Dove Holes CofE Primary School

DOVE HOLES C of E PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 1 st – 3 rd April 2003

p.1

DOVE HOLES C of E 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.

p.1

DOVE HOLES C of E 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. Dove Holes C of E Primary School

p.2

INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Hallsteads Dove Holes Buxton Derbyshire

p.3

INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Mr A Snadden

p.3

INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: November 1997 Dove Holes C of E Primary School

p.3

Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Douglas Hayward Registered inspector English Science Information and communication technology Art and design Physical education Special educational needs English as an additional language How high are standards? How well are pupils taught? How well is the school led and managed?

p.4

Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Sarah McDermott Lay inspector Inclusion Pupils’ attitudes, behaviour and personal development Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development How well does the school work in partnership with parents? Gail Robertson Team Inspector Foundation Stage Mathematics Design and technology Geography History Music Religious education How good are curricular and other opportunities? How well does the school care for its pupils?

p.4

Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

TWA Inspections 102 Bath Road Cheltenham Gloucestershire GL53 7JX

p.4

Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

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

p.4

Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

p.4

Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Dove Holes C of E Primary School

p.4

PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 6

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

p.5

HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS? 10

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

p.5

INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Dove Holes is a small primary school for pupils aged from four to eleven, situated about three miles north of Buxton in Derbyshire. Currently 85 pupils attend the school, although this number is gradually falling. Last year there were four classes and now there are three, and each class contains at least two different year groups. Most pupils live in the village itself, although a few choose to come from further afield. The school accommodation is very cramped, although the school makes good use of the limited space that it has. Much needed repairs have been carried out recently that have improved the building.

p.6

INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Almost all pupils are white and almost all speak English as their first language. The proportion of pupils with special educational needs, including those with statements of special educational need, is slightly above average. The percentage of pupils eligible for free school meals is below average. Children join the school in September or January each year, depending on their date of birth. When they start school their attainment is as expected for their age.

p.6

HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

Good teaching helps many pupils to attain high results in national tests at the age of eleven. The school helps those with special educational needs to do as well as they can. It develops respect and understanding. As a result, pupils are very well behaved, very enthusiastic and hard working in lessons. The school does not teach junior pupils a wide enough range of subjects and it does not plan clearly enough what it needs to do to improve. It provides satisfactory value for money.

p.6

HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What the school does well • It provides a good start for children in the Foundation Stage and helps older pupils to attain good standards in the basic skills of reading, writing and mathematics. • It provides a good standard of teaching. Staff are hardworking and work well as a team. They have very good relationships with pupils and want them to do well. They are good at encouraging pupils to work hard and praising them when they do. • It helps pupils with special educational needs to make good progress. Their work is carefully planned and learning support assistants provide very skilled and positive help. • It helps pupils to behave very well in lessons and around the school and to get on well with each other. • It has developed effective links with parents and good links with the community and local businesses. These have a positive impact on pupils’ learning.

p.6

HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What could be improved • Planning by the headteacher and governors to clearly identify what the school needs to do to improve further. • The range of subjects for junior pupils and the way in which the school plans enough time for these to be taught. • The way in which it uses data to track the progress that pupils make in order to set challenging targets for them to achieve. • Standards in art and design, design and technology, geography and music for junior pupils. • Formal procedures for staff to ensure pupils’ safety, for example child protection training. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

p.6

HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school was last inspected in 1997, when it provided satisfactory value for money. Some areas identified as weaknesses then have been successfully tackled. Others have not and are still areas of weakness. Standards among eleven-year-olds have steadily improved in English, mathematics and science. Standards in information and communication technology have improved significantly and are now higher than expected for primary pupils. Although standards in art and design have improved for infants, they are still low for juniors, as are standards in design and technology. Standards in both subjects were judged to be lower than expected in 1997. Standards of presentation of work have improved, as have Dove Holes C of E Primary School opportunities for children under five to develop their physical skills. The way in which the school identifies how it can improve, through school development planning, was not good enough in 1997 and is still a

p.6

HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

weakness. This is one reason why improvements since the last inspection have not been sustained in some areas and have not been put in place in others. The school is in a sound position to improve further.

p.7

STANDARDS

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

p.7

STANDARDS

Performance in: all schools similar schools Key

p.7

STANDARDS

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

p.7

STANDARDS

There has been a steady trend of improvement in results for eleven-year-olds. Results in national tests for seven-year-olds do not show the same consistent improvement, but mainly because there has been significant movement of pupils into and out of the school which has affected results. In last year’s tests, results in reading, writing, mathematics and science were below the average for all schools and well below the average for similar schools. However, these results do not tell the whole story. In small schools, such as Dove Holes, each pupil represents a large proportion of marks in national tests. If, as has happened with new pupils starting at Dove Holes, one or two of them find learning difficult and cannot achieve Level 2 1 , the school’s results in national tests are affected. Pupils who start in the reception class at this school, and who take national tests at the age of seven, make sound progress and achieve results

p.7

STANDARDS

that are similar to those expected for pupils at this age. Children in the reception class settle quickly and make good progress. Most of them achieve the Early Learning Goals 2 and some achieve beyond these. Targets for seven and eleven-year-olds this year are lower than they have been and accurately reflect the wide ability range of those age groups. During the inspection standards in English, mathematics and science were below average in Years 2 and 6. Standards were higher than expected in information and communication technology for infants and juniors. They were as expected for seven-year-olds in all the other foundation subjects and religious education. Standards for juniors were lower than expected in art and design, design and technology, geography and music. This is because too much time is spent on English, mathematics and science and the school does not use other subjects to support and develop the

p.7

STANDARDS

key areas of literacy, numeracy and pupils’ experimental and investigative skills. Standards were as expected in history, physical education and religious education.

p.7

STANDARDS

1 Levels – by the end of Year 2 pupils are expected to attain Level 2 in reading, writing and mathematics. Those who attain Level 3 are, therefore, attaining above nationally expected levels. 2 Early Learning Goals – these are targets for children by the end of the reception year. They refer to personal, social and emotional development, communication, language and literacy skills, mathematical development, knowledge and understanding of the world, and physical and creative development. Dove Holes C of E Primary School

p.7

PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Attitudes to the school Very good. Pupils enjoy learning. They work hard, concentrate well and are interested in their lessons.

p.8

PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Very good. Pupils behave very well in lessons, during lunchtimes and playtimes and when they are out of school on visits. They are polite and friendly to adults and visitors. They say that there is no bullying at school. Parents correctly think that behaviour is very good.

p.8

PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Personal development and relationships Children in the reception class settle quickly and grow in confidence. Infant and junior pupils get on well together and respect their teachers. In lessons they work very well together and listen to each other’s opinions. They enjoy their work on the recently formed school council. Older pupils would welcome more opportunities to take responsibility around the school.

p.8

PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Attendance Good. Better than in most primary schools. Pupils arrive on time and lessons start promptly.

p.8

TEACHING AND LEARNING

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

p.8

TEACHING AND LEARNING

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

p.8

TEACHING AND LEARNING

During the inspection 18 lessons were observed, as well as shorter sessions where individuals or groups of pupils received help and support with their work. Teaching was good in nine lessons and very good in three lessons. It was unsatisfactory in one lesson. Good and very good teaching was seen in infant and junior classes. Teaching is good in literacy and numeracy. One of the strengths of teaching is the relationship that teachers have with pupils. They encourage and praise pupils and this helps them, for example, to ‘have a go’ at answering questions where they are not sure of the answer. In good lessons, teachers plan work carefully at just the right levels to challenge all pupils. This makes them think carefully about what they are doing and helps them to make good progress. In lessons where teaching is not as effective, the pace drops and there are times when pupils have too much time to complete tasks. Over-

p.8

TEACHING AND LEARNING

long lessons mean that teaching is not as well focused and pupils do not achieve as much as they could.

p.8

OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

The quality and range of the curriculum Reception-aged children enjoy a full and interesting range of subjects. In Years 1 and 2, pupils learn about a wide range of interesting subjects. There are large gaps in the range of subjects for junior pupils and they do not consistently build on the progress they make in subjects in the infants, for example in art and design and geography. The school does not use time during the school week as well as it should to provide a balanced curriculum.

p.8

OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Very good. The school quickly identifies pupils who need extra help and is good at carefully planning work that will help them to make progress. Learning support assistants provide lots of encouragement and are skilled at helping pupils to make progress.

p.8

OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils with English as an additional language Very good. The very few pupils with English as an additional language make good progress in line with other pupils of the same age. Dove Holes C of E Primary School Provision for pupils’ personal development, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Good. The school helps pupils to work together and appreciate each other’s points of view. Work has recently started to establish links to help develop pupils’ understanding of cultures other than their own. There are only limited opportunities to visit place of interest or to invite visitors into school. These are sometimes affected by parents’ reluctance to contribute to the cost.

p.8

OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

How well the school cares for its pupils This is a caring school and teachers know their pupils well. Staff like and value pupils and want them to do well. Pupils enjoy receiving awards for hard work. Pupils are safe, but the school does not have up-to-date procedures for ensuring their welfare.

p.9

OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Parents like the school and say that teachers are always available at short notice to discuss any concerns that they might have. They would like to receive more information about what their children will be studying each term and how well they are getting on and inspectors agree with this.

p.9

HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff The headteacher is liked and respected by staff and parents and provides sound leadership and management. There has not been sufficiently decisive leadership in addressing weaknesses in the curriculum or planning the school’s development. Co-ordinators have many areas of responsibility and are beginning to monitor progress well in a few subjects.

p.9

HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Governors are supportive and enthusiastic. They are beginning to play an increasing part in the management of the school. They are gradually learning ways in which to judge how well the school does, compared with others.

p.9

HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The school’s evaluation of its performance The school is not as good as it should be at working out how it helps pupils to make progress and what to do about planning improvements where they are needed.

p.9

HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The strategic use of resources Satisfactory. Support staff play an important part in helping pupils to make progress. Money has been well spent in providing specialist help to raise standards in information and communication technology.

p.9

PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

Eight parents attended a meeting with the registered inspector before the inspection and 49 parents (69%) returned questionnaires.

p.9

PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

p.9

PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

• Parents say that their children like school and that they make good progress. • They say that teaching is good and that their children are expected to work hard. • Most say that they are happy to approach the school if they have a problem and that it is well managed and led. • Some parents feel that their children do not get the right amount of homework. • Some say that the school does not work closely with them.

p.9

PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

The inspection team agrees with parents’ positive comments. There is some inconsistency between classes in the amount of homework that is set and the school’s expectations of when and how it should be done. The team feels that the school usually works closely with parents. Newsletters are regular and informative, although classes do not provide much information about what work pupils will be doing each term. Reports are not clear enough about how well pupils do and how they can improve. Dove Holes C of E Primary School

p.9

The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

1. Children enter school in the September or January of the year in which they are five, depending on their date of birth. The older children have the longest time in the reception class. Data provided by the local education authority show that the results of the assessments carried out shortly after children start school are very similar to those in other schools throughout Derbyshire.

p.10

The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

2. Children settle quickly into the class and benefit from caring, supportive teachers and staff and well planned lessons and activities. The induction of children into the class is made more difficult to achieve successfully because of the two different points of entry to school, in September and January. In January there are already three age groups of pupils in one class. The arrival of another, younger, group at that point effectively means that planning has to be carried out for four different age groups. Most children attain the Early Learning Goals by the end of the reception year.

p.10

The infant classes

3. Compared with those in all schools, and based on average points, pupils’ results were below average in reading, writing and mathematics. Compared with those in similar schools, they were well below average in all three subjects. The results of the 2002 tests and assessments for seven-year-olds show that the percentage of pupils attaining Level 2 3 was below average in reading and writing and average in mathematics and science. The percentage of pupils attaining the higher Level 3 was below average in writing and well below average in reading, mathematics and science.

p.10

The infant classes

4. In small groups of pupils taking national tests (there were twelve in the 2002 cohort), each pupil represents a large proportion of the marks. If there are one or two pupils who find learning difficult, this can adversely affect the school’s results. For example, in the 2002 cohort, each pupil represented just over 8 per cent of the marks. Two pupils with special educational needs, and not attaining Level 2, would immediately lower the percentage attaining that level to 83 per cent, which was just in line with the national average last year.

p.10

The infant classes

5. There has been significant ‘mobility’ of pupils in and out of the school for various reasons, for example families moving to other areas. This mobility can have a significant impact on a school’s results, for example high attaining pupils leaving to be replaced by those with significant learning difficulties. This is the case at Dove Holes. In last year’s tests, only six of the pupils who took them had started in the reception class at school. Their results were much better than those for the year group overall and reflect the progress that the school helps pupils to make over a longer period of time. In the tests, 100 per cent of pupils who started at the school attained at least Level 2 in reading, writing, mathematics and science, and all attained the higher Level 2A in reading and mathematics, which is above the national average. Two pupils (33 per cent) attained Level 3 in reading and mathematics. During the inspection, standards in Year 2 in

p.10

The infant classes

reading, writing, mathematics and science were below average, but this is because the year group is very small and several pupils have significant special educational needs (see paragraphs 4 & 5) . Standards in information and communication are above expectations. In the other foundation subjects and in religious education standards are

p.10

The infant classes

3 Levels – by the end of Year 2 pupils are expected to attain Level 2 in reading, writing, mathematics and science. Those who attain Level 3 are, therefore, attaining above nationally expected levels. Dove Holes C of E Primary School as expected for seven-year-olds. It was not possible to make a judgement on standards in physical education.

p.10

The junior classes (Years 3 to 6)

6. The results of the 2002 national tests for eleven-year-olds show that the percentage of pupils attaining Level 4 4 or above was very high in science, above average in mathematics and average in English. The percentage attaining Level 5 was well above average in English and mathematics and average in science. In comparison with those in all schools, based on average points, results at Dove Holes were well above average in English and mathematics and above average in science. Compared with those in similar schools results were well above average in English, above average in mathematics and average in science.

p.11

The junior classes (Years 3 to 6)

7. There has been a consistent trend of improvement in junior pupils’ results over the last four years. There has been less movement of pupils into and out of the school in the junior classes than in the infants and this has helped the school to achieve greater consistency in its results (see paragraph 5) . The positive progress that the school helps pupils to make in literacy and numeracy can be gauged from last year’s results for pupils in Year 6 in national tests. Based on their results in national tests when they were infants in Year 2, their 2002 Year 6 results based on ‘prior attainment’ show that they made very good progress in English and mathematics and average progress in science. During the inspection standards were below average in English, mathematics and science because the year group is so small and a significant number of pupils have special educational needs . Standards are as expected in history, but below those expected in art

p.11

The junior classes (Years 3 to 6)

and design, design and technology, geography and music. It was not possible to make a judgement on standards in physical education.

p.11

Across the school

8. Over 90 per cent of parents in their questionnaires indicated that they were happy with the progress that their children make. The inspection team shares this view of progress throughout the school in the core subjects of English, mathematics and science for most pupils. The success of the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies and strategies to target and support particular groups of pupils is clear (see paragraph 13) . Test results show that in Year 6, boys have consistently done better than girls, but during the inspection there was no evidence in lessons to show why this might be the case. Girls were equally confident and positive about their work.

p.11

Across the school

9. The school is not sufficiently aware of systems for tracking pupils’ progress and setting challenging targets for them to attain for it to have fully made the link between attainment and achievement; that is, whether pupils are achieving the best results that they are capable of, regardless of the national level they attain in national tests. For example, it has not used children’s results in early baseline assessments to identify possible areas of strength or those in need of development. Although it records pupils’ results in tests in Year 2, it does not use those to predict what levels pupils could and should attain in national tests at the age of eleven, or in non-statutory tests in the years between the ages of seven and eleven. This means that the school is never completely sure whether they are challenging pupils fully or whether there are areas that it needs to address.

p.11

Across the school

10. Junior pupils’ progress cannot be said to be consistent or appropriate, however, in the foundation subjects. The school’s emphasis on teaching literacy and numeracy, and to some extent science, and the time it has allocated to them have led to major gaps in other curriculum areas, for example art and design, geography and design and

p.11

Across the school

4 Level 4 – by the end of Year 6 pupils are expected to attain Level 4 in English, mathematics and science. Those pupils who attain Level 5 are, therefore, attaining above nationally expected levels. Dove Holes C of E Primary School technology. Although it has successfully taught literacy and numeracy, this has usually been in isolation and the pupils’ skills in literacy and numeracy have not been successfully transferred to other areas. This is especially the case in literacy, where the standard of content, spelling and presentation of their written work in other subjects is not nearly as good as in ‘English’ work. This is mainly because too little time has been given to developing pupils’ ability to write in other subjects, for example detailed planning of a design and technology project or comprehensive written evaluations of their work.

p.11

Across the school

11. Junior pupils do not have sufficient opportunities to build on the skills that they develop in the infants in the foundation subjects, where there is a broad and balanced curriculum. The infrequency with which they learn about the arts means that they have few worthwhile opportunities to appreciate the work of composers and artists. Consequently, there are few occasions when their spiritual well being is promoted adequately and there are few occasions when they experience the ‘awe and wonder’ of first hand experience.

p.12

Across the school

12. The one, notable, exception to balance in the curriculum and the opportunity to develop cross-curricular links is in information and communication technology, where standards are above those expected for infants and juniors. The decision to employ a specialist part-time consultant has meant that there is a very good range of experiences for pupils. There are very good links with other subjects, for example drawing programs to develop art work and the use of screen robots to help pupils’ understanding of angles in mathematics.

p.12

Across the school

13. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress throughout the school. This is because: • teachers plan work carefully for them in lessons; • they are identified quickly and support for them is well organised; • the quality of support they receive individually and in small groups is very good.

p.12

Across the school

14. Parents at the pre-inspection meeting with children identified as having special educational needs said that they were pleased with the progress their children made. Their individual education plans are detailed, with realistic targets that are easily measurable. Group work is well organised for pupils with specific learning difficulties as well as for those receiving additional literacy support in small groups and planned according to national guidelines, for example Further Literacy Support (for pupils in Year 5). The very few pupils with English as an additional language are not at an early stage of learning English and are making good progress.

p.12

Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

14. Pupils have very good attitudes to school, as they did at the time of the last inspection. They are keen to explain to visitors the routines of the school day and they talk excitedly about their residential trip to Whitehall outdoor centre. Some of the older pupils are justifiably less enthusiastic about school life because they feel that they are given insufficient scope to take on appropriate responsibilities around the school.

p.12

Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

15. In lessons, pupils have a very positive approach to learning. They are always interested in the subject being taught. In a very good literacy lesson the infant pupils were all captivated by the ‘Owl Babies’ story and worked extremely hard and enthusiastically at their dictionary searches. The pupils’ enthusiasm and interest are very positive factors in their good learning. It means that they get on with their work quickly, want to do it well and concentrate until they complete it.

p.12

Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

16. The behaviour of the pupils is very good and has improved since the last inspection, when it was judged to be good. There have been no exclusions. Pupils in Years 5 and 6 organise themselves particularly well in their very cramped classroom and, if they need to Dove Holes C of E Primary School move places, they do so with minimum fuss and disruption to their learning. Even in lessons where the pace is slow, pupils stay on task and concentrate remarkably well. During the inspection no lesson was interrupted by inappropriate behaviour. Pupils say there is no bullying in the school and this was confirmed during the inspection. Parents are very pleased with the way their children behave at school and they are proud to be with them when they accompany them on school outings.

p.12

Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

17. The personal development of the pupils is good. Reception-aged children settle quickly and are soon able to cope with the school day. Pupils have a well-developed understanding of the impact of their actions on others. They are polite and considerate. They are keen to take on jobs and chores in the classroom when given opportunities to do so. The older pupils proudly and efficiently organise corridor duty and the members of the school council are beginning to learn how to take decisions on behalf of the whole school, although they do not yet have the opportunity to organise and run their meetings without adult supervision.

p.13

Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

18. Relationships in school are very good and have improved from a good judgement at the last inspection. Pupils look to the adults for advice and support. Boys and girls get on very well together, whether working together in lessons or playing football outside. Pupils listen with interest to each other’s views and can empathise with fellows who are feeling unwell. However, pupils’ respect for the values and beliefs of people of other faiths and cultures is not sufficiently developed because they have not been taught enough about ways of life outside their locality.

p.13

Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

19. Pupils’ attendance is good and is better than in most primary schools. The school has improved levels of attendance since the last inspection. However, there are a significant and growing number of holidays taken in term time, particularly just before and after the long summer break. This has a negative impact on pupils’ learning. Punctuality is good. Pupils and their parents arrive on time in the morning and lessons begin promptly.

p.13

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

20. During the inspection 18 lessons were observed. Because literacy and numeracy are taught every morning in all classes, ten of the lessons centred on these subjects in the infants and juniors, and on communication, language and literacy with reception-aged children. The quality of teaching in all the lessons observed was good overall. It was good in literacy and numeracy, with some very good features, for example lesson planning to meet the needs of pupils of all abilities. Eight lessons were observed in the afternoons, covering a narrow range of foundation subjects. Teaching in these was satisfactory overall, with some weaknesses, especially teachers’ inability to sustain pupils’ interest.

p.13

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

21. The difference in the quality of teaching between the core subjects and the foundation subjects is due to the following factors: • literacy and numeracy have displaced many other subjects and therefore teachers have less experience of regularly teaching foundation subjects; • teachers are not sure of the standards that pupils can attain in the foundation subjects and do not always plan different levels of work as successfully as in literacy and numeracy where they are more confident.

p.13

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

22. In their questionnaires all parents indicated that they considered teaching was good. Teaching in this inspection was at least good in almost 70 per cent of lessons and very good in 17 per cent, although this was a small sample of lessons, with each one counting for over 5 per cent of the total. Teaching was satisfactory in just over a quarter of lessons and one unsatisfactory lesson was observed. Teaching in this inspection is better than it was in 1997. Strengths identified in the first inspection are still apparent, for example the Dove Holes C of E Primary School teaching of key skills, such as reading and writing, teachers’ class management and detailed planning.

p.13

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

23. Satisfactory and good teaching both contain strengths and areas for development. Good and very good teaching, in comparison with satisfactory teaching, is usually sharper and involves pupils more. There is more pace to lessons and pupils are often involved practically, whereas satisfactory teaching usually involves periods during the lesson where the pace drops and demands on pupils are not rigorous enough; that is, they are sitting, rather than doing. In the unsatisfactory lesson the task was too complicated for the pupils and the purpose of the task was unclear. Even in literacy and numeracy lessons there are occasions when the lesson itself is too long and there are small ‘pockets’ of time within lessons when there is no real urgency to the activity.

p.14

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

24. One of the strengths of teaching are the teachers’ relationships with pupils and the way in which they create a climate of acceptance of all pupils’ answers. Pupils feel able to ‘have a go at answering’, whether they are ‘right’ or ‘wrong’. This means that pupils are far more likely to become involved in question and answer sessions, thus enabling teachers to use questions more effectively to find out what they know.

p.14

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

25. Teachers plan work well for the different abilities, and ages, in their classes. This is particularly apparent in the class containing reception-aged children and infant pupils in Years 1 and 2. As well as planning work in line with the Early Learning Goals, the teacher has to bear in mind that even within this group there are differences depending on the time that these children have been in school (see paragraph 2) . In other classes, appropriate work is set for different abilities. Work for pupils with special educational needs is usually very well planned and learning support assistants play a significant part in helping pupils to make progress. Sometimes they support pupils in lessons and sometimes support is planned individually or in groups withdrawn from the classroom. They have good relationships with pupils and are very good at motivating them to want to do well.

p.14

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

26. Some parents were not happy with the amount of homework the school sets, although most did not specify whether they thought too much or too little was set. There are, nevertheless, differences between classes in the regularity of provision of homework and how parents are informed about the part they can play in supporting it. Homework generally supports the work pupils do in school and pupils say that generally they enjoy doing it.

p.14

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

27. The quality of teachers’ marking is unsatisfactory overall and does not give pupils any information about what they can do better or provide targets for the future. There are very few written comments and, when there are, most are restricted to a single word or phrase. When there are worthwhile comments they reveal a genuine appreciation of the pupils’ efforts; for example, ‘Excellent! You have a lovely style of writing that creates a vivid picture in my head!’ Dove Holes C of E Primary School

p.14

PUPILS?

28. The previous report stated that ‘ the curriculum is broad and balanced” and ‘ there is an appropriate time allocation for most subjects’. This is no longer the case and curriculum provision, although satisfactory for the infants, is unsatisfactory for the juniors.

p.15

PUPILS?

29. The curriculum for the reception children meets the requirements of the Foundation Stage. The planned activities cover the six areas of learning appropriately. Appropriate parts of the Literacy and Numeracy Strategies are planned effectively to set challenges for the more able pupils. The curriculum offered meets the needs of all children in the reception year.

p.15

PUPILS?

30. The curriculum offered to the infants is broad and balanced, but the curriculum for the junior pupils lacks balance and depth. There is currently an imbalance of time spent on each subject. All subjects of the National Curriculum and religious education are taught. However, it is the limited time allocated to some subjects that does not allow the programmes of study to be taught in sufficient depth, with a resulting drop in standards, for example in music, geography, art and design, and design and technology. The limited time allocated to foundation subjects often means that subject knowledge and skills are explored too superficially to make an impact and are quickly forgotten.

p.15

PUPILS?

31. Time is not organised well during the school day. The morning sessions are set aside almost entirely for teaching literacy and numeracy. This inevitably means that sessions last over an hour each, or that there are small ‘pockets’ of time that are not planned for and time is wasted. The afternoon sessions cover the rest of the curriculum. However, further time is used in the afternoons for extended periods of quiet reading and ‘finishing off work’. This reduces balance still further and is not an effective use of time. Some subjects are paired and taught in alternate half terms, which is sensible, for example geography and history. The school is not creative in its use of time and has not visualised how changing times of previously ‘fixed’ occasions might help to provide a more balanced curriculum. For example, by providing three separate lessons during the morning sessions, or teaching art and design in the morning, rather than always in the

p.15

PUPILS?

afternoon (see paragraph 90) . Pupils’ personal and social development is taught incidentally and not given a sufficiently high profile, for example through timetabled ‘circle time’ sessions.

p.15

PUPILS?

32. The school has successfully introduced the Literacy and Numeracy Strategies, although the length of time allocated to both is sometimes over long. This results in some pupils losing their concentration and interest. Literacy and numeracy throughout the school are not contributing sufficiently to other aspects of the curriculum. For example, there is limited evidence of pupils writing for different purposes in subjects such as science or religious education. The curriculum contains very few planned opportunities for pupils to use data handling in geography and science to record observations and findings. There are good links and many opportunities for pupils to use information technology in other subjects across the curriculum and this has helped to raise standards (see paragraph 103). There is an appropriate policy for sex education and specific teaching is provided for older juniors. The school has a sound policy for drugs awareness and staff have

p.15

PUPILS?

received training and teach this successfully.

p.15

PUPILS?

33. The number and range of extra-curricular activities offered to support and enrich the curriculum are satisfactory. There are good sporting activities on offer and a dance club. Pupils thoroughly enjoy and actively support clubs. There is a residential visit offered to all junior pupils. Visits to places of educational interest and visitors into schools are limited. This is due, partly to parental reluctance to contribute to the cost and partly Dove Holes C of E Primary School because the school has not fully capitalised on opportunities to make the most of the local authority’s peripatetic services, for example music tuition.

p.15

PUPILS?

34. The school has good links with the local community and there are strong links with the church. The village is used well to support learning in history and geography. The school enjoys good links with partner institutions. It has initiated an art project with the local secondary school and hopes other subject links will follow, for example science. There are growing links with the village playgroups, which are intended to ease the induction process for reception children joining the school.

p.16

PUPILS?

35. The school’s provision for the personal development of the pupils is good overall. The promotion of moral development is particularly strong and has become even better since the last inspection. Pupils behave well because they want to and not just because they are told to. Class rules are simple, straightforward and meaningful. Very good behaviour, attitudes and effort are rewarded at the award assemblies which pupils look forward to and where they are proud to be recognised for their achievement, and this motivates them to try hard.

p.16

PUPILS?

36. The provision for social development is good. The older pupils are encouraged to look after the younger ones and help them during wet play times. In classrooms they are given minor responsibilities; for example, they are expected to clear up their own tables and trays. However, they do not have as much responsibility as they are capable of taking, for example setting up the music and overhead projector for assembly. The recently formed school council is a good start in developing a sense of democracy and citizenship in the pupils. The residential trips to the Whitehall outdoor activity centre help to develop the pupils’ social skills, particularly those who have limited or no chances to stay away from home. The school involves the pupils well in raising funds for national charities and nearby worthy causes, such as the local hospice. Strong links with the village are proving invaluable in instilling a sense of community and mutual support.

p.16

PUPILS?

37. The school’s provision for spiritual development is satisfactory, as it was at the time of the last inspection. In a few lessons teachers grasped the opportunity to develop the pupils’ sense of ‘awe and wonder’. In a very good music and movement session the teacher very effectively encouraged the children to pretend they had sent balloons drifting away into the sky, and so extended their imagination and creativity. However, chances for spiritual development are frequently missed because the pace of some lessons is slow and the curriculum lacks a sufficiently exciting range of learning opportunities, especially in the arts; for example, there is little stimulating art work on display around the school that makes pupils stop and stare. Surprisingly for a church school the spiritual dimension is often limited in assemblies. Although the Lord’s Prayer is recited and assemblies are quiet, well ordered events, they are sometimes lacklustre and not always enlivened by

p.16

PUPILS?

heartfelt singing. In addition, it is not acceptable that several pupils miss their time for collective worship to receive extra tuition.

p.16

PUPILS?

38. The promotion of cultural development remains satisfactory. The headteacher is aware that the pupils have very limited contact with people from other cultures and faiths. He is enthusiastically starting links with schools in the Indian Punjab, but as yet the pupils’ understanding is limited to photographs and tales of his travels. The school welcomes the few pupils who arrive from other countries and make the most of understanding the way of life in their country of origin. However, pupils have not had sufficient contact with the wealth of other cultures much closer to them in the United Kingdom and trips and outings are too limited, sometimes due to lack of parental support. On the other hand, the school is well involved in local events and develops in pupils a good sense of their local heritage. Dove Holes C of E Primary School

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

39. Dove Holes is a caring school. Every member of staff knows the particular needs of all pupils who are safe in their care. However, the school does not have sufficiently rigorous systems to ensure that welfare and care are as tight as they should be, so the judgements on support and guidance are not as good as they were at the time of the last inspection.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

40. Health and safety systems are satisfactory overall. Staff carry out regular risk assessments to ensure that the site is safe, although governors do not have a committee to oversee health and safety issues. The school is adjacent to the busy A6 road but the pupils are safe and secure because the school pays close attention to the securing of gates and to road safety. However, insufficient thought has gone into how visitors can enter, without the need for frequent disruption as staff get up to open the door.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

41. Accidents are dealt with satisfactorily with appropriate first aid, but the monitoring of accidents is unsatisfactory. Currently there are two unrelated accident books and neither indicates who has notified the parent, should a pupil have a blow to the head. The procedures for child protection are unsatisfactory. In practice all members of staff, as responsible adults, know what to do should they be suspicious of child abuse. The headteacher has only recently been designated as the person responsible and he has not had up-to-date training on the most recent guidance for child protection. The school has a satisfactory policy for Internet safety that is known to pupils and staff.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

42. The school’s systems for monitoring and improving attendance are good and these help to ensure that pupils arrive promptly and do not miss lessons. The headteacher and school clerk are making good use of the computerised system to check for absence trends and to track individuals with attendance problems. This is an improvement since the last inspection. Registration takes place correctly each morning and afternoon, with the school clerk visiting the classrooms each morning to find out which pupils are absent. The school works well with the education welfare service to support families with domestic problems that impinge on the children’s school attendance.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

43. Procedures for monitoring and promoting behaviour are good. The school encourages each class teacher to adopt interesting strategies to encourage and reward good behaviour; for example, pupils in Years 5 and 6 work hard to earn points for their teams based on characters from the Lord of the Rings. Pupils also behave well because they value the fortnightly award assembly and the chance to win the ‘Baker Trophy’. If pupils misbehave they are encouraged to think about what they have done so that they can help themselves to improve. The school correctly keeps a central record of serious behaviour, but does not maintain a legally required racial incident register. Otherwise, systems to monitor and eliminate bullying and other oppressive behaviour are very good.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

44. The school has satisfactory procedures for monitoring and supporting pupils’ personal development. Pupils with special educational needs are given good support. Parents have the option of a useful preliminary home visit to familiarise their children with their new teacher. Older pupils have sex education and lessons on the use and misuse of drugs to help them cope with life outside school and they move on to secondary school confidently. The school has a policy and scheme of work for personal, social and health education. Currently this is not sufficiently co-ordinated across the school or organised into the timetable to ensure that each pupil has a regular lesson and a growing knowledge of personal and social issues. Consequently it is difficult to track accurately individual pupils’ personal growth as they move through the school.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

45. The school’s arrangements for assessing and monitoring pupils’ academic performance are unsatisfactory. It collects information about pupils’ results in statutory and non- Dove Holes C of E Primary School statutory tests throughout the school, but does not use this information to assess whether they have made sufficient progress or to set challenging targets for how well they should do in subsequent years. Individual targets are not set year on year from this information and the school does not carry out an analysis of reasons for targets being exceeded or not met. Because it does not use assessment constructively it cannot judge its effectiveness and does not calculate the value it adds to pupils’ results. This is particularly significant, given the increasing levels of mobility in school. It means that teachers do not always plan work that is sufficiently challenging, because they have not

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

set individual or group targets that are just within reach of pupils, yet difficult enough to make them consistently achieve their very best standard of work.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

46. Pupils’ specific personal targets are set in all classes. In the best example these are kept inside the front cover of pupils’ numeracy books, which means they are easily accessible to pupils when they are at work, thus acting as a reminder to pupils of what they need to do and to teachers when they are marking. There are no agreed assessment systems established for assessing pupils’ progress and attainment in any of the foundation subjects. This means that teachers and pupils are not sufficiently aware of the levels of work that they should be striving to attain. The recently introduced assessments in information and communication technology provide a useful guide to the standard of work that pupils should be achieving.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

47. Parents have positive views about their children’s education and appreciate the benefits of a small, village school. Nearly three quarters of parents returned questionnaires, demonstrating a good indication of support for the school. Some feel that their children do not get the right amount of homework. The team feels that the levels of homework are appropriate, but that there is inconsistency between teachers in the regularity of work set and the information available to parents on how they can help. Pupils and parents of reception-aged children and infant pupils have very clear instructions about homework, but parents of junior pupils do not have sufficiently clear information about how they can best help with homework.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

48. Other parents are concerned that they do not receive sufficient information about how their children are getting on and that the school does not work closely enough with them. Overall, the information provided by the school is satisfactory as it was at the time of the last inspection. Regular newsletters set a positive tone and a new notice board for parents is a good addition. The prospectus and governors’ report to parents missed out legally required information at the time of the last inspection and they still omit the name of the chairman of governors and pupils’ absence rates. The governors’ annual report omits the terms of office of the governors, the address of the clerk to the governors and a statement on how the school can admit children with disabilities.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

49. Currently parents receive little information on what is going to be taught each term, so they can talk with their children at home about lesson topics. This reduces the potential impact that parents can make by supporting their children’s learning, for example by providing relevant resources. End-of-year reports give a satisfactory overview of what the pupils have covered in lessons, but do not all give a sufficiently consistent message about how the pupil has progressed in each subject, or where there are areas for improvement, for example in spelling or handwriting. However, staff are very open and welcoming, so parents say that they are always able to catch their child’s teacher at the beginning or end of the day for extra information about their progress. The quality of information is leading to satisfactory links between home and school.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

50. The contribution of parents to their children’s learning at school and home is satisfactory. They are keen to see their children succeed, but their full involvement is impaired by the Dove Holes C of E Primary School lack of clear homework and curriculum information. Most parents regularly hear their children read at home. Most turn up for parent-teacher consultations, but general meetings are much less well supported. Although the Friends of Dove Holes is run by a small core of active parents, there is usually a good turn out for the popular fundraising and social events. Parents appreciate their invitations to the award assemblies, concerts and church festivals. Overall their involvement is having a satisfactory impact on the work of the school.

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

51. Leadership and management are satisfactory overall. No judgement on the quality of leadership and management was made in the previous inspection. Almost 90 per cent of parents in their questionnaires indicated that they thought the school was well managed and led. There is no deputy headteacher and two full-time staff share management responsibilities. The school is currently coping with a falling roll and at the beginning of this school year the staffing was reduced by one full-time teacher.

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

52. Not all the key issues have been addressed since the previous inspection. Those that have include the presentation of pupils’ work, providing more opportunities to develop pupils’ investigative skills and developing opportunities to promote reception aged children’s physical skills. However, there has been no improvement in junior pupils’ standards in art and design, or in design and technology, which were identified as weaknesses in 1997. Perhaps the most important area that has not been successfully addressed, however, is the school’s development plan. In the previous inspection it was judged that in the plan, specific success criteria for monitoring progress were not identified, too many targets were included, it did not give a clear picture of all the developments planned and curriculum development lacked clear direction. Unfortunately, this is the case five years later. There has not been sufficiently decisive leadership in

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

addressing weaknesses in the curriculum or planning the school’s development.

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

53. The role of subject co-ordinators in shaping and leading their subjects is not strong enough, although the considerable workload that each teacher has in such a small school is a real factor in subject management. Nevertheless, the previous report noted that the school had failed to put in place a rolling program of subject development. The lack of a clear strategy to address subject weaknesses has resulted in a curriculum that currently lacks balance and where co-ordinators have not been expected to lead a rolling programme of improvement. The work of the literacy co-ordinator shows what can be achieved, even in a small school. Lessons are observed and teaching is monitored, with a specific focus on certain elements, for example the introduction or the plenary. However, a scrutiny of pupils’ work, to ensure that standards are maintained is not regularly or thoroughly carried out in any subject. It is the absence of consistent and

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

rigorous monitoring by co-ordinators and of monitoring of class planning and timetables by the headteacher that have resulted in the major gaps in foundation subjects in the juniors and the low standards that pupils attain in them.

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

54. The leadership of the provision for pupils with special educational needs is good overall. They are identified quickly and support is organised effectively for them. This has been especially important, considering the large number of pupils with special educational needs who have joined the school. Their individual education plans are precise, with easily measurable targets. Class teachers plan work well for pupils of different abilities and learning support assistants work very well with individual and small groups, helping them to make good progress. The use of small-scale strategies, such as the Additional Literacy Strategy, have been particularly effective.

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

55. The governors are very supportive of the school and several have close ties that have developed over a number of years; for example, the chair of governors was a pupil at the Dove Holes C of E Primary School school. The chair and headteacher meet regularly and have a good working relationship. The governors have not always been fully involved with initiating decisions and often take their lead from the headteacher. One of the objectives in the current school development plan is to increase the effectiveness of the governing body in the management of the school. Governors have become more aware of the school’s results in comparison with those in other schools and can provide sound reasons why that is the case. Nevertheless, the quality of information they receive in the headteacher’s termly reports is insufficiently detailed to help them to be able to make informed decisions about the development of the school.

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

56. The school receives regular information from the local education authority about its current budget position. The headteacher and governors have decided that a significant budget reserve should be maintained to safeguard the school against further reductions in the school roll and, consequently, a reduction in staffing. Management of the budget is insufficiently proactive or imaginative to consider all the options to addressing, and possibly solving, existing issues, for example the wide range of year groups in the class containing the youngest pupils. The success of employing a part time tutor for information and communication technology has not persuaded the headteacher and governors to consider how budget reserves could be used most effectively. For example, using additional part-time curriculum specialists to address weaknesses in other curriculum areas to try to achieve the same success in raising standards in other

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

foundation subjects that has been achieved in information and communication technology.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

57. The school has an adequate number of staff. However, in a small school such as this, teachers’ experience and expertise are sometimes hard pressed to match the demands of the National Curriculum. There has been little recent movement of teachers, although even the reduction of one teacher can have a significant impact, for example the loss of music expertise last year. The school’s arrangements for managing the performance of its teaching staff are sound. All support staff provide valuable assistance. The assistants working with children in the Foundation Stage are well deployed and work closely with the teacher as an enthusiastic caring team. They provide good quality assistance, particularly when working with pupils identified with special educational needs, and this helps pupils to make progress.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

58. The accommodation is satisfactory overall. The school occupies two separate buildings and a great deal of work has recently been carried out to make them suitable for use. One of the classrooms is very cramped. There is a school hall but its use is somewhat limited by the storage of furniture and equipment. There is no immediate access to the outside environment for children in the Foundation Stage, but they take part in the school’s physical education programme. The staff make the best possible use of the cramped classroom space. The buildings are clean and well looked after by pupils. The range and quality of learning resources are satisfactory overall. Pupils handle resources and books with care.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

59. Considering the following factors: • the consistent trend of improvement in pupils’ test results when they are 11; • the school’s good links with parents; • pupils’ very good attitudes and behaviour; • the good teaching; • the narrow curriculum for junior pupils; • the limited use of assessment to track pupils’ progress and set targets for improvement; • the lack of progress in addressing many of the criticisms in the school improvement plan; Dove Holes C of E Primary School the school provides satisfactory value for money.

p.20

improve management and monitoring responsibilities by:

• ensuring that the headteacher and governors work jointly to introduce and

p.21

d) has time deadlines;

• ensuring that governors meet statutory requirements regarding the publication

p.21

prospectus;

• ensuring that co-ordinators for all subjects have regular opportunities to

p.21

address significant weaknesses in curriculum planning by:

• ensuring that an audit is carried out to review the use of time during the school

p.21

day;

• ensuring that there is sufficient and balanced coverage of the foundation

p.21

subjects, as well as literacy, numeracy and science;

• ensuring that the headteacher regularly monitors class timetables to obtain a

p.21

do as well as possible by:

• analysing the information provided in national tests and assessments and other

p.21

non-statutory tests to identify strengths and weaknesses in pupils’ learning;

• reviewing the school’s target setting assessments to ensure that they are

p.21

challenging, consistently used and reviewed regularly;

• ensuring that co-ordinators introduce systems of assessment in the foundation

p.21

subjects and use them as a guide to future learning;

• ensuring that teachers’ marking and pupils annual reports contain information

p.21

improve administrative procedures and policies by;

• ensuring that arrangements for training staff in child protection procedures are

p.21

made;

• ensuring that arrangements are agreed and monitored for recording accidents and administering first aid.

p.21

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Dove Holes C of E Primary School Number of lessons observed 18

p.22

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 10

p.22

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very poor

p.22

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Percentage 0 17 50 28 5 0 0 The table gives the number and percentage of lessons observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about teaching. Care should be taken when interpreting these percentages as each lesson represents more than five percentage points.

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 85

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 6

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 13

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 1

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 8

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 2

p.22

Attendance

National comparative data 5.4 National comparative data 0.5 Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Dove Holes C of E Primary School

p.22

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

Year Boys Girls Total Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2002 5 7 12

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 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 83 (75) 83 (67) 92 (92) 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 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 75 (83) 83 (83) 92 (83) 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)

Year Boys Girls Total Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 2002 9 2 11

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 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 82 (81) 82 (81) 100 (81) 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 91 (81) 82 (81) 90 (81) at NC level 4 or above National 73 (72) 74 (74) 82 (82) Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year.

p.23

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

The existing guidance is that test and examination data should be excluded from inspection reports and parents’ summaries if the year group is 10 or fewer. This also applies to year groups of boys and girls separately. Dove Holes C of E Primary School

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.24

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

White – any other White background 0 0 0

p.24

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Mixed – any other mixed background 0 0 0

p.24

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Asian or Asian British - Pakistani 0 0 0

p.24

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Asian or Asian British – Bangladeshi 0 0 0

p.24

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

p.24

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black or Black British – Caribbean 0 0 0

p.24

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

p.24

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. Dove Holes C of E Primary School

p.24

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 4 Financial year 2001 / 2002

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 22

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total income 243,888

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 4 Total expenditure 226,434

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 61 Expenditure per pupil 2,795

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance brought forward from previous year 15,963 FTE means full-time equivalent.

p.25

Recruitment of teachers

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

p.25

Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 1

p.25

Recruitment of teachers

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 0

p.25

Recruitment of teachers

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

p.25

Recruitment of teachers

Number of unfilled vacancies or vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of less than one term (FTE) 0 FTE means full-time equivalent. Dove Holes C of E Primary School

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

Percentage of responses in each category

p.26

Results of the survey of parents and carers

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

p.26

Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child is making good progress in school. 43 50 4 0 3

p.26

Results of the survey of parents and carers

Behaviour in the school is good. 60 33 4 0 3

p.26

Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 48 35 14 3 0

p.26

Results of the survey of parents and carers

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 33 54 10 3 0

p.26

Results of the survey of parents and carers

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 65 30 5 0 0

p.26

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 73 27 0 0 0

p.26

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school works closely with parents. 35 57 8 0 0

p.26

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is well led and managed. 30 57 8 5 0

p.26

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 55 35 5 0 5

p.26

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 20 57 18 5 0 Dove Holes C of E Primary School PART D: THE STANDARDS AND QUALITY OF TEACHING IN AREAS OF THE CURRICULUM, SUBJECTS AND COURSES

p.26

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

60. The quality of education for children in the Foundation Stage is sound. Currently, there are twelve children of reception age who are taught with the infant pupils. Children are admitted in September or January following their fourth birthday. They have a wide range of abilities, but many start school with expected levels of attainment in personal independence, speaking and listening, and mathematics. The majority make satisfactory progress and most reach the Early Learning Goals in all areas of learning by the time they start Year 1. A strength of the Foundation Stage is they way in which all the staff work together to provide close support for the children, especially for those with special educational needs. Non-teaching staff are well informed and extremely patient; they help to identify children’s needs quickly and make a considerable contribution to their learning.

p.27

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

61. As in the previous inspection, children in the Foundation Stage receive a sound start to their education. The curriculum is broad and balanced and planning takes full account of the recommended Early Learning Goals for children of reception age in the mixed-year class. The curriculum also includes parts of the National Literacy and Numeracy strategies in preparation for work in Year 1. The lack of immediate outdoor play facilities limits the children’s experiences of using large wheeled toys and climbing and balancing apparatus on a regular basis, but does not affect their overall attainment.

p.27

Personal, social and emotional development

62. Most children are keen to come to school and are eager to learn. Staff quickly establish a feeling of security through daily routines and through their consistent attitudes. Each session starts with a quiet group time, which sets a purposeful working atmosphere. A good range of opportunities is planned for children to work together in small and large groups. For example, with adult support, the children co-operate and share when making flowers and sheep for a spring display. Good manners are insisted upon. All staff are consistent in their high expectations of the children’s behaviour. They set clear boundaries and take every opportunity to reinforce high standards. Children are taught to respect and care for each other. Their ideas and work are valued and positive feedback given, which enhances their confidence and self-esteem. Celebrations develop the children’s awareness of cultural and religious differences, for example birthdays and

p.27

Communication, language and literacy

63. Basic skills are taught well and help children to attain expected standards. Tasks are chosen carefully to meet the needs of all children, regardless of their different abilities and staff give clear advice on how children can improve their work. The teacher’s careful choice of attractive storybooks enthuses the children and motivates them to learn. All children enjoy listening to stories, although some can concentrate only for a short spell. They generally remember them well and show that they have understood stories when sequencing pictures. They listen attentively to all staff. Children are enthusiastic to join in repeated refrains and enjoy exploring rhyming words. Staff use practical activities to effectively promote children’s learning of letters and their sounds in lively and interesting work. Most children recognise many letters by sound and can build up words orally. When writing, they make good attempts at writing the initial letter of words. A few higher

p.27

Communication, language and literacy

attaining children recognise many letters by sound and shape and can build up more complex words.

p.27

Mathematical development

Dove Holes C of E Primary School 64. The teacher plans for the systematic development of mathematical skills over time through an interesting range of first-hand practical activities. Good quality teaching enables children to practise counting, matching and sorting in class groups and on their own. They join in a range of number rhymes and action songs and purposeful, practical play activities are well planned to support progress. Children recognise shapes such as ‘circles’, ‘squares’ and ‘triangles’ and they use computer programs confidently to complete jigsaw puzzles on screen. Good use is made of children’s own experiences to help them increase their understanding of time. They record the sequence of the seasons. Most are becoming confident in counting and ordering numbers to 20, and sometimes beyond. More able children identify ‘one more’ or ‘one less’, and sequence numbers carefully, using the appropriate mathematical language, for example ‘first’ or

p.28

Knowledge and understanding of the world

65. Staff make good use of the school environment and of visits to the village to enhance the children’s knowledge and understanding. Children are appropriately encouraged to learn through rich practical experiences and by direct use of their senses. Good opportunities for scientific investigations have enabled them to find out about growing, having planted bulbs in the autumn. During lessons, the teacher uses effective questioning techniques to extend the children’s thinking and help them make sense of the world. Good opportunities to investigate construction materials are provided throughout the Foundation Stage and computers are used well to support learning. By the time they are six, most children are adept at using the mouse to move objects on screen; for instance, to copy a repeated pattern and to drag and drop images.

p.28

Physical development

66. Progress in physical development is sound. Children take part enthusiastically in lessons in the hall and, although there are few opportunities for daily outdoor play sessions with large apparatus and outdoor play equipment, this does not affect their overall development. Children move freely with pleasure and confidence, experimenting with different ways of moving. They enjoy playing games and they show increasing co- ordination and respond quickly to the teachers’ clear instructions. Children respond imaginatively to music. The teacher manages the children effectively and shows good awareness of safety aspects. Staff use praise well to encourage the children to explore a range of movement and develop confidence.

p.28

Creative development

67. The staff provide a broad curriculum supported by a range of interesting resources, well directed to extend the children’s creative development. Learning support staff intervene sensitively and patiently to support and extend children’s ideas, so that they make appropriate progress. Children with special educational needs are carefully guided. The good teaching enables children to have access to a wide range of media to express their own ideas. Resources are well prepared and all children are given good opportunities to develop their use of colour through painting, collage and modelling. Children join in enthusiastically and when singing in assemblies they do so from memory.

p.28

Teaching

68. The quality of teaching for children in the Foundation Stage is good overall. The activities are well planned and resourced, and tasks are matched well to the needs of the children. Staff have a clear understanding of how young children learn and know what will interest them. The teaching promotes the Early Learning Goals and provides a good foundation Dove Holes C of E Primary School for the National Curriculum. The teacher has a difficult task in preparing work for three year groups and ensuring that the curriculum for the reception children is covered, whilst at the same time preparing work for pupils studying the National Curriculum. The expectations of the teacher and teaching assistants and special educational needs assistant are high and they work in close partnership. The teacher has very good questioning skills which make children think carefully. She has built up excellent relationships with them and their parents. This makes the children’s entry to school

p.28

Teaching

easier and helps to ensure that parents are eager to work with their children at home.

p.29

ENGLISH

69. Standards for seven and eleven-year-olds are below average. This judgement is based on lessons observed during the inspection, a scrutiny of current books and discussions with pupils and teachers. This judgement is lower than the one made in the last inspection. It is in line with results for pupils in Year 2 in last year’s national tests, but significantly lower than results for eleven-year-olds. The very small number of pupils in each cohort and the relatively high number of those with special educational needs makes it extremely difficult for the school to attain last year’s national average of 75 per cent of pupils at Level 2 and 82 per cent at Level 4. However, all pupils, including those with special educational needs, make at least satisfactory progress and in some cases it is good.

p.29

ENGLISH

70. Pupils’ speaking and listening skills are very good. They listen carefully to each other and to adults. Their willingness to listen, to accept other’s opinions and to contribute to discussion help to create an environment where learning is valued and where their ideas lead to improvement and progress. For example, in a good drama lesson, pupils worked very well together in small groups sharing ideas about how they could portray characters. Specific parts of literacy lessons are planned to provide pupils with opportunities to discuss their feelings about books and they do this with increasing confidence, based on a gradually increasing knowledge of different genres.

p.29

ENGLISH

71. Pupils develop good attitudes to reading. They learn basic reading skills thoroughly from the time they start in school, for example single letter sounds and the sounds that combinations of letters make. Their work in carefully focused groups in the classroom and in withdrawal groups using nationally agreed strategies is extremely effective in developing good reading skills and their attitudes to books. Teachers read books to them with real enthusiasm and this is transmitted to pupils. Many junior pupils use the Internet well to obtain information about their work and more able older pupils use the thesaurus and dictionary confidently to locate words and alternative meanings.

p.29

ENGLISH

72. Pupils make good progress in writing throughout the school. The presentation of pupils’ written work was criticised in the last report. Regular handwriting sessions and a whole school policy setting out expectations of how work should look have improved matters significantly. There are good opportunities to use their skills in a range of writing for different purposes, for example Haiku, lists, persuasive writing and suspense stories. Unfortunately pupils do not have sufficient opportunities to extend their writing in other subjects, for example geography and design and technology. Older pupils are using their writing skills well to record their science investigations in a set format, often word- processing their work. There are many good opportunities for pupils of all ages to word process their writing. This is often done to produce ‘best work’ but there are few opportunities for them to word process first drafts.

p.29

ENGLISH

73. Pupils’ attitudes to their work are very good. They enjoy their lessons, find books interesting and enjoy the range of activities that are planned for them. They are keen to talk about their work and to show examples of what they have done. Their written work is often thoughtfully collected in folders and pupils like to reflect on their efforts, but there is Dove Holes C of E Primary School little written work displayed on walls in classrooms to provide opportunities for pupils to look at and comment on their own and other’s work.

p.29

ENGLISH

74. In the four lessons observed teaching was good overall. Teachers have a thorough knowledge of the National Literacy Strategy and generally they plan lessons well. This takes into account the full range of pupils’ abilities, as well as the mixed age groups in all classes. Teachers’ questioning is skilful and involves all pupils in answering and discussing. Their management of pupils is invariably very good. In some lessons, the effectiveness of the National Literacy Strategy is reduced when too much time is allowed for tasks and the pace of the lesson drops for a while. This means that there is little sense of urgency, with no time deadlines set for completing tasks.

p.30

ENGLISH

75. The co-ordinator for English provides good subject leadership. Her monitoring role is developing well, although there are opportunities to extend this. A good feature of co- ordination includes focusing on particular aspects of teaching during lesson observations.

p.30

MATHEMATICS

76. Standards for seven and eleven-year-olds are below average. However, this judgement reflects the small cohort sizes and the number of pupils with special educational needs in each of them. All pupils, including those with special educational needs, make sound progress and achievement is appropriate. The previous inspection judged standards to be satisfactory throughout the school, but that judgement was made on a different group of pupils. Lessons are well structured to take account of the National Numeracy Strategy with a good balance of oral and mental work, teacher explanation and pupils’ independent tasks. Good teaching and a well-planned mathematics curriculum means that pupils make steady progress and they are well supported in their learning.

p.30

MATHEMATICS

77. Pupils gain a sound grounding in their mathematical skills and understanding. They steadily increase in confidence and competence in the recall of number facts, including learning and using times tables. By the age of seven, pupils know that subtraction is the inverse operation of addition. They add money and give correct change. They use rulers and weighing scales to measure accurately. They tell the time, using the analogue clock, and recognise halves and quarters. They handle data and interpret block graphs. Pupils recognise and name shapes and they are beginning to make comparisons of their properties. They describe positions and movement and make patterns on a quarter turn.

p.30

MATHEMATICS

78. By the age of eleven, more able pupils work out calculations quickly in their heads and on paper. They explain their working, methods and reasoning clearly, using correct mathematical language. They solve problems using larger numbers and recognise more complex patterns in number. Pupils understand the importance of place value. Most know about fractions and decimals, and find averages and percentages. They develop skill in the measuring of angles and read more detailed scales accurately. Most pupils use and interpret a range of charts, graphs and diagrams well. They make sensible estimations in measuring activities and of the answering numerical problem solving and investigations. They find the perimeter, area and volume of shapes and construct and express in symbols simple formulae. They have very well developed skills for investigating and recording mathematical problems.

p.30

MATHEMATICS

79. The quality of teaching is good. Skilful questioning is used well to assess what the pupils know and have understood. This ensures that all pupils are fully involved and challenged appropriately. Teachers use a good range of mathematical vocabulary, which results in the pupils being able to explain their work using the correct terminology. The pace in some parts of lessons is occasionally slow, but teachers have high expectations of the quantity and quality of work to be produced. Teachers impress on pupils the need to check their answers. Enthusiasm is engendered by interesting work, which is Dove Holes C of E Primary School challenging, yet achievable and the lessons are fun. The highest attaining pupils are given sufficient extension work and this helps them to achieve well. The learning of multiplication tables, along with other mathematical tasks, is encouraged as homework, which has a good influence on learning. Insufficient use of mathematics was evident in

p.30

MATHEMATICS

pupils learning in other subjects. For example, there were few graphs seen in science or geography or accurate measuring in design and technology.

p.31

MATHEMATICS

80. Leadership and management of the subject are good. Since the previous inspection, the introduction of the National Numeracy Strategy has been well led and all teachers are familiar and secure with it.

p.31

SCIENCE

81. Only one lesson was timetabled during the inspection. Judgements are made, additionally, on a scrutiny of pupils’ books and discussions with them and teachers. Standards are below average in Years 2 and 6 and reflect the ability range of the current groups of pupils in those years. All pupils, including those with special educational needs, make at least sound progress and achieve well. This judgement is lower than the one made in the previous inspection. It is slightly lower than the percentage of pupils attaining Level 2 and significantly lower than the percentage attaining Level 4 in science tests and assessments last year.

p.31

SCIENCE

82. Pupils in Year 2 learn about the human body and the five senses. They learn how braille helps visually impaired people to read. A blind parent volunteered to talk to them about how her guide dog helps her to overcome her lack of sight. They learn that ‘we have taste buds in our tongues ’ and link that work well to food technology. More able pupils label parts of the body accurately using a computer program, once again making good cross-curricular links. They also learn about parts of plants and use their knowledge of circuits to help them light the ‘headlights’ on the cars they designed and made.

p.31

SCIENCE

83. Junior pupils cover a good range of work. Pupils in Year 6 also learn about the body. Their work shows good progression and they combine it with their knowledge of a healthy diet, drawing up lists of foods that contain different vitamins. Their homework task showed that many had accessed the world-wide web to find information about different foods. Good links are made with mathematics, when they draw graphs of their pulse rates before and after exercise. They learn about plants and their place in food webs and about the properties of different materials. There are more opportunities now than in the previous inspection for them to carry out investigations. Their results are well presented in a set format, often in word-processed form. They make predictions and know that they should carry out fair testing. However, a significant shortcoming in their science work is that much of their work is heavily teacher directed. There are few opportunities for pupils

p.31

SCIENCE

to decide themselves how to set up investigations or choosing for themselves the equipment they will need to carry them out.

p.31

SCIENCE

84. Pupils’ attitudes to science are very good overall and in the lesson observed they were excellent. They collaborate extremely well and can be relied upon to share ideas, suggest hypotheses, listen to each other and to use equipment completely safely. They like science and the opportunities it offers to be practically involved in their work.

p.31

SCIENCE

85. Teaching in the lesson observed was very good. It was well planned, with a suitable emphasis on investigative work. Very good questioning made pupils think very carefully about fair testing and what they needed to do to ensure that it was fair. Resources were readily available and the lesson moved on at a good pace throughout. Subject co- ordination is unsatisfactory. Little work has been done to monitor standards of work in science or to ensure that there is enough progression in the quality and challenge of pupils’ work as they move through the school. The effect of this is that work does not Dove Holes C of E Primary School become progressively more challenging as pupils move through the juniors and that they have too few opportunities to decide for themselves how to set up and run experiments.

p.31

ART AND DESIGN

86. No lessons were timetabled during the inspection. Judgements are made, instead, on a scrutiny of wall displays and discussions with pupils and teachers. Standards are as expected for seven-year-old pupils, but below expectations for eleven-year-olds. This is an improvement on standards in the previous inspection for infants, but the same judgement for juniors. Whereas the curriculum for infants is varied and interesting, little has improved for junior pupils since 1997. Not enough time or importance has been attached to the development of pupils’ skills in and knowledge of art and design. Pupils do not have sketchbooks to record and develop their ideas and the subject plays hardly any part in promoting pupils’ sense of ‘awe and wonder’ in their overall spiritual development (see paragraph 37) .

p.32

ART AND DESIGN

87. Infant pupils cover a wide range of work and all pupils make at least sound progress. They have a good awareness of colour, developed by painting and printing with a single colour, such as orange, or mixing different shades of the same colour, for example green. They use different painting techniques to good effect, for example stripes, checks and spots. They link art work well to special occasions, for example bonfire paintings and poppy paintings for Remembrance Sunday. Pupils work in three dimensions as well. They use twigs and wool to make natural decorations that link with their autumn work and decorate mothers’ day cards very effectively. They use a computer program well to ‘paint’ in the style of Mondrian.

p.32

ART AND DESIGN

88. Junior pupils cover very little work. They have little understanding of the work of different famous artists and have extremely limited experience of different types of techniques and media. They use a computer program to decorate their Haiku poems in Years 3 and 4 and have made large wall friezes in Years 5 and 6, but there is no portfolio of work to show development of skills.

p.32

ART AND DESIGN

89. Infant pupils enjoy art and like their finished products, some of which they take home to proudly show their parents. Junior pupils do not enthuse about art, because they have little experience of how stimulating it can be or the potential range of two and three- dimensional work that can be achieved.

p.32

ART AND DESIGN

90. Subject co-ordination is unsatisfactory. The co-ordinator is well aware of the deficiencies in art and design. She has formed good links with the local secondary school to develop art work and has just introduced a new scheme that offers structure to the subject. As a part-time teacher, however, the co-ordinator has had no opportunity to teach art and design because it is timetabled for afternoon sessions and she teaches only in the mornings. This means that her enthusiasm to try new techniques and develop art work are lost.

p.32

DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

91. Only one lesson was observed. Judgements are based additionally on a scrutiny of work and discussions with pupils and teachers. Standards are as expected for infants, but lower than those expected for juniors. This is in line with the judgements made on both key stages in the previous inspection. The main reason why standards are low in the juniors is because the subject is not taught frequently enough or in sufficient depth to enable pupils to gradually acquire skills that can be developed year by year. Infant pupils have successfully made model cars, complete with axles, moving wheels and lights that work off a battery powered circuit. Pupils are able to describe in detail the work they did Dove Holes C of E Primary School and the tools that they used. They also carry out work with food technology, which links very well with their science work on senses.

p.32

DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

92. There are also purposeful links between design and technology and other areas in the juniors. For example, an exciting project to design and make a ‘shaduf’ linked well with their Egyptian history topic. A project to design a car linked well to pupils’ work on forces in science. Despite the exciting possibilities that topics offer, they do not live up to expectations. Pupils’ design plans are brief and basic and they are not taught how to develop their designs with due consideration for the materials they will be using. The quality of their constructions is disappointing and their evaluations do not challenge them to think how they might have improved their original design. Because they have had little experience of design and technology, their ideas are very limited and sometimes unrealistic.

p.33

DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

93. Pupils have satisfactory attitudes to design and technology. They are not ‘fired’ with enthusiasm because they have little choice in the materials and tools they can use; for example, pupils are not allowed to use glue guns, even though they are sensible and handle equipment carefully.

p.33

DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

94. In the only lesson observed teaching was satisfactory. A good lesson introduction was followed by a drop in pace and a failure to set deadlines for completion of work. Consequently there was no sense of urgency and no need for pupils to realise that time can be an important factor in designing and making.

p.33

DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

95. Subject co-ordination is unsatisfactory. There is no clear plan of action to develop design and technology. A lack of monitoring has meant that pupils’ skills and knowledge are ‘patchy’ and not consistently developed. A lack of resources, especially suitable tools, limits the range of work that pupils can carry out.

p.33

GEOGRAPHY

96. Only one lesson in the juniors was timetabled during the inspection. Judgements are made, additionally on a scrutiny of work and discussions with pupils and teachers. Standards in geography are as expected in Year 2 and below those expected in Year 6. Standards for juniors have deteriorated since the last inspection. Insufficient time is given to geography in curriculum planning. Geography is often ‘paired’ with history, but up to the time of the inspection pupils in Years 5 and 6 had not been taught any geography this academic year.

p.33

GEOGRAPHY

97. Infant pupils can contrast life in towns with that in the country. One pupil in Year 2 wrote, ‘ If the country mouse and town mouse came to Dove Holes they would think they were in the countryside. They would see sheep and cows’. They know where they live and are aware of towns close by, for example Buxton. They have begun to learn about mapping skills after recording a walk in the village to the park.

p.33

GEOGRAPHY

98. Pupils in the juniors have a very limited geographical knowledge. They do not make sufficient progress in developing and using the skills they learn in the infants. There was insufficient evidence of a thorough study of geography themes. The geography curriculum is not of sufficient breadth or depth to ensure progression in their knowledge. In discussion they show very little awareness of their own locality and of the world around them; for example, they were unsure of the names of continents. Subject co-ordination is unsatisfactory. There has been insufficient monitoring to ensure that enough geography has been covered.

p.33

HISTORY

Dove Holes C of E Primary School 99. Standards throughout the school are as expected at seven and eleven and progress for all pupils, including those with special educational needs, is sound. This is the same as the judgement made at the time of the previous inspection. By the age of seven, pupils develop their knowledge and understanding of famous people and events in the past, for example Louis Braille. They learn about the importance of special occasions, for example Remembrance Day. Pupils develop a growing sense of chronology and write simple events in a story about life in the past.

p.34

HISTORY

100. By the time they reach the end of Year 6 pupils have gained a basic understanding of the way of life at different times in the past. Pupils in Year 5 and 6 study the Egyptians and their writing shows the pleasure gained from this work. ‘ All of a sudden the boy’s stick hit hard ground. The boy started digging furiously. Pretty soon he had uncovered a step. ‘Gentlemen I think we have found our tomb’, stated Howard Carter’. They recall many historical facts and carry out research using non-fiction books and the Internet.

p.34

HISTORY

101. No lessons were timetabled, but a scrutiny of work and planning and discussions with pupils and teachers show that teachers plan some visits in the local area, for example to look for war memorials to learn about history. Pupils talked enthusiastically about their experiences and say that history is one of their favourite lessons.

p.34

HISTORY

102. Subject co-ordination is sound. The policy and scheme of work give sufficient emphasis to the skills that should be developed in history. Insufficient links are made with literacy and other curriculum areas; for example information and communication technology, to help to develop pupils’ skills in accessing information from different sources. There are no agreed systems that could be used to assess the development of pupils’ skills and understanding in history, and all these weaknesses affect any attempts to raise standards.

p.34

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

103. Standards are higher than expected for seven and eleven-year olds. This is an improvement on standards for infants and juniors compared with the last inspection. The many good features of pupils’ work in information and communication technology are the result of staff training and the input of a part-time tutor working with groups of pupils in classrooms and in the library. The contribution that information and communication technology makes to other subjects is significant. It helps to raise standards in the subject and pupils’ awareness of the range of programs that can be used for different purposes.

p.34

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

104. Infant pupils cover a very wide range of work and become proficient at using mouse and keyboard controls. They can change the font size and colour of letters to improve the impact of posters. They record the daily weather on a data-base, producing graphs at the end of each month. Pupils in Year 2 are already adept at combining text and graphics and the 2003 school calendar has a cover of pupils’ drawings that were scanned in by them for the title page. They program a floor robot to move in different directions and use an art program very successfully to complement their paintings in the style of Mondrian.

p.34

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

105. Junior pupils continue to make good progress and build well on the work in the infants. For example, they work out the angles and distances a screen cursor needs to travel to ‘draw’ different shapes. They combine text and graphics to make a multi-media presentation and access the Internet to find information. They are able to work independently, loading, saving retrieving and printing their work.

p.34

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

106. Pupils’ attitudes to information and communication technology are very positive. They enjoy using computers and want to do well. They behave sensibly at all times, using Dove Holes C of E Primary School equipment very sensibly and are very positive about the benefits of technology. They are well aware of the potential dangers of accessing the world-wide web.

p.34

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

107. Teaching was seen during the course of lessons, and in group work, and was good. The additional teaching that the school provides is very effective. The tutor has good subject knowledge and the one-to-one work that she does helps to build pupils’ confidence and gain a good level of skill. There is a good portfolio of work that shows the range of activities that pupils cover. The next planned step is to award it a level according to National Curriculum criteria. This will provide useful advice to teachers about the standards of work that pupils are capable of achieving

p.35

MUSIC

108. Standards in music are as expected in Year 2, but lower than expected in Year 6. This was not the case in the last inspection when standards were satisfactory throughout the school. Music plays a minor part in the life of the school. Pupils enjoy singing together in the assembly and on occasions they sung reasonably tunefully. Infant pupils listened carefully to taped music in the hall and interpreted it well in different movements.

p.35

MUSIC

109. Pupils in Year 5 and Year 6 had very little musical knowledge and could recall only one or two composers, but could not name any pieces of music. They had played hardly any instruments in school and had had no opportunity to compose music. Several of them play brass instruments outside school, but they had had few chances to develop their skills in lessons. They understood little musical vocabulary and had little experience of any of its aspects. The school employed a specialist music teacher last year but once he left the staff did not feel confident to fully teach the subject. The subject does not enjoy a high profile in the curriculum and teacher knowledge and understanding is superficial.

p.35

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

110. Only one games lesson was timetabled during the inspection. It is not possible, therefore, to make a judgement on standards for seven or eleven-year-olds. In the previous inspection standards were judged to be as expected for both age groups.

p.35

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

111. Junior pupils go swimming and most can swim 25 metres before they leave. Although the hall is small it does offer reasonable space for floor gymnastics and the newly built ‘hard core area’ offers a very good surface for outdoor games.

p.35

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

112. In the one lesson observed pupils showed that they had good anticipation and a good awareness of passing a ball using different types of throws. They are aware of rules and do not cheat.

p.35

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

113. The school emphasises the importance of physical activity and several pupils excel at sports outside school, for example football and swimming, and belong to clubs and compete at a district level. The subject is well resourced and pupils enjoy the range of activities they try on their annual trip to a residential centre. Dove Holes C of E Primary School

p.35

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

114. No lessons were timetabled. Judgements are made on a scrutiny of work and discussions with pupils. Standards are in line with the requirements of the locally agreed syllabus. This judgement is the same as reported in the last inspection. All pupils, including those with special educational needs, make satisfactory progress. Pupils in Years 1 and 2 learn about special places and times in their lives. One pupil thoughtfully wrote, ‘ Thank you God for looking after people I love that died many years ago in my past. Like my great great grandma’. They identify special Christian festivals and talk about the visits they have made to the church. They describe birthdays, christenings and weddings as being special events. They identify the Jewish faith as being a belief of some people, and name signs, symbols and know some events associated with this religion.

p.36

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

115. Pupils in Years 3 and 4 learn about Christianity. In Year 4 they identified the different religious icons and symbols. In Year 3 they correctly retell the story of the first Passover and other Old Testament stories. Pupils in Year 5 and 6 write about the different sacred books the Bible, Torah and Qur’an. They sensitively write about Remembrance Day and learn about people who die for a cause.

p.36

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

116. Pupils respond positively. They are enthusiastic about activities such as drama and role- play and they are keen to join in. Pupils’ books contain a very limited amount of written work, but they are able to talk knowledgeably about other faiths and Christianity.

p.36