Calverley Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

CALVERLEY CE VC PRIMARY SCHOOL

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

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CALVERLEY CE VC 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. Calverley CE VC Primary School

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Type of school: Infant and junior school

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Towngate Calverley Pudsey

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The governing body

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Mr David Burt

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 12 January 1998 Calverley CE VC Primary School

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Team members

21512 Tony Painter Registered inspector 8943 Margaret Manning Lay inspector 24895 Kath Hurt Team inspector

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Team members

TWA Inspections Limited 102 Bath Road Cheltenham GL53 7JX

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Team members

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

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Team members

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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Team members

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Calverley CE VC Primary School

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 6

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

This voluntary controlled school, for pupils between 4 and 11 years, is of average size. With 255 pupils on roll, it is the same size as it was at the time of the last inspection. Pupils come from the mainly advantaged area around the school but less than half of the pupils live in the village itself. Most are from white backgrounds, although 18 come from other ethnic backgrounds. Ten pupils come from families with English as an additional language, mainly Punjabi, Cantonese and Hindi. Only one pupil is at an early stage of learning English. Four pupils are in receipt of free school meals, which is well below the national average. The attainment of children joining the school is above local levels but around that expected nationally of children of their age. Nineteen pupils have identified special educational needs and one of these has a Statement of Special Educational Need. These figures are below the national average.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

This is a good school where effective management promotes a team approach to identifying and implementing improvements. It gives pupils a wide range of interesting activities to ensure a very good atmosphere for learning. This captures pupils’ attention and helps them to learn. Good teaching throughout the school ensures that all pupils make good progress and reach above average standards overall. The school gives good value for money.

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What the school does well

• Good teaching helps pupils to make good progress and achieve above average standards. • Very good provision for pupils’ personal development helps them to mature and be responsible. • A good range of well-planned activities interests and motivates pupils well, helping them to have good attitudes to learning. • Good management is identifying how to make improvements.

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What could be improved

• Standards in writing do not fully match pupils’ capabilities. 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’s last inspection was in January 1998 and it has made satisfactory improvements in the identified weaknesses. Teachers have developed a better curriculum for pupils, making good use of national guidance. In particular, higher-attaining pupils are achieving well in most subjects, particularly in mathematics, although writing is still weaker. The school’s assessment systems are beginning to give useful information and teachers use some of this well to ensure they give pupils appropriate levels of challenge. Governors are more closely involved in the school, for example in overseeing aspects of the curriculum and meeting co-ordinators. This helps them to judge the effectiveness and impact of developments more effectively. Calverley CE VC Primary School

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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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Key

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

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Key

Despite children’s wide range of earlier experiences and attainment when joining the reception class, the overall attainment is similar to that expected nationally. Children settle quickly and make a good start in their education, particularly in their personal, social and emotional development. By the time they begin Year 1, most achieve the expected standards in all aspects of their development. Good teaching ensures that pupils make good progress throughout the school and their overall attainment is above average at the ages of 7 and 11 years. By the time they leave the school, pupils’ attainment in mathematics is well above average.

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Key

There have been considerable variations in the results of National Curriculum assessments at ages 7 and 11 years. In some years, such as 1999 and 2001, standards were high in all tested subjects at 11 years. This has led to a falling trend of results because more recent results have been weaker. The 2002 results at age 11 in all subjects are not as high as earlier years. This is because the particular group of pupils taking the tests included fewer higher attaining pupils and more with special educational needs. However, the school’s comprehensive records show that these pupils made at least satisfactory progress from their tests at 7 years.

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Key

Results in writing have been weaker than reading and the school has made some recent efforts to raise standards. These have had some success, although pupils still do not achieve their full potential. Improved resources and well-targeted training for staff are beginning to raise attainment in information and communication technology.

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Key

Lower attaining pupils and those with special educational needs are effectively supported. The strong relationships within the school ensure that all pupils’ individual needs are recognised and successfully met. The school’s targets for attainment in future years are high and relate well to pupils’ past achievements. They suggest that standards in the school will improve.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Pupils’ attitudes to school are very good and they are keen to take part in lessons and activities.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Behaviour is good. There is no evidence of oppressive behaviour and there have been no exclusions.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Relationships are very good and the pupils work and play together very well. They increase their maturity and self-control through the school.

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Aspect Comment

Attendance Attendance is very good, well above the national average.

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Aspect Comment

Very good relationships create a strong positive atmosphere that contributes substantially to pupils’ personal development. This encourages pupils’ very good attitudes and increasing maturity. Calverley CE VC Primary School

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

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.

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

The overall quality of teaching and learning is good in all parts of the school and meets the needs of all pupils. Mathematics teaching is good and teachers make very good use of the school’s developing assessment systems to group pupils, match tasks to pupils’ attainment and promote good progress. Pupils have good opportunities to use their numeracy skills in other subjects such as information and communication technology. English teaching is good and teachers teach reading particularly well. They use literacy lessons very effectively to teach pupils skills in understanding texts and they make good use of homework to support learning. Teaching of writing is less effective and teachers do not make enough use of assessments and targets to promote writing skills in other subjects.

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

Teachers plan and organise lessons well, often making good use of the national guidance, and this captures pupils’ attention and ensures effective learning. They use their very strong relationships with pupils to create friendly and supportive atmospheres that motivate and help pupils to do well. For example, teachers ask challenging questions to make pupils think hard but are careful to ensure that pupils have the time and the confidence to answer. Teaching in the reception classes uses interesting activities and good resources to extend children’s experiences. Pupils with special educational needs have good support to help them to succeed in tasks that build successfully towards their identified targets. Teachers ensure that pupils from minority ethnic groups and those from families where English is an additional language are fully involved in all activities.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum Teachers plan a good range of activities that effectively meets the needs and interests of pupils. Very good extra-curricular activities, well-chosen visits and visitors enhance pupils’ experiences.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Good support for pupils with special educational needs ensures that they learn effectively. Teachers and support staff make good use of pupils’ identified needs and targets in their individual education plans.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with English as an additional language The few pupils from homes where English is not the first language are successfully supported wherever necessary to ensure that they play a full part in lessons and learn effectively.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal development, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Very good provision ensures that pupils become mature and responsible as they grow and has a positive effect on their learning. Their moral and social awareness is very good and teachers give pupils good opportunities to take responsibilities.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils The school provides a safe place where pupils can learn happily, but more use could be made of the developing assessment systems.

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Aspect Comment

Teachers pay greater attention to tracking pupils’ progress and identifying targets. This is beginning to identify areas for development and is contributing to higher standards in mathematics. However, writing assessments are not used consistently or sharply enough to promote learning. Calverley CE VC Primary School

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff Management is good. The headteacher provides strong leadership and promotes effective teamwork. Co-ordinators have clear views of the strengths and weaknesses in their subjects.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Good. Governors have a good understanding of the school’s priorities. Links with subjects help governors to monitor developments.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance There is sound evaluation overall. Good monitoring of teaching helps to share strengths through the school. Improved analysis of results is identifying how well the school is doing and areas for development.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources Careful monitoring and analysis of spending ensures the effective use of all the school’s resources.

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Aspect Comment

Increased collection and analysis of assessment information and school data identifies areas for development. However, there has been insufficient oversight of the information to ensure prompt and effective action is taken to remedy weaknesses. Effective financial planning and good attention to obtaining best value has enabled the school to have good staffing, accommodation and resources.

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

Thirty-seven parents attended a meeting before the inspection and 116 (45 per cent) replied to a questionnaire sent to all parents. Informal discussions with parents took place during the inspection.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• Teaching is good and children make good progress. • Teachers have high expectations of pupils. • Pupils become mature and responsible, learning to behave well. • Staff are approachable. • Information about the school and about how well their children are getting on. • The amount of homework set for pupils.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

The inspection team agrees with all the positive points raised by parents but does not fully endorse the points for improvement. The school issues sufficient regular information about the school and the lessons planned for pupils. There are three opportunities to discuss each child’s progress each year, although the time allocated to each appointment is relatively short. However, annual reports on pupils’ progress are good and identify important ways that parents can support their children. Although homework is used effectively to promote pupils’ learning in reading, it is inconsistently set and used for other subjects. Calverley CE VC Primary School

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Good teaching helps pupils to make good progress and achieve above average

1. Teaching throughout the school is good and enables pupils to learn well and make good progress. By the time pupils leave the school, their overall attainment is above the national average. However, National Curriculum test results at the age of 11 have not shown this consistently. There have been variations in the school’s results in National Curriculum tests at the ages of both 7 and 11 years. These have primarily related to the substantial variations in the relative abilities of the groups of pupils involved. For example, the school’s results for 11-year-olds in 1999 and 2001 were well above the national average for all tested subjects. In 2002, however, results were lower because this group had more pupils with special educational needs. The lower results in 2000 and 2002 contribute to a trend of results that is below the national trend. However, the attainment of the current pupils in

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Good teaching helps pupils to make good progress and achieve above average

Year 6 is higher, particularly in mathematics and reading. Throughout the school, teachers make increasing use of targets to indicate what pupils need to do to improve. These improvements are having a positive effect and standards throughout the school are rising. The school's tracking system indicates that most pupils make greater than predicted gains during their junior years.

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Good teaching helps pupils to make good progress and achieve above average

2. Teaching in both of the classes with reception age pupils makes good use of the national guidance for teaching children of this age. Children begin school with a very wide range of earlier experiences and attainment, although the overall level is average. Teachers and support staff give very good support to children entering the class. This ensures that the children are confident and their personal, social and emotional development is good. As a result, they settle quickly and learn well. Activities in all the areas of learning are varied and support children’s learning well. Very good use is made of adult support to question children to extend their thinking and play. For example, the teacher asked good questions to focus the thinking of children when they looked at old photographs. This ensured that children thought hard and made comments, such as 'We don’t wear clothes like that' and

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Good teaching helps pupils to make good progress and achieve above average

gave detailed answers about using a kitchen range 'because they had no electricity'. Very good resources bring the past alive to the children as they dress in costume and go to 'work in the laundry' using the washtub and scrubbing brush. By the time children begin the National Curriculum, most achieve the levels of attainment expected of children of that age.

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Good teaching helps pupils to make good progress and achieve above average

3. Pupils make good progress in the infant classes because teaching is good. Developing systems to assess and record pupils’ progress are successfully helping to target activities and support, particularly in Year 2 mathematics groups. Teaching of the highest attaining group is enthusiastic and demanding and challenges the pupils very well. Pupils respond with excitement and enthusiasm and, as a result, standards of attainment are rising. However, the most recent National Curriculum test results at age seven were only average. Pupils in the current Year 2 show good progress and have attainment that is above average overall, with some achieving very well.

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Good teaching helps pupils to make good progress and achieve above average

4. The last report identified a need to meet the needs of pupils of different attainments more effectively and better challenge higher attaining pupils. As a result, the school has made substantial changes to the organisation of teaching of English and mathematics in Years 5 and 6. These groupings enable teachers to focus more precisely on pupils’ needs, particularly in mathematics lessons. Specific groups of pupils are also identified to have teaching designed to boost their attainment in specific areas of learning. These groupings are mainly successful and help pupils to learn effectively and raise the standards of their work. This has a positive effect on the teaching of higher attaining pupils. Lessons are Calverley CE VC Primary School challenging and the teacher gives pupils good support to reach higher standards of attainment. However, teachers sometimes miss opportunities to extend the learning of

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Good teaching helps pupils to make good progress and achieve above average

higher-attaining pupils, notably when giving extension activities that are too close to the original work to promote substantial learning. For example, a Year 6 extension writing activity did not give pupils opportunities to plan their own writing.

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Good teaching helps pupils to make good progress and achieve above average

5. The school makes good efforts to support lower attaining pupils through the groups for English and mathematics. Teachers plan their lessons well and make effective use of national guidance, particularly for literacy and numeracy, to support and sequence pupils’ learning. This ensures good attention to developing pupils’ basic skills. Throughout the school, pupils with special educational needs are given effective support in their lessons to allow them to make good progress. Teachers plan and organise activities that closely match their needs and levels of attainment. Pupils' confidence and self-esteem develop well through work that reflects the targets in their individual education plans. Effective classroom assistants engage pupils’ attention and to promote learning through careful questioning. In a Year 6 lesson, for example, good additional discussion developed lower- attaining pupils’ understanding and gave them confidence to use new terms. They

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Good teaching helps pupils to make good progress and achieve above average

correctly used terms such as 'emotive language' and 'imperative verbs' in their answers. Support staff clearly understand the needs of the identified pupils and the purposes of the activities. This allows them to give sympathetic but well-targeted support to increase pupils' learning.

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Good teaching helps pupils to make good progress and achieve above average

6. Most teachers have very enthusiastic approaches to lessons that quickly capture pupils' attention. They question pupils well and give pupils the confidence to answer. As a result, pupils think hard about their answers and this ensures good learning. In a Year 5 mathematics lesson, for example, the teacher insisted that pupils used terms such as partitioning correctly when describing their calculations. In a Year 3 lesson in the computer suite the teacher ensured that pupils correctly used technical language such as records and fields when setting up a database. Good discussions of how pupils are applying their skills are useful in making pupils aware of how they are learning. In many lessons, a discussion period at the end of the lesson allows pupils to consider their learning and reflect on how they could have done better.

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Good teaching helps pupils to make good progress and achieve above average

7. Teachers make very good use of a wide range of resources to motivate pupils and help them to learn well. For example, the large-scale Ordnance Survey maps of the area fascinated and excited Year 3 pupils. Teachers make good use of individual whiteboards in mathematics lessons to develop quick mental arithmetic skills. They use a wide range of artefacts to illustrate work in lessons and this is particularly apparent in the reception class. Teachers often use homework effectively to increase pupils' learning and build carefully on the pupils' lessons. It is most effective in promoting and developing pupils’ reading and contributes to the good reading standards in the school. In other subjects, however, homework is less consistent and makes less impact on pupils’ learning.

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Good teaching helps pupils to make good progress and achieve above average

8. Teachers help pupils to be clear about what is expected of them. Good organisation of lessons and well-established routines help lessons to have good pace. Teachers use a good range of approaches, carefully chosen to help pupils to learn. For example, lessons have a good mix of instruction, discussion and activities to learn new skills and apply them. Teachers have good knowledge and understanding of the subjects they are teaching, often drawing effectively from national guidance. Very good explanations are strong features of many lessons. These ensure that pupils are very clear of what they need to do and help to maintain the good pace of learning.

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Good teaching helps pupils to make good progress and achieve above average

9. Many teachers show good confidence in approaching the use of the new computer suite. This is having a positive impact on pupils’ attainment in information and communication technology. The resources are good, although teachers have identified a number of 'teething troubles' that they need to resolve in order to ensure consistently good learning. Calverley CE VC Primary School Throughout the school, pupils develop confidence with computers and begin to use a wide range of programs. Teachers are less effective at using the computers in their rooms to enable pupils to practice and consolidate their learning, for example in developing and using word-processing skills.

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Very good provision for pupils’ personal development helps them to mature and be

10. The overall provision for pupils' personal development is very good with particular strengths in providing for pupils’ social and moral development. The positive ethos of the school forms the framework of a caring school community. The caring, welcoming atmosphere and very supportive relationships between staff and pupils build pupils' self-esteem and contribute to their developing maturity. This gives pupils a very secure foundation for their learning and helps them to do well. Teachers effectively use the very good relationships to promote pupils’ personal development and create good learning environments. Because of these good relationships, teachers rarely have to use time to control classes and this leads to good learning. Pupils respond very well to this and are enthusiastic about their work. This encourages them to apply themselves effectively and helps them to do well. As a result, pupils are responsive in lessons, behave very well, listen carefully and carry out their

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Very good provision for pupils’ personal development helps them to mature and be

tasks willingly and responsibly, contributing positively to their learning.

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Very good provision for pupils’ personal development helps them to mature and be

11. Pupils’ very good responses to school and to lessons lead to good behaviour and a strong commitment to learning. The school has introduced a very good system of rewards and sanctions that successfully promotes good behaviour and pupils' enthusiasm for school. Adults act as very good role models to pupils through very good relationships with each other and the pupils. This ensures mutual respect and care for one another. As a result, pupils develop a strong sense of the difference between right and wrong throughout the school.

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Very good provision for pupils’ personal development helps them to mature and be

12. Teachers give pupils many good opportunities to take responsibilities in many aspects of their lessons. The good range of strategies includes many opportunities for pupils to work together in their lessons, encouraging co-operation and very good social development. The success of these strategies shows in the very good levels of co-operation, even from the youngest children in the school. In the reception class, for example, children are keen to get others to join in and they encourage playing together, sharing and taking turns. Year 4 pupils, for example, sensitively discuss the merits of different types of workers to the development of St Lucia.

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Very good provision for pupils’ personal development helps them to mature and be

13. The school pays good attention to developing pupils' understanding of the values and feelings of people in other cultural groups. Almost all pupils are white and the school effectively encourages tolerance and respect for other races. For example, some visitors give pupils experience of wider cultures, such as African drummers, a steel band and musicians from India. There are some interesting activities for pupils out of lessons, including residential visits that include good opportunities to take part in adventurous activities. The very wide range of activities has a very positive effect on the personal development of pupils and the standards they achieve.

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Very good provision for pupils’ personal development helps them to mature and be

14. Assemblies focus on a good range of issues that encourage pupils to develop awareness of the wider world and their place in it. For example, pupils identify the importance of food and water to people around the world as they prepare for a school charitable fund-raising activity. Good links are made that develop pupils' spiritual understanding and pupils willingly reflect on aspects of assemblies that touch on their lives. Teachers introduce many elements within their teaching that encourage amazement and wonder and these capture pupils’ attention well. Teachers make good use of personal and social education lessons to explore important social and moral themes that have a positive impact on pupils' personal development. Teachers make good use of questioning and place clear attention Calverley CE VC Primary School to getting pupils to consider their own personal responses in discussions. As a result,

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Very good provision for pupils’ personal development helps them to mature and be

pupils build good understanding and respect for the beliefs and feelings of others.

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A good range of well-planned activities interests and motivates pupils well, helping them

15. Since the last inspection, the school has made significant improvements to the curriculum. In particular, the school has introduced an effective strategy to teach English and mathematics in the junior years in sets of pupils formed on the basis of their earlier learning. This enables teachers to challenge higher-attaining pupils more effectively, while still supporting lower-attaining pupils well. New schemes of work and planning systems have been introduced that make good use of national guidance. They give good support and guidance to teachers and, as a result, teachers' planning has improved and is clear and consistent through the school.

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A good range of well-planned activities interests and motivates pupils well, helping them

16. Teachers develop pupils' numeracy skills well through a range of activities, particularly in aspects of subjects such as design and technology, where pupils recognise the properties of shapes and measure accurately. Teachers give pupils sound opportunities to develop their literacy skills in other subjects. Pupils use their good reading skills effectively, for example in finding information in history and geography lessons. Opportunities to write in a wide range of styles to support their learning are more limited, although the school has identified the weakness in writing skills. Teachers have established a number of moves to make improvements. For example, the newly instituted Big Writing Day gives junior pupils opportunities to extend their use of imaginative language.

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A good range of well-planned activities interests and motivates pupils well, helping them

17. There is a very good range of learning opportunities across all the subjects of the curriculum. Well-planned activities develop pupils' skills carefully through first-hand experiences that extend pupils' understanding. In most lessons, teachers provide a good balance of activities including relevant practical activities that capture pupils' attention and make learning fun. This has a strong positive effect on pupils' attitudes to lessons. This is shown when pupils show real enthusiasm for activities in all subjects. In Year 2 mathematics lessons, for example, pupils are very keen to give answers and suggestions. They feel confident that teachers and other pupils will listen carefully to what they have to say and will value their contributions. This encourages them to give answers and promotes effective learning. Pupils are eager to learn and their good behaviour in most lessons means that teachers do not lose valuable teaching time in keeping order. Pupils’ behaviour

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A good range of well-planned activities interests and motivates pupils well, helping them

is only weaker in the very few lessons when teachers do not make their expectations of behaviour very clear.

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A good range of well-planned activities interests and motivates pupils well, helping them

18. Although the school has placed substantial emphasis on the development of pupils’ basic skills, there has been a very strong and successful commitment to a wide curriculum. An extensive range of visits and visitors to the school successfully enriches provision. These play an important role in extending pupils’ experiences of, for example, poetry, dance and music. For example, pupils have taken part in workshops relating to African drumming and listened to a string quartet. Residential outdoor pursuits visits for older pupils play an important role in promoting their personal development. There are very many interesting activities for pupils out of lessons, including a very wide range of sporting clubs including football, athletics and gymnastics. These significantly add to pupils’ experiences and encourage pupils to feel a part of the school. Pupils have opportunities to sing in the choir

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A good range of well-planned activities interests and motivates pupils well, helping them

and learn musical instruments such as the violin and recorder. These activities have a positive effect on their personal development and their enthusiasm for learning.

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A good range of well-planned activities interests and motivates pupils well, helping them

Good management is identifying how to make improvements.

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A good range of well-planned activities interests and motivates pupils well, helping them

19. Leadership and management at the time of the last inspection were good, but there were weaknesses, particularly in monitoring the development of subjects. The headteacher has Calverley CE VC Primary School established a substantial and well-organised monitoring system to give a clear and accurate picture of the school. Increasingly effective analysis of school data is identifying strengths and weaknesses of pupils' achievements. Improved structures for working together have led to a shared view of how the school can be managed and of the responsibilities of such staff as subject co-ordinators. The headteacher's strong emphasis on personal relationships and valuing individuals has the positive effect of promoting much good teamwork and the commitment to improve. As a result, staff work together well to improve all aspects of the school's work to achieve good standards. The overall result is a

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A good range of well-planned activities interests and motivates pupils well, helping them

positive and supportive ethos that encourages governors, staff and pupils to do well.

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A good range of well-planned activities interests and motivates pupils well, helping them

20. Subject co-ordinators play an increasing role in managing the school's work. Their monitoring of planning, scrutiny of pupils' work and lesson observations give clear data about how well the school is doing in each of the subjects. The school uses this information to identify potential priorities for wider discussion and to establish development plans for subjects. This process has been very effective, for example, in improving the school's provision for information and communication technology. The co-ordinator has overseen a variety of successful approaches to improve provision. These include substantial improvements in resources, review of curriculum documents and focused training to improve teachers’ personal skills. These developments have been linked to monitoring of teaching to share good practice. As a result, teaching has improved throughout the school, pupils and teachers are confident when using computers and pupils’

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A good range of well-planned activities interests and motivates pupils well, helping them

21. Governors are well informed and they recognise their role to question and challenge the school. They have successfully remedied the weaknesses in monitoring developments identified in the last report. They take an increasingly wide range of additional roles, such as links with specific subjects. Through these roles, governors can question the staff involved and discuss the progress achieved. These structures are giving governors a clearer view of the school and are helping them to ensure that the school fulfils all its statutory requirements.

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A good range of well-planned activities interests and motivates pupils well, helping them

22. The school has made improvements to the development planning process. There are very good links with the professional development of staff, reflected in the school’s successful achievement of an Investors in People award in 1999. Training opportunities relate well to the overall needs of the school but also effectively address teachers’ personal priorities. As a result, all staff are well trained and there are effective strategies for inducting new staff into the school. Governors keep a close eye on spending at regular intervals through the year. They evaluate developments and spending carefully against intended improvements, particularly in pupils' achievements. This ensures that the school obtains best value for all the resources at its disposal. The school has been particularly effective at identifying specific grants and funds that have enabled them to improve provision for pupils.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

Standards in writing do not fully match pupils’ capabilities.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

23. Pupils’ standards of writing are lower than they achieve in reading throughout the school. This is particularly apparent in the school’s National Curriculum results at the age of 11 years. The school has identified this in its monitoring and evaluation and has established a number of appropriate actions linked with targets for pupils and in teachers’ professional development. Although these have begun to have some effect, standards are still lower than they should be because pupils’ learning is not consistent enough. Pupils’ work lacks sufficient rich, complex and imaginative language to achieve the higher levels of attainment. Often work is marred by careless mistakes in spelling and punctuation that should have been identified in pupils’ own thorough checking.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

24. Literacy lessons often focus more strongly on developing reading rather than writing skills. Teachers are effective at this, shown in the strong reading standards achieved in the school. The school has already identified that it has been giving pupils too few opportunities to write for extended periods. This has limited their achievements in writing. A new initiative in the junior classes, Big Writing Day , is designed to redress the balance. Teachers teach pupils specific writing skills and give them longer periods to use them as they write independently. This is beginning to have a positive effect, although it has not spilled over into all of pupils’ writing.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

25. Some aspects of writing, such as note taking and research skills are promoted effectively in lessons and pupils reach good standards. Year 4 pupils, for example, made good notes about jobs in St Lucia from a video that enabled them to discuss many issues. However, some opportunities for using and developing writing in other subjects are missed. In the same Year 4 lesson, pupils had too little time to set out their thoughts in a valid writing task, despite having good information. Pupils’ past work indicates that teachers rarely identify how the writing component of lessons in other subjects can promote pupils’ writing. Similarly, although teachers make increasingly effective use of the new computer suite, they make much more limited use of the computers in their classrooms. They give pupils too few opportunities to use computers to draft and edit writing as a natural part of their lessons.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

26. Teachers are collecting much good information on how well pupils are writing but do not make enough use of this. There are now extensive assessments of older pupils’ attainment against National Curriculum levels in a series of writing tasks. The recorded information includes detailed notes on pupils’ strengths and weaknesses. However, these are not followed through rigorously enough to ensure that pupils improve. For example, although some pupils’ records showed no significant progress this year, no action had been taken to establish what improvements needed to be made. This limits the effectiveness of the potentially very strong assessment system. Similarly, pupils have some simple identified targets to improve their writing and teachers have established good strategies to allow pupils to track their own improvements. However, teachers do not consistently remind pupils of their targets to ensure improvements take place. This is particularly

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

evident when pupils write in other subjects. These factors contrast with the school’s approach to mathematics, where accurate assessment and effective matching of tasks is helping to raise standards throughout the school. Calverley CE VC Primary School

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

27. The school has identified pupils’ standards in writing as a concern and implemented some initial strategies to improve this. These are having some initial success but to extend the process further, the headteacher, staff and governors should now:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(1) raise the standards of pupils’ writing through the school by: • making sharper use of teachers’ assessments of pupils’ writing skills to identify learning needs, group pupils and match work to their needs; • widening the range of writing tasks in other subjects to contribute purposefully to pupils’ development of complex and imaginative language; • ensuring that teachers refer systematically to pupils’ individual writing targets and that pupils use these in all writing activities; • extending pupils’ opportunities for writing activities in homework and through use of classroom computers. Calverley CE VC Primary School

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 5

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very poor

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Percentage 6 25 50 19 0 0 0 The table gives the number and percentage of lessons observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about teaching. Care should be taken when interpreting these percentages as each lesson represents more than six percentage points.

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 255

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 4 FTE means full-time equivalent.

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with Statements of Special Educational Needs 1

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 20

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Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 10

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 4

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 14

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Attendance

National comparative data 5.2 National comparative data 0.5 Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Calverley CE VC Primary School

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

Year Boys Girls Total Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2002 18 15 33

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

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

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

Boys 16 15 17 Numbers of pupils at NC Level 2 and above Girls 14 14 15

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

Percentage of pupils School 91 (94) 88 (94) 97 (97) 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

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

Boys 16 16 18 Numbers of pupils at NC Level 2 and above Girls 14 14 15

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

Percentage of pupils School 91 (97) 91 (97) 100 (97) at NC Level 2 or above National 85 (85) 89 (89) 89 (89)

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

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

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

Year Boys Girls Total Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 2002 15 21 36

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

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

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

Boys 12 10 13 Numbers of pupils at NC Level 4 and above Girls 19 16 18

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

Percentage of pupils School 86 (94) 72 (92) 86 (94) at NC Level 4 or above National 75 (75) 73 (71) 86 (87)

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

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

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

Boys 10 13 14 Numbers of pupils at NC Level 4 and above Girls 18 17 19

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

Percentage of pupils School 78 (86) 83 (92) 92 (92) at NC Level 4 or above National 73 (72) 74 (74) 82 (82) Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Calverley CE VC Primary School

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

White – any other White background 1 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Mixed – any other mixed background 0 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Asian or Asian British – Pakistani 3 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Asian or Asian British – Bangladeshi 0 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black or Black British – Caribbean 1 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

The table refers to pupils of compulsory school age only. It gives the number of exclusions, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded. Calverley CE VC Primary School

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 11.4 Financial year 2001 - 2002

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 22.4

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total income 545,711

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 8 Total expenditure 548,066

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 175 Expenditure per pupil 2,166

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Teachers and classes Financial information

FTE means full-time equivalent. Balance brought forward from previous year 20,350

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance carried forward to next year 17,995

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 0.6

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 2

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Recruitment of teachers

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 0

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Recruitment of teachers

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

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of unfilled vacancies or vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of less than one term (FTE) 0 FTE means full-time equivalent. Calverley CE VC Primary School

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Percentage of responses in each category

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

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child is making good progress in school. 35 52 9 1 3

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Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 40 54 3 0 3

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 28 57 11 4 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 18 53 20 9 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 44 42 9 5 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 53 44 0 2 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 22 50 21 2 5

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 42 43 9 0 6

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 41 52 3 0 4

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 41 44 9 0 6

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