Sarisbury Church of England Junior School

SARISBURY C OF E JUNIOR SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: February 10 th –13 th 2003

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SARISBURY C OF E JUNIOR SCHOOL

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

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SARISBURY C OF E JUNIOR 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. Sarisbury C of E Junior - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Allotment Road Sarisbury Green Southampton

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The Governing Body

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Mrs D Lander

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: November 24 th – 28 th 1997 Sarisbury C of E Junior - 4

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responsibilities

22870 Hilary Bonser Registered inspector Religious education; geography. The school’s results and achievements; Teaching and learning; Leadership and management. 9646 Geraldine Osment Lay inspector Attitudes, values and personal development; Care and welfare of pupils; Partnership with parents. 14997 Valerie Emery Team inspector Science; music. Personal, spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. 12367 Anthony Green Team inspector Mathematics; design and technology; special educational needs; English as an additional language. 24891 Jackie Johnson Team inspector Information and communication technology; history; educational inclusion. Learning opportunities.

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responsibilities

30705 Graham Stephens Team inspector English; art and design; physical education. Sarisbury C of E Junior - 5 The inspection contractor was:

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responsibilities

Serco QAA Herringston Barn Herringston Dorchester Dorset DT2 9PU

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responsibilities

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

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responsibilities

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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responsibilities

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Sarisbury C of E Junior - 6

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 7

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

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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS? 11

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Sarisbury Church of England Junior School is a voluntary controlled school in a residential area just outside Southampton. It draws most of its pupils from the local neighbourhood, but some come from a wider area. The school is larger than average, with 314 boys and girls from 7 to 11 years of age. Pupils’ attainment on entry to the school varies in some year groups, but is well above average overall. There are 20 per cent of the pupils on the school’s register for special educational needs, mainly as a result of learning difficulties, although a few have behavioural difficulties. This is a little below the national average. At present, less than one per cent have Statements of Special Educational Need, which is below average. Many pupils come from relatively advantaged backgrounds and the proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is below average. Very few pupils come from ethnic minority groups

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

and none are at an early stage of speaking English as an additional language. Over three-quarters of the teachers have joined the school since the last inspection. A new headteacher took up his post in January 2002, following a term when the deputy headteacher acted in that capacity.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

Sarisbury Junior School is a good school with many strong features. Standards in English and mathematics in particular, but also in science, have risen because the overall quality of teaching is good. This means that pupils now achieve well by the time they leave the school at the end of Year 6. Pupils behave well and are keen to learn. The headteacher, governors and staff work together well as a team and are fully committed to continuing to improve standards for all pupils. The school provides good value for money.

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What the school does well

• Standards in both English and mathematics are now high and pupils of all levels of attainment do well because they are taught well. • The headteacher provides very good leadership, working closely with all staff and governors to overcome weaknesses and to bring about good improvements in pupils’ achievement and standards of work. • The school cares very well for its pupils, providing good support and guidance for them; together with the very good relationships between all members of the school community, this makes a strong contribution to pupils’ positive attitudes towards school. • The school promotes pupils’ personal development very well, successfully encouraging them to behave well, to get on very well together and to work hard. • The school provides very well for pupils with special educational needs and skilled learning support assistants provide very effective help for their learning. • The very good partnership with parents contributes very positively to pupils’ learning.

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What could be improved

• Standards in science, which, although above average, are not yet as high as those in English and mathematics. • Some inconsistencies that remain in the overall good quality of teaching and learning. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school was last inspected in November 1997 and since then there has been a good improvement overall. The rate of improvement was slowed initially by the high turnover of staff. However, effective action by the school, especially following the appointment of the present headteacher, has addressed Sarisbury C of E Junior - 8 the weaknesses identified in the last report well. In particular, higher attaining pupils now do well because they are challenged more effectively and all pupils have better opportunities to develop their creative skills. There have been very good improvements in standards and achievement in information and communication technology. In addition, the quality of teaching and learning has improved from satisfactory to good. A well-focused programme of staff training has helped to bring this about. The national literacy and numeracy strategies have been implemented well and a very rigorous system has

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

been put in place for tracking pupils’ progress and setting year group targets to raise standards further. The increasing impact of these changes can already be seen in the rise in standards and pupils’ achievements in English and mathematics over the last year. There is a strong, shared commitment in the school to continue to raise standards and the quality of teaching and learning. The school is well placed to make further improvements.

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Key

English B A A C well above average above average A B mathematics A B B C average below average C D science B B B C well below average E

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Key

The performance of this group of pupils, a number of whom joined the school after Year 3, represented satisfactory achievement when comparing their results with those of their Year 2 tests. Over the last three years, results in all three subjects have improved steadily, keeping pace with national trends.

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Key

Pupils’ work and lesson observations show that standards at the end of the current Year 6 have improved further in the last year and are now well above average in English and mathematics, with more pupils reaching the higher Level 5. Standards in science are above average. They are not yet as high as in English and mathematics, partly because pupils’ scientific skills are not yet as secure as their knowledge and also because the subject has not been a particular focus for development over the last year. Standards are also above average in information and communication technology and in design and technology. The school is likely to meet its own challenging targets, which are higher than the statutory targets set for this year group. Pupils of all levels of attainment, including those with special educational needs, now achieve well overall in relation to their prior attainment, although inspection evidence shows

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Key

that their rate of progress is more rapid in some year groups than others, reflecting differences in the quality of teaching.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Good; pupils enjoy coming to school; they are enthusiastic and keen to learn.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Good overall in lessons and at play. One exclusion only in the last year.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Very good overall; relationships are very good between pupils of all ages and with all of the adults in school.

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Aspect Comment

Attendance Very good; well above the national average. Sarisbury C of E Junior - 9 Boys and girls alike co-operate together very well and take a real interest in their work. Year 6 pupils provide an excellent example to younger pupils of good behaviour, responsibility, hard work and thoughtfulness.

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Teaching of pupils in: Years 3 – 6

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

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Teaching of pupils in: Years 3 – 6

The overall quality of teaching is good and has improved since the last inspection. Very little unsatisfactory teaching was seen. As a result, pupils learn well in most lessons. Basic literacy and numeracy skills are taught very well across the school. Teaching is very good in English and good overall in mathematics, although several examples of excellent teaching were seen in this subject in Year 6. Teaching is also good overall in information and communication technology and science. This has contributed significantly to the improvements in standards and in the achievements of pupils of all levels of attainment in these subjects. Within this positive picture, there are variations in the overall quality of teaching between year groups, ranging from satisfactory to very good, which are reflected in pupils’ rate of learning.

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Teaching of pupils in: Years 3 – 6

The school now meets the needs of all girls and boys well, including higher attaining pupils and those with special educational needs. In well-taught lessons across the school, teachers match work well to pupils’ particular needs. They manage pupils very well, using a very good variety of methods and resources to provide challenging and interesting activities. As a result, pupils work hard, with a very good sense of purpose, and make good progress. In some lessons where work is not so well matched and teachers do not manage pupils as effectively, the pace of learning slows as pupils become restless and lose concentration.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum Good overall; enriched well by visits and visitors and a good range of extra- curricular activities.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Very good; pupils have clear achievable targets and are supported very well by teachers and skilled learning support assistants. They are included well in all activities.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with English as an additional language No additional provision is made at present for the very few pupils who speak English as an additional language as they are fluent in English and their needs are met well within class.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Very good overall; very good provision for moral and social development; good for spiritual and cultural development.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils Very well; a strong emphasis on promoting self-esteem contributes very well to their personal development. Sarisbury C of E Junior - 10 The school has a very good partnership with parents and this makes a strong contribution to pupils’ learning.

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and manage- ment by the headteacher and other key staff Very good overall; very good leadership by the headteacher, very well supported by the deputy headteacher and senior management team, and good teamwork between all staff.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Well; they take an active and effective part in the management of the school.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance Very good overall; strengths and weaknesses are analysed very well and a rigorous system for tracking and improving pupils’ progress is now in place.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources Good; available funds are used effectively to support the school’s priorities.

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Aspect Comment

The headteacher has established a very clear sense of direction, shared by the whole school community and focused on improving standards and achievement for all pupils. The school works well to apply the principles of best value when making decisions. A good level of staffing contributes very well to pupils’ learning. A satisfactory level of resources and sound accommodation are used well to create a stimulating learning environment for pupils.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• Their children enjoy coming to school. • Their children are well taught. They are expected to work hard, do their best and they make good progress. • The school is well led and managed and works closely with parents. • The school is approachable and responsive to their views and concerns. • The children are well behaved and the school helps them to become mature and responsible. • The amount of homework given.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

Inspection findings support the very positive views parents have of the school. With regard to their concerns about homework, the team found that it is well organised and contributes positively to pupils’ learning. Sarisbury C of E Junior - 11

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

1. Results in the 2002 National Curriculum tests at the end of Year 6, based on average points, were well above average in English and above average in mathematics and science in comparison with all schools nationally. Compared to schools of a similar context, the results were average in all three subjects. However, these comparisons should be interpreted with care, as an indication of achievement, as a quarter of that particular year group of pupils joined the school from outside the local area or after Year 3. The school’s detailed analysis of individual results shows that these represented satisfactory achievement overall in relation to pupils’ performance in their national tests at the end of Year 2.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

2. Over the last three years, standards overall have risen steadily, keeping pace with national trends, in spite of the considerable turnover of teachers in the period following the last inspection. The most notable improvements have been in standards in writing over the last two years and in the increased proportion of pupils reaching the higher Level 5. This indicates that the school has improved the rate of progress made by higher attaining pupils, which was described as unsatisfactory in the previous report. Over the last three years, the relative performance of boys and girls is not significantly different from the national picture.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

3. Pupils’ overall attainment on entry to the school in Year 3, based on Year 2 test results, is well above average overall. However, in a few year groups, there has been a higher than usual turnover of pupils, as in the Year 6 group, both this year and last year. In these, fewer pupils reached the higher Level 3 in their test results in English, mathematics and science at the end of Year 2. This means their prior attainment is not quite as high as in other year groups.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

4. Past work and lesson observations reflect continuing improvements in standards at the end of Year 6 from those in the 2002 test results. Standards are now well above average in both English and mathematics and above average in science. In all three subjects this is an improvement since the last inspection. Analysis and comparison of individual performance in the Year 2 national tests shows that boys and girls of all levels of attainment achieve well overall by the time they leave the school at the end of Year 6. However, their rate of progress is more rapid in some classes than others, reflecting differences in the quality of teaching. In Year 6, for example, pupils make very good progress in English and mathematics as a result of the very good teaching.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

5. The improvements in standards and the achievement of pupils of all levels of attainment reflect improvements in the quality of teaching and learning, which is now good overall. A number of other factors have contributed to the rise in standards in English and mathematics. These include the well-planned setting of pupils for some lessons in Year 6, making good use of ‘booster’ funding, and the provision of extension groups this year for higher attaining pupils across all year groups. The school makes good use of initiatives, such as the further and additional literacy strategies, for pupils in need of extra help and makes very good provision for pupils with special educational needs. The effective implementation of the national literacy and numeracy strategies has an increasing impact on standards. Underlying this is the very focused use now made of a rigorous system for tracking pupils’ progress and setting targets for school improvement. Assessment

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

information is used well in these subjects to identify and remedy specific areas of weakness. A good example of this was the successful focus on raising standards in writing last year. The good behaviour and positive attitudes that most boys and girls have towards their work also contribute to their achievements. As a result, the school is likely to meet its own challenging targets set for this year, as part of their wholehearted commitment to continuing to raise standards.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

6. Pupils achieve well In English. Standards in speaking and listening are well above average at the end of Year 6 because teachers provide many well-used opportunities across the curriculum for pupils to practise their skills. They also place a strong emphasis on extending pupils‘ vocabulary. Sarisbury C of E Junior - 12 Consequently, by the time they leave the school, pupils listen very attentively to their teacher and to each other. They make articulate, thoughtful contributions to discussions. This makes a good contribution to their learning in all subjects. Standards in reading are also well above average. Pupils are enthusiastic readers, and show a good understanding of what they read and the varying styles of authors. Standards in writing are now well above average by the end of Year 6 following an effective and continuing school focus in this area. Teachers make good use of opportunities in

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

other subjects to reinforce and extend pupils’ literacy skills.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

7. Standards are well above average in most aspects of mathematics by the end Year 6. They are above average in using and applying mathematics and this area is currently a priority for development throughout the school. Pupils now achieve well in mathematics. Improvements in the quality of teaching, including some excellent teaching in Year 6, have contributed strongly to this. Teachers plan challenging interesting activities that are matched well to pupils’ differing needs and interest them. They use information and communication technology satisfactorily to support pupils’ learning and make good use of opportunities in other subjects for pupils to practise their mathematical skills.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

8. Standards in science are above average by the end of Year 6. Pupils’ progress is improving as a result of overall good teaching. They now achieve satisfactorily, whereas their progress was described as unsatisfactory in the previous report. Standards in scientific investigation have also improved but are not yet as high as in other aspects of the subject as they are not developed systematically enough. The school has identified this appropriately as an area for further development.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

9. Standards in information and communication technology are above average at the end of Year 6 and pupils achieve well in relation to their prior attainment as a result of good teaching. This is a very good improvement from the unsatisfactory position described in the last inspection. The confidence and skills of teachers have increased significantly as a result of good quality training. This enables them to make good use of the new resources, such as the computer suite, to improve pupils’ skills in the subject and to help them apply these in support of their learning across the curriculum.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

10. In religious education, standards meet the expectations of the locally agreed syllabus at the end of Year 6. Pupils achieve satisfactorily overall. They reflect well on their own experiences and those of others, as this aspect is taught well. This helps pupils to understand and respect the ideas and values of other people. This makes a very good contribution to their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Their knowledge of world religions is less secure, as it is not always developed in sufficient depth for older pupils.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

11. By the end of Year 6, standards are average in art and design, history, geography, music and physical education and pupils achieve satisfactorily. In design and technology, standards are above average and pupils achieve well. Reasons for this include good planning that helps them to build steadily on previous learning and the good progress they make in designing and evaluating their work.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

12. Pupils with special educational needs achieve well and make good gains in their learning, relative to their prior attainment. They make good progress towards their individual targets because of well- matched work and the very good support given by learning support assistants. Pupils whose targets are linked to behaviour make good progress towards these. The school is extending the successful use of individual behaviour plans to support teachers in classes where some disruptive behaviour is not being consistently and effectively managed and slows the pace of learning.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

13. Higher attaining pupils now achieve well, especially in English and mathematics, because of well- matched challenging work and increased opportunities to extend their knowledge and skills in extension groups. No significant differences in the achievements of boys and girls were noted during the inspection. One reason for this is that, in English and mathematics particularly, assessment information is carefully analysed to identify any year-to-year variations. Planning and Sarisbury C of E Junior - 13 resources are adjusted accordingly, for example, in the choice of topics for writing or ensuring that the library includes a good range of books that would appeal to boys as well as to girls.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

14. The pupils have positive attitudes to school that enhance their learning and enable them to achieve well. Pupils’ attitudes to work are often closely linked to how well teachers plan lessons to meet the needs of the whole class. For example, during a good Year 5 lesson, the pupils were all on task and involved as they wrote procedures to control a set of traffic lights. However, in some other lessons pupils became restless and did not always concentrate fully. This was seen in a Year 3 science lesson, for example, when the pupils were planning and carrying out a test to investigate the absorbency of different types of paper. Ninety-one per cent of the parents who responded to the pre-inspection questionnaire said that their children like school. This was evident during an interview with Year 6 pupils when they were very positive about all aspects of the school. Pupils’ good attitudes make an important contribution to the high standards in the school.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

15. A significant majority of the parents who responded to the pre-inspection questionnaire believe that behaviour in the school is good. The inspection team supports this view and also judge behaviour to be good overall. In Year 6, however, the pupils behave very well and at times their behaviour is excellent. In lessons, they are prepared to work hard and their productivity is high. Around the school they are excellent role models for younger pupils. In other year groups, some pupils are less self-disciplined, although their behaviour is good around the school and in lessons when teachers are firm and consistent in their approach. An example of this was seen in a very good Year 4 geography lesson, but in a Year 3 numeracy lesson, the teacher allowed too high a noise level, the pace of the lesson was only satisfactory and not all the pupils were fully occupied. Pupils behave well at break and lunchtimes, responding well to the good supervision; their play is

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

friendly and good-natured. There were no signs of bullying, racist or oppressive behaviour. There was one exclusion last year for inappropriate behaviour. Good behaviour is contributing positively, helping most pupils to learn and achieve well, and reflects their good moral development. The school is successfully meeting one of its aims to ‘constantly strive for the highest standards of academic achievement and behaviour’.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

16. Pupils with special educational needs have good attitudes to class, group and individual activities. They try hard to meet their targets as identified on their individual education plans. They usually listen well in lessons and respond enthusiastically to appropriate questions. Their response in classes grouped by attainment, small withdrawal groups or to individual activities is good, and often very good. A few pupils with particular behavioural difficulties often find it hard to concentrate.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

17. Pupils’ personal development is very good. This is better than reported at the inspection of November 1997 and shows that the school has successfully addressed a key issue from that report relating to pupils’ initiative and creativity. Pupils’ spiritual development is good. The pride they show in their achievements, the respect they show for the ideas of others and their thoughtful contribution to discussions in circle times show this well. A very high percentage of parents who responded to the pre-inspection questionnaire feel that the school is helping their child become mature and responsible. Year 6 pupils show these characteristics very well, in the way they conduct their duties with dignity. Many other pupils have responsibilities that they carry out sensibly, including those as classroom monitors and, for Year 5, in their library duties. There are very good and warm relationships between staff and pupils and between the pupils themselves,

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

built on mutual trust and respect. This was clearly seen in an orchestra rehearsal when the musicians showed good awareness of each other’s performances. Pupils work very well together in small groups and pairs, for example, in a Year 6 numeracy lesson when the pupils discussed their work on pie charts with 3 or 4 sectors. The sense of responsibility that most pupils have in class and towards the school community illustrates their very good social development and has a positive impact on their behaviour and attitudes to learning. Through their activities in art, music and literacy, in particular, pupils show a growing awareness of their own cultural traditions, while their interest and respect in the traditions of other cultures was illustrated well by the response of Year 3 pupils to their visit to a synagogue. Sarisbury C of E Junior - 14

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

18. The quality of teaching is good overall and pupils learn well in many lessons. This contributes well to the good overall achievement of pupils. The quality of teaching and learning was good or better in three-fifths of the lessons seen. It was very good or excellent in over a quarter of lessons. Very little unsatisfactory teaching was seen. This is an improvement from the time of the last report, when a sixth of lessons seen were unsatisfactory. Only two of the class teachers were in post during the last inspection. Effective staff training has contributed to the strengths evident in many key areas of teaching and learning. The willingness of teachers to work together and their determination to continue to improve the quality of learning for all of their pupils are also important factors in this. However, while examples of very good teaching were seen in all year groups, the overall quality of teaching, and consequently the rate of pupils’ learning, varies from satisfactory to

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

very good between year groups. This is largely because some inconsistencies of approach remain, especially in the effectiveness with which teachers manage pupils and in planning. In some year groups, staff sickness this year has made it more difficult to tackle these.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

19. Teaching is very good overall in English and good overall in mathematics and science. In mathematics, several examples of excellent teaching were observed in Year 6. This is an improvement in all three core subjects since the last inspection. Teaching is also good in information and communication technology, contributing to the significant improvement in standards and achievement in this subject, which were weaknesses at the time of the last inspection. No teaching was seen in design and technology and not enough in history to make overall judgements about its quality. Teaching is satisfactory overall in religious education, art and design, geography, music and physical education.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

20. Basic literacy and numeracy skills are taught very well overall. One reason for this is that teachers and subject managers have worked hard to implement the national literacy and numeracy strategies well, making good use of external training. This helps pupils to achieve well. A good example was seen in a guided reading session in Year 5 for a group of higher attaining pupils. The teacher used skilful, probing questioning, which showed her own very good knowledge of the subject, to lead a challenging discussion on the author’s use of language in portraying character in which the pupils were fully engrossed. The way in which she built on their responses led to rapid learning, for example, in their use of the text to extract information about the relationships between the ‘Snargets’ in ‘Stig of the Dump’.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

21. In an outstanding Year 6 mental arithmetic session for lower attaining pupils, the teacher’s own lively and engaging approach made pupils very keen to answer. She used very clear explanations, very good resources and brisk, skilful questioning to target, involve and challenge pupils with differing needs. As a result, they made excellent progress in learning to multiply and divide by tens and in applying this to solving problems. Other reasons for pupils’ good achievement include the very effective support given to pupils with special educational needs and those receiving extra help through the additional and further literacy strategies. ‘Booster’ classes in Year 6 enable pupils to be taught in smaller groups for some lessons, while the extension classes for higher attaining pupils in both literacy and numeracy in all year groups provide a good level of challenge for them.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

22. The quality of teaching for pupils with special educational needs is good and contributes well to the good progress they make. Work is generally well matched to their specific needs, especially when they are in lessons grouped by prior attainment for English and mathematics or withdrawn from classes to work with learning support assistants. Pupils are challenged and their targets are met. Individual education plans are kept up to date and targets are reviewed regularly by the special needs co-ordinator, the class teacher and the learning support assistants. Very good use is made of individual ‘Target’ books for English and mathematics. Specific targets are shared with pupils and regularly assessed with them so that they are aware of their own progress. There is generally good liaison between the learning support assistants and class teachers and the co- ordinator for special needs. These help the learning support assistants to provide very well focused

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

support for pupils, which has a positive impact on their learning. However, liaison between teachers and learning support assistants varies from year group to year group with some assistants being given copies of lesson plans well ahead of the lesson, whilst others only receive Sarisbury C of E Junior - 15 these at short notice or, at times, not at all. Learning support assistants give good feedback to teachers about pupils’ progress in the form of formal and informal notes, which they discuss with the class teacher in order to decide what the pupils should learn next. Teachers who teach groups that contain pupils not normally in their class have a good knowledge of the pupils with special educational needs. They use this well to support their learning and manage them well. No additional provision is made for the very small number of pupils who speak English as an additional language, as they are fluent in English. Their needs are met well by class teachers.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

23. In many lessons, there are strong features that contribute to the good attitudes pupils have towards their learning. There are very good relationships between staff and pupils throughout the school which help to motivate pupils well. Teachers and learning support assistants have a very good knowledge of individual pupils and they use this sensitively to support their learning and to promote their self-esteem and personal development. They work hard and successfully, to ensure that every pupil, irrespective of their culture, social background or level of attainment is included in all activities and feels fully part of the class. This contributes very well to the respect that pupils show for each other. Teachers listen to and value pupils’ ideas, helping them to develop their confidence in expressing them. Many very good examples of this were seen in lessons across the school. It means that pupils are keen to share their ideas and to learn readily from their mistakes.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

24. Teachers deploy their learning support assistants well, so that their skilled support has a very positive impact on pupils' learning. They make good use of additional help from a number of parents. Many examples were seen of teachers using good questioning skills in whole class sessions, to involve pupils of all levels of attainment and to ensure, for example, that boys and girls were equally involved. Good attention is given to the needs of higher attaining pupils so that they now achieve as well as other groups of pupils. This is a good improvement since the last inspection. Teachers are careful to choose resources and interesting activities that are relevant to pupils and arouse their interest. Many lessons are conducted at a brisk pace with a good variety of learning activities that keep pupils on their toes and help them to concentrate well. As a result, in the majority of lessons, and especially by the time they reach Year 6, pupils listen well, they are

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

keen to learn and work hard, showing how well they can concentrate and co-operate together. Teachers use a good range of assessment strategies to monitor pupils’ learning and to decide what to teach next. Good examples were seen of teachers adjusting planning in the light of pupils’ responses in lessons.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

25. The positive impact of such features on pupils’ rate of learning was illustrated in many lessons, such as a very well taught religious education lesson for Year 6 pupils. From the moment the pupils entered the classroom, clearly established routines and the pupils’ excellent response to the teacher’s very high expectations of them meant that not a moment was wasted during the lesson. The teacher used very skilful questioning to review and extend previous learning about freedom. The well-chosen taped extracts of fictional people, describing the circumstances of their loss of freedom, captured the full attention of all of the pupils. They rose very well to the challenge of presenting a lawyer’s brief to free them from imprisonment and in this showed how very well their understanding of the issues involved had deepened.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

26. There are some aspects of teaching, where, although examples of good or very good practice were seen, there is some inconsistency between teachers. This frequently made the difference between good and very good teaching and satisfactory lessons. Most evident is the variation in the effectiveness and consistency with which teachers manage their pupils. In well-taught lessons, teachers helped pupils to meet their very high expectations of behaviour and attitudes to work by creating a calm and very purposeful atmosphere in lessons. They applied agreed strategies very consistently to support pupils with behavioural difficulties and had established clear procedures for all pupils, for example, when working independently, in pairs or groups, which they were insistent that pupils followed at all times. In lessons where teachers’ expectations were less consistent, pupils made less effort, lost concentration easily and a few indulged in silly behaviour when not

p.15

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

directly supervised. This slowed their rate of learning.

p.15

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

27. Teachers work together very well. They plan well and thoroughly together in year groups and ensure successfully that pupils in each class have similar opportunities and that their work is set Sarisbury C of E Junior - 16 in relevant, interesting contexts that motivate them well. However, in year groups where teachers take individual responsibility for planning particular subjects for the whole year group, lessons are not always as well matched to the needs of pupils in each class as in those year groups where teachers plan collaboratively. Consequently, opportunities are also lost for sharing good practice.

p.15

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

28. In a few lessons, too long was spent on oral introductions, so that some pupils became restless and lost interest. It sometimes meant, as well, that not enough time was left at the end of the lesson to review pupils’ learning effectively. Although lessons are planned with clear objectives, not all teachers share these effectively with pupils. In the best examples, teachers not only discussed the objectives with pupils so they knew exactly what they should be learning, but kept pupils tightly focused by returning to them during the lesson. At the end, they encouraged pupils to evaluate their work against them, so that they knew how well they were doing. There is considerable variation in the usefulness of the marking of pupils’ work. Teachers do not yet use individual or group curricular targets effectively in English and mathematics lessons to help pupils focus on particular areas for improvement and to move their learning on, except for those pupils

p.16

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

with special educational needs, where good practice is evident across the school. Teachers make good use of opportunities across the curriculum to extend pupils’ literacy and mathematical skills and to support their learning in other subjects. They make satisfactory use of such opportunities in information and communication technology.

p.16

STUDENTS?

29. The curricular provision is good and has improved since the last inspection. The lack of skills teaching in mathematics, science and history, which was noted in the last inspection report has been addressed and this is beginning to have a positive impact on learning. The school has also identified the enhancement of investigative work in mathematics and science as areas for further development. The school now provides better opportunities for creative and independent work, for example during the regular ‘Focus weeks’. The curriculum overall is broad, well balanced and fulfils the requirements of the National Curriculum well. It also meets requirements for religious education and collective worship. It includes French and German for pupils in Year 6 for part of the year. Its good quality and range contribute well to the good achievement of the pupils.

p.16

STUDENTS?

30. The continuity of pupils’ learning as they move between schools was noted in the last inspection report as being an area for further development. While links with partner primary schools, the secondary school and the infant school are good overall, the development of curricular links with the infant school are still in the process of being developed. At present they are less effective than those that exist for pupils from Year 6 to Year 7 and continuity of learning is not totally secure, particularly in those subjects that are not tested nationally at the end of Year 2.

p.16

STUDENTS?

31. The school’s very effective provision for pupils with special educational needs contributes well to the good progress they make overall towards their individual targets. The co-ordinator, and the temporary co-ordinator in her absence, is ensuring that the new Code of Practice is being implemented well. Teachers and learning support assistants have attended training sessions within school to become familiar with it. The varied needs of the pupils on the school’s special needs register are catered for very well, especially in individual and small group work through very careful planning and choice of activities. This helps them to have equal access to the curriculum. The school takes good care to ensure that the needs of both boys and girls are met, for example, through careful monitoring and analysis of variations in pupils’ reading habits so that resources can be adjusted accordingly. 32. The literacy and numeracy strategies have been established well overall, with good attention paid

p.16

STUDENTS?

to providing for pupils of differing levels of attainment. Pupils are usually taught in mixed ability classes and tasks are well matched to the range of pupils' needs. Groups of higher attaining pupils are withdrawn from each year group for one literacy and one numeracy lesson each week and are taught as an extra class. This benefits all pupils in each year group as classes are smaller and the challenge of lessons can be finely tuned. In Year 6, for some English and mathematics lessons, pupils are taught in four ability groups, again to respond to pupils’ needs more precisely. Sarisbury C of E Junior - 17 Planning for higher attaining pupils has been improved considerably since the last inspection, so that their needs are now met well.

p.16

STUDENTS?

33. Literacy and numeracy skills are used well in other curricular areas. In information and communication technology, for example, pupils compose rules for library use and write letters to the Parents and Friends of Sarisbury School requesting support for a music workshop. In a variety of subjects across the curriculum pupils use measuring and numeracy skills. The school has plans to develop these opportunities in other subjects even further. It is at present identifying the use of a set of key skills and objectives across the curriculum. Overall the school is reviewing policies and schemes of work and ensuring that these match the needs of the pupils and develop skills as well as build up knowledge. The use of information technology to support learning in other areas of the curriculum is satisfactory but as with the rest of the curriculum the school has plans to develop this further.

p.17

STUDENTS?

34. The school aims to make good use of the strengths of individual teachers, for example, an enthusiastic design and technology teacher teaches other classes in the year group. Teachers in most year groups share the responsibility of lesson planning by each being responsible for specific subjects. While this does make good use of teachers' strengths it does not always provide lessons that are totally appropriate for all classes and the quality of learning is diminished.

p.17

STUDENTS?

35. The provision for personal, social and health education is very good and has a high profile within the school. The scheme of work was updated last year and is based on the local education authority guidelines. Personal, social and health education lessons, religious education, circle time, assemblies, science and self-esteem groups all provide effective vehicles for the provision. Together they are instrumental in producing the overall good personal development of the pupils and the very good personal development of pupils in Year 6. In a Year 5 lesson, for example, the pupils examined assertive, aggressive and passive responses to situations and wrote short plays to demonstrate the effects of these. Diet and health are addressed effectively and issues related to sex and substance abuse are addressed in line with the governors' policy.

p.17

STUDENTS?

36. The range of extra-curricular activities is good and includes gardening, girls’ and boys’ football, indoor games, recorder groups, netball, choir and line dancing. They are well attended by a range of enthusiastic pupils. Pupils are also regularly involved in local events like music festivals and sports competitions with other schools. A variety of visits and visitors provide good support for the formal curriculum and pupils' personal development. These include a residential visit to Devon for pupils in Year 6, visits to a synagogue, churches and abbeys, an art gallery, and drama productions based on the Egyptians and Crownhill Fort, for example. The good links with the local community and especially the local church contribute well to these.

p.17

STUDENTS?

37. The provision for the pupils’ personal, spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is very good overall and has improved since the last inspection. The school’s ethos places a very strong emphasis on the provision of opportunities for pupils to develop their social skills, self-esteem and relationships, together with their moral development.

p.17

STUDENTS?

38. The provision for pupils’ spiritual development is good. The school provides an ethos where pupils can grow and flourish and in circle time in particular, to explore their feelings and responses and what drives and motivates them. For example, in a Year 6 lesson, pupils explored the feelings of the death of a parent. Pupils’ self-esteem is strongly promoted and respect for each other is successfully modelled by all adults in the school. Pupils’ questions are valued and time is given to their ideas and concerns. Religious education plays a strong part in spiritual education. Pupils are helped to explore the beliefs of other cultures as well as their own. There is an increasing focus for the development of spirituality, with some planned opportunities for quiet guided reflection on pupils’ response to music or works of art, or themes such as the present focus on ‘Community’ in Year 4. Pupils consider what it is like to be part of the school community and then compare this

p.17

STUDENTS?

39. Very good provision is made for moral development. The school has a clear behaviour policy, which is reviewed with pupils at the start of each year. This provides a structure of rewards and Sarisbury C of E Junior - 18 sanctions and is closely monitored in behaviour books. The Year 6 teachers provide an excellent example of the behaviour policy being very successful and consistently and effectively implemented. In some other areas of the school in lesson times, particularly with the youngest pupils, the implementation is not as consistent or effective and this sometimes impacts adversely on the learning. Pupils are given opportunities to explore moral issues. For example, year group assemblies are frequently used to discuss aspects of behaviour and in circle time, pupils are helped to understand the impact of their actions on the rest of the community.

p.17

STUDENTS?

40. Provision for social development is another very good area. Teachers encourage pupils to work co- operatively through paired and group activities. They have opportunities to play in teams, school productions and take part in a residential trip in Year 6. Particular strengths of provision for social development are the School Council and the participation in the Civic Award Programme. The School Council is comprised of elected members from each year group, which run the meeting with a good adult representation. At present the Council is considering ‘A code of conduct’ for wet lunchtimes. The final draft will be taken back to each class to be discussed and voted on. The Civic Award Scheme is an excellent provision for older pupils, providing substantial opportunities for social responsibilities within the school and local community. For example, pupils run clubs for younger children. Many other additional responsibilities are provided within the school, such as

p.18

STUDENTS?

prefects and librarians and showing parents around the school. Some pupils arrive early and act as ‘Early Birds’ to help teachers to organise resources for lessons.

p.18

STUDENTS?

41. Pupils’ cultural development is good. Regular opportunities are provided to visit art galleries, pantomimes and places of historic interest. Good improvement has been made since the last inspection on multicultural education for pupils. Events such as ‘Focus Week’ provide opportunities, for example, to taste Indian food and take part in Indian dance. Music and percussion are explored from across the world through visiting musicians, such as jazz and steel bands. The provision for helping pupils to understand the traditions and values of other cultures is good. The preparation of pupils for life in multicultural Britain is satisfactory.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

42. The school takes very good steps to ensure pupils’ welfare, health and safety. This is a further improvement since the last inspection. Health and safety procedures and risk assessments are thorough and well documented to ensure that pupils and staff work in a safe environment. There are also good arrangements in place for first aid and medical support. The pupils are well supervised at break and lunchtimes and lunchtime supervisors play an important role in behaviour management and in rewarding pupils to boost self-esteem. The school has very good arrangements in place for child protection issues. The headteacher is the named person and has received appropriate training. The school has established very good provision for personal, social and health education. In these lessons, in circle time, and in other lessons pupils can discuss personal issues and are learning to keep themselves safe and healthy.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

43. Procedures for monitoring and supporting pupils’ personal development are very effective and are helping pupils to mature as they go through the school. The ‘buddy’ system between pupils joining the school in Year 3 and Year 5 pupils, provision within the curriculum and the acknowledgement of success during assemblies are all promoting pupils’ confidence and self-esteem. Year leaders have an important role to play through their overview of pupils’ academic and personal development and during lessons pupils receive good support from teachers and classroom assistants. All of these procedures ensure that pupils can be successful in their learning and partly account for the very good standards across the school.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

44. There are very good procedures in place to monitor and promote good behaviour and to eliminate oppressive behaviour. The majority of teachers apply these and the rewards and sanctions well and consistently, so that they contribute well to the good behaviour and positive attitudes of most pupils. In some lessons, particularly in Year 3, teachers’ management skills are not always as effective as they could be, which means that some pupils are not fully involved with lessons. However, the very good procedures for monitoring behaviour are contributing positively to pupils’ attitudes and their good standards of achievement. Sarisbury C of E Junior - 19 45. The school has very good procedures in place for the monitoring and improving of attendance. The procedures contribute to the very high rate of attendance that is impacting positively on pupils’ standards of achievement.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

46. The arrangements for the assessment and identification of pupils with special educational needs are good and are being implemented in accordance with the Code of Practice. Teachers and learning support assistants know their pupils well. Teachers use assessments from pupils’ previous schools, baseline test results and other assessments well to target pupils’ needs and, as a result, their gains in knowledge, skills and understanding are good. Records are up to date and the examples of pupils’ work that are kept, mainly for English and mathematics, support the monitoring of their progress well. Although the medium term targets on individual educational plans are not always specific enough, these are transferred into pupils’ ‘Target’ books, in terms that pupils fully understand. This helps them, as well as their teachers, support staff and special needs co-ordinator, to see their progress clearly. The school monitors pupils well as they move off the

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

school’s register for special educational needs. The support given by teachers and support staff for pupils with statements is very good and leads to good progress by those pupils. As part of the school’s commitment to raise the self-esteem of pupils, the deputy headteacher works with small groups of pupils with particular difficulties in this area each week. This is having a positive impact on these pupils’ behaviour and self-esteem. The school has established good liaison with outside agencies and external support staff.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

47. There are good procedures for monitoring and supporting pupils’ academic progress. Overall, the school has good assessment procedures and they have substantially improved since the last inspection and contribute well to the improvements in pupils’ achievement. The tracking of pupils’ progress from yearly tests, in relation to National Curriculum levels, is excellent and provides very good precise information to set challenging targets for year groups and classes. This is linked very well to performance management targets for teachers and is a contributory reason for the high standards being achieved by pupils in literacy and numeracy. In other subjects, assessment procedures are less refined and not yet used as effectively to raise standards. The setting of curricular targets for individual pupils is not yet fully established, although this is very good for pupils with special educational needs and other lower attaining pupils.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

48. All information from tests and assessments each year is analysed very carefully and very well for strengths and weakness in literacy and numeracy. An action plan is drawn up to remedy identified weakness for the next year. This plan provides a clear focus for teaching; for example, writing was a focus as an identified weakness. Standards have risen considerably in writing, since the action plan. The school has very good clear recording systems, including electronic data collection, which enables easy access to class and individual pupil progress. Overall, the use of assessment information is good. It is very strong in literacy and numeracy. Assessment in science as a core subject is relatively underdeveloped and the school is addressing this. The use of assessment information in other subjects is satisfactory.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

49. The school has a very strong partnership with parents and carers. Through responses to the pre- inspection questionnaire and meeting, and a meeting with parents held during the inspection, parents expressed full confidence in the school. The quality of information provided for parents is very good, which is an improvement since the last inspection. The inspectors agree with the parents that they are kept well informed of how their children are getting on. The school holds regular parent/teacher consultations and teachers are very willing to meet parents at other times. Parents are invited to an open day when they are able to work in class with their children. The annual reports to parents provide good information about what children have achieved together with National Curriculum levels for English, mathematics and science and attainment grades for the foundation subjects. Targets are also set to enable parents to be involved in their children’s

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

learning. Newsletters provide parents with good day-to-day information about the school and year leaders send parents very useful details about the curriculum that their children will be following. Year 3 parents are invited to induction meetings that help them and their children to feel part of the Sarisbury C of E Junior - 20 school community. Parents are also invited to concerts and welcomed in assemblies. Their views were canvassed in a questionnaire for the school’s Investors in People application and there was a good return to this. Parents were also involved in the review of the school’s aims and values when the headteacher took up his post last year. A high percentage of parents feel that the school works closely with them and evidence gained by the inspection team strongly supports this view.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

50. There is good liaison with parents of pupils with special educational needs. They are aware of the point of contact and receive copies of the individual educational plans for their child. However, as the plans only contain medium term targets, they are not always made aware of the short-term target kept in pupils’ ‘Target’ books, until they visit the school. Parents of pupils with statements are kept fully informed and are given good opportunities to be involved in reviewing the targets set for their children, in accordance with the Code of Practice.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

51. Parents are willing to help in classrooms and on visits and also support the school through fund- raising and social activities organised by the parents’ and friends association. The home/school agreement and behaviour policy are shared effectively with parents so that they and their children know what is expected of them and what they can expect from the school. A few parents expressed disagreement with the amount of homework their children receive but the inspectors judge the home-school learning programme to be well organised. The good help that many parents give to their children with reading and homework is a contributory factor to the good standards that pupils are achieving. The very effective partnership that exists between the school and parents is having a positive impact on the attitudes and behaviour of the pupils and is reflected in their good standards of learning.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

52. The leadership and management of the school are very good overall and have improved since the previous inspection. There has been a good response to the key issues identified in the previous report. Higher attaining pupils now achieve well, as result of the increased provision made for them. In information and communication technology, standards and pupils’ achievement have improved very well. There is greater scope within the curriculum for pupils to develop their creativity and enquiry skills. Monitoring at most levels has been improved. In addition, the national literacy and numeracy strategies have been implemented well and the quality of teaching and learning has improved and is now good. A well-focused programme of staff training has contributed to this. As a result, standards in English, mathematics and science have risen. Some of these improvements and others, such as a highly effective system for target setting and tracking pupils’ progress, have

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

been brought about in the relatively short time since the present headteacher took up his post in January 2002. This followed a period of high turnover of teachers, which hindered some aspects of school improvement. The effectiveness and increasing impact of the changes and improvements made since his appointment can already be seen in the improvement in pupils’ achievement from satisfactory to good and, for example, in the rise in standards of writing.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

53. Since joining the school just over a year ago, the headteacher has already addressed the remaining issues from the previous report very effectively and initiated a number of other improvements. He provides very good leadership. He leads very much by example, through his own teaching and in the successful promotion of good teamwork, especially within the year group teams. By involving parents, governors and staff in a review of the school’s aims and values at an early stage, he has created a strong sense of common purpose and direction, which reflects his own very clear vision. He has secured the confidence and support of staff and governors, as well as that of parents, and the commitment of all to ongoing school improvement. This is focused on raising standards and the achievements and personal development of all pupils further, while providing a rich and broad curriculum and a high level of care and support for them. This is

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

reflected very well in the school’s strategic plan, which is well thought out and useful tool for school improvement. The very good relationships, teachers’ good knowledge and valuing of individual pupils, the way they promote self-esteem and recognise achievements, are good examples of how these aims are seen in practice daily. This makes a strong contribution to the positive attitudes and good behaviour of the pupils and to the way that the school successfully Sarisbury C of E Junior - 21 encourages racial harmony and the integration of all pupils. The implementation of the policy for racial equality also contributes to this.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

54. The headteacher, who is very ably supported by the deputy headteacher, has improved the structure and functions of the senior management team. This year the deputy head has no class responsibility. She uses her time very effectively. As well as her other responsibilities, she provides, together with the headteacher, extension classes for higher attaining pupils, which are having a clear impact on their improved rate of learning. She also releases year leaders and subject managers to carry out their enhanced roles. This provides her with useful additional opportunities for informal monitoring of standards. She also teaches small withdrawal groups and individuals and takes groups with the specific focus of raising their self-esteem. The presence of the year leaders on the senior management team provides a comprehensive overview of the school for its strategic planning role, especially as they have greater responsibility now for evaluating

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

standards and pupils’ progress across their year group. They carry out their new roles well overall. The more experienced leaders are very effective in promoting high standards and achievement within their year groups, for example, in Year 6. Subject managers have been given greater responsibility for their areas since the last inspection, such as managing their own budgets and in opportunities for monitoring and evaluating standards. They put their release time to good use, especially in reviewing planning, sampling work and talking to pupils about their learning, to gain an overview of standards in their subjects. However, some aspects of their roles have not yet been fully delegated to them, such as the analysis of performance data or the formal monitoring of teaching within their subjects.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

55. It is not possible to make a judgement on the leadership of the current special needs co-ordinator as she was absent during the inspection because of long-term illness. However, the deputy headteacher, who held the post until September, is now acting in that capacity. She has a very good understanding of her role and of special needs in the school. She has ensured very effectively that the absence of the co-ordinator has not impacted negatively on the support given to lower attaining pupils and pupils with special educational needs. She supports teachers and learning support assistants well. They appreciate this. Learning support assistants are well trained, feel valued in their work and provide very effective help to the pupils with whom they work. She uses her release time well to ensure individual education plans are kept up-to-date and regularly reviewed. The responsible governor for special educational needs has a background in speech and

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

language therapy and so has a good understanding of pupils’ needs. She has attended school training and parents’ evenings to explain her role to parents. However, she is not aware of how the schools’ budget for special needs is used.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

56. The determination and capacity of the school to raise standards is seen in the way that the headteacher is putting into place a more rigorous approach to all aspects of monitoring and evaluation. He has established an excellent system for tracking pupils’ progress in English and mathematics that leads to challenging targets being set for each year group. These are linked closely to performance management targets, well-planned staff training and the key priorities in the school improvement plan, resulting in a strong and very effective focus on these. The improved standards in writing and mathematics over the last year are good examples of the impact of this. Detailed analysis of data from last year’s Year 6 national tests and the optional national tests for Years 3 to 5 and the identification of specific areas for improvement have also contributed to this.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

57. The school also makes very good use of other initiatives, such as booster classes and the additional literacy strategy, as well as schemes such as Investors in People to provide further support for school improvement. The headteacher manages the additional bureaucratic demands, arising from implementation of national initiatives such as these, effectively. He does this, for example, through the use of information and communication technology and by prioritising well, so that these demands do not detract from the benefit to pupils.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

58. Good use is made of external monitoring by local education authority inspectors. A good system has been put in place for the formal monitoring and support of teaching, based on agreed criteria and with clear feedback to teachers. At present, observations are not frequent enough to make this fully effective in addressing inconsistencies in the quality of teaching. This is partly because Sarisbury C of E Junior - 22 the headteacher has taken on a substantial teaching commitment himself and the observations at present are only carried out by the headteacher and deputy.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

59. Governors are committed and very supportive of the school and carry out their statutory duties well, overall. They have a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the school. This was reflected in the key targets set for the new headteacher on his appointment, which have been instrumental in shaping the strategic direction of the school. The governing body make good use of very detailed information from the headteacher, for example, to monitor progress towards the priorities in the school strategic plan. Although several governors visit the school regularly, to attend or take part in assemblies for example, there is no programme of classroom visits to inform their monitoring role.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

60. The quality of financial planning and management is good overall. The efficient administration officer is also a governor and serves on the Finance Committee. This means that she is not only fully involved, with the headteacher, in the preparation of the initial budget draft but is also well placed to keep governors fully informed with regard to expenditure which is reviewed regularly. Funds are used well to support priorities identified in the school development and strategic plans. Very good use is also made of specific grants to support learning. For example they have enabled the deputy headteacher to have the time to teach extension classes in English and to support learning throughout the school and across the curriculum. Principles of best value are applied well overall. The headteacher and governors compare the school’s performance with that of other schools both nationally and locally to ensure that targets are challenging enough. This year,

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

parents have been consulted through a questionnaire about various aspects of school life and pupils are consulted through the school council. The headteacher has started evaluating the impact of spending delegated to subject managers. However, although governors demand best value when purchasing most goods and services they are less clear about the impact on learning of expenditure on staffing, for example in evaluating the deputy headteacher’s new role or their expenditure on learning support assistants.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

61. The induction of new teachers, newly qualified teachers, supply teachers and learning support assistants is very good. During the inspection week, a newly qualified teacher spoke highly of the support she was being given during her induction year by her mentor and all staff. A supply teacher also praised the support he was given. Teachers new to the school are given very good guidance about the policies and practices in the school. There is a very clear structure to the induction procedures, which supports new teachers well. The potential for training teachers is good and good links have been established with the initial teacher training institution at King Alfred’s College, Winchester.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

62. The match of teachers and support staff to meet the demands of the curriculum is good and has been maintained since the previous report. Teachers are suitably qualified, well balanced in their experience and are deployed effectively. Administrative staff give efficient and helpful support. Lunchtime supervisors use the training they have received in behaviour management well, contributing to the overall good behaviour throughout the school.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

63. The accommodation is satisfactory. It is well cared for and displays and recently decorated corridors provide an attractive learning environment, reinforcing the good spiritual provision for pupils. Although classrooms are spacious, there is only one small, spare room, which is used for booster classes, special educational needs groups and music tuition. Other group or individual teaching has to take place in the corridors, the small library or the staff room. The library is to be extended over the next year. The computer suite has been sited in a corridor. Although the movement of pupils past the suite is not a distraction, the suite itself lacks space, which is further compounded by the chairs being too large to comfortably fit in it. The caretaker and cleaning staff maintain the building well and ensure that it is clean and welcoming.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

64. The level of resources is satisfactory overall and teachers make good use of them to support pupils’ learning. They are good for English and the library. The library, although small, is welcoming and well stocked with a good range of fiction and non-fiction books to encourage pupils to read and enjoy books. Pupils confidently use a computerised scan and access program to Sarisbury C of E Junior - 23 borrow and return books. The previous report judged geography and information technology resources to be inadequate. These have now been improved and are satisfactory. The grounds are a good size with a large grassed field, a small woodland area and hard playground. Plans are in place to develop the learning potential of these areas. Sarisbury C of E Junior - 24

p.22

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

In the context of the school’s many strengths, the governors, headteacher and staff should address the following matters in their action plan in order to raise standards and the quality of education further:

p.24

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

a) Continue to raise standards in science, which, although above average, are not yet as high as those in English and mathematics by*:- § ensuring that pupils develop their scientific skills systematically as they move through the school; § providing a more rigorous approach for the assessment and tracking of pupils’ progress to ensure that pupils build on their previous learning and that teachers have high expectations of all aspects of their work. (see paragraphs 8, 48, 84-7)

p.24

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

b) Reduce the inconsistencies that remain within the good overall quality of teaching and learning by*:- § ensuring that, in their management of all pupils in their class, teachers maintain equally high expectations of pupils’ concentration and behaviour to keep up a good pace of learning; § ensuring that the agreed procedures for supporting pupils with behavioural difficulties are implemented consistently and that, where appropriate, teachers receive additional support or training; § reviewing planning procedures across year groups to enable the sharing of good practice and to take account of the needs of individual classes; § implementing a common approach to the sharing and reviewing of lesson objectives with pupils and ensuring these are reflected in the marking of work. (see paragraphs 4, 12, 14, 18, 26-8, 34, 74, 77-8, 86)

p.24

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

*The school has already identified these areas for development. Sarisbury C of E Junior - 25

p.24

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

p.25

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 42

p.25

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

p.25

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactor y Poor Very Poor

p.25

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

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 one percentage point.

p.25

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 314

p.25

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

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

p.25

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 3

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Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 62

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English as an additional language No of pupils

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Number of pupils with English as an additional language 2

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Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

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Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 15

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Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 25

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National comparative data 5.4 National comparative data 0.5

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Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Sarisbury C of E Junior - 26 Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6) Year Boys Girls Total

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Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 2002 46 41 87

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National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

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Boys 37 37 45 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 40 33 39

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Percentage of pupils School 89 (87) 80 (85) 97 (95) at NC level 4 or above National 75 (75) 73 (71) 86(87)

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Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

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Boys 33 37 44 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 37 35 38

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Percentage of pupils School 80 (80) 83 (82) 94 (91) at NC level 4 or above National 73(72) 74 (74) 82 (82)

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Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Sarisbury C of E Junior - 27 Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

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White – any other White background 2 0 0

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Mixed – any other mixed background 1 0 0

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Asian or Asian British - Pakistani 0 0 0

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Asian or Asian British – Bangladeshi 0 0 0

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

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Black or Black British – Caribbean 0 0 0

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

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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

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Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 14.2 Financial year 2001/2

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Number of pupils per qualified teacher 22

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Education support staff: Y3 – Y6 Total income 609016

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Total number of education support staff 7 Total expenditure 606523

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Total aggregate hours worked per week 148 Expenditure per pupil 2492

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FTE means full-time equivalent. Balance brought forward from previous year 1889

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Balance carried forward to next year 31354 Sarisbury C of E Junior - 28 Recruitment of teachers

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Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 5

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Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 5

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Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 0

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Number of vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of a term or more (FTE) 1

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

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FTE means full-time equivalent. Sarisbury C of E Junior - 29

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Percentage of responses in each category

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

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child is making good progress in school. 45 48 5 0 2

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Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 38 53 5 0 3

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 21 60 16 2 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 25 61 10 1 3

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Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 68 29 2 1 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 59 38 3 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 29 57 10 0 3

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 57 38 1 0 3

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 45 47 4 0 3

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 33 52 8 2 5 Sarisbury C of E Junior - 30

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ENGLISH

65. When pupils enter the school their language skills are well above average. Standards are also well above average by the end of Year 6, but with an increased proportion of pupils exceeding the expected levels. The school tracks the progress of individual pupils very well. This shows quite a high turnover of pupils between Year 3 and Year 6 in some year groups and also that most pupils now achieve well as they move through the school. This is an improvement since the last inspection.

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66. A number of factors contribute to this good achievement. The quality of teaching is very good overall. Teachers have a good understanding of the national literacy strategy and this is implemented very well. Ongoing assessment and annual tests identify those pupils that need additional support and also those who need to be challenged further. The employment of additional staff and their effective deployment allows pupils in Year 6 to be placed in broad ability groups for English three days a week. This enables higher attaining pupils to be effectively challenged and those who need additional support to receive focused teaching in smaller groups. Annual assessments also identify in which aspects of the curriculum standards need to improve. Consequently, the increased focus on the quality of writing resulted in an improvement in the standards of writing, reflected in national tests last year. The good leadership of the subject

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manager also ensures that pupils’ progress is carefully monitored, staff are kept well informed of the latest developments in the subject and advice and guidance from the local authority is sought and acted upon when necessary.

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67. Standards in speaking and listening are well above average by the end of Year 6. Pupils enjoy literacy and develop very positive attitudes to the subject. Consequently, they listen well, answer questions with confidence and use an extensive range of vocabulary when giving explanations. For example, in Year 6 a pupil identified some writing as a ‘discussion’ when he said, ‘There is a question mark in the title and therefore no conclusions have been drawn in the article.’ On another occasion, a pupil was asked if you can have bias in a discussion and said, ‘Yes, especially if the writer uses persuasive language.’ The importance given to teaching pupils the technical terms associated with different areas of the curriculum, and especially English, mathematics, information, communication technology and science, enables pupils to be precise when giving explanations relating to these subjects. Teachers encourage pupils to talk to each other at every

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opportunity and then to report back their findings to the class. They often then ask the pupils questions that encourage them to reflect and justify their answers. This was the case in a mathematics lesson when a pupil was asked to explain to the group how a word problem was solved. Learning support assistants, working mostly with small groups and individuals that need additional support, help boost these pupils’ self-esteem, often enabling them to gain enough confidence to become fully involved in class discussions. Drama, taking part in assemblies, lessons in personal and social education and presenting work to their peers also help develop pupils’ speaking and listening skills.

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68. Standards in writing are well above average by the end of Year 6. National test results show that the percentage of pupils attaining the higher Level 5 increased by 12 per cent last year. This is the result of careful assessment, identifying writing as an area to improve still further and then ensuring that a monitored focus on improving pupils’ writing skills was established in classes throughout the school. Teachers have very high expectations with regard to presentation and consequently handwriting throughout the school is of a very good standard with many pupils in Year 3 already developing individual cursive styles. Pupils also have the opportunity to write for a variety of purposes across the curriculum. For example, they report accurately on experiments undertaken in science and in history they write letters to the ‘King of Spain’ in order to dissuade him from sending the Armada! They write poems in the ‘Haiku’ style, as in

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A black cat speeds past Dark eyes shine like a nightlight Waiting for the day Sarisbury C of E Junior - 31 Information and communication technology is used to support pupils’ writing when appropriate and pupils in Year 5 were observed co-operating well as they wrote the introduction to a story at the computer.

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69. Resources are often organised very well to offer appropriate support for pupils. For example, in a Year 6 class, a few pupils who lacked both the confidence to initiate a writing task and also needed support to order their thinking. They were provided with a prioritised list of comments to include and to support them when setting out the overall structure of the passage. This enabled them to not only complete the task but also boosted their self-esteem by including and enabling them to play a full and active part in class discussions. In Year 5, pupils use ‘story planner frameworks’ when they are learning to write a story in a particular genre. Scrutiny of work indicates that pupils write well using complex sentences and show a real sense of audience as illustrated when a Year 6 pupil wrote, ‘The tormented teacher angrily stormed into the dark and gloomy room.’ Another, recording in the style of Tolkein writes, “ ’Shut up and pay attention,’ yelled

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Trendalf, throwing his fiery fist around in the air in front of his company of dwarfs.”

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70. By the end of Year 6, pupils read very well and have developed very positive attitudes to books and reading. All pupils have access to a good range of fiction and non-fiction books from the well- stocked school library and are encouraged to borrow up to three at a time. Computerised records show that both boys and girls use the library well. They also inform teachers of the most popular fiction and non-fiction titles, thereby enabling them to maintain an adequate and up-to-date stock. Discussions with pupils indicate that they understand how the library is organised and this enables them to find information quickly and efficiently when required for school projects. Pupils in Year 6 can compare different authors and one pupil, reading a copy of an Enid Blyton novel, explained that she really preferred Jacqueline Wilson as an author but that she sometimes liked ‘to go back’ to Enid Blyton. Pupils’ overall high standards of reading enable lessons to proceed at

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a quicker pace as teachers can focus on exploring the meaning of words and phrases, often on the assumption that pupils have read the passage to themselves beforehand. Pupils with special educational needs are supported well in class and are often withdrawn for additional support from the very skilled learning support assistants who work closely with the teachers in both planning and presenting this work. Many of these activities have a reading as well as a writing focus.

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ENGLISH

71. The quality of teaching and learning is very good overall, with a high proportion of very good teaching in Year 6. This is an improvement since the last inspection and is a key factor in the improvement in standards. No unsatisfactory lessons were seen. Teachers’ subject knowledge is very good and this enables them to adopt a confident approach in literacy lessons. The most successful proceed at a good pace, teachers are enthusiastic and ask questions that encourage pupils to reflect and explain, resources are well matched to the needs of the pupils and an ongoing focus on the learning objective is maintained. Pupils enjoy the subject and are keen to do well and these very positive attitudes mean that the majority work well, often collaborating in groups before attempting to answer questions. For example, in Year 6, when asked to present a reasoned argument orally, one pupil suggested to the group, ‘Let’s work on this together’ and the rest

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quickly agreed and went on to share their thoughts and opinions before one presented the case. Teachers take great care in selecting subjects for discussion and themes, such as, ‘Should children earn their pocket money?’ and ‘Homework for primary school pupils should be banned,’ encourage reflection and discussion, thereby often contributing well to pupils’ personal, spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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72. Scrutiny of work indicates that presentation is generally of a high standard. All work is marked, but there are sometimes inconsistencies both between year groups and classes. Most comments are brief and positive and do little to improve learning still further because they rarely make it clear why a piece of work was ‘good’ and what the pupil could do to improve it. However, occasionally comments are more helpful. For example, in Year 6 a teacher wrote, ‘A good attempt but could you make some of these a little more punchy.’ Although pupils confirmed that they are sometimes encouraged to review and improve their work, there was little evidence in books and folders that this occurs frequently. Sarisbury C of E Junior - 32

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MATHEMATICS

73. By Year 6, pupils are now attaining standards that are well above average. This is an improvement since the previous inspection when standards were judged to be above average and also from the national test results last year, which were also above average. Most notable this year is the increase in the number of pupils reaching the higher Level 5. The achievement of pupils is now good compared to their prior attainment. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress and also achieve well in relation to their prior attainment. No evidence was observed of any gender differences.

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MATHEMATICS

74. The quality of teaching is good overall and has improved since the last inspection, when it was judged to be satisfactory. The improvement in teaching is one of reasons for the good achievement by pupils. A quarter of the lessons observed were excellent. These were all in Year 6 and this is another reason for the good achievement and high standards reached. A small amount of unsatisfactory teaching was seen. This was mainly due to unsatisfactory management of the pupils, which slowed the pace of the lesson and reduced the challenge and pupils’ interest.

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MATHEMATICS

75. Teachers’ subject knowledge is generally good and there is a very good commitment by all staff to raising standards. Lessons are often taught at a good pace and with a good level of challenge. In the excellent lessons observed, teachers’ subject knowledge was also excellent, which allowed them to challenge pupils very well and to use pupils’ comments and errors with confidence as teaching points. This, in turn, contributed to fast pace in the lessons, an excellent level of interest and behaviour by pupils and excellent learning. Teachers generally use activities that motivate and interest pupils and result in them enjoying mathematics lessons and feeling challenged. For example, in a well taught Year 5 lesson, the teacher’s lively and enthusiastic manner and her good use of questions and mathematical vocabulary, resulted in the pupils quickly understanding how to calculate answers to multiplication, division, squared and cubed numbers, using an overhead

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MATHEMATICS

projector transparency of possible answers. The quick fire calculations supported the next stage of the lesson, which was to find fractions of numbers up to 50. The brisk pace of the lesson ensured that pupils were very interested and engaged and so they made good progress.

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MATHEMATICS

76. In an excellent Year 6 lesson, for lower attaining pupils, the teacher used questions very well to assess pupils’ understanding of how to use appropriate mathematical vocabulary as a clue to calculating an answer and to move the pupils on to their next stage of learning. Her confident approach, enthusiasm and very clear exposition ensured that pupils were totally engaged and interested. Very good use was made of pupils’ personal strategies. For example, one pupil shared his strategy for multiplying twenty by eight as, ‘I multiplied twenty by five and added it to twenty times three,’ whereas another said, ’I knew two times eight was sixteen and then I multiplied that by ten’. In the satisfactory lessons, teachers rarely use pupils’ personal strategies or their errors as teaching points. For example, in a satisfactory Year 3 lesson, the teacher challenged the pupils to ‘Add 33, 54 and 1’. Pupils who offered incorrect answers were not asked to share their

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MATHEMATICS

strategies and once the correct answer was given, no alternative strategies were discussed.

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MATHEMATICS

77. Although all teachers display the objectives of a lesson, not all discuss them with the class, so that pupils know what they should be learning, or refer to them again. At the end of an excellent lesson taken by the subject manager, pupils were asked to assess each other’s understanding of the objectives by asking a fellow pupil a question to which the rest of the class had to raise a thumb if the answer matched the objective. This provided a very clear picture of their learning during the lesson. Lessons are well planned, which ensures that work is very well matched to the different ability groups within a class. However, in Years 3 to 5, one teacher in each year group plans for the others, which sometimes makes it difficult for those who did not write the planning to interpret fully the aim, objectives and content of the lesson. In Year 6, all teachers contribute to the planning which supports the high quality teaching in the year group. Good use is made of

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MATHEMATICS

assessment of pupils, against the lesson objectives, which then informs future planning. Class and year group targets are being used well to raise standards but there is no common approach to day-to-day assessment. However, lower attaining pupils in Years 3 and 5 have target books specifically for mathematics, which is part of a recent successful initiative to boost the Sarisbury C of E Junior - 33 achievement of lower attaining pupils. Work is well presented and regularly marked but the approach to marking is inconsistent.

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MATHEMATICS

78. Very good examples of the management of pupils were seen, with teachers creating a good sense of purpose. In Year 6 classes, the atmosphere for learning is excellent. However, in almost half of the lessons observed, the management of pupils was inconsistent with the school policy, which resulted in challenging behaviour by a few pupils. This impacted negatively on the pace of lessons and learning. Learning support assistants are well briefed and provide very good support for pupils in lessons, especially for those with special educational needs. In a lower attaining Year 6 lesson, the support teacher was very well informed about the pupils and the content of the lesson and provided excellent support, which helped to ensure that pupils made excellent progress in the lesson.

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MATHEMATICS

79. Inspection evidence indicates that the standards between the different strands of the curriculum for mathematics are generally similar and well above average, except for problem solving and the use of personal strategies, which are a relative weakness and above average. This has been recognised by the school as an area for development and is part of the school’s focus on mathematics for this year. By the end of Year 6, pupils have a good recall of number bonds and the strategies for addition, subtraction, multiplication and division of number. They can describe their mental strategies for recalling number facts and can use place value to one million. The majority can add, subtract, multiply and divide whole numbers and numbers with two places of decimal by 10, 100 and 1000. Higher attaining pupils have mental strategies to divide by hundred, tens and units, for example, by 30, 50 and 180 to two decimal places. The lower attaining pupils

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MATHEMATICS

can multiply numbers with one decimal place by a whole number to ten.

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MATHEMATICS

80. In their work on shape, space and measurement Year 6, pupils can calculate the area and perimeter of irregular shapes and the average and higher attaining pupils can describe the properties of a variety of two-dimensional and three-dimensional shapes, including lines of symmetry. The majority of pupils can measure with accuracy the angles of an acute and obtuse angle. By Year 6, pupils can construct bar and line graphs of their results and can interrogate the graphs for information. Average and higher attainers can interpret a variety of graphs and charts.

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MATHEMATICS

81. The use of mathematics and numeracy across the curriculum is good but not always specifically planned for. For example, in art and information technology, pupils draw computer generated symmetrical patterns, and give directions of length and degrees to guide screen robots around the screen. In science, pupils measure in a variety of standard measures, for example, grams and Newtons. In design and technology they use graphs and charts to evaluate their products. The school recognises that planned opportunities are an area for further development, together with increased use of information and communication technology, which is satisfactory at present.

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MATHEMATICS

82. The management of the subject is good. The subject manager is an excellent role model for the teaching of mathematics. He has a clear understanding of the strengths of the subject and areas for development. He has used the analysis of national and optional test results well to monitor trends and areas of strengths and weakness in the subject. No pupils have been identified as gifted or talented in mathematics but higher attainers are challenged well by booster and extension lessons. The subject makes a good contribution to the spiritual, social and cultural development of pupils. For example, pupils generally work well together. In the good to excellent lessons there is often an almost tangible feeling of success and achievement by pupils.

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SCIENCE

83. Standards in science are above average at the end of Year 6. Achievement is satisfactory in relation to the prior attainment of this year group, which , as last year, has a higher than usual proportion of pupils who joined the school from outside the immediate area. The inspection judgement is similar to the 2002 national tests for Year 6 pupils, which were above average when compared to schools nationally and average when compared to similar schools. The numbers of pupils reaching Level 4 and above, together with those reaching Level 5, were also above average. Special educational needs pupils are well supported and achieve as well as other pupils. The Sarisbury C of E Junior - 34 above average standards and satisfactory achievement now reached by Year 6 pupils are an improvement since the last inspection.

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SCIENCE

84. Pupils make good progress in the acquisition of the knowledge and understanding of the key areas of life processes and living things, materials and their properties and physical processes. The last inspection identified the acquisition of investigative skills as unsatisfactory. Improvements have been made, but this is an area that the school has identified for further development. These skills are now satisfactory , but are not developed at the same good rate as the other areas of science. There is no whole school systematic development of these skills and different styles of recording are used throughout the school. The subject manager is currently addressing this. Mathematics is used well in science, for example, to plot results on graphs. Tables and tally charts are also used regularly in investigations. There is satisfactory use of information and communication technology for research and to record work for example.

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SCIENCE

85. Most Year 3 pupils can label parts of the skeleton and use graphs to record the measurement of the forearm of a number of pupils for comparison. In an investigation to test absorbency of different papers, they needed considerable support from the teacher to plan their investigation and measure and record their results. In Year 4, pupils predict and use observation tables and find results from which they draw conclusions. For example, they investigated how sound travels through different materials. The amount of investigative work done in Year 4 is good, but it is not built on systematically in Year 5. There is insufficient emphasis in consistently using predictions and conclusions and fair testing by changing one variable or factor, whilst keeping the others the same. Work scrutiny in Year 5 indicates that there is a good emphasis on knowledge and understanding in other areas of science. Pupils in Year 5, for example, have good knowledge of

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SCIENCE

the life cycle of a plant, an electric circuit and the current work on solids, liquids and gases. In a Year 5 lesson, almost all pupils were very confident in naming all the different properties of these. In Year 6, pupils use a force meter to measure force, use graphs to point out and interpret data, for example, the greater the weight of the spinner, the faster it falls and they use their scientific knowledge to explain conclusions. Another example of scientific enquiry is the cooling of water, where they use accurate measurements and use line graphs to plot temperature at five-minute intervals.

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SCIENCE

86. Teaching is good in science. The increasing impact of this is helping to improve pupils’ achievement as they move through the school although their rate of progress varies between classes. Teachers’ expectations of pupils are generally high, although not as high in investigative and independent work. Pupils enjoy their work and show good interest and concentration. Work is set out well, showing pride and effort. There are examples of good ongoing assessment during lessons. In a Year 6 lesson, for example, the teacher realised that some pupils needed further support on the idea of fair testing and the independent recording of results and so pupils were gathered together and given good quality extra support. The effectiveness of teachers’ methods is variable. Although all teachers work from the same year plan, the way they use it is individual. In one successful Year 3 lesson, a variety of papers to be used in an absorbency test, was carefully

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SCIENCE

displayed and labelled in the classroom, enabling pupils to record their results accurately and independently. In another lesson, this preparation was not done and pupils found it difficult to identify different papers and therefore had more difficulty in recording independently. Lessons are generally appropriately planned and structured, but the teaching in a few lessons, means that pupils are inactive for too long at the start of the lesson and become a little restless and off task. Pupils with special educational needs are fully included in all lessons and the recording tasks in particular are adapted well to match their needs.

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SCIENCE

87. The subject manager has a clear vision of how to raise standards further in science, to match the high standards in literacy and numeracy. She provides good leadership and has started to rewrite the school’s scheme of work, which is based on national guidance. The identified relative weakness in investigative science is being addressed by this new guidance, together with a more rigorous tracking and assessment system for science. Regular monitoring takes place through interviews with pupils and work sampling, which enables her to have a good overview of standards throughout the school. Sarisbury C of E Junior - 35

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ART AND DESIGN

88. Standards are average by the end of Year 6. This is an improvement since the last inspection when pupils’ progress in art and design was identified as a key issue. Scrutiny of work on display, pupils’ sketch books and interviews with both pupils and the co-ordinator confirm that pupils experience all aspects of the curriculum with an appropriate focus on the development of skills and techniques. Pupils, including those with special educational needs, are achieving satisfactorily and have developed positive attitudes towards the subject.

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ART AND DESIGN

89. Teaching in art and design is satisfactory overall. In Year 4 pupils listen well as their friends described the texture of various items in a ‘feely bag.’ They were kept well focused on the learning objective by the teacher, who said, ‘I’m not interested in what it is, I want to know what it feels like.’ They went on to use different types of paper to make ‘texture journeys’. In Year 6, good questioning from the teacher confirmed that pupils were familiar with skills associated with sketching such as the type of pencil to use, the effectiveness of cross-hatching, lines and dots and the importance of tone, perspective and proportion. By the end of the very well structured lesson, pupils had learned to draw ’folds’ in paper with a few achieving a high standard.

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ART AND DESIGN

90. Scrutiny of sketchbooks, used by all pupils and the art portfolio currently being developed by the subject manager shows an appropriate range of work. Pupils are encouraged to evaluate their work. For example, after painting ‘The Woodman’s Daughter’ in the style of Millais and discussing how relationships might be portrayed, a pupil wrote, ‘The best part of my work was the stippling but it wasn’t fun doing the background.’ Another, after printing with tiles, wrote ’To improve my work still further I would put more paint on the tile.’ Sketchbooks are used well and all contain detailed guidelines for pupils that ensure that they are valued for their specific purpose and are not used inappropriately. Pupils learn to use a range of techniques including oil pastels, charcoal, paint, clay, fabric and ink with increasing skill as they move through the school. At the time of the inspection, many of the displays around the school demonstrated very effective use of information

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ART AND DESIGN

and communication technology as pupils had created a multitude of designs using different computer programs to investigate shape, colour and pattern.

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ART AND DESIGN

91. The subject manager leads the subject well. She has a good overview of standards, establishing clear priorities for development and regularly interviewing pupils and assessing the progression and development of skills. She has established a useful contact with the local Art Society that is supporting the school well by funding a visit to the Southampton Art Gallery for the whole of Year 4. She supports her colleagues well with advice on planning, techniques and resources.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

92. During the inspection week it was not possible to observe any design and technology lessons. Therefore, judgements are based on a portfolio of pupils’ work, teachers’ planning, assessment records and discussions with teachers and the subject manager.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

93. By Year 6, standards are above average and have improved since the previous inspection when they were judged to meet the national expectations. Pupils’ achievement, including those with special educational needs, is good. They design and make models from recyclable and commercial materials and identify appropriate materials that should be used. Their skills of cutting, sticking and joining are good. For example, Year 4 pupils design and make chairs for a purpose, using paper and paste, and design and make well-finished fairground rides. Year 5 pupils design and make a good variety of money containers and containers for an object of their choice. Year 4 pupils design and make interesting pop-up cards from paper and card and vehicles with moving wheels. Year 3 pupils design and make a lamp as part of their work in science and a marble maze, which is designed on the computer. In food technology. Year 3 pupils make and evaluate

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

sandwiches eagerly and in Year 6 pupils make and evaluate biscuits. Pupils build steadily on prior knowledge because of improvements in planning, based on nationally produced guidance. This is an improvement since the previous inspection, when there was no scheme of work in place and skills were not built on systematically. Sarisbury C of E Junior - 36 94. Pupils’ designing of their work is good. They also evaluate their work well. In addition to written evaluations, pupils use a ‘Star profile’ to self-evaluate their finished product. They evaluate and plot various components of their work onto a chart with three axes. This produces a pictorial representation of their evaluation, in the form of a ‘star’ or triangle, which also contributes well to their mathematical skills.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

95. It is not possible to make an overall judgement about teaching. However, from the evidence seen, the quality of teaching is at least satisfactory. Planning is good and good use is made of pupils’ self assessment sheets. However, the recently introduced assessment sheet for teachers to use is not yet fully embedded.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

96. The subject leader manages the subject well and has a good understanding of the strengths and areas to develop. She has attended a number of training sessions run by the local schools design and technology support group, which has contributed to the raising of standards in the school since the last inspection. The subject contributes well to the spiritual and social development of pupils. For example, pupils work together in pairs and small groups to produce work of a high standard, of which pupils can be proud. The use of mathematical skills to support the subject is good. For example, in addition to the use of the ‘Star profile’ to evaluate work, Year 3 pupils draw bar graphs of their favourite sandwich filling and use charts to grade bread by flavour, taste and presentation. The written evaluations and discussion about their work also contributes well to English. Sound use is made of information and communication technology, when, for example,

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

Year 3 pupils use the computer to design mazes for marbles. However, this is an area for further development.

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GEOGRAPHY

97. As geography is taught during the second half of the school year in Years 5 and 6, there was little written evidence of older pupils’ work. Lessons were observed only in Years 3 and 4. Consequently, judgements are based on those lessons, discussions with staff and Year 6 pupils, scrutiny of planning, displays and the previous work of younger pupils. These indicate that standards are broadly average at end of Year 6. Pupils, including those with special educational needs, achieve satisfactorily. This is an improvement since the last inspection, when progress was described as unsatisfactory.

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GEOGRAPHY

98. By the end of Year 6, pupils have a reasonable knowledge of the features of their own locality, although not enough use is made of fieldwork in the area to underpin and extend this as pupils move through the school. They show only a limited understanding of why settlements grow and decline in particular locations, although their understanding of processes such as erosion in river systems is sound. The annual residential visit to Devon for Year 6 pupils is used appropriately as an opportunity to contrast a different location with their own. They have a reasonable recall of locations such as St Lucia, studied during Year 5.

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GEOGRAPHY

99. Pupils develop their mapping skills systematically as they move through the school. In Year 3, for example, pupils record their routes to school and land use noted during a field trip to Sarisbury Green on large scale ordnance survey maps. In Year 4,pupils use and interpret a good variety of maps confidently during their work on India. Planning shows that this is built on further in Years 5 and 6. However, the way that the curriculum is arranged, with gaps of as long as a year between geography topics, makes it difficult for pupils to build effectively on their previous learning in many aspects of the subject. This is the main reason why, although pupils were making good progress in some of the work seen during the inspection, they only achieve satisfactorily overall.

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GEOGRAPHY

100. In the lessons seen, the quality of teaching and learning was satisfactory overall although some very good teaching was observed. In this lesson the teacher used good subject knowledge to question pupils very skilfully, helping them to identify both advantages and disadvantages of three possible routes for a new road through an Indian village. She explained the challenging and interesting tasks very clearly. These built well on pupils’ previous work. As a result, they concentrated well as they discussed well, in small groups, the relative importance of different types of land cover. Good links were made with mathematics as the lesson progressed, as the Sarisbury C of E Junior - 37 teacher averaged the scores given to the different types of land use and when pupils practised using simple co-ordinates in a mapping task. All of these factors contributed to pupils’ very good learning in the lesson.

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GEOGRAPHY

101. In previous lessons on the same topic, Year 4 teachers planned some tasks that supported pupils’ work in literacy well. For example, pupils worked in pairs as villagers to write persuasive letters, in role, to the Minister of Roads to express a variety of responses to the proposal for a new road. These were well written and also showed how well pupils were beginning to understand how human processes can change people’s lives. One such example read,’ I’ve been a ferryman all my life ------ with the new road, people will use bikes, cars and lorries more. I will have to do nothing or find a new job’. Such activities also contribute well to pupils’ social and cultural activities. Teachers make satisfactory use of information and communication technology to support pupils’ learning in geography.

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GEOGRAPHY

102. The subject manager has only been in post for just over a term and has made a satisfactory start to managing the subject. She has made good use of release time to scrutinise planning and to sample pupils’ work and has identified some appropriate priorities to raise standards and achievement further. These include developing fieldwork, assessment procedures and the use of information and communication technology as well as ensuring better opportunities for pupils to develop their geographical skills systematically.

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HISTORY

103. The attainment of pupils at the end of Year 6 is broadly average and pupils achieve satisfactorily over time. Pupils with special educational needs also make sound progress relative to their individual attainment levels. Overall standards have been maintained since the last inspection.

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HISTORY

104. By the end of Year 6, pupils have built up a sound body of knowledge in the areas studied, however skills of historical inquiry are not yet fully developed. Through an examination of the Tudors and World War Two, for example, pupils gain an understanding of English history, the varying lives of a range of people in society and changes over time. Pupils are becoming accustomed to using a range of source material. In a Year 6, for example, pupils examined a range of reproductions of paintings of Henry VIII and considered what messages they intend to give to the observer. However, pupils' appreciation that historical events have been interpreted in different ways is not well developed.

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HISTORY

105. Pupils' literacy skills are used and enhanced well in history. In Year 6, pupils write letters to King Philip of Spain as part of their work on the Tudors and pupils in Year 5 research information on Greek occupations in order to talk and answer questions in role as, say, a Greek doctor. Sound examples of the use of numeracy were found in Year 5 lesson, when the teacher asked pupils to estimate the positions of various years on a date line.

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HISTORY

106. Pupils make good use their developing skills in information and communication technology in a variety of ways. These include the use of CD ROMS and web sites for research, downloading and word processing information and the use of digital photographs taken on a visit, for example, to Titchfield, as part of a presentation.

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HISTORY

107. Only one history lesson was observed during the inspection and so it is not possible to make a judgement on the quality of teaching. However, pupils' work indicates that teaching is likely to be at least sound overall, as it was at the time of the last inspection. Teachers mark pupils' work satisfactorily and the most effective marking contains constructive comments for the learner, although the quality of marking is not consistent. Some classrooms contain good quality wall displays and these effectively raise pupils' awareness of history. Good examples of the pupils' use of independent research outside the classroom were noted during the inspection, namely projects related to the Tudors by Year 6 pupils.

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HISTORY

108. The curriculum, which was sound at the time of the last inspection has recently been improved and is now good. The subject leader has worked with the history advisor of the local education Sarisbury C of E Junior - 38 authority to ensure that the curriculum provision includes the consistent development of pupils' skills of inquiry. This has not yet been implemented for sufficient time to have a marked effect on the skills of pupils in Year 6. Links with other curricular areas are sound and support the history curriculum well, for example, the use of famous paintings as a source for inquiry, the use of Tudor music, the organisation of a Tudor banquet and the sketching of artefacts. The use of visits to historical sites and museums and visitors, who share relevant expertise, is satisfactory. Examples of this are a visit to the site of a Roman villa by Year 3, a 'home front' museum by Year 5, Titchfield

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HISTORY

by Year 4 and the Mary Rose by Year 6. The curriculum contributes well to pupils' cultural development, however the school misses opportunities to develop multicultural perspectives in its work. The subject is taught alternately with geography and this makes the development of skills and the accumulation of knowledge difficult, particularly after the summer holiday.

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HISTORY

109. Good assessment procedures have been introduced since the last inspection and these are suitable for the range of pupils in each year group. They are used well in forward planning. The role of the subject leader has not yet developed to include the monitoring of teaching. Resources are adequate and are supplemented well by a lending library service when needed. The school has made good improvement in the development of the subject since the last inspection.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

110. The attainment of pupils in Year 6 is above the national average and has risen since the last inspection when it met national expectations and pupils’ progress was unsatisfactory. Overall, pupils now achieve well and make good progress in lessons. Pupils with special educational needs also make good progress in relation to their individual attainment levels.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

111. By the end of Year 6, pupils understand that information in the form of text, pictures, graphs and sound can be entered and stored on the computer. In a Year 6 lesson, for example, pupils prepared a Power Point presentation based on their year group. All pupils imported photographs of themselves to include with text and other picture. Lower attaining pupils needed some support at first. A large group of higher attaining pupils included animation in their presentations. Pupils understand that sequences of instructions can be used to control and monitor events. Year 5 pupils planned and executed procedures to include a flashing amber sequence within their previously programmed traffic light system, while higher attaining pupils experimented with changing timings and number of flashes, for example.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

112. In Year 4, pupils learn how to instruct a screen turtle to move along a determined path and complete two-dimensional shapes. This supports their learning in mathematics well. They understand that a repeat procedure can be used to construct a regular polygon although lower attaining pupils need support to do this. However, higher attaining pupils are able to use the repeat procedure, within another set of instructions, in order to draw the outside shape of a house. Pupils know that information can be stored in a database and that these can be interrogated. In an early lesson on databases, for example, Year 3 pupils used a database containing information about their class, a search list and sheet views to answer straightforward questions.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

113. Pupils overall acquire good levels of skills and these are used well to support their learning in other curricular areas. Pupils enter text accurately and confidently and make good use of different fonts, size of fonts, colours, borders and pictures in their work. For example, pupils in Year 4 word process poems, in Year 5, they produce a set of rules for library use and in Year 6, complete a bulletin on a visit to Stone Farm, all helping to support their learning in literacy well. The development of skills in art is reinforced through the use of appropriate programs to design. Pupils produce repeating patterns in Year 3 and symmetrical designs in Year 4. In religious education pupils use 'click and drag' techniques and mathematical Venn Diagrams to identify aspects of a religious community, the school community and those that are common to both. Pupils across the age range are accustomed to using CD ROMS and web sites to access information for science,

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

history and geography. They save, retrieve and print out their work confidently. In general, information and communication technology supports pupils' learning across the curriculum satisfactorily, although it is not yet fully developed in all areas. The school has rightly identified this as an area for further development in order to bring this aspect of the curriculum up to the Sarisbury C of E Junior - 39 same high standard as the rest. Pupils also use their developing skills well in home based assignments. The Year 6 projects based on aspects of the Tudors are good examples of this.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

114. The quality of teaching and learning is good. No evaluation of teaching was possible during the last inspection because no direct teaching was observed. Since then both teachers and support assistants have received specialist training and an area has been designated and equipped with computers for class teaching. This has had a positive impact on pupils' learning. Teachers have worked hard to increase their subject knowledge and personal skills and now plan effective use of their weekly allocated lesson in the computer suite. They ensure that good use is also made of the computers based in classrooms. All computers are on the same network so that pupils can continue work started and saved in one area when they move to work in the other. Teachers explain tasks clearly and question pupils well. They are helped in this by the provision of a laptop computer with a projector link, which is used effectively to model tasks in the classrooms and to

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

involve pupils in whole class discussions before the pupils move into the computer suite, which is sited in a wide corridor area. In a Year 5 lesson, for example, the teacher questioned pupils well and encouraged them to share and test their ideas on how to incorporate a flashing amber sequence into their traffic light system before leaving the classroom, thus making more effective use of their 'hands on' time later in the lesson. Teachers plan challenging lessons and ensure that all pupils have appropriate tasks. Good examples of this are the Year 6 lesson on Power Point presentations and the Year 4 lesson on Logo. In both of these lessons, the pupils' tasks were well matched to needs and learning was good. Very good relationships exist between pupils, teachers and support assistants and this underpins the learning process. Pupils respond well to the challenge of the lessons and work collaboratively together well when required to do so.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

115. The curriculum information technology is good. It ensures that pupils' skills are developed progressively in the context of appropriately challenging and interesting tasks. It has improved since the last inspection. The subject manager has a clear understanding of the developmental stage of the subject and has been instrumental in improving the provision over recent years. Limited assessment procedures are in place, but there is room for further development in this area.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

116. The computer suite, while being an asset to the school, has restricted space and accommodates complete classes with difficulty. Consequently, teachers and support assistants work hard organising the best possible use of the associated facilities to support the pupils' learning. The school has made very good improvement since the last inspection.

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MUSIC

117. By the end of Year 6, standards in music are broadly average. The majority of pupils, including those with special educational needs, achieve satisfactorily. The judgements made are similar to those in the last inspection. Good numbers of pupils attend peripatetic music lessons or the school’s good provision for recorders, orchestra and choir. Many of these pupils achieve well as a result of this good extra provision.

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MUSIC

118. The singing heard in assembly by pupils was tuneful and generally with clear diction, but lacked enthusiasm and enjoyment. One of the reasons for this is that a good number of pupils, boys in particular, do not join in. There was no evidence of part- singing, but good evidence of pupils using untuned and tuned percussion to create rhythmic patterns and compositions. In Year 3, pupils use simple notation to record their rhythm patterns. Most pupils understand the note values of a crotchet and a quaver and recognise how sounds can be used expressively. In a Year 3 lesson, they improvised and made different rhythmic patterns and recorded them visually. In Year 4, they have a sound understanding of relevant technical vocabulary. Most recognise how symbols indicate a gradual change in dynamics and demonstrate this with their instruments. Some have a developing understanding of conventional notation because of their work with peripatetic music

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MUSIC

teachers and in the school’s orchestra, recorder clubs and choir. In a Year 6 lesson, pupils demonstrated that they were able to play in two parts, for example, one played the rhythm whilst others played the melody. They maintain their own part, using simple notations, knowing how the two parts fit together. Notes are played clearly and precisely as a whole class. Sarisbury C of E Junior - 40 119. The teaching of music is satisfactory and some is good. Pupils show enthusiasm and interest in lessons where they are involved in practical music making. Their behaviour in lessons is good and they work co-operatively in groups when asked to do so. Because of the good behaviour and enthusiasm the learning in lessons is also at least satisfactory. Most teachers have high expectations of behaviour and the basic skills of music are taught systematically. They provide appropriate support to different groups of pupils in practical composition, assessing their needs

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MUSIC

and providing appropriate support. In Year 6 in particular, the pace and challenge of lessons are good and good learning takes place as a result of this. There are satisfactory links with information and communication technology.

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MUSIC

120. The subject manager provides good leadership. Besides a high level of expertise and enthusiasm for music, which benefits activities by the choir and orchestra, he works hard to ensure that there is a breadth of opportunities within the school. Additionally, participation in community events and music festivals has a high priority. Such events as the cluster music workshops and Rotary Music Festivals are examples of this.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

121. Standards are average and pupils’ achievement through the school is satisfactory an improvement since the last inspection when their progress in physical education was unsatisfactory. The school employs qualified instructors to teach swimming to pupils from Year 5 at the local pool for one term in each year. The majority of pupils can swim 25 metres before they leave the school. Very good links have been made with local clubs and organisations and as a result pupils, both boys and girls, have the opportunity to receive professional coaching in football, netball and short tennis. In these sessions the focus is based on the development of skills leading to competitive games. There is also a good range of extra-curricular activities including football for girls and boys, netball, indoor games, cross country running and line dancing.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

122. Teaching is satisfactory overall and sometimes good. The school follows a sound scheme of work and this forms the basis of planning that reflects clear and appropriate learning objectives. In well taught lessons, these are regularly shared with the pupils at the beginning of lessons and this, coupled with frequent references throughout the lesson ensures that pupils remain focused and make good progress. Every lesson begins with a warm up session and it is clear from responses to teachers’ questions that pupils understand the purpose of this exercise. Teachers use pupils well to model good examples of work but need to encourage pupils to evaluate each other’s efforts and suggest areas for improvement with greater consistency. Pupils in Year 4 co-operated well as they devised a variety of sequences both on the floor and apparatus. They stretched, curled, balanced and jumped with enthusiasm and some were beginning to link the movements together

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

well into a sequence. In Year 5, they also devised their own dances and in the lesson observed, they were encouraged to improve on their previous performance thereby developing their skills well. In Year 6, the lesson was very well controlled and the teacher built effectively on pupils’ existing skills. It culminated in the introduction of a movement called a ‘canon’ (identical actions following directly one after the other to create a flowing movement) that the pupils began to incorporate into their movements, co-operating well to ensure its success.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

123. The subject manager was absent during the inspection. However inspection evidence indicates that good support is offered to teachers across all aspects of the curriculum, including games and athletics, not observed during the inspection. Very detailed notes and suggestions are available, not only to support them in their planning but also in the evaluation of standards.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

124. Evidence from lessons seen during the inspection, together with discussions with staff and pupils, scrutiny of planning, displays and previous work indicate that standards are broadly in line with the expectations of the locally agreed syllabus at the end of Year 6. Boys and girls, including those with special educational needs, achieve satisfactorily overall in relation to their prior attainment. Standards are similar to those described in the previous report. Sarisbury C of E Junior - 41 125. By the end of Year 6, pupils have a sound knowledge of Christian traditions and beliefs. They know several stories from the Old and New Testaments and can explain for example, some of the events of Easter and their significance to Christians. Pupils visit the local church regularly to perform Easter and Christmas productions as well as to study its features. Year 3 pupils could describe these and their purposes accurately after their visit and made appropriate comparisons with the

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

features of a synagogue they had also visited. The local vicar, who is also a school governor, is a familiar and welcome visitor in school, regularly leading assemblies together with other adults from the parish. These links contribute well to pupils’ learning about Christianity.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

126. Year 6 pupils have only a superficial knowledge of other world religions they have studied. They are unable to draw out similarities and differences because they confuse the religions to which beliefs and practices belong. Scrutiny of past work shows that one reason for this is that older pupils in particular do not have enough opportunities to reinforce their learning through written recording. Another is that there are not enough opportunities for pupils to build on and deepen previous learning about Judaism and Islam, for example, as they move through the school. Past work also shows that the same task is usually given to the whole class, there is little opportunity for average and higher attaining pupils to extend their knowledge and understanding further. This is partly because assessment is underdeveloped in the subject and consequently teachers do not always take sufficient account of pupils’ previous learning.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

127. This means that standards and achievement in the aspect of investigating religious traditions, although satisfactory overall, are not as secure as in the aspect of exploring and responding to human experience. While the quality of teaching and learning in the subject is satisfactory overall, in this area of the curriculum it is good and as a result pupils achieve well. The frequent opportunities throughout the school for pupils to develop and express their ideas and opinions contribute well to this, as do the very good relationships between pupils and teachers. It means that boys and girls of all levels of attainment are confident in sharing their ideas and feelings, secure in the knowledge that both teachers and their peers will value and respect what they say. As a result, pupils, including those with special educational needs, make good progress in exploring and expressing their thoughts and emotions as they move through the school. It also

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

helps them to respect the values, views and beliefs of others. In this way, the subject makes a very good contribution to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

128. Some teachers make good use of the subject to reinforce or extend pupils’ literacy skills. In a very well taught Year 6 lesson, for example, the teacher asked pupils to present their reactions to descriptions of why some people had been imprisoned in a way that enabled them to, as the teacher said, ‘--- put into practice what we’ve been learning about persuasive writing’. The pupils were highly motivated by the task and produced high quality work. The lesson also showed how well pupils were beginning to reflect upon complex moral issues, listen to each other’s ideas, discuss and build upon them. Teachers make appropriate use of information and communication technology to support pupils’ learning, as in Year 3, for example to reinforce their knowledge of the features of a Christian church. In Year 4, after a talk from a visitor from the local church, an interesting link was made with mathematics as pupils used Venn diagrams to identify similarities

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

and differences between church and school communities.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

129. The subject manager leads the subject well. She has carefully reviewed the curriculum to ensure that it covers the requirements of the locally agreed syllabus and is developing a useful scheme of work to support teachers’ planning. She is also successfully extending the provision for pupils’ spiritual development through regular planned opportunities for guided reflection and supporting colleagues in learning techniques for this, for example, by teaching exemplar lessons. She has identified in her action plan the need to develop assessment procedures to help to raise standards further. Assemblies often include themes that support topics in religious education lessons and teachers make good links with these.

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