Farsley Westroyd Primary School and Nursery

AND NURSERY

Dates of inspection: 25 th –28 th February 2003

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AND NURSERY

Inspection number: 246719 Full inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 This report may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that all extracts quoted are reproduced verbatim without adaptation and on condition that the source and date thereof are stated.

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AND NURSERY

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. Westroyd Infant and Nursery School - 4

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Frances Street Farsley Pudsey Leeds

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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: Councillor Andrew Carter

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 21 st March 2001 Westroyd Infant and Nursery School - 5

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

21227 Barbara Crane Registered inspector English Art and design History Geography Foundation Stage What sort of school is it? The school’s results and pupils’ achievements How well are pupils taught? How well is the school led and managed? What should the school do to improve further? 14141 Ernie Marshall Lay inspector How well does the school care for its pupils? How well does the school work in partnership with parents? 18703 Christine Canniff Team inspector Mathematics Music Religious education Educational inclusion Pupils’ attitudes, behaviour and personal development How good are the curricular and other opportunities offered to pupils? 30398 Chris Scola Team inspector Science Information and communication technology Design and technology Physical education Special educational needs Westroyd Infant and Nursery School - 6 The inspection contractor was:

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Schoolhaus Limited Suite 17 BPS Business Centre Brake Lane Boughton Newark Nottinghamshire NG22 9HQ

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

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 Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Westroyd Infant and Nursery School - 7

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 7

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

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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS? 11

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

The school is a smaller than average infant school and has 170 children divided between the Reception classes and Years 1 and 2. A further 77 children attend part time in the Nursery, not all of whom transfer to the main school. All but a very small number of children come from white, British families. Seven children are learning English as an additional language but none are at an early stage of acquiring English. Ten per cent of the children have special educational needs, which is below average. The school has a small number of children with very specific special educational needs and four have extra provision to meet their physical and learning difficulties. Children’s attainment when they start school is average. Four per cent of the children are entitled to free school meals, which is below average; however, the school serves a mixed area that is much more socially and economically average than this low figure would suggest. The

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

school has had several changes of staff in the last two years and the headteacher has been in post for 18 months. The school has the Investors in People award.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

The school provides a sound education and it has many good features. The children reach average standards in English, mathematics and science by the time they leave but some of the more able children should be doing better. The teaching is satisfactory. Children’s special educational needs are particularly well met through carefully planned support. The children’s personal development is very well promoted and so they grow in confidence. The headteacher provides good leadership for the school and the management is satisfactorily supporting improvement. The school provides satisfactory value for money.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What the school does well • Children’s work reaches good standards in reading, information and communication technology (ICT), geography and design and technology; their work in art is outstanding. • Children with special educational needs make good progress because they get good support from both the teachers and the teaching assistants. • Teachers nurture children’s creativity very well and they plan interesting lessons that fire children’s imagination. • Children’s attitudes, behaviour and personal development are very good. • The school promotes children’s awareness of different cultures very effectively.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What could be improved • Standards in writing should be better. • Some of the more able children do not do as well as they should in mathematics or science. • The curriculum does not always give children of the same age the same experiences or ensure that the youngest children have enough opportunities to practise basic skills. • The school's systems for checking the quality of children's work, including marking, do not always provide reliable information for setting targets, planning the next steps in learning or helping children to do their best. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school has made satisfactory progress since it was last inspected in 2001. Standards in English, mathematics, science and art have been maintained. Standards have improved in ICT, design and technology and geography. The teaching assistants continue to provide effective support for children’s learning. Teaching is better than it was in ICT. The roles of the subject managers have been suitably extended. There is still work to do in ensuring that all of the more able children achieve the best that they can in some aspects of their work. Westroyd Infant and Nursery School - 9

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STANDARDS

The table shows the standards achieved by pupils at the end of Year 2 based on average point scores in National Curriculum tests.

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STANDARDS

Performance in: all schools similar schools Key

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STANDARDS

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

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STANDARDS

The results of the tests for seven year olds in 2002 were above the national average in reading and writing and in line with the results in similar schools. Results in mathematics were in line with the national average and below those in similar schools. On the basis of the work seen during the inspection, standards are above average in reading and children of all abilities are achieving well. Standards in writing are broadly average but children are not making the best possible progress and should be doing better. Standards in mathematics and science are average and most children are achieving as expected but some of the more able children are making slower progress. The children are achieving well in ICT, geography and design and technology and their work is better than expected for their age. Their work in art is excellent and children do far better than expected by the time they leave. In all other subjects, standards are average.

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STANDARDS

Children with English as an additional language achieve satisfactorily. Children with special educational needs do well and make good progress towards the targets set for them because of good support. The children in the Nursery and Reception classes (the Foundation Stage) are making satisfactory progress, overall, but they do better in other areas than in learning early writing and mathematical skills. By the time they start Year 1, they are likely to reach the goals set for their age in all areas of learning except for writing. A majority of children are likely to exceed the goals in creative, physical and personal development and in their knowledge and understanding of the world.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Attitudes to the school Very good. Children listen carefully to the staff and to each other; they enjoy lessons. They volunteer ideas willingly and are keen to learn.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Very good. Children play together happily and keep to the school’s rules.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Personal development and relationships Very good. The children respect themselves and others and understand what needs to be done to help each other at play and in their work.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Attendance Good. Attendance is above average and children like coming to school.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Children arrive at school eager to start work because the lessons are interesting and the staff provide a warm welcome. The children relish the opportunities they have to make decisions over what materials they will use or how they will organise their work. They enjoy acting out parts, offering opinions and making suggestions and do so confidently because they know that adults and classmates will appreciate their efforts. Children from all backgrounds and different ethnic groups get on very well and play and work together happily. Westroyd Infant and Nursery School - 10

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

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

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

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

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

Teaching is satisfactory and has several good features. Teachers have high expectations of children’s behaviour and praise their efforts and achievements. As a result, the children are keen learners and try hard. There is good teaching for children with special educational needs because everyone knows the targets set for them and how to ensure that these children achieve them. Teaching assistants work closely as part of the team to meet these children’s needs. Teachers use exciting resources to gain children’s interest and stimulate their curiosity. They give children plenty of opportunities to explain what they are doing and to make choices over what they will use. Teaching in the Foundation Stage is more effective in other areas than in the teaching of writing and mathematical skills. While there are good, direct short sessions of teaching basic skills, children’s learning is slowed because they do not practise these skills sufficiently and

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

teachers do not check sufficiently carefully where extra help is needed. The basic skills in reading are well taught throughout the school. Teaching in art and design is very good because of the high level of expertise amongst the staff. Teachers are confident in using computers and so children learn at a good rate. Teaching in geography and design and technology is good and the children enjoy the challenging work. Teaching in English, mathematics and science is satisfactory. There are weaknesses in the teaching of writing because the basic skills in forming letters are not taught thoroughly. The work planned in mathematics and science does not always meet the needs of all of the more able children. Although there is some good marking that helps children in Years 1 and 2 to understand what they need to do next, this is not always the case.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

The quality and range of the curriculum Satisfactory. The curriculum supports children’s creativity very well and gives them plenty of opportunities to develop independence. The needs of some more able children in Years 1 and 2 are less well met and the curriculum for the younger children is not as well balanced as it might be.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Good support from teachers and teaching assistants means that these children make good progress towards the targets set for them

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils with English as an additional language Satisfactory support ensures that these children make similar progress to others in their classes.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural, development Very good. The children develop a strong sense of what is right and wrong through the school’s careful guidance and learn to get on very well together. They think about important issues such as friendship and want to help each other. The children have excellent opportunities to learn about different cultures.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

How well the school cares for its pupils The staff provide good day-to-day care and provide a warm and supportive environment in which children feel secure and valued.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

The school tracks children’s progress in reading well. Children have targets in writing and mathematics but these are not always based on a reliable system of checking what the children can already do and so are not precise enough. The children in Reception and of Nursery age do not sufficiently practise basic skills in writing and mathematics because they choose the activities that follow the direct teaching and too few of these activities focus on the skills just learned. Children of the same age in the infants do not always have similar experiences because the teachers do not always plan together what each year group is taught. Children of all ages benefit from the school’s careful planning that enables them to learn about different cultures in lessons in art and design, geography, literacy and music. The school has a good partnership with parents and successful links that benefit children’s learning.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff The headteacher provides good leadership for the school based on a clear vision that is shared with the staff and there is good teamwork. The management of improvement is satisfactory and the school is well placed to improve.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities All responsibilities are met and governors provide sound support for the school. They are kept well informed by the headteacher and are increasingly asking the right questions about how well the school is doing and so helping it to improve.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The school’s evaluation of its performance Satisfactory. The school is becoming more adept at looking at children’s performance over time and recognising trends.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The strategic use of resources Good. Thorough financial planning supports the school’s priorities for development. The extent to which the governors make sure they gain the best possible outcomes from the resources available to the school is satisfactory.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The school’s aims are well reflected in its everyday life and work. The roles of teachers who take specific responsibilities have been clarified and better defined but few have yet had the opportunity to check on the effectiveness of teaching and learning in classrooms. While there has been a concerted effort to update policies and schemes of work over the past 18 months, there are still some gaps in policies to direct teachers’ work, such as a handwriting policy. There is an appropriate number of teachers and a good number of support staff. Most resources are good, but there are too few practical resources in science. The accommodation is satisfactory.

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved • Children enjoy school and are expected to work hard and do their best. • Behaviour is good. • Teaching is good. • The staff are approachable. • The school helps children to become mature and responsible. • Information about children’s progress. • How closely the school works with them. • The range of activities outside lessons.

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

Inspection evidence supports the parents’ views that children enjoy school and that their behaviour is good. The school does a very good job in supporting the children’s personal development and the staff are readily available. Although much of the teaching is good, the inspection found that it could be better in some important areas. The parents’ concerns are not supported by inspection findings. There is good information about children’s progress and the school attempts to work closely with parents. The range of activities outside lessons is appropriate for the age of the children. Westroyd Infant and Nursery School - 12

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

1. The children in the Nursery and Reception classes (the Foundation Stage) are making satisfactory progress overall, but they do better in other areas than in developing early writing and mathematical skills. This is because they have too few opportunities to practise, through activities that are planned, what they have been taught. By the time they start Year 1, they are likely to reach the goals set for their age in all areas of learning except for writing. A majority of children are likely to exceed the goals in creative, physical and personal development and in their knowledge and understanding of the world.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

2. The results of the tests for seven year olds in 2002 were better than the national average in reading and writing and in line with the results in similar schools. The results in mathematics were in line with the national average but below those in similar schools.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

3. From the evidence of the work seen now, standards are above average in reading and pupils of all abilities are achieving well. Children read with very good expression and understand what they read. They quickly gather information from books and they enjoy reading stories and poems. Standards in writing are broadly average and the number of pupils reaching the level expected for their age is steadily increasing but pupils are not making the best possible progress and should be doing better. A much greater number of pupils than expected in Year 2 still have weaknesses in basic skills, such as correct formation and consistent size of letters and spacing between words.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

4. Standards in mathematics and science are average and most pupils are achieving satisfactorily but some of the more able children are making slower than expected progress. In mathematics, the more able pupils are not always sufficiently challenged to develop mental skills because the pace is sometimes too slow for them. The assessments of what more able pupils have already achieved are not always used as a firm starting point to plan work to challenge these pupils. In science, more able pupils’ progress is sometimes hampered by too few opportunities for them to record their findings and draw conclusions from experiments. Pupils in the same year group but in different classes do not have the same learning experiences because teachers do not always plan together. This means that pupils learn at different rates and that the best progress for all is not assured.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

5. The pupils are achieving well in ICT and standards are better than expected for their age in Year 2 because of good teaching and plenty of opportunities to use the skills they have learned in subjects across the curriculum. Pupils use computers competently to research and present information. They use a digital camera to record images and tape recorders to record sounds. Pupils have a good awareness of how technology is used in everyday life.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

6. By the end of Year 2, pupils’ work in geography and design and technology is better than expected for their age. Pupils of all abilities make good progress. Standards in both subjects are good because pupils are given opportunities to organise their work and think about why things happen, and their ideas are carefully stimulated through teachers’ good use of first hand experience and resources.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

7. Pupils’ work in art and design is excellent. They do far better than expected by the time they leave the school because of high quality teaching that leads to rapid learning of skills that pupils use very competently when tackling new work. They think carefully about the effects they wish to create and how colour, line and composition create moods and atmosphere. Pupils have a very good understanding of how artists work in different styles and use a very good artistic vocabulary when talking about their work. Westroyd Infant and Nursery School - 13 8. In all other subjects, standards are average and pupils are making satisfactory progress. Pupils with English as an additional language achieve satisfactorily. Pupils with special educational needs do well and make good progress towards the targets set for them because of good support that focuses effectively on what pupils need to do to improve. There is no difference in the attainment of boys and

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

9. Pupils’ attitudes to school and their behaviour are very good. Right from the start in the Nursery, children know that their efforts will be appreciated and recognised by the staff’s praise and encouragement. Warm relationships ensure that children grow in confidence. This continues in the Reception classes and through Years 1 and 2. Pupils enjoy school and want to please the teachers. The secure and friendly atmosphere in the school is set at the start of the day when teachers and support staff warmly greet the pupils. Pupils come to school ready to work and they are eager to get started on activities.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

10. The pupils’ personal development is very good because of the many opportunities the school provides to help them develop independence and increase their capacity to make decisions. This is a strong feature of most lessons and pupils respond well to challenges such as working together to solve problems. Pupils use their initiative very well to organise their own activities. They think carefully about what they are going to do and what they will use. Two Reception children, for example, worked happily together creating a fire engine in one lesson, persevering to find better ways of joining the components. In Year 2, pupils worked together to enact a story in a literacy lesson and supported each other’s efforts very well so that they produced a performance of which they were all proud. Pupils are keen to help in setting out and clearing away resources, in classrooms and assemblies, and have plenty of opportunities

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

to lend a hand. In the Nursery and Reception classes the signal to tidy away is met with an energetic effort by all of the children.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

11. Pupils behave very well, both in classrooms and at play. They keep to the rules and are polite and respectful. There have been no exclusions. Pupils are helpful and sensible, for example, when they clear away after eating lunch. They know the school’s routines well and respond very positively to the school’s expectations of behaviour. On the playground, pupils make up lively games, often involving large groups, and sustain these very well. They use the play equipment imaginatively and tidy it away at the end.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

12. Pupils’ attendance is good. It is better than the national average for primary schools. Figures for the autumn term show a further gradual improvement in this already good situation. Unauthorised absence is negligible and this confirms parents’ views that children like to come to school. Registration is swift and often enlivened by additional activities. In one Reception class, for example, the teacher sings a greeting to each child and the child replies using the same tune. Pupils are punctual and the school day starts and finishes on time.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

13. The teaching is satisfactory and there is some consistently good teaching in some subjects. There are particular strengths in the teaching of reading, art and design, geography and ICT. Teachers have high expectations of pupils’ achievement in these areas and plan work that is challenging for all abilities. Teachers’ subject knowledge is particularly strong in these aspects. All teachers celebrate pupils’ individuality and creativity very well. They ensure that pupils think carefully about what they are doing and promote pupils’ interest very effectively through the very good use of resources to stimulate interest. Teachers plan good opportunities for pupils to work together and explore their ideas. Teaching for pupils who are learning English as an additional language is satisfactory. Teachers check pupils’ understanding appropriately and ensure that they are properly supported in discussions.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

Westroyd Infant and Nursery School - 14 14. Teachers manage pupils well and there are consistent expectations of behaviour. Clear routines are established, right from the start in the Nursery and as a result, pupils know what is expected of them. Praise for effort and achievement is freely given and so pupils gain in confidence to have a go and they do not fear failure. 15. The school succeeds in identifying pupils with special educational needs as soon as possible. The quality of pupils’ individual education plans is good. The targets are clear and measurable, for example being able to read or spell correctly a certain number of words. Pupils with special educational needs are well supported in lessons by both the teachers and the teaching assistants because everyone knows what needs to be worked on next. Support staff work well as part of the team.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

16. Teaching for children in the Foundation Stage is satisfactory but is more effective in promoting children’s learning in reading, personal and social development, knowledge and understanding of the world, and creative and physical development than in developing children’s skills in writing and mathematics. While there is good and effective teaching of basic skills in writing and mathematics, the way in which the teachers plan activities that follow these sessions does not always enable the children to put these skills to practical use. Too often, because children can choose the activity that follows, there is a considerable time lapse before children practise the skills learned and their progress is slowed.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

17. The teaching in English, mathematics and science is satisfactory but a common weakness is that expectations of the more able pupils are sometimes too low. Teachers tend to pitch the work at the average level and do not always establish a more challenging starting point for brighter pupils. As a result, some of the more able pupils do not make the best possible progress. Expectations of pupils’ reading are higher and so pupils learn at a rapid rate, but this is not the case for writing. The teachers’ assessments of what pupils have achieved are patchy in writing, mathematics and science and the information gained is not yet well used to match work for more able pupils.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

18. Teachers’ marking is inconsistent. The best examples help pupils to understand what they need to work on next but too often this is not the case and pupils continue to make mistakes, in punctuation for example, because they are not given the guidance required to rectify them.

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PUPILS?

19. The quality and range of learning opportunities for pupils are satisfactory overall. The school gives due priority to the teaching of English and mathematics but retains a balance of other subjects to give a good breadth to the curriculum. The richness and depth of the curriculum for ICT, art, design and technology and geography lead to good learning and standards, which are now higher than at the last inspection. However, it does not always meet the needs of the more able pupils in other aspects, such as writing, mathematics and science.

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PUPILS?

20. The school provides an interesting range of worthwhile learning experiences, which covers all subjects and is relevant to the age and interests of its pupils. Teachers use the national guidance as a basis for planning the curriculum, which fully meets legal requirements. This guidance helps to ensure that pupils build on what they have learned before. The teaching of religious education is closely based on the guidance from the local education authority on what should be taught.

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PUPILS?

21. The curriculum for children in the Nursery and Reception classes is planned to cover all of the areas of learning and provides particularly rich experiences in creative and physical development and children’s personal development and knowledge and understanding of the world. There are weaknesses in the planning, however, that limit the children’s opportunities to practise skills in writing and mathematics. This is because children choose the activities that follow the short sessions when they are taught basic skills and too few of the activities planned focus on the skills that have just been learned. The balance of Westroyd Infant and Nursery School - 15 child-initiated and teacher-directed activities is not well established; too much emphasis is placed on the children deciding what to do for lengthy periods during the day and this limits teachers’ opportunities to group children and fill gaps in their learning or extend their skills.

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PUPILS?

22. The National Strategies for Literacy and Numeracy are well established and, for the most part, are working effectively. However, planning for the development of pupils’ skills in writing is weaker and a significant factor in the standards achieved, which should be higher. Planned opportunities for pupils to promote independent writing in subjects such as religious education, geography and history are too few. Teachers do not always plan together in year groups and, although pupils in the same year group cover the same topics, they do not necessarily do this at the same time or carry out the same tasks. This makes it more difficult for teachers to monitor whether pupils of the same age learn at the same rate or cover the same work, for example in mathematics and science.

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PUPILS?

23. The school places strong emphasis on the development of pupils’ creative skills, not only through subjects such as art, design and technology and music, but also through promotion of pupils’ thinking skills and the vibrant and stimulating environment created by displays of pictures, artefacts and pupils’ work. Pupils have good opportunities to develop their independent learning skills through exploration of patterns in mathematics and investigative and experimental science. Teachers carefully plan links across the curriculum; for example pupils use their knowledge of symmetry in art when designing shields, and design and technology links well to pupils’ learning in geography and history. Teachers provide well for pupils’ personal, social and health education (PSHE) and this aspect is an integral part of the school. In addition to specifically planned sessions in which pupils discuss aspects such as

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PUPILS?

friendship, teachers identify opportunities to promote PSHE in other subjects of the curriculum, such as healthy eating in science.

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PUPILS?

24. The curriculum for pupils with special educational needs is good and they play a full part in lessons and the life of the school generally. The school provides additional lessons for groups of pupils in the Year 1 who need extra help in literacy.

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PUPILS?

25. The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons, which broaden pupils’ experiences and enrich the quality of the curriculum. They visit well-chosen places of interest, such as museums and places of worship, and make good use of the local area, including a visit to the local supermarket, to enhance their learning in history, geography, design and technology, science and religious education. Another significant feature of the school is the enrichment it provides through visitors to the school. These include musicians, theatre groups and local clergy. Pupils have enjoyed drumming and acting workshops. There is a lunchtime club for pupils who have difficulty with coping with playtime. This has become so popular that there are opportunities for other pupils to attend as a reward for good work or behaviour. In common with schools with pupils of this age, there are no after-school clubs.

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PUPILS?

26. The school’s provision for spiritual, moral, social and cultural education is very good. This is an improvement from the last inspection.

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PUPILS?

27. The school makes very good provision for the spiritual development of pupils. School assemblies are of high quality with a programme of assembly themes that are designed to provide a stimulus for the pupils' spiritual awareness and self-knowledge. For example the youngest pupils acted out the story of the ‘Five Little Fiends’, while the teacher leading the assembly told the story and showed the beautiful illustrations in the book. This illustrated perfectly how man can destroy the beauty of the world and delivered a very powerful message, which all the pupils understood. The richness and breadth of the whole curriculum stimulate the pupils' interest and create many moments of magic and excitement. The teachers place very high value on the pupils’ ideas and contributions and through skilful questioning lead them to think seriously about other people’s ideas and beliefs. Many moments of awe and wonder are

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PUPILS?

created, such as when Year 1 pupils showed great excitement when they saw the stimulating range of Victorian toys including large model engines that awaited them at the beginning of their history lesson. Westroyd Infant and Nursery School - 16 28. The provision for pupils’ moral development is very good. All adults have consistently high expectations of the pupils’ behaviour and pupils respond well. A series of rewards that motivate all pupils is in place and the pupils themselves are proud when they receive recognition of their efforts. The lunchtime club, supervised by learning mentors, is a great motivator to behave well. The pupils are made aware at an early age of the difference between right and wrong and have a very good appreciation of how their actions affect the well-being and happiness of others. Through their studies in other areas of the curriculum and in PSHE they gain an understanding of wider moral issues.

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PUPILS?

29. The social development of the pupils is very good. They are encouraged to contribute actively to the life of the school. All the pupils are taught to take responsibility from an early age and their help and collaboration ensure classroom and school routines run very smoothly. Older pupils write stories for younger pupils and help them with their reading. During the art week they also work with younger pupils, helping and encouraging them. All pupils are involved in a range of roles to support the school, giving concerts at a local residential home for the elderly and writing letters and sending Christmas cards to children in a local hospice. Pupils are made aware of the needs of others, both in the local and world-wide communities, and various charities receive the school’s support.

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PUPILS?

30. The provision for the cultural development of the pupils is excellent. The breadth and richness of the curriculum particularly in art, design and technology, ICT and geography, ensure that pupils' appreciation of their own and other cultures is very well developed. In geography, for example, the pupils make very good links with their work in literacy and use the Maasai story of the Kipati Plain to develop their understanding of how the modern Maasai live. Their work is also linked with many other areas of the curriculum such as making African masks as part of their design and technology work and listening to African music. The variety and range of art that the pupils study are excellent; for example they study some of the work of William Morris as part of their history work and look at the work of Henry Moore as part of their design and technology work. In music the pupils learn Hebrew songs and Russian folk

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PUPILS?

tales. They visit a Sikh temple to learn how Sikhs worship. The richness and diversity of other cultures are reflected in the very high standards of work and objects displayed around the school, such as a Japanese child’s silk kimono, a South American rug or a North American Indian child’s dress. These displays and a similar emphasis in the school’s selection of fiction and non-fiction books ensure that all pupils develop a very positive view and an excellent understanding of other cultures.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

31. The school and the governing body give high priority to pupils’ welfare. The premises manager, staff and governors, one of whom has professional involvement with health and safety work, make regular checks on the safety of the premises. Child protection matters are properly implemented and staff are aware of their roles and responsibilities. Procedures for monitoring and improving attendance are satisfactory. Parents are made aware of their responsibilities to inform the school of absence and the vast majority comply with the school’s request. The school discourages family holidays being taken in term time.

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

32. The school has implemented very good procedures for promoting pupils’ good behaviour and eliminating bullying and racism. The behaviour shown by pupils shows that the staff and supervisors successfully implement the procedures. All parents responding to the questionnaire say that behaviour is good.

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

33. The rules for classroom and playground behaviour are discussed at the beginning of each school year and pupils are involved. This results in pupils knowing what is expected and what will not be tolerated. The principle is to reward positive behaviour and effort and make them examples for other to follow. Rewards such as stars, stickers and points are used and pupils showing exceptionally good compliance have their names entered in the ‘Golden Book’ for later recognition in whole-school assemblies. Westroyd Infant and Nursery School - 17 34. Pupils’ personal development is monitored informally by class teachers and summarised on pupils’ annual reports for parents’ information. Many opportunities to encourage pupils’ personal development are provided by the school in the form of giving pupils a range of additional tasks. Good examples are opportunities for the pupils in Year 2 to help the Reception children with coats and bags in the

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

cloakrooms and support the younger pupils in the role of ‘reading buddies’. The school provides a good level of support through the very good relationships established between the pupils and teachers and classroom assistants. The school draws effectively on the additional support of a good range of visiting specialists, particularly for those pupils with special educational needs. The school identifies special educational needs at an early stage. There are good procedures in place to assess pupils’ needs. There is very close liaison with the Learning Support Service both formally and informally. This relationship has a very positive impact on the provision for pupils. There are regular assessment and reviewing of the pupils’ needs. The pupils with special educational needs are well supported by other services such as speech therapy or hearing impaired services. Learning assistants are fully aware of the needs of

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

pupils with special needs and fully involved in the delivery of the curriculum.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

35. A recent initiative to provide specialist mentoring support for developing some children’s social skills and behaviour improvement has had the unexpected outcome of becoming an activity to be competed for. This lunchtime session, conducted by two mentors, is now known as the ‘lunchtime club’ and attendance by other pupils is granted as a reward for good behaviour or effort.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

36. The school operates a parent and toddler group session each week and many of the children pass on to the Nursery unit. Carefully planned part-time attendance, accompanied by parents if required, quickly helps the Nursery children build up confidence and trust in the staff and enables them to join in all the wide range of activities provided. Although separated from the main school, the Nursery and school work closely together to ensure smooth transition into the Reception class. For the same purpose, the school organises visits for the Year 2 leavers to attend the junior school and meet the Year 3 staff.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

37. The school has not yet established consistent and effective systems for assessing pupils’ progress and recording this in a way that is easily retrievable and helpful to teachers in planning the next steps in pupils’ learning. In the Nursery and Reception classes, for example, there is no record that passes between these stages and then into Year 1 to show the extent to which children have reached the goals for learning that are set for their age. This means that teachers are uncertain of starting points in planning to meet the needs of groups or individuals. There is a similar picture in Years 1 and 2. Although the school is working to resolve the problem and provide a coherent and useful picture of attainment in each year group, this is not yet in place. This affects the usefulness of the targets that are set for pupils in Years 1 and 2 in writing and mathematics and limits pupils' achievements.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

38. The school works hard to encourage more parents to take an active involvement in the education of their children. The weekly parent and toddler group, run by volunteer parents, is developing and is supplemented by occasional coffee mornings when parents can come into school and meet the staff. New parents particularly are invited and welcomed. The school’s efforts are recognised and parents regard the staff as friendly and approachable. All parents responding to the questionnaire say they feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or problems. The great majority of parents spoken to during the inspection have supportive views and find difficulty in identifying any dislikes about the school or its work. The school has recently issued its own questionnaire based on the inspection model and has sent an analysis of the responses to all parents together with comments on how matters

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

39. The range and quality of information provided for parents are good. Newsletters are informative for the Nursery and other year groups. Details of what is to be taught and guidance for parents’ help are included. Pupils’ annual reports cover all subjects of the National Curriculum and religious education Westroyd Infant and Nursery School - 18 plus comments on personal and social development. Reports for the Nursery children are full and include some guidance on future targets. The school arranges curricular evenings and sessions for new parents. Parent consultation evenings are offered. An arts week organised in the previous school year attracted more than 40 parents on each day. The prospectus and annual report of the governing body are written in easily understood language and give parents a good overview of the school and its work. Minor amendment is required to ensure full compliance with all requirements. The home/school

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

agreement is concise and clearly sets down the school’s requirements. The teachers inform parents at an early stage if there are problems with a child's learning. Parents are fully involved in submitting reports for formal assessment of special educational need and in the annual review procedures.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

40. Parents make good contributions to children’s learning. The Friends of School Association has re- formed and the inaugural meeting held in January of this year was successful in attracting 18 new members committed to regular attendance, and the pledge of a similar number of parents willing to give active support. The group intends to continue providing both social and fund-raising events to supplement the school budget. New furnishings in the computer suite are the main objective for the current year. About 15 parents provide regular help in classrooms and the Nursery and provide effective support to the teaching staff. Parents also support the school by good attendance at the various events organised by the association and the special occasions such as concerts and class and birthday assemblies organised by the school. Support at home with regular reading and spelling takes place and this has a positive impact on pupils’ learning.

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

41. The headteacher, who has been in post for 18 months, provides good leadership for the school that is firmly based on her vision to celebrate pupils’ creativity and promote the pupils’ personal development. This vision is shared by the staff and governors and has very successfully been translated into the school’s daily life and practices. The school’s environment is rich with pupils’ work and it celebrates their success in artistic and practical work. The school plans very well to ensure that pupils develop an understanding of different cultures. Teachers who are new to the school are well supported and given good guidance.

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

42. At present, the management of the school is satisfactorily promoting improvement and raising standards through the analysis of what is working well and what needs to improve. The school is making good use of new technology to support its work. The roles of the teachers who take responsibility for areas of the school’s work or specific subjects have been satisfactorily extended since the last inspection but there is further to go. Several staff are new to their role. All are now clear about how they should carry out their responsibilities but few have had the opportunity to check the quality of teaching and learning across the school, apart from the headteacher. The school has kept up with setting targets for teachers through its performance management systems and the needs of individuals and the school are drawn through to the main school development plan. Staff training needs are properly identified and met.

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

Specific grants are used effectively. The school has, for example, made good use of the national funding to improve teachers’ expertise in using computers. In spite of the school’s difficulties with computer equipment over recent months, the staff’s commitment and initiative have led to improvements in pupils’ experiences and standards in ICT being better than expected.

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

43. The school is well placed to improve further because everyone works well as a team. The school has identified the right priorities to work on next: to improve standards in writing and better meet the needs of the more able pupils, as well as improving assessment procedures and the balance of the curriculum for Foundation Stage children. All of these aspects feature in the current school development plan. At present, however, the initiatives planned are mainly too new to show much impact on pupils’ learning, or the school is still at the stage of analysing which aspects of teaching need to be changed. For example, the need to improve the opportunities that children have to practise basic skills under the direction of adults in the Nursery and Reception classes is a priority for the school but it is not yet clear how this will Westroyd Infant and Nursery School - 19 be achieved. The deputy headteacher has recently taken responsibility for the Foundation Stage but has

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

not yet had the opportunity to look more closely at teaching and learning in the classrooms. There are still some gaps in policies to direct teachers’ work, such as a handwriting policy, although there has been a concerted effort to update policies and schemes of work over the past 18 months. The school’s target setting for pupils is not yet based on a reliable system of assessment and although the school has done some good work on this, there is still more to do.

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

44. The governors provide sound support for the school’s work and fulfil all of their statutory responsibilities. They have a good understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses and work efficiently through their committees. The school’s priorities are underpinned by appropriate financial planning and the governors satisfactorily seek the best value in expenditure, for example in resourcing the new computer suite. They are kept well informed by the headteacher and are improving their ability to ask challenging questions about what the school is providing and how its performance compares to similar schools. Much of the school’s carry forward from its budget last year is earmarked to support improvements in ICT facilities.

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

45. The school’s accommodation is satisfactory. There are very good outdoor play facilities for the Nursery and Reception children and these are well used to promote good progress in personal, social and physical development. There are a suitable number of teachers and a good number of support staff. The teaching assistants provide good support for pupils with special educational needs and these pupils make good progress. In the Foundation Stage, teaching assistants could sometimes be deployed more effectively in helping children practise basic skills. Resources are good in most subjects and will shortly improve in ICT; the resources are well used throughout the school to grip pupils’ interest in learning. However, there are too few practical resources for science and this restricts teachers’ planning for some activities. Westroyd Infant and Nursery School - 20

p.19

Improve standards in writing by:

• ensuring that there is better emphasis given to teaching the correct letter formation in the youngest classes; • developing a whole-school policy for handwriting; • ensuring that pupils have better opportunities to practise and extend skills in writing across the curriculum; • ensuring that teachers set out the small steps that are needed for pupils to improve their work and remind pupils of these. (Paragraphs 1, 3, 22, 43, 47, 55, 57, 58, 86, 102.)

p.20

Improve the progress made by more able pupils in mathematics and science by raising teachers’

expectations of what pupils can achieve and planning suitably challenging work for them. (Paragraphs 4, 17, 62, 67, 68.)

p.20

Improve the quality of the curriculum and pupils’ learning by:

• ensuring that teachers plan together so that pupils of the same age have the same breadth of experiences; • ensuring that the youngest children have enough opportunities to practise basic skills; • ensuring that subject managers check more rigorously to find what is working well and what needs to improve. (Paragraphs 1, 4, 16, 22, 42, 47, 48, 64, 65, 70, 95, 104.)

p.20

on reliable assessments and that teachers’ marking follows the school’s policy so that it is more

helpful to pupils. (Paragraphs 17, 37, 43, 57, 64.)

p.20

on reliable assessments and that teachers’ marking follows the school’s policy so that it is more

In addition to the issues above, the school should consider the following point when drawing up its action plan:

p.20

on reliable assessments and that teachers’ marking follows the school’s policy so that it is more

• Review the provision of resources for science. (Paragraphs 45, 70.) Westroyd Infant and Nursery School - 21

p.20

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 21

p.21

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

p.21

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 two percentage points.

p.21

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery YR – Y6

p.21

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 39 170

p.21

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 0 7

p.21

Information about the school’s pupils

Special educational needs Nursery YR – Y6

p.21

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 1 3

p.21

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 2 21

p.21

Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

p.21

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 7

p.21

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

p.21

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 7

p.21

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 3

p.21

Attendance

National comparative data 5.4 National comparative data 0.5

p.21

Attendance

Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Westroyd Infant and Nursery School - 22

p.21

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 27 29 56

p.22

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

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

p.22

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

Boys 24 25 26 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 27 29 27

p.22

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

Percentage of pupils School 91(95) 96(92) 95(100) at NC level 2 or above National 84(84) 86(86) 90(91)

p.22

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

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.22

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

Boys 25 26 26 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 29 27 27

p.22

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

Percentage of pupils School 96(95) 95(100) 95(100) at NC level 2 or above National 85(85) 89(89) 89(89)

p.22

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

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Westroyd Infant and Nursery School - 23

p.22

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

p.23

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

White – any other White background 0 0 0

p.23

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Mixed – any other mixed background 0 0 0

p.23

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Asian or Asian British - Pakistani 5 0 0

p.23

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Asian or Asian British – Bangladeshi 0 0 0

p.23

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Asian or Asian British – any other Asian background 1 0 0

p.23

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black or Black British – Caribbean 0 0 0

p.23

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black or Black British – any other Black background 1 0 0

p.23

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 exc0lusions, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded. Westroyd Infant and Nursery School - 24

p.23

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 8 Financial year 2001/2002

p.24

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 21:1

p.24

Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total income 490811

p.24

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 12 Total expenditure 481914

p.24

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 232 Expenditure per pupil 1920

p.24

Teachers and classes Financial information

Qualified teachers and support staff: Nursery Balance brought forward from previous year 31390

p.24

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 1 Balance carried forward to next year 40287

p.24

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 39:1

p.24

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 3

p.24

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 90

p.24

Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 3

p.24

Recruitment of teachers

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

p.24

Recruitment of teachers

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 0

p.24

Recruitment of teachers

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

p.24

Recruitment of teachers

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

p.24

Recruitment of teachers

FTE means full-time equivalent. Westroyd Infant and Nursery School - 25

p.24

Results of the survey of parents and carers

Percentage of responses in each category

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

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

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child is making good progress in school. 62 37 2 0 0

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

Behaviour in the school is good. 43 57 0 0 0

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 25 52 5 2 17

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 34 46 18 2 0

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 58 42 0 0 0

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 58 34 2 0 6

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school works closely with parents. 26 49 18 2 5

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is well led and managed. 38 54 0 2 6

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 51 43 2 2 3

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 11 22 29 8 31 Westroyd Infant and Nursery School - 26

p.25

Personal, social and emotional development

46. The children make good progress because of the good quality teaching. Most children are likely to exceed the goals for their age by the time they start in Year 1. Clear routines are established that children understand and keep to; as a result they feel secure and the classrooms have a calm atmosphere. The very good relationships between adults and children further enhance children’s confidence. Children in the Nursery, for example, confidently talked to the teacher about what they had noticed that was new in the classroom at the start of the day and what they would like to explore or use in activities. Through the teacher’s good explanation and questions, the children were clear about what they would do after the whole class session. Staff give children very good opportunities to choose the materials that they use and work together, in acting out parts in the well-resourced role-play areas, for

p.26

Personal, social and emotional development

example. In the Three Bears House in the Nursery, children make very good use of the props such as costumes to sustain play. In the Reception classes, children use the knowledge that they have gained through previous work very effectively to support their outdoor play. They work together to create scenes, such as rescuing people from dangerous situations. The children plan out what they will do in each session by drawing pictures of activities and the staff help them to provide captions to explain what will happen.

p.26

Communication, language and literacy

47. Teaching is satisfactory and so most children make overall satisfactory progress. They make good progress in extending their ability to listen carefully to adults and each other because of the adults’ clear expectations. Children are also given plenty of opportunities to talk about what they are doing. Early reading skills develop well because of the good teaching in basic skills and children often choose to look at books. They take reading books home and parents give valuable support for children’s reading. The teachers use big books effectively and set a good example when they read stories to the class. In the Nursery class, for example, a group of children, working with toy dinosaurs to create a scene, used a picture book to find out more information about these creatures and tried to use the captions to the pictures as they read the book together. The basic skills in writing are taught well in the short sessions

p.26

Communication, language and literacy

when the class is taught together but the children’s learning in both the Nursery and Reception classes is inhibited by the lack of planned opportunities to practise these skills after learning them. Children choose the activities that follow these sessions of good, direct teaching and too few of these build directly on the skills learned. Opportunities are missed to assess how well children are learning to form letters correctly and so too many children struggle. Most children write their names correctly in the Reception classes but too few are starting to try to spell simple words or use their knowledge of sounds to attempt to spell words. When children work in the role-play areas, such as the hospital in Reception, they understand that the marks that they make are for signing visitors in and making appointments and these are good opportunities for children to understand that writing carries meaning. However, when

p.26

Communication, language and literacy

children have more formal opportunities to write, such as writing a list, they struggle because of a lack of practise in using the sounds that they know to write words and their progress is slowed. While most children are likely to reach the expectations for their age in early writing skills, too few are likely to go beyond these.

p.26

Mathematical development

Westroyd Infant and Nursery School - 27 48. Teaching and learning are satisfactory in this area of learning and most children are likely to reach the goals for their age by the end of the Reception year but too few are likely to exceed these goals. This is because children do not sufficiently practise the skills they have learned, following the good, direct teaching of basic skills to the whole class. The children usually choose the activities that follow these sessions and while some will have a mathematical element, these do not always build effectively at the right level for different abilities. This was well demonstrated in an outdoor play session in Reception, when children chose an activity based on recognising the symbols for numbers one to ten and counting on or back from a given number. Some of the children who chose this activity could do this easily while others struggled to match the numbers to the symbols. Most of the Nursery children count to five and

p.27

Mathematical development

recognise the symbols for these numbers. They order objects by size and start to use a mathematical vocabulary to describe objects as smaller or larger. Most Reception children count up and back in tens and can start from a given number. In one very good, short session of direct teaching to the whole class, more able children rose to the challenge to do this very successfully, but the following activities did not extend their understanding or allow them to practise their skills.

p.27

Knowledge and understanding of the world

49. The teaching is good and children make good progress in both the Nursery and Reception classes. Most are likely to do better than expected by the time they leave the Reception year. The teachers plan a good range of activities that build upon the children’s first hand experience and extend their understanding of the world. The high quality displays that stimulate children’s interest in all classes ensure that children want to find out for themselves. The staff are good at supporting children’s learning through timely questions that probe their thinking about why things happen. In the Nursery, for example, the teacher took advantage of the children’s excitement over a frosty morning to talk about how ice melts. Children in the Nursery noticed that the seeds that they had planted had grown after the holiday. They knew that the plants will die if they do not have water. The Nursery children know how to click

p.27

Knowledge and understanding of the world

on an image on the computer screen to make things happen. They make a toy robot move in a set pattern by entering the number of moves on its control buttons. In the Reception classes, the children have had a visit from a fire-fighter and talk about his equipment and clothing. They know that doctors and nurses help people who are ill and that a healthy diet is necessary to keep well. Children use computers confidently and can click on an image and drag it across the screen. They look at the options presented on programs and confidently try out alternatives.

p.27

Physical development

50. The teaching is good in and so children make good progress. Most are likely to do better than expected by the time they reach Year 1. The staff make full use of the very good facilities for outdoor play in both the Nursery and Reception classes. Children explore space and learn to co-ordinate their movements very effectively on the exciting range of equipment. In the Nursery, they carefully navigate the tracks laid out for wheeled vehicles. In Reception, children play out parts as firemen or medics, attending emergencies. They use a very good range of large equipment to build and create imaginative scenes. In physical education lessons in the Reception classes, children learn to control their movements and in a good lesson, children created an imaginative sequence of movements based on a poem and music. They stretched and bent their arms and legs rhythmically in response to the music and showed

p.27

Physical development

good control. There are plenty of opportunities to cut, stick and join materials that enable children to refine their fine control of tools in both the Nursery and Reception classes.

p.27

Creative development

51. Good teaching ensures good progress in both the Nursery and Reception classes. Most children are set to exceed the goals expected by the time they start in Year 1. Children learn a good range of skills in drawing, painting and collage work. They know how to mix colours and think carefully about what they want to represent. The Nursery children, for example, choose the size and colour of paper they will use Westroyd Infant and Nursery School - 28 to paint one of the Three Bears. They have a good range of teddy bears to give them inspiration and try to get the texture of fur with brush strokes. In the Reception classes, children’s painted portraits show a good understanding of how to represent facial features and achieve the correct shades for different skin tones. Children have very good opportunities, in both the Nursery and Reception classes, to act out parts. They make very good use of the high quality props and costumes to work together and use the

p.27

Creative development

language that they have learned because the role-play areas reflect the children’s previous work. In the Reception classes, for example, the vocabulary learned in connection with work on hospitals, such as appointments, thermometers and visitors, is well reflected when children work together.

p.28

ENGLISH

52. The picture of standards is similar to that at the last inspection. Standards are good in reading and pupils of all abilities do well. Pupils’ speaking and listening are at a level expected for their age and all pupils make good progress. Standards are broadly average in writing by the end of Year 2 but too many of the pupils have problems with basic punctuation and the formation of letters. Pupils should be doing better in writing.

p.28

ENGLISH

53. The pupils’ speaking and listening is average; pupils of all abilities make the progress expected. In one lesson, when pupils in Year 2 made up dialogue to act out the story of Snow White, they used an appropriate vocabulary and intonation. The pupils watching their performance showed that they had listened carefully because they made sensible suggestions about how their classmates could improve on their performance. Pupils listen carefully to teachers’ instructions and so they know what to do when they settle down to the independent tasks in lessons.

p.28

ENGLISH

54. Pupils do well in reading because the basic skills are well taught and they are keen to read because the teachers’ lively and expressive reading to the class stimulates them. The sounds of letters are taught and learned thoroughly and so pupils in Year 1 tackle unknown words confidently. They use the pictures and the sense of the sentence competently if sounding out the letters does not help them. More able pupils in Year 1 use good expression when they read, anticipating how the punctuation signals that they need to pause or that a character is going to speak. This good progress continues in Year 2. Pupils show a good understanding of what they read. For example, a more able group who were reading a story about a bridesmaid’s dress that had been sent mistakenly to a jumble sale explained the dilemma faced by the character and responded very well to the humour of her efforts to regain the dress. The

p.28

ENGLISH

pupils in Year 2 gather information from books very competently and know how to use the contents and index pages to help them find what they want.

p.28

ENGLISH

55. Pupils’ writing is broadly at the level expected for their age by the time they leave the school but too many have residual difficulties in forming letters correctly and using simple punctuation such as capital letters and full stops as a matter of habit. These problems were identified in teachers’ target setting for a large number of pupils as they started in Year 2 and this indicates weaknesses in pupils’ prior learning. More able pupils write in complex sentences, with mainly correct punctuation, but their handwriting is inconsistent. Some pupils practise using a joined style, but this has been too infrequent to make much impact on their day-to-day style of writing and most continue to print.

p.28

ENGLISH

56. Teaching is satisfactory but it is stronger in some aspects than others and this is reflected in pupils’ progress. The teaching of reading is good. Activities are carefully planned to build on what has already been learned. The teachers ensure that story lines and characters come to life for the pupils through some very good opportunities for pupils to use puppets to tell familiar stories or act out the parts. The pupils’ progress in reading is tracked well by the teachers and so areas for improvement are quickly identified and worked on effectively. Lower attaining pupils and those who have special educational needs or are learning English as an additional language are well supported in reading sessions. Their understanding is checked thoroughly and the teachers and classroom assistants ensure that they refer to the text to explain why they think certain things might happen or characters behave in a certain way.

p.28

ENGLISH

Westroyd Infant and Nursery School - 29 More able pupils read from challenging books and relish the opportunities they have to talk about their opinions.

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ENGLISH

57. The teaching of writing is satisfactory and improvements in teaching and learning begun over the previous year are starting to bear fruit. This is evident in the rapid progress made in some classes. However, the teachers’ expectations of writing are too variable between classes for pupils to make consistently good progress. While pupils have satisfactory opportunities to write for a range of purposes, such as writing instructions and letters, some pupils have better opportunities than others to practise writing in extended pieces. The teachers’ assessment of writing is much less effective than reading. It does not always pinpoint exactly what needs to be worked on next. As a result, pupils too often continue making the same mistakes. There are examples of very good marking that help pupils to understand what they need to do to improve, but this is not a consistent picture. Examples of less effective guidance

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ENGLISH

are too frequent; for example, a pupil in Year 2 was guided by a teacher’s marking to work on sitting letters on the lines of his book two months ago, but he is still struggling with this and it has not been pointed out again.

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ENGLISH

58. Pupils use computers competently to present their work, changing the styles of letters used and sizes to suit the purpose for which they are writing. Although there are examples of pupils’ using writing effectively in other subjects, for example in religious education when they write about how Jesus persuaded his disciples to join him, there are times when pupils use too many worksheets or are required to provide single word answers to questions. This does not help them to practise writing for other relevant purposes and extend their skills. There are also occasions when lower attaining pupils struggle to organise their writing because they are given too little guidance, in the form of a writing frame, on how to set it out.

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ENGLISH

59. The management of the subject is satisfactory. The manager has recently taken up the responsibility and has a clear idea of what needs to be done to improve. The initiatives taken to improve opportunities for developing pupils’ speaking have been successfully implemented and are reflected in teaching in all classes. The adaptations to teaching, following the analysis of pupils’ work and their performance in tests, have led to more pupils gaining the levels in writing expected for their age and ability, but the school knows that it still has work to do. There is no policy for handwriting to guide teachers and this leads to inconsistency in pupils’ learning to form letters and how to join their writing. There is a good policy for teachers to use when they mark pupils’ work but this is not followed consistently and the subject manager has not yet checked to see if this is happening. The school is aware that it needs to

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ENGLISH

develop more effective and consistent ways of assessing pupils’ progress in writing, and recording the information in a way that it is more useful to teachers in planning the next steps.

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MATHEMATICS

60. Pupils’ attainment is average by the end of Year 2. Standards have been maintained since the last inspection. Pupils make satisfactory progress in their learning, although some more able pupils should be doing better. Overall, pupils with special educational needs make good progress because of the quality of the support they receive. Standards are improving in pupils’ ability to talk about their work and explain the methods they use to solve problems. This is because teachers are now better planning these opportunities into lessons.

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MATHEMATICS

61. By Year 2 pupils have secure number skills. They use their knowledge of number bonds to ten to add and subtract mentally and understand when the teacher phrases the questions in a variety of ways. They have a satisfactory understanding of the value of digits to 100. More able pupils are starting to understand the place value of numbers to 1000, although they sometimes make errors when writing numbers larger than 100. Pupils also understand the properties of some two and three-dimensional shapes, although they sometimes find it difficult to match the picture of some two-dimensional shapes to the name. They make sound progress in their learning about measurement, because teachers plan a Westroyd Infant and Nursery School - 30 variety of enjoyable practical experiences so that pupils become aware of how these skills can be used in everyday life. They learn the vocabulary of movement and angles by describing how to find the

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MATHEMATICS

treasure. Pupils record their work using symbols and simple diagrams, although this aspect of pupils’ work is not as good as it might be. This is because pupils do not have enough opportunities to record what they are learning. Often, pupils do the work on wipe-dry boards and there is no record of what individual pupils can do. This makes it difficult for teachers to reflect and build on the progress of individual pupils. In addition, the presentation of pupils’ work is untidy and this leads to some inaccuracy in calculation.

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MATHEMATICS

62. Teaching is satisfactory overall. All lessons had good features, because teachers are conscientiously implementing the aspects that the senior management team identified as requiring improvement. Teachers use a variety of methods to engage the interest of their pupils and sustain it through the lesson. For example, in an investigation in Year 2 related to the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, pupils investigated how many outfits three dwarfs would have just by swapping their clothes. They were highly motivated and concentrated hard on finding solutions, discussing with their partner different ways of carrying out the task. This lesson resulted in good progress in the development of pupils’ thinking skills. Lessons are clearly focused and teachers explain what pupils are expected to learn so that they understand the purpose of the work. Teachers usually match the work to pupils’ different abilities in the main part of the lesson. In the oral part of the lesson, teachers give good

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MATHEMATICS

emphasis to the development of mental mathematics methods. In some lessons, however, they do not expect enough of the most able pupils, who could achieve more in mental calculation. Where teachers have better expectations, for example in a lesson in Year 1 on addition problems, the teacher reminded pupils to hold one number in their heads and count on. He posed questions in different ways and required pupils to explain how they had found the answer. As a result, these pupils made good progress in their leaning. However, in some mental mathematics teachers do not match work to the needs of different groups of pupils, although good use of individual wipe-dry boards ensures that all pupils are involved. The pace of these sessions is sometimes too slow, particularly for the more able pupils, because they have to sit and wait for other pupils to finish the question. Consequently the work does not sufficiently challenge these pupils.

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MATHEMATICS

63. A notable feature of most lessons is the good use made of classroom support assistants to help pupils with special educational needs and less able pupils. The assistants are well informed and have a good understanding of their role. They know the pupils well and help them to develop confidence. Teaching focuses on what they need to learn and the good support helps them to achieve success. For example, in one lesson the support assistant made a visual aid to help pupils understand the words ‘column’ and ‘row’ when looking at patterns on the hundred squares.

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MATHEMATICS

64. Throughout the school, implementation of the national teaching guidelines is satisfactory. However, teachers in Year 2 do not always plan together and pupils do not have the same learning experiences. This makes it difficult to track the ongoing progress of the whole year group, particularly when pupils in the groups set by ability cover a different topic. Although teachers are aware of the need to extend the learning of more able pupils, the approach is not coherent enough. Assessment procedures are unsatisfactory and do not provide teachers with the information they need to set work at a level which challenges pupils of different ability. Teachers are only just starting to evaluate the outcomes of termly tests against the national expectations for the year group and find out where difficulties lie. The quality of marking is variable and does not give pupils enough guidance on how to improve their work, for

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MATHEMATICS

instance by setting short-term learning targets.

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MATHEMATICS

65. Management of the subject is satisfactory. The co-ordinator is effective in identifying areas for development. She monitors planning to check the implementation of whole-school improvement strategies, but has not yet evaluated these in practice or the effectiveness of the setting arrangements.

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SCIENCE

Westroyd Infant and Nursery School - 31 66. Standards in science are average for the pupils’ age at the end of Year 2. This is similar to the previous inspection. However, too few pupils achieve at the higher level.

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SCIENCE

67. The school has recognised the need to put more work into two specific areas of study: materials and their properties, and physical processes. This is now reflected in the teachers’ planning and the pupils’ work. Less able pupils and those with special educational needs receive good quality support from the learning assistants and make good progress and achieve well. Average and more able pupils make satisfactory progress. The most able pupils could achieve more, particularly in learning about materials and their properties and physical processes.

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SCIENCE

68. Pupils’ independent thinking and creative effort are above average, so that by the end of Year 2 all pupils have a good understanding of what makes a fair test. The emphasis on materials and their properties and physical processes has started to raise standards in these areas. However, although pupils are involved in collecting evidence and investigating, the work that some teachers set for the more able pupils is not always sufficiently challenging to extend their learning fully. For example in some books there is too much emphasis on work sheets and this limits the creativity of pupils and especially the most able. A difficulty that affects virtually all pupils is in recording their findings because of problems with their writing. For example, a group of able Year 2 pupils used good scientific vocabulary and had a good understanding of the factors that would make a fair test to discover which insulating

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SCIENCE

materials would be the most effective to prevent ice melting, but they were greatly limited by their ability to find and use suitable ways to record and write up their results.

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SCIENCE

69. An analysis of pupils’ work shows that each area of science is now taught in sufficient depth. There are some good links with other curricular areas, such as history, when pupils looked at how household appliances were powered in Victorian times compared to now. This led on to work on simple circuits. There are also good links to pupils’ learning about ‘Healthy Eating’ and work in design and technology.

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SCIENCE

70. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory overall. Planning is satisfactory but is sometimes limited by a shortage of practical resources. Teachers do not share well enough what works well in lessons, for example, that different recording formats help pupils to overcome the difficulties many of them have with their recording. Teachers in the same year group do not always plan together and so pupils have different experiences.

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SCIENCE

71. The recently appointed co-ordinator manages the subject satisfactorily and has made a good start in identifying the strengths and weaknesses in science teaching and learning. She has started to assemble a portfolio of work to help teachers understand the standards expected for different abilities. She recognises that assessment procedures need to be more rigorous so that pupils are challenged appropriately and teaching can better build on pupils’ skills year on year.

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ART AND DESIGN

72. The high standards in the subject have been maintained since the last inspection. Standards are excellent because of the high level of expertise in teaching and a rich curriculum that enables pupils to experience a wide range of media and appreciate how artists work. Pupils learn at a rapid rate because they are taught the techniques and skills and then given the freedom to express themselves and try out their ideas. The teaching is of high quality and indicates a very good depth of knowledge about the subject. Teachers encourage pupils to talk about their work and think about their choices. Lessons in art and design support pupils’ spiritual and cultural development extremely well, as pupils learn about a wide range of art from different cultures and think deeply about how images make them feel. Pupils use computer programs competently to support their work and to research information about artists.

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ART AND DESIGN

Westroyd Infant and Nursery School - 32 73. Pupils in Year 1 have looked at the work of Georgia O’Keefe and created watercolours that echo the sinuous shapes of her flower paintings. Pupils’ work showed a good understanding of how to mix subtle colours and use line to create form. High standards were well demonstrated by pupils in a lesson in Year 2, when groups worked on collaborative weaving, clay tiles, watercolour painting and drawing. Pupils had a very confident approach and could explain what they were doing using a technical vocabulary. A group working on paintings based on the work of Louis Comfort Tiffany, for example, explained that he created stained glass and was particularly famous for his table lamps. One pupil explained that “he was influenced by William Morris because he worked with natural things.” When the class appraised each other’s work at the end of the lesson, they decided that one pupil’s work reflected

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ART AND DESIGN

the shapes of Tiffany’s designs but was closer in colour to Morris’ work. The group making clay tiles used guides to roll out the correct thickness and a tile cutter to create the shape. They selected from a very good range of tools to create texture and pattern. One pupil said that she planned to make “a repeating pattern around the border and a flower shape in each of the squares in the middle.” The group weaving on a large frame carefully considered the texture and colour of the strips of fabric they used and knew the meaning of the warp and weft. In another lesson, pupils in Year 2 created intricate bead earrings that they proudly wore throughout the remainder of the day. They had based these on designs by a Maasai artist and had looked at examples of African beadwork. The pupils explained that the colours represented the earth, sky, milk and sun and that yellow and white should, traditionally, not be

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ART AND DESIGN

placed next to each other. They had kept to this rule in their own work.

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ART AND DESIGN

74. The subject is very well managed by a co-ordinator with a high level of expertise and a vision for high standards. She ensures that a variety of experience and the nurturing of pupils’ creative thought permeate the whole school’s work. She checks teachers’ planning to make sure that pupils will build skills incrementally and freely offers advice and support to improve what is offered. This has a very positive impact on the standards achieved and the pleasure that pupils derive from their achievements.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

75. Standards in design and technology are above average and all pupils make good progress. This is an improvement from the previous inspection when standards were judged as satisfactory. Pupils with special educational needs also make good progress and this is helped by the good support they receive from learning assistants.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

76. The way that design and technology projects are linked into other areas of the curriculum is one of the reasons for high standards. This makes the projects very purposeful and the pupils feel they are solving real problems. Consequently their enthusiasm and motivation is raised. This was seen in a very good Year 2 project that linked to work on traditional tales in literacy. The task was to design a castle in which there were winding mechanisms that had to include an axle and a handle. The pupils’ designs were very well planned and of a well above average standard. They listed the materials used and evaluated the success of, for example, their drawbridge: “One string was shorter than the other so it wouldn’t pull it up properly.” The project continued with the pupils making glove puppets of characters such as Beauty and the Beast to act out a puppet show on the castle walls. This called for very careful

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

planning both in the design of the puppets and the castle to enable the puppets to be controlled.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

77. Similar high standard work that links with other areas of the curriculum, such as geography, is carried out by pupils in Year 1. A visit from a representative from a local supermarket showed the range of fruit and vegetables from all over the world sold in the store. The pupils devised various ways of preparing and presenting the fruit and vegetables and also designed and baked their own pizza, taking account of healthy eating principles as well as attractive pizza designs. In a street survey linked with history and geography the pupils designed and made a range of model dwellings, such as flats and houses, from recyclable materials. Westroyd Infant and Nursery School - 33 78. The pupils’ high standards and good progress result from good quality teaching. The whole curriculum is well planned with a good range of design and making activities. All teachers are good at organising activities where pupils make choices in the design and making elements of each task. Teachers make

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

good use of recording sheets for pupils to sketch out designs, plan the order of tasks and evaluate the success or otherwise of the methods, materials and techniques they have used. They anticipate difficulties and plan lessons well to ensure pupils have learned the skills to address problems that they may encounter. The only weaknesses are insufficient emphasis on recording in some classes and assessment systems that are as yet too recent to be useful in planning the next steps.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

79. The recently appointed co-ordinator is aware of what needs to be done. He has already gained a good overview of the subject and has devised a curriculum that ensures good progression. He has started to assemble a portfolio to enable teachers to have a clear view of standards and the way different projects develop the pupils’ learning. He has audited resources and has added to them where appropriate.

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GEOGRAPHY

80. By the time pupils leave the school, the standard of their work is better than expected for their age. This is an improvement since the last inspection. Pupils make good progress because teachers plan good opportunities for them to interpret maps and look at how physical features and different climates affect the way that people live.

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GEOGRAPHY

81. Pupils are good at extracting information from pictures, text and maps and thinking about why things happen. Pupils in Year 1 draw simple maps of significant features in their area and understand how to use a key. They know that a village is not as big as a town and that a city has many features such as factories and industrial areas, as well as bigger buildings and better transport links. They find the places visited on the travels of a teddy bear and plot these on a map of the world. The pupils in Year 2 can explain how rainfall patterns are important to people who live in climates where it does not rain frequently. They explain that if the rain does not arrive at the expected time in Kenya, the crops will not grow and people’s lives will be badly affected. In a good lesson in Year 2, pupils demonstrated their skills in interpreting maps of different scales and complexity. Through the good questions posed by the

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GEOGRAPHY

teacher, they found that certain physical features, such as rivers or mountains, restricted travel around an area in Kenya. They discovered, from using the key to a map, that they would not be able to stop at a certain place because there was no railway station that served a particular settlement. As one pupil put it, “I found the key was useful because I thought I could get there when I looked at the map, but I couldn’t.” Pupils learn about the differences and similarities that exist in their own area and the Kenyan settlement.

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GEOGRAPHY

82. The teaching is good. Teachers build successfully upon what the pupils already know and plan challenging work. Pupils gain a great deal of information from the teachers’ good use of quality resources, such as photographs and books that stimulate pupils’ interest and make them want to find out more. Teachers give pupils good opportunities to express their ideas and work together to present information. The pupils use computers effectively to support their learning about different places and to present information in tables.

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GEOGRAPHY

83. The subject is well managed. The co-ordinator ensures that the full curriculum is taught and that resources are of good quality.

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HISTORY

84. Standards are as expected for the pupils’ age by the time they leave the school and they make satisfactory progress. This is similar to the last inspection. Westroyd Infant and Nursery School - 34 85. Pupils in Year 1 understand that everyday things have changed over time. They have visited a museum to see how household objects and toys have changed since Victorian times and explain that “In the past they had a carpet beater, but we have a vacuum cleaner.” Pupils in Year 1 understand that some things happened before living memory. When they looked at pictures of toys from Victorian times in one lesson, they were skilfully led to identify similarities with and differences from modern toys through the teacher’s good questions. Pupils in Year 2 build on the skills learned earlier and look closely at objects to try to find out what they might have been used for. They know that we can learn from what was

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HISTORY

written down in the past as well as from objects that have survived.

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HISTORY

86. The teaching is satisfactory. Good use of resources is a strong feature, as are the opportunities provided for pupils to talk about their ideas. Teachers do not make the most of opportunities to promote pupils’ writing skills through the subject. There are occasions when pupils struggle to record work because of a lack of guidance on how to organise their writing; at other times, worksheets are over used and these do little to enhance pupils’ skills in writing. There is a good range of visits to places of historical interest in the locality.

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HISTORY

87. The subject is satisfactorily managed and the co-ordinator has identified that more computer programs are needed to support pupils’ learning about the past.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

88. Inspection evidence indicates that by the end of Year 2 most pupils achieve standards that are above average. The school has improved on the standards reported in the most recent inspection. All pupils, including those with special educational needs, make good progress.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

89. Pupils throughout the school use computers with confidence. There are also very good links with other areas of the curriculum. For example the pupils use a scanner to alter and manipulate images that they have accessed from a history CD-ROM. They use digital cameras to record work they have done such as models in design and technology. They collect data and present the information in a variety of pictorial and diagrammatical ways, which they print off usually without adult supervision. They use a good range of software to do this. Pupils research to find out information about great sculptors such as Henry Moore. They are confident in word-processing and change fonts and text size to improve the presentation of texts. They use fax and e-mail to communicate with one another and their teacher. They use control technology to develop their learning about directions and make good links with work in

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

mathematics. Many pupils have their own computers and use these to do further work at home, building on skills learnt at school. For example a pupil word-processed her own story of Snow White, complete with illustrations imported from a program, as her follow-up to work the class had been doing on traditional tales.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

90. The quality of teaching is good throughout the school. Teachers have good levels of personal expertise because of the nationally funded training that they have recently received. The original network has given lots of problems, but despite this the teachers have been very effective at using the school’s present computer resources and developing the pupils’ learning. This was seen in a good Year 1 lesson, where the teacher used very good questioning to develop the pupils’ understanding of how we use technology in our everyday lives. He also developed the pupils’ technical language relating to a CD- ROM and their understanding of how to use the icons and sound buttons, so it talks to them; one pupil put it as: “It’s like the computer has its own brain!” Lessons are well paced and teachers make good use of resources. For example a Year 2 class used a CD player to locate a track on a disk to compare

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

its ease of use to finding the beginning of the recording on an old reel-to-reel tape recorder. This experience certainly made the pupils understand how much technology has improved.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

91. The subject co-ordinator has a high level of personal expertise, which has helped to raise the confidence of the staff. She has re-organised the timetable to ensure that ICT will have a greater priority in the Westroyd Infant and Nursery School - 35 summer term, when the new computer suite is ready. Meanwhile the school has made very effective use of the resources it has. To be certain that the previous problems with the old network are not repeated, she has organised maintenance contracts with the ICT providers and is very confident that the new network will be a great asset to the school.

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MUSIC

92. Standards in music are broadly as expected for pupils aged seven. They are similar to those reported at the last inspection.

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MUSIC

93. Pupils sing confidently and with enjoyment. They sing from memory both unaccompanied and accompanied. Their careful listening is reflected in the way in which they match their voices to the shape of the melody and keep good time with the piano accompaniment. They sing with a pleasant, unforced tone. In the whole-school singing session the teacher provides a good example of how the song should be sung and pupils follow this lead and adapt their singing to the style of the song.

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MUSIC

94. Pupils enjoy music, because they have frequent opportunities to learn through practical music making activities and play classroom percussion instruments. Teaching is satisfactory. Lessons have a clear focus and build on pupils’ previous learning. Teachers give clear explanations supported by demonstration to ensure that pupils understand the playing and composing tasks and what they are to learn. In a Year 1 lesson pupils use the knowledge of long and short sounds to create their own piece of music. This task links well to pupils’ work in dance where they have practised movements with a similar theme. Year 2 pupils extend their composing skills by creating a score of their compositions. These scores clearly show when each instrument is to play and some pupils organise their scores to show when instruments are playing simultaneously. Pupils work well together in groups and try hard to control

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MUSIC

their sequence of sounds. Appropriate intervention from the teacher helps pupils to make improvements in their performance, in particular to start and play more accurately together. Teachers provide opportunities for pupils to evaluate their own and each other’s work, but pupils are not given sufficient guidance for this aspect of the work. Pupils do not know the names of many of the instruments that they play. This reflects some gaps in teachers’ subject knowledge. 95. The music curriculum is based on the national guidance and planning indicates coverage of all strands of the curriculum. The range of activities is limited by lack of support materials and progression is not as secure as it might be. Visits from musicians enhance the provision for music. Pupils also have the opportunity to perform to residents in the local nursing home. There are no opportunities for pupils to develop their skills beyond the classroom, although all pupils take part in school performances. The

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MUSIC

subject management is satisfactory. The co-ordinator has identified aspects of the music curriculum to be developed and there has been some movement towards improving planning for these. However, there is no monitoring of teaching and learning in music in order to identify what is and is not working within the current structure.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

96. By the end of Year 2, standards in physical education are average and all pupils make satisfactory progress. Pupils with special educational needs, including those with physical difficulties, are very well supported and this enables them to make good progress.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

97. Pupils in Year 1 listened attentively to the teacher’s instructions in one lesson and used space effectively during their warm-up. They stomped around the hall using high and low movements as the giant in ‘Jack and the Beanstalk.’ They analysed each other’s performance and made good evaluative comments that showed their good observation as well as an understanding of how heavy stamping movements characterise an angry giant’s gait. In a Year 2 lesson pupils sustained vigorous periods of physical activity during the warm-up sessions. They used imaginative dance movements to show Ki-Pat firing his arrow into the clouds to make it rain. Pupils understood that dance movements can reflect Westroyd Infant and Nursery School - 36 different moods and feelings. They used long, slow stretching movements to represent the drawing of the bow but fast, low and high movements to represent the animals racing across the African plains.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

98. In the lessons seen the teaching ranged from satisfactory to very good and is satisfactory overall. Lessons are well planned and link with other areas of the curriculum such as traditional tales in literacy and this makes dance lessons more meaningful. The pupils are also more motivated as dance performances are presented to other year groups. The school has identified the need to increase the aerobic fitness of pupils. In a very good 'Funfit' lesson the fast pace, the very effective use of resources to make mini-circuits and the teacher’s very good use of praise and encouragement highly motivated the pupils. They pushed themselves to achieve demanding targets and this resulted in high aerobic output.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

99. The physical education co-ordinator has a good understanding of the strengths and areas for development in the curriculum. The ‘Funfit’ initiative has been very successful and raised the standard of the pupils’ overall fitness. Observations of teaching by the co-ordinator have revealed that the school needs to review the way it teaches gymnastics and improved resources are needed. There has been a lot of input into the dance curriculum and this has raised the teachers’ expertise. A local rugby team has visited the school as part of the pupils’ work on healthy living.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

100. By the end of Year 2, pupils’ work in religious education meets the expectations described in the local guidelines. This is because of sound teaching and learning. Standards have been maintained since the last inspection.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

101. Pupils make satisfactory progress in their knowledge and understanding of the two main religions that they study, Christianity and Sikhism. They gradually become aware of the importance of religion in the world and of multi-cultural aspects of society, through, for example, the celebration of the Diwali. Teachers carefully plan the curriculum so that pupils become aware of aspects of other religions which link with what they are learning. For example, pupils in Year 1 know the story of Rama and Sita and about the celebration of Diwali. They know that light has significance in other religions, such as the nine-branched lamp used at the Jewish festival of Chanukkah. By the end of Year 2, pupils know why Jesus told stories. They can retell some of the well-known stories told by and about Jesus, for instance the story of Zacchaeus. Teachers use questions well to ensure that pupils learn from these stories.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

Pupils know the important features of Sikhism and have knowledge of the different places of worship, mainly by visiting them.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

102. The teaching is satisfactory. Lessons are well planned and have a clear focus, which teachers explain to pupils so that they know what they are to learn. Good features of teaching include lively presentation, good use of resources and role-play, which help to motivate and involve pupils. Role-play effectively supports pupils’ moral and social development and helps them to relate what they are learning to their own lives. In a Year 1 lesson, for example, pupils acted out scenes based on the story of the Good Samaritan. The scene was set in the playground and pupils showed how they could help and care for each other. In a Year 2 lesson the teacher made good use of photographs and artefacts to stimulate pupils’ interest in the lesson about baptism. Pupils showed real enthusiasm and were keen to share their own experiences. The teacher’s questions were effective in helping pupils to make comparisons

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

between what they knew about baptism today and the baptism of Jesus and in developing their understanding of the religious significance of the occasion. A less effective aspect of teaching is the expectation of pupils’ written work. There are differences between classes of the same age in the amount of work recorded and insufficient attention is paid to developing the skills of writing through the subject. The range of writing is too narrow, mostly retelling stories, although on some occasions there is greater challenge for more able pupils who attempt to retell the story from another point of view, for instance in the role of Zacchaeus’ friend. Westroyd Infant and Nursery School - 37 103. Religious education makes a good contribution to pupils’ personal development. Pupils in Year 1 become aware of the importance of belonging to a family or group. They know that belonging to a religious group also has significance in the lives of some people. Pupils learnt about the importance of

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

sharing when they heard the story of how Jesus fed a large crowd with a small number of loaves and fishes. There is much discussion in lessons, which extends pupils’ religious understanding. Visits to the local church and Gurdwara, and visitors who talk about different aspects of religion enrich pupils’ learning experiences further.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

104. The co-ordinator manages the subject effectively and has provided detailed plans to support teaching. She has little opportunity to observe teaching, but maintains a portfolio of pupils’ work, which is evaluated against the expected standards outlined in the local guidance for the subject. Although these samples of work provide useful information, they do not give a full picture of teaching and learning because they are not representative of each year group.

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