Brockley Primary School

BROCKLEY PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 16 th – 19 th September 2002

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BROCKLEY 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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BROCKLEY 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. Brockley Primary School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Type of school: Nursery, Infant and Junior

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Clowne Road Shuttlewood Chesterfield Derbyshire Postcode: S44 6AF

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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. Sheila Morris

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 12 th January 1998 Brockley Primary School - 4

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

23233 Jo Cheadle Registered inspector English; art and design; special educational needs; education inclusion The school’s results and achievements; How well are pupils taught? How well is the school led and managed? 31718 Denise Shields Lay inspector How well does the school care for its pupils? How well does the school work in partnership with parents? 20932 Tim Boyce Team inspector Mathematics; geography; physical education 27568 Midge Davidson Team inspector Science; information and communication technology; design and technology; music How good are the curricular and other opportunities are offered to pupils?

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

31344 Barbara Atcheson Team Inspector The provision for children in the Foundation Stage; history; religious education Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Evenlode Associates Ltd 6 Abbey Close Alcester Warwickshire B49 5QW

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

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

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Brockley 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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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS? 11

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Brockley Primary is a small village school in Shuttlewood, Derbyshire. The school belongs to the North East Derbyshire Education Action Zone (EAZ). There are currently 147 pupils on roll between the ages of 3 and 11. This includes 18 children in the nursery class who attend mornings only. There is high unemployment in the village due to the closure of local collieries that had been the main source of work for many generations. The village is a mix of privately owned and rented accommodation. Some families move to the village to take advantage of more affordable housing. On occasions, they move to new homes fairly swiftly, and for this reason the school is affected by high pupil mobility. Some pupils at the school have attended a number of schools before starting at Brockley. The school is now the hub of the community. There are approximately 20 per cent of pupils on the school’s register of special educational

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

needs, which is slightly higher than the national average. Of these pupils, 6 are supported by Statements for their special needs, which is much higher than found nationally. Around 20 per cent of the pupils at the school are eligible for free school meals. This is a slightly lower proportion than the national average. Attainment on entry to the nursery covers the full range, but there is a higher than average proportion of children with well below average levels. Attainment on entry to the school in the reception class is below average.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

This is a rapidly improving school that serves its pupils and the community effectively. Because there has been a very positive response to the need to change and improve, there is now clear evidence that the school is becoming increasingly more successful in raising standards of pupils’ attainment. The headteacher, senior managers, governors and all staff share an excellent commitment to improve and develop the work of the school. Parents are supportive of the school.

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What the school does well

· The overall quality of teaching is good. · Leadership and management at the school are very good. · The provision for pupils with special educational needs is good. · Relationships between all adults and pupils are very positive. · The school provides a very good level of care and support for its pupils.

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What could be improved

· Overall standards attained by pupils at the end of Year 6. · The school’s curriculum to make it totally relevant to the needs of the pupils. · Ways of checking how well pupils are doing. · The school’s accommodation and the quality of resources available to help pupils learn. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school was last inspected in June 2000. Since this time there has been good improvement overall. In relation to all key issues from the last report, the school’s action was appropriate and the issues have been successfully addressed. In addition, the school has made at least good improvements to its work in many other aspects. A higher percentage of pupils now attain the appropriate levels in national tests at the end of Years 2 and 6. The quality of teaching is now good overall and there is a higher proportion of good and very good teaching than at the time of the last inspection. There has been very good improvement to the leadership and management of the school, which are both now very good. The governors have improved their roles and provide very valuable support and advice to the school. The level of care for pupils was good at the time of the last inspection and is now very good. The school has further improved its links with

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

parents and the community. Improvements have been made to the external and internal accommodation. The new computer suite has improved the provision for this subject. As a consequence, pupils attain expected standards and are making good progress. The school has benefited greatly from the support of the EAZ in many areas of its improvement, most notably in the development of teaching and learning. Due Brockley Primary School - 7 to the fact that everyone works very well together and shares the same goals, the capacity for further improvement is excellent. Brockley Primary School - 8

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STANDARDS

The table shows the standards achieved by pupils by the age of 11 based on average point scores in National Curriculum tests.

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compared with Key

Performance in: all schools similar schools well above average A 1999 2000 2001 2001 above average B English D E E E average C mathematics D E D C below average D science C D D C well below average E

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compared with Key

Pupils’ results in tests at the end of Years 2 and 6 are improving. The school sets appropriately challenging targets for the proportion of pupils who will attain the expected levels. It comes close to reaching these targets, even though the cohort taking tests can change rapidly after targets have been set. This is because a high percentage of pupils leave or join the school other than at the usual times.

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compared with Key

In comparison with the average point scores, the school’s results are lower than schools nationally. Inspection findings are that pupils at the school attain appropriate levels in tests, but the school has fewer higher attaining pupils and a much higher than average proportion of pupils who are supported by Statements for their special educational needs. In comparison with schools where a similar number of pupils are eligible for free school meals, pupils at Brockley do just as well in mathematics and science.

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compared with Key

Throughout the school the range of ability levels in each year group is very wide. Overall, when children join the nursery, attainment levels are well below average. Children make good progress during their time in the nursery, although they still enter the school in the reception class with below average levels of attainment. The effect of better teaching and learning can already be seen in Years 1 and 2 and, by the end of Year 2, pupils are attaining broadly average standards and achieving suitably on previous levels. Pupils are now making at least satisfactory progress in all other year groups, but the school’s generally improved provision and the benefits of good teaching have not yet had an impact on standards at the end of Year 6, which are currently below average.

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compared with Key

By the end of Year 2, pupils now attain average standards in English, mathematics and science and the expected levels in ICT, art and design, design and technology and physical education. Pupils are making good progress in mathematics and ICT. By the end of Year 6, pupils’ attainment in English and mathematics is below average. In science, pupils attain average standards. In each of these subjects, pupils make satisfactory achievements. In ICT, art and design and physical education, standards are in line with expectations. Standards are below expectations in design and technology and pupils’ achievements are unsatisfactory. Pupils make good progress in ICT.

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compared with Key

By the end of both Years 2 and 6, pupils do not attain the expected levels in religious education, because the programmes of study from the Agreed Syllabus are not fully taught. This is also the case for geography, history and music, where the school has appropriately planned work, but pupils have too few opportunities to learn in these subjects. Their progress in these subjects is therefore unsatisfactory.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Satisfactory. The majority of pupils are keen to come to school and enjoy their work. Most are enthusiastic about lessons and try hard to please their teachers. Some pupils are slow to respond at times and only contribute when they are repeatedly encouraged to do so. Pupils are polite and friendly.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out Satisfactory. Most pupils behave well in lessons, settle quickly and get on with their work. There is a significant number of pupils who lose concentration Brockley Primary School - 9 of classrooms. quickly, and in some lessons they can disrupt the learning of others. For the most part, although they find it difficult, these pupils understand the need to behave well and try hard to do so.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Very good. Pupils form very good relationships with one another, teachers and adults in school. They learn to support each other and are very keen to show how responsible and reliable they can be when doing jobs around school. Many show good initiative in raising money for charities and organising various fundraising events.

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Aspect Comment

Attendance Attendance is improving, and is broadly in line with the national figures. Unauthorised absence is reducing, but is still high. It is reducing because the school rigorously applies its policy of marking absences as unauthorised, when the reasons given are not acceptable.

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

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

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

The overall quality of teaching is good. In all lessons observed during the inspection, teaching was at least satisfactory. Teaching was good or very good in around three-quarters of the lessons seen. Teaching in the nursery class was always good or very good. Good quality teaching throughout the school means that pupils are now making at least satisfactory rates of progress in all lessons. In two thirds of the lessons seen, pupils made good or very good progress.

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

All teachers have good basic teaching skills. The national strategies for literacy and numeracy have been implemented suitably and are raising standards in grammar and punctuation, and number skills. Teachers plan lessons well and match work appropriately to the range of ages and abilities in each class and this means that pupils make equal rates of progress in lessons. They make good use of individual education plans for pupils with special educational needs to ensure that these pupils achieve the targets set for them. Teachers have very positive relationships with pupils and are good role models for them. Consequently, learning takes place in an atmosphere of mutual respect and care. Pupils gain confidence and this encourages them to make progress in learning.

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

Teachers look carefully at the needs of pupils and how well they did in previous lessons. However, on occasions they do not choose the right way to teach a particular activity. Therefore although lessons start well, pupils’ learning slows down and the lesson becomes less interesting. Resources are not always of the best quality to be exciting and stimulating and promote good rates of learning.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum Satisfactory overall. The school has a developing and improving programme for pupils’ learning. A great deal of time and energy has been given to core subjects, with good results. Sometimes the curriculum is not interesting and exciting enough to help pupils make consistently good progress. Pupils do not have enough opportunities to learn in geography, history and music. In religious education, the curriculum does not meet the requirements of the Locally Agreed Syllabus. Brockley Primary School - 10 Provision for pupils with special educational needs Good. Pupils have clearly written individual education plans (IEPs) to support their literacy and numeracy needs. Class work is well planned to ensure that pupils achieve the targets on these plans. Classroom assistants provide good support for pupils. Most pupils with special educational needs make good progress in their learning. There are not enough targets on IEPs to improve

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Aspect Comment

behaviour, despite the fact that some pupils need support in this area.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Good overall. Provision for pupils’ spiritual and cultural development is satisfactory. The development of pupils’ social and moral understanding is a strength in the provision and this means that pupils understand the difference between right and wrong and learn to relate very positively with each other.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils Good overall. Teachers know pupils very well and take good care of them. Procedures for child protection are very good. Much work has been done in collecting useful data from a variety of tests and work samples in the core subjects to see how well pupils are doing. The school has begun work on tracking the pupils’ progress overtime, but the systems are not yet fully operational. In moderating pupils’ work, sometimes levels awarded are inaccurate because the school does not compare rigorously enough with national examples.

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Aspect Comment

Parents’ views of the school are positive. They feel that the school has improved over the past three years. The school encourages parents to become involved in both school activities and their children’s education. The school would very much appreciate more parents being involved. The school has satisfactory links with the local community, and there are especially good links with local primary and secondary schools. The school’s partnership with the EAZ has been particularly beneficial in developing wider links with business enterprises and this has helped to raise standards.

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff Very good. Over recent years, the headteacher has managed the process of change in a very sensitive and positive way. As a result there is a now a team of like-minded staff who are extremely committed to further improvement. The headteacher provides a very clear direction for the school’s work. She has implemented good systems for the day to day management and long term developments that are now the foundation of all improvements. Most subjects of the curriculum are effectively organised and managed. Some subjects require more creative leadership to ensure faster development and better learning opportunities for pupils. How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Very good. The governors provide very valuable support and advice for the school. They are well known by staff and parents, and fully involved in the day to day life and management of the school. They attend all necessary

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Aspect Comment

training to ensure that their responsibilities are carried out very efficiently and effectively. Their work fulfils all statutory requirements.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance Good. The school has been rigorous in evaluating the impact of actions taken to improve its work. Developments have taken place in response to careful analysis of the beneficial impact they have on the standards that pupils attain. All staff and governors are very well involved in the monitoring process. The information gained from monitoring is not always fully used to make effective developments in some subjects of the curriculum.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of Good overall. The management of school finances is very good. Governors Brockley Primary School - 11 resources are kept very well informed and are fully involved in identifying priorities for the school. Governors have a very good understanding of how to achieve best value in all financial matters. The school provides satisfactory value for money overall.

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Aspect Comment

The school accommodation is of a good size and maintained to a satisfactory standard. Some areas of the school are not used as well as they could be. Only two rooms have running water and sinks and this means that teaching and learning in art and design is affected at times. Learning resources are satisfactory in number, but the quality and range is not good enough in many areas to support improving standards of attainment.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• Parents think that teaching at the school is good. • They think that the school has high expectations of how well their children should do. • They feel comfortable to approach the school with suggestions and complaints. • They believe that the school helps their children to become mature and responsible. • Parents think that the school is well led and managed. • Some parents are not happy with the amount of homework their children receive. • Some feel that the school could work more closely with them. • Some do not think there are enough activities for their children to take part in outside lessons.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

Inspectors support all parents’ positive views and the view that the type and regularity of homework could be improved. Inspection findings are that the school works well with parents and continually seeks new ways to involve more parents. There is a good range of activities for pupils to experience beyond lessons. Brockley Primary School - 12

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

1. Children join the nursery class with extremely varied skills and knowledge, however, overall levels on entry to the nursery are well below average. As a result of consistently good teaching and a well-organised curriculum, children make good progress. By the time they enter the school in the reception class, overall levels of attainment are below average. Pupils in Years 1 and 2 have had the maximum time to benefit from the good improvements made at the school since the last inspection. For this reason, the standards they attain by the end of Year 2 are now average. While pupils in all other year groups are now making at least satisfactory progress in lessons, good teaching and general school improvements have not yet had time to impact on overall standards of attainment by the end of Year 6, which are currently below average. As pupils throughout the school now make satisfactory rates of achievement on their previous learning, there is clear

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

indication, that standards at the end of Year 6 will improve.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

2. Results in national tests at the end of Year 2 have fluctuated over the past three years, but it has been consistently the case that pupils attain better standards in reading than they do in writing and mathematics. In the 2001 reading tasks, pupils attained similar results to the national average. In writing and mathematics, results in 2001 were well below the national average. Comparison with national averages, however, is not always useful, since the school has very small cohorts of pupils taking tests, and one pupil represents a high percentage of the overall results. In reality, the proportion of pupils who attain at the expected level, Level 2 or above, shows an improving trend, and the school has done well to raise standards through the continual improvement of teaching and learning. The benefits of the school’s efforts are now clearly evident in the standards of work produced by pupils at the end of Year 2. In English, mathematics and science pupils’ attainment is

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

average. National strategies for literacy and numeracy have been effective in developing pupils spelling and basic number skills, which are both weaknesses when pupils start school. In information and communication technology, design and technology, art and design, and physical education pupils attain standards that are in line with expectations. In all of these subjects, pupils make satisfactory achievements through Key Stage 1. Standards in religious education do not meet the expectations of the Agreed Syllabus by the end of Year 2, and in geography, history and music, pupils do not attain at expected levels. This is because the planned curriculum for each of these subjects is not fully taught. Pupils’ achievements in these subjects are unsatisfactory.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

3. Although the school’s test results at the end of Year 6 are below national averages, results are gradually improving. For tests in 2001, though the school did not achieve the targets set for the percentage of pupils attaining at Level 4 in English and mathematics, they did receive an “Achievement Award” for clear improvement on the previous year’s results. In general, the school’s highest attaining pupils attain appropriate levels in tests at the end of Year 6. However, too many pupils do not attain the expected level, Level 4. In some cohorts this can be explained by the arrival of pupils very late in Key Stage 2, some of whom have very specific learning difficulties. In other cases, better teaching and learning has enabled pupils to make at least satisfactory levels of achievement on their previous learning, but there has so far not been sufficient time for them to attain the expected levels by the end of Year 6. Test results for 2002

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

have yet to be confirmed, but they show sustained improvement on previous years. Moreover, the 2002 results appear to be in line with the target set for English and better than the target for mathematics. Of the test cohort, two pupils had statements for their special educational needs, another was on the school’s register for special educational needs, one pupil joined the school during the test week and one pupil was absent for the tests.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

4. In the current inspection, standards in English and mathematics were found to be below average by the end of Year 6. Standards in reading are average. In speaking, listening and writing Brockley Primary School - 13 standards are below average. Although pupils can hold a conversation with adults and each other in social situations, they have not yet developed creativity and imagination to speak with confidence and style about issues, other than everyday events. This is also true of their writing. Standards in handwriting are below average; not all pupils use a consistent cursive script and presentation is sometimes untidy. The National Literacy Strategy has been effectively implemented and has had most marked impact on grammar and punctuation, which are improving. Overall achievement in English is satisfactory. While standards in number work are weak, pupils are making good progress in mathematics as a whole, and the National Numeracy Strategy is

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

being used successfully to raise standards. Pupils attain average standards in science and make satisfactory achievements. They are developing good skills in investigation and problem solving. In religious education, pupils’ attainment is below the expectations of the Locally Agreed Syllabus, and, due to the fact that the full curriculum is not taught, they make unsatisfactory achievements. In information and communication technology, standards by the end of Year 6 are below average, but improvements in pupils’ skills and knowledge have been good since the last inspection, and progress is good in lessons. Pupils are now developing and using computer skills through other subjects and this is a positive development. In art and design and physical education, pupils’ attainment meets expectations. There are examples of good artwork at the school. As at the end of Year 2, standards in geography, history and design technology are below expectations. This is

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

because there are not enough lessons in these subjects. In music, the curriculum is not effectively led and managed to ensure that pupils develop progressive skills and knowledge. Attainment in music is below expectations and achievement is unsatisfactory.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

5. The school’s good provision for pupils with special educational needs means that they most often make good progress and attain the levels expected by their teachers. As a higher than usual proportion of pupils have Statements to support their special educational needs, the school is diligent in ensuring that appropriate support is given to individuals to attain their potential. While there are no significant differences in the attainment of boys and girls, the school has worked to eliminate the minor differences where they occur and has placed particular emphasis on boys’ reading. Developments in writing have been a whole school focus.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

6. Attitudes towards school are satisfactory. The majority of pupils are keen and eager to attend school and are glad to be there. This is confirmed by the parents’ views. Children in the nursery are happy to come into class independently and separate from their parents and carers confidently. Many pupils say that they like school because they find lessons interesting and teachers friendly. Most pupils care for each other. During lessons most listen attentively to their teachers, answer sensibly and make thoughtful observations. In general, pupils apply themselves to tasks with interest, sustain concentration and persevere with their work until it is complete. However, there are a minority of pupils who do not always settle down to learn. These pupils, some of whom have attended many schools before joining Brockley, do not always listen or respond appropriately to the teacher.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

7. Behaviour is satisfactory overall, though in some classes there are a number of pupils who need support to behave well at all times. The school has a good behaviour code, which is implemented well. Classroom rules are displayed, discussed and made meaningful to pupils. There have been no recent exclusions. As a result of the school’s clear and consistently applied guidelines, many pupils achieve well in aspects of their personal and social development and they learn to behave sensibly. Most pupils are polite and considerate to one another as well as to staff and visitors. They say please and thank you and hold doors open. There is a sense of order as pupils enter assembly. Pupils are more boisterous in the playground and sometimes in the lunch hall.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

8. Personal responsibility is taken very seriously and consequently pupils develop good levels of independence and initiative. Older pupils take on responsibilities to look after younger children and act as prefects in order to help staff reinforce school rules. Pupils have demonstrated initiative in planning the school’s garden and as a result are keen to be involved in the planned school council. Brockley Primary School - 14 Older pupils have undertaken the entire organisation for bring and buy sales for charity, from writing to parents to the planning of the event, raising £100 into the bargain. Pupils enjoy the good range of extra curricular activities that the school provides in the form of residential visits to Cromford Venture centre, Walesby Centre, Hartington Hall and Kingswood.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

9. The quality of relationships at the school is very good. Teachers and pupils relate well to each other and pupils respond by forming very good relationships of their own. A caring ethos is evident both in class and around the school. No evidence of bullying, sexism or racism was seen during the inspection. In circle time, pupils are able to talk in an open safe environment about these issues, and discuss positive strategies to deal with any incidences in later life. In class, most pupils work collaboratively, supporting each other and sharing resources and ideas. Older pupils are particularly caring of younger ones and are keen to look after them when the opportunity arises.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

10. Attendance is slightly below the national average, but is steadily improving. Unauthorised absence has reduced over the last year, but is still above national figures. This is because the school rigorously applies its policy regarding the authorisation of absence. Parents must provide a valid reason why their children are away from school. Similarly, if a family holiday is requested during term time, a maximum of ten days will be authorised. Nevertheless, many families do take holiday during term time, which often amount to more than ten days. Others do not provide a reason why their children have been absent. The vast majority of pupils arrive at school on time. However, despite the school’s efforts, there are a very small number who are frequently late each day.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

11. The overall quality of teaching and learning has continued to improve since the last inspection and is now good. Teaching was at least satisfactory in all 34 lessons observed. Teaching was good in 15 lessons and very good in 11 lessons. With the support of the EAZ, the school has placed priority emphasis on improving teaching and learning and the benefits are now obvious. Teaching is consistently good or very good in the nursery and children make good gains in their learning. There is consistency between standards of teaching and learning in Key Stages 1 and 2, and pupils often make good progress in lessons and build steadily on previous learning. This is the foundation of the school’s capacity to improve the standards attained by pupils in the future.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

12. The main strengths of teaching included: • well planned lessons that built on what pupils already knew and could do • work that was well matched to the various abilities of pupils • teachers’ very good relationships with pupils and management of them • confident delivery of lessons • good use of questioning to make pupils think • good use of available resources and classroom support • good plenary sessions that made clear reference to the learning intention.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

13. The major areas for development were: • teachers talking for too long, so that lessons lost pace and pupils did not concentrate well • lesson content that achieved the learning intention, but lacked excitement and stimulation • in some lessons, classroom support assistants were not used effectively or efficiently.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

14. The school has worked hard to improve the quality of teaching and learning. Teachers now make effective use of the programmes of study for most subjects to ensure that their lessons are planned in relation to what was taught and achieved previously and what will follow later. This careful development of skills and knowledge now means that pupils make at least satisfactory progress in their learning. While levels of attainment are not always as high as they should be, most often in Key Stage 2 classes, teachers are mindful of the level at which they need to plan lessons to ensure that necessary steps in learning are not missed. For example, in a history lesson Brockley Primary School - 15 with Year 4 pupils, although pupils ’ attainment was below expectations generally, they made sound progress in learning investigation skills that would lead to better attainment in future lessons. The teacher successfully used ICT, a subject in which pupils are rapidly developing skills and

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

knowledge, as the medium for learning in history. Consequently the pupils enjoyed the lesson and concentrated well.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

15. In a few lessons, better use could have been made of assessment information to organise the best teaching methods and so encourage faster rates of learning. In an English lesson with Year 3 pupils, the teacher planned well, had good resources and demonstrated good teaching skills. However, lower attaining pupils, particularly those with concentration and behaviour problems, could not cope with the long teacher explanations and became very restless. Good rates of learning seen earlier in the lesson, when the teacher used a range of activities and quick change of tasks, slowed to satisfactory learning for the remainder of the lesson. When pupils with special educational needs make better progress than other pupils in lessons, it is because their specific learning needs are very clearly identified and teachers plan work that enables them to achieve their targets. As targets are so specific, assessing how much progress a pupil has made and what

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

to teach them next is much easier. Some pupils do not always make good progress, because they do not have specific targets for their behavioural needs. In some classes, the proportion of pupils with behavioural difficulties is high.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

16. In many lesson observations, inspectors noted a good match of work to the age and ability levels of pupils. Teachers work hard to do this, as the range of abilities is wide in all classes. In a reception and Year 1 history lesson about old and new toys, the teacher used a suitable range of activities that matched with the previous experiences of the pupils. She expected pupils to record their work in a method appropriate to their age and ability and used good questioning, at a suitable level for all groups. The plenary session was used well to refer back to the learning intention and see how much progress had been made in the lesson. Although attainment was below expectations, as pupils’ previous historical experiences had been limited, all pupils made good progress in this lesson.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

17. In the nursery class, learning is continuously reinforced for children of all abilities through the consistent approach of the teacher and nursery nurse. After new learning has taken place they talk to individual children, or groups of children, tailoring their discussion and questions to their various levels to find out what the children know and understand. As they walk from the hall to the classroom, as they drink their milk, as they play outside, the general conversation revolves around what has been learned in an earlier session. Children’s learning is reinforced in this way and adults are able to assess the progress they are making. The teacher and nursery nurse work in excellent partnership, both using their initiative to make the most of every situation. This proactive way of working is not as well developed in all classes, and sometimes teachers do not give clear enough guidance to support assistants and other adult helpers so that they can have the

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

maximum impact on pupils’ learning. In a few lessons, adults sat for long periods of time listening to the teacher along with the pupils, when they could have been better used to support individuals and groups.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

18. Since the time of previous inspections, the headteacher and governors have successfully built a teaching team where all have clear strengths. In lessons during the current inspection, teachers were confident and secure in subject knowledge in the vast majority of lessons. They had good understanding of the national strategies for literacy and numeracy, managed pupils well and formed very positive relationships with them, encouraging them to be confident and have the right work ethic. All adults at the school are good role models for respectful and caring relationships. For this reason lessons run smoothly and pupils are able to learn. However, in order for pupils to make even better progress, these good skills need to be moved up a gear so that lessons become even more stimulating and inspirational. Many pupils at the school have relatively narrow experiences of the world around them. Teachers try very hard to draw information from pupils

p.15

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

and they use a range of good questioning techniques to encourage pupils’ participation. However, Brockley Primary School - 16 some pupils have little to offer and teachers have to work very hard to ensure even satisfactory progress in some lessons. From a strong foundation, where teaching is good, the school can now think about how best to teach the curriculum so that pupils are inspired and stimulated, and their imagination and creativity can be enlivened. The school’s learning resources, while being adequate in number, do not excite pupils, nor help to enrich lessons. In many lessons, teachers make their own interesting resources and then pupils become totally absorbed and rates of learning are very good. For example, in a Year 2 lesson, personal photographs of real life situations were very well used to inspire writing for story settings. Brockley Primary School - 17

p.15

PUPILS?

19. At present the school provides a sufficiently balanced curriculum in all subjects of the National Curriculum and religious education. In recent years the school has focussed appropriately on literacy, numeracy and science and in these subjects the curriculum is broad and balanced, and has made a significant impact upon the quality of teaching and the standards attained by pupils. In these areas good improvement has been made since the last inspection. All subjects now have relevant policies and schemes of work, often based on national guidance or, with religious education, the Locally Agreed Syllabus. Many of these are only recently introduced and, as a result, history, geography, design and technology, music and religious education have had insufficient time allocated to develop fully and there are few links to other areas of the curriculum. Pupils do not yet have the breadth of experience in these subjects to ensure that they attain the

p.17

PUPILS?

standards expected by the end of Year 6. However, for younger pupils the introduction of these new schemes of work has already had a noticeable effect on the standards they attain. This is particularly apparent in information and communication technology where pupils at the end of both Key Stages attain the standards expected, and very good improvement has been made in the development of the curriculum in this subject.

p.17

PUPILS?

20. The curriculum currently lacks richness and relevance. Although the current curriculum statement allocates timetabled periods to all subjects, the school has yet to give priority to the development of the foundation subjects. The school has created a curriculum that meets all statutory requirements, but has not yet had the opportunity to reflect on its appropriateness to the pupils and their environment. For instance, ample time has been spent on teaching and learning in English, but pupils do not have the richness of knowledge from history, geography and music, for example, to inspire them with imaginative and interesting ideas that will improve their writing. Planning for teaching is thorough and all staff are committed to continuing to improve the quality of the curriculum. Strategies for teaching in both literacy and numeracy are satisfactory throughout the school because significant attention has been paid to these areas of the curriculum.

p.17

PUPILS?

21. The well-planned curriculum in the Foundation Stage pays careful attention to the recommended ‘Stepping Stones’ for the early learning goals. Lesson planning takes into account the prior learning of the children. Provision is well planned with creative activities to support the children’s learning. The curriculum provision for pupils on the school’s register of special educational needs is good. All pupils have clear and workable individual education plans (IEPs) that are effectively used by teachers in planning lessons. Targets on IEPs are succinct and mostly relevant. Some pupils’ IEPs do not contain targets for their behavioural needs and this has an impact on the progress they make in lessons. In the vast majority of lessons support assistants work effectively to ensure that all pupils with special educational needs have full access to the curriculum.

p.17

PUPILS?

22. Extra-curricular activities support learning well and include residential and cultural visits. Pupils are keen to participate in out of school clubs and benefit greatly from the extended curriculum experienced during visits to local activity centres. They have been involved in outdoor and adventurous activities, like walking and orienteering, as well as learning computer skills. They are learning to appreciate visits to the theatre and these support their learning in literacy. The art club is particularly successful at planning activities, which follow up and link to work done in lesson time.

p.17

PUPILS?

23. The EAZ has played a significant role in supporting teachers and supplying curriculum expertise within the school. This has been particularly significant in ICT where specialist teaching has greatly extended the range and content of the curriculum for the oldest pupils. All pupils have access to all aspects of the curriculum and even the youngest children are now becoming familiar with the computer suite and share the corporate activities of the school. Less emphasis has been placed upon the development of a homework programme. Although all pupils learn spellings at home and the younger pupils take home books to read, this area could be improved. Brockley Primary School - 18 24. The school has a well-planned and satisfactorily implemented programme for personal, social and health education. All pupils have opportunities to participate in lessons when issues like bullying and good health are discussed. Pupils contribute towards the agreement of class rules. The co-

p.17

PUPILS?

ordinator for personal, social and health education (PSHE) has plans to include the school in a “healthy school” initiative in order to develop pupils’ understanding of healthy lifestyles. Programmes for sex education, citizenship and drugs awareness education are included in this area of the curriculum and supported by visits from the school nurse.

p.18

PUPILS?

25. Partnership with the local community is satisfactory and developing well. Local groups use the school’s facilities, for example, for adult education classes and a mother and toddler group. Members of the nearby community support the school’s Christmas and summer fairs and senior citizens are invited to an Easter tea and bingo. Visits to places of local interest also take place, such as to the theatre and Walesby camp; these enrich pupils’ curricular experiences. The curate from the nearby parish church is a regular visitor to the school and often leads assemblies. Through its membership of the EAZ, the school has benefited from bursaries in the community. National industry and business has provided sponsorship for the development of a multi-sensory garden and the refurbishment of the community room. The school’s relationship with partner institutions is good. There are good links and liaison with local primary and secondary schools.

p.18

PUPILS?

The school is currently working in partnership with Sheffield Hallam University to support trainee teachers.

p.18

PUPILS?

26. The overall provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. This is an improvement on the previous report, when it was judged to be sound. Provision for pupils’ spiritual development is satisfactory and daily assemblies meet the requirements for collective worship. In assemblies, pupils are invited to join in with prayers in a way that feels comfortable for them. Pupils are given space for their own ideas, thoughts and concerns. There is a missed opportunity in assembly to provide a visual focus such as a candle, flowers, pictures or a cross and there is no music played as the pupils enter the hall. There is provision to enable pupils to reflect in a way that develops spiritual awareness; for example a garden has been built where pupils can enjoy a quiet area separate from the busy playground. Pupils are beginning to develop their own values and beliefs as well as an awareness of others; for example in RE when understanding

p.18

PUPILS?

different religious beliefs, in geography in respect of environment and in circle time discussions about bullying. A Year 1 and 2 history lesson on Louis Braille demonstrated that pupils are beginning to develop an awareness of feelings and emotions in an activity focussing on what it felt like to be blind.

p.18

PUPILS?

27. The provision for pupils’ moral development is good. The school promotes principles, which help pupils to distinguish between what is wrong and what is right. They are developing common values. There is a clear moral code, which forms a basis for behaviour. This is consistently promoted throughout the school. Rules for the classroom playground, school and dining hall are on display in every classroom. When pupils do misbehave, for example when two boys fought over a ball in the playground, the other pupils were quite clear about the fact that it should not happen and the strategies that they should adopt. Models of moral virtue are provided in assembly and circle time provides a safe and structured arena where pupils can explore such issues as bullying and practice moral decision-making.

p.18

PUPILS?

28. The provision for pupils’ social development is good. Every member of staff provides a good role model for the pupils. The school encourages pupils to work co-operatively and consequently, they work well together in class. In lessons, particularly RE and in circle time pupils are taught to respect social differences and similarities. The school ethos is one where pupils are encouraged to develop personal qualities such as politeness, thoughtfulness and honesty. From an early age pupils are given opportunities to participate actively and responsibly within the school. Nursery pupils co- operate well to tidy up. By age eleven pupils are taking on responsibilities to look after younger children and act as prefects to help staff reinforce school rules. They are very interested in the Brockley Primary School - 19 school’s plan to have a school council by the summer term. This follows the success that they

p.18

PUPILS?

have achieved with the implementation of their idea for a school garden. The school fosters an atmosphere where initiative is encouraged.

p.19

PUPILS?

29. Provision for pupils’ cultural development is satisfactory. The school does plan opportunities for pupils to begin to explore their own cultural assumptions and values by taking groups of pupils to the theatre, the church and by inviting visiting theatre groups and artists to the school. Provision for extending pupils’ knowledge and understanding of the attitudes, values and traditions of different cultures for example, through music and literature is limited and this is an area for development.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

30. The school has very good arrangements to care for and support boys and girls of all ages. These arrangements have improved over the last three years. Teachers and other adults who work in the school, including the secretary, midday supervisors and teaching assistants, provide a very good level of care for all pupils. Each pupil is valued and encouraged to try their best. Because of this they are not afraid to ask for help should they need it. Parents’ confidence in the support and guidance provided for their children is well founded.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

31. Child protection arrangements are very good. The designated member of staff has a detailed knowledge of local procedures; any concerns or issues are dealt with very sensitively. Teachers are generally vigilant about the health and safety of pupils both on off the premises. The governing body takes an appropriate part in monitoring this aspect. However, the teachers, governors and the caretaker have had no specific health and safety training. The medical and welfare needs of pupils are catered for very well. There is an appropriate number of staff qualified in first aid and who are able to deal quickly with any incident or illness when they occur. Supervision arrangements are very good; there are always sufficient adults on duty at break and lunchtime.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

32. Attendance is very closely monitored; as a result the school is very aware of those pupils who do not attend regularly and on time. The education social worker is involved where necessary and provides good support following up the cases of those pupils whose attendance gives rise for concern. There are a number of good initiatives in place to encourage regular attendance. The school, however, has yet to establish systems to raise the awareness of those parents who persistently do not support the school’s attendance policy.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

33. There are good procedures in place to encourage pupils to behave well and very good arrangements to deal with any form of bullying, racism or oppressive behaviour. This provision is supported by the school’s good emphasis on pupils’ moral and social development. Class and school routines are very well established and because of this the vast majority of pupils know what is expected of them and try hard to live up to the school’s high expectations. Appropriate behaviour, effort and achievement are given a high profile and are regularly rewarded. The school crossing patrol lady and the midday supervisors are also fully involved in this aspect of the school’s work through rewarding and encouraging pupils to behave. For example, there are specific awards nominated by them presented during the Friday assembly. Any incidents of inappropriate behaviour are dealt with consistently by teachers and monitored closely by the

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

headteacher. Pupils confirm they clearly understood the school’s systems, and because these are effective, leads to a good level of self-discipline amongst the majority of pupils.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

34. Systems to eliminate any form of harassment such as racism or bullying are very effective. Very good relationships exist between all adults and pupils. The values of co-operation and tolerance are promoted effectively through assemblies, circle time and the programme for personal, social, health and citizenship education. Other initiatives such as the “friendship stop” and the “elephant box” (where pupils can place their concerns in confidence) all contribute to ensuring the school is Brockley Primary School - 20 a supportive, friendly and harmonious community. Pupils confirm that these arrangements are very effective, and that incidents do not happen very often, but if they do they are very quickly and effectively dealt with. The school’s records also confirm this.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

35. Pupils with special educational needs are cared for with respect and concern. Pupils with Statements of need receive the required amount of adult assistance, but are also given good opportunities to work alone or with friends to give them a sense of independence. Pupils who sometimes have difficulty behaving well, or who are at risk of being excluded, are generally well supported by their teachers. As yet, there is no consistent approach to drawing up behaviour targets. Further external agency involvement, to support behaviour targets, could provide input and advice to develop strategies to manage the behaviour of these pupils more effectively.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

36. Arrangements to monitor and to promote pupils’ personal development are satisfactory, although there are strengths within these arrangements. Teachers know the pupils very well, because they continually share information about them on an informal basis. However, there are no written records about pupils that would make sure the new class teacher has specific knowledge about the pupils they are about to teach, and ensure a picture of each individual pupil’s personal needs is built up as they move through the school. As they progress through the school, pupils grow in confidence and self-esteem. This is because of the high level of day to day care provided by teachers and the range of opportunities that are offered to pupils, including group work in lessons, extra curricular activities and educational visits. Circle time makes an important contribution to supporting pupils’ personal development because pupils learn to co-operate with each other and to

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

37. Teacher assessments are carried out on entry to the nursery and again at the age of four. These assessments have been successfully simplified and are now both manageable and useful. Attention is particularly focussed on the early identification of children with special needs. Baseline testing is carried out on entry to the reception class, but is not repeated later in the year and so there is no assessment of the value added to pupils’ learning.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

38. At present there are good procedures for analysing and collating data gained from national testing and other non-statutory assessment in English, mathematics and science. There is an effective assessment schedule in these subjects, and the school sets aside specific times to carry out additional tests and checks. Governors have effectively supported subject co-ordinators in analysing these results, particularly in English, mathematics and science, where priorities are clearly identified for attention. This efficient system is now allowing predictions to be made, and establishes the possibility of setting accurate personal targets for each pupil to identify the next steps in learning. This would mirror the effective system of assessment and target setting currently in place for pupils with special educational needs that encourages their good rates of progress. At present, the opportunity for tracking pupils’ progress, particularly in English,

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

mathematics and science is not used effectively to target teaching and learning for all groups of pupils.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

39. There is no provision for monitoring pupils’ progress in the foundation subjects except, or for PSHE and religious education. Teachers have spent valuable time comparing and discussing the quality of pupils’ work. They have had fewer opportunities to meet with other schools recently or to use local authority expertise to ensure that they have a clear idea of the comparative levels of attainment to improve the accuracy of teacher assessment, especially at Level 5 in English.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

40. Teachers do not regularly record the progress of pupils matched to the learning objectives of their lessons. Assessments tend only to be made at the end of units or at half terms. However, where constructive evaluations take place, future lessons can be adapted to enable pupils to learn more effectively. Books are regularly marked and in most subjects teachers add comments to support learning. The headteacher and English, mathematics and science co-ordinators have placed Brockley Primary School - 21 suitable emphasis on the development of assessment procedures, and this marks a good improvement from the last inspection.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

41. Parents have positive views about the school. A good partnership with the overwhelming majority of parents has been built up over the last three years and this enables them to make an effective contribution to their children’s learning. There are good procedures for induction to the nursery class and when beginning school in the reception class.

p.21

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

42. About half of the inspection questionnaires were returned. Only an extremely small number expressed any dissatisfaction and virtually all gave a positive view. They think the teaching is good and children are expected to work hard and try their best. They feel able to approach the teachers if they have any concerns or problems. Parents indicate that their children enjoy coming to school. Those parents who attended the meeting prior to the inspection expressed equally positive views. The inspection findings agree with parents’ positive comments about the school. A very small number of parents expressed some concern about the amount of work their children are expected to do at home and the range of activities outside lessons. Inspection findings are that homework is not used effectively enough to support and extend pupils’ learning.

p.21

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

43. The school works hard to try to encourage and involve all parents in the life of the school, and with their children’s education. Over the last few years, it has had some success, and there is now a small group of parents who are very actively involved. For example, several have attended courses such as “better reading partnership and push on writing”. Others help in classrooms and with school visits. Where they are able, parents support the work their children have to do at home. The Friends of Brockley School (FOBS), although the committee is only small in number, organise social and fund raising events which receive very good support from virtually all parents and also some members of the nearby community. Funds raised benefit the school financially and although most monies go to supplement school resources other purchases have included new curtains for the school hall and the recovering of the stage. The school regularly seeks parents’

p.21

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

views on a range of subjects as well as specific issues such as the school’s anti bullying strategy. Results and the school’s response to suggestions are always published for parents to read. Where their children are directly involved in school events, such as class assemblies or school concerts, these receive very good support from parents. The three parents evenings are generally well attended although the school does not follow up any parents who do not attend to offer the facility of an alternative appointment.

p.21

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

44. Parents receive a satisfactory range of information. Day to day letters are sent in good time for any events that are to be organised. Although there is no school newsletter, correspondence is regular and, in the main, keeps parents informed about what is happening in school. Parents, however, are not provided with information about homework, or what their children will learn during each term. There have been no curriculum workshops; for example, demonstrating for parents how literacy, numeracy or science is taught to their children. Both the school brochure and governors’ annual report to parents contain much useful and relevant information. The co- ordinator for special educational needs works effectively with parents to ensure that they are kept well informed of all stages of their child’s progress. Annual reports giving detail of children’s progress are satisfactory. They are inconsistent in the format in which they are presented and also

p.21

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

vary in the quality of the comments given. In the best example, teachers provide detailed commentary. They indicate pupils’ strengths and weaknesses and progress made in all subjects, together with areas for improvement. These examples enable parents to gain a good picture of the progress their children have made over the year.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

Brockley Primary School - 22 45. Since the time of the last inspection there has been very good improvement in many aspects of leadership and management at the school. The quality of leadership and management by the headteacher and key staff is now very good. Since her appointment, the headteacher has stood firm in her resolve to make the school work effectively and has maintained a very positive approach through all difficulties. She has a very clear vision of how she wants the school to be and how it should serve the pupils and local community. She has communicated this very well to governors and staff and has been supported by the LEA and EAZ in building a strong team who share an excellent commitment to improve provision and raise pupils’ attainment further. She promotes the school through involvement with LEA issues and local business and has attended professional development courses to improve her own skills.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

46. Over the past three years, effective systems and procedures have been created and implemented to ensure that the school works smoothly and efficiently. As a consequence, all actions taken to meet previous development targets have been implemented well and been successful. Teaching and learning, the curriculum, the school’s accommodation and general working systems have been improved through continuous monitoring and development. The headteacher has managed this work very effectively and the school now has firm foundations for further improvements. She manages the school well on a daily basis, ensuring that policy decisions are put into practice. All staff have whole school responsibilities and carry out their roles effectively. They are good managers of curriculum subjects, keeping up to date with local and national developments and attending numerous training courses. As yet, however, they have not developed their leadership

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

roles fully to extend the current curriculum into inspiring, enriched, stimulating and exciting learning opportunities for pupils. The Foundation Stage co-ordinator has a thorough knowledge and understanding of the Foundation Stage. She has only been in post for one term and so has had little time to impact on the Key Stage as a whole. However, leadership and management in this area is satisfactory overall. The co-ordinator for special educational needs provides good leadership and management. She has a clear understanding of developments needed and liases well with all necessary outside agencies.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

47. The governors provide very valuable support and advice for the school and fulfil their statutory responsibilities very well. They are knowledgeable, hardworking and view their accountability for the standards attained by pupils very seriously. Governors give their time generously to the school and attend courses to improve their own skills and understanding. They work with the school in analysing performance data and monitoring the impact of any actions taken to improve standards. The school is very fortunate to have this committed group of people to oversee its work. Overall, the school has very good systems for evaluating and ensuring that planned actions are having the required effect. They are becoming increasingly more rigorous in measuring the impact of decisions made on the standards attained by pupils.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

48. The headteacher, with the support of the very active governing body, is a prudent financial manager and her control of the school’s financial matters is good. This is an improvement on the position found in the previous inspection, when financial management was judged to be sound. Budgets are set appropriately, priorities for development are realistic and the day to day financial management is carried out very effectively, given the constraints of the limited amounts of disposable income available.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

49. Specific grants for special educational needs are used effectively to provide the good provision found throughout the school. Effective financial planning has provided a good staffing ratio throughout the school and this is having a very positive impact on teaching and learning. The school has been well supported in this respect by the significant additional funding made available by the EAZ, which has made an enormous impact on several areas, but most importantly, the quality of teaching and learning. Spending is monitored carefully and governors are all kept very well informed through the provision of regular budget statements. Very good procedures exist to ensure that the school gets the best value out of its spending, and the governing body has also established Brockley Primary School - 23 very effective formal procedures for judging the effectiveness of their spending decisions. The school makes appropriate use of modern technology in financial management. The last auditor’s

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

report judged financial procedures to be good and the only minor recommendation was immediately addressed. The school receives a larger amount of money per pupil than most other schools, but when the basic allocation is compared with similar schools in the locality, the costs are broadly average. When these costs are weighed against the provision and the progress the pupils make, the school provides satisfactory value for money overall.

p.23

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

50. The school works positively with its staff. It values all adults who work for the school and consequently everyone works together very well as a team. Arrangements for the induction of staff new to the school are very good. Staff development needs are identified clearly, and are matched well to the school’s priorities. In recent years much of the school’s training needs have been addressed with the support of the EAZ. Arrangements for the appraisal and performance management of staff are satisfactory. The match of teachers’ qualifications to subjects taught is good, leading to good learning across the attainment range, particularly in the core subjects of English, mathematics and science. The school has an above average number of effective learning support assistants who are effectively deployed to help the relatively large number of pupils with special educational needs. The school administrative assistant works hard to carry out the day-to-

p.23

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

day financial management of the school and provides very good support to the headteacher. Lunchtime and staff are fully involved in the work of the school, supporting pupils in developing their social skills and good behaviour.

p.23

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

51. There is a generous amount of accommodation available for the school to use within the two buildings on its site. Specialist rooms such as an ICT suite and library have been created. In ICT this is having marked impact on the progress that pupils are now making. The library is not as inspiring or conducive to good progress in reading. However, more inventive use could be made of the rooms currently available. For example, the headteacher shares an office with the school secretary; this means there is limited privacy. The office is situated at the top of a steep flight of stairs, which could present difficulties for parents with mobility problems. Classrooms are generally adequate in size. Walls are decorated with good quality displays of pupils’ work and this enhances the learning environment. However, in several rooms the poor quality of the blackboard makes it difficult for pupils to see what has been written on the old blackboards. Only two rooms

p.23

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

have sinks and running water, which makes it difficult to undertake practical lessons such as art. Outside there is a suitable school field and quiet sensory garden. The playground is in a poor state of repair and presents a health and safety risk because of the many potholes, cracked and raised surface and loose gravel.

p.23

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

52. The actual number of resources for teaching and learning is satisfactory. However, the overall quality and range of resources is unsatisfactory. Some resources are tatty and old and do not excite and inspire pupils to learn well. The exception to this is in information and communication technology where resources in the new suite are of a good quality.

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

53. In order to raise standards attained by pupils at the end of Year 6, the headteacher, staff and governors should now

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(1) Ensure that the curriculum is rich, broad, stimulating and relevant for pupils, by encouraging and enabling subject co-ordinators to think more creatively about how to develop their subject, including the use of available space at the school and the purchase of new resources. (Paragraphs 2, 4, 18, 20, 46, 48, 51, 52, 69, 72, 74, 83, 95)

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(2) Fully establish ways of checking how well pupils are doing in all subjects so that; Brockley Primary School - 24 a. there is a clear understanding of what pupils have learned and the progress they are making (Paragraphs 36, 38, 39, 87, 96, 104, 123)

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

b. areas for development are clearly evident and changes can be made to improve lesson content and teaching methods to encourage better rates of progress (Paragraphs 40, 68, 73, 89, 99)

p.24

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

c. parents are kept well informed about what their children know and can do in all areas of the curriculum (Paragraph 44)

p.24

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

d. individual targets can be set for pupils and shared with them, so that they know what they need to do to improve. (Paragraphs 15, 39, 71, 87) Brockley Primary School - 25

p.24

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of lessons observed 35 Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 32

p.25

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor Number 0 11 16 8 0 0 0 Percentage 0 31 46 23 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 two percentage points.

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery YR – Y6 Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 25 147 Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 0 28 FTE means full-time equivalent.

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Special educational needs Nursery YR – Y6 Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 0 6 Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 1 32

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils Number of pupils with English as an additional language 0

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 25 Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 10

p.25

Authorised absence Unauthorised absence

% % School data 4.9 School data 2.5 National comparative data 5.6 National comparative data 0.5 Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Brockley Primary School - 26

p.25

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 2001 10 10 20

p.26

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

Numbers of pupils at NC Boys 6 5 9 level 2 and above Girls 9 9 10 Total 15 14 19 Percentage of pupils School 75 (74) 70 (84) 95 (84) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (83) 86 (84) 91 (90)

p.26

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

Numbers of pupils at NC Boys 7 9 8 level 2 and above Girls 9 9 9 Total 16 18 17 Percentage of pupils School 80 (79) 90 (84) 85 (84) at NC level 2 or above National 85 (84) 89 (88) 89 (88) Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year.

p.26

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 2001 15 9 24

p.26

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

Numbers of pupils at NC Boys 11 10 13 level 4 and above Girls 6 5 8 Total 17 15 21 Percentage of pupils School 71 (37) 63 (53) 88 (74) at NC level 4 or above National 75 (75) 71 (72) 87 (85)

p.26

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

Numbers of pupils at NC Boys 7 10 9 level 4 and above Girls 6 5 5 Total 13 15 14 Percentage of pupils School 54 (47) 63 (47) 58 (63) at NC level 4 or above National 72 (70) 74 (72) 82 (79) Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Brockley Primary School - 27

p.26

exclusions

White – British 147 White – Irish White – any other White background Mixed – White and Black Caribbean Mixed – White and Black African Mixed – White and Asian Mixed – any other mixed background Asian or Asian British – Indian Asian or Asian British – Pakistani Asian or Asian British – Bangladeshi Asian or Asian British – any other Asian background Black or Black British – Caribbean Black or Black British – African Black or Black British – any other Black background Chinese Any other ethnic group No ethnic group recorded 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. Brockley Primary School - 28

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Qualified teachers and classes: YR – Y6

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 6 Financial year 2000/2001 Number of pupils per qualified teacher 24.5:1 Average class size 24.5 £ Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total income £382,151 Total number of education support staff 5 Total expenditure £370,760 Total aggregate hours worked per week 124 Expenditure per pupil £2,522 Qualified teachers and support staff: nursery Balance brought forward from previous year £4,442

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Qualified teachers and classes: YR – Y6

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 0.5 Balance carried forward to next year £15,832

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Qualified teachers and classes: YR – Y6

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 18:1 Total number of education support staff 1 Total aggregate hours worked per week 20 Number of pupils per FTE adult 9:1 FTE means full-time equivalent.

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 2 Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 1.5

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Recruitment of teachers

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 0 Number of vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of a term or more (FTE) 0 Number of unfilled vacancies or vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of less than one term (FTE) FTE means full-time equivalent. Brockley Primary School - 29

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Percentage of responses in each category

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

p.29

Percentage of responses in each category

My child is making good progress in school. 43 49 4 0 2

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Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 24 63 2 0 8

p.29

Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 41 41 12 0 4

p.29

Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 35 51 0 8 2

p.29

Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 69 22 4 2 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 61 31 0 0 6

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 47 31 12 0 8

p.29

Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 47 49 0 0 2

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 41 49 4 0 2

p.29

Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 14 49 14 6 14 Brockley Primary School - 30

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

54. At the time of inspection there were 18 children attending part time in the nursery. There were nine children, who started school in September, in a split age class of 15 Year 1 and reception children. Staff have good relationships with parents. There is a two-way flow of information and parents are happy that their children are settled as a result of effective induction procedures. Staff meet with parents at the beginning and end of each day. Information boards keep both reception and nursery parents informed on national and local issues and initiatives. The children enjoy coming to school. There is a relaxed start to each day. As a result children readily leave their parents and carers and come into school in a confident manner. This is due to the good support offered by teachers, teaching assistants and helpers.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

55. Attainment on entry to the nursery covers the whole range, but many children have well below average skills and understanding overall. Good, and sometimes very good teaching, means that the children make good progress in areas of learning that are not dependent on language. By the time they enter Year 1, most pupils meet the requirements of the early learning goals in personal and social development, physical and creative development. On entry to the nursery, children start from a very low base in language skills. Although the curriculum is very well planned with interesting activities, most children enter the reception class with a standard of attainment that is below that found nationally in mathematics, communication language and literacy. The nursery curriculum is well established and enables children to make effective progress. Children are provided with appropriate teaching activities, which extend their skills, develop their confidence,

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

build on what they already know and give them time to explore ideas and interests in depth.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

56. Staff in both nursery and reception put great emphasis on promoting children’s personal, social and emotional development. Children feel valued because the staff engage in their play, support their interests and converse with them. As a result the children have a positive approach to new experiences. The children have a sense of belonging. In the morning they collect their nametags from their pegs and immediately become involved in activities. Although children interact with staff, few interact with each other. They learn about health and hygiene, washing their hands after playing in the sand tray. The children have a good sense of belonging and respond well to the responsibilities of tidying up. The very good role models of the staff in the nursery ensure that children develop their self-confidence and are motivated to persist and learn. As they move through the reception class the children’s concentration span increases. They have

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

a positive attitude to work and most use resources independently. They form very good relationships with adults and each other. When getting ready for painting they help each other to put on aprons. They also play co-operatively with each other in the role-play area. In a PE lesson in the hall they wait patiently as they take turns in a game. By the time the children enter Year 1 most are in line to reach the early learning goals in this area.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

57. Staff take every opportunity to extend the development of the children’s literacy, language and communication skills, through careful planning and their own very good use of language and questions. In the nursery, children give one word answers to carefully framed questions posed by the teacher. Most children use isolated phrases or words. The staff in the nursery give children maximum support and reinforcement as they learn the sound for the week. As the ‘feely bag’ is passed round each child takes its turn to pull out an object. Most children need support to use the appropriate language but one child knows that the teacher’s name begins with an ‘m’. Following this activity one child goes straight to the letter table and reinforces her own learning by sorting out all the ‘m’ letters. All of the children enjoy listening to nursery rhymes and songs and are beginning to join in the chorus. Most children can paint vertical lines but do not have the skill to

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

hold a pencil and control it sufficiently to make marks. Staff use every opportunity to reinforce learning, and put objects which start with the letter that is the sound for the day in the water play. Brockley Primary School - 31 Children spend a long time using fishing nets in the water play carefully increasing their co- ordination as they fish for the objects in the water. They enjoy looking at books in the book corner and are learning to turn the pages appropriately.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

58. By the end of the reception year most children are beginning to form recognisable letters, making good progress from a very low base. Holding paintbrushes is still a problem at the beginning of the reception year with children continually changing hands throughout a painting lesson. Teachers work hard to increase children’s vocabulary, for example, asking them to repeat the names of the colours in an art lesson. Elements of the literacy framework are used well by staff and children begin to develop a good understanding of phonics through effective word, sentence and text level work using well known stories and rhymes. Most children can name the sounds in words they use frequently.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

59. Most children handle books carefully and understand the concept of a word. Some of the most able children are beginning to recognise familiar words but do not fully comprehend the story line. Higher achieving pupils like reading and can read simple texts, using initial letter sounds as cues. Good and sometimes very good teaching in the Foundation Stage enables children to make good progress but language skills are limited and most children will not achieve the early learning goals in this area of learning by the time they enter Key Stage 1.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

60. Due emphasis is placed on mathematical development in the nursery. Children enter the nursery with a low base of mathematical skills. Staff take small focus groups to help them consolidate and extend their knowledge and understanding through exciting games. They develop positive attitudes to number as children search under the cushions for the number they are to learn that day. The teacher talks about the shape of the number with such enthusiasm that the children in this small group become very involved, tracing over the outline of the number and joining in with physical activities. By the end of the session and with very strong support, the children have made progress and can pick out the number three although they have difficulty in showing three fingers without a lot of help. They are delighted to find the number floating in the water when they return to the water play. Two-dimensional shapes that the children do not know are similarly targeted.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

By the time that they reach the reception class children still need a lot of reinforcement in order to count to ten with confidence. Pupils make satisfactory progress and, although higher attaining pupils are in line to achieve what is expected for their age, most children will not achieve the early learning goals in this area.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

61. Many contexts and activities are planned, based on first hand experience that encourage exploration and observation in order to increase the children’s knowledge and understanding of the world so that they make sound progress towards achieving the early learning goals by the time they enter Key Stage 1. Children are given practical activities, which help them find out about the world, how to use tools correctly and safely. They help to dig and to plant seeds in the garden and are given opportunities to talk about how tadpoles turn into frogs. They are taken on visits to Twycross Zoo, which extends their horizons and gives them a wider experience of the outside world. They are well supported by teachers who interact with the children in a very positive manner. Children click and drag pictures on the computer screen in order to compose a picture that they print off independently to their obvious delight. These experiences are developed

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

efficiently in the reception class. The concepts of geography and history are developed through interesting lessons where, for example, they sort toys into old and new. The teacher instigates very good conversation about the properties of dolls. Following a class discussion, children successfully place the toys in “now” and “then” categories. Children learn to notice different features in their local environment and on their way to school. Children learn about different religions through stories. They visit the church and learn about the various parts of the church and learn about festivals such as Harvest by watching videos.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

62. The children make sound progress in Physical Development in the Nursery because they are given a wide range of opportunities to develop their skills in a safe environment. They have plenty Brockley Primary School - 32 of time to persist and perfect their skills and as a result grow in self-esteem. The children adjust their speed and change direction as they pedal their large toys with a high degree of competence, on the hard surface outside. Staff provide appropriate support to children who are learning to balance and to jump. The teacher provides good teaching points so that children can make good progress and have the confidence to jump correctly on their own. Teachers interact successfully with children introducing the vocabulary of movement associated with their actions. Pieces of carpet outside provide comfortable areas for children to develop skills in handling small construction resources. Children are more successful in using large-scale movement successfully

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

as they as yet lack full control for finer co-ordination.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

63. Reception children are still having difficulty getting dressed and undressed independently by the time they first enter the reception class. They have little spatial awareness and tend to cluster around one another when moving around the hall. They are given time to persist and perfect their skills and, as a result, grow in self-esteem. They move with increasing control and co-ordination. Teachers plan carefully to support the children’s development of fine hand control and co- ordination through cutting and sticking activities and play dough. Although the manipulative skills of a few children are still below average, most children will attain what is expected for their age by the time that they enter Key Stage 1.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

64. To encourage their creative development the children are given many opportunities to develop their own ideas, discover, explore and express their creativity in sand water play, role-play and painting. They engage in imaginative role-play based on their own experiences when using the role-play area working largely on their own. At the beginning of the year, children are beginning to learn a number of familiar rhymes and tunes, and participate in action songs. When painting, children select different colours but often paint one colour over another, using their whole body to carry out the action. They are often unsure of the names of colours and need a lot of support to learn them. They are also using ICT to create pictures successfully.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

65. By the time they reach reception, children have made progress and are ready to build successfully on previous learning producing shades of a single colour. The manipulative skills of a few children are below average. Holding paintbrushes is a problem and attention span is limited. The teacher works hard with good success to keep all children on task and promotes good learning so that all children know that they can make three new colours by mixing the three given colours. The children make effective progress and most children are in line to achieve the early learning goals in this area of learning by the time they enter the reception class.

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ENGLISH

66. In the 2001 national tests for pupils at the end of Year 6, results were well below the national average in English. Although there was a marked improvement in the number of pupils who attained at the expected level or above, the overall results are not as good as national averages, because almost a quarter of the pupils taking tests did not attain at the expected Level 4. The high number of pupils who join and leave the school at various times affects test results. One pupil joined during the testing week. In addition, the cohort contained a high number of pupils who needed support for their special educational needs. In tests for pupils at the end of Year 2, pupils attained average results in reading and well below average results in writing. In general, pupils start at the school with low literacy skills.

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ENGLISH

67. Over the last three years and since the time of the last inspection, the school has worked hard to improve the quality of teaching and learning to ensure that pupils make satisfactory rates of progress. They have been successful in this, and the impact is now becoming evident in the standards attained by pupils at the end of Year 2. Pupils make good progress and are attaining average standards. Although older pupils make at least satisfactory progress, there has been Brockley Primary School - 33 insufficient time for the benefits of better teaching to result in higher standards. Although standards are improving, by the end of Year 6, they are currently below average.

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ENGLISH

68. The National Literacy Strategy has been effectively implemented and is now having an impact on standards, particularly in the aspects of grammar and punctuation. In some lessons, especially where there are mixed ages and high proportions of pupils with special educational needs, the structure of the strategy is not always adapted to meet the needs of the pupils. Teachers have good teaching skills, but are sometimes slaves to the suggested format. While pupils make satisfactory progress in such lessons, it is quite clear that better progress is made when teachers use short, sharp activities that keep pupils interested. In some literacy lessons, teachers talk for too long, and rates of progress slow during the middle part of some sessions. Teachers know the pupils well, but do not always use this information to guide how they group pupils, how long activities should last or how they make use of the adult support available to them.

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ENGLISH

69. The school has placed good priority on developing pupils’ reading skills. Standards in reading are average by the end of Year 2 and Year 6. Involvement with local initiatives and training for adults in how to work with pupils is helping to improve standards. Emphasis has been given to lower attaining boys due to close analysis of test results. Big books and suggested readers from the national strategy are being used successfully to awaken pupils’ interest and enjoyment in reading. Pupils read aloud in class, from play scripts and poems. For example, in a Year 6 lesson, good work on characterisation came from reading “William’s Workshop”. Lower and average attaining pupils were encouraged to think about how the author had developed characters through the spoken word. This supported learning in the use of correct punctuation in speech, and the majority of pupils made satisfactory progress. Some pupils enjoy reading, notably the higher attaining pupils,

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ENGLISH

but as yet, there is no sense of joy in reading activities. The library is used well to extend library skills and all classes have a weekly planned session for use of the library. However, although there are adequate books, they appear lost in the large library space and some are in poor condition. Classroom libraries have few books and pupils do not use them as a way of finding out new information or extending their own ideas and imagination. A good step forward has been made in improving standards, but there is still work to be done in inspiring pupils to see the usefulness of books and develop a love of reading.

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ENGLISH

70. Pupils at the school like to talk and in social contexts are good conversationalists. In the classroom, many find it more difficult to express their ideas fully. The best example of good standards in speaking was observed in a Year 6 lesson with higher attaining pupils. In this session there was lively discussion and good recall of previous learning about the shared text “Spit Nolan”. Pupils were given useful opportunities to talk about their work with “talking partners”. This was a valuable chance for them to practice more formal and specific language as they plan their work with a partner. In many lessons, teachers use very appropriate specialised language, presenting it in a way that does not confuse pupils, but adds interest to what they learn. In a lesson with Year 3 and 4 pupils, the teacher talked about digraphs and phonemes, explaining and giving examples so pupils clearly understand. Pupils made good progress when looking at words with “–ing” endings

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ENGLISH

to use in the opening paragraph of a story.

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ENGLISH

71. Listening skills are generally not as well developed as speaking skills and some pupils find great difficulty in this area of their learning. A significant minority of pupils need very specific support in learning how to listen. This is not helped by the absence of targets in individual education plans. In some lessons, these pupils can distract other pupils from listening. This is especially the case in whole class sessions, where the teaching group is very large and there are a high number of pupils with special educational needs. In most cases, pupils do not listen as well when they are required to carry out the same activity for too long, or stay in one place for too long. Some have short attention spans, which affect how well they listen. It was very evident that when activities were short and quickly understood, pupils listened better and made good progress. In other lessons, where the content was more “newsworthy” and relevant to pupils’ experiences, they listened well.

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ENGLISH

This was the case in a Year 4 and 5 lesson where a poem written by a family member of a victim Brockley Primary School - 34 of the twin tower’s tragedy was used. The incident had been far away, but made relevant by television coverage and pupils were highly motivated. They made good progress during this session and good contribution was made to pupils’ to the development social and spiritual awareness. Even so, one or two boys in the group still need more specific help to listen well.

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ENGLISH

72. Writing is the weakest area of pupils’ work in English and has been rightly prioritised for development in the school’s improvement plan. Pupils are given opportunities to write in an appropriate range of styles and for different audiences. Local initiatives are also being used in this area of the English curriculum to raise the profile of written work in school and encourage better standards. In general, presentation of work is barely average and handwriting skills very varied. The school’s policy to introduce cursive script in Year 3 means that it is very difficult to undo the habits of bad grips, inaccurate joins and poor sitting positions. Even in the work of the highest attaining Year 6 pupils, there was little evidence of good joined styles. Pupils’ written work lacks imagination and creativity. In some lessons, teachers work so hard to elicit an interesting contribution from pupils, but the rewards are often disappointing. Pupils want to please their

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ENGLISH

teachers, but many do not have the necessary outside experiences to build on, and find it difficult to think creatively. With the development of the ICT suite, pupils are now beginning to make better use of word processing, spelling and grammar checks to improve the presentation and accuracy of their work.

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ENGLISH

73. Teaching in English is good and improving. Teachers plan well for ability groups and most lessons are clearly based on pupils’ previous learning, so progression can be measured accurately. In such lessons, learning is good. In some instances information is not used to plan for the next steps on learning, whether this be in terms of which resources will have the most significant impact on pupils, or how best to group pupils so that they make maximum progress. In these lessons, learning is satisfactory overall. Teachers have very good relationships with pupils and show care and respect. For this reason, pupils try hard and are generally well behaved, despite the fact that some of them do have difficulties and need support. The results of good teaching were evident during the inspection where learning was never less than satisfactory, and good or very good in almost half of lessons seen.

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ENGLISH

74. The leadership of the subject is satisfactory. However, it is well managed. The co-ordinator has been in charge of the subject for just over a year and clearly knows the strengths and areas for development in the provision and pupils’ standards. Teaching has been regularly monitored and evaluated and developments have taken place. She has worked with governors to analyse test results and plan priorities to address weaknesses. There are good assessment procedures in English, but teachers do not moderate pupils’ work in comparison with other schools to ensure accuracy in the levels they award. New resources have been purchased and these teachers are using them well. However, the range and quality is still not good enough to motivate and stimulate pupils, and encourage even better rates of progress. Likewise, the curriculum, although fulfilling all statutory requirements, is still short of being totally relevant to the pupils. Although in discussion it

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ENGLISH

is apparent that she has the skills to do so, the co-ordinator has not yet led the subject to its maximum potential of opening the pupils’ minds to a broader, enriching, exciting world of language.

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MATHEMATICS

75. Most pupils enter Key Stage 1 with standards in mathematics that are below the national average. The evidence gained from lesson observations and a careful scrutiny of available work shows that pupils are achieving well and are making good progress. The work set covers all the required areas and the majority of pupils attain broadly average standards by the end of Year 2. This is a similar situation to that found in the previous inspection and is a much better situation than that suggested by the scores gained in the past four years, which were either below, or well below the national average. The broadly average standards found are similar to the unvalidated scores that Brockley Primary School - 35 were gained in the 2002 assessments. The school attributes the recent raising of standards to improvements in teaching and learning, and this is supported by inspection findings, which found teaching and learning to be good.

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MATHEMATICS

76. Most pupils in Year 1 can count forwards and back to 10 with appropriate speed and accuracy and higher attaining pupils can, for example, securely match a picture of three hats to the numeral 3. Most pupils in Year 2 can identify which number will come next when counting forward and back to 100 in 1’s and 10’s and higher attaining pupils achieve this with both speed and accuracy. Some lower attaining pupils, however, have difficulty locating a number on a 100 square and are not sure what a two-digit number is. The majority of pupils make good progress throughout Key Stage 2 but although standards are often broadly average in the younger years of the key stage, by the end of Year 6 standards are still below the national average. Most pupils in Year 6 have a satisfactory knowledge and understanding of mathematical concepts and processes, but the numerical skills of the majority of pupils are generally weak and are limiting their ability to

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MATHEMATICS

calculate sums quickly and accurately. This is not as good a position as that found in the previous inspection when standards were judged to be in line with the national average even though the scores gained in national assessments were either below, or well below average in the period from 1998 to 2001. The unvalidated scores gained in 2002 were much better than those gained in previous years. Any differences from year to year can be attributed to the small size of the cohorts and variations in the numbers of pupils with special educational needs in different year groups.

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MATHEMATICS

77. Most average and higher attaining pupils in Year 3 and 4 have a satisfactory understanding of shape. They know what perimeter is and can accurately measure the perimeter of a range of regular and irregular shapes. Some lower attaining pupils, however, have difficulty when adding two digit numbers and are unable to measure with sufficient accuracy when using a ruler. Pupils in the Year 4/5 class are gaining a good understanding of place value, but generally have a poor grasp of the four times table and are often slow and inaccurate when calculating quite basic sums. Pupils in the Year 6 class have a sound understanding of area and can, for example, calculate the area of complex irregular shapes using a range of appropriate methods. The work completed in the mental arithmetic section of the lesson, however, while being appropriately matched to the prior attainment of the majority of the pupils, was of a much lower level than would usually be

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MATHEMATICS

78. Higher and average attaining pupils are making good progress, but lower attaining pupils and those with special educational needs often make very good progress because of the very good support they receive. There is no significant difference in the performance of boys and girls although some of the boys do find it harder to maintain their concentration for extended periods and this sometimes has a negative impact on their learning.

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MATHEMATICS

79. The quality of teaching is good overall and pupils are making good gains in their knowledge and understanding because of the very structured approaches being employed throughout the school. Teachers generally have a good knowledge of the subject and this means that they are able to answer complex questions and explain the reasoning behind a process with considerable skill. This has a very positive impact on pupils’ learning. They are very skilled at matching the work to the prior attainment of the pupils, often making important strategic adjustments in the middle of a lesson. Teachers use a very good range of practical techniques to ensure that pupils understand why a particular calculation has worked in a specific way and great care is taken to ensure that pupils use apparatus, whenever appropriate, when calculating sums or working out problems. Pupils generally enjoy their work in the subject and, because of the very effective relationships

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MATHEMATICS

that are forged between pupils and their teachers, most try their very hardest to please. However, even though teaching is good the quality of learning is often only satisfactory because pupils, particularly lower attaining boys, quickly lose concentration and go off task. Brockley Primary School - 36 80. The leadership and management of mathematics are good. The curriculum is broad and balanced and the co-ordinator, who has very good subject knowledge and is very enthusiastic about the subject, has a very clear understanding of the strengths and weaknesses that exist. She has received significant specialist training and has been given opportunities to monitor teaching and learning in each of the other classes as well as the work produced by individual pupils. There are effective arrangements for assessing the attainment of pupils and records are produced a variety of different formats. The subject co-ordinator and headteacher review the results of standardised

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MATHEMATICS

tests carefully and is aware of the areas where improvements need to be made. There are generally sufficient amounts of resources, but many of them are of barely adequate quality and do little to stimulate pupils’ learning.

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SCIENCE

81. Inspection evidence indicates that most pupils will attain the standards expected nationally at the end of Year 2. The results of national testing at the end of Year 6 for 2002 reflect an improving profile and evidence of standards seen on inspection indicates that most pupils are on course to attain the standards expected nationally at the end of this school year. Pupils achieve well improving their knowledge and understanding and investigation skills. They learn effectively through good teaching and a well-planned curriculum.

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SCIENCE

82. By the end of Year 2, pupils can identify equipment that is powered by batteries and electricity and they know the dangers associated with them. They can sort objects by identifying their materials, such as metal, rubber and fabric. They learn about themselves and discuss how they grow. They really enjoy studying photographs of their friends as babies and can describe the changes, as they become children. They are particularly interested to look at photographs of their teachers and learn that teachers too were babies and young children and have changed into adulthood. The higher attaining pupils can also describe simple life cycles. Pupils learn particularly well during well-planned lessons that have a good variety of activities.

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SCIENCE

83. By the end of Year 6, pupils have become confident investigators. They identify the difference between variables and make suggestions for carrying out a fair test on the model of a Roman catapult. They understand that measurement and comparisons are needed during testing and frequently record their results in tables and on graphs. Pupils work with all the programmes of the National Curriculum over the course of four years, in a carefully allocated curriculum plan of teaching units. Particular care is taken to ensure that pupils in mixed age classes have appropriate experiences and do not miss out on opportunities. Pupils can describe the functions of important parts of the body and they understand about food chains and micro-organisms. The work they have done on forces has given rise to sound investigative techniques. However, they have fewer opportunities to generate their own experiments.

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SCIENCE

84. Pupils enjoy science lessons. In Years 3 and 4, pupils are particularly eager to learn about conductors during activities involving simple electrical circuits. Older pupils have become particularly confident in making predictions and in the use of graphical work and data handling presented on computers. Younger pupils often have suitable programmes to follow to support their learning, as with a programme on growth and change. Pupils with special educational needs are well supported and suitable recording activities are usually set for them. Pupils present their work and take pride in its appearance. This is regularly marked and has helpful and supportive comments.

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SCIENCE

85. Science teaching is good overall, with some examples of particularly good teaching at the end of each Key Stage. These good lessons are characterised by careful planning and very good classroom management. Pupils learn well in a peaceful atmosphere, where they respond well to their teachers, with whom they have very good relationships. Teachers are adept at asking questions, which help individuals to consolidate understanding. Materials and resources are well Brockley Primary School - 37 prepared and inventive. For example, an interactive ‘circuit’ of cords and pictures enabled pupils to experiment with the layout of a circuit with a conductor in it before making the circuit with wires and batteries. Older pupils concentrate for long periods of time and learn to measure accurately during their experiments. Each pupil’s work is valued, especially during competent plenary discussions, where understanding is shared and consolidated.

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SCIENCE

86. Leadership and management of this subject are good and are reflected in the improved quality of teaching and learning throughout the school and the good improvement made since the last inspection. The two curriculum co-ordinators have worked very hard to establish a scheme of work, which is firmly embedded in the curriculum. This is contributing significantly to the improvement of standards at the end of Year 6. Considerable time and thought has been given to the collation and analysis of test data. Teachers are now in a position to be able to predict end of Key Stage outcomes and track pupils’ progress, enabling targeted teaching to take place. There is a commitment by all staff to the continual development of the subject, and the co-ordinators are eager to make improvements in science by purchasing new equipment and expanding links to other subjects. Moderation of work has taken place in school and teachers are now in a position to

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SCIENCE

compare work with that of pupils in other schools to ensure the security of their judgements.

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ART AND DESIGN

87. Overall standards in art and design are in line with expectations by the end of both Year 2 and Year 6. These standards have been maintained since the last inspection. In displays of pupils’ work throughout the school there are examples of good standards in specific topics. Standards attained by pupils attending the after school art club are notably good. The school has made good use of national guidance to plan the curriculum for art and design. Pupils make steady progress, because the curriculum is clearly planned on the appropriate development of skills and knowledge. Standards are hindered by the school’s accommodation. Only the nursery and one additional classroom have a sink and running water. There is no specific art room in the school large enough for a class to work together. This limits pupils during art lessons and makes organisation very difficult for teachers.

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ART AND DESIGN

88. During the inspection, pupils in Year 1 and 2 worked on observation drawings. This lesson built on previous learning where William Morris’ designs and patterns had been explored. Using oil pastels, the pupils carefully and with very good concentration, selected elements of their drawings to repeat as patterns. They explained the design process involved in their work, from the initial observation, to first drawing, and onto selection for repeating patterns. Throughout the lesson, the teacher encouraged the pupils to improve their work and continuously reminded them of the learning objective. Older pupils made particularly good progress in developing a small section of their drawing and consequently made a design with exciting use of colour. Other pupils used computers skilfully to complete a similar task. The teacher’s subject knowledge was very good and she passed on her enthusiasm to pupils very successfully. Pupils worked quietly and with

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ART AND DESIGN

enjoyment. They made very good progress during the lesson.

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ART AND DESIGN

89. The difficulties caused by unsuitable working areas were clearly seen in a well-planned lesson for pupils in Year 3 and 4. Pupils had completed a homework task for art and one pupil had brought a book with patterns from home, showing their interest in the topic. Pupils contributed well during the introductory discussion and talked confidently about the repeating patterns in the teacher’s prepared examples. When completing their own designs, using sponging and stencilling techniques, it was very difficult to be neat and improve work because pupils could not easily wash their hands, clean sponges, or keep stencils paint free. While pupils made satisfactory progress in learning techniques, the working environment affected the standards they attained. In addition, because pupils were unable to work comfortably, their behaviour and concentration was barely satisfactory. Brockley Primary School - 38 90. While only two lessons were observed, from work around school and samples of planning,

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ART AND DESIGN

teaching in art and design is judged to be good. The subject is well led and managed and resources are plentiful and varied. The school has its own kiln, which enables pupils to experience the full process of pottery techniques. A visiting African artist has contributed to this area of work, encouraging pupils’ multi-cultural awareness. The school runs an art competition each year, judged by a local artist. In the last competition, entries were completed at home, encouraging parents’ interest and contribution. The school’s scope for further improvement in the standards that pupils attain in art and design is now only prevented by the accommodation.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

91. During the inspection there were no lessons observed, but judgements about standards are made by consulting teachers’ planning and the evidence of pupils’ work. Pupils at the end of Year 2 attain standards that meet national expectations. They achieve satisfactorily to meet those standards. However, pupils at the end of Year 6 have had insufficient opportunity to attain the necessary skills to meet national expectations in all aspects of the subject. The school has adopted a scheme of work based upon the Government guidance for the design and technology curriculum. This ensures that pupils are beginning to learn skills in an ordered fashion and starting to understand the complete design process. At present the full range of Design and Technology units are planned but the oldest pupils have not had sufficient breadth of experience to attain the levels required. No evidence of recent work in food technology or textiles was provided or described by

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

92. By the end of Year 2, pupils have discussed healthy eating and have designed a fruit salad and recorded what they like and dislike. They have been able to make simple card puppets and masks. Older pupils have designed and made a moving pneumatic model, and have used labelled diagrams. By the end of Year 6, pupils are able to design and make machines to water plants and have effectively used rigid wooden structures to support moving parts to create “Victorian” coal trucks. Inventive teaching and planning for the oldest pupils ensures a good link to history and science as products are often tested and results measured. There is little use of computers to support learning in the subject.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

93. Satisfactory progress has been made since the last inspection in the development of the curriculum. There has been some monitoring of teaching by the co-ordinator and a start has been made to collate a portfolio of work. At present, there are no systems in place to monitor pupils progress in this subject. A lack of stimulating resources and encouraging displays of work has contributed to the disappointing quality of some of the finished work.

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GEOGRAPHY

94. Pupils throughout the school generally make unsatisfactory progress and the majority of them do not attain appropriate standards because they have not been given enough suitable opportunities to develop an appropriate range of concepts, skills and understanding.

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GEOGRAPHY

95. Whilst no direct teaching was observed during the inspection, a careful analysis of work on display and in pupils’ books and discussions with pupils reveal that teaching and learning are unsatisfactory. Pupils have completed some good quality, but isolated units of work, including fieldwork and comparative studies that are of an appropriate level, but insufficient time and emphasis has been given to the subject. This is not as positive a situation as that found in the previous inspection when standards were judged to be in line with national expectations.

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GEOGRAPHY

96. The leadership and management of the subject are unsatisfactory. The co-ordinator is new to her post and has not yet had an opportunity to make a positive impact on quality and standards. There Brockley Primary School - 39 are no agreed procedures for assessing and recording the work of individual pupils and no monitoring of either outcomes or teaching and learning has been done to ensure that pupils are developing the required skills and concepts as they move through the school.

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HISTORY

97. The attainment of pupils at the end of Years 2 and 6 is below that expected for their age. This is different to the time of the last inspection when standards were found to be satisfactory. Insufficient emphasis has been placed on the subject as core subjects have taken precedence. There is no formal assessment of standards and the co-ordinator is new to the role. Pupils with special educational needs receive appropriate support to participate fully in lessons but make equally limited progress.

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HISTORY

98. Teaching at both key stages is good with some very good teaching at Key Stage 1. Lessons are well prepared. In one Key Stage 1 class, a very good range of teaching methods was seen including the use of a song to reinforce the pupils’ learning. In a lesson on Louis Braille the teacher made good use of questions to establish the reasons behind the invention of Braille. The use of pupils’ first hand experience, in pretending to be blind, deepened their understanding. In a lesson in Key Stage 2, on life in a Roman villa, the teacher effectively created an environment that encouraged the pupils to excavate carefully and ask discriminating questions. Learning in lessons is effective as a result of good planning and well-prepared materials.

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HISTORY

99. Achievement in lessons is good at both key stages but time constraints placed on the subject means that over time, pupils are not able to study topics in sufficient depth to have a coherent development of concepts, skills, knowledge and understanding. At the age of eleven pupils are clear about what they have learned in the lesson but have a limited background knowledge of history.

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HISTORY

100. By the end of Year 2, pupils develop their knowledge and understanding of the lives of people in the past by re-telling stories and this contributes to pupils’ cultural development. They also use role-play, for example, in a lesson where the teacher asked the pupils to imagine what is like to be blind. Some pupils were able to rise to the teachers’ extra challenge in the lesson, but this was not followed through for higher attaining pupils. With support, Year 1 pupils sort toys into old and new toys. A time line helps pupils in Years 1 and 2 to begin to have a sense of chronology.

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HISTORY

101. At the end of Year 6, pupils are assimilating a suitable knowledge and understanding of archaeology. This was exemplified in a lesson on life in Roman Britain where pupils had to ‘excavate’ and interpret artefacts. Pupils were encouraged to scan and identify key words to inform library and Internet searches. Learning lost pace however when pupils went into group activities. In Years 4 and 5, ICT is used to good effect in developing investigations into the Vikings and their gods. By the end of the lesson pupils recall and describe the characteristics of four Viking gods.

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HISTORY

102. Attitudes to learning and behaviour are good. Pupils are enthusiastic interested in their work. When presented with exciting work they are really keen but are also willing to wait for their turn. In a lesson on Louis Braille every child was on task and pupils worked in a very positive atmosphere. Pupils listen attentively, relationships are good and lessons in upper Key Stage 2 are characterised by a feeling of mutual trust and respect.

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HISTORY

103. Leadership and management of the subject are satisfactory. The co-ordinator has only recently been appointed and as yet has had insufficient opportunity to monitor and evaluate teaching and learning in order to raise standards. Assessments are made for the purposes of writing reports to parents rather than to inform planning. The implementation of a form of assessment linked to guidance on the subject together will inform planning. This, together with due emphasis placed on Brockley Primary School - 40 the subject in order to provide a coherent development of concepts and skills, will greatly assist in the raising of standards in this subject.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

104. Standards attained by pupils at the end of Years 2 and 6 are in line with those expected nationally. Pupils achieve well with this subject, due to good teaching and the introduction of an effective scheme of work based upon national guidelines. There have been significant improvements made since the last inspection in all aspects of the subject, from the establishment of a new computer suite, the purchase of software and the professional development of teachers as well as curriculum development.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

105. Pupils in Years 1 and 2 are learning simple word-processing skills and use suitable programmes to enable them to “make a face” and “dress teddy”. They begin to use the mouse efficiently to click on buttons to guide them through programmes about growing, and learn drawing and painting skills to effectively support work in art and design. Pupils have the chance to transfer their observational picture of flowers, fruit or leaves to a paint program that will then become the motif for their art project.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

106. In Year 5, pupils use the Internet to search for information related to their history topic on the Vikings combining the skills of cut and paste learned in a previous lesson. They are able to change the font and size of script and are learning how to find and replace words as a means of editing their work. All the older pupils in the school have e-mail addresses and many take the opportunities to work during playtimes and lunchtimes. Older pupils in Year 6, benefit from the expertise of a visiting teacher from the local education action zone. They are learning how to make an interactive storybook, supporting links to word-processing, making hyperlinks to other parts of the story and effectively selecting clipart and re-sizing it to illustrate their work. Younger pupils in Key Stage 2 are acquiring very good skills and good teaching ensures that these pupils are making particularly good progress.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

107. Few information and communication technology lessons were observed but evidence gained from discussion, analysis of stored work and use of information and communication technology in other lessons indicates that teaching is good overall. The vision and hard work of the curriculum co- ordinator has ensured this. She employs her substantial knowledge and understanding of the subject to act as a good role model for other teachers, using information and communication technology to teach in other subjects. She has expended energy and used her own expertise to secure a new suite of computers that is now available to all children and pupils of the school. Classroom computers are also part of this system so that, teachers who are benefiting from Government sponsored training are able to teach skills in the suite which are then consolidated in the classroom. For example, word-processing supports work in literacy, research skills using

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

search engines and the Internet support history and data-handling programmes are used effectively to illustrate results in science. Younger pupils support work in science, art and design and numeracy by the use of special software. Laptop computers loaned by the local EAZ have provided excellent opportunities for mixed age supportive learning where older pupils helped younger ones. However, at present there is no formal method of recording the progress that individual pupils make in this subject.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

108. The curriculum co-ordinator recognises the need for continuous development in this subject. She has a clear idea of the strengths and weaknesses and the actions needed to ensure that standards continue to improve. Suitable safeguards are in place to ensure security for pupils searching the Internet and using e-mails and a home/school agreement is being developed. The quality of leadership in this subject is very good. Brockley Primary School - 41

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MUSIC

109. At the end of Years 2 and 6, pupils do not attain the standards, which are expected. The curriculum is based upon a commercial scheme that provides well-structured lessons. At present there is no subject leader and, although pupils are gaining some knowledge and understanding of the subject, many aspects and opportunities are missed and pupils do not benefit from a breadth of experience. Pupils therefore make unsatisfactory achievements. This subject has not been a priority for development. No judgement is made about teaching as too few lessons were observed.

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MUSIC

110. Pupils in Years 3 and 4 learn about pitch and can identify high and low sounds played on chime bars. They are beginning to recognise when tunes have ascending or descending notes. The oldest pupils in Year 6 can define terms like rhythm, pitch and timbre. However, pupils have only had limited opportunities to investigate composition and use symbols. As yet there is no use of ICT in the subject, but planned musical activities are part of the ICT curriculum. All pupils have had chances to use percussion instruments and a few receive private tuition for woodwind instruments. All pupils join in with singing particularly in hymn practice and they can sustain a melody well. There are fewer chances for them to sing in parts or to create a texture of sound using their voices, although many of them participate in end-of-term productions. Frequently opportunities are missed for pupils to listen to and appreciate music during assembly times.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

111. Pupils generally make satisfactory progress as they move through the school and the majority of them attain standards that are in line with the national expectation in all aspects of the subject. This is a similar situation to that found in the previous inspection. Levels of achievement are satisfactory for almost all pupils, irrespective of their age, gender, prior attainment or social circumstance. Pupils with special educational needs achieve satisfactory standards.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

112. Pupils in Year 1 understand the importance of warming up their muscles before engaging in rigorous physical activity. They have an appropriate spatial awareness, but the quality of general movements is not as good as is usually found Pupils in Year 2 have suitable catching skills, but many find it difficult to throw with sufficient accuracy to enable their partners to catch the ball. Their overall levels of co-ordination are satisfactory. Pupils in Year 6 listen carefully to the instructions they are given and display appropriate skill when taking part in a range of different games that require players to send and receive. They are developing a suitable understanding of the importance of obeying rules in team games. Standards in competitive games are greatly enhanced for some older pupils by their involvement in the wide range of extra-curricular activities and residential opportunities that are provided. Pupils also take part in competitive matches against

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

other schools. These activities contribute to pupils’ social development in a positive way.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

113. The quality of teaching and learning is generally good and pupils make good gains in skill and knowledge as they move through the school. Teachers have appropriate subject knowledge and because of their careful planning, they generally organise their pupils very effectively. Most teachers have very effective class management skills and as a result learning proceeds at an appropriately brisk pace. The teaching of games is generally good because staff have particularly good subject knowledge in this area. Pupils generally enjoy their work in PE and apply themselves with great enthusiasm and vigour. A shortcoming of lessons that were judged to be good overall is that insufficient opportunities are provided for pupils to evaluate their own work, or the work of others. Lessons in the hall often begin without teachers ensuring that all chairs and other movable objects have been moved from the main area of activity.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

114. The curriculum is broad, in that it contains all the required elements, but the co-ordinator is aware that some minor adjustments need to be made to the balance between the different elements, with greater emphasis being given to improving movement skills through gymnastics and dance. The Brockley Primary School - 42 range of opportunities available to the pupils has been greatly enhanced by the additional financial support and the involvement of staff from the North Derbyshire Education Action Zone.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

115. The co-ordinator provides the subject with suitable leadership and management and has an appropriate awareness of the strengths and weaknesses that exist. He has not, however, taken opportunities either to monitor the planning or the quality of teaching and learning in other classes. The previous co-ordinator had established formal procedures for assessing and recording the attainment or progress of individual pupils, but these have not been agreed by the existing staff and have not been implemented.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

116. Pupils enter the school with very little experience of religion. Their attainment in religious education, by the end of both Year 2 and Year 6 is below the expectations of the Locally Agreed Syllabus. Improvements since the last inspection are difficult to measure, since no overall judgement was given about standards in religious education at that time. Pupils study the world faiths of Christianity, Judaism, Sikhism and Islam as proposed by the agreed syllabus. This gives them insights into the faith and beliefs of others and is a contributing factor to the tolerant and respectful attitudes that pupils show to one another, and their social and spiritual development.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

117. Pupils with special educational needs make satisfactory progress in religious education. As a result of the good support that they receive from learning support assistants, they achieve in line with that of the rest of their classes. There is no discernible difference in the progress of girls to that of boys. Pupils’ attitudes to the subject are good in both key stages.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

118. Pupils in Year 1 learned about their own cultures and beliefs as they watched a video about Harvest Festival. Although the learning objective was shared with the pupils there was a missed opportunity to reinforce this, as the lesson centred more on different types of fruit and vegetables, rather than religious practices. By the time pupils reach Year 2 they have learned about their own Christian faith, celebrations such as Diwali and about places of worship such as the Gurdwara. Analysis of work shows that work is not often matched to the pupils’ needs. In many cases the work of average and lower ability pupils is often unfinished and learning is difficult to assess.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

119. In Year 3, pupils learn about special meals, symbols such as the five Ks of Sikhism, inside a Christian place of worship and Easter. Although the amount of work covered in each topic is limited, the pupils are acquiring some new knowledge and understanding. Higher attaining pupils are able to able to identify religious practices and suggest meanings in religious symbols.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

120. Year 4 and Year 5 pupils remember the five Ks, but not their meanings. By the end of a lesson seen where the teaching and learning was very good, pupils knew and were using the correct terminology for the use of the five Ks. As a result of the teachers’ good use of interesting resources and the fact that the learning was related to the pupils’ own experiences, all pupils were interested and made very good progress. Pupils’ concentration was sustained during a very effective power-point presentation designed to give pupils the opportunity to explore other cultures.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

121. By the end of Year 6, pupils have learned about the Ten Commandments, the Pillars of Islam, prayer, the Last Supper and sacred texts. In work samples, pupils describe religious beliefs and their importance and respond sensitively to the values of others in relation to what is right and wrong. In a lesson that was observed there was a missed opportunity to use the pupils’ own experience to make the lesson more meaningful. Pupils listened respectfully as the visiting minister read a psalm and then set to work industriously to produce their own hymn of praise for creation. The resultant work was not as inspired as it could have been, if the lesson had been based on the pupils’ own experience. Brockley Primary School - 43 122. The overall quality of teaching and learning in lessons is satisfactory, and there was some very good teaching in Key Stage 2. The best teaching based pupils’ learning on first hand experiences

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

and built upon pupils’ previous knowledge and understanding. Teachers have appropriate subject knowledge in religious education.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

123. Leadership and management of the subject are satisfactory. The headteacher has taken on the role since the summer term, and as yet has not had sufficient time to monitor and evaluate teaching and learning in the subject in order to raise standards. She is aware of the developments that need to take place. The scheme of work is due for review. Resources are satisfactory, but there is a need for more visits and visitors. There is no form of assessment, so it is difficult to track the progress that pupils are making over time.

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