Overseal Primary School

OVERSEAL PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 13 th – 16 th January 2003

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OVERSEAL 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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OVERSEAL 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. Overseal Primary School - 1

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Woodville Road Overseal Swadlincote

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The governing body

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: November 1997 Overseal Primary School - 2

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Aspect responsibilities

4074 Mr R Gill Registered inspector English Information and communication technology Design and technology Music Educational inclusion English as an additional language What kind of school is it? The school’s results and pupils’ achievements How well are pupils taught? How well is the school led and managed?

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Aspect responsibilities

31713 Mr S Roberts Lay inspector Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development How well does the school care for its pupils? How well does the school work in partnership with parents? 30362 Mrs J Henshaw Team inspector Mathematics Religious education Art and design Foundation Stage How good are the curricular and other opportunities offered to pupils?

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Aspect responsibilities

2700 Mr P Sudworth Team inspector Science History Geography Physical education Special educational needs

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Aspect responsibilities

PPI Group Ltd 7 Hill Street Bristol BS1 5RW

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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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Aspect responsibilities

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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Aspect responsibilities

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Overseal Primary School - 3

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 4 - 7

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

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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS? 8 - 10

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Overseal Primary School is situated in Swadlincote in south Derbyshire. Most of the 157 pupils, 76 of whom are boys and 81 girls, live locally, but a significant minority of pupils travel some distance to attend. The proportion of pupils known to be entitled to receive free school meals is around the national average. Three pupils have a statement of special educational needs and a further 12 pupils are on the school’s register of pupils with special educational needs. The majority of pupils with special educational needs have moderate learning difficulties. The proportion of pupils with special educational needs is below the national average for primary schools. A very small number of pupils have an ethnic minority heritage, but none is learning English as an additional language. Many children receive pre- school education from a range of providers before starting school. The pupils’ attainment when they

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

start school is about average. The school has achieved Investors in People status. In 2001 the school received an achievement award from the department for education and skills for its improved standards. There has been a very high turnover in staff in the last two years. A new headteacher and deputy headteacher have been appointed since the time of the last inspection.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

Overseal gives a good standard of education after a few unsettled and low attaining years in English and mathematics. Standards reached currently by pupils in Year 6 are about average and this represents good achievement for them. By the age of seven, pupils also achieve well and are generally above average. The good achievement, which now runs throughout the school, is the result of the good and often very good, teaching. The school’s successful struggle to overcome low achievement has been led very well by the new headteacher, ably supported by a new team of staff and committed governors. The school’s resurgence means that, once again, it provides good value for money.

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What the school does well

• The pupils attain good standards in science and very good standards in information and communication technology (ICT) by the end of Year 6. • The pupils in Year 6 have caught up well in English and mathematics to reach what is expected nationally of them. • Teaching contributes strongly to the good progress pupils make throughout the school. • The leadership shown by the headteacher and senior staff creates a very positive context for the improvement of teaching and learning. • The school establishes very good behaviour and positive attitudes among its pupils. • The curriculum is engaging and provides well for pupils’ personal development and wider interests. • The school works very well with parents to improve their children’s education.

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What could be improved

• Standards in English and mathematics by the end of Year 6 could be consolidated and improved. • Standards in art and design by the end of Year 6. • The role played by the governing body in monitoring and evaluating the work of the school and producing the school’s plan for development. • The management of the budget to improve the school’s accommodation. 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

Overseal Primary School - 5 When the school was last inspected in November 1997 it was judged to be providing a good quality of education. The very low national test results in 1998 indicated some underlying weaknesses in teaching that were subsequently confirmed by the Local Education Authority who provided additional support to rectify matters. Since then, the school has made very good improvements under the ambitious leadership of the new headteacher who has worked effectively with the school’s many new teachers. The National Strategies for Literacy and Numeracy were introduced from 1997, but have only become effective in terms of pupils’ results since 2000/1. Provision for ICT has been radically improved. The quality of teaching has improved dramatically. There is now a high proportion of very good and occasionally excellent lessons. The school’s processes of self-evaluation have improved. It has a good

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

appreciation of all that still needs to be done to affect improvement, with plans in place for many aspects.

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STANDARDS

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

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Key

2000 2001 2002 2002 well above average A English E* C E E above average average B C mathematics E D D D below average well below average D E science E* B A A very low E*

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Key

In English and mathematics the general pattern has been for pupils to attain standards at the end of Year 6, which are below or well below the national average and sometimes in the bottom five per cent. In science there has been a marked improvement since 2001 because teaching has helped pupils learn in a much more productive way. In English and mathematics, pupils have not achieved well enough for several years. They generally have an average potential when they start school and have slipped back by the time they are in Year 6. Sometimes the low results are due to the small size of a year group which also contains a higher than average proportion of pupils who find the work difficult. This was the case in 2002. In Year 2, 1998 results were very low, but in 2002 pupils were above the national average in reading and writing and well above it in mathematics. The school sets itself demanding targets and

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Key

strives well to get close to them. Currently, standards in English and mathematics are above average in Year 2 and satisfactory in Year 6 and pupils are achieving well. In Year 2 pupils also go beyond what they are expected to achieve in science, ICT and music. By the time pupils are in Year 6 they are above the expected level in science, well above it in ICT, but below it in art and design.

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Key

Children in the Foundation Stage are on course to reach the expected levels by the end of the Reception Year. Pupils with special educational needs tend to make good progress throughout the school owing to the extra help that they receive. There are no particular differences in the standards achieved by boys or girls. Overseal Primary School - 6

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Pupils have very good attitudes to their schooling. Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Behaviour is very good. Lessons are characterised by enthusiastic and polite responses. Breaks and lunchtimes are pleasant social occasions. Personal development and relationships Very good. Pupils form very good relationships with each other and with adults. They grow in self-confidence in response to the school’s very good provision for social development, in particular. Attendance Satisfactory. The rate of attendance is improving steadily. Unauthorised absence is still too high, but the school is working well with a small group of families who cause this, to reduce the level. Holidays taken during school term also contribute to the problem.

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

Quality of teaching Satisfactory 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 quality of teaching is good in most classes. There are no unsatisfactory lessons. There are many examples of very good and occasionally excellent teaching. The provision in the Reception class is satisfactory. It is too soon to see the full results of the good plans that have been made by the new teacher. Teachers in Year 1 to Year 6 use the National Strategies for Literacy and Numeracy well to improve standards. Pupils’ writing, for example, is taught in a very coherent and systematic way; this is common to all classes. Pupils’ attitudes to learning are very positive and they concentrate hard on their lessons. The school succeeds well in meeting the needs of most pupils, including those with special educational needs. The needs of higher attainers, gifted and talented pupils between the age of seven and 11, are met satisfactorily in general and very well in music and ICT.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum Good. The school’s relevant curriculum includes effective strategies for teaching literacy and numeracy. It is well augmented by a wide range of additional and extra-curricular activities. Provision for pupils with special educational needs Good. Pupils receive good support in class and in special groups outside the classroom. Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural, development Good. Pupils are taught to behave responsibly and respect other people. Opportunities for social development are very good. Many aspects, such as the school’s strong provision for music, help to create a spiritual and cultural dimension. Pupils are not as well prepared for life in a multicultural society. How well the school cares for its pupils All staff know and care for the pupils well. Pupils’ work in English and mathematics is well monitored and assessed, but this kind of analysis

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Aspect Comment

does not yet fully extend to the other subjects. How well the school works with parents Very well. The school's partnership with parents is very effective. It provides very good information for them, particularly about what and how their children learn. Parents have a very high regard for the school and Overseal Primary School - 7 get involved well in their children's learning.

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff Good. The headteacher has shown very good leadership in bringing the school out of a period of low achievement, well supported by an able senior management team. Management related to the improvements in teaching and learning is good, but not always recorded in a systematic way.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Satisfactory. Governors are committed, keen and involved. The governing body lacks extensive enough systems with which to monitor and evaluate the school’s practice.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance Satisfactory. The school is clear about what needs to be done, but the school’s development plan does not reflect all the areas for improvement.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources Good. The staff are well deployed and very well inducted. The school’s budget has been well directed towards raising standards.

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Aspect Comment

The school employs a good number of teachers and assistants. Resources for teaching and learning are generally satisfactory, but very good in the case of ICT. The accommodation is adequate, but imposes many restrictions on the way that pupils learn, for example the library is too small. The governors are rightly concerned with spending the budget wisely, but there is a large underspend. This has been earmarked for improvements to the accommodation, but plans for this are not described clearly enough in the school’s development plan.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• Children like school and behave well. • Teaching is good and children progress well. • Children become mature and responsible. • The school is well led and welcoming. • Some parents are concerned about the amount of homework given and how well they are informed about their child’s progress.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

The inspectors agree with all the positive comments made by parents. The amount of homework provided is satisfactory and parents are very well informed about their child’s progress. Overseal Primary School - 8

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

1. The proportion of pupils attaining the expected level at the end of Year 6, in English, mathematics and science, compared to national averages and similar schools, has improved since the school was last inspected in 1997. The general trend is for school’s test results to be rising faster than the national rate of improvement. For example, pupils in Year 6 in 2002 did very well compared to their results at the age of seven in 1998. This is as a result of the vastly improved teaching they received, particularly, of late, in Year 5 and Year 6. The improvements since 1997 began to be reflected markedly in the Year 6 results in 2001. Consequently, the school was given an achievement award by the then department for education and skills.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

2. Pupils’ attainment at the end of the infants was significantly lower than the national average in 1998. Pupils’ attainment was, for example, in the bottom five per cent of results nationally in writing and mathematics. Since then there has been a dramatic improvement, particularly since 2001 when the effect of the new headteacher’s strategies began to be noticed. In 2002 pupils, at the end of Year 2, were above the national average in reading and writing and well above it in mathematics.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

3. Currently, pupils in Year 2 are attaining above the national expectation in English, mathematics and science. This represents good achievement since they entered school with an average potential to meet the required standards. On balance, Year 6 pupils are about average in English and mathematics, but above average in science. These pupils have achieved well to reach these standards given the weak teaching they received earlier in their school career and their race to catch up.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

4. Children’s attainment on entry to school, in the Reception class, is generally about what is normally expected for their age. This year, children are on course to achieve the expected levels by the end of the Reception Year and even exceed them in personal and social development. Children’s achievement is good because many children entered school with a slightly weaker grasp of basic skills than is usual for this school. The only area of learning in which progress has been satisfactory is that of physical development because facilities and opportunities are still being developed.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

5. The school has a real desire to help pupils reach and eventually exceed the national expectations. In 2002, pupils at the end of Year 6 made very good progress, but their results were well below the national average in English and below it in mathematics. However, these results should be treated with caution because the number of pupils in Year 6 was relatively small and the proportion of pupils with special educational needs was high in comparison. Under these circumstances, pupils did well to nearly meet the ambitious targets set for them. This year, there are also ambitious targets and the pupils are likely to meet them. The National Strategies in Literacy and Numeracy have helped to make the pupils’ reading more effective, their writing well constructed and their ability to think about numbers and calculate far more effective. The good achievement in science is because good teaching, overall, creates a proper balance between

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

learning facts and setting up tests to investigate ideas. Consequently, the pupils who find writing difficult can think widely about the information they have to learn and talk well about it without being always penalised by their inability to write their answers in fully correct English.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

6. By the time they are 11 the pupils’ attainment in other subjects, is broadly in line with what is expected nationally. In ICT it is above expectations at the end of Year 2 and well above them at the end of Year 6. This is because the subject is so well resourced, taught and managed. In music, pupils benefit from specialist teaching from the headteacher. This has already caused standards to be higher than is expected nationally by the end of Year 2 and good progress in Year 6 to help pupils reach expected levels after several years of slow progress. The only subject Overseal Primary School - 9 in which standards are not as they should be is art and design. Pupils in Year 6 do not achieve the required level, but are making satisfactory progress now after some years when achievement was weak.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

7. Pupils with special educational needs achieve well and make good progress. This is due to the small class sizes, the carefully planned work and the good quality of the individual education plans. The competent teaching assistants work with the pupils and help them to learn and concentrate well in the lessons. For example, in a literacy lesson in Year 2 pupils responded very well to the infectious teaching that captured their imagination. They reinforced their knowledge of words that were the opposite of others and succeeded well owing to the careful planning of work by the teacher and the focused support of their teaching assistant.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

8. Pupils who are capable of higher attainment generally achieve well, particularly in English and mathematics because the work set is well suited to their needs. Higher attaining pupils are also making very good progress in learning to use computers. There is no significant difference between the achievements of boys and girls. All pupils make similar progress in lessons. Gifted pupils are not identified formally, but they achieve well owing to the individual care and attention they receive. Talented pupils do well in music and ICT, throughout the school.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

9. Pupils display very good attitudes, which have improved since the last inspection. They are keen to come to school, they enjoy school life and are eager to play a full part, including in extra- curricular activities. Over 95 per cent of the parents and carers who returned the questionnaire agreed that their children like school. Most pupils show enthusiasm and interest in their work. They are eager and willing to learn and take pride in their achievements. The pupils are proud of their school and respect the materials and resources made available to them. Their very good attitudes contribute well to their learning.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

10. Pupils concentrate well in lessons and respond to teachers’ questions in an eager but orderly way. A particularly good example of this was seen in an ICT lesson, where pupils became engrossed in a stimulating topic about the environment and most were keen to contribute in a sensible manner without anyone shouting out or misbehaving. They work well together, in pairs or small groups and show a proper respect for differing viewpoints. The teachers ensure inclusion at all times by allowing every child to contribute in discussions, with the least able recognising that their own comments will be accepted and valued by others.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

11. Overall, the standard of behaviour in class and around the school is very good and is a continued strength of the school since the last inspection. Pupils are clear about what is expected from them. Most respond well to class and school rules, which the parents support through the home- school agreement. Parents are very happy with the standards of behaviour achieved as a direct result of high teacher expectations and the firm and consistent positive reinforcement of acceptable behaviour.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

12. Relationships are very good and are the key to the friendliness of the school and its family atmosphere. Pupils respect their teachers and learn from them to be kind, polite and courteous to each other. They adhere to class rules, which may be depicted as characters or animal to stimulate interest. Year 2 have Lion Rules that encourage them to work together as a pride and are kind to each other, whilst Year 6 have Dolphin Rules that focus on treating each other with respect. Other classes recognise the special person of the week on display charts. During playtime boys and girls are at ease with each other.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

13. The personal development of pupils is very good. They quickly distinguish right from wrong and understand the importance of rules in a social environment. Pupils are keen to assume responsibility and carry out tasks of an appropriately challenging nature for their age. Year 6 children have more specific responsibilities and assist with the supervision of younger children during wet playtimes and help to prepare the main hall for assemblies. The recently introduced school council has been particularly successful in gaining the pupils’ confidence through group Overseal Primary School - 10 debates, making mutually agreed decisions and the implementation of ideas. During celebration assembly the pupils’ achievements, both in and out of school are acknowledged well. Pupils of all ages participate in activities during the Easter service and school concert.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

14. Attendance for the current year is satisfactory and at nearly 94 per cent, although slightly below the national average, is comparable to similar schools in the area. The underlining trend is one of improvement. Unauthorised absence is 0.7 per cent and mostly results from a lack of co- operation from a minority of parents and holidays taken during school term. A significant number of pupils are late for school in the morning. While this is often just a few minutes after lessons have started it nevertheless disrupts an otherwise smooth start to the day. Punctuality in individual lessons during the day is good. There are no exclusions in the current academic year.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

15. Teaching and its influence on pupils’ learning have improved very well since the time of the last inspection. The report in 1997 identified good teaching in lessons, but there were underlying weaknesses that eventually resulted in pupils attaining very low grades in the national tests in 1998. These weaknesses, relating mainly to the assessment of pupils’ work and the methods used to help pupils reach nationally expected levels, remained until after the national tests in 2000 when the new headteacher and the Local Education Authority started to tackle them. Some aspects of teaching improved almost immediately. The 2001 test results showed a marked improvement owing to this refocused teaching, which was recognised by an award from the department for education and skills. Teaching is now generally good throughout the school. Teaching in the Reception class is mainly satisfactory with some good features. In Year 1 and

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

Year 2, most of the teaching is good with some very good and occasional excellent lessons. This pattern is replicated between Year 3 and Year 6. This confirms the parents’ view expressed before the inspection. They considered teaching to be good and to have improved since the time of the last inspection. They, rightly, commented on the teachers’ enthusiasm and drive that makes learning interesting and rewarding for all pupils.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

16. The provision for children in the Reception class is beginning to be well organised and broad enough to give them the full range of opportunities for learning. The good quality planning demonstrates that teaching pays due regard to national recommendations for children of this age. These plans have not been fully implemented yet because the current group of children has needed to spend longer in developing social and personal skills, as these were areas of weakness when they began school. At its best teaching is as good as that found elsewhere in the school. For example, children’s creative development is fostered well by lively and energetic singing and story telling. However, children do not currently get enough opportunities to choose what they are going to do and work with other children in an imaginative way. This is an area for development that is acknowledged by the school as a priority. Teachers’ planning is carefully

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

based on the early learning goals for children of this age. Relationships are good and the teacher has a good understanding of the needs of young children. This has a very positive effect on children’s attitudes to personal, social and emotional development. They are becoming confident, self-disciplined and are on course to join in very well with adults and other children by the time that they reach the end of the Reception Year.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

17. The National Strategies for Literacy and Numeracy are soundly taught. There is some very good teaching of literacy and numeracy in the Year 1 and Year 2 class where the purpose of the lesson is very well explained and animated discussion between teacher and pupils leads to positive gains in learning. Classroom assistants, who have a most productive relationship with the pupils, support this work very well. Teaching in these two year groups is characterised by warm relationships and good humour, which encourages pupils to try very hard and learn productively. In a Year 2 literacy lesson, for example, infectious teaching captured the pupils’ imaginations making sure that they all absorbed the vocabulary lesson very well. Those pupils capable of higher attainment were very successful at writing long, complicated sentences depicting the setting for the class story. Similarly, in Year 1 learning in mathematics is conducted at a brisk

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

pace with pupils enjoying the speed at which they acquire new facts and information. The work is well pitched for pupils’ different levels of attainment and this advantages the higher attainers, Overseal Primary School - 11 particularly, who rise to the additional challenges very well.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

18. Between Year 3 and Year 6 there are also some very good examples of teaching literacy and numeracy. Lessons are brisk and proceed at a lively pace. They succeed well owing to the grouping of pupils by attainment to allow activities to be more precisely matched to their needs. Successful lessons are characterised by thorough planning, the knowledgeable teaching of reading, writing and mental arithmetic and the very good management of pupils’ behaviour. A mathematics lesson in Year 6 was typical of this high quality work. Excellent knowledge of the subject helped the teaching of multiplication and division to maintain a fast pace. The quality of discussion about the topic was very good. Pupils articulated their thoughts clearly as a result of the high expectations upon them and the skilful approach embodied in the teaching.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

19. There are good opportunities for pupils to use their literacy and numeracy skills in geography, science and ICT. The development of the pupils’ ability to speak about their learning is not undertaken with sufficient depth in a significant minority of lessons, with the exception of debating in Year 6 and time set aside for class discussion about matters of personal development in all classes.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

20. Teaching in the other subjects has many strengths. The teaching of ICT, for example, has greatly improved since the last inspection. Teachers are now far more knowledgeable and can help pupils get the best from the vastly improved range of computers. Physical education teaching, particularly in dance, benefits from some useful specialist knowledge within the staff. Music teaching contains specialist strengths throughout the school where its effect on pupils’ self-esteem and cultural development is marked. Some lessons contribute to the pupils’ personal development in a significant way. For example, in a Year 6 English lesson the pupils were given very good opportunities to reflect on the local issue of land use near a local canal. They prepared arguments for and against the proposed venture and then debated the issue. The level of debate and depth of thinking was superb. The lesson was made all the more real by the final argument

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

being emailed to the chair of the local council.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

21. Teaching of the pupils with special educational needs is good. The teaching assistants are skilled in their work and their support of the class teachers is good. Teachers match the work well to pupils’ individual needs. They produce good quality plans to guide pupils' learning that clearly outline the targets that they need to aim for. Higher attaining pupils also make good progress as a result of the good teaching they receive. Teachers set well pitched tasks for those that can manage harder work. There is no system for identifying gifted and talent pupils, but the general provision through good planning and lively teaching helps pupils with gifts and talents to shine.

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PUPILS?

22. The curriculum provided for children in the Reception class is good overall. The staff plan lessons very well according to the National Curriculum guidance and all the six areas of learning are at least satisfactorily taught. There is an appropriate emphasis on the development of children’s personal, social and emotional development, which has had a positive impact on their rate of learning in the other areas of the curriculum. The children receive interesting literacy and numeracy lessons, which are well planned and carefully assessed. As a result, they make good progress.

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PUPILS?

23. There is, however a limited outdoor provision for their physical development. The school has spent a large sum of money on wheeled toys, which have recently improved the provision. Children use the environment such as the nature area whenever possible, but improved opportunities are needed for them to develop physical skills because there is a slower pace of development for this particular area. The school plans to purchase further climbing and balancing equipment for outside as funds allow. The school does not provide enough opportunities for children to learn in incidental ways outside their main lessons, for example, by providing more Overseal Primary School - 12 print and writing opportunities in the role-play areas inside the classroom and out of doors.

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PUPILS?

24. The curriculum provided for pupils in Years 1 to 6 is rich and varied, it meets all statutory requirements and includes all the National Curriculum subjects and religious education, personal, social, health and citizenship education, sex education and drugs awareness. There is also a very good range of extra-curricular activities. There is appropriate weighting to the time allocated for literacy and numeracy lessons. Moreover, the school also teaches for one and a half hours over the minimum recommended time, which allows for flexibility and for other subjects to receive extra time. This has the effect of placing a greater value on other subjects and allows effective links between subjects to be made.

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PUPILS?

25. The National Strategies for Literacy and Numeracy are very successfully implemented and are having the effect of improving teaching and raising standards in both subjects. However, not enough is being done to improve the children’s knowledge of books and authors and their enthusiasm for reading through the promotion of literature around school. Teachers use the national schemes of work in other subjects, which are supplemented well with commercially produced materials when necessary.

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PUPILS?

26. A curriculum policy ensures that planning is reviewed and gives clear guidance on objectives and teaching strategies. The school is aware of the range of pupils’ abilities within the school and caters well for all including higher attainers and pupils with special educational needs. Pupils with special educational needs take a full part in all curricular activities and are fully included in extra- curricular provision. There is no specific policy to identify gifted and talented pupils, but the school is well aware of talents and both caters for them within the school and guides parents towards out of school facilities. The lack of a policy is limiting progress by some potentially gifted and talented pupils. Some existing policies are unsigned and undated. This makes a systematic review of practice difficult.

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PUPILS?

27. Particular strengths in the curriculum include science, where very good links are made with numeracy, literacy and ICT. Pupils use tables to carry out calculations in their science lessons and record temperatures. Strong links are also made between literacy and geography such as when a good community link with parish councillors resulted in pupils debating issues about land use in the village and writing well constructed letters. In history and in religious education there is a very strong use of drama and role-play which has developed speaking and listening skills and resulted in a deeper understanding of the times, events and concepts. These links are not as strongly made within art and design or design and technology where there is scope for teaching linked to literacy, drama, music or dance as well as the use of activities designed to foster multicultural understanding.

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PUPILS?

28. Provision for ICT is very good. All classes have several computers and they are used well. This has resulted in good standards in Years 1 and 2 and very good standards in Years 3 to 6. Pupils’ skills are used well in other subjects including the use of CD ROMs in personal, social health and citizenship education and digital cameras in art. Provision for music is also very good and has a high profile within school. Pupils sing in a choir and learn to play instruments. The school provides music workshops and pupils attend or play in concerts, school productions or assemblies. They enjoy their musical education.

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PUPILS?

29. There is good provision for personal, social, health and citizenship education. This is provided through well taught specific lessons, which link sensibly to other subjects such as literacy and through lessons such as religious education and science. During discussion time younger pupils share ideas and talk about their experiences. The well-planned lessons are meaningful to the pupils who develop responsibility and a growing knowledge about issues such as why we have laws. Younger pupils learn to listen to each other and to take turns to speak and to co-operate. Games successfully develop their social skills, for example, as pupils change partners, they listen to and remember what they have told each other.

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PUPILS?

30. Sex education and drugs awareness is provided for well within the science and health education areas of the curriculum. Teaching strategies are clearly explained in policies and ground rules are Overseal Primary School - 13 set. Sometimes the school provides the funding for the Life Education bus and activities are followed up in science and personal, social and health education.

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PUPILS?

31. The school makes very good provision for extra-curricular activities. All the activities are well attended and there are clubs for children from Reception to Year 6. It is unusual to find out of school activities for such a young age. These include a very good craft club for Reception to Year 2 pupils in which some pupils were happily making face calendars whilst others used the computers. There is a very good ICT club and pupils here were producing their own school brochure for the new intake of pupils. Also included are karate, netball, choir, French for Years 3 and 4 and football. The school also provides residential visits usually to an adventure centre and last year it partly funded a residential visit linked to history for all the junior pupils. These activities have a very positive impact on all areas of learning, but most particularly on the pupils’ personal and social development.

p.15

PUPILS?

32. There is also study support for pupils in the form of initiatives such as Better Reading, Positive Play and Talking Partners. The school also provides day visits linked to themes and visitors come to school. Recently, pupils went to see ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’ in Stratford and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The curriculum enrichment in both study and personal activities results in pupils who are confident and friendly and who have experiences, which they can relate to their learning.

p.15

PUPILS?

33. The school has a good association with the community such as the over 50s club, who provided a map for the school, the church, the parish councillors and forestry volunteers, who worked with pupils on the nature area. The school is involved in village events such as presenting a float in the gala and contributing towards a local history book. The Reception staff are building on good links with the pre-school group to encourage record keeping and the passing on of more information about the pupils. There are also good links with secondary schools when staff from the secondary schools are involved in assemblies and lessons and visits to the schools are made.

p.15

PUPILS?

34. The provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good overall. It is good for their spiritual development. Music makes a major contribution to the pupils’ spiritual awareness. The school provides a range of musical activities and encourages pupils to join outside musical activities in their spare time, including an after school choir. Pupils enjoy singing and a significant percentage of them learn to play a musical instrument. The school arranges special music assemblies and pupils occasionally attend evening music concerts. Pupils have been given an opportunity to reclaim the environmental area and are re-establishing it through planting, providing bird boxes and making decisions about its design. In art and design, though this is not yet a strong feature of the school’s curriculum, pupils learn to draw from observation and come to appreciate form and shape in natural objects. Their occasional study of an artist’s

p.15

PUPILS?

work enhances their knowledge of art, as in the study of eastern art in Year 2 and in their paintings in the style of Klee. The studies of world faiths in religious education help the pupils to reflect on religious belief and destiny. The contribution of visiting clergy enhances the overall quality of the acts of worship. Other occasional visitors assist in the pupils’ developing appreciation of the natural world, such as visitors from the national forest centre discussing with pupils the variety and value of insects.

p.15

PUPILS?

35. Provision for pupils’ moral development is good. Teachers make good use of the opportunities that are provided in the general curriculum to help pupils think about the consequences of their actions both on others and for themselves. These opportunities help pupils to develop a moral framework. This was effectively seen in Year 5 as pupils thought about the consequences when making choices in such issues as ‘Who shall I be friends with?’, ‘What job do you want to have?’ and ‘Shall I go on the Internet?’ In general discussions, they are expected to come to a view about the advantages and disadvantages in such issues as foxhunting and vivisection. They consider why there are laws and in particular their importance in respect of man, animals and the environment. They are asked by more senior pupils to consider the school ‘ethos tree’ and made to feel that it is right to be responsible, trusting and polite. In history lessons they are put in the

p.15

PUPILS?

position of Boudicca and have to decide whether to succumb to the Romans or to resist them by Overseal Primary School - 14 force. School assemblies contribute well to pupils’ acquisition of moral principles and respect for others.

p.15

PUPILS?

36. The school promotes pupils’ social development very well. This is a particular strength. Pupils become aware of democratic procedures through electing the school council, which is active and makes recommendations for school improvements. Pupils’ social development is enhanced through attendance on residential and day visits and theatre trips. Older pupils care for the younger. Pupils involve themselves in community events. The school choir sings for the elderly and pupils give dancing displays for the village residents. They make suggestions for the development of open space in the village and meet the parish councillor to discuss their views. They think of others through regular and significant donations to charity. Pupils organise their own fund-raising events in the village at weekends. They are taught to make healthy choices through their work on diet and drugs. The well planned personal, social, health and citizenship

p.16

PUPILS?

programme supports pupils’ developing maturity and pupils exhibit a good level of social maturity for their age. Relationships are very good and pupils get on well together. They work well together in groups during lessons and respect one another’s views. Many pupils take advantage of the good range of extra-curricular activities that enable them to work alongside others from a different class and age.

p.16

PUPILS?

37. Satisfactory provision is made for their cultural development. Pupils learn to appreciate that people live in different ways through their work in geography and have different beliefs through their studies of different faiths, for example of Judaism and Islam. They have a satisfactory appreciation of different artists but limited experiences of art from around the world. They have a good understanding of their local culture through participation in community events such as the local carnival. In the Reception class good opportunities are being taken to alert pupils to different types of food from around the world, some with a religious significance. Pupils perform musical productions of traditional tales to the community. Pupils have a limited view of Britain as a multicultural country. The school acknowledges that the pupils should have a better understanding of Britain as a multi-ethnic and diverse society and plans that pupils should make

p.16

PUPILS?

more frequent visits to cultural centres.

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

38. The provision for ensuring pupils’ welfare is good. The school provides a secure and happy environment in which pupils are well protected and their individual well being is effectively promoted. Teachers and support staff are very sensitive to the needs of those in their charge and work hard to ensure their welfare. They have a sound knowledge of the pupils and many of their parents or carers and respond appropriately to their personal, social and academic needs. The trusting relationships that the pupils enjoy give them confidence to share any concerns and help them cope with the problems that arise in everyday life.

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

39. Health and safety procedures are satisfactory. The nominated representative completes periodic checks of the premises, but these are not formally scheduled and do not include a corrective action plan. They lack rigour in relationship to risk assessment and also in ensuring that similar assessments are carried out for out-of-school activities and in different subject areas.

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

40. Procedures for monitoring and supporting the pupils’ personal development are good. Pupils’ achievements in all areas of their life are celebrated. During lessons, pupils are given sufficient opportunity to openly express their feelings for others and to discuss their lifestyle and achievements. Although significant personal development details are recorded, the relevant information is not included in the annual report. Pupils who have special educational needs are well cared for. Good records are kept of pupils’ progress in English and mathematics.

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

41. The school has very good procedures for monitoring and promoting good behaviour and eliminating oppressive behaviour. They are well known to parents and through the home-school agreement have been successfully implemented throughout, with effective results. The behaviour policy contains an appropriate range of rewards and sanctions to encourage good behaviour and makes clear the intolerance of bullying and racial and sexual harassment. Any isolated incidents that Overseal Primary School - 15 have arisen have been dealt with firmly at source. Suitable supervision is provided during lunchtime and playtime.

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

42. The arrangements for child protection are good and comply with the local authority statutory guidelines. The headteacher has overall responsibility for child protection in the school and has ensured that all members of staff have received training in identifying indicators of possible abuse or unexplained changes of behaviour. However, there is no evidence of a scheduled programme of ongoing familiarisation of the procedures to include any updates or local changes to the policy. The school nurse visits regularly, carries out health checks, gives talks to pupils and contributes to the personal, social and health education programme.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

43. Procedures for improving attendance are satisfactory. The policy document is explicit and the contents are well known to parents, but to date the procedures adopted have not had a significant impact on attendance figures. Although the governing body has taken a reasonable attitude towards the necessity and impact of improved attendance, the policy will not be reviewed until 2005. The school does not have an effective liaison arrangement with the education welfare officer and insufficient monitoring of attendance records takes place to provide the necessary support that is required.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

44. The school has a sound battery of test materials, for English and mathematics that are applied efficiently. Most teachers use the results of these tests well to provide information about individual pupils and what they need to do next in lessons in order to make good progress. For example, pupils’ writing, which has been the subject of close scrutiny, is tested and then monitored at every opportunity. Teachers’ marking is thorough and it sets pupils targets for improvement. The assessment of work produced by pupils with special educational needs is thorough. The information gained about these pupils influences how much support they receive, particularly from the teaching assistants who work most effectively with individuals and small groups. The headteacher, deputy headteacher and other key staff take joint responsibility for the system of assessment. This style of management works effectively to make sure that pupils’

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

45. The headteacher is responsible for a clear and consistent summary of assessment information that makes it easy for pupils’ progress to be monitored from year to year and for annual targets to be set. Senior staff are versatile at using nationally produced statistics to help them interpret the school’s results in national tests. The school intends, wisely, to create an electronic database out of this information about pupils’ attainment and progress, but in advance of such an innovation it already makes good use of the information. Teaching in the Reception class also tracks children’s progress carefully. Their achievement is assessed regularly and extra challenges are set in order to prepare them fully for the next stage in their education.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

46. The assessment of pupils’ work in some subjects beyond English and mathematics, in Year 1 to Year 6, is not helpful enough in assuring progress. In science, for example, the school lacks a system of keeping a check on pupils’ progress and setting targets for pupils to meet. In other subjects pupils are expected to write a self-assessment at the end of a unit of work in design and technology, for example and subject co-ordinators have created very useful collections of pupils’ work to show what standards have been achieved as a guide to new and established staff. However, individual pupils’ work is not compared to the national expectations regularly enough and there is no check to see if higher attainers, for example, are being challenged sufficiently. As a result, these pupils do not achieve as well as they could, in history, geography, art and design and design and technology, for example.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

47. Partnership with parents is generally good with many very good aspects. The school takes a deep interest in the home life of the pupils and plays an important part in the life of the community. This is a similar finding to that expressed in the last report.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

48. The quality of information provided for parents is very good and parents have expressed an Overseal Primary School - 16 appreciation of being informed. Parents receive regular newsletters, which contain a broad range of interesting topics including events, projects and term diaries. The occasional reference to the curriculum provides valuable information about what their child is taught during the school year. Parents of Reception year children receive a weekly newsletter providing comprehensive information on what is taught and guidance on the forthcoming learning programme.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

49. The annual reports to parents provide a clear indication of pupils’ progress in relation to relative performance, but do not include the use of more specific targets to aim for in the following year. The format of the reports to parents is currently under review and the school plans to introduce a new version at the end of this academic year. The school adopts an ‘open door’ policy and the headteacher and the class teachers are always willing to discuss pupils’ academic progress or any personal issues of concern. In the case of special educational needs, members of staff keep parents fully informed of their children’s progress. After each termly review of the individual education plans, parents are invited to school and they are informed how they can help at home with the new targets. 50. Overall, parents show a high level of loyalty to and support for the school. Parents express a high regard for the school’s management and the positive progress made under the current leadership.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

This opinion was confirmed in the results of the questionnaire when 97 per cent of parents agreed that the school is well managed and led whilst over 90 per cent agreed that the school works closely with parents. The newly formed parent and teacher association has organised a number of events with the intention of providing financial assistance to the school to improve resources and develop pupils’ learning.

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

51. The school is very well led by the headteacher, ably supported by a relatively new senior management team. The headteacher's drive and determination to raise standards have been beneficial to the school in the past two and a half years. The national test results in 2000 were of serious concern to the school and the Local Education Authority. Several shortcomings in teaching were identified as being in need of development. Teaching, for example, lacked the ability to judge how pupils were doing compared to the national expectation and to deal with any difficulties with a sense of urgency. This left the school at a very low ebb. In the last two years, the headteacher and staff have created a strong corporate identity in which teaching is generally good and pupils’ make good progress towards their goals. The headteacher has also set a very good example by teaching music in an energetic and exciting way that has demonstrated, for all

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

staff, how to stimulate learning and improve standards. Moreover, the school is a place in which pupils grow in social stature. They are becoming mature and positive in their view about themselves and other people.

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

52. The developments have been managed well. New procedures have been established for improving the quality of teaching, checking on pupils’ progress and setting ambitious targets for them to reach. The school rightly recognises that there is yet more to accomplish. The achievements of pupils in Year 6 need to be consolidated and improved. Current standards demonstrate what has been achieved in a relatively short space of time. Nevertheless, the raising of standards has been time consuming both for the headteacher and staff. Consequently, some aspects of management are not so well advanced. For example, the improvements to the accommodation, the reduction of the school’s sizeable financial balance and the production of paperwork related to the developments in standards. The school acknowledges these drawbacks and is beginning to tackle them.

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

53. The education for children in the Reception class has been managed well. The school has established the class well in a new room, slightly away from the main building. The curriculum for these children has begun to be properly implemented now that the class has a permanent member of staff and a well qualified teaching assistant. The children are reaping the benefits of this new regime and parents are very pleased with the way that their children have become independent and keen on learning in a relatively short time in school. The school acknowledges that there is more to do to implement fully the national requirements. Children do not have Overseal Primary School - 17 sufficient opportunity to choose their own activities and carry out educational play individually and in small groups, for example.

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

54. The governing body has been fully informed of the developments in teaching, learning and standards and is committed to assuring the quality of the school’s provision. For example, many governors have a good knowledge of training courses undertaken by staff and how they are intended to improve teaching. Governors are keen to be central to the developments taking place; many individual governors are very closely involved on a day-to-day basis. However, the governing body does not have an established method to monitor the work of the school beyond the usual committee meetings and by responding to the headteacher’s reports at their termly meetings. They do not have, for example, members who assume responsibility for special educational needs, literacy, numeracy or ICT. This weakness is acknowledged and the school has a plan to remedy the situation, but there is nothing in place yet. The headteacher receives a great deal of

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

warm support from the governors, but has lacked the challenge and targeted support that specific individual responsibilities would have offered.

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

55. The special educational needs co-ordinator manages well. The individual education plans, which are written with the class teachers, are of very good quality and include ideas for the teaching assistant, strategies for class teaching, resources and techniques and achievement criteria. Teaching assistants invariably give good support to individuals or groups of pupils. There is a good link with the Local Education Authority’s advisory service for special educational needs. Resources, however, are unsatisfactory. Insufficient use is made of educational software, for example, to support pupils with special educational needs who have reading difficulties. The needs of the higher attaining pupils and those with gifts and talents are catered for well in many cases.

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

56. The school’s improvement plan recognises what needs to be improved and prioritises some aspects to receive special attention. The need to raise standards in English, mathematics and ICT, for example, is placed correctly among the priorities. The plan is based clearly on a series of key commitments, agreed by staff and governors, that underlie, in a very positive way, the implementation of the points for action. Teachers are left in no doubt about how the success of the priorities will be judged in terms of improved results in pupils’ learning and attainment. However, the plan is limited in two important ways. It contains few details about what will be done in subsequent years and very few indications of how items such as the premises and the monitoring role of the governing body will be improved. For example, the desire to improve the workings of the governing body is mentioned, but there are no tasks specified or ways of judging

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

the success of any action taken. This is unsatisfactory, as it does not provide a commonly understood agenda that can be discussed and judged for its benefit to the school.

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

57. The monitoring of teaching has been conducted in a rigorous fashion. As a result of the significant weaknesses identified by the school in 2000, teaching has been studied in great detail for its effect on pupils’ attainment. The headteacher and senior staff have created successfully a team atmosphere in which teachers and their assistants all understand what they must do to make learning effective. The improvement of teaching has been very well led and managed efficiently, but the administrative elements are not as slick as they could be. Documents are produced, but they are not always readily to hand and this prevents speedy reference and discussion about further improvements.

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

58. The governors, headteacher and the secretary manage the budget satisfactorily and make appropriate use of any grants given to assist the school’s development. The school has an unacceptably high surplus, which, in some respects, is the result of unforeseen windfalls, but also an over cautious sense of financial prudence. The governing body recognises that the surplus is too high and is working actively with financial advice from the Local Education Authority to spend it on priorities such as the accommodation. There are generally enough resources for lessons except for pupils with special educational needs and books to develop further pupils’ interest in reading. They receive very beneficial support from adults, but there are too few physical resources. Teachers are well deployed to make the best of their individual talents. Staff new to the school feel very well supported by the thorough and warmly implemented induction procedures

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

Overseal Primary School - 18 that help them settle quickly into school routines. The accommodation has many unsatisfactory features. For example, the entrance hall is unwelcoming and the library, which is a significant improvement on what went before, is too small with a limited stock of books. Parts of the play area are uneven and, if not repaired, could present a health and safety issue. Nevertheless, the building is kept clean and well maintained and staff have generally created effectively managed classrooms.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

59. There are efficient administrative systems in place to support the governors’ management of the budget. The school is not knocked off course by administrative demands from its local education authority or the government. The governors are helped greatly by the headteacher in this respect who is in turn ably supported by an efficient school secretary. The school makes sure that money is spent wisely by always researching how to spend it and by choosing the goods and services that represent the best value for the school. The school has some plans for future spending contained within its plan of action, but this aspect of budgetary management is an area for improvement. The governors have not yet put in place formal measures to judge how effective their major spending has been, for example, in the purchase of ICT equipment. Thus they are not in the best position to challenge the school to do better.

p.20

the local education authority should:

(i) Consolidate and improve standards in English and mathematics by the end of Year 6 by:

p.20

the local education authority should:

• providing greater guidance in pupils’ reading of books beyond the reading scheme; • extending opportunities for pupils to discuss ideas in English and mathematics lessons; • improving handwriting throughout the school; and • ensuring that pupils can apply what they have learnt in mathematics to everyday situations.

p.20

the local education authority should:

(Paragraphs 5, 37, 52, 92, 93, 95, 99, 102, 109, 123 and 150)

p.20

the local education authority should:

(ii) Improve standards in art and design by the end of Year 6 by:

p.20

the local education authority should:

• improving teachers’ subject knowledge; and • making greater links between art and design and other subjects.

p.20

the local education authority should:

(Paragraphs 4, 6, 16, 23, 53, 65, 72, 77, 82, 91, 117, 123 and 161)

p.20

the local education authority should:

(iii) Improve the role played by the governing body in monitoring and evaluating the work of the school by:

p.20

the local education authority should:

• implementing a plan to assign individual roles and responsibilities within the governing body; and • ensuring the governors use the information gained through monitoring in the production of the school’s development plan.

p.20

the local education authority should:

• drawing up and implementing plans to improve the school’s accommodation.

p.20

the local education authority should:

(Paragraphs 58 and 59) Overseal Primary School - 19 Minor issues for improvement identified during the inspection were:

p.20

the local education authority should:

• The provision for pupils’ understanding of how to live in a diverse multicultural society. • The implementation of the curriculum for children in the Reception class. Overseal Primary School - 20

p.21

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

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

p.22

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactor y Poor Very poor

p.22

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

The table gives the number and percentage of lessons observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about teaching.

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 157

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 27

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 3

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 16

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 0

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 10

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

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

p.22

Attendance

National comparative data 5.4 National comparative data 0.5

p.22

Attendance

Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Overseal Primary School - 21

p.22

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

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2002 14 8 22

p.23

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

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

p.23

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

Boys 12 11 14 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls

p.23

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

Percentage of pupils School 91 (80) 86 (72) 100 (88) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (84) 86 (86) 90 (91)

p.23

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

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.23

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

Boys 12 14 14 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls

p.23

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

Percentage of pupils School 91 (76) 100 (76) 100 (76) at NC level 2 or above National 85 (85) 89 (89) 89 (89)

p.23

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

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

p.23

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

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 2002 10 9 19

p.23

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

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

p.23

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

Boys 10 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls

p.23

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

Percentage of pupils School 63 (64) 68 (64) 100 (92) at NC level 4 or above National 75 (75) 73 (71) 86 (87)

p.23

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

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.23

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

Boys Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls

p.23

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

Percentage of pupils School 68 (64) 68 (64) 95 (80) at NC level 4 or above National 73 (72) 74 (74) 82 (82)

p.23

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

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Overseal Primary School - 22 • When there are fewer than ten pupils in each group their number is omitted from the table. Overseal Primary School - 23

p.23

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

p.25

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

White – any other White background 1 0 0

p.25

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Mixed – any other mixed background 0 0 0

p.25

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Asian or Asian British - Pakistani 0 0 0

p.25

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Asian or Asian British – Bangladeshi 0 0 0

p.25

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

p.25

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black or Black British – Caribbean 0 0 0

p.25

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

p.25

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

The table refers to pupils of compulsory school age only. It gives the number of exclusions, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded. Overseal Primary School - 24

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 7.6 Financial year 2001/2002

p.26

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 20.5

p.26

Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total income 369,254

p.26

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 8 Total expenditure 355,905

p.26

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 133 Expenditure per pupil 2,267

p.26

Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance brought forward from previous year 42,074

p.26

Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance carried forward to next year 55,423

p.26

Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 6.24

p.26

Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 6

p.26

Recruitment of teachers

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 0.4

p.26

Recruitment of teachers

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

p.26

Recruitment of teachers

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

p.26

Recruitment of teachers

FTE means full-time equivalent. Overseal Primary School - 25

p.26

Percentage of responses in each category

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

p.27

Percentage of responses in each category

My child is making good progress in school. 66 31 0 1 1

p.27

Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 69 27 0 0 4

p.27

Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 43 40 15 1 0

p.27

Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 46 40 10 3 0

p.27

Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 67 28 3 1 0

p.27

Percentage of responses in each category

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 72 25 0 0 3

p.27

Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 48 43 6 3 0

p.27

Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 66 31 0 0 3

p.27

Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 57 36 1 0 6

p.27

Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 55 39 6 0 0 Overseal Primary School - 26 Overseal Primary School - 27

p.27

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

60. Children in the Foundation Stage are taught in the Reception class where they are involved in a variety of activities, which promote development in all areas of the curriculum. Teaching is shared and all members of staff are fully involved in planning and promoting learning. The teaching assistant makes a good contribution to the children’s development. There is an effective partnership with parents, which has a positive impact on the children’s rate of development and the standards of attainment reached.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

61. Most children usually start school with attainment that is about average for their age. The group that started school this year were a little below the levels expected nationally. By the end of the Reception Year most children are on course to meet the nationally required goals in each area of learning except in personal and social development in which they are likely to go beyond expectations.

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Personal, social and emotional development

62. The children’s attainment in personal, social and emotional development has reached standards, which are generally above expectations. All children, including those with special educational needs have achieved well. Children are quickly learning to be independent and to make decisions. They successfully act as helpers by giving out worksheets, snacks and cups. All children sensibly throw away their own rubbish and wash their own cups. Most children can put on their own coats and fasten them or change for physical education. They share well and are respectful towards resources and other people. Children line up in a mature way, without being asked and they are confidently aware of all classroom routines. This results in children who are willing to try all activities as their confidence grows.

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Personal, social and emotional development

63. The quality of teaching, within this area of learning, is good. The teacher encourages children to think about their own behaviour, for example, in asking them to choose the most sensible place to stand in the lines. Teaching promotes opportunities for children to talk about feelings resulting in their increased confidence to express their opinions.

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Personal, social and emotional development

64. Children are taught to listen carefully and they are attentive. This has the effect of supporting learning in other areas when they need to listen and concentrate such as in stories, mathematics and singing. There are very good relationships between staff, parents and children, which have a very positive effect on children’s attitudes to school and to learning. An excellent weekly newsletter and open door policy to the classroom has developed very good communication between home and school and the sharing of the children’s education.

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Personal, social and emotional development

65. Although expectations of independence are high and this has the effect of rapid learning, there are occasions when some children need a little more support to come to a decision. The classroom and outside environment does not, as yet, promote enough opportunities for pupils to make choices about the activities they wish to investigate or resources they would like to choose.

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Communication, language and literacy

66. Overall, standards of attainment in speaking and listening, reading and writing are in line with those expected nationally for children of this age. Children, including those with special educational needs, have made good progress to reach these standards in a short time. This is mostly as a result of the good teaching in the area of personal, social and emotional development. This has promoted good listening skills, concentration and ethos, which results in the children’s increased confidence and a willingness to learn.

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Communication, language and literacy

67. The children successfully talk about their likes and dislikes and ask questions about the past for Overseal Primary School - 28 example, when a visitor talked about her life as a child. They are very friendly and polite and listen to instructions carefully.

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Communication, language and literacy

68. Children enjoy books and reading. Higher attaining children recognise question marks and capital letters in their books and talk enthusiastically about their favourite book. Children have access to books and tapes, which they enjoy sharing and they listen very well to stories. This results in good learning. Children are beginning to recognise initial letter sounds and these are reinforced through the ‘letter of the week’ and homework. They made humorous suggestions for snacks beginning with ‘o’, such as octopus or otter. Parents support their children in hearing them read regularly and this contributes well to raising standards in reading.

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Communication, language and literacy

69. Children learn to write using joined up letters. They begin to successfully form letters and apply appropriate joins. Work is well presented and expectations are high. As a result there has been an obvious improvement in standards of handwriting. The handwriting is taught consistently and the hard work undertaken to help the children to reach this standard is recognised. There could, however, be a greater improvement if children always used a seated position at tables to practise writing rather than sometimes crouching on the carpet.

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Communication, language and literacy

70. The children’s behaviour in the lessons and around the classroom is good. They enjoy their lessons, listen very well and show interest. The atmosphere and relationships are always very good and as a result the children have a good attitude towards their learning.

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Communication, language and literacy

71. The quality of teaching is satisfactory overall with some good features. The staff check how the children are doing on a daily basis and change lesson plans accordingly. Children with special educational needs are quickly identified and well supported. This results in daily well-focused literacy lessons, which are interesting and sometimes exciting, such as when Cinderella’s godmother made a ‘real’ telephone call to ask the children for help. Work is marked well and children improve following positive comments, guidance for next time, stickers and merit awards.

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Communication, language and literacy

72. Although there are many links to themes throughout the week such as designing a dress for Cinderella, there are missed opportunities to reinforce reading and writing through incidental learning and free choice activities. For example, the writing area is not exciting and contains no displayed words to help children or suggested activities such as writing invitations to Cinderella’s ball. The role-play area also lacks opportunities to promote learning in reading and writing. The children have shown that they learn quickly and this lack of variety in learning opportunities restricts their opportunity to learn in different ways.

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Mathematical development

73. Standards of attainment in mathematical development are in line with those expected nationally. Progress since the start of school has been good including that of children with special educational needs.

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Mathematical development

74. Children successfully sort shoes according to different criteria and regularly learn the days of the week through their daily calendar activities. They begin to learn about shape and size through games and construction. Higher attaining children successfully create patterns with pegs. Some children know the important times of the day and are encouraged to check the clock to predict when breaks and lunchtimes are, for example. They are beginning to understand when their reward button tin is half-full, empty or full, meaning an extra playtime. Through this purposeful activity they quickly learn that using larger buttons helps to fill the box quicker!

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Mathematical development

75. Children’s attitudes towards their lessons and towards learning are good. They show interest and work hard in a pleasant atmosphere. They show some responsibility as the teacher challenges them, for example, to select and create their own peg patterns.

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Mathematical development

76. The quality of teaching is satisfactory, but with good features which have contributed to the children’s good achievement. Children learn well in numeracy lessons where activities are interesting and they are well supported. In one good lesson, a weekly helper to the classroom Overseal Primary School - 29 guided the children well and intervened when a task was too difficult for a group. She took them back to a simpler task first. The teaching assistant helped to challenge her group to think beyond sorting by colour. As a result all abilities learned well and were usually successful. Plans for the lessons are good and the teacher introduces appropriate mathematical vocabulary. The children’s successes and their difficulties are checked daily and plans for the next day are altered if required. This assures that tasks are usually well matched to the children’s abilities. Staff have a good subject knowledge which leads to good learning.

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Mathematical development

77. An exciting display of snowmen prompts children to suggest ways to sort them and number rhymes are displayed well on the walls. However, there is a lack of further opportunities to develop mathematical experiences and understanding within other areas of the classroom. For example, a collection of shoes in the class is not displayed to promote mathematical vocabulary or to invite the children to investigate them. The children cannot easily reach the shoes to sort, examine or ask questions about them whilst passing or during free time. Although the classroom is fairly small, there is no designated mathematical investigation area. This limits the children’s opportunities to learn in different ways and to develop their skills in using and applying the mathematics they have learnt.

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

78. Standards of attainment in this area of learning are about the same as those expected nationally for children of this age. The children, including those with special educational needs, have made good progress as a result of satisfactory teaching overall in this area and the good teaching in the area of personal, social and emotional development.

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

79. The children successfully learn about events in the past by looking at local houses and through talking to their families about their lives. Some children relate past events in their own lives such as holidays. They explore the local environment and the school nature area with interest and investigate both man-made and natural materials. Children smell their snacks and try to guess what these are, such as oranges and cheeses and they become increasingly aware of healthy foods. They begin to relate this to their own bodies as they learn the names of main body parts. There is good provision for ICT. Children use simple programs and learn to use the mouse to manipulate pictures on the computers. The children learn about religion and ceremonies by experience, such as when they attended ‘Cinderella’s wedding’ at the church.

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

80. The children’s attitudes are good and they show interest in their work. They enjoy discussing how things work, such as kaleidoscopes or moving toys. The children politely thank visitors for coming and tidy away quickly and sensibly. They are interested in the snacks provided from other cultures or used within other religions and, with a little persuasion, they will always try them. They successfully talk about their likes and dislikes.

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

81. The quality of teaching is satisfactory overall and the school makes good use of visitors. For example a governor came to talk to children about her own life at school and to teach them games she played. As a result of very good relationships the children listened well and learnt the games quickly. They played co-operatively and fairly, remembering rules and strategies. In this lesson the teacher tried to focus the questioning and discussion at the correct level, but asked too many children the same question. As a result, this drew the main intention of the lesson too far away from the discussion and some of the interesting information was lost. There needs to be a more structured approach to the planning of lessons that include visitors, to ensure that the main aims are met.

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

82. The children have structured opportunities to investigate and explore items such as kaleidoscopes or to taste and smell different foods or to blow bubbles. These activities are not continually available and children are not able to return frequently to them to investigate further. They use junk modelling materials with some success and make puppets, moving toys or biscuits with supervision, but do not have continuous opportunities to make models: to select their own materials or decide how to join them. This lack of opportunity for spontaneous learning through investigation, restricts the development of understanding. Overseal Primary School - 30

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Physical development

83. Standards of attainment in this area are generally in line with national expectations. The children, including those with special educational needs make satisfactory progress. Their progress in physical development is limited owing to a lack of a variety of outdoor equipment. Children enjoy a good selection of wheeled toys including scooters, bicycles or tricycles but there is a lack of climbing or balancing equipment and imaginative play opportunities outside the classroom. The children are confident in using all the new toys they have but they require greater challenges and more variety. There is a fenced area, within the playground, designated for reception children, but this is uninspiring and the accommodation does not allow the outdoor environment to be freely accessible.

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Physical development

84. Progress in the development of pencil control has been generally good owing to the intensive teaching of handwriting. Most children are beginning to form letters correctly and make appropriate joins. Other manipulative skills are developing steadily and children have some control in using scissors or winding wool around card.

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Physical development

85. Attitudes to this area of learning are good. Children enjoy riding their toys and use the equipment safely and sensibly. They show a good awareness of space and take turns fairly. As a result of good relationships, children demonstrate good attitudes and behave well whilst working in pairs. They listen attentively and are usually quick to learn the rules for games.

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Physical development

86. The quality of teaching is satisfactory overall. Lessons are often linked to other areas of learning, which makes them more meaningful to the children. The staff are aware of children’s needs and explanations are clear. In one lesson, the warm up with control and balance led to children showing poise and perseverance. They begin to move with confidence and imagination. However, the pace of one lesson became slow in parts and involved too much sitting and listening. The children are not always able to exert themselves. Good opportunities are provided for the development of small-scale physical skills, but these are not continuously available in the classroom for further practise, for example, lacing cards, cutting dough with tools or small world activities.

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Creative development

87. Overall, standards of attainment are about the same as those expected nationally for children of this age. The children, including those with special educational needs, make good progress.

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Creative development

88. The children begin to use play areas with imagination and change the areas to suit their play. They are encouraged to communicate ideas, thoughts and feelings through discussions and to tell the class about their own experiences such as their birthday party or a holiday to Lapland. They use a variety of materials and techniques to make pictures, houses, collage fish, a rice collage circle or to design a dress for Cinderella using cork prints. The activities link closely to other areas of the curriculum such as literacy, numeracy or knowledge and understanding of the world and reinforce learning in those areas.

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Creative development

89. Teaching is good and children are well supported in their learning. They are encouraged to think about what they are doing and to select the appropriate colours or materials to use. As a result they are beginning to use materials imaginatively. In a good singing lesson the children quickly learnt a new song, which was taught systematically but in a fun way. As a result they developed actions and used expressions in their faces and voices. They expressed opinions about their favourite songs. Reception children use percussion instruments well and play for others to enjoy.

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Creative development

90. As with other areas of learning there are limited opportunities for the children to continue to practise their skills in this area. For example there were no instruments available on a continuous basis for children to explore sound. Overseal Primary School - 31 91. Leadership of the area is satisfactory and there are good features such as the partnership with parents and other staff and the checking of pupils’ progress and planning of their learning. The provision for children with special educational needs is good and every child is well supported. The school has recognised the need to extend the outdoor play provision and plans to develop this as funds allow. The accommodation is fairly small, but better organisation of resources and use of the accommodation would provide better opportunities for learning.

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ENGLISH

92. The attainment at the end of Year 6 was below the nationally expected level at the time of the last inspection. Since then, it got much worse before it got better. For example, standards in 2000 were in the bottom five per cent, nationally. However, a great deal of vigorous work has been undertaken to rescue the situation and pupils are now meeting the nationally expected levels. This represents very good progress since 2000. Sometimes the class in Year 6 has relatively few pupils. For example, there were 19 pupils in 2002 and a higher than usual proportion with special educational needs and this had a strong bearing on the poor results of this cohort. Nevertheless, the school recognises, correctly, that in the past many pupils did not fulfil their potential. This has been the focus of much attention in the last three years. The achievement of all pupils is now good including those with special educational needs and pupils who can manage more

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ENGLISH

demanding work. The school rightly recognises that there is still more to accomplish and that standards could be even higher by the end of Year 6. A similar pattern of results exists for pupils in Year 2. In 1998 reading at the end of Year 2 was well below the national average and writing results were in the bottom five per cent nationally. A great deal of progress has been made; particularly since 2000 and in 2002 results in national tests were above the national average. Similar standards exist in the current Year 2 class in both reading and writing.

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ENGLISH

93. The pupils’ ability to speak with clarity and enthusiasm and listen thoughtfully to their teachers and friends is satisfactory. They plainly enjoy communicating with each other, showing very good attitudes and behaviour. In Year 2 pupils speak and listen well when responding to the content of the lesson. Pupils with special educational needs are prompted well by teaching assistants and make similar progress to the rest of the class. Higher attaining pupils often show a very good knowledge about the work in hand. For example, in a Year 2 literacy lesson higher attainers read with confidence different sized words that required to be read loudly and with great expression. Their reading was fluent and full of expression and they delighted in talking about the different textual features. This delight in communicating occurs throughout the school, particularly in Year 6 where debating is undertaken very well. Pupils’ ability to talk about how well they have done in

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ENGLISH

the lesson and how close they have got to their individual or group targets is not so well developed in many lessons. Sometimes not enough time is set aside for this kind of self-evaluation. For example, in an otherwise good music lesson in Year 5, pupils had little opportunity to talk about how well they had done, what they had found hard and whether they felt that they had achieved the objective for the lesson. Furthermore, in a Year 5 literacy lesson higher attaining pupils could talk reasonably well about their individual targets for writing, but found it hard to say how they had performed in relation to the aim of the lesson.

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ENGLISH

94. Reading is given a high profile throughout the school and this has a positive effect on pupils’ achievements. Reading is taught well by the use of a variety of well tried methods including the approach that focuses on the sounding out of parts within words. Pupils enjoy the various methods employed by the school to ensure that standards are improving year by year. For example in all classes pupils work well with the teachers on a common text that they discuss. They read together and teaching assistants listen to them read individually so that they can practise reading with understanding and expression. Parents are well involved in this process. Pupils take books home regularly and communication between home and school is well established by the use of a reading diary. Pupils who have difficulty in learning to read have additional support regularly designed to help them catch up, particularly in their ability to

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ENGLISH

recognise the correct sounds in words. They make good progress in a group that is effectively led by a teaching assistant. Reluctant readers are catered for well. One pupil in Year 6, for example, glowed with pleasure when relating the fact that a teaching assistant had taken the trouble to find Overseal Primary School - 32 a book that would promote an interest in reading and that reading was now much less of a chore.

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ENGLISH

95. All pupils talk well about how they are taught to read and how reading is practised in class and at home. They are less positive when talking about their knowledge of authors and how they use books to find out information. The promotion of a wide range of authors and the development of research skills are recognised areas for development in the school. The accommodation limits the development of this aspect of learning. Despite the very good work that has taken place to establish the current library, the space is too small and there are not enough books. Consequently, pupils show little knowledge of reference skills. Funds have been spent wisely on paperback fiction, but these books are spread out around the classes in a way that does not promote authors and different genres, for example science fiction. One very able reader in Year 6 declared a passion for horror stories, but could find very few on the school book shelves and had

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ENGLISH

to satisfy the interest with books from home. The achievement in reading of higher attaining pupils throughout the school is limited by the lack of well organised fiction.

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ENGLISH

96. It is in writing that the biggest achievements have been made consistently throughout the school. The very clear leadership by the headteacher and the co-ordinator has resulted in pupils who enjoy writing in a wide range of styles with proper regard to presentation, spelling and the communication of ideas. Year 6 pupils are typical in the way that they write in an interesting and wide-ranging way. They produce, for example, arguments, playscripts, stories, leaflets, autobiographies, diaries and reports. Not only are they fluent across a range of genres, but many pupils use with confidence more advanced features of punctuation such as colons, semi-colons and brackets. These are expected of higher attaining pupils, but many average attainers also use them with ease. Pupils who find writing difficult are also inspired to write well. In Year 6, for example, one pupil wrote about a scary headteacher, ‘He had a nose as sharp as an eagle’s beak

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for sniffing trouble.’ The handwriting was not joined and the style of communication was not always consistent, but the ideas were communicated powerfully. Pupils in Year 6 have made good progress since they were seven years of age. Their standards in writing in 1999 were below the nationally expected level, but now they meet requirements with writing that is getting stronger all the time.

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ENGLISH

97. Standards in writing in Year 2 are already above the nationally expected level. This is because pupils are taught to write so well through a series of exercises that help them to practise the vital skills of written communication. They are given targets to make progress in small steps and encouraged to make beautifully illustrated home made books containing their own stories or factual information they have researched, for example on snails. This style of teaching is very well co-ordinated throughout the school. For example, pupils in all classes have personal targets to reach and they take them very seriously. Handwriting is not so well advanced as other aspects of writing. Pupils try very hard to present their work well, but in many cases are restricted by the lack of a fluent style of handwriting.

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ENGLISH

98. The teaching of English is generally good, sometimes very good and occasionally excellent. The strength of the teaching is the way in which pupils are given clear and consistent guidance about their learning in writing. They also have a good range of opportunities to practise speaking in debates, drama and general discussion time devoted to aspects of personal development. The teaching of reading is well organised to help the pupils achieve basic skills well, but higher reading skills of reading are not so well developed. Lessons are well planned to enhance pupils’ moral development. For example, pupils in Year 5 have written passionately about cruelty to pets and the moral dilemmas attached to fox hunting. Despite the very consistent approach taken throughout the school there are pockets of discontinuity that make progress slightly uneven. For example, in some classes the attention paid to handwriting, presentation and spelling is not quite

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ENGLISH

so rigorous as in others. Teachers’ planning is well produced and the good implementation of the National Strategy for Literacy inspires pupils to have very good attitudes and occasionally show excellent levels of personal development in their discussion and persistence with pieces of writing.

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ENGLISH

99. The subject is well led and managed. Standards have improved and a useful system of checking pupils’ attainments and setting targets for further improvements is in place. The school analyses results carefully and has, for example, assured themselves, correctly, that there is not substantial Overseal Primary School - 33 gender difference in attainment. ICT is used very well to supplement the work in English. Pupils often use the computer for word processing and publishing their work in a variety of visually exciting ways. The co-ordinator is well aware that there is more to accomplish in order for standards to be consolidated and improved. The lack of space and resources to improve reading is high on the school’s list of priorities. Higher attaining pupils are catered for well, except in the provision of reading materials and those pupils with special educational needs are supported well

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MATHEMATICS

100. The school’s 2002 National Curriculum test results for pupils in Year 6 were below the national average and that of similar schools, but the pupils did very well against their previous attainment in Year 2 tests. There has been a good improvement since then and standards are now in line with national expectations.

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MATHEMATICS

101. The school’s 2002 National Curriculum test results for Year 2 pupils were well above the national average and well above those of those of similar schools. The present Year 2 pupils are achieving standards of attainment, which are above national expectation. Pupils, from Year 1 to Year 6, including those with special educational needs, are now achieving well.

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MATHEMATICS

102. In the Year 2000 the school’s results in mathematics at 11 years of age fell well below the national average and were below the national average at seven years of age. As the pupils came into school at average attainment, these results were of serious concern. It is a result of good leadership in the subject and very good improvement in teaching that the standards have now reached national expectations at the end of Year 6 and are above them at the end of Year 2. However, it is within the school’s capacity to improve these even further. The low numbers in the classes often cause difficulties in interpreting results as one child who may be ill or does not perform well can cause a large percentage fall and results appear worse than they are. The school is justifiably proud of its recent achievements particularly in raising the attainment of both lower and higher ability pupils in mathematics.

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MATHEMATICS

103. The school has been very successful in introducing the National Numeracy Strategy and has made very good links to numeracy through other subjects. This has resulted in the increased understanding of the use and application of mathematics. This is an area for further development in which the school has already begun to work. The National Numeracy Strategy has resulted in an improvement in teaching. In Years 1 and 2 teaching overall is very good and sometimes excellent. In Years 3 to 6 it is good overall and sometimes it is very good. As a result of this good teaching the pupils make good gains in their acquisition of mathematical knowledge, skills and understanding. Good teamwork between teachers and teaching assistants ensures a good understanding of the planning of lessons and the needs of different groups. All abilities are challenged appropriately and receive intensive teaching in turn.

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MATHEMATICS

104. The planning of lessons is closely matched to a secure structure of assessments which checks on a regular basis how well the pupils are doing. Teachers change their plans and focus their aims for the lessons precisely to suit the ability groups or individual pupils if necessary. This arrangement is a very good improvement since the previous inspection when assessment arrangements were in urgent need of revision. All pupils have group and class numeracy targets for improvement and some have individual targets. In Years 1 and 2 due emphasis is given to basic number facts and operations such as addition and subtraction but the pupils are also taught a wide range of themes such as measurement, time sequences, money and estimation.

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MATHEMATICS

105. In an excellent lesson in Year 2 there were a variety of well paced and suitably timed activities planned to improve mental strategies for addition. This resulted in a good challenge to all pupils and motivated them to succeed in the addition of up to three numbers over ten. A very effective mental starter to the lesson encouraged pupils to explain their answers and this was followed by a variety of number games which involved pupils in either moving around the classroom, working Overseal Primary School - 34 with a partner or group or co-operating as a class. The variety of activities meant that learning was fun and pupils were actively involved. This led to all the pupils in this lesson being successful and making decisions about their own learning.

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MATHEMATICS

106. Pupils in Years 3 to 6 continue to develop their mental skills in computation and extend their knowledge of shape, space, measures and data handling. They use these skills well in other subjects such as in science and geography and develop their presentation and learning through ICT. In a very good lesson in Year 6, pupils explained their thought processes. For example, one pupil said, “I imagined it was the same way round as the others”, when explaining how they had reached her answer. In this lesson the pace was brisk and the work was challenging although at one point the pace was a little too rapid for some of the pupils who became a little confused. In a Year 4 lesson the pace of the lesson slowed during the mental starter and this was not used as effectively as it should have been. As a result, the pupils did not have the same confidence to explain strategies or to talk about their learning. This was a shortcoming related to learning in

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MATHEMATICS

107. By the end of their time in the school pupils can calculate in fractions, decimals and simple percentages. They are becoming successful at finding logical approaches to solving problems, can locate points using co-ordinates, investigate connections and work with negative numbers. Throughout the school, pupils with special needs are well supported, often by the teaching assistants and they make good progress towards their individual targets.

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MATHEMATICS

108. In all lessons pupils’ behaviour and attitudes are very good. In some classes the pupils are very quiet and, although they enjoy mathematics, they are not quite as confident as other classes. In the very best lessons very good relationships and good humour results in high motivation as the pupils rise to challenges. Almost all work is well presented and pupils take great care and show a pride in their work. The pupils concentrate very well and as a result make good gains in their knowledge and understanding within the lessons. Pupils have a good attitude to homework, which is completed neatly and usually on time. In one class, during the inspection, every pupil had returned their homework on time.

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MATHEMATICS

109. There is good leadership of mathematics. Along with the headteacher, the subject leader systematically checks lesson plans and observes teaching, whenever possible, to decide how effective the lessons is and how well the pupils are doing. Pupils’ work is regularly assessed in tests and through marking of books and the results are analysed. This gives a clear picture of how well individual pupils are progressing and the areas of strengths and weaknesses in the overall mathematics curriculum, teaching and pupils’ understanding. Targets for improvement are set and teachers and pupils work towards their achievement. This system has motivated pupils to work towards each target and has resulted in the good improvement in standards in mathematics. The school is aware of the need to continue this improvement and to raise standards further. The work, which has already begun in helping pupils to use mathematics and

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MATHEMATICS

to make links between other subjects, should be extended further to help pupils understand the everyday application of the subject.

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SCIENCE

110. Pupils’ attainment at the end of Years 2 and 6 is above expectations and pupils make good progress throughout the school and achieve well. This represents an improvement in standards at the end of Year 2 since the last inspection. In 2002, pupils’ attainment in science, as judged by teacher assessments, was in the top five per cent of schools in the country and it was well above average at the end of Year 6 in national tests. Pupils continue to make good gains in their learning.

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SCIENCE

111. By the end of Year 2 pupils have a good appreciation of healthy foods. They know the difference between natural and man-made objects. They can put sand, oil and wood into the natural category and water bottles into the man-made category. They can state how different materials are used for particular purposes such as metal for goalposts and wood for chairs. They Overseal Primary School - 35 understand how some objects, such as clay, can change their state through heating. They undertake simple experiments with a good level of skill, for example in determining the best waterproof materials. They know about the five senses and they can name the major external body parts.

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SCIENCE

112. Pupils, by the end of Year 6, use the correct terminology, such as chlorophyll, photosynthesises and nutrients when discussing how plants function. They have a very good appreciation of fair testing when carrying out investigations, as when they investigate what happens when water from solutions evaporates and when comparing the effect of different temperatures of water on the dissolving process. They have a good knowledge of reversible and irreversible changes when materials are heated. They make good use of prediction before carrying out a practical investigation, but they do not always reason their conclusions when writing up reports. They have a good understanding of opposing forces and the effect of gravity and upthrust. 113. The quality of teaching is good throughout the school. Teachers have very good relationships with the pupils that develop the pupils’ confidence. As a result, pupils contribute effectively to

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SCIENCE

discussions. Teachers share the lesson intentions in words that the pupils understand and revise well on previous learning. They question pupils well and draw information and ideas from the pupils and this approach encourages their interest. A significant feature of the teaching is the way in which teachers hand over responsibility to the pupils. They are encouraged to organise their own investigations and to devise their own recording methods. This contributes well to the quality of group discussion and to pupils’ good level of maturity and disciplined approach to their work. Pupils’ thinking skills are constantly developed as they are asked to reason their answers to questions. Teachers constantly challenge pupils further by getting the pupils to think on issues with questions such as ‘What would happen if….?’

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SCIENCE

114. Teachers enable the pupils to make good use of ICT in the reporting and tabulation of results and of mathematics, as when the pupils use line graphs to plot results and to use this information to predict other likely outcomes. Pupils also use literacy effectively in their written reports of their investigations. There is often a sense of fun in lessons. Year 2 pupils had much enjoyment when they used flappers to race tissue fish across the hall in their work on forces. Teachers support pupils who have special educational needs well through extra support and careful selection of activity tasks. They also enable pupils who have a higher ability to fulfil their potential by giving them much scope to present their work in their own words and getting them to investigate issues further. Teachers insist on a neat level of presentation, which enhances the quality of their finished work, which is successfully interspersed with relevant and labelled diagrams. Teachers

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SCIENCE

display good subject knowledge as for example when they get pupils to re-test to see if the results are repeated and to re-check measurements if one result appears to be out of line. Resources for lessons are well prepared.

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SCIENCE

115. The good teaching encourages the very good attitudes and levels of interest which pupils take in their work. Pupils behave extremely well. They work co-operatively, support one another, take a disciplined approach to their work, remain focused and work without fuss. They organise themselves in a mature way and take much pride in what they do.

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SCIENCE

116. The curriculum, which fulfils National Curriculum requirements, gives good opportunities for pupils to practise skills learnt in English, mathematics and ICT. The scheme of work is clearly arranged, although currently there is not a record to track pupils’ ongoing skill development. The newly appointed co-ordinator for science recognises this is an urgent feature for development. Resources are well arranged for ease of access, despite the school’s lack of storage space.

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ART AND DESIGN

117. Standards of attainment in art and design are below the national expectations by the end of Year 6, but in line with them at the end of Year 2. However, pupils in Year 3 are achieving well because they are being taught by the new co-ordinator who has specialist skills in the subject. Overseal Primary School - 36 118. There is now a greater provision for learning techniques in three-dimensional work than before as this is incorporated within teachers’ plans. However, provision for clay work is weak and pupils do not achieve well enough with this media. Pupils in Year 6 use their sketchbooks and viewfinders to draw urban and rural landscapes near to the school. They begin to understand how the viewfinders are used and tried, in one lesson, to look carefully and draw what they saw. Sketchbooks are well used by all classes and these act as working notebooks for ideas, sketches, designs or skills development. The good habits formed by using sketchbooks from an

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ART AND DESIGN

early stage has provided pupils with a stock of ideas and a reminder of techniques to use.

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ART AND DESIGN

119. Pupils’ attitudes to art and design are good. They enjoy the lessons, listen very carefully and behave sensibly. This results in purposeful lessons where no time is wasted. Pupils help to put out resources and treat them with great care and respect. Behaviour in lessons is always good even when these are carried out in the village. Year 2 children spoke enthusiastically about their work and could say which of their pictures they liked best and why that was. They were also able to say how some pictures might be improved and remembered exactly how they had undertaken them. They remembered that in a still life drawing you might only see part of an object.

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ART AND DESIGN

120. The quality of teaching across the school is satisfactory, but teaching is often good in Year 3 and Year 6. In a Year 3 lesson pupils studied the work of Turner and used this to make comparisons with other landscapes they had looked at. The teacher used good questioning techniques and pupils articulated their thoughts using words such as ‘hazy,’ ‘misty’ and ‘dawn’ to describe the painting. They understood words such as ‘snapshot’ and ‘medium’ in relation to paintings. The pupils learnt to use watercolour pencil crayons well and as a result of the teacher’s demonstrations the pupils produced a satisfying result of blended colour, which pleasingly resembled the effect, achieved by Turner. The pupils evaluated their own work and as a result of the teacher’s encouragement and positive attitude to their work, they began to make their own improvements. For example, when the technique looked overdone, one pupil said, “I think I’d

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ART AND DESIGN

121. However, in other lessons the teaching is not as confident and pupils are not given enough independence or opportunities to explore. For example in a satisfactory lesson in Year 1, the lesson was weakened by the fact that pupils were not offered hand lenses to examine materials they would be using for weaving. This would have shown them in detail the application of weaving. However, the lesson effectively generated useful vocabulary for pupils to describe the materials.

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ART AND DESIGN

122. There are some links to art in some subjects, such as in history, but not enough emphasis on learning through art and making stronger links with others such as literacy, mathematics, dance and music. Pupils also need more opportunities to choose their own materials and techniques and to develop independence.

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ART AND DESIGN

123. Overall, the leadership of the subject is satisfactory, but there are good features leading to improvements in organisation and standards. The newly appointed subject leader is already having a good effect on improving standards by setting a good example and offering support and guidance to others. At present there are not enough opportunities to introduce pupils to art from other cultures, but the subject leader has led well with a theme of ‘A Journey through South East Asia’. A new scheme has been introduced in Years 1 and 2 and this is offering more guidance and greater flexibility to teachers. There is a good level of resources and better quality resources have recently been purchased. However, some teachers still lack knowledge in the uses for the resources and the confidence to use them flexibly and with imagination. The subject leader has planned training to address this issue.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

124. Pupils’ attainment, which meets the national expectation at the end of Year 2 and Year 6, is owed to satisfactory teaching, the steady development of pupils’ skills in designing and making and a reasonable supply of materials and tools. Pupils enjoy their work, particularly when testing, planning and making decisions. Their achievement throughout the school is satisfactory, but Overseal Primary School - 37 pupils could do better if the subject was led with ambition and managed in a more coherent fashion. The very new co-ordinator recognises correctly that there is much to develop because the subject has not been managed on a permanent basis for some time. Standards are similar, in Year 2, to those attained at the time of the last inspection, but have fallen by the time pupils are in Year 6 owing to a period when the subject was not managed in a way that could assure standards. Pupils in Year 6 are currently making up for lost ground at a fast pace.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

125. The school has adopted the nationally recommended scheme of work and this has given a sense of order to pupils’ learning. They acquire the habit of planning, making and reviewing their work. For example, in Year 2 pupils have planned to make a puppet. They showed a reasonable facility in marking out the material, cutting it and joining it together. There is, however, no system in place to make sure that work such as this is assessed to judge whether pupils have met the expected level. Furthermore, there are no means by which teachers know that those capable of going beyond what most can achieve have indeed done so or not. This also applies to Year 1 in which pupils have made houses out of recycled materials. The finished products are very alike with no pupil having gone on to add embellishments or individual characteristics. Higher attaining pupils are sometimes given an extra challenge. For example, in a lesson in which the class was

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

repeating a pattern using a pre-prepared template, those capable of harder work were asked to design their own template, but this practice of setting work matched to pupils’ capabilities is not consistent enough.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

126. Between Year 3 and Year 6 pupils study the same topic each term, but are expected to achieve at a commensurately higher level as they progress from class to class. In practice, pupils’ progress over the four years fluctuates depending on the teacher’s knowledge of the subject, the demands of the task and the expectations placed on the pupils. Pupils’ work demonstrates this variable achievement. For example, when making musical instruments, pupils in Year 3 worked well to produce some good results, accompanied by carefully completed research, planning and evaluation sheets. Pupils in Year 4 produced very similar results showing no particular gains in practical skills or those of evaluation. In Year 6 written comments were very well presented and revealed some very insightful evaluations, bringing their work back to the expected level for making objects and above it for evaluating them.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

127. The difference in achievement, from class to class, was most evident in Year 5 and Year 6 lessons on bread making. Pupils in Year 5 achieved satisfactorily when tasting different breads in advance of devising their own recipe. However, pupils in Year 6 did much better because their lesson used computers well to provide digital images of many types of bread and pupils were challenged to share ideas and take notes in an atmosphere of high expectation. Very good links were also made in the Year 6 lesson with mathematics because pupils were encouraged to use computer spreadsheets to record their findings.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

128. The subject co-ordinator is aware of the shortcomings in the subject, but has not been in post long enough to rectify any of the problems. The co-ordinator has not had time to see lessons to judge the quality of teaching or monitor lesson plans to determine how well pupils are going to learn. The lack of an assessment system and a programme for monitoring and evaluating teaching limits the progress made by pupils throughout the school.

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GEOGRAPHY

129. Teaching is good and pupils make good progress in lessons. Overall, their achievement is satisfactory by the end of Year 2 and Year 6 and as a result they reach the national expectation for their age. Standards of work are similar to those at the time of the last inspection. There are two particularly good features of the geography curriculum: firstly, the relevance of the curriculum to the pupils’ interests; and secondly, the good links made with literacy, numeracy and ICT. For example, Year 6 pupils were using persuasive writing techniques and making ‘flyers’ to convince the local parish council of their ideas for improving some spare land in the village. They had taken photographs of the area with a digital camera and were using these very well in their pamphlets, some of which were being produced on computers. Overseal Primary School - 38 130. By the end of Year 2 pupils’ sound achievements are characterised by their breadth of knowledge

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GEOGRAPHY

about local issues and an understanding about places further afield. They, for example, appreciate the different life styles on an island and compare the similarities and differences with living in a Derbyshire village. They know that there are different types of houses in their own village. They take Barnaby Bear on holiday with them and write about his experiences in different places they visit and so come to understand that different locations have contrasting features. They know that the British Isles has constituent countries and that they themselves live on a large island. They can plot in simple terms their route to school on a map that they sketch themselves.

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GEOGRAPHY

131. By the end of Year 6, pupils have satisfactorily developed their skills to a higher level. They can, for example, make their own more detailed maps of the area and provide a key. They plot routes by road in nearby counties and use six figure grid references to locate the starting and destination points. They know the importance of rivers as drainage channels and study specific rivers such as the Nile and its importance to Egypt. They appreciate the importance of water to humankind and consider the problems faced by African countries that are short of water. They know about the water cycle and understand something about the treatment of waste water. Pupils know the difference between physical features and human features and can name rivers and hills as physical features and houses and churches as human features. They make good use of mathematics in their study of land use in their own village.

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GEOGRAPHY

132. In a well taught lesson in Year 6, pupils demonstrated mature attitudes to their work, showed much interest and maintained a total focus throughout the lesson. They worked well together and supported one another appropriately when required. They were clearly intent on convincing the parish council of their ideas for the development of the large area of waste ground in the village and produced some thoughtful and reasoned ideas including an assault course, boating pool and nature reserve. The teacher made effective use of ICT and the recently taught literacy skills so that there was much relevance, practice and consolidation of those skills. The good teaching enables pupils to gain a good understanding and insight into their work.

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GEOGRAPHY

133. The subject is managed satisfactorily. The co-ordinator checks planning and has a good understanding of what has been covered through the annual assemblage of a portfolio of work from across the school. There is no record of pupils’ skill development in the subject, for example their skills in using a map or atlas or in their understanding of particular geographical knowledge, such as the concept of a county or continent. Resources are satisfactory, but globes are not used regularly enough in lessons.

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HISTORY

134. Pupils’ attainment in history is in line with expectations at the end of Year 2 and Year 6. Pupils make sound progress in the subject. These judgements are similar to those made at the previous inspection.

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HISTORY

135. By the end of Year 2, pupils understand the concept of a past through studies of their own family tree. They look at old and new toys and realise that old toys are often dusty, rusty and smelly and frequently have missing features such as a lost eye in a teddy. Teachers make good use of local people to talk about the games they used to play and pupils realise that children’s pastimes change over the years. They remember specific historical events such as the Great Fire of London and compare modern and old fire engines. They know that some famous people, such as Florence Nightingale lived a long time ago and they remember why she is famous. They compare common everyday activities, such as having a bath, washing clothes and the use of candles for lighting as against the modern form of lighting and the use of electricity. In all this work they achieve satisfactorily.

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HISTORY

136. By the end of Year 6 pupils know about the major invasions of the British Isles and the effect these have had on British life such as the names of places. They know the reasons why the Overseal Primary School - 39 invaders came and some of the places where they settled and the reasons why they chose particular sites. They investigate the type of clothing worn by Roman and Celtic warriors and study the type of houses built by the invaders. Older pupils research particular facts of the period and make good use of the Internet to investigate evidence that contributes to their historical knowledge. This helps them to distinguish between fact and opinion. They know about particular ancient civilisations, such as the ancient Egyptians. The school’s good use of visits, for example to a former workhouse, supports well their understanding of particular historical periods. The good use of the local environment and cross-curricular links with geography enhance their

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HISTORY

understanding of local history and map appreciation.

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HISTORY

137. The quality of teaching is good and contributes to the pupils’ good understanding of their studies and the high level of interest that they show in their work. Teachers make good use of drama in history, as when pupils take on the role of Boudicca in Year 3 and have to decide whether to submit to the Romans or resist them. Pupils undertake appropriate amounts of work in lessons and present their work well. Teachers make good use of history to develop pupils’ literacy skills, as when they imagine the thoughts of an invading Viking warrior about to set foot in Britain for the first time or the feelings of Britons as they await the invasion. Teachers are often imaginative in the way they get pupils to record their thoughts, for example, advertising a Viking longboat emphasising its special features and its construction materials.

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HISTORY

138. Pupils’ work is well marked and they are involved in self-evaluation at the end of topics, but there is no coherent record of their attainment and this has a limiting effect on progress particularly for those pupils capable of higher attainment.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

139. By the end of Year 6 pupils are well in advance of the nationally expected level. This high level of achievement is built well on the good standards reached in Year 2, which are above what is expected for the pupils’ age. This degree of success demonstrates a marked improvement since the last inspection in 1997, when standards were only just satisfactory and resources were barely adequate. Now resources are good and used very well. The subject is very well managed, ensuring that teaching is good and often very good. As a result, pupils have very high levels of enthusiasm, dedication and dexterity in their learning.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

140. By Year 6 pupils have experienced such a rich variety of experiences in ICT, in a relatively short time, that they are now able to use the technology in their stride, as a matter of course, in their everyday lessons. They can for example, produce, in no time at all, a visually exciting document with pictures downloaded from the Internet or paste in their own pictures taken with a digital camera. In one particular lesson they demonstrated a strong knowledge and facility with spreadsheets. These were being used in mathematics to discover if there was a relationship between height and shoe size. All pupils could put in the data, interpret the results and read the decimal notation. Moreover, pupils could use the software to calculate totals and find the average while being able to talk well about how changing any part of the database might influence the result. Higher attaining pupils were challenged well by being allowed to steer the lesson with their

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

very well informed contributions. Equally, pupils who find difficulty in learning were very well supported by a teaching assistant and were able to make very useful contributions in the class discussion.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

141. The fact that so many pupils in Year 6 are accomplished in a wide range of ICT processes ensures that the standards are high. They can produce a multi-media presentation, linking text, pictures and a soundtrack. All pupils use with confidence a digital camera. Their word processing skills are substantial and they use these, for example, to contribute to the school’s interesting web site.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

142. Pupils in Year 2 also have poise and confidence when using computers which underpins their good achievement. They can produce very well presented documents using a wide range of word processing skills. They can also send and receive emails. Those capable of higher attainment have the knowledge to send emails with attachments. In a lesson devoted to using an Overseal Primary School - 40 encyclopaedia CDROM, the majority of the class could not only explain what the purpose of the lesson was but, by the end, could find the information they wanted from a complicated menu of possible sources.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

143. The effects of the improved facilities for ICT are working their way through the school rapidly. Pupils are also advantaged by the frequent visit from a volunteer helper with specialist knowledge. Pupils throughout the school have the advantage of working in small groups using laptop computers. They are very motivated on these occasions and their success complements the achievements they make when taught directly by their teacher. On one occasion, pupils in Year 4 were creating a sports report with graphics and text. They had drawn a mock-up of the page they were intending to create and then used the laptop to design the finished copy. The finished products were slick and well designed demonstrating a proficient use of the software. One pupil sat back and declared in a satisfied tone, “I’m much better at using the cursor now.”

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

144. The good quality of the teaching is characterised by very good relationships between staff and pupils, in which pupils ask questions confidently in an atmosphere of mutual collaboration. They look forward to their time on the computer or with the programmable toy. The success that many pupils achieve in ICT helps to raise their self-esteem and boosts their confidence in their own abilities. The very good use of the equipment is part of the successful provision for pupils’ spiritual and social development. Pupils who show a talent for ICT are catered for very well. For example, they are able to join the computer club, which is currently trying to design and publish a school prospectus for new children. This is an exciting venture that taxes their skills in desktop publishing. Teachers ensure that pupils with special educational needs have the same opportunities to learn as others and praise them regularly to let them know that they are doing

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

well. However, the specialised software available for specific difficulties in reading, for example, is scarce. The school recognises that this is an area for development. 145. The co-ordinator has worked extremely well in carrying out the developments needed in terms of resources and staff training. The very good supply of modern computers is networked around the school and there are three projectors with moveable electronic whiteboards that are effectively used for class teaching. The resources for ICT are now very good, but the fact that the school does not have a room in which most of the computers are housed makes pupils’ individual access to computers slightly less frequent than it might otherwise be. The school still has to formulate a cohesive action plan for the use of ICT across the curriculum as a whole, but this does not stop good use of ICT facilities in mathematics and geography, for example. Lesson plans and pupils’

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

work are monitored very well to give the co-ordinator an indication of what improvements need to be undertaken. Staff receive regular training in the use of hardware and software and how to judge pupils’ work, which has a good influence in future lessons.

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MUSIC

146. The standards achieved by the end of Year 6 are in line with those expected for their age. This represents good achievement, despite pupils not having experienced a coherent programme of musical activities for more than two years. It is only recently, under the specialist influence of the headteacher, acting as teacher and co-ordinator that they have caught up. In Year 2, progress is as good, owing to the specialist teaching they receive and pupils already achieve beyond what is expected at the age of seven. Good progress in music has been made since the last report because teaching is good throughout the school. Then, standards were satisfactory, but now achievement is good and improving rapidly.

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MUSIC

147. The strong and energetic co-ordination of the subject, coupled with a good measure of specialist teaching, has resulted in very good standards in singing throughout the school. This applies not only to lessons, but also in assemblies and performances given by the choir. For example, seven year olds can sing a song in two parts with confidence and expression, while clapping their own accompaniment. Throughout the school, pupils really enjoy their lessons and often show joyful responses, as in the case of a lesson in Year 5 in which pupils collaborated very well together in listening to taped instruments and then trying sounds out for themselves in groups. The joy that pupils experience in singing and playing is a firm component of the school’s provision for spiritual Overseal Primary School - 41 development.

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MUSIC

148. A key feature of the provision for music is that it is so well integrated into the life of the school. This has a direct bearing on the progress that pupils make. The headteacher’s enthusiasm and drive act as an inspiration for other co-ordinators. The wide range of activities on offer also has an immediate impact on lessons. Pupils who learn to play woodwind or brass, for example, are invited to use them in lessons during class composition. This allows a very productive blend of percussion and tuned instruments.

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MUSIC

149. As a result of the rich experiences they enjoy by the end of Year 6, pupils know the rudiments of traditional notation and can write and perform music for an audience. They can, for example, produce a ‘soundscape’ in groups using body parts, their voices and various instruments to create the effect. Talented pupils thrive under these circumstances. They have the opportunity to sing solos and play instruments in the school’s many productions. One pupil was even inspired to compose a piece of music at home using some computer software that printed the finished piece in the traditional format.

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MUSIC

150. The co-ordinator has created a very good level of musical success in the school in just over two years. The subject is very well led and managed. At the time of the last inspection there were just enough musical instruments, but too few from non-western cultures. There are more instruments now, but the range is still too narrow. Pupils cannot readily play and appreciate music from cultures other than their own. Computers are not used in music as tools for composition and this is an area for development. The fact that the headteacher does much of the teaching has caused an upswing in pupils’ achievements. Class teachers do not, currently, get a chance to learn alongside the co-ordinator to sharpen up their own skills so that they could teach the lessons as effectively. The school rightly recognises this as an area for development.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

151. The school provides an appropriate curriculum for physical education that meets National Curriculum expectations. The scheme of work contains a good balance of planned activities. During the time of the inspection, the main focus was on dance. Judgements cannot be made, therefore, about other aspects of the physical education curriculum. Attainment in dance is above expectations at the end of Years 2 and 6 and this represents an improvement for seven year olds since the last inspection. Pupils achieve well and make good progress in dance. Their attainment in dance is enhanced by their involvement in community dance festivals. Changes in staff since the last inspection have brought in added expertise that is reflected in the improved quality by the end of Year 2.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

152. Year 1 pupils swing their arms to make the trunk of an elephant and fly like a bird, swooping down at intervals nearer to the ground. By age seven, pupils use hand-held ribbons to replicate the effect of a bonfire being lit. In group composition they effect the spreading of the flames around the perimeter of the fire until the whole ‘fire’ is filled with dancing flames of coloured red and yellow ribbons. By the end of Year 6, pupils make sharp and spiky shapes. They work well in small groups to make sequences of movement incorporating flight, turning and jumping. They swirl with fingers, arms and legs outstretched, working at different levels and at different speeds. In all this work they achieve well.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

153. The quality of teaching is good throughout the school. Teachers constantly encourage pupils’ efforts, keep them thinking about the quality of their movements and make them use all parts of their bodies to the full. Teachers have high expectations of what pupils can achieve and motivate pupils to incorporate facial expressions in their movements. They make good use of key words such as ‘flicker’ and hold these up for the pupils’ attention. They maintain a good atmosphere in lessons, use pupil demonstration effectively, which encourages all pupils to try their best. Pupils remain very focused on task and involved in their movements as a result of working well with Overseal Primary School - 42 others. Boys and girls work equally enthusiastically. They are very well behaved in lessons. They try out movements with others and are willing to practise to obtain a polished performance. They enjoy performing for others. Teachers make good links with other curricular areas as when

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

pupils dodge one another or quickly move together to reflect their work on magnets.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

154. The enthusiastic physical education co-ordinator is giving a good lead in the subject and also makes good use of other staff expertise. Resources for the subject are satisfactory, although storage facilities are unsatisfactory because of accommodation problems. The small hall has a good floor surface that permits work in bare feet, although on occasions there is some inconsistency with a mixture of pupils either wearing footwear or not within the same lesson. Sometimes pupils do not wear appropriate dress. The school has good outdoor space, although the school field is unusable for much of the year owing to poor drainage. The school adopts imaginative arrangements for sports day so that all pupils can participate with enjoyment.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

155. Standards of attainment in religious education are in line with the expected standards of the Derbyshire agreed syllabus, ‘All our Worlds’, by the end of Year 2 and Year 6. The pupils make sound progress in their knowledge and understanding of a wide variety of religions and how religion effects daily lives.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

156. Pupils in Years 1 and 2 learn about themselves and their friends and relate this to, for example, the friends of Jesus. They compare and contrast different religions and study similar elements such as weddings or sacred books. They use good ideas in thinking about being thankful and in selecting ideas for good and bad deeds. Pupils in Year 2 understand the features of characters in the story of Diwali and pupils in Year 1 successfully sequence the nativity story in pictures.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

157. Pupils in Years 3 to 6 learn about six different religions: Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Sikhism, Judaism and Hinduism. Junior pupils work mainly on worksheets but these complete lessons which are mainly oral discussion or which utilise drama. This makes the work more meaningful and pupils gain better understanding of the sometimes difficult concepts involved. Also, speaking and listening skills are successfully developed. Following discussions, Year 6 pupils wrote their own readings for the Christmas carol concert in church; these readings were very good and demonstrated their clear understanding.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

158. Pupils’ attitudes towards the subject are good. They show interest and are willing to ask sensible questions. They treat artefacts with respect and have an understanding of the importance of religions. Almost all work is very well presented although at times the presentation does not match that of other subjects, such as in English.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

159. Teaching is good overall. Most teachers demonstrate a good subject knowledge and confidence in teaching the subject which leads to interesting well-prepared lessons and results in good gains in knowledge and understanding. In a good Year 5 lesson, the teacher drew together the pupils’ ideas about God and asked them to draw their vision of God, but surrounded the image with words, which described the person they imagined. Good teaching was able to help the pupils to understand that even if the images were different the characteristics of a supreme being were very similar. Well-prepared resources engaged the pupils’ attention as they wrote questions about the Hindu gods they were examining.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

160. In an exciting lesson in Year 2 the class teacher and the visiting vicar combined to discover what a vicar does and wears. This led to an animated discussion by the whole class in which pupils shared ideas and thoughts. The vicar led the role-play and dressed a pupil in his cassock, surplice and stole. The lesson was dramatic as the teacher and vicar swapped places and he revealed his job and uniform. This caused much excitement and good gains in understanding.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

161. The leadership of the subject is satisfactory. The subject leader has been newly appointed to the Overseal Primary School - 43 school and also has the role of special educational needs co-ordinator and personal, social, health and citizenship co-ordinator. However, the co-ordinator already has plans to address issues within the subject such as developing pupils’ understanding of the variety of beliefs held in Britain and to extend the use of visits and visitors. There is insufficient use of ICT, an issue that has been recognised by the school.

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