Shepley First School

SHEPLEY FIRST SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 14 th - 15 th October 2002

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SHEPLEY FIRST SCHOOL

Short inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 This report may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that all extracts quoted are reproduced verbatim without adaptation and on condition that the source and date thereof are stated.

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SHEPLEY FIRST 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. Shepley First School - 1

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Firth Street Shepley Huddersfield

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The Governing Body

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Lorraine Johnston

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 20 th October 1997 Shepley First School - 2

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Team members

25470 Jean Morley Registered inspector 8990 David Tytler Lay inspector 23658 Stephen Parker Team inspector

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Team members

PPI Group Ltd 7 Hill Street Bristol BS1 5RW

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Team members

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

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Team members

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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Team members

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Shepley First School - 3

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 4 - 8

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Shepley First School is a Grade II listed building in an attractive setting in the village of Shepley, seven miles south-east of Huddersfield. It caters for pupils aged from four to ten: transfer to middle school takes place at the end of Year 5. The school has 173 pupils on roll (88 boys and 85 girls), of whom 157 attend full-time. Almost all pupils are white and British and there are none for whom English is an additional language. Thirteen per cent of pupils have special educational needs: a below average proportion. No pupil has a statement of special educational need. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is low. Relatively few pupils join or leave the school other than at the usual time of doing so. However, there has been a very significant turnover of staff in the last two years, including a newly appointed headteacher in January 2001. Attainment on entry to the school varies from year to year but is broadly average, sometimes a little higher.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

This is an outstanding school offering its pupils the best of chances to develop both academically and personally. It is very well led and managed by its headteacher and governors. The quality of teaching is very good and this is matched by the work of the talented and well-qualified support staff. Pupils attain very well in the reception class and, well before the end of the school year, most exceed the learning goals they are expected to reach by July. At the age of seven, pupils achieve standards in national tests that are well above national averages. By the time they leave the school at age ten, almost all are already working at the level expected of pupils who are a year older. About one-quarter is working at Level 5: significantly above the level expected of 11 year olds. These high levels of attainment are confirmed by the national test results of former Shepley pupils at the end of their first

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

year in middle school. Shepley First School offers a rich curriculum: in particular, opportunities in art and design and music are impressive. So too are the standards pupils achieve in these subjects. Of the pupils aged seven and above, close to three-quarters play a musical instrument. Some play more than one. Personal development is a high priority and the school successfully helps its pupils to develop as well-mannered, responsible and mature young people. This is an inclusive school where all pupils have equal opportunities to learn and develop. The quality of display throughout the school is outstanding, creating a wonderful environment in which to learn. Combined, these features represent very good value for money.

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What the school does well

• Very good quality work by teachers and support staff leads to high standards in English, mathematics and science. • The imaginative and innovative leadership and management of the headteacher and governors lead to enhanced provision for pupils and streamlined school systems. • A rich and varied curriculum is on offer to pupils: in music and art and design, in particular, but also in design and technology. • Pupils are helped to become mature, confident and responsible young people, enabling them to take the most from the rich opportunities on offer.

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What could be improved

There are no significant issues for the school to address. It continually strives for further improvement and there is no sign of complacency. The School Improvement Plan - in detail for the current school year and in outline for the two following years - is a blueprint for the developments likely to keep the school on track to build upon its current very high standards. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school was last inspected in 1997. At that time, standards in mathematics and science were satisfactory for pupils aged seven and good for pupils when they left the school at age ten. Standards in English were sound at seven and at ten. There has been very good improvement in the intervening Shepley First School - 5 years. Standards are now well above those expected for pupils age seven and these are built on further through Years 3, 4 and 5. The high standards in art and design and music have been sustained. Sixty per cent of teaching was good or better in 1997: this description is now true of all teaching. Governors were charged with developing systems to enable them to judge the educational value of their spending decisions: this has been done successfully. Curriculum co-ordinators now have time away from their classrooms to support and advise colleagues. There is very good team- work between the staff as a whole and all willingly provide support in areas in which they have

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

particular expertise. The commitment to further improvement is shared by the headteacher, staff and governors.

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STANDARDS

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

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Key

1999 2000 2001 2001 very high A* Reading E A A A well above average above average A B Writing C A A* A average below average C D Mathematics B A A A well below average E

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Key

The table above shows a significant improvement since 1999 in the standards attained by pupils aged seven. Although it does not show data for 2002, the school’s results this year were significantly better than those in 2001: not only did all pupils achieve the expected level for the second year running, but in reading, writing and mathematics respectively, 60, 33 and 56 per cent achieved the higher level, Level 3. For the purposes of comparison, the respective school percentages in 2001 were 33, 30 and 47, while the national percentages were 29, 9 and 28. This is an impressive achievement. The A* in the table indicates that the school’s attainment in writing placed it in the top five per cent of all schools nationally for the 2001 tests. Attainment in science (assessed by the school) is equally high.

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Key

Attainment at the end of Year 5 is not marked by statutory national tests but pupils do take the optional national tests (available to all schools). Their attainment in these tests in 2002 was very good. In reading, writing and mathematics respectively, 78, 63 and 75 per cent achieved the standards expected of pupils who are a year older. This means that, in writing and in mathematics, ten-year-old pupils from Shepley achieved better than the average for all eleven-year-old pupils nationally. Furthermore, 25, 22 and 13 per cent of pupils achieved the higher level, Level 5, the level expected of the more able eleven-year-olds. Their progress from age seven to ten was outstanding, given that they were the group of pupils that took the 1999 tests when aged seven (see above) and achieved relatively weak results. Pupils attain high standards in other areas of the curriculum too: music and art and design are two key examples. In addition, pupils transfer to middle school with well

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Key

above expected standards in science. Throughout the school all pupils, regardless of their ability, achieve very well in relation to their potential to do so.

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Key

Attainment at age five is above the expectations. This represents very good achievement in the reception class. Shepley First School - 6

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school There is a tangible work ethic in this school. Pupils are keen to come to school, interested in their work and eager to do well.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Behaviour is very good. Pupils are attentive in lessons. They move around the school sensibly and behave respectfully in collective worship. Their conduct at lunchtime makes this a pleasant social occasion.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Pupils get on well very with all adults in the school and with each other. They have many opportunities to work together: between genders in their own classroom and with pupils younger or older than themselves. Doing so is a well-established and valuable part of school life.

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Aspect Comment

Attendance Attendance is well above average.

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Teaching of pupils in: Reception Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 5

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

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Teaching of pupils in: Reception Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 5

The quality of all teaching seen was good or better and the majority was very good or excellent. Work in pupils’ books, on display and on video and audio-tape confirmed the judgement that they are consistently taught very well. In their English and mathematics lessons, pupils are skilfully taught the basic skills of literacy and numeracy. There are then plenty of opportunities for them to practise and consolidate these skills in other subjects of the curriculum. The school places a strong emphasis on the presentation of work: pupils are expected to pay attention to the quality of their writing and drawing in all subjects. Teachers plan their lessons well, taking careful account of the full range of ability in their class. Pupils with special educational needs are helped considerably by classroom support staff, all of whom are skilled and very well qualified. The school has identified gifted and talented pupils in a range of areas including music and art and design. It ensures that it has the

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Teaching of pupils in: Reception Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 5

resources to challenge these pupils so that they can achieve their potential.

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Teaching of pupils in: Reception Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 5

All pupils learn very well. They progress from broadly average standards on entry to the school to standards that are well above those expected of ten-year-old pupils. While there are inevitably slight differences in achievement between one year group and another, this is not a significant problem and the overall profile of achievement is very positive. Shepley First School - 7

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum The school places a strong emphasis on the core curriculum yet retains the time to give pupils rich experiences in many other areas: music, art and design and design and technology, for example. In addition, it offers a varied range of extra-curricular activities. Together, these represent very good provision. Provision for pupils with special educational needs Pupils who find some aspects of learning difficult are identified at an early stage and are well supported. The success of this provision is evident in the very good progress they make and in the relatively small proportion of pupils on the school’s register. Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development This is a high priority area for the school and provision is outstanding: for pupils’ spiritual and social development it is exemplary and for their moral and cultural development it is very good. Pupils are given every

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Aspect Comment

encouragement to behave in a mature way, helping them to benefit from all that the school offers. How well the school cares for its pupils The care the school provides is outstanding. It values all pupils equally, regardless of their ethnicity. It successfully provides for the development of the ‘whole child’. It values pupils’ work and displays it exceptionally well. It actively teaches pupils that it is ‘OK to make mistakes’, that it is not always possible to win or to be the best, but that to do their best is always good enough. This is not something to which the school pays lip service: it can be seen in action on a daily basis.

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff The school is outstandingly well led and managed by the headteacher who is well supported by key staff. The headteacher has established a supportive spirit in the school and shares with the staff a total commitment to provide high quality education. There is no complacency: rather a continual wish to be better. Dance and drama, for example, are two areas that the school now wishes to develop. However, the headteacher is also conscious of the workload on her staff and, wisely, seeks ways to keep this to manageable proportions. How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Governors are very well informed about the work and achievements of the school. They act as critical friends by challenging its actions and monitoring its achievements: nothing ‘goes through on the nod’. As a body they have instigated a number of initiatives to ensure they have

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Aspect Comment

the knowledge and information they need to do their job well: the Buddy Governor Scheme, for example, where each class has a governor who is a regular visitor to them. The school’s evaluation of its performance The school has a realistic view of its own performance and, although it is successful, it continually strives to be better. The strategic use of resources The school seeks funding for initiatives whenever it can. It uses resources well. It compares its performance with that of other schools and evaluates its actions to ascertain the educational quality accrued from its spending. The headteacher, staff and governors are all actively involved in this process. Shepley First School - 8

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

Parents were pleased with all aspects of the school’s work. Parents had no specific concerns about the work of the school.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

Inspectors fully endorse the good opinions that the parents have of the school. Shepley First School - 9

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Very good quality work by teachers and support staff leads to high standards in

1. High standards in English, mathematics and science: Data shows that pupils achieve high standards in national tests. In 2001, Year 2 pupils achieved standards in reading and in mathematics that were well above national averages. Standards in writing were very high, placing the school within the top five per cent of all schools across the country. When compared with schools in a similar context, Shepley pupils also performed well, as their results placed them well above similar schools in all three tested areas.

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Very good quality work by teachers and support staff leads to high standards in

2. In 2002, the results showed a further improvement over those of 2001 although, as yet, the full national comparative data are not available. Nevertheless, the table below shows the extent of that improvement. In both years, all pupils achieved the expected level, Level 2, and in 2002 an increased proportion achieved the higher level, Level 3. To put the extent of the achievement in perspective, the national figures are in brackets.

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Very good quality work by teachers and support staff leads to high standards in

Reading 100%(84) 100% 33%(29) 60% Writing 100%(86) 100% 30%(9) 56% Mathematics 100%(91) 100% 47%(28) 56%

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Very good quality work by teachers and support staff leads to high standards in

3. Because pupils transfer at the age of ten they do not take the Year 6 national tests at this school: they are taken after the pupils have spent one year at middle school. The middle school to which the pupils transfer keeps Shepley First School well informed of the progress their former pupils make and this shows that Shepley pupils achieve very well. For example, their results consistently exceed national averages and have a very positive influence on the results of the middle school: a school that takes pupils from seven first schools.

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Very good quality work by teachers and support staff leads to high standards in

4. The work of the current Year 5 pupils and the work (retained by the school) of those who have just left gives a clear indication of the high standards they attain. This is further reinforced by test data for, although pupils do not take statutory tests prior to leaving, the school makes full use of the optional tests, published by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA). These are given to the pupils at the end of the year. The table below shows the proportion of Year 5 pupils who, in these tests in 2002, achieved Levels 4+ and Level 5. (Level 4 is the standard expected of most eleven year olds and Level 5 is the standard expected of the most able pupils of the same age.) Translated, these data show that, in writing and in mathematics, ten-year-old pupils from Shepley achieved better than the average for all eleven-year-old pupils nationally. They also exceeded the national average at Level 5 in writing. (For the purposes of comparison,

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Very good quality work by teachers and support staff leads to high standards in

QCA Year 5 tests 2002 % at Level 4+ % at Level 5 Reading 78 (80) 25 (38) Writing 63 (60) 22 (17) Mathematics 75 (73) 13 (27)

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Very good quality work by teachers and support staff leads to high standards in

5. QCA tests are also available for Year 4 and Year 3 pupils. For pupils at the end of Year 4, the national expectation is Level 3. More able pupils should achieve Level 4. For pupils at the end of Year 3, the expectation is that they will be crossing from Level 2 to Level 3 and that the more Shepley First School - 10 able pupils will be working securely at Level 3. Both sets of data show that, overall, pupils are working significantly above expectations.

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Very good quality work by teachers and support staff leads to high standards in

QCA Year 4 tests 2002 % at Level 3+ % at Level 4 Reading 82 43 Writing 82 29 Mathematics 89 38

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Very good quality work by teachers and support staff leads to high standards in

QCA Year 3 tests 2002 % at Level 2A/3C+ % at Level 3B+ Reading 94 64 Writing 88 39 Mathematics 85 64

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Very good quality work by teachers and support staff leads to high standards in

6. Science is not tested when pupils are seven but assessments are made by teachers to show the standards their pupils achieve. These assessments show that, over the past two years, all pupils have achieved Level 2, the expected level, and that a high proportion has achieved Level 3. Pupils’ work in Years 3, 4 and 5 shows that these high standards are maintained.

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Very good quality work by teachers and support staff leads to high standards in

7. Very good quality work by teachers. Pupils make the progress they do because they are taught so well. Of the lessons seen during the inspection, all were good or better. Just over half were very good or excellent.

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Very good quality work by teachers and support staff leads to high standards in

8. The youngest children in the school make giant learning strides in the first few weeks. Their teacher expects a great deal of them but learning is such huge fun that they are happy to join in all activities. The use of puppets is an excellent strategy for engaging the children. Classroom organisation techniques such as “learning lines” (where children sit in a line with other children of approximately equal attainment) help to give pupils a sense of place in the classroom as well as helping the teacher to group her class in a way that helps her track their progress. Minute by minute assessment by the teacher as the lesson progresses enables her to adjust her questioning according to what an individual understands.

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Very good quality work by teachers and support staff leads to high standards in

9. Throughout the school there is significant strength in subject knowledge. This is evident in a number of areas but particularly in music and in art and design. Teachers plan meticulously and take account of the full range of ability in their class. They relate well to their pupils: warm relationships are much in evidence. Teachers are skilled at picking up on pupil misconceptions or inability to complete a task, and are quick to step in with help. This can be quick support: for example to a pupil who finds it difficult to copy a rhythm clapped by her teacher. It can be longer: 15 minutes a day on mathematics computer software to help with problem solving skills, for example.

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Very good quality work by teachers and support staff leads to high standards in

10. All teachers have high expectations of pupils and these were seen in a range of contexts: the quality of the presentation of the work of Year 5 pupils, the concentration required in a Year 3 music lesson, and the work-rate in the reception classroom are three outstanding examples.

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Very good quality work by teachers and support staff leads to high standards in

11. Very good quality work by support staff. The support staff who work in the school have an impressive range of qualifications and specific expertise: an advanced diploma in child education, up-to-date knowledge of the Code of Practice, expertise in using Brain Gym techniques with dyspraxic pupils and those with other specific difficulties, using Relaxation Techniques, accreditation as a Specialist Teaching Assistant, and certificated expertise in information and communication technology is not an exhaustive list. They work skilfully with small groups of pupils, both those who find learning difficult and those identified as gifted and talented. Support staff work closely and productively with class teachers: this is evident in all classrooms but outstandingly so in the reception class. They make a significant and valuable contribution to the progress made by pupils with special educational needs, and their work is

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Very good quality work by teachers and support staff leads to high standards in

particularly effective because pupils are identified at such an early stage. When appropriate, Shepley First School - 11 they run sessions dedicated to Early Literacy Support for the younger pupils in school and Additional Literacy Support for pupils in Years 3 and 4. Overall, the quality of their work and their contribution to pupils’ learning is of a high order.

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The imaginative and innovative leadership and management of the headteacher and

governors lead to enhanced provision for pupils and streamlined school systems.

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The imaginative and innovative leadership and management of the headteacher and

12. Since her appointment to the headship of the school in January of last year, the headteacher has established herself as a most effective leader and manager of the school. Her ability manifests itself in a range of ways that can best be described through her ability to look at many different approaches to enhancing pupils’ experiences and chances in school. For example:

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The imaginative and innovative leadership and management of the headteacher and

13. There have been changes to the physical environment:

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The imaginative and innovative leadership and management of the headteacher and

• carpeted classrooms make it easier for pupils to listen; • a change from floor to wall storage units in the three classrooms for the youngest pupils in the school has freed up much needed floor space; • moving the computers from the open mezzanine floor into a self contained suite allows for easier supervision of pupils, a quieter working environment and accommodation of a full class; • the completion of a delightful outdoor play area adds significantly to the curriculum opportunities for the youngest children.

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The imaginative and innovative leadership and management of the headteacher and

14. She has encouraged the introduction of initiatives specifically designed to look at the way pupils learn best and to prepare them for life in the 21 st century:

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The imaginative and innovative leadership and management of the headteacher and

• pupils have the opportunity to learn to touch type; • they can take the St John’s Ambulance First Aid Course; • the school uses Brain Gym techniques with specific pupils; • classes use relaxation techniques.

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The imaginative and innovative leadership and management of the headteacher and

15. Pupils’ personal development is a key priority:

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The imaginative and innovative leadership and management of the headteacher and

• she fosters a genuine work ethic in the school; • pupils’ work is given real value by the unparalleled quality of display; • pupils are taught that ‘it’s OK to fail’; that not everyone can win, always be first or be best; but that to do your best is what is important; • pupils’ experience in school has a positive spiritual dimension, often generated through music and art; • she emphasises the use of the senses, particularly listening and looking.

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The imaginative and innovative leadership and management of the headteacher and

16. She has her eye on the ball as far as standards are concerned and uses the results of test analysis to identify areas of relative weakness and then to put strategies in place to deal with them:

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The imaginative and innovative leadership and management of the headteacher and

• analysis of pupils’ answers to comprehension questions showed that they did not perform well on questions requiring them to infer from the text. Staff looked at the school’s reading scheme and realised that those texts offered too few opportunities for pupils to get to grips with inference. In response they purchased a range of ‘real books’. Analysis of subsequent data showed a significant improvement; • computer software for mathematics has been purchased to help specific pupils. These pupils work on the mathematics program for 15 minutes each day. This too has brought about significant improvement.

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The imaginative and innovative leadership and management of the headteacher and

17. She looks after the interests of her staff, conscious of the need to keep their workload to manageable proportions:

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The imaginative and innovative leadership and management of the headteacher and

• staff have some time away from their class to develop their role as co-ordinators; • meetings are kept to a minimum without undermining the smooth functioning of the school; Shepley First School - 12 • the report on the school’s Investor in People award (June 2002) quotes staff as saying, ‘We feel valued and people always say thank you’, and, ‘There is a nice atmosphere around the school and we are kept informed ...’

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The imaginative and innovative leadership and management of the headteacher and

18. She recognises the importance and benefits of a close partnership between home and school. To that end she:

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The imaginative and innovative leadership and management of the headteacher and

• makes herself available at the beginning and end of every school day to enable parents to talk to her informally if they wish; • has provided parents with a comment book in which to make suggestions or raise concerns. This has led to a change in the time of collective worship.

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The imaginative and innovative leadership and management of the headteacher and

19. Governors are very actively involved in the running of the school. They have a good understanding of its strengths and weaknesses. They provide valuable support to the headteacher, regularly challenging her to explain her thinking and to justify her suggestions for expenditure. The school is a more effective organisation for their contribution to it. The working relationship between the headteacher and governors is friendly but highly professional. Governors have, themselves, introduced several initiatives:

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The imaginative and innovative leadership and management of the headteacher and

• they ran a ‘What kind of school do you want?’ evening to elicit the views of parents; • they run a Buddy Governor scheme, linking a governor with a cohort of pupils on an informal basis. This is in its third year and had led to friendships between pupils and governors: pupils give a cheery greeting if they see their ‘Buddy’ in or around the village; • one governor with considerable financial expertise takes it upon himself to ‘translate’ financial information from the Local Education Authority to make it fully accessible to his colleagues; • another governor is working on computer software that will allow any element(s) of the School Improvement Plan relevant to the work of one of the committees of the governing body to be extracted in order to give them quick and easy access to the information they need; • they are actively involved in the production of the School Improvement Plan, knowledgeable about its content and aware at any point in the year of which elements of the plan have

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The imaginative and innovative leadership and management of the headteacher and

been completed, which are in progress and which still need to be done.

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A rich and varied curriculum is on offer to pupils: in music and art and design, in

particular, but also in design and technology.

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A rich and varied curriculum is on offer to pupils: in music and art and design, in

20. The school has a long established tradition of musical excellence. Approaching three-quarters of pupils aged seven to ten play a musical instrument and many play more than one. Every instrumentalist plays at the Summer Serenade, where pupils entertain their parents. This is a one and a half hour long concert, involving all ‘musical’ pupils in the school, who perform a huge variety of items from solos to orchestras. Video evidence amply demonstrated the quality of this work, as did the performance of the school orchestra during the inspection. The quality of the pupils’ singing is also excellent: tuneful and enthusiastic. The school owes much of its success to the expertise and dedication of its part-time co-ordinator. Her commitment to music in the school is reflected in the pupils’ enthusiasm.

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A rich and varied curriculum is on offer to pupils: in music and art and design, in

21. Clearly, the take-up to learn an instrument is very high, but more important is the extent to which pupils stick to the choices they have made, practise and persevere. The vast majority of pupils who begin to learn an instrument at this school continue to learn as they pass through middle and high schools. For example, of the 23 violinists at the local middle school (which takes pupils from seven first schools), 18 are from Shepley. One third of the violin and viola students at the high school (with a yet wider catchment area) attended Shepley. One former pupil was recently invited to play for the National Youth Orchestra.

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A rich and varied curriculum is on offer to pupils: in music and art and design, in

22. For some time the school has also been known locally for the quality of pupils’ art and for the quality of display. A fairly recent but brief dip in the quality of the school’s work has now been fully rectified. The quality of display throughout the school is outstanding. Background boards are kept as unobtrusive as possible to give maximum impact to the work that is displayed on them. Displays are two and three-dimensional. They cover all areas of the curriculum. Lighting is Shepley First School - 13 used imaginatively and, at certain times of the day, music adds to the enjoyment of the experience of looking at pupils’ work. Excellence is not limited to displays in the common areas of the school: it is equally impressive in each of the six classrooms.

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A rich and varied curriculum is on offer to pupils: in music and art and design, in

23. Pupils’ artwork is also of a high order. The art and design co-ordinator has excellent subject knowledge and is able to support colleagues who already have significant skill in teaching in this area of the curriculum. There is extensive evidence of clever integration of art with other subjects in this school but no evidence whatever of art simply providing an illustrative function. Skills are discretely taught and cleverly built on. There are strong links between art and literature: “Through the Dragon’s Eye” inspired character painting by Year 2 pupils. Year 1 pupils produced work based on water using a multi-media layering technique: a background wash of brusho, tissue collage, paint and oil pastel. They then followed this with droplet shaped writing. Year 2 wrote poems with the title “I’m Talking Wet”.

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A rich and varied curriculum is on offer to pupils: in music and art and design, in

“I’m talking wet, I’m talking rain, I’m talking bath, I’m talking billabong, I’m talking lakes, I’m talking drinking, I’m talking dripping, I’m talking spitting I’m talking wet!”

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A rich and varied curriculum is on offer to pupils: in music and art and design, in

24. Year 5 produced observational drawings and paintings of sea objects following a recent visit to Llandudno and Year 4 pupils link their work to the study of Ancient Egypt. All work is of a very high standard, showing careful attention to detail and skill in a range of techniques. There are carefully selected opportunities for pupils to consider the work of other artists.

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A rich and varied curriculum is on offer to pupils: in music and art and design, in

25. Design and technology work shows the same attention to detail and systematic development of skills. Reception class children make play-dough skeletons and a paper jigsaw for a friend, and turn a cardboard tube into a sturdy tower for Rapunzel. Year 1 pupils, following a visit from a local sculptor, produce delightful robots, and Year 2 pupils produce fabric collages. Year 4 pupils produce a model of a volcano. Projects extend as pupils get older and incorporate careful planning and evaluation. They provide significant levels of challenge. “The Parachute Challenge”, for example, linked design and technology to both science and mathematics, involving pupils in designing and making a slow-moving parachute. They found out that, to be successful, a parachute needs to have a light, thin but large canopy. Work produced throughout the school is of a high standard.

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Pupils are helped to become mature, confident and responsible young people,

enabling them to take the most from the rich opportunities on offer.

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Pupils are helped to become mature, confident and responsible young people,

26. There is an unmistakable work ethic in this school that is fostered in all classrooms and reinforced by the headteacher. The participation and contribution of reception staff are, however, outstanding. By the time they transfer to Year 1, children have learned a great deal and had enormous fun in the process. The work ethic is established. They learn quickly, experience success and the cornerstones of confidence and an enjoyment in learning are firmly laid.

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Pupils are helped to become mature, confident and responsible young people,

27. These foundations are further built upon in every classroom in the school. Teachers plan their work carefully so that their expectations of pupils of all abilities, although challenging, are within their reach. Pupils have the confidence to try out their ideas – right or wrong – because they know they are amongst friends in their classrooms and because they understand that getting something wrong is better than not trying at all. The way that their work is displayed gives a huge boost to pupils’ confidence. The school displays the work of all pupils, not just the best, and the value teachers place on their work is unmistakable. The same high standards pertain in every classroom and in all the common areas of the school. Shepley First School - 14 28. Opportunities abound for pupils to work in a range of social groups. For example, in Year 3 they worked in mixed gender pairs to perform relaxation techniques prior to a Circle Time (class

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Pupils are helped to become mature, confident and responsible young people,

discussion) session. Year 4 pupils worked in groups of threes and fours to write a story in chapters.

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Pupils are helped to become mature, confident and responsible young people,

29. Year 5 pupils join younger pupils for morning break each Monday to play board games linked to mathematics and the school ran a very successful Art Day, when reception class and Year 3 pupils worked together, Year 1 pupils worked with Year 4 and Year 2 with Year 5. Opportunities such as these help to create a family atmosphere and establish in older pupils a willingness to work with and support those who are younger.

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Pupils are helped to become mature, confident and responsible young people,

30. The school has actively considered what particular experiences it wants pupils to have by the time they are ten, and has documented its intentions. Inspectors can say with confidence that pupils do have these experiences: they were supported by visual or verbal evidence during the inspection period. Together with the evidence above, it is easy to understand why pupils at this school are the mature, confident and responsible young people they are.

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Pupils are helped to become mature, confident and responsible young people,

31. The school’s declared intention is that, by the time they are ten, pupils should have:

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Pupils are helped to become mature, confident and responsible young people,

• shared a book with other children; • visited a mosque / church / temple and talked about it; • experienced an overnight residential visit; • performed in public; • taken part in an election; • worked on reception duty, answered the telephone or shown a visitor around school; • studied basic First Aid; • looked at ways to improve school or their local environment; • written a ‘thank you’ letter; • taken part in a healthy school project; • explained to parents and / or governors how the School Council works; • worked on an inter-class project; • taken part in Circle Time activities; • worked in a group to produce a class charter; • been involved in a fund raising activity for charity.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

32. There are no key issues for the school to address. The school has a detailed Improvement Plan that sets out clear and logical intentions. It is continuing to work on developing the role of the subject co-ordinators: understandable given the significant staff changes over the last two years. It is also continuing to develop the role of the senior managers / co-ordinators and to integrate them more closely into key management and organisation functions of the school: the production of the school improvement plan, for example. It is not complacent. It continually strives for further improvement through developing more curriculum strengths: for example, the headteacher would now like to use expertise of the staff to develop dance and drama. Shepley First School - 15

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 12

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very Good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Percentage 8 46 46 0 0 0 0 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 seven percentage points.

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 165

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 7 FTE means full-time equivalent.

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 0

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 19

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Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 0

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 8

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 5

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Attendance

National comparative data 5.6 National comparative data 0.5 Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Shepley First School - 16

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

Year Boys Girls Total Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2001 17 13 30

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

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

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

Boys 17 17 17 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 13 13 13

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

Percentage of pupils School 100 (92) 100 (88) 100 (100) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (83) 86 (84) 91 (90)

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

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

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

Boys 17 17 17 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 13 13 13

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

Percentage of pupils School 100 (92) 100 (100) 100 (100) at NC level 2 or above National 85 (84) 89 (88) 89 (88)

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

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Shepley First School - 17

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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 3 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Mixed – any other mixed background 1 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Asian or Asian British - Pakistani 0 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Asian or Asian British – Bangladeshi 0 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Asian or Asian British – any other Asian background 0 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.

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 7.15 Financial year 2001-2002

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 22.9

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y5 Total income 396601

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 5 Total expenditure 380831

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 97 Expenditure per pupil 2139.50

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Teachers and classes Financial information

FTE means full-time equivalent. Balance brought forward from previous year 9486

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance carried forward to next year 25256 Shepley First School - 18

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 6

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 6

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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) 0

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of unfilled vacancies or vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of less than one term (FTE) 0 FTE means full-time equivalent. Shepley First School - 19

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Percentage of responses in each category

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

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child is making good progress in school. 56 39 1 1 2

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Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 50 45 0 0 5

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 45 43 11 0 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 37 54 10 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 76 22 2 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 65 33 0 0 2

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 51 44 4 0 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 61 34 1 0 4

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 57 34 0 0 7

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 46 43 4 0 6

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