Bishop Road Primary School

BISHOP ROAD PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 9 th – 10 th December 2002

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BISHOP ROAD PRIMARY SCHOOL

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

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BISHOP ROAD 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. Bishop Road Primary School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Bishop Road Bishopston Bristol

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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 J Williams

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 2 nd March 1998 Bishop Road Primary School - 4

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Team members

1245 Mr B Allsop Registered inspector 11096 Ms M Davie Lay inspector 4343 Ms S Billington Team inspector 25778 Mr A Hicks Team inspector

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Team members

3 Greenacres Puddletown Dorchester Dorset DT2 8GF

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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 Bishop Road Primary School - 5

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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 is a large urban school with 577 boys and girls with an additional 52 attending part time in the nursery. Pupils are aged between three and eleven. They are taught in 22 single age classes. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is low at around three per cent. There are 43 children with special educational needs (SEN). This proportion is also lower than average. There are eight pupils with statements of special educational needs. These pupils have support requirements ranging from physical to special learning needs.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Whilst the vast majority of pupils are White British, there are pupils who are European, Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani, Black Caribbean and Black African and a few representatives of other ethnic groups. The proportion of pupils with English as an additional language, 3.2 per cent, is higher than in many schools.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

The school serves an, overall, advantaged area. The overwhelming majority of children have some pre- school experience before starting school. Children’s attainment on entry to the school is above average and well above in language and in social skills.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

This is a good school with many very good features. The teaching is good and the pupils attain high standards especially in English, mathematics and science. There is very good behaviour, very positive attitudes and very good relationships. The pupils are eager to learn. There is very good provision for pupils’ personal development. Pupils respond well to the wide-ranging curriculum and excellent extra- curricular activities. The leadership of the school is good and recently has been steered effectively by the acting headteacher. The school offers good value for money.

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What the school does well

• Pupils make good progress and attain high standards in English, mathematics and science • The quality of teaching is good • Pupils behave very well, have very good attitudes and form very good relationships • Links with parents and the community are very good • Provision for personal, spiritual, moral, social and cultural education is very good

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What could be improved

• The management of the provision and systems for supporting pupils with special educational needs • The use of information and communications technology (ICT) to support teaching and learning across the subjects of the curriculum. 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

There has been good improvement in the school since the last inspection in March 1998. The quality of the teaching has improved. This has been helped by the improvements in the planning of the whole curriculum and also individual lessons. The analysis of pupils’ attainment and the setting of targets has improved. The school now has more effective assessment systems and records. Reports to parents have improved but tend to give the same information for all pupils in a class. Some lack sufficient individual comment and targets for improvement.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

ICT curriculum documentation, equipment and the teachers’ expertise to support the pupils’ learning have improved. However, the use of ICT to support learning in other subjects of the curriculum is still Bishop Road Primary School - 7 limited. Some teaching of pupils with special educational needs, when they were withdrawn from class, was deemed unsatisfactory in the last report. This has improved.

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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

well above average A above average B average C below average D well below average E

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Key

The school has a very good track record with pupils attaining consistently well above average in the national tests each year. The school does very well when compared to schools in similar circumstances. The school exceeded the targets set in conjunction with the local education authority (LEA) last year.

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Key

Trends in the tests results up to the year 2001 have kept in step with improvements nationally. Unusually, boys generally attain at a higher level than girls in the tests. The majority of pupils make good progress and a high proportion of pupils achieve above average standards in the national tests.

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Key

The results of tests taken by seven year olds are also very good with particular improvement in mathematics over the last two years and standards attained were excellent.

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Key

Those children in the nursery and in reception make a good start to their life in school and achieve well. The vast majority reach at least expected levels in all areas of learning at the start of Year 1. They have particular strengths in language and in their social skills.

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Key

The quality of work seen during the inspection was also of a very high standard. The vast majority of pupils throughout the school are achieving close to their capacity in English, mathematics and science. Throughout the school the standards achieved in art and history are above those expected of children of similar ages. Most of the pupils with special educational needs achieve soundly but the rate of progress for some is not as fast as it could be. The pupils with English as an additional language generally make sound progress.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Very good: the pupils are enthusiastic and co-operative and eager to learn. They thoroughly enjoy the experiences offered in the school.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Very good in the classrooms and playground.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Very good. Pupils show good initiative and take responsibility. They participate fully in the life of the school. The relationships between the staff and pupils are very good. Staff and pupils treat each other with great respect. Bishop Road Primary School - 8 Attendance Good. The school has good systems to monitor attendance.

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Aspect Comment

Pupils’ very good attitudes to learning, very constructive relationships and effective skills in working together are a particular strength of the school. By the time they leave the school pupils are very well prepared for the next stage of their education.

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

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: Nursery and Reception Years 1-2 Years 3-6

The quality of teaching in the school is good. It varies between very good and satisfactory. No teaching is unsatisfactory. Staff are knowledgeable, enthusiastic, organise their rooms well and have good subject knowledge. They show great respect for the pupils. They manage pupils well, use a wide range of teaching techniques, and have high expectations at all times. The teaching in the nursery and in Year 6 is of particularly high calibre.

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

Whilst at times the work is generally well matched to the needs of pupils, on occasions, there is a lack of effective, well planned support for the pupils with special educational needs.

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

Literacy and numeracy are taught very effectively. ICT skills are well taught in the ICT suite. These skills are not sufficiently applied by the pupils in other lessons. The pupils are eager to learn and staff effectively exploit that enthusiasm. Very good behaviour and co-operation between pupils support the effective learning.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

The quality and range of the curriculum The overall curriculum is very good. There is very good provision for personal, social and health education and excellent extra-curricular activities.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Provision and pupils’ progress varies from class to class. The special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO) does not monitor sufficiently the quality and implementation of the pupils’ planned support programmes. Support for these pupils is inconsistent.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils with English as an additional language. Satisfactory. Overall, pupils with English as an additional language make sound progress. Work, at times, needs to be better matched to their needs.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural, development Very good. Pupils are frequently asked to reflect on moral issues in the world. The pupils are given wide ranging cultural and social experiences.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

How well the school cares for its pupils The school takes very good care of the pupils. The systems for monitoring and promoting good behaviour are very good. There is good assessment of pupils’ academic progress. Tracking of the progress of pupils with special educational needs is still very new and not yet used to full effect. Bishop Road Primary School - 9 The well planned, active and stimulating curriculum is a strength of the school. The extra-curricular activities effectively support the curriculum. The wide range of art, music and dance activities successfully capture the pupils’ interests and enthusiasms.

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff The school is well led. The acting headteacher has kept the school well on course this term. All staff are very committed to the improvement of the school and the standards attained by the pupils. Subject managers monitor subjects effectively, although the SENCO needs to monitor classroom practice more frequently. Consideration needs to be given to the distribution of curriculum responsibilities to make effective use of all staff.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Very well. The governors fulfil their responsibilities well and take an active and informed part in shaping the development of the school.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance Very good: monitoring and evaluation of the school have improved considerably. The monitoring of the quality of teaching by senior staff is thorough and effective.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources Good. The school’s spending decisions relate closely to priorities. Good use is made of resources and accommodation. Better use could be made of staff skills. experience and expertise.

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Aspect Comment

The team of staff is hardworking and dedicated. Some experienced staff carry two subject or other responsibilities whilst others have none.

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Aspect Comment

The governors monitor the work and finances of the school closely and are keenly aware of its strengths and weaknesses. They are very aware of the need to apply the principles of best value when purchasing goods and services.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• The behaviour is good • Children enjoy going to school • The school helps children to mature and become responsible • The head and staff are approachable • The teaching is good • The school expects the children to work hard and achieve to their best • The amount of homework is not sufficient • The information they receive about their children’s progress • The support for pupils with special educational needs

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

Six hundred and twenty-nine questionnaires were sent out and 164 were returned; thirty-nine parents attended the parents’ meeting.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

The inspection team endorses all the positive views of the parents. The children do work hard, enjoy the Bishop Road Primary School - 10 school, behave well and adopt mature attitudes to their work. There is good teaching and the range of extra-curricular activities is excellent. The inspection team found that the amount of homework is about normal for children of this age. Whilst parents receive adequate information about the curriculum and pupils’ progress during the year the annual reports do say too little about individual pupils. The inspectors agree with the comments that pupils with special educational needs are not always adequately and appropriately supported. Bishop Road Primary School - 11

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science

The school has a history of good performance in the national tests taken at the end of Year 6. Results in English, mathematics and science have been well above the national average. Results also compare well with schools with a similar intake. In the 2002 tests, results were also well above average in all three subjects. The proportion of pupils attaining at the higher levels was also well above average. When observing pupils in lessons, looking at their past work and in discussion with them, high standards are evident. The pupils make good, and at times very good progress, particularly in Years 5 and 6. The high quality teaching in Year 6 has a particularly positive effect upon the pupils’ progress.

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science

• In English pupils have particularly good skills in speaking and listening. They use a wide range of vocabulary and confidently offer ideas and information in class discussions. They willingly make mature and sensible responses to their teachers and peers. For example in Year 5 pupils are able talk with sensitive understanding about ‘What makes a good leader?’ In Year 6 they confidently offer their opinions about the writing of Dylan Thomas using the terms alliteration, metaphor, personification and onomatopoeia. In Year 5 when discussing the book, ‘ The Borrower’ pupils listen very carefully to the teacher and then offer suggestions about similes and metaphors and how the passage is punctuated. Pupils in Year 2 enthusiastically offer ideas about loneliness and examples of alliteration such as the ‘wind whistles’ and the ‘breeze blew’.

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science

• Pupils have high standards in reading. They read widely, both for information and for enjoyment. Discussion and reading records show that pupils select books by numerous authors and can explain why they enjoy the work of such authors as Dick King Smith or Tolkien. They critically appraise the work of many different types of author. They use the school library to good effect, confidently using the Dewey system to locate books and the school’s computerised catalogue to find reference materials. Older pupils have younger reading partners and, after training from the teachers, enjoy reading to, and with, the pupils at the lower end of the school.

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science

• Pupils have high standards in writing. They write with verve and enjoyment. In describing winter scenes, Year 6 pupils produce such sentences as, ‘Like glistening, glittering jewels the snow carpets the frosty ground’. Pupils write in many different forms; play scripts , diaries, letters, newspaper articles, poetry and prose. The teachers press them to extend their vocabulary to add drama and colour to their writing. Many effectively capture the reader’s interest with powerful openings and colourful descriptions. ‘The swift cool breeze seized my eyes.’ Pupils take pride in presenting their work in a neat uniform cursive script. However, not enough opportunity is given for pupils to wordprocess their written work and to use and extend their ICT skills.

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science

• Pupils have high standards in mathematics. By the age of eleven pupils are working at a high level. They handle numbers with considerable confidence and ease. They use their skills to solve simple equations, draw and use conversion graphs, estimate, round up and down and find areas and perimeters. Many pupils achieve the higher levels in mathematics. Year 5 pupils eagerly rise to the challenge of identifying number sequences and develop simple formulae to describe the sequences. Year 2 pupils work fluently with numbers, time and money and, here also, many achieve at high levels for their age. They Bishop Road Primary School - 12 enjoy working with shapes and capably describe their sides, corners and faces. The vast majority of pupils tackle number problems with enthusiasm. They are keen to find different ways of finding an answer to a problem. The teachers effectively encourage pupils to use their numeracy skills across the curriculum by , for example, getting pupils

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science

to measure and record in science. They carefully record temperature change over time on graphs.

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science

• Pupils have high standards in science. By the end of Year 6 pupils have a wide range of scientific knowledge and skills with many pupils achieving above average levels. They have a good knowledge of fair testing and how to control the variables in an experiment. They seize the opportunity well to test their skills and knowledge when posed such questions as, “Does blowing on your soup make a difference?” They test the insulating properties of materials and securely record changes in temperature over time. They capably name the parts of the eye and describe how it functions. The specialist teaching of science in the school helps to promote these high standards.

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science

Pupils make good use of their literacy and numeracy skills across the curriculum. They readily use their numerical skills and knowledge in science to conduct and record experiments. In history, for instance, they write the diary of John Cabot on his journeys of exploration. They write the Christmas story from the perspective of a Roman soldier in religious education. They make good use of reference books to research in several aspects of the curriculum. They do not, however, make good use of their ICT skills which they competently develop in the ICT suites.

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The quality of teaching is good

Good quality teaching is a strength of the school. The teachers attempt to ensure that the lessons are active and stimulating and are very aware that pupils require a wide range of different types of activity to stimulate their learning. Approximately eight of ten lessons are good or very good. The greatest strengths in teaching lies in Year 6 and in the nursery. The school generally makes good use of the teachers’ expertise and interests and there is a proportion of “specialist” teaching which, for example, means one teacher teaches all of the science in Year 6. The school also has an effective arrangement with the local secondary school whereby specialist teachers visit to take lessons. Both of these forms of organisation have a positive effect on the pupils’ motivation and standards. Setting arrangements (pupils grouped according to their knowledge and understanding) for mathematics in Years 5 and 6

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The quality of teaching is good

also enable teachers to employ their own skills and enthusiasms appropriately.

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The quality of teaching is good

The characteristics of the good teaching include:

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The quality of teaching is good

• Lessons that are well planned and prepared. The quality of planning has improved considerably. Medium-term and short-term planning supports teaching. In the nursery, the learning objectives are very clear and indicate the vocabulary to be developed throughout the learning activities. Throughout the school teachers ensure that resources and equipment are readily available to support their teaching and capture the interests of the pupils. Many teachers are aware that different pupils have different styles of learning and plan different types of learning activity, for example, individual written work, drama, group work, discussion and open-ended questions.

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The quality of teaching is good

• The classroom relationships are very positive. In lessons throughout the school teachers, assistants, visiting adults and pupils get on very well together. The pupils are very well managed. Teachers devote all of their time to teaching because they have Bishop Road Primary School - 13 established good classroom routines. Management of the class often appears effortless and this enables teachers to focus on teaching a small group as the rest of the class works hard at set tasks. Pupils work well together in pairs and small groups as they attempt to find the solutions to problems or work out the sequence and parts in a role- play. The staff and pupils enjoy working together; there is a shared sense of fun and praise and humour suffuse the activities.

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The quality of teaching is good

• The teachers use a variety of methods to promote effective learning. Pupils are actively engaged in lessons right from the start. For example, the lesson objectives are often successfully shared with the pupils. In a mathematics lesson, objectives are shared and the question asked, “How will we know if we have been successful?” Pupils decide, for example, that if they can spot the next number in a sequence they will have succeeded. Brisk pace and the use of whiteboards sweep the pupils into the lesson, and gets them thinking hard and talking about possible numbers in the sequence. The teacher is able to assess understanding as pupils display their answers to the class.

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The quality of teaching is good

In the nursery the room is very well organised, bright, stimulating and children are encouraged to be independent. The resources are used imaginatively to capture children’s attention, for example, a series of brightly coloured boxes are used to stimulate counting and to build spacial and manipulative skills as children strive to fit them into a larger container.

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The quality of teaching is good

The ICT suite is used effectively to extend pupils’ skills and enliven learning. In a Year 6 lesson on developing a multi-media presentation the class teacher gave a very practical relevant demonstration on how to assemble the components of the presentation. Lots of relevant questions to the pupils established that they understood what to do. All pupils were totally engaged with the task, discussing animatedly in pairs how to develop the presentation. ICT is generally not, however, used imaginatively and effectively back in the classrooms as a means to support learning across the curriculum.

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The quality of teaching is good

• Teachers give clear explanations and make very good use of questions. The teachers successfully promote good progress by giving pupils clear understanding of the new skills or knowledge they are gaining. In a Year 2 mathematics lesson the teacher quickly revised what the pupils knew about telling the time and then asked some quick fire questions, “What time is it? How do you know?” She then gave good opportunity for the pupils to offer explanations in their own words. The teacher turned the minute hand and challenged pupils to say how many minutes had gone when it moved from the 12 to the 6. In a Year 5 mathematics lesson the teacher explained a sequence of numbers moving down the left hand diagonal on a 100 number square. She then asked challenging questions about number sequences on the other diagonal and on a variety of different number squares. In a Year 6 English lesson the teacher asked questions about the

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The quality of teaching is good

characteristics of good handwriting and got the class to suggest ways in which handwriting can be judged. Pupils discussed in pairs then offered such ideas as joins, slant, height, consistency of size and spacing. The teacher analysed his own writing. Advice was then given as to how to improve the quality of writing.

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Pupils behave very well, have very good attitudes and form very good relationships

• The pupils develop very good work habits. They are keen and enthusiastic about their work. In the nursery and reception classes children are encouraged to become independent, make choices and sustain concentration on tasks. As they move through the school they listen attentively and make good contributions to class and paired Bishop Road Primary School - 14 discussions. When individual tasks are set they settle rapidly to work, eager to do their best and show determination and concentration.

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Pupils behave very well, have very good attitudes and form very good relationships

• Pupils work well in groups and pairs. In a Year 6 history lesson pupils were given the task of depicting the voyages of John Cabot in a role-play. This was to enable the teachers to make an end of unit assessment of their individual knowledge and understanding of explorations in Tudor times. The groups quickly established roles and co-operatively developed the plot and content of the short play. They talked quietly but intently, listening to each other’s ideas and modifying their play accordingly. The plays were generally confidently presented to show aspects of the food, work and experience aboard ‘The Matthew’. Pupils watched respectfully and then offered thoughtful evaluations of each role play.

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Pupils behave very well, have very good attitudes and form very good relationships

• Pupils behave very well. The pupils generally behave very well in all situations. The children in the nursery and reception when choosing and using a variety of media in their art work do so with the minimum of guidance yet behave well and organise themselves. They independently and confidently experiment and investigate the qualities of different media. In a Year 4 English lesson on using powerful verbs the pupils listened very carefully to a Walter de la Mare poem and then offered their own ideas such as, ‘eyes shimmering green and bright’. They worked co-operatively and quietly in producing their own poems in groups and then sensibly and critically appraised the work of others. The pupils with special educational needs are fully engaged and take a constructive part in many lessons where the support and subject content is well matched to their individual needs. They very seldom misbehave, although in a few lessons they take little part, and

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Pupils behave very well, have very good attitudes and form very good relationships

sometimes show boredom and frustration when the content, pace and focus of the lesson are not suitably modified to enable them to participate.

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Pupils behave very well, have very good attitudes and form very good relationships

• The pupils have very positive attitudes to school life. Discussions with pupils across the school show that they feel lessons are enjoyable and worthwhile. The oldest pupils are very positive about the range of out of school activities, visits and the opportunities to have responsibility. They particularly enjoy the opportunities to participate in music, dance and drama activities both in the school and with the school in the wider community. They feel the teachers are their friends; talk freely with them and write to them about any worries in their personal, social and health education (PSHE) books and the teachers reply. They think the school council is a useful way in which they have a voice in the school. Year 6 pupils cheerfully state, “We would not change anything about this school except the toilets!”

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Pupils behave very well, have very good attitudes and form very good relationships

Links with parents and the community are very good.

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Pupils behave very well, have very good attitudes and form very good relationships

The school is very popular and the parents rightly praise the ethos of the school and the width of the curriculum offered to the pupils.

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Pupils behave very well, have very good attitudes and form very good relationships

• The school makes good use of expertise in the local community. Many parents give good support to the school by adding their expertise to that of the staff. One parent provides a very popular art class. Others provide football training and also support the choir. All of this adds value to the already stimulating and varied curriculum and programme of extra-curricular activities. Members of staff from a local secondary school lend direct support to the school’s curriculum. Specialist teachers work with Year 6 pupils on a regular basis to provide experiences in dance, music and drama. A wide range of Bishop Road Primary School - 15 visitors further enliven the curriculum, for example, the Bristol Old Vic provides extracts of drama. The play scheme workers are effectively used to extend the range of worthwhile experiences offered at lunch break times.

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Pupils behave very well, have very good attitudes and form very good relationships

• The school works within the local community. Pupils frequently take their interests and expertise out into the wider community in Bristol. They become involved in a range of artistic events. The school’s choir has a very high reputation and frequently performs outside the school. The standard of dance at the school is also high and performances are given at some of the larger venues in the city.

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Pupils behave very well, have very good attitudes and form very good relationships

• The links with parents are strong . The Parent Teacher and Friends Association (PTFA) runs a number of popular events and supports the school well. The curriculum is effectively explained by the use of booklets sent out by classes and year groups. The half- termly teaching plans are displayed for parents to read to enable them to support their children’s learning. Regular curriculum evenings are held and post boxes for the governors and the PTFA encourage good communication at all levels. The nursery and reception class teachers undertake home visits to establish firm links with parents.

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Provision for personal, spiritual, moral, social and cultural education is very good

The school makes very good provision for all aspects of pupils’ personal development. The parents, both through the response to the inspector’s questionnaire and at the parents’ meeting, praised the school’s efforts to develop the pupils’ self-esteem, confidence, sense of responsibility and the ability to play and work together co-operatively.

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Provision for personal, spiritual, moral, social and cultural education is very good

• Pupils’ personal development is very good. In the nursery and reception classes the children are given many opportunities to take responsibility for their own learning. The very carefully planned and resourced activities encourage the children to make decisions, select materials and to work co-operatively. This provides a very good base for the school to build upon. The teachers have very high expectations that pupils will focus on tasks, behave well and participate in a mature manner. Many tasks and jobs are given to pupils and they state, “this makes us feel very responsible”. They work in the library, help in the dining room, have reading partners in the lower school, participate in the school council and partner younger children at playtimes. The wide range of performances, visits to museums and castles, team games, music groups and residential activity camps all help to enhance personal development. Parents rightly praise the increased maturity of outlook

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Provision for personal, spiritual, moral, social and cultural education is very good

and behaviour as the pupils progress through the school.

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Provision for personal, spiritual, moral, social and cultural education is very good

• Spiritual and moral development are very good. Pupils are given every opportunity to reflect upon art, music and literature. This is a significant strength of the school. Pupils capably express their feelings and emotions evoked by a piece of writing or a picture. In a Year 4 English lesson on the theme of loneliness they empathised with people who are alone. Pupils produced evocative pieces of writing to emulate the feelings of loneliness. Religious education and PSHE also give good opportunities to reflect upon actions, feelings and emotions. A Year 4 class discussed the Parable of the Sower and interpreted the story sensitively, identifying the types of people represented by the seed falling on different ground. Reflection and discussion often form a part of a lesson. Behaviour is often discussed and pupils respond very well to the positive ethos of the school. They are known well by the adults in the school and any off task or untoward

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Provision for personal, spiritual, moral, social and cultural education is very good

behaviour is dealt with in a quiet and subtle manner. The rules of the school are well known and permeate the daily life of pupils in an unobtrusive way. Bishop Road Primary School - 16 • Social and cultural development are very good. The visits, camps, teams, music and dance groups all provide good opportunities for the pupils' social and cultural growth. The teachers often make good use of pairs to discuss topics or evaluate the quality of each other’s work. There is a consistent expectation that the views of others will be listened to and respected. The pupils are made aware of the multicultural nature of their city by visits to local churches, the mosque and the synagogue. Music of other cultures is appreciated and a range of work of European and other artists studied. The pupils are taught to value relationships and each other in the PHSE programme and are given good role models to follow by the staff. The pupils enjoy being together in the school.

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educational needs (SEN)

The quality of support for pupils with special educational needs is variable. There is a need to ensure greater consistency in the quality of the individual education plans (IEPs) for pupils and the way in which the plans are implemented. In some classrooms, the plans are detailed and relevant and carefully detail the learning needs of the pupil. Teachers’ planning indicates the ways in which pupils will be supported during the lesson and how the work will be matched to their individual needs. The learning support assistants are carefully briefed. Many are skilled and knowledgeable and, for example, successfully manage pupils with some very challenging behavioural difficulties enabling them to participate in lessons.

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educational needs (SEN)

In some classrooms, however, the plans are too broad, lack specific learning targets and give little indication of how learning needs will be addressed or the pupil will be supported. The work set lacks a good match to the needs of the pupils and, whilst they are well behaved, and compliant, they actually take little part in the lesson and do not make good progress.

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educational needs (SEN)

The special educational need co-ordinator (SENCO) takes only one day a week to manage the process. She meets parents and outside specialist on that one day. With 22 classes in the school she is able to visit very few to monitor the quality of provision. The tracking systems for pupils with special educational needs are very new and have not yet provided the quality of information required to effectively analyse the success of the support systems. The monitoring of the systems in action in the classrooms is currently inadequate.

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learning across the subjects of the curriculum

A very new co-ordinator is working hard to improve the quality of provision and teaching of ICT. His task is made difficult because he also has responsibility for science in this very large school. The effective teaching of ICT in the school’s two ICT suites ensures that pupils are gaining the appropriate skills and knowledge to meet the requirements of the National Curriculum. Pupils are adept at word-processing and using art programs and data-handling software. By the time the pupils are in Year 6 they are skilled and confident in using a wide range of programs in the ICT room.

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learning across the subjects of the curriculum

The classrooms are equipped with one or two computers but the use of these to support work across the curriculum is very limited. Whilst on occasions one or two pupils will be directed during the course of a lesson to work on the computer, this does not appear to be Bishop Road Primary School - 17 systematic or sustained practice. The result is that the skills gained during the one or two lessons experienced in the ICT suites each week are not employed and practised in support of other learning.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL SHOULD DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER

In order to raise standards further, governors, the headteacher and staff should now:

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WHAT THE SCHOOL SHOULD DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER

(1) Improve the management of the provision for special educational needs (SEN) by:

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WHAT THE SCHOOL SHOULD DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER

- increasing the monitoring and evaluation of the provision in classrooms; - ensuring consistent rates of progress for the pupils; - the SENCO regularly working alongside teaching and learning support staff in classrooms; - regularly monitoring the progress of individual pupils; - providing further training for all staff in meeting the needs of SEN pupils; - improving and monitoring the consistency and use of IEPs.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL SHOULD DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER

(2) Improve the use of ICT across the curriculum by:

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WHAT THE SCHOOL SHOULD DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER

- providing further training for staff in the use of ICT across curriculum subjects; - providing a wider range of programs to support the curriculum; - tracking pupils’ use of ICT in the classroom. Bishop Road Primary School - 18

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 14

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactor y Poor Very Poor

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

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

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery YR – Y6

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 26 577

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals - 18

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Information about the school’s pupils

Special educational needs Nursery YR – Y6

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 0 8

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 0 43

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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 18

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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 22

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 31

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Attendance

School data 4.6 School data 0.2 Bishop Road Primary School - 19 National comparative data 5.4 National comparative data 0.5

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Attendance

Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Bishop Road Primary School - 20

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

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2002 41 42 83

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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 38 38 40 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 41 41 41

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

Percentage of pupils School 95 (90) 95 (96) 98 (96) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (84) 86 (86) 90 (91)

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

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

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

Boys 39 41 40 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 41 41 41

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

Percentage of pupils School 96 (90) 99 (95) 98 (94) 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)

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 2002 44 30 74

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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 37 42 44 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 25 23 29

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

Percentage of pupils School 84 (88) 88 (89) 99 (95) 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 41 44 44 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 26 28 29

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

Percentage of pupils School 91 (95) 97 (96) 99 (96) at NC level 4 or above National 73 (72) 74 (74) 82 (82)

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

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Bishop Road Primary School - 21

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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

Asian or Asian British – any other Asian background 11

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black or Black British – any other Black background 1

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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. Bishop Road Primary School - 22

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 22.3 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 1,186,281

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 19 Total expenditure 1,200,055

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 216.75 Expenditure per pupil 2,024

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Qualified teachers and support staff: nursery Balance brought forward from previous year 52,012

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 1 Balance carried forward to next year 38.238

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 26

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 2

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 32.5

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 8.3

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 9

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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) 3.3

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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

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Recruitment of teachers

FTE means full-time equivalent. Bishop Road Primary School - 23

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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. 52 38 4 1 5

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Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 55 42 2 0 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 33 35 13 1 18

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Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 29 49 16 3 3

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Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 63 28 5 2 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. 49 43 3 0 5

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 37 48 12 2 2

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 41 40 4 1 15

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 52 43 2 0 3

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 43 40 7 0 10

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