Lyndhurst Community Primary School

LYNDHURST PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 2 - 5 December 2002

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LYNDHURST 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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LYNDHURST 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. Lyndhurst Primary School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Hill Street Dukinfield Cheshire

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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: Mr John Reynolds

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 3/07/2000 Lyndhurst Primary School - 4

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

3108 E Jackson Registered inspector English as an additional language Mathematics Art and design Physical education What sort of school is it? How high are the school’s results and pupils’ achievements? How well are pupils taught? How well is the school led and managed?

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

9884 M Roscoe Lay inspector Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development How well does the school care for its pupils? How well does the school work in partnership with parents? 30651 M Entwistle Team inspector Educational inclusion English Design and technology History 10526 M Roe Team inspector Special educational needs Foundation Stage Music Religious education 17767 S Power Team inspector Science Information and communication technology Geography How good are the curricular and other opportunities offered to pupils?

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Network Management Services Star Farm Llangynhafal Ruthin LL15 1RU

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Lyndhurst Primary School - 5

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 6

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

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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS 11

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Lyndhurst is a larger than average primary school, serving an area of mixed housing between the town centres of Dukinfield and Ashton-under-Lyne. The area has below average social and economic circumstances. The school caters for 310 pupils currently in two buildings on different levels, joined by steep connecting steps. There are 154 boys and 131 girls on roll, with a further 23 boys and 27 girls attending the nursery part-time. In Year 3 there are 20 boys but only ten girls, and in Year 4, 14 boys but 22 girls. There are 21 per cent of the pupils identified with special educational needs, about average nationally. Five of these pupils have statements of their need, about average nationally. Five per cent of the pupils are from minority ethnic groups, mainly of Asian and Chinese heritage, and though some of them are bilingual, very few are at an early stage of learning English. A higher than average number, 36 per cent, is eligible for free school meals.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Children’s attainment at entry to the nursery is below average, but it is close to average by the end of the reception year because of the good progress made in the nursery and reception classes.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

The school has improved well, and has resolved effectively the serious weaknesses identified in the last report. It provides a sound education for its pupils, and there are real strengths in the work for the youngest and oldest pupils. There are still weaknesses for the staff and governors to address, but the dynamic impetus provided by the recently appointed headteacher has led to a clear and constructive agenda for the school’s continued development. Standards of attainment have risen well at seven and 11, and compare favourably with results in school in similar circumstances. The senior management team and the governing body are now in a strong position to build on this success. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory with some good features, and it is occasionally outstanding in the nursery and in Year 6. The pupils have good attitudes to their learning, behave well, and make good progress in their personal development. The school

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

continues to provide satisfactory value for money.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What the school does well • standards in mathematics and science have improved very well; • the recently appointed headteacher and other key staff provide very good direction for school improvement; • teaching and learning for younger and older pupils; • provides well for pupils with special educational needs; • promotes good attitudes, behaviour and personal development for pupils; • provides well for pupils’ moral and social development; • staff and governors have worked hard and effectively to improve the school.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What could be improved • progress in English in Years 2 to 5, and in music by age 11; • the quality of teaching and learning in Years 2 and 3; • facilities for outdoor play for reception and nursery pupils; • the information for parents to increase their involvement in their children’s education; • using what staff know about pupils’ progress to plan new work, including better use of marking. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

Good progress has been made since the last inspection in a number of areas, sufficient to have dealt with the serious weaknesses identified then. There are still weaknesses to address, but the school is now well placed to make further progress in raising standards and improving the overall quality of education. The 2002 national test results showed that the school’s action plan was Lyndhurst Primary School - 7 bearing fruit in higher standards for the pupils, although standards in writing still need to rise further. Pupils’ achievements in mathematics and science by seven years of age exemplify the good improvement made. The recently appointed headteacher has the full confidence of staff and governors as she identifies key areas for development, and puts in place well-thought out plans to advance these. She has given new impetus to key staff, such as the deputy headteacher, to be more fully involved in this strategic development, and keeps the governors fully informed. The

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

management of pupils’ behaviour by most staff is better, and behaviour is now good. Further improvement is needed in some classes, however. Provision for teaching information and communication technology (ICT) and geography has improved, and pupils now attain average standards. The staff have put new procedures in place to assess pupils’ attainment and progress that are yielding good information. However, more work is needed to help staff to plan pupils’ next steps more effectively.

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STANDARDS

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

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STANDARDS

Performance in: all schools similar schools Key

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STANDARDS

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

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STANDARDS

The table shows that standards in national tests for 11-year-olds have improved well in recent years. Compared to results achieved in schools in similar circumstances, these are well above average overall. The further development of standards in writing is an issue for the school, particularly for boys who attained lower levels than girls. Many pupils attained higher than expected levels in mathematics and science in 2002, a big improvement for the school, representing good progress in their learning. The current Year 6 are on track to attain standards at least in line with national averages, and to achieve the school’s challenging targets for this group. The upward trend in these results since 2000 is above the national rise. By the age of seven, attainment in national tests in 2002 in reading and writing were below average, and in mathematics in line with the national average. Compared to results in similar schools, these were average in reading and writing, but

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STANDARDS

well above average in mathematics. Again, this represents good progress since 2000. Good improvements have been made since the last inspection in pupils’ progress and attainment in ICT at seven and 11 years of age, which are now in line with those seen in most primary schools. Geography has improved similarly, particularly pupils’ mapping skills. Standards of work in art and design have been maintained at above average levels at seven and 11 years of age, and in design and technology at age 11. Pupils’ standards in music by age 11 are below those expected, however. In all other subjects, standards are as expected by ages seven and 11, representing satisfactory progress overall, and good progress for some pupils since entry to the school. Pupils with special educational needs generally make good progress, particularly in English and mathematics. Those few pupils from minority ethnic groups make similar progress to their peers,

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STANDARDS

and some do particularly well in mathematics and science. Lyndhurst Primary School - 8

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Attitudes to the school Good. Lively teaching sparks the pupils’ interest so that they work hard, and with real enthusiasm. Occasional lapses occur when the teaching lacks pace.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Good. In most lessons, and at playtime and in the dining hall, almost all pupils behave sensibly. A few boys misbehave when the pace of lessons slows.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Personal development and relationships Good. Pupils develop confidence in their abilities, and learn to work together well. The staff foster good working relationships with the pupils.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Attendance Good. It has improved to be above the national average.

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

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

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

Quality of teaching Very good. Satisfactory. Satisfactory. 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 AND LEARNING

The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory, with some good features. There are real strengths in the teaching in the nursery, reception, Year 1 and Year 6, leading to good progress in pupils’ learning. There are weaknesses in teaching for the mixed Years 3/4 classes, however. The nursery nurses in the nursery continue to provide very good teaching, so that the youngest children make rapid progress in many areas of learning. The support staff work well with individuals and groups, and help to ensure that pupils with special educational needs make good progress across the school. Pupils from minority ethnic groups are fully involved in all activities, and the staff ensure that they make similar progress to their peers. There have been improvements in the teaching of literacy, which is satisfactory, but pupils still do not develop writing skills sufficiently by age 11. The teaching of numeracy is much better, and leads to good understanding of mathematics for the

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

pupils, and ready recall of important number facts. The best teaching in the nursery and Year 6 focuses directly on the pupils’ needs based on the staff’s good knowledge of the pupils. The pace of the work is good, and pupils are inspired to work and play with concentration and enjoyment. The weaker teaching lacks pace, does not address all the pupils’ needs, and leads to loss of concentration for a significant minority of pupils, particularly boys. This is because it does not take full account of the need for pupils to be active in their learning. There is good teaching in design and technology in the juniors, and art and design in the infants. Teaching and learning in ICT and geography have improved well recently.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

The quality and range of the curriculum Satisfactory, and meets all statutory requirements. Provision is very good in the nursery and reception classes, good in the infants, and satisfactory in the juniors.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Good. Individual and group support, often with support staff, are effective in helping the pupils meet the targets in their individual learning plans. Lyndhurst Primary School - 9 Provision for pupils with English as an additional language Pupils from minority ethnic groups are fully included in all activities, and make similar progress to their peers. None of those who are bilingual is at an early stage of learning English.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Satisfactory. It is good for moral and social development, helping pupils to be aware of right from wrong, and to get on well with each other. It is satisfactory for their spiritual and cultural development.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

How well the school cares for its pupils The staff continue to help and support pupils well, and this allows good behaviour to flourish, to parents’ satisfaction. Assessment of progress has improved, and is used well to plan work for pupils with special educational needs. It is not used as consistently to plan work for all pupils.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Parents are happy with the school, and feel that the staff are friendly and approachable. However, they are not closely enough involved in their children’s education. This is in part due to the level of information they have about their children’s work in school.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff Good. The headteacher provides very clear direction for the school’s development. She is supported well by other key staff in identifying and improving areas of perceived weakness.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Satisfactory. Almost all statutory requirements are met. Good improvements have been made in monitoring action plans, and holding the school to account in terms of value for money, and best value principles.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The school’s evaluation of its performance Good. Staff and governors, with local authority support, have a rigorous programme to check the work of the school, and to seek improvements in standards and the quality of education provided.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The strategic use of resources Satisfactory. Funds are directed to the intended areas, but difficult decisions to cut back spending are required currently as the school’s finances are only just in balance.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

Staffing is good, and learning resources are satisfactory. The accommodation has unsatisfactory features. There is no adequate Foundation Stage outdoor play area; junior pupils need to descend very steep outdoor steps to use the hall, and the computer suite.

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved • that the teaching is good, and their children like coming to school; • children are expected to work hard and achieve their best; • the staff help their children become mature and responsible • they feel comfortable in approaching the staff. • homework arrangements; • the information they receive about their children’s education; • how closely the school works with them; • the range of activities outside lessons.

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

The inspection generally supports the parents’ views. Teaching is satisfactory with good features, but also has weaknesses in some classes. The headteacher has begun to develop new strategies to involve parents more, Lyndhurst Primary School - 10 but these have not yet had time to be fully effective. Some information for parents does not contain all the required sections. The range of activities outside lessons is similar to that found in most primary schools. Lyndhurst Primary School - 11

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

1. The staff have worked hard to raise standards of attainment following the inspection report in 2000 which described the school as having serious weaknesses. They have received good support from the local authority and the governors in achieving standards at seven and 11 years of age in mathematics and science that have surpassed previous results comfortably. English results have also improved, although standards in writing are still too low. Pupils with special educational needs generally make good progress, particularly in English and mathematics. Those few pupils from minority ethnic groups make similar progress to their peers, and some do particularly well in mathematics and science.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

2. Attainment at entry is generally below average. Many children come into the nursery with poor skills in speaking and listening, and in personal and social development. They often have a limited experience of books and drawing, although some have had a good range of experience. By the time they leave the reception classes the majority of children will reach the nationally recommended Early Learning Goals in personal and social development, knowledge and understanding of the world, mathematical development and creative development. There are some aspects of communication, language and literacy and physical development in which these goals are unlikely to be met. These are in speaking and listening for some boys, and in writing for many children. They make good progress in the nursery and reception classes, in response to the high quality of the teaching.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

3. Standards in English at ages seven and 11 are below average, although they have improved since the last inspection. Pupils’ scores in national tests have risen each year since 2000, especially in reading, and are now the same as those in similar schools. However, they are not yet scoring as well as nationally at the end of Year 2 or Year 6. In reading, this is largely because too few pupils reach the higher levels. In writing, it is because of a more general weakness of all pupils across the school. Year 6 pupils performed poorly in writing in the 2002 tests and this pulled down overall results. The picture is a similar one for the current Year 6 pupils. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress when supported closely by an adult. Girls generally attain higher levels than boys, particularly in writing, but pupils from minority ethnic groups make similar progress to their peers. The school missed

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

its English target last year, and will find its target for 2003 very challenging.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

4. In mathematics, the school achieved its best results ever in the national tests for 11-year- olds in 2002. These were well above national results at both the expected age standard and higher at levels. They were also well above results in schools in similar circumstances. This was due to the sustained hard work by all the staff, supported well by advisory staff from the local authority, and the nature of the particular pupils in that year group. This continued a sharply rising trend since a low point in 2000. Girls and boys attained the same levels. It was a similar picture for the school in the national tests for seven-year-olds. Results were above the national average, and well above those in similar schools. More boys attained above average levels than girls.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

5. In the 2002 Key Stage 2 national tests in science, pupils’ attainment was above the national average and well above the average for similar schools, with a significant proportion of pupils reaching the higher levels. Since the last inspection, standards in science have followed national trends and have remained consistently above the national average in Key Stage 2. However, in Key Stage 1, the statutory teacher assessments in 2002 show performance below the national average in all areas of the subject, due largely to the high proportion of pupils with special educational needs in the year group. Investigative science has improved well as it is now more widely used. Lyndhurst Primary School - 12 6. Regular and detailed assessment information gathered by staff indicates that pupils with special educational needs in reception make good progress in reading. However, their achievement in learning early writing skills is low and this continues to be an area of specific

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

weakness for pupils with special educational needs throughout the school. Overall, pupils with special educational needs make good progress, which is an improvement on the last inspection. This is because the quality of teaching across the school has improved so that these pupils have benefited from more sharply focused provision, especially in literacy and numeracy. The school has recently begun to identify pupils who may be gifted or talented in aspects of their learning. When these pupils receive work that challenges them effectively, they make good progress. Teachers’ lesson planning, however, is not yet consistent in this area.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

7. Good improvements have been made since the last inspection in pupils’ progress and attainment in ICT at seven and 11 years of age, now in line with that seen in most primary schools. Geography has improved similarly, particularly pupils’ mapping skills. Standards of work in art and design have been maintained at above average levels at seven and 11 years of age, and in design and technology at age 11. Pupils’ standards in music by 11 years of age are below those expected, however. In all other subjects, standards are as expected by ages seven and 11, representing satisfactory progress overall, and good progress for some pupils since entry to the school.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

8. The school is a happy place where pupils enjoy their learning, have respect for others and behave well in most lessons and at play. When given the opportunity, pupils act on their own initiative and work well together in groups. This is due to the emphasis that the school places on good social development. Pupils also respond positively when they are asked by the staff to decide for themselves what to do, although these opportunities are still too few. These are good improvements since the last inspection.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

9. Pupils’ attitudes to the school and to learning are good. When motivated by lively teaching, the pupils are stimulated to make suggestions and express curiosity, for example, about the number of faces in a variety of three-dimensional shapes in Year 2. Year 1 pupils worked very well in groups in a design and technology lesson, and their skills of making and investigating increased as a result of their shared work.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

10. Pupils are respectful to others. For example, during a Year 3 mathematics activity, the whole class waited patiently for one member to slowly finish writing answers on the board. Pupils also enjoy seeing tasks through. Year 6 pupils have an appetite for learning, and they take their work very seriously. Good co-operation between teachers and pupils occurred in a literacy lesson, when work started ‘in the blink of a eye’, and the pupils’ very good motivation helped the learning along. When teaching is less than satisfactory pupils’ concentration tends to wane.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

11. Pupils with special educational needs concentrate well in lessons especially where the learning is pacey and fun. They are generally interested and enthusiastic, particularly where the support enables them to be fully involved in sessions. Good use of praise, stickers and positive oral feedback motivates pupils so that in many sessions they demonstrate growing self-confidence and self-esteem. Their behaviour is consistently good. Pupils relate well to the staff and to each other and support each other well in their learning. They co-operate well when working in pairs and playing games.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

12. Behaviour is generally good. In most lessons, hands shoot up to answer questions and most pupils try not to speak out of turn. They are friendly and welcoming to visitors and other adults in the school, and willingly show them their work. Good provision for moral development is clearly influencing pupils’ behaviour. They get on well, eagerly help each other and respect others’ beliefs and property. Most parents feel that behaviour is good and Lyndhurst Primary School - 13 is getting better. They appreciate the recent introduction of the Golden Book and share their children’s delight with the system of ‘stickers’ used as awards in some classes. However, when the staff do not make the pupils aware of the standards of behaviour expected of them in the lower juniors, the quality declines. Then, classrooms often become too noisy, especially at the end of sessions when pupils sometimes shout or replace their chairs

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

13. Lunchtimes are pleasant social occasions. Good management and adequate supervision by the staff ensures that the dining hall is used in a responsible manner. Pupils line up sensibly, chatting together cheerfully. Good links between teaching staff, lunchtime staff and the pupils are key features of successful dinner times. The provision for moral and social development has been recently strengthened with the introduction of dining hall rules, which are followed well by the pupils. They play energetically but carefully in mixed gender and social groups. During the inspection there were no signs of bullying, racist or sexist behaviour.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

14. Pupils’ personal development is good. Year 5 and 6 pupils understand and follow what has been covered in lessons and assemblies about ‘name calling’. Observant comments from Year 5, such as, ‘You can run but you can’t hide,’ are evidence of a growing, mature outlook to all forms of harassment. Some of Year 6 gleefully told of the parallel the head teacher made between name-calling and a tube of toothpaste. They appreciated and recognized the importance of her metaphorical message, ‘you can’t put back hurtful words or toothpaste’. They explained how this anecdote had influenced them and their behaviour at playtimes, when name-calling can occur.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

15. Many parents believe that the school is doing a good job in this area and quoted examples of children feeling confident enough to remind others of the ‘don’t run’ rule. It is clear that pupils’ self-discipline is growing. Many do the right thing first time. This development of personal initiative starts in the nursery and continues into the infant department where social interaction and friendliness are strong features. For example, Year 1 pupils responded immediately to each other’s questions during discussion, and Year 2 pupils seek help from a partner before seeking the teacher’s attention. Register and class monitors carry out their roles smartly, and staff have come to rely on pupils to operate overhead projectors in assembly or to collect full litterbins after playtimes. Pupils are proud of their school.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

16. Relationships are good. This is because pupils treat each other pleasantly and respect other people’s personal space. Despite the mix of pupils from different backgrounds, a harmonious and relaxed atmosphere is apparent in and out of lessons.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

17. Attendance has now risen to a good level. The headteacher has introduced a ‘blitz’ on lateness, which has resulted in more lessons getting off to a prompt start. Similar to the last inspection, registration is not efficient in all classes and decisions about what constitutes authorised and unauthorised absences are not taken by the end of each registration period. The headteacher, having already identified this problem, led staff training during the inspection on how to complete registers properly.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

18. The quality of teaching and learning are satisfactory overall, but vary considerably across the school. They are strongest in the nursery, reception and Year 1 classes, in a mixed Year 4 and 5 class, and in Year 6. There are weaknesses in teaching and learning for pupils in the Year 3 and 4 classes, and occasionally in Year 2. The teaching and learning of pupils with special educational needs are good. During the inspection, two classes were taught by temporary supply staff. Lyndhurst Primary School - 14 19. There have been some significant improvements since the last inspection in the progress in learning made by children in the Foundation Stage. Children make very good progress in the nursery and good progress in reception. This is due to the very good teaching in the nursery and the good and often better teaching in the reception classes. The active engagement of all staff in children’s learning promotes confidence and self-esteem for the

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

children who enjoy all the activities prepared for them. The staff intervene sensitively and bring pupils into the group when they see they are not fully engaged in the activities. They also provide good language models and this is particularly important, as there are many children with poor language skills when they start school. In reception, support staff are skilled in supporting children in whole-class sessions. This enables them to take part in and fully benefit from the activities. The staff know the children well and are careful to provide learning opportunities based on the children’s needs. They also keep effective records of the children’s progress.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

20. Teaching and learning in literacy are satisfactory. Teachers’ lesson planning is good, and reflects the hard work that the staff have put in recently in response to advice from local authority advisory staff. In the best lessons, for example in Year 6, there is good pace, and teachers encourage the pupils to use resources such as whiteboards effectively. The staff are also keen to keep up with new ideas, and are currently following new guidance in how to promote the better development of pupils’ writing skills. There are still weaknesses to overcome in some lessons, however. These relate in the main to the teaching of letter sounds in Years 2, 3 and 4, and the use of guided reading sessions. There are also weaknesses in some teachers’ marking of the pupils’ work, so that it does not point the way forward sufficiently for pupils to know how to improve. There are some good examples of the effective use of literacy across the curriculum in history and religious education, and this

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

21. The teaching of numeracy is also satisfactory, and pupils make satisfactory progress in their learning. There is good teaching for pupils in the Foundation Stage, Year 1, and Year 4/5 that accelerates these pupils’ learning well. In Year 6, the quality of teaching is excellent, and leads to very rapid improvement in pupils’ understanding and use of number skills. This led to high levels being achieved in last year’s national tests for 11-year-olds. However, some teaching for pupils in Years 2, 3 and 4 is not effective enough. This is not because these teachers have weak subject knowledge. Indeed, all the staff follow the National Numeracy Strategy successfully. The weaknesses are related to general teaching, such as slow pace, or poorly targeted questions.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

22. In some whole-class sessions in the infants the teaching for pupils with special educational needs is good but not consistently so in all areas of learning. However, it is never less than satisfactory. Good teaching was exemplified in an ICT lesson when a group of pupils with special educational needs sat together near to the classroom assistant in the computer suite so that she could help them directly, and as a result they made good progress. In a literacy session in Year 2, support staff worked directly from the children’s individual education plans, which set out clearly what the children needed to learn. The session included a good balance of work in both reading and writing. The children made good progress, and enjoyed the session.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

23. The quality of teaching for children with special educational needs is patchy in the juniors. In two ICT sessions where learning objectives were clear and achievable and the support staff knew their role, the pupils made good progress. Where the support role was less well defined, the teaching was not so effective. Pupils are often well supported in literacy and this enables them to take an active part in whole-class sessions. Help given was not so effective when there had been limited communication between the support teacher and the class teacher with planned tasks not meeting the children’s needs.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

24. The teaching is very good in literacy and numeracy sessions where pupils with special educational needs are withdrawn from class, and they make good progress. These Lyndhurst Primary School - 15 sessions are well-planned and move at a good pace. They are directly linked to class work but they are also well focused on the pupils’ individual needs. The regular change of activities keeps children on task and interested, and makes their learning lively and enjoyable. In one mathematics session, for example, the pupils cheered excitedly at the end of a number game. The specific teaching of pupils with statements of special educational need is very good, and the pupils are made aware of the good progress they are making.

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PUPILS?

25. The school provides a very good quality curriculum for children at the Foundation Stage in nursery and reception classes. It is based appropriately on the nationally agreed programme of learning for these age groups. Lessons and activities are planned very imaginatively to provide enriched learning experiences that support the children’s progress very effectively towards the Early Learning Goals for each area of learning.

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PUPILS?

26. Individual education plans are in place for all pupils with special educational needs, including those with statements of their needs. These plans are useful to support staff and classroom teachers in setting appropriate work and providing specific help. Provision for pupils with special educational needs is in line with the guidance in the national Code of Practice, focused mainly on literacy and numeracy. The planning of tasks and activities in other subjects for these pupils is not always as well matched to their prior attainment. The support for pupils with special educational needs in out of class sessions in the juniors and in groups in the infants, covers the same lesson content as for all pupils, and meets their needs well. This is an improvement on findings in the last inspection.

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PUPILS?

27. The curriculum for pupils in Years 1 and 2 is of good quality and provides effectively for all the subjects of the National Curriculum and religious education to be taught in full. In Years 3 to 6, the programme of work provides a balanced curriculum in which all subjects are taught appropriately. However, the focus on the core subjects of English, mathematics and science inhibits the breadth of study in some other subjects such as geography, history and music. This is largely because the school does not yet maximise links between subjects, for example in the development of literacy and numeracy skills in other subjects and in the use of ICT across the curriculum. Provision for teaching religious education is in accordance with the locally agreed syllabus and meets statutory requirements.

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PUPILS?

28. Since the last inspection, curriculum planning is much improved, particularly in the infants, and pupils now have opportunities to develop their independent learning skills more effectively. More time is given to science throughout the school, particularly in the development of investigative activities. Improvements have also taken place in the implementation of the national strategies for literacy and numeracy, and these are now less reliant on commercial schemes than in the last inspection. The updated computer suite has greatly increased the number and quality of computers available. Further, the ICT curriculum has been effectively reorganised to provide the appropriate range of relevant learning experiences. Until very recently, the lack of computers in junior classrooms has put limitations on the breadth of the ICT curriculum, but appropriate steps have now been taken to resolve this problem.

p.15

PUPILS?

29. The school provides the older pupils with a satisfactory programme of extra-curricular activities, such as computer clubs and sporting activities, that complement and enrich the pupils’ classroom learning. Close consideration is currently being given to providing a similar programme for younger pupils. A very popular residential visit for older juniors provides them with good opportunities for personal and social development, but there is scope for this experience to have closer links to the curriculum. The school provides a good variety of opportunities for pupils to benefit from visitors to school and for visits to be made in the local area in order to enrich the curriculum. Lyndhurst Primary School - 16 30. The school continues to make satisfactory provision for the pupils’ spiritual development. It is at least as good as at the last inspection. The headteacher has a good understanding of

p.15

PUPILS?

the symbols and traditions of other faiths and weaves this into assemblies so that pupils can begin to recognise the beliefs and values of other groups as well as their own. For example, a pupil who was about to celebrate Eid was prompted to tell the junior pupils how Muslims celebrate their important festival. This was skilfully done, and linked effectively to the Christian setting of the Christmas story. Spirituality is promoted less strongly in lessons but there are sufficient opportunities for pupils to appreciate beauty, and express their feelings through art and poetry.

p.16

PUPILS?

31. The provision for pupils’ moral development remains good. Pupils are provided with a clear moral code that is promoted through the good relationships that exist across the school. Teachers act as good role models in terms of their respect for other staff and for the pupils themselves; and they plan lessons that encourage children to take responsibility for their own actions and to explore possible breaches of a moral code. For example, Year 6 pupils debated a mock local development issue. This helped them to understand their responsibility for the care of the environment and to develop a sense of personal rights and responsibilities. The school is conscious of equality issues. Boys and girls equally train for school teams and are awarded a place on merit. The staff challenge stereotypical images, for instance, by a female teacher training the football team and a male teacher the netball team.

p.16

PUPILS?

32. Pupils are given many opportunities to develop their social skills and to become independent. Teaching in the nursery and the reception classes sets the pupils off on the road to independence well, and other teachers build on this effectively in the main. Pupils are expected to collaborate in their work during lessons, making decisions as a group about what they need to do and how to do it. For example, Year 2 pupils willingly helped each other with a tricky piece of cutting out to make a cardboard angel. In another lesson in Year 5, pupils shared their strategies for dealing with name calling. Their suggestions – ‘face up to things’; ‘count to ten’; ‘say something kind to cheer up a friend’ – all show good understanding of the impact of their actions upon others. Under the influence of the new headteacher, pupils are taking increased responsibility about the school, and there are plans to improve this further.

p.16

PUPILS?

33. Provision for cultural development is sound. In religious education lessons, pupils are taught about the values and traditions of important world faiths. The history and geography syllabus is strong in teaching pupils about their local heritage, and pupils walk out to study neighbourhood and community features. There are visits to museums and heritage centres, but these are not extensive. The libraries have some stories and novels that contain black and Asian role models, but the curriculum does not incorporate a strong multicultural dimension.

p.16

PUPILS?

34. The school is currently developing its curricular provision for the pupils’ personal and social education. The present programme is satisfactory in promoting this area through projects such as circle time and a ‘Pride’ initiative. A health education programme is taught through science lessons and gives appropriate attention to sex education and the dangers of drugs misuse. Parents are given the option for older pupils to have more specific lessons in sex education, where they are taught essential facts by the school nurse to help them make informed choices now and in the future.

p.16

PUPILS?

35. The school has established satisfactory links with the local community and benefits from visitors invited into school, such as a local minister who takes assembly and Asian visitors who talk to the pupils about Diwali. The school is particularly proud of its links with the older generation locally, who are given hospitality at Christmas and invited to watch the school nativity production. The school also has good links with its associated secondary school and uses the expertise available in areas such as physical education. Good induction Lyndhurst Primary School - 17 procedures are well established and help to make transfer to the secondary phase a positive experience for pupils in Year 6, who have already benefited from a ‘taster day’ at the high school.

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

36. The staff continue to help and support pupils well, and this allows good behaviour to flourish. The parents who responded to the pre-inspection questionnaire are confident that their children are well looked after. They also indicated that their children like school and enjoy all that it offers them.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

37. The use of assessment has improved substantially since the last inspection. There are effective procedures in place for monitoring pupils’ attainment and progress and these are used to track progress from nursery to Year 6. Substantial work has been undertaken to develop procedures to monitor pupils’ performance in English, mathematics and science. The resulting information gives a broad overview of performance of both groups and individuals. An extended range of tests is used and teachers use these and their knowledge of pupils to predict performance at the end of the year. This information is used to group children and to set targets and provide special educational needs support, booster classes and focused teaching for higher attaining pupils.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

38. In the Foundation Stage assessment takes place on several levels. Entry assessment is undertaken to focus teaching for individual children in the nursery. A profile is developed in the nursery, which is a cumulative record, and covers the whole of the Foundation Stage. This records what children can do and this is used to group children in reception. The teachers in reception are actively considering what form of on going assessment they will use to fit the new Foundation Stage profile. Continuous assessment is used effectively to assess and record progress in individual activities. This is fed back into profiles and information is used to adapt activities for individuals and groups.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

39. As well as using test outcomes, teachers and support staff in the infants monitor progress and set targets for groups and individuals based on their observations of pupils’ performance in lessons, especially in literacy and numeracy. Evaluation sheets are used well by support staff to record the pupils’ progress, and concerns the staff might have about this. Pupils have targets that relate to their personal skills, but no formal recording of this has yet been developed in the infants or the juniors.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

40. There is wealth of assessment information about the pupils in the juniors. However, not all staff are skilled in interpreting it. The presentation of the information is systematic but a summary analysis of some of it could make it more understandable for teachers and support staff and provide a clearer picture of the progress of both individuals and year groups. Trends over time are currently identified and used to set group and individual targets particularly for pupils with special educational needs.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

41. The use of assessment to guide curriculum planning is not fully developed or consistent across the school. This was an issue to be developed from the last inspection. The school is currently working on systems to ensure that lesson planning does include teacher’s assessment of pupils’ progress and an evaluation of what the next steps in learning might be for both individuals and groups. The school is at an early stage in this process, and teachers recognise that they need to improve how well they achieve it. Systems are developing but are not yet consistent across the school or the subjects of the curriculum. The best practice was observed in the specific support sessions for pupils with special educational needs and in the Foundation Stage.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

42. Provision outlined in the pupils’ statements of special educational need is implemented effectively with programmes of work systematically based on assessment of their needs. Lyndhurst Primary School - 18 Work is planned to focus in the main on basic skills in reading and writing. All teachers, support staff and pupils are aware of the targets in pupils’ individual plans, which are clear and specific. Teachers are involved in writing these plans based on their knowledge of the pupils, an improvement on findings in the last inspection. There are good relationships between the school and the local authority with regular contact between special educational needs advisory staff and the educational psychologist. There are also good links with other support agencies.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

43. Substantial information about pupils’ progress is collected from reception onwards and this data is analysed to measure progress overall. Teachers and support staff use this to predict future performance and to identify those children who might need extra support beyond that normally available in classes. This information is shared with parents and the pupils. The coordinator for special educational needs builds on these procedures and carefully monitors the progress of identified pupils. If the appropriate level of progress is not made then further monitoring and assessment of performance are undertaken to plan learning tasks more specifically, with involvement of external agencies if necessary.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

44. There are strengths in child protection procedures and practice. The headteacher is the named person responsible, and she has kept her training up to date. However, she is aware that there are weaknesses in some areas of the school’s practice in ensuring pupils’ welfare, and has already begun to deal with them. For example, the health and safety policy adopted by the governors is not fully effective. This is because required risk assessments are not carried out on all activities, and lunchtime staff, though often experienced and dedicated to helping the pupils, have not been trained for all aspects of their role. Systems for monitoring and eliminating oppressive behaviour are satisfactory, overseen well by the headteacher. However, these do not include effective recording of inappropriate lunchtime behaviour. These concerns mirror the findings of the previous inspection, which reported slackness in a number of areas.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

45. There has been insufficient training for the staff about statutory requirements concerning health and safety, and pupil registration regulations. The procedures for monitoring and improving attendance are satisfactory. Attendance levels have risen slightly, but effective monitoring of registers to ensure compliance with all regulations and following up all absences has only begun recently. Recent staff training has been undertaken to make staff aware of their statutory responsibilities in this area.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

46. Procedures to promote good behaviour in lessons are satisfactory and contribute effectively to pupils’ personal development. Pupils’ self-esteem is fostered well in those classes that have a well-constructed system for praise and reward for improved effort or behaviour. Procedures to monitor and promote good behaviour out of lessons are unclear, however. Similar to the previous inspection, the policy for promoting good behaviour does not always work as well as it should because some staff do not interpret the policy in practice consistently.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

47. Procedures for monitoring and supporting pupils’ personal development are satisfactory. Presently, a lunchtime award scheme and a ‘Golden Book’ entry shared in Friday assemblies are the strongest features. Other records kept are not providing a full picture of pupils’ behaviour, achievements or personal development, and therefore do not sufficiently support discussion with parents of their children’s personal strengths, or areas for improvement.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

48. Annual reports on progress were unsatisfactory last year. They did not include all the required information and did not provide a clear enough picture of pupils’ overall development. The recently appointed headteacher has plans to improve them this year.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

Lyndhurst Primary School - 19 49. This area was judged satisfactory in the last inspection. However, whilst the school has the confidence of parents, there are areas of the school’s work with them that are unsatisfactory. Parents feel that they can approach the staff without hesitation, because of their friendly, open manner. Many hold positive views and appreciate the care the school provides for their children. However, a good number feel that the school does not work with them closely enough, and inspection findings confirm their view.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

50. The impact of parental involvement on the work of the school is reduced by the quality of information provided, particularly about pupils’ progress. Published documents such as the prospectus and the annual report from governors do not meet requirements because they leave out important items. Annual reports do not give a clear enough picture of achievements in all subject areas, such as where progress is slowing, or include enough personal information. Some are not well presented. Many parents do not feel well informed on progress, what is taught, and how they can support learning. Parents are not strongly encouraged to support reading at home. Many parents would also like more information on how to support homework. This was a concern for a significant number of parents.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

51. However, the school works in line with the guidance in the national Code of Practice for the parents of children who have special educational needs. Parents are informed at an early stage when pupils are recognised as having special educational needs. Parents attend reviews and can make a contribution to these and to their children’s individual learning plans. They are informed of targets and pupils also know what their targets are. The annual report to parents is comprehensive and informative in relation to special educational needs. There is a clearly stated complaints procedure. Further links with parents regarding special educational needs are limited and could be usefully strengthened.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

52. There are formal times when parents can hear about their children’s progress but many feel that these are too far apart to be of use. Parents can meet the infant staff at the end of the school day for more informal chats, and teachers are more than willing to do this. This is more difficult in the junior annexe for those parents with pushchairs. Effective two-way communications between school and pupils’ homes has not been a feature of school life. From September 2002 this has been improving. The new headteacher is committed to ensuring links with parents quickly improve with the introduction of monthly newsletters.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

53. The school takes pride in its links with the community. A committed group of parents make a very good contribution to fund-raising activities, and many more support school-based events. The need to involve parents more in a two-way partnership has been recognised, and plans are in hand to devise a questionnaire to work out the best way to bring this about.

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

54. The headteacher provides very clear direction for the school’s development. Since her recent appointment, she has built up good working relationships with the teaching and support staff and there is a good working atmosphere in the school. It is already clear that she is prepared to take and follow through difficult decisions, even where staff may be required to change established working practices, or even lose their employment. Such decisions are solidly founded in providing the best quality of education within the school’s budget. Other key staff have responded very professionally to the need to readdress some areas of perceived weakness, and are already lending strong support to the further development and improvement of the school. It is largely on account of this strong leadership and management, allied to important improvements in standards and procedures in a number of areas, that the school no longer has serious weaknesses.

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

55. The deputy headteacher has worked in the school for many years, and is well respected by the staff, pupils, their families and the community. He has served on the governors’ Lyndhurst Primary School - 20 monitoring sub-committee since the last inspection, helping to ensure that this group has been very well informed about the progress of the post-inspection action plan. In maintaining pupil assessment records and checking teachers’ planning for lessons, he has also kept a good overview of the impact of the changes made on the quality of education provided. He has accepted the impetus for further change created by the headteacher, and is adapting the focus of his teaching and management tasks well to the realigned priorities this has entailed. Other key leaders set strong role models for other members of staff in their teaching, and in their leadership of subjects and other areas of the school’s work.

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

Between them, they contribute much of the strength of the school recognised in the inspection. They are beginning to have a wider influence on the work of their colleagues, a key area for the further improvement of standards. The coordinator for mathematics is recognised by the local authority as very effective in her role, and has been very influential in helping the school to raise standards in the subject so well. She also advises subject leaders for mathematics in other primary schools in the borough.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

56. The special educational needs coordinator oversees provision in this area well. Procedures are very clear, and implemented effectively. The new policy to match recent national guidance is not yet fully embedded, however, especially in the juniors. The school is aware of this and has well-thought out plans to ensure that all pupils have full access to the resources and opportunities to which they are entitled. There are effective systems for the assessment and identification of pupils’ needs, and planning of well-targeted tasks and activities to meet the needs identified.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

57. The governing body has satisfactory procedures to ensure that it fulfils its statutory duties. Most governors are active in the school, and the chair has been vigorous in his determination to work with the staff to tackle the serious weaknesses from the last inspection. With three other governors, he has worked on the monitoring committee with the previous headteacher and the deputy headteacher, and with representatives of the local authority, to oversee the effective implementation of the action plan. Other governors also link with specific members of staff, such as for literacy, numeracy, and special educational needs. They keep up to date with developments in these areas, and report to the full governing body regularly. For example, the numeracy link governor attended the meeting held between the inspection team and the subject leader. Almost all statutory requirements are met. There are some required sections of the prospectus and the annual report from

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

governors to parents missing, and aspects of the school’s health and safety policy are not sufficiently monitored and evaluated.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

58. Good improvements have been made in monitoring overall school action plans, and recently in holding the school to account in terms of value for money, and best value principles. This is because the headteacher ensures that governors are fully aware of what funds are available, and regular updates of the school’s financial situation are now provided for them by the school’s administrative officer. However, funding allocations agreed by the governors before the new head teacher took up her post have left the school with little room to manoeuvre financially. For example, some support staff have been made redundant recently as there were insufficient funds to continue their employment.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

59. The governing body’s monitoring and evaluation of the work of the school have improved and are now good. The monitoring group established by the governors with the previous headteacher and the local authority fulfilled its duties effectively. It has now evolved to become the Curriculum and Standards committee, with a clearly defined monitoring and evaluation role, linked to setting and overseeing effective development plans. Staff and governors, with local authority support, now have a rigorous programme to check the work of the school, and to seek improvements in standards and the quality of education provided. The headteacher has already established a rigorous system of checks on the quality of teaching. She has made all staff aware that she will monitor their work and the standards achieved by the pupils in their care against the highest standards, in order to provide the highest quality of education possible. The governing body is supportive of her, and expects

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

Lyndhurst Primary School - 21 regular reports on the success of development plans against clearly defined criteria, based on their impact in the pupils’ education. 60. Arising from these checks, the headteacher has already determined further areas for improvement. The inspection confirms her view that the high quality of teaching in some classes has a significant effect on the quality of pupils’ learning, but in others is not flexible enough to meet the full range of pupils’ needs. She has also rightly begun to question the overall school timetable, and the way time and resources are managed through the school day, the week, and in the longer term. This level of planning is most effective in the nursery and the reception classes, where children’s capacity to learn and make progress is skilfully set alongside the curriculum content to be taught. Currently, the class timetables for infants and juniors do not reflect the balance of different subjects and activities sufficiently

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

throughout the day. The main effect of this is that English and mathematics tend to take up almost all the morning session, and the other nine subjects are squeezed in to the afternoon. This does not use the resources of the school effectively enough, such as the hall, the outdoor areas, the computer suite, and other educational resources. This timetable also does not provide sufficient variety and interest for the pupils throughout the day, particularly in those classes where the pupils’ learning is regularly passive rather than active. The headteacher has already begun to explore these issues with the staff.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

61. There are sufficient qualified teachers to teach the pupils effectively, but the range of teachers’ competence is wide. There are some highly skilled teaching and support staff, but there is a small number whose general skills and subject knowledge are insufficient to teach across the full range of subjects and activities required. The support staffing has recently been reduced, due to budget restraints, but the quality of the support available to pupils is high. There is no clear indication that governors have considered the possible implications of the reduction in support staffing on the quality of pupils’ education. Learning resources are generally adequate, although there are insufficient books and computer programs of high quality available, particularly but not only to interest boys. The accommodation is of mixed quality, but unsatisfactory overall. The main school building on the lower site is of

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

better quality than that on the upper site, despite recent extensions and adaptations to this older building. Indoor accommodation for the nursery and reception classes is good, but there is no dedicated, secure outdoor play area for these children’s use. This restricts the staff’s ability to ensure that the pupils receive their entitlement to effective opportunities for the full range of physical development set out in the national guidance for the Foundation Stage. Lyndhurst Primary School - 22

p.21

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

62. In order to continue to raise standards and the overall quality of education, as well as maintaining the school’s strengths, the headteacher, staff and governors should:

p.22

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

1) a. use the good examples in other areas of the school to focus staff development in Years 2 to 5 on linking work in speaking and listening, reading and writing to raise the rate of progress for all pupils, and particularly boys;

p.22

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

b. within this, use the school’s teaching and learning policy to plan literacy sessions that interest and motivate all the pupils, including through active learning, and through writing about topics that capture the pupils’ imagination, and inspire them to want to write in a variety of forms and styles; (Paragraphs 1, 3, 6, 80, 81, 82, 85, 86, 93)

p.22

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

c. improve the quality of teaching and learning of music for pupils in the juniors in order to raise standards to expected levels; (Paragraphs 7, 27, 134, 135, 137, 138)

p.22

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

2) ensure that the quality of teaching for Years 2 and 3 is based in effective plans that meet the differing needs of all the groups and individuals in the class, that the pace of learning is good, and that behaviour management is effective, including for boys, by providing tasks and activities that interest and motivate them; (Paragraphs 12, 18, 20, 21, 61, 90, 103, 121, 128)

p.22

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

3) provide readily accessible secure outdoor play facilities for the Foundation Stage in order to ensure the children’s access to the full range of learning in physical development, in line with national guidance, as funds allow; (Paragraphs 61, 76)

p.22

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

4) a. ensure that information for parents meets statutory requirements;

p.22

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

b. develop strategies to widen the range and quality of information parents receive so that they know more about their children’s education, and increase opportunities for them to be involved at home and at school in their children’s work; (Paragraphs 48, 49, 50, 52, 57)

p.22

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

5) a. further develop ways to help teachers use what they know about pupils’ attainment and progress to plan new learning experiences for them, and to guide the pupils to improve their own work;

p.22

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

b. this should involve staff discussions about what it is legitimate to expect of different pupils at the various stages of their development, the outcomes of which to be shared with parents and pupils. (Paragraphs 20, 23, 40, 41, 98, 128) Lyndhurst Primary School - 23

p.22

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 24

p.23

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactor y Poor Very Poor

p.23

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

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

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery YR-Y6

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 25 285

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals NA 102

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 0 5

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

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

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 15

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 32

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 26

p.23

Attendance

National comparative data 5.6 National comparative data 0.5

p.23

Attendance

Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Lyndhurst Primary School - 24

p.23

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

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2002 19 10 29

p.24

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

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

p.24

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

Boys 18 18 19 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 8 8 9

p.24

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

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

p.24

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

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.24

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

Boys 18 19 18 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 8 9 6

p.24

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

Percentage of pupils School 90 (86) 97 (89) 83 (89) at NC level 2 or above National 85 (85) 89 (89) 89 (89)

p.24

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

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

p.24

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

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 2002 31 20 51

p.24

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

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

p.24

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

Boys 19 26 28 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 18 18 19

p.24

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

Percentage of pupils School 73 (76) 86 (78) 92 (84) at NC level 4 or above National 75 (75) 73 (71) 86 (87)

p.24

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

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.24

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

Boys 22 26 25 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 17 18 18

p.24

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

Percentage of pupils School 76 (76) 86 (80) 84 (82) at NC level 4 or above National 73 (72) 74 (74) 82 (82)

p.24

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

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

p.24

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

p.25

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

White – any other White background 0 0 0

p.25

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Mixed – any other mixed background 0 0 0

p.25

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Asian or Asian British - Pakistani 2 0 0

p.25

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Asian or Asian British – Bangladeshi 2 0 0

p.25

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

p.25

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black or Black British – Caribbean 0 0 0

p.25

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

p.25

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

The table refers to pupils of compulsory school age only. It gives the number of exclusions, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded. Lyndhurst Primary School - 26

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 12 Financial year 2001/2

p.26

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 26

p.26

Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR-Y6 Total income 725,341

p.26

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 6 Total expenditure 715,530

p.26

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 159.75 Expenditure per pupil 2,247

p.26

Teachers and classes Financial information

Qualified teachers and support staff: nursery Balance brought forward from previous year 18,692

p.26

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 0 Balance carried forward to next year 28,503

p.26

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher NA

p.26

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 2

p.26

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 72

p.26

Recruitment of teachers

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

p.26

Recruitment of teachers

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

p.26

Recruitment of teachers

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 0

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Recruitment of teachers

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

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of unfilled vacancies or vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of less than one term (FTE) 2

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Recruitment of teachers

FTE means full-time equivalent. Lyndhurst Primary School - 27

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

Percentage of responses in each category

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

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

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child is making good progress in school. 41 46 9 0 4

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

Behaviour in the school is good. 48 38 6 2 6

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 26 39 22 6 7

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 26 48 17 2 7

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 57 43 0 0 0

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 46 50 2 0 2

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school works closely with parents. 19 65 12 2 2

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is well led and managed. 24 61 2 0 13

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 41 50 5 0 4

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 17 44 14 6 19 Lyndhurst Primary School - 28

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

63. Children usually attend the nursery on a part-time basis for three terms before they move to reception. There are two reception classes, but one also includes a few Year 1 children. However, the reception children have access to the same range of activities and a consistently good quality curriculum whichever class they are in. This is due to the very good organisation, planning and teamwork by all the staff who work in the Reception/Year 1 area. The participation of parents in their children’s learning is underdeveloped and this is an area that the school has plans to address. The nursery is run by two highly competent and experienced nursery nurses, under the management of the Foundation Stage leader, who teaches the mixed reception and Year 1 class. During the inspection, the other reception class was taught by a supply teacher.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

64. There have been some significant improvements since the last inspection in the progress that children make in the Foundation Stage. Children make very good progress in the nursery and good progress in reception. This is due to the very good teaching in the nursery and the good and often better teaching in the reception classes. The active engagement of all staff in children’s learning promotes confidence and self-esteem for the children who enjoy all the activities prepared for them. Staff know the children well and are sensitive to their needs. They ensure that children are challenged in their work and play. The daily assessments, which are a feature of the Foundation Stage, help the staff to plan activities which spark the children’s interest and enable them to learn well.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

65. Many children come into the nursery with poorly developed skills in speaking and listening, and in personal and social development. They often have a limited experience of books and drawing, and entry profiles based on early assessment of their skills and competencies confirm this. By the time they leave the reception classes the majority of children will reach the nationally recommended Early Learning Goals in personal and social development, knowledge and understanding of the world, mathematical development and creative development. This is because of the high quality education provided by the staff, leading to good progress in the children’s learning. There are some aspects of communication, language and literacy and physical development in which these goals are unlikely to be met. These are in speaking and listening for some boys, and in writing for many children.

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Personal and social development

66. Children make very good progress in developing their personal and social skills after admission to the nursery. This is because the well established routines and high quality of teaching help the children to be independent in following the general pattern of the day. For example, the children register themselves when they arrive, respond well to instructions, select their own materials for some activities and tidy up when they have finished an activity. Children show interest in all aspects of the nursery day because the staff introduce them to activities that sustain their concentration well. The high quality of the relationships is a great strength of both the nursery and reception classes with adults setting good examples of how the children should interact with each other. As a result, behaviour is very good with children playing well alongside each other, sharing equipment and space, and with many

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Personal and social development

communicating well and taking turns. Many children appreciate the work of others in whole- group review sessions and listen carefully while others talk about their work.

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Personal and social development

67. Children in reception build well on their personal and social skills due to the good teaching and interactive nature of the environment in the reception areas. They work and play very independently both when working alone or with the support of an adult. They continue to Lyndhurst Primary School - 29 follow established routines well and sit in a circle or line up without fuss. They develop their ability to empathise with other people, talk about their feelings and suggest how they can be kind to others, for example ‘sharing’, ‘putting things away for them’ to make them feel better. The teacher chose a very good story book to help the children in one reception class to reflect on what friends are.

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Communication, language and literacy

68. Teaching is at least good and in some aspects it is very good, particularly in the development of reading skills in reception and in spoken language skills in the nursery. In the nursery, children develop an interest in books and enjoy sharing stories. The staff use books sensitively to develop and extend role-play activities and as a result the children develop their vocabulary and early reading skills well. For example, while sharing a book, one of the staff prompted children, ‘What do you think might happen next?’ and they were able to predict what might be on the next page. They understand what writing is for and are able to make marks to represent their messages to Father Christmas. Some use language well to support their play and communicate with others but others play silently. These children are encouraged to express their ideas by questions that help to further develop their play. This skilled teaching is enabling children to make very good progress especially in

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Communication, language and literacy

69. In the reception classes, children speak and listen well in whole-class sessions and in small groups, and contribute to discussion and answer questions. They put pictures showing how to make a fruit salad in the right order and suggest what is happening in the picture. They understand the need for speaking clearly when recording a set of instructions and enjoy listening to them when they are replayed. A few children, especially some boys, are less confident in their speaking and some children with special educational needs have specific speech difficulties. These children benefit from the interactive nature of the learning environment and the intervention of support staff to prompt their regular speaking practice.

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Communication, language and literacy

70. Writing skills are not well developed, although a few children attempt the writing of words independently. Most are able to copy writing provided by an adult and the majority write or attempt to write or copy their name. Children have regular opportunities to become familiar with letter names and sounds in structured literacy sessions. They are developing the skill to sound out the first letter of words and some can identify words that have the same beginning. In these sessions, the teacher ensures that children can hear the sounds and teaches the sound names as well as drawing their attention to letter shapes displayed in the classroom.

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Mathematical development

71. This area of learning is particularly well taught in both nursery and reception and most children will have reached the Early Learning Goals for mathematics with a minority exceeding them in some aspects. Children in the nursery develop counting skills in regular sharing of number rhymes, which the children really enjoy. Most are learning to count to five with some being able to count to ten. Some can recognise numbers to five and some higher attaining children are able to apply their understanding of numbers in practical tasks. For example they were skilled in matching plates, names and chairs when setting tables for snack time.

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Mathematical development

72. Children in reception build on these skills and make and match sets of five objects and recognise and continue a shape pattern. Higher attaining children can count to ten and beyond, match numerals to groups and order fruit by size. Those with special educational needs require support in counting and making patterns and sets. Children develop a good knowledge of mathematical language, for example, empty, full, heavier and lighter. Some higher attaining children extend their understanding of quantity further by being able to Lyndhurst Primary School - 30 understand more precise descriptions, for example, half full or half empty. Some children understand the idea but have not acquired the language to explain what they mean; for example one girl said that a bottle was, ‘A little bit full.’ Support staff are used well to help these children in small group activities. Most pupils can tell whether an object is heavier or

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Mathematical development

lighter when handling bottles containing sand and water. They apply their mathematical understanding well when engaged in other activities, for example feeling and balancing different weights and quantities, when exploring different fruits or when playing in the florist shop.

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Knowledge and understanding of the World

73. Teaching and learning are very good in both the nursery and reception classes in this area of learning. In the nursery, resources are well managed so that children have access to a broad and changing range of activities that develop and extend their knowledge of materials and technology to be found in their own lives and the wider world. The staff support the children well in devising ideas for making models and in their play with cars and the castle. Their play is extended by this intervention. For example, a nursery nurse questioned a child about petrol for his car. He said that he would get some at the supermarket, relating his experience well to his play. Some pupils are beginning to show independence in finding and choosing and working with waste materials suitable for making models, while others need more direction especially in cutting with scissors and joining cut pieces together. In both

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Knowledge and understanding of the World

nursery and reception, children enjoy exploring and investigating features of materials and of living things. They use their senses well to observe similarities and differences and how materials react when manipulated and mixed. For example when investigating sand, children were encouraged by the helping adult to find out how to make dry sand run through a tube. After the intervention of the nursery nurse who suggested ‘jiggling it’, they worked out how they could do it.

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Knowledge and understanding of the World

74. Children develop a good understanding of the importance of order when making changes For example, when making a fruit salad they understood the need to follow instructions. They enjoy exploring the close environment including during canal and river walks. Reception children benefit from these experiences by consulting books made by them after the walk and listening to a tape recording made by the teacher during the course of it. These activities stimulate good conversations between the children. In outdoor activities, they demonstrate their understanding of the urban environment when making petrol stations, repair shops and road layouts. They know about the importance of celebrations, and are developing some understanding of diversity in the school and local community. Throughout the Foundation Stage children become confident in using the computer and although some need support in using programs, others are very competent in opening programs

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Knowledge and understanding of the World

themselves. They have well-developed skills in using the mouse to control actions on the screen.

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Creative development

75. Teaching and learning in this area of learning are good. In the nursery, children choose a wide range of media independently to create their own pictures and models. They use a variety of pens pencils, paint and dough with increasing confidence in expressing their ideas in the reception class. Children develop specific skills and techniques, for example in drawing form observation, and pattern making. They engage enthusiastically in imaginative role play in the home corner, in small world play and in the structured play area with increasing ability to communicate their ideas and in play with other children. They enjoy applying their creative skills in imaginative play in the nursery, having great fun decorating a Christmas tree. Children in reception enjoyed making bouquets and flower arrangements in the ‘Florists’. They sing regularly in the nursery with great enthusiasm so that they go into

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Creative development

reception with a wide repertoire of songs. Drawing and painting skills are below average at the beginning of reception but the very good teaching and the resulting good progress being Lyndhurst Primary School - 31 made means that most children will reach the Early Learning Goals by the time they enter Year 1.

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Physical development

76. Teaching and learning across the Foundation Stage in physical development are good. In the nursery, children develop their skills in handling small and large equipment, in setting up equipment for snack time, in construction activities and making models using a variety of tools. They have regular opportunities to play outdoors, especially when the weather is temperate and use a variety of apparatus and push and pull equipment. However, there is no separate, secure play area for the use of the nursery and reception classes. They also work indoors in the hall and move successfully in time to music moving quickly and slowly. They use the space well and are aware of others when they move around. They enjoy vigorous exercise and work their bodies hard. They are learning to choose healthy food options in their well-organised snack time.

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Physical development

77. In reception, children have planned outdoor opportunities to develop skills in riding and propelling wheeled vehicles of different kinds and have a good awareness of space and safety. They use construction equipment to make bridges and a road and have support from the teacher to adapt and change the layout to make it more challenging. The lack of large climbing equipment in the outside area limits the development of skills in balancing and control.

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ENGLISH

78. Standards in English are below average, although they have improved since the last inspection. Pupils’ scores in national tests have risen each year since 2000, especially in reading, and are now the same as those in similar schools. However, they are not yet scoring as well as nationally at the end of Year 2 or Year 6. In reading, this is largely because too few pupils reach the higher levels. In writing, it is because of a more general weakness of all pupils across the school. Year 6 pupils performed poorly in writing in the 2002 tests and this pulled down overall results. The picture is a similar one for the current Year 6 pupils. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress when supported closely by an adult. Girls generally attain higher levels than boys, particularly in writing, but pupils from minority ethnic groups make similar progress to their peers. The school missed

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its English target last year, and will find its target for 2003 very challenging.

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ENGLISH

79. The school has an accurate understanding of what it needs to do to improve standards of reading and writing and has taken measures that are already making a difference. Pupils are regularly assessed in reading and writing and their progress is monitored so that teachers know the expected levels of all their pupils and set targets to help them to improve. The coordinator, who took over the subject a year ago, has analysed strengths and weaknesses and identified key points for immediate and longer-term action and is having a good influence on teacher confidence and expertise. Training and support have strengthened teachers’ subject knowledge. Teachers’ lesson planning is good and set to get better as teachers adopt the most recent national guidance for literacy units of work. Good systems of withdrawing pupils for individual and group support, and in-class support for pupils with special educational needs, are improving their learning and raising overall

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ENGLISH

80. These steps forward are not yet having the same level of impact on every year group. So far, Year 6 pupils are benefiting the most, so that their progress is very good. The nursery and reception class teachers give a flying start to children who mostly begin school with lower than average literacy skills, and the teaching in Year 1 builds well on this. Pupils achieve more slowly in Years 2 and 3 and in some classes in Years 4 and 5. This means that by Year 6 there is too much to do to bridge the gap between their work in September and the standard required at the end of the year. Lyndhurst Primary School - 32 81. Speaking and listening are satisfactory, although pupils listen better than they speak. Because of their good attitude in lessons, they listen attentively and enquiringly. Teachers spot some opportunities to develop speaking skills through drama and role play, such as ‘hot-seating’ the pharaohs of Egypt in a history lesson through intensive questioning, but this

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ENGLISH

not a regular feature of all planning. Some teachers encourage and lead the pupils on to develop their ideas - for instance, about how to test fabrics fairly, in a Year 1 science lesson – but other opportunities are missed, especially in the end phase of lessons, because the teachers too often do the summarising and talking for the pupils.

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ENGLISH

82. Reading has improved since the last inspection although weaknesses remain. At Year 2, only a few pupils are now reading below the level expected for their age, and approach reading confidently, a better picture than two years ago. Pupils make good progress in Year 1, learning how to break down simple words into separate sounds and build them up again. In Year 2, pupils with special educational needs benefit from a ‘phonics’ programme but other readers lose confidence with this strategy when they meet unfamiliar words. This is because not all teachers show pupils how to apply what they learn about segmenting words in literacy lessons to their own reading. This is a weakness that continues to affect junior pupils in Years 3 and 4 so that their reading progress slows further in some classes.

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ENGLISH

83. Pupils in Year 6 are learning and achieving well. The weakest readers are improving their understanding of different types of texts such as biographies and autobiographies because of the steady, well-focused, step-by-step approach of their teachers. More competent readers are being taught intensively how to search a text for clues, read between the lines, and make comparisons and inferences; but because other teachers have been less skilful in these aspects, this is breaking largely new ground at a late stage for pupils currently in Year 6. However, other teachers are beginning to expect more of pupils. For instance, a group of very capable Year 4 readers succeeded in the challenging task of comparing two complex sets of rules for playing a game. Work like this with younger pupils is bringing standards closer to the average but needs to be more consistent across all classes.

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ENGLISH

84. Few pupils of any age read with good expression or talk about books with real enthusiasm and delight. This is because the school does not promote reading well enough to the pupils and their families. As a result, many pupils do not read regularly at home. Reading book bags are worn out; reading diaries are sometimes sparsely completed; and home-school readers for the infants are largely restricted to the set reading scheme. The coordinator has plans to make a start on this by improving the furnishings, lighting and stock of books for borrowing in the infant library. The junior library also needs overhauling to improve the quality of children’s literature and reference materials available to older pupils.

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ENGLISH

85. Writing skills are gradually improving. The same weaknesses as at the last inspection continue but they are less pronounced, because most teachers have benefited from the recent local authority and national guidance on how to teach writing. Overall, they are effective in teaching pupils how to write in a variety of ways such as reports, diaries, or instructions. As a result, Year 2 pupils write about their work in science using a good range of different forms: letters, flow charts, instructions, and diagrams. The Year 2 teachers have also improved story writing so that pupils of average ability can write a page-long story about the ‘Owl Babies’ that is correctly sequenced and contains dialogue to bring the characters to life. Spelling is better than it was because word lists and prompt cards help pupils to use their knowledge of letter patterns from reading to spell words that they need. However, the teaching in one Year 2 class is less effective than the other in ensuring that

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pupils always produce their very best work. All pupils learn about the grammar of a sentence and have important targets about full stops and capital letters but are too careless in using them. The teachers are not equally insistent about checking on going work, or in marking work in a way that shows clearly what the pupils could do better or differently to improve. Lyndhurst Primary School - 33 86. This lack of consistency in teaching also shows up in Years 3 to 5 and means that by the time the pupils reach the end of Year 5, their work contains weaknesses in grammar, punctuation, spelling, handwriting and has a style typical of much younger pupils. Few pupils are fluent, competent writers. Some of their writing in the first term of Year 6, however, shows delight in finding ‘just the right words’ such as in the display of journalistic writing ‘from the time of Beowulf’. Writing in Year 6 workbooks completed in the first half

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ENGLISH

term is less well crafted, and often immature in style and poorly spelt. Only the most competent writers try regularly to use more complex sentences and find different ways of connecting these together, and they do not use punctuation well enough to control their writing. Nevertheless, all pupils are making good progress because the Year 6 teaching team use examples from reading to demonstrate how writers create their effects. This is helping them to write more successfully for themselves. Handwriting is a school weakness because it is not taught systematically to an agreed style.

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ENGLISH

87. Teaching in the daily ‘literacy hour’ is now broadly satisfactory. There is some unsatisfactory teaching amongst the junior classes, but also some good and very good teaching of daily literacy lessons. It is strongest amongst the Year 6 team. Here, the pace is good, lessons are lively and teachers use questioning well to sustain a good level of involvement and response throughout the lesson. The school has benefited from intensive support from the local authority literacy team, so that all teachers are now more confident in teaching within the literacy strategy framework. They no longer rely too much upon a commercial scheme, and so the teaching and learning are better focused in most lessons. Teachers have adopted a number of the techniques recommended for the strategy, such as the use of individual whiteboards by the pupils, and interactive games for younger pupils. This has helped to improve the pace and interest level of the lesson that were weaknesses

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ENGLISH

in the last inspection. The needs of pupils with a special educational need are better catered for now because of the additional teaching support of the special educational needs coordinator, deputy headteacher and classroom assistants. In contrast, higher attaining pupils find some lessons too easy. Teachers keep satisfactory records of reading and writing levels but do not always use these to note specific weaknesses and then to plan the next steps. Despite examples of very good, target-related marking, teachers do not make full use of what they find to plan forward or to urge the pupils on towards achieving the next targets and the next level.

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ENGLISH

88. The co-ordinator has made a very good start to her management of the subject. She has a good grasp of where the school is now and where it needs to go next, although she has not carried out a formal audit across the school. She has monitored teachers’ lesson planning, pupils’ work and lessons in Years 1 and 2, and has achieved a good deal in the past year. She is enthusiastic, and would like the time to work with staff so that she can raise the overall quality of teaching and learning.

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MATHEMATICS

89. Currently, Year 2 pupils are on track to attain above average levels, and Year 6 pupils to attain average levels. Following the success gained in the 2002 national tests, this could be seen as disappointing for Year 6. However, this reflects the progress and attainment of the different groups of pupils year on year. The school has rightly set lower targets for the attainment of the current Year 6 in the national tests, based on thorough analysis of their prior achievement. These pupils are making very good progress currently because the quality of teaching they receive is so high.

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MATHEMATICS

90. There has been improvement in standards at both seven and 11 years of age since the last inspection. The quality of teaching and learning has improved in Years 1 and 2, although there is still some unsatisfactory teaching, but has deteriorated in Years 3 and 4. Three unsatisfactory lessons were observed, but the weaknesses were not directly related to the teachers’ subject knowledge, but to more general teaching skills. In particular, these were lack of pace leading to unsatisfactory progress, especially for higher attaining pupils, in a Lyndhurst Primary School - 34 Year 2 lesson, and unsatisfactory management of pupils’ behaviour that interrupted the flow of the lessons, with poor questioning, in the Year 3/4 classes. In general, however, the pupils’ attitudes and behaviour in lessons are good, sometimes very good, and occasionally outstanding. Pupils are diligent, enthusiastic, and follow the teachers’ directions promptly.

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MATHEMATICS

In whole-class sessions, most pupils are keen to contribute ideas, or to explain their strategies for solving problems. When they work in pairs or groups, most pupils do so sensibly, making their own contributions, and valuing those of their peers. All pupils have full access to the whole curriculum, and pupils from minority ethnic groups make similar progress to their peers.

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MATHEMATICS

91. Year 6 pupils are clear about their personal targets for learning, and what they are supposed to learn in each lesson. This is because the teachers discuss their progress with them, and involve them fully in understanding their current levels of achievement against national expectations, and what they need to practise and learn to improve. As well as enhancing their personal development, this allows the pupils to take some initiative in how they tackle their work, choosing the focus of their energies to improve particular aspects of their knowledge and understanding. In one boy’s target sheet, for example, he had ticked six times the statement, ‘I know the square of all the integers from one to ten.’ This gave him the confidence to assert his knowledge, and to demonstrate this speedily and accurately when questioned.

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MATHEMATICS

92. There is a high concentration on computation and strategies for solving number problems for Year 6 pupils, but the teachers’ planning shows that the key areas of the subject are all covered. Higher attaining pupils have good recall of important number facts to help them, and use computer programs well to present information in charts and diagrams. They are beginning to understand how to enter, sort and interrogate data using spreadsheets, linking well to work in ICT. Work completed in one term shows good progress in solving problems involving decimal fractions, so that they accurately work to two places of decimals, and understand fully how to round numbers to achieve this. They also understand how to translate shapes accurately using coordinates between quadrants. Other pupils occasionally make errors in this work, which is at challenging levels for them, but lower attaining pupils work successfully with simpler problems covering the same mathematical

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MATHEMATICS

93. Year 2 pupils similarly concentrate on number work in the main, and many of them have good understanding of the relative values of numbers up to 100, and often up to and beyond 1000. This is above average for their ages. Girls tend to attain higher levels than boys, particularly in one of the classes where the behaviour of a number of boys spoils their rate of progress. All the areas of the subject are covered effectively, so that most pupils achieve the required standards in the sequence of learning in the National Numeracy Strategy for their age. In one lesson, pupils described solid shapes by their names and properties, learning to use the correct mathematical terms such as vertex and face. One girl described a sphere as having ‘a continuous curved face.’ She chose correctly from the terms prepared by the teacher on the whiteboard, and could explain further what this meant. This was high level understanding for her age. Much of the work for pupils in Year 2 is recorded

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MATHEMATICS

on worksheets. These are of variable quality, and often lead to careless presentation by the pupils. This lowers the importance for them of accurate and legible recording of their work.

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MATHEMATICS

94. The quality of teaching is satisfactory overall, but ranges from being outstanding to being unsatisfactory. It is outstanding for Year 6 pupils currently, where both the teachers present fine examples of pacey, challenging and interesting numeracy sessions to the recommended pattern of the National Numeracy Strategy. These sessions excite the pupils, and they make good and sometimes very good progress in their development and use of strategies to solve problems. In these lessons, whole-class activities involve all the pupils successfully, and group and individual work are pitched at the right level to push the pupils to the next stage of understanding. Good support is provided for pupils with special educational needs, both in class and in withdrawal sessions. Pupils who attain just below Lyndhurst Primary School - 35 expected levels also receive good support to help them move forward at good speed to

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MATHEMATICS

reach these levels in the national tests later in the year.

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MATHEMATICS

95. Pupils with special educational needs receive good support in group and individual withdrawal sessions. For example, a group of six Year 3 and 4 pupils made very good progress in doubling and halving numbers to ten, and in developing firm recall of pairs of numbers to make ten working with the special educational needs coordinator. This is below average for their age, but the work was pitched at the right level for the pupils. They worked with good concentration, and enjoyed the good variety of activities prepared to reinforce their understanding. This level of support is not always available in lessons, and where teaching is weaker, teachers are not sufficiently skilled in prompting pupils’ thinking with well-targeted questions, or in providing tasks and activities that are at the right level for the different age or attainment groups of pupils. In other lessons for mixed Year 3 and 4 pupils, progress was

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MATHEMATICS

limited because the teacher did not involve all the pupils during whole-class activities, or did not help the pupils to extend their learning by asking them to explain their working methods.

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MATHEMATICS

96. In a very good lesson for Year 1 pupils, the teacher’s affirmative style raised the pupils’ self- esteem and confidence, creating a very good atmosphere for learning. This helped the pupils to make very good progress in recognising and ordering numerals up to 20. In good lessons for Year 2 and Year 4 and 5 pupils, the teaching was well focused on the learning targets shared with the pupils. Year 5 pupils handled fractional quantities of numbers successfully, and Year 2 measured accurately up to 30 cm. In these lessons, the different elements of the lesson were all skilfully timed by the teachers to ensure that the pupils gained sufficient grasp of the work, but also moved on to new and more demanding tasks to continue their progress.

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MATHEMATICS

97. The subject is very well led by the coordinator, who is also a leading coordinator for the subject for the local authority, offering advice to teachers in other schools. She has her finger on the pulse of the subject in the school, and has a clear action plan to continue to raise the levels of teaching expertise where it is weak, and maintain the good levels of pupils’ attainment. She keeps the link governor well informed, and the level of monitoring and evaluation of pupils’ work and teachers’ planning is high.

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SCIENCE

98. Currently, by the end of Year 2 and Year 6, standards are broadly in line with national expectations for the ages of the pupils. Since the last inspection there has been considerable improvement in teaching investigative science and the pupils now make satisfactory progress in this area. Pupils in Years 1 and 6 make particularly good progress across all areas of the subject, due to the very effective teaching in these classes. However, progress is inconsistent in other year groups and dips considerably in the Year 3 and 4 classes, where the teaching is less effective in providing for the dual age groups. Most pupils with special educational needs make good progress in relation to their prior attainment, particularly when they are supported by classroom assistants. Those pupils from minority ethnic groups achieve similar levels to their peers, some of them attaining high levels.

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SCIENCE

99. By the age of seven, the great majority of pupils reach the nationally expected level in all areas of the subject, although only a few pupils reach the higher levels. The pupils develop satisfactory levels of knowledge about how to keep healthy by exercise and diet. They learn effectively about the beneficial and harmful effects of drugs and medicines. They describe correctly the properties of different materials such as metal or glass and know that these properties influence the way in which the materials are used. For example, they know that a material used to make an umbrella has to be waterproof. They know what happens when chocolate and wax are heated and that water turns to ice when very cold. They are beginning to develop ideas about electricity and know that a bulb will light if connected correctly to a battery. Lyndhurst Primary School - 36 100. The pupils make good progress in the development of their investigative skills. They learn

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SCIENCE

effectively, in practical contexts, how to find answers to scientific questions such as what happens when materials are heated. They learn to classify objects and materials according to observable properties and record their observations and findings in appropriate ways, such as graphs and charts. However, not all pupils can make reasonable predictions about what they think will happen and only a few draw conclusions from their investigations without help.

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SCIENCE

101. By the age of 11, most pupils achieve standards in scientific knowledge and understanding that are at least in line with those expected for their age. However, progress in the junior classes is very uneven due to inconsistencies in teaching. Progress is better in Year 6 in all areas of the subject. In some classes, the pupils’ written work is of poor quality and frequently fails to reflect their levels of learning. In the juniors, pupils gain a satisfactory level of knowledge about life processes. They know about the structure of the human body and the function of the major organs. In studies of plant life, pupils gain satisfactory levels of understanding about the conditions needed for growth and how seeds are dispersed. In Year 4, pupils observed the germination and growth of beans and brassica seeds at first hand and they were able to predict accurately what might happen in different growth

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SCIENCE

conditions. In Year 6, pupils make good progress in learning about forces through relevant practical contexts. Most pupils know that gravity and friction are forces and are measured in Newtons. In work on electricity, they make satisfactory progress in learning about circuits and conductivity. They are able to use different components, such as bulbs and buzzers, in a circuit and know that electrical components can be represented in conventional scientific form.

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SCIENCE

102. Since the last inspection, there has been much improvement in the way science is taught and much of the learning is now set in practical investigative contexts. This means that pupils learn more effectively about scientific enquiry and its associated skills. In Year 6, pupils make good progress in developing their investigational skills. The pupils can predict what might happen, carry out a fair test and collect data to answer a question, for example in finding the relationship between the stretch of elastic bands and the weight attached. However, in other year groups pupils’ investigative skills are less well developed due to a less consistent approach to teaching the investigative process. There are not enough opportunities for pupils to formulate hypotheses, collect and record data, construct graphs and interpret their findings in terms of the question they are investigating and consequently

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these skills are not sufficiently well developed.

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SCIENCE

103. The quality of teaching varies considerably across the classes. In Years 1 and 6 the teaching is consistently good and promotes good standards of scientific skills and knowledge. In other classes, particularly the Year 3 and 4 classes, the teaching is less effective and pupils do not make as much progress as they should. In the infants, the best teaching sets appropriate contexts for learning and makes high demands of the pupils’ thinking and reasoning skills. For example, the pupils were enthralled by a letter from Mrs Noah and were keen to find a waterproof material to keep her dry. In less effective lessons, too long is spent in talking to pupils and there is insufficient demand in the tasks to interest and challenge the more able pupils. In the juniors, the most successful lessons have high expectations of what pupils can do in carefully structured activities that teach them correctly

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SCIENCE

about the investigative process. In the less effective lessons, pupils are given inappropriate tasks that do not extend their previous levels of learning and there are too few opportunities to develop the different aspects of scientific enquiry. There is often too much reliance on commercial worksheets and as a result, pupils do not make the progress they should.

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SCIENCE

104. Throughout the juniors, too much written work is copied and pupils do not have sufficient opportunity to practise their independent literacy skills. Measurement and graph construction make a satisfactory contribution to the development of numeracy but there is scope for further development of this aspect, particularly in collecting and interpreting data Lyndhurst Primary School - 37 and graphs. Information and communication technology makes too little contribution to science learning.

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SCIENCE

105. The subject is well managed and the coordinator has worked hard to put structures in place to enable the subject to move forward. An appropriate scheme of work provides a secure basis for teachers’ lesson planning. Satisfactory assessment systems have been established to track pupils’ progress but assessment information is not used effectively enough to plan future learning. Many lessons make too little provision for pupils’ different levels of attainment. The coordinator has begun to monitor lessons and is rightly focusing on the teaching of investigational skills. Resources for the subject are adequate but their location in the lower building creates some problems of accessibility for junior staff and pupils.

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ART AND DESIGN

106. Standards have been maintained since the last inspection, and are above those seen in most primary schools at the ages of seven and 11. However, the use of sketchbooks is not well developed, and opportunities are missed here to give pupils the responsibility of practising skills promoted in the teaching. No direct lessons were observed in Years 1 and 2, but a great deal of the work for these pupils is carried out under the skilled eyes of support staff, who ensure that the large shared area outside the class areas is used effectively to promote pupils’ skills.

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ART AND DESIGN

107. Year 1 pupils have produced lively painted self-portraits, after experimenting to mix appropriate skin colours. Broad and confident brush strokes show the pupils’ confidence in creating these images. Year 2 pupils build on these skills, and have good opportunities to draw from direct observation, and to paint using a variety of brushes and paint media. The work is often linked to other aspects of the curriculum, such as fine clown paintings linked to a story, ‘Tall Inside.’ To illustrate the idea that the world is ‘God’s Garden’, interesting creation pictures have been made, and there are other drawings and paintings to celebrate festivals of light from different religious traditions. There are also weavings, and three- dimensional work using clay. Seasonal subjects such as chirpy robins adorn the windows, and these are again confidently produced. A nursery nurse carefully drew faintly the outline

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ART AND DESIGN

of a robin and a candlestick for a child with little confidence, in order that he might also achieve. Every opportunity is taken to allow the pupils to design and make images and artefacts, such as at the end of reading sessions. The pupils respond very well to these opportunities, and learn to tailor their work to the time available.

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ART AND DESIGN

108. Year 6 pupils follow a good scheme of work that gives them a range of experiences to build on the skills learned earlier in the school. They use a computer program to develop a scaled shape pattern in the style of Andy Warhol, and produce carefully crafted rolled mono- prints for a Christmas card design. In one class, the teacher has encouraged the pupils to link art with geography and poetry in considering rivers. Lower attaining pupils have created very tactile high quality images of a riverbed, with shimmering pebbles, displayed proudly alongside their poetry on the same theme. A disappointment is the low quality of the work in the pupils’ sketchbooks, and the infrequent use made of them throughout the junior years. The sketchbooks are not used as recommended, as repositories of the pupils’ developing ideas, to fuel their work in using the skills practised to produce designs, images and models.

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ART AND DESIGN

109. The quality of teaching and learning is generally satisfactory, and occasionally good. Teachers and support staff ensure that the pupils experience the full curricular range, although less work in three-dimensions is covered than two-dimensional work. Year 5 pupils used their sketchbooks to draw flowers from direct observation in the classroom. The teacher set the opportunity up for them, but beyond explaining what he wanted, did not intervene to comment on technique or style as the pupils worked. This had the benefit of allowing them to concentrate on their own ideas, but missed opportunities to discuss and evaluate the ongoing work. Nonetheless, many pupils created reasonable attempts. Lyndhurst Primary School - 38 110. Pupils in Years 4 and 5 had a complex task in developing collage and sewn images of the seasons, which many of them did well. The teacher had provided a good range of threads

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ART AND DESIGN

and materials, but had sorted them into seasonal aspects already, missing an opportunity to allow the pupils to develop their own choice. The teacher insisted that the pupils consider what their ‘picture’ would be, but did not insist on preliminary sketches or designs. The room soon became messy as the pupils dropped thread and material on the table or the carpet, which did not help the pupils in learning how to work carefully, preserve resources, or look after their classroom. The pupils responded with patience and concentration to the task, some achieving bold, clear designs very quickly, and others taking time to sew elaborate patterns using a variety of stitching.

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ART AND DESIGN

111. In a very good lesson for Year 3 and 4 pupils, the atmosphere was alive with quiet purpose. The pupils responded superbly to the idea presented by the teacher, using an adult artist’s completed weaving. She had prepared a wide range of wools in huge hanks, and pieces of cloth to represent day or night scenes at the pupils’ discretion. Again, the design stage was missed, as was an opportunity to use sketchbooks for working out ideas. However, she quietly encouraged the pupils to experiment, prompting and suggesting different approaches. The pupils entered the spirit of the lesson with absorption and enjoyment, creating a wide range of successful weavings, with appliqué images.

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ART AND DESIGN

112. The art coordinator was absent during the inspection. It is clear that the subject is well represented in the timetable. The scheme of work has been updated to meet the requirements of the National Curriculum 2000, and the subject appears to be at least satisfactorily managed. Support staff make a good contribution to pupils’ learning in Years 1 and 2.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

113. The subject received a good report at the last inspection and does so again. Standards are comfortably in line with expectations at the end of Year 2, and the work of pupils by the time they reach Year 6 is above average for 11-year-olds.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

114. Pupils in Years 1 and 2 undertake a key ‘design and make’ activity each term but skills are also taught or revised during art and design, history and other sessions. This means that pupils become familiar with important techniques such as folding, cutting, slotting items together and using glue, all of which they carried out with some precision as they constructed a variety of Christmas mobiles during the inspection. Photographic evidence and work in design and technology books shows that pupils have created a new cereal from fruit and wheat, made kites, pencil cases and a card teddy bear with moving parts all to a satisfactory and sometimes good standard.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

115. Work in Years 3 to 6 is above average, and in some classes very good. This is because pupils learn how to make good quality products using techniques such as ‘Jinks corners’ that require manipulative skill and precision. They also have a firm grasp of the over-arching design process, understanding that the design must suit what the user needs. Year 6 pupils were very certain that their fairground model would need strengthening to become robust enough for six and seven year old users to operate! In previous lessons, they had made sets of meshing toothed gears driven by an axle, and balsa frames joined by right-angled corners. They understood the concept of a ‘working log’ in which it is valuable to note problems and solutions, referring to it during the lesson.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

116. The weaknesses in evaluation skill noted at the last inspection have been corrected. Now, each product has a recorded evaluation as well as a planning frame, list or commentary. The younger pupils are better at noting their problems and solutions than reflecting on the overall quality of the product but their evaluative skills are certainly sound. By Year 4, they Lyndhurst Primary School - 39 create evaluation charts for a range of sweets and recipes, for example, and older pupils write in more detail.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

117. The background reasons for this successful work are to be found in the work of the previous post-holder, who recently left the school, whose file shows the coordinator to be enthusiastic and very knowledgeable in the subject. This currently continues to ensure high standards because the scheme of work sets out a clear structure for the teaching of the subject, and sufficient resources, tools and equipment are available to complete the tasks. Teacher expertise is good because of the sets of information sheets and teaching ideas supplied by the coordinator. Development is carefully built in to the scheme so that key skills are learned and practised and then applied to a product. Pupils’ recording books are working documents that act as an aide-memoire that is useful to the pupils.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

118. At the moment, there is no nominated coordinator for the subject.

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GEOGRAPHY

119. Standards in geography are broadly in line with national expectations at both key stages and the school has made good progress in developing pupils’ mapping skills, which were found to be unsatisfactory by age 11 at the time of the last inspection. Most pupils, including those with special educational needs, make satisfactory progress in all areas of the subject but some more able pupils do not do as well as they could due to lack of sufficient challenge in lessons, particularly in the juniors. Although many pupils describe what they know and understand in geography lessons, their written work often does not do justice to their learning. This is often due to uninteresting, low level tasks, such as simple worksheets, that fail to interest pupils and do not meet the wide range of learning needs in the mixed age classes.

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GEOGRAPHY

120. By the age of seven, most pupils have developed satisfactory levels of understanding and make appropriate progress in geography enquiry skills. They are beginning to recognise their local area as a distinctive locality in which people live and work. Most pupils know that maps represent features of an area and with help they can use a street map to locate the school and their homes. In a fieldwork survey of local housing, the pupils photographed and identified different types of house design. They successfully develop mapping skills by drawing their own plans of an ideal home, showing the key features they consider important.

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GEOGRAPHY

121. By the age of 11, most pupils have built reasonably well on these early experiences and are developing their geography skills, knowledge and vocabulary to a satisfactory level. However, the progress of many pupils during this key stage is uneven and slows considerably in the Year 3 and 4 classes. Progress is significantly better in Year 6, due to more appropriate levels of challenge in lessons. In the juniors, pupils become familiar with the features of localities further afield, such as Stanton-on-the-Peak in Derbyshire. Study of places, such as the Dominican Republic and St Lucia, gives pupils appropriate opportunities to find out about localities overseas. They build a relevant fund of knowledge about environments such as the rain forest and mountains, and study weather patterns in areas such as the English Lake District. The pupils develop satisfactory map reading skills using an appropriate range of maps and plans of different scales. They can locate countries,

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GEOGRAPHY

continents, cities and rivers with reasonable accuracy and use the key or legend to identify many features shown on maps.

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GEOGRAPHY

122. The quality of teaching in geography varies considerably throughout the school but is satisfactory overall. In the better lessons, the teaching provides appropriate levels of challenge to meet the needs of pupils and makes appropriate provision for the less able pupils. The tasks give good opportunities for pupils to develop their geographical skills and teachers stimulate high levels of interest through good questioning and subject knowledge. In Year 6, pupils learned very effectively about the impact of human activity on the environment by developing arguments for and against altering the course of a river to reduce Lyndhurst Primary School - 40 flooding. In some classes in Key Stage 2, teaching has unsatisfactory aspects that inhibit the progress of pupils. The excessive use of commercial worksheets leads to inappropriate work for the pupils and teachers’ expectations for the quantity and presentation of written

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GEOGRAPHY

123. Management of the subject is satisfactory. The coordinator has rightly identified assessment of pupils’ progress and monitoring the implementation of the scheme of work as the key points for development. Some monitoring of teachers’ lesson planning has already taken place but has had little impact on teaching and standards to date. The subject scheme of work provides an appropriate basis for teachers’ planning. Resources, such as atlases, globes and maps are adequate. Visits to places in the locality and further afield provide appropriate opportunities for field work but there is no structured programme of visits, linked to classroom learning, to ensure that all requirements are met. The subject makes an inadequate contribution to and use of the pupils’ literacy and numeracy skills. Although some use is made of ICT to research information on the Internet and to monitor the environment, there is scope for more use to be made of computer technology to support the

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HISTORY

124. Standards in history are average for both seven and 11-year-olds. There are strengths in the subject to indicate that standards could well be higher if the quality of writing about history in the pupils’ books was better. There is an enthusiasm for history about the school, shown at its best by the ‘Victorian Museum’ in the entrance hall. This draws in groups of pupils every lunchtime who come to explore the exciting range of artefacts and complete the quiz sheet. The recently appointed coordinator holds very good qualifications in history and is very keen that the profile of the subject is raised further in the school.

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HISTORY

125. The history programme for pupils in Years 1 and 2 is based upon the overall theme of ‘Ourselves’. The strength of this approach is that it helps the teachers to emphasise historical understanding and enquiry. As a result, pupils build up a sound sense of time past and present, although only the most able seven-year-olds in both classes were able to fully comprehend a time line from 1850 to the present day as representing ‘time passing’. During lessons, following a visit to the local canal basin, pupils showed that they could use historical evidence to find information about the past from a photograph of a local bridge. They noted that ‘there were no cars then’, and picked out differences from the present day such as cobble stones, gas lights and a toll house. Pupils have a narrower knowledge of the lives of significant men or women of the past, although they develop this more fully in the

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HISTORY

126. Pupils in Years 3 to 6 build up a sound factual knowledge of the key events and life-style of the periods that they study. Year 3 and 4 pupils could discuss the fire hazards caused by the overhanging design of town houses in Tudor times, and were able to explain how ground rent was saved by the landlords by this construction method. During a lively lesson in Year 6, pupils showed a good knowledge of the ancient Greek Olympic Games, as they created statement cards for a comparison of ancient and modern. They had previously researched the topic as homework, and researched web pages on the Internet as part of their work. The parallel Year 6 class had built up an equally sound knowledge of the local area 100 years ago.

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HISTORY

127. Teachers feel confident in teaching history, and teaching and learning are generally good. The work in the pupils’ history books is regular, indicating satisfactory coverage of the subject, although the standard of writing detracts from its quality. A rolling programme of units in Years 3 to 6 means that pupils learn about the required range of historical study, which includes a good quality local unit on the history of the local town. The history scheme of work ensures that there is no repetition of content for pupils in mixed age classes. Because the scheme gives detailed ideas for activities and resources, it provides a good Lyndhurst Primary School - 41 support to teachers as they plan lessons. Although the school scheme notes the historical elements of interpretation, enquiry and chronology, they are not given sufficient prominence in all teachers’ plans. The result is that pupils make inconsistent progress in these skills,

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HISTORY

dependent on the teacher’s level of historical understanding and expertise. The school has no effective means of recording each pupil’s development in the subject, such as a skills and understanding checklist that would ensure that progress could be monitored as the pupils become more sophisticated learners.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

128. Throughout the school, standards in ICT are close to national expectations for the ages of the pupils in all areas of the subject. This represents good improvement from the time of the last inspection when standards were below average in several areas. This improvement is due to better provision in the computer suite and an increase in staff expertise. Most pupils make satisfactory progress in the infants, but progress slows significantly in Year 3/4 classes due to insufficient provision for the learning needs of all the different ages and achievement of the pupils. In these age groups, the higher attaining pupils do not make the progress of which they are capable and pupils with special educational needs do not have sufficiently focused support for learning. Progress increases considerably in Year 6 where better provision ensures that the needs of all pupils are met.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

129. By the age of seven, pupils make satisfactory progress in the communication element of ICT. They can access and use appropriate tools to produce, amend and enhance text, for example in the presentation of a recipe for making jam tarts. With help, they can incorporate an illustration to accompany text. They demonstrate increasing skills in using ICT for data handling, for example in compiling a simple database and generating block graphs. The pupils have appropriate opportunities to develop their control technology skills through programmable toys such as a Roamer floor robot, although this was not in use during the inspection. They use other controllable devices, such as listening centres and tape recorders with confidence and independence.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

130. By the age of 11, the pupils have experienced an appropriate range of learning in all areas of the subject but there is insufficient opportunity to practise new skills on a regular basis in each year group. For example, although pupils learn how to access the Internet for research purposes, insufficient use is made of this skill in other areas of the curriculum. In lessons in the computer suite, the pupils build progressively on previous learning but the range of software they use is limited. Some teachers lack confidence and are still developing their own ICT skills and teaching expertise. The pupils’ word processing skills are developed to a good level and used appropriately to present information. They demonstrate confidence in editing text and can select and use appropriate graphics to illustrate their work. The pupils make appropriate use of spreadsheets and produce databases, for example of goal-scoring in football leagues, but there was insufficient

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

evidence of graph generation in the pupils’ ICT files. In Year 6, the pupils build very well on previous learning and make very good progress in the skills necessary to create computerised presentations about themselves.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

131. The quality of teaching in ICT is variable throughout the school but satisfactory overall. However, there are some shortcomings in the way ICT is taught in the computer suite. In some lessons, time is wasted as pupils wait for help and adult support is inappropriately directed. The level of challenge in the work sometimes fails to extend the learning of the most able pupils and those with special educational needs make insufficient progress. The less able pupils make better progress when they are given direct support from the classroom assistant. In Year 6, the teaching is very effective in moving learning forward at a good pace due to high levels of teacher confidence and expertise. Pupils are given appropriate levels of challenge for their abilities and the learning objectives for the lesson are clear and unambiguous. Across the school, the lower than required level of teacher subject

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

knowledge is a factor in the slower progress made by pupils in some classes. Most Lyndhurst Primary School - 42 teachers make satisfactory provision for all pupils to have access to learning in ICT but the restricted range of work in some pupils’ files suggests that some classes do not have sufficient access to the facilities in the computer suite.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

132. In the juniors, there is insufficient emphasis placed on providing opportunities for pupils to practise their ICT skills as part of classroom work in other subjects and this inhibits the progress they make. This is due largely to the lack of computer hardware in each classroom. The school is aware of this deficiency and has recently taken steps to rectify the situation.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

133. The subject is well managed and resourced. The scheme of work provides a secure basis for teaching and learning but needs careful monitoring to ensure that all aspects of the subject are taught to an appropriate level. The coordinator has correctly identified staff development and training as a continuing focus in order to raise standards further. Good procedures for assessment have been put in place and have the potential to ensure that work set is based on the teachers’ knowledge of the pupils’ achievement. Since the time of the last inspection, when the number and quality of computers were found to be inadequate, the school has made very good progress in improving resources for the subject. The computer suite now provides a good quality environment for teaching and learning in ICT across the school. In the infants, sufficient numbers of good quality, classroom based computers enable pupils to build on the skills they learn in the suite. The school has

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

recently taken steps to create a similar facility for the juniors.

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MUSIC

134. Since the last inspection, standards in music have improved and are in line with expected levels for pupils aged seven. However, standards have fallen by age 11 and are now slightly below expected levels in comparison with above average standards in the last inspection. Although the quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory overall, with some examples of good teaching, the profile of music within the school is low and is not a strong feature of school life except in the Foundation Stage.

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MUSIC

135. Seven-year-olds reach expected levels, particularly in singing and in musical appreciation. However, progress is only just satisfactory in view of the previous level of skills in the Foundation Stage. Pupils sing in tune and with good tone and pitch. They are able to pitch notes correctly in response to a chime bar and to the good singing performance of the teacher. They do not build sufficiently well on the musical skills developed in the nursery and reception classes. By the age of 11, pupils’ attainment is below expected levels. Progress is unsatisfactory across the key stage with most pupils working at a lower level than indicated by the scheme of work for their age levels. In the good lessons, pupils were able to identify simple rhythms, texture and pitch and had some understanding of how to use these elements to create sound patterns to represent animals. In a mixed Year 3/4 class

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MUSIC

pupils were working at a similar level matching sound patterns to the descriptive words in a poem.

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MUSIC

136. Teaching and learning are satisfactory overall with some weaker features in the infants and some examples of good practice in the juniors. In Year 2, the good modelling of singing by the teacher enabled pupils to develop good pitch, range and tone in their singing of familiar songs. However, the unstructured nature of the lesson meant that there were missed opportunities for children to consolidate their learning or build on their skills using new material. In the juniors, teaching is mainly good with the new scheme of work having a positive impact on the quality of teaching and learning. The level of pupils’ skills indicate that teaching has only recently improved and has not yet had much effect on attainment and progress for the pupils. Lyndhurst Primary School - 43 137. The most effective teaching observed, covered most elements of music with good management and organisation of pupils. Both teachers and pupils were clear about what

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MUSIC

they were learning. There was good linking of poetry and language work to musical activities and instruments were effectively organised to enable pupils to choose them independently. Activities were challenging and pupils responded well with creativity and imagination. There was a good balance of teacher and pupil involvement. In a Year 6 lesson there was good interaction and questioning by the teacher that enabled pupils to develop understanding of a range of sounds that could be produced by different instruments. Pupils were then able to share their ideas well within whole-class sessions. It is clear, however, that pupils had gaps in their musical expertise and teachers were struggling, on the one hand to challenge the pupils and on the other to make up for the understanding and skills that had not been previously developed.

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MUSIC

138. There are limited opportunities for pupils, including the higher attaining pupils, to develop and extend their musical skills as there is currently no regular extra-curricular music. A small number of pupils have chosen to take part in instrumental tuition. The new scheme of work is in the early stages of development and being trialled and evaluated by staff. The coordinator recognises the need for the scheme to be supportive to non-specialists and lesson observation found that it is. The coordinator has carried out some monitoring of teachers’ planning but the limited assessment and evaluation by teachers of pupils’ progress give little indication of how effective the teaching is or of standards being achieved, so the monitoring is not currently effective.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

139. Standards of attainment are similar by the age of seven to those found at the last inspection. Only gymnastics and games with Year 2 classes in the hall were observed. By the age of 11, standards in swimming meet the national expectation for most pupils, and some of them achieve at higher levels. All pupils have full access to the physical education curriculum. The recently appointed coordinator has been absent for a term, so has not yet had opportunity to lead the further development of the subject.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

140. The Year 2 pupils have satisfactory control of their movements in developing a sequence in gymnastics. They work in pairs sensibly, and copy one another’s pattern effectively. Whilst most of them incorporate the required turns, twists, jumps and slides into their movement pathway, few of them achieve high level movements such as tightly controlled rolls, or cartwheels. Much of the work is at average levels, with little change of pace. The pupils enjoy their work, responding fairly quickly to the teacher’s instructions, and behaving satisfactorily.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

141. In an indoor games lesson, another class of Year 2 pupils consolidated and developed their throwing and catching skills using a variety of large balls, Again, they worked with a partner fairly well in the main, although the girls behaved better than some of the boys, one or two of whom were silly but not disruptive of the lesson. The teacher increased the difficulty of the task by stages. Finally, the pupils had to choose which of two hoops on the floor next to each other to bounce the ball in, trying to trick their partner to make the interception more difficult. Most pupils enjoyed the raised challenge, and worked hard to improve their skills. They worked at average levels for their age.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

142. The quality of teaching in these lessons was satisfactory, and pupils made satisfactory progress in both gymnastics and games. The teachers have a good working relationship with almost all the pupils, with just a small group of boys in one class who do not always respond as they should. The pattern of lessons follows the recommended format, with a warm-up, skills practice leading to sequential activity or games, and a cool down. Occasionally, pupils are asked to observe one another working, but opportunities are missed here to involve the pupils in evaluating their own and other pupils’ work. Staff and Lyndhurst Primary School - 44 pupils change appropriately for the activities, and the pupils behave sensibly when moving to and from the hall.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

143. There are some extra-curricular sessions in netball and football, and competitive games against other local schools. In the summer, older pupils take part in athletics activities. All the sessions are open equally to boys and girls.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

144. By the time pupils are seven-years-old in the infants and 11 in the juniors, their attainment is broadly in line with the expectations outlined in the locally agreed syllabus for religious education. Overall, progress is at least satisfactory for all pupils, including those with special educational needs. Junior pupils mainly make good progress. This is a similar picture to that found in the last inspection.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

145. By the age of seven, pupils are developing an understanding of the importance of Jesus to Christians. Pupils can describe what a teacher does, such as ‘being kind and helping us to learn’. They relate this to their own teacher and to some extent to Jesus. They talk about and can retell the story of the ‘Lost Sheep’ and follow this up by writing the story using simple sentences. By the age of seven, they can consider who the important people are in their own lives and identify why they are so important. They are developing an understanding of festivals related to light within different religions and the meaning of celebration. By the age of 11, pupils develop some understanding of the symbolism of light in relation to different religious traditions. They define the kind of behaviour that would be attributed to ‘shining examples’ including Jesus and other notable religious leaders and followers. They further develop their understanding of the Christmas story and how this

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

might relate to Old Testament prophecy. Most pupils have positive attitudes to the subject and they sustain their concentration well in whole-class sessions and in group tasks.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

146. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory overall and there are examples of good practice within lessons particularly in the juniors. In the best examples, teachers adopt methods which engage pupils’ interest well and which help pupils build on previous learning, giving them opportunities through discussion, writing or other forms of expression to express their understanding of what they have learned.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

147. In Years 1 and 2, pupils demonstrate their understanding of the symbolism of light using a range of art techniques and through illustrating in great detail the story of the creation. In Year 1, they are developing confidence in their ability to express their understanding of Bible stories in writing due to the specific help given to them in constructing sentences.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

148. In Years 3 to 4, good planning linked to the locally agreed syllabus ensures that the teaching is well focused and as a result pupils develop an accurate understanding of religious traditions. These include the use of symbolism and the origins and reasons for religious traditions and practices. In a very good lesson for seven and eight-year-olds, the teacher inspired pupils by enacting a Jewish Shabbat meal. The sense of occasion, made special through the use of interesting resources, enabled pupils to make good gains in their learning and the teacher asked searching questions to elicit pupils’ understanding and extend their learning. Although some learning is supported by the use of video and simple posters and pictures, pupils have limited opportunities to research their own topics using sacred literature or information books. As a result, pupils’ written work in the juniors is limited in its

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

scope. Teachers’ marking of work, although encouraging in tone, is not very specific in relation to the religious content.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

149. The school does not yet make sufficient use of visits and visitors. The local minister visits assemblies and pupils sometimes visit local churches, but visits to other local places of worship are not yet built into the curriculum. The subject has been a recent focus for development. There are now a policy and structured scheme of work but it is not clear Lyndhurst Primary School - 45 within policy documents how these specifically relate to the locally agreed syllabus. The linking of teaching units to the attainment targets for the juniors is very helpful but this needs to be more systematic across both key stages. The coordinator is well informed about the subject. Although she has conducted some initial monitoring of pupils’ work and planning, this needs to be further refined to ensure that the standards identified within the locally agreed syllabus are being met in teachers’ lesson planning.

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