacher. Support staff are well deployed so that all children needing extra support receive from one of the adults. The adults work very persistently with the children once they move into a carousel of activities that have been carefully devised to follow up the whole class discussion time together. The love of words and books is being systematically developed.

p.35

Communication, language and literacy

68. This work is built on very thoroughly in the two reception classes. Although language is still restricted, staff take every opportunity to extend it through the good range of experiences that they plan for the children. In one lesson the children shared a book with one another as a whole class. The class teacher read Pig in the pond very expressively to them whilst pointing out the sequence of the words to the children. They then delighted in answering the questions posed to them because they were so interested in the way that the story had developed. The children were able to re-read the story with the teacher and nursery nurse who had been giving specific support to a small group of children needing extra help. The children’s interest in the way that the sequence of the story developed was effectively supported by the teacher’s use of puppets. Children’s knowledge and understanding of how sounds help to form words

p.36

Communication, language and literacy

was successfully completed as they classified objects according to their initial sounds. Good responses were stimulated by the practical nature of the tasks as the objects are passed around a circle and children named them when the music stopped. The follow-on activities have been carefully selected in teachers’ planning so that they all inter-relate to the opening discussion. The class teacher and support staff worked with some children, whilst others worked independently at placing pictures in the correct order before words were added in the correct order too. Children showed their growing confidence in using words appropriately as they played characters in an assembly time that illustrated the story of the Little Red Hen . This is a story with a moral that succinctly summed up for the children the need to share with one another. The deputy head teacher leading the assembly very cleverly then used this knowledge

p.36

Communication, language and literacy

and understanding to prepare the children for the next piece of learning on the feeding of the five thousand. The children are being well prepared for their work in Year 1 classes even though they are only moving steadily along the stepping stones towards the early learning goals and will not complete them until the end of reception.

p.36

Mathematical development

69. Every opportunity is taken in the nursery class to develop the children’s mathematical skills. These are very limited and well below those that are normally found when most children begin their nursery education. Many of the experiences created through imaginative planning by the teacher and support staff are related to other areas of learning. The children learn about space when they move around in their outside play area through the supportive dialogue conducted with them by all adults. They learn about numbers as they count how many children are in the nursery class at the beginning of sessions. There is well developed understanding of capacity as they fill different sized containers when they work together in the water tray. Shapes are understood more successfully when they build with the building blocks and materials. The emphasis upon the practical nature of the activities is necessary in order to

p.36

Mathematical development

enhance the low level of knowledge and understanding shown by the children when they start in the nursery class.

p.36

Mathematical development

70. Again, these experiences are then successfully used as the starting point for further learning in the reception classes. The practical nature of work is re-emphasised as the children begin learning about position by acquiring appropriate mathematical language as their starting point. This is done in the school hall where the benches and mats have been set out. The teacher then clarifies with the children the meaning of words such as on, under, over, next to, behind and in front of . Effective checking ensures that they follow instructions to make all of these movements appropriately. The children then move back into their classroom and work co-operatively in groups with adults or independently at activities that reinforce their knowledge and understanding. Some put furniture in a doll’s house according to instructions whilst others build tunnels with Duplo that vehicles go over and under without difficulty. The

p.36

Mathematical development

children are absorbed in their group activities and are making good progress. The formal recording of knowledge and understanding is being done regularly as shown in the sample of work. This confirms that the children are beginning to achieve appropriately as they work their way along the stepping stones toward the early learning goals. They are being very well prepared for their work in the Year 1 classes. Pinfold Primary School - 37

p.36

Knowledge and understanding of the world

71. The children have an extremely limited knowledge and understanding of the world beyond their immediate neighbourhood when they start in the nursery class. A range of practical activities is planned by staff to compensate for these limitations. Many of the activities are cross-referenced to other areas of learning. A good example of this was when the children were working on the garden border before planting plants that a local gardener was bringing into school. Their teacher took the opportunity to discuss with them the way that plants depend on sucking up moisture in order to grow and likened it to them drinking with a straw. The children showed good understanding as a result of this practical task. The children begin to dig vigorously as they were so keen and interested in their task. Children are very competent users of the computer. They can log on with confidence. They are able to use the mouse

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

accurately and move through a program in a well-ordered way. They learn about directions as they move vehicles safely on a carpet road map. They are able to build intricate examples of a succession of road tunnels with small Duplo blocks. There is no opportunity, however, to build with larger blocks so that these larger materials can be dealt with equally competently. Whatever the activity, sensitive support is being given to them by all adults who work with them. The support is often by asking questions that demand action as well as words in order to show full understanding of what the children are being asked to do.

p.37

Knowledge and understanding of the world

72. The practical nature of the children’s learning is continued in the reception classes. They continue to develop their computer skills in the school’s computer suite. The higher attaining group of children are brought together working on the Clicker program. They log on with confidence, find the program, change font size before they compose well-structured sentences that tell a story accurately. They are able to use an interactive whiteboard with skill because they receive sympathetic support from class teacher, nursery nurse and specialist support assistant. The class teacher has prepared a large scale image of a ladybird which helps the children to identify which button they need to press in order to use the program successfully. A lower attaining group are working successfully on the same program but at a slower rate of progress. Computers are also used assuredly in the classroom as children illustrate characters for a

p.37

Knowledge and understanding of the world

story to help them in sequencing their written re-call successfully. Knowledge of direction was well illustrated to the children as they moved around apparatus in the school hall to confirm their understanding of the term position . The children are particularly good at sharing their knowledge with one another. In a session where the children were choosing the focus of their learning a great deal of information was gathered about magnetism. One boy shared the magnets and objects that could be magnetised that he had brought from home. Questions from other children were answered confidently and knowledgeably. The class teacher was very supportive, made sensible suggestions to the questioners as well as the boy so that learning was being extended effectively. Models of dinosaurs inaugurated a discussion on past times which disclosed a significant amount of knowledge, some of which was less accurate than it needed to be. This gave the class teacher the opportunity to correct

p.37

Knowledge and understanding of the world

inaccurate information. Such activities are moving the children accurately along the stepping stones and preparing them well for their work in Year 1 classes.

p.37

Physical development

73. Children start the nursery class with limited physical skills, particularly the three year olds who are just beginning to mature physically. Their skills are aptly developed in both indoor and outdoor activities. Outdoors the children make good use of their large play area. They successfully use large and small balls which they throw and catch with reasonable measures of accuracy. Even greater skill is applied to kicking the larger balls between two children. Bean bags are also used to increase the accuracy of catching and throwing skills. The portable basket ball goal post is another piece of apparatus that encourages the children to take part with one another as they try to score more goals than one another. They quickly learn the need to be accurate in their directional throwing if they are to be successful. Children use secure playground equipment such as the train and the boat to explore moving in different

p.37

Physical development

ways. They climb aboard skilfully but find much more difficulty in moving under and around with good levels of accuracy. When they move indoors they are fortunate to have a large space in which to develop their physical skills. They form a circle to play circle games such as The farmer wants a wife . Staff have to work hard to get the children to transfer the skills used outdoors just as competently in the indoor Pinfold Primary School - 38 activities. The children work together very boisterously but because of the skilful support they eventually respond positively and work hard to improve their movements.

p.37

Physical development

74. Children in the reception classes continue to have good opportunities to use both outdoor and indoor spaces to develop their physical skills accurately. Both reception classes join together outdoors and work together on other activities as well as working separately on some tasks. When they work together they take part excitedly, but with safety, as the classroom assistant led them in the game of What’s the time Mr Wolf? The care and safety aspects of the children’s movements were given good measures of attention by the adults working with them. When they worked separately in circle games adults still kept a watchful eye on the safety of all of the children taking part in the games. All of the children joined in with the words of Mr Bear your honey’s not here , and it was obviously a much enjoyed game and clearly played regularly. Children move into the hall in an orderly way when using the large indoor space. They

p.38

Physical development

are suitably dressed to take part in a range of imaginative activities. The children have a good role model in the one member of support staff who takes part in all of the activities with them. The other member of the support staff gives specific support to one child who is physically less well developed than other children. In one lesson, all skipped, walked and leapt with reasonable measures of skill. The class teacher used an effective strategy of identifying good examples of achievement for all of the children to copy. Although the children started at a level well below that would normally be seen they worked hard to develop their physical skills. They are moving along the stepping stones very competently and preparing well for work in Year 1 classes.

p.38

Creative development

75. The children have had little opportunity to develop their creative skills before they enter the nursery class. They are given chances to use paint to make patterns as well as freely representing figures with the help of bold primary colours. They are also given the opportunity to use a wider range of materials in the nursery. Imaginative faces are created on cardboard plates with papers and pasta after a careful study of a partners’ face in a mirror. The children are given good levels of support in art without being constrained by having an adults’ views allowed to dominate their creative responses. In music the children learn the first aspects of making rhythm as they use their bodies as instruments and untuned percussion instruments. The children sit in a circle and wait patiently to take their turn at using the instruments. They play the instruments after identifying what they are for. They are able to name instruments

p.38

Creative development

accurately. They play with varying levels of skill but all do with high levels of concentration and enjoyment.

p.38

Creative development

76. In the reception classes the children use paint with greater levels of skill. They paint portraits of the baby who has visited them as part of their work on the passage of time. They extend this skill as they paint pictures of imaginative toys that a baby would enjoy using. The class teacher has used an effective stimulus of discussing their own choices of toys when they were younger. Other children make good choices of pictures from catalogues to create their idea of an ideal toy for the baby. The children extend their knowledge and understanding of making music when they begin to find out about tempo in music. They begin singing the song “Down the avenue” as they walk, stroll and run to differentiate the tempos. The second song is “This little train” which illustrates the slow, medium and fast tempos. The children follow the teachers’ example of the use of hands as they illustrate the train going uphill, at the top and

p.38

Creative development

coming down a railway track. Then untuned percussion instruments are used to re-enforce the children’s understanding of how music can illustrate different tempos.

p.38

Creative development

77. The Foundation Stage provision is led by the nursery class teacher, with very effective support from the reception class teachers and all of the support staff. They plan together well. They work as a team who are committed to improving the learning of all of the children. All staff give the hard work that is needed to improve the skills of the children in all areas of learning willingly. The resources are constantly being improved since the classes have moved into the new building and will be further improved when all of the outdoor facilities are in place. The good start to education that the children are given in the Foundation Stage classes is a strength of the school. Pinfold Primary School - 39

p.38

ENGLISH

• Standards are below average in Year 2 and average in Year 6. • Teaching and learning are good overall but with shortcomings in Year 5 and strengths in Year 6. • English is very effectively led and managed by the subject leader who is influential in making improvements. • The curriculum is enhanced through a range of useful additional strategies and literacy projects. • The provision for pupils with learning difficulties is very good and enables them to build literacy skills at a good rate. • ICT is used well to support work in English. • The subject makes a good contribution to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development through well-chosen activities, including a very good programme of visits, and visitors who share their experiences.

p.39

ENGLISH

78. Standards are below average in Year 2. They are average in Year 6. Speaking and listening skills are average throughout the school. In Year 2 reading is average but writing skills are below average. The accelerated learning in Year 6, as a result of good teaching, improves writing skills so that they are average by the time pupils leave the school. The majority of pupils make good progress given their starting point when they first come to school. Pupils with special educational needs are very well supported. The very good provision for these pupils helps them to make good progress towards the targets in their individual education plans. Progress is uneven between year groups. It is unsatisfactory in Year 5 as a result of weak teaching. In some other classes it is satisfactory with a strength in the teaching and learning in Year 6. Pupils benefit from a great deal of curriculum enhancement.

p.39

ENGLISH

Enrichment from literacy projects, together with additional literacy strategies such as booster classes and a reading volunteer scheme are all contributing to the good progress being made. Year 6 teachers give generously of their time to run booster classes on a Saturday morning which are attended by three quarters of the pupils in Year 6 in preparation for the national tests is a measure of the commitment of teachers and pupils, the desire to succeed and the goods links that exist with the community.

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ENGLISH

79. Speaking and listening skills are average for seven and eleven year olds. They make good progress in developing speaking skills from a low level on entry to school. This is because most teachers provide good opportunities for pupils to engage in conversations and speak aloud individually and in small groups. Although they do not have an extensive range of vocabulary most pupils are happy to talk to visitors, respond to questions and contribute to class discussions. In a very good lesson in Year 6 the teacher engaged pupils well, through careful questioning, in discussions about the setting for Macbeth prior to engaging them in role play. Pupils suggested appropriate vocabulary, created sound effects for the weather and creatures such as wolves and owls, and acted out the witches scene. Pupils needed a lot of direction at first and did not project their voices much but in the second of these lessons

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confidence grew as pupils performed before the class. Most pupils listen attentively when they are sufficiently motivated. In a Year 2 history lesson pupils were eager to respond to questions about Florence Nightingale and in the plenary session shared their writing with the class. The good attention to oracy is undoubtedly benefiting pupils’ speaking and listening skills. The school’s specific writing policy provides good guidance to teachers. In Year 6 small group conferencing activities gives pupils the opportunity to explore the strengths and weaknesses in their own writing and to view others’ work as critical friends. The opportunity for more extended conversations, giving opinions and asking questions is highly effective in building pupils’ self knowledge of how to improve their work. This is a valuable aspect of enhancement which is contributing to raised standards in Year 6.

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80. Standards in reading are close to average in Year 2 and average in Year 6. Basic skills are well taught to the youngest children in Years 1 and 2 these skills are carefully built upon as that higher attainers read fluently with developing expression. Average pupils read accurately in most cases and are able to build unknown words, although reading lacks fluency and expression for some pupils. Lower attainers struggle to build unknown words but recognise initial sounds and recall repetition well. All pupils enjoy books, although a significant proportion have few books of their own at home. Pupils are heard to read on a regular basis and the reading volunteer scheme makes an effective contribution as well as bring a good link with the community. In Year 6 pupils are enthusiastic about reading. They have a good Pinfold Primary School - 40 knowledge of a range of classical and modern authors and discuss their reading preferences. Higher

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attainers particularly enjoy suspense and are able to talk about how this is developed. They show preference for the books of J K Rowling and Tolkein over the films, giving sensible reasons for this. Pupils read regularly at home and in school. Reading records are carefully maintained, including the home/school diary. Pupils read individually and in groups with good opportunities to discuss their books.

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81. The good use of visiting authors and poets and opportunities for theatre visits and workshops, such as a visit to A Midsummer Night’s Dream contributes very well to pupils’ enthusiasm for reading. Several average and higher-attaining pupils already have a keen interest in and enthusiasm for Shakespeare as a result. Pupils benefit from good library provision with a wide range of fiction and non-fiction resources of a good quality. There are good opportunities for older pupils to develop research skills. A range of additional strategies such as the additional literacy support and early literacy support together with Saturday ‘booster’ clubs are proving beneficial in raising standards. The higher-attaining pupils use skills of inference and deduction and read with above average skills. A good number of pupils reach the higher levels in reading and writing, much due to the curriculum enhancement provided. Average readers are

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fluent and read with expression and accuracy. Whilst lower attainers are fluent with the basic text and are able to use a range of strategies to help them with the unknown words, they do not always read with good understanding when the text is more challenging. Pupils know how to use reference books to locate information and make good use of their ICT skills in English. They acquire good skills with which to support their learning on other areas of the curriculum.

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82. Standards in writing are below average at the end of Year 2. One reason for this is the lack of opportunity to use these skills sufficiently in other subjects such as history and geography. This is also the case in most junior classes and particularly in Year 5 where writing standards dip and are unsatisfactory.

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83. Progress in Years 3 to 5 is affected by weak spellings and punctuation, poor handwriting and presentation skills and careless errors which are not referred to when teachers’ mark pupils’ work. Pupils do not write in a cursive style in spite of the fact some pupils do so when they move from Year 2. Marking often lacks developmental comments is sometimes cursory and at times work is unmarked. The unsatisfactory progress in Year 5 means that teachers in Year 6 spend time catching up. The very good teaching in this year results in accelerated learning and enables pupils to achieve average standards, with a number of pupils achieving the higher levels in writing. In this year group some excellent use is made of literacy to support learning in other subjects such as history. For example, pupils write journalistic reports on the war, diaries in the style of Anne Frank and letters. In geography, they use the Internet to research about mountains, and paste information and images to the Textease

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word processing progam. Pupils write for a wide range of purposes and audience. In a response to ‘only the fear…’ creating a story with suspense, one pupil wrote:

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‘It was dark, spooky and freezing cold. Anna had brought along a rucksack, jam-packed with food and drinks. Time passed very slowly. Eventually the sun rose. Slipping and sliding they made their way around the valley – rustling trees, snapping branches. Noises. Something was coming. Closer and closer …’

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84. In work as Macbeth, a book of spells shows good use of ICT as pupils create spells in the style of the witches, for example one higher attainer wrote:

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‘Poison of a vampire bat, add a slimy tongue of cat, in the cauldron goes a snake, wait for it to boil and bake, cook’s fork and bumble bee’s sting, spider’s leg and owlet’s wing, for a spell of powerful trouble, like the devil, burn and bubble…’ Pinfold Primary School - 41 85. Although very good cross curricular links are made in the Year 6 classes, evidence of extended writing across the curricular is not consistent in all years. The use of too many work-sheets in some subjects, for example geography, limits the opportunity for research and more extended writing.

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86. The subject makes a good contribution to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. For example, writing about the plight of dolphins, pupils showed sensitivity. As one girl wrote, ‘No one knows how many dolphins die because many of them are hurt or die away from the net so they cannot be counted’. Such opportunities are widening pupils’ experiences of the world about them and giving deeper insights that are supporting creative writing.

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87. Teaching and learning is good overall. Characteristics of the very good teaching seen include exciting tasks, pacy lessons and rigorous marking to move learning on. High expectations and challenging teaching inspires pupils to succeed. Where teaching is unsatisfactory the lesson pace is slow and pupils do not cover enough work. Weak management results in high noise levels at times and affects the progress pupils make. Expectations of what pupils know and can do are too low. Marking is inconsistent. The best practice identifies how pupils can improve their work, linked carefully to individual targets set. In some classes marking is superficial and occasionally work is left unmarked. The writing targets are addressed well by some teachers but again practice is not consistent. Whilst some pupils refer to precise targets set out well in their books and revisited by teachers, others record vague targets

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to which little reference is made when marking. Presentation of work is inconsistent across the school. Although handwriting and presentation recovers in Year 6 to some extent, because emphasis is placed upon these skills, many pupils do not take sufficient pride or care in their work in some other years. Careless mistakes and untidy work too often goes uncorrected.

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ENGLISH

88. The subject is very effectively led and managed. The Year 6 teacher who is the post-holder, leads by very good example. The good curriculum is broad and balanced providing stimulating opportunities for learning which are enriched by the very good programme of visits and visitors and benefiting from the enhanced literacy project and many additional literacy strategies. Good assessment procedures are in place and the information gathered is used effectively to inform teaching and learning. Whilst there are good procedures developing for monitoring, teaching and learning, the focus has not been on English recently. There are regular assessments made of pupils’ writing at set times but at other times the level of evaluation is less rigorous. For example, inspectors found that the use of writing targets is very variable despite senior managers having monitored these last term. Procedures need to be refined to

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ensure that monitoring is rigorous and meaningful and that what is agreed is fully embedded in practice. The school is well placed to improve further under the guidance of strong leadership and commitment from staff.

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MATHEMATICS

• Standards are average at the ages of seven and eleven and pupils make good progress overall. • The school’s strategy for numeracy is very good and ensures that basic skills are developed well. • The setting arrangements for teaching and learning work well. • Pupils with special educational needs are supported well and make good progress. • Higher attainers need a more careful match of work to ensure it is demanding enough at all times. • Pupils respond well to the opportunities provided for them to learn mathematics. • The quality of teaching and learning is good. • There is a good curriculum, though the focus on investigation and problem solving could be sharper, especially in infant classes. • Assessment systems are satisfactory but are ready for further improvement. • Mathematics is well led and managed. • The procedures for monitoring and evaluation require strengthening.

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MATHEMATICS

89. The standards achieved by Year 6 pupils in the 2002 SATs were below the national average in mathematics. Year 2 pupils achieved average standards in mathematics in their SATs. This year, both Year 2 and 6 pupils are attaining average standards. The improvement in Year 6 is largely due to changes made to the curriculum, particularly in respect of the amount of work devoted to problem solving and mathematical investigations. However, there is still work to do to extend pupils’ opportunities to work Pinfold Primary School - 42 practically in this way, especially in infant classes. The progress made by pupils is good in most parts of the school and they increase their below average starting levels of skill and knowledge well. It is evident that there is clear acceleration in progress for many pupils in Year 6.

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MATHEMATICS

90. Very good work is done to improve pupils’ basic numeracy skills. The presentation of work in books is not always as good as it could be, especially in infant classes, and in some classes not enough work is done against the clock in a bid to sharpen skills. Otherwise, pupils have satisfactory command of basic arithmetic, measure, shape and data handling by the age of eleven.

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MATHEMATICS

91. In general, the setting arrangements for mathematics work to the advantage of all groups of pupils, including those with special educational needs. This group of pupils, including those with statements, makes the same good progress as other pupils because their work is carefully tailored to meet their needs. However, the school accepts that the extension of targets to include more mathematics is a priority for improving the already detailed and specific individual education plans. Higher attaining pupils could be even more appropriately provided for by attention to lesson planning. At present, lesson plans focus on the activities to be completed rather than the specific skills and knowledge to be learned by different groups of pupils within the set.

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MATHEMATICS

92. Pupils are keen and interested in their mathematics work. They behave well in lessons and are well motivated, responding quickly to their teachers and working hard. These positive learning habits are well promoted by staff, who teach mathematics well. Whilst some less than satisfactory teaching by a temporary teacher was observed, the majority of individual lessons seen showed good teaching and learning. The scrutiny of pupils’ past work did not detract from this and showed that for almost all of the time, most pupils get a good deal in mathematics. A key strength is the teaching of basic skills; others are teachers’ expectations, the methods used, which involve the pupils well in their learning and the management of behaviour. In addition to the planning of work discussed above, improvement can still be made to ongoing assessment. This is generally satisfactory, though the use of comments in marking to

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identify ways to improve the work and allowing pupils time to self-review their own learning are inconsistent. The pace of learning is good overall, though it could be enhanced in infant classes. In all, teaching is good and gives pupils ample opportunities to make good progress in lessons and across time.

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MATHEMATICS

93. Good or very good teaching was seen in most year groups. For example, in a lowest set Year 6 lesson on the relationships between the four arithmetic operations, the teacher made very effective use of the computer-linked whiteboard to show patterns of counters. The pupils suggested that one pattern represented 5+5, 4+4+2 and 2+2+2+2+2. They then said it was also 5x2 and 2x5, which they recognised produced the same total. From this starting point, the pupils explored in small groups other patterns. Each group worked well when they were not directly supervised because the teacher had explained her good expectations clearly. The investigations contributed well to the building of skills and knowledge. Pupils showed good understanding of the links between repeated addition and the multiplication of sets. During the lesson they extended this to a dawning understanding of the links between repeated subtraction and division. Whilst the standards achieved in the lesson were well below

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MATHEMATICS

average, the pupils made the characteristic good progress that is seen in the great majority of mathematics lessons.

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MATHEMATICS

94. The curriculum for mathematics is well planned. It includes a very good strategy for numeracy. Teachers have had the confidence in recent years to work together to amend the national guidelines for the numeracy curriculum in order to better provide for their own pupils. This has paid off and the overall mathematics curriculum has not been prejudiced by too heavy a focus on arithmetic. There are some useful links made to other subjects, such as science, geography and design and technology and ICT is increasingly well related to mathematics topics, to the benefit of the pupils. The moral and social development of pupils is good in mathematics, particularly when pupils work together to solve problems or investigate patterns and sequences of numbers, for example.

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MATHEMATICS

95. The assessment of skills and knowledge is satisfactory in mathematics. The results of this are used to set individual targets for pupils, which are then tracked by further assessment. This process is at an early stage of development, but it has the potential to become a powerful tool for the evaluation of Pinfold Primary School - 43 subject performance and to guarantee all pupils make optimum progress. The good work to develop an efficient system of assessment in mathematics now needs extending to other subjects.

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MATHEMATICS

96. The subject leaders provide very clear educational direction and are influential in the improvement of mathematics. There has been some direct monitoring of mathematics in lessons through the school and the outcome of this has been used well to focus improvement. There is however, a need for further monitoring of the subject, especially as teachers work to assimilate the new commercial mathematics text into overall curriculum provision. The two subject leaders have built a good partnership in a short time; they are hard working and well informed about mathematics throughout the school. There is every prospect that the improvement seen in recent years will continue in the future. Pinfold Primary School - 44

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SCIENCE

• Most pupils’ achievements in science show an improving picture and are well above the results achieved by pupils with a similar social background at other schools. • Teaching and learning are good in the majority of classes throughout the school. • There is a need to review the appropriateness and use of worksheets so that pupils are not constrained by tasks that fail to encourage personal investigation. • The school is aware of the need to establish more rigorous targets to help focus both teaching and learning in science. • Management of science is effective; however the subject leaders could be extended to include direct observation of lessons in the drive for raised academic standards. • The subject action plan is appropriate and meets the need to support and improve standards still further, especially for higher attaining pupils.

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SCIENCE

97. In the 2002 SATS the standards achieved were broadly average at the end of Year 6. The proportion of pupils reaching higher levels was slightly below the national average. Nevertheless, when comparing these results with results achieved by pupils from schools with similar social backgrounds, results were well above average.

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SCIENCE

98. A detailed scrutiny of pupils’ work, lesson observations and discussions with pupils indicate levels of attainment at the end of Year 2 and Year 6 to be average. Scrutiny of pupils’ work in the present Year 1 indicates that standards are broadly average. This is due to a range of well planned practical activities for pupils to undertake and record their own scientific investigations, predictions and conclusions that clearly reflect an understanding in scientific terms of what has taken place and why. In other year groups, for example Year 5, a preponderance of work-sheets very severely limits opportunities for pupils to demonstrate flair and individuality in scientific recording. Often conclusions lack any scientific understanding, for example when investigating a range of materials acting as insulators to slow down the rapid melting of ice. Card was given as the best insulator ‘as it stopped the ice cube from melting’ – no

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reason was given why it was better or worse than cotton wool.

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SCIENCE

99. Starting from a below average general scientific knowledge base in Year 1, the rate of progress from five to eleven years is uneven, with dips in some years and peaks in others. In Year 6 where pupils experience some specialist teaching, overall progress is good as it is generally. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress and achieve appropriate levels in relation to their prior levels of attainment. During the inspection no discernible differences were observed in the progress of boys and girls. Attainment of some pupils is not as high as it could be, as in some lessons they are only provided with very limited opportunities to investigate science independently. This is because much of the teaching is instructional, for example the planting of seeds in Year 5. Undemanding worksheets and work copied directly from the teachers’ directions gave limited challenge in terms of pupils’

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understanding and recording their own investigations.

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SCIENCE

100. Scrutiny of pupils’ work in the juniors indicates that the majority of work undertaken follows a similar theme, with all pupils undertaking the same work and following the same format directed by the teacher. Consequently, many conclusions fail to reflect a correct understanding of why things happened in scientific terms. Presentation of work is an area that would stand improvement in the majority of classes. The school has already recognised this as it revises its present assessment procedures to include the charting of pupils’ progress more rigorously in all aspects of the subject including using and applying science.

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SCIENCE

101. Overall the teaching of science is good throughout the school. A good lesson in Year 1 produced a real sense of achievement as positive learning was enhanced by a good range of appropriate resources. The teacher consolidated pupils’ learning well in relation to their observations and using their senses. Under her good motivational skills and effective use of additional adult support, she very successfully linked opportunities for speaking and listening as pupils described hard and soft surfaces - ‘some bumpy’, ‘some wavy’. Sorting materials into sets of natural and man made materials consolidated pupils’ scientific vocabulary well. By the end of the session, pupils realised that bricks made for building are Pinfold Primary School - 45 made from a range of materials. Pupils listened very well, and the group work provided a very good opportunity for co-operation as they discussed objects that would roll. In Year 6, a good lesson

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SCIENCE

prompted pupils to clearly explain that the size of a shadow is dependent on its distance from the light source. Teaching is good where learning objectives are well focused and shared with pupils at the start of the lesson, along with a range of appropriate vocabulary. Revisiting the lesson objectives at the end of the lesson consolidated the scientific knowledge gained, successfully linking it to mathematics with the requirement to draw a line graph to illustrate the relationship between distance from the light source and the size of the shadow. In a very confident manner, pupils discussed the fact that a distance is reached where the height of the shadow remains constant. Pupils concentrated throughout and the teacher insisted that pupils should record their results accurately. Pupils were keen to learn, reflecting in good behaviour and positive relationships with peers and teacher.

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SCIENCE

102. In the less successful lesson, time was not used well. Pace was pedestrian and tasks failed to inspire interest and enthusiasm. The picture that emerges is one that reflects unsatisfactory organisation of resources, insecure teacher’s subject knowledge, pupils given insufficient opportunities to change suggestions into their own investigations and all preparations, including experimental procedure, is undertaken in a very constricting manner by the class teacher, with higher attaining pupils not sufficiently challenged. Scrutiny of pupils’ topic folders reflects a wide coverage of the subject, including electricity in the home and simple circuits, forces pushing and pulling and the differences between natural and man made materials and their subsequent uses. The quality of pupils’ drawings is generally good throughout the school. However, handwriting and the labelling of diagrams are often very untidy

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SCIENCE

with many incorrectly spelled words left uncorrected by the teacher. There are good opportunities for pupils to practise and consolidate numeracy skills within science lessons such as when recording cooling water temperatures at specific intervals. The planned use of ICT to support timed recording skills is satisfactory. The regular use of homework to underpin work in lessons is at best patchy.

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SCIENCE

103. There are two subject leaders; one responsible for infants and one the juniors. Leadership is good; however management is satisfactory. They work hard to support learning throughout the school. They have made a good start at analysing scores achieved in SATs, taking stock of the strengths and areas for future targeted teaching. However, there is no systematic monitoring of teaching and learning and this is unsatisfactory. Additionally there is no detailed monitoring of teachers’ planning intentions against completed work in order to avoid repetition. The marking of pupils’ work by teachers celebrates success; however it rarely states how improvements can be made. With more rigorous target setting systems, the school is aware of the need to track more precisely the rates of progress by different groups of pupils, for example higher attaining pupils. Science has a bright prospect for the future as

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there is a good shared determination to strive for improvement.

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ART AND DESIGN

• Excellent, high quality teaching is promoting very high standards in art. • The subject makes a significant contribution to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. • Pupils have very positive attitudes to their art and design work and put a large amount of care and effort into their work. • There are very good links between art and design and other subjects of the curriculum that enhances good learning. • Areas for fine tuning include the artist in residence sharing his subject expertise in the infants’ classes by working alongside staff and for pupils to express their appreciation of art more precisely by regular use of sketchbooks.

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ART AND DESIGN

104. As visitors enter the school, they are immediately struck by a vibrant range of high quality displays of pupils’ work. The provision for art and design is a success story which is met in corridors and cloakroom areas throughout the school. A broad range of exciting learning opportunities stimulates excellent achievement and makes a very worthwhile contribution to pupils’ spiritual and cultural development. For example, pupils’ work on display reflects the changing local environment in a mural illustrating the one remaining tower block of flats in Hattersley. The crowning glory is a mural of animated pictures representing events undertaken in the 2000 Olympic Games. Pupils work with a carefully selected range of media in both two and three-dimensions that successfully develops their creativity and Pinfold Primary School - 46 imagination to an increasingly complex level from the lower infant to the upper junior classes. For

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example, from self portraits in clay illustrating ‘friendly faces’ and the manufacture of African tribal masks in Year 5, using several layers of wood, giving the face a truly ‘three-dimensional’ feel and finished in a range of colourful tones depicting shade and texture.

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ART AND DESIGN

105. Progress is excellent throughout the school so that by Year 6 standards are very high. Pupils who have special needs experience success in the subject and, in most instances, achieve as well as their peers.

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ART AND DESIGN

106. The school has rightly encouraged the prominent role of an Artist in Residence who attends the school one day each week, teaching groups withdrawn from classes to undertake group activities. His high quality subject expertise that includes very positive encouragement and giving opportunities for pupils to evaluate their own work, is a central pillar to the subject’s continued success. Working alongside pupils in his highly creative manner, he supports their work without actually undertaking it for them. For example, a mixed group of Year 3 and Year 6 pupils working in the corridor undertaking a range of art media work, including work in the style of Mondrian, became totally absorbed in their tasks. Year 3 pupils firstly explored ideas of how to move straight wooden strips to form a range of two-dimensional shapes, also reflecting the need for parallel lines and accurate measurement before cutting and gluing

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ART AND DESIGN

onto a backboard. This helped pupils’ learning in science and mathematics, usefully enabling them to extend their technical vocabulary. The Artist in Residence is very well organised and his calm, focused approach ensures that learning is both very enjoyable and purposeful. All pupils are highly motivated, for example Year 6 pupils completing a range of three-dimensional models to illustrate movement worked with the minimum of supervision as they worked from their working drawings, creating a range of figures in motion using plaster of paris and wire. Pupils are aware of the very high standards they attain and are eager to print out their own work and are generous in their praise of the work of others. The teacher introduced pupils to a wide range of famous artists either by visits to local museums, for example the Whitworth Art Gallery or using the school’s own sources via the Internet. Throughout the school, pupils

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use the computer well to aid their understanding of design. Pupils in Year 4, for instance, gained a very good idea of composition when they produced repeating patterns in the style of William Morris, linking successfully to ongoing work on mathematics. Pupils in Year 2 develop their understanding of colour and shape successfully, as they explored different ways of applying ‘paint’ using a paint brush, spray tool, rainbow tool and fill tool. They have a very good knowledge of the backgrounds of the pattern they have studied and can describe how various effects were achieved with a very critical eye.

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ART AND DESIGN

107. Teachers create imaginative learning conditions that promote very good, and sometimes excellent, progress in art and design, and in heightening pupils’ aesthetic appreciation. For example in Year 1, pupils learn about the importance of detail from studying works of Andy Goldsworthy. The accumulated information results in high quality work; a very good example being the still life paintings using observational skills to create landscapes of the school’s immediate locality.

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ART AND DESIGN

108. The subject leader has recently introduced a planning scheme based upon recent government guidelines enabling teachers to develop basic skills step by step. Because of this, planning is satisfactory throughout the school. The school is aware of the need to clearly identify skills to be taught in each lesson and link this more closely to ongoing assessment. Relative weaknesses in teaching are found when insufficient emphasis is given to developing artistic skills, activities are over directed by teachers and pupils have few opportunities to make choices or evaluate their own work. The school has clearly identified pupils that are talented in art and design. These pupils make excellent progress, ably supported by the Artist in Residence for example, the high quality pencil sketching achieved by pupils in Year 6.

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ART AND DESIGN

109. The subject leader has a clear vision of how to develop the subject still further by promoting the involvement of the Artist in Residence in the infant classes. The subject makes a highly important contribution to pupils’ personal and cultural development. They learn to value themselves because teachers value their work. Pinfold Primary School - 47

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

• Standards are typical for pupils aged seven years and eleven years. • There are sound links with numeracy, history, literacy and science. • The curriculum gives equal attention to designing and making. • It makes a valuable contribution to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. through a range of well selected topics. • Pupils should be encouraged, now that the new scheme is in place, to write more detailed evaluations of completed projects to show what worked well and what was less successful, and to make use of ICT to underpin ongoing skills. • The assessment system to help the pupils and teachers know the levels at which they are working, with a view to establishing a continuation of skills learnt from Year 1 to Year 6 requires improvement.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

110. Standards are likely to be at the expected level at the end of Year 2 and Year 6. Pupils of all abilities make sound progress throughout the school. In recent years the school’s thrust has been rightly to improve literacy and numeracy, but enthusiastic leadership from the newly appointed, well qualified subject leader places the subject in a prominent place for future development.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

111. No lessons were observed in the infants. The quality of pupils’ products from last term indicates that satisfactory teaching and learning has taken place. Pupils had confidently built a range of puppets controlled by rods, similar to puppets found in India that have been used to entertain people there for many years. The completed puppets then re-enacted their own performance of Roald Dahl’s Enormous Crocodile , thus promoting usefully pupils’ speaking and listening skills. Once constructed, these model puppets were made more mobile by the use of a paper fastener as a ‘hinge’ allowing the ‘jaws’ to open and close. All pupils gained valuable cutting skills as the work clearly involved measuring and cutting in straight lines in readiness to accommodate the opening and closing movements. In discussion with pupils, they indicated their enjoyment for the cutting and decoration that took place, and the fact that

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

their models actually moved to words and actions.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

112. Scrutiny of work in Year 4 shows the manufacture of well constructed purses. Measurement and cutting skills show satisfactory levels of care and pride in the finished product. At the end of Year 6, last year’s work demonstrates that pupils used a wide range of materials and tools. In their manufacture of slippers to individual designs, their measurements are more exact and their fastenings more complex than the infants. The older pupils are aware that careful measurements and good quality finishing has an effect on the product when it is sold. Although teachers do not plan in the use of computers to help with designing, they do use them for researching the background information on which some topics are based. Work is displayed well to celebrate the achievement of all pupils, regardless of ability and needs.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

113. In a satisfactory lesson observed in Year 5, pupils were encouraged to make working drawings of a range of previously built musical instruments. Careful consideration was given to pupils with special educational needs in selecting appropriate materials and resources to assist them. The teacher’s good subject knowledge enabled the lesson to proceed at a brisk pace, with all pupils displaying a keen eagerness to complete the task. Nevertheless the presentation of work was barely satisfactory because of inaccuracy and inattention to detail. In contrasts, a Year 5 display clearly reflects the building of many toys using a simple energy source, elastic bands. After investigation of how most toys work, pupils designed a prototype, followed by a list of instructions of how to make the actual model. Testing was carried out on a variety of surfaces, and limited comments made regarding further improvement.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

The teachers have created many links in the planning so that technology actively enhances learning in other subjects, for example the building of Tudor-style houses and stained glass windows, linking art, design and mathematics together. The school is aware of the need to develop further topics related to healthy eating in food technology, for instance.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

114. Leadership of the subject is satisfactory. The newly appointed, enthusiastic subject leader has put into place a scheme based on national guidelines that will, in time, ensure continuity of skills. The subject leader has not yet undertaken direct monitoring of teaching and learning to enable him to gain better Pinfold Primary School - 48 insight into the subject’s strengths and shortcomings that would help future improvement. The use of assessment to support pupils’ skills development is at present unsatisfactory and continues to be an area for future development. The subject makes a very important contribution to pupils’ personal and social skills. They grow in self confidence as they share and listen to each other’s ideas. They learn to value their own practical efforts because the teachers value their contribution.

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GEOGRAPHY

• Standards are below average at the age of eleven. • Teaching and learning are sound overall. • There is an imbalance between the learning of actual information and the development of the skills of research and enquiry. This has an adverse effect on the learning of higher attaining pupils. • The subject is not well led. There are no opportunities for teaching and learning to be monitored in lessons in all year groups, and assessment of pupils’ skills to inform future planning intentions is unsatisfactory.

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GEOGRAPHY

115. Standards in geography are not high enough, and are below average for eleven year olds. In the infants, pupils achieve well and make satisfactory progress overall and their attainment by the end of Year 2 is broadly average. In the juniors, whilst pupils’ knowledge is satisfactory overall, their skills are not as well developed as they should be. Scrutiny of pupils’ books clearly indicates that limited learning has taken place in geography since the start of the present academic year. In discussion with pupils in Year 6 they were able to locate Manchester accurately on a map of the British Isles; however they found great difficulty in naming and locating counties of the United Kingdom and could not identify major towns or cities on a map with confidence. Throughout the juniors, standards are lower than they should be; therefore progress for all pupils, including those with special educational needs, is unsatisfactory. Most

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GEOGRAPHY

learning is via worksheets and tends to be aimed at the whole class without sufficient breadth or depth in the work to meet the needs of the different capabilities of pupils. The written work that pupils produce lacks pride and is often untidy in presentation, and all too often heavily directed by the class teachers.

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GEOGRAPHY

116. Skills using ICT are developing well for example, Year 6 pupils undertaking research work related to major physical and economic differences between hills and mountains. This useful research work enhances pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well in appropriate ways. Well planned opportunities to discuss wider environmental issues in the Eco Council are undertaken with great enthusiasm and interest.

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GEOGRAPHY

117. The overall quality of teaching observed during the inspection was satisfactory. Nevertheless, scrutiny of pupils’ work clearly indicates that work lacks challenge, levels achieved in relation to prior attainment are unsatisfactory in the juniors reflecting unsatisfactory teaching. In the satisfactory lesson observed in Year 1, pupils recognised differing weather patterns throughout the world and their effects on people. Teaching was well supported by the use of two suitcases with ‘hot’ and ‘cold’ printed on them, requiring pupils to identify a range of different objects relating to each type of climate. Useful speaking and listening skills were encouraged as pupils related why they had placed certain objects in a particular suitcase. Good imaginative features ensured satisfactory learning with pupils clearly demonstrating positive attitudes and a keenness to learn new facts. In the unsatisfactory lesson observed, the work

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GEOGRAPHY

generally lacked challenge and was the same for all abilities. Pupils grew restless because the teacher tended to talk for too long. The absence of pupils’ knowledge regarding the interpretation of data in graphical form had a negative effect on learning.

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GEOGRAPHY

118. The leadership of the subject is ineffective. The subject leader is aware of the urgent need to monitor standards of pupils’ work throughout the school and to extend the planned opportunities for pupils to employ research skills. One glimmer of light to raise standards has been the introduction of a school scheme based on recent government guidelines. The use of rigorous assessment systems to identify skills on which future planning can effectively build are also unsatisfactory. Improvement here will make a valuable contribution as the school strides forwards to its goal to achieve higher standards and consistently good progress. Pinfold Primary School - 49

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HISTORY

• Standards at the end of Year 2 and Year 6 are average. • Pupils enjoy history lessons on the whole. • Teaching, though satisfactory, is not ensuring good quality writing and presentation. • An over use of worksheets is capping potentially higher achievement. • Visits and visitors enhance the curriculum well.

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HISTORY

119. Standards at the end of Year 2 and Year 6 are average. Progress overall is satisfactory but in the junior classes progress is uneven. In Year 5 progress is unsatisfactory. Low level tasks, over reliance on worksheets and limited opportunities for writing, and in some classes, ICT are the main reasons for weak or unsatisfactory teaching and learning. Presentation of work is also unsatisfactory. Pupils with special educational needs make the same progress as others in the class.

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HISTORY

120. When teaching is effective, pupils enjoy history. They respond well to their teachers and much learning takes place. In Year 1 pupils are introduced to simple time lines and develop a sense of the passing of time as they study toys from the past and compare them with present day toys. A visit to Macclesfield Museum supported this learning well, when they compared old and new artefacts in the kitchen, sequenced teddy bears according to their age and experienced school life long ago. This work is built upon effectively in Year 2 when pupils learn about famous people from the past such as Florence Nightingale and Mary Seacole. They develop their understanding of time lines further. A range of artefacts, photographs and book resources ensure that pupils have the chance to study historical information so that they make satisfactory gains in their learning and understanding.

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HISTORY

121. In Years 3 to 6 pupils study different periods of time in British and ancient history, covering topics such as Ancient Egypt, Vikings, Tudors, Ancient Greece, Victorian life and Britain since World War II. However, the structure of the curriculum during these four years means that, in some instances, pupils do not study history for two terms. Consequently the continuous development of their historical skills and concepts is considerably interrupted. Nevertheless, as a result of accelerated learning in Year 6 pupils show they have an appropriate sense of chronology and a satisfactory knowledge and understanding of historical skills and concepts.

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HISTORY

122. The range and quality of written work in history is limited and in some year groups it is unsatisfactory with little recorded evidence of work covered and few opportunities to use literacy skills in history. This is the case in Year 5 where progress is unsatisfactory and in some classes in Years 3 and 4 where progress is less than expected. An over reliance on worksheets inhibits the development of literacy skills and does not always meet the needs of the range of ability in the class. ICT is not used well enough to develop knowledge and skills in history. An exception to this is Year 6 where literacy skills and ICT skills are used very well in history. For example, pupils research information about wartime Britain, write diaries, newspaper reports and extend their historical knowledge and understanding through literacy texts such as Oliver Twist and A Christmas Carol . This is very good practice with good

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HISTORY

opportunities for personal study and research in Year 6.

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HISTORY

123. Teaching and learning is satisfactory overall. It is good in Year 6 because pupils are well challenged with interesting tasks. Resources are well used to support pupils’ learning. Displays are a strength and support learning in history well in many classes. They are particularly good in Year 6. Good library provision and book resources enhance the curriculum, as does the very good programme of visits and visitors. Visits to museums, a Tudor hall, the railway station, Stockport air raid shelters and valuable contributions from visitors such as the visitor from the police museum in Manchester, sharing Victorian police artefacts with pupils enrich and enhance the curriculum very well. The subject makes a good contribution to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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HISTORY

124. The subject leaders manage the subject satisfactorily. However, they recognise the need for sharper monitoring of teaching and learning. Assessment has been identified as a priority for development. Marking of work in many classes is not developmental. In the best practice in Year 6 marking helps pupils to improve their work. Pinfold Primary School - 50

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

• Standards are average at the age of seven and eleven and pupils make good progress. • The new ICT suite is of very good quality; it is used intensively and well. • Pupils like ICT, they work well and behaviour is good. • Teaching and learning quality is good. • Support staff do a good job to ensure all pupils learn well. • Assessment and the monitoring and evaluation of the quality of education and standards are the next priorities for improvement. • ICT is very well led and managed.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

125. The school has done a very good job to improve the accommodation and resourcing for ICT in recent years. The computer suite is very well equipped with high quality hardware and there are similar quality resources in most classrooms. This gives teachers, and their pupils, every opportunity to use ICT at the centre of learning. There is an additional improvement that is having good impact on the quality of education and standards in ICT. This is the state of teachers’ subject knowledge and confidence, which has been promoted very successfully by the carefully tailored programme of staff development provided by the subject leaders.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

126. Standards in ICT are average overall. This is an improvement on the situation as judged in the 1998 inspection report for the original school. Pupils have little experience of computers when they start school and they have very restricted access to such technology at home. Thus, the standards achieved are very much the product of the school’s work. It is evident that standards continue to move ahead and the prospect of above average standards overall is clearly a possibility in the future. As an example of how standards are rising, a Year 3 lesson on control technology showed above average standards. In this lesson, the pupils worked in groups on a number of closely related tasks to program Roamer , a robot like vehicle, to move in a predetermined course. One group was working to make Roamer trace a square on paper and to change pen colour as it did so. Following this, they worked on making other

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

shapes. Meanwhile, other pupils were using the screen version of Roamer to make other shapes. One group was most successful in this and moved on to make Roamer trace a capital E on screen. The other pupils watched the resulting pathway and related it to the instructions that were projected on the computer-controlled whiteboard. These pupils were working at levels above those expected for their age. In other lessons standards were more consistently average but the potential for improved attainment is clear.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

127. Pupils make good progress in ICT in all classes. This is due to their good interest, concentration and motivation levels and the good effort that they give. Learning is productive and skills and knowledge are reinforced and extended well. Pupils show a good measure of independence and responsibility as they work and, in all, learning is a good-humoured affair. This is due to good teaching. Teachers are well prepared to take advantage of the resources and their own improved subject knowledge to plan stimulating lessons that focus on basic skills effectively. Teachers’ expectations are good and the methods used encourage pupils to have a go. The management of pupils and pace of learning are good. Support staff play a good role in the education of the pupils in ICT. The specialist support assistant has good knowledge of the equipment and the pupils’ needs and works in good partnership with teachers.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

Other support staff work effectively with small groups, often on simpler, but related tasks that match their needs well. Some teachers allow their pupils to evaluate their own and other pupils’ work during the lesson, though this is not consistent, and as such, is a missed opportunity.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

128. The assessment of skills and knowledge in ICT is a continuing and sensible priority now that the basic structure for effective learning, including good teaching and a sharply focused curriculum is in place. Improved assessment will give more insights into how each group of pupils are learning and assist staff to give higher attaining pupils even more challenge.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

129. ICT is very well led and managed by the two subject leaders. They have completed the task of designing, specifying, equipping and commissioning the ICT suite very effectively. They lead the subject from the front and are very influential in making improvements. They keep well informed of how well the subject is Pinfold Primary School - 51 faring; though there is now need for them to monitor and evaluate the quality of education and standards in ICT lessons through the school. They have pursued the priority of enhanced cross-curricular use of ICT well. Most ICT lessons have strong links with other subjects, for example the Year 1 lesson on producing block graphs to show pupils’ means of travel whilst on holiday. This tied the development of ICT skills well to mathematics and geography.

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MUSIC

• Standards at the end of Years 2 and 6 are below average. • Pupils’ attitudes are positive. They are keen to learn. • Teachers are willing to have a go at providing musical experiences but lack the necessary expertise. • The subject lacks leadership and direction.

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MUSIC

130. Standards at the end of Years 2 and 6 are below average. Progress in music is unsatisfactory, particularly for higher attainers who are capable of achieving well but are held back by a lack of teacher’s knowledge about what should be taught, and the necessary skills to teach the subject. Pupils with special educational needs make the same progress as others in the class. Other factors influencing progress are low expectations and tasks which do not match the needs of pupils in the class. The absence of assessment systems to check on pupils’ learning and progress and the lack of leadership and direction for the subject are major reasons why standards are below average.

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MUSIC

131. Although pupils enjoy singing, standards are below average throughout the school because skills are not developed systematically. As a result singing is flat and not very tuneful. Pupils’ singing in assemblies highlighted the poor tonal quality and lack of attention to pitch, dynamics and rhythm. This was a pity because original songs and hymns, which celebrate belonging to this school and reflect the aims of the school, are shared in morning assemblies.

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MUSIC

132. In Year 2, pupils sing a range of undemanding nursery rhymes and songs but singing is pitched too low and lacks quality. Over direction by the teacher means that they have little choice of instruments and these are not always played correctly or the correct names for instruments used. In Year 3, pupils explore rhythmic patterns but are unable to perform ostinato. Insufficient time in this lesson left little opportunity to develop these skills, and learning did not move on well enough. In Year 4 pupils focussed a pulse and tempo, part of Year 1 and 2’s programme. Singing lacked quality and was undemanding, for example singing Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf? .

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MUSIC

133. By the end of Year 6, pupils have made insufficient gains in their musical skills. They are unable to create percussion parts to songs or compose simple melodies of the required standard. They are unable to compose and perform in small groups to create a polished effect. Pupils’ knowledge of music from other cultures is limited. There are insufficient opportunities for pupils to listen to a range of music in a structured purposeful way, in order to appraise and compare it to other music they have heard. There are missed opportunities in assemblies to promote listening skills in this way and extend pupils’ knowledge of composers and their works.

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MUSIC

134. The quality of teaching and learning is unsatisfactory because teachers lack sufficient knowledge to enable them to teach basic music skills and knowledge effectively. Undemanding tasks do not challenge pupils well enough or extend their creative abilities. There is insufficient attention to the imaginative progression of composition skills as pupils yet older. Little use is made of ICT to support pupils’ learning. Weaknesses in planning result in unsuitable tasks which are too low level in some classes.

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MUSIC

135. Independence is not fostered well where teachers select and give out instruments to pupils. There is little evidence of the use of tuned percussion, except for the small number of pupils who receive instrumental tuition from a visiting specialist. A good lesson was seen in Year 6 when pupils focussed on the Aboriginal version of the Creation Story, using simple untuned percussion instruments to interpret the story. Pupils worked with enthusiasm and enjoyment. Although standards were below average, pupils worked together as a class and all were involved in the performance. Good teaching moved the learning on well, because the lesson was well-planned, motivated pupils well and proceeded at a good Pinfold Primary School - 52 pace. Nevertheless, the level at which pupils were performing was as would be expected in Year 2. Pupils were very reliant on the teacher for direction and were unable to work in small groups to create

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MUSIC

their own composition. This showed clearly the limited skills acquisitions in the past.

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MUSIC

136. The subject suffers from a lack of clear direction and leadership. Many teachers lack confidence and there are training needs to improve their skills. The lack of monitoring of teaching means there is no clear overview of how well music is taught or standards achieved. Assessment of pupils’ achievement is not yet in place. There are good resources available, including some multicultural instruments. A good programme of visits, such as to Zulu Nation and a visit from a drumming and percussion band contribute well to pupils’ cultural awareness. Pupils also have the opportunity to sing for pleasure in an after school club. However, the present unsatisfactory provision of music in the curriculum means that it does not make a worthwhile contribution to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. The school is aware of the steps needed to raise standards in music.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

• Standards are average at the ages of seven and eleven. Results are good in swimming and in competitive sports. • Pupils make satisfactory progress. • The focus on skills could be sharper in some lessons, especially in infant classes. • Pupils have good attitudes; they work energetically and behave well. • Teaching and learning are sound. • The curriculum is of good quality, though the focus on outdoor activities could be strengthened. • Assessment, monitoring and evaluation are in need of improvement. • Physical education is well led and managed

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

137. Standards in physical education are average at the ages of seven and eleven. Generally, there is appropriate focus on the teaching of skills in all strands of the subject and in swimming and extra- curricular sports, the pupils achieve well.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

138. Pupils enjoy their work in physical education. They work with sustained energy, are interested in their tasks and behave well, whether indoors or out. Skills are built soundly, though the focus on this process in infant classes could be stronger. In some lessons, pupils are occupied by one activity after another. They build skills adequately at such times because of the repetitive practice. However, this would be improved if teachers took time to teach skills directly. In other lessons, the focus on skills is sharper and pupils then make good progress. For example, in a Year 6 lesson, pupils were focused well on developing the skills of batting and fielding in cricket. The teacher demonstrated the correct posture and grip of the cricket bat and explained why some grips were dangerous. The pupils themselves identified accurate reasons why the bat should be gripped in a particular fashion and not casually. In the following

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

activity, pupils worked in pairs to perfect the drop ball, bounce, strike skills well. They did this in a well- controlled manner, whether dropping the ball or striking it with the bat. Later in the lesson, the pupils listened well as the teacher explained the rules of kwik cricket. It was evident in the game that followed that there were some skilful pupils, three bats and two bowlers particularly so.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

139. Teaching is sound through the school. The specialist teaching of swimming is clearly effective, judging from the school’s records of attainment here. Most pupils are able to swim the desirable length by the age of eleven and some swim with great prowess. The management of behaviour, teachers’ knowledge and understanding and the use of time and support staff are positive aspects of teaching. Learning too is sound and all pupils, including those with special educational needs or the higher attaining pupils make the same satisfactory progress.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

140. There is a good curriculum for physical education. It includes all elements, though outdoor activities are an area where the subject leaders identify potential for improvement. The programme of extra curricular physical education and sports activities is good. Pupils achieve well in these, for example, the school has a good record in achievement in cross-country running competitions. These activities contribute strongly to standards generally in school as other pupils aspire to perform as successfully as the best in Pinfold Primary School - 53 school. Good contribution is made to pupils’ personal, social and moral development because of the emphasis on taking part and being part of a team that pervades much of the work.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

141. Physical education is well led and managed by two subject leaders. They are knowledgeable and energetic managers who have developed provision well. They have so far had limited opportunities to monitor and evaluate physical education lessons outside their own classes, which means they are not as aware as they might be of the inconsistencies in skills development discussed here. However, they are determined to take on this role when it is offered and the potential for continued improvement to the subject is good.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

• Standards at the end of Year 2 are below average but average at the end of Year 6. • The curriculum is carefully matched to the agreed syllabus followed by local schools. • Pupils learn about religion in infant classes where there is an over use of worksheets to record knowledge and understanding. • Pupils learn from a wider range of world religions in the junior classes. • Pupils make satisfactory progress in their learning throughout the school. • Religious education is taught satisfactorily throughout the school with some good features in some junior classes. • Pupils are beginning to record more independently in junior classes to confirm their understanding. • Not enough care is consistently being taken with marking and assessment to support pupils in improving on their work.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

142. Standards in religious education are below average by the end of Year 2 whilst by the end of Year 6 they are average. The below average standards by the end of Year 2 are shown clearly in the sample of work over a period of time. There is too much reliance upon the use of worksheets as the written recording mechanism. The pupils’ knowledge and understanding is being recorded more independently by the end of Year 6. This is supporting their development of language and literacy skills. It confirms that they are beginning to learn from religion as well as about a larger number of the world’s religions. Both boys and girls achieve appropriately. The pupils who have special needs are being well supported by both class teachers and support staff. The level of support given to them ensures that these pupils make the same progress as other pupils in their written recording.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

143. Both the sample of work and lesson observations confirm that work is being carefully matched to the locally agreed syllabus. The initial focus is on learning about the Christian religion in the infant classes. Pupils also have their knowledge of religious places in the local community extended from a low base by making a visit to the local church. This is a new experience for many of the pupils. The pupils record their knowledge on their return to school with the help of a worksheet. In lesson observations there is evidence of different levels of work for pupils but too little challenge for higher attaining pupils in the tasks that they are given. In a Year 2 lesson, pupils were beginning the process of learning from religion as well as about it. Here they focused upon the outcomes from the story of the Good Samaritan when they acted out the roles of the helpful and unhelpful people. However, nothing was recorded in writing to

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

ensure that their understanding was being promoted.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

144. Writing as a tool to record pupils’ knowledge and understanding about religion is only being used successfully in the junior classes. In a Year 3 class lesson there was not just a focus upon the Bible as a record of stories from the Christian religion but also why it is a special book. At the same time pupils’ self-esteem was raised as they were able to assert their understanding of the Ten Commandments in a well-organised discussion which enabled good points to be made that reinforced their learning. In a Year 4 lesson, where the pupils were finding out about the events of Easter in the Christian religion, a number of pupils took on the role of Jesus and Peter in the garden of Gethsemane, A pupil, who was identified as gifted and talented in English, took over the “hot seat” as Jesus and spoke with confidence and fully in role as he showed good empathy. Higher attaining pupils are enabled to compile a diary of the events

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

and this further extends their learning. Lower attaining pupils are supported in their recording of events as they have a framework to support writing that includes clear prompts which they have to complete. The wider range of religions in junior classes is developed over Year 5 and 6 classes. In Year 5 pupils give Pinfold Primary School - 54 careful thought to why the Qu’ran is such a special book to Muslims. This understanding is then developed in Year 6 as pupils focus on the similarities and differences in the Christian and Muslim religions. They worked in groups concentrating on answering specific questions such as “What rules would you give to people to help them live in peace and harmony?”. The pupils were supported in looking at this from both religions points of view after watching a video that focuses upon the Muslim religion as this is the religion least familiar to them. The pupils made notes that helped them to respond in a mature

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

way to the sophisticated questions that the teacher posed.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

145. Religious education is taught satisfactorily throughout the school. There are some better features in the teaching in the junior classes. In these classes teachers to extend the pupils learning by their open ended questioning that demands a thoughtful response. Tasks are more innovative and so pupils are more interested in them. Pupils of different attainment levels learn appropriately because they complete different tasks during the lesson. However, all teachers in infant and junior classes have secure subject knowledge and are well supported by the syllabus that is followed by local schools. They make good use of resources to give pupils first hand experiences when, for example, they are studying the Qu’ran. Support staff are particularly well deployed in order to maximise the learning of pupils with special needs. The subject makes a good contribution to the pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

development in junior classes by the way that focus is given to a range of world religions. Teachers are beginning to recognise the way that ICT can help them to develop pupils’ skills in the subject. There is a recognised need to improve assessment to help raise standards further. However, there is not enough attention given to comments in marking to help pupils by indicating clearly what they could do to improve.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

146. The subject leader is well informed and giving satisfactory leadership to the subject. Provision is well managed as the subject leader is very aware of the development needs of the subject. There has not been enough opportunity created for the subject leader to monitor the outcomes of learning through observing and supporting work in classrooms.

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