Other · Ofsted report
Keighley St Andrew's CofE Primary School and Nursery
Summary
Foundation Stage (lead), Saleem Hussain
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- Inspectorssingle source
Foundation Stage, Saleem Hussain
- URN verified
107339
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Strengths
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- Pupils with special educational needs and those in the earlier stages of learning English as an additional language are very well supported in lessons and achieve very well. p.12
- Classroom assistants provide very effective and caring support for pupils. p.41
- It is, however, better in the nursery where there is a strong team who are well led and experienced in the way they work together. p.14
- Consequently, pupils’ personal development is promoted very well, resulting in self-confident, well-behaved and courteous children. p.16
- The special educational needs co-ordinator oversees this important area very effectively to ensure that the needs of pupils are very well met. p.20
Concerns
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- This reflects insufficient understanding of the National Numeracy Strategy, tasks that are not always well matched to the pupils’ level of understanding and occasional weaknesses in managing pupils’ behaviour. p.39
- While there are still some weaknesses in teaching in Years 3 to 6, which is leading to uneven progress in some subjects, the quality of teaching overall is rising as new staff are appointed, existing weaknesses are monitored rigorously and training begins to have a positive impact in areas, such as ICT. p.20
- However, it is uneven and pupils make better progress in Year 1 and 2 where teaching is good, overall, than in Years 3 to 6, where teaching is satisfactory but more variable and lacks the consistency that is evident in the earlier years. p.12
- A general weakness is that there is too much inconsistency in the way teachers mark pupils’ finished work. p.15
- However, some teachers did not always ensure that pupils were listening when they gave them important information, which slowed their progress. 123 There are other weaknesses, which prevent pupils from making the best possible p.45
Next steps
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- The school’s last inspection was in June 2001 when it was judged to have serious weaknesses. p.8
- Results in national tests for pupils in Years 2 and 6 improved in English, mathematics and science last year and are better than at the time of the previous inspection. p.8
- The appointment of someone to manage the teaching of English as an additional language has resulted in good provision. p.8
- Teaching is stronger, although there are still some areas to improve. p.8
- The senior management team has been strengthened and teachers who lead subjects are taking a more active role in helping their colleagues. p.8
- All of these improvements were concerns at the previous inspection that contributed to the judgement of serious weaknesses. p.8
- Good progress has been made and most weaknesses have either been resolved or are being dealt with effectively. p.8
- The table shows the standards achieved by pupils at the end of Year 6 based on average point scores in National Curriculum tests. p.8
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- Pages
- 47
- Words of findings
- 20,065
- longer than usual (typical 1049)
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- Fairly hard
- Flesch 50, typical 45
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- typical 5
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Full report text
C.E. PRIMARY SCHOOL
Dates of inspection: 9 th – 13 th June 2003
p.1
C.E. PRIMARY SCHOOL
Full inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 This report may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that all extracts quoted are reproduced verbatim without adaptation and on condition that the source and date thereof are stated.
p.1
C.E. PRIMARY SCHOOL
Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the School Inspections Act 1996, the school must provide a copy of this report and/or its summary free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. Keighley St Andrew’s Voluntary Aided C of E Primary School - 3
p.2
INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
School address: Lustre Street Keighley West Yorkshire
p.3
INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
Name of chair of governors: Mrs Brenda Brown
p.3
INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
Date of previous inspection: June 2001 Keighley St Andrew’s Voluntary Aided C of E Primary School - 4
p.3
INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM
Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities
p.4
INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM
2615 Eileen Parry Registered inspector Music Foundation Stage How well are pupils taught? The school’s results and pupils’ achievements What sort of school is it? How well is the school led and managed? What should the school do to improve further? 9981 Saleem Hussain Lay inspector Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development How well does the school work in partnership with parents?
p.4
INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM
19026 Brian Downes Team inspector Science Information and communication technology Geography Special educational needs
p.4
INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM
4303 Simon Reynolds Team inspector Mathematics Art and design How well does the school care for its pupils?
p.4
INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM
19120 Derek Pattinson Team inspector Design and technology Physical education Education inclusion 19874 Joseph Fitzpatrick Team inspector English History English as an additional language How good are curricular and other opportunities? Keighley St Andrew’s Voluntary Aided C of E Primary School - 5 The inspection contractor was:
p.4
INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM
Peak Education Partnership Cockerham Hall Huddersfield Road Barnsley South Yorkshire S70 2LT
p.5
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:
p.5
INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM
The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division
p.5
INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM
Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Keighley St Andrew’s Voluntary Aided C of E Primary School - 6
p.5
PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 7
Information about the school How good the school is What the school does well What could be improved How the school has improved since its last inspection Standards Pupils’ attitudes and values Teaching and learning Other aspects of the school How well the school is led and managed Parents’ and carers’ views of the school
p.6
HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS? 12
The school’s results and pupils’ achievements Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development
p.6
AREAS OF THE CURRICULUM, SUBJECTS AND COURSES 32
Keighley St Andrew’s Voluntary Aided C of E Primary School - 7
p.7
INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
This large, Voluntary Aided, Church of England, urban, primary school has 440 full-time pupils on roll, and 68 who attend the nursery part-time, almost entirely from Asian families. Many children start the nursery with little English. Their attainment on entry is low, in many cases because they are still learning enough English to express themselves. The area is one where unemployment is high and the proportion of children eligible for free school meals is above average. There are more children with special educational needs than is usually the case with a large number identified in every year group. Last year the school received an award for improvement because the results in national tests were much better. During the inspection, some permanent teachers were absent and some classes were taken by supply teachers.
p.7
HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS
The school provides a satisfactory education and gives satisfactory value for money. The headteacher’s very good leadership has ensured that the school has made good progress since the last inspection. Standards are below average when pupils leave the school but are rising. Teaching is better than at the last inspection and is satisfactory, overall, although there are still some weaknesses to deal with. There is now a strong management team with the capacity to help the school to move forward more rapidly in the future.
p.7
HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS
What the school does well • It ensures that children make good progress to the age of seven to reach results in the national tests that are average for similar schools in writing and mathematics and above average in reading. It is raising the standards in English and mathematics for eleven year olds. • The good progress up to the age of seven is because almost all of the teaching in nursery and in Years 1 and 2 is good. • Provision for children who have special educational needs is very good and the good quality of support for children to learn English is helping many to learn quickly. • Children are enthusiastic about the school and keen to learn because of the caring attitude of staff and the very good quality of provision for children’s personal development. • The headteacher is well supported by her new management team and she provides very good leadership and management.
p.7
HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS
What could be improved • Standards in English, mathematics and information and communication technology (ICT) are still not high enough for eleven year olds. • Some weaknesses in teaching still remain to be improved. • Teachers do not use information about children’s learning consistently well for planning new lessons. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan. Keighley St Andrew’s Voluntary Aided C of E Primary School - 8
p.7
HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION
The school’s last inspection was in June 2001 when it was judged to have serious weaknesses. Results in national tests for pupils in Years 2 and 6 improved in English, mathematics and science last year and are better than at the time of the previous inspection. The appointment of someone to manage the teaching of English as an additional language has resulted in good provision. Teaching is stronger, although there are still some areas to improve. The senior management team has been strengthened and teachers who lead subjects are taking a more active role in helping their colleagues. All of these improvements were concerns at the previous inspection that contributed to the judgement of serious weaknesses. Good progress has been made and most weaknesses have either been resolved or are being dealt with effectively.
p.8
STANDARDS
The table shows the standards achieved by pupils at the end of Year 6 based on average point scores in National Curriculum tests.
p.8
STANDARDS
Performance in: all schools similar schools Key
p.8
STANDARDS
English *E E E well above average above average A B Mathematics *E E E average below average C D Science *E E E well below average E
p.8
STANDARDS
The school has no results prior to 2001, as this was its first year as a primary school with Year 6 pupils. The table shows that the results for eleven year olds were well below the average of all schools nationally in 2002 and for similar schools based on the percentage of those who have free school meals. However, this comparison does not take account of the unusually high numbers of children who learn English as a second language. There was a significant improvement in that one year which is not evident in the table. The school had set targets that were high and these were not quite reached. For seven year olds also, the results rose markedly to be average in reading, above average in writing but still below the national average in mathematics. Results were well above the average for similar schools in writing, above average in reading and average in mathematics.
p.8
STANDARDS
In the work seen, children are achieving well in nursery and in Years 1 and 2 where teaching is of a consistently good quality and the high number of adults make sure that children work hard to improve. This is particularly the case with English lessons. In other year groups throughout the school, children are making satisfactory progress overall, given their previous experiences and the amount of time given to individual subjects. For example, in science standards are below average because less time is given to this than in most schools and considerably more time is given to English because this is what the children need. However, children do make good progress in science. There is a similar picture in geography where skills are well below average but children make satisfactory progress. Pupils’ skills in mathematics are stronger in number than they are in solving problems and talking about their
p.8
STANDARDS
Keighley St Andrew’s Voluntary Aided C of E Primary School - 9 mathematical work. Work in ICT is below average in Year 3 to 6. In physical education and music, children do not make enough progress, largely because of weaknesses in the teaching.
p.9
PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES
Attitudes to the school Very good. Most pupils enjoy their lessons and work hard.
p.9
PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES
Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Good. Whilst most pupils behave well, a few older boys cause disruptions on occasions.
p.9
PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES
Personal development and relationships The school provides very well for pupils’ personal development.
p.9
PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES
Attendance Below the national average. This is satisfactory because the school is doing all it can and attendance is improving.
p.9
TEACHING AND LEARNING
Teaching of pupils in: Nursery and Reception Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6
p.9
TEACHING AND LEARNING
Quality of teaching Satisfactory 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.
p.9
TEACHING AND LEARNING
Teaching is satisfactory, overall. It is good in the nursery and in Years 1 and 2. The large amount of adult help in these years is carefully directed to make sure that all children learn well. Good teaching can be found in every year group in the school. Lessons are well planned and good attention is paid to the needs of all children. Staff ensure that those children whose command of English is not secure are given extra explanations, that are repeated in different ways, to help them to understand. Some teaching is satisfactory but unremarkable. Children respond to such lessons by making a satisfactory effort but without the enthusiasm that is seen when teaching is good. Some teaching is unsatisfactory because it does not help children to improve. Lack of subject knowledge, for example in ICT, physical education and music, limits the impact of teaching in some lessons.
p.9
TEACHING AND LEARNING
The teaching of literacy skills is good throughout the school but particularly so in Years 1 and 2. Teaching in mathematics is generally satisfactory but is variable. Interesting lessons are balanced by teaching that is safe but dull and results in children doing just enough to make satisfactory progress. Support for children whose lack of English is holding them back is well organised. Teaching is good and these children make good progress in learning to speak the language and therefore to take a fuller part in lessons. Teaching for pupils with special educational needs is well planned and effective. Keighley St Andrew’s Voluntary Aided C of E Primary School - 10
p.9
OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL
The quality and range of the curriculum Good overall, with strengths, for example in personal development and extra time for English, balanced by weaknesses such as the need for more problem solving and use of mathematical skills in other subjects
p.10
OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL
Provision for pupils with special educational needs Very good provision is made within carefully planned lessons and through a range of support from adults.
p.10
OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL
Provision for pupils with English as an additional language Good. Care is taken to find out which children need help with their English to reach their full potential and extra support is provided.
p.10
OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL
Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural, development The school makes very good provision for the children’s personal development. It is a strength of the school because it is given a high profile around the building, in the example set by senior staff and in the planning of pupils’ work.
p.10
OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL
How well the school cares for its pupils The school takes good care of its pupils. Information from the very good procedures for checking how well children are learning is not used equally well by all teachers, to plan lessons.
p.10
OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL
Most parents think highly of the school, and home and school work together well to help children to learn.
p.10
HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED
Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff The headteacher is a very good leader. Issues from the last inspection, such as teaching weaknesses, are being systematically tackled. A strong team of senior teachers has been appointed to help to move the school forward even more rapidly.
p.10
HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED
How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Good. A particular strength has been the governing body’s involvement in new appointments and in securing better teaching.
p.10
HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED
The school’s evaluation of its performance Good account is taken of pupils’ test and assessment information to improve standards. Governors and staff check the progress of the school’s improvement plan thoroughly.
p.10
HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED
The strategic use of resources Good use is made of the school’s budget and care is taken to get the best value for money, especially in paying for supplies and services. Keighley St Andrew’s Voluntary Aided C of E Primary School - 11 The school has a good number of teaching and support staff. It has plenty of materials to help children to learn. The building is of good quality and big enough because of the addition of mobile classrooms. The grounds are inadequate, however. Lack of play and games facilities has a negative effect on standards in physical education.
p.10
PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL
What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved • Children like coming to the school and are expected to work hard. • Teaching is good. • Children behave well. • The school is helping children to become mature. • Leadership and management. • The amount of homework. • Working closely with parents. • Being well informed about how children are getting on.
p.11
PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL
The inspection team agrees with most of the things that please parents but finds that teaching does vary and because of this, is no more than satisfactory overall. The homework policy is sound but the amount that children get varies. The school offers parents good opportunities to be involved. There is the flexibility to find out how children are doing, for example by telephoning as well as by calling in. Keighley St Andrew’s Voluntary Aided C of E Primary School - 12
p.11
The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
1 This school has only two years of results in the national tests in English, mathematics and science for eleven year olds. These results improved significantly even though they remained well below the average achieved in schools nationally and in similar schools. Given the starting points of these pupils with many coming to the school with little or no English, the results represent a satisfactory level of achievement overall. The school set ambitious targets which were not quite achieved. It has set equally ambitious targets for this year, 2003, which will be as difficult to achieve because of the large group of pupils in the current Year 6 who have special educational needs. For seven year olds also, the results in the national tests and assessments in 2002 rose markedly to be average in reading, above average in writing but still below the national average in mathematics. Results were well above the
p.12
The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
average for similar schools in writing, above average in reading and average in mathematics. This is particularly notable, given that almost 97 per cent of pupils speak English as an additional language, and many of these start school with very little knowledge of the English language.
p.12
The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
2 Children start full-time education in the school with well below average attainment in English, mainly associated with lack of familiarity with English, and this takes time to change. However, by the time pupils reach the end of Year 2, they are making very good progress and reaching standards that are close to average in reading and above average in writing. The strong emphasis both in terms of time and the number of adults in Years 1 and 2 is a key factor in pupils’ success, coupled with the very good quality of teaching in these years. Teaching and learning are good from Year 3 to 6 but standards are still below average because these pupils have not been in this school long and there is further to go in raising standards. Nevertheless, they are achieving well in English. More able pupils read and write well. Many of the pupils of middle and lower ability have a reasonably confident command of
p.12
The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
formal aspects of written English but the content of their writing is limited and they make many spelling errors.
p.12
The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
3 In mathematics, pupils are reaching standards that are average by the time that they are seven, although only just average, and well below average by Year 6. The National Numeracy Strategy is making a satisfactory impact. However, it is uneven and pupils make better progress in Year 1 and 2 where teaching is good, overall, than in Years 3 to 6, where teaching is satisfactory but more variable and lacks the consistency that is evident in the earlier years. Pupils make satisfactory gains in knowledge and use of shapes and measures. Their number work is competent, but their skills in handling data and in solving problems are well below average.
p.12
The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
4 Standards in science are below the average by Years 2 and 6. The time allocation for science is lower than that in most schools and this is a factor in the below average attainment. However, given the limitations of time, many pupils achieve well in science because of the good quality of teaching. Pupils with special educational needs and those in the earlier stages of learning English as an additional language are very well supported in lessons and achieve very well. Higher attaining pupils do not achieve as well as they could because teachers often do not provide work at a sufficiently high level of challenge for them.
p.12
The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
5 In art, history, and design and technology, pupils throughout the school reach standards that are in line with expectations. They do not do so in geography, where there is too little time for the subject and where standards by the end of Year 6 are well below Keighley St Andrew’s Voluntary Aided C of E Primary School - 13 average, or in physical education and music, where there are weaknesses in the teaching, particularly in teachers’ own subject knowledge. By the end of Year 2, pupils reach expected standards in ICT. However, eleven year olds are not yet reaching the required standard because the facilities are comparatively new and not used fully. Pupils’ ICT skills are not assessed systematically and some teachers still lack confidence in the subject. Although ICT is used satisfactorily in other subjects, there is scope for this to be extended.
p.12
The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
6 Pupils with special educational needs achieve very good standards in relation to their prior attainment and they make very good progress towards their individual targets because their learning is carefully planned and they are given very good support in achieving these learning targets. The school has made significant progress since the last inspection in helping children whose command of English may be preventing them from showing how well they can do. All get off to a good start in nursery and those pupils who need and receive special support later on make good progress because their needs are carefully analysed and support is carefully focused.
p.13
Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development
7 The school has made good improvements to pupils’ attitudes, behaviour and relationships since the last inspection. These factors make a strong contribution to pupils’ learning and to the positive ethos of the school.
p.13
Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development
8 Attitudes to the school are now very good overall. Pupils often show very high levels of interest, enthusiasm and involvement in lessons and other school activities. For example, in a Year 4 literacy lesson, pupils were on the edge of their seats as they watched their teacher. He first pretended to be ‘Mr Grey’, giving a dull presentation about how to make writing attractive, and then he played himself, to show how it should really be done. Pupils respond best in lessons when teaching is at a good pace, well presented and challenging to all abilities. In an assembly led by the headteacher, they listened attentively and with good concentration to examples given to show why it is important to be patient in many situations. Pupils also look forward to school trips and clubs, such as lunchtime computers and after- school games, such as football and kabadi.
p.13
Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development
9 Pupils are courteous and polite towards others. Generally they behave well in lessons, assemblies, at break-times and as they move around the school. However, there is a small minority of boys in Years 3 to 6 who can distract others in lessons. Potential problems are usually well managed so that other pupils’ learning is not spoilt. Pupils say that there is a little bullying but staff have been very effective in reducing it so that problems are now rare. None was observed during the inspection period. Assembly themes and personal and social education are successful in giving pupils a good understanding of the impact of their actions on others. Ten pupils were excluded for temporary periods in the last school year (including on more than one occasion) for unacceptable behaviour. These were appropriate.
p.13
Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development
10 Relationships between adults and pupils, and also between pupils, are very good. The level of harmony between pupils from different ethnic groups, those with special educational needs and others, is a strength. Pupils often work well together; for example, in a Year 1 mathematics lesson, small teams pooled their knowledge to work out the answers to simple addition questions. Older pupils often help younger ones. For instance, ‘playground counsellors’ are happy to play or just talk with others at break-times about anything that may be a worry. Pupils also show very high levels of respect for the feelings, values and beliefs of others. They appreciate each other’s efforts in learning and achievements. Keighley St Andrew’s Voluntary Aided C of E Primary School - 14 11 Although pupils willingly take on responsibilities they are given, they do not use their own initiative enough in learning. A similar issue was raised at the last inspection. Teachers
p.13
Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development
often give too much direction, especially in lessons where there are a lot of support staff.
p.14
Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development
12 As at the last inspection, attendance is below average and this is adversely affecting the learning of many pupils. Unauthorised absence in the last school year was above the national average and authorised absence was very high because of an unusually high amount of illness. There is a significant amount of absence for extended visits to pupils’ countries of origin, for cultural reasons. However, attendance has improved significantly in the current school year because of the very good procedures and the co-operation of parents. Most pupils are at the school on time, a very good improvement since the last inspection.
p.14
Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development
13 Pupils with special educational needs related to their behaviour behave satisfactorily in lessons and around the school. Learning support assistants have had training in managing pupils’ behaviour and this helps them to support pupils where their targets involve improvements in behaviour.
p.14
HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?
14 Teaching during the inspection was judged to be satisfactory overall. Although the percentage of unsatisfactory lessons remains much the same as at the previous inspection, more was judged to be good, very good and occasionally outstanding. This is an improvement. It should, however, be noted that there were a number of supply teachers and a supply nursery nurse who were covering illnesses and whose contributions are likely to be different from those of the permanent staff. There is also good evidence to suggest that where weaknesses in teaching were identified at the previous inspection, action has been taken and is continuing to be taken to secure improvements (see paragraphs 46, 51, 56). Lessons where teaching was judged to be unsatisfactory this time were mainly in physical education and music. These subjects have not been the focus of school improvement. There were no unsatisfactory lessons in English, mathematics and science, where the school has
p.14
HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?
15 Overall, teaching in nursery and reception is satisfactory. It is, however, better in the nursery where there is a strong team who are well led and experienced in the way they work together. The nursery room is effectively organised so that children can work with an adult in small groups and also choose their own learning activity. The staff are sympathetic to the needs of young children mastering another language and skilful in dealing with the issue. They are also very well aware of the needs of the families so that barriers to learning are reduced. Teaching in reception is satisfactory but varies from unsatisfactory to good and lacks the common philosophy among the team that underpins work in the nursery. There is good liaison between nursery and reception, and this is a strength in providing for children who have special educational needs. Assessment of learning is a good feature of all classes.
p.14
HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?
16 Teaching, overall, in the infants and juniors is satisfactory. It is stronger in Years 1 and 2 where the large amount of adult help is well directed to make sure that all pupils learn well. Literacy and numeracy lessons are usually taught in small groups with very close attention to the needs of pupils with different starting points. The pace is very good and pupils are kept working very hard and make very good progress. A disadvantage to this pace and close attention is that pupils have limited opportunity to take control of their learning.
p.14
HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?
17 In every year group, there is some good teaching. Lessons are well planned, good attention is paid to the needs of pupils and staff are careful to ensure that those pupils whose Keighley St Andrew’s Voluntary Aided C of E Primary School - 15 command of English is not secure are given the extra attention of explanations that are repeated in different ways to help them to understand. In a small number of lessons, teaching was outstanding. Sometimes, this was because of the way all of the staff worked together to help children to learn, as in a Year 1 literacy lesson. It was sometimes because the quality of relationships and lively delivery meant that pupils were bursting with enthusiasm to answer questions and thoroughly enjoyed their work, as in a Year 4 literacy lesson.
p.14
HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?
18 Some teaching is unsatisfactory because it does not help children to improve. Physical education lessons, for example, kept pupils busy and active but teaching did not help to improve pupils’ skills by providing good examples or clear instructions. This was mainly because teachers lacked subject expertise. Some music lessons were too short for pupils to develop skills and were not based on the pupils’ existing levels of skills. Again, teachers were not skilled enough to adapt lessons to pupils’ learning needs.
p.15
HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?
19 In a number of lessons, teaching was satisfactory because of additional support, either from teachers or teaching assistants. Some was satisfactory but unremarkable as in some mathematics lessons and children responded with limited effort and none of the enthusiasm seen in the best practice, Occasionally, a lack of confidence and knowledge in the subject limits teachers’ capacity to teach well, as in some ICT lessons. A general weakness is that there is too much inconsistency in the way teachers mark pupils’ finished work. Consequently, pupils are not as clear as they could be about how well they are doing
p.15
HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?
20 Teaching for pupils with special educational needs is good. Individual education plans, for those pupils to whom they apply, are good and contain suitably specific targets for pupils. They also include suggested teaching strategies that enable teachers to focus more successfully on pupils’ individual needs. Very good teamwork between teachers and learning support assistants helps to improve learning for pupils with special educational needs. This is a very important factor in the very good progress that these children make. Provision and teaching for those who speak English as a second language are good and are reported on separately in paragraphs 59 to 62.
p.15
PUPILS?
21 The school provides a broad and balanced curriculum for its pupils with an appropriate allocation of teaching time in both the infants and the juniors. Considerably more time is given to English than usual and this results in less for some subjects such as science and geography. However, this is justified in view of the need of the great majority of pupils to develop their skills in English and means that the balance is relevant for these particular pupils. Particularly good provision is made for pupils for whom English is an additional language. This provision is well structured and well targeted in order to raise standards of attainment throughout the school.
p.15
PUPILS?
22 The implementation of the National Literacy Strategy makes a significant and positive contribution to the teaching in the early years and Years 1 and 2. There is a strong emphasis on the development of pupils’ ability to speak English and to listen with understanding. In Year 5, pupils work in sets organised on the basis of their prior attainment for the core subjects of English, mathematics and science. In Year 6, three classes are created on the basis of pupils’ attainment in literacy pupils are group for maths and science but remain in their literacy groups for all other subjects. This is not a satisfactory practice and the school intends to discontinue it at the end of this year. Keighley St Andrew’s Voluntary Aided C of E Primary School - 16 23 Pupils with special educational needs have equality of access to all areas of the school’s activities and to the same curriculum as other pupils. Where decisions are made to
p.15
PUPILS?
take pupils from class for extra tuition or support, this is done sensitively. The school has begun to identify pupils who are gifted and talented and has given some thought to how it can ensure that they encounter a suitable level of challenge in their work, but there is room for further development in this area.
p.16
PUPILS?
24 Good provision is also made for pupils’ personal, social and health education and for their education in citizenship. A draft policy for a programme of study in personal, social, health and citizenship education (PSHCE) has now been drawn up to guide practice in this area. At the time of the inspection, a Life Education caravan, provided by the Rotary Club, was visiting the school and helping to educate pupils in matters of hygiene and drugs education and what it means to have a healthy lifestyle.
p.16
PUPILS?
25 Pupils have the option of attending a wide range of extra-curricular clubs put on by the school, some involving sports and games. Attendance is variable but the ICT club and the breakfast club, for example, are well attended. Visitors to the school, such as Indian dancers and musicians, an author and an artist, also help to enrich the pupils’ experience.
p.16
PUPILS?
26 A nurse and a local policeman also contribute to the course in PSHCE. Last year, some older pupils visited a local library to meet a well-known author of children’s fiction and pupils also visit museums and other places of interest to improve their understanding of subjects they are studying in school.
p.16
PUPILS?
27 Provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development was found to be a strong feature in the previous inspection. This is still the case, with further improvements evident because of the very good leadership of the headteacher and senior staff. The school’s ethnic composition is celebrated, relationships are consistently positive and the school council now firmly established. Consequently, pupils’ personal development is promoted very well, resulting in self-confident, well-behaved and courteous children. The importance of spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is underlined to parents by its inclusion in the annual reports.
p.16
PUPILS?
28 Provision for spiritual development is very good. Assemblies are a special part of each day and, because they are very well planned, all pupils participate fully. They are conducted to embrace pupils’ own religious beliefs giving everyone, including the staff who often sit with the children, opportunity for reflection and celebration. The curriculum, for instance knowledge and understanding of the world in nursery, religious education, history and science, draws on the spiritual dimension as in appreciation of the living world or aspects of Greek civilisation. Visits to different places of worship in the locality are arranged. An unusual feature around the school is the display of poetry and other texts reminding everyone of important values, such as caring or the uniqueness of each human being.
p.16
PUPILS?
29 The very good provision for moral development results in pupils having a strong sense of right and wrong. A very good start is made in nursery where children are taught the difference between acceptable and unacceptable behaviour. This continues very well through the school. Pupils know the rules and can explain why they matter. There is an emphasis on orderly behaviour around the school, such as when pupils walk into assembly. The PSHCE curriculum includes regular discussion of moral questions and the learning mentors contribute fully, for example in challenging and reducing bullying. Some opportunities are missed in geography to consider mankind’s moral responsibilities to the environment and the wider world. Keighley St Andrew’s Voluntary Aided C of E Primary School - 17 30 Provision for social development is good, with some very good features. The school council provides all pupils with an opportunity to learn about the responsibilities of living in a
p.16
PUPILS?
society. For example, pupils have looked at ways of reducing the litter problem associated with the healthy-eating tuck shop. Many lessons require pupils to work with a partner or as part of a small group, where they learn to give and take. The school is very aware of the need to broaden social horizons and in Year 5 a very interesting link with a village school is beginning to establish contacts beyond the locality. A planned residential visit for older pupils was not viable and the school is exploring ways to reintroduce the opportunity for pupils to stay away from home. Many pupils enjoy taking responsibility for others and the school premises, such as tidying away or helping run the house system. Too often it is only the girls who notice when a job needs doing and boys are not always challenged to take equal responsibility. Similarly, when pupils work with a partner, it is nearly always someone of the
p.17
PUPILS?
same sex. Further opportunities need to be provided for pupils to show initiative. Because of the relatively large number of adults, pupils are not always given sufficient space to reach their own decisions or ways of working independently. This is an unresolved weakness from the previous inspection.
p.17
PUPILS?
31 Provision for cultural development is very good. Within the curriculum and in extra- curricular activities there are regular opportunities for pupils to experience art, drama, or music and to learn about their own and other cultures. For example a dance club has learned about Kathak dancing and a visit to Whitby gave an opportunity to find out about an area different from Keighley. Invited authors and artists represent different ethnic groups and a range of music is presented, for example in assemblies. Good opportunities are provided for pupils to understand the multicultural nature of British society. For example, high quality displays of artefacts represent a good range of traditions from the past and current society.
p.17
HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?
32 As at the last inspection, this is a very caring school providing a warm and secure learning environment, where pupils feel valued. For example, the breakfast club is still as effective and it is pleasing to note that pupils are still confident in staff, regarding any worries they may have. The educational and personal support and guidance given to pupils are good overall. These factors are effective in supporting pupils’ learning.
p.17
HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?
33 Arrangements for child protection and for ensuring pupils' welfare are good and have improved since the last inspection. The designated officer for child protection is appropriately trained but in view of the size of the school, it would be prudent for another member of staff to be fully trained. All staff receive very good quality written guidance about the school’s policy and different forms of abuse that they are to guard against. Arrangements for risk assessment, emergencies and first aid are good.
p.17
HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?
34 Procedures to monitor and improve attendance have improved since the last inspection and are now very good. The headteacher and staff work very hard in talking with parents about the importance of good attendance and punctuality and this is making a difference. The learning mentors and home/school liaison officer also make a very good contribution to the school’s work, as does the work of the educational welfare service which has recently introduced a special initiative to target pupils with unsatisfactory attendance (the ‘traffic lights initiative’). Certificates are given to pupils frequently for good or improving attendance and prizes such as book tokens are given for 100 per cent attendance in the school year.
p.17
HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?
35 Procedures for monitoring and promoting good behaviour, and for eliminating oppressive behaviour, are effective. The learning mentors are involved when necessary to Keighley St Andrew’s Voluntary Aided C of E Primary School - 18 give counselling to pupils and do much good work with individuals and small groups. This is a good example of the school’s inclusive approach. Theatre groups perform plays with ‘good citizenship’ themes and the community police officer also does much work with pupils, including on bullying. There is a highly developed and effective system of rewards, including certificates and special treats for good attitudes, work and behaviour. For example, a ‘pupil of the week’ is nominated and pupils can earn rewards such as stationery.
p.17
HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?
36 Good arrangements are in place to check the progress and achievement of children in the nursery and reception classes. In the core subjects of English, science and mathematics very good systems have been established for regularly ascertaining how well pupils are doing and analysing the extensive information obtained. Good use is made of ICT in this analysis, as a basis for raising standards. The progress of individual pupils is tracked to set targets and to identify groups needing additional help. Pupils who have special needs or English as an additional language are identified quickly and their teaching programmes modified appropriately. This is an improvement since the previous inspection when language needs were not always recognised. The information has been used to place pupils in ability sets in Years 5 and 6 and to look for strengths and weaknesses in the curriculum. Assessment information is compared with that from other schools, both locally and
p.18
HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?
37 Most staff make satisfactory use of the early learning goals and National Curriculum levels in their assessments, but this is not universally embedded in all classes. There has been limited opportunity for the primary school as a whole to agree how to use the assessment criteria. This can be seen, for example, in the early assessments made for speaking and listening and in the recently introduced core subject assessment booklets.
p.18
HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?
38 Arrangements for checking progress in other curriculum subjects are more limited and the school lacks a simple and manageable system that can be used to match the pupils’ work more closely to their learning needs and to ensure a smoother progression in skills through the school. For example, pencil texture work in art sketchbooks shows very little development between Year 2 and Year 6.
p.18
HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?
39 The school has recently embarked upon a national project of ‘Assessment for learning’. The initial focus has been on sharing lesson objectives with pupils so that progress can be jointly assessed. Whilst there has been some success in this and learning intentions are nearly always displayed and talked about at the start of lessons, they are not always expressed in language that the pupils understand.
p.18
HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?
40 There are very good procedures in place for identifying pupils with special educational needs. As a result, the overall provision for special educational needs is very good. Arrangements for assessing attainment and progress for pupils with special educational needs are very good. These supply consistent information for reviews to take place and for new targets to be set for pupils where necessary. This contributes to raising standards.
p.18
HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?
41 As at the last inspection, the school has a good partnership with parents. Links with parents are effective and their involvement has a good impact on the work of the school. The contribution of parents to children's learning, at school and at home, is also good. The home/school liaison officer makes a very good contribution to the school’s work.
p.18
HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?
42 Parents have mainly good, positive views of the school. Just over a third of parents returned the questionnaire. Almost all say that that their children like school, and that there Keighley St Andrew’s Voluntary Aided C of E Primary School - 19 are high expectations for them to work hard. The great majority are pleased about leadership and management, teaching, how the school helps their children to become mature and responsible and their progress. Most parents are comfortable about approaching the school when there are problems and 90 per cent say that behaviour is good. In the meeting, parents expressed some concerns about behaviour at lunchtimes and levels of supervision. Some pupils are quite boisterous but no poor behaviour was observed. However, there is little involvement from the supervisors in playground games and better provision in this area might help to make playtimes more interesting for pupils. The majority replying to the questionnaire
p.18
HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?
say the school provides an interesting range of activities outside of lessons. Inspection findings largely support parents’ positive views. Although 15 per cent are not satisfied about the arrangements for homework, the inspection team judges that this is generally satisfactory and supports learning. Although a few parents do not think the school works closely enough with them, inspection findings do not indicate that there are any particular issues.
p.19
HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?
43 Most parents are pleased with information from the school which is of good quality. The school has several ethnic minority staff, including teachers and support staff. This means that parents with English as a second language can always communicate in their first language, for example if they have any concerns or at consultation evenings. Pupils' annual reports give clear information about what pupils know, understand and can do and include what pupils need to do next. There is also very good information about pupils' attitudes to learning, and their personal and social development.
p.19
HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?
44 The school makes great efforts to organise courses, workshops and information sessions to enable parents to get better and further involved in their children’s learning. For example, the school used special funding very well to run a ‘keeping up with the children’ course which ran over 10 sessions with 10 parents taking advantage of it. Other sessions have included mathematics, art, first aid training and managing children’s behaviour. A few parent helpers give their time generously to support school activities. For example, they listen to readers, give general help in lessons and accompany school trips. Parents generally support the school well. For example, they work through individual issues such as behaviour and are responding well to the school’s call to take extended holidays during the summer holidays instead of during term times.
p.19
HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?
45 There are good formal and informal contacts with parents of pupils who have special educational needs. Parents and pupils are involved in the review and target-setting process in line with the 2001 Code of Practice for Special Educational Needs. The school has good links with local authority services and these help to extend the overall provision.
p.19
HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?
46 The headteacher is a very good leader. She provides a clear educational direction for the school. She has created and developed a clear vision for school improvement, which is being increasingly realised through rigorous and regular monitoring and evaluation of the school’s work. This in turn has led to the development of clear action plans and targets for improvement and the introduction of systems, arrangements, policies and procedures to enable the school to function increasingly effectively. Staffing problems have required the headteacher to make staff changes under difficult circumstances to ensure that pupils are given the best possible opportunities to succeed. Her energy and commitment to the school inspire a sense of shared purpose amongst staff and governors, who are keen to make the school successful, realise its shared vision and fulfil its stated aims. The school is highly regarded in the community it serves.
p.19
HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?
Keighley St Andrew’s Voluntary Aided C of E Primary School - 20 47 Recent appointments, including a new deputy headteacher, have significantly strengthened the senior management team. This team provides the school with much- needed central force to promote school improvement. However, it does not have a clearly defined and documented role because it is still evolving. As a result, it is not yet making its full impact.
p.20
HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?
48 The school’s improvement plan is good. The important priorities of raising standards and improving the quality of teaching and learning are given suitable emphasis. The plan provides a framework for staff and governors because it sets clear targets, establishes who will oversee each task and identifies completion dates and the resources to get the job done. There are identified links to the budget and to systems for monitoring spending. The headteacher compiles the plan, although all staff and governors are consulted to enable it to provide an effective steer for the school. However, parents are not consulted as a matter of course to give them greater ownership in their school. The criteria through which the success of identified priorities is evaluated are suitably precise to help the school to assess how much progress has been made so that it can build carefully on the achievements made year on year.
p.20
HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?
49 The school’s procedures for monitoring the quality of education are rigorous, regular and embedded in the school’s work. As part of a rolling programme, subject co-ordinators are provided with time to look at pupils’ work, study teachers’ plans and observe lessons to discover what are the strengths and weaknesses. In subjects where this has already been undertaken, such as in core subjects, it has improved the leadership and management because co-ordinators can then establish clear and rigorous targets for development to help improve teaching and learning and drive up standards.
p.20
HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?
50 Performance management is carried out well on an annual basis. Performance targets are set and progress towards their achievement carefully monitored. Targets have included whole-school priorities, such as reading, and individual targets, which are linked to priorities within the school improvement plan. The headteacher holds individual professional interviews with all staff to discover and provide for their training needs. By these means, she is helping to ensure that all staff feel valued, have ownership in their school, and have a shared vision to secure success. New staff, both teaching and non-teaching, are well supported to help them become familiar with procedures and approaches as quickly as possible.
p.20
HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?
51 Good improvements have been made in relation to the key issues from the previous inspection. Standards in English, mathematics and science are improving, especially by the end of Year 2. While there are still some weaknesses in teaching in Years 3 to 6, which is leading to uneven progress in some subjects, the quality of teaching overall is rising as new staff are appointed, existing weaknesses are monitored rigorously and training begins to have a positive impact in areas, such as ICT. Provision for pupils who speak English as an additional language has significantly improved.
p.20
HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?
52 Issues relating to special educational needs are managed very well. The special educational needs co-ordinator oversees this important area very effectively to ensure that the needs of pupils are very well met. Support staff have clear roles and responsibilities, work well and are greatly valued. Most provide very good support for pupils with special educational needs and those for whom English is an additional language, who get a much better deal than at the time of the last inspection. Issues are now managed well and all staff are much better informed. This is helping to ensure that pupils’ needs are now more effectively met and that their progress is now very good as they move through the school. Keighley St Andrew’s Voluntary Aided C of E Primary School - 21 53 The governing body’s involvement in shaping the future direction of the school is good, especially through the good recent staffing appointments. The governing body holds
p.20
HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?
the school accountable for what it achieves. It is involved in monitoring the progress towards the achievement of targets in the school improvement plan. It knows what the strengths of the school are and is aware of some of its weaknesses. The governing body fulfils its statutory duties effectively. Governors are strongly committed to the school and monitor its work through appropriate committees. Committees have clear terms of reference, but not all meet regularly. For example, the curriculum committee does not meet often enough or have effective arrangements to help it evaluate how well the requirements of the curriculum are being met. Some governors are linked to curriculum subjects to help gain an overview of how well the school is doing in this respect. The composition of the governing body is not yet fully representative of the community it serves.
p.21
HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?
54 As at the last inspection, financial management is effective. There have been a few good improvements, for example in the use of specific grants. The school’s educational priorities are well supported through good financial planning. The school improvement plan is mostly well detailed regarding the costs of achieving those priorities. Financial planning ensures that the school’s budget is used in the best interests of pupils. Additional specific grants, such as the Ethnic Minority Achievement Grant, are used very well for their intended purposes. The governing body uses principles of best value reasonably in spending on items and services. It challenges the school and questions the level of spending and planned improvements effectively.
p.21
HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?
55 Daily routines are well established and the school runs smoothly. The headteacher and administrative staff have established good working practices that minimise overlap of responsibility and result in the school’s administration and organisation being efficient. Administrative staff and a part-time bursar provide good financial planning data to the senior management and school governors. There are clear systems for ordering, checking deliveries and processing invoices, with much information kept on computer. Improvements required in the last full audit of the school six years ago have been addressed and ‘light touch financial monitoring’ is carried out every three months. The school is also making good use of computer technology regarding monitoring pupils’ academic abilities and attendance information and for health and safety risk assessment.
p.21
HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?
56 The level of staffing is good. There are still issues about the quality of some teaching which need to be resolved and are being dealt with by the governors. Currently these adversely affect the quality of education for some pupils, for example by successions of supply teachers covering absence. The use of specific areas of teachers’ expertise, such as in ICT and music, is not always helping to improve the standards of teaching and learning in these subjects. Support assistants are qualified, experienced and committed to the school. They work closely with teachers and support pupils well, and often very well, with their learning.
p.21
HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?
57 The indoor accommodation is spacious, clean and bright and supports the teaching of most subjects. However, a major weakness, identified by the school council, is that there is no outside space which is large enough to ensure that all aspects of the physical education curriculum are taught effectively. This has a negative effect on pupils’ learning. The lack of a grassed area limits learning about the environment, such as in science. The accommodation is therefore judged as unsatisfactory. The school has a good range and quantity of resources to support the curriculum. Most classrooms are well organised and teachers make good use of available equipment. Resources for ICT have significantly improved, and are increasingly used to support work in other subjects. Keighley St Andrew’s Voluntary Aided C of E Primary School - 22
p.21
WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?
Keighley St Andrew’s Voluntary Aided C of E Primary School - 23 58 In order to improve the standards that pupils reach and improve the quality of education further, the headteacher and governors should continue to address the following points.
p.23
WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?
(1) Raise standards in English, mathematics and ICT at Key Stage 2
p.23
WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?
In English by:- • bringing the level of teaching in this key stage up to that of the best practice; • improving the subject knowledge of some teachers in juniors; • improving the use of assessment to inform planning and teaching. Paragraph 86
p.23
WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?
In mathematics by:- • improving some teachers’ knowledge of the National Numeracy Strategy and how to implement it successfully; • establishing a classroom monitoring programme to identify good teaching and areas where improvements can be made; • continuing to find ways to improve pupils’ ability to solve problems, handle data and to talk about their work; • ensuring the planned use of numeracy skills across other subjects; • improving the use of homework in all classes to that of the best practice. Paragraphs 91-94
p.23
WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?
In ICT by:- • providing training to staff to make them more confident in teaching the subject; • ensuring that all classes use the ICT suite regularly; • introducing a systematic approach to assessing pupils’ learning and progress; • ensuring that all pupils can confidently exchange information in different ways particularly using e-mail; • building on the good work already achieved in developing the use of ICT to support work in other subjects. Paragraphs 122, 123
p.23
WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?
(2) Continue to make better use of assessment information by:-
p.23
WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?
• ensuring that teacher’s assessments are firmly based on a shared understanding of the National Curriculum levels; • implementing the school’s marking policy in all classes and checking that comments refer to learning intentions and/or pupils’ targets; • ensuring that assessment information is used to match work more closely to pupils’ needs, for example for higher attainers in science and art; • involving pupils more in understanding how well they are doing and what they need to learn next, including the way lesson objectives are framed for all pupils to understand; • developing a simple and manageable system for assessing pupils’ progress in the non-core subjects. Paragraphs 37, 38
p.23
WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?
(3) Improve the quality of some teaching by:- Keighley St Andrew’s Voluntary Aided C of E Primary School - 24 • continuing to monitor teaching, identifying weaknesses and providing support and guidance, for example in managing pupils’ behaviour and planning and delivering good lessons; • providing opportunities for teachers to improve their knowledge of the subjects they teach where this is necessary, for example in ICT, music and physical education. Paragraphs 14- 19
p.23
WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?
Other issues that the governors might wish to consider include:-
p.24
WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?
• Seeking solutions to the lack of space outdoors. Paragraph 57 • Reviewing the balance of time in the future to see whether more could be found to raise standards in subjects such as science and geography. Paragraphs 21, 96, 110 • Training lunchtime supervisors in leading playground games to improve the quality of play. Paragraph 42 • Continuing to seek a wide representation of the community on the board of governors and developing the role of all governors. Paragraph 53 Keighley St Andrew’s Voluntary Aided C of E Primary School - 25
p.24
ENGLISH AS AN ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE
59 At the time of the last inspection, when 91 per cent of the pupils were from Asian backgrounds, the provision made for pupils for whom English is an additional language was criticised as less than adequate. Of the present school population, 97.5 per cent are of Asian background and the provision made for those for whom English is an additional language is good. A great majority of these pupils could qualify as having English as an additional language, but the school has developed a policy of providing additional language support for those deemed, on a range of evidence, to be falling behind their potential in the standards they attain in English, mathematics and science. These targeted pupils make up about 60 per cent of the total number of pupils in the school. Funding for several nursery nurses and support assistants, some of whom are bilingual, as well as for a teacher attached to each year group, who between them provide additional language support for pupils with English as
p.25
ENGLISH AS AN ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE
an additional language, comes from the Ethnic Minority Achievement Grant and other sources.
p.25
ENGLISH AS AN ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE
60 The co-ordinator, who was appointed at the beginning of the current academic year, has conducted several sessions of in-service training for teachers and support staff in order to improve their skills in teaching and providing for pupils whose first language is not English. With the support of the senior management team, she has been instrumental in improving provision for this group of pupils through a variety of measures and has carefully tracked the progress the targeted pupils have made. Specific provision is made for the eight pupils who are new to English. A peripatetic, bilingual teacher visits the school once a week to teach these pupils and some are also withdrawn for intensive language tuition by suitably qualified teachers. In most, but not all, lessons where a pupil who is new to English is present, a bilingual support assistant provides support and helps to keep the pupil abreast of
p.25
ENGLISH AS AN ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE
developments in the lesson. This combination of strategies is supported by teaching of good quality to give pupils good support.
p.25
ENGLISH AS AN ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE
61 In mainstream lessons, teachers are generally sensitive to the language needs of the pupils, introduce new terms and vocabulary with care and take care to express themselves in language the pupils can understand. They also anticipate the words in texts provided for pupils that might cause problems and take care to explain them carefully in advance of other work. Several examples were seen of teachers re-phrasing sentences or finding alternative terms in order to ensure that all of the pupils in the class could understand what was being read or what was being said. Teachers also make abundant use of visual aids, including the display of texts and photographs, to assist the learning of pupils. However, some teachers do not always ensure that pupils themselves can use newly introduced terms with understanding. Since the last inspection the school has also taken steps to draw on the cultural background of the majority of the pupils in order to create a welcoming and
p.25
ENGLISH AS AN ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE
stimulating learning environment. There are many bilingual notices and posters throughout the school and the attractive new library has a prominent section containing bilingual books. One of the learning mentors is of Asian background, as are several other members of staff, and Asian dancers and musicians have also visited the school and performed for the pupils. Last term a successful writer in English of stories and novels conducted very popular workshops in the school. Some of the topics pursued in some subjects also relate closely to the cultural background of the pupils, such as the study of the history of the ancient civilisations of the Indus Valley in Year 6.
p.25
ENGLISH AS AN ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE
62 A battery of assessment procedures, used to track the progress of pupils with English as an additional language, indicates that the school’s provision for these pupils is having a positive impact. By the time they leave the nursery, which many children enter with virtually no knowledge of English, most pupils have learned enough English to function effectively as learners in school. For the most part, teaching in lessons from reception onwards is Keighley St Andrew’s Voluntary Aided C of E Primary School - 26 conducted in English. Furthermore, test results show that in the current Year 6, 85 per cent of this group of pupils have made gains in reading of more than two thirds of a level over two terms, when the expected rate of progress nationally is a gain of only half a level over a year. In the same year group, almost half of the pupils have made similar gains in writing and in mathematics over the same period of time. Pupils with English as an additional language are
p.25
ENGLISH AS AN ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE
making good progress in their development of English and sound progress in their attainment in mathematics and science. The school has not yet developed a programme of work to guide practice in relation to pupils new to English right through the school. However, the provision it is currently making is a very good improvement on the provision made at the time of the last inspection and is making a considerable contribution to the raising of standards throughout the school. Keighley St Andrew’s Voluntary Aided C of E Primary School - 27
p.26
Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection
Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 22
p.27
Summary of teaching observed during the inspection
Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactor y Poor Very Poor
p.27
Summary of teaching observed during the inspection
The table gives the number and percentage of lessons observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about teaching.] Care should be taken when interpreting these percentages as each lesson represents more than one percentage point.
p.27
Information about the school’s pupils
Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery YR – Y6
p.27
Information about the school’s pupils
Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 34 440
p.27
Information about the school’s pupils
Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals N/A 134
p.27
Information about the school’s pupils
Special educational needs Nursery YR – Y6
p.27
Information about the school’s pupils
Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 0 8
p.27
Information about the school’s pupils
Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 3 75
p.27
Information about the school’s pupils
English as an additional language No of pupils
p.27
Information about the school’s pupils
Number of pupils with English as an additional language 454
p.27
Information about the school’s pupils
Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils
p.27
Information about the school’s pupils
Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 14
p.27
Information about the school’s pupils
Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 6
p.27
Attendance
National comparative data 5.2 National comparative data 0.5 Keighley St Andrew’s Voluntary Aided C of E Primary School - 28 Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Keighley St Andrew’s Voluntary Aided C of E Primary School - 29
p.27
Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)
Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2002 31 24 55
p.29
Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)
National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics
p.29
Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)
Boys 26 28 28 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 24 24 23
p.29
Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)
Percentage of pupils School 91 (73) 95 (87) 93 (87) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (84) 86 (86) 90 (91)
p.29
Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)
Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science
p.29
Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)
Boys 27 28 26 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 24 23 23
p.29
Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)
Percentage of pupils School 93 (82) 93 (89) 89 (83) at NC level 2 or above National 85 (85) 89 (89) 89 (89)
p.29
Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)
Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year.
p.29
Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)
Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 2002 30 31 61
p.29
Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)
National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science
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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)
Boys 12 15 21 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 19 15 24
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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)
Percentage of pupils School 51 (34) 49 (17) 74 (45) at NC level 4 or above National 75 (75) 73 (71) 86 (87)
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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)
Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science
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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)
Boys 10 14 19 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 20 15 23
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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)
Percentage of pupils School 49 (35) 48 (23) 69 (45) at NC level 4 or above National 73 (72) 74 (74) 82 (82)
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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)
Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Keighley St Andrew’s Voluntary Aided C of E Primary School - 30
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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year
Categories used in the Annual School Census No of pupils on roll Number of fixed period exclusions Number of permanent exclusions
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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year
White – any other White background 1 0 0
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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year
Mixed – any other mixed background 0 0 0
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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year
Asian or Asian British - Pakistani 343 20 0
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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year
Asian or Asian British – Bangladeshi 6 0 0
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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year
Asian or Asian British – any other Asian background 3 0 0
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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year
Black or Black British – Caribbean 0 0 0
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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year
Black or Black British – any other Black background 0 0 0
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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year
The table refers to pupils of compulsory school age only. It gives the number of exclusions, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded. Keighley St Andrew’s Voluntary Aided C of E Primary School - 31
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Teachers and classes Financial information
Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 17.4 Financial year 2002
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Teachers and classes Financial information
Number of pupils per qualified teacher 19
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Teachers and classes Financial information
Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total income 1412077
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Teachers and classes Financial information
Total number of education support staff 5 Total expenditure 1303694
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Teachers and classes Financial information
Total aggregate hours worked per week 65 Expenditure per pupil 2979
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Teachers and classes Financial information
Qualified teachers and support staff: nursery Balance brought forward from previous year 161530
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Teachers and classes Financial information
Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 1 Balance carried forward to next year 269912
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Teachers and classes Financial information
Number of pupils per qualified teacher 34:1
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Teachers and classes Financial information
Total number of education support staff 0
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Teachers and classes Financial information
Total aggregate hours worked per week 90
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Recruitment of teachers
Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 7
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Recruitment of teachers
Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 7
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Recruitment of teachers
Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 0
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Recruitment of teachers
Number of vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of a term or more (FTE) 1
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Recruitment of teachers
Number of unfilled vacancies or vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of less than one term (FTE) 0
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Recruitment of teachers
FTE means full-time equivalent. Keighley St Andrew’s Voluntary Aided C of E Primary School - 32
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Results of the survey of parents and carers
Percentage of responses in each category
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Results of the survey of parents and carers
Strongly agree Tend to agree Tend to disagree Strongly disagree Don’t know
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Results of the survey of parents and carers
My child is making good progress in school. 43 51 3 2 1
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Results of the survey of parents and carers
Behaviour in the school is good. 48 42 8 1 0
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Results of the survey of parents and carers
My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 57 26 12 3 2
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Results of the survey of parents and carers
I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 40 45 8 5 1
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Results of the survey of parents and carers
I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 51 37 6 1 5
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Results of the survey of parents and carers
The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 64 33 2 0 1
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Results of the survey of parents and carers
The school works closely with parents. 35 51 11 1 3
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Results of the survey of parents and carers
The school is well led and managed. 40 49 3 1 6
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Results of the survey of parents and carers
The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 46 46 4 0 3
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Results of the survey of parents and carers
The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 31 48 5 5 11
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Results of the survey of parents and carers
Some parents were concerned about the effects on their children of staffing changes in some classes. Behaviour especially at lunchtime was raised as a concern. Keighley St Andrew’s Voluntary Aided C of E Primary School - 33
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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE
63 The picture of teaching and learning is much the same as at the previous inspection. Overall, they are satisfactory but with much stronger provision in the nursery where all of the staff are guided by a shared view of how young children learn and how best to help them. A strength of the teaching in all classes is the way that children’s work is assessed with notes and comments of how much help was needed or given, so that an accurate view can be formed about how well the individual is doing.
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Personal, social and emotional development
64 Children are making good progress overall, and most are likely to achieve the early learning goals by the time that they reach the end of the reception year, due to good teaching. Provision is particularly strong in the nursery where the calm and ordered environment helps children to settle down quickly and become confident with adults and each other. There is a good balance between times when adults work with groups of children and times when children can choose their own learning. Generally, children stay at their chosen activity for a reasonable length of time and at this point of the year, the summer term, only a few children were moving from one to the other without a profitable stay at each one. In the reception classes there are fewer adults and in one case a nursery nurse who is covering illness and, therefore, not as sure about the arrangements. Children do work and play with enthusiasm
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Personal, social and emotional development
but without the calmness that is evident in the nursery.
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Personal, social and emotional development
65 Arrangements for starting at the nursery and moving to the reception classes are well thought out to make sure that, wherever possible, children are placed with the adult that the family knows best. This creates a good link and a positive feeling between home and school which helps to make children more confident.
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Communication, language and literacy
66 Because so many of the children come to the nursery with little or no English, they have a lot to learn. The nursery staff put a strong emphasis on helping children to gain skills and confidence in learning to speak English. Everyone learns some Punjabi words and phrases and bilingual staff use both languages to help children to acquire new words in English and to have a better understanding of what is happening. A good example is when children were counting and naming fruit. Sometimes they answered in English, sometimes in Punjabi and sometimes they did not know the name of the fruit in either language. All responses were accepted and the assistant moved naturally between the languages, supplying new words when necessary. Similarly in reception classes, help with language is available in both formal and informal situations. Children make good progress but the quality of spoken language is still well below the usual because of the children’s low starting point.
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Communication, language and literacy
67 Literacy skills are developed right from the start with children in the nursery sharing books in groups and individually. They are taught how to open them and look at them from left to right. In one-to-one and group situations, children show an enjoyment of books, pictures and stories. They write in play situations and some are beginning to make shapes that resemble letters. By the end of reception class, able children can read simple sentences and write completely accurate sentences, such as “I come to school”, by themselves. At the other end of the scale, there are children who still do not hold pencils properly and are only just starting to make letter shapes to represent their thinking. They know that pictures and print tell stories and can remember some of the words. Overall, standards are likely to be Keighley St Andrew’s Voluntary Aided C of E Primary School - 34 well below the early learning goals although children make satisfactory progress, due to
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Mathematical development
68 Teaching results in satisfactory achievement by children in the Foundation Stage although standards are below expectations overall. In some of the activities that were seen in the nursery, several of the children were already reaching the early learning goals, some were at very early stages whilst others were broadly on target. Registration is used to help children to count and most can do this up to the size of the group. Some of the children are very competent with counting, easily managing to ten and sometimes beyond. The nursery provides good opportunities for children to learn about number through songs, such as Ten Little Fingers . Good teaching in small groups is helping the children to acquire the names and special language about shape. Some were able to name shapes such as square and rectangle and in addition to say that they have four sides and four points.
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Mathematical development
69 In reception, classes are working within the numeracy strategy. One group was counting forward and backward up to 20 and it was clear that some very able children could have gone further. Most of the children could manage ideas such as ‘one more’ or ‘one less'. In the other group, children were at a much lower level. They were becoming more confident with the smaller numbers up to five and needed help to count a number of objects accurately. In their assessment books, able children have completed tasks such as doubling numbers, ordering up to 10 and simple addition sums. Others find it difficult to record their work.
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Knowledge and understanding of the world
70 There is good provision in this area and sound teaching overall, which helps children to achieve satisfactorily. Nevertheless, standards are likely to be below those expected in the early learning goals.
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Knowledge and understanding of the world
71 Reception children working with a nursery nurse played with cars on a play mat. They were learning everyday language effectively. Her guidance was helping them to follow directions and to learn specific words, such as ‘traffic lights’ and ‘zebra crossings’, many of which they did not know in English. The activity was extending their knowledge well.
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Knowledge and understanding of the world
72 Children in the nursery and reception learn to use the computer and to work with simple programs where they move objects around the screen. Some of them do this with reasonable skill, knowing how to ‘click on’ and ‘drag and drop’ objects. Sometimes they make objects move or change programs by accident rather than by design. Some children observed in a reception class needed considerable help from an adult to help them to complete a matching and counting program.
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Knowledge and understanding of the world
73 Nursery and reception classes have a good range of construction equipment which helps children to join and build objects, sometimes following designs. They use scissors safely although their cutting skills are very varied. Sand and water help children to learn about the different textures and properties of materials whilst a focus on mini-beasts helps children to learn about the homes and lives of small creatures. Whilst working with a teacher, children in one reception class were not challenged enough and showed limited understanding about these creatures because of ineffective teaching that did not make the purpose of the learning clear. Keighley St Andrew’s Voluntary Aided C of E Primary School - 35
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Physical development
74 Overall, the teaching and provision in this area are satisfactory. They help children to achieve satisfactorily, and to attain sound standards. Whilst there is a good arrangement for children in reception to use the small outdoor area instead of joining the older classes at playtime, this restricts the flexibility for those in the nursery. Only a limited amount of equipment is put out for nursery children and the provision is not as good as that offered inside. Two adults supervise outside whilst others tidy up inside. This means that there is more supervision of play than development. However, some of the children show considerable skill in throwing and catching a ball, and in other respects, such as climbing and balancing, their skills are typical for their age.
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Physical development
75 In addition to the outside play, reception children have time in the hall. In one of these lessons, the children responded well to dance because of the good quality of the teaching. They showed that they could interpret music with movement of a good quality and the teacher helped them to get better by guiding them.
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Physical development
76 There are plenty of opportunities for children in both classes to develop hand and eye co-ordination through building and joining activities although not enough is done to assist the development of children’s writing and drawing skills.
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Creative development
77 Provision in this area is of good quality and teaching is sound but children’s attainment is very mixed and overall below expectations. Children choosing to use musical instruments handled them with care and made sounds competently. Where an adult supports imaginative play, children respond with enthusiasm. A good example is when a bilingual teaching assistant in reception helped the children to build a bus out of large bricks and drive it on holiday to Pakistan. Children spoke in both English and their mother tongue and this combination helped them to play and act with good understanding. Well-resourced areas, such as a greengrocer’s shop and a hairdresser’s, help children to learn through play.
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Creative development
78 Evidence from displays shows that children have a wide experience of painting, drawing and collage work. Some pieces are of very good quality. For example, a child in nursery captured the essence of a lion very well in charcoal. Other examples in nursery and reception show some children to be still at early stages of drawing, where people and animals have a very simple shape. Although the option to paint was available in all rooms, the children did not choose this activity as often as other activities.
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ENGLISH
79 In the national tests for seven year olds in 2002, the school attained results in reading in line with the national average for all schools and above the average for similar schools. In the same tests, results in writing were above the national average for all schools and well above the average for similar schools. In the national tests for eleven year olds in 2002, results in English were well below the national average for all schools and also well below the average for similar schools. In both year groups the test results for 2002 were better than those for 2001.
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ENGLISH
80 The inspection judgement is that at present the standards of pupils in speaking and listening, reading and writing are in line with the national average in Year 2 but below that average in Year 6. The school has made speaking and listening a priority in its improvement plan and there was a good emphasis on this aspect of language in much of the teaching Keighley St Andrew’s Voluntary Aided C of E Primary School - 36 seen. Younger pupils were eager to answer questions in class and enjoyed the frequent opportunities to recount experiences or to read their work to the rest of the class. They also showed a good understanding of technical terms such as ‘synonyms’, ‘homographs’ and ‘phonemes’. Older pupils were able to communicate their ideas clearly. They also enjoyed discussing ideas in class and were able to use words like ‘character’, ‘setting’ and ‘plot’ with understanding when discussing novels and texts. Most teachers were skilled in their ability to
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ENGLISH
draw ideas and terms from the pupils from the start of the lesson, encourage those who spoke quietly to speak up and also correct pupils when they used unidiomatic turns of phrase or wrongly constructed sentences. While higher attaining pupils were able to engage in oral exchanges with the teacher or each other during discussions, a good proportion of the older pupils, while competent when presenting a prepared text to the class, found it difficult to think on their feet and to provide a clear and well-formulated answer when presented spontaneously with a question from the teacher or a classmate.
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ENGLISH
81 The writing of pupils in Year 2 is competent and generally in line with the standard expected nationally. Most pupils produce a good volume of writing in a range of styles. They formulate sentences correctly and have a well-developed command of the use of full stops and capital letters. The formal aspects of written language are generally better than average and writing is usually well organised, but the content of the writing is often rather thin. Average and higher attaining pupils are especially good at giving reasons for their opinions, making appropriate use of clauses beginning with ‘because’. Their standards of presentation are satisfactory or good although most are still printing letters and do not yet join up their handwriting. The standards of presentation of lower attaining pupils are often poor. They have poor control of handwriting and their writing is marred by frequent spelling and grammatical
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ENGLISH
errors. Some have difficulty with the present continuous tense, writing “I can washing my hands” or “The boys are play football”, and there are frequent misspellings such as ‘peep’ for ‘people’, ‘capt’ for ‘carpet’ and ‘wog bon’ for ‘was born’. Their pieces of writing tend to be brief and there is little that is extended.
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ENGLISH
82 Higher attaining pupils in Years 5 and 6 are capable of producing writing of good quality in a wide range of styles, including poems, play scripts, letters, newspaper articles, biographies, stories and extended writing based on research and notes. Their sentence construction, including the construction of complex sentences, is confident and assured and their narrative writing shows a well-developed sensitivity to word choice, as seen in one piece where a character was described as “coughing and spluttering”. Writing of this quality reflects the benefits the pupils derive from the well-chosen fiction they read in school. Not all writing is of this quality, however, and the majority of pupils’ writing is below the nationally expected standard although much shows signs of improving over time. Many of the pupils of middle and lower ability have a reasonably confident command of formal aspects of written
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ENGLISH
language, such as the use of speech marks and other forms of punctuation, but the content of their writing is often meagre and their writing contains many spelling errors. The writing of one pupil, who spoke of “hunders of athlets form United Kindom”, “the Olmipic games” and “medels”, conveys the flavour of some of the problems pupils encounter in communicating through writing.
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ENGLISH
83 Good attention is given to reading from the nursery onwards. Reading resources are of good quality, there are frequent opportunities for pupils to read and care is taken to match books to pupils’ ability and interests. Higher attaining and average pupils in Year 2 were able to cope with unfamiliar words because of their strong grasp of how to translate letters into sounds. They were able to anticipate what came next and their reading was generally fluent and accurate. Their understanding was generally good or sound, as when one pupil explained what the bear’s ‘claws’ were but they had difficulty with words referring to things beyond their normal experience. For example, one higher attaining pupil could not explain what was meant by “books bound in leather”. Lower attaining pupils could cope with simple texts they had Keighley St Andrew’s Voluntary Aided C of E Primary School - 37 become familiar with but often had difficulty with new words or with texts they had not been
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ENGLISH
able to rehearse with an adult. Higher attaining pupils in Years 5 and 6 can read demanding, good quality fiction with confidence and good expression. However, the reading of middle and lower ability pupils is often rather flat and lacking in expression. The reading of some lower attaining pupils is often stilted and hesitant: one pupil, for example, who was able to pronounce ‘hold’ and ‘falling down’ stopped at ‘busy’ and ‘wobbly’. Even higher attaining pupils encounter problems of comprehension when they meet some forms of English idiom. One able pupil, for example, was unable to explain what life’s ‘ups and downs’ were and another had similar difficulty in explaining what was meant when it was said that someone was ‘not himself’.
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ENGLISH
84 The quality of teaching is very good in Years 1 and 2 and good in Years 3 to 6. Teachers in Years 1 and 2 have a sound grasp of the aims and methods of the National Literacy Strategy and also make very good use of the material accompanying the early literacy strategy. They have a detailed understanding of the levels of attainment of the National Curriculum with reference to speaking and listening, reading and writing, and make good use of this when assessing pupils’ work and in their planning of work to meet the needs of individuals. Teachers in these years operate very much as a team and frequently share their understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of individual pupils. Their teaching is characterised by its thoroughness and attention to detail. The additional funding available for the teaching of pupils for whom English is an additional language means that classes can be broken into two groups, for example. This enables the teachers to give weaker pupils much
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ENGLISH
more individual attention and to ensure that all pupils are involved in activities and are making progress. The very good progress made by pupils in these years is because of the thorough planning, careful preparation of resources and attention to detail which teachers manifest in their teaching.
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ENGLISH
85 In one very good lesson, the teacher focused on words containing ‘ea’ letter blends, such as ‘tear’, ‘bread’, ‘thread’ and ‘head’. Pupils’ knowledge of words containing these letters was thoroughly reinforced when the class, sitting in a circle, played a language game. Pupils enjoyed the session and were keen to answer and to do well. They understood the meaning of ‘synonym’ and one boy volunteered, correctly, the word ‘homograph’. Support assistants were well deployed to support different groups of pupils. One worked with pupils with special educational needs and was able to make use of Punjabi as well as English when helping the pupils to cope with the activities. During the writing activity, some pupils of middle and higher ability were able to use the thesauruses available in the classroom to find alternative words with the same meaning. The teacher and the support assistants targeted individuals with
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ENGLISH
their questions to ensure that everyone was involved. At the end of the lesson several pupils proudly read out their writing to the rest of the class.
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ENGLISH
86 The teaching in Years 3 to 6 is good overall but the work of the pupils in these years indicates that teaching is not quite as thorough and well organised as it is in earlier years. The subject knowledge of some of the teachers in these years and their familiarity with the National Literacy Strategy are not as well developed and they have a less sure grasp of National Curriculum levels of attainment and how to make use of them when maintaining a running record of pupils’ attainment. Some of the classes in these years are less well motivated, with some pupils rather reluctant to push themselves and more inclined to adopt a passive role. Teachers sometimes have to work hard to maintain order and to motivate pupils to work at the activities they provide. Nevertheless, teachers prepare lessons with care and often provide imaginative tasks which help the pupils to make gains in their language skills.
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ENGLISH
The progress of the pupils in these years is good, since most pupils come from a relatively low level of attainment. In a class of higher attaining pupils in Year 6, several pupils took the roles of characters from the class novel in a ‘hot seat’ activity, which provided good practice in speaking and listening and also deepened the understanding of all of the pupils in the class Keighley St Andrew’s Voluntary Aided C of E Primary School - 38 of the characters concerned. Pupils showed a good grasp of the text and were able to support their points of view with evidence. In the same class, a small group of ‘gifted and talented’ pupils was withdrawn by a support teacher who worked with them in the shared area. The pupils were asked to compare characters in two novels they had recently read and this they did very competently, finding similarities and differences and supporting their judgements with close reference to the text. They spoke very confidently and showed a
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ENGLISH
mature grasp of relevant critical terminology. In another lesson, Year 5 pupils worked at a letter to their local Member of Parliament about the possibility of improving the school’s outdoor playing facilities. The teacher modelled a letter of complaint for the pupils and they responded by producing work of a creditable standard. A support assistant worked with a small group of pupils in order to ensure that they remained concentrating and on task.
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ENGLISH
87 Work in the subject is well supported by up-to-date documentation and a knowledgeable co-ordinator who monitors standards regularly and has a clear overview of the subject throughout the school. Book resources are very good. ‘Big books’, class readers, individual readers, dictionaries and thesauruses are in very good supply and the school library is very well organised and run. It is an attractive place for pupils to visit and is making a useful contribution to pupils’ reading and to learning throughout the school. The accommodation is good and is enhanced by the lavish and attractively presented displays of pupils’ work in classrooms and corridor areas.
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MATHEMATICS
88 Test results have shown good improvement since the previous inspection because the school’s determination to raise standards has led to actions that have been the right ones to help pupils do better. Standards now are close to average by the age of seven, and improving by the age of eleven, although continuing to be well below average. Pupils of all abilities achieve well in the infants and satisfactorily in the juniors. This is the result of better teaching throughout the school, although some lessons in the junior classes still have important weaknesses and the teaching, although satisfactory, is too variable.
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MATHEMATICS
89 In Years 1 and 2 pupils make good progress. Pupils with special educational needs and those new to English receive good support to achieve well, particularly in number work. For example, in Year 1 a targeted group with English as an additional language played a full part in the following class lesson because of the joint planning, the focus on vocabulary and the well-chosen resources. By the end of Year 2, most pupils have achieved the expected level with a good proportion reaching or almost reaching the higher level 3. Progress slows in some junior classes so that overall it is only just satisfactory with around half the pupils failing to reach the expected level by the age of eleven. However, a growing number is achieving the higher level 5. This reflects higher expectations, including setting arrangements in Years 5 and 6 that provide challenging teaching for more able pupils. An unusually large number with
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MATHEMATICS
special educational needs has affected standards in Year 6 this year and, as last year, the school may not quite reach its demanding target.
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MATHEMATICS
90 Pupils can now work sums out in their heads more confidently. A combination of ‘learning by heart’ and well-managed activities at the start of numeracy lessons is helping pupils to increase the range of strategies they can call upon when calculating. In the best lessons, pupils can talk about different ways of working things out as in a Year 2 lesson when they added nine by first adding 10 and then taking one away. By the age of seven, most pupils can work with numbers up to 100 using a good range of methods. They understand simple fractions and can distinguish between odd and even numbers. Pupils are beginning to learn about angles and can name common two-dimensional shapes. Lower attaining pupils are confident with smaller numbers but generally find it harder to explain their ideas. Keighley St Andrew’s Voluntary Aided C of E Primary School - 39 91 By the age of eleven, higher attaining pupils can use patterns in numbers, such as
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MATHEMATICS
continuous halving or counting back in tenths, including negative numbers. Most pupils are reasonably confident in calculation, although many find it hard to apply their skills to solve problems and in some older classes there is insufficient emphasis on pupils trying different ways to work out or check their answers. Pupils make satisfactory gains in understanding shapes and measures but, despite some interesting graph work in science and ICT, skills in handling data are well below average. There is no clear difference between the achievement of boys and girls; in several observed lessons boys enjoyed the competitive element of trying to be the first to come up with the right answer. Throughout the school good, targeted, support for pupils with English as an additional language ensures that they learn the necessary vocabulary, participate and achieve well, although sometimes they need more opportunity to talk about their mathematics.
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MATHEMATICS
92 Teaching has improved since the previous report and no unsatisfactory lessons were seen during the inspection. Teaching and learning are good in Years 1 and 2 and satisfactory overall across Years 3 to 6. Whilst there is very effective teaching in some older classes, currently too many lessons in the juniors have weaknesses that slow learning down. This reflects insufficient understanding of the National Numeracy Strategy, tasks that are not always well matched to the pupils’ level of understanding and occasional weaknesses in managing pupils’ behaviour.
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MATHEMATICS
93 In almost all lessons, staff and resources are deployed very effectively. Teaching and support staff are clear about their roles and the learning intentions are virtually always explicit. Good use is made of resources such as the overhead projector, number cards and individual whiteboards to engage pupils’ interest and support their learning. The opening part of most numeracy lessons is energetic and effective in engaging the whole class in quick-fire calculations and revision of previous work. In the best lessons, support staff provide skilled help to ensure all pupils keep up with the rest of the class and the teacher uses ‘talking partners’ to allow pupils to think aloud about a new problem. The main activity is usually well matched to the needs of different groups, including the ability sets in Years 5 and 6. Teaching has responded well to the last report’s criticism of too much teacher talk. Lessons are now
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MATHEMATICS
well balanced with class, group and individual work, including sufficient emphasis on practical activities. Homework contributes well to the learning in most classes, although there is variability in the amount and quality of the work set.
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MATHEMATICS
94 Appropriate lesson objectives are always set out at the start and most teachers review these in plenary sessions to see whether pupils have learned what was planned. Pupils do not always understand the objectives, some plenaries add little to the learning and objectives are not often referred to when teachers mark the exercise books. Consequently pupils’ understanding of their own learning and what they need to do to improve is often weak. Useful assessment booklets for English, mathematics and science have been introduced. Teachers vary widely in the way they are used. Assessment is comprehensive and increasingly used to target groups or areas of teaching, but teachers’ understanding and use of National Curriculum criteria are not applied consistently enough to make sure that expectations for learning are high but realistic for all pupils. ICT is used satisfactorily to develop mathematical skills and understanding. Numeracy skills are applied well in some
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MATHEMATICS
other lessons such as the Year 4 work in history and ICT where pupils were gathering information about the Second World War to make spreadsheets and pie charts. Generally, cross-curricular links need to be better planned to increase the relevance of mathematics and maximise opportunities for pupils to apply their skills and understanding.
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MATHEMATICS
95 Leadership and management of the subject are good. There is a high level of expertise in the senior management team, although, because co-ordinators are mostly Keighley St Andrew’s Voluntary Aided C of E Primary School - 40 recent appointments, improvements are still at an early stage. The co-ordinator has made very good use of the previous report to draw up a relevant and achievable action plan. Staff’s clear understanding of the expectations in mental mathematics and the way that pupils’ progress is checked are examples of effective leadership. Short-term problems have affected the school’s ability to monitor how well the numeracy strategy is being taught in all classes, but there is a good understanding of the issues and a strong commitment to raising standards further. Assessment information is analysed systematically by the headteacher and senior managers, and appropriate action taken or proposed where weaknesses are
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SCIENCE
96 Inspection evidence indicates that standards are below average at the end of Year 2 and at the end of Year 6. Of the four aspects of the subject, scientific enquiry is the weakest. This aspect was the weakest at the previous inspection and has shown considerable improvement but remains less strong than the others. Less time is given to the subject than in most schools because of the school’s emphasis on literacy and numeracy. Nevertheless standards have risen substantially since the previous inspection and pupils’ achievement in this school is good in relation to the amount of time the subject is given.
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SCIENCE
97 By the end of Year 2, pupils are beginning to develop the basic concepts associated with science satisfactorily. Pupils in Year 2, for example, can describe the conditions needed for plants to grow, various types of forces, the main features of a healthy diet and how caterpillars change into butterflies. They develop a satisfactory scientific vocabulary and can explain such terms as proteins, calcium and vitamins. Pupils set up simple tests and make predictions about what the results may be. Pupils in Year 1, for example, set up tests to see what force of air is needed to make various objects move. Pupils can identify the main parts of the human body. They construct basic electrical circuits and explain what happens if the circuit is broken or if extra bulbs are added.
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SCIENCE
98 By the end of Year 6, pupils have some knowledge of the main organs of the human body. They know about micro-organisms and how they can affect people’s health. They can describe the benefits of exercise on the human body. Year 5 pupils, for example, keep a diary of the time they spend exercising. They record pulse rates and their views on the benefits of the exercise they do. Pupils further develop their vocabulary and pupils in Year 6 can explain such terms as bacterium, salmonella and staphylococcus. Pupils understand how to set up fair tests and make sensible predictions about possible results. This was clearly demonstrated by a Year 4 class who set up good experiments using electrical circuits to test which materials were the best conductors of electricity. Because of lack of time, pupils have limited opportunities to devise and set up their own investigations, to evaluate what could be improved in the light of experience or to choose different ways of writing up evidence. It is
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SCIENCE
these more sophisticated scientific skills that are needed for higher attaining pupils to reach their full potential.
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SCIENCE
99 Within the context of limited time, science makes a very good contribution to pupils’ literacy development. In most lessons there are new words to learn and displays of key vocabulary. Teachers insist on pupils using the correct vocabulary. The subject offers good opportunities, especially for older pupils, to write in a range of styles. Pupils in Year 6 take notes individually as the teacher talks, for example. Pupils use measurements of different types and present results using a range of tables and graphs. This makes a good contribution to their numeracy development. The use of ICT to support learning is good. Pupils use websites for research, teachers use computers linked to projectors to teach new Keighley St Andrew’s Voluntary Aided C of E Primary School - 41 skills and pupils often use microscopes connected to computers as part of the work in lessons.
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SCIENCE
100 The quality of teaching and learning is good. No unsatisfactory teaching was seen during the inspection. At the time of the previous inspection, teaching was unsatisfactory. It is this considerable improvement in the quality of teaching that is the main factor in the substantial rise in pupils’ achievement that is now taking place. A feature of all the teaching is very good class control. This is essential in a practical subject such as science and is achieved with good humour and without being rude or demeaning to pupils. Teachers plan their lessons carefully and take account of the practical aspects of the subject so that equipment and materials are organised in advance. As there are often a number of adults in lessons, this element of planning is essential. Teachers and classroom assistants work together with a high level of teamwork and this is an important factor in the progress made by
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SCIENCE
pupils with special educational needs and English as an additional language. This good planning does not always extend to ensuring that higher attaining pupils have work at a suitable level of challenge to raise their attainment. Classroom assistants provide very effective and caring support for pupils. Pupils show interest in science and behave well in lessons. They are careful with equipment and efficient about clearing up after practical sessions. There are good relationships between pupils and with their teachers.
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SCIENCE
101 The subject makes a good contribution to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Procedures for assessing pupils’ attainment and progress are very good, and data are used very well to check for inconsistencies in the curriculum. Procedures for monitoring teaching by the subject co-ordinator and the senior management are very good, and are key factors in improving teaching since the previous inspection. The subject co- ordinator has shown outstanding leadership in raising the profile of science, raising standards and improving teaching to a good level. The subject has improved since the previous inspection.
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ART AND DESIGN
102 Only one lesson could be seen during the inspection due to the timetable. Based on the evidence available, primarily displays and photographs of completed work, standards are in line with those found in most schools, and pupils achieve satisfactorily. This maintains the situation reported last time. No judgement can be made about the quality of teaching.
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ART AND DESIGN
103 By the age of seven, most pupils can use a satisfactory range of media such as pencil, pastel and paint to produce two-dimensional artwork. As in the previous inspection, there is good emphasis on observational work. For example, pupils had looked carefully at spring flowers and mixed colours carefully to successfully replicate what they could see. Some good links are made with other subjects, for example using folding, cutting and sticking techniques to create pictures using the shapes taught in mathematics. Teachers take care in displays to show off pupils’ work to its best. In sketchbooks, pupils practise techniques, such as representing different textures in pencil or copying the style of painters such as Kandinsky. Some teachers are very precise when marking this work, for instance in one book commenting: “Well done, you have tried to use the same colours”.
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ART AND DESIGN
104 By the age of eleven, most pupils have experienced a wider range of media and techniques including fabric resist dyeing, printing and mask-making. Their sketchbooks show improving control, for example in the way they mix colours or in their depiction of movement in the human body. Generally, because there is no assessment of skill development over time, progress is just satisfactory. For example the sketchbooks from Year 2 and Year 6 include an exercise in pencil shading with virtually no development evident in the work of Keighley St Andrew’s Voluntary Aided C of E Primary School - 42 most older pupils. Provision is made for interested pupils to extend their experience through art clubs – for example using the computer suite to assemble pictures in the style of abstract artists. Generally, however, there is too little opportunity for capable pupils to work at an appropriately high level. Some design and technology projects indicate very mature
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ART AND DESIGN
decorative skills, often based on ethnic traditions, and work completed with visiting artists is often of a high standard. Pupils particularly enjoy these visits.
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ART AND DESIGN
105 Art makes a good contribution to cultural and community development through the links with professional artists-in-residence, multicultural work such as Islamic patterns and totem poles and occasional art gallery visits. The subject has not been a school priority for development, but the experienced co-ordinator provides good informal support, examines planning and looks after resources. A new scheme of work has been introduced, setting out the skills expected at each level, whilst leaving it to teachers to decide content to reflect other work in the class. Training has not yet been provided and some staff lack subject knowledge, although art has a secure place in the timetable for each class.
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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY
106 Standards in design and technology are in line with national expectations by the end of Years 2 and 6. This is similar to the findings of the last inspection. Progress for most pupils is satisfactory as they move through the school. Pupils complete a sound range of projects that enable them to apply and improve their skills of designing, making, evaluating and changing the things that they make. Pupils work with tools, equipment, materials and components to make products of satisfactory quality.
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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY
107 Year 1 pupils design and make a fruit salad in their food technology work. They discover that some books move by having sliders and levers. They assemble, join and combine construction materials to make model playgrounds, which realise their simple designs. By the end of Year 2, pupils design and make puppets, but do not always explain their designs to help them with the making activity. However, designs for a wheeled vehicle show that pupils are starting to consider how to realise their intentions. Year 3 pupils employ labelled designs before making photograph frames. Year 5 pupils design and make biscuits after evaluating different biscuits by appearance, taste and texture to provide them with ideas for their own. By the end of Year 6, pupils make slippers, working with precision, using appropriate tools and materials, and paying attention to the quality of finish, which is of a satisfactory standard.
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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY
108 Teaching is sound overall, but good teaching was seen during the inspection in Years 1 and 6. Where lessons are good, teachers have secure subject knowledge and show enthusiasm, which help to motivate and interest pupils. Their choice of resources is good, which enables pupils to improve their making skills and helps to ensure that they are interested in what they are doing. They ask purposeful questions to help pupils extend their knowledge. They seek high standards, which help pupils to complete a final product of satisfactory quality. They encourage pupils to be critical of their work, which helps them to make further improvements.
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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY
109 The leadership of the subject is sound, and there are some plans for its development. Although the policy has been reviewed recently, the subject is in need of an overhaul. This is to ensure that it remains secure within the curriculum in all years and there is a continuing focus on standards. As at the time of the last inspection, pupils lack the confidence to critically evaluate their finished product even though teachers emphasise this more now. There is no systematic approach to assessing pupils’ progress in the development of important skills as they move through the school. Links with ICT are evident, such as when Keighley St Andrew’s Voluntary Aided C of E Primary School - 43 Year 5 pupils use ICT to design a plan of a school’s grounds, and through the recording of evidence using a digital camera, but this area is not yet given enough emphasis. However, there are developing links with other subjects, which help to make learning more relevant for
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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY
pupils. For example, Year 6 pupils, in work linked to the Second World War, investigate, make and evaluate shelters, and are able to distinguish between what works well and what can be improved.
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GEOGRAPHY
110 Pupils enter the school with well below average attainment and standards remain well below those expected of pupils of the same age at the end of Years 2 and 6. The main reason for the well below average attainment lies not with deficiencies in teaching but in the relatively low amount of time given to geography in the curriculum, to allow more for other subjects. Achievement is satisfactory given the limited time. There are no significant differences in achievement between boys and girls. Standards are not as high as those reported at the time of the previous inspection.
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GEOGRAPHY
111 By the end of Year 2, pupils acquire a basic geographical vocabulary. They follow the ‘journeys’ of Barnaby Bear as he travels with teachers to different parts of the world. As a result, they know a little of the geography of Hong Kong, for example. Their work is good on descriptions of places but not so strong on geographical features. Sometimes the geographical terms are incorrect. Pupils write about deserts being always dry and hot, for example, which is not correct. Pupils also complete work on different holidays and can recognise the difference between physical and human features. Pupils’ knowledge of localities beyond their own and Pakistan is limited and this restricts attainment. Many pupils are unable to recognise photographs of a pier or a lighthouse, for example.
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GEOGRAPHY
112 By the end of Year 6, pupils have developed some understanding of physical geography. Pupils in Year 6, for example, can explain the water cycle and how different river valleys are formed. They have a satisfactory vocabulary and can use and understand such terms as confluence, meander and tributary. Pupils are beginning to develop studies with contrasting areas to their own and Year 5 pupils are developing good contacts with a school in another, more rural, area to study differences in the two environments. Although pupils develop a satisfactory factual knowledge and vocabulary, they generally do not develop skills in understanding geographical patterns or study a range of environmental issues. They do not begin to develop the more subtle skills of posing their own questions or using a range of resources to find the answers. It is these more sophisticated skills that are needed to raise attainment further.
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GEOGRAPHY
113 Geography makes a satisfactory contribution to development of pupils’ literacy skills. In most lessons there is new vocabulary to learn. Pupils have opportunities for writing, about the development of river valleys, for example. They use graphs and tables to present information such as that on desert climates and this makes a satisfactory contribution to numeracy. The use of computers for research and to present pictorial information is satisfactory.
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GEOGRAPHY
114 Teaching and learning are satisfactory. Teachers have good class control so no time is wasted in controlling poor behaviour. Pupils generally behave well in lessons and show good attitudes to work. Teachers have adequate subject knowledge and are generally able to teach the basic factual knowledge and vocabulary. This does not always extend into the more subtle aspects of the subject, such as interpreting evidence or finding answers to questions about why things are as they are. There is limited discussion or research into the range of environmental issues that are found in the world today. Teachers plan lessons well and Keighley St Andrew’s Voluntary Aided C of E Primary School - 44 where a range of resources are in use, these are well organised so no time is lost in lessons. Teachers and learning support assistants plan and work well together in lessons and pupils benefit from the support they receive.
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GEOGRAPHY
115 The subject makes a satisfactory contribution to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Because of the time limitations in the curriculum, this is not as good as it might be. Procedures for assessment are unsatisfactory. There are no consistent procedures in place for recording pupils’ attainment and progress other than those used by individual teachers. As a result, the school does not have data to check on whether all groups of pupils are doing as well as they should. Overall, the subject has made limited progress since the previous inspection.
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HISTORY
116 By the ages of seven and eleven, standards meet national expectations, and pupils achieve satisfactorily. In Years 1 and 2 pupils develop a sense of time and an understanding of change by comparing toys, houses and holidays ‘then’ and ‘now’. They use clues in artefacts, buildings and photographs to estimate how old things are. Older pupils study famous people, such as Florence Nightingale, or events like the Second World War. They also study ancient civilisations such as those of Egypt and Greece and one Year 6 class has made a special study of the ancient civilisations of the Indus Valley in the Indian sub- continent, work that blends in with the cultural background of most of the pupils.
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HISTORY
117 The subject is well used to develop pupils’ skills in speaking and listening, reading and writing. Year 6 pupils have produced a wealth of writing on Ancient Greece, researching such topics as warfare and religion in books and on the Internet. Some of their writing is word processed and the standards of presentation are high and very high. Teaching is satisfactory in Years 1 and 2 and good overall in Years 3 to 6. Teachers take care to draw pupils’ attention to specialist vocabulary and terms. For example, a display on the Second World War contained a list of words such as ‘Bomber’, ‘Blitz’, ‘Raid’, ‘Shelter’ and ‘Doodlebug’. In one good lesson in Year 3, the teacher gave a masterful presentation on Ancient Egypt using PowerPoint , which enabled the pupils to read the text on screen and to relate what they read to vivid and clear photographs of the objects and scenes described. In another good lesson,
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HISTORY
on the Victorian era, Year 5 pupils adopted the viewpoints of a range of local characters – employees and employers, MPs and landowners – concerning the desirability of building a railway line to serve the people of Keighley. The pupils wrote out their judgements and supporting arguments using guidelines and worksheets produced by the teacher before making oral presentations to the rest of the class. This session helped to make learning in the subject enjoyable for all of the pupils involved.
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HISTORY
118 The subject is well supported by a range of books in the school library and by specialist collections around the school. There are also a good many attractive displays containing examples of pupils’ writing alongside photographs, posters and interesting artefacts. Visits to museums and places of interest help to bring the subject to life and greatly enrich the experience of the pupils.
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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)
119 Standards are broadly in line with national requirements by the end of Year 2, but are below national levels by the end of Year 6. This is a similar picture to the findings of the last inspection. All pupils, including those with special educational needs and those for whom Keighley St Andrew’s Voluntary Aided C of E Primary School - 45 English is an additional language, make sound gains in the development of knowledge, skills and understanding as they move through the school.
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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)
120 The subject has a much higher profile than at the time of the last inspection, and standards at in Years 3 to 6 are slowly rising. This is due to the very good leadership provided by the co-ordinator, who is a competent and enthusiastic teacher of the subject. There is a clear and rigorous plan for the subject’s continued development. ICT is increasingly used to support work in other subjects, such as through the use of the Internet. It is secure within the school’s curriculum with all aspects represented. Resources, both hardware and software, have improved since the last inspection. Each class has been allocated use of the new computer suite to give pupils more time to develop important skills. A computer club extends learning for some pupils. Support staff are effective, and help pupils to learn. Pupils often work together in pairs and small groups, which helps them to gain confidence and contributes to their social development.
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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)
121 By the end of Year 2, pupils move a floor robot to a specific location by giving it instructions. They write sentences, short poems and stories using computers. They begin to retrieve stored information, such as pictures. They learn that information can be represented as graphs. Year 3 pupils begin to exchange information with pupils from a neighbouring school using e-mail. Pupils in Year 4 start to present information in different forms. For example, they learn that pie charts can be used to make comparisons between different sets of information, in work linked to history. By the end of Year 6, pupils begin to combine a range of information from different sources by re-sizing and moving objects and changing the size, colour and style of font. However, they need step-by-step guidance, and require much support to complete required tasks. They are starting to compare ICT with alternative methods, such as letters and tapes, and to collect, access and interrogate information, but
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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)
not to levels required for them to reach national standards.
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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)
122 Teaching and learning are at least sound. Good teaching was observed in Years 3, 4 and 6 during the inspection. In these lessons, planning was clear, with pupils having good ownership in the learning because lesson objectives were shared with them at the beginning and their progress evaluated with them before the end. Teachers worked hard to move pupils forward, often through the use of focused questions. They showed secure subject knowledge, and much enthusiasm, which helped ensure that pupils’ attitudes to learning were mostly good. In most lessons, pupils were given good opportunities to develop important skills because task instructions were clear, and they were well supported by committed adult helpers. However, some teachers did not always ensure that pupils were listening when they gave them important information, which slowed their progress. 123 There are other weaknesses, which prevent pupils from making the best possible
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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)
progress. For example, some teachers still do not possess the skills, knowledge and understanding to teach the requirements of the curriculum. However, the school is using teachers’ expertise well to compensate for this and to benefit pupils, such as in Year 6. The computer suite is still not used to full capacity to give pupils the best possible opportunities to gain essential skills. There are no consistent approaches to assessing pupils’ progress as they move through the school. Teachers rarely give pupils work which is precisely matched to their needs. For example, more able pupils are sometimes required to wait for others to catch up before proceeding. The use of ICT in the wider world and comparisons with alternative methods are under-emphasised. The exchange of ideas using e-mail requires further development. Keighley St Andrew’s Voluntary Aided C of E Primary School - 46
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MUSIC
124 There was too little evidence to make conclusive judgements about teaching and attainment in music in either the infants or juniors. However, in the two lessons seen in Year 6, teaching was unsatisfactory because too much was attempted at too high a level in too short a time. Pupils’ skills in this activity were well below those expected for pupils of this age and their achievement was unsatisfactory. Although some pupils were clearly capable and completed the task successfully, the majority did not have the sense of rhythm that was necessary to choose a poem to clap to and to form the basis for a composition. In this situation, the setting arrangements meant that those in the lowest set fared least well, having too few pupils with the capacity to read a poem well enough to spot the intrinsic rhythm.
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MUSIC
125 Singing in assembly was broadly satisfactory and assemblies provided a good opportunity for pupils to hear a wide range of music. The extra activities that are now available, which include singing, recorder and instrumental work, are improvements in music provision since the last inspection.
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PHYSICAL EDUCATION
126 In those aspects of physical education seen during the inspection, standards are well below average. There are two main reasons for this. Firstly, the school does not have a field for outdoor activities and this severely restricts pupils’ attainment. In addition the school yard is not suitable for physical education activities. Secondly, there are deficiencies in the quality of teaching that lead to lower standards than would normally be expected. Pupils’ achievement is unsatisfactory. There are no significant differences in achievement between boys and girls. Pupils with special educational needs, and those for whom English is an additional language, achieve in line with their peers.
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PHYSICAL EDUCATION
127 By the end of Year 2, pupils are able to perform basic movements, such as stretching, running, hopping and skipping. They can understand direction and move forwards, backwards or sideways. Pupils can throw and catch a ball with reasonable accuracy, but skill levels fall for many as smaller balls are used or if other equipment, such as beanbags, is used. Pupils understand the benefits of exercise and the importance of warm-up activities as well as cooling down at the end of the lesson.
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PHYSICAL EDUCATION
128 By the end of Year 6, teachers’ planning indicates that pupils can compose dances in different styles and can analyse and interpret them showing some understanding of style. Pupils can take part in a number of basic skill games that involve throwing, catching and striking. They are able to devise and understand simple rules. This was clearly demonstrated in a good Year 5 lesson where pupils set up a number of small team activities that were successful because the teacher had successfully taught the basic techniques beforehand. However, few pupils can make significant observations about strategies and tactics. Pupils in Year 6 learn about passing and dribbling skills using hands and feet. In these lessons pupils have opportunities to refine their performance and evaluate that of others. Many have not developed a great depth of thinking when discussing performance and simply say what they liked about the performance, for example.
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PHYSICAL EDUCATION
129 Teaching and learning are unsatisfactory overall, although there is a minority of good teaching. Where teaching is unsatisfactory, it is usually because teachers believe that where pupils are active and involved in exercise, they are necessarily learning well. This is not always so and this was well demonstrated in a Year 6 lesson where pupils were practising dribbling skills with their feet. Many were clearly not achieving a high level of success. The teacher told pupils that ‘close control’ was needed. However, no features of ‘close control’ Keighley St Andrew’s Voluntary Aided C of E Primary School - 47 such as keeping eyes on the ball or using two feet were ever explained. As a result pupils’ rates of success were very limited. In other lessons, teachers do not have a sufficiently high knowledge of the skills involved. In a Year 1 lesson, for example, the teacher taught pupils to throw a ball with the right foot and right arm forward if they were right handed. This is a
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PHYSICAL EDUCATION
technique that javelin throwers and cricketers would find extremely difficult. Teachers recognise the importance of providing opportunities for pupils to warm up sufficiently so that they are prepared for vigorous activity and for cooling down at the end of lessons. Health and safety aspects of physical education are given due attention in lessons. Teachers manage their pupils well and generally do so with good humour. Pupils’ attitudes to physical education are good and they behave well in lessons. Pupils try hard at activities and work hard to “get it right”. Where pupils work in pairs or groups, they do so well.
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PHYSICAL EDUCATION
130 The school meets the statutory requirements with regard to swimming. Within the limitations of the accommodation, a satisfactory range of adventure activities is undertaken including an interesting orienteering exercise in the school area. There is a satisfactory range of extra-curricular activities although younger pupils are not always involved in them. The learning mentors contribute significantly to the activities taking place. There are limited systems of assessment in place and this restricts the amount of information that is known about what pupils can and cannot do. Monitoring and support of teaching are unsatisfactory and this is a factor in the low levels of achievement found. The school recognises this and it is planned in the school improvement plan for 2004/5. The school is involved in a number of initiatives to improve learning. These include the Sporting Playground Initiative, the Primary
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PHYSICAL EDUCATION
Link Teacher Programme and access to coaching through the New Opportunities Funds. At the time of the previous inspection, standards were below average. They have declined since that time and the subject has made unsatisfactory progress since that inspection.
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