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106201
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Strengths
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- She is eager to increase her musical knowledge and works very well with the learning mentor who has good musical knowledge that she uses well to encourage high expectations of the pupils and to enthuse teaching staff. p.53
- Where the teaching is of a high quality, the pace of the lesson is good and the teachers communicate strongly to all the pupils an enthusiasm and expectancy of success in a supportive environment. p.43
- There are some planned links between subjects for example the excellent dance interpretation of the story relating to the origin of the Hindu festival of Diwali and this has a positive effect on learning. p.21
- They behave very well during singing sessions, show enjoyment and concentrate well. p.52
- The provision for ICT is particularly strong and pupils benefit by being able to extend their literacy and numeracy skills as well as enjoy pursuing topics that interest them before and after school as well as at lunch times. p.21
Concerns
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- Because of the extent and range of the improvements made, the school is no longer judged to have serious weaknesses. p.25
- Again, this is partly due to insufficient allocation of curriculum time but also to weaknesses in teacher’s subject knowledge and expertise. p.14
- However, the tasks to be carried out in order to implement the changes are not always precise and success criteria are not consistently measurable. p.28
- Where teaching is less effective the pace of the lesson is slow or pupils are expected to wait too long for their The Heys Primary School - 54 turn and so the sessions lack opportunities to sustain cardio-vascular activity. p.53
- In the playground, pupils were boisterous and full of energy, especially as outside play had been limited by poor weather but this energy was well channelled at lunchtimes by the range of games and equipment available under the supervision of the p.16
Next steps
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- The school has made good improvement since it was last inspected in November 2000 when it was judged that there were serious weaknesses in standards in English, mathematics and science and in the leadership and management of the school. p.7
- The school has achieved almost all that it was asked to do at the time of the last inspection and in many instances has gone further. p.7
- There has been a trend of improvement in standards in English, mathematics at the end of Year 2 and the end of Year 6. p.7
- The leadership and management of the school are now good and this is having a positive impact on the quality of teaching and on the standards pupils attain. p.7
- There has been some improvement in pupils’ The Heys Primary School - 8 attendance but this is still an issue for the school. p.7
- There has been a good improvement in the quality of teaching and in the progress pupils make. p.7
- The table shows the standards achieved by pupils at the end of Year 6 based on average point scores in National Curriculum tests. compared with p.9
- Performance in: all schools similar schools Key p.9
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Full report text
THE HEYS PRIMARY SCHOOL
Reporting inspector: Mrs. Margaret Britton
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THE HEYS PRIMARY SCHOOL
Dates of inspection: 11 th – 14 th November 2002
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THE HEYS 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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THE HEYS 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. The Heys Primary School - 3
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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
Type of school: Infant and Pupils in Years 3 to 6 school
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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
School address: Herries Street Ashton-under-Lyne Tameside Postcode: OL6 9PL
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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
Name of chair of governors: Mrs Andrea Kay
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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
Date of previous inspection: 13 th – 16 th November 2000 The Heys Primary School - 4
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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM
Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities 17678 Margaret Britton Registered inspector Music Religious Education The school’s results and pupils’ achievements. How well are pupils taught? How well is the school led and managed? What should the school do to improve further? 13450 Jennifer Madden 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? 32309 Jane Ashurst Team inspector Mathematics Art and design Design and technology Equal opportunities 24027 Bharathi Kutty Team inspector Foundation Stage curriculum Science History Geography English as an additional language Special educational needs 17456 Angela Smithers Team Inspector English Information and communication technology Physical education How good are the curricular and other opportunities offered to pupils? The Heys Primary School - 5 The inspection contractor was:
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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM
Full Circle 38 Headlands Grove Swindon Wiltshire SN2 7HF
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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 The Heys Primary School - 6
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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 7
Information about the school How good the school is What the school does well What could be improved How the school has improved since its last inspection Standards Pupils’ attitudes and values Teaching and learning Other aspects of the school How well the school is led and managed Parents’ and carers’ views of the school
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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS? 11
The school’s results and pupils’ achievements Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development
p.6
INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
This is an average sized primary school with a recently opened nursery class. It is situated close to the town centre of Ashton-under-Lyne. There are 245 pupils on roll and, of these, 20 children attend the nursery part-time. Children aged five to eleven are taught in eight classes grouped by age. The number of pupils on roll is falling. Almost all the pupils come from the surrounding area and live in a mixture of predominately rented housing and housing association property. Ninety-one pupils (37 percent) are eligible for free school meals, which is above the national average. There are 46 pupils (19 percent) on the school’s register of special educational needs and, of these, six have statements. This is close to the national average. Fifty-six pupils (25 percent) have English as an additional language (EAL), which is well above the national average. Thirty-three pupils (15 percent) joined the school in the last year and
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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
27 pupils (12 percent) left. When children start school in the nursery the majority achieve levels that are below average for their age.
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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS
This is a good school. Since the last inspection, the school has been effective in raising standards and no longer has serious weaknesses. The headteacher and governors provide good leadership and the school is efficiently and effectively managed. Standards have improved steadily over the last four years and pupils in Year 6 now achieve above average standards in English, well above average standards in science and average standards in mathematics when the results are compared with those of similar schools. The quality of teaching is good and there are frequent examples of very good teaching. The school provides good value for money. What the school does well • The good rate of improvement in many important areas of the school’s work since the last inspection. • The headteacher and staff work very effectively together. • The quality of teaching and learning is good. • There are very good structures and procedures for managing pupils’ behaviour and learning and the
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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS
staff use them very well. • The school makes very good provision for children in the Foundation Stage (nursery and reception classes). • The opportunities pupils have to take part in additional activities that enrich the curriculum.
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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS
What could be improved • Standards in English and mathematics. • Pupils’ skills in speaking, reading, writing and numeracy across the curriculum. • Standards in physical education. • Parents’ involvement in their children’s education. • Opportunities for the staff to consolidate and develop some if the initiatives introduced in the last year. • The rate of pupils’ attendance The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.
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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION
The school has made good improvement since it was last inspected in November 2000 when it was judged that there were serious weaknesses in standards in English, mathematics and science and in the leadership and management of the school. The school has achieved almost all that it was asked to do at the time of the last inspection and in many instances has gone further. There has been a trend of improvement in standards in English, mathematics at the end of Year 2 and the end of Year 6. The leadership and management of the school are now good and this is having a positive impact on the quality of teaching and on the standards pupils attain. There has been some improvement in pupils’ The Heys Primary School - 8 attendance but this is still an issue for the school. There has been a good improvement in the quality of teaching and in the progress pupils make. The Heys Primary School - 9
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STANDARDS
The table shows the standards achieved by pupils at the end of Year 6 based on average point scores in National Curriculum tests. compared with
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STANDARDS
Performance in: all schools similar schools Key
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STANDARDS
2000 2001 2002 2002 well above average above average A
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STANDARDS
B English E D D B average below average C D mathematics E* E E C well below average E
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STANDARDS
When children start school in the nursery, teacher assessments show that the levels attained are variable but are, overall, below those expected nationally of children of the same age. They make good progress but the majority do not achieve the early learning goals in communication, language and literacy, mathematics and knowledge and understanding of the world by the time they start in Year 1. The results of the national tests and assessments for pupils at the end of Year 2 in 2002 show that standards were well below average in reading and in writing and below average in mathematics when compared to all schools nationally. There has been a good improvement in the proportion of pupils reaching the higher level (Level 3) in reading and mathematics. When compared to the results of pupils in schools in a similar context, standards were above average mathematics and average in reading and in writing. The inspection findings show that standards of attainment in Years 1 to 2 are below the
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STANDARDS
national expectation in English but close to expectations in mathematics and science. There has been a trend of improvement in standards in reading, writing and mathematics from 1998 to 2002. In science, the results of teacher assessment and inspection evidence show that pupils’ investigative skills are well below the levels expected nationally. The results of the tests and assessments show that in English and science pupils made above average progress between the end of Year 2 and the end of Year 6 but below average progress in mathematics. This indicates significant success for the school given the high proportion of pupils who transfer to and from the school during Years 3 to 6. For example, almost a quarter of the pupils in the group tested and assessed in 2002 changed during Years 5 and 6 leaving the school very little time to work with them before statutory assessment. Of the pupils taught by the school for all of their time in Years 3 to 6, the
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STANDARDS
percentage achieving average levels in English, mathematics and science was similar to the national average. There has been a trend of improvement in standards in English, mathematics and science over the last four years. The proportion of pupils reaching the higher level (Level 5) at the end of Year 6 has improved over the last three years. The school sets challenging targets for improvement and this is having a positive effect on pupils’ progress and on raising standards. Pupils achieve well throughout the school.
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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES
Attitudes to the school Pupils’ attitudes to school are good.
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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES
Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Behaviour in the school is good. The teachers’ use of effective behaviour management strategies results in the good and very good behaviour of the majority of pupils in lessons.
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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES
Personal development and relationships Good. Pupils mix naturally in this multicultural community. They show interest in and respect for the variety of faiths and cultures represented in the school. Staff in the school provide good role models.
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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES
Attendance Levels of pupils’ attendance remain unsatisfactory in spite of the very The Heys Primary School - 10 good systems the school has put in place to improve attendance. Lateness is a problem and is affecting the learning of those pupils whose parents fail to ensure they arrive on time.
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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 Good Inspectors make judgements about teaching in the range: excellent; very good; good; satisfactory; unsatisfactory; poor; very poor. ‘Satisfactory’ means that the teaching is adequate and strengths outweigh weaknesses. The quality of teaching is good overall and ranges from excellent to unsatisfactory. This represents a good improvement since the last inspection when the quality of teaching was judged to be unsatisfactory overall. This improvement has been one of the major factors in raising standards since the last inspection. A strength of the teaching is the good quality of the planning and the way in which the learning activities are well matched the learning objectives. The most frequent weakness is the management of pupils’ time. Because teachers sometimes spend too long talking to the pupils, a minority become inattentive and the pace of the lesson is slowed by their inappropriate behaviour. The
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TEACHING AND LEARNING
quality of teaching in English and mathematics is good for pupils throughout the school. In all the classes the skills of literacy and numeracy are taught effectively across the curriculum. The quality of teaching for pupils with special educational needs is good throughout the school and they make good progress. The quality of teaching and learning for children with English as an additional language is good in nursery and reception and in Years 3 to 6 and satisfactory in Years 1 and 2. The school makes at least satisfactory and often better provision for the needs of all pupils. Pupils’ learning is often slowed because insufficient opportunities are given for them to express their understanding and ideas in speech or to answer questions at length.
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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL
The quality and range of the curriculum The curriculum is satisfactorily broad, balanced and relevant and meets statutory requirements. There is a well-balanced curriculum of good quality for children in the Foundation Stage.
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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL
Provision for pupils with special educational needs The school makes good provision for pupils with special educational needs. They have full access to all areas of the curriculum and to the extra-curricular activities including educational visits.
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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL
Provision for pupils with English as an additional language There is good provision for pupils who are learning English as an additional language. They are given equal access to all areas of the curriculum.
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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL
Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development The provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. There has been an improvement in the provision for pupils’ cultural education since the last inspection .
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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL
How well the school cares for its pupils The school takes good care of its pupils and the staff know the children well.
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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL
Links with parents are satisfactory and parents have opportunities to be involved in the life of the school. Parents receive regular information from the school and about their children’s progress during the year. The Heys Primary School - 11 Although there is good provision for pupils with English as an additional language, the school has no procedures in place to assess pupils’ competency in their own home languages and this is a shortcoming in provision. The school deals promptly and effectively with any instances of bullying. The Heys Primary School - 12
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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED
Leadership and manage- ment by the headteacher and other key staff Good. The school is well led. The headteacher provides committed and enthusiastic leadership for the pupils and staff. The senior management team and staff with responsibilities work successfully together in leading school improvement.
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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED
How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities The governing body fulfils its statutory responsibilities well. They are well led by the chair of governors and provide strong and challenging support for the school.
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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED
The school’s evaluation of its performance Good improvements have been made in the strategies the school uses to identify strengths and weaknesses in teaching, learning and standards. Good use is made of all available data from formal tests and assessments to identify areas for further improvement.
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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED
The strategic use of resources The budget has been well managed to take account of a fall in the number of pupils on roll. Educational developments are supported well A particular strength of the leadership and management of the school is the quality of the teamwork developed by the headteacher and deputy headteacher in their work with the staff and the good rate of school improvement that this has supported. They are given very good support by the administrative staff. The governors, headteacher and bursar have a good understanding of the principles of best value and make satisfactory use of them. There are sufficient well qualified and experienced teachers whose skills and expertise are matched satisfactorily to the needs of the curriculum. They are supported by a sufficient number of support staff whose skills are generally well matched to the work they do with pupils. There is sufficient accommodation to enable the National Curriculum to be taught. The accommodation is shortly to be
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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED
replaced by a new building because the existing building is well past its best. In the meantime, the staff go to a lot of trouble to ensure that the classrooms and shared areas provide a pleasant, bright and purposeful learning environment. A shortcoming in the provision for children in the Foundation Stage is that they do not have continuous access to an outdoor learning area. There is a good range of learning resources of good quality to support the teaching of the National Curriculum and the Foundation Stage curriculum.
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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL
What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved
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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL
• Their children enjoy coming to school. • The school expects children to work hard. • The teaching is good. • Their children are helped to behave in a mature and sensible way. • The interesting range of out of school activities. • The way pupils behave. • The work given to children to do at home. • A few parents do not find the staff approachable and would like to work more closely with the school. • The leadership and management of the school. Please note that each of these points is the view of, at the most, two parents. Twenty-two parents replied to the questionnaire and ten attended the meeting with the inspector prior to the inspection. The opinion of a number of parents was asked during the inspection but this is, overall, a limited sample of parents’ views. The inspection team agrees with the parents’ positive views of the school and agree that, although behaviour is satisfactory, there is room for improvement. The inspectors
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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL
looked at the amount and frequency of the homework pupils are given and are of the opinion that it is appropriate for their age. Teachers and other staff in the school are available every day to speak to parents and they make many efforts to encourage parents to work with them but the response from The Heys Primary School - 13 parents is poor. The leadership and management of the school is good and the inspectors do not agree with the very small number of parents who expressed concern.
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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
1. When children start school in the nursery, teacher assessments show that the levels children achieve are generally below those expected nationally for the age group particularly in personal, social and emotional development, communications, language and literacy skills and mathematical development. Inspection evidence reflects these assessments and shows that children reach similar levels to those expected nationally for their age in their physical development. In the areas of knowledge and understanding of the world and creative development the majority achieve levels below those expected for their age because of their limited language development. About a quarter of the children have English as an additional language and are in the early stages of learning English. This has a negative impact on the overall standards of achievement at the start of the Foundation Stage.
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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
2. By the time children reach the end of their first year of full-time education in the reception year, they have made good progress and the levels of attainment are close to those expected nationally in personal, social and emotional development, speaking and listening skills, physical development and creative development. However, the majority of children still do not reach the early learning goals in reading, writing, mathematical development and knowledge and understanding of the world. All children’s progress is initially slowed by their generally below average language and communication skills. Children, including those with special educational needs and with English as an additional language, make good progress in the Foundation Stage (nursery and reception classes) because of the very good quality of the provision.
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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
3. The results of the national tests and assessments for pupils at the end of Year 2 in 2002 show that standards were well below average in reading and in writing and below average in mathematics when compared to all schools nationally. When compared to the results of pupils in schools in a similar context, standards were above average mathematics and average in reading and in writing. Over the three years from 2000 to 2002, results show that boys tend to perform better than girls in reading, writing and mathematics. There has been a trend of improvement in standards in reading, writing and mathematics from 1998 to 2002. There has been good improvement in standards in writing when the results are compared with those of pupils in similar schools. This is because more pupils reached higher standards within Level 2. In reading and in mathematics, a higher proportion of pupils reached the higher level (Level 3). The
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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
inspection findings show that standards of attainment in Years 1 and 2 are below the national expectation in English but close to expectations in mathematics.
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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
4. In science, the results of the statutory teacher assessments at the end of Year 2 in 2002 show pupils’ performance was well below the national average. The proportion of pupils reaching the higher level (Level 3) was also well below the national average. A particular weakness was in experimental and investigational science (Attainment Target 1). When compared with the results of pupils in schools in a similar context, pupils’ performance was below average at Level 2 and at Level 3. The inspection evidence shows that pupils’ knowledge and understanding in most aspects of science matches the national expectations for the age group but that there are weaknesses in pupils’ investigational skills. The Heys Primary School - 14 5. The results of the national tests and assessments for pupils at the end of Year 6 in 2002 show that standards were below average in English, well below average in mathematics but similar to the national average in science when compared to all schools nationally.
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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
However, when compared to schools in a similar context, pupils’ performance was above average in English, average in mathematics and well above average in science. In science, the proportion of pupils reaching the higher level (Level 5) has improved significantly over the last two years. Pupils made above average progress between the end of Year 2 and the end of Year 6 in English and science but below average progress in mathematics. This indicates significant success for the school given the high proportion of pupils who transfer to and from the school during Years 3 to 6. For example, over the last seven years, 40 percent of pupils on average have changed each year. Over this period, the school took a high proportion of pupils transferred by the local education authority because the placement at the pupil’s previous school had broken down. In the cohort assessed in the 2002 end of Year 6 tests, 42 percent of pupils
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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
changed between the beginning of Year 3 and the end of Year 6. Twenty four percent of pupils changed during Year 5 and Year 6 leaving the school very little time to work with them before statutory assessment. Of the pupils taught by the school throughout Years 3 to 6, the percentage achieving average levels in English, mathematics and science was similar to the national average.
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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
6. Inspection evidence shows that almost all pupils in Year 6 reach the levels expected for their age in English and mathematics but standards in science are below those expected nationally for the age group. The school has set challenging targets and this is having a positive impact on raising standards in Year 6. This, together with the good quality of teaching in Years 3 to 6 indicates that the school is likely to at least maintain the standards achieved in 2002. The capacity for further improvement in standards is good.
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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
7. In design and technology, geography, history, information and communications technology and music pupils in Year 2 and in Year 6 reach the levels expected nationally for their age. Since the last inspection there has been satisfactory improvement in standards in music where pupils were judged not to be reaching the nationally expected levels. Standards have been maintained in design and technology, geography and history. Pupils reach the level expected by the locally agreed syllabus for religious education. In art and design, pupils reach the levels expected by the end of Year 2 but by the end of Year 6 they have fallen behind the national expectation. Because of the emphasis the school has had to place on raising standards in English and mathematics, insufficient time has been allocated to enable the teachers to teach the skills systematically throughout Years 3 to 6. There has not been enough improvement
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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
in physical education and standards remain below those expected at the end of Year 2 and at the end of Year 6. Again, this is partly due to insufficient allocation of curriculum time but also to weaknesses in teacher’s subject knowledge and expertise. There is no significant difference in the attainment of different groups of pupils in these subjects.
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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
8. Inspection evidence shows that pupils generally make satisfactory progress in Years 1 and 2 and good progress in Years 3 to 6. Pupils in Years 1 and 2 respond well to the tasks and activities provided in lessons and make at least satisfactory progress in most lessons. Occasionally, the slow pace of the teaching slows pupils’ progress. Pupils in Years 3 to 6 respond well to the demands made on them in the tasks and activities provided in lessons because they are generally well matched to their prior attainment and pupils are well challenged. In these classes, behaviour is managed very well and, as a result, pupils concentrate and persevere and this ensures that they achieve as well as they should in most lessons. The Heys Primary School - 15 9. A scrutiny of pupils’ individual educational plans, discussions with the co-ordinator and the two support assistants and lesson observations indicate that most pupils with
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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
special educational needs throughout the school make good progress towards their targets. Generally, these pupils receive good support in classrooms from teachers and learning support assistants. The progress these pupils make in literacy and numeracy matches that made by other pupils. Pupils with behaviour difficulties make satisfactory progress in lessons. Although there were some very good examples of behaviour management in lessons, the use of the school’s strategies is not consistent in all classes. For example, in a religious education lesson in Year 6 the teacher stopped the lesson and allowed pupils to think about the effect of their actions on the rest of the class and then reorganised the activity. This enabled the teacher to calm the situation and pupils became more involved and make progress in the lesson. Where the strategies are not used effectively, the pace of pupils’ progress is slowed by the
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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
inappropriate behaviour of a small number of pupils.
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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
10. Overall there has been good improvement in the progress of pupils who have English as an additional language since the last inspection. About a quarter of the pupils have English as an additional language. Most pupils new to English are in nursery, reception and Years 1 to 4. The school’s strategies for assessing and identifying pupils for targeted support are beginning to have an impact on the progress they make towards their targets. Overall, the progress of pupils who are at an early stage of English language acquisition is good in nursery, reception and Years 3 and 4 and satisfactory in Years 1 and 2. The careful selection of visual prompts and opportunities for non-verbal responses in group situations and role play encourage the pupils who are new to English language to have the confidence to participate. Although they make good progress, their attainment remains well below the expected levels of early learning goals
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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
by the time they enter Year 1. By the end of Year 2, pupils’ attainment still remains below those expected of their age nationally. Pupils who are in the middle and more proficient stages of learning English make good progress and their attainment by the end of Year 6 is in line with their monolingual peers. This is mainly because teachers are clear about what pupils know and understand and plan their lessons well to consolidate and extend pupils’ learning.
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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
11. The school analyses the results of tests and assessments carefully and teachers make good use of data to set targets for learning. This has a positive impact on standards because of the adjustments that are made to teachers’ expectations for individual pupils. The below typical standards of children’s attainment in communication, language and literacy when they start school in the nursery has implications for the progress pupils make and the standards they reach. Teachers place a strong emphasis on the development of language skills in the nursery and reception years and this has a positive impact pupils’ progress across the curriculum. However, the strong emphasis on the literacy hour and additional English lessons has less impact on pupils developing language skills throughout Years 1 to 6. Opportunities are also missed to promote these key skills through speaking and listening, reading and writing in other subjects and this
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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
limits the rate of pupils’ progress. Similarly, opportunities are missed for pupils to use and apply their knowledge of mathematics in other subjects. The Heys Primary School - 16
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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development
12. Pupils’ good attitudes to school have been maintained since the last inspection. The majority of pupils arrive on time ready for the day’s learning; the youngest pupils readily leave their carers as they greet their friends. The start of the day is efficient and well organised but frequently disturbed by the number of pupils arriving late, distracting other pupils and penalising their own chances of success. The majority of pupils show a real interest in school life and are keen to learn, a point emphasised by parents spoken to during the inspection. During lessons, pupils are interested and involved in learning. They are willing to ask and answer questions. For example, Muslim pupils in a Year 6 class took great pride in answering their friends’ questions on the Qur’an and its meaning for their lives. Their positive attitudes were very well promoted by the atmosphere of reverence and respect that the teacher had created. Pupils try hard to do
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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development
their best and respond well to the focus of time targets to help them to complete their work. In the best lessons, they really enjoy the work and are excited by their learning because they are fully engaged and challenged. In a small proportion of lessons a minority of pupils disrupt the teaching and learning through their inappropriate behaviour. Because the majority of teachers manage these pupils well and other pupils are sufficiently self-disciplined not to be drawn into the disruptive behaviour, interruptions are kept to a minimum. Pupils with special educational needs, those for whom English is a second language, and pupils identified by the school as gifted and talented, are well supported and take a full and enthusiastic part in lessons.
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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development
13. Behaviour in the school is good. This may at first seem to be a fall in standards since the last inspection. However, the school recognised that the short-term measures introduced for the last inspection would not provide a solid base for behaviour management and indeed, standards of behaviour did deteriorate after the last inspection. The behaviour policy has been revised is now being successfully implemented in a sustainable manner and is beginning to contribute positively to the ethos of the school. Good teaching and the consistent use of behaviour management strategies support the good and very good behaviour of the majority of pupils in almost all lessons. In the playground, pupils were boisterous and full of energy, especially as outside play had been limited by poor weather but this energy was well channelled at lunchtimes by the range of games and equipment available under the supervision of the
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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development
play leaders. Exclusions in the previous year included 12 boys and two girls each receiving fixed period exclusions and two boys being excluded permanently.
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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development
14. There were no signs of bullying during the inspection but both parents and pupils spoke of some pupils who can be mean and hurtful; they are, however, well known to staff and the school is working with them to modify their behaviour. Pupils are very clear that they should immediately report any forms of inappropriate behaviour to an adult so that it can be dealt with as soon as possible.
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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development
15. Pupils’ personal development and relationships are good. This is a multicultural community where pupils mix naturally. Pupils showed interest in and respect for the variety of faiths represented by pupils in the school and responded well to discussions during lessons. Staff in the school act as good role models. Pupils are learning to work together in pairs and groups, a process started in the Foundation Stage Unit where pupils are encouraged to speak and listen to one another especially during snack and circle times. Good relationships with adults in the school give pupils the confidence to attempt work they find difficult without fearing failure. Pupils’ personal development has been boosted by the introduction of specific roles in the school for Year 6 pupils. These include peer mentoring and playtime partners who facilitate the running of playtime activities. The posts are advertised to the pupils and they have the experience of filling in
p.16
Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development
an application form and being interviewed. Those who are successful receive The Heys Primary School - 17 considerable training. Pupils respond well to these roles by acting in a mature way and providing a good role model for younger children. Pupils from Year 2 onwards are elected to the School Council that is used as a means of canvassing pupils’ opinions as well as giving elected members responsibilities. Questionnaires devised by the School Council have helped the headteacher and staff to gauge the concerns and satisfactions of pupils with the school. This information has been used to make changes to routines and practices in the school and in this way the School Council is making an effective contribution to the school’s decision-making process. In all classrooms pupils take responsibility for its smooth running by acting as monitors and keeping the room and equipment in good order.
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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development
16. Levels of pupils’ attendance are unsatisfactory. In 2000 to 2001 the attendance rate was well below average at 92.6 percent but has improved during 2001 to 2002 to 93.1 percent: attendance remains well below the national average in spite of the very good systems in place to improve attendance. Lateness is also a problem and is affecting the learning of those pupils whose parents fail to ensure they arrive on time.
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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?
17. The quality of teaching is good overall and ranges from excellent to unsatisfactory. The quality of teaching was good and better in 39 (69 percent) of the 56 lessons. In 15 lessons (27 percent) the quality of teaching was satisfactory and in the remaining two lessons (four percent) it was unsatisfactory. Both unsatisfactory lessons were in physical education. This is a good improvement since the last inspection when the quality of teaching was judged satisfactory during the inspection but unsatisfactory overall because it was not good enough to drive up standards in English, mathematics and science. The improvement in the quality of teaching has had a positive impact on pupils’ behaviour and attitudes, on the progress they make and on the standards they attain in the end of key stage tests and assessments. The quality of learning was very good in the Foundation Stage Unit, good in Years 3 to 6 and satisfactory in Years 1 and
p.17
HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?
18. The quality of teaching for children in the Foundation Stage Unit was very good in six of the nine lessons observed and at least satisfactory in the remaining three lessons. A particular strength of the teaching is the staff’s very good knowledge and understanding of the learning needs of the age group. This enables them to plan stimulating and relevant learning activities for each area of learning and areas of the classroom are resourced well to enable the children to learn in a variety of stimulating activities. The children make good progress because they are interested in and absorbed by the activities. For example, a group of children building a wall in ‘Bob the Builder’s shed’ sustained their attention for a long time because they were interested in the activity. The nursery nurse extended their learning well by asking questions such as, “This tape measure isn’t long enough to measure the wall. What can we do?” This enabled the
p.17
HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?
children to think about the problem and find a solution. The staff intervene in the children’s learning to support, guide and challenge the children and this ensures that the quality of learning is good and the children make good progress.
p.17
HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?
19. The quality of teaching for pupils in Years 1 and 2 was at least satisfactory in 12 of the 13 lessons and unsatisfactory in the remaining lesson. A strength of the teaching is the good quality of the planning and the way in which the learning objectives are shared with the pupils so that they know what is expected of them. The teachers select and prepare learning resources carefully and this helps the pupils to sustain attention. For example, in a religious education lesson, the teachers brought a christening robe and gifts to help the pupils understand the symbolism involved in infant baptism in the Christian church. The Heys Primary School - 18 Teachers make good use of questions matched to pupils’ prior learning and this is effective in helping them to make progress in the lesson. For example, in a design and technology lesson in Year 2, pupils were helped to think about the materials suitable for
p.17
HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?
use in a piece of playground equipment because of the questions the teacher asked. The most frequent weakness in lessons is the management of pupils’ time. Because the organisation and management of the pupils has not been well thought out, a minority of pupils become inattentive and then the pace of the lesson is further slowed by the teacher focussing on their inappropriate behaviours.
p.18
HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?
20. In Years 3 to 6, the quality of teaching was good overall. It was at least good in 26 of the 34 lessons. The quality of teaching in all but one of the remaining lessons was satisfactory. In one lesson, the quality of teaching was unsatisfactory. A key strength of the teaching is the very good way in which teachers use the school’s agreed strategies for managing pupils’ behaviour. Through the consistent use of these strategies they build up very good relationships with the pupils and reduce the potential disruption from inappropriate behaviour significantly. This means that teaching is not interrupted and all pupils are able to make progress in lessons. Plans for lessons are clear and the learning objectives are well supported by interesting and well-prepared resources. In lessons where the quality of teaching is very good, teachers achieve an effective balance between the time allocated to explanations and instructions and the time
p.18
HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?
available for pupils to take an active part in the learning. For example, in a history lesson in Year 5, pupils interest, curiosity and enthusiasm for their study of census data was sustained because the teacher did not talk for a long time but set interesting tasks, asked supplementary questions to focus the pupils’ thinking and told them how long they had to complete each part of the task. As a result, the pace of the learning was brisk and the pupils made very good progress in the lesson.
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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?
21. The most frequent shortcoming in lessons at both key stages is when the teacher talks for the pupils for too long and some cannot sustain attention because they are insufficiently involved through questions and activities. As a result, they become restive and some resort to inappropriate behaviour. This slows the rate of learning for the whole class. There are too few opportunities for pupils to answer the teachers’ questions at length, to take part in activities such as role-play, discussions and presenting their work orally. This limits their language development and the richness and variety of their vocabulary and sentence structure. For example, in science, too little emphasis is placed on pupils’ investigation skills and opportunities to talk about their ideas and observations. This slows the pupils’ progress in understanding scientific ideas and in being able to record clearly in writing what they know and understand.
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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?
22. The unsatisfactory teaching was in physical education. In these lessons, the teachers lacked subject knowledge and, as a result, the lessons were not well planned and organised and too little was expected of the pupils.
p.18
HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?
23. The quality of teaching for pupils with special educational needs is good and they make good progress towards the targets in their individual education plans. Teachers use the assessment information well to plan for pupils’ learning needs. Recent training from the link beacon special school for all staff on how to write effective individual educational plans has had a positive impact on the quality of the plans for pupils. Support staff who work with special educational needs pupils are used well in lessons to offer focused individual and group support. The support offered by the special educational needs support assistants is generally good. However, the support given in Year 4 was generally unsatisfactory despite the clear direction given by the teacher. Little use is made of opportunities to withdraw pupils from the classroom for short, well-focussed learning activities that would enable them to feel successful and encourage them to
p.18
HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?
The Heys Primary School - 19 develop more positive attitudes to work. The new planning systems introduced recently are helping the Learning Support Assistants and the class teachers to work together to focus on building on what pupils already know and understand. This is a satisfactory improvement since the last inspection.
p.19
HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?
24. Teaching assistants play an invaluable role throughout the school. They are well deployed by the teachers who include them in the plans for teaching and in evaluating pupils’ progress. This enables them to make good use of their time in lessons and to take the initiative when they work with groups and individuals. In a few lessons, the teaching assistants seemed unsure of how they were expected to support the pupils during whole class teaching sessions. Where the teachers had made their expectations clear, the teaching assistants were able to model the active listening behaviour expected or support individual pupils so that they could take a full part in the lesson. The partnership between the teachers and the teaching assistants and learning support staff is strong and this has a positive impact on the rate of pupils’ learning.
p.19
HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?
25. The quality of teaching for pupils with English as an additional language is satisfactory. The support offered by the support teacher and the class teachers for those pupils who are at the early stage of English language acquisition is satisfactory throughout the school. In the Foundation Stage Unit, the quality of teaching is good because pupils’ speaking and listening skills are developed systematically through role-play and practical activities. The good relationships teachers have with their pupils enable those who are new to the English language to have the confidence to join in with the class activities. They offer pupils the opportunities to work along side their monolingual peers. This helps pupils to transfer the knowledge they already have about the structure of their home languages into English. However, there is very little evidence that pupils who are new to the English language are given the opportunities to use their home languages or
p.19
HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?
to develop their talk in a systematic way. As a result, pupils’ progress is slowed. Where the quality of teaching for these pupils is good, teachers used prompts and questions matched to the needs of the English as an additional language (EAL) pupils in whole class discussions and this enabled them to make good progress.
p.19
HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?
26. The quality of teaching in English is good at both key stages. In mathematics, the quality of teaching is satisfactory in Years 1 and 2 and good in Years 3 to 6. The skills of literacy and numeracy are taught satisfactorily across the curriculum. The teachers have a good knowledge of phonics and teach the basic skills effectively. The quality of teaching was good in history, music and religious education and satisfactory in information and communication technology. Because it was only possible to see a small sample of lessons in art and design, design and technology and geography, there was insufficient evidence to support an overall judgement on the quality of teaching but an examination of lesson plans and a scrutiny of pupils’ work indicate that the quality of teaching is likely to be at least satisfactory. In physical education, the quality of teaching is satisfactory overall but ranges from excellent to unsatisfactory. Some teachers lack
p.19
HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?
confidence to teach the subject and have not had sufficient training and support because raising standards in English and mathematics has had to take priority over the last four years.
p.19
HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?
27. The quality of learning in the Foundation Stage is very good. In Years 1 and 2 the quality of learning is satisfactory and in Years 3 to 6 is good and often better. The pupils learn best when they are given a variety of interesting activities within a lesson and the pace of learning is brisk. Where the direct teaching for the whole class is interspersed with activities that make intellectual demands of the pupils, they concentrate, achieve success and are motivated to greater efforts. The Heys Primary School - 20 28. Pupils’ work is marked regularly and teachers often write useful comments for each piece of work. However, marking is variable and does not consistently tell pupils where and how they have been successful and what they need to do to improve. This reflects the judgement made in the report following a visit to the school by Her Majesty’s Inspectors in May 2002. In English, individual targets are set but these are not always
p.19
HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?
sufficiently specific to help pupils to make progress. Teachers give pupils an appropriate quantity and range of work to do at home. They practise reading, learn spellings and tables, complete tasks and find out information. A few parents though that the amount and frequency of homework was inappropriate but the inspectors are of the opinion that what is set is appropriate for the age of the pupils. Some parents provide good support for their children and, as a result, the work their children do at home has a positive impact on standards.
p.20
PUPILS OR STUDENTS?
29. The curriculum is broad, balanced and relevant to the needs of the pupils. The school has policies and schemes of work that support those working within the school to meet statutory requirements. The teaching of religious education follows and meets the requirements of the locally agreed syllabus. The daily act of collective worship meets requirements. There is good provision for personal, social and health education (PSHE) that includes sex education and a programme of drugs awareness. There has been a full consultation with parents about how and when to teach sex education.
p.20
PUPILS OR STUDENTS?
30. The curriculum for children in the Foundation Stage Unit is well planned and ensures that all six areas of learning are promoted in each of the resourced areas in the classrooms. The plans for teaching are based on the six areas of learning of the national Foundation Stage curriculum. This is an effective curriculum that contributes to the good progress the children make during the Foundation Stage and prepares them well for the National Curriculum for pupils in Years 1 and 2. This is a good improvement since the visit of Her Majesty’s Inspectors in May 2002 when the curriculum was judged to be imbalanced.
p.20
PUPILS OR STUDENTS?
31. The curriculum provided for pupils in Years 1 to 6 is sound and the range of work undertaken is satisfactory. The school has addressed the issue of the allocation of taught time from the previous inspection and sessions that use the national strategies as guidance for teaching English and mathematics are now of an appropriate length. The school rightly gives more time to the teaching of English during additional English lessons in order to improve the standards and this is gradually having an impact and standards are rising for the older pupils. The curriculum is more coherent and teachers plan effectively together in year group and key stage teams. This is a satisfactory improvement since the report written by Her Majesty’s Inspectors following their visit to the school in May 2002. However, not as much progress has been made in developing literacy and numeracy skills through other subjects and no clear decisions have been
p.20
PUPILS OR STUDENTS?
made about which parts of the curriculum are to be taught in depth and which in outline.
p.20
PUPILS OR STUDENTS?
32. There is good long and medium term planning in place to support teaching and learning for all subjects. The emphasis placed on English means that some other subjects do not receive the time allocation they require. As a consequence the range and depth of study in those subjects is limited, particularly in art and design, design and technology and physical education. The school has developed a continuum of basic skills but there is no indication as to when and how they will be integrated into the programme for teaching and learning. They are described in generic terms and do not provide sufficient guidance on how they can be achieved. These include skills in language and The Heys Primary School - 21 communication, but there is insufficient emphasis on the development of speaking skills (oracy) throughout the curriculum. Similarly, there are too few planned opportunities for pupils to use and apply their skills in numeracy in other subjects. Her
p.20
PUPILS OR STUDENTS?
Majesty’s Inspectors also reported these shortcomings when they visited the school in May 2002.
p.21
PUPILS OR STUDENTS?
33. There are some planned links between subjects for example the excellent dance interpretation of the story relating to the origin of the Hindu festival of Diwali and this has a positive effect on learning. The provision for the development of pupils’ information and communication technology (ICT) skills is good. Teachers make good use of the wide range of resources available to support pupils’ learning in most subjects.
p.21
PUPILS OR STUDENTS?
34. All pupils have good access to almost all the curriculum regardless of gender, culture, special educational needs or home language. However, not all pupils have the same opportunity to participate in physical education lessons because, despite the regular reminders to parents, pupils do not regularly bring the correct clothing for the activity.
p.21
PUPILS OR STUDENTS?
35. Pupils with special educational needs have full access to all areas of the curriculum and to the extra-curricular activities including educational visits. The work of the learning mentor and the support offered to younger pupils through the nurture group further enhances the special educational needs provision. Procedures, such as the joint meeting between teachers and other professionals through the school’s inclusion team, are helpful in monitoring the progress pupils’ make towards their targets. The procedures also enable the school to identify any other learning or emotional difficulties pupils may have as early as possible and this has a positive impact on the progress they make.
p.21
PUPILS OR STUDENTS?
36. Pupils who are learning English as an additional language are given equal access to all areas of the curriculum. The recently established assessment and identification procedures are effective in moving pupils forward in their language acquisition skills. However, the school currently has no procedures in place to assess pupils’ competency in their own home languages. The joint planning carried out by the class teachers with the support teacher is helping to apply the principles of inclusion in a systematic way. It also helps to focus on the specific learning objectives related to their targets through group and individual support within lessons.
p.21
PUPILS OR STUDENTS?
37. The school provides good extra-curricular opportunities in a wide range of areas. The provision for ICT is particularly strong and pupils benefit by being able to extend their literacy and numeracy skills as well as enjoy pursuing topics that interest them before and after school as well as at lunch times. There are sports activities and pupils compete in a variety of events. They participate in football and netball leagues and compete in cross-country running events. There is good enhancement to the curriculum through the wide range of additional events. For example, a visual arts project involved Year 5 pupils in visiting the local library and meeting an author and an artist. On their return to school they were inspired to produce good stories and illustrations about the jungle. All the children and adults within school dressed up to celebrate Diwali and many took part in a display of their costumes by walking along the ‘catwalk’. Visitors to the
p.21
PUPILS OR STUDENTS?
school also enrich the curriculum; for example, a Hindu visitor showed Year 4 pupils how she worships in her home.
p.21
PUPILS OR STUDENTS?
38. The provision for pupils personal, health and social education is good. Pupils have the opportunity to discuss issues that are important to them sharing their views as they talk around the class in 'Circle’ time. They learn about citizenship through their involvement The Heys Primary School - 22 in the ‘School Council’ and considering issues such as living in a diverse world and learning about the work of people who help; for example the police.
p.21
PUPILS OR STUDENTS?
39. There are good links with the community. The school is used quite extensively by groups from the community for events in the evenings and at weekends. A non-profit making organisation run a before school breakfast club that has improved morning time keeping and fewer pupils are late. Pupils visit the local places of worship including a church, a mosque and a temple. A major bank funded a parental workshop about mathematics and provided all parents who attended with a selection of mathematical games to play with their children. Links with Age Concern resulted in senior members of the community telling pupils about the events in their lives and then pupils wrote an autobiography for them. Relationships with partner institutions are good. There is good liaison between the school and a local ‘Beacon’ school resulting in the sharing of guidance on good practice. The local secondary school is very supportive providing
p.22
PUPILS OR STUDENTS?
expertise and resources. There are sessions for gifted and talented pupils in arts and science. There are good transition arrangements and pupils are prepared well for the next stage in their education.
p.22
PUPILS OR STUDENTS?
40. The provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. There has been an improvement in the provision for pupils’ cultural education since the last inspection. The school encourages learning and promotes an ethos of aspiration for success. For example, a visitor showed pupils how a task, which initially he had no skill at, could through practice produce competence while at the same time delighted his audience with his dexterity to manipulate yo-yos. Reverence is encouraged and when a teacher showed the pupils a wreath of remembrance for soldiers who died in the wars pupils responded well. Assemblies contribute well providing opportunities for insightful thought and quiet reflection on a range of issues. For example, the diversity of our world. Music is used very well to create a special atmosphere. Within Religious Education a spiritual atmosphere is also created. For example, while learning about Hindu worship, a
p.22
PUPILS OR STUDENTS?
peaceful and calm ethos is evoked through the use of candles, artefacts and the teachers’ role model.
p.22
PUPILS OR STUDENTS?
41. There is a code of conduct, which sets out the conditions whereby all members of the school community agree to treat one another, as they would wish to be treated. Teaching is based on human rights and pupils are encouraged to be tolerant. They are shown how ignorance and intolerance lead to destruction and encouraged to believe that it is possible to change things that they do not find acceptable. Pupils devise the rules that ensure that each classroom is an acceptable learning environment for all. The school community does not tolerate racism and relationships between all groups of pupils are good.
p.22
PUPILS OR STUDENTS?
42. Pupils’ social development is good. Older pupils are given a good range of opportunities to help younger pupils and support their friends through schemes such as ‘Playground Partners’ and ‘Pupil Mentors’. They are provided with training to develop their skills and this has a positive impact on ability to relate to others in the school. There are some opportunities for pupils to work together in class, but because pupils do not have good skills in expressing their ideas in speech (oracy) they are not always able to take advantage of them. There is a good range of resources for pupils to use in the playground and pupils share them well and take turns. They co-operate when playing team games and pupils in year 6 work very well together in a small group to compose a piece of music. They make a valuable contribution to the way the school is run through the ‘School Council’. The Heys Primary School - 23
p.22
PUPILS OR STUDENTS?
43. The school supports a wide cultural diversity and pupils are interested in the traditions and beliefs of their friends and this is encouraged. Many major religious festivals are celebrated. Pupils are given the opportunity to listen to music from around the world. For example, they listened to African music as they arrived for assembly and to Indian music as they learned about Hinduism in a religious education lesson. Pupils played Indian drums during the dance session. They study the work of western artists such as Jackson Pollock. They visit places of educational interest and the theatre. They learned about the customs of countries within the Commonwealth as part of their study of the Commonwealth Games.
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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?
44. The school takes good care of its pupils and indeed, for a number of pupils; the school is a haven of order and safety. All staff have a good knowledge of pupils in their class and more generally of pupils across the school. Pupils with special educational needs and those with English as a second language are well cared for at all levels in the school. Gifted and talented pupils also receive good provision with, for example, additional teaching to ensure that they achieve the higher levels in the end of Year 6 assessments, advanced reading sessions and the summer music school. The recently introduced Code of Practice for special educational needs is securely in place and the strategies used contribute well to the school’s care of pupils. As part of the overall care of all pupils the school now has an in Inclusion Team, which includes members of the school staff and representatives from outside agencies such as the Educational
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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?
Psychologist, Education Welfare Officer and the School Nurse. The intention of the management team is that, as a result of this co-operative working, pupils’ needs will be considered as a whole. In addition, the school has appointed a skilled learning mentor who deals with individual barriers to learning such as attendance and behaviour and is also a member of the Inclusion Team. She makes a very good contribution to raising standards.
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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?
45. The school provides satisfactorily for the health and safety needs of its pupils. This is the responsibility of the head teacher who is well supported by the Governors and the caretaker, all of whom undertake inspections at various intervals. A member of staff trained in first aid is on duty at all times during the school day but there are few accidents.
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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?
46. The arrangements to deal with child protection in the school are very good; procedures are well established and the staff appropriately trained.
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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?
47. The school’s procedures for monitoring and promoting attendance are also very good. An attendance panel now monitors individual pupils’ attendance. The panel has ensured that parents of pupils with attendance problems are contacted on the first day of absence and that the education welfare officer visits the home. Those parents whose children are persistently absent and late are asked to attend a hearing of this panel. This and other measures have improved attendance at the school. However, when compared to the national attendance rate it is still in the bottom 10 percent of all primary schools. This reflects a lack of understanding of the importance of regular attendance at school on the part of a minority of parents.
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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?
48. There are very good procedures in place to promote and monitor pupils’ behaviour. This was said to be the situation at the last inspection but after a fall in behavioural standards after the last inspection the school has completely revised the behaviour policy so that it more closely reflects the ethos of the school and is now integrated into its everyday life. Prior to the implementation of this policy, pupils’ behaviour was audited The Heys Primary School - 24 by the educational psychologist who made a number of recommendations. A further audit has found a considerable improvement in behaviour during a six-month period. In most classrooms pupils are consistently well managed. The lessons are generally interesting and well-planned and afford little time for pupils to behave inappropriately. However, there are a small number of pupils in some classes whose disruptive behaviour causes problems for other pupils and their teachers. The learning mentor
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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?
works with these pupils as part of a behavioural action plan that involves the support of parents. Pupils’ behaviour in the playground has considerably improved since the introduction of play equipment and the appointment of Year 6 play leaders. The ‘time out’ system, which gives pupils a chance to calm down and get control of their feelings, is planned and monitored by the learning mentor. It gives pupils the time, space and support to improve their behaviour. It is having a positive impact on the incidences of inappropriate behaviour.
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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?
49. The school has established good procedures for dealing with incidents of bullying. Parents are very clear that any issues are dealt with immediately it is made know to staff by a child or a parent. Pupil mentors, who have received considerable training in dealing with conflict and bullying, are available for pupils in the playground and around the school; the pupils appreciate their support. However, some pupils still voice concern at the amount of fighting which takes place in the playground that, in their view, is not dealt with adequately by the teachers and assistants on duty.
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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?
50. Pupils with special educational needs are well supported by the school. Good use is made of teacher assessment and end of unit assessment and optional tests to identify pupils for additional support. The targets in pupils’ individual education plans are clearly linked to pupil’s specific needs and they identify the activities and support to be offered to pupils. The targets are shared with pupils and the class teachers and the support staff monitor the pupils' progress towards the targets regularly. The IEPs are reviewed once every half term. However, there is little evidence of how the school seeks pupils’ views on their own learning or how they could improve.
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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?
51. Pupils’ personal development receives very good support and is actively promoted throughout the school. The school makes every effort to accentuate the positive aspects of pupils’ achievements inside and outside school in the achievement assemblies. The ‘Thumbs Up’ award system that ensures that all pupils are recognised for their achievements in learning and personal conduct is very popular with pupils. The Nurture Group now running in the Foundation Stage and in Years 1 and 2 aims to address pupils’ social and personal needs. It is well supported by the education psychologist form the local education authority. The school has a well-developed selection of extra curricular activities that encourages pupils to extend abilities. All these initiatives are improving pupil’s self-confidence and boosting their self-esteem.
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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?
52. Very few parents responded to the questionnaire (nine percent) and only ten parents attended the pre-inspection meeting. The inspectors also interviewed some parents as they brought their children to school or collected them at the end of the day. Almost all those who responded have very positive views of the school.
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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?
53. Links with parents are satisfactory as they were at the time of the last inspection. Parents of children starting school in the nursery and reception classes are encouraged to spend time with their children at the beginning of morning sessions and this helps the children to make a smooth transition from home to school. The school has appropriate The Heys Primary School - 25 plans to introduce pre-school home visits and a programme of induction for new parents and children. Parents receive regular information during term, and the school is experimenting with the format for a planned regular newsletter. A family literacy project and a library for parents of children in the Foundation Stage Unit have been effective in encouraging parents to spend time reading with their children. Letters are sent out to parents on a Friday for those children who have received special praise for their work, behaviour or a special achievement. The school keeps in regular contact with parents
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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?
when dealing with issues of pupils’ behaviour or with attendance problems.
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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?
54. Satisfactory levels of information about their children’s progress are provided for parents. They are invited to two consultation meetings during the year and these meetings allow an exchange of information between parent and teacher as well as an opportunity to discuss any support they feel individual pupils may need. This is a time when pupils’ targets are discussed and parents of children with special educational needs are consulted about individual education plans. These meetings are not well attended but numbers have been slowly rising. Written reports on pupils’ progress are sent out twice each year. The report sent home at the end of the autumn term gives a brief and clearly accessible account of their children’s work and attitudes to date. The summer term report is formal, brief and worded in the most general terms. A strength of the reports is that parents who help their children at home are recognised and the head
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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?
teacher comments on attendance, especially when this is causing problems. The prospectus is informative and meets the statutory requirements.
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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?
55. Parents are invited to curriculum evenings, which deal with, for example, spelling, and vocabulary games that can be played at home. The teachers and headteacher are available on the playground before and after school to talk to parents and discuss any difficulties, which they or parents may be having with children. Parents say that teachers are approachable and accessible.
p.25
HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?
56. Parents of children with special educational needs are encouraged to attend review meetings and the staff make arrangements to meet parents before or after school if they are unable to attend during the school day. They are given good opportunities to contribute to their children’s progress. For example, the targets in pupils’ individual education plans are shared with parents.
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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?
57. The involvement of parents in the life of the school is satisfactory. A few parents help in the school on a regular basis and others support by accompanying pupils on educational visits. Many parents find their children’s homework a problem but others are meticulous in ensuring homework is completed. The Parents Group is having problems encouraging sufficient parents to volunteer their help but with the help of the staff the group still raises very welcome sums of money for the school.
p.25
HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?
58. There has been good improvement in the quality of leadership and management since the time of the last inspection when it was judged to be unsatisfactory. Because of the extent and range of the improvements made, the school is no longer judged to have serious weaknesses.
p.25
HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?
59. The school is well led. The headteacher provides committed and enthusiastic leadership for the pupils and staff. He has a clear philosophy that underpins the development of the school and is articulate in sharing this with the staff, governors and pupils. As a result, there is a strong sense of shared purpose among the staff and governors. He has successfully led the staff in improving the quality of education and in The Heys Primary School - 26 raising standards over the last five terms. There has been a trend of improvement over this period. The deputy headteacher, in post for four terms, provides strong support for the headteacher and they make a good team because of their complimentary skills and expertise. Responsibilities are appropriately shared to make the most of their individual strengths and those of the senior management team. They give positive support and guidance to all the staff and have developed a strong sense of teamwork between all
p.25
HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?
those who work at the school. They are well supported by a dedicated team of staff who show strong commitment to school improvement and this has resulted in improvements in some important areas of the school’s work since the last inspection. The headteacher and staff have made good use of the key issues identified in the last report to develop an effective action plan and to bring about school improvement. They have been open to the advice and support provided by the local education authority and have made good use of these opportunities and those provided through their links with the Beacon School group and other initiatives.
p.26
HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?
60. The headteacher and staff have the support of the governing body and parents who recognise the amount of work done and the changes achieved. The school’s aims and values are well reflected in its work and the school has a welcoming atmosphere and a real sense that adults and pupils really are happy and proud to belong to The Heys Primary School. There is a strong commitment to improve the school further and a good capacity to succeed.
p.26
HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?
61. The senior management team works successfully together in leading school improvement and in the day-to-day management of the school. They have put appropriate strategies in place and have been open to the advice and support provided by the local education authority. They recognise that many of the systems and procedures they have introduced over the last five terms need time to develop in order to have a strong and lasting effect on the standards the school achieves. The headteacher makes best use of the skills and expertise of the staff. The roles and responsibilities of the subject coordinators have been allocated appropriately and this is supporting improvements in curriculum planning and standards. The subject co- ordinators sample pupils’ work from across the school, examine their colleagues’ plans for teaching and analyse pupils’ performance in assessments and tests. They have had some opportunities to monitor and evaluate the quality of teaching and learning through
p.26
HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?
classroom observations. The coordinators have a growing understanding of the strengths and areas for improvement in their subject and those who have held responsibilities for the last year are providing good leadership for their colleagues. This is a satisfactory improvement since the last inspection. Those more recently given these additional responsibilities are enthusiastic about the opportunity and have identified appropriate areas of their subject for improvement. There are appropriate plans to continue to develop these roles and responsibilities. 62. The management of the curriculum has been improved since May 2002 when it was criticised in a report by Her Majesty’s Inspectors. A change in the leadership of the Foundation Stage Unit and the addition of the nursery age group have been instrumental in bringing about good improvements to the curriculum offered to those children. As the number of pupils in the school has fallen, the headteacher has been able to organise the
p.26
HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?
classes in single year groups and staff now plan with the teacher of a parallel class or with a colleague in the same part of the school. This has the effect of making the curriculum more coherent. However, the curriculum for the foundation subjects is still overcrowded because too much time is still allocated to the teaching of English and because no decision has been made about which parts of the programmes of study are to be taught in depth and which in outline. The management of the curriculum is now satisfactory but in urgent need of further improvement. The Heys Primary School - 27 63. The newly established systems to ensure educational inclusion are good and are helping the school to identify pupils with special educational needs and to plan support for them soon after their admission to the school. However, the monitoring of the implementation of the individual educational plans in lessons and the quality of support
p.26
HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?
offered in lessons is less well developed. This is one of the areas identified by the inclusion co-ordinator for further development. The school has plans to further develop the roles of the learning support assistants. The governor named as responsible for special educational needs takes an active role in supporting the school. There are effective links with the neighbouring schools, a Beacon special school and other agencies to further improve the good provision it has for pupils with special educational needs.
p.27
HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?
64. The co-ordinator for English as an additional language (EAL) has taken over the responsibilities very recently. She had the opportunity to work with a specialist and there are plans to offer training on how to teach English as an additional language to all staff next term. The school has improved the provision for pupils who have English as an additional language considerably over the past year and it has a good capacity to improve the provision further.
p.27
HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?
65. The governing body fulfils its statutory responsibilities well and governors have a clear understanding of the division of responsibilities between the headteacher and the governing body. The governors are well led by the chair of governors and provide strong and challenging support for the headteacher and staff. They play a good part in shaping the direction of the school. They are consulted on the full range of issues and are fully involved in decision-making. They are very well informed about the school and its strengths and relative weaknesses because of the detailed reports they receive from the headteacher but also because of their commitment to visiting the school and linking with subject leaders. They use this knowledge well when they make decisions. They work very effectively in committees that take responsibility for a range of aspects including finance, curriculum and personnel. They have delegated powers that enable
p.27
HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?
them to make decisions and recommend a course of action to the full governing body. This is efficient and makes good use of meeting time. The governors monitor the school’s progress towards the priorities in the school development plan and the national test and assessment results and set targets for improvements in standards. They have a good understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for improvement. Governors are effective in fulfilling their statutory responsibilities and are playing a strong role in school improvement. This represents good improvement since the time of the last inspection.
p.27
HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?
66. Since the time of the last inspection, good improvements have been made in the strategies the school uses to identify strengths and weaknesses in teaching and in learning. For example, the headteacher carries out a rigorous programme of classroom observation to monitor and evaluate the quality of teaching and learning. He makes very good use of these opportunities to identify where support or challenge is needed and to respond to the individual needs of teachers. This has been very effective in improving the quality of teaching and, as a result, pupils’ rate of learning has increased and standards have risen. The last inspection identified that the use of data to pinpoint areas for improvement was a weakness in the management of the school. This is much improved and the school makes good use of all available data from formal tests and assessments to identify areas for further improvement. The role of the subject
p.27
HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?
coordinators in monitoring the work of the school is developing well. The school has satisfactory arrangements for the appraisal of the work of teachers and other staff. The arrangements for performance management are in place and targets have been set and agreed with all teachers. The Heys Primary School - 28 67. There have been good improvements in the school’s approach to school development planning since the last inspection and the priorities are now well focused on raising standards. The headteacher and staff now have a clear understanding of why standards have been low and have taken appropriate and successful action to bring about improvement. They now make good use of the analysis of the results of statutory and other assessments of pupils’ progress and a rigorous programme of classroom observations. Of necessity, they have had to introduce a wide range of initiatives over a short time. These are appropriate but the senior management team is aware that more
p.27
HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?
time is needed for these to have a lasting impact. The areas identified for development are discussed and agreed with governors and then included in the school development plan. The plan provides a useful agenda for school improvement and is having a positive impact on standards and on the quality of education . There is a satisfactory time scale for improvement and financial and other resources are appropriately linked to the targets for improvement. However, the tasks to be carried out in order to implement the changes are not always precise and success criteria are not consistently measurable. Consequently, evaluation of the impact of the planned change on quality and standards is less effective. The headteacher, senior management team and governors have taken appropriate action to achieve the targets they have set in the school development plan and in achieving targets set for the results of tests at the end of Year 2 and Year 6.
p.28
HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?
68. The governing body fulfils its financial planning role well. The budget has been well managed to take account of a fall in the number of pupils on roll. Educational developments are supported well and the governors have a very good understanding of the current budget. They make good use of forecast information and take advice from the finance officer and from the headteacher. They have clear priorities for spending decisions and base these on their knowledge of the school and their vision for its long- term strategic development. They have a good understanding of the principles of best value and make satisfactory use of them. Because the success criteria in the school development plan are not consistently measurable, the governors’ role in evaluating the impact of spending on standards is informal. The chair of finance recognises the need to develop more formal approaches to evaluation.
p.28
HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?
69. The bursar operates secure, efficient and effective systems for financial control. The minor recommendations of the most recent auditor’s report have been put in place. Administrative tasks are carried out very efficiently and the day-to-day organisation of the school runs smoothly. Very good use is made of information and communication technology to support the management of finances and administrative tasks. The administrative staff provide very efficient support for the headteacher and staff enabling them to focus on their work with the children. They provide friendly support for parents, pupils and visitors to the school.
p.28
HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?
70. The management, co-ordination and provision for special educational needs is good, overall. The school has recently reviewed the overall provision for special educational needs as part of setting up an inclusion team to have a holistic approach to dealing with all pupils’ needs. The inclusion team meets once every half term to discuss individual pupils on the school’s register of special educational needs. The team includes staff who support within school and those from the support agencies. This has enabled the school to improve the early identification of specific needs and the actions taken to support them.
p.28
HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?
71. There are sufficient well qualified and experienced teachers whose skills and expertise are matched satisfactorily to the needs of the curriculum. They are supported by a sufficient number of support staff whose skills are generally well matched to the work The Heys Primary School - 29 they do with pupils. A comprehensive staff handbook helps teachers and other staff new to the school to quickly understand and follow the schools day-to-day routines and practices. Newly qualified teachers are well supported by the deputy headteacher and there are good arrangements for continuing professional development for all staff. Training opportunities are well matched to individual professional development needs and to whole school priorities.
p.28
HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?
72. There is sufficient accommodation to enable the National Curriculum to be taught. The accommodation is shortly to be replaced by a new building being constructed on the school field. Although there are shortcomings in the fabric of the existing building teachers go to a lot of trouble to ensure that the classrooms, corridors and shared areas provide a pleasant, bright and purposeful learning environment which supports the school’s aims for children’s learning. For example, the use of bays along the corridors to promote the work of children’s authors is an attractive and purposeful way of using the space. The recently adapted area used by the Foundation Stage Unit is generous in size and allows the staff to provide a stimulating and varied range of learning opportunities for the children. A temporary outdoor area for the age group is satisfactory but is not continuously accessible from the classroom. The playground for
p.29
HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?
pupils in Years 1 to 6 is spacious but rather barren. Pergolas and tubs of plants have been introduced to soften the area and this is a good improvement. The surface of the playground is badly worn and rough in places and is in need of repair. Because the accommodation is to be replaced shortly, only essential repairs and redecoration have been carried out since the last inspection.
p.29
HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?
73. There is a good range of learning resources of good quality to support the teaching of the National Curriculum and the Foundation Stage curriculum. These are satisfactorily stored to give staff and pupils easy access. The staff provide attractive, good quality learning resources for pupils in lessons and pupils respond well by handling them carefully. The library is well organised and there is a satisfactory range of books to support the curriculum. The pupils enjoy their visits to the library and have a good understanding of how to access the information they need. The work of a volunteer makes a positive impact on the pupils’ attitude to and use of the library.
p.29
HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?
74. The headteacher, staff and governors have worked well together to meet the targets for improvement set for the school at the time of the last inspection. They have achieved most of what they were asked to do and, in some instances, have gone further. Standards in English, mathematics and science have continued to rise since the last inspection although there is still need for improvement in all three subjects. Standards in music have improved and are now satisfactory. There has not been enough improvement in physical education and standards are still below those expected for pupils at the end of Year 2 and the end of Year 6. The inspection evidence shows significant improvements in the quality of teaching. Overall, improvement since the last inspection is judged to be good and the school now provides good value for money. The Heys Primary School - 30
p.29
WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?
In order to further raise standards and improve the quality of education, the headteacher, staff and governors should work together to:
p.30
WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?
1. Maintain the rate of improvement in standards in English and mathematics throughout Years 1 to 6. Paragraphs: 3, 5, 28, 86-91, 95, 98-101, 103 and 104
p.30
WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?
2. Raise standards further by improving the quality and depth of the curriculum by:
p.30
WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?
• providing pupils with more opportunities to develop their skills in expressing their ideas and understanding in speech; • reducing the time allocated to English and providing pupils with more planned opportunities to practise their skills in reading, writing, numeracy and information technology in other subjects. • making decisions about which parts of the curricula for the foundation subjects are to be taught in depth and which in outline; Paragraphs: 7, 11, 31, 32, 62, 87-89, 113, 120, 125, 129, 134 and 142
p.30
WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?
3. Raise standards of attainment in physical education in Years 1 to 6. Paragraphs: 7, 22, 26, 34 and 154-160
p.30
WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?
4. Develop the good work started in establishing an effective partnership with parents in order to involve them more in their children’s education. Paragraphs: 53-55 and 57
p.30
WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?
5. Ensure that the pace of change allows the school to consolidate and further develop the effective strategies and initiatives introduced in the last year. Paragraph: 67
p.30
WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?
6. Improve the rate of pupils’ attendance. Paragraphs: 16 and 47
p.30
WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?
In addition to the key issues above, the governors should consider the following less significant issue for inclusion in their action plan:
p.30
WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?
• Seek to provide continuous access to a well resourced outdoor learning area for children in the Foundation Stage. Paragraphs: 72 and 79 The Heys Primary School - 31
p.30
Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection
Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 35
p.31
Summary of teaching observed during the inspection
Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactor y Poor Very Poor
p.31
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 about two percentage points.
p.31
Information about the school’s pupils
Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery YR – Y6
p.31
Information about the school’s pupils
Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 10 235
p.31
Information about the school’s pupils
Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 0 91
p.31
Information about the school’s pupils
Special educational needs Nursery YR – Y6
p.31
Information about the school’s pupils
Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 0 6
p.31
Information about the school’s pupils
Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 3 46
p.31
Information about the school’s pupils
English as an additional language No of pupils
p.31
Information about the school’s pupils
Number of pupils with English as an additional language 56
p.31
Information about the school’s pupils
Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils
p.31
Information about the school’s pupils
Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 33
p.31
Information about the school’s pupils
Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 27
p.31
Attendance
National comparative data 5.4 National comparative data 0.5 The Heys Primary School - 32 Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. The Heys Primary School - 33
p.31
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 22 10 32
p.33
Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)
National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics
p.33
Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)
Boys 17 18 18 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 8 7 8
p.33
Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)
Percentage of pupils School 78 (73) 78 (58) 81 (92) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (84) 86 (86) 90 (91)
p.33
Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)
Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science
p.33
Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)
Boys 17 18 18 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 8 8 6
p.33
Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)
Percentage of pupils School 78 (62) 81 (88) 75 (81) at NC level 2 or above National 85 (85) 89 (89) 89 (89)
p.33
Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)
Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year.
p.33
Attainment at the end of Year 6 (Year 6)
Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 2002 29 21 50
p.33
Attainment at the end of Year 6 (Year 6)
National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science
p.33
Attainment at the end of Year 6 (Year 6)
Boys 17 14 24 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 18 14 18
p.33
Attainment at the end of Year 6 (Year 6)
Percentage of pupils School 70 (70) 56 (61) 84 (80) at NC level 4 or above National 75 (75) 73 (71) 86 (87)
p.33
Attainment at the end of Year 6 (Year 6)
Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science
p.33
Attainment at the end of Year 6 (Year 6)
Boys 20 15 18 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 20 16 16
p.33
Attainment at the end of Year 6 (Year 6)
Percentage of pupils School 82 (72) 62 (61) 68 (80) at NC level 4 or above National 73 (72) 74 (74) 82 (82)
p.33
Attainment at the end of Year 6 (Year 6)
Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. The Heys Primary School - 34
p.33
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.34
Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year
Asian or Asian British – any other Asian background 9
p.34
Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year
Black or Black British – any other Black background
p.34
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. The Heys Primary School - 35
p.34
Teachers and classes Financial information
Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 10.5 Financial year 2001-2002
p.35
Teachers and classes Financial information
Number of pupils per qualified teacher 23.2:1
p.35
Teachers and classes Financial information
Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total income 700,830
p.35
Teachers and classes Financial information
Total number of education support staff 10 Total expenditure 694141
p.35
Teachers and classes Financial information
Total aggregate hours worked per week 215 Expenditure per pupil 2561
p.35
Teachers and classes Financial information
Qualified teachers and support staff: nursery Balance brought forward from previous year 24311
p.35
Teachers and classes Financial information
Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 0.5 Balance carried forward to next year 31000
p.35
Teachers and classes Financial information
Number of pupils per qualified teacher 10
p.35
Teachers and classes Financial information
Total number of education support staff 2
p.35
Teachers and classes Financial information
Total aggregate hours worked per week 112.5
p.35
Recruitment of teachers
Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 9
p.35
Recruitment of teachers
Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 6
p.35
Recruitment of teachers
Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 1
p.35
Recruitment of teachers
Number of vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of a term or more (FTE) 2
p.35
Recruitment of teachers
Number of unfilled vacancies or vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of less than one term (FTE) 1
p.35
Recruitment of teachers
FTE means full-time equivalent. The Heys Primary School - 36
p.35
Results of the survey of parents and carers
Percentage of responses in each category
p.36
Results of the survey of parents and carers
Strongly agree Tend to agree Tend to disagree Strongly disagree Don’t know
p.36
Results of the survey of parents and carers
My child is making good progress in school. 68 27 5 0 0
p.36
Results of the survey of parents and carers
Behaviour in the school is good. 64 27 5 5 0
p.36
Results of the survey of parents and carers
My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 45 45 5 5 0
p.36
Results of the survey of parents and carers
I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 64 32 5 0 0
p.36
Results of the survey of parents and carers
I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 77 14 5 5 0
p.36
Results of the survey of parents and carers
The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 82 14 0 0 5
p.36
Results of the survey of parents and carers
The school works closely with parents. 68 23 5 5 0
p.36
Results of the survey of parents and carers
The school is well led and managed. 55 36 9 0 0
p.36
Results of the survey of parents and carers
The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 64 32 5 0 0
p.36
Results of the survey of parents and carers
The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 64 32 0 5 0
p.36
Results of the survey of parents and carers
Please note that each parent’s response represents almost 5 percentage points.
p.36
Results of the survey of parents and carers
Only one parent wrote a letter to the inspectors and this was very critical of a number of issues including the school’s financial management, appointment of staff and care of pupils. All the matters raised have been investigated. The inspectors find no evidence to support the criticisms made. The Heys Primary School - 37
p.36
AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE
75. The school introduced part-time nursery provision for 3 year olds in September 2002. Children are admitted to the reception unit once a year in September. A teacher and three nursery nurses teach the nursery and reception children together in a ‘Foundation Stage Unit’. Each member of staff takes responsibility for one of the four ‘family groups’. Each group includes some children of nursery age and some of reception year age. They provide a safe, secure and exciting environment in which children’s progress is supported through play and practical activities.
p.37
AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE
76. Many children enter the Foundation Stage unit with skills that are well below those expected for their age especially in communication, language and literacy and in their personal, social and emotional development. About a quarter of the pupils attending the Foundation Stage Unit have English as an additional language. The very good teaching strategies enable all children to make rapid progress in their basic skills. By the time they leave the Foundation Stage, they are well on their way attaining the expectations of the early learning goals in personal, social, and emotional development and in their speaking and listening skills. They make a similar rate of progress in creative and physical development. However, standards in communication, language and literacy, mathematical development and knowledge and understanding of the world still remain below those expected for their age. Children with special educational needs and those
p.37
AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE
who have English as an additional language make good progress in all six areas of learning.
p.37
AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE
77. The co-ordinator and staff have worked hard to create and establish an effective Foundation Stage Unit. The Unit provides children with a good start to their education. The plans for teaching allow a good balance between child initiated and adult directed activities and this is having a positive impact on the progress children make. It is detailed and clearly focused on what staff want children to learn and experience. They evaluate the use of the provision well. For example, because they identified that boys were less likely to take part in role-play activities, they have added a ‘Bob the builder shop’ to encourage more boys to take an active part in the play and develop their communication skills. However, the use of artefacts, pictures and captions in pupils’ home languages to make it more familiar for the many children with English as an additional language is not sufficiently well developed. The assessment procedures are
p.37
AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE
thorough and staff use this data and their observations of individual children well to plan for the next steps in their learning.
p.37
AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE
78. The co-ordinator, in partnership with the rest of staff, has prioritised the areas for development and used the resources well to improve the quality of teaching and learning. She provides very good educational direction for the Unit.
p.37
AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE
79. Since the last inspection, the school has made good progress in improving the provision for the Foundation Stage. The quality of teaching and learning has improved and there are particular strengths in the way the staff use the different areas of the classroom to develop children’s imagination and ‘talk’. There is a strong and appropriate emphasis on learning through play. The work with children in the Nurture Group is having a positive effect on their self-esteem and confidence and is playing a valuable part in raising standards. The staff use the outdoor area creatively to develop children’s physical skills but there is still no direct access to an outdoor area and this remains a shortcoming in the provision. The school has established some effective links with parents but this is The Heys Primary School - 38 an important area for further development. The school’s planned involvement in the ‘Sure Start’ project has the potential to further enrich links with parents.
p.37
Personal, social and emotional development
80. The children make very good progress in this area of learning. Given the low level of skills that many have when they start school, the nursery-age children are slowly gaining the confidence to explore the various activities set out for them and are settling into the daily routines. The reception-age children confidently choose the area in which they want to play and find the resources they need. The children are sufficiently confident in the classroom to be able to make suggestions and take initiative. For example, in one session, a group of children were attempting to build a model using large wooden blocks when a member of staff pointed out an aspect of safety. One of the children listening to this conversation went away, made a sign that said ‘danger’ and then suggested to the adult that they could put up the sign to warn the other children. There staff plan their work well to promote this area of the children’s development in
p.38
Personal, social and emotional development
every area of the Unit. The snack times are used well to develop children’s social skills and their independence skills are developed systematically through the appropriate use of praise and encouragement. Most nursery children can manage most of the tasks associated with getting dressed and undressed for physical education. Children in the Reception Year manage this very well and are sufficiently proficient to help one another with buttons and other fastenings. Children’s behaviour in and out of the classroom is very good.
p.38
Communication, language and literacy
81. The quality of teaching and learning in communication, language and literacy is very good and children make very good progress. There is a strong emphasis on developing children’s speaking and listening skills. Children are given opportunities to talk about their experiences. For example, they describe how the gravel feels and looks and talk about what they saw on their mathematics walk. The majority of the nursery children are reluctant speakers but they listen well and show that they understand by following the adults’ instructions. Children of reception age speak in full sentences using a limited vocabulary and speech is often clear. The staff take time to listen to what children have to say, respond to their suggestions and ideas and involve them in discussions. The adults model the language well through repetition and offering alternative forms of expression. The careful organisation of books and a reading corner help children to
p.38
Communication, language and literacy
develop their interests in books. Children are interested in sharing books with one another and with the adults. The nursery children listen with interest to the stories linked with letter sounds and try to join in with the rhymes and other language activities. The reception children do this confidently and have a good knowledge of letter sounds. Children in reception make marks on paper as a way of communicating messages; for example, they make a list of things the builder needs to do and take telephone messages in the shop. With adult support, the higher attaining children in reception use the words provided to build simple sentences. However, the majority of the children do not reach the nationally expected level in the reading and writing aspects of this area of learning by the end of the reception year.
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Mathematical development
82. Teaching of mathematical development is very good and children make very good progress. Children are provided with an interesting range of activities including nursery rhymes, action songs, games, jigsaws and role-play to extend their understanding of numbers, shape and measure. For example, the nursery nurse used the role-play area The Heys Primary School - 39 well to develop children’s mathematical vocabulary and to extend their understanding of numbers. As a result children used their knowledge about numbers and counting to build the wall by matching the numbers. In another situation, the boys who were building the wooden wall were encouraged to compare its height with their own. One or two higher attaining children in the group could use ‘taller than’ and ‘shorter than’ to compare the heights. Children in the nursery join in with number rhymes and actions to number songs. Children in reception count up to ten and are beginning to recognise the
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Mathematical development
numerals from one to five. The majority of children are working below what is typical for the age group at this stage in the reception year, but a significant number are on course to achieve the national early learning goals by the end of the reception year.
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Knowledge and understanding of the world
83. Many children beginning in the nursery year have very little experience of the world around them and their knowledge and understanding are well below what is typical for children at this stage of their development. The exciting learning environment helps children to explore and find out about the world around them. For example, children playing in the sand wanted to find out how they could build hills and roads. They used the shapes to build the hills and then moved the sand away to create the roads. Children in the reception year are developing their observational skills. For example, they described how the gravel appeared to be bigger when they looked through the magnifying glass. They build models using construction materials and some high attaining children chose the right shapes to create a building in a picture. Children using the computer control the mouse well and are able to click on objects on the screen and
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Knowledge and understanding of the world
move them about. Although there is some evidence of children being given opportunity to learn about different cultures, this area of the knowledge and understanding of the world is less well developed. Although they make good gains in this area of learning, most children do not reach the early learning goals by the end of the reception year.
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Physical development
84. The majority of children are on course to reach the national early learning goals for this area of learning by the time they leave the Foundation Stage Unit. The quality of teaching in this area is very good. The staff use the outdoor area creatively to develop children’s skills and confidence in using different apparatus. Both reception and nursery children take part in these activities with confidence. Children make good use of the space available and show a growing understanding of safety and are careful about not to bump into others as they crawl through the tunnel and roll along the mat. They hop, jump and run with increasing control and are beginning to understand how to jump off a piece of apparatus and land properly. Staff use these sessions very well to further develop children’s understanding of positional vocabulary such as under, over, through and around. The children use small implements such as pencils, paintbrush, scissors and
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Physical development
glue spreaders with confidence and good control. They show good co-ordination and control when filling and empting water using funnels and tubes.
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Creative development
85. The role-play areas are used effectively to develop children’s imagination. The staff are very knowledgeable about how young children develop a theme in their play and intervene only when necessary and then with skill. Through the topic of ‘Bob the Builder’, children are discovering and acting out the roles and responsibilities different people have. They organise themselves into these roles in negotiation with their class mates and use the available resources to develop their play. The adults are skilled in intervening in the play to extend and consolidate the children’s ideas. The children know The Heys Primary School - 40 and enjoy a variety of songs and singing games. The adults offer children a good range of opportunities to use different materials like paint, pastels and crayons to create pictures. Nursery children can make marks and lines on paper using paint and pencils to represent things they have seen or people they know and older children show greater
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Creative development
control over the tools and materials and produce recognisable figures and objects from observation or from imagination. The very good teaching in this area means that the children are on course to achieve the national early learning goals by the end of the reception year.
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ENGLISH
86. Pupils enter school with below average language and communication skills. They make satisfactory progress in Year 1 and Year 2 but by the end of Year 2 standards are still below average in both reading and writing. The results of the 2002 tests indicate that standards are below average although attainment is average when compared to similar schools. Inspection evidence indicates pupils make good progress in Years 3 to 6 due to the good teaching and by the end of Year 6 pupils’ standards of attainment are as would be expected nationally. Pupils with English as an additional language and those with special educational needs make good progress.
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ENGLISH
87. Pupils enter the school with below average skills in speaking. They have difficulty articulating their thoughts and ideas and this continues throughout the school. They answer questions but often their response lacks an explanation, as they do not always have the understanding of wider issues to support their learning or a rich expressive vocabulary. For example, Year 2 pupils struggle with explaining the differences between long and short and soft and loud while discussing music. Year 5 pupils attempt to evaluate one another’s work but are limited to short utterances. There is insufficient expectation that pupils will develop their ideas orally throughout the curriculum. They do use the mathematical vocabulary they have been taught accurately but responses are brief and sentences are not extended. Teachers use a good strategy of a ‘word for the week’ to help to extend and enrich pupils’ vocabulary. For example, ‘onomatopoeia’ was
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ENGLISH
the word for the week for Year 6 pupils. Sometimes pupils are not encouraged to give more expansive answers because the teacher’s questions are not sufficiently open ended. In the main, pupils listen to their teachers and to each other but it is often a passive activity. When parts of lessons become over-long and less challenging, pupils do not listen well. Most pupils become engrossed in stories and listen with interest. For example, Year 5 pupils requested a session where the teacher read a crime story that required the pupils to make deductions and solve the mystery.
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ENGLISH
88. Drama lessons were not observed during the inspection. Teachers' plans, discussions with the staff and pupils reveal that there are some opportunities for pupils to participate in drama activities such as school productions and assemblies. However, there are too few opportunities for pupils to develop their speaking skills through the activities such as role-play, making presentations or debate.
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ENGLISH
89. Pupils’ attainment in reading is below average at the end of Year 2 and just below average at the end of Year 6. Guided reading sessions are having a positive impact; and are improving pupil’s skills, for example in making inferences from the text and reading with expression. For instance, Year 4 pupils read the appropriate dialogue using ‘alien’ voices. Pupils in Year 1 and Year 2 use pictures and letter sounds to help them read unfamiliar words in stories. In Year 3 and Year 4, pupils understand the main points of stories and can identify characters. They use their knowledge to re-write a story as a play script. The more able Year 6 pupils read competently and recall details of what they have read. Pupils with special educational needs throughout the school are given good The Heys Primary School - 41 support. Recently, reading resources have been improved and there is a range of interesting literature available and this is having a positive effect on the pupils’
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ENGLISH
enjoyment. The majority of pupils take books home regularly but there is not a strong ethos of reading in the home. The school enhances the curriculum by inviting authors such as Stanley Bagshaw to come into school and talk to pupils about his work.
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ENGLISH
90. Standards in writing are below average at the end of Year 2 and average at the end of Year 6. Pupils in Years 1 to 6 make good progress. There is a systematic approach to teaching grammar, punctuation, handwriting and spelling. Pupils find it difficult to form their letters when they first enter school and many are at the early stages of writing. By the time pupils are in Year 6 standards of presentation are good. Pupils produce clear, legible and well organised handwriting. Younger pupils find it difficult to spell accurately but the more able produce recognisable, though not always correct, spelling of a range of common words. There are good expectations that older pupils spell correctly and as a result, the majority of pupils’ spell an appropriate range of words accurately. Year 2 pupils are beginning to use full stops and capital letters in the correct place but the majority do not do so consistently. They know a range of phonemes and can use them
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ENGLISH
to make a range of words. For example, they can use ‘ar’ to make star and cart. Pupils in Years 5 and 6 use a range of punctuation correctly; for example, speech marks in dialogue between two people. Pupils in Years 3 and 4 do not always have the correct match between the subject and the verb and often use the local dialect form. For example, a Year 4 pupil wrote ‘she were ready’. However, in Year 5 the good teaching helps pupils to understand verb tense more clearly.
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ENGLISH
91. Pupils in Year 1 use isolated letters, words and phrases to communicate meaning; they can sequence three pictures to tell a story. Pupils make satisfactory progress in Years 1 and 2 and by Year 2, pupils are beginning to understand the differences between writing instructions and prose. They know that instructions need a list of the items that are required and pupils of average ability can remember the items mentioned in the story of ‘The Lighthouse Keeper’s Lunch’. Pupils in Years 3 to 6 write for a wide range of purposes and make good progress because of the good quality of the teaching. Year 6 pupils write poetry in the Japanese style of ‘Haiku’ and Year 4 pupils follow an example by the poet Christina Rossetti. Year 5 pupils write instructions and know that features such as a title and bullet points might be used. They realise the importance of getting the information in the correct order. Year 6 pupils know the key features of writing
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ENGLISH
92. Pupils have good attitudes to the subject and most try hard and respond appropriately to the teachers' questions. They work productively especially when the lesson is interesting and lively and the class teacher has a good relationship with them. They take a pride in presenting their written work well. They do their best to be creative and some pupils have the vocabulary to describe the sea, for example, as ‘sapphire blue’, but a significant number of pupils do not have a good range of descriptive vocabulary. The majority of pupils have short spans of concentration but learning is sustained when tasks are varied and proceed at a good pace. Good behaviour is maintained where the quality of teaching is good. A minority of pupils do not take responsibility for their own learning and need frequent reminders of the teachers’ expectations.
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ENGLISH
93. Overall the quality of teaching is good. Good teaching supports pupils well by creating small steps in learning that ensure that the pupils are successful and make progress in the lesson. For example, before writing Year 4 pupils collect a range of vocabulary linked to objects that they can then use to create their own poem. Where lessons have a good pace and routines are well established, pupils know what to do and can begin their tasks promptly. Where the quality of teaching is very good, the teacher makes the high expectations clear and pupils are encouraged to make links with their learning in The Heys Primary School - 42 other subjects. For example, Year 6 pupils were provided with a poster showing the negative aspects of pollution in the environment and were expected to counter-balance this with positive reasons for our need for transport and power. Where teaching is less effective, the teacher’s questioning is insufficiently demanding and the pace of learning
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ENGLISH
94. Information and communication technology is beginning to be used to support work in English and the co-ordinator has identified connections between subjects and aspects to be covered. For example, pupils retell stories they know from their history and religious education lessons but overall, opportunities for pupils to practice their skills in writing across the curriculum are under developed.
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ENGLISH
95. The school has adapted the National Literacy Strategy guidance to meet the needs of the pupils and the teaching of basic skills and literacy is effective. Pupils are aware of how to improve their work through individual targets and marking frequently relates to these targets. However, some of the targets are too broad and are not sufficiently broken down into small steps in learning to enable the pupils to achieve success quickly and regularly. Assessment procedures are good and assessment is used to plan future work.
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ENGLISH
96. Pupils with special educational needs have appropriately detailed individual education plans, which clearly identify what is required to take their learning forward. Teachers use these when they plan the good range of different tasks for groups of pupils. Pupils with English as an additional language also benefit from the support they receive and make good progress.
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ENGLISH
97. The co-ordinator is very knowledgeable and has a clear overview of the subject within the school. She monitors teaching and learning effectively and uses this information as the basis for plans for future development. The subject is well managed. There is an improvement in the range and quality of resources. Overall, there has been good improvement in the provision since the last inspection.
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MATHEMATICS
98. Evidence gathered from lesson observations in each year group, a scrutiny of a sample of pupils` work and discussions with pupils` and teachers indicates that pupils` attainment in mathematics is broadly in line with the levels expected nationally at the end of Year 2 and at the end of Year 6. There has been a sustained trend of improvement in pupils` attainment that is in line with the national trend. The school has made good progress in raising standards in mathematics since the last inspection.
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MATHEMATICS
99. Many of the pupils enter Year 1 with attainment that is below average. They make satisfactory progress in Years 1 and 2. The results of the national tests and assessments for pupils at the end of Year 2 in 2002 were above average when compared to the results of pupils in similar schools. The percentage of pupils achieving the higher level (Level 3) was also above that of similar schools. This is an improvement since the last inspection.
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MATHEMATICS
100. In Year 1, lower attaining pupils are able to add on 1 to a given number up to 10 but are not yet secure in forming numerals up to 20. Higher attaining pupils can add and subtract numbers up to 10, are able to order numbers up to 20 and form the numerals correctly. By Year 2, higher attaining pupils have progressed sufficiently to adding on 20 and 30 to a given number, can sequence numbers up to a 100 and have an understanding of odd and even numbers. The majority of pupils recognise a number of The Heys Primary School - 43 two–dimensional shapes; the higher attaining pupils are able to identify more complex shapes such as cylinders and cones. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress overall. There is no significant difference in attainment between the pupils who speak English as an additional language and other pupils.
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MATHEMATICS
101. Pupils` standards of attainment in mathematics by the end of Year 6 are broadly average. This is an improvement since the previous inspection. The performance of Year 6 pupils in the national tests is in line with that of pupils in similar schools. The proportion of pupils reaching the higher level (Level 5) is above that of pupils in similar schools. This is an improvement since the last inspection.
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MATHEMATICS
102. Many pupils in Year 6 can multiply and divide numbers by 10 and 100 and have a reasonable recall of multiplication tables. Over half the pupils have a good working knowledge of fractions and are able to calculate the percentage of various quantities. Pupils with special educational needs are making good progress in understanding simple fractions. Higher attaining pupils in Years 5 and 6 are participating in several activities to advance their mathematical skill in solving problems. For example, challenging mathematical puzzles are set for them to solve by an advanced skills teacher from a local secondary school. This is improving the number of pupils who are able to achieve the higher grades in the national tests. Throughout Years 3 to 6, pupils are making good progress in using and applying numbers to solve problems in mathematics. For example, Year 4 pupils use place value and addition of decimals in
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MATHEMATICS
money to solve problems relating to an outward-bound activity. Pupils used their mathematical knowledge and skills in science to measure the force of up-thrust but there was little evidence of it being used in other lessons throughout the school. The school has worked hard to improve teachers own subject knowledge in this area since the last inspection and has introduced a range of strategies to assess pupils understanding of learning objectives. For example, they have implemented the consistent use by teachers of probing questions linked to each key learning objective. Pupils are expected to show how they have worked out an answer but this is not yet used consistently throughout the school. Overall, the progress of pupils in mathematics is good, including those pupils for whom English is a second language and pupils with special educational needs who receive a good level of support.
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MATHEMATICS
103. The quality of teaching in mathematics is good overall with examples of very good teaching in Years 3 to 6. Where the teaching is of a high quality, the pace of the lesson is good and the teachers communicate strongly to all the pupils an enthusiasm and expectancy of success in a supportive environment. The mental and oral parts of the lessons are a good feature of the lessons. The quality of questioning used by teachers is high and allows pupils time to explain their methods of calculation. Pupils and teachers are involved in mathematical dialogues where pupils are expected to use the appropriate mathematical vocabulary and are given a range of strategies to further their understanding. For example, in a Year 4 lesson, pupils were helped to relate halving numbers to the use of the 2 times table and put it in their “toolbox” of strategies to help them when solving problems. Most pupils responded well to the challenge and enjoyed
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MATHEMATICS
working hard. They behaved well and were enthusiastic about mathematics. Where teaching was less effective, the pace in the middle part of the lesson was too slow and there was a mismatch of tasks to pupils` abilities. This led to some pupils losing concentration and misbehaving. In some lessons the summing up period was not used effectively to check or further pupils` gains in knowledge. On these occasions, pupils` progress is not as good as it could be. This was particularly noticeable in Years 1 and 2. The Heys Primary School - 44 104. The quality of the mathematics curriculum is good and has improved since the last inspection. Planning is consistent throughout the school and suitably differentiated to meet the needs of all pupils. The curriculum is broad and covers all areas of mathematics. Although there was not much evidence of data handling in books, there was evidence that this subject had been used across the curriculum. Marking is
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MATHEMATICS
consistently good and is used to best effect when informing pupils of the progress they have made, skills they have achieved and the quality of their presentation. Effective in– service training has raised teachers’ knowledge and understanding of the requirements of the National Numeracy Strategy and created a better balanced curriculum. The concentration on developing mental and oral skills and then using these skills has enabled pupils to work at a faster pace. Pupils are set appropriate targets for mathematics that are recorded in their books and shared with parents. Games workshops for parents have been held to assist in pupils learning at home and make mathematics fun. The quality and range of learning resources has been enhanced and the use of these has contributed to the improvement in standards. For example, individual whiteboards and resources for teaching space and shape have been purchased to support whole class sessions. Good use is made of the interactive
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MATHEMATICS
whiteboard to demonstrate and to involve pupils in the learning. There was little evidence of the use of computers in mathematics.
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MATHEMATICS
105. Mathematics is very well led and managed by the coordinator who joined the school recently. She has shared her considerable expertise and knowledge most effectively with other staff and parents in order to raise pupils` achievements in mathematics and make it more enjoyable. The coordinator and the headteacher observe and evaluate the quality of teaching, scrutinise plan for teaching and samples of pupils` work. Data from national and school-based tests is analysed very effectively and used as a basis for identifying targets for individual pupils’ learning. Government initiatives such as ‘Springboard’ and ‘booster classes’ have been used effectively to raise the attainment of targeted pupils. There are good records of pupils’ progress that relate to gender, ethnicity and pupil mobility. The coordinator is very clear about what needs to be done in order to continue to raise standards in mathematics.
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SCIENCE
106. The results of the national tests in science for pupils at the end of Year 6 in 2002 show that the standards in science have improved since the last inspection. Inspection evidence shows a similar picture. When compared with similar schools and to pupils’ prior attainment, the school has consistently improved the standards for the past two years despite the high proportion of pupils joining and leaving the school. When the results are compared to the results of pupils in similar schools, pupils’ standards of attainment are above average. This is a direct impact of the systems the school has put in place to improve the quality of teaching and learning in science through out school.
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SCIENCE
107. The results of national teacher assessments in science for Year 2 pupils in 2002 were well below the national average. The results were similar in 2001. Inspection evidence from pupils’ work and discussion with pupils indicates that they make satisfactory progress from the below average levels of attainment on entry to the school. However, their investigative skills still remain well below those expected nationally for the age group.
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SCIENCE
108. There are no marked differences between boys’ and girls’ attainment. Pupils with special educational needs are well supported in lessons and they make good progress towards their targets. Pupils with English as additional language who are more proficient The Heys Primary School - 45 in English make good progress and their attainment is similar or sometimes better than that of their monolingual peers.
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SCIENCE
109. Pupils in Year 2 know that they need food and exercise in order to stay healthy. They identify food that gives them energy and helps them to grow. They observe and explain the changes that happen to their body and how they feel after exercise. Pupils have a clear understanding of the differences between plants and animals and a good understanding of the properties of materials. Although pupils are given the opportunity to collect and record data in simple bar graphs and pictures, there is little evidence that they are given the opportunity to interpret their findings or draw scientific conclusions from them. Similarly, there is little evidence that pupils are offered opportunities to predict what might happen or compare their findings with their predictions. A discussion with a group of Year 2 pupils reveals that their knowledge about forces and electricity is limited. For example, they didn’t know that the circuit needed to be complete for the bulb
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SCIENCE
to light up. Because of their limited language skills they find it difficult to articulate what they know and understand and needed prompting.
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SCIENCE
110. By the time they are in Year 6, pupils have made good progress in their understanding of life processes and living things. They identify the position of major organs such as the heart and know that it pumps the blood around the body. The higher attaining pupils know that the blood is circulated through blood vessels. Pupils have a good understanding of different parts of plant and their use. Year 3 pupils group the materials according to their properties and usage and in Year 6, pupils are beginning to understand some of the methods that are used to separate simple mixtures. They are beginning to understand the different types of forces and their effects. Pupils make good progress in understanding materials and their properties and in life processes and living things. Discussion with pupils shows that they have limited understanding of the solar system.
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SCIENCE
111. The school has done much to improve pupils’ investigative skills. Pupils in Year 6 explain the steps they need to take to complete an investigation. They use simple equipment and a range of methods including bar graphs, line graphs and drawings to record their results. Pupils interpret the data they have collected and many draw scientific conclusions from their results. This is a good improvement since the last inspection. Pupils know the concept of creating a fair test but they have little understanding of how to go about setting up such a test. Although there are some instances where pupils are given opportunities to pose questions and set up independent investigations, this aspect of scientific enquiry is not fully developed. This is having a negative impact on pupils’ attainment in science.
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SCIENCE
112. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory in Years 1 and 2 and good in Years 3 to 6. The new systems that the school has put in place to improve teaching and learning in science are having a positive effect on pupils’ attainment by the end of Year 6. Teachers in both key stages have good subject knowledge and use this well to explain scientific principles and to answer pupils’ questions. Teachers in Years 3 to 6, use the assessment information well to plan for the next stage in pupils’ learning. This was evident in a Year 6 lesson about forces. The teacher organised the activities in such a way that the less able pupils had the opportunity to consolidate and practise what they knew about predictions and how to check them against their findings. Higher attaining pupils were asked to find more about how to measure forces and extend their knowledge about the direction of forces. Strategies such as these help pupils to make
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SCIENCE
good progress towards attaining specific scientific knowledge. There is some evidence that pupils are offered some opportunities to pose questions and work together in groups to find answers to these questions. For example, pupils in Year 4 were able to work in small groups to investigate solids and liquids. The Heys Primary School - 46 113. Teachers in Years 3 to 6 use the science lessons effectively to build on and extend pupils’ literacy and numeracy skills. In a lesson in Year 5, the teacher asked the pupils to read the text and find more information about the different categories of food and the pupils managed this very well. This is less evident in Years 1 and 2. For example, in their investigations about their favourite food, pupils were given the opportunity to record their findings using a bar graph but there was little evidence of pupils being asked to interpret their findings or draw conclusions from them. Pupils with special educational
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SCIENCE
needs and those who have English as an additional language are well supported in lessons.
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SCIENCE
114. All pupils have full access to the science curriculum. The teaching of science makes satisfactory contribution to pupils’ learning in other subjects such as design and technology, English, and mathematics. There is some evidence that pupils use ICT to gather, collate and record data from their investigations. The marking of pupils’ work is consistent throughout school and most written comments make clear what the pupil did well and what needs to be improved. Pupils present their work well in response to the teachers’ expectations for high quality. Teachers assess pupils’ work at the end of each unit and pupils are set targets for their learning in science. However, as most of these targets are related to the knowledge of specific areas of science they make little contribution to the school’s efforts to improve pupils’ investigative skills.
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SCIENCE
115. The school has done a lot to improve the provision for science since the last inspection. There are now clear plans of action most of which are being implemented. The staff have benefited from a variety of training provided by the subject coordinators and external providers. The co-ordinators monitor pupils’ progress through the scrutiny of pupils’ work and teachers’ planning. As part of a ‘gifted and talented’ project, the school has established good links with a local secondary school and pupils benefit from the additional opportunities this provides for them. The co-ordinators provide good educational direction for the subject and there is a good capacity to further improve standards and quality in the subject under their leadership.
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ART AND DESIGN
116. Pupils’ attainment in art meets national expectations at the end of Year 2 but is below expectations at the end of Year 6. The previous inspection reported that all the pupils made sound progress. Currently, the progress made by pupils in Years 1 and 2, including those with special educational needs and English as an additional language, is satisfactory. However, progress in Years 3 to 6 is inconsistent and this has a negative impact on standards at the end of Year 6.
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ART AND DESIGN
117. Because of the way the timetable is planned it was only possible to observe lessons in Year 6. Judgements are based on the observation of lessons in Year 6, a scrutiny of pupils’ work, displays, and discussions with pupils and with the coordinator. The amount of time allocated to the subject in Years 3 to 6 is barely adequate. Although the school values art as an aesthetic experience, pupils have limited opportunities to learn and consolidate the skills they require to practise art themselves. Displays and sketchbooks clearly demonstrate that drawing and painting skills have not been developed systematically as pupils move through school. For example, there is little difference in the portraits drawn by pupils in Years 2 and 4.
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ART AND DESIGN
118. Pupils in Years 1 and 2 are given the opportunity to explore and experiment in a range of materials in different art forms. For example, when pupils in Year 2 draw portraits of a The Heys Primary School - 47 friend they experiment with charcoal to draw hair texture and pastels for skin tone. In Year 1, pupils have the opportunity to weave and to experiment with dyeing fabric. In Years 3 to 6, pupils are able to develop their knowledge and understanding of materials and processes used in art and the roles and purposes of artists and designers. For example, pupils in Year 6 were able to discuss the work of artists they had studied such as Lowry, Constable, Van Gogh and Leonardo da Vinci. They remembered well the visits they had made to local art galleries. Pupils were very enthusiastic about the art and design. The subject provides good support for pupils` cultural development. There are good links with other subjects such as history.
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ART AND DESIGN
119. Because no teaching was seen in Years 1 to 5 it is not possible to make a judgement about the quality of teaching. However, in the two lessons observed in Year 6, the quality of teaching was good. Teachers have good subject knowledge, are well prepared and planning is good. They are enthusiastic and motivate pupils well. Resources were used effectively to stimulate discussion in the lessons. Good use was made of the interactive whiteboard to discuss the techniques used by the artist Van Gogh. The skilful questioning of the teacher enabled pupils to comment on Van Gogh`s use of contrast in his paintings, for example, “the clouds look as if they’re moving”. At the end of the lesson pupils were keen to evaluate their work and demonstrated how Van Gogh had influenced their painting of a river scene. “I did swirls in the grass so that it looked as if the wind was blowing,” one pupil commented. Teachers had very good relationships
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ART AND DESIGN
with their pupils who behaved well and obviously enjoyed the opportunity to use paint. Although they made good progress in the lesson, the attainment was below what would be expected of them, largely due to the lack of time to develop their skills in other year groups.
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ART AND DESIGN
120. The quality of the curriculum is satisfactory and the school makes appropriate use of national guidance to plan programmes of work. However, the limited time available for the subject limits the progress pupils make and the standards they achieve. The subject coordinator is well informed and is aware of the need to improve standards in certain aspects of the subject. For example, the scrutiny of pupils’ work undertaken last term revealed the need to develop the use of sketchbooks. An art club enriches the curricular opportunities for those who attend. A new assessment record, linked to national guidance, has been recently introduced. This is a useful tool for monitoring pupils’ progress in the subject skills throughout the school. Plans have been made for an artist to work with pupils next term in order to further enrich the curriculum. Learning resources for the subject are of good quality and quantity and new technology is used
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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY
121. Pupils` attainment at the end of Year 2 and the end of Year 6 is broadly similar to the national expectation. This is similar to the findings of the previous inspection. Evidence of standards was obtained from a limited number of lessons, a scrutiny of pupils` work and displays and discussions with pupils and with the subject co-ordinator. All pupils, including those with special educational needs and English as an additional language, make satisfactory progress across the school.
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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY
122. Year 1 pupils looked at photographs and pictures before designing a piece of playground equipment. They were able to label their drawings, with some support from adults, identifying which materials they would use. All pupils made good progress within the lesson. Their designs were very detailed and of a good standard. Pupils in Year 2 sketched designs for making a moving vehicle. The models made generally matched The Heys Primary School - 48 their design intention. They are encouraged to evaluate their work and discuss improvements they could make, for example, how to strengthen the sides of the vehicles.
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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY
123. Pupils’ skills and techniques are further developed in Years 3 to 6. Pupils in Year 5 investigate and evaluate bread products by examining a variety of breads from different countries. They are encouraged to discuss the texture, taste and smell and say how bread is used for different purposes before recording their findings. Some pupils have a limited vocabulary to describe flavour and texture and this limits the progress they make. The investigation is the first step in the design of a sandwich and is linked to the science topic ‘Healthy Eating’ and to hygiene in personal and social education. Pupils in Year 6 experimented with different ways of joining materials and then tested them to find out which were the best to use make a waterproof shelter. They used their skills in data handling to record and evaluate information about the materials. Pupils were eager to discuss the shelters they had made and had good knowledge of the designing and
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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY
124. No teaching was observed in Years 2, 3, 4 and 6 and there is too little evidence to make an overall judgement about the quality of teaching. However, in the two lessons observed in Years 1 and 5, the quality of teaching was at least satisfactory. This reflects the judgements made at the previous inspection. Teachers’ plans and the use of resources were effective in both lessons. Year 1 pupils displayed very positive attitudes and good levels of concentration that helped them to design and then make pieces of playground equipment of a good standard and quality. Pupils with special educational needs were well supported by the adults and made good progress.
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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY
125. The school makes effective use of nationally produced schemes of work that give coherence to pupils` experience of design and technology. Appropriate systems have been established to assess the pupils` attainment and track their progress. This is an improvement since the previous inspection. However, because of the emphasis the school has had to place on English and mathematics, the time allocated to the subject limits the progress pupils make and the standards they achieve. Resources are good and have been improved further since the last inspection by the purchase and use of specific resources to support the units of work followed by each year group. The subject coordinator has been able to observe some lessons and provide support to staff.
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GEOGRAPHY
126. The evidence from the scrutiny of pupils’ work, displays around the classes and discussions with pupils indicates that the standards of attainment in history by the end of Year 2 and the end of Year 6 are in line with the national expectations. It was only possible to see one lesson in Years 3 to 6 and none in Years 1 and 2. As a result, there is insufficient evidence to support an overall judgement about the quality of teaching and learning. The school has maintained the standards reported in the last inspection
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GEOGRAPHY
127. Pupils in Year 2 discuss the features of their local area. For example, they know that there are lots of old buildings near there the school and can describe the houses and landscape of Ashton. They had a good knowledge about the distant locality they were studying and know, for instance that the Island of Struay is off the coast of Scotland. They discuss the population and the life style of the island’s inhabitants and compare the life in the island with their own. A group of Year 2 pupils explained clearly why they would prefer to live in Ashton. One girl said that if she lived on the island she would have The Heys Primary School - 49 to come to mainland to do her clothes’ shopping because the island has only one small shop where they sell everything.
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GEOGRAPHY
128. Pupils in Year 6 undertake a detailed study of a specific geographical feature. For example, they study the effect of rivers on the landscape around their locality. Pupils talk enthusiastically about their visit to Daisy Nook to study a river and stressed the importance of keeping their environment clean. They know the different stages of the river and can draw maps showing its route. In one very effective lesson, the teacher gave pupils the opportunity to apply their knowledge of river systems to help them to understand that a river can be used in many ways and has an impact on the development of an area. An examination of pupils’ work showed that teachers use geography lessons well to extend pupils’ skills in literacy and numeracy and information and communication technology.
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GEOGRAPHY
129. The school uses national guidance as a basis for its long and medium-term plans for geography lessons. However, no decision has been made about which parts of the curriculum are to be taught in depth and which in outline so there is pressure on the time available to teach all the content described in the national guidance. The co- ordinator has undertaken a scrutiny of pupils’ work and has used the information to develop a plan of action to improve the standards in the subject. The management of the subject is satisfactory, overall. The resources are adequate to deliver the curriculum effectively. The school has a satisfactory capacity to improve the standards further.
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HISTORY
130. Judgements are based on a sample of lessons, an examination of a sample of pupils’ work, discussions with pupils, and evidence from displays of pupils’ work. The evidence indicates that standards are in line with the national expectations by the end of Year 2 and by the end of Year 6. The school has maintained the standards and improved the quality of teaching since the last inspection.
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HISTORY
131. Pupils in year 2 have studied buildings and artefacts from the past. They discuss how evidence can tell about the past and talked in detail about their visit to the museum and the war memorial. They recalled much of what they had been taught. For example, pupils have a good understanding of why, as a nation, we have ‘Remembrance Day’.
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HISTORY
132. Pupils in Years 3 to 6 continue to develop their chronological understanding. They have a good recall of the key features and characteristics of the periods and societies they have studied. Year 3 pupils compare the Celtic and Roman periods and identify similarities and differences in, for example, housing, clothing and language during those periods. Year 5 pupils are learning about changes to their local area through the study of census returns and make sensible hypotheses about, for example, the relationships between the people listed as living in Mossley Road in 1841. Pupils in Year 6 have a good understanding of life in ancient Egypt. They talk about the government system of the time and compare it with the present system in this country. Pupils use a variety of sources to gain information about the period they are studying. They communicate their findings in a variety of ways using for example, writing, drawing and talking.
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HISTORY
133. The quality of teaching in history is good. Teachers plan the lessons well and are enthusiastic about the subject. They provide pupils with an interesting collection of artefacts and texts and give them good opportunities to gather evidence from first hand experience. As a result of the teachers’ enthusiasm and the quality of the learning resources, pupils are enthusiastic about the subject and enjoy the lessons. For The Heys Primary School - 50 example, in one lesson the teacher found the census data for Mossley Road for 1841 and presented this in a way that made sense to the pupils. They were excited by the materials and concentrated well on the tasks. As a result, they made good gains in learning about their local area and in how to interpret written information.
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HISTORY
134. Good use is made of visits and visitors to enable pupils to study evidence at first hand. The school uses national guidance to support the plans for lessons but no decision has been made about which investigations are to be undertaken in depth and which in outline. Consequently, the curriculum is overcrowded and pupils do not have sufficient opportunities to undertake in depth study of historical investigations. The recently appointed co-ordinator has identified this as an area for further development.
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HISTORY
135. The co-ordinator provides very good leadership. She is enthusiastic about raising the standards and has already identified areas for further development. She has not had the opportunity to observe her colleagues teach in order to monitor and evaluate how the subject is taught. There are sufficient learning resources and staff and pupils make good use of these. The school has a good capacity to improve the standards further.
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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY
136. Standards by the end of year 2 and the end of Year 6 are as would be expected nationally. The school has very good resources for the subject and so the range of experiences the pupils are given is good. The good provision has continued since the last inspection. All pupils make good progress and there are many opportunities for pupils to access the facilities at lunchtime and after school.
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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY
137. Year 2 pupils use a word processor to produce a sentence that communicates meaning and a graphics programme to create a picture. For example, they discuss the work of Jackson Pollock, displayed using the interactive white board, before creating their own pictures in this style. They make good progress.
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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY
138. Many Year 6 pupils are very confident in using a wide range of programmes. They use a multimedia programme to organise and present a set of linked pages; their work incorporate images and text. Higher attaining pupils use interactive simulation software. For example, they guide characters through a series of challenges that require multiple steps to achieve success. They apply their skills of control to solve problems and use logo. Pupils make presentations using power point and access web pages for information. For example, they searched databases as part of their research to improve their knowledge of Llandudno prior to an educational visit. Pupils are confident when using electronic mail to communicate with others.
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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY
139. Pupils make good progress from a low starting point. Year 1 pupils log on, write their names and print their work. Year 3 pupils combine text and graphics and higher attainers modify the graphics accurately to meet the needs of the text. Pupils in Year 4 use interactive programmes to ask Henry VIII questions about his wives. Some pupils find it difficult to write the correct address for the website. When they use the word processor, they ‘drag and drop’ and ‘cut and paste’ text to reposition it on the page and use colour appropriately to enhance a poem. For example, pupils use pink text for the line ‘what is pink, a rose is pink’. Higher attaining Year 5 pupils calculate using spreadsheets. The majority can manipulate cells to collect information and gradually understand the use of spreadsheets. The Heys Primary School - 51 140. The majority of pupils enjoy their learning and are keen to participate. Some less
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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY
confident pupils do not always want to try when they are paired with the more able who are there to help them. Pupils find it frustrating when the resources do not function properly. Higher attaining pupils are very confident and progress rapidly through the work provided during the session.
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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY
141. The quality of teaching is satisfactory. Many teachers provide pupils with written instructions to help them through the stages of the task and this is very effective. They make good use of the interactive white board to demonstrate the skills and techniques that pupils need to learn. The majority of teachers have an appropriate knowledge and understanding of the programmes to use and the steps required to achieve the learning. Where teaching is less effective the demonstration part of the lesson is too long and covers too many new instructions for the pupils to remember. Assessment is not used effectively to plan different work for pupils who have varying knowledge and skills.
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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY
142. The subject is used appropriately across the curriculum. There is very good provision for extra curricular work with pupils being able to access the resources frequently. These sessions partly direct pupils to develop new skills and partly enable pupils to pursue their own interests and this has a very good impact on these pupils’ learning. There is a widening gap between pupils who choose to attend these sessions and those who prefer not to participate. Support staff make a good contribution to learning both within sessions and at the out of school clubs.
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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY
143. The co-ordinators are very knowledgeable about the resources and the software. They support pupils and colleagues effectively. Assessment procedures have recently been put in place but there has not been time for them to have an impact on the quality of teaching and learning. The range, quality and quantity of resources are very good.
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MUSIC
144. Judgements are based on one lesson in Year 2 and three lessons in Years 3 to 6, a singing session at each key stage, a scrutiny of teachers’ planning, a sample of pupils’ work and a discussion with the subject coordinator. There is insufficient evidence to support a judgement on teaching and learning for pupils in Years 1 and 2.
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MUSIC
145. Pupils reach the levels expected for their age by the end of both key stages. This is a satisfactory improvement since the last inspection when standards were below those expected nationally. The greatest improvements have been made in pupils’ skills in listening to and appraising music. Pupils’ skills in composition are developing satisfactorily and standards in performance, particularly singing, are a relative strength. Pupils at both key stages know a good range of hymns and songs and sing tunefully, with good diction and some attention to phrasing and expression. They learn new melodies quickly because they listen carefully when the tune is played or sung for them. They listen carefully and are able to express their likes and dislikes about the wide variety of music that they hear. Pupils are responsive to the moods of different pieces of music.
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MUSIC
146. Pupils in Year 2 make good progress during a lesson where they learn about long and short sounds. Many recognise that the can continue to play a percussion instrument such as bells or castanets to make a sustained sound. The higher attainers know that it is vibrations that create the sound and that when the sound stops, the vibrations have stopped. They perform with increasing skill demonstrating a growing understanding of the duration of sounds. The Heys Primary School - 52 147. Pupils in Year 5 respond to the pulse of the music and are able to clap a secure and steady beat. They also recognise more complex rhythmic patterns within the music and are able to clap these accurately in time to the pulse of the music. One gifted pupil can identify several layers and patterns in the rhythmic and melodic structure of the music. Pupils use percussion instruments to create compositions with a simple musical form.
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MUSIC
They sustain their parts well and improve their performance as they practise. Pupils in Year 6 know and use correctly musical conventions to indicate where the sounds should be soft and loud. They understand terms such as dynamics, pitch, rhythm, tempo and duration in relation to music. When they compose music to describe the rise and fall of a flood, they make sensible decisions about the instruments they use and the way they are to be played in order to create the mood they want the music to express. They record their ideas using a mixture of pictures, symbols and musical terms to create a score. They are able to perform the pieces they have composed and evaluate the choices and decisions they made and then modify their composition.
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MUSIC
148. Pupils with special educational needs and those with English as an additional language are well supported by the teacher and support staff. As a result are able to take a full part in the lessons and make satisfactory progress.
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MUSIC
149. The quality of teaching is good overall. However, because it was only possible to see one lesson in Year 2 no overall judgement on the quality of teaching is made for that key stage. The quality of teaching in the session observed was good. The teacher chose appropriate activities to help the pupils to recognise and make long and short sounds using percussion instruments. She maintained the pace well because there was little space between the activities and this helped the majority of pupils to sustain their attention and make good progress in the lesson. In Years 3 to 6, the quality of teaching is good. Where a teacher and the learning mentor work together, the pupils make good progress because of the energetic pace of the well-planned lessons. They have high expectations of the pupils and this has a positive impact on the rate of progress the pupils make. In a Year 5 lesson, pupils were able to improve their performance because
p.52
MUSIC
of the clear guidance given by the teacher and the time they were given to practise and then to perform for the class.
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MUSIC
150. Pupils at both key stages respond well to music and have positive attitudes to the subject. They behave very well during singing sessions, show enjoyment and concentrate well. In a lesson, pupils showed pleasure in the achievement of one of their friends; they smiled and clapped spontaneously when one pupil’s musical idea worked well. A good number of pupils attend choir practise after school and are proud of the opportunities they have to perform for their friends, parents and members of the community, for example at Christmas, Easter and on other special occasions. A recorder group is planned and the pupils are keen to learn to play an instrument.
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MUSIC
151. The curriculum is based on national guidance and provides teachers with good guidance for lessons that build on pupils’ prior attainment. The work in composition is not as well developed as opportunities for pupils to appraise and perform music. However, a good start has been made on composition. This has been enriched, for example, by a visiting musician who supported the pupils in composing and performing samba. Pupils perform for their parents and members of the community at special assemblies, fairs and concerts. They become accustomed to performing in venues other than the school. For instance, they sing for the elderly and the choir takes part in the local education authority’s singing festival. These opportunities make a good contribution to pupils’ personal and social development. The subject also makes a good contribution to pupils’ cultural development. For example, they learn songs and hear
p.52
MUSIC
music from a variety of traditions. The coordinator and the learning mentor have The Heys Primary School - 53 appropriate plans to expose pupils to a wider variety of live music by inviting musicians to perform at the school for the pupils.
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MUSIC
152. The coordinator has only recently taken on responsibility for the subject. She is very enthusiastic about her role and provides good support and encouragement for her colleagues. She is eager to increase her musical knowledge and works very well with the learning mentor who has good musical knowledge that she uses well to encourage high expectations of the pupils and to enthuse teaching staff. The coordinator and learning mentor have a clear vision for the development of the subject. Targets for improvement include the development of a programme of visiting musicians and a programme of staff training to improve their confidence in teaching music.
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MUSIC
153. There is a good range of instruments and recorded music to support the teaching of the subject but an area for development identified by the coordinator is to give each class a set of instruments so that opportunities for music making and appraisal can be more easily provided in classrooms.
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PHYSICAL EDUCATION
154. Pupils do not reach the levels expected nationally at Year 2 or at Year 6. There has been insufficient improvement since the last inspection when standards were also below national expectations. Although the school has put measures in place to improve performance, these have not had a sufficient effect on teaching and learning to raise the standards. The school has focused on short bursts of training of specific skills by specialist coaches. It does not build up general physical skills over time so pupils can use their bodies in well co-ordinated actions across all aspects of the subject. Basic skills are still not being taught in a systematic way. Where teaching is good or very good, pupils make good progress but this is not consistent throughout the school and progress over time is unsatisfactory for the majority of pupils. As a result of specialist coaching and extra curricular provision a few talented pupils make good progress.
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PHYSICAL EDUCATION
155. Pupils in year 2 have some control kicking a large ball. They do not know the correct way to stop the ball and how best to control it as it moves forward. They are not provided with sufficient guidance to improve these skills. Younger pupils throw a beanbag, some using under arm actions and others using over arm actions. The more able can successfully aim so that the beanbag lands within a hoop. There is insufficient expectation that pupils sustain cardio-vascular activity.
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PHYSICAL EDUCATION
156. A significant number of pupils in year 6 do not achieve 25 metres in swimming. Pupils in year 5 co-ordinate their movements well in gymnastics but do not stretch their limbs or hold the positions using the tension in their muscles sufficiently to achieve high standards. Pupils in Year 4 attain good standards in dance due to the excellent teaching. They interpret ideas into movements well, they move gracefully and adapt to the style very effectively. For example, they make good use of their arm and hand movements and follow these with their eyes when interpreting the story of Rama and Sita. Year 3 pupils create a sequence of three jumps and two balances showing contrasting shapes. They show an awareness of space and work with energy.
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PHYSICAL EDUCATION
157. The quality of teaching ranges from unsatisfactory to excellent and is satisfactory overall. Where teaching is good or very good teachers have a good knowledge and understanding of the skills required. The lessons are well structured, expectations are high and pupils are challenged in the tasks they are given. Where teaching is less effective the pace of the lesson is slow or pupils are expected to wait too long for their The Heys Primary School - 54 turn and so the sessions lack opportunities to sustain cardio-vascular activity. These teachers are less confident about the progression of skills pupils need to take their learning forward. Overall, there is insufficient use of peer evaluation to help pupils improve their performance.
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PHYSICAL EDUCATION
158. Pupils’ attitudes to the subject are satisfactory overall, but a significant number of pupils do not participate in lessons, as they do not remember to bring a change of clothes. Where teaching is good or very good, the high expectations ensure that all pupils have the appropriate clothing to change into and so play a full part in the lesson. A significant minority of pupils’ do not have the correct clothing for swimming activities and this means that they do not make sufficient progress to achieve the standards expected nationally by the end of Year 6. The majority of pupils enjoy their lessons, particularly the coaching or where there is special event as the outcome. For example, Year 4 look forward to dancing their interpretation of the story of Ramayana before the whole school. At times pupils do not take sufficient responsibility for their own learning, they are inattentive and do not do the best they can.
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PHYSICAL EDUCATION
159. There is good provision for pupils to develop their skills and interests in the range of opportunities they can participate in after school and during specialist coaching sessions. Pupils talk enthusiastically about the multi-sports sessions where they enjoy playing hockey, rugby and netball. In the past, pupils have been successful in long distance running events within a wider area. The school participates in competitions such as ‘Kick racism out of football’ and ‘Off the Blocks’, an athletics event. During the Commonwealth Games, the school arranged a good variety of activities for both pupils and parents. They held a quiz night for the prize of tickets for the family to the event. The Games provided opportunities for good links with geography as each class learned more about some of the countries competing.
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PHYSICAL EDUCATION
160. Because of the way in which the timetable is arranged, all physical education lessons are held in the afternoon. This limits the space and time available for the subject. As a consequence, when it is wet, pupils do not have the facilities for indoor games and so sessions are lost and this has a direct effect on the rate of pupils’ progress and the standards they achieve. The co-ordinator supports colleagues providing them with resources and ideas, but the role is under developed. Assessment procedures have been put in place recently and records are kept but this is not having any consistent effect on pupils’ progress. Some staff do not have the skill or knowledge to judge standards. Overall, the subject does not have a high priority and there is an urgent need to rectify this.
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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
161. Judgements about standards and quality in religious education are based on the observation of lessons, the scrutiny of a sample of pupils’ work, an examination of teachers’ planning and a discussion with a member of the senior management team.
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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
162. Pupils achieve levels in line with those expected for their age by the locally agreed syllabus. The school has maintained satisfactory standards in the subject since the last inspection. There is no significant difference between the attainment of boys and girls and most pupils, including those with special education needs and with English as an additional language, make satisfactory gains in subject knowledge, skills and understanding. The Heys Primary School - 55 163. Pupils in Year 1 learn about the use of symbols in faith. For example, they understand that the Hindu festival of Divali is a special celebration and that people wear special clothes and light candles. When they learn about Christian infant baptism, a christening robe and some of symbolic ‘welcome’ gifts a baby might be given help them to understand how these relate to wishes for the child’s future. Year 2 pupils are learning about belonging to a group such as a family, their class at school or a faith group. They
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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
know that people sometimes wear different clothes such as a turban or a cross to show that they belong to a particular religion and that faith groups welcome babies and children in different ways. For example, pupils know that Christian babies are baptised with the sign of the cross and that Hindu children’s heads are shaved. Pupils make satisfactory progress in years 1 and 2 and this provides a firm basis for the development of their knowledge and skills in Years 3 to 6.
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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
164. Year 3 pupils add to their knowledge of Hinduism. They learn what the light of the Diva lamp signifies to followers of the Hindu faith and more about the signs and symbols used in Christianity. For example, they understand the significance of the dove and the olive branch in the story of Noah. Pupils learn that the Old Testament of the Bible describes God as ‘my rock’, ‘my shepherd’ and ‘my father’ and that this is how Jews and Christians think of God. Year 4 pupils know how Hindus worship and the symbolism of the artefacts such as bells, kum-kum powder, incense and a diva lamp. They learn the stories and characteristics of some of the Hindu gods and goddesses and their relevance to believers’ lives. Pupils in Year 5 know that the Bible is a collection of books that are arranged in two sections. They know that the Old Testament is about the times before the birth of Christ and that the New Testament tells of his life and the events
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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
following his death. In Year 6, pupils know that Christians may worship in a variety of buildings including a cathedral, a Minster, a church, a chapel or monastery and that there are different denominations within the Christian church. Pupils describe the features of the parish church and their significance to believers very clearly following a visit. They understand the importance of sacred texts to believers and learn, for example, that the Qur’an provides a set of rules for life for followers of Islam. Pupils make good progress because of their interest and concentration, which is promoted by the good quality of the teaching.
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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
165. The quality of teaching was good overall but with particular strengths in Years 3 to 6. A particular strength of the teaching is the use of visits and visitors to make the learning relevant and active for the pupils. For example, pupils in Year 4 were spellbound by a Hindu visitor’s demonstration and explanation of how she worships each day in her home. Because pupils were interested by this stimulating and well planned activity, they made very good progress in the lesson. Throughout the school the lessons are well planned and resourced with artefacts of good quality. What is to be taught is shared with the pupils and this helps them to carry out their tasks promptly and to make gains in their knowledge and understanding. Good use is made of questions to remind pupils of their prior learning and to challenge their thinking. For example, in a Year 1 lesson about baptism, the teacher’s use of questions helped the pupils to consolidate their
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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
earlier learning and to make progress in the lesson. The last few minutes of lessons were used well to reinforce or assess the pupils’ understanding or to correct misconceptions. Where the quality of teaching was good or very good, pupils responded well and had positive attitudes to the subject. Behaviour in these lessons was good because the length of time for which the teacher talked was well balanced by active learning opportunities for pupils.
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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
166. The curriculum is well planned and meets the requirements of the locally agreed syllabus. There is detailed guidance for each year group that builds well on the previous year’s work. What the pupils are to be taught is very clearly identified and this ensures The Heys Primary School - 56 that all pupils, regardless of special educational needs, gender or ethnic origin, have very good access to the well structured curriculum. Pupils learn about Christianity, Islam and Hinduism and follow themes such as signs and symbols, celebrations and sacred texts. A focus for assessment is identified in each unit and a format for recording pupils’ achievements has been introduced this term. The subject makes a very good contribution to pupils spiritual, moral, social and cultural development particularly in the way teachers show respect for the beliefs of the faith groups studied.
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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
167. The subject co-ordinator, absent during the inspection, has just taken on the responsibility this term. However, the previous coordinator has provided her with a clear picture of the strengths and areas for improvement. Her judgements are based on samples of teachers planning and pupils’ work. The main focus is to develop the new coordinator’s role in monitoring and evaluating the quality of teaching and learning through the examination of pupils’ work and classroom observation. Most staff have benefited from recent training and from using the support materials produced by the local education authority. There is a good range of learning resources of good quality to support the curriculum.
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