St Matthew's Church of England Aided Primary School

ST MATTHEW’S CE AIDED PRIMARY SCHOOL

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

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ST MATTHEW’S CE AIDED PRIMARY SCHOOL

Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the School Inspections Act 1996, the school must provide a copy of this report and/or its summary free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. St Matthew’s CE Aided Primary School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Drift Road Blackmoor Liss Hampshire

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Email address: paula.evans@st-matthews.hants.sch.uk

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 2 February 1998 St Matthew’s CE Aided Primary School - 4

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities 9271 Selwyn Ward Registered inspector What sort of school is it? How high are standards? How well are pupils taught? How good are curricular and other opportunities? How well is the school led and managed? What should the school do to improve further? 9646 Geraldine Osment Lay inspector How good are pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development? How well does the school provide for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development? How well does the school care for its pupils? How well does the school work in partnership with parents? 7465 Richard Brent Team inspector Special educational needs Educational inclusion English Geography History St Matthew’s CE Aided Primary School - 5 Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities 32136 Lesley Brookes Team inspector Foundation Stage Information and communicatio n technology Music How well does the school make use of

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

27058 Kathleen Cannon Team inspector Mathematics Art and design Design and technology Physical education

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

PkR Educational Consultants Ltd 6 Sherman Road Bromley Kent BR1 3JH

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE St Matthew’s CE Aided Primary School - 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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AREAS OF THE CURRICULUM, SUBJECTS AND COURSES 28

St Matthew’s CE Aided Primary School - 7

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

St Matthew’s is a Church of England voluntary aided primary school for boys and girls aged 4 – 11 years. With 182 pupils, the school is smaller than average. All of the pupils are white and of United Kingdom heritage. An average number of pupils have special educational needs, mostly covering a wide range of learning difficulties but including some with social and behavioural difficulties. The proportion of pupils with statements of special educational need is also average. Although children join the school with a wide range of abilities, overall, children’s attainment when they start school is average. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is broadly average, and this represents the mixed social and economic backgrounds of the children.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

The school is very well led and effectively managed and, as a result, teaching is now good. Pupils are now attaining above average standards by the time they leave the school and are achieving well in relation to how well they were doing when they joined the school. There is very good provision for pupils’ personal development, and this contributes to pupils being well behaved and very keen to learn. St Matthew’s is a good and effective school. It provides good value for money.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What the school does well • The teaching is good and pupils of all abilities achieve well by the time they leave the juniors. • The school is very well led and effectively managed. • St Matthew’s provides very well for pupils’ personal development and, as a result, children develop a very strong sense of responsibility, behave well and have a very positive attitude to learning. • Pupils are looked after very well. • The school works hard to involve parents and keeps them very well informed, and this helps them to support their children’s education.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What could be improved • Younger children have not been doing as well as those in the juniors. • Pupils are not doing well enough in art. • Marking does not always help pupils to understand what they need to do to do better. 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

St Matthew’s was last inspected in February 1998. Since that inspection, improvement has been good. The issues identified in the last inspection have been tackled well. As a result, teaching is much better than was seen in the last inspection and standards are higher. The building and facilities are also much improved. St Matthew’s CE Aided Primary School - 8

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STANDARDS

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

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STANDARDS

Performance in: all schools similar schools Key

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STANDARDS

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

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STANDARDS

Results in the tests taken at the end of Year 6 show improvement that is broadly in line with the national trend. Results have generally been good in English and very good in science, but they have been below average in mathematics and were well below when compared with similar schools. Standards of work in mathematics in the current Year 6 are now in line with national expectations. In English and science, work seen was of an above average standard. This represents good achievement, with pupils of all abilities, including the more able and those with special educational needs, making good progress over their time in school. There is no significant difference in the standards attained by boys and girls. The targets set by the school for this year’s test results are unambitious. They are likely to be exceeded.

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STANDARDS

In recent years, children have generally not done as well in the infants as they have in the juniors. In last year’s tests, results in Year 2 in reading and writing were below average, and they were well below average in mathematics. Standards have begun to improve and, from work seen, they are now broadly in line with national expectations. This represents satisfactory achievement. In science, standards by the end of Year 2 are above average. In all other subjects, in both the infants and juniors, standards are in line with national expectations, with the exception of art, where standards are below average. Inspectors did not see enough music to make an overall judgement about standards.

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STANDARDS

Children in the reception class make satisfactory progress towards the early learning goals for under fives. Most are likely to attain the expected standard by the time they start in Year 1.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Aspect Comment Attitudes to the school Very good. Pupils are proud of their school and have a very positive attitude to learning. They are attentive listeners and they settle to work without fuss. Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Good overall. Older pupils’ behaviour is consistently very good, but a small number of boys in the infants and in the younger junior classes have to be closely managed. There were four temporary exclusions last year. Personal development and relationships Very good. Pupils take on lots of responsibilities and develop good independent learning skills. Relationships throughout the school are very good, both among pupils and between pupils and adults. Children are polite, friendly and considerate. They work together sensibly and are all included in the full range of school activities. Attendance Good. Attendance is above the national average. Almost all pupils arrive at school on time. Pupils’ good attendance contributes to the good

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

St Matthew’s CE Aided Primary School - 9 progress they are now making in their learning.

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

Teaching of pupils in: Reception Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6 Quality of teaching Satisfactory Satisfactory 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 AND LEARNING

The quality of teaching in English and mathematics is good. The National Numeracy and Literacy Strategies have been implemented well and have made a good contribution to raising and maintaining standards. Teachers follow the Strategies in discussing with the pupils clear learning objectives for each lesson, providing a good mix of varied group activities and involving pupils at the end of the lesson in assessing how well they have learnt. Basic skills, such as spelling, punctuation and mental arithmetic, are taught well, particularly in the juniors. Teachers have good subject knowledge and they prepare lessons well, so that time is well used and pupils get a reasonable amount of work done. Teachers have high expectations. In the most effective lessons, they set work that offers very good challenge to pupils of different abilities, including the more able. Teachers organise lessons well, mostly making effective

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

use of teaching assistants so that lower-attaining pupils are able to make good progress in their learning, although in a few lessons the work of teaching assistants was not adequately planned for. Teachers know and get on very well with their pupils and, in turn, children are keen to do well in order to please their teachers, although the incentive of house points also contributes to motivating pupils to learn. Good use is made of questioning to draw out answers from pupils that help to test their understanding of what is being taught. Staff are effective at ensuring that all children are fully involved in lessons. Pupils also learn well because teachers encourage them to solve problems themselves. Satisfactory use is made of homework. Marking, however, does not always give children enough guidance on what they need to do to improve their work.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Aspect Comment The quality and range of the curriculum Good overall. Statutory requirements are met and the curriculum is enriched, particularly for older pupils, through very strong community and church links, visits and a very good range of out-of-school activities. Because the school day is quite short, over the course of a week, teaching time is an hour less than the recommended minimum. Provision for pupils with special educational needs Pupils with special educational needs are supported well and make good progress. The school has identified a number of gifted and talented pupils and it makes good provision for them in Years 5 and 6. Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Very good overall. Provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral and social development is very good and this contributes to the very good relationships, good behaviour and very positive attitude to learning that

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

the pupils develop. Provision for cultural development is satisfactory. Pupils learn a lot about their immediate locality but opportunities are missed, particularly in art and music, for children to learn about their own cultural heritage and that of others. How well the school cares for its pupils Children’s welfare is looked after very well. There are effective procedures for monitoring and promoting good behaviour and dealing with attendance. How well the school uses assessment information The school is collecting good information on the progress pupils are making, particularly in English, mathematics, science and information and communication technology, and the analysis of this data has helped to raise standards. St Matthew’s CE Aided Primary School - 10 Aspect Comment How well the school works in partnership with parents Parents are kept very well informed about how well their children are doing. They are very supportive of the school and of their children’s

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

learning. The Parents, Teachers and Friends’ Association raises considerable sums for the school which enable it to maintain its high level of staffing.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

Aspect Comment Leadership and manage- ment by the headteacher and other key staff Good overall. The school is very well led and effectively managed. The headteacher and deputy head provide very clear educational direction and have been effective in identifying the key priorities for school improvement. Staff with subject management and other responsibilities generally do a good job. How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Governors are very strongly committed to the school, are very well organised and do an excellent job. They have a very clear appreciation of the strengths of the school and of the key areas that need improving. The school’s evaluation of its performance The school makes very good use of the principles of best value to evaluate the effectiveness of its work. The views of both parents and pupils are actively canvassed and taken into account in setting school priorities. The strategic use of

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

resources Spending is matched to a comprehensive improvement plan that identifies clearly the school’s priorities for development. Funding is used for the proper purpose. Staffing and the school’s buildings and facilities The school benefits from very good accommodation in an attractive woodland surround. Resources are good. Because the school has had staffing difficulties in the past, governors have agreed to support a high level of staffing. This has enabled class teachers to benefit from more training and has meant the school is not dependent on temporary teachers.

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved • Their children like school. • Children make good progress. • The teaching is good. • The school expects children to work hard and achieve their best. • The school helps children to become mature and responsible. • The school is approachable. • Parents are not kept well informed about how well their children are doing. • The school does not work closely enough with parents. • Pupils do not get the right amount of homework. • There are not enough out-of-school activities.

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

Around two-fifths of the parents returned their questionnaires, and their views, and those expressed at the meeting that the Registered Inspector held with parents, were positive. Inspectors agree with all of the favourable views expressed and disagree with the negative views voiced by a significant minority. Inspectors judge that the school works hard to and is very effective in involving parents, and consider that they are kept very well informed about how well their children are doing. Satisfactory use is made of St Matthew’s CE Aided Primary School - 11 homework and there is a very good range of extra-curricular activities on offer, particularly taking account the size of the school, although most of the clubs organised by teachers are for older pupils.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

1. Throughout this report, references to Key Stage 1 relate to the infant years (Years 1 and 2) when pupils are aged 5 to 7 years. The junior years (from Year 3 to Year 6) are referred to as Key Stage 2, when pupils are aged 7 to 11. Children in the reception year, who are aged 5 and under, are considered to be in the Foundation Stage. Schools’ test results are compared with the national average, as well as against similar schools . Schools are grouped as similar according to the proportion of children attending who are known to be eligible for free school meals. In judging standards, inspectors analysed results attained in the national standard assessment tests (SATs) taken at the end of Years 2 and 6, both in 2002 and in previous years. Inspectors looked at and judged work currently being done in lessons and at work done throughout the past year. They listened to children read and discussed children’s work with them as

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

well as with their teachers. Whereas judgements on attainment relate to comparisons with nationally expected standards, achievement relates to the progress pupils make and compares how well children do as against their prior attainment. English, mathematics and science are referred to as core subjects, and a degree of priority was given in the inspection to looking at these subjects. Other curriculum subjects are sometimes referred to as non-core or foundation subjects. Inspectors looked at all of the subjects of the curriculum with the exception of religious education. Because St Matthew’s is a Church of England voluntary aided school, its provision for religious education and arrangements for collective worship were the subject of a separate religious education inspection commissioned by the governors.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

2. Although children join the school with a wide range of abilities, overall their attainment is average. They achieve satisfactorily in their reception year, so that the overwhelming majority are likely to attain all the early learning goals for children of this age and a small proportion will exceed these goals. This is a similar position to that reported in the last inspection.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

3. In the tests taken at the end of Year 2 in 2002, results were below average in reading and writing and well below average in mathematics. They have generally been below and well below average in most years since the last inspection and, in the past, pupils have not made enough progress in their infant years. This has been recognised in the school’s own analysis of its performance and action has been taken to tackle this underachievement. As a result, the position is now improving. From work seen in the inspection, standards are rising and are now broadly in line with national expectations in reading, writing and mathematics. This now represents satisfactory achievement. In science, standards are above average. In all other subjects in the infants, standards are in line with national expectations, with the exception of art, where standards are below expectations. Inspectors did not see or hear enough music to make an overall

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

4. In the tests taken by pupils in Year 6 in 2002, results were above average in English, well above average in science but below average in mathematics. When compared with similar schools, results in mathematics were well below average. Test results have generally risen since the last inspection in line with the national trend and, although results in mathematics have in most years been below average, results St Matthew’s CE Aided Primary School - 12 overall have generally been above average. In recent years, results in mathematics have been depressed, in particular, by the low number of able pupils attaining the higher levels. The school has recognised that standards have been too low in mathematics and that more able pupils have not been doing well enough, and considerable effort has been put into raising standards in this subject. These measures have been successful. Standards of work seen in the inspection were in line with

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

national expectations in mathematics, with around a quarter of the pupils in the current Year 6 on track to attain the higher levels in this year’s tests. In English and science, standards are above average. Pupils of all abilities, including the more able and those with special educational needs, are now achieving well in the juniors. The school has set targets for test results in English and mathematics in the 2003 national tests. These targets are unambitious. They are likely to be exceeded.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

5. As in the infants, in other subjects standards in the juniors are in line with national expectations, with the exception of art where they are below those expected. Again, in music, not enough evidence was heard or seen to make an overall judgement about standards. The trophies for inter-school sporting achievements are an indication that pupils, including those who are able and talented, are doing well in physical education.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

6. In their questionnaire responses, 91 per cent of parents expressed the view that their children make good progress. Inspectors agree. Pupils are now achieving well, although achievement continues to be better in the juniors than in the reception or infant classes. There has been good improvement in standards since the last inspection.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

7. In their questionnaire responses, 93 per cent of parents indicated that their children enjoyed school. Inspectors’ discussions with pupils confirm that view. Pupils’ very positive attitudes, their good behaviour and the very good relationships that they forge with one another and with adults are notable strengths of the school. These aspects contribute to the quality of pupils’ learning and through that to the standards of work that pupils achieve.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

8. The pupils have very positive attitudes to school that enhance their learning and enable them to achieve well. This is better than reported in the last inspection. The pupils are very happy to come to school and are very interested in the activities provided for them. Staff value pupils as individuals and this encourages the children to respond positively to what the school offers. The pupils are enthusiastic about their lessons, as was seen, for example, in an infant art lesson when a lot of good quality work was produced when the pupils were planning and collecting materials for a collage. Pupils’ very good attitudes make an important contribution to rising standards in the school.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

9. The last report judged behaviour to be excellent, but this inspection finds behaviour good overall with often very good behaviour in the juniors. In these classes, the pupils learn well because teachers do not have to waste time maintaining order. In Years 1 and 2, there are a small number of pupils who have difficulty controlling their behaviour despite the best efforts of the staff. This can slow the pace of lessons and means that the pupils do not always learn as well as they could. Play at break and lunchtimes is good-natured; pupils play well together and this ensures that they are able to settle quickly to the lessons that follow. There were four temporary exclusions from the school last year for inappropriate behaviour but no incidents of bullying were observed during the inspection. Good behaviour is contributing positively, helping pupils to achieve well. St Matthew’s CE Aided Primary School - 13

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

10. Pupils’ spiritual development is very good. Pupils’ responses in lessons show that they have awareness and understanding of their own needs and those of others. In a very good Year 4 personal, social and health education lesson, for example, the class discussed the importance of praising the achievements of other people. Pupils’ social and moral development is very good. Throughout the school, pupils are given responsibilities and they carry them out sensibly and with dignity. Relationships are very good between staff and pupils and amongst pupils. All adults are very good role models; they are consistently kind, considerate and show respect to pupils and each other. Consequently, there is a strong sense of inclusion in the school and pupils from a range of backgrounds play and work well together. Pupils in Year 6 who discussed their work with inspectors said that they have good opportunities to develop

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

independent learning skills in lessons, for example setting up experiments in science or undertaking tasks that can be approached in different ways. This was a key issue at the last inspection and there has therefore been good improvement.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

11. Attendance is above the national average. Punctuality is also good which means that lessons start on time. Regular attendance is contributing to improved standards.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

12. Part of the focus of the inspection was on literacy and numeracy, so some priority was given to observing the teaching of English and mathematics, particularly as these subjects account for around half of the school day. Inspectors saw all classes being taught at least one of these subjects. In most cases, inspectors were able to observe full lessons and, in judging teaching, inspectors sought evidence that pupils were learning and making progress.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

13. Inspectors observed 42 full or part lessons. All were satisfactory or better, three out of five lessons were good or better, and around one lesson in four was judged to be very good or excellent. This represents a picture of good teaching overall. There was, however, a higher proportion of good and very good teaching in the juniors. At the last inspection, teaching was judged to be satisfactory overall, although, at that time, one lesson in five in the infants and juniors was considered unsatisfactory and there was a much lower proportion of very good or excellent lessons. This means there has been very good improvement in teaching since the last inspection. This also confirms the positive view of parents, of whom 91 per cent considered teaching to be good, with 94 per cent expressing the view that their children were expected to work hard and do their best.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

14. English and Mathematics are now taught well and the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies have made a good contribution to raising standards. Teachers follow the strategies in discussing with the pupils clear learning objectives for each lesson, providing a good mix of varied group activities and involving pupils at the end of the lesson in assessing how well they have learnt.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

15. Basic skills are taught well, particularly in the juniors. This includes the teaching of spelling, punctuation and mental arithmetic, as well as basic skills in practical subjects. In a physical education lesson in the lower juniors, for example, pupils learnt well, making good progress in developing their hockey skills. This was because the teacher watched pupils carefully to identify precisely what weaknesses needed to be addressed in pupils’ dribbling and shooting skills, modelled the skills well using good examples from the class and gradually increased the challenge of the task set. St Matthew’s CE Aided Primary School - 14 16. Teachers have good subject knowledge and they prepare lessons well, making good use of assessment information in those subjects where this is available. As a result, time is used well and pupils, particularly in the juniors, put in a lot of effort and get a reasonable amount of work done. A very effective history lesson, for example, involved

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

older pupils in assessing the reliability of different historical sources. The teacher began the lesson by reading a moving diary extract of a wartime evacuee, seemingly from a textbook. After some discussion about what the class could learn from this, the teacher revealed that the account had in fact been written earlier in the term by a pupil in the class. Because the pupils all realised that of course the child could not really have had first-hand experience of life as an evacuee, this demonstrated very effectively the need to question historical sources. The teacher had set up a range of different source materials, including CD-ROMs, wartime propaganda posters, photographs, artefacts and a transcript of an interview that children had done earlier with an elderly person who had lived through the Second World War, and in groups pupils evaluated each of these for its historical reliability. There was no fuss, as materials had been well

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

organised beforehand, and pupils got a lot done in the lesson.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

17. Teachers have high expectations. In the most effective lessons, they set work that offers very good challenge to pupils of different abilities, including the more able. For example, in an extremely effective mathematics lesson in the infants, children of all abilities made excellent progress in a range of measuring and comparison tasks organised around the theme of more than and less than. Pupils learnt particularly well because they had to explain what they were doing and why they had chosen to order objects the way they had.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

18. Teachers organise lessons well, mostly making effective use of teaching assistants so that lower-attaining pupils are able to make good progress in their learning. In just a few lessons, however, the work of teaching assistants was not adequately planned for and their time was not well used . There is good liaison between teachers and teaching assistants, and teaching seen of pupils with specialist staff was particularly good in English lessons where the teacher took close account of the pupils’ learning difficulties and established a very good atmosphere within which they could work. Across the school, staff tailor the work and learning materials to the needs of pupils with learning difficulties and this contributes to the good progress they make.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

19. Teachers know and get on very well with their pupils and this results in children, in turn, being keen to do well in order to please their teachers. The incentive of house points, which pupils are keen to earn, also contributes to motivating them to work hard and do their best.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

20. Questioning is used well by teachers to check pupils’ understanding, for example through recapping what has been learnt in a previous lesson. Teachers are adept at ensuring that their question and answer sessions do not simply become a dialogue between the teacher and the minority of children who may put up their hands to answer. A notable feature of teachers’ questioning is their inclusive approach, directing questions to individual pupils who may be more reluctant volunteers so as to ensure that all of the children are involved in learning. Pupils also learn well because teachers encourage them to solve problems for themselves. In science in an older junior class, for example, pupils worked together to devise their own experiments to investigate aspects of light and shadow. St Matthew’s CE Aided Primary School - 15 21. Although around a quarter of the parents who returned their questionnaires expressed

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

dissatisfaction with the amount of homework, inspectors consider that homework is used satisfactorily. Marking, however, is a weakness of teaching. Although some marking is effective in giving good guidance to pupils on what they need to do to improve their work, the quality of marking varies considerably between subjects and between classes. Some marking offers pupils little more than ticks and crosses and occasional ‘well done’ words of encouragement. In some subjects, including science, quite a lot of work is unmarked.

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PUPILS?

22. The curriculum meets all statutory requirements, in that all aspects of the National Curriculum and that for under-fives are covered and all pupils are included in the full range of school activities. This represents good improvement since the last inspection when there were a number of shortcomings identified in the curriculum and legal requirements were not being met in respect of design and technology or information and communication technology. This improvement is in spite of the fact that the school day at St Matthew’s is a little shorter than average, so that the amount of teaching time in both the infants and juniors is an hour a week shorter than the recommended minimum.

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PUPILS?

23. There is considerable enrichment of the curriculum, particularly for juniors, through visits and visitors to the school, through residential trips and through extra-curricular clubs and other activities. Themed weeks, such as a recent arts week, further help to broaden pupils’ educational experience as they have the chance to work together, often with pupils of different ages, to produce a collective piece of work. In their questionnaire responses, a quarter of the parents expressed dissatisfaction with the amount of out-of- school activities on offer. Inspectors strongly disagree. Extra-curricular provision is very good. There is a wider range of clubs than is often seen in other schools, and the range is particularly wide when account is taken of the fact that the school is smaller than average. Although the majority of clubs cater for junior age pupils, older juniors organise a number of lunchtime clubs for younger children.

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PUPILS?

24. During the inspection, pupils in Years 5 and 6 benefited from the opportunity to see a play on the Second World War ‘Home Front’ performed by a visiting theatre group. They had last month seen the group perform a play on the theme of discrimination and inclusion and this had contributed to work done as part of the school’s programme of personal, social and health education. This appropriately covers drugs awareness and sex education. Much of the teaching of personal, social and health education is done through regular circle time sessions. These are opportunities for pupils to talk about their feelings and any worries or concerns, and enable teachers to raise issues such as bullying as the need arises. A circle time session seen in an infant class, for example, was a short 15-minute slot that provided a calm end to the morning after a busy mathematics lesson. It enabled the teacher and children to talk about health issues and

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PUPILS?

diet while pupils played with the class hamster. After children had been petting the hamster, the teacher was careful to ensure that they all washed their hands before going to lunch! The good provision for pupils’ personal, social and health education contributes to their personal development, particularly through the opportunities it gives them to explore and reflect on their thoughts and feelings.

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PUPILS?

25. Literacy is well taught across the curriculum, so that many different subjects in addition to English contribute to the development of pupils’ literacy, for example through opportunities for extended writing and through a good focus on understanding and using St Matthew’s CE Aided Primary School - 16 appropriate technical vocabulary. There are satisfactory opportunities for using numeracy in subjects other than mathematics. Good use is made of information and communication technology as a learning tool in a range of subjects. It is readily used for research, for example in history, as well as for word processing.

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PUPILS?

26. For pupils with special educational needs, individual education plans are prepared appropriately and incorporate literacy, numeracy and social communication targets. There are good arrangements for using individual education plans to help to ensure that individual needs are met whilst giving pupils full access to the curriculum. The school is careful, for example, to ensure that when pupils are benefiting from individual support they are fully included and do not miss out on what the rest of the class is learning. The formal and informal monitoring of individual education plans, and their associated targets, is done regularly and carefully. The school’s curricular response to pupils with special educational needs is good; setting in mathematics in Years 5 and 6, for example, enables the pupils to be taught in ability groups which benefits both lower- attaining and more able pupils.

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PUPILS?

27. St Matthew’s has good links with other schools in the area. The headteacher and other staff meet and plan together with colleagues from the other primary schools that ‘feed’ the local secondary school, and there are good opportunities arranged through the secondary school for able and talented pupils to attend numeracy and writing workshops organised at the local secondary school.

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PUPILS?

28. In their questionnaire responses, nine out of ten parents said the school helped their children to become mature and responsible. Inspectors agree. The school’s provision, overall, for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is very good, as it was at the time of the last inspection. This reflects a school aim that is being successfully achieved ‘to produce a well-balanced individual who can adapt to the variety of different situations and problems in our ever changing world’. The provision for spiritual development is very good. Pupils are encouraged to empathise with others. For example, in a very good Year 6 history lesson the class considered the feelings of a family receiving an evacuee. Teachers and teaching assistants value pupils’ questions and responses. Through a well-balanced and relevant curriculum the school provides opportunities for pupils to take part in many activities that will help them understand the

p.16

PUPILS?

importance of sustained effort, for example sporting fixtures against other schools, clubs, arts week and the setting of homework.

p.16

PUPILS?

29. The school takes very good measures to promote moral development. All staff apply the behaviour policy consistently so that pupils know how they are expected to behave and lessons are not disrupted. Every year the pupils write and sign up to class rules with their teacher. Although some parents complain that ‘some teachers dish out points more generously than others’, pupils told inspectors that they appreciate the reward system and that all teachers treat them fairly. Assemblies, personal, social and health education and other lessons all contribute positively to pupils’ moral development. During an effective science lesson in the infants, for example, the pupils were given a dilemma to solve when they were investigating forces. The pupils are becoming morally aware and this is reflected in good behaviour in lessons and around the school.

p.16

PUPILS?

30. Provision for social development is very good. This is reflected in the very good relationships throughout the school. In all year groups, pupils are able to exercise responsibility. There is a school council, and representatives from it also attend ‘stakeholder’ meetings with governors, staff and parents. Year 5 pupils are ‘special friends’ to the youngest children, and in Year 6 pupils run lunchtime clubs for other pupils, have office duties, organise assembly equipment, are house and sports captains St Matthew’s CE Aided Primary School - 17 and organise their own leavers’ church service. There is a good take-up of the after- school clubs organised for the pupils, the Year 6 residential trips and the opportunity to build bivouacs and take midnight walks. All of these opportunities are producing confident pupils with very good attitudes to learning.

p.16

PUPILS?

31. The provision for the cultural development of the pupils is satisfactory overall. Through a good range of visits and visitors to the school, the pupils are learning about the local culture well. Pupils visit St Matthew’s Church; they attend Eucharist services and they take part in activities on Grounds Day and work closely with the Blackmoor Estate owned by Lord Selbourne. The pupils have also visited Fishbourne Roman Villa, the Science Museum and Southsea Castle. As reported at the last inspection, the school could do more to prepare the pupils for living in a multicultural society. Pupils study faiths other than Christianity in religious education and have visited a Hindu temple, but there are insufficient opportunities in art and music lessons for pupils to be inspired by the work of a range of artists or musicians from their own and other cultures.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

32. The school takes very good steps to ensure pupils’ welfare, health and safety. There is an appropriate health and safety policy and regular risk assessments take place and are reported to the governors. Fire practices take place and arrangements for first aid are good. The pupils are well supervised at break and lunchtimes, and lunchtime supervisors play an important role in behaviour management and reward pupils for being well behaved and helpful. There are very good arrangements in place for identifying and dealing with child protection issues. The headteacher is the named person and all members of the senior management team have received appropriate training. The school has established good provision for pupils’ personal, social and health education. In personal, social and health education lessons, pupils can discuss personal issues and, with the support of the community policeman and the fire safety

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

team, are learning to keep themselves safe and healthy. Arrangements are in place that ensure that when using computers to access the Internet, this is done sensibly with content screened to guard against access to unsuitable material.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

33. There are good procedures in place to monitor and promote good behaviour and eliminate oppressive behaviour. The consistency with which staff apply rewards and sanctions is a major contributor to the good behaviour in the school. All staff manage the pupils in a consistent manner so children know how they are expected to behave and understand the consequences of not behaving well. ‘Golden time’, when children can choose activities for themselves, stickers, house points and achievement assemblies are all helping to motivate pupils and are contributing effectively to their very good attitudes to learning.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

34. Procedures for monitoring and supporting pupils’ personal development are effective and are helping pupils to mature as they go through the school. Provision for personal, social and health education, acknowledgement of success during achievement assemblies and the good support given by teaching assistants and the special educational needs co-ordinator are all helping pupils to develop confidence. The school has good procedures in place for monitoring and improving attendance. Registers are checked regularly and the school works with the education welfare office to support families when this is needed. Regular attendance is contributing to rising standards in the school. St Matthew’s CE Aided Primary School - 18 35. The school has good procedures for assessing how well pupils are doing in English, mathematics, science and information and communication technology, and this is an improvement since the last inspection. The assessment co-ordinator provides good

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

written guidance for the staff, which includes appropriately detailed timetables of exactly what needs to be produced each term in order to amass the information required by the end of each school year. The analysis and use of this assessment data has contributed to raising standards in each of these subjects by helping teachers to identify what pupils need to focus on in their learning. Teachers have detailed but manageable sheets on which they keep track of how well each pupil is doing in each of the core subjects and information and communication technology. This helps to ensure that teachers have a good understanding of every pupil’s individual progress.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

36. In other subjects, assessment is more informal. Given the weaknesses in marking, opportunities for raising standards are being missed because teachers do not have detailed assessment information in each subject to enable them to focus teaching and learning as effectively as in the subjects for which the assessment information is more comprehensive. Generally standards are higher in those subjects for which the assessment information is most comprehensive and where it is being used to inform teachers’ planning.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

37. For pupils with special educational needs, there is good liaison with outside agencies and the school complies fully with the recently revised Code of Practice. Statements of special educational need are up to date and are well known to teachers and support staff. There are effective arrangements for ensuring that they are reviewed regularly with parents. Because the identification, assessment, monitoring and accompanying review and target-setting arrangements for pupils with special educational needs are good, teachers are able to measure pupils’ progress and plan their learning on a step- by-step basis. As a result, these pupils achieve well.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

38. The school has developed a very effective partnership with parents and carers. Through the questionnaire and the meeting that the Registered Inspector held with parents before the inspection, they expressed confidence in the school, although they had some criticisms. More than a third of the parents say that the school does not keep them well informed about how their children are doing. The inspection team disagrees with them. Although parents are expected to make an appointment to meet teachers, rather than attend on a specific ‘open evening’, the teachers are willing to talk to parents after school and some provide time in the mornings as well. The school monitors whether or not parents have made an appointment to meet the teacher, and reminder letters are sent to suggest that an appointment be made. Governors call for regular reports confirming parental take-up of ‘meet-the-teacher’ appointments.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

39. The annual reports produced by the school are very good and include grades for effort and also set targets for improvement in order that parents can help their children. Through the pre-inspection questionnaire, a quarter of the parents said that their children do not get the right amount of work to do at home. However, the inspectors consider that homework is appropriate. Parents are sent a homework timetable at the beginning of the year and the school also provides good guidance on supporting children’s reading and writing at home. The good support that many parents give to their children with homework is having a positive impact on standards. Around a quarter of the parents also criticised the school for not providing an interesting range of activities outside lessons. The inspection team does not agree with them. The curriculum is enriched by a very good range of clubs, some organised by the older pupils, a good

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

St Matthew’s CE Aided Primary School - 19 range of visits and visitors to the school and opportunities for residential trips, although a number of these are specifically for older pupils and there are generally fewer extra- curricular activities on offer to infants. A significant minority of parents said that they do not feel that the school works closely with them but inspection evidence does not support this view.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

40. Induction procedures for families and children joining the reception class are good and ensure that children feel comfortable in school. Along with other ‘stakeholders’, including pupils, parents are involved in meetings to monitor progress on school improvement. They are regularly consulted on aspects of school through questionnaires, and the headteacher ensures that they are informed of the results and the school’s response to them. Other information for parents is also very good. Newsletters are very informative and keep parents up to date with the day-to-day life of the school. Many parents attend the information evenings at the start of the year and parents were also invited to an information and communication technology day. The school is very effectively involving parents in their children’s learning and this is contributing to pupils’ achievement. Parents of pupils with special educational needs are encouraged fully to take part in

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

reviews of their children’s progress and are encouraged to help with their learning.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

41. St Matthew’s is welcoming of support and parents are encouraged to be actively involved in school. Many take up the opportunity to help in classrooms, on visits and in running after-school clubs. Parents are also welcomed to assemblies, productions, church services and a family picnic on sports day. There is a home-school agreement which is well received by parents. It is clearly written so that parents and children know what to expect and what is expected of them. The Parents, Teachers and Friends’ Association is very active and regularly raises considerable sums for information and communication technology and the swimming pool. In funding these and other specific areas, parental contributions have helped to enable the school to maintain its present generous staffing levels. The very good partnership that exists between the school and parents is having a very positive impact on the progress children are now making in

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

42. St Matthew’s is very well led and effectively managed. This represents good improvement since the last inspection, where weaknesses in leadership and management were identified as a key issue for the school. The headteacher and deputy head work very effectively together as a team that provides very strong leadership in a school where a notable strength is the constant assessment and evaluation of how well the school is working and what practical measures can be taken to do things better.

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

43. Because recruitment of teaching staff has been a problem in previous years, and this has affected standards in the past, particularly in the infants, the headteacher has agreed with governors that priority must be given to establishing an effective staff team. The improvement seen in teaching and the consequent raising of standards, particularly in mathematics, is evidence of the success of this policy. In order to avoid dependence on temporary staff when teachers are unwell or attend training courses, the school has taken the deliberate decision to fund a higher level of teaching staff than is commonly seen.

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

44. Governors are very committed to the school and they do an excellent job. They have an exceptionally clear awareness of the strengths of the school and of the priorities for improvement, and they have played a leading role in partnership with the headteacher and staff in directing the school so that issues for improvement have been successfully St Matthew’s CE Aided Primary School - 20 tackled. For example, at the suggestion from the headteacher that, in order to improve teaching and avoid dependence on short-term temporary staff, the school should consider increasing its staff complement, governors debated the pros and cons at some length. They satisfied themselves that any increase in spending on staff would not have an adverse effect on other learning resources or on the maintenance of the school buildings. They also set criteria for reviewing the effectiveness of this spending decision. In addition, plans have been agreed with staff for using any ‘spare’ teaching

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

capacity for income generation, for example by taking on some consultancy work in supporting other schools or, should budgetary pressures tighten, by hiring out staff as temporary teachers in some of the other schools in the area with whom St Matthew’s already has a close working partnership.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

45. The school has good arrangements for performance management of staff, with all teachers having agreed targets linked to the school’s overall priorities and the specific needs of the pupils in their class. Targets are assessed and updated termly in discussion with the headteacher, with currently annual reviews for non-teaching staff. Governors follow a similar performance management model for the headteacher. Staff training needs are identified through the performance management programme and are tied to established school priorities. The relative ease with which the school is able currently to arrange cover for teaching staff on courses has meant that St Matthew’s has been able to take advantage of quite a wide range of training opportunities on offer from the local education authority. This has in turn impacted positively on teachers’ confidence and expertise. For example, all teachers have attended courses on

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

information and communication technology and most have attended courses on teaching music.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

46. Teachers are observed teaching as part of the performance management arrangements but, in addition, teaching is well monitored within the day-to-day management structures of the school. Although, in the past, most observations of teaching have been carried out by the headteacher, the flexibility offered by the school’s generous staffing structure has meant that subject co-ordinators are now able to play a larger part in monitoring teaching and learning in their subjects.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

47. The school’s spending priorities are very closely matched to a comprehensive school improvement plan that sets clear and measurable success criteria for a manageable set of priorities that are each broken down into specific tasks. This helps to make the improvement plan an effective management tool, much improved from the plan described and criticised in the last inspection report. Those areas for improvement that are not given sufficient priority to be included in the school improvement plan are not lost sight of. These are instead referred to an action plan working group that involves participants from the whole school community. The headteacher meets periodically with this ‘stakeholder’ group, which includes non-teaching staff, a parent, a governor and two Year 6 pupils. Although the headteacher inevitably tends to dominate the meeting, the other participants, including the pupils, are treated, and treat each other, as full equals in

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

48. Very good use is made of the principles of Best Value. Consultation is given a high priority within the school’s systems for self-evaluation. Parents’ and pupils’ views are surveyed through questionnaires, as are those of teaching and non-teaching staff. The school compares its performance with that of others using local and national comparative data, and it is through such comparisons that the school was aware of and gave priority to remedying the weaknesses in mathematics and the relative underperformance in recent years of pupils in the infants. Staff and governors regularly challenge what the school does to see whether things can be done better. For example, St Matthew’s CE Aided Primary School - 21 the governors’ curriculum committee regularly ask why things are not done differently when meeting with subject co-ordinators. Proper regard is had for the need to obtain competitive quotes for spending.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

49. Special educational needs are managed well. Subject co-ordinators also generally do a good job in leading their subjects, although, to date, few have had direct involvement in monitoring teaching. They play a part in ‘bidding’ for resources for their subjects, evidently with success, since resources for all subjects are good. All of the shortcomings in resources identified in the last inspection have been remedied. The generous staffing structure means that there is now a very good match of staff to the demands of the curriculum. Although both of the teachers in the infant classes are newly qualified, they are very well supported. There is quite a high level of teaching assistant support and teaching assistants are generally used well to support the learning, particularly of lower-attaining pupils and those with special educational needs. Office staff provide efficient support to the school and the finances are properly

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

50. The buildings and facilities are very good overall. With the completion of recent building works, there are sufficient reasonably sized classrooms, together with a good size hall, a separate music and drama room, a computer suite, food technology area and swimming pool. There is good disabled access through most of the site. The school benefits from good size playing fields and is located in a very attractive woodland setting that offers exceptional opportunities for science and other nature studies. St Matthew’s CE Aided Primary School - 22

p.21

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

51. Inspectors have identified the following key issues for action. In order to improve the standard of education provided for pupils, the headteacher, staff and governors should:

p.22

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(1) Continue to raise standards in the reception and infant classes by: • further improving the quality of teaching • ensuring work offers consistent challenge to pupils of all abilities • ensuring behaviour management arrangements are effective • considering means of extending curriculum enrichment opportunities, currently available in the juniors, to pupils in the younger classes (paragraphs: 3, 6, 9, 13, 23, 39, 43, 48, 61, 64, 66, 67 and 77)

p.22

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(2) Raise standards in art by: • developing staff confidence and expertise through training • further developing the range of opportunities for pupils to progress in their knowledge and basic skills through the study of renowned artists, different styles and different cultural heritages • developing pupils’ basic drawing skills through sketching • monitoring the subject in all year groups to ensure pupil progression (paragraphs: 3, 5, 10, 31, and 76-79)

p.22

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(3) Improve the quality of marking and assessment by: • ensuring that work is consistently marked • giving pupils guidance in the marking on what they need to do to improve their work • better matching marking to pupils’ individual learning targets • making more systematic use of assessment information in foundation subjects (paragraphs: 21, 36, 65, 70, 73, 75, 78 and 95)

p.22

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

In addition to the key issues above, the following less important weaknesses should be considered for inclusion in the governors’ action plan. (Paragraph references are in brackets)

p.22

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

A. Review the length of the school day to bring the amount of teaching time up at least to the recommended minimum. (paragraph 22)

p.22

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

B. Provide pupils with more opportunities to learn about their own and other cultures through art and music. (paragraphs: 31, 78 and 96) St Matthew’s CE Aided Primary School - 23

p.22

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 24

p.23

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactor y Poor Very poor

p.23

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

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

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 182

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 15

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 3

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 22

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 0

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 4

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 15

p.23

Attendance

National comparative data 5.4 National comparative data 0.5 St Matthew’s CE Aided Primary School - 24 Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. St Matthew’s CE Aided Primary School - 25

p.23

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

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2002 11 17 28

p.25

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

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

p.25

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

Boys 6 7 8 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 13 15 14

p.25

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

Percentage of pupils School 68 (85) 79 (100) 79 (89) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (84) 86 (86) 90 (91)

p.25

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

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.25

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

Boys 6 8 10 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 15 14 16

p.25

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

Percentage of pupils School 75 (100) 79(89) 93 (100) at NC level 2 or above National 85 (85) 89 (89) 89 (89)

p.25

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

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

p.25

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

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 2002 10 13 23

p.25

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

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

p.25

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

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

p.25

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

Percentage of pupils School 96 (89) 74 (75) 100 (100) at NC level 4 or above National 75 (75) 73 (71) 86 (87)

p.25

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

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.25

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

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

p.25

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

Percentage of pupils School 91(89) 74 (79) 100 (100) at NC level 4 or above National 73 (72) 74 (74) 82 (82)

p.25

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

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. St Matthew’s CE Aided Primary School - 26 * The table showing results in last year’s Year 6 tests does not show the relative performance of boys and girls because where the numbers taking the test are 10 or fewer, differences are deemed not to be statistically meaningful. St Matthew’s CE Aided Primary School - 27

p.25

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

p.27

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

White – any other White background 4 0 0

p.27

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Mixed – any other mixed background 0 0 0

p.27

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Asian or Asian British - Pakistani 0 0 0

p.27

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Asian or Asian British – Bangladeshi 0 0 0

p.27

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

p.27

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black or Black British – Caribbean 0 0 0

p.27

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

p.27

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

p.27

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 10.6 Financial year 2001/2002

p.27

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 17.2

p.27

Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total income 431,436

p.27

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 8 Total expenditure 440,685

p.27

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 156 Expenditure per pupil 2,382

p.27

Teachers and classes Financial information

FTE means full-time equivalent. Balance brought forward from previous year -5,039

p.27

Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance carried forward to next year -14,288 St Matthew’s CE Aided Primary School - 28

p.27

Recruitment of teachers

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

p.28

Recruitment of teachers

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

p.28

Recruitment of teachers

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 0

p.28

Recruitment of teachers

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

p.28

Recruitment of teachers

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

p.28

Recruitment of teachers

FTE means full-time equivalent. St Matthew’s CE Aided Primary School - 29

p.28

Results of the survey of parents and carers

Percentage of responses in each category

p.29

Results of the survey of parents and carers

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

p.29

Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child is making good progress in school. 33 58 6 0 3

p.29

Results of the survey of parents and carers

Behaviour in the school is good. 29 55 9 1 5

p.29

Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 18 53 22 4 4

p.29

Results of the survey of parents and carers

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 28 35 33 3 1

p.29

Results of the survey of parents and carers

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 46 49 3 0 3

p.29

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 41 53 5 0 1

p.29

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school works closely with parents. 17 47 30 1 4

p.29

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is well led and managed. 15 65 9 0 10

p.29

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 26 64 4 0 5

p.29

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 15 49 24 1 10

p.29

Results of the survey of parents and carers

(Numbers may not sum to 100 due to rounding. Each questionnaire represents more than one percentage point.) St Matthew’s CE Aided Primary School - 30

p.29

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

52. The provision for children in the Foundation Stage is satisfactory and standards are similar to those found at the last inspection. Children start at the school in the academic year in which they become five, initially attending part-time during their first term. The school works closely with pre-school groups locally and almost all of the children have had some experience of pre-school education before they enter the school. The reception teacher has developed good links with parents, who give good support to their children’s learning at home. Parents are welcomed into classrooms and this gives them a good opportunity to share with the teacher and support staff any concerns they may have.

p.30

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

53. Although children have a wide range of different abilities when they start school, taken overall their attainment is average. They make satisfactory progress in the reception class in all areas of their learning and by the time they are five years old, the majority will achieve the early learning goals in all six areas of the Foundation Stage curriculum. Some are likely to exceed the goals and be working within the early stages of the National Curriculum.

p.30

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

54. The quality of teaching is satisfactory overall. The reception teacher ensures that the planning of children’s learning is matched to the national guidance materials. There is a satisfactory understanding of the needs of young children and activities are chosen that offer them appropriate challenge. There is good liaison between the teacher and the teaching assistant, and this ensures that there is a good understanding of what the children are to learn and the most effective ways to achieve this. Resources are of good quality and well organised and hold the children’s interest well. The management of the children is good and relationships are warm and purposeful. This ensures that the children settle quickly into the day-to-day routines of the school and become aware of the expectations that the class teacher has of them. Good use is made of the regular assessments that are made on the children as they move through their first year at the

p.30

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

school. Those made following their first few weeks at the school are used well to group pupils and to plan their learning. The day-to-day assessments are effective and the information is evaluated carefully to gauge what skills the children have mastered and what modifications to teaching are necessary in order for the children to progress.

p.30

Personal, social and emotional development

55. Teaching and learning are satisfactory. With their patient and positive reminders, staff have a good rapport with the children, who behave well. Regular routines enable children to feel secure and they are confident in selecting activities. Children play together happily for extended periods, for example during role-play in the ‘garden centre’. With sensitive encouragement, most are confident to speak in front of others. This was evident during the class assembly performed in front of the whole school, parents and grandparents. The staff raise children’s awareness of other cultures effectively, for example through the promotion of links with a South African township nursery. Independence is promoted well and many children can change for physical education with little support. St Matthew’s CE Aided Primary School - 31

p.30

Communication, language and literacy

56. Teaching and learning are sound and children make steady progress in this area, with daily priority given to promoting speaking and listening skills. Children are keen to talk, offering generally relevant comments about stories, and talking to each other in their play. Staff give clear instructions and seek to extend the children’s vocabulary, introducing such words as estimate and browse. They provide good access to writing materials and children write freely in their play. There are plenty of focused adult-led activities to promote early writing each week. For example, children are contributing to a weekly diary of tadpole development, drawing or writing according to ability. Virtually all children can write their names accurately. A strength in this area of learning is how a love of books is fostered through storytelling and reading. The children sit with rapt attention, joining in with repetitive parts. They handle books with care. Over half the

p.31

Communication, language and literacy

children in the class have reading books from a commercial scheme and they learn to read fluently and with understanding.

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Mathematical development

57. Teaching and learning is satisfactory. Staff make suitable use of routines for counting, for example during registration. They use number rhymes to good effect and the children have become familiar with many such rhymes. Older children count to ten, and above, with support. They recognise numerals and more able children make good attempts at writing them. Children are becoming familiar with basic shapes such as squares and triangles. They are becoming familiar with simple number calculations, for example in adding together the cost of purchases from the role-play ‘garden centre’.

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

58. Teaching and learning are good, aided by the good resources and facilities available to the children. Children benefit from good access to computers and, as a result, they approach computers with confidence. They practise and improve mouse skills and, with support, they are beginning to click and drag to move images about the screen. They are gaining an appropriate sense of place through regular visits to the locality such as, for example, expeditions within the school grounds and local woods to explore living things. They are very observant, particularly of wild birds, rabbits and squirrels in the grounds, and are recording their observations through drawing and writing. They have good opportunities to examine living things on the nature table and are extremely interested in the development of the tadpoles in a tank. They use magnifying glasses to support their observations and relevant books for reference are included in displays.

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

Staff provide a good range of construction activities and children enjoy building, putting interlocking bricks together, cutting and sticking.

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Physical development

59. Teaching and learning are satisfactory. Provision for children to encourage strong hand and finger muscles is good, with a wide variety of activities regularly available. Children open small jars, thread laces, and press, twist and roll play dough. Most hold pencils, paintbrushes and crayons effectively and are beginning to cut successfully with scissors. The school makes suitable provision for children to exploit their physical skills in the adjacent, enclosed area and the school’s field. Children enjoy running in the large open space, and using the wheeled toys and equipment in their dedicated area. They climb, slide and balance on the large physical education apparatus in the school hall. The physical sessions in the school hall provide further opportunities for children to be active and explore different ways of moving. St Matthew’s CE Aided Primary School - 32

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Creative development

60. Children build on a wide repertoire of rhymes, including finger and numbers rhymes, and experiment with a good range of musical instruments to make different sounds. Staff are careful to make sure that instruments are held and played correctly and that everyone has a turn. There are plenty of good opportunities for children to participate in creative activities and role-play, in imaginative situations such as the ‘garden centre’, as well as more familiar settings such as a home corner. In role-play, children benefit from staff joining in to suggest ideas and extend their play. Teaching in this aspect is good, with frequent positive interventions and staff entering the play in role. In art, when painting or using pastels, children enjoy applying colour, and most paintings or pictures are representational.

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ENGLISH

61. Results in the 2002 tests at the end of Year 6 were above the national average and have therefore shown good improvement since the last inspection when they were average. Results were below average in comparison with similar schools but average when compared to the pupils’ previous performance in the reading and writing tests they took when they were in Year 2. There is no significant difference in the attainment of boys and girls. Inspection findings show attainment in English to be currently above average at the end of Year 6. This represents good achievement. Attainment in Year 2 is in line with nationally expected standards and this represents satisfactory achievement. Pupils with special educational needs achieve well, mainly as a result of effective support teaching arrangements and associated good teaching. By the end of Year 6, pupils take part in discussions confidently and can adapt vocabulary, structure and tone to

p.32

ENGLISH

communicate well. Teachers help pupils to develop these skills well throughout the school as part of the literacy policy. They regularly put on plays and assemblies where as many pupils as possible take part in order to develop their confidence and skills.

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ENGLISH

62. Reading standards in Year 6 are above average as a result of an effective strategic plan implemented across the school. Its main features are making sure that pupils enjoy reading, enhancing the stock of books, developing careful assessment and linking reading to writing and spelling much more systematically than has previously been the case. The careful teaching of phonics and the support given by parents have also played their part. Most pupils read regularly at home and reading logs are completed regularly. As a result, achievement has improved. Reading is well managed, with opportunities for pupils to read silently, individually to an adult and during guided reading sessions. The library areas are well stocked and pupils read a wide range of books, including stories from other cultures. By the time they leave the school, pupils read a range of texts fluently and their good reading standards and enjoyment of reading have

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ENGLISH

a significant impact on their achievement in other subjects.

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ENGLISH

63. Standards in writing are average, overall, at the end of Year 6 but there are some good features. The school has identified writing as the major priority in English and has worked hard to raise standards, for example by providing staff training in the teaching of writing requirements. By the end of Year 6, the majority of pupils are working at the expected levels, with average numbers achieving the higher level. From an early age, pupils write poems. Older pupils write poems using metaphors and similes, and stories which are both well structured and imaginative. Pupils write well in history and geography using appropriate language. Standards of writing often reflect the opportunities presented by the teachers as a result of the school’s policy of encouraging literacy through, for example, Creative Writing Week and National Poetry Day. Standards of handwriting are satisfactory and by Year 6 most pupils have developed a

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ENGLISH

St Matthew’s CE Aided Primary School - 33 legible style. The school introduces pupils to joined up writing as soon as possible but the policy is developed less well with older pupils. Spelling is mainly satisfactory but with a range of good features. It has improved since the last inspection. Spelling patterns are taught systematically and, as a result, written work seldom contains many errors.

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ENGLISH

64. Of the lessons seen during the inspection week, three-quarters were good or better and the remainder were satisfactory. Over time, however, an analysis of pupils’ work shows the quality of teaching for the younger pupils has been uneven. Weaknesses seen were linked to aspects of teaching strategies with regard to reading and writing which led to a number of pupils not being challenged and a consequent fall in achievement. In the best lessons seen, teachers were confident with their knowledge of language and used teaching materials imaginatively, ensuring that interest, and often excitement, in the learning was sustained. This was seen when younger children learnt how to write poems with lines such as ‘Up the mountain, up the mountain I will follow you’. A key feature of some lessons was challenge, tempered by encouragement, as when a Year 6 class was required to use alliteration, simile and metaphor when assessing a

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ENGLISH

character. Effective links are made between pupils’ reading and writing, for example when older pupils were taught to see how writers use description by looking at the work of visiting authors, such as David Orme. Some able and talented pupils in the older junior classes have been able to benefit from the opportunity to attend writing workshops arranged with the local secondary school.

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ENGLISH

65. The subject makes a good contribution to pupils’ cultural development when they read books from a range of cultures. Similarly, moral and social development is enhanced by good quality discussions on a variety of issues, including some thoughtful questions and answers to an ‘agony aunt’ in Year 6. Teachers work hard to plan lessons and they are helped because the systems for assessing pupils’ progress and setting them targets are mainly good. As a result, it is easier to match work accurately to pupils’ abilities. In turn, this contributes to pupils’ achievement. Standards of marking are more variable; some is good but, on occasions, written comments are superficial. Pupils generally respond well to the teaching and their very positive attitudes play an important part in helping their quality of learning and achievement.

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ENGLISH

66. The subject co-ordinator has worked hard to effect improvements and has shown good leadership. She has developed an effective strategy to tackle all aspects of the subject. Issues from the last inspection have been dealt with well and she has greatly improved the range and quality of the book stock. Standards have been raised, and there has therefore been good improvement since the last inspection. Provided that the current school leadership and management systems are maintained and the overall quality of teaching in Years 1 and 2 continues to improve, the subject has a good capacity for future development.

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MATHEMATICS

67. Results in last year’s national tests taken at the end of Year 2 were well below average. They were below the national average for all schools in the Year 6 tests, and well below when compared with similar schools. In most of the years since the last inspection and in both key stages, results have generally been below or well below average, and pupils have not done well enough in this subject. Test results have been depressed, in particular, by the low number of able pupils attaining higher levels, suggesting that more able pupils have not been achieving as well as they could. The school has recognised that standards have been too low in mathematics and that more able pupils have not been doing well enough, and considerable effort has been put into raising standards in this subject. These measures have been successful. Standards of work seen in the St Matthew’s CE Aided Primary School - 34 inspection, in both the infants and juniors, were in line with national expectations, with

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MATHEMATICS

around a quarter of the pupils in the current Year 6 on track to attain the higher levels in this year’s tests.

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MATHEMATICS

68. Pupils now make good progress in lessons. For example, in Year 1 they recognise whether numbers are smaller or greater than a given number and add or subtract simple money questions both mentally and in their written work. More able pupils explain how they reached their answers. By the end of Year 2, they identify a range of shapes and insert right angles into triangles and squares and know how to tell the time. By Year 4, they apply their knowledge of multiplication tables to add, subtract, multiply and divide two and three digit numbers or to identify number patterns. By Year 6, pupils are confident in determining the area or perimeter of two-dimensional shapes. Pupils work conscientiously in pairs, groups and independently. More able pupils analyse and create graphs and use these skills by imagining a story and presenting it in graphical terms. This improves their logical thinking. In all years, the pupils use computer programs to

p.34

MATHEMATICS

further develop their mathematical skills. They use mathematical vocabulary correctly, which supports their literacy skills.

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MATHEMATICS

69. The quality of teaching and learning is consistently good. Well-planned lessons are balanced and structured along the lines of the National Numeracy Strategy, and good mental arithmetic warm-up exercises set the scene. The teachers’ unambiguous explanations of the lesson aims ensure that all pupils have a clear understanding of what is required. Lessons throughout the school are lively and fun and the very good relationships between pupils and staff make a pleasant working climate. Where there are teaching assistants, they provide good support during individual and group work. Lessons are further enhanced by the teachers’ use of modern technology, such as overhead projectors and computers. Individual learning needs are very well met. For example, in mixed ability classes in Years 1 - 4, teachers provide simplified tasks for pupils with special educational needs and extended challenges for more able pupils. In

p.34

MATHEMATICS

Years 5 and 6, booster classes and classes set by ability provide more focused attention to pupils’ individual areas of weakness, and some able and talented pupils in the older junior classes have been able to benefit from the opportunity to attend numeracy workshops arranged with the local secondary school. Homework is regularly set and completed by the pupils as a reinforcement of their class work.

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MATHEMATICS

70. The management of mathematics is good and has significantly improved since the last inspection. The subject leader is a mathematics specialist who has a clear vision of how the subject will continue to improve. Thorough planning ensures a consistency of approach by all staff in all years, and this is evident in the rising standard of the pupils’ work. Booster classes provide extra support for higher- and lower-attaining pupils. The use of numeracy in other subjects is satisfactory. Pupils’ work is monitored well through the teachers’ marking, which is positive and encouraging, and which generally gives satisfactory guidance to pupils on what needs to be improved. Assessment of the pupils’ progress is ongoing and this information is used to predict the standards of their work against National Curriculum attainment levels and to set school targets. It is further used to inform the development of the subject, which is also monitored through lesson

p.34

MATHEMATICS

and teacher observations, team teaching and work sampling. The subject is supported through a good range of quality resources. Attractive displays of the pupils’ handwritten and computerised work celebrate their achievements and help to promote their confidence and self-esteem. The issues of the last inspection have been successfully addressed and there is now no unsatisfactory teaching. The standard of the pupils’ work continues to improve and the subject has developed well since the last report, with particular improvement over the past year. There is a strong capacity for continued improvement. St Matthew’s CE Aided Primary School - 35

p.34

SCIENCE

71. In the tests taken at the end of Year 6, results have been well above average in most years since the last inspection. There are no national tests in Year 2 in science, but teachers have in previous years assessed standards as being high. From work seen standards in the current Years 2 and 6 are above average. This represents good achievement for pupils of all abilities.

p.35

SCIENCE

72. In the infant classes, pupils have factual knowledge, for example in classifying living and non-living things. They are developing a simple scientific vocabulary, using words such as ‘push’ and ‘pull’, ‘light’ and ‘heavy’, and ‘faster’ and ‘slower’, although some were confused at the introduction of scientific terms that were too advanced for them, such as ‘excretion’ and ‘respiration’ when learning about the characteristics of life. They conduct experiments and understand the importance of fair testing comparisons, and how to introduce consistency in experiments. Through the juniors, pupils continue to cover a broad range of work, including planning their own investigations, the omission of which was identified as a weakness in the last inspection. In Year 6, for example, when set the problem of discovering how long it took the sugar in a cup of tea to dissolve, pupils identified a broad range of variables and understood how they affected results.

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SCIENCE

Divided into four groups, each with effective adult support, pupils made good progress and more able pupils demonstrated original and perceptive thought.

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SCIENCE

73. The quality of teaching and learning was good overall. In the best lessons, teachers share their enthusiasm for the subject with the pupils and make learning fun. They have good subject knowledge and encourage the use of appropriate scientific vocabulary. A wide range of interesting activities is provided throughout the school, matched to levels of need, and challenging pupils to think for themselves. In practical lessons, the quality of work is appropriate and pupils are productive. Written work is of a satisfactory standard. However, in the older junior classes, the quality of marking is too variable and pupils do not receive sufficient developmental guidance in order to improve their work further. Grammatical and spelling errors frequently remain uncorrected.

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SCIENCE

74. Teachers’ planning is good. The work for pupils with special educational needs is set carefully, and the pupils are supported well by teaching assistants. In most lessons, teachers use time well, and link science to other subjects such as English, mathematics and information and communication technology. The pace of lessons is generally brisk and this maintains pupils’ interest and increases their work rate. Sufficient time is given to enable the completion of set tasks. Behaviour throughout most lessons is good and pupils are learning to work co-operatively to achieve set objectives. Most pupils are very well motivated and remain focused on the activity for considerable lengths of time.

p.35

SCIENCE

75. Due to the absence during the inspection of the subject co-ordinator on maternity leave, it is not possible to comment, overall, on the quality of leadership and management. Despite weaknesses in marking, assessment is good, takes place regularly and is recorded on charts which give an overview of the progress of all children in each class. Resources are of good quality. They are accessibly, but securely, stored and class teachers have resource lists to support their lesson planning.

p.35

ART AND DESIGN

76. The provision for art is unsatisfactory. The standard of the pupils’ work is below average in both key stages and pupils do not make enough progress in developing their skills in this subject. St Matthew’s CE Aided Primary School - 36 77. Art is taught in half-term blocks, alternating with design and technology. In Years 1 and 2, the pupils’ work is limited to experimenting with crayons, paints and collage and there is little evidence of any structured artwork. However, this improves in Years 3 and 4, where pupils begin to develop an understanding of colour. They use the school grounds to search for colour matches to their paint shades in leaves, twigs and pebbles. They examine the colours used in works by Van Gogh and Renoir, and mix their paints for the same shade. The standard of pupils’ work does not, however, improve steadily over time because pupils do not sufficiently build progressively on their skills. For example, in

p.35

ART AND DESIGN

Year 6 they practise drawing noses and eyes, but this learning is not transferred into their self-portraits on the opposite page. Some sketchbooks contain samples of needle and fabric work which is more akin to design and technology. During a discussion with Year 6 pupils, they could name only one renowned artist, Andy Warhol. One pupil remembered looking at Van Gogh’s works when she was in Year 4, but insisted that ‘Art lessons are mostly just painting’. None of the pupils could remember having tried to paint in the styles of famous artists and they had apparently never heard of impressionist, cubist or surrealist art.

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ART AND DESIGN

78. There were too few lessons seen to make a valid judgement on the quality of teaching. However, an analysis of pupils’ work indicates too limited a range of opportunities, which impedes their cultural and spiritual development. For example, there is no clay work and no evidence of multicultural art or artefacts for pupils to use as models. Although the pupils’ work is marked with comments, these are not constructive. For example, in Years 5 and 6, although the pupils’ sketchbooks contain some still-life sketching, comments by the teacher to think of light and shade are not supplemented with examples or references to where examples of these may be found.

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ART AND DESIGN

79. Subject documentation lacks cohesion and planning. The policy and long-term overview is supplemented with schemes of work taken from the National Curriculum, but these provide insufficient assistance to non-specialist teachers. Art resources are adequate but minimal, consisting mostly of crayons, paints and some fabrics for collage. Although the school has a supply of clay, currently staff do not have the expertise to use the kiln. The school has identified the need for staff training and has enlisted the support of the art department of the local secondary school. The school library has only two books to support art, and display boards in corridors and classrooms have very few examples of either the pupils’ creations or famous works. Year 6 pupils organise art clubs, but there is no teacher input into these and they are recreational rather than educational. Parents with artistic skills provide advice and support during the school’s annual art week and

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ART AND DESIGN

pupils are encouraged to enter art competitions. However, most of the issues highlighted in the last inspection have not been adequately addressed and this is unsatisfactory.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

80. Design and technology is taught in half-term blocks, alternating with art. The focus of work during this inspection was on art, and therefore no design and technology lessons were seen. It is therefore not possible to make an overall judgement on the quality of teaching. Since pupils take their completed work home with them, comments on their work are based principally on the pupils’ recording and evaluation of their projects, teachers’ records and photographic evidence and discussion with pupils.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

81. Standards of work seen were in line with national expectations in both key stages. Pupils in Years 1 and 2 undertake projects such as designing and making moving toys. There are links with work on forces in science through push and pull experiments as St Matthew’s CE Aided Primary School - 37 children evaluate their work. More able pupils keep simple records in their books of their initial design together with an evaluation of their finished toy, saying what they liked or disliked about it, and this also promotes their writing skills. By Year 6, designs are more sophisticated and the pupils keep good records of their work. It is possible to trace each step of their project. For example, they conducted a survey on slippers, which made use of numeracy skills through graphs. They then planned, designed and made a pair of slippers. Finally, they completed a detailed evaluation of the whole project, listing the

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

materials and fabrics they used, and the success and failures they experienced. In conversations with pupils, they are very proud of the work they did on this project. They are equally pleased with their work in food technology where they make special event cakes and biscuits and learn about health and hygiene in the kitchen.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

82. Management of the subject and improvement since the last inspection are good. National Curriculum requirements are now being met and standards are higher than those reported in the last inspection. Teachers keep satisfactory records of the pupils’ progress and this is used to further plan and develop the curriculum. There are planned cross-curricular links, particularly to mathematics, literacy, science and art, through natural experiments, texture and colour work, and through measuring and weighing ingredients in food technology. However, the use of computers is limited to word- processed accounts of their work. Computers are not used to aid or enhance pupils’ designs.

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GEOGRAPHY

83. Due to the timetabling of the subject, only two lessons were observed during the inspection so it is not possible to make an overall judgement about the quality of teaching. Evidence on standards was gained from an analysis of pupils’ work, a study of planning and discussions with pupils and staff. By the end of both Year 2 and Year 6, pupils’ attainment is in line with national expectations. Since school assessments show that pupils enter the school with average skills and knowledge, this represents satisfactory achievement. Good attention is paid to the new requirement to develop an understanding of environmental change, although insufficient time is spent on the study of a range of different places. Particularly effective use is made of opportunities to help the older pupils produce structured geographical inquiries.

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GEOGRAPHY

84. Strengths in Year 2 are the pupils’ ability to ask and answer questions, for example, on why Marwell Zoo is different from Blackmoor, and to give good descriptive observations about features, such as roads, buildings and hills. Their work in the school grounds gives pupils an early idea as to how the environment can be affected by change. Particular strengths are most pupils’ readiness to make good comparisons between different places, such as Cameroon, St Lucia and Blackmoor, and their ability to give reasons for the differences. Pupils are helped to develop their geographical skills. For example, they study soil samples from the Sparsholt and Blackmoor districts and deduce that both will support different ranges of vegetation. They also find out about permeability through experiments with chalk, flint and slate. However, in the latter case, not enough has been done to extend this to show how the physical geography of the

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GEOGRAPHY

regions of Britain is affected by weathering. Older pupils demonstrate their greatest weakness in their lack of knowledge of significant places in the United Kingdom, Europe and the wider world.

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GEOGRAPHY

85. Overall, the subject makes a good contribution to pupils’ literacy. Good examples of descriptive writing were seen when Year 2 described features of both their class and a desert island and when Year 4 wrote about the effects of rivers on the landscape. Numeracy skills are developed satisfactorily with graphs, mapwork and fieldwork St Matthew’s CE Aided Primary School - 38 measurements. Geography makes satisfactory use of information and communication technology. Tape recorders are used to record sounds at the zoo and for interviews with people who live locally. Through its emphasis on local studies and group work, the subject also makes a good contribution to the social and cultural life of the school. Resources for the subject are good. The co-ordinator has enhanced the scheme of work and the development of pupils’ inquiry skills. She offers good leadership and goes out of her way to support staff. As a result, there is a good capacity for further advance.

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GEOGRAPHY

There has been good improvement since the last inspection.

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HISTORY

86. Only two lessons were observed during the inspection and so it is not possible to make an overall judgement on the quality of teaching. Evidence was gained from the analysis of pupils’ work, discussions with Year 6 pupils and staff and a study of planning. By the end of both Year 2 and Year 6, pupils’ attainment is in line with national expectations. Since school assessments show that pupils enter the school with average skills and knowledge, this represents satisfactory achievement. The history curriculum has generally been implemented imaginatively, particularly with regard to the development of the skills of historical inquiry. However, chronology has not been developed and remains a weakness, so that most pupils, even among the older juniors, are unclear in which periods of the past were the various historical topics they have studied. The time allocated for teaching the subject has been used well, and blended effectively with both

p.38

HISTORY

visits and work in other subjects such as literacy.

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HISTORY

87. Strengths in Year 2 are the pupils’ ability to recognise that their own lives are different from lives of people in the past and their knowledge and understanding of some important events and people in the past. For example, they study London at the time of Pepys and find out about the Great Fire. From Year 3, the pupils’ achievement in the use of historical sources and interpretation is sharpened by visits to Fishbourne Roman Villa, Southsea Castle and the D-Day Museum. These help attainment by bringing the past to life and allowing the pupils to see and handle objects used by their ancestors. This good work is built on as children move through the school, in particular their ability to use sources of information to answer questions about the past and to remember and present information in a variety of ways using specialist terms. For example, pupils in Year 4 understand that, as well as being warriors, the Vikings were also farmers, sailors

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HISTORY

and craftsmen. When studying the Romans, they know enough to be able to present a range of different ideas about the character of Boudicca. Although, by Year 6, pupils have well developed skills in history, they are less clear about how the past can be divided into different periods of time and their use of dates is poor.

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HISTORY

88. Overall, the subject makes a very good contribution to literacy development as teachers give pupils many opportunities to enhance their writing. Pupils’ work abounds with a variety of different types of writing from the narrative, through diaries to explanatory pieces on why Henry VIII thought he needed a divorce. Numeracy skills are developed satisfactorily with graphs and details of diets. As a result of some appropriate software and staff confidence, history makes good use of information and communication technology, for example in the use of the Internet and CD-ROMs for research. The subject also makes a very good contribution to the spiritual and cultural life of the school. Pupils are encouraged to reflect on a wide variety of problems and practices from the past, such as what a Viking felt as he rowed across the North Sea, and they make their own mosaics based on Roman originals. The co-ordinator is enthusiastic

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HISTORY

and capable. She offers good leadership and has improved the scheme of work and resources. Improvement since the last inspection has been satisfactory and there is a good capacity for further development. St Matthew’s CE Aided Primary School - 39

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

89. Standards in information and communication technology are in line with national expectations by the end of Year 2 and Year 6. This shows that overall standards have been sustained since the last inspection and have kept pace with the increasing demands of the curriculum. Improved resources, a higher profile for the subject and training for staff have contributed to the maintenance of standards. Provision in the subject is good, with appropriately timetabled use of the dedicated computer suite. Pupils of all abilities make appropriate progress in their understanding of information and communication technology and how equipment, such as computers and digital cameras, can be used to support their learning. Pupils use the Internet confidently to research topics, and there is suitable cross-curricular use of information and communication technology in other curriculum areas, such as mathematics, science

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

and history. The support received by pupils with special educational needs enables them to progress at a similar rate to their peers.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

90. By the end of Year 2, pupils use information and communication technology with confidence, learning about data collection and labelling. Development of control technology is good, with pupils giving simple instructions to route a Roamer (a robotic control device). Ideas are explored well through use of art programs, for example in producing symmetrical pictures in Year 2. Throughout the infants, pupils have good opportunities to find things out using a CD-ROM dictionary, for example. Teachers encourage independent work, and equipment is well prepared so that pupils are able to quickly access software and most can confidently print their completed work where appropriate. They can save and retrieve their own files, although some need support to do this.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

91. By the end of Year 6, pupils are confident in the use of computers for a range of tasks. For example, in a Year 3 class there were good cross-curricular links to science where pupils used the Internet to find out about the sources and use of a variety of materials. Pupils worked with enthusiasm and expertise producing good quality results, saving and printing their work. By Year 6, pupils are using their developing skills with data-handling software to collect and present information such as history notes, and use bar charts and pie charts effectively. They word-process their work on a regular basis and use their skills to collect and classify information. For all age groups, planned opportunities are provided to develop information and communication technology skills through other subjects, including downloading information, PowerPoint  demonstrations in literacy, and the use of imported images and text to display work. Pupils are able to improve

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

their expertise through three computer clubs, one of which is organised and run by Year 6 pupils.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

92. Teaching and learning are satisfactory overall and pupils’ attitudes to the subject are very good. Pupils are keen to work with the computers, work together well, take turns and most work independently where required. The quality of teaching in the lessons observed was satisfactory. Teachers are appropriately confident in the subject and demonstrate good classroom management skills. They use and reinforce technical language well so that pupils learn and use appropriate vocabulary. In addition to discrete lessons where information and communication technology is taught, computers are used well in teaching other subjects. Good links are made with literacy and numeracy, with information and communication technology used for word- processing and in representing mathematical data through graphs. Teachers make good use of ongoing assessment, identifying pupils’ errors and misconceptions and using them as a basis

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

for reinforcing learning. Regular, more formal records are also kept. St Matthew’s CE Aided Primary School - 40 93. Leadership and management of the subject are good. The enthusiastic co-ordinator has good subject knowledge and supports teachers with expert guidance and well- organised resources matched to the demands of the curriculum. The training undertaken by all teaching staff has resulted in much improved teacher confidence. The adoption of an appropriate scheme of work throughout the school and the introduction of a whole-school assessment system also support the good improvements. Parents have been very supportive of the subject and regularly raise considerable sums specifically to meet the leasing costs for computers which helps free up funds to meet other costs, including staffing. As a result, resources for the subject are good and they are used well. There is good commitment to and capacity for further improvement in

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

information and communication technology and its use.

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MUSIC

94. At the time of the last inspection there was insufficient evidence to make a judgement about pupils’ standards and progress in music. A similar picture was the case during this inspection, where too few lessons were observed to make an overall judgement about standards and progress or the quality of teaching. During assemblies, pupils of all ages sing with enthusiasm and have good pitch and tonal quality. There are weekly singing practices.

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MUSIC

95. The subject co-ordinator for music, appointed relatively recently, has good oversight of the subject. The policy for the subject, together with the yearly planning in the scheme of work, are of good quality. Examples of lessons and activities given in the policy are detailed and show how the allocation of themes can be utilised to support the development of musical skills. Useful advice on assessment is given, although assessment in the subject remains at the early stages of development.

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MUSIC

96. Resources are satisfactory. There are sufficient untuned and tuned instruments, and some instruments of ethnic origin. There is a dedicated music and drama room, and this is where the equipment is stored, which helps to ease accessibility for pupils and staff. Music for listening to is more limited and children do not have sufficient opportunities for this other than during assemblies. There is a recorder group and some instrumental tuition is available through peripatetic teachers.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

97. The standard of pupils’ work is in line with national expectations for their age. Pupils enter the school with average levels of physical attainment, but in all years they experience a good range of indoor and outdoor activities. They make good gains in their co-ordination and physical abilities. Their muscle and movement controls improve through stretching, curling and running as part of their warm-up sessions. They make good efforts to create dance sequences to Caribbean music, or when practising different types of rolls. They share, collaborate and take turns, for example in tag-rugby or hockey, and they show good sportsmanship. 98. The quality of teaching and learning is good overall. Equipment is prepared in advance, but pupils share responsibility for clearing this away at the end of sessions. Older pupils in Years 5 and 6 organise themselves and their equipment, for example by setting out

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discs to practise hockey dribbling skills or allocating the rugby balls. In one very good lesson, pupils and staff participated very well in response to two volunteer pupils who planned and executed a very good session of warm-up exercises. In all lessons, the teachers’ behaviour management skills are good. However, the choice of taped music for gymnastics and dance is not always inspiring, and this leads to a lack of St Matthew’s CE Aided Primary School - 41 concentration by a small number of pupils. Lessons are well managed, structured and balanced to ensure that no time is wasted. Very good attention is paid to health and safety and most pupils know and follow these guidelines well. Staff set a good example by removing their own jewellery or hair clips. When one pupil hurt herself slightly because she had not removed her hard hair-clips, the teacher used this very well as a demonstration of the need for safety.

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99. The requirements of the National Curriculum are fully met through the planned range of activities, including swimming tuition in the school’s pool, where specialist coaching is provided thanks to parents’ generous fund-raising. An annual sports day provides opportunities for a range of competitive and non-competitive activities, and is well attended by parents. Physical education is regularly monitored through lesson observations and teachers’ planning, which ensures consistency in the teaching across all year groups. Assessment is satisfactory, and pupils are also encouraged to evaluate their own performances at the end of each session. Parents and the local constabulary contribute very well to the school’s very good range of extra-curricular sporting activities, which provide lots of opportunities for gifted and talented pupils to develop their abilities. For example, the school netball team is run by one of the parents and a

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local policeman provides expert coaching skills in rugby. Football coaching is undertaken by the school’s premises manager, who also referees school matches. The school has achieved a high reputation in Hampshire for its sporting successes, which is borne out by the trophies on display. Pupils’ achievements are celebrated through wall displays of photographs, newspaper articles and certificates. The school uses the hall for indoor work and has good external facilities for games. Resources are good and are further supplemented by overnight camping and off-site residential recreational activities. The subject is well managed. There has been good improvement since the last inspection and there is good capacity for and commitment to further improvement.

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