St Andrew's Primary School

ST ANDREW’S PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 31 st March – 2 nd April 2003

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ST ANDREW’S PRIMARY SCHOOL

Inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 St Andrew’s Primary School - ii

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: St Andrew’s Road Bishop Auckland County Durham

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The Governing Body

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Mr Alex Clements

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: February 1998

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

This report may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that all extracts quoted are reproduced verbatim without adaptation and on condition that the source and date thereof are stated.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE 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. St Andrew’s Primary School - iii

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities 4275 Joyce Taylor Registered inspector Art and design Physical education Educational inclusion Special educational needs The characteristics and effectiveness of the school The school’s results and pupils’ achievements Teaching and learning Leadership and management Key issues for action 11084 Jane Hughes Lay inspector Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development Pupils’ welfare, health and safety Partnership with parents and carers 4295 David Dodds Team inspector Science Information and communication technology Design and technology Quality and range of opportunities for learning

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

17685 Linda Spooner Team inspector English Religious education The Foundation Stage 32388 Marguerite McCloy Team inspector Mathematics Geography History Music English as an additional language

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Primary Associates Limited Suite 13 West Lancashire Technology Management Centre Moss Lane View Skelmersdale WN8 9TN

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway St Andrew’s Primary School - iv London WC2B 6SE St Andrew’s Primary School - v

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 1

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

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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS? 5

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

St Andrew’s Primary School is situated within a suburban area on the edge of the town of Bishop Auckland. The pupils are aged between 4 and 11 years. Currently there are 159 children at the school. The area is one of well below average social background. Most children live in the immediate area, which consists mainly of rented housing. About 34 per cent of the children are eligible for free school meals, which is above average. A well above average proportion of children are identified as having special educational needs, mostly for learning and behaviour difficulties, speech or communication and medical difficulties. Six have a statement for learning difficulties. Most children enter reception with standards that are well below expectations for their age. Families in the area are of mainly white, British heritage and only a very small number of children in school speak English as an additional language. These

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

children are bilingual and need no additional support. There are slightly more boys than girls. There is a high proportion, (almost 25 per cent) of pupils in some classes, who started at the school partway through the year transferring from other schools and sometimes only staying for a short time. The school suffered serious flooding two years ago and is still undergoing related flood prevention works.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

The school provides a satisfactory education for its children. The standards are below average in English and science by the time the children leave the school but are average in mathematics. Overall, standards are slowly improving and progress is satisfactory. The leadership and management by the headteacher and key staff are satisfactory with good support from the deputy head. The teaching is very good for the youngest children and good overall in the infant classes. It is satisfactory for the older children with good teaching in some classes. The school provides satisfactory value for money.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What the school does well • The children in reception are taught very well and they learn quickly; • Mathematics is taught well and the children make good progress; • The children with special educational needs are supported well and their progress is good; • The school works most effectively to support the children’s personal development and enable almost all of them to form very good relationships.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What could be improved • In Year 6, the children’s standards are not high enough in English, science, information and communication technology (ICT), religious education, design and technology and music. This is particularly so for the potentially higher attaining children; • The monitoring and evaluation of the teaching and learning needs to be more efficient; • Assessment information should be used more effectively to speed the children’s progress; • Some parents with negative views of the school have not been given sufficient reassurance about what is done to resolve their concerns. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

Since the last inspection in 1998 the school has made satisfactory progress. The standards in English and science have steadily improved and there has been faster improvement in mathematics. The progress made by the higher attaining children still needs attention. The teaching is better than it was and there is some good teaching in all classes with very good teaching in reception. The role of the governors has been strengthened and is satisfactory. The children form very good relationships and their personal development has improved. Links with other schools have improved significantly. St Andrew’s Primary School - 2

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STANDARDS

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

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STANDARDS

Performance in: all schools similar schools Key

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STANDARDS

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

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STANDARDS

There is a high turnover of pupils in the school. This sometimes lowers the overall standards and makes it hard to track what pupils have achieved between Year 2 and Year 6. Standards tend to fluctuate from year to year. Overall they are rising steadily, but too slowly. This is because the work of the school has not been monitored rigorously enough to recognise what needed attention in weaker subjects. The deputy headteacher has remedied this and has introduced new programmes that are already improving standards.

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STANDARDS

The current Year 6 are reaching average standards in mathematics, history, geography, physical education and art and design. In mathematics they have secure calculation skills and are making satisfactory progress. In English, science, ICT, design and technology, religious education and music, their standards are below average. In these subjects their progress is unsatisfactory. This is due to a range of circumstances but overall, there is insufficient challenge for the potentially higher attaining children and in several subjects, aspects of the curriculum are not taught well enough.

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STANDARDS

By Year 2, the children reach average standards in mathematics, religious education, design and technology, history and geography and just below average standards in English. They have made good progress. Their standards are above average in art and design. In science and ICT standards are below average. No music or physical education lessons were seen during the inspection, although the children sang tunefully in assemblies. In the reception class, children entered with well below average or poor standards and have already made very good progress, particularly in numeracy, reading and writing skills. Their standards are still below what is expected for their age in mathematics and communication, language and literacy. In all the other areas of learning, standards are close to what is expected.

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STANDARDS

The school has been encouraged to set targets that are unrealistically high and, as a result, has not achieved them. The targets for 2003 also, are unlikely to be met. The teachers have a sound understanding of how well the children are doing and recognise that in Year 6 the pupils are likely to reach average standards in mathematics and below average standards in English and science. Pupils with special educational needs achieve well in relation to their difficulties.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Attitudes to the school Good. Most children enjoy school and work hard.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Good overall, apart from a few children who can be disruptive or unkind in the outside areas. In classes behaviour is usually very good. St Andrew’s Primary School - 3 Personal development and relationships Very good. Most of the children understand well how to help and support each other and form strong relationships.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Attendance Below average but steadily improving.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

The children’s personal development is helped by the school’s open and useful discussions about bullying and the firm action taken to resolve problems. The children say they are happy with the way problems are resolved.

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

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

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

Quality of teaching Very good Good Satisfactory

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

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

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

Teaching and learning are satisfactory with good examples in all classes. There is very good teaching in reception and good teaching overall in Years 2 and 4. Mathematics is taught well and this enables children to reach average standards by Year 6. Teachers ensure pupils improve their calculating skills and use questioning effectively to help them explain what they mean and check their understanding.

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

Teachers plan literacy work at levels matching most children’s needs. The teaching of literacy and numeracy skills is good overall. Speaking and listening are taught well. Earlier weaknesses in teaching writing that led to inconsistent standards are being remedied, resulting in faster progress. The teaching of reading is improving. When children work alone, their tasks do not always match what they need because often they are all set the same work. Assessments show what children have learned but are not used to support teachers well enough in identifying what needs to be learned next. As a result, the higher attaining children often receive work that does not stretch them sufficiently. The school monitors the quality of teaching and learning but the resulting information is not used effectively enough to help teachers make further improvements.

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

Classroom assistants provide good support. They usually work with children who have special educational needs. These pupils are taught well. Their work in literacy and numeracy is planned carefully for them and they make good progress. Pupils with emotional or behavioural difficulties are given good support and helped to manage their behaviour. The few bilingual children are taught appropriately and make satisfactory progress.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

The quality and range of the curriculum Satisfactory overall. Good activities are provided that the children enjoy. Weaker aspects of science, ICT and design and technology lower the children’s standards.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils with special educational needs The children have good support. Their learning is planned well and matches what they need. Children with behaviour difficulties are helped to conform and usually behave well, particularly indoors.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils with English as an additional language Satisfactory. The few children with English as an additional language are bilingual and are learning at an appropriate pace. St Andrew’s Primary School - 4 Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural, development Good overall. Spiritual development is supported appropriately in assemblies, where the pupils are encouraged to reflect on their lives. Moral and social development is good. There are many well planned opportunities for pupils to talk about concerns and how to resolve them. Cultural development is sound.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

How well the school cares for its pupils Satisfactory. Personal support and guidance are good. Aspects of assessment need more work to identify what needs teaching next.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

The school has a satisfactory relationship with parents and most are happy with its provision for their children. Some parents are concerned about the bullying and need further reassurance that the school takes appropriate action whenever incidents occur. The school implements its anti-racism policy appropriately.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff Satisfactory. The headteacher strongly supports the children’s personal development. The deputy headteacher is now introducing strategies to raise standards where monitoring shows a weakness but there is still much to be done. Other senior staff provide loyal support.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Satisfactory. Governors have improved their role and are developing a clear view of how they can help the school move forward.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The school’s evaluation of its performance Satisfactory. The strategies used to identify strengths and weaknesses are appropriate. Firmer action is needed to secure improvements.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The strategic use of resources Satisfactory The budget is used appropriately to support staffing and is used well for special educational needs. Good use is made of additional grants to extend learning opportunities.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The school has an appropriate match of teachers and support staff to meet its needs. The accommodation is satisfactory but constantly needs expensive refurbishment due to its type of construction. It is maintained well by the caretaker and cleaning staff. The school secretary provides good support. Learning resources are satisfactory. The school applies the principles of best value satisfactorily by seeking to find out how well it is doing and introducing improvements.

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

• The school expects the children to work hard and do their best; • The teaching is good; • The children are making good progress; • They feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. • The range of activities outside lessons; • Behaviour in the school; • The amount of homework; • The leadership and management; • The way the school works with parents.

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

The inspection team agree with the parents’ positive views. The concerns raised by parents regarding behaviour, leadership and management and the way the school works with them are the result of a lack of information from the school about the parents’ anxieties. These aspects are not unsatisfactory but St Andrew’s Primary School - 5 further work by the school is needed to ensure parents understand the day-to-day management of the school. The homework and extra-curricular activities are typical for a school of this type. St Andrew’s Primary School - 6

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

1. When pupils begin in reception, their overall attainment is well below that of other children of their age in all areas of learning. The children have made rapid progress because of the very good teaching. Few children in reception experienced much pre-school learning and more than half of them will not be five until the summer term. Towards the end of reception their standards are still below the standards expected for their age in communication, language and literacy and mathematics. In all the other areas of learning they are almost reaching the standards expected for their age. The children still show a higher than usual level of speech delay and immaturity but they are friendly and confident learners who thoroughly enjoy their school experiences.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

2. In the 2002 national and assessments tests for Year 2, the school’s results were well below average in reading, science and mathematics and in the lowest five percent nationally in writing. These children entered Year 1 with well below average standards and most made steady but slow progress during their time in the school, apart from the potentially higher attaining children who made unsatisfactory progress. The boys reached considerably higher standards in all areas than the girls. There were very few girls in this class and they had a higher proportion of more significant special needs than the boys. More than a third of the children in the class had special educational needs, mostly for learning delay. During the past twelve months the school has worked successfully to improve the quality of teaching and the children’s standards.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

3. The performance of the current Year 2 shows that they have made good progress and have reached average standards in mathematics and almost average standards in reading and writing. Their standards in science are below average because, although their science tasks provide opportunities to think for themselves, they have too much ground to make up. Standards in art and design are above average because this subject is taught well. The teachers expect the children to reach good standards and the school uses the work of other artists effectively to interest and inform them. In religious education, design and technology, history and geography standards are average. In ICT the children reach below average standards because some parts of the subject are weak. No lessons were seen in physical development or music so the standards cannot be judged. The curriculum in these two subjects is appropriate and the teacher expertise in physical education

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

is good. The children’s singing is satisfactory and it is likely that these standards are average.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

4. In 2002, the children who were then in Year 6 reached below average standards in English and average standards in mathematics and science. When compared with similar schools, the standards were average in English and higher than average in mathematics and science. These children made satisfactory progress. Over the past four years, the pupils’ standards by the end of Year 6 show that the children do not do as well ‘across the board’ and test results fluctuate between subjects. This indicates that the school has not always helped the children to do as well as they could across the whole curriculum. For example in 2000, their standards in English were average but well below average in science. The school now looks closely at the test results to see where weaknesses occur and the deputy has identified St Andrew’s Primary School - 7 programmes of work to support children where the results show lower than

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

appropriate standards in English. This is a recent way of working for the school and is already raising standards. The school has been encouraged to set over challenging targets for English and mathematics that the children could not meet in 2002 and are unlikely to meet this year. The Year 6 teacher, who is also the assessment co-ordinator, has an accurate view of what the current Year 6 children are likely to achieve. Inspection findings agree with these more modest targets of, overall, average standards in mathematics and below average standards in English and science.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

5. In Year 6, the children are now reaching average standards and making satisfactory progress in mathematics, history, geography, physical education and art and design. Their standards in English, science, ICT, design and technology and music are below average. In these subjects their rate of progress is unsatisfactory. Almost a third of this year group are identified as having special educational needs. Some of these children have emotional and behavioural difficulties and can be disruptive and aggressive, particularly to other children. Managing this mix of pupils is time consuming and as a result, apart from in mathematics, insufficient attention is given to the potentially higher attaining children. Too few of them are working within the higher than average aspects of the National Curriculum or are likely to reach the above average Level 5 when they take their national tests in Summer 2003. The

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

school’s insufficiently thorough assessment systems do not show whether the children are making gains in their learning or not and some children could achieve at a faster rate than they do.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

6. During Years 3 to 6, the children are maintaining or improving on their earlier standards. In Year 4, the overall progress is faster than the other year groups as a result of strong teaching that provides challenging learning opportunities for the children in most subjects of the curriculum. In the other classes, the teachers show a better knowledge of some subjects than others and, consequently, the children’s progress fluctuates. In Year 5, for example, the teacher made sure all the children made very good progress in their science lesson by providing all ability groups with challenging work. This was also seen in a mathematics lesson in Year 6.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

7. The school teaches basic literacy skills well and most of the children reach appropriate standards and make good progress. Newly introduced programmes to improve speaking and listening, reading and writing are already raising standards in several year groups. The potentially higher attaining children could reach higher standards by the time they leave the school. Mathematics presents a stronger picture. The school teaches the numeracy skills systematically and effectively to children of all ability groups. There is regular practice of mental calculations and direct teaching across the range of necessary skills. The children manage numbers quickly and accurately. Other aspects of mathematics are taught well through practical and formal lessons.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

8. Most pupils with special educational needs for learning reach standards that are below the national averages in reading, writing and mathematics. This is because the rate at which they acquire literacy and numeracy skills is slower than average. However these children make good progress in relation to their difficulties because their work in these subjects is adapted at the correct level. It is carefully structured and based on an accurate assessment of what they need. Children with emotional and behavioural difficulties also make good progress. They generally control their behaviour in lessons and, although they are sometimes easily distracted and stop working, make satisfactory and sometimes good progress. Some of these children St Andrew’s Primary School - 8 reach average or above average standards in some subjects. Teachers and support staff take good account of individual education plans and provide the children with

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

sensitive encouragement and care. They ensure the children feel successful and identify tasks and resources that offer the right amount of challenge. Teachers and classroom assistants, working with small groups of pupils or with individuals, make a good contribution and the pupils benefit from this help.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

9. Those children who speak English as an additional language usually reach average and sometimes above average standards and are making satisfactory progress. No pupils are in the early stages of learning English.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

10. Pupils have good attitudes to learning; most of them really enjoy school and they make the most of all the opportunities offered to them by staff. They are interested in lessons and pay attention to instructions given by teachers. Most of them want to learn and are very supportive of teachers when the unpredictable happens. For example, during a Year 5 numeracy lesson, the overhead projector was not brought back to the classroom as usual after assembly. Rather than causing a fuss, two girls efficiently collected the projector while the rest of the class happily tackled some written calculations with the teacher. No time was wasted and the pupils were sensible as they waited. Reception children are very involved in all the activities their teacher plans. They blossom in the warm, but challenging, learning environment she creates and show how trustworthy they are when they work independently, on the

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

computer for example. Some of the most able reception children were totally absorbed in an investigation about waterproof materials. They thought carefully about the probing questions set by the teacher and some robust squirting from the water spray added to their delight with the task.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

11. Standards of behaviour are good for the vast majority of pupils and the school functions as an orderly community. Pupils of all ages have a very clear understanding of the behaviour codes that the school operates and most are good at keeping to these. As part of their personal development, staff encourage pupils to compile their own set of classroom rules. These are easy to remember and pupils feel they understand them. The youngest children in the school are very well behaved. They share resources extremely well and are very eager to please. Across the school, one pupil was excluded last year and so far in this academic year, ten fixed period exclusions involving seven different pupils have been enforced. For the most part, these pupils have presented a range of extreme behavioural problems, some of which have been exacerbated by medical conditions or significant personal problems. Their behaviour has sometimes caused other children upset or distress

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

as a result of their bullying. There are also inappropriate incidents of name-calling and rough play involving a wider group of pupils. The headteacher and staff spend a great deal of time and effort in finding the correct levels of support for all these pupils, although this is often not evident to parents. The children expressed satisfaction with the way incidents are resolved.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

12. Pupils’ personal development is good and this is due, in a large part, to the very strong programme of personal, social, health and citizenship education (PSHCE) that is embedded throughout the school’s curriculum. Many of the children relish any opportunities to become increasingly independent and to take on responsibilities in school. Older pupils demonstrate an unselfish approach to others, offering their services as ‘Buddies’ or being selected as House Captains. The school ensures that pupils in all year groups can taste some responsibility through elected positions St Andrew’s Primary School - 9 on class and school councils. Pupils have to lobby for support and Year 6 school councillors undertake some training at County Hall.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

13. Relationships are very strong throughout the school and pupils generally appreciate their peers. Staff are very familiar with pupils’ backgrounds and all pupils, no matter what problems they may have, are welcome in the school. Pupils are generally very well mannered and try very hard to please their teachers and to welcome visitors into the school. They are very proud of it and strive to show it in its best light.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

14. Rates of attendance are consistently below the national average but continue to rise steadily. There is no recorded unauthorised absence and this is better than the national picture. Most pupils arrive at school on time and there is a prompt start to the day.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

15. The quality of teaching is satisfactory overall with good and sometimes very good features. During the inspection half of the teaching was good or very good. No unsatisfactory lessons were seen. There are strengths in teaching throughout the school. These are linked particularly to teachers’ own strengths in certain subjects. The teachers are good at managing the pupils in order to provide a calm learning atmosphere. They think up unusual activities to interest the children and make them eager to learn and they explain clearly what the lesson is about. As a result the majority of pupils are making steady progress. Those areas that need to be improved have sometimes been identified during the monitoring of lessons but not enough has been done to give teachers direct advice about how to improve. In particular, lesson planning in several subjects does not take enough account of the children’s different abilities and, linked to this, many tasks do not challenge the

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

potentially higher attaining pupils properly.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

16. Numeracy skills are taught well. The teachers have good knowledge of how to extend the children’s skills when calculating. They ask the children to explain how they worked out answers and if there are alternative strategies that could be used.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

17. The basic skills of literacy are taught well across the school for the majority of pupils. The teachers provide suitable tasks to move the children forward steadily although some could reach higher standards. Where their learning needs are extended appropriately, in reception and Year 2 for example, the children of all abilities make good progress towards the nationally expected standards. In all year groups, the children are encouraged to talk about their work in order to improve their speaking and listening skills. This was seen in Year 1, when the children prepared sentences together to show what happened next in the adventures of Goldilocks. The task enabled them to form longer written sentences, such as ‘She tried all the bowls of porridge and ate the one that was just right’.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

18. The need to provide more challenging tasks for the potentially higher attaining children is a priority for the school. The teachers already build carefully on earlier learning for children with special educational needs by providing thoughtful and appropriate levels of work. Most of the children with average ability are given tasks that move them steadily forward. The potentially higher attaining pupils however, do not always have sufficiently challenging or carefully matched tasks that will move them forward more quickly than the average pupils. This was seen in all year groups, for example, when the whole class worked at the same task. The lower attaining children were given extra help, the average attainers worked appropriately St Andrew’s Primary School - 10 with some support and the potentially higher attaining pupils worked independently. At the end of the lesson almost all the class had reached a similar outcome. In

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

some classes, the tasks were different according to what the teacher expected the children to achieve but a lack of support when planning activities of this kind led to inappropriate tasks. In a Year 3 English lesson, for example, the teacher designed a range of activities that stretched the children but the text they used was very unfamiliar. As a result, it took them a long time to understand what the writing meant before they could begin to identify any of the joining words they were searching for. Had the lesson planning been monitored by the subject co-ordinator, advice could have been given about the best way to move the children forward.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

19. The very best and highest quality teaching is in the reception class. The children are very young and immature, but work very hard to please their teacher. In a lesson to develop their communication, language and literacy skills the teacher’s lively presentation enabled the children to extend their learning of letter sounds and how they are used to spell and read words. They were encouraged to risk being wrong, to use their skills and to guess new words. One higher attaining child said ‘It’s Grandma, because it’s got a ‘g’ at the beginning and an ‘a’ at the end.’ In a physical education lesson in the hall, the teacher paid particular attention to children with special educational needs by encouraging one to complete tasks with care and another to concentrate on what he was doing. Both children improved their performance as a result. This high quality teaching enabled the children to reach average standards in this aspect of their physical development.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

20. The school uses a commercially purchased scheme of work for science and the Local Education Authority scheme for physical education. The children work systematically through these and sometimes, teachers give insufficient attention to whether the lesson content is entirely appropriate. In science, the scheme provides too few opportunities for the children to draw personal conclusions or set work out themselves to show what they have understood. Some teachers have identified this weakness and are providing alternative activities, in Years 2, 4 and 5 for example, but others continue with the original programme. In all classes there are regular assessments that record the standards children reach but these are not used to build on earlier learning effectively enough. The teachers check what the children have learned by recording thoughtful notes following lessons. These show a good understanding of how successful the learning was but do not identify what is needed

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

next, in order to meet targets or speed progress.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

21. Teachers know some aspects of the curriculum well. They can step in to correct misunderstandings and move the children forward by, for example, providing unusual activities. In a Year 6 mathematics lesson, the teacher dropped small cubes into a bucket. He said ‘Each cube represents 7. Listen with your eyes closed.’ He dropped five cubes into the bucket and then asked what total they represented. The children had been counting on in sevens in their heads and knew at once that the cubes represented a total of 35. Not all subjects are so well taught. In the same class, the children based design and technology work on very superficial plans. The finished work could not be evaluated properly against their plans, as these contained insufficient detail and explanation about how pupils expected their task to develop.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

22. The support staff often take responsibility for a group of children with special educational needs and help the children achieve at an appropriate rate. In Year 3, a group were set the task of retelling familiar stories without saying ‘and’ or ‘then’. The children rapidly corrected each other as they took turns. They were unable to find alternative words to join phrases into extended sentences, but quickly learned to St Andrew’s Primary School - 11 speak in very short sentences. One child kept going for quite a long time with his version of ‘The Three Little Pigs’. ‘The little pigs built houses. One used straw. One used bricks. They ran to the brick house’, and so on. This good activity helped the children understand the need to think carefully before speaking or writing repetitive text. There was not enough time, however, for the classroom assistant to help the children select unusual words to insert into their sentences and improve them. As a

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

result, the children’s learning was satisfactory rather than good.

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

23. The curriculum is good in the Foundation Stage. The children learn through an effective mix of direct teaching supported by free play and structured practical activities. As a result, they get off to a good start. For the rest of the children, the curriculum is satisfactory overall although weaker for those who could reach high standards. The school generally uses the nationally recommended schemes of work to make sure the required content is covered. In science and physical education the school uses commercial schemes, which results in most of the pupils’ science work being completed on worksheets. This has the effect of restricting opportunities for children to work independently, particularly when they are devising investigations. The teachers’ planning is sound for numeracy and literacy, but often lacks details in other subjects. Insufficient attention is given in all subjects to identifying the more able pupils and then planning work that is matched to their

p.16

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

abilities. This concern was identified at the time of the previous inspection and not enough has been done to resolve the situation. Appropriate homework is provided for all the children.

p.16

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

24. The range of activities outside lessons is satisfactory although it is restricted to the older children. Physical education is extended well by the use of outside expertise, for example from Sunderland Football Club staff, participation in local and national initiatives, such as the Sports Action Zone and the School Active Mark, and the good range of out-of-school sporting and athletic activities. The music provision is developed by the recently started folk music initiative, shared between a group of local primary schools. The school choir, a range of instrumental opportunities and participation in local festivals are further appropriate extensions to the curriculum. Cycling proficiency training and French are offered each summer.

p.16

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

25. The provision for ICT has improved since the previous inspection, with the acquisition of new computers. Overall, however, it remains unsatisfactory because the school has not yet organised an appropriate method to show how the pupils are to be taught and how they will learn to apply the necessary skills. The school’s development plan acknowledges that this is a key priority.

p.16

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

26. The school successfully follows the National Strategies for literacy and numeracy. The Numeracy Strategy has been used well to raise the standards in mathematics. Basic number skills are taught well and the children have a good understanding of number throughout the school. More opportunities could be provided for pupils to apply their skills and knowledge in other subjects, for example through undertaking scale drawing and measurement in design and technology. The literacy programme is used successfully to teach the skills of reading, writing, and speaking and listening appropriately. However, some of the pupils, particularly the potentially higher attaining, do not yet learn quickly enough. St Andrew’s Primary School - 12 27. The school makes good provision for pupils with special educational needs and they make good progress. The pupils’ special needs are identified as soon as possible, so that literacy and numeracy lessons can be modified to provide for them. The help

p.16

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

that these pupils receive from learning support assistants and their class teachers is good. The pupils with English as an additional language have made satisfactory progress and are bilingual learners. Some of these children show above average attainment.

p.17

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

28. There is a very good personal, social, health and citizenship education (PSHCE) programme in place that makes a significant contribution to pupils’ personal development. The co-ordinator brings a very clear focus to this area of the curriculum and ensures that a two-year rolling programme is followed throughout the school. Pupils study areas such as healthy living and relationships and participate with enthusiasm in weekly class discussions. They sit in a circle and consider different issues that affect their emotional well being. For instance, in a Year 2 session, pupils talked about how they felt that day. One girl explained that she felt sad because ‘sitting in the circle reminded her of her friend who had left the school’. The school has worked hard to win a Healthy School Award and this is an effective vehicle on which to move the PSHCE programme forward. Sufficient time and importance is allocated to sex and drugs’ education and pupils benefit from a

p.17

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

number of external speakers from community support services who come in to talk to them.

p.17

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

29. Good links exist with the local community and these help to extend the curriculum for pupils. Teachers ensure that children visit local places of interest to support their work in, for example, history and geography. Visiting speakers also come into school. They offer their expertise as do some travelling theatre groups who entertain and inform pupils. Useful links are forged with local shops and businesses. Children have entered competitions run by national supermarket chains and won sporting equipment for the school and this benefits all.

p.17

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

30. The headteacher is successful in maintaining very effective links with other schools and institutions in the area. One particularly effective initiative is the ‘Excellence in Clusters’ fund, which provides money to support the school’s Learning Mentor. She works with a number of pupils with particular needs and makes a good contribution to their learning and personal development. Very effective transfer arrangements are in place for Year 6 pupils and this mirrors the support offered to young children as they first join the school. There is also a very effective ‘bridging curriculum’ that enables pupils to work with other Year 6 children in the area before they move on to secondary education.

p.17

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

31. The school offers good provision overall for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Provision for pupils’ spiritual development is satisfactory and they are becoming increasingly aware of others’ feelings. Most opportunities for spiritual development occur during religious education lessons and in collective worship. Pupils enjoy any opportunities to sing, as seen during one assembly when they sang along vigorously to the headteacher’s guitar accompaniment of ‘The Lord of the Dance’. Specific class times where pupils sit in circles and discuss different topics bring some special moments and pupils think about their own feelings. During a Year 6 PSHCE lesson, pupils were articulate when their teacher encouraged them to talk about what it means to be a friend. One girl summed up many of the responses when she volunteered that ‘a friend is someone who stays with you through thick and thin’. During a Year 3 PSHCE lesson the children talked about

p.17

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

times when they had been bullied in school. Most of the children knew someone who St Andrew’s Primary School - 13 had been bullied or had experienced bullying themselves. This good discussion needed to go further by asking if anyone had themselves been unkind and how they could be helped to show more thought for others in the future.

p.17

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

32. Teachers offer help to pupils by consistently enforcing a high moral code in school. Children have a clear understanding of the school’s expectations of their behaviour in lessons and this is also seen around the school. Teachers encourage them to talk about things in their lives that worry them and they learn a great deal about the children from their replies. During a Year 2 PSHCE lesson, pupils talked about where they felt safe and unsafe in school. As they replied, the teacher reacted with great sensitivity and took great care to encourage them to explain exactly what they meant. She then asked ‘So, what do you want me to do about it?’ and children felt secure enough to offer sensible reasons about how to make a bad situation better. One pupil felt ‘frightened of knocking the sand and water equipment’ near the classroom and the class suggested it would be a good idea to move it slightly so that they could get to their drinks more easily. At the same time, pupils are

p.18

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

encouraged to modify existing or proposed rules to suit the situation. Year 4 children discussed how to introduce a new ‘Golden Time’ into their class rewards systems. As well as planning how well behaved pupils would be rewarded, there were also suggestions about how to cope with those who broke the spirit of the agreement. Children have a well developed sense of fair play in these matters. Many have experienced or seen unprovoked incidents of bullying from a small minority of boys. The school deals consistently with these situations, although some pupils still find controlling their own behaviour very difficult. Some incidents of over rough play fighting are not dealt with as firmly as they should be. The children concerned do not always realise this is inappropriate and need to be helped by the school to moderate their behaviour.

p.18

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

33. Teachers encourage pupils to become increasingly independent during their time at the school and to become actively involved in the running of the school. There are good opportunities for them to experience democracy in action as they lobby for support during class council elections. The Year 2 teacher suggested that Class Council representatives should take class concerns about the rush into cloakrooms at the end of playtime to the School Council for debate. Pupils see that staff want to give them more responsibility in their daily lives and they react well to this. Year 6 pupils are proud of their work as ‘House Captains’ and ‘Buddies’ and feel they fulfil an important role in the school, helping others to mix together better and feel happier. Class council officers are at ease with their duties, as seen in Year 4 when the chairperson and secretary worked well together, note taking and then summing

p.18

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

up from these notes at the end of the session in an impressively confident manner.

p.18

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

34. There is satisfactory provision overall for pupils’ cultural development. Good opportunities exist to extend pupils’ knowledge of their own cultural heritage through visits to places of local interest and studies in a number of subjects. However, pupils do not learn enough about the multicultural diversity of British society and are not given opportunities to understand how different life is in a modern, cosmopolitan city. They do have the opportunity to correspond with pupils in a Norwegian school, swapping digital photographs and learning about how different life is for pupils in the two schools. The school has access to a variety of multicultural artefacts through the local resource centre and there are some eye-catching displays about Kenya. St Andrew’s Primary School - 14

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

35. The school’s systems for collecting assessment information in most subjects are satisfactory. The use of this evidence to plan what pupils need to learn next is unsatisfactory overall and not enough progress has been made since the previous inspection when this aspect was identified as a key area for improvement. Statutory assessments in English, mathematics and science are fully in place.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

36. Procedures for assessment are very good in the reception class. The children’s achievements are carefully tracked in all six areas of learning. This provides the teacher with a clear insight into how well individual children are doing and quickly identifies any learning difficulties. The information gathered is used very effectively to guide planning for the next steps in learning.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

37. The procedures for gathering assessment information in English and mathematics are good. They are rigorous and systematic and provide an extensive range of information on what pupils have learned and how well they are progressing. Assessment arrangements are satisfactory in science and in most other subjects. Currently, there is no agreed system in place for recording attainment and progress in music or religious education and as a result, the school does not have a clear enough picture of how well pupils are learning in these two subjects and what they need to learn next.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

38. A satisfactory system of pupil self-assessment is in place. From Years 1 to 6 children evaluate aspects of their work, and with their teachers, set targets for self- improvement. They are provided with opportunities to record their own views on how well they are doing and can select targets for improvement from a list of choices provided by the school. This provides pupils with some opportunities to reflect on their own learning.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

39. The use made of assessment for lesson planning is unsatisfactory. In many subjects and lessons, learning objectives and planned activities are not linked accurately enough to the pupils’ different learning needs, particularly those of the higher ability pupils. Activities to promote learning are often too easy and as a result, these pupils are not making enough progress during lessons and over time. Assessment is used well by teachers in preparing appropriately matched learning activities for pupils with special educational needs, and they make good progress. The targets set in their individual learning plans are closely monitored and reviewed to ensure they match what the children need next.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

40. The school makes satisfactory use of assessment information to group pupils by ability and to identify those who will benefit most from additional support, particularly in English. The school also uses assessment results to monitor how well year groups are progressing in English and mathematics and to predict and set future learning targets. However, not enough use is made of the assessment data to analyse boys’ and girls’ attainment even though girls’ achievements in English, mathematics and science at Year 2 and in English and science at Year 6 have been much lower than boys’ achievements over the past three years.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

41. The results of the Year 2 and Year 6 statutory assessments in English and mathematics are analysed to identify what pupils are good at and what needs to be improved and takes appropriate action to remedy areas of weakness. For example, aspects of writing have been identified this year as an area for improvement. The procedures currently in place for monitoring the quality of work produced by pupils St Andrew’s Primary School - 15 needs to be more rigorous and structured in order to identify areas for development and to enable the school to adjust its provision accordingly.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

42. Strong pastoral care sits firmly at the heart of this school. The headteacher is single- minded in his pursuit of appropriate support for pupils with special educational needs and the school is building a favourable reputation for the quality of the support it offers to these children.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

43. Very secure child protection procedures are in place and all staff have received training to help them deal with this sensitive area. Adults carefully monitor any pupils they feel may be particularly vulnerable and written records are kept of any concerns. Appropriate support is offered to pupils in the care of the local authority. The headteacher ensures effective links are maintained with local support agencies and this enables him to seek expert advice immediately a problem arises.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

44. Health and safety procedures are well known to all staff and emergency drills are practised regularly. Pupils know exactly what to do. Accidents are carefully recorded and suitable first aid arrangements are in place.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

45. The school secretary maintains effective systems to monitor pupils’ daily attendance and these are having a measurable impact on attendance rates. Records show that attendance figures have risen steadily since the previous inspection although they are still below the national average. The school uses a system of weekly awards and termly certificates to promote regular attendance among pupils and this is having a positive effect. At present, the school does not contact families on the first day that a child is absent from school to find out why.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

46. There is a well established code of conduct in school and staff are consistent in its application. Most lessons are very orderly because teachers expect pupils to follow the rules. The school encourages pupils to draw up their own classroom rules and they have a clear understanding of what is required in lessons and when moving around the school. Occasionally, when teaching is less effective, some pupils display disruptive tendencies.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

47. This good behaviour is also reflected in the way pupils move around the building, attend collective worship and play outside. The majority are mindful of the needs of their peers as they walk around school and take care of others. Lunchtimes are pleasant social occasions in the dining hall and many older pupils make an effort to talk to younger ones. The ‘Buddy’ system is embraced by all the children and is an effective way for adults and pupils to work together to solve problems. Dinner nannies relate well to the pupils and strike up very good relationships with them. They are well organised in the dining hall and take good care of pupils’ needs. On occasions outside, however, they allow pupils too much freedom to wrestle and ‘play fight’ for long periods of time. Early intervention from adults would send a clearer signal to all pupils that such behaviour is unacceptable and will not be tolerated in school at all. This would also back up the strong approach to more

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

serious incidents adopted by the headteacher.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

48. Parents’ views of the school are generally positive, although a minority express strong concerns about some aspects of the school. They have particular concerns about the limited range of extra-curricular activities, the incidents of unacceptable behaviour from some pupils, the amount of homework set, how closely the school St Andrew’s Primary School - 16 works with parents and how well the school is led and managed. Parents appreciate the quality of teaching and also feel that the school expects their children to work hard.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

49. The school provides information of sound quality for parents through its prospectus, governors’ annual report and regular newsletters. These contain all the required information and paint a reasonable picture of life at St Andrew’s school. The headteacher has already identified that the current style of prospectus is not in a very polished format and hopes the new prospectus will be a far better public relations tool for the school. In a small minority of instances parents write strongly worded comments to the school about incidents that have upset their children. These are usually handled well by the school, but some written responses are in the same tone as the original complaint and do not act as a calming influence on the situation. Parents who raise concerns that their child is being bullied are not always comfortable with the school’s response. More needs to be done to reassure these parents of the school’s thorough efforts on their child’s behalf.

p.21

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

50. Parents receive an overview of the curriculum their children follow when they join the school but not all receive regular information throughout the year about what topics their children are covering. This does not enable them to offer more focused help to their children at home. They are provided with a detailed booklet of school rules and these indicate the school’s priorities and how they wish parents to back up these ideals at home. Practical and useful tips on how to foster a love of reading are given at the top of pages in the home school reading diaries in Key Stage 1.

p.21

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

51. The annual written reports to parents offer a satisfactory overview of the progress children make during the year. Particularly good examples of detailed and evaluative comments are found in the reports for children in the reception class. These reflect the importance of each of the six areas of learning and give specific details of how well children are progressing. The quality of comment in other reports varies between year groups and many of the subjects other than English, mathematics and science merely indicate what areas pupils have covered and whether they have enjoyed them, rather than telling parents what pupils can actually do. The reports contain colourful, individualised comments about each child’s personal development and demonstrate that teachers know their pupils well.

p.21

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

52. Parents make a satisfactory contribution to the school and to their children’s learning. Although very few come into school to help on a regular basis, those that do, along with a few members of the local community, make a worthwhile contribution. Most parents are supportive of the Home/School Agreement. They make sure their children attend regularly and that they complete their homework. The Friends of the School are very successful and raise large sums of money each year. This is used to provide additional learning resources for pupils.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

53. This leadership and management of the school are satisfactory. The headteacher works closely with the deputy and senior teacher, discussing and reviewing aspects of school life. The headteacher has a strong commitment to ensuring all the children are included in the learning opportunities the school provides. He makes sure there is good support for vulnerable children and spends considerable time working with these children and their families. The deputy, who came to the school three terms ago, provides good support. She has a clear view of how to raise standards and move the children’s learning forward. The senior teacher, who is also the St Andrew’s Primary School - 17 assessment co-ordinator, works well with other senior staff but needs clearer targets in order to have a firmer impact on the overall work of the school. As a team, the three senior staff have a good balance of responsibilities and are developing the

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

strengths to move the school forward. They have focused on the development points identified in the last inspection and most of the earlier weaknesses have been removed. There are areas appropriately identified for development in the school improvement plan. Many of these match the priorities identified during this inspection and indicate the school has a secure system, overall, for analysing what needs to be done. The lack of detailed assessment strategies to speed the children’s progress has not been identified so clearly. The slower progress of the higher attaining children has been identified as a weakness but this has not yet received sufficient attention. The senior teacher is enrolled on a training course for the support of higher attaining pupils and this will add needed expertise to the school.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

54. The procedures identified for moving the school forward are satisfactory overall. For example, each term the staff meet to look at examples of the children’s work and to see what kind of progress they are making. This is a good strategy, as work from different year groups is compared and overall progress from year to year can be monitored. Additionally, the work of children on the special needs register is reviewed by the effective co-ordinator. She is able to see how well particular children are moving forward and ensure their individual plans are adjusted accordingly. This works well and helps these children make good progress. Overall, the results of this review of work are satisfactory in supporting the children in the school. Writing, for example, has been identified as a weakness and the deputy, who is the co-ordinator for English, has provided the teachers with advice. As a result the standards are

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

55. Sensible strategies to improve the quality of teaching are in place and since the last inspection the teaching has improved. The headteacher and subject coordinators have observed the teaching in English, mathematics and science lessons. Sometimes an outside specialist also monitors lessons and helps to identify necessary developments. The coordinators and headteacher write brief reports on what has been noted and feed information back to the staff. This has been successful for the areas covered, in particular the use of resources, class organisation and relationships. All these aspects are now at least satisfactory and often good. This successful strategy now needs to focus on the progress made by children of differing levels of ability in the class as a means of speeding the overall rate of progress.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

56. Some teachers with responsibilities for developing subjects or aspects of provision have been involved in monitoring and evaluating the work in lessons. In English, mathematics and science, the co-ordinators have helped the staff to identify strengths and weaknesses and implement the school’s system for development. As a result improvements are taking place, particularly in English and mathematics. Further work is needed in science to provide the children with opportunities to draw their own conclusions and take more decisions about how to organise their work. Several other co-ordinators have not always had clear enough guidance from senior staff to steer improvements where parts of the curriculum are weaker than others. This is evident, for example in science, design and technology and ICT. Steps taken to ensure these subjects are covered thoroughly should be included in the school improvement plan and monitored carefully across the school. In particular, all co-

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

ordinators need to monitor lesson planning to ensure all children are challenged appropriately. St Andrew’s Primary School - 18 57. The governors’ involvement in supporting the school is satisfactory. This is an improvement since the last inspection. They keep up-to-date with developments and provide appropriate support to the headteacher and staff. There is, for example, a link governor for the key subjects and aspects such as literacy, numeracy and special needs. The governors are involved in the daily activities of the school and concerned to provide the good support. Some governors work in the school and the chair of governors visits often to show support and find out about the work of the school. Governors are beginning to search for reasons for the below average, rather than average standards and are asking for evidence of improvement. The governors worked together to write an improvement plan to take their own role further. This is a

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

clear and useful document and although it has not yet been implemented it highlights the growing involvement of the governing body.

p.23

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

58. Management and control of the school’s budget are satisfactory. The governors’ finance committee monitors spending appropriately. It has identified that a disproportionately large amount of money is required to maintain the accommodation because of the type of construction originally used. This is a drain on the budget and governors have worked well to ensure other areas are not unduly penalised because of the accommodation costs. An apparent under-spend is carefully accounted for and identified as part of the window replacement scheme and additional staffing costs. The school seeks extra budgets whenever possible. This has led to an agreement among local schools to support children with emotional problems and to work together to provide pupils with good opportunities to experience aspects of local culture. All the money is used appropriately and some shows good outcomes. In all areas of special educational needs for example. Money

p.23

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

is spent appropriately on resources and there are enough books and resources of satisfactory quality to teach all subjects and support the literacy strategy.

p.23

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

59. The school secretary gives good support in the day-to-day running of the school. Modern technology is used effectively to review the budget and provide correspondence. The school has electronic contact with the local authority. Assessment analysis is rapidly provided in a clear format so that the school can check on standards reached by each class. The school applies the principles of best value carefully in ensuring money is spent thoughtfully and successfully. The school compares its performance with others and works hard to perform better each year. The new school council is beginning to provide opportunities to seek the opinion of pupils, and plans are already in place to order new playground equipment as a result.

p.23

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

60. Support staff make a good contribution to the pupils’ learning particularly in their work with lower attaining children or those with emotional or behavioural difficulties. The accommodation is satisfactory overall although considerable repairs to windows and the roof are planned. The premises are clean and tidy throughout and are maintained as well as possible by the caretaker and cleaning staff. A fast-flowing river that flooded the grounds and buildings two years ago borders the grounds. Simple defences were provided immediately, at considerable cost to the school, and permanent flood barriers are currently under construction. The staff naturally feel apprehensive at the thought of further flooding. St Andrew’s Primary School - 19

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

61. In order to continue the improvements in the school the headteacher, staff and governors should:

p.24

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

a. Improve the standards in English, science, ICT, religious education, physical education, design and technology and music by the time the children leave the school, particularly for the potentially higher attaining children. (paragraphs 3, 5, 15, 18, 80, 83, 101, 110, 113, 115, 122, 128, 134, 135)

p.24

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

b. Strengthen and extend the monitoring and evaluation procedures that check on the work of the school, ensure weaknesses are identified and developments are implemented effectively. (paragraphs 6, 18, 19, 25, 41, 89, 199, 102, 105, 108, 109, 114, 129, 130, 148)

p.24

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

c. Use assessment information more effectively to speed the children’s progress. (paragraphs 5, 20, 35, 39, 88, 99, 148)

p.24

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

d. Ensure parents that firm and supportive action is taken to resolve their concerns. (paragraphs 11, 48, 49,)

p.24

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

In addition to the aspects above, the following minor development point should be considered for inclusion in the action plan:

p.24

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

i) Improve the unsatisfactory behaviour of a small group of pupils. (paragraphs 11, 31, 32, 47)

p.24

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

ii) Improve the children’s handwriting and presentation (paragraph 84)

p.24

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

iii) Reduce the dependence on worksheets. (paragraphs 23, 119, 126) St Andrew’s Primary School - 20

p.24

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 59

p.25

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactor y Poor Very Poor

p.25

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

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

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 159

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 54

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 6

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 61

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 5

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 18

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 28

p.25

Attendance

School data 6.4 School data 0.0 St Andrew’s Primary School - 21 National comparative data 5.4 National comparative data 0.5

p.25

Attendance

Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. St Andrew’s Primary School - 22

p.26

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

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2002 17 8 25

p.27

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

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

p.27

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

Percentage of pupils School 80 (70) 64 (85) 80 (90) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (84) 86 (86) 90 (91)

p.27

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

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.27

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

Percentage of pupils School 68 (70) 72 (90) 76 (90) at NC level 2 or above National 85 (85) 89 (89) 89 (89)

p.27

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

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

p.27

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

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 2002 8 6 14

p.27

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

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

p.27

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

Percentage of pupils School 71 (70) 71 (63) 93 (70) at NC level 4 or above National 75 (75) 73 (71) 86 (87)

p.27

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

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.27

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

Percentage of pupils School 47 (67) 53 (63) 53 (57) at NC level 4 or above National 73 (72) 74 (74) 82 (82)

p.27

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

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

p.27

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

Please note: Test and examination data is excluded from inspection reports if there are 10 or fewer pupils. This also applies to year groups of boys and girls separately. St Andrew’s Primary School - 23

p.27

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.28

Exclusions in the last school year

White – any other White background 0 0 0

p.28

Exclusions in the last school year

Mixed – any other mixed background 0 0 0

p.28

Exclusions in the last school year

Asian or Asian British - Pakistani 0 0 0

p.28

Exclusions in the last school year

Asian or Asian British – Bangladeshi 0 0 0

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Exclusions in the last school year

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

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Exclusions in the last school year

Black or Black British – Caribbean 0 0 0

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Exclusions in the last school year

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

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Exclusions in the last school year

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

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 8.8 Financial year 2003

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 18.06

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total income 449080

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 6 Total expenditure 469372

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 133 Expenditure per pupil 2952

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance brought forward from previous year 72932

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Teachers and classes Financial information

FTE means full-time equivalent. Balance carried forward to next year 48240 St Andrew’s Primary School - 24

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 3

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 3

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Recruitment of teachers

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 0

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Recruitment of teachers

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

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Recruitment of teachers

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

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

Percentage of responses in each category

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

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

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child is making good progress in school. 46 50 4 0 0

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

Behaviour in the school is good. 28 49 7 11 5

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 32 49 14 4 1

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 39 49 12 0 0

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 59 34 5 0 1

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 57 41 0 0 3

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school works closely with parents. 30 50 16 1 3

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is well led and managed. 26 53 16 1 4

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 27 61 8 1 3

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 19 27 20 14 20 St Andrew’s Primary School - 25 Percentages are rounded to the nearest integer and may not total 100.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

62. Provision for children in the reception class is very good and is a strength of the school. Teaching was good at the time of the previous inspection but has improved even further since then. Teaching is now very good and during the inspection, was never less than good. Planning is of a very good quality and comprehensively considers and supports the learning needs of all of the children. The class is organised into well-structured learning areas. The wide range of interesting activities provides a very welcoming place where children thoroughly enjoy learning. Children are highly valued and their well being is at the centre of everything the teacher does. The provision for children with special learning needs is very good, particularly through adult support and carefully planned activities, and as a result, they make very good progress.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

63. At the time of the inspection, fourteen children attended full time. Children are admitted in the September following their fourth birthday. When children join the reception at the start of the year, attainment is well below expectations for their age, although most levels of ability are represented. Because of the high quality of provision, the children achieve very well during their time in the reception, particularly in personal development, and in listening, speaking, reading and mathematical development where many start from a low attainment level. Approximately half of the children are likely to attain the expected learning goals in speaking and listening, reading and writing and in mathematical development. The large majority is well placed to achieve what is expected nationally in personal, creative and physical development and in their knowledge and understanding of the world.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

64. The quality of teaching is very good in all areas of learning. The teacher has a very clear understanding of the learning needs of young children and uses her expertise skilfully in providing a wide range of interesting and challenging activities. Planning sets detailed learning objectives for all children. Basic skills are planned and taught very carefully so that children can build on what they have learned previously. Planned activities take full account of the different learning needs of the children and provide a good balance between direct adult support and opportunities for the children to develop independent skills. Work is purposeful and visibly enjoyed by the children. Elements of the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies are appropriately introduced during the year. Planning is regularly reviewed to identify its success and to identify the next steps in learning.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

65. Assessment procedures are of a very high quality. Systematic observations are made of each child’s achievements and these are matched to the small steps in learning the children make towards achieving the early learning goals. Very good and accurate use is made of this information in planning the next steps in learning.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

66. Positive links are established between the school and parents. Parents are provided with good opportunities to visit and find out about the school before their children are admitted. The reception handbook provides parents with useful information to help them prepare their children for the transition from home to school. Meetings are offered to parents during the year to discuss their children’s progress. Annual written St Andrew’s Primary School - 26 reports for parents of children in the reception class provide clear information on what each child has achieved during the year.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

67. The indoor accommodation is bright and attractive. The outdoor learning area is quite small but adequate. Resources are of a good quality and are used very effectively to promote learning.

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Personal, social and emotional development

68. By the end of the reception year, most children will achieve the Early Learning Goals in this area and some will exceed them. Teaching in this area of learning is very good. The teacher plans and provides many opportunities for the children to learn about themselves, relate to others positively and develop independence as learners. Routines are clear, the children know what is expected of them, and as a result, behaviour is very good and positive relationships flourish. Adults are very positive in what they say and do and so the children find learning stimulating and are eager to take part, with lots of smiles as lesson activities are explained. A significant strength lies in the teacher’s skills in promoting self-confidence and a positive attitude to learning. As a result, the children are happy and successful learners.

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Communication, language and literacy

69. By the end of the reception year, although the large majority of children will not have achieved the expected learning goals in this area, they make very good progress from a low starting point. The children listen attentively to adults in a range of situations. Speaking skills are not as well developed. Although some children use more complex sentences to communicate, a majority use only a few words.

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Communication, language and literacy

70. Teaching in this area of learning is very good. Many opportunities are provided through class discussions, role-play and small group activities for the children to develop their listening and speaking skills. The teacher ensures that activities such as the, ‘Grandpa’s and Grandma’s house’, role-play area encourage and extend the use of conversation. A good example was observed where one child, being grandma at the ‘ironing board’ said to another, ‘Darling, pass me your handkerchiefs so I can iron them’. Occasionally, in adult-focused activities, not enough time is given to allow the children to reflect before they answer a question.

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Communication, language and literacy

71. All of the children enjoy listening to stories. In one lesson, they were totally absorbed in the Easter story and offered very thoughtful ideas about how the people might have felt. For example, that Mary, Jesus’ mother, ‘must have been very, very sad’. Reading skills are taught very effectively, particularly in the teaching of basic skills. Many are beginning to recognise familiar words with adult support. Higher attaining children already read simple sentences from the school’s early reading scheme and make effective use of their knowledge of letter sounds to help them tackle simple words. Regular reading activities, where small groups work with the teacher, ensure that the children build upon their reading skills in small, carefully planned steps.

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Communication, language and literacy

72. The children try hard with their writing. Most write letters of the alphabet to represent meaning when they are writing a story or their news. A few higher attaining children are beginning to write simple words to communicate their ideas. Although handwriting skills for the majority are not at the level expected, work in books indicates that many have made very good progress since the beginning of the school year. St Andrew’s Primary School - 27

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Mathematical development

73. Although the majority of children are unlikely to achieve the expected targets in mathematical development, they make very good progress from a low starting point, particularly in number knowledge. Teaching in this area is very good and children achieve well. A good variety of activities are planned and these are matched well to the children’s learning needs, with many opportunities being taken to promote mathematical development. Many children count reliably to five, some to ten and some beyond twenty. The teacher ensures that learning is interesting and as a result the children respond very positively. In the lesson observed, three higher attaining children, working with the teacher, were able to match numbers on a ‘garden path’, place them in order and count both forward and backwards pointing at each number block in turn. Work in books shows that children in this group are beginning to combine two sets of objects to find how many altogether. Work in books is marked

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Mathematical development

carefully and the information is used effectively to help the teacher set new targets for learning.

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

74. Teaching is very effective in helping the children to make sense of the world around them. By the end of the reception year, the majority are likely to meet the expectations of children in many aspects of this area of learning. This is because activities are carefully planned to encourage exploration, observation and decision-making. An example of this was observed when the children, working with the teaching assistant, were making miniature gardens as part of the topic for the half term. They talked in simple terms about the features that might be in a garden and were able to decide what they would like in theirs, such as a pond, some grass and a fence and choose from a range of objects and materials to make the finished design. Good opportunities are provided for the children to develop language to describe what they see and understand.

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

75. The children are developing satisfactory mouse skills as they work at the computer. They click and drag the mouse to change what is happening on the computer screen often without the need for adult support.

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

76. The work in the children’s books indicates that they have many opportunities to find out about the world. For example, they have sorted materials into ‘shiny or dull’, and have recorded in pictures the ingredients they used when making cement. The children’s work is highly valued and carefully collected in presentation booklets.

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Physical development

77. Teaching in this area is very good. Most children are likely to achieve the expected learning goals in this area, other than in activities such as handwriting and the use of scissors that require small, precise actions. The children have access to the school hall for a range of physical activities. In the physical education lesson observed, very good learning was observed as all of the children improved their passing, throwing and catching skills. The lesson was full of challenge as the children were expected to pass beanbags to each other at speed. The provision of skills strategies was a consistent feature of the lesson, such as ‘Watch the beanbag all the time!’ and ‘Use both hands for catching!’ St Andrew’s Primary School - 28

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Creative development

78. The quality of teaching in this area of learning is very good and as a result, most children are likely to attain the standards expected of children by the end of reception. Carefully planned activities ensure a balance between independent learning where children are able to make choices and adult support to promote basic skills. The children make appropriate use of simple computer graphics programs, paint and brushes to produce drawings and paintings.

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Creative development

79. The role-play area is used dynamically and provides very good opportunities for the children to develop their social, imaginative and communication skills. For example, each day, the focus of what is to happen in ‘Grandpa’s and Grandma’s House’ changes. One day it might be gardening and on another, cooking or cleaning. The children respond very positively, with boys and girls choosing to visit the house. During one observation, a boy (grandpa), ‘cooked’ a chicken and fish finger meal, brought it to the table, set with the correct cutlery, and proudly presented it to ‘the other grandpa’!

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ENGLISH

80. Attainment in Year 2 and Year 6 is below average in reading and writing. This indicates that standards are the same as at the last inspection. The majority of pupils make at least satisfactory progress throughout both the infant and junior parts of the school, including the very few pupils for whom English is an additional language. Pupils who have special educational needs make good progress. Activities in lessons are well matched to their ability, and they are provided with effective support both in lessons and withdrawal groups. However, the school is less successful in enabling enough of the more able pupils to reach the higher levels, particularly in writing, a weakness also identified at the previous inspection. This is principally because planned activities are not sufficiently challenging or specific enough to meet their learning needs. Current standards show a marked improvement on the 2002 national

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ENGLISH

tests for infant pupils when attainment was well below average in reading and very low in writing.

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ENGLISH

81. The school places a satisfactory emphasis on the development of speaking and listening across all subjects. By the end of Year 2, pupils listen carefully to their teachers and each other and make suitable responses to questions or in class and group discussions. The large majority make appropriate use of vocabulary and key words when explaining their ideas or giving their views. By the end of Year 6, although standards are satisfactory, they could be higher if pupils were given more frequent opportunities to speak, for example, through more open-ended questioning, opportunities for live debate or role-play.

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ENGLISH

82. By the end of Year 2, standards in reading are just below average. This is mainly because the class contains a larger than average proportion of pupils with special educational needs who are unlikely to attain the expected level. The majority of pupils read accurately and with developing fluency at the expected level. They can recount the main events in a story and talk about the characters. Letter sounds are taught effectively and most pupils use these well to help them work out more complex words. Average and above average pupils have learned how to use non-fiction books efficiently and use the contents and index pages of information books with confidence. Higher attaining pupils read fluently and with developing skills in expression. They pay due attention to punctuation and make very good attempts to work out more difficult words such as, ‘enthusiastically’. They tackle more challenging non-fiction information

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ENGLISH

St Andrew’s Primary School - 29 with assurance and show a secure understanding of the content of the text they have read.

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ENGLISH

83. By the end of Year 6, standards in reading are below average. The larger than average proportion of pupils with special educational needs are not attaining at the expected level and some pupils are not attaining at the highest level they could reach. The majority of pupils read accurately and fluently with some beginning to employ good levels of expression. Higher attaining readers have a good understanding of what they are reading and are able to explain the meaning of more difficult words such as ‘incapable’ and ‘pathetic’. When reading non-fiction text they select essential points, for example, identifying key features and facts. Pupils in all year groups make satisfactory use of their reading skills in other subjects.

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ENGLISH

84. The quality of handwriting, presentation and organisation of work in books and on paper is unsatisfactory in some classes, except in Years 1, 4 and 5. Where the standards are lower, it is because teachers do not make clear to all pupils what is expected of them. Writing is often untidy and poorly set out although writing in pupils’ special handwriting books is at a satisfactory standard.

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ENGLISH

85. By Year 2 and Year 6, the majority of pupils are developing spelling skills to a satisfactory level of accuracy when compared to national expectations. This year, the school has placed an emphasis on raising standards in spelling through ensuring that short, daily spelling sessions occur in every class. This is in its early stages and the subject co-ordinator is planning to evaluate its success later in the year.

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ENGLISH

86. Standards in writing at Year 2 are below average. However, the school is well placed to improve on last year’s national tests for writing in 2002 when no pupils attained a higher than average level. This year approximately nineteen percent of pupils are working at a higher than expected level. Almost one quarter of the pupils in this year group have special educational needs and often need close adult support to help them with their writing. Higher attaining pupils are beginning to use vocabulary effectively in a range of ways. For example, when describing the main character in a story one pupil wrote, ‘and her only friend was a stray cat called Smudge’. Pupils are provided with many opportunities to develop skills in grammar and punctuation and the majority make sound use of their technical knowledge.

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ENGLISH

87. Standards in writing at Year 6 are also below average. The proportion of pupils with literacy-related special educational needs is higher than average. Although this group of pupils are provided with a good level of adult support through carefully planned activities, they are not meeting the expected level of attainment. Not enough pupils are working at a higher than expected level. A major contributing factor to this is that the work planned for higher ability pupils is not matched accurately enough to their learning needs. Not enough use is made of assessment information to identify what these pupils need to learn next. The work set is often similar to the majority of others in the class and does not provide enough challenge to accelerate learning. Pupils write for an increasingly broad range of purposes. For example, they write stories, play scripts, letter and poems. By Year 6, the writing of the majority is technically

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ENGLISH

competent. However, not enough opportunities are provided for higher attaining pupils to develop more complex writing skills such as, proof-reading their work and using precise vocabulary. Pupils are sometimes provided with opportunities to plan, re-draft and improve their work. Where this happens, it provides them with good opportunities to check and evaluate their work before writing the final piece. St Andrew’s Primary School - 30 88. The quality of teaching is satisfactory overall, with some good features seen during the inspection. In all classes, teachers have high expectations of behaviour and they manage the pupils well. This creates a good atmosphere for learning in which pupils try hard and give of their best. Pupils with special educational needs are provided with good support during lessons, both within the classroom and in the small withdrawal groups. This ensures that they understand what they are expected to do and receive

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ENGLISH

help with reading instructions and spelling to enable them to make good progress. Evidence in books and on display indicates that the pupils’ literacy skills are satisfactorily developed across a range of subjects. For example, in a Year 6 geography lesson, pupils used their literacy skills to write a news report as part of their work on environmental issues. Although computers are sometimes used for producing a final piece of work, evidence in books and in lessons indicates that ICT is not yet used as an integral part of most literacy lessons. Standards of marking are satisfactory overall. Marking is particularly good in Years 2, 4 and 5 where teachers provide pupils with good information on how they might make further improvements to their work. Pupils in Year 6 would benefit from more rigorous marking that clearly identifies strengths and weaknesses and sets precise targets for improvement. Teachers make satisfactory use of assessment information to identify groups of

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ENGLISH

pupils who need extra literacy support, but do not make enough use of assessment information to help them set accurate levels of challenge for all pupils.

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ENGLISH

89. The subject co-ordinator has been in post for three terms and has brought a good level of expertise to the role. She has already evaluated areas for teachers to develop their professional expertise through training. She is currently in the process of introducing a new guided reading scheme and a spelling programme across the school. The quality of teaching and standards of pupils’ work is monitored and evaluated, but this is not rigorous enough to ensure that any weaknesses in learning, particularly for the higher attaining children, are clearly identified and appropriate action taken.

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MATHEMATICS

90. Standards in mathematics are average for pupils by the end of Years 2 and 6. This represents improvement since the last inspection. Taking into account the pupils’ attainment on entry to the school, they are making good progress. This is partly due to more consistent and well-focused teaching where learning objectives are clearly communicated to pupils and regularly reviewed.

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MATHEMATICS

91. Action has been taken by the school to improve pupils’ calculation skills. Number skills have improved and pupils respond more rapidly to teacher questioning. In discussions with a group of higher achieving Year 6 pupils, it was clear that they had quick mental recall of a variety of mathematical questions which indicated above average levels of attainment. In a very good Year 2 lesson, the children showed their understanding and use of halving as the inverse of doubling during the lively start to the lesson. Their responses were quick and eager when asked, ‘If five is half of something, what is the number?’ The teacher went on to develop their learning and expected the pupils to explain answers using the correct terms, which many did, for example: ‘Half of 30 is fifteen, because double 15 is 30’. The teacher’s use of questioning enabled the higher-attaining pupils to demonstrate their own knowledge,

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MATHEMATICS

for example with responses such as ‘Miss, I know half of 5. It’s two-and-a-half!’

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MATHEMATICS

92. The National Numeracy Strategy has had a positive impact on the teaching and learning in mathematics across the school. The strategy forms a sound basis for planning and teaching. Teachers reinforce multiplication tables, number facts and St Andrew’s Primary School - 31 mental and written methods of calculation. At the start of each lesson, learning targets are shared effectively with pupils so they know what is expected of them. Staff development in mathematics has resulted in more rigorous planning and better awareness of the levels of attainment pupils are expected to achieve.

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MATHEMATICS

93. The overall quality of teaching and learning is good. This is a similar picture to that of the last inspection. Where the teaching is very good, there is appropriate support and challenge for children of all abilities through a range of different activities so that all made good progress. For instance, in the main activity section of a Year 2 lesson on rounding numbers to the nearest ten, different independent tasks were planned for the children to complete. There was also an extension task available for those who needed it. This meant that the children understood what they were doing, felt confident in their learning and were able to explain it to others.

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MATHEMATICS

94. Another feature of very good lessons is effective, open questioning coupled with a brisk presentation of the topic in the whole-class input. An example of this was seen in a Year 6 lesson where questions were asked and children given a time-limit in which to give explanations relating to products of numbers: ‘Find some more examples to prove what we have just been saying.’ Most of the children were then able to communicate their findings in general statements, such as ‘The product of two odd numbers will be an odd number.’ All teachers have a sound understanding of mathematics and explain new ideas and methods clearly. The aim of the lesson is discussed with pupils beforehand and ensures they know exactly what they are expected to learn.

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MATHEMATICS

95. A common feature of all the mathematics lessons observed was the good response and attitudes of the children, showing enjoyment and a keenness to do well. Contributing to this are the positive relationships that exist between staff and pupils. The effective use of encouragement and humour was seen in a good Year 3 lesson where children were enjoying creating a ‘human graph’ to help them understand the terms ‘axis, row, column, title.’ They later went on to construct their own graphs with a better understanding of those mathematical terms.

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MATHEMATICS

96. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress in developing their basic number skills in relation to their abilities. This is because teachers communicate well with learning support staff and the special needs co-ordinator in planning work and providing appropriate support and intervention. Those pupils with English as an additional language make sound progress, and at present there are no children in the early stages of learning English who would require additional support.

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MATHEMATICS

97. The school makes use of ‘booster’ group arrangements in Years 5 and 6 using a national ‘catch up’ programme to help reinforce basic numeracy skills. This has enabled some Year 6 pupils, who might not otherwise have been able to achieve average levels, to do so.

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MATHEMATICS

98. Marking of pupils’ work is satisfactory overall, although there is insufficient reference made to specific achievements or targets for improvement in pupils’ individual books. As a result some pupils do not know how well they are achieving and what they need to do to improve. However, whole-school and class targets are made clear and reflected in the work that children are doing. For instance, a school focus on worded problem solving is reflected in some teacher assessments of the pupils’ ability to choose appropriate mathematical strategies. Class targets are often referred to in lessons and displayed on the wall. St Andrew’s Primary School - 32 99. Ongoing assessments and lesson evaluations contribute to teachers’ knowledge of their pupils’ abilities. However, information available from the analysis of test results is not yet used consistently in all classes in the setting of targets for groups of pupils or

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MATHEMATICS

individuals. Through analysis of test results at the end of each school year teachers are more aware of overall areas of strength and weakness in children’s knowledge and understanding. The provision of homework is satisfactory and is usually used to practise or extend mathematical skills being taught in the classroom.

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MATHEMATICS

100. The subject is soundly led and managed. The co-ordinator supports colleagues through sharing training ideas and keeping resources and records up to date. A system for regular monitoring of lessons, along with the headteacher, is in place. As yet, this has not led to a structured, whole-school approach to improving areas of weakness, for example by adjusting curriculum plans and coverage and increasing the use of ICT to extend pupils’ mathematical knowledge. More training is required for the co-ordinator to sharpen up skills in identifying specific strengths and areas for improvement in teaching and learning. This will help to further the rate of pupil progress by ensuring consistency of pace and expectations in lessons. Learning resources for mathematics are appropriate and prepared well for lessons.

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SCIENCE

101. Standards in science are below those expected for 7 and 11 year olds. Whilst the majority of children of average ability reach the expected level, many of those with above average ability do not reach higher levels. Standards have improved since the previous inspection, when fewer pupils achieved the expected levels. Most of the pupils make sound progress, throughout the school, in their acquisition of knowledge and understanding of life processes and living things, materials and their properties and physical processes. Their understanding is often supported well by practical tasks. The more able pupils make less progress because they are not sufficiently challenged. Pupils' progress in scientific enquiry is unsatisfactory because, although they are taught the skills of investigation soundly, they are given insufficient opportunities to work independently, to pose their own questions and to devise tests

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SCIENCE

of their own making. Pupils with special education needs make good progress because they are well supported, and the tight structure of the tasks aids their recording. Pupils with English as an additional language make similar progress to their peers, but they make good progress in their acquisition of scientific vocabulary.

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SCIENCE

102. The teaching programme is mainly based upon a commercial scheme and supported by the nationally recommended scheme. This has resulted in an overuse of worksheets, directed tasks, and heavily supported responses. Some teachers are beginning to move away from the scheme but still, too many of the pupils are given insufficient opportunities to set out their own findings or to select an appropriate means of displaying data or results. In those classes, where the scheme is very closely followed there is over direction of investigative work and a lack of opportunity for pupils to work independently. Where teachers are aware of this, in Year 2 for example, lessons are planned to ensure pupils make up their own questions to investigate and choose what equipment they need to carry out their tests. During the lesson some of the pupils' questions were direct, such as 'Does a plant need leaves to grow?' Some were more comparative, for example 'Would a plant prefer water or

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SCIENCE

juice?’ The pupils made up their own questions before discussing them with the teacher. They then devised their own test in groups to answer the question, and chose their equipment from a range that the teacher had brought. A strength of the lesson was that all suggestions were treated seriously. This good quality teaching is St Andrew’s Primary School - 33 increasing the children’s rate of progress, although overall the standards remain just below average.

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SCIENCE

103. The teaching of science is satisfactory overall and the teaching seen during the inspection was generally good. The more able pupils, however, are rarely identified in teachers' planning and are not always given sufficiently different or more challenging work to do. This leads to inconsistencies across the school, because some teachers recognise this weakness and some do not. In a Year 5 lesson, for example, the teacher noticed that the more able pupils were easily able to complete their work on investigating insulation to muffle sound. She recalled that they had been in some difficulty in appreciating the difference between volume and pitch. She worked with this group to investigate pitch. She introduced additional resources, such as a range of tuning forks and computer-generated sound waves. She got the pupils to strike the tuning fork and feel the vibration and to try to pitch their voices to the sound of the fork

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SCIENCE

and feel the vibration in their vocal cords. She then extended their learning further by using wave forms on the computer to show the relationship between frequency and pitch. This work contained a wonderful ‘Eureka!’ moment, when a child suddenly beamed as she recognised that the difference in the sound of two tuning forks was related to the different vibrations that she felt.

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SCIENCE

104. The learning in Year 4 is also departing from the overuse of worksheets and the pupils are now given many opportunities to demonstrate what they know and understand through free recording. Their work clearly distinguishes the different thinking that pupils bring to the task. In these lessons, the pupils make at least sound, and sometimes good, progress. Their behaviour is good and, at times, very good. They are attentive and respond well to questioning. They work well in groups and pairs and can organise themselves without fuss. Their work is almost invariably presented with care and they work quickly. They are helpful to each other and to their teachers. All this adds to the pace of the lesson and the quality of the work. Not all lessons consider the needs of the children so well and as a result the standards rise and fall as the children move through the school.

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SCIENCE

105. The leadership and management of the subject are satisfactory overall. However, some aspects are less well developed. The monitoring of lessons and pupils' work has been initiated, and the need to develop a scientific investigation has been highlighted. But the need to challenge the more able pupils has not been picked up, neither has the impact of the use of the commercial scheme. Monitoring should become more critically evaluative and ensure that the good teaching is identified and used to raise the standards across the school. Sound assessment procedures are now in place, but they are not yet used sufficiently to plan work appropriately. Teachers evaluate their lessons well, but the results are not used sufficiently to support assessments. The resources have been audited and have been improved, in consultation with all teachers, to support the development of investigative science. However, the use of ICT to support learning in science is underdeveloped.

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ART AND DESIGN

106. Standards are above average by Year 2 and average by Year 6. This is better than the last inspection for the infant classes. Basic skills, such as colour selection and drawing, are taught well and pupils successfully expand the range of their work as they move through the school. Progress is good in Years 1 and 2, but becomes uneven in Key Stage 2 with some Year groups making better progress than others. It is satisfactory overall. Children with special educational needs are supported well and St Andrew’s Primary School - 34 make good progress. Bilingual children make the same progress as their class mates.

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ART AND DESIGN

107. Pupils are developing a good knowledge and appreciation of art in Years 1, 2 and 4. For example, Year 1 pupils are developing a simple but effective understanding of portraiture through their paper maché sculpture and painted self portraits. Their work shows recognisable details and is of a good standard. In Year 2 work linked to the artist Jackson Pollack shows a good management of space and colour. Computer generated patterns contain detailed arrangements of shapes, line and colour. One child developed the pattern using tiny pictures of houses carefully placed across the paper. The standard is better than usually seen for children of this age. In Year 4, work on perspective extends the children’s knowledge. The teacher effectively demonstrated how to soften colours to achieve an impression of distance and encouraged children to experiment. This work in their sketchbooks is providing them with the knowledge and skills to make their own individual landscape pictures at a

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ART AND DESIGN

later date. During the lesson the children concentrated well. They asked for advice and reassurance form the teacher and listened closely to her comments before trying to improve their work. They looked from a distance at their own work and that of others and offered comments intended to be useful.

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ART AND DESIGN

108. In the other classes, there is work of a good standard alongside less effective examples. Clay work in Year 5 is more typical of the efforts of younger pupils. However, their weaving using florists’ ribbon shows a good level of dexterity and sensitive colour choices. Their skill in weaving containers to hold plants is above average. In Year 6, magazine collage work showing action pictures, of footballers for example, is exciting and thoughtful. Their artwork linked to model making is of a lower standard and less skill has been used in developing patterns and designs for fantasy hats.

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ART AND DESIGN

109. The co-ordinator provides appropriate support by encouraging the teachers as they use the scheme of work. She has good subject knowledge and works particularly closely across Key Stage 1. She could usefully develop more awareness of the work planned and the standards reached in Key Stage 2 as a means of improving progress. There are no plans to review art in the near future, but the curriculum requirements are met. Resources are satisfactory overall and provide pupils with opportunities to work with clay and fabrics as well as painting and drawing.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

110. Standards in design and technology are average for seven-year-olds, but are below average for eleven-year-olds. At the time of the last inspection standards were average across the school. Since then they have fallen by the end of Year 6. The pupils make sound progress through Years 1 and 2, but progress is variable between the ages of seven and eleven. Progress is good in years 4 and 5, but unsatisfactory in Year 6. Generally, attainment is better in food and textile technology than it is in construction work. Pupils with special education needs make good progress because of the strong support they receive. Children with English as an additional language make similar progress to their class mates.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

111. The school has adopted the nationally recommended scheme and the teachers follow it closely. Teachers' subject knowledge is variable, especially in construction work and this affects the pupils' progress, particularly in Years 3 and 6. In Year 3, the work is over directed, which results in the children's designs and models lacking individuality. In Year 6, not enough is expected from the pupils. Their designs lack St Andrew’s Primary School - 35 precision and their models are not made with sufficient care or attention to detail. In his work on shelters, a boy had made a two-storey house. When his attention was drawn to the fact that there was no means of reaching the upper floor, he looked inside his model and said ‘0h bother, I should have thought of a staircase!’

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

112. In most classes, the elements of design are taught soundly and, at times, well. The pupils in Year 1 chose from a variety of fruits to select their ingredients for a fruit salad. They selected by colour and by taste. They could record their ideas and draw a plan of what the finished salad would look like. In Years 4 and 5 design skills are taught well and every step in the process is given due attention. Pupils are given the opportunity to research ideas and to investigate a commercial product at the outset. Year 5 pupils examined and evaluated a range of biscuits and their ingredients, before designing and making their own Christmas biscuits. They are given the opportunity to practise and develop the particular skills that will be required for the task. They are taught to design carefully and to annotate their designs. Their final product matched their designs well. They are taught to evaluate their work and say what changes they

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

would make. The Year 4 pupils looked at a range of purses before they designed their own. They practised stitching before assembling their money holder. They evaluated how successful they had been. Often, the pupils' designs and artefacts are delightfully individualistic. For example the range of Christmas biscuits, such as Santa Claus, stars and reindeers, would appeal to anyone! Where the skills are not taught thoroughly standards fall. The rolled-up paper tubes for wheels for a caravan made by a Year 6 pupil, were not as successful a solution for transport as the wheels and axles made by some Year 2 pupils.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

113. The pupils enjoy making things. They talk enthusiastically about what they have made and can explain their selection of tools and materials. The health and safety aspects have been taught well and the pupils can explain the precautions they take. ‘We washed our hands with soap because of the germs.’ said some Year 1 pupils.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

114. The co-ordinator for design and technology provides sound support. The school has adopted the national scheme and the co-ordinator recognises that this will have to be modified next year to meet the needs of the proposed mixed age classes. All teachers have been made aware of the processes that are involved in designing and making. At the moment, teaching and learning are not sufficiently monitored to ensure that progress is consistent, or that all teachers have satisfactory subject knowledge. The portfolio of work is not sufficiently helpful to guide teachers' understanding of progression in the strands of food, textiles and construction, and the integration of work in design and technology with work in art and design is unhelpful. The resources are adequate and appropriate to support learning in the subject. Assessments are made to show how well pupils managed their tasks, but inefficient use is made of the

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GEOGRAPHY

115. Standards of are in line with national expectations by the end of Years 2 and 6, which matches the judgements at the time of the last inspection. All pupils, including those with special educational needs or English as an additional language, make sound progress in their knowledge, skills and understanding. Pupils of higher ability, in some classes in both Key Stages, could be challenged further to achieve above average standards. The quality of teaching is sound overall, with some examples of good lessons. This is similar to the time of the last inspection and teachers continue to stimulate interest and enthusiasm for the subject. St Andrew’s Primary School - 36 116. Units of work are planned in line with the latest national curriculum guidance, with learning intentions clearly identified for most lessons. These objectives are shared with the class and checked at the end of lessons. For instance, in a good Year 3

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GEOGRAPHY

lesson it was explained that the class were going to ‘think about what’s happening in the world and why places are newsworthy.’ The teacher had put together two news clips on video that the children watched and discussed before starting their independent activity. They selected from a variety of maps and atlases to locate places locally and nationally that had been in the news clips. At the end of the lesson, the pupils discussed with the teacher any difficulties encountered and gained a better understanding of the terms ‘point of reference’ and ‘current affairs’. As the tasks were slightly different to match pupils’ ability groups, all children made appropriate progress.

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GEOGRAPHY

117. In a sound Year 1 lesson, the teacher used an effective strategy for teaching children about Spain and Spanish produce. The introduction of ‘Pedro the teddy bear’ with a basket of fruit, olives and a selection of photographs prompted a brief discussion about the climate in Spain. The children learned about the fruit and that they grew in Pedro’s garden. However, the written work for most of them was limited to repetitive sentences, such as ‘Pedro grows oranges in his garden. Pedro grows lemons in his garden’ and so on. Improvements could have been made by giving the opportunity to focus on geographical issues of environment, features and places in the pupils’ writing.

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GEOGRAPHY

118. Coverage of the geography curriculum is sound. There is more evidence of written evidence in the infant classes. For example, in the children’s work covering geographical enquiry they are asked to respond to questions such as ‘What is it like living on an island?’ and to express views about places and environments in topics such as ‘How we can make our area safer?’ The children recognise how places compare with others, for example in their ‘Where in the world is Barnaby Bear?’ topic.

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GEOGRAPHY

119. By the end of Key Stage 2, pupils are able to explain the water cycle and discuss ways in which people can damage or improve their environment. They talk about places they have studied and can refer to maps, atlases and reference books. There is not a great deal of written evidence of their geographical work. Some of this is worksheet-based and does not give sufficient opportunities for independent research and presentation of findings. For this reason, some of the higher-attaining pupils are not progressing at a fast enough rate.

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GEOGRAPHY

120. Sound links with literacy are being developed. For example, in a sound Year 6 lesson where the task involved structuring a news report. In their planning of a report on an environmental issue, pupils were considering headlines, paragraphs, opinions and conclusions. The pupils were able to discuss appropriate national and international news items and use maps and newspaper articles that were appropriate to the task. Visits are planned, where appropriate, to contribute to the children’s learning and are sometimes linked with other subjects. For instance, a visit to local churches as part of religious education lessons enabled pupils to also look at special buildings and features of the locality.

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GEOGRAPHY

121. The co-ordinator manages the subject satisfactorily. Staff complete termly reviews where they evaluate the work covered and identify essential and desirable resource needs. The co-ordinator uses this information to complete an audit at the end of the school year. She has a general overview of planning and coverage across the school and has monitored samples of pupils’ work. Future development targets are appropriate and include giving pupils more opportunities to produce extended writing St Andrew’s Primary School - 37 through work in geography and purchasing aerial photograph resources and videos to supplement schemes of work.

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HISTORY

122. Standards are average by the end of Years 2 and 6 and have been maintained since the last inspection. The majority of pupils, both boys and girls, make satisfactory progress in their learning. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress because of the quality of support given by teachers and learning support assistants. Pupils of potentially higher ability in some classes across the school are insufficiently challenged to take their learning further. Teachers’ planning is based on the latest guidance for the subject and ensures suitable coverage across all age groups. The teaching seen in lessons varied between satisfactory and very good. Other aspects of teaching, seen for example in pupils’ books and curriculum planning, showed that the teaching is sound overall.

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HISTORY

123. By Year 2, pupils are able to recognise that their own lives are different from the lives of people in the past. They are developing a good sense of chronology. In a very good Year 2 lesson, to the question ‘How do the people know all this information?’ a child gave the response ‘Their great, great, great, great nanas could have told them!’ The class then went on to discuss various sources of information and showed early understanding of what is meant by a primary source. The children showed keen and thoughtful responses. For instance, in the when children were reviewing what they had learned about Florence Nightingale. One child was eager to explain that, ‘every night she came round with a lamp and talked to the soldiers, so she was called the lady of the lamp.’ Another child talked of how, ‘the other nurses didn’t know how to help people properly and keep the hospital clean.’ When asked if they understood

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HISTORY

what it meant for Florence to have become a celebrity, one response was ‘like she was a movie star or something like that?’

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HISTORY

124. A common feature across the school is the effective use of a range of resources to enhance the subject. Visits to places of interest, such as Beamish museum, are used to increase pupils’ understanding of events, features and changes in Victorian times. Very good displays of a variety of artefacts and costumes around the classrooms enable pupils to have access to objects through which historical enquiry skills can be developed. Photographs of lessons and visits also show evidence of the curriculum coverage and good use is made of library loans to give pupils access to an appropriate range of reference books.

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HISTORY

125. Visitors to the classes are invited to speak to the children ‘in role.’ For instance, a ‘Tudor Lady’ had spoken to the Year 4 class just prior to the inspection week. During the good lesson that followed, two children were dressed in Tudor costume whilst the rest of the class discussed the significance of their clothes, based on information they had learned from the visiting speaker. ‘Only servants would wear blue!’ and ‘She said we all had bad manners because we didn’t cover our heads!’ The children are developing a clearer picture of what life was like in Tudor times, because of the teacher’s effective planning and use of resources. Year 6 pupils are able to explain the importance of using more than one source of information to build up a more accurate picture of past events. They understand that the points of view of various people at the time can mean that history is interpreted in different ways, for instance,

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HISTORY

the children, civilians and soldiers during the war.

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HISTORY

126. Much of the pupils’ written work, particularly in Key Stage 2, has been based on structured worksheets, which are sometimes more relevant to developing St Andrew’s Primary School - 38 comprehension skills rather than historical enquiry. There is recent evidence that more independent tasks are being planned, particularly those which also develop literacy skills. For example, the Year 4 pupils’ had written stories in the first person about life in Tudor times. In Year 6, pupils had written accounts as though they were evacuees.

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HISTORY

127. The co-ordinator manages the subject satisfactorily. History has not been high on the list of school’s priorities, but the staff have sound knowledge and confidence in the teaching of the subject. Staff complete half-termly reviews where they evaluate the work covered and identify resource needs, which the co-ordinator takes into account. The co-ordinator has a general overview of planning and coverage across the school, but does not respond to this unless help is requested. There has been no organised scrutiny of pupils’ work or lesson observations as yet, although these are in the school’s future plans.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

128. Standards in ICT are below those expected for 7 and 11-year-olds. This is a less favourable picture than at the time of the last inspection. By Year 2 the children have made sound progress in most aspects of the subject. The progress of pupils from Years 3 to 6 is more variable, and their skills, knowledge and understanding have been insufficiently developed by the time they are 11 years old. Pupils with special educational needs make insufficient progress, as do those pupils with English as an additional language, although their language acquisition of specific terms is good.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

129. The teaching of ICT is unsatisfactory overall. The school has adopted the nationally recommended scheme and in some classes this is used effectively to teach some of the skills, particularly in Years 2, 4 and 5. But the school has not yet adapted the scheme sufficiently to ensure that the requirements of the National Curriculum are fully covered. Many of the activities, particularly in Key Stage 2, are worksheet exercises rather than practical computer work. Consequently, the pupils are learning about computers rather than using them. In a Year 3 lesson only 4 pupils had the opportunity to enter information into data fields while the rest of the class completed a comprehension exercise using worksheets to find information from a data file.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

130. Across the school, there are aspects that require attention. These include presenting and sharing ideas in a range of ways and collecting information from many different sources. The children in Years 3 to 6 also need to improve their skills in assembling and organising text, tables, images and sounds. Teachers' subject knowledge is variable and in some instances the teachers’ lack of a working knowledge of the resources limits the progress that the pupils can make. In several classes, lengthy explanation would have been avoided if the projector had been used to illustrate the program, rather than the class just talking about it. Uses of ICT are beginning to be developed across the curriculum. A computer-made graph was used to illustrate how much traffic used the bypass over a five-minute period as part of the Year 2 study of the local environment. Year 4 pupils used an art package to create symmetrical

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

patterns to be used for calendars and Year 6 pupils wrote stories based upon information they had researched on evacuation in England during the Second World War. The teacher for special educational needs uses ICT effectively for individual pupils to learn and practise language skills through well structured programmes. In general, however, uses of ICT across the curriculum are under-developed and very few examples were noted in English, mathematics and science. 131. Overall, the teachers have not found suitable ways of organising work based upon access to 2 computers in their classes and one lesson each week. As a result, pupils St Andrew’s Primary School - 39 get insufficient opportunities to learn and apply their skills, knowledge and understanding, and progress is too slow. Where teachers have reorganised their timetables, in Year 2 for example, all pupils have sufficient time to learn the procedures successfully and sound progress is made. In this class the teacher

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

planned several sessions during the week to work with groups of children, using a robot, whilst the rest of the class took turns to work with the classroom assistant at other tasks. Similarly, the Year 5 teacher used portable computers successfully in a lesson, so that all the children could learn to use a spreadsheet program to work out the cost of a party.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

132. The pupils enjoy using ICT. They listen attentively to instructions and work well together. Those with more advanced skills are generous with their help for the less knowledgeable. A small number of pupils are very proficient. A Year 5 boy knew exactly how to restore sound to a computer that would not play 'wave' sounds in a science lesson. Having quietly 'fixed it', the pupils and teacher could then benefit from the intended demonstration.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

133. The co-ordinator is new to the school. She brings a level of subject knowledge that is needed. She has already identified that resourcing, training and management of the subject need attention. The school has recognised this and monitoring of lessons is due to begin next year. The hardware resources are adequate, but need to be organised to provide each class with sufficient ‘hands-on’ experience. The current software needs attention to ensure that each strand of the subject has the appropriate programs and that they are matched to the age and ability of the pupils. The scheme of work also needs further attention and its use needs monitoring. Most staff have further training needs in order for them to be sufficiently competent in ICT to be able to raise standards.

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MUSIC

134. By the end of Year 6, standards in music are below average. This is a less positive picture than during the last inspection, when standards were judged to be in line with national expectations. All pupils were heard singing during worship and this was generally tuneful and enthusiastic.

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MUSIC

135. Opportunities for composing and appraising music within class lessons is inconsistent. Standards in these aspects contribute to the below average judgement. In addition, although a published scheme is in place, there is insufficient continuity and progression in the pupils’ skills. Teaching in Key Stage 2 is sound overall with some that is good. For instance, in a good Year 5 lesson some children demonstrated knowledge of a variety of musical terms and notation, such as crotchet, minim, glissando, ostinato, dynamics and structure. They worked well in groups to refine their previous compositions using a variety of instruments. The teacher’s good knowledge of the subject enabled her to manage the activity well, so that children applied creative effort and made progress in the lesson. Another good feature of the lesson was the use of instruments from various parts of the world, including African drums. Most of

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MUSIC

these were on loan from the County, or other local services, or owned by the teacher.

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MUSIC

136. However, in a Year 6 lesson, the class were working on skills that could be expected of younger pupils, such as practising clapping rhythmic patterns to syllables of various place names. There was a missed opportunity for the teacher to move their learning on by introducing standard notation rather than additional place-names. 137. There is a shared commitment in the school to improving provision in music as a valued subject that can contribute much to pupils’ creative and social development. St Andrew’s Primary School - 40 The headteacher’s enthusiasm for and involvement in traditional folk music has led to success in achieving grant funding over two years. The resulting ‘Folkworks’ project involves over 30 pupils from St Andrews and two other local schools. This has given children opportunities to learn how to play tin whistle, guitar and bodhran, and there are plans for the group to perform at folk festivals. There is a recorder club and some

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MUSIC

children are being taught to play the violin by peripatetic teachers. Key Stage 2 pupils enjoy being involved in music services or other concert events, which take place in school and are very well attended by parents and other members of the local community. There are plans to increase pupils’ access to and knowledge of a wider variety of music by bringing more visiting musicians to the school, within the limits of available contacts or finances.

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MUSIC

138. A group of Year 6 pupils was able to recall a small number of music pieces, which they had listened to in lessons or assembly, of a folk or classical nature. More opportunities could be provided for pupils to listen and respond to the music played as they walk into the hall and to learn about the composers. There is also scope for extending pupils’ access to a range of music from a variety of different cultures.

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MUSIC

139. The newly appointed music co-ordinator has considerable strengths and expertise in this area and is already leading the subject soundly. Her knowledge can be capitalised upon in order to bring about improvements across the school and move the subject forward. She is aware that staff development is required in order to increase teacher expertise and confidence at Key Stages 1 and 2. Although the published scheme provides a sound framework for non-specialist teachers, there is awareness that this needs further exploration. Monitoring and evaluation of teachers’ planning and lesson observations is also an identified priority. Opportunities for the use of ICT to make music have not yet been provided. Time allocation for teaching music is inconsistent across the school and should be considered in future plans.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

140 Standards are average by Year 6. Over the year, pupils take part in a range of activities in dance, gymnastics and games. In addition, older pupils are given opportunities to join in the extra-curricular sporting activities and these support the learning appropriately. No lessons were seen in Years 1 and 2. The children have appropriate provision for swimming and by the time they reach the age of eleven, almost all of them reach the expected national standard of being able to swim 25 metres. The school has achieved an Active Mark award for its thorough documentation and organisation of the curriculum. The teachers in Years 1 and 2 are skilled gymnast trainers and work together to ensure the children experience a good range of activities.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

141. Only one lesson was seen, in Year 6. Pupils’ standards were below average in this lesson. There was not enough specific intervention by the teacher to reinforce position and stance. As a result, the children did not reach average standards in receiving and returning the ball, using the appropriate tennis strokes. A group of children with behaviour difficulties demonstrated a lack of concentration during the lesson and other pupils were affected by the over-active responses of these children. Consequently all of them could only show the standards of their own tennis skills when the teacher directed small demonstration groups to work in front of the whole class. This was a successful strategy and indicated that most children are making satisfactory progress. The teacher ensured that the children always returned quietly to the task after any disturbance and managed the difficult relationships appropriately.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

The majority of the children listened to their teacher’s instructions and tried hard to St Andrew’s Primary School - 41 improve their performance. The lesson plan was drawn from a Local Education Authority scheme and not always sufficiently adapted to meet the needs of the class. The lesson had a good structure, but was not designed to move at the pace appropriate for the children and more reinforcement was needed than the plan allowed.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

142. The subject is supported appropriately by the co-ordinator, who has good subject knowledge. She advises other teachers on how to organise the curriculum and helps them recognise and improve standards. There is a small range of out of school sport and games activities. Both boys and girls join in. The co-ordinator leads the subject appropriately, is enthusiastic and has good expertise. There is an appropriate scheme of work which gives the staff confidence and ensures the curriculum is covered sufficiently well.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

143. By the end of Year 2, attainment is in line with the objectives set out in the Durham Agreed Syllabus for religious education. This indicates that standards have been maintained since the previous inspection. Pupils achieve steadily until they reach Year 6, where standards decline. In this year group, knowledge and understanding is at a lower level than is expected of pupils of this age and standards are not as good as at the time of the previous inspection. This is mainly as a result of work being pitched at too low a level for pupils of this age. The work seen in books across the school indicates that pupils with special educational needs and those pupils for whom English is an additional language are making sound progress.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

144. Pupils in Year 1 write their own views on why Christmas is a special time for Christians. They write about Saint Cuthbert’s love of animals and Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. By the end of Year 2, pupils have a satisfactory knowledge and understanding of the main features of Christianity and Islam. Following a visit to St Andrew’s Church, work in books shows a satisfactory knowledge of the features of a church. Their writing also indicates that they have a sound understanding of aspects of another major world faith, as in their accounts of the story of the prophet Mohammed receiving the word of God during his time spent in the desert.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

145. Pupils build upon this knowledge as they move through the school. Higher attaining pupils in Year 3, write sensitively about Jesus as a special person seen through the eyes of Mary. Pupils in Year 4 study the nature of forgiveness and relate this theme to stories about the Prodigal Son and Zaccheus. Following a visit to Saint Helen’s Church, they made effective use of their literacy skills as they described the church as a ‘peaceful and relaxed’ place and compared this with the feelings people might have in different types of buildings, such as hospitals. The work of pupils in Year 5 indicates that they are developing a satisfactory understanding of different beliefs and practices as they learn about the Hindu celebration of Diwali.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

146. The unsatisfactory quality of recorded work in Year 6 and discussions with the pupils indicates that they are not acquiring the knowledge and understanding expected of pupils of this age. This is for a range of reasons. There are not enough opportunities for the pupils to record their own views. The teacher relies too heavily on prepared worksheets that provide little challenge to the majority of pupils in the class. Pupils are not given sufficient opportunities to make a reflective and informed responses to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of religious education. St Andrew’s Primary School - 42 147. Teaching is satisfactory. Work in books indicates that a particular strength in Years 1 to 5 lies in the opportunities provided for pupils to write independently. This allows them to express their own views and enables the teacher to assess the pupils’ knowledge and understanding at a more individual level.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

148. Management of the subject is satisfactory. The co-ordinator monitors planning, manages resources and provides support for colleagues. However, there is no system in place to check that the level of work completed by pupils in every year group matches the expectations of the programme of study. As a result, the co- ordinator does not have a clear overview of standards. The subject has been identified as a priority for improvement by the school and monitoring of the teaching and learning is due to begin in September. Long and medium term planning are appropriately detailed and matched to the programme of study. However, weekly lesson planning does not provide enough detail on exactly what is to be learned by the end of each lesson by the different ability groups. The subject makes a good contribution to the pupils’ personal development, particularly in opportunities to learn about the beliefs and values of others.

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