St John's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

ST JOHN’S C of E PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 6 th – 9 th May 2003

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ST JOHN’S C of E PRIMARY SCHOOL

Full inspection carried out under Section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 St John’s C of E Primary School - 2

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Kingsmill Road Basingstoke

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The governing body

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: September 1997

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities 21069 Mr P Edwards Registered inspector Science Information and communication technology Design and technology Educational inclusion, including race equality Special educational needs English as an additional language What sort of school is it? The school’s results and pupils’ achievements How well are pupils taught? How well is the school led and managed? What should the school do to improve further?

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

10329 Mr B Sampson Lay inspector Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development How well does the school care for its pupils? How well does the school work in partnership with parents? 14319 Mr M Brown Team inspector Mathematics Geography Physical education 20645 Ms R Webber Team inspector English History How good are the curricular and other opportunities offered to pupils? 23056 Mrs T Manzi Team inspector Art and design Music The Foundation Stage

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Bench Marque Limited National Westminster Bank Chambers Victoria Street Burnham-on-Sea Somerset TA8 1AN

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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 John’s C of E Primary School - 4

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 5

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? 9

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

St John’s Church of England Primary School is situated on the south side of the centre of Basingstoke. The school caters for children between the ages of four and eleven. There are currently 270 pupils on roll, 135 boys and 135 girls, which is bigger than the average sized primary school. Most pupils are from white ethnic backgrounds and none are at an early stage of learning English. Just under three per cent of the pupils are eligible for free school meals, which is below the national average. The percentage of pupils on the school’s register of special educational needs (15 per cent) is in line with the national average and the percentage of pupils with a statement of special educational needs (1.1 per cent) is above the national average. Attainment on entry to the reception class is above average. The school is popular and few pupils leave or join other than at the normal times.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

St John’s Primary is an effective school that gives satisfactory value for money. The headteacher provides very strong leadership and management. In the 2002 National Curriculum tests at age eleven, the pupils attain standards that are average in English and below average in mathematics and science. However, these results are not a true reflection of the school’s performance – almost a quarter of the pupils in that cohort had special educational needs. Inspection evidence shows that most pupils achieve satisfactorily, although some of the more able pupils are not challenged sufficiently and do not attain the standards of which they are capable. Teaching is good overall and particularly effective for those pupils with special educational needs. The provision for the pupils’ moral and social development is very good, helping to create a very effective working environment. The capacity for further improvement is very good.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What the school does well • The pupils attain above average standards in National Curriculum tests in mathematics at the end of Year 2. Standards in science and music are above national expectations at the end of Year 6. • Information and communication technology is used effectively to develop learning in other subjects. • Teaching is good. • The provision for the pupils’ moral and social development is very good. Relationships between staff and pupils are very good. • Assessment procedures are good and are used particularly effectively in English, mathematics and science. • There is a very good range of out-of-school activities that enhance the curriculum. • Learning support staff, administrative and ancillary staff make a significant contribution to the pupils’ learning. • The headteacher, well supported by the deputy headteacher, senior staff and governors, provides the school with very good leadership and management.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What could be improved • Standards in English and science could be higher, particularly for the more able pupils. • Pupils’ writing skills could be developed through subjects other than English. • The roles of co-ordinators in developing schemes of work in some subjects to ensure pupils build on skills previously learned. • The quality of teaching in some lessons; improving the quality of marking to that of the best and ensuring all lessons are sufficiently challenging. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school had a full inspection in September 1997 and an inspection by HMI in July 2001. The school has made very good progress since the first inspection. The leadership and management have improved significantly and this has resulted in the serious weaknesses in the quality of teaching being eradicated. The overall quality is now good. The curriculum is better organised, with all subjects meeting requirements, although there is work still to be done to ensure pupils build systematically on their St John’s C of E Primary School - 6 previous learning. The significant shortcomings in the school’s assessment procedures have been addressed and they are particularly effective in English, mathematics and science. The school improvement plan is now a much more useful document, enabling the governors and senior management team to carry out strategic planning. The provision for the pupils’ spiritual and cultural development is

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

much improved and there are strong links between the school and parents.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

Standards in National Curriculum tests have fluctuated during a turbulent period. However, inspection evidence shows that standards are improving, although they do need to improve further. The significant strengths in the quality of leadership and management, as well as improvements in the quality of the curriculum and teaching, are ensuring the gaps identified in the pupils’ knowledge are being addressed.

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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. compared with

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STANDARDS

Performance in: all schools similar schools Key

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STANDARDS

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

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STANDARDS

The 2002 national test results at the end of Year 6 show standards in English to be broadly average and to be below average in mathematics and science. When compared with similar schools, attainment is well below average in English, mathematics and science. The Year 6 group, which took the tests in 2002, contained a significant number of pupils with special educational needs – around 25 per cent – and this partially accounts for the dip in the results for that year. For a time, the quality of teaching was unsatisfactory and the curriculum was inadequate, resulting in pupils not attaining the standards of which they were capable. The literacy and numeracy targets for the current Year 6 pupils are challenging and the school is well on course to achieve them. The inspection findings show that pupils, including those with special educational needs, are making good progress in English and their attainment is

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STANDARDS

broadly in line with national expectations. They make good progress in mathematics and science and their attainment is above average. The difference between the test results and the inspection findings is due to differences in cohorts as well as the improved curriculum and quality of teaching. However, standards could be higher and the school recognises the need to ensure that all teachers provide pupils of all ages and abilities with work that is sufficiently challenging.

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STANDARDS

The 2002 end of Year 2 national test results show that pupils’ attainment is below the national average in reading and writing and above the national average in mathematics. When compared with similar schools, pupils’ attainment is well below average in reading and writing and average in mathematics. The teacher assessments show that attainment in science is well below average. The inspection findings show that attainment is in line with national expectations in English, mathematics and science by the end of Year 2. The difference between the test results and the inspection findings in mathematics is due to differences in cohorts and the improved quality of teaching in that subject. Teachers underestimated what the pupils were capable of achieving and whilst teaching has improved significantly they still need to raise expectations further. Pupils with special educational needs consistently make good progress

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STANDARDS

At the end of Year 2 and Year 6, standards are in line with national expectations in design and technology, geography, history, physical education, information and communication technology and art and design. In music they are in line with national expectations by the end of Year 2 and above by the end of Year 6. St John’s C of E Primary School - 7 The children start full-time education in the reception class with above average levels of attainment. Good teaching in the reception class ensures that they make good progress in most areas of learning. By the time they enter Year 1, nearly all children exceed the early learning goals in communication, language and literacy, mathematical development and personal development. They achieve the early learning goals in knowledge and understanding of the world and physical and creative development. Overall, this represents good levels of achievement in relation to the abilities of the children when they

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Aspect Comment Attitudes to the school Good. The pupils are keen to come to school and have positive attitudes towards work. They show good levels of enthusiasm for all aspects of their work. Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Good. Pupils behave well in lessons and in the playground. They are polite and helpful. Personal development and relationships Very good. The pupils work co-operatively on group activities. Older pupils take pride in looking after younger pupils. They willingly take on jobs and responsibilities around the school. The very good relationships amongst pupils and between pupils and staff are a strength of the school. Attendance Good. Attendance is above the national average.

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

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

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

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

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

Teaching is good throughout the school. Teaching has improved significantly since the previous inspection when there was a high proportion of unsatisfactory teaching.

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

Teaching is good in the reception classes and this enables the majority of children to make good progress. Experienced learning support assistants provide good support. Overall, the teaching enables children to make good progress in their learning and to achieve well. The teachers have a very good understanding of how young children learn and they provide them with a good range of stimulating and interesting activities. As a result, and because of the very good relationships, children enjoy coming to school.

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

The National Literacy Strategy has been implemented satisfactorily and the teaching of English throughout the school is good. However, because of shortcomings in the quality of teaching in the past and the inadequate curriculum, pupils are not yet achieving the standards of which they are capable by the end of Year 2 and Year 6. The National Numeracy Strategy has been implemented well and the good teaching – frequently better in the latter parts of the juniors – is ensuring the pupils make good progress and attain standards that are above average. Science, information and communication technology, art and design and music are well taught throughout the school. The teaching of design and technology, geography, history and physical education is satisfactory. Although teaching is much improved there are still gaps in the pupils’ knowledge and understanding in some subjects. The quality of marking could be

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

better in some classes and, occasionally, pupils need to be presented with work that is more challenging. St John’s C of E Primary School - 8

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Aspect Comment The quality and range of the curriculum The curriculum in the Foundation Stage is good. The children are provided with a good range of varied and stimulating activities. The curriculum for pupils in the infant and juniors is satisfactory and they are provided with a very good range of out-of-school activities that enhance their learning. Provision for pupils with special educational needs Good. The needs of these pupils are identified early and they are provided with a good level of very effective support. The provision is well managed by the special educational needs co-ordinator and the new Code of Practice has been fully implemented. Provision for pupils with English as an additional language There are no pupils at an early stage of learning English and the school does not have to make any special provision.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Very good overall. The provision for the pupils’ moral and social development is very good and there is good provision for their spiritual and cultural development.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

How well the school cares for its pupils Good procedures are in place to ensure the health and wellbeing of pupils and there are effective child protection procedures in place. Procedures for assessing and monitoring the pupils’ progress are good overall. How well the school works in partnership with parents. Very good. The school provides very good levels of information about what is happening in school. Most parents are supportive, keen to help their children and think highly of the school.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

Aspect Comment Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff Very good. The headteacher provides strong leadership and is well supported by senior staff. The roles of subject co-ordinators have developed significantly but co-ordinators now need to review schemes of work to ensure the pupils build effectively on their prior learning in some subjects. How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Very good. The governing body is very well informed, knowledgeable and provides very good support for the school. It fully meets its statutory responsibilities. The school’s evaluation of its performance Very good. The headteacher and governors have a very good awareness of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. The very good school improvement plan is used effectively to ensure progress has been made in achieving its goals. The school is constantly evaluating its performance and, through a wide range of strategies, identifies how it might improve

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

further. The strategic use of resources Very good. Effective use is made of all available funds. The school makes very effective use of the expertise of staff and visitors to enhance the learning opportunities for pupils. Administrative, caretaking and support staff play an important role in the smooth running of the school. The school constantly seeks to identify ways in which its resources can be used most effectively. The governing body and headteacher ensure best value for money through the processes of comparison, consultation, challenge and competition. There is a sufficient number of teaching and support staff and resources and accommodation are satisfactory. St John’s C of E Primary School - 9

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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 and make good progress. • Behaviour is good and the school is helping their children to become mature and responsible. • The teaching is good. • Relationships with the school are good. • They think highly of the school and feel comfortable in approaching the school with any problems or concerns. • The school is well led and managed. • The amount and range of homework. • The quality of information about the progress their children are making. • The range of out-of-school activities.

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

The inspection team agrees with the parents’ positive views of the school. It does not agree with their negative comments. The amount and range of homework is more than that seen in many other primary schools, and is good. The quality of reports outlining pupils’ progress is very good and there are good opportunities for parents to discuss their children’s progress with staff. There is a very good range of out- of-school activities that significantly enhance the curriculum. St John’s C of E Primary School - 10

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

1. The children start full-time education in the reception class with above average levels of attainment. In the Foundation Stage, good teaching ensures that they make good progress in most areas of learning. By the time they enter Year 1, most children exceed the early learning goals in communication, language and literacy, mathematical development and personal development, and attain the early learning goals in knowledge and understanding of the world and creative and physical development. This represents good levels of achievement in relation to the abilities of the children when they start school.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

2. The 2002 end of Year 2 national test results show that pupils’ attainment is well below the national average in reading and writing and above the national average in mathematics. When compared with similar schools, pupils’ attainment in reading and writing is well below average and in mathematics it is average. On the basis of the test results, standards have fluctuated considerably over the last four years. These fluctuations are due in part to the difference in cohorts. However, there have also been a number of temporary teachers and there have been difficulties in addressing the needs of pupils in mixed-age classes. In particular, there has been an underestimation of what the more able pupils can achieve. The teacher assessments in 2002 show that attainment in science is well below average. The teachers are now making better use of assessment information when planning work but the school recognises more needs to be done to ensure pupils of all abilities and ages make the

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

3. Inspection findings indicate that by the end of Year 2, pupils’ attainment is in line with national expectations in English, mathematics and science. The pupils’ speaking and listening skills are above average, pupils responding to teachers’ questioning with confidence. Pupils develop secure skills in using letter sounds to enable them to understand words and sentences and by the time they leave the infants most are confident and fluent readers. Writing skills are average by the end of Year 2. The pupils are provided with opportunities to practise writing in a wide range of styles but there are too few opportunities for these skills to be developed in other subjects.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

4. By the end of Year 2, most pupils are becoming confident in their use of number and have a secure knowledge of key multiplication tables. More able pupils can apply this knowledge competently to solving problems using numbers and money. In science, the pupils have had appropriate opportunities to study all areas of the curriculum and develop a satisfactory understanding of scientific concepts. They carry out an appropriate range of investigative activities although the more able pupils do not have sufficient challenging activities.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

5. The 2002 National Curriculum test results at the end of Year 6 show the pupils’ attainment in English is in line with the national average, and in mathematics and science it is below average. When compared with similar schools, the pupils’ attainment is well below average in English, mathematics and science. The results are not as good as the previous year. However, the 2002 results were depressed by the number of pupils with special educational needs in the year group – a quarter were on the school’s register, having being identified as in need of additional support. St John’s C of E Primary School - 11 Literacy and numeracy targets for the current Year 6 pupils are challenging and the school is making good progress towards achieving its targets.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

6. Inspection findings show that pupils’ attainment in English is average and in mathematics and science it is above average by the end of Year 6. The difference between the test results and the inspection findings is due to the fewer number of pupils with special educational needs in the current Year 6 and also to the high standards of teaching that these pupils receive. By the end of Year 6, the majority of pupils are fluent, confident and expressive readers. In their writing, pupils use a range of punctuation marks such as apostrophes, commas, speech and exclamation marks correctly in their writing. However, fewer pupils than might be expected are achieving at the higher level, although they have made good progress over the last couple of years.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

7. In mathematics, the majority of pupils make very good progress in their understanding and use of number and they use mental methods efficiently to work out calculations. Throughout the school, the pupils are making good progress in mathematics – very good in the latter parts of the juniors, due to the quality of teaching and very well organised mathematics curriculum. In science, the pupils demonstrate good skills in planning and carrying out investigations and they have a good knowledge of most aspects of the curriculum. In mathematics, all groups of pupils, including the more able and those with special educational needs, make the progress of which they are capable. This is because work is well planned and matched closely to their prior attainment. The teachers use the assessment information very effectively for this purpose. Whilst progress in science is good overall, occasionally the more able pupils

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

need more challenging work in some classes.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

8. At the end of Year 2 and Year 6, standards are in line with national expectations in design and technology, geography, history, physical education, information and communication technology and art and design. In music they are in line with national expectations by the end of Year 2 and above by the end of Year 6. The school has recognised the need to develop schemes of work for subjects such as history and geography. The lack of effective schemes results in teachers finding it difficult to plan work effectively for the different ability groups and particularly so in the mixed-age classes.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

9. There is good provision for pupils with special educational needs and this enables them to make progress in line with their peers. Pupils with individual education plans make good progress towards their targets. Pupils with particular gifts or talents are identified and additional help and guidance is provided.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

10. The attitudes, values and personal development of the pupils are good and compare well with those seen at the previous inspection. In class, assemblies, at lunch or outdoors at play, most pupils show a lively interest and clear concentration in whatever they are doing. They are proud of their school. This was evident during the end-of-week celebration assembly, when the headteacher announced that the football team had won the local league competition. The children ‘raised the roof’. During a Year 3 literacy lesson the pupils were writing a letter to the local church on how much they had enjoyed taking part in the Easter service. The teacher asked them to prepare a draft letter first. However, the pupils concentrated so well that some of their first attempts were good enough to be sent. St John’s C of E Primary School - 12 11. The pupils’ behaviour is good overall. In lessons where management is very good and

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

the pace of learning is stimulating, behaviour is often very good. However, where these elements are not present, behaviour can sometimes deteriorate. Pupils are generally very polite and during the inspection would step back and open doors ahead of you and ask if they could direct you. There have been no exclusions in the 12 months prior to the inspection. During the inspection no evidence of any form of oppressive behaviour was seen. Most pupils realise that actions inflicted upon others may result in conflict and this attitude is very good. They also have a lot of respect for the feelings, values and beliefs of others. They are aware that not everyone, even within their own school, has been brought up in the same way as they have and therefore may regard the world from a different perspective.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

12. The pupils are very responsive to the many opportunities they are given to display their initiative and to take responsibility. Personal development is a strength of the school. The school council, members of which are voted in by classmates, meets regularly. During the inspection they discussed how to utilise £1000 donated by the parent/teacher association. Year 6 classes have prefects chosen by the headteacher and the school is currently setting up peer mentors. Considerable empathy is shown towards small children and those with special educational needs. For example, two older boys have made it their duty to come in early every morning and set up equipment in the hall for children with specific learning difficulties. The pupils look after their school very well. During the inspection no evidence was seen of graffiti, litter or vandalism. Relationships between pupils and between staff and pupils are very good

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

13. Attendance is good and compares well with the previous inspection. It is above the national average for this type of school. The majority of the pupils come to school on time and most lessons commence promptly.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

14. The quality of teaching is good overall. During the inspection, two per cent of the teaching was excellent, 27 per cent was very good, 42 per cent was good and 25 per cent was satisfactory. Four per cent was unsatisfactory.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

15. Teaching in the Foundation Stage is good overall. This good teaching is characterised by the good classroom management and organisation. Good systems are in place to ensure that all children benefit from the wide range of activities on offer. Behaviour is very well managed so that children quickly learn to become independent learners. The learning support assistants provide the children with very effective support, enabling them to take a full part in the curriculum. The effective organisation allows pupils to receive suitable adult teaching as well as good opportunities to select structured play activities for themselves. The very good relationships between staff and children help to create a happy learning environment where children confidently ask for help and share their experiences when given the opportunity.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

16. The quality of teaching and learning is good overall in the infants. Staff generally plan most lessons well and provide the pupils with work that is challenging, particularly in the core subjects of English, mathematics and science. Occasionally, some pupils are not given work that is sufficiently challenging but the school is beginning to address this effectively. In mathematics it has been partially addressed by setting pupils throughout the school according to their prior attainment. Similarly in the juniors, it has been addressed through the setting process. In the best lessons, introductory sessions are brisk and lively and the teachers capture the pupils’ interest St John’s C of E Primary School - 13 through their enthusiasm, ensuring they achieve well. The teachers manage the pupils well, particularly those with behavioural difficulties, and use a good range of strategies to ensure that all pupils make the progress of which they are capable.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

17. The quality of teaching and learning is good overall in the juniors and particularly good in Years 5 and 6. Learning support assistants are used very effectively to support the less able pupils. The teachers’ planning is good and there are clear learning objectives. However, throughout the school, the teachers do not take sufficient opportunities to share the learning objectives with the pupils and make reference to them, particularly in the end-of-lesson discussions. In literacy and numeracy, the assessment information is used effectively by the school to place pupils in sets according to their prior attainment, and this is good. Overall, the effectiveness of the strategy for teaching literacy is satisfactory and the strategy for teaching numeracy is good. The teachers are very enthusiastic and this has a positive effect on the progress made by the pupils. For example, in a very good Year 6 numeracy lesson,

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

the pupils made significant gains in their ability to calculate the area of compound shapes due to the enthusiasm of the teacher and the innovative way in which she made very effective use of the interactive whiteboard. The pupils’ interest and enthusiasm were maintained due to the brisk pace and pertinent questioning by the teacher. The teachers have good subject knowledge and this enables them to answer the pupils’ questions confidently. This is seen particularly in the introductory part of lessons.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

18. The quality of teaching and learning is good in art and design, information and communication technology and music, in the infants and the juniors. It is satisfactory in design and technology, geography, history and physical education. The teachers are making effective use of information and communication technology to promote learning in other subjects. Regular teaching of literacy and numeracy in the information and communication technology suite is having a positive impact on the pupils’ computer skills as well as their literacy and numeracy skills. In subjects such as history and geography, the teachers need clearer guidance from the schemes of work to ensure their planning enables the pupils to build on previous learning. The quality of marking is variable; some teachers mark work very effectively, identifying how the pupils might improve their work, but this good practice is not evident in all

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

19. The teaching provided for pupils with special educational needs is good throughout the school. Teachers’ planning provides for tasks that are appropriately matched to the abilities of the pupils and they are given good quality support from teachers and teaching assistants to enable them to take a full part in lessons. The pupils with special educational needs are encouraged, with great sensitivity, to answer questions and make contributions to discussions. The teaching methods chosen to meet their needs are effective in developing confidence and self-esteem so that they can make good progress towards their individual targets.

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PUPILS?

20. The quality and range of curricular opportunities offered to pupils is satisfactory. The curriculum is broad and well balanced and meets statutory requirements of the National Curriculum and religious education. The curriculum is effectively enriched by a very good range of extra-curricular activities that supports the learning of pupils in a range of subjects such as physical education, music, art and design, information and communication technology and English. The provision the school makes for pupils’ St John’s C of E Primary School - 14 personal, social and health education, including sex education and drugs misuse awareness, is good and is effectively promoted through specially planned lessons for these areas of learning and through religious education, science, assemblies and the school council. The school has successfully implemented the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies and long-term curriculum planning in other subjects ensures

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PUPILS?

that most aspects of the National Curriculum are effectively covered. However, schemes of work and medium-term planning in the Foundation Stage subjects are not sufficiently detailed or structured in order to ensure that key skills and concepts are taught progressively.

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PUPILS?

21. The curriculum for children in the Foundation Stage is good. The good standards and provision, reported at the time of the previous inspection, have been successfully maintained and strengthened. The school is very inclusive and all pupils have equal access and opportunity to the curriculum.

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PUPILS?

22. The provision the school makes for the assessment and support of pupils with special educational needs is good. The school fully complies with recommendations of the Code of Practice. Individual education plans are appropriate and these are shared with pupils and parents. The well-trained and skilled teaching assistants make a significant contribution to the progress made by pupils who have particular learning difficulties.

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PUPILS?

23. The school has very good links with the community in order to enhance pupils’ learning across the curriculum. For example, the school has established effective links with several supermarkets in the area in order to support food technology and artwork in the school, and very good links with the church ensures pupils’ learning in religious education is well supported. Visits from the local police to talk to the pupils about various issues, including drugs misuse, effectively support pupils’ personal and social development. The school has established very good links with its partner institutions. The school effectively participates within a strong local cluster of partner schools which enables teachers to share and develop good practice in the teaching and implementation of subjects. Links with a local sports college supports pupils’ learning in physical education and science through coaching activities and the use of

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PUPILS?

their science laboratories. The school also benefits from the placement of teacher training students from King Alfred’s College, Winchester. Effective links with the local secondary schools ensures that pupils in Year 6 have a smooth transition to the next stage of their education.

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PUPILS?

24. The provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development has improved significantly since the last inspection and is now very good overall. At the time of the last inspection it was satisfactory.

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PUPILS?

25. The provision for pupils’ spiritual development is good and is fostered effectively through religious education, quiet prayer and reflection time in assemblies, through personal and social education and in many other subjects across the curriculum. For example, in English, through drama and the study of texts, pupils are often asked to consider and discuss the feelings and emotions felt by various characters in stories and to appreciate the imagery portrayed in poetic writing. The school openly promotes pupils’ self-esteem through praise and by acknowledging and rewarding pupils’ achievements, in and out of school, through a weekly special celebration assembly. Strong links with the church enable pupils to celebrate and take part in special Christian services within the church, and regular visits by the vicar to take assemblies, contribute significantly to the good provision provided by the school for

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PUPILS?

spiritual development. St John’s C of E Primary School - 15 26. The provision for pupils’ moral development is very good. The school has implemented an effective behaviour policy that is consistently applied and promoted by all staff. Staff provide good role models for pupils to follow. This, and the very good relationships that exist between teachers and pupils, ensures that pupils soon learn what behaviour is acceptable and what is unacceptable. The school’s reward system of certificates is effective in developing good behaviour and pupils’ positive attitudes to their work. Moral issues are effectively discussed and promoted through personal, social and religious education and through assemblies.

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PUPILS?

27. The provision for pupils’ social education is very good. The school provides many well-planned opportunities that effectively promote pupils’ social development. For example, pupils are given a range of responsibilities that contribute well to the smooth running of the school, such as library monitors, taking registers to the office, preparing the hall for the pre-school inclusion group and assemblies. Older pupils help to look after younger pupils in the playground and are also given the opportunity to plan, make and then play mathematical games with younger children. Personal and social education sessions and the school council are very effective in developing pupils’ social skills and promoting a sense of community and citizenship. Pupils effectively plan, organise and run a range of fundraising events for a number of children’s charities, both national and international. This, and visits to various places of interest,

p.15

PUPILS?

including a residential visit to an outward bound centre for all Year 6 pupils, contributes significantly to pupils’ social development.

p.15

PUPILS?

28. The provision for pupils’ cultural development is good. Opportunities in religious education to study the beliefs of different world faiths, well-planned visits in history to a range of local places of interest such as local museums and Hampton Court, and the study of texts and stories from around the world in English effectively develops pupils’ appreciation and traditions of not only their own cultural heritage but that of others. A musician in residence and visits to the school by authors, poets and a range of theatre groups to perform a range of dramas, including Shakespearean plays, contribute significantly to the good provision the school offers for the pupils’ cultural development.

p.15

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

29. The school has good procedures for child protection and for ensuring the welfare of its pupils. The headteacher is the designated teacher for child protection and also takes responsibility for children in public care. He ensures that all staff receive relevant training. The school has a detailed, written child protection policy and all documentation is secure. There is good liaison with the local education authority.

p.15

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

30. The headteacher is also the named health and safety person and has ensured a relevant risk assessment policy is in place. With the trained governor he carries out regular site inspections and maintains detailed risk assessments. All fire, physical education and portable electrical equipment are date tested. Fire drills are held each term and escape routes are accessible and well marked. The school has caring and efficient accident and medical routines and there are trained first-aid personnel. Good use is made of outside professional help, such as the police who discuss drug misuse and ‘stranger danger’, the school nurse and behavioural services. Lunches are cooked, served and consumed in hygienic conditions. Although the school does not currently have a written Internet safety policy, systems are secure for children and parents have been kept informed. It was noticed during the inspection that wandering

p.15

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

leads from overhead projectors, in classrooms, are not always secured. In addition St John’s C of E Primary School - 16 the school has a lot of quite large resources, for example sports and play equipment, stored in inappropriate places, such as next to the lunch servery and in corridors. The school is now aware of these deficiencies.

p.15

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

31. The procedures for monitoring and improving attendance are good. Class registers are completed efficiently and returned to the office for checking. Parents are well aware of their responsibilities and good use is made of the educational welfare officer to promote good attendance. The school has a tight, lateness routine.

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

32. The monitoring and promoting of good behaviour and eliminating that of an oppressive nature are both good. The school’s detailed, written behaviour policy contains realistic awards and sanctions, of which all pupils are well aware. The pupils also make up their own class rules. Award certificates and team points are well sought after, particularly at assemblies. Inappropriate behaviour is normally dealt with by positive reinforcement, which, in most cases, works very successfully. Bullying is regularly discussed at assemblies, at circle time, in personal and social education and regularly by the school council. The pupils are encouraged to discuss any incidents with an adult and all staff are well aware of potential situations and how to deal with them.

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

33. The school has good procedures for monitoring and supporting pupils’ personal development. The pupils are kept well informed by the discrete use of the school’s good personal, social and health education programme. This is built upon by the added responsibilities of taking part in various sports teams, becoming captains of teams, residential visits and taking the time and effort to participate in extra-curricular events.

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

34. During the inspection, whilst sitting with the school council, one Year 2 boy had an innovative idea that he said he had been thinking about for a long time. He was a member of the gardening club and had designed a quiet area with a fountain and seats. He asked politely ‘Could some of the £1000 donated by the parent/teacher association go towards this?’ The pupils are encouraged to bring in personal certificates of achievement, which are presented in front of the whole school and recorded on personal files. In addition, parents are kept well informed of their children’s achievements and progress in the end-of-year reports.

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

35. The school provides a good, caring and secure atmosphere within which the pupils can learn and these standards still compare well with those seen at the previous inspection.

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

36. Assessment throughout the school is good. Tracking of pupils’ progress in the core subjects is very good. This tracking process identifies able pupils who are doing well and those who are underachieving. It is used very well to organise sets for English and mathematics. All teachers are involved in collecting information, which is checked by subject co-ordinators and matched to samples of pupils’ work. This system raises questions as to why pupils make good progress, or not, and whether teachers’ assessment is accurate. Thus teachers are well prepared to plan future work to meet their pupils’ needs. The school is aiming to raise teachers’ expectations and, therefore, pupils’ attainment, especially in the Foundation Stage subjects. These are all subjects apart from English, mathematics and science. For the Foundation Stage subjects, teachers regularly assess the pupils’ knowledge and skills with reference to

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

the school’s learning objectives. However, the school is right to extend their assessments so that these relate to National Curriculum standards and levels and to enable the teachers to build effectively on what the pupils have already learned. St John’s C of E Primary School - 17 37. Good progress is being made in using assessment procedures to guide the teaching and help teachers to develop a clearer knowledge and understanding of what pupils can and cannot do in their learning. The successful use of assessment has been a strong contributing factor to the good progress being made by pupils in English, mathematics and science by the end of Year 6. Individual target setting in English and mathematics is now a successful feature of many classrooms. However, it is still in the early stages of implementation and not yet embedded in practice throughout the school. There are some examples of very good marking with positive and

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

developmental comments linked closely to pupils’ targets and the focus of the lesson. This practice is not consistent through the school, however, with some teachers only making brief comments such as ‘well done’ or ‘good work’.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

38. Throughout the school pupils with special educational needs receive very good support from staff. The special educational needs co-ordinator, teachers and teaching assistants are fully committed to helping the pupils to progress in meeting their targets. The needs of pupils are very well identified by the careful assessments that are carried out and strategies to address them are then highlighted in the pupils' individual education plans. These are reviewed termly. All statutory requirements with regard to special educational needs are fully implemented. The school's work with pupils with special educational needs is further well supported by a good range of outside agencies working regularly with a number of the pupils.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

39. The views expressed at the parent’ meeting, responses to the questionnaires and discussions with parents during the inspection, show they consider that this is a very good school. They think it is well led and managed and is helping their children to become mature. Parents say that they would not be afraid to approach the staff with a question or concern. Parents emphasise that their children like the school, behaviour is good, teaching is good and their children are making good progress. A significant minority express concerns over homework arrangements and the information provided by the school about the progress their children are making. Whilst the inspection agrees with the positive views it does not agree with the negative comments. Academic reports, in particular, are very good.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

40. The information that the school provides for its parents, which was an issue at the previous inspection, is now very good. All parents receive an updated copy of the prospectus plus the governors’ annual report to parents. Apart from one statutory omission in the former, of which the school is now aware, these documents conform to requirements. The school provides two academic reports each year. The mid-year one comments on English, mathematics and science, whilst the main report in July clearly covers all subjects taught. Reports indicate what a child can do and also give realistic future targets. Parents have the opportunity to attend three open evenings per year and in addition, the school provides regular curriculum evenings to discuss issues such as homework and residential visits. The headteacher and staff are readily available to talk with parents.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

41. The contribution of parents to learning, both at school and home, is very good. Several parents help with art, cookery, computers and hearing children read. During the inspection, approximately 30 mothers and fathers attended the Easter service at the local church and recently volunteers have painted the library. At home, most parents welcome the home/school reading diaries in which they are able to comment when helping their children to read. St John’s C of E Primary School - 18 42. The contribution parents make to the work of the school is very good. The school is indebted to its very energetic parent/teacher association, which raises considerable sums of money. In addition to donating cash to the school council, they have recently contributed to the new computer suite and provided play equipment. Overall, the school has very good links with its parents which are a significant strength of the school and have improved considerably since the previous inspection. They now

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

contribute greatly towards the success of the pupils’ learning.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

43. Parents of children with special educational needs are provided with regular opportunities to discuss their children’s work. They attend annual review meetings and are kept fully informed about all aspects of their children’s progress.

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

44. The leadership and management of the school are very good. The headteacher and deputy headteacher have made a significant impact in a relatively short time. The headteacher demonstrates very good leadership, manages the school effectively and is well supported by the deputy headteacher and senior staff. Issues highlighted in the previous inspection and in subsequent visits by HMI have been addressed effectively, although the school recognises more needs to be done to ensure the most able pupils make the progress of which they are capable. The headteacher has a clear vision of how this will be achieved. Although standards in the core subjects of English, mathematics and science dipped in 2002, the school was already addressing the issues and HMI had identified gaps in pupils’ learning that would not be closed before the pupils left the school at the end of Year 6. Since the previous inspection there

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

have been a number of changes to the teaching staff and a significant strength of the school is the good morale amongst all staff that helps to provide a good learning environment for the pupils. Several of the subjects have co-ordinators who are new to their posts and in some instances are being covered by temporary staff. The senior management team are supporting these colleagues well and ensuring that co- ordination of subjects is generally effective. However, some co-ordinators need to take a greater lead in monitoring the quality of teaching and learning in their subjects and to develop schemes of work to ensure there are no gaps in pupils’ learning. All statutory policies, including those for racial equality and inclusion, are in place.

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

45. The governors are regular visitors and have a very good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the school. They are very effective in fulfilling their responsibilities and work hard to support the school. Individual governors have responsibility for special educational needs and specific subjects. The governors have reduced the number of committees, the result of which has been a much clearer focus on the impact of decisions it takes on the progress made by the pupils. The governors appraise the work of the headteacher and have set targets for improvement. They fulfil very effectively their role in holding the school to account for the quality of education it provides.

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

46. The school improvement plan is a very good document that takes account of the previous reports and demonstrates a clear vision for raising standards. Achievable goals have been set, timescales are realistic and methods of monitoring progress towards the goals are clear. Specific grants awarded to the school are used well and linked to expenditure outlined in the school improvement plan. The school recognises that it now needs to develop schemes of work to provide all pupils with a firm foundation for future learning. St John’s C of E Primary School - 19 47. The special educational needs co-ordinator is part time, but her influence extends beyond the two days she is in school because of her good management and efficient systems. Staff have been trained well to implement programmes of work and support pupils within the classroom or playground and feel well supported themselves. The very good support provided by the learning support assistants ensures that pupils with

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

special educational needs make at least good progress. Support teachers and staff are managed very effectively and their high level of knowledge and understanding of the needs of these pupils is a significant strength of the school.

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

48. Financial planning is very good. The governing body and senior management understand and operate the principles of best value and they link purchasing and spending decisions to the educational priorities they have set. The day-to-day financial control of expenditure is very good.

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

49. The school is staffed with sufficient, suitably qualified and experienced teachers to match the needs of the age groups for which it caters. The good blend of experienced and new staffing provides effective support for pupils’ learning and compensates well for long-term staff absences. Subject co-ordinators vary in their effectiveness, but they are aware of their responsibilities and are keen to develop their areas of responsibility. Learning support staff provide a high level of care and assistance to pupils and work very well with teacher colleagues. They provide invaluable support during lessons to pupils with a range of special educational needs, and enable the school to integrate them fully into mainstream activities. The administrative and caretaking staff work hard and are very helpful and efficient, providing invaluable support to colleagues in the school. Staff have detailed job descriptions, and

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

arrangements for performance management are well established. There are good procedures in place for supporting and training staff who are new to the school.

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

50. Resources are satisfactory overall. The resources for information and communication technology and music are good and enhance the curriculum well. All other areas of the curriculum have satisfactory resources but they are not stored well. They are untidy and therefore difficult to find. For geography, there are insufficient up-to-date globes and for art and design, the range of drapes for displays and the quantity and quality of brushes and paper is restricted. The school library is in the process of development. At the moment, books are not easily accessible to young children. Books are packed together tightly and are difficult to retrieve and those on the highest shelves are out of the reach of some pupils. The outside area for the reception classes described in the last inspection as ‘underdeveloped’ has not been improved. It can only be used during fine weather as it has no cover. Thus, teachers cannot be

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

sure when it can be used, which does not encourage them to plan for its frequent use.

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

51. Overall, the accommodation allows the curriculum to be taught satisfactorily, although some of the classrooms are small and inhibit some activities, particularly for the older pupils. The recently installed information technology room is clean, spacious and well lit. However, in common with several other rooms in the school, it can become oppressively warm. The main hall is large and well used for assemblies, lunchtimes, physical education and shows. The spacious library is still being developed by the school and should become a very useful asset. As a whole, the school is set in pleasant green surroundings with adequate, well-surfaced playgrounds and a regularly used playing field.

p.19

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

St John’s C of E Primary School - 20 52. The headteacher, staff and governors should now:

p.20

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(1) raise standards in English and science by: ensuring that all pupils, particularly the more able, are given work that is sufficiently challenging in all classes; providing the pupils with opportunities to develop their writing skills in other areas of the curriculum. (Paragraphs 2–9, 72–77, 88–95)

p.20

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(2) raise standards further in subjects such as history and geography by: enabling co-ordinators to develop schemes of work that ensure pupils build on skills they have previously learned. (Paragraphs 8, 20, 44, 106–114)

p.20

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(3) raise the quality of teaching further in subjects and classes where it is not as strong by; improving the quality of marking of pupils’ work; ensuring teachers plan to provide work that is sufficiently challenging for all groups of pupils. (Paragraphs 16–19, 37, 44, 76, 86, 88, 93, 95, 109)

p.20

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

In addition, the school should consider including the following in their action plan:

p.20

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• Improving the quality and range of outdoor equipment and a covered area for children in the Foundation Stage.

p.20

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• Reorganising the timetable to provide more opportunities for the teaching of Foundation Stage subjects and ensuring literacy and numeracy sessions are not too long. St John’s C of E Primary School - 21

p.20

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 32

p.21

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactor y Poor Very Poor

p.21

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 two percentage points.

p.21

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 270

p.21

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 8

p.21

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 3

p.21

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 41

p.21

Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

p.21

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 10

p.21

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

p.21

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 3

p.21

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 7

p.21

Attendance

National comparative data 5.4 National comparative data 0.5

p.21

Attendance

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

p.21

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 22 19 41

p.22

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

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

p.22

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

Boys 17 16 20 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 19 18 19

p.22

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

Percentage of pupils School 88 (98) 83 (98) 95 (100) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (84) 86 (86) 90 (91)

p.22

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

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.22

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

Boys 17 14 16 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 18 15 18

p.22

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

Percentage of pupils School 85 (95) 71 (100) 83 (100) at NC level 2 or above National 85 (85) 89 (89) 89 (89)

p.22

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

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

p.22

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 21 13 34

p.22

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

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

p.22

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

Boys 13 12 16 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 11 10 11

p.22

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

Percentage of pupils School 71 (86) 65 (84) 79 (98) at NC level 4 or above National 75 (75) 73 (71) 86 (87)

p.22

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

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.22

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

Boys 11 14 17 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 12 11 11

p.22

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

Percentage of pupils School 68 (80) 74 (78) 82 (90) at NC level 4 or above National 73 (72) 74 (74) 82 (82)

p.22

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

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. St John’s C of E Primary School - 23

p.22

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.23

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

White – any other White background 3 0 0

p.23

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Mixed – any other mixed background 1 0 0

p.23

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Asian or Asian British - Pakistani 0 0 0

p.23

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Asian or Asian British – Bangladeshi 0 0 0

p.23

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Asian or Asian British – any other Asian background 1 0 0

p.23

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black or Black British – Caribbean 0 0 0

p.23

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

p.23

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. St John’s C of E Primary School - 24

p.23

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 11 Financial year 2001/2002

p.24

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 21.77

p.24

Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total income 575,096

p.24

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 10 Total expenditure 581,123

p.24

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 204 Expenditure per pupil 2,160

p.24

Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance brought forward from previous year 30,410

p.24

Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance carried forward to next year 24,383

p.24

Recruitment of teachers

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

p.24

Recruitment of teachers

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

p.24

Recruitment of teachers

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 3

p.24

Recruitment of teachers

Number of vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of a term or more (FTE) 3

p.24

Recruitment of teachers

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

p.24

Recruitment of teachers

FTE means full-time equivalent. St John’s C of E Primary School - 25

p.24

Results of the survey of parents and carers

Percentage of responses in each category

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

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

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child is making good progress in school. 44 51 3 1 1

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

Behaviour in the school is good. 48 49 2 0 1

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 23 48 21 2 6

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 29 46 19 6 0

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 70 27 2 0 1

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 49 47 1 0 3

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school works closely with parents. 40 47 8 2 3

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is well led and managed. 77 21 0 0 2

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 58 40 1 0 1

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 44 34 10 3 9 St John’s C of E Primary School - 26

p.25

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

53. Children in the Foundation Stage receive a good start to school. The good standards and provision, reported at the time of the previous inspection, have been successfully maintained and strengthened. The children are taught well by two teachers and two learning support assistants. Both classes are given equal access to a broad, varied and appropriate curriculum.

p.26

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

54. Children start school in the two reception classes when they are four years old. They attend part time for a few weeks for either morning or afternoon sessions and then attend full time. There are currently 41 children in the reception classes and most attend playgroups or a local nursery before they start school. Children are well prepared for their entry into school as a result of the good links established with this pre-school provision. The teachers visit the playgroups and nursery and the children’s home prior to admission. Children and their parents are welcomed into a caring atmosphere, which enables the children to settle quickly and gain the confidence to explore independently so that they learn well.

p.26

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

55. Reception children attend and enjoy school assemblies and this helps them to become familiar with the main school. Pupils from Year 5 visit the reception classes to see what they can do and as a result make mathematical games to help them improve their mathematical skills.

p.26

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

56. The quality of accommodation and resources is satisfactory, helping children to develop a good range of skills. They enjoy a broad and relevant curriculum where assessment is used well to match work to their needs. However, although play is planned to help develop the children’s skills, the outdoor play facilities have not improved since the last inspection. It is small and secure but is uncovered. Thus it is difficult to plan to use this area well all year round and it is not used well enough to enhance the curriculum, especially for knowledge and understanding of the world, physical and social development.

p.26

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

57. Children start school with good speaking and listening, counting and social skills. They make good progress and, by the time children enter Year 1, good teaching helps them to achieve above the nationally expected standards in their personal, social and emotional development, reading, descriptive language, music, information and communication technology and mathematics. Standards in their overall knowledge and understanding of the world and physical and creative development are in line with expectations. Achievement overall, is good for all children, including those with special educational needs.

p.26

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

58. The quality of teaching is good overall, both from the teachers and from the learning support assistants and as a result the children learn well. Relationships are strong and children feel secure and confident and thus show high levels of interest and excitement in their lessons. The learning support assistants work very skilfully with individuals and groups of children. Lessons have a clear focus and the satisfactory resources are well used. Behaviour is very well managed, enabling children to develop good working strategies and become independent learners. There is a good balance between teacher-directed and child-chosen activities. Time is used well to ensure that all children complete tasks. One weakness in teaching is that St John’s C of E Primary School - 27 occasionally, when the plan is not working, the teacher is not flexible enough to alter the lesson to meet the children’s needs.

p.26

Personal, social and emotional development

59. By the time they enter Year 1, children exceed the standards expected in their personal, social and emotional development. They are confident, polite and courteous; for instance they say ‘excuse me, can you help me?’ to a visitor. Children make good gains in learning about how to get on with others. They co-operate and play very well together, even when undertaking activities that are unsupervised. For example, they were observed playing in the playground, sharing the wheeled vehicles, waiting their turn and playing co-operatively.

p.27

Personal, social and emotional development

60. Children dress themselves for physical education lessons and are, when given the opportunity, prepared to show others what they can do. They are given good opportunities to develop their imagination and independence and are encouraged to take on responsibilities. Children tidy the play area and put toys away. Throughout the Foundation Stage, children show good awareness of the needs of others and they behave very well. Teachers celebrate different cultures and lifestyles, for instance by reading a story set in Kenya and asking parents to bring in fruits from around the world. This helps the children understand that we are all different but special.

p.27

Communication, language and literacy

61. Children’s progress in communication, language and literacy is good. They start school with good speaking and listening skills and, due to good teaching and links with parents, their descriptive vocabulary is improved. For instance, when the children say ‘that is a butterfly’ they are encouraged to describe it as a ‘beautiful butterfly’. By the time they enter Year 1, the children attain standards that exceed those expected for children of this age in reading and writing. Most children read and write their own name. Several are working within the National Curriculum as handwriting is neat, letters correctly formed and sentences begin with capital letters and end with a full stop. Spelling is often nearly correct. The children’s reading skills are good. They enjoy stories and retell them in the correct sequence. They know a good range of words and use sounds in words and pictures to help them tackle new or difficult

p.27

Communication, language and literacy

vocabulary. The most able children find the ‘contents’ page of a non-fiction book but the library, which is located near to the ‘Foundation Stage classes,’ is not ideally suited to the needs of young children.

p.27

Mathematical development

62. Children’s progress in mathematical development is good. When they enter the reception class, many children have good skills in counting but the good provision and range of exciting activities and games lead to good improvements so that, by the time they enter Year 1, the majority achieve standards that are above those expected in this area of learning.

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Mathematical development

63. Children practise counting daily and undertake many interesting activities and games to develop their skills in number, shape, space and measures. They learn to sort things by colour, shape and size. They know and sing nursery rhymes which include numbers. Many children recognise and write numbers to 20 and recognise 13, 15 and 16 when these are shown out of sequence. They know that 16 is ‘the biggest’. They use the correct vocabulary and state that the enormous watermelon gets ‘bigger and bigger’. They add two numbers to make 20 and subtract numbers to ten. Children St John’s C of E Primary School - 28 name a variety of shapes such as circle and oblong. In one class they position themselves into symmetrical shapes and state that symmetry means that ‘both sides are the same’.

p.27

Knowledge and understanding of the world

64. Children’s progress in their knowledge and understanding of the world is good, and they achieve standards in line with those expected by the time they enter Year 1. The standard of their work with computers is good.

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

65. Children have good opportunities to develop their awareness of the world around them. They regularly visit the computer suite where they learn to create their own pictures and to print them. They competently use wordprocessing skills to add their name and labels. They also use the class computer for number and sound recognition games.

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

66. The teachers make good use of questioning to prompt the children’s discussion. For example they had a lively discussion about the children’s park that they had made from construction equipment. They knew that children would want a slide and a roundabout. Their discussion was specific, stating that they had made a roundabout with seats and they demonstrated how you would lean on the triangular seats. The children worked well together when making these models and listened with interest to their friend’s description. The children have made different houses to illustrate the story of the ‘Three little Pigs’ and know that the house made of bricks is the strongest. Parents are given good encouragement to help in school and consequently their help means that all the reception children have a good range of fruits, from around the world, in order to make their fruit salad. Their help means that this salad is made

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

efficiently so that all can taste, judge and enjoy by the end of the day. This activity is extended as seeds from the fruits are planted.

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Physical development

67. Children make satisfactory progress in their physical development and achieve the expected standards by the time they enter Year 1.

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Physical development

68. Twice a week the children play in their own outside play area using the few wheeled vehicles available. They peddle and steer bikes and trikes well, pushing and pulling each other around the playground successfully. They balance on stilts. In class most use scissors, glue, pencils and crayons satisfactorily. During a physical education lesson in the school hall, children showed good levels of skill in co-operation and awareness of space. They moved safely around the hall, changing directions and stopping quickly on request. Good demonstrations by the teacher helped them to improve during the lesson and, therefore, most children throw, catch and roll a ball accurately. Also, all children and staff are appropriately dressed for physical activity and the children work vigorously.

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Creative development

69. Children make good progress in creative development and, by the time they enter Year 1, have achieved the expected standard. Standards in music are above expectations.

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Creative development

70. The quality of teaching and learning is good. From their earliest days in school, children are successfully encouraged to explore paints and three-dimensional St John’s C of E Primary School - 29 materials through making models out of boxes. They know their colours and choose appropriately as they paint flowers as part of observational painting. They use chalk and crayons well to create their own pictures. Children have many opportunities to develop their own ideas and develop their creative style and decide how they will make a display to represent their current story. This term it is ‘The Enormous Water Melon’. Generally, they explore what happens when they mix colours and make collages by mixing different materials and experimenting with textures. In both classes the children use the computer to create pictures. Children in both the reception classes enjoy singing and making music and they are beginning to build a good

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Creative development

repertoire of songs. Reception children enjoy assemblies where they sing the main tune. In class they begin to compose music by using mathematical equipment to denote the length of sounds and the rhythm. They recognise and name a good number of percussion instruments.

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ENGLISH

71. The 2002 National Curriculum tests show that standards in English are well below the national average at the end of Year 2 and in line with the national average at the end of Year 6. When compared with similar schools, standards are well below average. Standards have fluctuated considerably since the last inspection with the pupils’ performance in the National Curriculum tests ranging from well above the national average to below average. This can be attributed to an unsettled period for the school concerning the recruitment of new teaching staff. Inspection findings show that standards are in line with national expectations at the end of Year 2 and Year 6. Good progress is made in both the infants and the juniors, and standards are improving because of consistently good teaching and the high priority the school has given to improving standards in the subject, particularly in writing. Inspection findings also

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ENGLISH

show the current cohort of Year 5 pupils are achieving standards above the national average and more able pupils across the school achieve standards above average in all aspects of the subject. Pupils with special educational needs generally achieve well and attain the standards of which they are capable because of the early identification of their needs and the good quality of well-targeted support with which they are provided.

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ENGLISH

72. Standards in speaking and listening across the school are above average. Because teachers provide plenty of well-planned opportunities for pupils to discuss in pairs and in groups across the curriculum, pupils make good progress in this aspect of the subject. Opportunities for pupils to take part in drama productions and role-play activities also contribute effectively to the good achievement pupils make in speaking and listening. Across the school, pupils show confidence when speaking in front of others and they are able to express their ideas and views very clearly through extended speech. Pupils of all ages listen attentively and with interest in many different situations and show, from their responses to questions, that they listen with understanding.

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ENGLISH

73. Overall, standards in reading are average although there are a significant minority of more able pupils who achieve standards above average for their age. Pupils soon acquire a range of reading strategies such as sounding out and blending in order to read unfamiliar words and, by the end of Year 6, pupils are fluent, confident and expressive readers. Older pupils, particularly, use non-fiction texts well in order to support their learning in subjects such as history and by the end of Year 6 pupils know how to use an index and glossary and can skim and scan well in order to obtain information. Although extra-curricular activities such as the ‘reading den’ are very effective in promoting reading for pleasure, insufficient use is made overall of the St John’s C of E Primary School - 30 school library in order to promote study skills and reading for pleasure in order to develop pupils’ learning even further.

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ENGLISH

74. Standards in writing across the school are in line with national expectations. The school has placed a high priority on improving standards in writing and assessment strategies, and target setting for different groups of pupils is beginning to be effective in raising pupils’ achievement in this aspect of the subject. Teachers provide plenty of opportunity for pupils to write in a range of styles and for different purposes in literacy lessons but there are too few opportunities offered to pupils to do so in other subjects across the curriculum in order to consolidate and develop their writing skills further. Across the school pupils acquire a good knowledge and understanding of punctuation rules and grammar and by the end of Year 6 pupils use a range of punctuation marks such as apostrophes, commas, speech and exclamation marks correctly in their writing. Teachers promote the use of vocabulary well in lessons and pupils across the

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ENGLISH

school use adjectives and powerful verbs effectively to make their creative and descriptive writing lively and interesting. Older pupils soon learn to write in paragraphs and pupils are able to organise their writing appropriately. However, although their handwriting is joined and legible it is not always consistently neat and well presented.

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ENGLISH

75. The quality of teaching is good. Teachers have secure subject knowledge and this enables them to demonstrate skills effectively and give clear explanations in order to develop pupils’ knowledge and understanding. Skilful questioning about texts read effectively extends pupils’ thinking, knowledge and understanding. In the best lessons teachers have high expectations and suitably challenge pupils to improve their work, for example by finding a better adjective or verb in order to improve their writing. In these better lessons, the pupils make good gains in their learning and this is particularly so for the more able pupils. When there are shortcomings in teaching, the teachers miss opportunities to promote and develop further pupils’ basic skills during shared reading activities within the literacy hour, such as phonics and spelling, and the pupils do not always make the progress of which they are capable. Too much

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ENGLISH

emphasis is placed on pupils recording their work on worksheets, which restricts their opportunity to write at length and independently. The teachers’ marking is not always sufficiently evaluative or constructive in order to let pupils know how they might improve their work. Occasionally, the literacy sessions are too long and whilst the overall progress of pupils is good, the same result could be achieved in a shorter period, leaving more time available for other subjects. The teachers use information and communication technology very effectively to support learning.

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ENGLISH

76. The co-ordination of the subject is good. Very good assessment procedures are used effectively to track pupils’ progress over time and to set targets in order to raise standards in the subject. The quality of teaching and learning is regularly monitored by the co-ordinator and a careful analysis of test results and assessments helps the school identify appropriate areas of learning that need further development.

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MATHEMATICS

77. The improvements in mathematics reported in the 2001 inspection have been maintained. This is despite a dip in the 2002 National Curriculum test results at the end of Year 6, which were below average. On that occasion the proportion of pupils who achieved at the higher levels was below the national average. When compared to the results of similar schools, these results were well below average. At the end of Year 2 in the 2002 National Curriculum tests, results were above average, with a higher than average proportion of pupils achieving at the higher levels. These results were average when compared with those of similar schools. St John’s C of E Primary School - 31 78. By the end of Year 2, pupils attain overall standards which are in line with the national average, with strengths in their understanding of work in number and in shape and space. Pupils make satisfactory progress throughout Years 1 and 2. In the present

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MATHEMATICS

Year 6, standards are above the national average in all aspects of mathematics, with about half the pupils achieving at the higher level. All pupils in Years 3 to 6 make good progress due to the good teaching overall, and very good teaching in Year 6. The organisation of Year 6 into small groups for highly focused and intensive teaching enables pupils to be challenged in their learning and to achieve their full potential. Standards of work in numeracy are above average and pupils develop and apply their numeracy skills across the curriculum, for example in science and geography. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress and are given good support.

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MATHEMATICS

79. By the end of Year 2, the majority of pupils are confident in their knowledge of numbers and the number system and are developing competence in calculations. They are able to count, read, write and order numbers to 100, and to recognise odd and even numbers. They know by heart factors for the two, five and ten multiplication tables and can respond rapidly when recalling number factors. More able pupils can apply this knowledge competently to solving problems using numbers and money. Their skills in estimation and mental computation are also developing well, for example, when calculating halves and quarters. Pupils create and describe number patterns satisfactorily and can recognise number sequences. They know the mathematical names of common two- and three-dimensional shapes, such as triangles, rectangles, hexagons, circles, cubes, pyramids and spheres and can describe some of their properties. Most pupils can use two-figure co-ordinates to

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MATHEMATICS

locate the position of squares on a grid and employ mathematical vocabulary correctly to describe position, direction and movement.

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MATHEMATICS

80. Pupils also apply their knowledge effectively to make a survey of their class to discover the means of transport they use to come to school. The majority learn how to collect and sort their data and to display it clearly in a pictogram.

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MATHEMATICS

81. By the end of Year 6, most pupils make very good progress in their understanding and use of number. They use mental methods efficiently to work out calculations, and use and convert decimal numbers, fractions and percentages with confidence. When working with large numbers, they make effective use of factors. Most pupils set their written work out clearly, showing how they arrived at their answers through the intermediate stages of their calculations. They can collect data using a tally chart and are able to draw and interpret a bar graph to a satisfactory level. They can readily employ the techniques of long multiplication and division, and check their answers by estimation. Most pupils can also apply these operations to calculations involving money. They apply their mathematical skills in other areas of the curriculum, for example, in geography when they use grid references to locate places on a map. The

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MATHEMATICS

majority of pupils use a calculator with confidence and accuracy to solve number problems of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, and more able pupils can calculate negative numbers. They understand the characteristics of shapes and can calculate the area and perimeter of a square and a rectangle. More able pupils are able to solve challenging problems involving quantities, such as volume and capacity, and develop skills in using computer technology to facilitate this. The majority of pupils know the properties and names of different types of quadrilaterals and can recognise and name acute angles and right angles.

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MATHEMATICS

82. Most pupils can solve written problems by applying techniques of mathematical computation. More able pupils explain fluently and convincingly how they solve a St John’s C of E Primary School - 32 mathematical problem or operation. They apply their mathematical knowledge and understanding effectively, using high order thinking skills and abilities. All pupils have positive attitudes to the subject and work hard on the tasks set for them.

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MATHEMATICS

83. Teaching in the infant classes is satisfactory overall, with examples of good teaching. It is good overall in the junior classes, and it is very good in Year 6. In both the infants and the juniors pupils are taught in sets based on their prior ability. This is particularly effective in Year 6 where the use of small teaching groups has a significant impact upon standards of pupils’ attainment. Teachers use clearly set out weekly planning sheets, and planning is thorough, based upon the National Numeracy Strategy. Lessons have clear learning objectives and, on occasions, teachers share these with the pupils. This helps to involve the pupils more fully in their learning and aids them in assessing their progress. In general, teachers lead lively and stimulating whole-class sessions, with good use of questioning to stimulate pupils’ thinking and to ensure full involvement of each individual. They have good relationships with their pupils and

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MATHEMATICS

make effective use of teaching assistants to support pupils with special educational needs. The school also operates a very worthwhile mentor scheme in which older pupils give support to younger pupils in their work in mathematics classes.

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MATHEMATICS

84. Where teaching is good, lessons are taught at a brisk pace and teachers employ good questioning skills. They encourage pupils to make good use of mathematical vocabulary and to explain clearly their reasoning when responding to questions in oral sessions. Teachers have good subject knowledge and have high expectations of the pupils, providing appropriate levels of challenge for each of them. They take every opportunity to reinforce mathematical vocabulary. Plenary sessions are used rigorously to check on pupils’ learning and to endorse the key learning points of the lesson, relating these to the lesson objectives. Occasionally, lessons are too long and this results in the pupils losing concentration towards the end of the session.

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MATHEMATICS

85. Resources are used effectively by all teachers, and especially good use is made of the information and communication technology suite and the newly installed interactive whiteboards. Arrangements for assessment are good, although standards of marking of pupils’ work are variable. The school has an excellent system of recording and tracking pupils’ progress, which enables teachers to provide suitably challenging work for pupils of all abilities. Current arrangements for training staff in the further use of new technology should enable them to monitor the performance of groups of pupils as well as that of individuals.

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MATHEMATICS

86. The leadership and management of the subject are excellent. The co-ordinator is very enthusiastic and highly committed, and provides positive leadership and support for colleagues. She monitors teaching and learning effectively and has a clear strategy for developing teachers. Part of this involves using more confident teachers to support, by agreement, the work of less confident colleagues in their mathematics classes. She has also organised and delivered school-based, in-service education and training for colleagues, for example, in medium-term planning. The co-ordinator plays a key role in a local education authority action research project to develop the able mathematician, and this has a positive impact upon the quality of teaching in the school. The subject is well supplied with suitable resources, most of which are stored in teachers’ own classrooms. The information technology suite is regularly timetabled

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MATHEMATICS

for the teaching of mathematics and is sufficiently equipped with suitable software.

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SCIENCE

St John’s C of E Primary School - 33 87. The 2002 National Curriculum test results show the pupils’ attainment is below average by the end of Year 6. When compared with similar schools, attainment is well below average. The 2002 National Curriculum teacher assessments for Year 2 pupils show attainment is well below average. Inspection evidence shows that, by the end of Year 2, most pupils are achieving standards in line with national expectations and, by the end of Year 6, standards are above national expectations. Almost a quarter of the Year 6 pupils who took the National Curriculum tests in 2002 had special educational needs and this depressed the average points score. More importantly, ineffective teaching in the past and an inadequate curriculum resulted in significant gaps in the pupils’ knowledge. Although teaching is now good overall and the curriculum has improved, there is still some ‘catching up’ to take place to enable all pupils to attain

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SCIENCE

the standards of which they are capable. An analysis of the pupils’ work shows that standards in National Curriculum tests are likely to be above the national average in 2003. Most pupils, including those with special educational needs, now make generally good progress. Teachers need to address the issue of mixed-age classes more effectively, ensuring pupils of different ages and abilities are provided with work that is sufficiently challenging. Progress since the previous inspection, when standards were below the nationally expected level at the end of Year 6, has been good.

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SCIENCE

88. By the end of Year 2, the pupils have had appropriate opportunities to study all areas of the curriculum and develop a satisfactory understanding of scientific concepts. They carry out an appropriate range of investigative activities although the more able pupils are not provided with enough activities that are sufficiently challenging. They accurately identify different parts of the body and know what is required to enable babies to grow. Through their work on healthy eating, the pupils develop a sound understanding of what constitutes a healthy diet and which foods provide them with energy. Pupils correctly record the life cycles of frogs and butterflies and they know the sort of habitats where particular creatures are found. They understand that plants need warmth, moisture and light for optimum growth and indicate what might happen if plants are deprived of any of these.

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SCIENCE

89. They sort materials according to different criteria and, through investigation, identify which are magnetic and which are not. By the end of Year 2, pupils identify the uses for particular materials. For example, the pupils carried out investigations to determine which materials would be best to provide ‘Barnaby Bear’ with a waterproof coat. They identify the strength and properties of different materials when constructing homes for the ‘Three Little Pigs’. Pupils’ knowledge and understanding of physical processes are secure. Most pupils know the basic requirements needed to produce an electrical circuit and they have a good understanding of the dangers of electricity in the home.

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SCIENCE

90. As pupils move through the juniors they develop secure investigative and experimentation skills. The pupils follow instructions well and by the end of Year 6 they demonstrate good skills in planning and carrying out investigations. Their recording is of a high standard and they show a very good awareness of fair testing and the variables that might affect their investigations. For example, when investigating whether heat affects the speed at which sugar dissolves, they identify the need to keep the amount of liquid and sugar the same as the sample. The pupils make good progress in their knowledge and understanding of living things and most pupils demonstrate a good understanding of this aspect. They describe the bone structure and the main organs of the body, understanding the functions they serve. The pupils’ work on personal, social and health education helps them to understand the adverse effect of alcohol, tobacco and drugs.

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SCIENCE

St John’s C of E Primary School - 34 91. By the end of Year 6, pupils have a good knowledge of materials and their properties. They know that oxygen is required to make substances burn and can explain what happens when different materials, such as wool, cloth, cardboard, paper and a twig is burned. They know that mixtures can be separated using a variety of methods, for example sieving soil to remove the larger particles and that solutes can be recovered from solutions by getting the solvent to evaporate. Most pupils have a good knowledge and understanding of physical processes. They construct electrical circuits and the more able pupils correctly identify what might happen when additional bulbs are added. They identify correctly which materials conduct electricity and which can be used as insulators. The pupils’ knowledge of forces is secure and they know that gravity pulls objects towards the earth and that forces can cause objects to speed up

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SCIENCE

or slow down. They have a good knowledge of the earth, sun and moon in relation to night and day. Most pupils know that sounds are made when objects vibrate and that the more rapid the vibrations, the higher the pitch.

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SCIENCE

92. The quality of teaching and learning is good in both the infants and juniors with evidence of very good teaching towards the end of the juniors. Throughout the school the teachers question the pupils very effectively and use the responses to determine the pace of the lesson and how much consolidation of learning needs to take place. Relationships between staff and pupils are very good and this helps to create an environment where pupils are keen to respond to the teachers’ questioning and to have a go. In the best lessons, teaching is carried out at a brisk pace and this maintains the pupils’ interest. This pace in lessons is a key feature of the better teaching. Occasionally, lessons are too long and, in these instances, the teachers find it difficult to maintain the pace and this results in the pupils losing interest towards the end of sessions. Throughout the school, the pupils are very well managed and

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SCIENCE

this helps to develop their very good attitudes towards science and their very good behaviour in lessons. The teachers’ planning is good overall, but the teachers need to share the learning objectives (what will be achieved during the lesson) with the pupils. The quality of marking could be better. Although work is always marked it tends to be cursory and rarely identifies how the pupils might improve their work. There are examples of very good marking and the school needs to ensure these are shared with all staff. The quality of the pupils’ presentation of work is generally very good.

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SCIENCE

93. The teachers make effective use of information and communication technology to promote learning through research activities, recording of graphs and the writing of reports. For example, they carry out research, use computer microscopes to look at substances and draw graphs and charts using data they have collated. Numeracy skills are developed effectively through opportunities to time activities and to collect data. Homework is used very well to develop the pupils’ scientific knowledge. There are a number of cross-curricular activities, for example making a greenhouse that develops the pupils’ learning in science and design and technology. The school makes good use of the local environment to improve the pupils’ knowledge of plants and creatures.

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SCIENCE

94. The subject is very well led. The quality of teaching and learning has been monitored through regular observations and this has resulted in improvements. Guidance is available for colleagues and teachers are very supportive of one another. Assessment procedures are good and make a good impact on the progress made by pupils. The school needs to ensure that work for pupils in mixed-age classes is sufficiently challenging for pupils of all ages and abilities.

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ART AND DESIGN

St John’s C of E Primary School - 35 95. By the end of Year 2 and Year 6, standards are in line with national expectations and have been maintained since the last inspection. Due to timetable arrangements pupils do not spend as much time on the subject as they could. As a result of excellent teaching, some Year 6 pupils achieve particularly well and attain very good standards. Overall, achievement for all pupils, including those with special educational needs, is satisfactory but some pupils could attain higher standards. Pupils work competently in a suitable range of media such as collage, clay, painting and pastels. The pupils are encouraged to observe closely and, when preparing pictures in the style of ‘the impressionists’, more able pupils demonstrate good detail of brush strokes and colour mixing to give the impression of light. By the end of Year 6, pupils use the term ‘tone’ and understand that by adding white to a colour it becomes lighter. The pupils make

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ART AND DESIGN

very effective use of an interactive white board in the classroom to carry out research and to study the work of particular artists.

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ART AND DESIGN

96. Throughout the school, pupils enjoy experimenting with computer software to produce pictures. All classes use ‘sketch books’ to prepare drawings and practise techniques. Pupils often illustrate the work in English. Some pupils with special educational needs show special talents in art and design and benefit from knowing that this is something they do well. For instance, one pupil has drawn a very good illustration of a poem illustrating fish swimming in all directions. They are intertwined and show fierce faces coming towards you.

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ART AND DESIGN

97. Overall, the quality of teaching and learning is good. In lessons observed it ranged from excellent to good. However, the way in which the curriculum is planned and developed means that pupils do not benefit from this teaching sufficiently. Pupils in Year 6 have not studied art and design for some time, therefore the quality of teaching and learning overall is satisfactory. Teaching is best when teachers have very good subject knowledge and encourage the pupils to use their own ideas and evaluate and suggest improvements for their own and others’ work. In these instances the teachers are enthusiastic and encourage pupils to observe closely and question them well, developing their skills in experimenting with colour. They also have high expectations of the standard of work the pupils are capable of producing. Teachers are hindered when they do not have sufficient resources, fine paintbrushes or illustrations from books, to make their lessons very good. Classes are generally well

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ART AND DESIGN

organised and teacher assistants work well with the pupils who behave well and try their best. There are very good relationships between staff and pupils.

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ART AND DESIGN

98. As the co-ordinator for this subject is temporarily away from school the headteacher manages art and design. He is aware of the strengths and weaknesses throughout the school. Areas for development have been suitably identified; for example, raising the profile of art and display, improving resources, which are sufficient but there is a lack of drapes, multicultural artefacts and books. The development of cross-curricular links and assessment procedures is a whole-school priority.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

99. By the end of Year 2 and Year 6 the pupils’ attainment is in line with national expectations. Progress since the last inspection, when the findings relating to standards were reported as being well below average by the end of Year 6, is good. All pupils, including those with special educational needs, make satisfactory progress and are now beginning to gain a clear understanding of the processes of designing, making and evaluating. St John’s C of E Primary School - 36 100. Throughout the school, pupils’ work shows that they are becoming adept at making objects and able to design and evaluate their finished articles. They are developing an appropriate degree of technical vocabulary during their lessons. Pupils across the school are provided with appropriate opportunities to investigate a satisfactory range of materials so as to identify their properties before they put them into use in their designs. They are able to work with a variety of materials including card, fabric and

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

balsawood. They are developing satisfactory skills of measuring, cutting and are now able to join materials together using different methods.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

101. Pupils in Years 1 and 2 have designed, created and decorated a variety of ‘pop up’ toys, glove and sock puppets and a coat of many colours for ‘Joseph’. The pupils develop simple sewing skills and learn the best method for joining together a range of materials, for example using split pins to enable movement of the arms and legs of toys.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

102. Pupils in Years 3 and 4 have designed and made money containers using a variety of materials and they have evaluated how they could have improved on their original design, although this aspect of their work could be developed further. Pupils in Years 5 and 6 have undertaken a joint science and design and technology project, designing and making a greenhouse. The pupils developed this work at home as part of a homework project. The pupils demonstrated good design skills and they showed a good appreciation of the necessity to evaluate the quality of their work to determine how they might improve the effectiveness of their greenhouse.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

103. Scrutiny of teachers’ planning and pupils’ work shows that teaching in the subject is satisfactory. This is supported by the lessons that were observed during the inspection. The teachers show secure subject knowledge and are keen to extend their own experience as well as that of their pupils. However, teachers do not make sufficient use of assessment and recording procedures to evaluate the pupils’ progress and set targets for future development or ensure the effective development of teaching and learning across the school. Pupils are encouraged to share ideas with the rest of the class and suggest ways of improving them. Most pupils show interest and commitment to their activities. They work with enthusiasm and achieve satisfactory progress in design and technology lessons. The quality of learning in design and technology is satisfactory.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

104. Leadership and management of the subject are good and the co-ordinator recognises the need to ensure the subject is taught systematically to ensure skills are effectively built upon. This is particularly important in the mixed-age classes where pupils undertake the same work.

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GEOGRAPHY

105. The standards reached by pupils by the end of Year 2 and 6 are in line with national expectations. Standards have remained unchanged since the last inspection, when they were also judged to be in line with national expectations. All pupils, including those with special educational needs, make satisfactory progress.

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GEOGRAPHY

106. By the end of Year 2, most pupils understand where they live when they learn about the location of their homes and write their home address in full. They learn about differences in places by naming and drawing the main rooms in their homes. They recognise how places are linked to other places and demonstrate observation skills when they record in pictures their route from home to school. More able pupils list and illustrate some of the human and physical features of a local street, and their work is St John’s C of E Primary School - 37 effectively displayed alongside photographs of the local area. They understand about changes in the weather and its effects upon people when they correctly sort pictures of clothes suitable for use in the winter or the summer. Most pupils can construct charts listing activities suitable for wet and dry weather. However, many are unsure about describing different kinds of weather. Pupils study journeys made by Barnaby

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GEOGRAPHY

Bear and are competent in drawing bar graphs to record the types of transport he used, although they do not interpret them. Most pupils understand the slowest and fastest forms of transport to use for a journey. Although some pupils make reference to studying the seaside, they have a limited understanding about a contrasting locality to that of the school. Their development of basic geographical skills in the use of globes, maps and plans and in the use of secondary sources of information is also limited.

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GEOGRAPHY

107. Pupils develop their skills in the correct use of geographical language and by the end of Year 6 they write clear descriptions of the location of their homes and the features of their home area. They draw simple sketch maps of their route to school, although these are often unclear and inaccurate. The majority of pupils are able to name and describe different types of land use, and some make good use of the computer to present their work. All pupils make a field study of the local town and are able to write in detail about the types of housing, transport and leisure facilities. They show good observational skills. Most pupils name and locate correctly on a map the continents, the oceans and the major rivers of the world. They also make effective use of atlases to locate and name major countries, such as Australia, Russia, China and America. Year 6 pupils take part in a residential field study where they undertake some

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GEOGRAPHY

geographical work, for example, a river study. However, the quality of recorded work from the visit lacks rigour and some shows limited geographical learning. These pupils speak positively about their distant locality study of St Lucia and showed that they had learned much about its physical and human geography. Most pupils describe clearly what the place is like, making good use of geographical vocabulary, such as ‘volcanic’, ‘waterfall’, ‘hurricane’ and ‘rain forest’. Some pupils can locate it within a wider geographical context. They discuss features of life and work on the island with confidence and accuracy and, in their diaries, they show empathy with everyday living under its extremes of climate and landscape. They understand about the impact of environmental change on the island and have well-informed views about the positive and negative effects of tourism.

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GEOGRAPHY

108. The quality of teaching is satisfactory overall. The timetabling of the subject throughout the year means that there are considerable gaps of time during which pupils have no geography teaching and this affects the continuity of their learning. Displays of major topics addressed, for example those on the study of St Lucia, show effectively the range of work achieved by the pupils. Marking of pupils’ work is variable from class to class. Where it is good, teachers make thorough comments on the quality of pupils' work and suggest how it could be improved or developed. In some cases, however, there are no comments, and work is only acknowledged with a tick. 109. Leadership and management of the subject are improving, and the co-ordinator is aware that the subject has had a low profile in the school. The subject policy is detailed and thorough, but there are no up-to-date schemes of work and long-term

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GEOGRAPHY

plans are vague and uninformative. The school has adopted the national guidelines for geography, but has not adapted them to the needs of the pupils in the school. Teachers' short-term planning is satisfactory and this is monitored by the co- ordinator, together with samples of pupils’ work. The co-ordinator does not monitor teaching. Assessment is based on national guidelines and is satisfactory. Resources are satisfactory overall and there are plans to replace some of the current stock of globes. Central storage facilities are limited and require reorganisation. The co- St John’s C of E Primary School - 38 ordinator has good links with the local secondary school and the local co-ordinators’ network and is well supported by the local education authority advisory service.

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HISTORY

110. Standards have been maintained since the last inspection and remain in line with national expectations by the end of Year 2 and Year 6.

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HISTORY

111. Across the school pupils make satisfactory progress in history. By the end of Year 2, pupils have acquired a sound knowledge and understanding of chronology and pupils recognise that things change over time. For example, in a Years 1 and 2 lesson pupils begin to recognise some of the similarities and difference of a seaside holiday in the past with today and know that swimwear was different in Victorian times and that children enjoyed different activities on the beach in the 1960s, such as watching a Punch and Judy show. By the end of Year 6 pupils develop a good sense of the past as they study various periods in history, such as the ancient Greeks, the Victorians and World War Two, and show they can describe and give some reasons for some of the main events in the past. Through skilful questioning and the effective use of learning resources, such as photographs and videotape, teachers effectively promote

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HISTORY

a sense of empathy in their pupils with the experiences of men, women and children in the past. For example, in Years 3 and 4, pupils begin to appreciate the feelings and emotions that the evacuee children of World War Two must have felt as they left their families to stay in safer parts of the country.

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HISTORY

112. The quality of teaching is satisfactory overall. Because teachers use resources effectively to support pupils’ learning in the subject, pupils across the school soon learn that historical evidence can be obtained from a range of sources such as pottery, photographs, film and books, and skilful questioning ensures that pupils’ thinking, knowledge and understanding is effectively extended. The lack of a scheme of work results in teachers not building on the skills the pupils have previously learned and they could make better progress.

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HISTORY

113. Overall the co-ordination of the subject is satisfactory. However, there are too few opportunities for the co-ordinator to monitor teaching and learning in the subject and planning needs further development. Long-term plans ensure that all areas of learning in the subject are covered. Although the teachers use national guidelines as a basis for their medium-term planning, it is, however, not sufficiently detailed or structured to ensure that key skills and concepts are taught progressively. Also there is no scheme of work to support teachers’ planning. St John’s C of E Primary School - 39

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

114. Standards in information and communication technology by the end of Year 2 and Year 6 are in line with national expectations and this represents a very good improvement over that seen at the time of the previous inspection. All pupils, including those with special educational needs, make good progress as a result of the regular and good teaching.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

115. By the end of Year 2, most pupils are familiar with the basic skills of entering text and simple editing procedures. They know that work can be saved and accessed at a later point and most can carry out these procedures independently. The pupils have good keyboard skills and open and close programs with little adult intervention. The pupils make effective use of a variety of programs. They use drawing and painting programs to produce pictures and demonstrate secure skills in using various brush styles, changing colours and erasing. The pupils learn how to give instructions to a programmable toy, beginning to develop an understanding of how a sequence of events can be pre-planned.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

116. By the end of Year 6, the pupils create a range of documents and demonstrate good wordprocessing skills. They access the Internet and CD-Roms to search for information and do so with limited adult intervention. For example, they find information about the Ancient Greeks, the Victorians and World War Two. The pupils are beginning to use a good range of programs to support their learning in other subjects. There are some good links with literacy; the pupils writing stories and letters using their wordprocessing skills. The pupils have satisfactory skills in managing and analysing data and are beginning to make effective use of spreadsheets, working out the cost of food produce by means of a simple algebraic formula. Pupils in Years 5 and 6 demonstrate good use of a wide range of programs when they ‘plan a party’; drawing and desktop publishing packages are used well to produce posters and invitations and to plan the layout of the room, the Internet is used to research the cost

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

of goods from various suppliers and graphs are produced identifying the pupils’ favourite games. The pupils learn how to create multimedia presentations, linking pictures and text.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

117. The quality of teaching is good overall. The teachers have developed their subject knowledge well, ensuring the quality of the pupils’ learning is good. Lessons are well planned with clear learning objectives that demonstrate how the pupils will build on previous understanding. Computer skills are taught regularly in the computer suite and this is helping to ensure the pupils make good progress. There are computers in each of the classes and this enables the pupils to practise skills at other times. There are clear assessment procedures in place and good records available to show what the pupils are capable of achieving. The pupils are able to access their own files and records of their work are kept on disk. The teachers are making very effective use of the school’s two interactive whiteboards to teach all aspects of the curriculum.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

118. Resources for information and communication technology are very good. There is a good number of computers within the computer suite and in the classrooms, together with a range of computer programs that cover all aspects of the curriculum. The management of the subject is very good, the co-ordinator having a clear understanding of how to develop the subject. The school has recently begun to use the computer suite for regular literacy and numeracy lessons and this is having a good impact on the progress made by the pupils in these subjects. St John’s C of E Primary School - 40

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MUSIC

119. Standards in music are in line with national expectations by the end of Year 2 and are above expectations by the end of Year 6. Pupils make good progress because the subject manager is very enthusiastic and the school provides many opportunities for them to learn to play instruments and to perform. Standards have been maintained since the last inspection and the confidence of teachers has been raised.

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MUSIC

120. Pupils in Year 2 enjoy singing in assemblies. They sing in tune and keep the correct rhythm. In class lessons they recognise the sound made by a variety of instruments and name these. They understand the term ‘pitch’. By Year 6 many pupils play in an orchestra, sing in a choir and many pupils from Year 3 to Year 6 sing different parts to a tune. In addition, several Year 5 pupils use the computer to research wind instruments. As a homework project, they make their own, very good, ‘bugles’ using valves. In Year 5, pupils consider the mood, tempo and style of different types of music. Throughout the school pupils compose their own music. In Years 1 and 2 they write music to illustrate ‘autumn sounds’ and in Years 5 and 6 they demonstrate good skills in composing ‘Calypso’ music and ‘Unsquare’ dance in order to perform in a concert.

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MUSIC

121. Overall the quality of provision and teaching is good and is enhanced by visiting ‘peripatetic’ teachers and a musician in residence. The confidence of class teachers has improved since the last inspection as the co-ordinator is very willing to help and plan for those who have difficulties. There was no co-ordinator at the time of the last inspection. However, when teachers are very new to the school the co-ordinators’ plans do not always meet the needs of the pupils. The new teachers are not sufficiently confident to change these plans in order to meet pupils’ needs.

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MUSIC

122. Throughout the school the music curriculum is satisfactory. It covers all aspects required by the National Curriculum but the school knows that it needs development. Currently it is not sufficiently helpful for teachers to plan across the school. Extra- curricular provision is very good, especially for the older pupils. There is an orchestra and choir who perform in the local theatre as part of a ‘primary schools’ concert. Each year pupils from across the school perform for parents. The subject makes a good contribution to the pupils’ cultural development. Assessment is adequate but as for all Foundation Stage subjects, that is those apart from English, mathematics and science, the school is aiming to improve.

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MUSIC

123. Resources are good. There is a music room which can be used in the afternoons. There is a good range of musical instruments from this country and from around the world. However, the storage of this equipment, although labelled to help teachers use the correct names, is untidy.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

124. Standards of attainment reached by pupils at the end of Year 2 and Year 6 are in line with national expectations. This is an improvement since the last inspection, when they were judged to be below national expectations overall. Four lessons were observed during the inspection, two in infant classes and two in junior classes. All pupils, including those with special educational needs, are well supported and make satisfactory progress.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

125. In the infants, pupils develop skills in copying and exploring body actions when they practise dance steps and learn to put them together in a dance sequence. They learn St John’s C of E Primary School - 41 the vocabulary of direction, such as ‘left’ and ‘right’. They listen and observe carefully as the teacher demonstrates the steps and sequence of the dance, and learn to copy them correctly, showing good levels of concentration and keenness to perform properly. Most pupils demonstrate increasingly good control and co-ordination and make effective use of space. They follow the rhythm correctly, and the more able pupils can remember the steps well. They learn to move in the right direction and count the number of steps accurately. All pupils co-operate well with other groups and work effectively with their partners. They are enthusiastic, have positive attitudes to the subject and behave sensibly. Pupils develop confidence in their abilities and make

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

126. In the juniors, pupils make satisfactory progress overall. They enjoy participating in outdoor games and apply themselves with energy and enthusiasm. They learn suitable routines for warming up and cooling down. All pupils co-operate well with each other, and they work effectively with partners and in teams. Behaviour is good. They apply themselves well when they practise skills of catching and stopping a ball, and they listen carefully to instructions from the teacher. Selected pupils show good skills when they assist with demonstrations to the rest of the class. However, the overall standard of catching and throwing is below average. Pupils have professionally taught swimming lessons at a local college and most pupils can swim 25 metres by the end of Year 6.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

127. The standard of teaching is good in the infants and satisfactory in the juniors. Where teaching is good, teachers have clear lesson plans with suitable learning objectives based on the National Curriculum Programmes of Study. Lessons commence with an effective warm-up session designed specifically for the type of activities the pupils are to undertake. There is a clear, well-planned progression in learning, which is organised at a pace suitable to the progress of the pupils. Tasks are well matched to the age and abilities of the pupils. Teachers review previous learning with the pupils, and then explain clearly to the pupils what they are to do, with good demonstrations by teachers and pupils to illustrate what the objective is to be. Good feedback is given to pupils on their performance, and, on occasions, pupils are encouraged to evaluate their own work and that of others in order to improve their performance. Learning

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

support assistants give very good support to individual pupils, assist teachers with demonstrations and provide good guidance to groups of pupils.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

128. Leadership and management of the subject are satisfactory. The co-ordinator is a physical education specialist. He monitors standards by observing teaching, supporting teachers in their planning and giving lead and model lessons. Other support is provided through inputs to staff meetings. The subject policy has been recently updated, and the curriculum is based upon national guidelines, but there is no scheme of work designed specifically for use in the school. Assessment is built into medium-term planning. Pupils benefit from the provision of a wide range of extra- curricular activities. These include hockey coaching by an outside specialist, demonstrations and coaching by visiting Commonwealth gymnasts and assistance by physical education students from a local college. The school participates in a local rugby festival and has been very successful in the local soccer league. There are also numerous sports clubs, including those for netball, cricket, and athletics, and the

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

school organises well-supported sports days for both the infants and the juniors. Older pupils benefit from a visit to a residential centre where they engage in a range of outdoor education activities. There is also a very effective morning exercise group, managed and run by staff and pupil volunteers, which aims to develop pupils’ movement skills. Resources for teaching and learning are satisfactory. The school hall is equipped with suitable large and small apparatus, although arrangements for St John’s C of E Primary School - 42 storage of this are unsatisfactory. The infant and junior playgrounds provide suitable hard surfaces for outdoor games activities and there is a conveniently located school field which is suitably marked for games and athletics purposes.

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