Bill Quay Primary School

BILL QUAY PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 5 – 6 November 2002

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BILL QUAY 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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BILL QUAY 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. Bill Quay Primary School

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Davidson Road Bill Quay Gateshead Tyne and Wear Postcode: NE10 0UN

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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: Mrs E. Pickering

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 1 December 1997 Bill Quay Primary School

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Team members

11328 Mrs M. R. Shepherd Registered inspector 9986 Mr W. Twiss Lay inspector 21534 Mrs K. Rawson Team inspector

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Team members

TWA Inspections Ltd 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 Bill Quay 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

Bill Quay Primary School mainly serves the small community of Bill Quay in Gateshead, which has a mixture of private and rented accommodation. It also attracts pupils from the adjacent local education authority. There are 167 pupils on roll with an even number of boys and girls overall. Pupils are organised in single-age classes in reception and Year 1 but the rest of the classes have mixed-age groups, with three year groups split between two different classes. Over 8 per cent of pupils are eligible for free school meals, which is below average. Two and a half per cent of pupils are of Indian origin and speak English as their first language. Fourteen and a half per cent of pupils are on the register for special educational needs, which is below average. There have been no pupils with Statements of Special Educational Need for the past five years, which is below average. Attainment on entry to the school is above average,

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

although occasionally a year group enters the school with average attainment.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

This is a good school. Pupils make good progress in English, science and gymnastics and have a very good start to their education in the reception class. Staff provide a calm context for learning, which ensures that pupils have very positive attitudes to their work, sensitive relationships with each other and very good behaviour throughout the school day. Teaching is good overall, with excellent teaching for the youngest and oldest pupils. The headteacher, deputy headteacher, co-ordinators and governors work closely together. The school provides good value for money.

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What the school does well

• Standards of Year 6 pupils in English, science and gymnastics are well above average. • Reception children make very good progress because the teaching is excellent and the curriculum is very stimulating. • Attitudes, behaviour, relationships and personal development are very good. • Teaching is good, partnership with classroom assistants is very good. • Leadership and management are good; governors work closely with the school. • The curriculum for moral and social development is very good. • The quality and range of physical education is very good and has resulted in the Activemark Gold award 1 . The extra-curricular activities are very good.

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What could be improved

• Standards of Year 6 pupils in mathematics are lower than English or science. • Progress in reading is too slow in Years 1 and 2. • Communication with parents is not effective enough. • Arrangements for statementing pupils with special educational needs are not effective. 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

Since the previous inspection in December 1997 the school has made good improvement. Both the previous key issues have been completed. Standards have risen in English and science. Progress in reception is faster. Attitudes and personal development are even better, as is the rate of attendance. The quality of teaching now includes some excellent features. The school has extended its work in physical education and has gained the Activemark Gold award. The governing body is more fully involved in the work of the school. However, partnership with parents is not as effective. The school has a good capacity for future development.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

1 The Activemark Gold award is awarded by the government and requires a very good range of activities provided by the school to extend the physical development of pupils. Bill Quay 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 B A A A well above average above average A B Mathematics C A C C average below average C D Science A A A A well below average E

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Key

The inspection confirms the standards of the national tests. The trend overall over the past four years is above the national level. The school sets itself challenging targets that it usually achieves, however occasionally they are unrealistic in mathematics. Standards in gymnastics are well above average.

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Key

Standards in the 2002 national tests for Year 2 pupils are well above average in writing and average in reading and mathematics. The inspection confirms the standards in writing. The very good standards reflect the high quality development work carried out by the Year 2 class teacher and the literacy co- ordinator. Standards in mathematics are rising and the inspection judges them to be above average. The Year 2 class teacher challenges pupils well in whole-class sessions and matches individual work carefully to pupils’ needs. Reading standards are too low. Pupils do not develop a love of reading. Teacher assessment in science in 2002 shows attainment as below average. Pupils now receive a challenging, balanced programme of work and standards are now above average.

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Key

Children in reception make very good progress in all Areas of Learning 2 because the teaching is excellent and the curriculum very stimulating. Children are securely on track to achieve well above the expected level by the end of their reception year in all the Areas of Learning, with the exception of physical development. Progress is slower in this aspect of the curriculum because the classroom does not have direct access to their outdoor play area.

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Key

Progress from Years 1 to 6 varies considerably between different subjects. It is good in the junior classes in English and science, but too slow in mathematics. Progress is good in writing in the infant classes, satisfactory in mathematics, but too slow in reading. The school has put considerable efforts into raising standards in writing and science. They have the potential to transfer these strategies to raising standards across the curriculum.

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Key

Overall pupils with special educational needs make good progress. However, the slow processes of completing statementing procedures are reducing the progress of a very small proportion of these pupils. More-able pupils make good progress.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school These are very good. Pupils are very enthusiastic about their work and settle quickly to their tasks.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms This is very good. Pupils expect to behave sensibly in lessons and listen carefully to staff. They are very polite to each other and to adults. Pupils play sensibly together in the playground.

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Aspect Comment

2 The Areas of Learning are the recommended curriculum from the government for children in reception classes. Bill Quay Primary School Personal development and relationships These are very good. There are high-quality relationships throughout the school. Pupils are very willing to listen to each other’s views and respect differences of opinion. This is particularly good in circle time 3 . Pupils are keen to accept responsibility when it is offered.

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Aspect Comment

Attendance This is well above average. Pupils work very well together in the mixed age classes.

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

Quality of teaching Excellent 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

Overall teaching is good. Nearly half of the teaching is very good and there are excellent features in the work of the Year 5/6 teacher in English and physical education. Teaching in reception is consistently excellent.

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

Teaching of writing is very good and is taught well across the curriculum. Teaching of reading is very good in reception and the junior classes, but is not so effective in the infant classes where pupils do not develop positive attitudes to reading. Teaching of mathematics is good in lessons in both infant and junior classes. However, teachers do not plan together in mathematics in the junior classes to ensure that pupils in mixed- age classes are getting similar experiences. The teaching of numeracy throughout the school is satisfactory overall.

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

Teachers work very well with classroom assistants. All staff manage pupils very well. They all create a calm context for learning. They match the work carefully to different pupils’ needs. Teachers challenge more able pupils well in English and science. They organise lessons carefully to support pupils with special educational needs. They produce high quality displays. Not enough time is given to reading homework in Years 1 and 2.

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

Pupils try hard to do their best in lessons. They have good levels of concentration.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum This is good overall. It is very good in physical education and has resulted in the award of Activemark Gold. Investigations in mathematics and science are covered well. The reception curriculum is excellent apart from the lack of direct access for outdoor play. The extra-curricular activities are very good, particularly the opportunities for the infant pupils.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with special educational needs This is good. Teachers write very careful individual education plans with clearly defined targets. Pupils are supported well in lessons. Procedures for statementing pupils are too slow and are reducing the amount of support needed for these pupils.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development The curriculum for moral and social development is very good. Staff ensure that the school focus on rights, responsibilities and respect 4 are followed through very effectively. Both cultural and multi-cultural development is good and spiritual development is satisfactory.

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Aspect Comment

3 Circle time is a lesson where pupils sit in a circle and take turns to discuss their views and feelings. 4 This is part of the school’s aims. Bill Quay Primary School How well the school cares for its pupils The school takes good care of its pupils. Child protection and health and safety are well in place. Careful records are kept of pupils’ personal development.

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Aspect Comment

Partnership with parents A significant number of parents do not feel that they are well informed or that the school works closely enough with them. Midday supervisors and the catering team support pupils well at lunchtimes.

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff The headteacher manages the budget well and ensures that staff are strategically placed in order to raise standards. The deputy headteacher supports the headteacher extremely well. She is a very good literacy co-ordinator. All co-ordinators work very well to develop their subjects.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities The governors have a very good understanding of the strategic planning of the school. They have a united view of the fundamental aims of the school and use this in making their decisions.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance The school has good systems for ensuing that monitoring takes place regularly. It works closely with governors to produce key priorities for development.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources The budget is used carefully to enhance the work of the school. The secretary is very efficient. The school deploys staff carefully.

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Aspect Comment

Accommodation The reception class is too small and does not have direct access to the outdoor play area. The caretaker and cleaning team work hard to keep the accommodation clean.

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Aspect Comment

The school uses the principles of best value carefully. The governors play a crucial role in producing the School Strategic Plan 5 .

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

Forty-seven per cent of parents returned the questionnaire. Twenty parents attended the parents’ meeting.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• The school has high expectations of their children. • Their children like school. • Teaching is good. • They are comfortable in approaching the school with questions. • Behaviour is good. • The school is well managed and led. • The school does not work closely enough with them. • They are not well enough informed about their children’s progress. • There are not enough activities outside of lessons. • There is not the right amount of homework.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

Inspectors agree with the positive views of parents, although expectations in mathematics are lower than in English or science. They disagree that there are not enough activities outside of lessons and judge this to be very good, particularly the opportunities for the infant pupils. They agree that the school does not keep them sufficiently informed. They judge homework as satisfactory overall. The amount of homework in Years 1 and 2 is at the expected level but the proportion of time given to reading is too small.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

5 The School Strategic Plan identifies the key developments for the future of the school. Bill Quay Primary School

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

Standards of Year 6 pupils in English, science and gymnastics are well above average.

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English

1. Standards in speaking and listening, reading and writing are well above average by the end of Year 6 because there is a high-quality co-ordinator. She analyses weaknesses perceptively and then attends courses to increase her own understanding. She identifies strategies to raise standards and the quality of teaching, and after initiating the new systems, she supports individual teachers and monitors pupils’ work. This ensures that the new systems are used systematically through the school and produces good progress between classes. For example, she worked with the Year 2 teacher and pupils to improve their independent writing and standards rose from below average to well above average in the national tests over just one year. The teaching of English is very good in writing and speaking and listening resulting in consistently good progress through the school. The teaching of the co-ordinator is excellent and because she works predominantly with the

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English

Year 6 pupils, they make very good progress in their final year in school.

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English

2. The following features underpin the success of the school in achieving standards that are well above average in speaking and listening.

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Speaking and listening

• Good-quality discussion during whole-class sessions, where pupils are expected to respond to questions in detail; • regular circle time lessons, which are sensitively handled to ensure pupils feel confident to take part in expressing personal feelings; • teachers organise pupils very effectively to work in pairs across a range of different contexts ranging from preparing answers to questions in whole-class discussions to working together to draft a piece of writing.

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Speaking and listening

3. The following features contribute to the success of the school in achieving standards that are well above average in writing.

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Writing

• Daily handwriting practice, where pupils take a pride in producing carefully constructed letters; • pupils transfer their handwriting skills across the rest of their writing; • teachers provide very interesting and varied tasks for pupils writing, which captures their imagination. For example, in Year 2 pupils wrote detailed instructions across different personal experiences. One pupil wrote ‘Half a minute later. Bring your toothbrush out of your mouth and spit all the toothpaste out’; • teachers provide very clear frameworks to give pupils confidence in writing different types of stories. For example, in Year 2 pupils drew a road for a journey of several different animals and then wrote parts of their story along the road. This particularly helped the boys because it widened the ways they could think about the sequence of the story; • very good use of the literacy sessions to teach pupils basic skills using very clear

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Writing

explanations and the opportunity to practice those skills. For example, in the Year 4, 5 and 6 group, the teacher analysed the position of adverbs extremely well, so that pupils realised that placing the adverb early in a sentence gives more power to the Bill Quay Primary School overall writing. They then wrote their own stories in pairs, placing the adverbs skilfully within their writing; • skilful teaching of the use of poetic language with older pupils to extend their confidence in techniques, such as personification and metaphor. For example, Year 6 pupils wrote poems including the lines ‘The wind was an angry child, dropping tears along the way’. and ‘The moon is in a bundle of stars, floating across a midnight river’; • teachers use pupils’ current experiences well as a basis for writing. For example, a Year 6 pupil wrote a carefully crafted spell during the Hallowe’en period and wrote, ‘Thrice the wasp has stung today; stir, stir in a special way’;

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Writing

• teachers mark pupils’ work thoroughly, identifying the key strengths of the writing. Pupils are so interested in these comments, that they sometimes make a written reply to them; • teachers support pupils with special educational needs well, providing carefully- structured activities to maintain their confidence and extend their skills carefully. For example, a Year 6 pupil with special educational needs was given high-quality support to discuss the setting, the character and the words he could use and then managed to write, ‘You’d better stop said Lenny with a tear rolling down his face’.

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Reading

4. Children get a very good foundation for reading in reception. Progress then slows in Years 1 and 2. The teaching of reading in the literacy sessions is good throughout the school. It is the organisation for pupils to develop independent skills in Years 1 and 2 that is slowing their progress. Progress increases again in the junior classes. The following features are successfully raising standards:-

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Reading

• daily opportunities for pupils to read quietly to themselves, with excellent features in the Year 5/6 class where the teacher shows genuine enjoyment when reading her own book alongside the pupils; • regular records kept of pupils’ progress; • an interesting range of books in classrooms; • in-depth discussions about different key texts; • the use of key texts as a focus for writing. For example, in the Year 4 / 5 / 6 group pupils gained a very good understanding of a bullying sequence in a story by writing it for themselves, which deepened their understanding of the techniques used by the author. A pupil wrote, ‘With a face as cold as stone, he took five giants steps towards Lenny’; • teachers use non-fiction texts skilfully in literacy sessions to extend their reading skills. For example, in the Year 5/6 group pupils wrote their own non-fiction extracts after analysing a non-fiction book together.

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Science

5. Standards in science are well above average by Year 6 because teachers cover investigative science thoroughly and pupils develop skills of scientific thinking as they progress through the school. They receive a well-balanced programme of work across the science curriculum and carry out stimulating investigations. The Year 2 teacher encourages pupils to make personal responses to their scientific investigations. For example, a pupil wrote, ‘Wood will give you splinters, It is not stretchy’, and when writing about fair tests a pupil wrote, ‘You need the same size paper and the same size puddle’.

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Science

6. By Year 6, pupils include a large amount of detail in their written accounts of experiments because the teacher provides a challenging framework for them to use regularly. This is particularly good in requiring a conclusion and pupils strive to identify key characteristics. For example, a pupil wrote , ‘When a solid dissolves it turns into tiny parts so small you can’t see them’. More-able pupils in Year 6 develop very good observational skills and Bill Quay Primary School then record them accurately. For example, a pupil wrote, ‘Sand fell to the bottom in lumps’.

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Gymnastics

7. Pupils have regular opportunities to develop skills in physical education. By Year 6, in gymnastics, pupils have a very high level of expertise and confidence because they have steadily developed skills through the school and then receive excellent quality teaching in the oldest class. For example, they all produce complex sequences including travelling, rolling and jumping, paying attention to the flow of the routine and the preciseness of each movement.

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Reception children make very good progress because the teaching is excellent and the

8. Features of the excellent teaching and curriculum for reception children are as follows:-

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Reception children make very good progress because the teaching is excellent and the

• very high-quality partnership between the teacher and the classroom assistant; • highly skilled pace across whole-class sessions, which drops subtly when new learning is taking place and increases when learning is being consolidated; • excellent use of children to take part in demonstrations. For example, children pointed to key words in the ‘Big Book’; • excellent use of resources to stimulate and maintain children’s attention. For example, in mathematical development the teacher used a washing line of socks, a crocodile puppet, numbers on cards, the register and a ladybird xylophone; • excellent systems for independent play, which children use very confidently; • very imaginative resources for independent play. For example, the dough for developing physical skills not only had little sparkling fragments in it but was also flavoured with banana essence, which gave excellent opportunities for children to

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Reception children make very good progress because the teaching is excellent and the

extend the use of their senses; • a great enthusiasm for learning by both adults, which is transmitted to all children. For example, when introducing a new ‘Big Book’, the teacher said she had had a peek at the story before the lesson and the children couldn’t wait to find out what happened; • high-quality questioning, challenging children to think and respond; • excellent use of mistakes for children to identify. For example, the lion puppet read words incorrectly and the crocodile puppet counted the number of socks wrongly and the children loved telling them the right way to do it; • a very caring, firm and supportive context set for each child across all elements of the lessons, which gives them confidence to explore and question and carry out their work; • extremely thorough coverage of all of the reception curriculum, linking experiences very effectively across activities to provide maximum opportunities for learning.

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Reception children make very good progress because the teaching is excellent and the

Attitudes, behaviour, relationships and personal development are very good.

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Reception children make very good progress because the teaching is excellent and the

9. Pupils develop very good attitudes to their work because teachers are enthusiastic and sensitive to individuals’ needs. Teachers organise pupils carefully to ensure that they understand what they have to do and pupils respond very positively to all the different systems in classes. Pupils expect to behave sensibly in lessons and they listen courteously to adults and to each other because teachers set these standards themselves. Pupils move around the school very sensibly and play well together in the playground. Relationships are very good throughout the school, with girls and boys working comfortably together because they have plenty of opportunities to work in pairs or small groups. Pupils enjoy taking responsibility for different tasks both in lessons and around Bill Quay Primary School the school. They respect each other’s views, particularly during circle time, when they extend their skills of negotiation and compromise. For example, in Year 6 small groups

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Reception children make very good progress because the teaching is excellent and the

had to share their different views of what objects to take on a mountain expedition and then agree on what they would actually take.

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Reception children make very good progress because the teaching is excellent and the

Teaching is good; partnership with classroom assistants is very good.

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Reception children make very good progress because the teaching is excellent and the

10. The features of the partnership between teachers and classroom assistants are as follows:- • a clearly shared understanding of the learning that is planned for each lesson; • good-quality support for individuals during group work. For example, a classroom assistant took a group of pupils to the computer suite where they used computers to draft their writing; • support from the classroom assistant for individuals during whole-class sessions; • support for pupils with special educational needs in lessons; • support for pupils with special educational needs when they are withdrawn to concentrate on specific skills. For example, a classroom assistant worked very sensitively with two pupils in the hall to extend their physical co-ordination.

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Reception children make very good progress because the teaching is excellent and the

11. Other features of the good teaching are as follows:-

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Reception children make very good progress because the teaching is excellent and the

• the creation of a calm and well ordered context for learning in lessons; • the management of behaviour and the effective use of praise to motivate pupils; • recapping the learning at the end of the lesson; • regular opportunities for pupils to work together; • different tasks which match pupils’ needs well; • teachers challenge more-able pupils in English and science; • teachers use pupils’ own work to extend learning across the whole class. For example, in Year 2 the teacher word processed a pupil’s instructions for cleaning her teeth and then the class produced a flow chart of the different parts of the sequence. The pupil was overwhelmed to find out that she was the author; • teachers listen carefully to pupils’ contributions during whole-class discussion and give them carefully-structured support to extend their answers. They then use these answers skilfully to support the learning across the whole class;

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Reception children make very good progress because the teaching is excellent and the

• teachers produce high quality displays in their classrooms and around the school.

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Reception children make very good progress because the teaching is excellent and the

Leadership and management are good; governors work closely with the school.

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Reception children make very good progress because the teaching is excellent and the

12. The headteacher creates a positive context for staff to work together to improve the work of the school. He manages the budget well and identifies opportunities for extending the resources of the school through additional grants. He organises monitoring systems for co-ordinators systematically and delegates key developments effectively to staff. The deputy headteacher works extremely effectively across her range of responsibilities. She sets very high standards in her own teaching. Co-ordinators all have a very good understanding of how they plan to develop their own subjects. Governors work very well together and have a very good understanding of the key priorities for development because they have been closely involved in devising a new format for strategic school development planning. Through this process they have a very clear understanding of current initiatives.

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Reception children make very good progress because the teaching is excellent and the

The curriculum for moral and social development is very good.

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Reception children make very good progress because the teaching is excellent and the

13. Staff set high moral standards for pupils to follow. They explain rules carefully to pupils and the school theme of ‘Rights, Responsibilities and Respect’ is reinforced across a wide range of activities. Teachers use circle time very effectively to extend pupils’ Bill Quay Primary School understanding of moral issues. For example, in Year 2 pupils discussed the need for rules and gained a very good understanding of how rules can help to solve problems and avoid disputed arising. Pupils receive many opportunities to extend their social skills. In lessons, teachers ensure that pupils work in a variety of different groupings. At times, teachers allow pupils to choose their own groups, but they also intervene to ensure that there are mixed gender and ability groups and pupils respond positively to these arrangements. Teachers work together to organise opportunities for older pupils to work with younger pupils. For example, older pupils have partners in reception who they

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The quality and range of physical education is very good and has resulted in the

Activemark Gold award. The extra-curricular activities are very good.

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The quality and range of physical education is very good and has resulted in the

14. The school has worked very hard to meet the requirements of the Activemark and reached the highest level at the first attempt. Teachers organise a wide range of sporting opportunities for pupils and bring in additional expertise to widen the range of activities on offer. For example, pupils can go through a short introductory course for Judo. There is a very good range of extra-curricular sporting opportunities including hockey, netball, football, dance, gymnastics, cricket and basketball. An unusual additional feature is a weekly games club for infants, which gives them a very good additional opportunity to extend simple games skills. As well as the sporting activities, the school runs drama, choir and computer clubs. The computer club supports pupils across all age groups and is the result of additional funding gained by the headteacher’s efforts.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

Standards of Year 6 pupils in mathematics are lower than English or science.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

15. Each of the year groups from Years 3 to 5 are split across two different classes. Within these split-age classes pupils work in mixed-age groups. This works effectively in English and science because teachers cover different content but emphasise similar skills. However, this is not working well enough in mathematics because this subject requires systematic development of skills and understanding in numeracy. The range of work for each class is too different to ensure smooth progression of learning through the junior classes. Teachers in the junior classes do not plan their work together and do not have a clear enough understanding of how their own work compares with that of the other classes. There is a range of different recording systems to track individual pupils’ progress through the mathematics curriculum. However, these are not being used effectively enough to ensure that pupils’ new learning builds systematically on previous knowledge

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

Progress in reading is too slow in Years 1 and 2.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

16. Pupils in Years 1 and 2 do not have consistently positive attitudes towards reading because they do not get enough time to enjoy books individually or to choose books that interest them. Teachers do not systematically provide opportunities for pupils to develop a love of books. The infant library is sited a considerable distance from these infant classes and reduces opportunities for teachers to use it informally through the school day. Some pupils choose library books that are far too hard for them to read and enjoy or do not expect to find any books that would interest them. The reading scheme books are not organised effectively enough to allow pupils to find the next book easily for themselves. The books from different schemes are not grouped together well enough to give pupils enough choice within their reading capability. There are not enough books readily available to match the pupils’ interests once they have become independent readers.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

Pupils have an appropriate amount of homework each night, but the proportion of time allocated to reading is too small. Bill Quay Primary School Communication with parents is not effective enough.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

17. The school does not provide regular whole-school newsletters to keep parents informed of key events and developments in the school. They are not provided with an outline of the content of the curriculum for their children each term or of the homework arrangements. This leaves some parents frustrated that they cannot support their children in preparing for the term’s work. Parents do feel comfortable about approaching the school with problems but they do not feel well enough informed about the action taken after the initial contact with the school. There is not enough information around the school designed specifically to inform parents of the work of the school.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

Arrangements for statementing pupils with special educational needs are not effective.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

18. Although the school plans carefully for the support of pupils with special educational needs in lessons, it is not effective enough in getting pupils through statementing procedures. The school has identified pupils who need considerable additional support in their work and tracks their progress carefully. However, these pupils are not going through statementing procedures. This reduces the amount of analysis of these pupils’ needs by outside experts as well as limiting the amount of support to which these pupils are entitled. This situation does not allow enough formal and detailed annual reviews to take place before these pupils move on to secondary school.

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Accommodation for reception is too small and there is no direct access to outdoor play

19. The reception teaching team works very hard to provide stimulating and inventive opportunities for children to develop skills in independent learning. However, these activities then reduce the amount of space for children to sit as a whole class. There is a special outdoor play area that the teaching team set up carefully to provide a range of activities. However, there is no direct access to this area from the classroom and children cannot choose to work outside during independent activities. Bill Quay Primary School

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

In order to further extend the work of the school the governors, headteacher and staff should:-

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(1) increase the progress of pupils in mathematics from Years 3 to 6 by:-

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• analysing the curriculum for each of the split year groups in order to identify the different experiences pupils are being offered; • from this analysis, organising the planning of termly and weekly lessons more effectively across the whole junior teaching team to ensure pupils from the same year group receive similar opportunities for learning; • using the tracking systems for individual pupils more effectively to ensure that new learning builds securely on previous understanding and skills; Paragraph 15

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(2) increase the progress of reading in Years 1 and 2 by:-

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• improving the infant library provision in order to increase pupils’ independent reading skills by:- i. resiting the infant library; ii. making it more attractive; iii. ensuring it is used more regularly by all infant pupils; iv. teaching infant pupils how to select books that match their interests and their reading capability; • increasing the proportion of homework devoted to reading; • rearranging the books on the reading scheme so that pupils can get them for themselves more easily; • promoting more positive attitudes towards reading;

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(3) improve communication with parents by:-

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• providing regular whole-school newsletters for parents; • informing parents of the content of the curriculum and arrangements for homework at the beginning of each new term; • giving individual parents more effective feedback on the action taken by the school in response to their concerns; • providing more information for parents around the school building;

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(4) increase efforts to speed up the process for statementing pupils with special educational needs.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

Governors should also include the following weakness in their action plan:-

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• the accommodation for reception children is too small and does not allow direct access to outdoor play.

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 23

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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 30 17 35 18 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 five 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) 167

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 14

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 0

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 24

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Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 0

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 11

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 12

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Authorised absence Unauthorised absence

National comparative data 5.4 National comparative data 0.5 Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Bill Quay 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 * 6 * 18

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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 * * * Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls * * *

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

Percentage of pupils School 94 (86) 83 (91) 89 (95) 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 * * * Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls * * *

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

Percentage of pupils School 83 (86) 83 (91) 89 (91) 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 * * 24

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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 * * * Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls * * *

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

Percentage of pupils School 96 (86) 75 (86) 96 (100) 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 * * * Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 8 * *

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

Percentage of pupils School 96 (79) 79 (93) 96 (93) 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.

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

6 Where there are fewer than ten pupils in a category, the actual numbers are not reported. Bill Quay 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 0 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 0 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Asian or Asian British – Bangladeshi 0 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black or Black British – Caribbean 0 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 7 Financial year 2001-2002

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 23.7

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total income 412,677

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 4 Total expenditure 395,740

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 116.25 Expenditure per pupil 2,473

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance brought forward from previous year 10,529

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance carried forward to next year 27,462 7 FTE means full-time equivalent.

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Teachers and classes Financial information

7 This includes funds put aside to improve accommodation. Bill Quay Primary School

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 2

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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. Bill Quay 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. 44 46 4 0 6

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Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 39 49 4 3 5

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 20 64 15 0 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 30 41 20 1 8

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Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 52 38 5 4 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 51 46 3 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 27 44 23 1 5

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 38 51 3 5 3

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 33 54 8 0 5

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 28 51 16 1 4

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