Greenhill Primary School

GREENHILL PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 23 rd -26 th June 2003

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GREENHILL PRIMARY SCHOOL

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

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GREENHILL PRIMARY SCHOOL

Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the School Inspections Act 1996, the school must provide a copy of this report and/or its summary free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. Greenhill Primary - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Gamble Hill Drive Leeds Postcode: LS13 4JJ

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Mr Chris Johnson

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 2 nd -6 th March 1998 Greenhill Primary - 4

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities 21678 Susan Walker Registered inspector Foundation Stage, Special educational needs, History. What sort of school is it? How high are standards? How well are pupils taught? How well is the school led and managed? What the school should do to improve further. 19365 Gordon Stockley Lay inspector How well does the school care for its pupils? How well does the school work in partnership with parents? 1678 David Peckett Team inspector Mathematics, Design and technology. How good are curriculum and other opportunities?

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

20767 Jeremy Royle Team inspector Information and communicatio n technology, Geography, Music. 32751 Linda Maskill Team inspector Science, Physical education, Religious education. 10053 Janet Simms Team inspector Educational inclusion, English as an additional language, English, Art and design. Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development. Greenhill Primary - 5 The inspection contractor was:

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Peak Education Partnership Cockerham Hall Huddersfield Road Barnsley S70 2LT

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Greenhill Primary - 6

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 7

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

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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS? 11

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Greenhill Primary School has 370 full-time pupils on roll, plus 73 children in the nursery who attend part- time. This is bigger than other primary schools nationally. The school caters for boys and girls aged three to eleven. Virtually every pupil speaks English as their first language and no one is at an early stage of learning English. On entry to nursery children's attainment is below that found in most schools and a significant minority have attainment lower still. On entry to Year 1 attainment is still below average in certain areas of reading and mathematics. Pupils live in the two adjacent council estates and in small pockets of private housing. About a quarter of pupils are eligible for free school meals and this is slightly higher than average. There are 14 per cent of pupils on the register of special educational needs and two pupils have statements of special educational need. This is below average. Most pupils

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

stay in the school throughout their primary education. The headteacher remains the same, but there has been a high turnover of staff since the last inspection. The school is involved in two national initiatives: the local Education Action Zone, and Excellence in Cities, and this has resulted in extra funding and some additional support staff.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

Greenhill Primary School is an effective school with many strengths. It is a very welcoming and highly inclusive school. Pupils do well to reach average standards in most subjects by the time that they leave. They achieve better than average standards in mathematics, design and technology and physical education. Progress in English is good, although results are below average. Pupils make good progress because of the effective teaching that they receive. Leadership and management are very good and this allows the school to implement its aims and values exceptionally well. The school’s outstanding ethos helps pupils to learn in an atmosphere where their efforts are encouraged and supported. The school provides very good value for money.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What the school does well • The good standards all pupils attain in mathematics, design and technology and physical education. The good standard infant pupils reach in science, geography, history and religious education. • The very good leadership and management of the school have resulted in an excellent ethos that embodies the school’s aims and values very effectively. The school spends its funds outstandingly well to support pupils’ learning. • The good standard of teaching and learning for all pupils and children in the nursery and reception classes. • The school’s excellent provision for pupils’ moral and social, development and the very good provision for pupils’ spiritual and cultural development results in the excellent relationships between all pupils and staff and pupils’ very good attitudes and behaviour. • The very good curriculum, which has excellent procedures for promoting inclusion and very good

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

provision for activities-outside-lessons. The very good day-to-day care of pupils. • The very good relationships with nearby schools and colleges.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What could be improved • Standards in writing, especially in the areas of handwriting and spelling. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school was last inspected in March 1998. It has made very good improvement in addressing the areas for development identified in the last report: standards in mathematics in Years 3 to 6; the use of information about what pupils already know and can do; and improving the role of the co-ordinators in Greenhill Primary - 8 order to raise the quality of teaching. In addition the school has made very good improvement in almost every other area. Standards are better than average in design and technology and physical education for all pupils. Infant pupils reach good standards in science, geography, history and religious education. In English, pupils make good progress and a good number of pupils achieve the expected levels, but overall standards are below average.

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STANDARDS

The table shows the standards achieved by pupils at the end of Year 6 based on average point scores in National Curriculum tests.

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STANDARDS

Performance in: all schools similar schools Key

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STANDARDS

English E C D C well above average above average A B Mathematics D D D B Average Below average C D Science D E D C well below average E

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STANDARDS

By the end of the reception year children make good progress from starting nursery and many have caught up with children in most schools, except in some areas of reading and mathematics. A significant minority have better skills than normal in creative activities. In 2002 results in reading and writing were below average for pupils aged seven, but results in mathematics and science were average when compared to all schools nationally. Pupils did better than similar schools in reading and mathematics, but about the same in writing. The results for eleven-year-olds were below average when compared to all schools nationally. When compared to similar schools pupils did better in mathematics, and were average in English and science. Results over time show that standards are usually below average, but increasing numbers are reaching the national average. Inspection findings show that pupils are above average in mathematics and below average in English at ages seven and

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STANDARDS

eleven. Early findings show that the school is on course to meet the governors’ targets this year. Pupils are better than expected in science at age seven and as expected at age eleven. All pupils are better than expected in design and technology and physical education and infant pupils are better than expected in geography and history. In all other subjects, including information and communication technology, pupils achieve as well as might be expected. Standards for seven-year-olds are better than the expected level from the published guidance on religious education from the local education authority, but eleven year olds do as well as they should. The achievement of most pupils is good during their time in school due to the skilful teaching they receive. Pupils with special educational needs achieve well because of the very effective teamwork between their teachers and learning support assistants to

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STANDARDS

ensure they make progress in their learning.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Attitudes to the school Very good. Pupils are very enthusiastic about school.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Very good. Most boys and girls co-operate and collaborate together in lessons and play. The work of the learning mentor has improved the behaviour of those who have difficulties in working with others equably.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Personal development and relationships There are excellent relationships between staff and pupils and between boys and girls. Pupils are very keen to accept responsibility. Greenhill Primary - 9 Attendance Satisfactory. Most pupils arrive punctually to school. The good procedures for monitoring attendance are having a positive effect on attendance.

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

Teaching of pupils in: Nursery and Reception Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

Quality of teaching Good Good Good Inspectors make judgements about teaching in the range: excellent; very good; good; satisfactory; unsatisfactory; poor; very poor. ‘Satisfactory’ means that the teaching is adequate and strengths outweigh weaknesses. The quality of teaching and learning is good throughout the school and meets the needs of all pupils. Teaching is best in physical education where it is very good and sometimes excellent. It is good in all other subjects, except art and design, music and science in Years 3 to 6, where it is satisfactory. Teaching of numeracy skills is good and the teaching of literacy skills is satisfactory. The same strengths in teaching are apparent from nursery to Year 6. Classrooms are well organised and displays of other pupils’ work help pupils to learn more about the subjects that they are studying. In lessons the purpose of the activity is shared with the class and followed up in the final minutes, so that pupils can

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

show what they have learnt. Lessons are brisk, questions are used effectively, and pupils have time to discuss and plan what they are to do. Teachers use resources well and show pupils exactly what they want them to do. Pupils’ learning is not quite as good as it could be in music, drawing and using what they have been taught about handwriting and spelling. Although there is some very effective marking in pupils’ books, in many instances teachers are not clear enough about what they want pupils to do to improve. Teaching of computer skills is good, but computers are not used often enough in all classes to help pupils to learn.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

The quality and range of the curriculum There is a very good curriculum for all age groups, which provides excellent opportunities for inclusion. There is a very good range of activities out of class. There are very good links with nearby schools and colleges and good links with the community.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils with special educational needs The provision for pupils with special educational needs is very well managed. The learning support assistants provide very effective support for pupils in class and this enables them to make good progress.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils with English as an additional language There are no such pupils in school at present. The school makes suitable arrangements for any who enter at an early stage of learning English.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural, development Excellent overall. The school makes excellent provision for pupils’ moral and social development and very good provision for pupils’ spiritual and cultural development. This contributes to the school’s excellent ethos.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

How well the school cares for its pupils There are very good procedures for looking after pupils on a day-to-day basis and excellent procedures for promoting good behaviour. There are good arrangements to check how well pupils are learning and whether they are making enough progress. Greenhill Primary - 10 The school has good links with parents and they are very supportive of the school. Good information is provided for parents about all aspects of school life.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff The school is very well led and managed. There is a particular strength in the way that the headteacher has led the school forward. He is now in a position where staff have an excellent commitment to success and an excellent capacity to succeed in improving still further. The deputy headteacher and those teachers who manage areas of the school support the headteacher very well. How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities The governors are well led by an experienced chairman. The governors have a good grasp of value for money. They know their roles and carry them out effectively.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The school’s evaluation of its performance The headteacher knows the school very well and has an accurate view of its many strengths and of its few areas for development.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The strategic use of resources Good. The available financial resources are used very well to support pupils’ learning. Resources have been well focussed at the designated areas for improvement and extra funds are outstandingly well used to support pupils’ learning.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

Resources are good and effectively used. There are an appropriate number of teachers and a good number of effective classroom support assistants. The accommodation is satisfactory; however, it gets far too warm in hot weather for lessons to proceed in comfort.

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

• The school is approachable. • The school expects children to try their best. • Their children like school, are growing mature and responsible and are making good progress. • Teaching is good. • The interesting range of activities out of lessons.

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

The inspection team agrees fully with the parents’ positive views of what the school does well. The team feels that activities out of lessons are very good because the range of activities is greater than that found in most primary schools. Greenhill Primary - 11

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

1. Many children enter the nursery at age three with standards below what might be expected nationally. A significant minority have standards below this level, especially in personal and social development and speaking and listening skills. Children attend the nursery for at least two terms and virtually all transfer to the reception classes in the September of the year in which they turn five. Children make rapid progress through both the nursery and reception classes due to the good and sometimes very good teaching which they receive. By the end of the Foundation Stage many have caught up with children in most schools. They are likely to meet all the early learning goals, except in certain areas of reading and mathematics. A significant minority of children have better skills than would normally be expected in creative activities.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

2. In the 2002 national tests for pupils aged seven, standards were average in mathematics, but lower than average in reading and writing when judged against all schools nationally. When teachers checked how well pupils had done in science they found that nine out of ten pupils were achieving the expected average. In the national tests for pupils aged eleven, standards were below average in English, mathematics and science.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

3. Results over a number of years show that standards at both seven and eleven are usually below average when compared to all schools nationally. However, when looking at the percentage of pupils achieving the expected level (Level 2 at seven and Level 4 at age eleven), although there are fluctuations, year-on-year the percentage is higher than at the time of the last inspection. There are fewer higher attaining pupils than in many schools and this brings down the overall judgement when compared to other schools.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

4. The school does better when compared to schools in similar socio-economic circumstances, both locally and nationally. For instance, in 2002 compared to similar schools, pupils aged seven were above average in mathematics and reading, and average in writing. Pupils also do better than other pupils in local schools and all Leeds schools. Pupils aged eleven were above average in mathematics and average in English and science when compared to similar schools. In 2002 pupils caught up with the Leeds average in English and exceeded it in science and mathematics.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

5. From when pupils took their infant tests in 1998 progress to the end of the juniors appears to be slower than in most schools in English, mathematics, and science. However, the school has had a large turnover of teachers, particularly for older pupils, in the last few years and the quality of teaching has not always been as good as it is today. This has influenced progress for pupils in Years 3 to 6.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

6. The school standards are usually broadly in line with the targets that the governors set for pupils to achieve. The school is likely to meet or exceed, these targets in 2003.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

7. The results of the national tests over time show that at age seven girls do better than boys in reading and writing; however, there is little difference in the performance of girls and boys in mathematics. At age eleven girls do better than boys in English, but the position is reversed in mathematics and science. There is little difference in the number of boys and girls who sat the tests in 2002. Information about the current group of pupils in Year 2 shows that there are more girls of average and higher ability performing well in reading and this is markedly so in writing. Information for the current Year 6 group of Greenhill Primary - 12 pupils shows that girls are doing markedly better than boys in reading and writing. Data from last year’s tests shows that girls are performing better than boys in writing throughout the school. In lessons observed there were no obvious differences in how

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

boys and girls attend to their teachers or set about their work.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

8. Inspection findings show that Year 2 pupils’ speaking and listening skills are average. The average and more able pupils read with fluency and expression. They are aware of the importance of characters and plot. They can write reports as well as other seven- year-olds, but their handwriting and spelling are not as good. By Year 6 speaking and listening skills remain average. Most pupils usually understand the basic content of what they are reading. The content of writing is improving; however, pupils do not spell well enough or copy down information correctly.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

9. In mathematics, Year 2 pupils use addition and subtraction confidently and are developing their ability to use multiplication and division. The more able pupils are confident when working with numbers up to 100. By Year 6 pupils use all four rules of number confidently, including the addition and subtraction of four-digit numbers. The majority of pupils have good knowledge and understanding of fractions and percentages.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

10. Pupils aged seven have good scientific knowledge and understanding, while this is satisfactory at age eleven. Presentation skills let pupils down when it comes to recording what they know.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

11. Inspection findings show that standards are as expected in information and communication technology, art and design, and music. Standards are better than expected in both design and technology and physical education. Standards are better than expected for pupils aged seven in geography and history, but are average at age eleven. Standards for seven-year-olds are better than the expected level from the published guidance on religious education from the local education authority, but eleven year olds do as well as they should.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

12. Pupils’ achievement is good, overall. This agrees with both the parents and school’s assessment of the situation. This is due to the good teaching and interesting lessons they get on a day-to-day basis.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

13. Currently, the special educational needs register shows that there are markedly more boys than girls in this category. Pupils with special educational needs are supported very effectively by their teachers and other adults and so they make progress in line with their abilities. The learning mentor has successfully helped those with behavioural difficulties to stay on track with their learning. The school has worked hard to ensure that most pupils’ learning is supported by the normal good quality teaching they receive in class and, consequently, has reduced the number of pupils on its register of special educational needs to a below average level.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

14. The school uses the information from its assessments well to identify those pupils who are gifted in English and mathematics. Good provision was made for a small number of higher attaining pupils in Year 2 when they were working with numbers to 50 and beginning to develop an understanding of fractions. Effective provision was made for Year 6 pupils to solve problems. The school teaches pupils of different abilities effectively in science in Year 2. During the inspection opportunities were taken to challenge more able pupils in both art and design and information and communication technology. The school is working together with other nearby schools to identify talented pupils and make appropriate provision for them, for instance in physical education and music. Greenhill Primary - 13 15. Overall, since the last inspection, the school has maintained its position whereby many pupils achieve average levels in most subjects. This is due to: the good quality of

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

teaching and learning; the very hard work of subject managers; the rigorous monitoring of teaching and learning and the checking of which teachers are the most effective; and the fact that the school has targeted resources at areas it had identified as needing improvement. Standards in mathematics have risen more quickly because this was identified as an area for improvement in the last report. Although pupils have made good progress this year and a good number achieve the expected level in English, there are too few pupils achieving the higher level to make standards as good as other schools. The school has maintained a number of subjects - not necessarily the same ones - where pupils achieve standards that are better than average. Day-to-day progress has improved for most pupils, because the quality of teaching is better.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

16. Overall, the pupils’ very good attitudes and behaviour and the excellent relationships are a strength of the school. Such very positive attributes aid pupils’ learning very well. This judgement agrees with parents' positive comments and the headteacher’s evaluation of the situation. This is very good improvement since the last inspection when all aspects were judged to be good and reflects the school’s priorities and the current quality of the teaching and support staff.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

17. The consistently excellent ethos that the school promotes is highly effective in creating extremely good personal development in these very important aspects of pupils’ lives. There are many very good opportunities to celebrate pupils’ achievements both inside and outside school in a public forum such as the Friday celebration assemblies, which enhance pupils’ pride, and pleasure in their successes. On a day-to-day level, teachers and all other adults also promote these successes through encouragement, praise and appropriate rewards. The school’s sanctions procedures are very well understood and very consistently applied so that very few pupils infringe the high expectations, which all in the school have of them.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

18. Pupils are very enthusiastic about school and very keen to accept opportunities for responsibility offered to them. The school council, for example, is effective, with representatives taking their duties seriously. Pupil librarians from Year 5 also take good care of the library. Overall, pupils’ attitudes are better towards lessons in mathematics than in English and this affects their learning. They enjoy the challenge of their ‘quick fire question’ session in mathematics lessons, but they are not as confident in putting their ideas down in writing, or putting as much effort into presenting their work neatly in all subjects.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

19. Children in the nursery and reception classes behave very well and have very good attitudes to learning. They form very good relationships and work together equably. They take responsibility for fetching their own resources and tidying up at the end of the session. This makes the large Foundation Stage classroom a very happy and well- organised place to learn.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

20. At play and recreation at all times of the day, boys and girls interact very well together, with many examples of co-operation, collaboration and pupils spontaneously helping each other. This arises partly because staff give them structured opportunities in lessons to do the same; reading and editing each other’s work in English, for instance, so that they develop these skills in a controlled way early on. In their dealings with others, pupils are most often thoughtful, sensitive and polite. Behaviour at lunchtimes and breaks is calm and sensible, because pupils have enough to do. During the inspection when the Greenhill Primary - 14 accommodation for pupils in Years 3 to 6 was very hot – particularly the computer room - most pupils behaved very well and kept on task.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

21. Pupils with special educational needs have positive attitudes to learning because they are very well supported by staff. The few pupils who have more difficulties in managing their behaviour have recently been involved with a learning mentor and a transition assistant, who have had very good effects on creating a marked improvement in behaviour. This type of intervention, funded by a national initiative, has led to no pupils being excluded recently. Pupils speak of very little bullying, but the school takes very seriously any such behaviour, recording it, as well as more minor misdemeanours, systematically in writing. The inclusion of drama in the pupils’ curriculum recently has greatly improved pupils’ opportunities to explore difficult areas of their emotional lives, with lessons in personal, health, social and citizen education (PHSCE), and ‘circle time’ adding significantly to the range of such learning. All these help pupils to expand the range of their experiences, as

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

does the school’s very outward-looking approach to exposing pupils to the influences derived from a very good range of visits, visitors and other outside sources which usefully enriches their lives. In lessons, pupils are interested, attentive and well behaved.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

22. Relationships are excellent at all levels and are a key strength of the school. The headteacher and all staff provide pupils with excellent role models of effective co- operation, team-working and respect for others. All adults have consistently very high expectations, which are patiently and simply explained to pupils from their earliest days in the school. Teachers and others understand pupils’ backgrounds very well and are committed to widening their horizons and setting high aspirations for them. The whole school works together to create a highly supportive environment in which pupils can grow and mature very effectively in these more abstract areas of their lives.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

23. As at the time of the previous inspection, attendance is satisfactory, being very close to the national average for primary schools. Unauthorised absence is slightly higher than the national average. Much of the absence is through early childhood illnesses and some absence is through parents taking their children on holiday during term time. The vast majority of pupils arrive on time for the start of the school day. Registration procedures provide a friendly, calm and focused start to the day.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

24. The quality of teaching and learning is good and meets the needs of all pupils. No unsatisfactory teaching was seen. This judgement reflects the very good improvement that the school has made since the last inspection when teaching was satisfactory with very few good lessons seen. It fully agrees with the headteacher’s and parents’ evaluation of teaching.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

25. The quality of teaching and learning for children in the nursery and reception classes is good and sometimes very good. This is also the case for pupils in Years 1 and 2 where staff are well established. Although, overall, the quality of teaching and learning is good for pupils in Years 3 to 6, there are fewer very good lessons. Most of the high staff turnover has occurred in these classes and there has also been movement of staff between age groups.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

26. The quality of teaching and learning is good in most subjects. It is very good and sometimes excellent in physical education. This is due to the effective support of subject co-ordinators in helping to plan the rich curriculum. Teaching is satisfactory in science in Years 3 to 6, art and design, and music. Greenhill Primary - 15 27. The strengths of teaching throughout the school are as outlined below and this accounts for the effective progress which pupils make in their lessons. • The quality of the teamwork between teachers and learning support assistants aids pupils’ learning. The inspection team noted on many occasions the very effective way in which all adults in a class, including the Foundation Stage, worked together before lessons started to ensure that resources were ready, roles were clear and everyone knew the point of the learning to be achieved. This meant that lessons were very well-managed. Adults

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

ensured the pupils with special educational needs were supported very effectively. • The classrooms are well organised and displays support pupils’ learning effectively. For instance, in Year 4 classrooms pupils’ targets for writing are hung over individual work tables, so that groups of pupils can see what they have to do to improve. In many classrooms important words for reading and writing are displayed around the room to enable pupils to use such words in discussion and their writing. • The purpose of the activity is shared with pupils, so that they understand what they have to do. A particular strength is in the reception classes where the message outlining what the teacher wants children to do in all areas of the classroom is changed from day to day and so their learning is subtly altered. • The pace is brisk so that no time is wasted. For example, in a Year 5 science lesson where pupils were measuring their pulse rate

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

after jogging, a clear time limit of nine minutes was set for the activity, which focussed pupils’ minds wonderfully. • The good skilful questioning helps pupils to develop their knowledge and understanding. Such as in a Year 1 history lesson where pupils were challenged by their teacher to look more carefully at the pictures they were examining and to revise their earlier answers in the light of their new knowledge. Or in a Year 3 science lesson where pupils were asked good questions about how they would set about measuring shadows and this made them think more deeply about the problem. • Pupils are given time to discuss together and this deepens their knowledge. As in a Year 4 mathematics lesson where pupils worked well together collaborating and discussing to solve problems and so they made very good progress, or in a Year 1 religious education lesson where pupils discussed the reasons ‘Why God was cross with

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

the people’. • The imaginative use of resources to improve pupils’ understanding. For instance, when the class teacher and the learning support assistant dressed up in costume in Year 2 geography lessons and allowed relevant artefacts to be passed around the classes, this enthused pupils’ and they gained a lot of understanding of life in India, Sri Lanka and China. Or when a theatre company presented a hard hitting performance about feelings to Year 6 pupils, which deepened their understanding of how to tackle problems. • The very good modelling and demonstration of techniques, so that pupils know what they have to do to improve their skills. For example, in a Year 4 physical education lesson where triple jumps were skilfully rehearsed, so that pupils understood the correct sequence of skills which they needed to develop. Or where the teacher selected three high performing pupils to demonstrate how

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

to introduce ‘soft’ and ‘hard’ shots to gain advantage over opponents in a Year 5 and 6 games lesson. Teachers used whiteboards effectively to demonstrate skills and also to find out what pupils knew. • The effective use of the ending of the lessons to consolidate pupils’ learning. Greenhill Primary - 16 The final session in a Year 6 literacy lesson recapped the purpose of the lesson and gave pupils the opportunity to read out their work and to show what they had learnt. In an effective Year 4 art and design lesson selected pupils displayed their work to the class and the teacher added to the pupils’ own comments to show all pupils how they could improve their work in the next lesson.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

28. The few areas for development are as follows • The quality and consistency of basic skills teaching. The teaching of basic skills is variable. The good teaching has had more of an impact on numeracy and computer skills, which are taught securely. English is a much broader subject and the good teaching is beginning to make a better impact on certain areas than others. For instance, teachers give pupils lots of opportunities to develop skills of discussion and debate and this is improving their speaking skills. The school has identified and put much effort into broadening the content of pupils’ written work. Although the basic skills of handwriting and spelling are taught regularly, pupils are not applying them well enough to improve their presentation. Pupils’ basic skills in drawing and music require development to bring about improvement, as the school as recognised.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

• The quality and consistency of marking so that pupils know what they have to do to improve. There are some very positive examples of marking, as when a Year 2 teacher commented in a pupil’s science book “An excellent diagram. It is neat and clear. I like the way you have shown the bulb lighting up.” This told the pupil precisely how he had lived up to the teacher’s expectations of the lesson. However, marking is not of this standard in all classes and subjects and is too often minimal. • Knowledge and understanding in music and art lessons. • The use of computers in day-to-day lessons and across all subjects. In too many lessons opportunities are missed to allow pupils to present and edit their work on the classroom computers.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

29. Pupils’ learning is very well supported by the use of the school’s behaviour system. Pupils appreciate when teachers recognise and reward their success, as for instance, when a Year 1 teacher rewarded three boys with a merit for their progress in numeracy. Similarly, pupils’ behaviour was recognised as contributing to their learning and rewarded with a house point in a Year 4 physical education lesson. Homework makes a satisfactory contribution to pupils’ learning, particularly in mathematics. The ‘PATCH’ books that link the learning of pupils and parents in Years 5 and 6 are particularly effective.

p.16

PUPILS?

Greenhill Primary - 17 30. The curriculum provision for all age groups is very good. It is broad, balanced and includes many interesting and exciting opportunities to enrich the lives and development of the pupils. The curriculum fully meets the statutory requirements of the National Curriculum. There is a strong, but appropriate, emphasis on English, mathematics and science and the school has fully implemented the National Strategies for Literacy and Numeracy. The overall allocation of time to different subjects is sound and supported by a long-term curriculum plan that provides a good structure and development for each subject. There is very good provision for pupils’ personal, social and health education. The inspection team agrees with the headteacher’s evaluation of planning. The organisation and developments in the curriculum show very good improvement since the last inspection.

p.17

PUPILS?

31. Teachers’ lesson planning is very good and the school keeps a check on the broader curriculum. This leads to regular whole-school reviews to ensure the plans are relevant to the development of the pupils and that the different skills and understanding of subjects are built on progressively. Subject co-ordinators monitor the strengths and areas for development in their subject and are putting together useful files to show the range and quality of work undertaken. There are some areas for development in music which have been identified and are being addressed in the current school improvement plan. In information and communication technology the use of computers in all areas of the curriculum is an area for development.

p.17

PUPILS?

32. The school has fully adopted the government strategies for literacy and numeracy. There is a mathematics policy, based on the strategy, and the school has overcome all the significant weaknesses identified in the last inspection report. The curriculum structure for mathematics has helped to improve teaching and to raise standards. The school now needs to review the curriculum to identify more clearly the numeracy and literacy skills that are taught and then developed through the work in other subjects.

p.17

PUPILS?

33. The school’s provision for pupils with special educational needs is very good. The teachers and the support staff work together very effectively to ensure the pupils with special educational needs play a full part in all activities. Their individual working plans are good and are reviewed regularly. Effective groupings of pupils enable them to work at their own levels in literacy and numeracy and alongside other pupils in other subjects, particularly the more practical subjects of science, design and technology and physical education, sometimes achieving similar standards to other pupils. This is a very welcoming and highly inclusive school and great care is taken of pupils to ensure they receive their full entitlement within the curriculum.

p.17

PUPILS?

34. The provision for extra-curricular activities is very good. Clubs are organised at various times for art, information and communication technology, dance, tennis, table tennis, badminton, football and basket ball plus a homework club and ‘SPARKS’ club that provides a very interesting range of activities. It is common to see pupils of different age groups playing and working together in the different clubs and activities. A high level of interest and involvement in sport is evident amongst the pupils and they take part in a number of inter-school sporting events including boys’ football, girls’ football and badminton, as well as the annual athletics tournament with the nearby local schools. Such is the school’s strength in promoting sport and activity that it has recently been awarded the ‘Activity Mark’. A number of pupils receive instrumental lessons on the cello, flute and clarinet from visiting teachers.

p.17

PUPILS?

35. The school’s provision for PHSCE is excellent. Staff encourage pupils to reflect upon their personal feelings on many occasions in lessons, class discussions and assemblies. Class teachers timetable weekly lessons in PSHCE, and help pupils to think about issues during ‘circle time’. There is a very consistent approach throughout the Greenhill Primary - 18 school that is underpinned by the weekly ‘Thought for the week’ that is used in every class. Lessons are well planned, and there is a programme that helps pupils to realise that each individual has responsibilities as well as rights. Pupils are encouraged to make informed choices. Good attention is given to the need for healthy living, racial equality, and the dangers associated with the misuse of drugs. An appropriate programme of sex education is provided.

p.17

PUPILS?

36. The school has good links with the community which significantly enrich the pupils’ education. The school makes good use of a range of community resources such as the local church, the City Trail and the National Mining Museum to enhance the curriculum. A good range of visitors to the school further enriches the children’s learning experiences. An example seen during the inspection was a group of professional actors who staged an excellent and powerful performance designed to make pupils think about emotions and how to deal with a range of moral dilemmas. Coaching from members of local clubs enhances pupils’ tennis and badminton skills and some pupils attend a local gymnastics club, which meets in the school. Links with the local business community are less well developed, but this is not due to lack of effort by the school. Several local businesses donate prizes for various events organised by the parent-teacher association. The

p.18

PUPILS?

school has maintained the good links with the community noted at the time of the previous inspection.

p.18

PUPILS?

37. The school has improved its links with partner schools since the time of the previous inspection. There are now very good links, promoted and supported through the school’s involvement in the local Education Action Zone initiative. The headteacher meets other local headteachers half-termly and the group is currently discussing ways of improving the provision for gifted and talented pupils through joint working arrangements. Teachers from this school have visited other schools to observe writing being taught as a way of improving their own practice and raising standards.

p.18

PUPILS?

38. Pupils move to one of nine secondary schools and benefit considerably from the support they receive from ‘transition officers’ whose key function is to support pupils through the move from primary to secondary school. One of these officers is based in the primary school for the majority of his time in the spring and summer terms, supporting Year 6 pupils with their academic work and helping them to resolve any personal and social concerns that arise. During the following autumn term the balance of time changes, so that most of his time is spent in secondary schools, supporting the same group of pupils as they begin the next stage of their education. Year 6 pupils carry out units of work that they begin at primary school and continue when they reach the secondary school and this also helps to ensure a smooth transfer.

p.18

PUPILS?

39. The school’s provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is a strength. It underpins all areas of school life and is continually reinforced by the adults who work in the school and the children who attend. Provision is never less than very good and overall is excellent. This is a very good improvement on the last inspection report.

p.18

PUPILS?

40. The school makes very good provision for the spiritual development of the pupils and this is interlinked from nursery right through to Year 6. The whole school shares the thought for the week such as ‘I notice that we are the same and I notice that we are different – to be both is ok. ’ Teachers take this theme, which is written on the hall wall, display it in each classroom and reinforce the message throughout the week. Pupils’ contributions are openly valued and shared, as can be seen by the way teachers respond to pupils’ questions and answers in class and the uplifting displays of words and photographs. Photographs of nursery children touching snakes, millipedes and huge spiders for the Greenhill Primary - 19 first time appear in a variety of locations for all age groups to share. There is an impressive ‘Wall of Wonder’ in the entrance hall, where special work is selected and given pride of place and there is a special achievement assembly each Friday where

p.18

PUPILS?

individual pupils’ achievements, whether in or out of school, are celebrated. There are ‘graffiti wall’ displays where pupils write thought-provoking questions to encourage others to reflect. Similarly, pupils in Year 2 had a large display in the corridor entitled, ‘Mission Impossible’, where each day of the week was set aside to show how they would like to influence the values of some people on the estate, so that they would not want to steal cars or harm people and animals any more. Pupils are given very good opportunities to explore a range of values and beliefs and see how these impact on other people’s lives. The vicar from the local church has a close link and pupils visit the church. They recognise that Leeds is made up of people with very different values and customs.

p.19

PUPILS?

41. Moral development in school is excellent. Pupils successfully learn a moral code that permeates the whole school from nursery to Year 6. Classroom rules are discussed, agreed by pupils and displayed in each classroom. This democratic system ensures that pupils have a common purpose and that inappropriate behaviour is seen as unacceptable by the school community. Teachers lead by example and expertly spot and reward good behaviour with praise, house points and trophies. They deal with negative situations quickly and calmly. A good example of this was in a physical education lesson where a Year 4 teacher and learning support assistant dealt quickly with a boy who was having difficulty accepting team defeat and turned the situation into an opportunity to touch on the, ‘sporting spirit’. Collective worship is carefully planned to include topical issues from the media, as these strong influences can be at variance with the teaching of the school,

p.19

PUPILS?

as well as Christian beliefs and aspects of other religions and cultures. The school helps to support both the wider community and other local charities. There has also been fund raising for charities in Northern India and Nepal.

p.19

PUPILS?

42. A high priority is placed on the development of social skills and provision is excellent. It begins in the nursery and is present throughout school. There is a school council made up of the oldest children and they learn how the democratic system works and the real differences they can make. Pupils have responsibilities for routines, which successfully contribute to the smooth running of the school. Older children are paired with a younger partner in a Buddy Scheme. The younger child is supported with reading and on the yard at playtime. ‘Circle time’ is given a high priority for pupils of all ages and is an opportunity for pupils to explore different issues, as was seen when Year 6 pupils tried to define emotions, and nursery children learned about ‘keeping safe’. Pupils’ concern for the less fortunate is shown in their support of a variety of charities. Social skills are further developed on residential visits where adventurous activities involve planning, co-operation

p.19

PUPILS?

43. The provision for cultural development is very good. Pupils have many opportunities to consider their own culture and those of others. Several local people make valued contributions, for example the local vicar, professional sports people, and artists from the theatre and art galleries. Pupils visit the city of Leeds and study the local area of Bramley. They go further afield to centres such as the Yorkshire Sculpture Park which enriches their knowledge and understanding of art and design, and Eden Camp where pupils gain an empathy with their past. Many pupils play musical instruments and there is a good link with the music department in a local secondary school. Pupils regularly answer the register in a range of foreign languages and pupils gain an insight into a wide range of countries, such as the Africa, India, Mexico, the Philippines, and Rumania through topics and displays. Year 2 pupils are given very good opportunities to

p.19

PUPILS?

understand the food and costumes of China, India and Sri Lanka. There are limited opportunities for pupils to study the work of great artists such as Paul Klee and better Greenhill Primary - 20 opportunities to handle artefacts in the style of the Aztecs. Assemblies enrich cultural development, as was seen when pupils learned the shocking reality of segregation in America and the role played by Martin Luther King.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

44. The school has very good procedures for ensuring pupils’ welfare and for child protection. This is an area of strength that has improved since the previous inspection, when it contained an aspect of health and safety that required improvement. The headteacher sets very high standards for staff. All children are valued and the friendliness of everyone is very evident around the school.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

45. A high priority is given to health and safety and the day-to-day care of pupils. Pupils are safe and secure here, any concerns being handled with care, dedication and good humour. All the necessary safety checks are carried out regularly and the governors are well involved. There are sufficient trained first-aiders and relevant risk assessments are in the process of being carried out. The school ensures that parents see and sign its requirements for their child using the Internet.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

46. Child protection is taken very seriously. There are two co-ordinators, both experienced and well trained, and all staff – including mid-day support staff - have been briefed about the procedures and signs that might give cause for concern. Any suspicions are recorded on a concern sheet that is passed immediately to the headteacher.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

47. Good procedures for monitoring and improving attendance are having a positive effect on attendance and punctuality. Attendance levels have improved from last year. Most problems with attendance occur in Years 1 and 2 where levels of childhood illnesses prevent pupils from coming to school, but attendance amongst the oldest pupils is much better. The school works closely with the education welfare officer to monitor attendance trends regularly and takes action where there is a concern. Lateness, too, is closely monitored and parents are informed of any concerns. Pupils who achieve full attendance in a year are awarded a trophy and this is an incentive for children to attend regularly. However, the school does not currently contact parents on the first day of absence, when no explanation has been received, in order to bring pupils back into school swiftly.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

48. Procedures for monitoring and promoting good behaviour are excellent and a strength of the school. The behaviour policy’s rewards and sanctions are operated very consistently by all adults in the school and this promotes good behaviour very well. The excellent relationship between teachers and support staff in classrooms ensures greater respect from the children. Pupils are encouraged to behave well by a useful system of rewards for good behaviour with awards that are presented in assembly. Pupils value these awards and strive hard to achieve them. The school has a number of pupils with challenging behaviour and it is a great credit to the procedures and the skills and dedication of all the staff that behaviour is so good. The way that pupils’ behaviour is managed is one of the major strengths of the teaching and allows learning to take place without hindrance.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

49. There are excellent procedures for monitoring and eliminating oppressive behaviour. The policy makes it clear that bullying will not be tolerated and pupils are encouraged to walk away from any such situations and tell an adult, who will respond without delay. Pupils have confirmed that the school responds quickly and effectively to any reported bullying Greenhill Primary - 21 incidents. There is a robust system for logging any incidents of unacceptable behaviour that is operated throughout the school.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

50. There are excellent procedures to monitor and support pupils’ personal development, both in Years 1 to 6 and in the Foundation Stage. These allow pupils to learn with confidence.

p.21

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

51. The provision for pupils with special educational needs is very good. The school rigorously applies the criteria for placing pupils on the register of special educational needs. As the standard of teaching and learning in classrooms is generally good, the school has sensibly reduced the number of pupils who need support beyond what is normally available. This means that the standard of individual educational plans has improved and the provision allocated to pupils has been improved. Where pupils are old enough their views are sought on what else they need to achieve to improve their learning.

p.21

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

52. There are good assessment arrangements to check how well pupils are learning and whether they are making enough progress. This is a good improvement. Regular assessments in reading, writing and mathematics lead to precise targets for achievement for each group based on previous attainment. Targets are monitored closely to make sure that pupils make the expected progress. Targets are reviewed on a half-termly basis and are revised accordingly. These targets are clearly displayed in the classrooms and in their ‘ parents and teachers working together’ (PATCH) journals that are sent home to parents with pupils on a weekly basis. From the reception class to Year 6, up-to-date records are kept of pupils’ progress with a clear indication of those who need extra support. Those in need of extra support are given additional help through the government initiatives to boost standards in English and mathematics. Science and

p.21

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

information and communication technology are assessed at the end of each unit of work, usually once every half term.

p.21

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

53. Assessment information is used well to guide teaching, learning and curriculum planning in Years 1 to 6. This is a good improvement, especially in mathematics. Reading, writing and mathematics are carefully analysed each year following the national and optional tests. From this information teachers are familiar with the levels that pupils should be achieving. The English and mathematics co-ordinators use this information effectively to identify what the school does well and what needs to be done to raise standards. This has led to the identifying of writing as an area for development and a focus for all pupils. The assessment of the other subjects, with the exception of art and design, history and information and communication technology, is not fully established. Although pupils are assessed at the end of each module there are no files of pupils’ work, that has been checked by a group of teachers to accurately guide school standards.

p.21

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

54. There are very good systems in place in the Foundation Stage to check what pupils know, understand and can do. The reception children are assessed at the end of the reception classes according to national guidelines. In nursery the recording of what children can do is enlivened with photographs and this gives a real flavour of how their achievement grows. In reception classes sessions are regularly set aside to check children’s understanding in specific areas in order to plan their future learning.

p.21

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

55. Parents’ responses to the questionnaire and comments at the parents’ meeting indicate a very high degree of satisfaction with the school, which is broadly in line with the headteacher’s view. Almost all parents feel that the teaching is good, that the school Greenhill Primary - 22 expects children to work hard, that their child is making good progress, and that the school is helping their child to become mature and responsible. Inspectors agree with these views. A few parents feel that the school does not provide an interesting range of activities outside lessons. However, inspectors could not find any evidence to support this view.

p.21

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

56. The school has successfully maintained the good partnership with parents reported at the time of the previous inspection. A particular strength is the reception class teacher with responsibility for parental liaison. As well as being a driving force behind the flourishing parent-teacher association, she successfully develops very good relationships with parents that continue throughout the school. Social events organised by the parent- teacher association raise a significant amount of additional funds for the school. This has enabled the school to purchase extra computers and other useful resources such as history videos and dictionaries.

p.22

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

57. The school offers two formal opportunities each year for parents to have a discussion with their child’s teacher, plus the option of a further meeting to discuss the written annual report. In addition, parents are encouraged to talk to teachers or the headteacher at any time if they have any concerns. Parents can also attend an annual open morning where they can look at their child’s work and talk to the teacher. Parents whose children have special educational needs are fully involved in their learning. The written reports have been improved recently and, when supplemented by the weekly comments provided for parents by teachers in the home-school liaison books, represent very good reporting to parents about their children’s work and progress. The content of the section of the report about behaviour, attitude and personal development shows that the teachers know their pupils very well.

p.22

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

58. The school provides courses for parents on parenting skills and curriculum matters to help them to become more knowledgeable about their children’s education and how they can help at home. In addition, parents are given useful booklets to help them to support their children’s education, and the parents’ notice boards around the school contain a wealth of information, including details of the topics that the children will be covering. The home-school contract is sent out annually for parents and children to read and sign. This reminds parents of their obligations towards their children’s education and reinforces what the school expects from its pupils.

p.22

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

59. A small number of parents help out regularly in school and the parent body gives good support to any events organised by the parent-teacher association. Parents are expected to listen to children reading at home and support homework tasks. There are homework diaries and reading record books where parents are able to record their comments. The majority of parents provide a satisfactory level of support for their children’s education in this way. Taking all these factors into account, the level of parental involvement has a good impact on the work of the school.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

60. The school is very well led and managed by a very experienced headteacher. This agrees with the governors’ opinions. There is a particular strength in the way that the headteacher has led the school forward. He is and now is in a position where staff have an excellent commitment to success and an excellent capacity to succeed in improving still further. Improvement since the last inspection is very good. Greenhill Primary - 23 61. A strength in leadership is the headteacher’s success in securing commitment to a vision and the ability to motivate and inspire staff. The school’s aims and values are encapsulated in its desire to encourage ‘the all round development of each child to their maximum potential’ and the staff achieve their aims outstanding well in the day-to-day life of the school. The headteacher uses assemblies effectively to reinforce his expectations of pupils’ attitudes and behaviour.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

62. The deputy headteacher is new since the last inspection and plays a key role in the life of the school. She works effectively with the headteacher and can translate his ideas into practice. She has commitment to pastoral care of staff and children and her role in assessment is vital to raising standards.

p.23

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

63. The headteacher has built a high performing team. He works with the deputy headteacher and those teachers who manage the Foundation Stage, Years 1 and 2, Years 3 and 4 and Years 5 and 6 plus the special educational needs co-ordinator who make up the senior management team. They have significant responsibilities. They facilitate the smooth day-to-day running of the school. All members of the senior management team successfully promote effective teaching and learning in their own lessons and in the layout of their classrooms.

p.23

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

64. The monitoring and evaluating of teaching and learning are comprehensive, and very effective, and have helped to drive up the quality of teaching and standards. The headteacher regularly monitors teaching on a formal basis, but the open plan layout of the school quickly tells him if standards are good enough. The deputy headteacher teaches throughout the school and this gives her first-hand knowledge of how well pupils are learning. All members of the senior management team monitor teaching, either in their role as performance management team leaders or as subject co-ordinators. Assessment information is used very successfully to check the impact of teaching on pupils’ progress.

p.23

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

65. A strength of management is the way in which the senior management team communicate with staff. They hold regular informal meetings with all groups of teaching and support staff so that everyone is kept well-informed about the school’s targets and priorities.

p.23

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

66. The school has good procedures whereby many co-ordinators work in pairs in managing subjects to ensure that inexperienced co-ordinators are trained effectively and also to get the benefit of two lots of enthusiasm. They all have effective action plans detailing how they are going to improve their subjects. A good number of co-ordinators are judged to lead and manage their subjects very well. They have a very clear impact on standards that pupils achieve and the richness of the curriculum, which pupils study, because of their work in monitoring lessons, planning and work in pupils’ books. This is a very good improvement since the last inspection when developing the co-ordinators’ role in order to raise standards was an area for development.

p.23

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

67. The provision for pupils with special educational needs is very well managed by the co- ordinator. The school has an up-to-date policy and very clear procedures in place for identifying pupils with special educational needs and tracking their progress to see if they are doing as well as they could. This allows pupils’ individual education plans to be specific to their needs. There are staff meetings dedicated to special educational needs, so that everyone is fully aware of their specific needs and can discuss any concerns. The co-ordinator monitors pupils’ individual education plans, progress, reviews, and the deployment of learning support assistants to ensure that the school gets best value for money. This is working well. Greenhill Primary - 24 68. The governors are well led by an experienced chairman. They are kept well informed by the headteacher and are able to play an effective role in shaping the direction of the

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

school because they understand its many strengths. They fully meet their legal obligations to carry out their duties. They have a suitable number of committees that meet regularly and a number of governors have specified roles to carry out. They do this well.

p.24

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

69. The school has appropriate priorities that are written in a simple school improvement plan. Staff and governors are appropriately involved in writing and monitoring this document. Current priorities are to improve writing, information and communication technology and provision for gifted and talented pupils, and to introduce pupils to a foreign language.

p.24

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

70. The school’s procedures for financial planning are very good. Governors and the headteacher have a good understanding of budget setting and monitoring expenditure. Financial planning places an extremely high priority on targeting additional support to raise standards. Funding for specific issues is used very well for its intended purposes, for instance the monies that fund the learning mentor. Governors make sure that spending is on track and used effectively. The governors have a very good understanding of the principles of best value, ensuring that all purchases of goods and services provide value for money and meet the high expectations of the school. There are plans to extend their search for good value by exploring other services that will enable the school to strengthen some of the music tuition and other support. There are good procedures for taking into account the views of staff, parents, and pupils in how effectively the school is run. The

p.24

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

school has had a recent successful audit.

p.24

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

71. The school has a satisfactory number of teachers and a good number of support staff to meet the needs of the pupils. The governors have wisely appointed an additional teacher to ensure there is continuity during any periods of absence and support for subject leaders to fulfil their roles. Staff who support teachers in classrooms or work with specific groups of pupils are well trained and make a very good contribution to pupils’ learning. Training for all staff has very high priority, and this ensures that provision is improving all the time. There are very good procedures for the induction and commitment of the learning support staff and they contribute to the success of the school. In response to the high value of their work they have established a new structure and strengthened the opportunities for their professional development. The arrangements for improving the performance of the headteacher, teachers and support staff are in place and working very

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

well. Procedures for supporting newly qualified teachers are very good, and the school has a lot of potential for training new teachers. The award of Investment in People validates the importance the school places on its staff development.

p.24

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

72. Administrative staff are most efficient and enable the headteacher and teachers to concentrate their efforts on the pupils and their learning. They use computers as an efficient and effective means of producing, storing and retrieving information including details of the school’s budget.

p.24

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

73. The school has satisfactory accommodation for its needs. As a former middle school, it benefits from reasonably sized classrooms, wide corridor areas suitable for art and design activities and plenty of storage areas. However, sometimes in practical activities the open plan design allows noise to spread around the school. A number of other rooms are available for pupils to be taught in small groups. There is a computer room, a dedicated music room, two reasonably sized libraries and two halls to aid pupils’ learning. Greenhill Primary - 25 Outside, there are separate playgrounds for the different age groups, a safe enclosed play area for the Foundation Stage children, including a secure grassed area, and a modest football pitch, albeit with a significant slope. Some of the pupils’ toilets have been refurbished and the improvement plan indicates an intention to refurbish the others. There are also plans to improve the appearance of the exterior of the buildings by

p.24

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

repainting, and to install a toilet for the disabled. Bright, colourful displays enhance many of the classrooms and corridors. The health and safety concerns around the youngest children’s’ building mentioned in the previous report have been eliminated.

p.25

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

74. Resources for most areas of the curriculum, including the Foundation Stage, are of good quality and easily accessible to staff and pupils alike. Resources for numeracy in Years 1 and 2 are a particular strength. Resources for art and design and information and communication technology are satisfactory and resources for music have some weaknesses. Resources aid learning well and reflect the school’s spending priorities. The school continues to supplement its own resources well by its use of field centres, museums and other local places of interest, and by inviting a range of specialists into the school. There has been an improvement in the quality and quantity of resources since the previous inspection.

p.25

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

75. In order to raise standards still further the headteacher, governors and staff should

p.25

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

Improve standards in writing, especially in the areas of handwriting and spelling by: • Identifying exactly what pupils can and cannot do well in writing, particularly spelling and handwriting; Paragraphs 2, 8, 101, 102 • Ensuring that when their standards do improve, pupils consistently apply these across all their writing; Paragraphs 28, 104, 140, 167 • Ensuring that time for guided writing is always used to promote higher standards in weak areas of pupils’ practice; Paragraph 109 • Extending the range of vocabulary which pupils use, particularly that of more able pupils; Paragraph 107 • Finding ways of improving pupils’ attitudes towards English, so that they feel as positive about their achievements as they do about mathematics. Paragraphs 18, 105

p.25

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

The governors should also consider: • Improving the ventilation in the accommodation, especially in the computer room, so that learning can take place in comfort in warm weather; Paragraphs 73, 150 • Improving the quality and consistency of marking, so that it supports pupils’ learning in all areas of the curriculum. Paragraphs 28, 107, 115, 122, 140 Greenhill Primary - 26

p.25

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 48

p.26

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactor y Poor Very Poor

p.26

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

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

p.26

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery YR – Y6

p.26

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 37 370

p.26

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 0 100

p.26

Information about the school’s pupils

Special educational needs Nursery YR – Y6

p.26

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 0 2

p.26

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 3 64

p.26

Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

p.26

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 0

p.26

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

p.26

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 15

p.26

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 21

p.26

Attendance

National comparative data 5.4 National comparative data 0.5 Greenhill Primary - 27 Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Greenhill Primary - 28

p.26

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 24 26 50

p.28

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

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

p.28

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

Boys 21 22 22 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 22 23 25

p.28

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

Percentage of pupils School 86 (90) 90 (88) 94 (96) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (84) 86 (86) 90 (91)

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

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.28

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

Boys 20 22 22 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 23 22 23

p.28

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

Percentage of pupils School 86 (87) 88 (92) 90 (96) at NC level 2 or above National 85 (85) 89 (89) 89 (89)

p.28

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

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year.

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 2002 26 27 53

p.28

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

p.28

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)

Boys 19 17 24 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 20 24 24

p.28

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)

Percentage of pupils School 74 (73) 77 (62) 91 (77) at NC level 4 or above National 75 (75) 73 (71) 86 (87)

p.28

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.28

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)

Boys 16 19 15 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 20 20 19

p.28

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)

Percentage of pupils School 68 (50) 74 (52) 64 (92) at NC level 4 or above National 73 (72) 74 (74) 82 (82)

p.28

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Greenhill Primary - 29

p.28

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.29

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

White – any other White background 2 0 0

p.29

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Mixed – any other mixed background 3 0 0

p.29

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Asian or Asian British - Pakistani 0 0 0

p.29

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Asian or Asian British – Bangladeshi 0 0 0

p.29

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

p.29

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black or Black British – Caribbean 0 0 0

p.29

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

p.29

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

The table refers to pupils of compulsory school age only. It gives the number of exclusions, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded. Greenhill Primary - 30

p.29

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 18 Financial year 2002/3

p.30

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 22:1

p.30

Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total income 818,030

p.30

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 14 Total expenditure 823,292

p.30

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 370 Expenditure per pupil 1,892

p.30

Teachers and classes Financial information

Qualified teachers and support staff: nursery Balance brought forward from previous year 47,900

p.30

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 1 Balance carried forward to next year 34,217

p.30

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 39:1

p.30

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 2

p.30

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 65

p.30

Recruitment of teachers

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

p.30

Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 7

p.30

Recruitment of teachers

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 0

p.30

Recruitment of teachers

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

p.30

Recruitment of teachers

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

p.30

Recruitment of teachers

FTE means full-time equivalent. Greenhill Primary - 31

p.30

Results of the survey of parents and carers

Percentage of responses in each category

p.31

Results of the survey of parents and carers

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

p.31

Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child is making good progress in school. 61 37 2 0 0

p.31

Results of the survey of parents and carers

Behaviour in the school is good. 48 45 2 1 4

p.31

Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 42 48 6 1 2

p.31

Results of the survey of parents and carers

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 53 37 8 0 2

p.31

Results of the survey of parents and carers

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 76 20 4 0 0

p.31

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 72 27 0 0 1

p.31

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school works closely with parents. 53 33 10 2 2

p.31

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is well led and managed. 48 45 2 0 4

p.31

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 62 36 2 0 0

p.31

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 44 34 13 3 6 Greenhill Primary - 32

p.31

Provision for children in the Foundation Stage

76. Many children enter the 39 place nursery at age three with skills and knowledge below what might be expected nationally. A significant minority of children is even further behind, especially in personal and social development and speaking and listening skills. Children start nursery on a termly basis from age three and normally attend for at least two terms. Virtually all children transfer to the reception classes in the September of the year in which they turn five. Good induction procedures are now based on home visits by the nursery teacher and nursery nurse, which enable children to settle more easily away from their carers. A very good feature is that the nursery nurse comes up to the reception class with each group of reception children, so that they have a familiar and reassuring member of staff on transition to the next stage of their education.

p.32

Provision for children in the Foundation Stage

77. The accommodation for nursery and reception class is good with very good provision for outdoor activities. The two adjacent outside areas offer children especially wide scope for developing their physical skills and knowledge and understanding of the world. The co-ordination of the Foundation Stage is good. Much time and energy has been spent in bringing documentation and procedures in line with what is expected nationally. There is a very rich curriculum, which is well resourced. A particular strength is the teamwork between all adults, which ensures that whoever teaches children the quality of the learning is the same.

p.32

Provision for children in the Foundation Stage

78. The last inspection reported a positive picture of children’s achievement, and standards of teaching and provision. This arrangement has been maintained, but with the quality of teaching slightly improved and outdoor provision enhanced due to targeting of financial resources.

p.32

Personal, social and emotional development

79. The teaching and provision for developing children’s personal, social and emotional development are very good and, consequently, children make good progress and attain the expected levels. Many children show very good attitudes and behaviour and are confident to move about from one activity to another. Staff take very good day-to-day care of children; for instance, on an unusually hot day all children were given extra drinks.

p.32

Personal, social and emotional development

80. The nursery is well laid out to encourage children’s independence. Children take responsibility for collecting and replacing their own equipment. For instance, children fetch the large brushes and pots of water they need to ‘paint’ the shed and the fence and put their own paintings to dry when they have finished. They collect their own labelled snack when they want refreshment. Children come back into nursery quickly and without fuss when it starts to rain and settle quickly to other activities. Through very good teaching children are skilfully encouraged to develop a strong sense of right and wrong and empathy for others. For instance, in a story where a toy dog was injured, children suspended their sense of what was real and spoke sincerely and lovingly to the dog and gave him good advice on keeping safe. Greenhill Primary - 33 81. In the two reception classes, children have a large classroom area to explore

p.32

Personal, social and emotional development

independently, occasionally working as one large group, at other times as separate classes and sometimes as small groups. The reception staff have high expectations of children’s behaviour and work and children do their best to meet them. There are well- established classroom routines; for instance, children are asked to help each other tidy up when the bell goes at the end of the session. There are very good relationships between all adults and children. Consequently, children work hard and concentrate well when they are given activities to do. Teachers made very effective use of the school theme of ‘same and different’ when they seated twins at the front of the group and encouraged children to make comparisons. This activity provided good opportunities for children to talk to a large group of children as they sorted out their thoughts about similar clothes and features.

p.33

Personal, social and emotional development

82. Children with special educational needs are well supported by all the adults in the Foundation Stage and by visiting teachers. Those with less confidence are gently encouraged to join in activities by adults and are also encouraged to develop their skills independently at their own pace. Those who find it difficult working equably with others are well supported by staff.

p.33

Communication, language and literacy

83. The teaching and provision are good for developing children’s communication, language, and literacy skills. Consequently, most children make swift progress and attain most of the expected areas of this goal.

p.33

Communication, language and literacy

84. In nursery children are happy to chat, but often what they have to say is very short. Some are happy to express opinions, as when a small group were scooping pasta out of the water tray, one child said “I like noodles best.” Opportunities for writing are fully integrated in to children’s play, for instance when they filled in ‘job sheets’ after playing at being builders. Children have positive attitudes to reading and have reviewed their favourite books for their parents. Children are introduced effectively to the idea that books have a title, an author and an illustrator when books are read to them. They listen to a good range of books related to the topic that they are studying, lively stories such as the ‘ Icky Sticky Frog’ with the opportunity for children to feel the frog’s sticky tongue . When the class teacher read the story of ‘ The very Hungry Caterpillar’ to a group of children, they

p.33

Communication, language and literacy

organised and sequenced a number of toys to help them recall all that happened in the story and this made their learning fun.

p.33

Communication, language and literacy

85. In the reception class children are given lots of good opportunities for speaking and listening, as for instance when they discuss in pairs “Why would a capital letter be there?” Teachers point out the punctuation in the Big Books that they read to children and so children are beginning to be aware of capital letters, full stops, exclamation marks and question marks in texts. Lower attaining children and those with individual education plans are supported well by classroom assistants who emphasise what the teacher wants them to do and encourage them to answer questions. Most children can recognise a range of familiar words, although perhaps not as many as children nationally. Most children recognise initial sounds in words, and average and more able children can sound out simple three-letter words using their knowledge of letter sounds. Recent improvements are due to the introduction of a commercial scheme. Children read good

p.33

Communication, language and literacy

quality easy books at an appropriate level and more able children quickly learn to understand and read with emphasis and words which are written in bold . As part of learning about the seaside children write lists of what they want to take on holiday using a mixture of known words and letter sounds. They record their own views about visits to the school pond, such as “The pond is grat becos the flog wos movin about.” Greenhill Primary - 34

p.33

Mathematical development

86. The teaching and provision for mathematical development are good and so children make rapid progress and attain most of the expected areas in this goal, except in certain aspects of shape and measures.

p.34

Mathematical development

87. In nursery good opportunities are provided for children to count, for example, when they counted the number of eggs they required when baking cakes. They appreciated the need to share equally when dividing a large cake baked in celebration of a child’s birthday. Most children can order from one to five and are increasing their understanding of number by singing number rhymes, such as ‘ Five Little Monkeys’ .

p.34

Mathematical development

88. In the reception class the classroom display and activities support children’s mathematical learning particularly well. Due to very skilled teaching and a real sense of challenge, children count from one to 20, count on in tens and know ‘odd’ and ‘even’ numbers. They are beginning to recognise individual coins, but none can yet work out how many twos there are in ten pence.

p.34

Knowledge and understanding of the world

89. The teaching and provision for knowledge and understanding of the world is good and therefore most children make good progress and attain the expected areas in this goal.

p.34

Knowledge and understanding of the world

90. Nursery children have enormous fun in their outdoor water tray, when they are developing their knowledge and understanding of the world. One day they find out how to wash and hang out their dolls’ clothes in sudsy water when it is warm weather. The next day children scoop out bits of coloured pasta and strain them and the following day extract small pieces of real vegetables from an herby water-based stew. Nursery children have the exciting experience of meeting a ranger who brings in exotic snakes, snails, and millipedes for them to handle and they follow up their interest by digging for mini-beasts in their own nursery garden. They handle their small tools reasonably safely. Through good teaching children learn, for instance, how to select the colours they want to use when drawing a picture on the computer.

p.34

Knowledge and understanding of the world

91. In the reception class computers are used well to promote and reinforce children’s basic skills. Adults place captions such as ‘I like to touch … or I like to see…. ’ alongside the computer for children to copy and complete independently. Children manipulate the mouse and keys well, finish off the sentences, sometimes change the colour of the font, add a relevant picture, and print off their work. They are proud of what they can do and keen to show any interested adult. They are given good opportunities to learn new skills together when they work in the computer room.

p.34

Knowledge and understanding of the world

92. Children learn about other areas of the world as they are introduced to a variety of languages in registration. They answer their teacher, for instance, in Welsh or with a Jewish greeting. They learn about time progressing from day-to-day by activities such as unwrapping, painting, and using a huge cardboard cartoon for role-play. (This reflected what the children were doing in a book they were reading as a class.) Children learn to handle a range of tools safely. For instance, they cut and stuck items, persevering well when cutting a cereal box in half. They used staplers independently and carefully cut sticky tape to the exact length that they required. Greenhill Primary - 35

p.34

Physical development

93. The teaching and provision for physical development are good. Children make good progress and attain the expected goals.

p.35

Physical development

94. Nursery children improve their physical skills well as they ride a variety of trikes, scooters, and wheeled toys with a reasonable degree of control and care and consideration for others. In a delightful session seen during the inspection, nursery children learnt to ‘country dance’ outside with all the adults in nursery. This activity demanded considerable skill and co-operation, but some managed to dance sideways down the row of other children with their partner.

p.35

Physical development

95. Reception class children ride larger trikes and two-person bikes and trolleys. This is a sloping site and great skill is needed to manipulate a vehicle with two children aboard. They successfully use stilts to move around the playground proclaiming “I am a giant”. Both teachers create tricky obstacle courses to check specific children’s skill development, as they move over, along, and through the obstacles. Children jog around hoops in the playground and many succeed in throwing their beanbags into the centre of the hoop. Skilful coaching allows children to begin to throw and catch small balls with increasing proficiency.

p.35

Creative development

96. The teaching and provision for creative development are good. Children learn well, make good progress and a significant minority exceeds the expected standard in this goal.

p.35

Creative development

97. Nursery children sing along tunefully to a tape. They can hold the notes and the rhythm of the song, clap in time to the music and pretend to play musical instruments. Children produce attractive pictures made by blowing paint with straws. They print cleanly geometrical shapes using vegetables and draw a circle and stick on spots to represent a ladybird. This reinforces their learning in mathematics.

p.35

Creative development

98. Reception children notice and comment on patterns and use pastels carefully to capture the characteristics of the differing range of fruit, which is available to draw each day. More able children carefully smudge their pastels to create the best effect. By the end of the week children are beginning to use several tones to capture the way the pineapple’s colours are changing as the fruit ripens and to paint black spots to emphasise the patterns on strawberries. Reception children sing well. They sing long complex songs, such as ‘In Henry’s Happy Hair Shop,’ handling the changes in rhythm well. They successfully remember all the actions to songs, including signing to accompany ‘Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star’ . Singing introduces children effectively to other languages, as when they sing Frere Jacques in French and count to five in French, Spanish, and Arabic as part of a familiar song. Children have lots of opportunities for role-play, for instance, when

p.35

Creative development

they acted as customers and shopkeepers in the class shop or sat in their wellies in a truck they had made from big bricks, solemnly turning the steering wheel. Greenhill Primary - 36

p.35

ENGLISH

99. Currently, standards in Years 1 and 2 more nearly match the expectations for pupils’ ages than in most later years. By Year 2, pupils’ attainment in some aspects of literacy and oracy is average; however, there are fewer more able pupils than in many schools, and this brings down the overall judgement. Achievement is good in Years 1 and 2. Attainment varies between year groups in Years 3 and 6. In Year 6, standards are below average overall, because there are fewer more able pupils than in many schools and this brings down the overall judgement. Very few pupils have reached above average levels in any of the aspects of English. Most have made good progress this year, but due to the changes in staffing in Years 3 to 6 progress has not always been as effective as it is at present.

p.36

ENGLISH

100. It is clear that standards in reading and writing in Year 2, while variable, are always higher than at the time of the last inspection. In 2002 eight out of ten pupils achieved the expected level or higher in reading and nine out of ten did so in writing. Standards are better than in similar schools in reading and the same as similar schools in writing. The percentage of pupils achieving the expected standard in English in Year 6 is slowly rising. In 2002 seven out of ten pupils achieved the expected level or higher and standards are as high as in similar schools.

p.36

ENGLISH

101. Skills in speaking and listening are average for Year 1 and 2 pupils. This is an improvement since the last inspection when standards were not as good. It is because teaching is effective. Teachers give pupils lots of opportunities in Years 1 and 2 to work with a partner, discussing their work and solving problems. Teachers in these year groups are good at feeding pupils new vocabulary to use in their discussions. Average and more able readers read fluently with expression, but generally girls read better than boys. Pupils are aware of the importance of characters and plot and some are confident about finding books in the library. Year 2 pupils’ achievement in the content of writing is average, for instance when writing a report or writing a small book about animals. However, apart from the more able, pupils do not join their letters when writing words. Only the more able pupils understand the importance of using a variety of words to join

p.36

ENGLISH

sentences together; the remainder relies on ‘and’ too often. Spelling is not yet accurate. Pupils can use dictionaries to check their spelling, but are very slow at finding words. These skills are taught, as was seen during the inspection, when teachers constantly emphasised the need to use the skills of punctuation, but pupils do not consistently use what they know.

p.36

ENGLISH

102. In Year 6 speaking and listening skills are generally average because teachers offer pupils good opportunities to ‘brainstorm’ (sort out and discuss their ideas as a class) in lessons and to discuss their ideas in drama and PHSCE lessons. The most able and some average readers in Year 6 read fluently with expression. Some group reading sessions are used effectively to promote this skill. However, there is a weakness in their ability to talk about the minor plots in the text and to infer what is going on when it is not explicitly written into the story. Even in reading, where pupils are generally strongest, an unusually small proportion of pupils reaches above average attainment levels. Although most pupils have achieved well this year, writing and spelling are below average. Pupils have had experience of a good range of writing and often understand the content of their work well, for instance, in an interesting lesson about Michael Morpurgo’s book Kensuke’s

p.36

ENGLISH

Kingdom , but they do not spell accurately simple words, or copy correctly those written on the board for them. This is not because time is not allocated regularly to teach these skills, but because pupils are prioritising putting their ideas down on paper. 103. Year 5 pupils show higher attainment overall for their age, with more able pupils likely to exceed the national expectation when they are eleven and a smaller proportion of lower Greenhill Primary - 37 attaining pupils. The attainment spread here is average, but writing is again weaker than other skills. Year 4 pupils are also about average in the range and spread of their current attainment across the skills' range. Again, writing is weakest, especially because pupils write down what they know in other subjects.

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ENGLISH

104. Teachers mostly place sufficient emphasis on elements of spelling and letter formation and sometimes, particularly when the emphasis of the English lesson or task is focused on these aspects, pupils’ work shows that they can write and spell accurately. Wider written work, particularly in subjects other than English, shows that too many pupils often do not produce the standards in their writing of which they are capable. They may spell words correctly for a spelling test, then misspell the same word, or even more common, simple words, in other contexts. Their handwriting can be good, with redrafted work on display around the school often neat and well presented, but too often pupils’ letter and word formation in their writing are uneven, using unjoined printing and pencil or pen as they choose. These weaknesses seriously detract from the quality of presentation of much of pupils’ work in their English books and in all aspects of writing

p.37

ENGLISH

105. Overall, pupils’ behaviour and relationships in lessons are very good. However, pupils’ attitudes towards English are not as positive as those towards mathematics. This is partly because they find writing difficult, so their confidence is weaker. Pupils are often very slow with their writing, with the ‘mechanics’ of spelling and handwriting hindering their fluency in getting good ideas and thoughts down on paper. Many older pupils, especially boys, do not like reading either and these attitudes need to be improved if attainment is to rise. Pupils themselves need to put more consistent energy and effort into their English work, so that their achievement here matches that in mathematics. 106. The quality of teaching and learning is good overall. This quality of teaching has not aided pupils’ learning as they moved up through the school, because of the high number of staff changes in Years 3 to 6. Although teaching was good at the time of the last

p.37

ENGLISH

inspection, many more very good lessons were seen this time, which is indicative of teachers’ improved knowledge and understanding.

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ENGLISH

107. Many pupils start from a low baseline and some very good teaching in literacy lessons greatly helps them to achieve well in most aspects of their English learning. Teachers understand the national strategy well and use their literacy hours very effectively to present pupils with an interesting variety of activities. Planning is very good indeed, with class teachers doing very careful joint planning for the long and short-term with their learning support assistants and other adults who help in lessons. This results in very good working relationships between adults and pupils and to very effective teamwork at all levels. Pupils benefit greatly from this efficient distribution of roles, with learning support assistants providing a very valuable contribution to pupils’ development in English. The pace of literacy lessons is good and class management is usually very good, ensuring that pupils maximise their use of time without interruption from pupils

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ENGLISH

behaving badly. Teachers are effective at ensuring that all pupils have opportunities to use language orally, for example, in talking to partners at many points in their literacy lessons. This leads to good development of pupils’ speaking and listening skills and to confidence and willingness to contribute ideas to discussions. More focus on extending more able pupils’ use of a wider range of active vocabulary would further help their achievement in speaking. The teaching of spelling and of handwriting has been in prime focus of late and teachers do emphasise these aspects in curriculum planning and in lessons. However, marking could more usefully focus on pupils’ errors of spelling and grammar and suggest ways that they could improve. Homework supports pupils’ learning appropriately. Greenhill Primary - 38 108. Pupils with special educational needs are very well aided by learning support assistants and so make good progress. For example, in a Year 4 lesson on the pros and

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ENGLISH

cons of television, when pupils were initially reluctant to put their thoughts on paper she challenged and organised their thinking so that they could complete their tasks. Learning support assistants are often very well involved in the beginning and endings of lessons ensuring that pupils understand what is required and encouraging them to answer questions. This is an improvement since the last inspection. 109. The subject is managed well, with the two key stage co-ordinators providing good role models for teaching and their classroom displays show how learning can be supported effectively. All staff now share their commitment to improvement. The school has worked very hard to identify what needs improving, despite writing not being made an area for improvement in the last inspection. For instance, this year is designated ‘ The Year of Writing’ and targets to improve teachers’ performance have been linked to this

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ENGLISH

initiative. Assessment is accurate, regular and recorded effectively, so that staff can compare pupils’ attainment, achievement, and progress. Satisfactory use is made of this information to make decisions about groups, for target-setting. This information has been used to teach pupils by ability in writing, so that the more able pupils are stretched and the skills of lower ability pupils are consolidated. However, the opportunities to help pupils to develop their basic skills in these sessions are not fully used to best effect. This year the school is trying to improve the performance of boys in writing by putting in place a number of interesting innovations.

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ENGLISH

110. Many improvements in provision have occurred because of the school’s effective priorities and the very hard work of the co-ordinators. The quality of teaching has improved. Library provision is better, with pupils now involved as librarians and good use made of these non-fiction facilities. Fiction is sensibly located in pupils’ classrooms and used well. The books that pupils study make a useful contribution to their cultural development. The use of information and communication technology is satisfactory, but with some failings in the local network leading to teachers having to plan ‘unreal’ experiences such as sending e-mail as word-processed texts rather than properly through the Internet in Year 3 lessons. Pupils often word-process final drafts to good effect and use desk-top publishing programs for presentation of some texts. Curriculum planning is generally good with the recent introduction of drama adding significantly to

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ENGLISH

pupils’ range of experiences in English.

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MATHEMATICS

111. Pupils achieve well as they progress through school. The standard of work seen during the inspection is above average by the ages of seven and eleven. Attitudes to the subject are very good; pupils listen well and enjoy the teaching and learning developed in lessons. Standards are higher in the use of numbers and algebra, because the pupils can focus on the use of numbers both mentally and in the written methods of calculation. The pupils are being taught well how to apply their knowledge and understanding to solving problems both mentally and orally. The school has fully implemented the government guidelines in numeracy and this has given a good structure to the curriculum. The very good subject leadership has helped to make planning much more effective, so that all pupils, especially more able pupils, are now challenged and make good progress. The standards being achieved are as a result of the very good improvements since the

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MATHEMATICS

last inspection, when mathematics was an area for development.

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MATHEMATICS

112. Pupils in Year 2 are able to calculate confidently with numbers up to 20, and often up to 50. They can add and subtract assuredly with numbers such as 16+25 and have good understanding of numbers to 100. Their skills of multiplying and dividing are developing well so that they can calculate mentally to solve problems such as 18 divided by 2. The Greenhill Primary - 39 small number of more able pupils fully understands and can work out the factors for numbers like 24, 27 and 32. They are able to write numbers to 100; many go on to 150 and higher. Most pupils can add numbers such as 10+5 and 16+3 mentally. A significant number of pupils can add and subtract 10, such as 89+10 or 95-10. Many have learned the strategies to add or subtract 9 or 11 from a given number. The pupils work across all areas of mathematics and learn the names of two-dimensional shapes, such as triangles and squares, as well as three-dimensional shapes, such as cube, in addition to time and

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MATHEMATICS

113. Pupils in Year 6 have good understanding across all areas of mathematics, including multiplication tables, square numbers, multiples and factors, negative numbers, percentages and fractions. They quickly multiply and divide numbers by 10, 100 and 1000 involving three decimal places. When asked to add or subtract two numbers the majority of pupils are able to complete the problem mentally, such as 99+ 54, 33+225 and 3.7+11.8. They calculate very confidently when halving and doubling. Almost all pupils can add or subtract four-digit numbers such as 7138+3479 and can set it out so as to use their good knowledge of tens and units and place value to work it out. They are equally confident with decimal numbers such as 112.96–56.48. More able pupils work with multiplication and division to solve some complex problems that include: 574x26 and 600x2.65. The majority have a good knowledge of fractions and percentages. They can

p.39

MATHEMATICS

calculate simple percentages and the fraction of a number, such as 4 per cent of 250 or 3/10 th of 60.

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MATHEMATICS

114. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress. Teachers plan carefully to provide appropriate work and learning support assistants support them very well in lessons and use well-planned strategies to help pupils to understand their work. As a result pupils with special educational needs make good progress in line with all other pupils. As pupils learn and develop skills in mathematics there are some opportunities in other subjects to use them, for instance in measuring in design and technology or producing and reading graphs in geography and science. However, the school needs to monitor the development of how numeracy skills are taught and used in other subjects so the opportunities can be extended. Knowledge and skills developed in literacy lessons are used in numeracy lessons as pupils read often quite complex problems, and explain the strategies they use to solve them.

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MATHEMATICS

115. Pupils’ workbooks throughout the school record a consistent approach that shows the teachers’ high expectations and the good amount of work that pupils complete. Standards are good in the written work, the use of pencil and paper methods and in the current work observed in lessons. More able pupils are being challenged and they develop good knowledge, understanding and skills. However, not all pupils are able to retain the fluency and accuracy over time, even though they show good progress during any unit of work. Workbooks are generally neat and well presented and marked regularly. In the best practice the marking is supportive and encouraging, but also links the pupils’ progress to the intended learning and to what they need to do next. This good practice needs to be extended to all classrooms.

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MATHEMATICS

116. The quality of teaching and learning is good in Years 1 and 2. It is good overall in Years 3 to 6 with some lessons that are very good and inspire the pupils. The quality of teaching has a significant impact on the standards being achieved. This is an improvement since the last inspection. All classrooms are organised well with an area to support teaching and learning in mathematics. The displays include key vocabulary and resources that will promote learning and help to raise standards. Teachers consistently put an emphasis on teaching the basic skills of numeracy, and pupils learn to count accurately and enjoy the use of number fans and whiteboards so they can calculate Greenhill Primary - 40 mentally and respond quickly. Teachers are knowledgeable and positive about mathematics and generally teach it with enthusiasm so that pupils are prepared to work hard and present their work carefully. Teachers are very clear what they want pupils to

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MATHEMATICS

learn in individual lessons, although not all teachers use the purpose of the lesson in the marking of the pupils’ work. When introducing lessons their explanations are very carefully structured. They question pupils thoughtfully, often using questions to check on pupils’ understanding before introducing the next stage of learning. Pupils’ attitude and response to mathematics are very good and as a result they concentrate, work hard and are enthusiastic to learn. The pupils work well in small groups to plan and discuss their strategies to solve problems. When questioning pupils and checking their answers teachers are encouraging pupils to explain their thinking and the strategies used to solve the problem, for instance “How did you calculate 348 – 178?” or “How did you multiply 98 by 6?”

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MATHEMATICS

117. Leadership and management of the subject are very good. The two subject leaders for mathematics are very knowledgeable, confident and able to lead the subject very effectively. Their work has clearly had a significant impact on the quality of teaching, and the standards being achieved and the aims and values of the school. There is a programme for observing other teachers in lessons that has helped to identify clear strengths and weaknesses in implementation of the National Numeracy Strategy. There is a clear action plan to involve all teachers in training and development that will extend the good practice already in place. The progress of pupils is being monitored and the information used to set challenging targets for groups of pupils. However, there needs to be much better use of all this information to engage the pupils more in understanding their own learning and what they need to do next. Resources are good and used effectively.

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SCIENCE

118. By the age of seven standards are above what is expected and by eleven standards are in line with the standards expected nationally. Achievement is good in Years 1 and 2 and satisfactory in Years 3 to 6 because of the quality of teaching. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress because well-informed learning support assistants give sensitive, appropriate support to groups and individuals in classes. There has been good improvement since the last inspection.

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SCIENCE

119. Results in science over the last four years have fluctuated from year to year. However, in three years out of four, at age eleven the percentage of pupils achieving the expected levels has been higher than at the time of the last inspection. In 2002 almost nine out of ten pupils aged seven and eleven achieved the expected level.

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SCIENCE

120. Most seven-year-olds have good scientific knowledge. They know about a good range of topics including work on parts of plants, the human body, and investigations into making an electric circuit. In a well-organised lesson on plants, Year 2 pupils were able to recognise and name the main parts of a real flower and list the similarities and differences with a contrasting specimen. The pupils were enthusiastic and showed good understanding when they could name the flower, roots and stem. The more able pupils were challenged effectively in this lesson, because the two Year 2 classes were combined and organised by ability. This allowed the more able pupils to show what they could do when they wrote reports of their findings in a more detailed manner.

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SCIENCE

121. By the age of eleven, pupils have a sound understanding of a wide range of scientific topics. They study the solar system and understand the phases of the moon and how the earth’s movement around the sun affects both day and night and seasons of the year. When required they use their mathematical skills to clearly illustrate the results of Greenhill Primary - 41 investigations, as was seen in the Year 5 lesson recording the pulse rate. In Years 3 and 4 pupils are beginning to be able to observe and successfully suggest varying conditions for fair testing. Year 6 pupils show a deepening awareness of scientific processes and experimentation, which was evident when they devised a fair test to find out which brand of crisps was the saltiest and therefore the least healthy. In an investigation on stretching elastic bands and force, the pupils again demonstrated that they understood the importance of the test being fair. Pupils keep accurate records of the growth and

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SCIENCE

condition of plants in their class and have recorded these findings thorough well- presented work on the parts of a flower and the dispersal of seeds.

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SCIENCE

122. The quality of teaching and learning is good in Years 1 and 2 and satisfactory with some good lessons seen in Years 3 to 6 as at the last inspection. Teachers use national guidelines as a basic scheme to ensure systematic coverage. Teachers plan and prepare their lessons very well. They share the purpose of the lesson with the pupils so that they know what they are to learn, and come back to the focus of the lesson in the final minutes, so pupils can show what they have learnt. Learning is based on an appropriate range of approaches so that there is no over-reliance on worksheets. All pupils, whatever their ability, have really good opportunities to take part in lessons and learning support staff are used very effectively to ensure that they succeed. Marking was described as an area of weakness in the last inspection and there are still occasions where the marking of the work of the oldest pupils is minimal. This does not give any

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SCIENCE

constructive guidance for improvement. Presentation of work is generally good, although it deteriorates where marking is limited. Pupils do not have enough opportunity to use the computer to support their learning or present their findings in lessons.

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SCIENCE

123. All teachers promote positive attitudes and behaviour and their expert handling of pupils ensures that little time is wasted in lessons. Pupils’ attitudes of pupils are good. They are enthusiastic and eager and can discuss their work sensibly with a partner or in a larger group while remaining on task. For instance, in a lesson identifying factors which could affect pulse rate, the Year 5 teacher showed clear subject knowledge and good preparation of materials when he could tell the class of the pulse rate of their famous heroes in the Leeds football team for comparison with their own. Consequently, the children were enthusiastic learners. Relationships in classrooms are good.

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SCIENCE

124. The quality of leadership and management is very good because the co-ordinator is a science specialist and is very knowledgeable about the subject in school. Science reflects the aims and values of the school extremely well. The co-ordinator checks the coverage of science and also when science occurs on class timetables and is aware of trends in examination results. She recognised that there were fewer numbers of more able pupils in the Year 6 national tests, but had found no explanation for the lower achievement of girls. The potential for developing systems to check what pupils know and understand is good. The co-ordinator has good plans to develop a file of examples of pupils’ work, so that teachers have suitable guidelines for assessing pupils’ work. She has monitored pupils’ workbooks and was aware of the issue of marking. Plans are in place to improve the situation. Good resources underpin pupils’ learning.

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ART AND DESIGN

125. Pupils’ standards in most art skills generally match the expectations for their ages throughout the school. Pupils’ progress and achievement in art and design are as expected given the standard of work when they start in Year 1. This applies to pupils Greenhill Primary - 42 across the ability range and those with differing artistic talents. A commendable number of local initiatives, such as artists in residence, have extended pupils’ learning about art and design. These have led to some very good work displayed around the school. All pupils have been involved in these, for example, a very large ceramic panel in the foyer, batik-type hangings, and printed letters forming a coloured display. In these projects standards are at least average. 126. At the time of the last inspection art and design was taught as a single subject and standards were judged to be above average. However, much of pupils’ work appears to

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ART AND DESIGN

have been topic illustration rather than skill development. Currently, art and design and design and technology are taught in an integrated way throughout the school. This is helpful when pupils are younger because skills are common to both, and pupils’ standards in both subjects develop simultaneously. It is less helpful as pupils get older, though, where the knowledge and understanding required in art and design diverge more from those needed for design and technology. 127. Year 2 pupils can draw twigs and leaves from observation with average degrees of competence. They enlarge and simplify their shapes in order to make a template. Pupils’ motor skills range across the expected spread as they cut and stick materials of different kinds to interpret these drawings into collages. A camera was used effectively to record pupils’ arrangements for future lessons and this aided their learning well. Year 2 pupils

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ART AND DESIGN

produce attractive clay houses with good details of brickwork. 128. Year 6 pupils use watercolours satisfactorily to produce paintings of the River Wharfe at Bolton Abbey. Some produce adequate paintings that show roads, tunnels, and houses in the correct perspective. Pupils’ knowledge of famous artists’ work does not develop well enough by Year 6 and standards in this area are below average. Sketchbooks are used for both subjects, where even in Year 5 and 6, projects are still fully integrated. These books do not show enough development of the art and design aspect in pupils’ drawing, for instance improvement in sketching techniques. They include too much design and technology and too little art and design to be useful as ‘sketchbooks’ and drawing standards are below average. In the craft elements of the subject, standards are higher. For example, in Year 6, the crazy hats pupils had constructed, for a performance of ‘ The Mad Hatter’s Tea-party’ from Alice in Wonderland,

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ART AND DESIGN

showed sound attainment using three-dimensional skills. In embellishing these hats pupils used a variety of different materials satisfactorily. 129. In other years, standards are also broadly average. In Year 3, pupils learn to control media increasingly carefully and achieve average standards when they sketch portraits and enlarge these for later use. Computer technology was used creatively in Year 3 when pupils used a graphic program to create symmetrical patterns. Year 4 pupils were using oil pastels competently as they made symbolic pictures of journeys through a village they were studying in geography. 130. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory overall and some good teaching was observed. All the attributes of good class management and very good use of learning support assistants are also found in art and design. This results in pupils having positive attitudes to the subjects and they are very well behaved in lessons so that they

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ART AND DESIGN

make the best of the time available. The most able pupils were well-challenged in a Year 3 lesson, where a talented learning support assistant ran a ‘master class in drawing’ for a small group of pupils. To improve the teaching of art and design further, teachers have identified correctly that the current published schemes of work they are following are not the most helpful to improve pupils’ standards where they are weak. Modification to these schemes is wisely under way. Teachers have realised that standards of drawing are falling and this is because over-emphasis on the design and technology aspects of projects leads to too little focus on this key skill, especially when pupils are older. Here they need more practice in direct observational drawing and painting than currently exists Greenhill Primary - 43 in planning to improve these skills. Some lessons such as a Year 4 ‘journeys project’ ,

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ART AND DESIGN

include sufficient emphasis on the study of artists’ work, Paul Klee in this example. Most do not, however, and this leads to too little understanding of the links between artists’ work and pupils’ own explorations by Year 6. Pupils need to learn about visual experimentation and to incorporate some annotation into sketchbooks by this stage of their art development. Few opportunities currently exist for pupils to talk or write about their reflections on artists’ work. Art makes a useful contribution to pupils’ learning in mathematics when they use grids and shapes in lessons.

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ART AND DESIGN

131. Leadership and management are good at present, because the co-ordinators are new. They are committed to improving the subject and have started checking how well pupils are doing in comparison to national guidance. A file of work has been started to show how well pupils are doing and whether they are learning enough. Confidence is rising that the current curriculum can be altered to better match pupils’ needs and weaknesses more closely. Two art clubs enliven pupils’ interest in the subject and space has been found for an art gallery to display their work. The ‘SPARKS’ after- school club members have produced some exciting photographs. Visits, for instance, to a local sculpture park, also usefully extend pupils’ experience of the subject. Resources are improving as co-ordinators have identified areas of shortages, and they are being organised into accessible topic boxes. The subject contributes well to the development

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ART AND DESIGN

of pupils’ cultural understanding, but insufficient attention is paid to pupils’ knowledge about the work of artists.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

132. During the inspection only one lesson was seen. By looking at the pupils' work, the records of teachers' planning and displays around the school, it is clear that a good range of opportunities is offered to develop the pupils' designing and making skills in the subject. Overall, the standard of work seen is good and above expectations by the age of seven and by the age of eleven. All the pupils, including those with special educational needs, make good progress. These standards show significant improvement since the last inspection.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

133. By the end of Year 2 pupils show skills that are good for their ages in their design work for their wheeled vehicles, winding mechanisms and glove puppets. The vehicles show good cutting and gluing skills as pupils work with a range of materials such as card and paper in both two and three-dimensional work. A good amount of time is given to the subject and the pupils achieve a high calibre of finish for the joining, shaping and adding colour. Their writing shows how well they remembered the process of investigation, designing and making and how skilled they are at evaluating their designs. Glove puppets have been designed to be the characters in the stories ‘Three Billy Goats Gruff’ and ‘Hansel and Gretel’ . The designs are good, identifying the different materials and how to make the glove. The finished puppets are delightful, full of character, and showing the skills of the pupils and the good range of materials used. In the lesson seen the pupils

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

were learning about fruit and vegetables, where they grow and how they are prepared for use before pupils went on to design and make a fruit salad. They observed carefully and recorded their tasting of the four citrus fruits. The neat sketches were clear, showing good progress in the investigation of appearance, texture and taste.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

134. The work of pupils in Year 3 to 6 shows the more complex use of planning and making in their design projects and standards that are above the expectations for their age. Pupils in Year 6 have followed a project to design and make wheeled vehicles. They have used a range of wood, card and paper to make working models that Greenhill Primary - 44 incorporate electric motors and batteries. The records of design, making and evaluating were completed. Pupils fully understand how to evaluate their work and make suggestions how future designs can be amended and improved. The work they undertake on the design and making of slippers and of shelters shows how skilled teachers are in introducing the work and encouraging pupils to generate designs and ideas. Each year group follows the school curriculum plan, so the pupils are given well- planned opportunities to develop designs, make the design in a practical way and then

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

evaluate the process and the product. Year 5 had completed units of work on moving toys and then made musical instruments as part of another project. There is a consistency in approach and opportunity that enables the pupils to achieve good standards.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

135. In the lesson seen the quality of teaching and learning was good. The imaginative teaching set the context in a very skilful manner so the pupils were excited and enjoyed the learning. Pupils are given time to discuss and plan. Clear explanations develop pupils’ enthusiasm and involvement. Pupils with special educational needs were helped to observe and consider the appearance and taste of citrus fruit so that they made equal progress to other pupils. Lessons are planned very thoroughly and a good range of resources is provided. Teachers show good subject knowledge and have a good understanding of the process of learning. Teachers give attention to developing pupils’ knowledge of the appropriate vocabulary.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

136. The co-ordinator is knowledgeable and has clear sense of purpose that underpins the provision and knows how to develop the subject in the future. The very good leadership gives the subject status and all teachers include it on their timetables and follow the school policy. Such is the enthusiasm for the subject that a recent competition for decorating eggs at Easter produced almost two hundred entries. The designs, range of ideas and use of design and technology skills were evident in the high quality and ingenuity used in the making and appearance of the entries from all age groups. In practical lessons, such as design and technology, noise can sometimes spread through the open plan accommodation and interfere with the learning of others.

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GEOGRAPHY

137. Through the observation of lessons, analysis of work and discussion with pupils, standards are judged to be above the level expected at seven and at the level expected at eleven years old. The progress of all pupils, including those with special educational needs, is good. This judgement is of higher standards than that of the last inspection. For instance, teaching has improved, as it was satisfactory at the time of the last inspection and standards for pupils in Year 2 have risen because of the enthusiasm of their teachers. .

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GEOGRAPHY

138. Pupils in Year 2 have a good awareness of the local area and the places where they live. They have researched and compared the differences with an area in the local environment and the remote fictional Isle of Struay. They are beginning to understand and compare the different types of houses in these locations using words and phrases such as one storey to describe the buildings. Pupils are able to use maps and plans of various types and show a satisfactory development of drawing and mapping skills. Pupils are developing a good knowledge of other countries by tracking the journeys of Barnaby Bear to China, India and Sri Lanka. They can accurately identify these countries on a globe, and explain the best form of transport to travel to these locations and that Barnaby Bear needs a passport for these countries. Pupils have a satisfactory understanding of the climate in these countries and the need for particular types of clothing to keep either

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GEOGRAPHY

warm or cool. Pupils are able to talk about the most notable features of these countries. Greenhill Primary - 45 For example, they had researched information about the Great Wall in China and the different types of houses. Pupils understand the difference between a continent and a country, explaining why Africa is a continent.

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GEOGRAPHY

139. By the age of eleven, pupils have a satisfactory factual understanding and a working knowledge of geographical vocabulary. Year 6 pupils, for example, in their work on rivers, understand such terms as ‘meander’, ‘estuary’, and ‘tributary’ when describing the flow of a river. In a recent field trip to the River Wharfe pupils tracked the course of the river from its source and examined the cause and effects of riverbank erosion. Pupils are developing suitable skills of research and interpretation. Interesting work was seen researching information about mountains at home and abroad. Here pupils explained the main features of the mountains, the height, the localities and the climate in the areas and how to identify a mountain on a map with contour lines. Year 5 pupils have had the opportunity to visit a local area and to look at changes in the area of Bramley, by interviewing residents from the community and conducting a traffic survey. They

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GEOGRAPHY

discussed the advantages and disadvantages of a road closure and the result it would have on the community and the effects of pollution in the area. Year 4 pupils, in a topic about India, are able to identify the country on the map, describe the weather and the outcome of the monsoon rainy season. Using photographic evidence, pupils identify the difference between their homes and homes in the village of Chembakoli.

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GEOGRAPHY

140. The quality of teaching and learning overall is good; and the three lessons seen were very good. Teachers manage pupils very well, keeping them clearly focused on the task with clear expectations contributing positively to their progress. Lessons are planned well with a clear focus on developing geographical skills and encouraging pupils to use the appropriate vocabulary. Teachers have secure knowledge of the subject and are able to teach the basic factual knowledge of the subject satisfactorily. In very good lessons the planning had a variety of activities with a range of artefacts to create interest. This was seen in two inspired Year 2 lessons, with the teachers and assistants dressing in the costumes of the countries and giving pupils the opportunity to handle artefacts; adding to the authenticity to the topic. The outcome of this was that pupils developed a clear understanding creating a high level of interest for the pupils. The subject makes a good

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GEOGRAPHY

contribution to pupils’ cultural development. Teachers are beginning to use technology to aid pupils’ learning; for example, Year 2 pupils used the computer to carry out research about China and a digital camera was used in Year 3. Teachers look at pupils’ work during lessons and make helpful comments to improve their learning, and books are regularly marked. The quality of marking, however, is inconsistent; incorrect spellings of important words are often left uncorrected. Pupils with special educational needs are well supported by other adults.

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GEOGRAPHY

141. The leadership and management of the subject are satisfactory. The co-ordinator has a clear understanding of the future developments of the subject. Procedures to check what pupils know and understand are satisfactory. Pupils’ progress is tracked using the objectives of the national planning framework. The co-ordinator, however, does appreciate the need to establish a file of moderated work to help teachers assess pupils’ work and work out the levels of pupils’ work. This has been identified as an area for development in the school improvement plan.

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HISTORY

142. By the age of seven pupils achieve better than expected in history and by the age of eleven standards are as expected. All pupils, including those with special educational needs, make good progress in Years 1 and 2 and satisfactory progress in Years 3 to 6. Greenhill Primary - 46 Standards have been maintained, as above average in Year 2, because Year 1 and 2 staff are enthusiastic about the subject and give pupils a good start. The allocation of time and effort to improving standards in English and mathematics has meant that the school has allocated less time to history in Years 3 to 6 and so standards are now average.

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HISTORY

143. Year 2 pupils are enthusiastic about history and they know a lot about the subject. They have a good understanding of life in a Victorian schoolroom through their visit to a local museum. They understand the differences between life in their classroom and the Victorian classroom and appreciate that they have the best of the deal. Their study of Florence Nightingale has given them much factual knowledge about her life and times. Pupils give good reasons why Elizabeth ll inherited the throne, understand that she has reigned for 50 years and recall suitable details about her coronation.

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HISTORY

144. Pupils in Years 3 to 6 develop their research skills well through their study of history, as at the time of the last inspection. They produce a good amount of work as they move through the school and use the computers for research. In a lesson seen in Year 6, pupils wrote out the questions they needed to research to discover information about, for instance, Aztec weapons, mosaics and sacrifice. They were encouraged to reflect on their choice of questions and select those that would require a full answer. In discussion they talked with enthusiasm about this work. Pupils are able to compare and contrast life now and in the 1960s because of previous work that they have carried out. They are developing a secure sense of chronology and can use dates to refer to aspects of history, and this is due to the school’s developing use of timelines for specific topics.

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HISTORY

145. The quality of teaching and learning is good and this has been maintained since the last inspection. Throughout the school pupils make effective use of the skills they have learnt in literacy, for instance note-making and labelling their drawings. Year 2 pupils were given a good opportunity to develop their speaking skills when they interviewed the headteacher about the meaning of Remembrance Day. In a very good lesson in Year 1 pupils were challenged to look more closely at their pictures of the seaside now and in the past and to revise their initial opinion. Pupils with special educational needs are helped effectively by the learning support assistants, as when Year 6 pupils decided what they wanted to research.

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HISTORY

146. Leadership and management are very good. History has been a traditional strength of the school and much of what it has always done well has been maintained and improved. The co-ordinator provides a very good role model for teaching the subject in a rigorous and informative manner. Often working in conjunction with the knowledgeable headteacher, she has had a clear impact on what pupils study. She has re-organised the curriculum guidance and written additional units of work as necessary, for instance the topic about Victorian Leeds. The curriculum is very clearly enriched by visits and visitors, for instance, educational trips to Eden Camp when studying World War ll. The subject makes a very strong contribution to pupils’ cultural development, especially when Year 5 pupils have the opportunity to have an informative walk around Victorian Leeds using the expertise of their headteacher. The procedures for checking what pupils know and

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HISTORY

understand are developing well. They are particularly strong in Year 2 where the teachers’ marking makes it very clear to pupils how they met the purpose of the lesson.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

147. By the age of seven and eleven standards are as expected. All pupils, including those with special educational needs, make good progress throughout the school. Standards at the time of the last inspection were judged to be at the expected level for seven and Greenhill Primary - 47 eleven-year-old pupils. These standards overall have been maintained with improvement in some elements, in particular control technology and the quality of teaching.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

148. Pupils’ achievement is good in Years 1 and 2. Pupils are familiar with the word processing application and pupils in Year 1 are beginning to use the mouse competently. Year 2 pupils have an understanding of the main functions of the keyboard, entering the text and altering the style of the lettering. Most of the pupils are able to save and retrieve their work and use the backspace bar to edit their work. By the end of Year 2 pupils can input simple commands into a floor computer to control its movements, moving it forward and back set distances. More able pupils know the appropriate commands to turn the toy at right angles. Using an art program they create geometric shapes in different colours. Pupils are beginning to appreciate the benefits of a hyperlink, a procedure used to select further information for research.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

149. The good progress continues and by the time pupils reach eleven years old they are confident users of the word-processing application. They have sound knowledge of the main functions of the program and are able to use more sophisticated procedures to present their work, for example, placing the text in columns, inserting art graphics and creating flowcharts. Pupils have a sound understanding of a spreadsheet. This was noticeable in a pocket money topic, using the appropriate formulae for mathematical calculations. Pupils are confident users of the Internet and have an appreciation of its value when researching topics. They know how to access the information, edit and place it onto a document in the word processing application with a particular audience in mind. Pupils have a good understanding of control technology using the computer to operate a robot. This project took place at the Leeds Learning Centre and pupils talk with

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

enthusiasm and interest about this topic. Pupils understand how to present information. Following a questionnaire, to find out what form of transport they use to travel to school pupils entered their data onto a spreadsheet and presented their findings in graph form. Pupils are beginning to appreciate that not all information on a database is accurate and are learning how to amend and sort information. Pupils’ knowledge of the use of information and communication technology in its wider sense is too narrow, few able to give examples of where it might be used. Pupils with special education needs make good progress. They benefit from additional assistance from learning support assistants and the practice of linking them with more confident pupils. All the pupils have an e-mail address at the school; however, use has been limited because they are not easy for young pupils to remember and use.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

150. The overall quality of teaching and learning is good. Teachers have sound subject knowledge and guide pupils well through the procedures appropriately. Using the group demonstration facility teachers give confident demonstrations. Teachers set high expectations of behaviour, managing pupils well, and circulating during independent sessions, keeping them well focused on the task. Lessons are appropriately planned to build on pupils’ previous understanding with additional tasks to challenge the more able. The majority of lessons seen proceeded with pace due to pupils’ good attitudes and behaviour. However, due to the excessive heat and the poor ventilation in the computer room conditions are very uncomfortable towards the end of lessons resulting in pupils becoming restless and the rate of learning slowing down. The quality of teaching has improved since the last inspection.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

151. The leadership and management of the subject are very good. The co-ordinator has worked hard to raise standards and provide a range of opportunities for pupils to develop their information and communication technology skills. The support and training by the co-ordinator have improved teachers’ confidence and competence contributing positively to pupils’ progress in a fast-developing subject. Some use is made of information and Greenhill Primary - 48 communication technology in other subjects for instance, in literacy, numeracy, and history to support pupils’ progress. Although this has improved since the last inspection, use is not fully embedded in all subjects and computers are not routinely used in the classroom in all classes. This is an area for development. Assessment is good; staff are fully aware of the procedures and pupils know the levels they are achieving. Overall, effective targets have been established in order to raise standards.

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MUSIC

152. Only one lesson of music was observed in Years 1 and 2. From this evidence it is likely that pupils will reach the expected level by the time they are seven-years-old in performance, appraising and composition skills. Pupils’ achievement is satisfactory and by the time they reach eleven-years-old they are overall at the level expected. There are, however, some weaknesses. Achievement for pupils with special educational needs, is satisfactory. Improvement since the last inspection is satisfactory.

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MUSIC

153. Year 2 pupils are able to name a range of percussion instruments and are developing techniques of how to hold an instrument in order to produce the best sound. They are able to determine whether it is a ‘shaking’ or a ‘striking’ instrument. Pupils have a satisfactory understanding of a graphic score and are starting to develop their own music using symbols to represent different instruments. Pupils are beginning to understand the role of the conductor, responding appropriately to the directions of when to start and stop playing when performing their own compositions. They show a satisfactory rhythm and keep well in time. Pupils are able to maintain the pitch when singing unaccompanied. When singing together pupils sing familiar songs , like Jaws , with great enthusiasm.

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MUSIC

154. Although Year 6 pupils’ vocal range is limited they sing with enthusiasm, maintaining the pitch even when the singing is unaccompanied. Pupils have well-established rhythmic qualities, confidently maintaining a steady beat when singing in two and three parts. This was noticeable in one Year 6 class where pupils quickly learnt and grasped the difficult rhythms and accurately performed a song with two independent melodies. Pupils have a clear understanding of the need to maintain a good posture when singing and appreciate that the better the posture the better the quality of tone. This was most noticeable in the singing practices, pupils singing with enjoyment, starting at the appropriate point after an introduction and responding to the teacher to sing loudly or softly. Pupils are beginning to develop their creative skills. An example of this was in Years 3 and 4. Here, pupils working collaboratively in small groups, composed their own

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MUSIC

tunes and rhythms on tuned and untuned percussion instruments to represent the movement of animals and a sunset. In some of these performances, however, pupils lacked the technique for playing a xylophone to produce resonant sounds. They were, however, aware of dynamics in their performances and using the appropriate vocabulary to describe the speed of their compositions. Pupils’ knowledge of different types of music is not so well-established. Although they are able to describe some of the music they have listened to, for instance in assembly, their understanding is limited and they are unable to remember the composer or the style of music. Pupils who play a musical instrument achieve well, playing confidently whilst reading accurately from formal notation. Pupils with special educational needs are fully integrated into lessons and make satisfactory progress.

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MUSIC

155. Pupils’ attitudes to the subject are positive. They show a good level of interest and are anxious to improve. When working in small groups they all contribute sensibly, show respect for instruments and are confident to perform to the rest of the group. They are well behaved and show respect for their teachers. Greenhill Primary - 49 156. The overall quality of teaching and learning in the lessons seen is satisfactory. The singing practices, led by the music co-ordinator, were appropriately planned to develop pupils’ singing and rhythmic development. These sessions moved with pace, well supported by a visiting pianist. Learning, however, would have benefited with exercises to improve pupils’ vocal range. Class music lessons are generally appropriately planned and where teachers have competence and confidence the learning is better: building on pupils’ existing knowledge. The sessions, however, are very short, giving limited

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MUSIC

opportunities for pupils to be able to listen and appraise music and not enough time to develop their own creative work. Teachers have good management skills and have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour leading to improved learning. Lessons concluded with opportunities for pupils to perform their creative work, but there were insufficient opportunities for pupils to appraise the work of others and a lack of guidance from teachers to explain why a particular composition was good. The overall quality of teaching is not as good as the last inspection, when the quality of the work of visiting teachers was included in the judgement.

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MUSIC

157. The leadership and management of the subject are satisfactory. The co-ordinator has had responsibility for the subject since the beginning of the academic year. In this short period she has begun to have an impact. She is aware of the difficulties that non- specialist teachers experience teaching the subject. She has, however, in this relatively short time provided positive support and advice for teachers and the introduction of a commercial scheme of work to complement the schemes of the curriculum authority has given teachers the confidence to teach the subject and tackle the creative element of the programmes of study.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

158. By the ages of seven and eleven, standards are above average in physical education. All pupils, including those with special educational needs, make good progress in the well-planned range of physical activities. There has been good improvement since the last inspection because of, for instance, the rise in the quality of teaching and the consequent higher standards seen; an improved scheme of work; the number of opportunities which are open to all boys and girls regardless of their ability: and the better opportunities for checking what pupils know and can do.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

159. By the time pupils are seven they have developed a good range of skills used in games such as chasing, dodging, balancing, and avoiding and developing ball skills. They use space well and can discuss and improve their work, as was seen in a Year 2 lesson where pupils refined their dance sequence after discussion.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

160. By the time pupils are eleven most can swim to the accepted national standard. Pupils have the opportunity to learn to play badminton when the school uses the local sports centre during lessons. They play to a good standard and many of the pupils play in the after-school badminton club and qualify to compete in a league. Pupils catch and throw with accuracy and have good small ball and racket skills, as was seen in the mixed Year 5 and 6 lesson, where pupils tried hard to control the ball. In an excellent lesson with a Year 4 class all pupils all achieved a good triple jump after expert coaching by the teacher. Girls and boys participate successfully in an extensive range of inter-school team sports such as football, rugby, and athletics. No gymnastics were seen, but teachers’ planning indicates that a good range of appropriate activities is undertaken. Photographic evidence of outdoor adventurous activities illustrates how well the older

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

pupils rise to the challenge. Greenhill Primary - 50 161. The quality of teaching is very good, with pockets of excellence. Teachers have very good subject knowledge and teach well-structured lessons based on an interesting curriculum. They share the purpose of the lesson with pupils so that they know what they have to do. All pupils are given very good opportunities to take part in lessons. Teachers provide effective practical demonstrations of what they mean pupils to do and how to improve. In some lessons, as in a Year 2 dance lesson, teachers use the most able pupils to demonstrate what they have achieved. Relationships between pupils and adults are excellent and a very positive feature is the use of pupils to evaluate their own and others’ learning, as in an excellent lesson in Year 4 where the pupil or his or her partner assessed how they had improved in their skill. Enthusiasm for the subject during lessons

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

and the extensive range of after-school activities offered by the school are an inspiration for pupils.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

162. Pupils’ attitudes and behaviour in physical education lessons are very good. They are sensible when working with equipment and co-operate well in pairs, groups, and teams. This makes a very good contribution to pupils’ social development.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

163. The subject is very well led by an enthusiastic co-ordinator who has worked hard to maintain strong, rewarding links with local schools and sports providers. This supports pupils’ learning very well. The rich curriculum takes into account government guidelines, but also uses practical sources of guidance for teachers. The school makes good use of the nearby sports centre to compensate for its lack of a large flat field for games. Funding is astutely used to supply coaches to improve pupils’ performance in areas such as gymnastics. The quality of teaching and learning is monitored to make sure that pupils make effective progress.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

164. Standards for seven-year-olds are better than the expected level from the published guidance on religious education from the local education authority, and eleven-year-olds do as well as they should. Pupils make good progress throughout the school, because of the quality of teaching. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress because of the teachers’ careful planning and the assistance by learning support assistants. This is a good improvement since the last inspection because the quality of teaching and pupils’ attitudes and behaviour are markedly better. The combination of religious education and provision for pupils’ PHSCE makes an outstanding contribution to pupils’ spiritual and moral development.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

165. By the age of seven pupils know the appropriate facts about baptism and can talk about the Christian symbols incorporated into the service. They know about the artefacts of the church and are developing an understanding of feelings associated with them.. In a Year 2 lesson pupils studied stained glass windows and then thought about the symbolism of different colours for them personally. One boy said that “green was his favourite colour because it made him think of nature and he loved nature”. Pupils can retell some of the Christian accounts from the New Testament, such as the birth of Christ.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

166. By the end of Year 6 pupils know that people worship in different ways and have different faiths such as Judaism and Islam. One Year 6 class studied the role of the Mosque and examined Islamic artefacts before going on to explore the rituals surrounding Islamic art. They know more of the life of Jesus and have a greater understanding of Christian ceremonies such as marriage. Pupils think about challenging issues such as temptation, and what they will do when they are grown up and have responsibilities. They explore feelings such as the disappointment of failing to secure a part in the school Greenhill Primary - 51 drama production and find ways of dealing with them. In a very good PHSCE lesson pairs of pupils worked well together – one as the sculptor and one as the sculpture - to successfully depict emotions.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

167. The quality of teaching and learning in religious education is good with many PHSCE lessons being judged very good. The teaching of PHSCE is very much intertwined with that of religious education, with teachers promoting the same moral values in both aspects. Teachers have good knowledge and understanding, structure their lessons well and provide interesting resources for pupils to use. Good meaningful dialogue takes place, which reinforces the purpose of the lesson, and pupils are given useful opportunities to practise skills that they have learnt in literacy, such as note taking. Attitudes and behaviour in lessons are good. Pupils listen attentively so that opportunities for reflection can be created. Presentation of their work is too variable.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

168. The subject is very well led by a co-ordinator in each key stage. They are both enthusiastic and the co-ordinator for older pupils is highly qualified in the subject. They work closely together and reviewed the policy earlier in the year. They have just put into place a system for checking what each pupil has learnt at the end of each topic.

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