Royd Nursery and Infant School

ROYD NURSERY AND INFANT SCHOOL

Reporting inspector: Mr. Michael Bucktin

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ROYD NURSERY AND INFANT SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 19th-22nd May, 2003

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ROYD NURSERY AND INFANT 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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ROYD NURSERY AND INFANT 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. Royd Nursery & Infant School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Type of school: Infant and Nursery School

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Carr Road Deepcar Sheffield South Yorkshire

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The governing body

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 19 th – 23 rd January 1998 Royd Nursery & Infant School - 4

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

15484 Mr M Bucktin Registered inspector Design and technology, information and communications technology, physical education, science. What sort of school is it? The school’s results and achievements. How well are pupils taught? How well is the school led and managed? What should the school do to improve further? 19436 Mr M O’Malley Lay inspector Educational inclusion Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development. How well does the school work in partnership with the parents? 15690 Mrs J Allen Team inspector Art and design, mathematics, music, religious education, The Foundation Stage How good are the curricular and other opportunities offered to pupils?

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

32360 Mrs G Moreton Team inspector English, geography, history, special educational needs. How well does the school care for its pupils?

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Leicestershire County Council Advice and Inspection Education Department County Hall Glenfield, Leicestershire LE3 8RF.

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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 Royd Nursery & Infant School - 5

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 6

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

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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS? 12

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Royd Nursery and Infant School is situated in the village of Deepcar, ten miles north-west of Sheffield. There are 187 pupils on roll plus the full-time equivalent of 38 children in the nursery. Virtually all its pupils are of white UK heritage and most live close to the school. Children attend the nursery on a part-time basis and when they move into the reception classes their attainment is around that normally expected of children approaching their fifth birthday.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

The school serves a well-established area and its circumstances remain much as they were at the time of the previous inspection. Around four per cent of pupils are eligible for free school meals, which is well below average. Seven per cent have special educational needs (SEN), also well below average. The majority of these pupils have moderate learning difficulties. One pupil has a statement of SEN. The headteacher and deputy headteacher have both joined the school since the previous inspection.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

Royd Nursery and Infant School provides a sound standard of education for all its pupils and gives satisfactory value for money. The most recent results (2002) in writing and mathematics are above the national average and in line with schools having a similar proportion of pupils eligible for a free school meal. Those in reading are in line with the national average but well below the average achieved by similar schools. Performance in other subjects is at least satisfactory except in information and communication technology (ICT) which is below average.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

The school is well-led. The headteacher and senior staff provide clear educational direction and the governing body has significantly improved the way it is organised and is effective in supporting and challenging the school. The proportion of teaching that is very good or better has improved since the previous inspection and is particularly strong in reception and Year 1. However, teaching in Year 2 does not make sufficient demands and not all higher attaining pupils reach appropriate standards.

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What the school does well

• The headteacher and senior staff provide good leadership and give clear educational direction • Provision in the Foundation Stage (children in the nursery and reception classes) is good, particularly the quality of teaching in the reception classes • Teaching in Year 1 is good • Provision for pupils’ moral and social development is very good and their attitudes to school and behaviour are very good • Provision for pupils with special educational needs and their progress are good. • The school is highly regarded by parents. Royd Nursery & Infant School - 7

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What could be improved

• Pupils’ attainment in information and communication technology. • The overall balance of the curriculum • Aspects of assessment • The attainment of higher attaining pupils, especially in reading and mathematics. 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

Improvement since the previous inspection in January 1998 has been satisfactory and the school is well placed to improve further. Results in writing and mathematics have improved in line with the national trend. Results in reading had fallen but are now showing signs of improvement. Standards in ICT are below average. Teaching continues to be satisfactory overall and there is a greater proportion that is very good or better. However, the proportion of unsatisfactory teaching has increased slightly.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

Governors have significantly improved the way they work and the school has introduced good strategies for working with parents. Arrangements for the co-ordination of subjects are satisfactory with provision for science and special educational needs being effectively led. Managing the performance of teachers and their training and development now meet requirements.

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STANDARDS

The table shows the standards achieved by pupils at the end of Year 2 based on National Curriculum test results.

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Key

Reading C C C E well above average above average A B Writing B A B C average below average C D Mathematics B A B C well below average E

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Key

Children make a good start in the nursery and their progress increases through the reception classes so when they start in Year 1 most children have reached the expected standard and a significant minority attain more highly. Progress through Year 1 is good but slows in Year 2. Results in the 2002 National Curriculum tests were above the national average in writing and mathematics and in line with the average achieved by schools with a similar proportion of pupils eligible for a free school meal. Results in reading were in line with the national average but well below that of similar schools. Teachers’ assessments in science indicated that results were below the national average and well below the average achieved by similar schools. Royd Nursery & Infant School - 8 The trend in results since 1998 has fluctuated in writing and mathematics but has improved in line with the national trend. In reading, results have also fluctuated but results in 2002 were

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Key

below those achieved in 1998 whilst nationally they have improved.

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Key

The work seen in lessons suggests that improvements have been made in reading and science; the majority of pupils reach the required standard as they do in writing and mathematics. In writing and science, a good proportion attain higher than expected standards. In reading and mathematics too few pupils attain higher than expected standards.

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Key

Pupils make good progress in art and design and design technology and reach above average standards. Progress is satisfactory in geography, history, music, physical and religious education and standards are average. Progress is unsatisfactory in ICT because of the way it is taught and standards are below average. Pupils with SEN make good progress.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Very good. Pupils have positive attitudes and enthusiastically take part in all the school offers.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Very good. Pupils behave very well in and around the school.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Very good. Pupils are very supportive of each other and have high regard for each others feelings.

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Aspect Comment

Pupils are very well behaved and readily respond to what is asked of them. They delight and take pride in what they do and are keen to please their teachers and others who work with them. They are friendly and open, always ready to make friends and get on with each other. Attendance was below average last year but as improved over this year and is in line with the national average.

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

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

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

Teaching is good in the Foundation Stage because teachers and their assistants have a good understanding of the needs of young children and provide well structured activities to help them learn. This is especially so in the reception classes where there is a high proportion of very good or excellent teaching. The same is true in Year 1, pupils show interest in their work and make significant gains in their knowledge and understanding. In Year 2, teaching is satisfactory but pupils do not progress at the same rate because not Royd Nursery & Infant School - 9 enough is expected or demanded, particularly from those capable of higher than expected standards.

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

The National Strategy for Literacy has been implemented well and is enabling pupils to achieve well in writing and reading. Implementation of the National Strategy for Numeracy is satisfactory but not enough emphasis is given to oral and mental work.

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

The way in which ICT is taught in Years 1 and 2 is unsatisfactory and does not enable pupils to learn and apply key skills.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum Satisfactory. Provision in the Foundation Stage is good but the balance between subjects taught in Years 1 and 2 is unsatisfactory.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Good. Pupils are correctly assessed and they are given work which is suited to their needs. Teaching assistants support pupils well.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Good. Pupils’ social and moral development is very good and enables pupils to form very good relationships and attitudes. Their spiritual and cultural development is good.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils Satisfactory. The school ensures that pupils are very well supported and cared for. However, some aspects of assessment need further development and refinement to be fully effective.

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Aspect Comment

The curriculum is broad and balanced in the Foundation Stage but some subjects in Years 1 and 2 do not receive and appropriate allocation of time and not all applications of ICT are covered to the required depth. The range of extra curricular activities is good. The staff know pupils very well and provide a caring atmosphere in which pupils thrive. Their attainment and progress in English, mathematics and science is assessed and monitored satisfactorily but the information is not used to ensure that higher attaining pupils’ progress as well as they should. Assessment procedures in other subjects vary in effectiveness.

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Aspect Comment

There is a good partnership with parents who are pleased that their children like school and are happy with what the school offers. Royd Nursery & Infant School - 10

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff Good. The headteacher provides very good leadership and is well supported by her senior staff.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Good. The governing body has significantly improved the way it operates since the last inspection and effectively holds the school to account.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance Good. The results of national tests are analysed well and teaching is well monitored and supported; the school is aware of its strengths and weaknesses and is taking appropriate action.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources Satisfactory. The school makes appropriate use of the resources it has available.

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Aspect Comment

Since her appointment, the headteacher has correctly identified the areas that need improvement and has ensured that the right actions have been taken. She is well supported by the newly appointed deputy headteacher and other staff who form a committed and dedicated team. Strengths and weaknesses are clearly understood and the school is well placed to continue its development and improvement.

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Aspect Comment

The accommodation of the school is good with large spacious classrooms and a purpose built nursery. There are sufficient staff with an appropriate range of experience and expertise. Resources for learning are satisfactory apart from ICT, which are unsatisfactory.

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Aspect Comment

The principles of best value are clearly understood and applied well.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• Their children like school and are helped to become mature and responsible. • Behaviour is good. • The teaching is good and children make good progress. • The school is easy to approach. • Children are helped to become mature and responsible, they are expected to work hard and do their best. • They are kept well informed about how children are getting on. • The school is well led and managed. • the range of activities outside lessons Royd Nursery & Infant School - 11 The inspection team agrees with most parents’ views on what the school does well, particularly on behaviour and pupils’ attitudes. While there are many examples of good teaching, in Year 2 it is not as strong as in the rest of the school and higher attaining pupils should make better progress than they do. With regard to the activities outside the classroom, the inspection team find that the school provides a good range of activities. Royd Nursery & Infant School - 12

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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS?

The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS?

The Foundation Stage (children up to the age of five in the nursery and reception classes) 1. Children start in the nursery class with a range of skills around those normally expected in three-year-olds. By the time they transfer to the reception classes, most have made at least satisfactory progress. This is built upon in the reception classes where children make good progress so that when children start in Year 1, most have attained the expected standard and a significant minority attain more highly. Progress in personal, social and emotional development is very good. In mathematical development it is satisfactory. In all other areas of learning (communication, language and literacy; knowledge and understanding of the world; creative development and physical development), progress is good. Pupils with special educational needs are identified early and also make good progress.

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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS?

Key Stage 1 (pupils aged from five to seven years in Years 1 and 2) Recent trends

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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS?

2. Since 1998, the trend in National Curriculum tests for Year 2 pupils in reading has fluctuated but is below the national trend. In 1998 results were above the national average but in the intervening period they have fallen, then recovered only to fall back again. The 2002 results were below the level reached in 1998 whereas national results have consistently risen over the same period. The school’s results were in line with the national average but were well below the average achieved by schools with a similar proportion of pupils eligible for a free school meal.

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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS?

3. In writing, the same pattern of fluctuation is present except that the 2002 results were above the national average and in line with the average achieved by similar schools. In mathematics there has been a steady trend of improvement, which is in line with the national trend. Results in 2002 were above the national average and in line with similar schools.

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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS?

4. In science, the proportion of pupils attaining both the expected and higher than expected level was below the national average and well below the average achieved by similar schools in 2002.

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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS?

5. In reading, writing and mathematics, the difference in attainment between boys and girls was less than national difference because boys at the school do better than boys nationally. The proportion of pupils attaining higher than expected standards in writing and mathematics was in line with similar schools but in reading it is well below both the national average and that of similar schools.

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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS?

6. Standards of literacy and oracy are above average. Pupils speak confidently about their work, enjoy the opportunity to speak to visitors and listen well to the teacher and to each other. They readily discuss matters in pairs and small groups. However, this is not always made best use of, particularly as a starting point for pupils’ writing. Improving results in reading has rightly been a school priority for the last year and the Royd Nursery & Infant School - 13 action the school has taken has been successful and inspection evidence indicates that standards are now above average. Almost all pupils read confidently and are able to retell the story. They can give good reasons for preferring some stories to others and understand the difference between fiction and non-fiction. They can also use the contents page and index in a reference book. Lower attaining pupils read with enjoyment and use letter sounds and picture clues to help them read unfamiliar words.

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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS?

Higher attaining pupils read with fluency and expression using different tone of voice to represent different characters and can offer alternative endings to stories. However, too few pupils attain these higher standards. Standards of writing are above average. Year 2 pupils can write neatly using a joined script. They include appropriate grammar, punctuation and spelling in their writing and can produce a good range of writing. However, whilst overall standards in literacy are above average, the progress made through the Foundation Stage and Year 1 suggests that more pupils are capable of better than average standards.

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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS?

7. Standards of numeracy in Year 2 are average. Lower attaining pupils make good progress and almost all pupils are attaining the expected standard. However, not enough pupils are currently attaining higher than expected standards, which is a fall from previous years. Most pupils have a good understanding of place value and can add and subtract accurately. They have made a good start to multiplication and division though are not yet sure of how they relate to each other. They know the names of two and three dimensional shapes. However, not enough pupils attain at higher than expected standards because they have few opportunities to explain their calculations or how to go about solving problems.

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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS?

8. Progress in science is satisfactory and almost all the Year 2 pupils reach the expected standard with around a third of pupils attaining above average standards. They have a good range of scientific knowledge and can use simple equipment like electrical components to carry out fair tests.

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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS?

9. In ICT, standards are below average because the way it is taught does not allow for sustained coverage of the programme of study. So whilst pupils know the rudiments of operating the computer and that information can be stored and retrieved, they do not apply these skills effectively.

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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS?

10. Pupils make good progress in art and design and design and technology and standards in Year 2 are above average. In geography, history, music, physical education and religious education, pupils make satisfactory progress and standards in Year 2 are average. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

11. Pupils enjoy learning and have very good attitudes to school. They behave very well in lessons and their behaviour around school is very good; their personal development is very good as are relationships between pupils and staff. The standards noted at the last inspection have been maintained.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

12. Pupils are keen to come to school. They are willing to learn and respond well to good teaching. Pupils are very interested and fully involved in their lessons. For example, children in reception were absorbed in cutting out fish for the “pond”, investigating air bubbles in the water tray, and building cars and space ships. They were excited by their creative efforts and pleased with their achievements. Pupils work hard, they readily Royd Nursery & Infant School - 14 answer questions, ask many of their own and are keen to improve. They listen attentively and get on with the tasks set.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

13. There is a calm learning atmosphere. Pupils know what standard of behaviour is expected and respond well. One little boy explained, “I used to bump into people in the playground, but now I’m bigger I have learned not to do that.” Incidents of bullying are rare and quickly addressed. There is no racism. Pupils are friendly and polite. They take good care of equipment, handle books with care, and tidy away neatly and quickly at the end of lessons.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

14. Relationships are a major factor in pupils making progress. They respect one another’s views, co-operate and share ideas. For example, even the youngest pupils work well together, listening to each other’s views or taking turns as they play in the outdoor area or imagining their “ car trip and picnic”. Pupils are well-mannered and considerate, respect their teachers and are keen to please.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

15. Pupils grow in confidence in response to the praise and encouragement they receive. They settle to group work quickly and many work well with little direct supervision. During the inspection, Year 1 pupils learnt the maypole dance by co-operating well and working hard. They were thoroughly amused and pleased with their effort. Pupils are sensitive to the needs of others. For example, children in reception were learning about making new friends. They were able to talk about each other’s favourite things and they listened patiently as each pupil spoke.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

16. Pupils are learning to respect different values and beliefs. Children in the nursery listen to stories about other cultures and older pupils learn about other values and beliefs in religious education and assemblies.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

17. Children in the Foundation Stage and pupils in Year 1 take responsibility for their own learning, largely by choosing activities. However, in Year 2 there are too few opportunities for pupils to take responsibility for their own learning.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

18. Pupils help responsibly with the daily routines such as leading the line, holding doors for the rest of the class, and collecting registers. They clear away toys from the playground and take turns to ring the bell at the end of break. Children in the nursery pupils develop independence by clearing away after activities and putting on their own coats.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

19. Attendance is satisfactory. Attendance last year was well below the national average. The school now has good procedures for monitoring and promoting attendance and this year attendance has improved to 95 per cent, which is above the national average. Absence due to holidays during term time is high. Unauthorised absence last year was broadly in line with the national average. Pupils are punctual and lessons start promptly.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

20. The overall quality of teaching is satisfactory. Teaching in the Foundation Stage is good, particularly in the reception classes where approaching half of the teaching is of a very high standard. Teaching is satisfactory in Key Stage 1 but varies. In Year 1, half of the lessons are good or better. In Year 2 teaching is satisfactory overall but there is not as much good teaching as there is in other classes and one in every ten lessons is unsatisfactory. Royd Nursery & Infant School - 15 21. The teaching of ICT in Years 1 and 2 is unsatisfactory because the way in which resources are organised prevents teachers from covering the full range of ICT applications in an effective and meaningful way. Whilst pupils are enthusiastic about ICT, they do not gain the required knowledge and skills.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

22. In the Foundation Stage, all staff plan and work well together. Teachers have a very good knowledge of how pupils of this age learn best and provide interesting and imaginative activities during lessons. In the nursery, the teacher and her assistants establish very warm and positive relationships with the children and make sure each child is known and valued. They make good use of the building and use the outdoor areas very well indeed. This enables children to make a good start to their school lives. In the reception classes, the pace and demand gradually increases with a high proportion of very good or excellent teaching and pupils’ progress accelerates.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

23. Teaching in the Year 1 classes is good. The basic skills of literacy and numeracy are planned and taught well and pupils make good progress in acquiring these key skills. Lessons are well organised, following the format laid down in the National Strategies for Literacy and Numeracy. Teachers know the subjects well and teach them in ways that involve pupils and enable them to participate fully. For example, specific reading sessions provide short bursts of intensive practice in reading skills and pupils have very positive attitudes to reading. Letter sounds are systematically taught, for example pupils learn the “vowel rap” to help them correctly identify vowels and consonants. Writing is systematically taught; the use of a simple framework enabled pupils to include all the necessary information in a party invitation whilst higher attaining pupils worked independently and included additional features such as a reply slip.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

Mathematics lessons lay strong emphasis on pupils’ oral and mental work and they readily offer explanations of how they have arrived at particular answers. Teaching in most other subjects is at least satisfactory and often good. Pupils delight in working together, such as when performing a maypole dance or performing their own simple musical compositions, show great interest in learning about seaside holidays in times gone by and offer reasons for why they like a particular piece of music.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

24. Teaching in Year 2 is satisfactory. There are examples of good teaching when teachers are clear about what pupils are to learn and teach at a brisk pace. A religious education lesson developed the theme of conservation well. Pupils were brimming with ideas of how Deepcar could be kept as an attractive place to live and the teacher involved all pupils in the discussion. Similarly, in a personal and social education lesson, the teacher developed a strong spirit amongst the pupils who were honest and at ease with each other. However, the majority of teaching is not to the same standard and one in ten lessons is unsatisfactory. Whilst literacy and numeracy lessons follow the respective national strategies, not enough is expected or demanded from pupils. For example, a mathematics lesson was considerably longer than it needed to be. The mental and oral work to start the lesson required pupils only to work four or five

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

calculations over twenty minutes and the main task given to higher attaining pupils, whilst harder than for the rest of the class, still did not challenge them fully. Whilst pupils concentrated on the tasks and were keen to complete them correctly, they did not work to the level they should be capable of. In a literacy lesson, the teacher did not clearly explain what it was pupils were to learn and so did not improve their understanding of verbs and adverbs. Not much imagination is given to the tasks that pupils are to do. In science for example, worksheets are routinely used, many of which are unnecessary. Whilst pupils complete them conscientiously, it does not allow them to exercise any choice or independence in what they do. This is in marked contrast to pupils’ design and technology books (known as their “Busy Fingers” books) which are Royd Nursery & Infant School - 16 alive with their own sketches and plans, for example a children’s playground and the

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

25. Pupils with special educational needs are taught well and they make good progress. The one pupil with a statement of special educational needs is taught very well. She has made very good progress, particularly in writing, because the work is well matched to her abilities and she is determined to do well. The teaching assistant provides very good support in this particular instance. In all other classes, the work of teaching assistants makes a good contribution to pupils’ learning, particularly in enabling lower attaining pupils to be included in the work of the whole class.

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PUPILS?

26. The school provides a satisfactory range of learning opportunities that are planned to meet the interests of all pupils, are relevant to their needs and meet the statutory requirements of the National Curriculum and religious education. The school’s provision for pupils with special educational needs is good. A good range of extra- curricular activities and links with the community enrich the learning of all pupils. All pupils have good access to the curriculum but higher attaining pupils are not always challenged sufficiently by the work they are given and too little time is allocated to some subjects.

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PUPILS?

27. Since the previous inspection, curriculum provision for children in the nursery and reception classes has improved and is now broad and well balanced across the areas of learning because the school has implemented the Foundation Stage curriculum well. Appropriate emphasis is given to developing key skills in personal, social and emotional development, language and mathematical development.

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PUPILS?

28. The school continues to develop the National Literacy Strategy effectively. The implementation of the National Numeracy Strategy is satisfactory overall but is more effective in the reception classes and Year 1 than in Year 2. Whilst appropriate coverage of the ICT curriculum is planned, the way it is taught does not enable pupils to learn the required skills effectively or to use them to help them learn in other subjects.

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PUPILS?

29. The school has rightly placed emphasis on teaching English and mathematics, and has increased the amount of time spent teaching them. Work seen during the inspection indicates that this is effective in improving pupils’ attainment. In addition, regular weekly sessions for teaching personal, social and health education have also been introduced. These too have enabled pupils to acquire and use particular skills. However, the overall balance of the curriculum has been affected in Years 1 and 2. Particularly music, but also aspects of history and geography do not have enough time allocated to them. The development of important skills for learning, such as practice and consolidation; exploration and investigation; research, discussion and creativity is cut short. The senior management team has already recognised these shortcomings and plans to review curriculum provision for Years 1 and 2 in the light of recent national

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PUPILS?

30. There is good extra-curricular provision for this age of pupil. There are lunchtime clubs in science, mathematics, and gymnastics, along with additional lessons in art and design. Year 2 pupils can take part in the recorder group or learn the violin, and Year 1 pupils are preparing for a community music project in June. There is a good range of Royd Nursery & Infant School - 17 visits and visitors, which broaden pupils’ experience. The residential visit for Year 2 pupils to Whirlow farm makes a significant contribution to their personal development.

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PUPILS?

31. The curriculum is socially inclusive and ensures equality of access and opportunity for the vast majority of pupils. There is additional help for pupils and families in difficult circumstances. The school has a range of policies to promote inclusion, including preventing disability discrimination. Teachers have been trained to take account of different learning styles and there is good provision for pupils with special educational needs. However, a minority of higher attaining pupils do not achieve their full potential, particularly in reading and mathematics. The school has correctly identified the need to improve the performance of these pupils.

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PUPILS?

32. The provision for personal, social and health education is satisfactory. Sex education is appropriately taught through science and other subjects. Pupils are taught consideration for others through all aspects of school life. Drugs education is taught through a range of subjects such as science, English, art and design and design and technology. The school nurse takes assemblies on drug safety. There are planned lessons in personal and social education, which make a good contribution to pupils’ personal development. They include aspects of citizenship and topics such as friendship and bullying. However, the scheme of work is not yet detailed enough to ensure coverage and continuity between year groups.

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PUPILS?

33. Links with the community broaden pupils’ experience and make a good contribution to their learning. The pupils visit the local park and church and use walks around Deepcar to supplement their studies in geography and religious education. There is a good range of other visits to places such as Shibden Hall, Yorkshire Sculpture Park, and the seaside, which give pupils first hand experience and enrich their classwork. The local vicars, policeman, and school nurse come and speak to the children at assembly. During the inspection a visitor helped Year 1 pupils with their history studies on timelines and “how seaside holidays used to be”. The pupils raise funds for community charities. For example, Year 1 pupils are working with the local Ramblers’ Association on a community music project and Year 2 pupils are dancing at the local gala.

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PUPILS?

34. There are satisfactory links with partner institutions. The nursery teacher attends local meetings and the nursery staff have visited other nurseries and playgroups. There are satisfactory links with the junior school, which help smooth pupils transfer. Year 1 teachers have worked with a beacon school in Hull to develop teaching for thinking skills and creativity. Work experience students from local schools help in class.

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PUPILS?

35. The overall effectiveness of the school’s provision for spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Provision for cultural development has improved since the last inspection and the quality of provision in the other areas has been maintained.

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PUPILS?

36. The school makes good provision for pupils’ spiritual development. Pupils respond well to their work in religious education and begin to develop insights into the values and beliefs inspired by Christianity, Judaism and Islam (the two other world religions included in the school’s religious education policy). Spiritual development is nurtured through well-planned assemblies and acts of collective worship, where opportunities are made for pupils to be involved and for personal thinking time. However, not all teachers are present on these occasions and are not able to follow them up effectively afterwards. Teachers plan interesting activities in other subjects that capture the pupils’ enthusiasm and enhance their enjoyment and appreciation of life. In science, pupils wonder at the variety of creatures that share the planet with them. In art and Royd Nursery & Infant School - 18 design, a pupil responded to a picture, whispering, “….it’s beautiful!” and while listening

p.17

PUPILS?

to music a child said to himself, “….it’s like I’m dancing – in heaven”.

p.18

PUPILS?

37. The school promotes pupils’ moral and social development very well. There is an ethos of great care and concern for each individual based upon a clear moral code. This is demonstrated daily in the careful routines of the school and the excellent quality of relationships between staff and pupils and amongst all members of the staff team. Moral and social development is also effectively promoted through the good quality and effective implementation of the school’s behaviour policy. Pupils take responsibility for equipment in their classrooms and carry out school duties such as returning registers to the school office or library supervision at playtimes. In subject lessons and in circle times they learn to listen to each other and to respect other people’s views and feelings. Fund raising for good causes, educational visits and visitors to the school are other ways in which the school helps pupils to develop wider awareness of their

p.18

PUPILS?

38. Since the previous inspection the school has adopted revised schemes of work in music, art and religious education and introduced a scheme of work for personal and social education. These, combined with work in other subjects, such as geography, provide a wider range of cultural experiences. Pupils make Mendhi patterns and designs for prayer mats. They study and try out ideas from Aboriginal art and African music. They use local knowledge to find out about the Chinese New Year and play musical accompaniments for the school’s Chinese dragon. The school provides opportunities for pupils to celebrate cultural activities through assemblies, concerts, performances and special events, such “art week” and the environmental music project with the Ramblers’ Association. Displays of books and children’s work in classrooms, corridors and library areas are used to illustrate and promote understanding of cultural

p.18

PUPILS?

diversity in Britain and around the world.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

39. The school cares very well for its pupils and there is good provision for support and guidance. The school has maintained the high standards noted at the previous inspection. The staff know the pupils very well, and provide a caring atmosphere that contributes greatly towards pupils’ learning. There is good monitoring and support for pupils with special educational needs. There are satisfactory procedures for assessing pupils’ attainment and monitoring their progress, which are used appropriately to plan the next steps in learning.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

40. Induction of new pupils is good and they quickly settle into school. There are satisfactory arrangements for child protection and for ensuring pupils’ health and safety. There is satisfactory first aid coverage and staff know pupils with medical conditions. The school regularly checks the premises for hazards, and makes improvements where necessary.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

41. The procedures for monitoring and improving attendance are good and attendance this year has improved. All unexplained absence is followed up, including telephone calls on the first day of absence. There are effective procedures for monitoring and addressing lateness should it occur. The school reminds parents about the importance of good attendance and punctuality. Good attendance is rewarded and poor attendance is followed up. The school works closely with the Local Education Authority’s Inclusion Service. The attendance officer has taken assembly and Royd Nursery & Infant School - 19 addressed parents. The procedures for promoting good attendance could be improved further by discouraging term time holidays more vigorously.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

42. There are very effective measures to monitor and promote good behaviour. Staff expect high standards and reinforce good behaviour by consistently recognising and encouraging it. The pupils know what is expected and respond well. The behaviour policy emphasises a positive approach. There is good supervision at break and lunch- time, and the lunchtime supervisors have been given training on managing behaviour. There are effective systems for monitoring unsatisfactory behaviour. Parents support the behaviour policy. There is no racism and bullying is rare. Any incidents are quickly and effectively addressed. The school is very effective at discouraging oppressive behaviour and promoting good relationships.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

43. Assessments in nursery are thorough and based on careful observation of children as they work. The outcomes are used to record progress towards the Early Learning Goals (the expected standards for children at the end of the Foundation Stage). There is a good recording system leading up to the new Foundation Stage Profile.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

44. Each term, pupils are formally assessed in English, mathematics and science and the information is used to set targets for each pupil. The children understand their targets, are well motivated to meet them and are aware of their own progress. Teachers keep records of pupils’ progress but in mathematics they are not detailed enough. Teachers rely too much on formal tests and do not use enough opportunities in lessons to find out what pupils understand or are having difficulty with. Teachers mark work regularly and make positive comments to children but marking does not always inform pupils about what they have done well or what they need to do to improve.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

45. Teachers have jointly assessed samples of pupils’ work in English, mathematics and science and their judgements about pupils’ attainment are now more consistent. However, other subjects are not formally assessed or recorded and not all teachers are aware of pupils’ attainment against national expectations and do not consistently set work that is challenging enough for higher attaining pupils.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

46. Teachers make satisfactory use of assessment information for their class, both to group pupils and to plan what they teach. However, the information passed on to the next teacher is not as well used, which results in some pupils, mostly higher attainers, initially being given work that is too easy.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

47. There is an ICT based system for recording attainment and progress for individual pupils. National test data is analysed well so that improvement strategies can be planned and groups of pupils who need support identified. The school does not yet make full use of this data to compare the relative progress of groups, particularly the higher attaining pupils. End of year reports give information to parents on progress, effort and levels of attainment. However, the format is impersonal, consisting of little more than ticks in boxes, and does not inform parents of pupils’ attainment above the expected levels.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

48. The school monitors and promotes pupils’ personal development very well. Staff know the pupils very well. There are clear communications in school, and parents are encouraged to raise concerns. This helps staff note developments and identify problems. There are lessons in personal and social education. Pupils’ confidence and self-esteem are promoted through very good relationships and every aspect of school life. Royd Nursery & Infant School - 20 49. The progress of pupils with special educational needs is monitored closely and they are given work and support to help them improve. This builds their confidence and helps them make good progress.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

50. Parents are very pleased with the school. In particular they are confident that their children like school. They are pleased with the teaching and their children’s progress. The inspection evidence supports most of these positive views and parents have every reason to be pleased with what the school offers. However, teaching is not as good in Year 2 as it is in other classes and higher attaining pupils make too little progress. Some parents think there are insufficient activities outside lessons. However, given the age of the pupils, the inspection team considers that the activities outside lessons are good. At the previous inspection a significant number of parents were dissatisfied about homework. Parents are now pleased with the arrangements for homework.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

51. The school has a good partnership with parents. Many parents are keen to support their children’s education and they are confident about approaching the school with any concerns.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

52. Parents are kept well informed about what is going on in school with newsletters and class notices. The prospectus and governors’ report provide a satisfactory summary of the school’s aims and provision although there is a minor omission from the governors’ annual report. There are satisfactory arrangements for keeping parents informed about their children’s progress. Each term parents can meet with teachers to discuss their children’s progress. The previous inspection noted weaknesses in the end of year reports. Reports are now satisfactory but the way in which they are presented is not. Parents of pupils with special educational needs are kept well informed about progress, and parents of pupils with statements of special educational need take part in annual reviews.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

53. The previous inspection noted that parents were insufficiently involved with their children’s learning. Parents’ involvement is now good and the school works closely with them. There are good arrangements for introducing parents and their children to the nursery and reception class. They are encouraged to raise concerns and keep the school informed about their children. In turn, parents are kept well informed about what is taught and how they can help through information evenings and workshops on such things as literacy, numeracy, and national tests. Homework is set regularly and the school is trialling a homework activities booklet. Parents’ evenings are well attended and many support their children at productions, festival celebrations, and fund-raising activities. Parents help in class, on visits, and activities such as gardening. The parents’ association, known as CARS (Carers At Royd School) organise social

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

activities and raise funds for the school.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

54. Since the previous inspection the school has appointed a new headteacher, who took up post two years ago, and has very recently appointed a new deputy headteacher.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

55. In the two years since her appointment the headteacher has clearly established herself and provides very good leadership. The school was judged to be a good school in the previous inspection and she has correctly identified what needs to be done to move on. Royd Nursery & Infant School - 21 She has gained the confidence of staff and governors and, in turn given them the confidence to re-examine how they do things so that they can respond to current demands and expectations. She provides a strong personal example, taking responsibility for co-ordinating assessment procedures and using her experience and expertise in literacy to help improve the way the school teaches reading. She is ably supported by the new deputy headteacher who is already having a strong influence on the work of the school, particularly through the high quality of her teaching. Other key staff also provide good leadership. For example, the science co-ordinator has ensured

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

that appropriate training and support has improved pupils’ attainment and the co- ordinator for special educational needs has ensured that provision for pupils is good and they make better than expected progress. The Foundation Stage co-ordinator has ensured that the Foundation Stage curriculum has been successfully introduced in line with national guidance and that children make a good start to school.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

56. The governing body has responded very well to the criticisms made in the previous inspection. Governors fulfil their statutory duties well (apart from a minor omission in the governors’ annual report to parents) and effectively hold the school to account for the standards and quality it provides. With the headteacher they have introduced and implemented a clearly thought out structure of sub-committees to supplement the work of the full governing body. There is a clear rationale for membership of individual committees, which scrutinise the work of the school very closely. For example, health and safety issues are effectively monitored through regular site visits and full reports made. The curriculum committee regularly receives reports from subject co-ordinators and several staff have made presentations to the committee, the most recent made by the co-ordinator for personal and social education. However, this is not supported by

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

formal visits through which governors can see this work for themselves.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

57. The work of the school is thoroughly monitored and evaluated and its strengths and weaknesses are well understood. The headteacher has conducted a detailed analysis of data from National Curriculum tests. She has compared the school’s results with other schools and set challenging targets for improvement together with what needs to be done to achieve them. This information is used to guide the appraisal and performance management of teachers, which has considerably improved since the last inspection. The information regarding pupils’ progress is drawn up into appropriate objectives together with plans for training and development. These are linked to the school improvement plan which identifies clear priorities for improvement although some of the targets in the plan are vague and identify actions to be taken rather than what the school hopes to achieve. However, the actions taken have been effective

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

since early indications from the 2003 National Curriculum tests and assessments show improvements in reading and science.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

58. Teaching is also well monitored. A clear programme of observations in classrooms has been drawn up and teachers have regular opportunities to have their teaching monitored by the headteacher and other colleagues and to receive constructive criticism. The headteacher has a clear understanding of the overall quality of teaching in the school, is aware of the weaknesses and is working to improve matters. However, the wealth of information on teaching quality is not drawn together into a formal report to inform the governing body about this important element of the school’s work.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

59. Financial planning is sound and the school makes appropriate use of its financial resources, particularly in enabling pupils with special educational needs to make good progress. The principles of best value are applied well, for example the recent appointment of the deputy headteacher was very thoroughly done indeed. The Local Royd Nursery & Infant School - 22 Education Authority was consulted and a competitive and challenging process drawn up to ensure that the best available candidate was appointed.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

60. Accommodation is very good. Classrooms are spacious and well suited to the learning needs of pupils aged from five to seven. The purpose built nursery provides a very safe and welcoming environment and gives children a positive first experience of school. Apart from ICT resources, which are unsatisfactory, there are sufficient and adequate resources to enable the curriculum to be taught effectively.

p.22

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(1) Introduce better arrangements for teaching information and communication technology and improve pupils’ attainment. (paragraphs 9, 21, 28 and 109-115).

p.22

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(2) Improve the proportion of pupils attaining higher than expected standards in reading and mathematics. (paragraphs 5, 6, 7, 24, 26, 73, 75, 82 and 84).

p.22

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(3) Achieve a better balanced curriculum by reviewing the time allocated to subjects. (paragraphs 26, 29, 104, 108 and 122).

p.22

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(4) Improve the following aspects of assessment:

p.22

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

a. The assessment of subjects other than English, mathematics and science. (paragraphs 45, 94, 100, 104, 108, 122, 128 and 132). b. The marking of pupils’ work. (paragraphs 44 and 75) c. The use of assessment data to compare the progress of groupings of pupils. (paragraph 47) d. Annual reports to parents. (paragraph 47)

p.22

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(Items 2, 3 and 4 above are included in the schools own plan for improvement and development.)

p.22

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

In addition, the Governing Body may wish to consider the following minor issues:

p.22

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• Ensure that the Governors’ Annual Report to Parents contains the required statement on how teachers’ training and professional development have improved the standards and quality of teaching and learning Royd Nursery & Infant School - 23

p.22

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 25

p.23

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactor y Poor Very Poor

p.23

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

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

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery YR – Y2

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 37 187

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 0 10

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Special educational needs Nursery YR – Y2

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 0 1

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 2 15

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 0

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 5

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 7

p.23

Attendance

National comparative data 5.4 National comparative data 0.5

p.23

Attendance

Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Royd Nursery & Infant School - 24

p.23

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2002 30 33 63

p.24

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

p.24

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Boys 25 27 28 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 30 33 31

p.24

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentage of pupils School 87 (94) 95 (97) 94 (97) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (84) 86 (86) 90 (91)

p.24

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.24

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Boys 25 28 27 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 31 32 27

p.24

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentage of pupils School 89 (94) 95 (94) 86 (94) at NC level 2 or above National 85 (85) 89 (89) 89 (89)

p.24

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Royd Nursery & Infant School - 25

p.24

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

p.25

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

White – any other White background 0 0 0

p.25

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Mixed – any other mixed background 0 0 0

p.25

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Asian or Asian British – Pakistani 0 0 0

p.25

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Asian or Asian British – Bangladeshi 0 0 0

p.25

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

p.25

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black or Black British – Caribbean 0 0 0

p.25

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

p.25

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Qualified teachers and classes: YR – YR2

p.26

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 9 Financial year 2002-2003

p.26

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 27:1

p.26

Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – YR2 Total income 496100

p.26

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 5 Total expenditure 489006

p.26

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 150 Expenditure per pupil 2164

p.26

Teachers and classes Financial information

Qualified teachers and support staff: Nursery Balance brought forward from previous year 4560

p.26

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 3 Balance carried forward to next year 11654

p.26

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 38:1

p.26

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 3

p.26

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 97

p.26

Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 4

p.26

Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 3

p.26

Recruitment of teachers

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 0

p.26

Recruitment of teachers

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

p.26

Recruitment of teachers

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

p.26

Recruitment of teachers

FTE means full-time equivalent. Royd Nursery & Infant School - 27

p.26

Results of the survey of parents and carers

Percentage of responses in each category

p.27

Results of the survey of parents and carers

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

p.27

Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child is making good progress in school. 52 44 2 0 2

p.27

Results of the survey of parents and carers

Behaviour in the school is good. 41 54 4 1 1

p.27

Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 32 53 8 0 7

p.27

Results of the survey of parents and carers

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 45 45 10 1 0

p.27

Results of the survey of parents and carers

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 60 33 5 2 0

p.27

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 47 46 3 0 5

p.27

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school works closely with parents. 44 44 8 3 2

p.27

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is well led and managed. 45 45 2 5 4

p.27

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 49 46 3 1 1

p.27

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 22 39 17 2 21 Royd Nursery & Infant School - 28

p.27

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

61. Admission to the nursery is part-time and is available in the year of the child’s third birthday. In the September or January of the year in which they become five they transfer to reception and the following year start in Year 1. Children begin nursery with a range of skills similar to those generally found. By the time they enter the reception classes they have begun to make good progress towards the expected standards. This progress is maintained and developed further in the reception classes so that when they start in Year 1, most children have attained the expected standards and a significant minority are achieving beyond them.

p.28

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

62. The overall the quality of teaching in the Foundation Stage is good. All staff (teachers, nursery nurses and classroom assistants) work and plan very well together. In personal, social and emotional development, teaching is very good and children make very good progress, with a high proportion of children reaching the expected standards. In communication, language and literacy, knowledge and understanding of the world, creative and physical development teaching is good and sometimes very good. All children make good progress in these areas so that most achieve the expected standards and some go beyond them to the early stages of the National Curriculum. In mathematical development teaching is satisfactory overall; apart from the excellent teaching in one of the reception classes, the potential of the National Numeracy Strategy is not fully realised. Consequently, children make satisfactory progress and,

p.28

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

although many attain the early learning goals and a few achieve beyond them, more could do so.

p.28

Personal, social and emotional development

63. The strength here is the very good role models provided by staff and other adults and quality of relationships shared with the children by all staff. Teachers and support staff value each individual and make sure that the curriculum and organisation meets their particular needs. For example, a very distressed child who loves railways was allowed to convert the imaginative play area into a train track. He soon become settled and was eventually happy to move on to other things. Nursery nurses lead effective sessions for older children where they learn to be part of a group, to take turns, appreciate others and be confident in what they know and can do. In one session a child with considerable behaviour difficulties was helped to take an active part by being given the part of the bus driver. He later helped the teacher by demonstrating the correct movement made by the wipers on a bus. Children in reception classes work very well

p.28

Personal, social and emotional development

together as a whole class or in smaller groups. For example, children co-operate very well together to play a challenging team game and in a mathematics lesson, children listen to each other and notice when someone appears to be left out. Sometimes children are reluctant to accept responsibility for tidying away, however they respond very well when teachers make expectations clear to them.

p.28

Personal, social and emotional development

64. Children are encouraged to develop self-confidence and independent learning skills from the start in nursery. For example, by choosing from activities that encourage them to use initiative and develop their ideas, by finding and putting on aprons for messy activities and locating their name card at snack time. These expectations are continued and developed further in reception classes. Children are given opportunities to practice previous learning in chosen activities, for example by completing “life-cycle” Royd Nursery & Infant School - 29 puzzles or recreating a class music composition that is displayed with instruments in the classroom. Children demonstrate their independence by mixing a range of colours and tidying away afterwards.

p.28

Communication, language and literacy

65. This is a consistently good feature in both the nursery and reception classes. From the start, staff listen well to children and respond sensitively to what they say. They also repeat words and phrases to encourage clear speech, develop sentence structures and widen vocabulary. A child in nursery playing imaginatively in the outdoor area asked a visitor to “Come with me, I need your help, the baby is sick”. Teachers in reception make good use of whole class teaching time to develop speaking and listening skills. A child explained, “….the patterns on the butterfly’s wings are there to frighten away animals that might want to eat it.” In a mathematics lesson, one of the younger reception children used a complete sentence to explain accurately why the number names for 14, 16, 17, 18 and 19 are easier to remember than 11, 12, 13 and 15.

p.29

Communication, language and literacy

66. Reading and writing skills are taught well. In the nursery, books related to the topic are displayed on the table alongside paper, pens and pencils. Children are read a range of good stories and poems every day and often choose to read these books with an adult or by themselves later. They use ideas and images from these books in their own drawing and writing. For example, a child in nursery responded to the journeys and transport theme by drawing lines and circles representing an aeroplane and wrote her own name followed by a string of mumumumum’s –for the sound of the engine. Older children in the nursery are taught letter sounds and shapes. After enjoying a story about a hungry cat, children in reception use the same structure to write their own versions of what the cat ate on each day of the week. They make good progress and have increasing confidence in recognising words as well as using their knowledge of

p.29

Communication, language and literacy

letter sounds and combinations to read and write independently. Letter formation is taught regularly but there is scope for building more opportunities to practise reading and writing into the otherwise well-planned role-play activities.

p.29

Mathematical development

67. Children in nursery learn to recognise and use number and shape in a range of practical activities. For example, they use two and three dimensional shapes to make pictures and build models; they count and notice the arrangement of wheels on lorries, buses and cars; they fill and empty containers with water and sand; they sort and compare objects and they play games and puzzles that help them to recognise and sequence numbers. In a well-led session, the teacher supported groups of children in learning to count up to six objects accurately. Quick recognition of written numbers to six was promoted later by an outdoor dice and running game. However, more opportunities could be made for direct teaching of mathematical skills similar to those used for personal and social development and language and literacy skills. In reception, teachers make good use of the National Numeracy Framework to guide their

p.29

Mathematical development

planning. A good range of practical activity is planned for learning in number, shape, space, measures and problem solving. Teachers use the introductory and concluding sections of the three part daily lesson very well. Children learn to count accurately – correcting “Tigger” (a puppet) when he gets it wrong! A few children can make a line of cubes counting beyond 100. They learn to recognise written numbers to 20, in and out of sequence, and a few are able to order numbers to 50. Sometimes the independent group work is not successful when there are too many varied activities going on at once. Royd Nursery & Infant School - 30

p.29

Knowledge and understanding of the world

68. Teachers plan an effective sequence of interesting activities which provide plenty of good opportunities for investigation and exploration, design and construction, development of ideas about time and place, controlling and using technology and gaining awareness and understanding of their own and other people’s beliefs and ways of life. For example, children in nursery look at different types of map, they go on walks in the school grounds and on journeys to places of interest, both real and imagined. They look at aerial photographs and talk about the routes taken. They are helped to develop their understanding by tracing pathways around rocks which they arrange in sand trays. Children learn to operate the mouse and use the cursor to control simple programmes on the computer. In reception these skills are taught more directly. In an excellent lesson, children were taught to start, stop, pause and rewind tape recorders

p.30

Knowledge and understanding of the world

to record their voices, many achieving good levels of proficiency. Teachers make effective connections between these aspects of learning. For example, nursery children built a stable with wooden blocks to illustrate the story of the birth of Jesus. In reception, children design their own gardens and build models of them. They also combine scientific investigation with music as they explore the sounds that can be made with different objects and materials.

p.30

Physical development

69. Children in nursery and reception are regularly provided with a good range of activities designed to promote the development of hand-eye co-ordination for using tools and controlling games equipment. Lessons and activities are also planned so children can run, stop, turn, climb and jump in safety. Many of the activities are linked into the other areas of learning already mentioned, while some are planned specifically, such as the use of climbing apparatus and wheeled vehicles in the outdoor area of the nursery. Reception children are not able to use their outdoor areas as easily but good use is made of the school hall for well-planned lessons. Increasing the hall time available for these classes would help to compensate for the disadvantages of the accommodation.

p.30

Creative development

70. Children in nursery are provided with a wide and stimulating range of materials, tools and ideas with which to experiment in order to express their own ideas and feelings through art, craft, music, imaginative play and movement. For example, in the nursery a group worked with a nursery nurse to create patterns by rolling a paint-soaked ball across a large sheet of paper. The children had to work in close co-operation to tilt the tray; they were involved in making decisions about colour sequence and what else needed to be done before they were satisfied with their pattern. They concentrated hard but also talked with the nursery nurse and each other about what they saw happening, they were intrigued and pleased by the result. In reception, children explore pattern and colour while learning contrasting brush techniques to produce continuous lines and dabs of colour. They create brightly coloured, symmetrically patterned

p.30

Creative development

butterflies using pastels showing good design sense and use of space. Nursery children are shown how to hold and play a range of simple percussion instruments and use them to accompany well-known songs. A good feature of reception provision is the display of instruments and music resources so that children are able to follow up ideas from their class lessons. Imaginative play areas, such as the birthday party shop, the garden centre, home corner and car-ride/picnic outing are used well to encourage creativity and to support a wide range of learning across the curriculum. Royd Nursery & Infant School - 31

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ENGLISH

71. Satisfactory improvement has been made since the last inspection. Standards of attainment by the end of Year 2 are above average but not enough of the higher attaining pupils achieve the reading standards of which they are capable. Progress is good in Year 1. The progress in Year 2 is satisfactory overall, being good for the lower and average attaining pupils but unsatisfactory for higher attaining pupils. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress overall and the pupil with a statement of special educational needs has made excellent progress, especially in writing. Pupil’s attitudes to English are very good and pupils talk enthusiastically about reading and writing. They are clear about their own targets for improving their literacy skills and are well motivated to meet them.

p.31

ENGLISH

72. Pupils make satisfactory progress in speaking and listening and their skills are above average by the end of Year 2. They speak clearly and confidently about their work and are especially enthusiastic about their new reading books. The pupils can talk about their work, retell stories and describe. Most teachers provide a good model by giving clear explanations and instructions, presenting information in a lively manner and listening carefully to pupils’ responses. Pupils listen to stories and sometimes use them as a starting point for other subjects, such as the story of the gingerbread man as a starting point for a design and technology activity. This helps pupils to see stories as part of their learning in other subjects. When given the opportunity pupils can discuss in pairs, such as in Year 1 where pupils discussed the likelihood of plants being real or artificial. However, insufficient use is made of pair and group discussions so children

p.31

ENGLISH

do not get enough opportunity to say to each other what they want to say before they write. The use of drama and role play is limited so that lower attaining pupils transferring from reception class may not have their needs in speaking and listening met. Circle time is used well to offer structured opportunities for speaking and listening so pupils develop a positive attitude to listening to the opinions of others and encouraging reluctant speakers to speak in a group.

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ENGLISH

73. The school has rightly identified that attainment in reading was not high enough and has successfully improved standards. Pupils’ attainment is now above average in reading by the end of Year 2. All pupils read confidently and can retell the story. Lower attaining pupils read with enjoyment and use a range of strategies to help them including letter sounds and picture clues. Higher attaining pupils read fluently and with expression by, for example, using different voices for different characters. They can infer how those characters might be feeling and understand the difference between fiction and non-fiction books. They also know how to use a contents and index page. However, only around a fifth of pupils attain higher than expected standards and this is less than it should be.

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ENGLISH

74. Writing at the end of Year 2 is above average. Although progress is satisfactory overall, it is significantly better in Year 1 than in Year 2. Pupils start Year 1 confidently and can write simple sentences and captions independently. By the end of Year 1, average attaining pupils can write independently using simple sentences and joining words. Higher attaining pupils can use speech marks and punctuate sentences correctly. They write well in a range of ways such as asking Goldilocks questions or writing simple letters. Lower attaining pupils can re-order sentences accurately. By the end of Year 2, pupils can write using neat legible style in a joined script. They are beginning to use a limited range of adverbs and adjectives in short tasks but this is not yet transferred into their narrative writing. Higher and average attaining pupils are working Royd Nursery & Infant School - 32 at similar tasks so that not all higher attaining pupils develop higher level writing skills

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ENGLISH

75. Teaching in Year 1 is good; in Year 2 it is satisfactory but some elements are unsatisfactory. Teachers make satisfactory use of the guidance in the National Literacy Strategy and plan appropriate lessons. However, in Year 2, plans do not draw on harder work to challenge higher attaining pupils. The Literacy Hour is taught effectively and this is enabling pupils to make good progress in writing. Teachers ensure that children write in a good range of different ways and include narrative and non-narrative writing, usually based on a big book as a model. Teachers model writing well, using pupils’ ideas so they see them as important and want to write down their own. Writing is marked regularly, sometimes with the pupil when useful comments are made. However, marking rarely gives pupils guidance on how to improve. Reading skills are taught during the literacy hour and in separate reading sessions. In Year 1

p.32

ENGLISH

these sessions are challenging and help pupils to practice new skills and make progress. In Year 2 they provide little challenge, especially for higher attaining pupils and their progress is unsatisfactory. Teachers plan well for pupils to read big books in other subjects such as geography where a big book was being used to look at life in another location.

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ENGLISH

76. Pupils are taught through a mixture of whole class instruction, group teaching, and independent tasks. In the best lessons, pupils have many opportunities to participate, such as the using of individual white boards for recording information to go on an invitation to a party. However, in Year 2, teachers only direct questions to individual pupils, so the pace is slow and a number of children become disinterested. In another lesson, the teacher asked too many similar questions, the pace of the lesson slowed and pupils did not progress quickly enough.

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ENGLISH

77. In all the lessons, work for the less able pupils was well designed to meet their needs and support from teaching assistants was very effective and helped pupils to learn. Support given by volunteers was also well targeted and teachers had made sure that adult helpers knew what to do. Additional support was always given to groups of lower attaining pupils. This helps them progress but additional support is rarely given to higher attaining pupils to extend their thinking.

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ENGLISH

78. There is a very good environment for literacy in the school. Each classroom has pupils’ work displayed, dictionaries are easily accessible and there are displays of helpful reminders such as common words and hints on how to start a story. The library is accessible and books appropriately organised. There is an effective system for changing library books, which helps pupils understand how a library works. There is a good range of books. There is no overhead projector so some opportunities for whole school sharing of text, such as song words in assembly, are not taken. Writing equipment is accessible to encourage pupils to record their work without wasting time and to choose writing as an activity.

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ENGLISH

79. The leadership of the new co-ordinator is satisfactory because she is being well supported by the headteacher and assessment co-ordinator. Assessment information is used well and has enabled the school to plan a range of strategies for improvement, which are beginning to have a positive effect, especially on reading. However, there has been no evaluation of individual strategies to ascertain their relative impact upon children’s learning. The new literacy co-ordinator has not yet monitored the quality of teaching or been involved in staff development in literacy.

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MATHEMATICS

Royd Nursery & Infant School - 33 80. The school has introduced the National Numeracy Strategy with some success in Year 1 but improvement since the previous inspection is satisfactory because there are some weaknesses in teaching numeracy in Year 2, particularly to higher attaining pupils.

p.33

MATHEMATICS

81. In Year 1, standards are above average and progress is good. Pupils recall number sequences quickly and correctly. They are confident in counting up and back from different starting points and in attempting new work. In all classes and year groups teachers work well with learning support assistants so that lower attaining pupils and those with special educational needs are well-supported and make good, and often very good progress.

p.33

MATHEMATICS

82. Standards of attainment in Year 2 are average. The progress of lower attaining pupils is good but the progress of pupils capable of higher attainment is unsatisfactory because the pace and challenge of lessons is not so well-suited to their needs. Most pupils have a good idea of two digit place value and some are developing their understanding of place value with three digit numbers. They can find simple fractions of numbers and shapes. They extend their knowledge of addition and subtraction facts to ten, finding pairs making 20 and multiples of ten making100. They can recognise and use coins of all values. They correctly name and describe the properties of two and three dimensional shapes. Most pupils make a good start in understanding multiplication and division but are less sure of the relationship between them. They are not good at choosing or explaining calculations or problem-solving methods.

p.33

MATHEMATICS

83. The overall quality of teaching mathematics is satisfactory. Pupils achieve more in Year 1 than they do in Year 2 because teaching is very good in Year 1 and is at best satisfactory in Year 2. In Year 1, pupils really enjoy their lessons and make good progress because teachers are confident in the subject matter. Lessons are very well planned. They are taught in lively, stimulating ways, based on practical activity. For example, pupils quickly learn to use accurate positional language when trying to instruct a partner to build a replica model that is out of sight. Teachers give clear explanations that pupils understand and use demonstration well, actively involving all pupils, for example by asking pupils to form and then order a “human” number line of multiples of five.

p.33

MATHEMATICS

84. In Year 2, pupils show interest in the subject and try very hard. However, progress is not as good as it could be because teachers are not very confident with the subject matter or the structure of numeracy lessons. Some work lacks the right level of challenge for higher attaining pupils, especially in their application of mathematical skills. Teachers plan sound but over-long, slowly paced lessons during which pupils’ concentration wanes. Sometimes this is due to an over-emphasis on unnecessary and low-level written work, for example drawing around coins or recording on unsuitable work sheets, at the expense of practical activity. However, calculation is taught well and helps pupils to understand how the number system works, for example by using diagrams and arrows to work out half of a two-digit number. Opportunities for pupils to solve problems and explain methods used are regularly built into Year 1

p.33

MATHEMATICS

lessons but are not a strong enough feature of Year 2 provision.

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MATHEMATICS

85. The well-qualified and knowledgeable subject leader has worked with increasing confidence and is providing sound leadership for the subject. The school policy is satisfactory but does not emphasise enough the importance of using and applying mathematics and the reference to the daily mathematics lesson as a “numeracy hour” is misleading. A good range of monitoring activity is undertaken. For example, the results of termly assessments and annual test results are analysed effectively to Royd Nursery & Infant School - 34 identify school and year-group targets which are built into the school improvement action plans. The school is less effective in sharing the very good practice to overcome weaknesses. The subject leader has the necessary expertise and is well supported by the senior management team so that the school’s capacity for improvement is good. While assessment procedures are satisfactory overall, teachers

p.33

MATHEMATICS

are hampered in planning to meet pupils’ needs as they move through the school because there is no system for tracking achievement against the key numeracy objectives for each year-group. Resources are generally good but more small-scale games and activities are needed to support practical learning in Year 2.

p.34

SCIENCE

86. Standards of attainment are above average and improvement since the previous inspection has been satisfactory. Almost all Year 2 pupils reach expected standards, nearly a third of pupils attain higher than expected standards. Pupils make good progress through Year 1 because teaching is challenging and demanding; teaching in Year 2 is satisfactory but is not as demanding as in Year 1. The co-ordinator leads the subject well.

p.34

SCIENCE

87. Year 2 pupils are confident in using simple scientific equipment. For example, constructing electrical circuits from simple components to make bulbs and buzzers operate. They can also measure and record observations such as taking the temperature to find out which is the best insulating material. Higher attaining pupils, in testing how well objects could move across different surfaces, can also recognise when a test is fair. Pupils have a good range of scientific knowledge. They know that plants need light and water to grow and that animals, including humans, can move, need food and water, give birth to young and eventually die. They can name the main parts of a skeleton and can describe the force to move everyday objects.

p.34

SCIENCE

88. Teaching in Year 2 is satisfactory. Lessons are planned thoroughly and the required work is covered in a systematic way. For example, in a lesson in which pupils noted the differences between a human being and a doll, the teacher posed useful questions, which drew from the class the stages in the life cycle of humans and animals. So, whilst coverage is adequate, it is achieved unimaginatively. Most of the pupils’ work involves routine completion of work sheets. Pupils do this conscientiously and are keen to produce good work and gain the approval of their teachers. This is efficient in consolidating pupils’ knowledge and understanding but does not extend to higher attaining pupils. Tables for recording results are often pre-drawn, only rarely are pupils required to exercise any choice or independence in communicating their findings. Consequently, the extent to which pupils can apply creative effort to their work is

p.34

SCIENCE

89. Teaching in Year 1 is far more imaginative and more is expected and demanded from pupils. For example, pupils were enthused by the collection of real and artificial plants and flowers the teacher had collected. They readily named the roots, stem, leaf and flower. They noted the scent of the flowers, the feel of the leaves on the real flowers and recorded their observations in simple sentences. The lesson was very effectively concluded. Pupils used this knowledge to determine that a very convincing imitation plant was indeed artificial by applying some of the tests they had identified earlier.

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SCIENCE

90. The co-ordinator for science has led recent developments well. Science has been monitored and areas for improvement have been correctly identified. A programme of training and support, focused on improving pupils’ skills of scientific enquiry, has been Royd Nursery & Infant School - 35 recently implemented. This has been successful in raising standards which were low in 2002.

p.34

ART AND DESIGN

91. The school has made satisfactory progress in this subject since the previous inspection because teachers are confident and sufficient time is allocated. Pupils continue to reach above average standards and make good progress. The subject leadership has recently changed and a new scheme of work has been introduced.

p.35

ART AND DESIGN

92. It was possible to observe one Year 1 lesson and the Year 2 art club. This and other evidence shows that pupils make good progress and attain above average standards. Pupils’ work shows good development in design, use of space, colour and texture. Materials and tools are controlled with considerable skill to reach satisfying results, as in the bold animal skin paper collages or the finely detailed, high colour pictures based on the work of Klimt. Pupils develop their ideas successfully from a range of starting points – from observation, books and the work of other artists. In art club, pupils paint expressively in response to well chosen music. They begin to understand the value of art in people’s lives as they learn about important artists.

p.35

ART AND DESIGN

93. Due to the limited opportunities for lesson observation it is not possible to make an overall judgement of the quality of teaching. However, it is clear that teachers are confident and enjoy teaching art and design. They convey this to pupils who are excited by the subject. They take great delight in their own efforts and appreciate the work of other artists. Pupils maintain high levels of concentration to achieve the effect they want. Pupils with special educational needs and some with difficult behaviour all become involved and achieve well. Good use is being made of the new scheme of work to structure lessons well and to ensure that children are introduced to art from different cultures, such as the Aboriginal inspired designs in vibrant, earthy colours. The art and design curriculum is enriched by the use of art in other subjects. In history for example, pupils paint portraits of Florence Nightingale. The annual art week and

p.35

ART AND DESIGN

94. The new subject co-ordinator made a good start and is wisely making time to build her subject knowledge and confidence. A good range of monitoring and evaluation activity takes place. This usefully includes sampling and assessing pupils’ work across the school. There are plans to review the new scheme of work once it has been in place a full year when any necessary adjustments will be made and staff training and/or resource needs identified. The school policy does not emphasise enough the need to work on different scales, in three dimensions or collaboratively and these are weaker aspects of the school’s provision. As with other foundation subjects a system for recording progress needs to be developed.

p.35

DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

95. Standards of attainment are above average and improvement since the previous inspection has been satisfactory. No lessons were observed during the inspection but other evidence indicates that design and technology is taught effectively. Discussions with pupils show they are enthusiastic about design and technology and understand most key processes.

p.35

DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

96. In making a wheeled vehicle, Year 2 pupils had generated designs through labelled sketches outlining their initial ideas, considering the special requirements, for example, Royd Nursery & Infant School - 36 that a wheelchair for a disabled person might need. Photographs of their finished products indicate that they had been well-constructed and one boy could explain how he had to use an additional cardboard box, indicating where the design had been modified during construction. Pupils know how the wheels and axles had been attached, noting the need for strong fixings to prevent these components from coming loose during operation.

p.35

DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

97. Pupils spoke enthusiastically about their designs for a playground and had clearly thought about safety issues by including soft landing areas around climbing equipment and fencing around the playground so that “little ones won’t run off.” Their designs for a decorated mug showed that pupils understand the need for designs to be appealing so that people would buy the finished article. This led into making coil pots. The steps needed to make the pot had been very clearly listed and pupils could talk through each step and expand on what the process required. Their pots had been finished with a coat of varnish and pupils understood that this sealed the pot and made it look attractive. Each pupil explained that the pot was now at home and what they used it for.

p.36

DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

98. Pupils instinctively talked about their ideas and said what they liked about how their plans had turned out. However, in their discussions and in the sketches and plans in their books, the evaluation aspect of design and technology is an intuitive process and pupils are not asked to identify what and how they would have improved.

p.36

DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

99. Teachers’ plans indicate that lessons have appropriate objectives and discussion with pupils suggests that lessons are effective in teaching an appropriate range of skills and knowledge. The pupils themselves clearly enjoy design and technology; they were animated in talking about their work and explaining how they had gone about the various tasks and had applied a great deal of creative effort in achieving productive outcomes.

p.36

DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

100. Leadership and management of design and technology is satisfactory. The subject is not a priority for improvement and so the co-ordinator has ensured that appropriate equipment and materials are readily to hand and that the scheme of work provides a secure basis for covering what is required. However, there is not a satisfactory system for recording pupils’ progress.

p.36

GEOGRAPHY

101. Pupils make satisfactory progress and are reaching average standards. Improvement since the last inspection has been satisfactory.

p.36

GEOGRAPHY

102. Pupils understand simple maps and can draw a route of their own journey to school. Higher attaining pupils in Year 1 can locate the British Isles on a world map and locate Deepcar on a map of Britain. They can use a globe and understand the difference in scales of maps but cannot name features on a globe such as the equator. Year 2 pupils can compare simple geographical features such as hills, mountains, and bays in one location to another. The more able pupils can recognise that some features such as houses could be the same in two locations but still be very different in type and cost. However, they were not given the opportunity to extend their thinking to more complex geographical features.

p.36

GEOGRAPHY

103. Only one lesson was seen but other evidence shows that the quality of teaching is satisfactory. Teachers use national guidelines to help them to plan the content of lessons but insufficient time is allocated to geography so work is not covered in Royd Nursery & Infant School - 37 sufficient depth. Teachers use trips and a good range of practical activities and pupils record in a variety of ways so that they enjoy their lessons. In the lesson seen there was insufficient challenge in what higher attaining pupils are asked to do so they do not, for example, develop higher level skills when comparing geographical features in contrasting localities.

p.36

GEOGRAPHY

104. The leadership of the co-ordinator is satisfactory. She monitors teacher's planning and ensures that maps and work from geography lessons are displayed around the school. She collects examples of pupils’ work but does not monitor these for standards achieved so work is not sufficiently challenging for the more able pupils. Resources are well managed and stored but some globes are very out of date and need replacing. However, there is not a satisfactory system for recording pupils’ progress and not enough time is allocated to teach geography.

p.37

HISTORY

105. Pupils make satisfactory progress in history and are reaching average standards. Improvement since the previous inspection has been satisfactory.

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HISTORY

106. Pupils in Year 1 can ask questions to discover about the seaside in the past and record aspects of this in chronological order. Year 2 pupils can discuss the differences between nursing by Florence Nightingale and in hospitals now. Pupils in Year 1 and 2 could use phrases to describe the past such as "in the old days" ," a long time ago" and "a hundred years ago". Average attaining pupils in Year 2 could make links between conditions in hospitals in the Crimea and the need for improved hygiene. Higher attaining pupils in Year 2 are not able to use reference books or ICT to carry out their own historical enquiry because of lack of opportunity.

p.37

HISTORY

107. Only one lesson was observed and it was very good. The teacher gave pupils opportunities to ask a visitor about their experience of the seaside fifty years ago. Other evidence shows that teachers plan their lessons following national guidance but insufficient time is given to the subject so that pupils are not able to develop all the historical enquiry skills that they should. Teachers use a range of practical activities, visits and visitors so pupils enjoy their lessons and remember what they have learned.

p.37

HISTORY

108. Leadership of history is satisfactory. The co-ordinator monitors what lessons are being taught but does not know the standards that pupils achieve so that higher attaining pupils are not given the opportunities in Year 2 to further develop their skills. There are a good range of resources and appropriate artefacts, which are well organised. However, there is not a satisfactory system for recording pupils’ progress and not enough time is allocated to teach history.

p.37

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

109. Standards of attainment are below average, a decline since the previous inspection when they were average. The extent to which teachers can teach effectively is limited by the way resources, particularly computers, are organised; pupils’ learning and their progress is unsatisfactory as a result.

p.37

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

110. Standards of attainment of pupils in Year 2 are below average. Most pupils know that information can be stored in a variety of forms, they can operate desktop controls confidently enough and many have access to computers at home. They also are Royd Nursery & Infant School - 38 aware of the use of ICT outside school. However, pupils do not have sufficient opportunity to extend, practise and consolidate specific ICT skills. During the inspection, the computers in the classroom were not used to their fullest effect and pupils do not use ICT in a purposeful, planned and systematic way.

p.37

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

111. Pupils’ books show little evidence of the use of ICT in other subjects. Work on display suggests that pupils have used some aspects of ICT, for example a paint program, but these are fragmented and isolated experiences. Few pupils can talk about their use and experience of ICT within school.

p.38

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

112. The reason why standards are below average is that the constraints placed upon teachers by the lack of resources and how they are organised limits the extent to which teaching and learning can be effective. For example, in a Year 2 class, the teacher demonstrated the use of “Infant Talking Atlas”, a program to support pupils’ learning in geography. The pupils gathered around a single computer and watched as the teacher navigated her way around the controls and features of the program. Pupils, to their credit, listened attentively. However, not all could see the key strokes the teacher made and for many, the opportunity to use the program will come several days later, by which time they may have forgotten what they saw. Consequently, the impact of the teaching is lost. The teacher’s own lack of confidence also compounded matters as she did not immediately know how to return the program to the menu page and pupils had to sit

p.38

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

113. The same circumstances faced a Year 1 teacher as she taught simple word processing skills. Only one computer was available so only one pupil was able to actually practise the skill as it was taught. The rest had to content themselves with simulating the keystrokes on a card which had a keyboard printed on it and watching the one pupil complete the task on the computer. Again pupils were well behaved and attentive but could not make any progress in their learning. Work in books shows very little evidence of the use of text or tables as is required from pupils of this age.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

114. Resources for the teaching of ICT are unsatisfactory. Whilst the range of software is appropriate for the age of the pupils, the provision of hardware (each classroom has two computers, one of which is networked) is inadequate to teach ICT in a meaningful and purposeful way.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

115. The ICT co-ordinator has only been in post since January and has not had time to make a full evaluation of the position. However, until the inspection, the inadequacies and weaknesses noted above had not been fully recognised and the current ICT development plan does not address the situation as it exists. A full and detailed re- appraisal of the way that ICT is taught and resourced needs to be conducted as a matter of urgency.

p.38

MUSIC

116. Pupils reach average standards and make satisfactory progress, which is a decline since the previous inspection when they were above average. The recently appointed subject leader is well-qualified and has made a good start by revising the music policy and introducing a new scheme of work but these developments are not having an impact because insufficient time is given to music.

p.38

MUSIC

117. It was not possible to observe a lesson in Year 2 but from other evidence, Year 2 pupils reach average standards and make satisfactory progress. Pupils start Year 1 with Royd Nursery & Infant School - 39 well-developed musical skills because they are taught very well in reception. They maintain this quality during Year 1 because they are taught well but they do not make the progress or reach the standards they are capable of because they do not get enough time for music. Year 2 timetables also reflect the shortage of time given to music.

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MUSIC

118. Year 1 pupils can select and play untuned instruments to achieve a particular effect, for example to suggest the “flap” of bird wings or the “wriggle” of fish. They work successfully in small groups to combine musical sounds. By drawing the instruments they create a simple score which they can recreate. Pupils listen to each other’s music and to recorded music with interest and enjoyment. They can identify and describe the bits they like best in everyday language with some use of musical terms such as fast or slow.

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MUSIC

119. Singing is mostly tuneful and rhythmic, but teaching points for developing musicality are not made and progress is slowed. Opportunities to develop reading through displaying the words of songs are missed. Pupils concentrate very well and enjoy their music making activities, particularly in the classroom. A small minority of older boys do not participate well in whole-school singing.

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MUSIC

120. In the Year 1 lesson observed, the teacher made good use of the new scheme of work, the lesson was well structured with plenty of musical activity at the right level, involving all pupils.

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MUSIC

121. Children in Year 2 have the opportunity to learn the recorder in one of two lunchtime clubs run by the subject co-ordinator and the opportunity to begin violin lessons during school time via the LEA Music Service. Good opportunities are created to enrich the curriculum through concerts, visiting performers, such as the African drumming workshop, and community involvement, as in the current project with the local Ramblers’ Association.

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MUSIC

122. The subject co-ordinator has the expertise to lead the subject well and she has also made good use of LEA/local resources and personnel. There are plans to review the scheme of work and devise staff training once it has been in place for the year. Resources are good overall, although music for listening to and the range of tuned percussion are areas for further development. The subject co-ordinator has good plans for developing assessment in music and, as in other foundation subjects, recognises the need to develop a system for recording attainment and progress. The amount of time for teaching and learning music does not match the school’s intentions as set out in the music policy and this is adversely affecting standards and quality of provision in this subject.

p.39

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

123. Standards are average, as they were at the time of the previous inspection. Teaching is satisfactory with some good features and pupils make satisfactory progress

p.39

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

124. Pupils’ standards in dance are average. They have learned the steps to a traditional maypole dance and movements are appropriately co-ordinated and controlled. They can change direction and introduce more complex movements into the dance. The completed dance also shows that pupils can perform with others as well as individually. In gymnastics, pupils can perform rolls with control and speed and link them into a Royd Nursery & Infant School - 40 short sequence of movement including balances. No games activities were seen during the inspection.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

125. Pupils’ attitudes and behaviour in the dance lessons are good. They maintained a good level of physical activity, kept the quality of the movement up and thoroughly enjoyed their collective achievement in performing the maypole routine. They even bowed and curtseyed to each other to end the dance, as tradition requires. They showed good discipline as they were learning the steps and responded well when a mistake resulted in the tapes becoming entangled. This was quickly sorted out and the dance proceeded with only a short interruption. The same attitudes were not so evident in the gymnastics lesson. This was an extra-curricular activity and the behaviour of one pupil unsettled the rest of the class.

p.40

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

126. Teaching is satisfactory in Year 2 and good in Year 1. All lessons are appropriately structured with a warm-up activity followed by the development of particular skills and concluded by a cool-down activity. Teachers plan their lessons carefully and their knowledge of the dance steps and sequence enabled the lessons to proceed at a good pace. The level of activity was kept high and teachers usefully pointed out effects of exercise on their bodies. For example, in the Year 1 dance lesson pupils welcomed the opportunity to get their breath back whilst the teacher explained the next steps. The teacher usefully reminded pupils about the quality of their movement through simple suggestions, “..high knees, light feet” and alerted pupils to watch for and synchronise their movements with others. However, in Year 2, pupils’ movements became a little ragged as they got to the end of the lesson because these matters were not pointed out

p.40

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

in the same way. The gymnastics lesson was satisfactory. As with the dance lessons, the warm up was successful in preparing pupils for physical exercise and the teacher provided a good model and lead. A superb pupil demonstration of a forward roll set the right tone and the quality of movement at the start and middle part of the lesson was good. However, the inappropriate behaviour of one pupil distracted the class who lost concentration. Despite the best efforts of the teacher who appropriately rebuked the pupil concerned, the same quality of movement was never recovered.

p.40

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

127. In all lessons in Years 1 and 2, teachers do not give enough opportunities for pupils to evaluate and improve their own performance. At several points in the dance lessons it would have been appropriate to ask pupils to watch each other and look for ways they could improve, but they were not taken.

p.40

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

128. Leadership and management is satisfactory. Although physical education has not been a priority for improvement, the co-ordinator has done much to promote physical education in the school. She has provided model lesson plans and monitored teachers’ plans to ensure they cover the required elements of the programme of study. However, there is not a satisfactory system for recording pupils’ progress.

p.40

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

129. Satisfactory progress has been made in this subject since the previous inspection. Pupils continue to reach the expected standards in Year 2 and make satisfactory progress. The subject leadership has changed. The policy has been updated and a revised scheme of work introduced that ensures knowledge is developed as children move through the school.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

130. Pupils learn key facts about Christianity and places of worship. They are also introduced to important elements of two other world religions – Islam and Judaism. Royd Nursery & Infant School - 41 Year 1 pupils learn how the local church is used and to name key symbols and furniture. For example, most pupils can name the font and know that it is used to christen babies. They also know that people pray in church as a way of talking to God. In Year 2, pupils continue to learn about Christianity through visiting another local church. They learn that there are special books in each of the religions they study and that prayer is an important part in them all. They show respect for other people’s beliefs in the way they listen and respond in lessons and in the care they take with their activities, as they did when creating designs for prayer mats or designing a coat for Joseph.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

131. The quality of teaching is satisfactory and sometimes good. Lessons are well planned in short sequences, with materials and activities chosen to interest pupils. Teachers use a good range of question and discussion techniques. A particular strength of teaching in this subject is the good use teachers make of a wide range of stories. Pupils are given opportunities to respond thoughtfully; for example a teacher concluded a lesson by asking them to think of one thing that will make the world a better place in which to live.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

132. Leadership and management is satisfactory. The subject co-ordinator has been busy developing the personal, social and health education policy and scheme of work but is now able to turn her attention to reviewing the success of the revised scheme of work, identifying areas for staff training and further resource development. Monitoring and evaluation has included sampling teachers’ planning but the subject leader recognises the need to focus more on pupils’ learning and to introduce a system to record pupils’ attainment and progress.

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